It's Nearly Winter - Brighten Up!

So with all the flooding up and down the country and chill in the air that has led to us putting the heating for the last week, it's time to admit it: Winter is well and truly on it's way! 
One thing I actually like about winter is getting to layer up with all sorts of cozy jumpers and scarfs and I get to wear my awesome snuggly fleece-lined mittens/wristwarmers by BlackYak: 

Anyway, whilst I'm wearing these I get to display a lovely flash of colour on my fingers to keep the winter blues at bay! 
One of my favourite brands for a cheap and cheerful splurge of colour is the 60 Second Nail Polish by Rimmel, which comes in a whole array of cool colours, which go on smoothly, last really well and really do dry pretty quick, plus the brush is nice and wide for a really easy application.

My favourites are the awesomely bright Sky High (seen here), and Blue My Mind - and they're a bargain at under £4 each.

If you're up for spending a bit more, Illamasqua do a great range of polishes with brilliant names too like Whack, Phallic and Bacterium! These are top quality polishes and coming in at £13.50 you'd hope so! But they're big bottles (15ml vs Rimmels 8ml) so of course will last longer, if you don't get bored first and want to buy a new one, which is what I do and why I go for cheaper nail polish brands!

To wear all these eye-catching colours with maximum impact keep your nails short and neat since longer nails in bold colours can look a bit talon-like! 

The problem with all these lovely nail polishes is that they are susceptible to chipping and scuffing - a pitfall of even the loveliest mani/pedi. 
In preparation for my wedding, I went in search of something a little longer-lasting, so recently had my first experience of Shellac, and I will never look back! 

Shellac and similar brands such as Gellish & Gellux is a gel polish that goes on like a nail polish, but is cured under UV or LED light. This means that once the gel has been set by the light it is smudge-proof, scratch-proof and chip-proof for about 14 days! No waiting for fingers and toes to dry, hurray! 

This is the new way forward for a longer lasting manicure, and I'm pleased to say that from the end of October I'll be offering Gel Polish Treatments to my clients (look out for introductory offers coming soon!). All this in time for the festive season! 

    

A Lovely Thankyou!

It's always nice to get mail, and when it's in the form of delightful praise from a bride I can't help but get all fuzzy inside. In fact this one almost had me in tears!! Just had to share....


Dear Natalie,

I will send a proper thank you note but I wanted to write before we leave on honeymoon to say thank you so much for all you did on Saturday.

I was so delighted with my hair and make up - when you arrived I was feeling so stressed and tired after a few sleepless nights but you transformed me into a princess for the day. I have to admit I had not been 100% sure about having my hair and make up done professionally but my Kate's (her sister-in-law and a previous bridal client of mine) recommendation convinced me to go for it and I couldn't be more pleased that I did. It really took the pressure off when I was feeling anxious before the ceremony to have someone take the reins while I sat back and took a moment to be quiet and reflect on what was to come.

You were such a lovely, relaxing person to have around and your calming influence was felt not only by me, but also my mum and the bridesmaids (who absolutely loved their hair). By the time I arrived at the ceremony, I felt so beautiful and confident which I am sure helped me relax and enjoy the day from that point onwards.

Thank you for all the little extras you did for us too - from helping mum with her hair, pinning on dad's button hole, putting on my veil, fixing my last minute spot issue (sorry again for asking you do to that!), fastening my bracelet and giving the bridesmaids a spray of make up fixer. It didn't go unnoticed and we all appreciated it so much.

Best of luck with planning the final aspects of your own big day. I hope you have better luck with the weather than we did but I have to say it didn't matter a jot in the end and our wedding couldn't have been more perfect - sun or no sun.

Best wishes, Helena

Aaaawwwwwwww, is'nt that sweet?! 
I love my brides! 

x

Here's a sneak peak of Helena's wedding pics.... more to come soon on my website!...