Red Alert: Burberry Beauty

"There is a shade of red for every woman"

― Audrey Hepburn, supposedly. 

I've been on the hunt for the perfect red for quite some time. Like thousands of others, I turn to Chanel Le Vernis 'Rouge Noir' when I need a dark tone. But, what I've been looking for is red red. Not orangey red, not burgundy red, don't even mention oxblood… 

I almost gave in to OPI Big Apple Red, but thought I'd have one more look around first. In Covent Garden, Dior, Burberry, and Chanel conveniently sit side by side. Chanel are giving red a BIG push at the moment, and as I 'collect' this brand I was certain I'd find something. Yet, from 'Dragon' to 'Fire', 'Pirate' to 'Rouge Fatal', nothing was drawing me in quite enough.

Next, I popped into Burberry. Other than some lovely skin illuminator, Burberry Beauty hasn't been on my radar. I went in and opened a bottle to have a look at the width of the nail brushes (wow, I'm cool). A security guard was pointing at a computer screen, suggesting I use it to look at shades. I did the whole 'smile, say thanks, ignore instruction' routine. Then the make-up artist started lining up nail polish bottles on the machine. Each time he added a bottle, a colour would appear on the screen. At this point, I couldn't hide my excitement: 'LET ME USE IT. LET ME USE IT! HEY, YOU! I'M THE CUSTOMER. LET ME PLAY.' The security guard did the telling 'I-told-you-so' kinda thing, while I started playing with the bottles ― each one has a computer chip underneath, so that the data can be detected. Here's a picture to demonstrate… 

While I was comparing reds, Wai (the make-up artist) introduced himself. Keen to help, he applied the shade of red I was contemplating on himself. SOLD. Burberry Military Red, you're coming home with me.  

Here are some things I've learned about Burberry nail polish:

• It dries very fast. It's one of fastest-drying polishes I've owned. Make sure you've got a good painting technique, because you won't have much time to spread it around!

• It lasts ages. I've taken a picture of my nails on the day I painted them (left) and then ten days later (right). The polish stays shiny, and with a good top coat it doesn't fade or chip ― the only change is where I've picked at the cuticles slightly. 

• The packaging is pretty. And I'm a sucker for pretty packaging. 

Nail varnish in Military Red 300, £15, Burberry.

Sophy Robson: Nail Porn Queen

Here's some nails, not done by me!… 

My kinda industry has meant a continuous stream of offers to have my nails painted – and while I'm not complaining *I'm sincerely grateful, kind PR people*, the number of manicures I've turned down has probably reached triple figures. I'm quite fussy and my own attempts can outlast some gel manis. 

However, there are exceptions. I never turn down the chance to meet my favourite nail artists. Queue Sophy Robson, Nail Porn superstar. Recently, I had the chance to interview her for Cosmopolitan – she's worked with Keira Knightley, Rihanna, Jourdan Dunn, Lindsay Lohan, and Lily Allen, to name but a few; as well as campaigns for House of Holland, Tom Ford, and Jimmy Choo. If she's good enough for RiRi, then she's good enough for me. She's talented, honest, and doesn't take any shit. You can read my full interview with Sophy here, which has some great advice for any budding entrepreneurs or session artists.

On the day, Sophy was following a brief for Diamond Digger Saga (the oh-so addictive app) but it was also Halloween week. The nails had to be relevant to the brand, but I also wanted something to suit my 'zombie Dorothy' costume. Although the nails don't look spooky, they do represent the Wizard of Oz fairly well with Emerald City and 'Somewhere-over-the-Rainbow' vibes. Sophy painted one hand (left picture), while her main gal @NeringaNails glammed-up the other.

Flashback! Neringa creates fantastic designs in Sophy's salon Glo in Fulham. She's extremely creative and definitely one to check out on Instagram. Here's an image of the last time Neringa did my nails, as part of an initiative with the England netball team.

Want more?

Find out what happened when I attended Sophy Robson's first masterclass here.

Autumn 2014: An Ode to YSL… and Tomato Soup

“Aprils have never meant much to me, autumns seem that 

season of beginning, spring.” 

―Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote

This week I was looking through my collection of polishes for something that screamed 'autumn'. There was one bottle screaming 'pick me' as loud as possible. Given to me as a gift and previously ignored through the summer months, La Laque Couture in Ambre Gingembre by Yves Saint Laurent was finally ready to shine.

