Mani Monday | Blues

This week unfortunately there won't be any outfit posts up as the weather has been a bit rubbish this weekend (and I work late during the week) so I haven't had a chance to take any, hopefully next week will return to my usual scheduling but to fill in, I'm bringing you 'Mani Monday' and in honour of spring/summer, my favourite blue polishes. 

I love wearing pale/bright blue shades on my nails - I tend to steer clear of deeper blues - as they really brighten up an outfit and are much more of a colourful colour than my go-to nudes or pinks. My all-time favourite blue shade is Essie's Lapis of Luxury, which is a dusky blue with slight grey tones to it. This one is great for any season as it isn't too neon or pastel and this is one I find myself reaching for a lot. Essie polishes in general apply early nicely and this one is no exception and I find it lasts a good week before I feel the need to touch-up or reapply. 

Next up is the brightest of the three shades and that's Model's Own Hyper Gel in Blue Glint. The formula of these polishes is great and the hyper-gel claims really are true, I still like to apply a top coat but in the case of this polish, one really isn't needed. This is a very vibrant and somewhat neon shade so it's definitely not one I'd wear in the colder months but on holiday or during summer, I find myself reaching for this one. 

Finally, what nail post would be complete without a pastel shade and my blue choice for this is  from the Rita Ora for Rimmel collection in Pillow Talk. This is a slightly shimmery (the shimmer is barely noticeable on the nails) pale blue shade that can be built up to full opacity with two to three coats. The formula of these polishes is okay, they don't wear as well as Essie but still last a few days before chipping and this shade is a great alternative to wearing a tipex-esque white polish.

Spring Nail Edit | Brights

The clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and the UK seems to be experiencing the first hints of Spring. Now with a new season comes a whole array of new nail polish shades to break out of the dark depths of my cupboard and for me, it's often a decision between bright and neutral shades, with pastels usually coming somewhere in between the two. I thought I'd put together two little edits of my favourite spring nail shades covering bights and neutrals and everything in between! 

First up this week is the brights edit and I've tried to pick something to cover every colour give or take, some being my absolute staples and others being ones that I wear occasionally. Lets start with the newbies to my collection and they are the new Rita Ora for Rimmel shades in Port-a-loo-blue and Glaston-berry. I love the names of all these polishes and you probably guessed, they are all festival inspired. There is a great mix of bolds, neutrals and darks in the collection but I chose these two as they are perfect spring shades in my opinion. The formula is great, two coats and you're good to go, and they seem to last a good while before showing any signs of chipping. 

Next are from my old favourite brand, Barry M and they are part of the Gelly Hi Shine collection and for me, these work great and require no topcoat, which is a bonus for me, anything to cut down the time it takes! The shade Prickly Pear is the perfect mid-pastel lilac that can be build up to be a bold and this is one of my go-to shades during spring. Key Lime is one that in the bottle and swatches I love but against my skin tone it just doesn't work. I do however think this one would be great with a super pale or dark skin tone but unfortunately I seem to sit in between the two.

If you follow me on Instagram then you may have seen that I had the ever popular Ciate advent calendar on the lead up to Christmas and one of the more unexpected shades I got was Big Yellow Taxi, ironically in the tiniest bottle ever! This is your typical sunshine yellow shade and so would work perfectly as a spring/summer transitional shade. The formula is great and after two coats it is opaque enough for me. I would recommend Ciate if you're looking to splurge slightly more on your nails. 

Finally we have one of my favourites of the bunch and that's Lovie Dovie by Essie. I'm definitely a pink nails kind of girl (let me know if you want to see a pink edit) and this shade is just the perfect barbie pink bright. I absolutely love the formula of all Essie polishes and they last an unbelievably long time before chipping. I have several shades but this is up there with my all-time favourites. 

Well there you have my spring brights nail edit. As mentioned, I love to wear a mix of brights and neutrals throughout spring so if you're more of a neutrals kind of person, next week I'll have another edit up running through my picks. 

Don't forget to let me know your favourite spring nail shades! 

