NYE Ombre Glitter Nails!

So for New Years Eve I decided to be a little different to usual and add a bit of sparkle to my nails. Not only sparkle, but ombre glitter which I've never attempted before but I have to say I think it went pretty well!

For the base colour I used Barry M's simple White polish and for the ombre glitter I used Barry M's Fairy Lights (which was a limited edition polish from Superdrug, I believe?)

To achieve the ombre effect I used a good old Pinterest tutorial, putting a thin layer on 3/4 of the nail, let that dry then put a thicker layer on half of the nail and when that is dry put a good old amount of glitter on the the final quarter and voila! It's surprisingly easy to achieve but if anyone would life a specific tutorial post of ombre glitter let me know in the comments!

(Oh and please excuse the slight messiness on my fingers, forgot to clean the edges before I took the photo!)

What do you think? Would you like more posts like this?

Winter Nail Polish Favourites #1

After deciding I want to get back into blogging again, I thought I'd start with a little series of posts on what I love most... Nail polish! Over the next few weeks I'll post pictures of my favourite nail polishes for winter, including brands such as Barry M, Nails Inc and Essie.

First up is Barry M's Gelly polish in Mustard. I was desperate to get this polish as soon as it came out and it didn't disappoint! Sometimes I feel like Barry M's new season polishes can be very similar to older colours which have just been slightly revamped but I love how different this shade is!

Have you tried this polish? What is your favourite nail polish for winter?

Laura x

Life Update: Uni Life, New Hair and Weight Loss | PatternedAndPolished

I haven't posted in a long time now because I've been so busy with uni and making plans for my future so I thought I'd post a little update on what I've been up to, and I'm going to try and post a few times a month from now on too.

So I'm now in my final year as a History student at university and I'm on track to get a First class degree which I'm so pleased with! There is so much reading to do for third year but it will be so worth it in the end.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas and I finally finished my Christmas shopping last weekend so I have a ton of wrapping ahead of me!

Another big change since I last blogged is that I cut my hair off; I did it in two stages because I was so nervous to cut my super long hair off but I did it and I'm so glad I did!

I also continued my weight loss that I'd previously blogged about and altogether I've now lost 20lbs since March which I am so proud of! These pictures are the best 'before and after' examples I can find, although I've lost another 5lbs since the second photo.

Hope you enjoyed this little update and I'll try and keep this a more regular thing!

Patterned Polish of the Week #4

So after a week away 'Patterned Polish of the Week' is back and in my opinion, better than ever (although I am biased!) with more of a classic, occasion nail look this week; a french manicure with a twist.

I haven't done a french manicure on my nails for soooo long so when I came to dig out a french polish set, I found myself a difficult challenge. I was so set on this design that I had to make do with what I'd got. So in the end I found an Avon Nail Experts French Manicure Set of which the nudey pink colour was still the right consistency, and used Barry M Nail Paint in White for the tips which worked surprisingly well! For the super glossy finish I used my all time FAVOURITE top coat which is made my Color Club.

So here is the french manicure which provides the foundation for this week's 'Patterned Polish'. I have to say I'm pretty pleased with it to say I haven't done it for so long, I'd go as far as saying it look pretty professional! Once again I'm pretty biased though!

Then comes the nail stamping! This week I wanted something pretty and subtle to maintain the classy look of a french manicure, but at the same time make it look special and unique. Therefore I chose a simple flower design from the Konad M20 Stamping Plate.

And here is the outcome! I have to say I love it and once I've purchased a new french manicure kit I'll be doing it again!

So what do you think of this weeks 'Patterned Polish of the Week'? Do you have a french manicure polish kit that you can recommend?

 

BOOK REVIEW | Gone Girl

So a few weeks ago I wrote a 'Mid-Book Review' because I was enjoying the book 'Gone Girl' that much that I decided to write a review whilst still half way through as I just couldn't wait to share how I was feeling about it! Therefore, I'm not going to go too much into detail about the plot etc because you can find that here. I'll also start by saying that this post will contain spoilers, not substantial ones but I really want to give my opinion of the ending. If you want to know nothing of the plot before reading, I'll give you a warning as to when to stop reading this post if you haven't read the book yet!

So as I wrote in the mid-book review, Gone Girl is a book absolutely full of twists and turns! I previously wrote 'I really have no idea how this is going to end, when you think you've figured it out something happens which changes my thinking entirely!' and in the second half of the book that is exactly what happened. There is absolutely no way that you can tell how this book is going to end, as the twists continue to take place it makes it almost impossible to put the book down as you just want to know what is going to happen next!

It's one of those books that you just want to tell all your friends about the twists because they're that good! I persuaded my sister to read the book just so I'd have someone to talk about it to!