I added some glitter and black touches to the nails, but it wasn't until I was sitting down to dinner that I realised… my nails are a very similar shade to Heinz tomato soup, and my polka dots look like black pepper. 

Soup aside, I'd highly recommend this polish - two coats provides fantastic, long-lasting coverage and YSL brushes are lovely and wide for easy application. Buy it for £18.50 from Debenhams.

Halloween Nail Ideas 2014

"We can live like Jack and Sally if we want..." 

– Blink-182

Trick or treat?! Halloween is my favourite holiday. I love it. If I had to choose between Christmas and Halloween then it would be sayonara to Santa Claus. 

I haven't decided on my nails for this year yet, but I thought I'd show you some previous nail art I've done in case you're looking for some inspiration.

These nails are from 2011 -- when I first started trying out designs.

Here's my offerings from 2013. From left to right there's a scene from The Nightmare Before Christmas, an autumn tree, a pumpkin, spider webs, Jason's hockey mask, dripping blood, Frankenstein's creation, a vampire, a spider, and Jack Skellington. 

Have a frightful Halloween my ickle pumpkins. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"COWABUNGA!"

With the new film out, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo – aka the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – hopped straight out of the big screen and onto my nails.

I'd love to claim this as an original idea, but I spotted the design being shared on Facebook and simply had to try it for a cinema trip. 

I spotted a pair of very apt pants in Topshop. Rather than buy them I decided to arrange an impromptu photo shoot in store – I'm certain the staff loved me for it, ahem… 

Picking the right green was a tricky decision – neon turtles anyone? Megan Fox has green nails throughout the film so I chose a very similar shade. 

As for the film, I enjoyed it more than I probably should have. The turtles are extremely personable and I think it would be wonderful to have them roaming around the city – as long as they were willing to share all the pizza. I'm a big (HUGE) Megan Fox fan and the Transformers franchise hasn't been the same without her, so I thoroughly enjoyed her kick-ass, or should I say kick-Shredder's-ass, performance. And, just for a giggle, here's me showing off my nails with the lads… 

For now, I shall leave you with a tune from the soundtrack. Here's Shellshocked, best played LOUD.

Jamie Crawford Music

“The guitar is a miniature orchestra in itself.” 

- Ludwig van Beethoven

When it comes to music, my Achilles heel is boys with guitars. Stick a man on stage with a decent voice and a stringed instrument (ukeleles don't count, fellas) and I'll buy the gig tickets, CD, and overpriced T-Shirt – sound the groupie klaxon.

Paolo Nutini, Ben Howard, Nick Mulvey, Vance Joy, Jamie Crawford, Hozier... Hold on a sec, did you say 'who's Jamie Crawford?' Well my darlings, he's a talented musician from London who I had the pleasure of going to university with. He'd play at acoustic gigs across our university town – big up Reading – and it was a great change from the usual pre-drink / club / crawl home kind of combination that became the norm – not that there's anything wrong with that. Anyway, I've been a fan ever since and even used some of the old student loan to buy him some recordable CDs. If you like bluesy pop then you'll love the sound.

Jamie and his band – hey, Charlie and Craig! – played at The Bedford in Balham this week, in a really cool Globe-style venue. I thought I'd dress my nails up for the occasion, to match the band's latest EP…

They've also got a new music video - if you haven't caught it on MTV yet, watch it here…

You may think I'm bias, but I'm not. The music is genuinely cracking and if you want confirmation just check them out for yourself:

Head to iTunes and download the first EP, You're a Lion Next to Me, here; or the second, Wish Me Luck, here.

Check Facebook for the latest events, follow the adventure on Twitter, or have a listen on Soundcloud.

Got a new band you love? Let me know. Maybe I can become an independent version of BBC Introducing. 

Lupus Awareness Month 2014

As you may have noticed from the increase of pink products in shops recently, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What you may not have noticed is that it's Lupus Awareness Month too. 

Unless you're a Lady Gaga fan, have watched House, or saw cycle two of America's Next Top Model (circa 2004), then lupus may not be on your radar.

