Mani Monday - Christmas Picks

Happy Christmas everyone.

No step by step guide today as well you know, its Christmas eve!! As I have done for many Christmas eve's in the past today I have completed a mani for both my sister and I. See below beauties. I hope everyone has the most amazing Christmas with their families, eat too much, drink too much and laugh too much!

This week's manis are candy cane stripes with tuxedo accent for Emily and I chose a glitter gradient on black polish. 

 

Merry Christmas from this little guy too. 

Love Jade x

Mani Monday - Gold dust

Hey Sweets,

How is everyone? I've had such a good weekend at my brothers confirmation and seeing friends in Clapham. Today's mani is a 'kind of' manicure as such as I didn't even mean to do it!!

I was actually trying to learn to do the gradient nails and actually used two shades that there too close in colour together! Opps. So to save the mani I sponged a Collection gold glitter polish onto the tips of my nails. I think it looks pretty good. So there's no step by step guide today as I wasn't intending to post this here yet but feel free to ask me any questions about it.

Christmas will be here this time next week so there will definitely be a Christmas inspired Mani Monday.

Love Jade x

Studs ...

So, I currently have a love affair with studs (and spikes too really), just look at this beauty.

From Warehouse, the studs, the colour, the zips. Purely amazing. Someone please take me out now so I can carry this god, maybe I'll just carry my things around in it on Christmas day, why not!

Love Jade x

Mani Mondays - Truly Tuxedo

Hello Loves,

How are you all? I had a beaut weekend at Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park. It snowed on Oxford Street on Saturday night was so pretty with all the Christmas lights.

Today's mani is all about the masculine tuxedo, once again thank you to my little sis for letting me borrow her nails.The 'tools' I used are just to the left. Steps below ladies:

Step 1: File and prep the nail with a base coat

Step 2: Two coats of white nail varnish

Step 3: Cross through the nail starting from the bottom of the nail bed using a black nail art pen

Step 4: Using the nib of the pen do 2 small dots, to form the buttons of the tuxedo

 Step 5: Fill in the outer edges of the tuxedo jacket, I found this easier to do by dipping the nail art pen into the bottle of black nail varnish as I could get more varnish on the tip

Step 6: Using the brush of the nail art pen, complete a little cross in the middle of the white section of the nail, then square these off to make the bow tie

And there you have it! Not so perfect tuxedo nails, you like? Any requests yet? Christmas nail art coming up soon!!

Love Jade x

Heart attack central ...

Or caramelised banana waffles with home made chocolate sauce.

This is actaully heaven in a bowl ladies. Last weekend I made these for my family, and muma has now decided that they are going to be a frequent weekend dessert for us.

The recipe can be found here, just a few pointers I learnt from this:

do the bananas last as they will go mushy if you heat them for too long

use caster sugar instead of icing sugar as it doesn't create that shiny texture

leave the chilli out and swap the dark chocolate for milk, not as healthy but much tastier!

Also a big thank you to Robyn of Fairytales and Folklore for being a beaut and designing my new layout for me, love you! This girl loves books and writing and crafting so head over and take a look you won't be disappointed, she is one funny being. 

Love Jade x

Mani Mondays ... Starry Night

Hello Everyone,

How are we all? Had a beaut weekend with my little sis, buying Christmas present and half of Zara!! But that's for another post! What have you been doing??

Today's mani monday is a bit of a creation and will need a bit of practice until its perfect. I feel a now and then post coming on for when that time comes. Here goes...

1. File, shape and base coat (every time ladies!)

2. Two coats of OPI happy anniversary, let them dry in between.

3. Use a nail art pen to drop different sized amounts of varnish on to the nail and then drag out middle of the drop to form the edges of the stars.

4. Top coat to seal and protect.

Finished Product

What do you think guys? Thank you to my beautiful sister, Emily for lending me her fingers for this blog post Mumma doesn't want her face on the blog so she will probably be on Mani Mondays for the next 6 years until we celebrate her 18th.

Happy Mondays lovers,

Love Jade x

Mani Mondays - The Glitter Frenchie

Hello Lovelies,

So it's Monday again already. Love Mondays as I get to post a new manicure idea each week but hate it as the weekend has gone and we now have the longest time to wait for the next one to come around again.

This weeks Mani is modelled by my Mumma Mia, after recently having an operation needed a bit of nail loving to cheer her up. My mum actually have the strongest, healthiest nails alive, so girls sorry for any nail envy that may be created from this post.

Glitter is the weapon of choice this week with a twist of the classic french manicure with a glitter stripe separating the nail from the free edge.

The nail was filed and then prepped with my usual collection nail base and top coat and the I painted the free edge with the Barry M white nail varnish.

