Mani Mondays: The nail care basics

Apologies for being absent over the weekend but my best friend came to stay at my new house so we were busy catching up. It was a proper girly weekend: shopping in Southampton, tapas and cocktails at La Tasca and a spa day at Bournemouth Marriott Leisure club. Okay we didn't actually have any treatments but we had a lovely, relaxing few hours swimming in the heated pool, sitting in the jacuzzi looking at the seaside and first time tries of the sauna (which I wasn't keen on) and the steam room (which I loved).
This week's Mani Monday's post isn't technically a nail art design for you, but rather taking things back to basics and properly taking care of yours nails - after all we all need a good base for any nail tutorial whether it's a simple French manicure or going made with dots and stripes.
I've been researching some top tips for keeping your nails in good condition as part of an assignment for Black Box Beauty - where I work as a beauty writer - so I thought I would share some of the best ones as well as my current favourite products.

Models Own 4-way nail buffer (very well used)

Filing and Buffing
Most people are split when it comes to buffing but I love it! One of my favourite products has to be my Models Own 4-way nail buffer. It comes with a nail file and then 3-stage buffer so it's really handy to carry in your handbag. Buffing removes the top layer of the nail bed to get rid of any ridges or bumps, so if you have weak or brittle nails you might want to avoid it altogether.

Nail Shape
This varies for everyone, my housemate keeps hers short and square where as I grow them long and file them into an oval shape. Even when I cut them off I still keep them rounded, I just think it looks nicer and also makes your fingers look longer and slimmer.

Some of my favourite shades for Autumn: Polishes from Barry M, Rimmel Lycra Pro, NYC Nail Glossies, M&S, Max Factor Nail Effects, Bobby Pin and Acessorize.

Colour
This winter is all about deep, berry shades which look amazing but do lead to stained nail beds - as I've found out the hard way. My favourite base coat is Save the Nail by Nails Inc, but recently I've been using Rimmel Nail Nurse which you can use as base coat and top coat - great for lazy girls like me.

Soap and Glory Hand Food: Hydrating hand cream

Extras
Winter is on it's way and it's definitely getting colder, which means dry, sore red skin. To keep this at bay I've been using Soap and Glory Hand Food. I also suffer from quite weak nails at times. I always seem to be bending them back, and then ripping the top part of my nail off, though only on my thumbs or ring fingers! It's really  painful but not exactly something you can make a fuss about so, when I remember, I like to apply a strengthening coat. It's also helpful to cut off any nicks as soon as you notice them to prevent them catching on anything.

What are your favourite hand and nail care products?

Beth xx

It's all about the haircut

Hello beauty addicts! I hope you're well, today's been a bit crazy, firstly sorry for the awful picture that goes with this blog post, my laptop had a meltdown this morning so I'm borrowing one but it means I can't download any photos from my camera so I've had to nab a hair related one off my facebook. I don't really like posting without a pic, that's why you've got one of me at my 20th birthday a few months ago, just after I'd had my hair restyled
Today, as you may have guessed, it's all about the haircut. It's amazing what a haircut can do for you. You walk a little taller, smile a little bright and you get to walk out the salon doing that swish-flick thing with your hair.
I've never really been very talented when it comes to my hair - my sister is brilliant, and so is my housemate - so I always go for a hair cut that is easy to style and doesn't need much doing to it. I've known my hairdresser for about seven years, she introduced me to GHDs, cut off my waist length hair into a bob and helped me go through a multitude of dye jobs, from my first caramel coloured highlights, to all over colours like dark purple, red, dark brown and back again. So it's safe to say she tell me what suits me and what, frankly, will look ridiculous. I love being able to ask whether a full fringe will suit me or whether I should choose blonde or brunette for my next colour change.
To me there's nothing more terrifying than going to a new hairdresser, I think I've done it about three or four times in seven years. While they mostly did an excellent job, and there's many more excellent hairdressers, you can't help but wonder whether they will understand what type of style you're going for, my love for having a sweeping side fringe means that I have to remind every hairdresser I meet not to cut it above my eyebrow, and my paranoia about this happening means I make this statement several times. Once was bad enough, where I was reduced to tears and left pinning my fringe back for a few weeks until it grew it again - thank goodness for hair grips!
But staying with the same salon for years on isn't always practical - and sometimes it's good to pick someone new if you want a complete overhaul instead of your usual trim - so if you're feeling nervous or guilty for picking a stylist then don't worry, check out my top tips for worry-free trip to the hairdressers below.

Top Tips

1. Know what you want: if you're going for a big restyle look online and in hair magazines to get an idea of the style you want and take the photos along with you to show your hairdresser 
2. But don't be afraid to ask for opinions: any good hairdresser will be able to advise whether the hairstyle you want to go for will suit your hair type and face shape or whether the dye job is going to drain you of all colour. 
3. Think about what you wear: no polo necks, nothing delicate that you worry might get ruined, no big dangly jewellery that's going to get in way. Obviously you can take off the jewellery when you get there, just don't leave them on the counter (like I did with my house keys!).
4. Go in your everyday look: if you wear make-up everyday, wear it to the hairdressers. Make-up can completely change your look and may affect how you feel about your new do. 
5. Ask questions: what products are best for my hair? Will a full fringe suit me? I'm thinking of dying my hair which shade will suit me? Do you have any hair treatments that will help? Anything hair related and they will be able to help.

Do you stick to the same hairdresser or mix it up?

Beth xx