It's almost time for the spoilers so for those of you who plan to stop reading now, I would definitely recommend this book to you. If you like thrillers, and even if you normally don't, this book will have you gripped from start to end and you should get yourself a copy to immerse yourself in before summer is over!

SPOILER ALERT TIME!

Whereas I massively enjoyed the book as a whole, I have to say I was really disappointed by the ending. And from what I gather, this feeling is generally shared by many who have read the book. Gone Girl is so addictive, page after page after page, but I feel like the ending was unrealistic and gave no closure to the book. It was one of those endings where you turn the page expecting there to be more but there wasn't... The book had been SO good all the way through and it had so much more potential for a better ending instead of what I felt was a huge anti-climax. I've read that the film out later this year might have a different ending, I don't know whether this is true but if it is I really hope it gives the story an ending it deserves.

I'm currently half way through my next book 'Me and Mr Darcy' which my boyfriend's mum recommended and lent me. So far I'm really enjoying it and a review will be up once I've finished it! Then I plan to finish my summer by reading the Divergent book series, I loved the film so bought the books! 

So, book review wise, there's something for everyone over the next couple of months!

What did you think to Gone Girl? What has your favourite book been recently?

Patterned Polish of the Week #3

So this week has been a really busy one for me, having had a week spending time with family I haven't had much time at all to dedicate to my blog! Therefore tonight's post won't be as detailed as usual but if you're interested in the methods I use, look back at my previous posts. Tonight I'm back with my Friday feature, Patterned Polish of the Week, and this week may just be my favourite yet!

So this week I reached for a more summery colour which was Barry M's Peach Melba. 

Then using Konad M64 Image Plate and Konad Special Polish in Black I created this design!

I hope you like this week's Patterned Polish of the Week! 

Normal service and regular posts will return next week here at Patterned and Polished :)

June Favourites!

So although a little late, I've finally got round to sharing with you my favourite products of June!






First up is a particular scent I've been loving and using in a variety of different ways. That is the Body Shop's Japanese Cherry Blossom products in the Body Butter, Eau de Toilette and Body Mist. I've had these stashed in my wardrobe for quite a while but had completely forgotten about them until I was clearing my room out the other day! White Musk aside, Japanese Cherry Blossom is definitely my favourite scent from the Body Shop and I've been loving using all products at once as I feel they just smell really summery and light - especially when the British summertime isn't quite living up to the definition of summer so I can get that summertime feeling whilst staying inside the house too! Saying that, today is a good day and I'm writing this post on my iPad in the warm sunshine in my garden! Fingers crossed the sun is here to stay for a while!







Next up is my favourite moisturisers of the month. My favourite facial moisturiser is the Neutrogena Visably Clear Oil-Free Moisturiser and for my body Clinique Turnaround Body Smoothing Cream. You may have seen in one of my previous posts that i suffer from keratosis pilaris, or tiny pimples, mainly on the backs of my arms but also around my jawline and slightly onto my face. I've found that although they haven't completely cleared the condition up, they have both helped massively to clear up the redness and lessen the amount of tiny pimples on my arms and face. Even if you don't suffer from keratosis pilaris, I would still hugely recommend both the two products. Both leave your skin so soft and super hydrated! 












I have one standout make up product this month and that is the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive. After wanting one for ages, I've FINALLY got round to purchasing a Revlon balm. The matte balm I picked up is so pigmented and is really opaque after just one coat. I love the colour Elusive for both day and night time wear, it's a noticeable pink colour which isn't too bright or in your face and I'd say would be suited to many skin tones! 








A more random product I was loving last month is the Colgate Max White One Optic toothpaste. I'm always looking for ways to brighten my teeth and decided to give this a try when I found it for half price in Tescos last month. Although whitening toothpastes are not miracle workers and there is only so much whitening they can do, I've definitely noticed a difference. This Optic version promised to give a brighter smile after just one use and it certainly does, leaving teeth super shiny and clean for the day after brushing! 










The final thing I've been loving in June is a TV programme. Something I've been absolutely consumed by this month is Orange is the New Black. I've heard so much about this programme over the last year or so but never really knew too much about its premise and never had the time to watch it when I was still studying at uni. Once I broke up for summer I decided to get my monies worth out of Netflix and give it a watch... I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. From the very first episode I've been hooked, it's like nothing else on tv at the moment and I cannot recommend it enough. I've just watched the last episode this weekend and I really don't know what I'm going to do with my life now that I have to wait until next year for the next season. I could go on all day about this AMAZING show but I'll just say that I recommend it to you so so much if you haven't already watched it!







So that's it, my first ever favourite's post for the month of June!











What were your June favourites?