Flower Nail Art

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Today I have these fun flower nails to show you!

For this manicure, I used two polishes from the Etude House, Ice Cream selection (there are 8 polishes in this collection) which I purchased on eBay, along with another Etude House polish in a bright coral.

These polishes are great for nail art - they are quite opaque in one coat and photos show their true colour!

Using the lilac as the base colour (two coats for photos ) I created the little flowers using just a dotting tool! Quite nifty, quick, easy and effective!

I finished up with a top coat of "Out The Door" which is my recent go-to top coat!

Hope you like it :)

Bondi New York, In The Limelight

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You might remember my post about the new Bondi Subscription Box!

Bondi polishes are all 5-free, have an amazing butter like formula with really amazing pigments, to create strong bold colours.

Here is The Limelight. This amazing lime green is so pigmented - I used two coats for this polish!

Bondi have a website, where you can sign up to their wonderful subscription box, and keep up to date on their facebook page !

Seventeen Rock Hard Couture, NAIL EFFECTS

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Well, do I have an awesome few polishes to show you tonight?! Yes I dooooo!

These babies, slipped under my radar, but a lazy browse in Boots this evening after work, led me to their sparkly textured beauty - love at first sight! It was definitely meant to be.

I did know about Seventeen's Rock Hard texture polishes before - what I didn't know was that somewhere in the last weeks, months maybe, this sparkly little foursome was released.

L-R: Charm Bracelet, Cameo Crush, Bijoux Baby, Celestial Pearl

I will show you swatches in the same order: each polish required two thin coats, it does drag a little quite like Zoya but that's OK for a texture in my opinion. Pictures were taken in natural light (what was left of it this evening!) and without flash.

I can't pick a favourite. I didn't think I'd like Celestial Pearl, but I love it! All these polishes have gold scatter.

Starting with Charm Bracelent, a golden, coppery colour:

Cameo Crush is a sea blue with a beautiful gold shimmer:

Bijoux Baby, a shimmering pink, with big gold glitters and a golden fleck:

Celestial Pearl is a white silver with a golden fleck:

In Boots Ireland these polishes are priced at €5.59 each - amazingly when I got to the till today, they were reduced to €3.49 !

Have you embraced the texture fad yet?!

Drippy Dots with butter LONDON

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I am positively dotty - obsessed would be a good way to put it, can't stop dotting my nails all weekend. I have come up with some fun results, by researching online and tweaking for my own personal preference.

This manicure, continues with butter LONDON Poole and another of the gorgeous Summer Holiday 2013 collection; Marbs. Marbs is a lovely shimmery gold (I am not a fan of gold). It has a coppery undertone giving it a different unique dimension, making me fall in love with it!

I used these two polishes specifically because they are different textures - creme v shimmer and I reckoned this idea would work well with this design. I have no idea what to call it, so I'll just call it "Drippy Dots"

Hope you like it!

Tiffany Inspired Nails

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Hello lovelies!

Today I have been sitting in my window trying out loads of nail art... I am trying to be more adventurous! I have come up with today, a Tiffany inspired manicure, as I was trying out the butter LONDON Summer Holiday Collection and one of these; Poole was too Tiffany to ignore!

For this manicure I used the following polishes:
Julep Kate, Nails Inc Hatton Garden, butter LONDON Poole & Barielle Night Moves.

Here is what I came up with!

I hope you like this manicure - everybody "should" have polishes similar to these in their stash, a simple white, silver, chunky silver glitter and a Tiffany shade of blue!

Have a great Sunday!

Flourish Organics - Certified & Irish!

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I have a interesting Irish company to talk to you about!

Flourish Organics began in 2003, (meaning this year is their tenth birthday). Set up by Geraldine and Klaus Woessner. Geraldine is an Aromatherapist and sought a more natural skin care range for her sensitive skin. Using a natural base to carry essential oils, this brand was born.

From their website: "Flourish Organics - Skin Care Ireland is one of the first Irish Cosmetics Producers in Ireland to be certified organic and we are proud to supply Irish Cosmetics to some of the top hotels and spas in Ireland"

I purchased some products from Flourish recently, namely the Hand & Body Wash and Lavender Lip Balm. The Hand & Body Wash intrigued me, I haven't seen lemongrass in a wash product before, and it's one of my favourite scents. This was a must-by for me! Nor have I seen Lavender in a lip balm... and thought this would be a nice product to use at bed time, as I always apply lip balm before going to sleep.