Christmas Wishlist/Gift Guide 2014

This right here is one of the most spendy posts you'll probably ever see on iamemmawilde. Now obviously I'm not living in a dream world and obviously I (or anyone) can't expect to get all of these items for Christmas (I wish!) but I thought this would make a nice combination of a wishlist and a gift ideas post for anyone that you are wanting to slightly splurge on this year. Each and every one of these items would make such an amazing gift, I know I'd be happy to receive even just one of these.

The most pricey item in this edit is this 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Pashli' bag, which I've had my eye on for a while but choosing a colour/print is where it really gets difficult. This sort of bag, or any slightly higher prices bag, would make a great gift for a fashion lover or bag-aholic like myself. I'd also love to receive a pair of GHD eclipse hair straightners, as would probably many of you out there if you have a constant battle with styling your hair each day. These are, from what I've heard, really amazing straighteners and the sleeker design is an added bonus!

The lipstick, perfume and nail polishes are all obvious Christmas gift choices and for something a little bit more special, a bracelet or watch is great...

What's on your Christmas wishlist this year?

straightners, bag, lipstick, bracelet, perfume, watch, coat, iphone case, dvd, camera

Essie Dupe? | MUA Pistachio Ice Cream

Essie 'Mint Candy Apple - £7.99 & MUA 'Pistachio Ice Cream' - £1

For me MUA has always been very hit or miss, especially when it comes to the nail polishes which usually I hate. That being said, I was walking round Superdrug last week and came across a new line of polishes they have released which could honestly at a glance be dupes for Essie! So much so that dupe may not be the correct word, copies, would be more appropriate. If Essie brought out a mini version of their polishes it would basically be what MUA has done; how they got away with this I'll never know. So here we have two identically packaged products, one smaller, but for a mere £1 and one for around £7.99, surely go for the £1 one right?! 

Nooo! Step away from the MUA stand, turn around, and head right back to Essie immediately! I only own two Essie nail polishes and for the sake of this post I'll compare Essie's 'Mint Candy Apple', with the new MUA polish in 'Pistachio Ice Cream' as they hold a striking resemblance in the bottle and even on the nails. I will say though that Mint Candy Apple is slightly darker looking and less white, like Pistachio Ice Cream. 

One huge reason why I dislike the MUA polishes is for the application. When Essie released their diffusion line in Boots they brought out the larger brush, which in my opinion makes application so much easier and, especially with lighter colours, less streaky. MUA however, have opted for a super thin brush meaning I found it really difficult to get a smooth look and I also had to apply several coats as apposed to the two coats for Essie, which is always a drag! 

One final thing, Essie polishes usually last on my nails a good four or five days before any significant chipping appears, whereas the MUA polish only lasted around two days before it started to wear and then chip off. Not good MUA, not good at all! 

Now I'm not saying don't try the MUA polishes, I'd recommend you try them out purely to see if you like the shades and then you can invest in the Essie one if you do. That way you don't waste £7.99 on a colour you wont ever wear and you might even really like the MUA dupe, these are just my thoughts! 

Have you tried the Essie 'dupes' by MUA? What are your thoughts? 

Emma xo

follow me on TWITTER and instagram at iamemmawilde

OUTFIT | TARTAN & LEATHER

jacket, top & jeans: topshop, scarf: h&m, shoes: shoezone, necklace: old, nails: models own 'dancing queen' over essie 'mint candy apple'

I've noticed tartan scarves are really becoming a trend at the moment; and I have shamefully jumped on that trend wagon after trying not to for such a long time. I just really like how they can make an outfit, like this one, a lot more interesting with a pop of colour (for want of a better phrase!). I wore the scarf with my black asymmetric t-shirt from Topshop and then my trusty leather jacket, which has to be my best buy of the year; I wear it almost everyday. 

For my nails I went with a totally not matched shade of mint green and glitter; clash much? I just really could;'t wait to try out the dancing queen polish fro the Models Own Mirrorball collection and my verdict, it is awesome! See a full review here. 

Question; are you a fan of the tartan trend? Let me know!

Emma xo

follow me on TWITTER and instagram at iamemmawilde