In a very simple nutshell, lupus is an incurable autoimmune condition that mainly effects young women -- lucky us, eh? Basically, the immune system enjoys attacking the healthy cells, tissues, and organs in the body, which can cause inflammation and lead to a variety of complications.

The illness is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are almost identical to other problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, and the symptoms vary in type and severity across individuals. I won't go into further details here, I'm aware this is a nail blog and not the NHS Direct, but Lupus UK (or lupus.org for US readers) is a really useful resource for anyone looking for more information.

How have I linked this to nails? Purple is the colour adopted by the lupus campaign, so I followed suit. Using a striping brush to layer white nail polish with different shades of purple, I created a marble effect and then added some polka dots -- I solemnly swear to avoid polka dots in my next blog post, I'm sure you're tired of them by now. 

Follow @LupusUK for daily updates. 

Amsterdam

Amsterdam has stolen my heart, ladies and gents. A combination of stunning scenery and lax laws makes for an unforgettable city break.

The simplest way to reflect Holland through nails would be to paint them red (to pay homage to the Red Light District), green (to reflect the 'coffee shops') or orange - it's because of the Dutch royal family that the country loves the colour so much, just in case you were wondering where the obsession originated from. I opted for orange and added the Netherlands flag too. 

What a beautiful place.

The Libertines

Photo credit: Twitter @NME

I'm writing this battered and bruised, with a slight scent of beer in my hair, after a night of being thrown around during The Libertines gig at Alexandra Palace. It was wonderful.

Another gig meant another opportunity for themed nails, because you know, I'm sure Pete Doherty is a big nail art fan and would have spotted them from the stage... 

My initial idea was to do little red military jackets that the boys are famous for wearing, as seen on Carl Barat on the night. However, I'm stuck in a nail rut and keep doing spots. I just can't put the dotting tool down. Fortunately, for those of you familiar with the tune 'What Katie Did' you'll know that polka dots are perfectly apt for Libertines.

It just so happens that 'Libertines' is ten letters and I have ten fingers, so I used some nail stickers from a House of Holland set (£8.99, Elegant Touch) and layered them over the dots.

Excuse the chipped nail. It broke before I had a chance to photograph them. If you're looking for a white that doesn't resemble tip ex I'd recommend Sporty - Gossip by Michael Kors, £15.50, House of Fraser.

Don't forget to give this a listen…

London Fashion Week S/S 15

Every season there will always be someone who claims that nail art is dead – please go back to bed. London Fashion Week Spring / Summer 15 will hush the naysayers.  

London Fashion Week always excites me on the beauty front. I got hooked on nail art a few years ago after working on the House of Holland show. The bright nail creations on models immediately caught my eye and my nails were never plain again. HoH has been consistently brilliant with nail art, thanks to Sophy Robson. I still haven't managed the pink houndstooth design, but this year's look is something pretty and easy to achieve. Say hello to red and pink glittery nails… 

Photo credits: Instagram @SophyNails

You'll be heading into the garden to create J. JS Lee's floral nails. Ami Streets adorned cream nail polish with real pressed violets for this delicate design. 

Photo credits: Twitter @ELLEUK 

You can always rely on Ashish to bring some humour and sparkle to London Fashion Week. Michelle Humphrey for Maybelline has made Ashish a big talking point for beauty, drenching nails in glitter. Want to recreate the look? Michelle used a combination of Maybelline Colour Show in 'Watery Waste' and 'Glitter It', before adding plenty of gems.

Photo credits: Instagram @GlamourUK

Lulu & Co held a static presentation for London Fashion Week. The nail art by WAH nails corresponds perfectly with the fun prints created by Louise Gray, whose philosophy has often been 'everything matches if you like it'. The WAH nails 'Y2K Mirror Shine' nail polish is top of my wish list at the moment. 

Photo credits: Instagram @wahnails

Invites for the Giles show arrived in the form of foam monster claws, and the nails on the day matched! Marian Newman used a combination of MAC nail lacquer in 'Deep Sea' and 'Nocturnelle' to create these two-tone talons. 

Photo credits: Twitter @GetTheGloss

For those of you looking for something more simple, plenty of designers opted for nude nails, including David Koma, Tom Ford, and Natasha Zinko:

Photo credits: Twitter @MagazineDARE. Instagram @marieclaireuk @wahnails

London, I love you.