Nail Art Style

Hi guys and gals :) I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, ate plenty, drank plenty, and got lots of presents of course! I've had a really busy few weeks what with Christmas, visiting friends and family and then organising our impending relocation for my new job, so I haven't had a minute to spare for nail art. I'm going to have to play catch-up this week; my nails are feeling extremely neglected and my polish collection is screaming to be used! Speaking of which, here are the additions I received for Christmas... I was well and truly spoilt this year, and along with the nail treats from my friends and family, I got a lovely Secret Santa gift from one of the nail girls on Twitter (I'm still trying to track her down - I really am a useless detective). This post is going to be pretty picture heavy, so prepare yourselves! 

My boyfriend treated me to the Fearne 'Perfectly Polished' collection. I really loved last year's collection so I was very excited to receive this instalment! The shades on the top row are 'Minty Maggie', 'Gold Lining' and 'Attention Seeker', and the bottom ones are 'Rudi Red', 'Vintage Cream' and 'Lola Lavender'. I really like the little box they come in, as I'm a sucker for pretty packaging! I haven't tried any of the polishes yet, but if they're anything like 2012's collection, I know I'll be impressed.

I had asked for Rimmel's 'Space Dust' polishes, but unfortunately every single Boots in Manchester had sold out. I still got 'Shooting Stars' though, which is a gorgeous silver polish jam-packed with glitz and glam. Along with that, I got 'Disco Ball' and 'Diamond Dust', which are both super duper sparkly!

I also received a set of Carolyn. K nail paints, which I've never tried before (I've not even heard of the brand?!), but they say they're 100% British which is always good, as well as being 'glossy, chip resistant, [and] quick dry', and infused with vitamins to make nails healthier. The colours have really strange names - 'Lilit', 'Huby' and 'Babette' - all of which totally confuse me. They're very rich, deep shades from looking at the bottles, so I'm hoping they're just as good on my nails!

My boyfriend then decided to be HILARIOUS and got me a Carolyn. K 'Polish Pod', since apparently I'm clumsy and spill nail polish all over the place... Me? Never! It's a spill-proof nail polish holder, and the bottle just sits comfortably inside, and can be rocked around to different positions without toppling over. I reckon this item was more of a present to my boyfriend and his coffee table than me, but it's still pretty snazzy!

I reckon my brother and sister paid all of Barry M's employees' wages this year, as they presented me with a rather large bag of polishes. It included 'Strawberry Ice-Cream','Chameleon Lilac', 'Passion Fruit' and 'Sour Apple', along with two glitters, 'Silver' and 'Rose Quartz', and a gold crackle polish. They also got me a dark blue magnetic polish, and a pink nail art pen. Well done siblings!

My Secret Santa spoiled me rotten with lots of lovely things, including some TarasTalons cuticle oil and hand mask, some 'Ginger Sparkle' hand cream, a wheel of different coloured and shaped gems, and some multi-coloured 'Sea Shell Nail Powder'. I also got Models Own 'Sardonyx' and Sally Hansen 'Kiwi Bikini', which are very festive colours :) Oooh and some chocolates, but they're long gone I'm afraid.

Finally, I got The Color Institute's 'Urban Nail Set', which includes lots of polishes and tools, along with some more hand and nail cream, a dotting set, and some nail scissors. Phewwww... I didn't realise I got all of this stuff! I think it's time to get some more nail storage...

Did you guys get any naily treats for Christmas? Let me know! You can tweet me @amykilv, drop by my Facebook page, or track me down on Instagram (@littletipoff), I'd love to hear from you!

Hi everyone! Today I've decided to show you some of the nail-related gifts I received for my birthday last week. I turned 24 on November 3rd, and since then I've been so busy with various events and meetings, I haven't had a moment to spare for my poor little blog. Although I haven't had enough time to create a new nail art design, I thought that you may enjoy having a little nosy at some of my newest naily treats. I did extremely well in terms of presents this year - I'm pretty certain I've never received so much, and I felt spoiled rotten. It just goes to show that no matter how old you are, you can still feel like a child again when it's your birthday! 

So first up is OPI's Mariah Carey collection, which consists of four Liquid Sand mini nail lacquers. From left to right, the polishes are: 'Get Your Number', 'Can't Let Go', 'The Impossible' and 'Stay The Night'. Since purchasing my first OPI polishes, the Couture De Minnie collection, I've become a massive fan, and I was extremely happy to receive a few more. The Liquid Sand polishes dry to a textured matte finish, and are totally packed with sparkle. 

Next up are some more OPI minis, which come together as the San Francisco collection. From left to right, they are: 'First Date At The Golden Gate', 'Muir Muir On The Wall', 'In The Cable Car-Pool Lane' and 'Peace & Love & OPI'. I immediately fell in love with the latter. It's one of the only birthday nail polishes that I've managed to use so far, and it's still sitting on my nails in its shimmery, petroleum-coloured loveliness (albeit a little chipped).