Once the white edges where dry I carefully drew a thin line between the white and clear edges of the nail. I repeated this again, it's such a thin line that I usually don't wait for it to dry. Then finally I seal with a top coat.

So there you have it ladies, just a very simple idea to perk up your manicures. Let me know if any of you guys try it and don't forget to share your ideas with me!

Get better soon Mumma, Love you.

What are your plans this week beautifuls? I am wishing the week away as Friday is pay-day. Thank you sweet Jesus!!

Love Jade x

Dear Santa ...

Dear Santa,

If your reading this please just take a minute to appreciate the beauty that is the Gladstone bag. I, myself am a handbag fiend no matter how many bags I will always be room for that extra beauty in my life.

So girls take a peek at this looker, it has to be up there on my lists of wants, I actually think it is near perfection. The style is perfect to fit all of my things in as well as ipad (and also my new Marc B purse that would go down nicely too, thanks Mumma if your reading!)

Head over to Marks and Spencer if you want to take a look. Be mine soon pretty.

Love Jade x

Mani Mondays - Pillar Box and Hearts

Hello Pretties,

How are you all? Its the beginning of the week and that can only mean one thing, it's Mani Monday!! Today I have chosen quite a simple design, classic red with a simple white heart on the thumbs for detail.

So here are the colours I used, collection base and top coat, Topshop nail varnish in Pillar Box and a Topshop nail art pen in Frozen (basically white).

Firstly, as always, I painted my nails with the base coat. Then painted two coats of Topshop's Pillar Box red.

Lastly, I used the Topshop nail art pen to create a small heart in the inner corners of my thumb nails. I personally find other pens much easier to use than the Topshop ones but this gave the best colour contrast. I construct the heart by rolling the nib from the bottom of the heart to the top and then rotating the nib and repeating this on the opposite side.

Here is the finished product beauts, as always let me know what you think! Also I would love to hear about your own manicure ideas or any that you would like me to have a go at creating.

Love Jade x

Errr, hello there you beauty

Hope you have all had a great weekend? What have you all been up too? Mine has been quite chilled getting lots of bits and pieces done.

I just wanted to show you this top, what an absolute beaut. TO DIE FOR.

The colour, the lace, the scalloping, the sleeves. I love. Its from River Island and I will be wearing it over the Christmas period. Roll on payday.

Love Jade x

Celebrate!!!

Good Evening Sweets,

Just stopped by to let you all know that I am celebrating 200+ page views at Jade's Diary. I was so worried about starting up this blog but you guys have been so lovely and supportive so my 200 views means so much too me. Thank you <3.

Currently sitting watching Children in Need and wailing like the above! Thank the lord for waterproof mascara that's all I can say.

What are you guys up to this evening?

Love Jade x

Mani Mondays - Glossy Black

Helloo Lovers <3

How has your Monday treated you? Mine has dragged like a bitch I could not wait for 5.45 to roll around so I could skip happily out of work.

So as promised I am offically launching Mani Mondays, today's is entitled glossy black (its actually with a silver glitter stripe but that didn't sound as good!!)


Here are the products I used.

1. I painted my nails with a base coat.

2. Then I painted two coats of black polish. (Excuse the bad edges)

3. Next I do two coats of silver glitter to one side of each  nails.

4. Seal with a top coat and voila!

Love Jade x

birthdays on The Thames...

Hello Lovelies,

How has your Sunday been? Mine was spent wearing Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick, christmas shopping, walking Jasper over the Sussex Downs and washing my beaut of a car! Very productive Sunday if I must say so myself ...

Firstly, I just want to apologise for the lack of updates lately, I started a new job and have so family stuff going on too. But I vow to post more often from now on and today I will be sharing photos of one of my best friends 30th birthday a few weeks ago. Also just so you guys know I will be starting up 'Mani Mondays'  from tomorrow and showing you all how I will be wearing my nails each week.

me and biggles

So on with the show. On the 27th October my friend Biggles turned 30!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU BEAUT! I shared a hotel room with Robyn, who is one of the closest friends, it has to be the smallest room on Earth (see pic) but it did the trick!! To celebrate all of his family and friends travelled to London from all over the country and partied London style on a little boat. It left from festival pier near Waterloo at 6.45pm, (damn you London taxis I very nearly didn't make it) and floated our way across the Thames until 11pm. Biggles speach was a cracker, it was amazing to see everyone and it will honestly go down on my list of top 10 special events of all time. Amazing views, amazing friends and amazing time! Lets have another Jager Bomb please. Here are some pictures of the night and the views.

For anyone that would like to know my dress is from ASOS, kimono from Marks and Spencer, Shoes and clutch from Zara.

Happy Sunday lovers,

Jade x