An Old Favourite... Barry M Aquarium Nail Paint

After falling in love with the new Barry M Sunset Collection, I thought I'd put on an old favourite until I can get hold of some more shades.

With the sun starting to show itself a bit more, I wanted a summery shade, so went with two of my faves from the Barry M Aquarium Collection; Arabian and Treasure Chest.

I absolutely love the shade Arabian, I'm normally not too big a fan of shimmery nail polish but there's just something about this green that I love.

I applied two coats of this to my nails, and then put a single coat of the Treasure Chest glitter for an accent nail.

What's your Barry M 'old favourite'?

Barry M Sunset Polish - 4 days later...

So as promised, 4 days after first applying Barry M's new Sunset polish, (original post here) here is an updated post on my thoughts on its staying power. The polish promises up to 10 days wear, but how accurate is that?

Well after 4 days I've got small chips on three nails, which I'm disappointed with but that is better than I can achieve with Barry M Gelly polishes.

To be honest, it might be my mistake as the chips are only small to the corners of a few of my nails, so maybe next time I need to apply the special top coat more carefully.

Despite the minor chipping, I'm really pleased with the results, they still look really professional and the gel-effect shine has lasted really well.

I've included photos of both hands, so see for yourself...

My left had is doing pretty well, despite a small chip on my thumb nail.

Similarly, I have a small chip on my thumb her and one on my index finger but nothing major!

I am still really pleased with the results, and can't wait to try out some of the other shades!

Have you tried the Sunset polishes? How well have they lasted for you?

Laura x

NEW Barry M Sunset Nail Paint: First Impressions

I've been so busy with my university work and getting my dissertation written that my blog has been entirely neglected recently but I couldn't resist writing a post about the new Barry M Sunset Nail Paints!

As soon as I heard about the release of these new polishes I couldn't wait to try them and I haven't been disappointed.

I'm going to a christening on Sunday so picked up the pretty nude shade 'Do It Like A Nude' along with the Sunset Topcoat and applied them as soon as I got home yesterday.

The quality of this polish is just amazing and looks as though I've had gel nails done at a salon, but just at a fraction of the price! The only problem I had with the shade is that I needed three coats rather than the advised two as it was not quite opaque after two, but this is to be expected with such a light shade and isn't a big deal when considering the results!

The polish is supposed to last up to ten days so I'll take pictures every couple of days to show you all how well they last and put up an updated post.

Have you tried the Sunset polishes? What did you think? 

What colour should I buy next?

Laura x

I'M GOING TO BE A PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER!

Once again, it's been a long time since I last blogged but I'm in my last few months of university so I really need to focus on my dissertation and final assignments. But I thought I'd log on to give you an update on my life which is pretty huge!

I'M GOING TO BE A PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER!!

I found out last month I've been accepted and I'm so excited to start my teacher training in September!

I decided to go down the School Direct route, which basically means I'll be based in one school for most of the year (my first choice school too!) and then I will also be staying at the University of Hull for another year to complete the PGCE side of my teacher training.

I'm so relieved/happy/excited that I know where my future is going and that I'm going to have a job as rewarding as being a primary school teacher!

Laura x

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!