This Hand and Body Wash has the best smell from a product, that I've ever used. I regularly use lemongrass oil in my burner. I love the uplifting scent, and how it lightens my mood. This product is softening, and moisturising. It lives on my bathroom sink and I believe I've washed my hands more than ever since it arrived! My hands feel soft and the oils are really making a difference, even to my nails!

I do believe that this product will be a re-purchase for me. I also believe my boyfriend has been sneaking it into the shower .. he really should dry the bottle off before placing it back on the sink!

Guest Post - Never Mind Suzi

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Hello lovelies!

The lovely Gillian over here at the Irish Nail Addict has invited me to do a guest post.  And I must say it's my pleasure.  It's also lovely to know a blogger that's on the same side of the water as me (even if we do still have to cross boarders), as most of you lovelies seem to be UK based and beyond.

This is a little mani I did last week...

So my day job means I don't always get the weekend off, so when I found out, not only was I off the weekend but Monday and Tuesday too, I felt like doing a fun mani.

Polishes Used:

Nails Inc - Park Lane

Nails Inc - Chelsea Embankment

Lime Crime - Lavendairy

Sinful Colors - Snow Me White

Nail Art Pens

I've only attempted roses one other time but I love how this mani turned out.  They remind me of a softer leopard print, which isn't a bad thing as that's 1 of my favourite designs.

 I got lots of compliments on this mani including from the girls at the Urban Decay counter in Debenhams, which really made my day.

Thanks again for having me Gillian.

Ways to follow me:

Blog - http://www.nevermindsuzi.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NeverMindSuzi

Twitter - https://twitter.com/steppy_g2

Instagram - http://instagram.com/steppy_g

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Tumblr - http://www.tumblr.com/blog/nevermindsuzi

Thanks Steph

Nevermindsuzi.com

Bondi New York Subscription Box

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Being in Ireland, it's so difficult to sign up to subscription boxes.. For one, there aren't many to choose from. Bondi New York have a new subscription service and for $19.99 (YES that includes shipping to international destinations!) you can receive 3 full size polishes (RRP $12.50 ea) and a surprise product too!

I really didn't hesitate to sign up to this service.. I have one Bondi polish; Chasing Sun; which was sent to me for reviewing - you can see this here. This brand has a wonderful formula, like butter. The polishes are 5 free and profits go towards charites across the USA. Do you think this brand could sound any better?? It can. Their customer service is second to none. A wonderful team headed by Richard, working in the front lines, really completes the ethos of this fabulous brand!

I received my subscription box yesterday - and I have some pictures to show you what surprises lay in store for me. I am so pleased, and can't wait for next month's box, and for possible new shades later in the year!

L-R I'm Vers, Starry Night, Strawberry Fields & The Limelight

So there you have it - an exciting polish subsrciption box - available worldwide with reasonable shipping prices?! You can't go wrong. These polishes are of the highest quality!

If you want to sign up - you can do so here and you can keep up to date with Bondi on their facebook page here

Addicted to BAKING!

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You may not know this, but I love to bake.

I love the mess that happens in the kitchen; clouds of flour, drips of egg yolk on my floor.... all joking aside, having a final product/s from some raw ingredients makes me feel good.

Lately, I have been exploring healthier, gluten/wheat/cholesterol free baking (and some are not completely free of all these, but have significantly less of them).

I am going to share with you a recipe I have for some Spelt & Oat Banana Muffins. Spelt is a healthier alternative to wheat flour, and I have been experimenting with spelt flour for a few months now. It is actually an ancient species of wheat (non-hybrid) and contains zero cholesterol - I have been adding it to my baking for some time and have now started completely substituting wheat flour with spelt flour.

Spelt is a little more expensive than wheat (but not much) , and does contain gluten, though there have been reports of Coeliac suffers being able to eat it - I guess it depends on the person specifically.

