Bespoke blended gel shades - "Skiing: all the gear, no idea"

Hi there - apologies for the radio silence, but I've been away skiing in the mountains. I'm a bit online security-conscious, so didn't mention anything before, but it's good to be back peeps!

Refreshing balcony manicure - bit chilly! using 5 different shades of purples and lilacs

I go skiing every year with my family, and my cousin and I have taken to spending our evenings manicuring to match our ski gear. The phrase "all the gear, no idea" comes to mind, but looking good on the slopes is all part of the fun. My ski colours are purple and white (although as we discovered, this does cause issues when stuck in a blizzard as my top half disappears, and I become quite hard to find!) My cousin is a snow boarder and has a more edgy turquoise and orange look, which I created a diagonal split manicure to cover both shades of her outfit.

Turquoise and orange diagonals

In previous years we've found that a normal manicure doesn't last as long in the mountains - as the freezing conditions often cause the polish (and nails) to become a bit more brittle , so it often chips sooner than usual.

So this year I went for a gel manicure from my good friend makeup artist Rosie Lee, using Gelish, as they have a much more varied range of colours than Gellux. Gel polishes can be mixed to create bespoke shades, and the advantage to gel polish is that they dont set until the UV lamp exposure, so the colour can be mixed perfectly without rushing before it dries. We experimented with some 'inter-breeding' between different brands of gel polish and can conclude that this does indeed work.

To get the perfect shade to match my skiing purple, we mixed A.S.P Signature's Shocking Pink with Gellux's Purely White and Midnight Satin shades and in homage to my snow-like colours, I had an odd white nail on my ring finger which I rather loved. I took my ski jacket along to the manicure so Rosie could mix it to match perfectly - and what an awesome job - it's spot on! The full manicure can be seen below, plus for laughs - evidence that I completed a black run....conclusive proof that effective manicure improves performance!

Evidence that I completed a black run....conclusive proof that effective manicure improves performance! (lol)

Gellux nails - glitter shell

When my good friend Rosie Lee MUA is not creating awesome makeup looks for glam photoshoots she does outstanding Gel nails, which I am openly addicted to.

Gellux nails last 2-3 weeks, they are instantly dry (so no more having to drive home from the salon with your elbows) and they withstand pretty much everything! (I stripped down and painted my sister's new house recently and the nails withstood it all).

So, with the party season coming up I asked Rosie for something sparkly this time. The latest creation was the Gellux shade 'rose damask' with MAC's pigment in 'Frozen White' brushed over it. The translucent glitter over the colour creates an inner shell-like effect,which I love because it's glam but subtle enough for work.