Alex and Ani bangle

During my recent holiday to NYC I made a compulsory trip to Bloomies and wandered round looking at all the beautiful expensive designer clothes I can't afford. Then, on the way towards the escalator on one floor I spotted an Alex and Ani stand.

I have wanted an Alex and Ani bangle for ages since I saw Maira Sparkles post photos of them on Instagram. I think they are harder to get hold of here in the UK though. I was so exciting to see the full range there on a table in front of me, I think my boyfriend wondered what was wrong when I squealed "Alex and Ani" at him.

I was going to go for this one that has the New York skyline on it as a bit of memorabilia from my holiday, but it was a brushed silver so didn't really go with the gorgeous new silver bracelet my boyfriend had bought for my birthday a few days before.

I then spotted the birthday stone bangles which are a shiny silver (or gold), so I went for one of those instead. It's still quite meaningful as we did actually go to New York to celebrate my birthday.

I am now a proud owner and will definitely expand my collection in the future. Knowing me I'll probably still end up getting the NYC skyline at some point as I absolutely love New York.

If you would like to have a little browse, the only place I have found that stocks them in the UK is www.argento.co.uk

Metallic Sharpie nail art

Each year, a couple of months before my birthday I start making a list of things I'm lusting after. Then when my family ask what I want, I send them the list.

This year, one if the things was the set of three Sharpie metallic markers. But I didn't want these for writing with, no, these were for nail art!

You can paint your nails, let it dry then use the Sharpies to draw intricate designs on your nails. Final step is to cover your art work with a top coat, then you have the finished decorated nails.

I still need to master the top coat as I have smudged it a bit by going over it too much. Really you need to try and do the top coat in one stroke. But with a bit of practice I know I'll get there. 

Freebie Kate Spade nail polish

The December edition of Glamour is out now and comes with a free Kate Spade nail polish. There a four Christmassy shades to chose from; gold, silver, red and black. 

The nail varnishes are normally £11 and the mag only costs £2. Definitely worth picking up a bargain.

I've gone for black. Which will you chose?

A spot of luck

I haven't blogged for ages! I've really wanted to, but literally haven't had the time. Work has been crazy and then I went to New York for my birthday, so it's been non-stop. Anyway, I'm here now and shall vow to be more regular in my blogging.

Today I want to tell you about some luck I had recently; I won my first ever blog giveaway! Sophie from sophiejanethorne.blogspot.co.uk ran a giveaway to win a Wet n Wild nail polish in red - and lucky old me won.

Sophie is so lovely that she actually included a couple of extra items for me to apologise because she had a slight postal delay. So not only did I get the Wet n Wild polish, but also a Maybelline one and a strawberry flavoured Lypsyl.

As I got these items a month or so ago now, I have had time to fully try them out and review them.

Wet n Wild Wild Shine nail colour
Love the colour, it is a really bright red with a hint of pink in a certian light and as it's a gel polish it looks great on. It's really shiny, especially with a top coat on. It lasted well, but not quite as well as the Maybelline.

Lypsyl Strawberry Polka-dot
Tastes great and contains SPF. It claims to be tinted, but I couldn't notice much, maybe a slight pale pink, but not really. The downside to this is that it is quite a hard textured balm, you really need to rub it on. It worked best when I had it in my pocket and then used it as the heat had softened it. 

Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days gel nail colour
This is amazing! The red was probably a shade darker than I'd normally go for as I have quite fair skin, but it looked great and lasts soooo well. In fact I put this nail varnish on for my 5 day holiday to New York and it last the whole trip. So not quite 7 days, but I don't think I had time to put a top coat on.

I will definitely buy more of these Maybelline 7 day polishes.

To finish, thank you very much Sophie for the gifts, it's so generous of you to run these giveaways. Everyone else head over to Sophie's blog for beauty reviews, recipes, fashion and more.