Here is my recipe:

190g spelt flour
60g rolled oats (I used porridge oats)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking soda 
pinch of salt
85g of maple syrup (I used a cup measure for this - approx 1/4 cup)
100g melted butter
2 eggs
5 mashed bananas
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
handful of chopped walnuts / chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius. Prepare muffin tin with bun cases.

In a bowl, mix together your dry ingredients (flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt) 
In a seperate bowl, mix together your maple syrup, butter eggs, vanilla and banana.

Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients gradually until combined. 

You can now add your walnuts/chocolate chips and spoon into bun cases.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Glittering Elements - Bella

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Today I have a fabulous holographic polish to show you from Casey's new holo range.

This is Bella. Bella is a gorgeous bright purple holo. This polish was opaque in 2 coats, though I used 3. The formula is great - no streaking or dragging and so easy to apply.

Firstly, a note on the bottle choice - I love square bottles, they all sit in a box together happily and uniform. Casey adds a little bow to the cap, which I take off so I don't smudge my nails when swatching! The brush too, is thin and convenient for my small nails, meaning I don't paint half my finger in the process (I find large wide brushes utterly annoying!)

I love this shade, it's not lilac, and it's not too dark. It's a true purple with a nice pop and an almost neon effect. This is one of my new favourite shades!

You can purchase any of these polishes from Glittering Elements etsy shop here. There are five gorgeous holos in this collection , and they're all equally gorgeous! Some differing shades in there from what you may usually see in holo collections!

Please take a look at Glittering Elements Facebook page too! As you know, this is an Australian brand - with very good priced shipping.

Green Angel - Seaweed Body Lotion

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Recently, I was sent this amazing body lotion to review.

Green Angel are a truly Irish company providing exclusive seaweed and essential oil based beauty products. All ingredients are sourced and hand made in Ireland. Buying Irish is really important to me. In these times, it is important to be mindful of where your money is going, and I really like to give back to Irish companies. I have been familiar with Green Angel for quite some time now, first coming across their stand at the Fairyhouse market some years ago.

Developed by husband and wife duo; Mary and Chris; Green Angel has been awarded the "Guaranteed Irish" logo - this is a very sought after award!

Based in Rathcoole, County Dublin, this company has 33 products ranging from skin care and spa products to hair care products. Everything is handmade at source with essential oils and ingredients from the sea to nourish your skin. Great care is taken with each product to meticulously combine the rejuvenating benefits of seaweed extract, harvested from the unpolluted waters off the West coast of Ireland, with all the benefits of natural high quality essential oils to deliver a collection of results based products to make you look and feel refreshed and beautiful all day long.

I received this beautiful Seaweed body lotion.

This lotion, enriched with Neroli and Chamomile is the perfect after-bath lotion. It smells like pure relaxation. I applied liberally to arms, legs and all in between, smothering myself in moisture before getting into bed. Sea Lavender is listed in the ingredients, a scent that instantly relaxes me.It has a rich milky consistency, melting into the skin like butter. My boyfriend loves this particular lotion, so I may have to hide it from him. He has come to me a few times now, lotion in hand after his showers, asking me to apply to his back!

I can see myself repurchasing this one for sure.. especially come winter months, when I am having my tri-weekly baths! 

You can keep up to date with Green Angel on their Facebook page here.

Their website is currently under construction but you can locate stockists nationwide, here.

Glittering Elements - Firecracker!

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It's been so long since I've done a polish post - my poor nails are unhappy with me. I have been gardening and they've suffered.

Today I want to show you a beauty from Glittering Elements. I am a huge fan of Casey's polishes. This is probably my favourite so far - described as a pink crelly it is jam packed with glitter. I love the black hex in this polish, it really sets of the brightness of the pink! It's really hard for me to choose pinks I like - they are all so samey. Firecracker has a lot going on, and I love that. It's busy and it catches my eyes when I type, making for a happy Addict! It has a holographic shimmer, a long with all these eyecatching sparkly glitters inside, the black against this gives depth and interest.

The pictures below used 3 thin coats of this polish. Application was a dream, no dragging or clumping and glitter is evenly distributed (because there is a tonne in there!)

Glittering Elements are on Etsy and Facebook