Freaky Friday #3- How To Nail Halloween

Hey readers, happy Halloween! For my final edition of Freaky Friday, I thought I'd give you all some ideas of what to do with your nails this Halloween. I'll admit, this is a bit late as Halloween is today, but it can give you some inspiration for next year. (Or for any time in the year if you're the type that likes all things spooky every day!)

Before I begin, I'd like to say that I'm not an advocator of any particular brand of nail polish. I'm going to give tips on colours & styles, so feel free to use whichever brand you please! Now that I've established that, let's move on to the actual post:

Those of you that know me in real life will know that I love doing my nails! I'm no pro, & I'm not a fan of having them too long either, but I love having them painted &, when I get time, doing snazzy designs. I think it's great when people have nice nails & it is an art form I admire, & in the past few years I've become rather fond of regularly painting my nails & getting creative with them.

Halloween really is the perfect opportunity to have some fun with your nails, as it's a time of year where it's likely you'll be dressing up or, if you choose not to don a full costume, you can show your spooky spirit in your nail art! Now I know not everyone is a fan of having the more artistic designs on their nails & that some people may not have the time to do or feel as though they can't do such things, so I plan to start from the basics & work up.

Basics

For those of you out there who like to keep it simple & stick to just painted nails, then I suggest sticking to dark tones for this occasion. You can't go wrong with black- if anything it's the colour of the season, plus it has an air of sophistication, for those of you out there that are a bit more classy. Colour wise, stick to jewel tones- dark reds, purples, dark greens, dark blues. Silver could work as well, although that would be better teamed with black. In fact, any of the colours teamed with black would look great, if you do want to mix it up a bit. Try the current nail trend of having something different on the ring finger- this finger could be a colour & paint the rest of the nails black- this is an easy way to make your nails stand out!

Examples of dark tones, perfect for keeping it simple!

Have included white here as this would also work well.

Simple Method, Snazzy Nails

Just because it's Halloween, doesn't mean you have to have dark nails! In fact, brighter shades could work really well- just think of all the different Halloween advertising you see! Bright orange, green, vibrant red, yellow, even pink! However, I'll admit, these colours will work best alongside black. Now you can do the method I mentioned above with the ring finger, or alternate, but a really simple way to get awesome looking nails is to use crackle polish. This stuff is amazing! I love it! You could do a really bright colour (or even a dark colour or white) & paint over it with black crackle for an instant nail makeover! Trust me, people are always impressed with this stuff. Plus, with some brands, you can get coloured crackles, which means you could do this in reverse if you wanted!

Sparkles or glitter would also work well to give nails a little something. Again, the ring finger technique could be used with this style of polish, but could also be done across all nails. A simple technique just to give nails a little more oomph!

Examples of bright colours- these would look great under a black crackle!

I would seriously recommend getting some of this stuff, especially the black. Again, brand is up to you, but this style of nail varnish is amazing- & not just for Halloween!

Brighter crackles for a reverse effect.

Example of black crackle on colour- I did this over the summer (which is why it's quite bright), but using colours similar to those shown above would look great for Halloween!

Example of reverse crackle, which were my nails for last week.

Stepping Up Your Nail Game

For those of you that are looking for something more creative, this is where I move onto the more arty-farty nail designs. For these, you don't need any specialist tools- a thin paintbrush will work fine & either a cocktail stick or bobby pin will work as a dotting tool. Sharpie & gel pens also work well. Now, just because I'm mentioning brushes doesn't mean I'm instantly going into the more intricate stuff. You can do really simple things with these tools. Brushes can be used to make stripes, either fully across the nail or a simple line.

My sister did this design using two tones & a cocktail stick. I think it looks great!

Tape is your friend when it comes to making 'perfect' lines. I use that term loosely as it's likely the lines won't be 100% spot on. With tape, you can create checkered nails, duo tone nails, triangles- you name it, you can probably do it! You can also use tape (or even plasters or special strips) to do french manicures. You could have the tip black, or do a reverse french with black & white.

Combining the ring finger trend with checkered nails- I used masking tape to help get more even lines. 

Hogwarts nails, did these a while back. I used tape to get the two different colours on my nails & a brush to paint the Deathly Hallows symbol. This is a great idea for anyone doing anything Potter themed this Halloween!

Reverse french. Another classy yet effective look this Halloween!

Another really cool thing is ombre nails. I only tried the technique yesterday, but again, it's a very simple process to instantly have more interesting nails! Just pop a couple of colours onto a sponge & dab them on your nail, but make sure you use a white colour as a base first, as this will enable the colours to stand out!

Was feeling the black & orange theme, but any colour can be used!

Tools used. I used a scourer sponge for the dabbing, although a flatter sponge would create a smoother gradient.

Remember, Nails Are Tiny Canvasses

This is the section for those of you out there that a feeling a little more creative. As I said earlier, this is the perfect occasion to have some fun with your nails, whether it's part of a costume or just to pay homage to this frightful occasion. Halloween brings about a range of imagery that can easily be put onto nails- pumpkins, ghosts, cats, skulls, zombies, spiders- I could go on but instead I'll just say, if it fits with Halloween, put it on your nails! You can choose to paint it on, but decals also work amazingly & can be easily sealed in place with a top coat. 

Try anything! You could have the same design across all nails, or have different characters on each nail! The best part is to have fun & not to worry too much if it isn't perfect- at the end of the day, if you've done it, regardless of any little mistakes, people will still be impressed with your artistic skills! Techniques mentioned before can be used, such as the ring finger, or you could combine arty designs with crackles- whatever you choose! Here are a couple of my own designs:

Skull face nails. Decided to combine with the ring finger trend to give it a more minimal feel.

Tools used for the above design.

Zombie nails! My favourite design to date!

Tools used to create the zombie nails, used a white gel pen for the teeth as these were very small- it worked amazingly!

And there we have it, some tips for your talons! Whether you want to keep it simple or go all out- I hope you've found yourself some inspiration this Halloween! Remember though, these tips aren't just for today, they can be applied any time of year & to any occasion!

And that's all for today. Once again, happy Halloween! Hope the nail art goes well, & if you do wish to share with my any designs you do, feel free to post in the comments section below! :D

An Introvert's Guide To Freshers

Good evening readers! Congratulations to all you college students out there on your results yesterday, hopefully you all got what you wanted & those of you that have applied to Uni have got the places you were after! Now that you have I bet you're well & truly excited, especially those of you moving away from home & into halls or private housing. I also bet you're preparing for what appears to be the most exciting week you'll have this year- Freshers' Week.

Now, if you're a social butterfly, I bet you can't wait- stocking up on all the alcohol, joining your Uni's Facebook pages & starting to chat with to-be classmates/housemates & generally just looking forward to getting out there & meeting a new bunch of people that you're hoping to hang out with in the next chapter of your life. However, if you're the more reserved type, I can imagine that as well as being excited, you are starting to panic somewhat, worrying if you'll fit in amongst what is built up to be a proper partying atmosphere. This is where I come in.

I will admit, with no shame, I am an introvert & this time last year, as well as feeling excited for starting Uni, I was shitting myself (not literally, I hasten to add). Going onto the Facebook page for my Uni & my Halls of Residence, everyone was going on about partying, drinking games & seemed to be making friends already, whereas I was the type that didn't go out drinking often, wasn't into the idea of clubbing & was too nervous to start a conversation with anyone. If I'm being completely honest, I was worried that everyone would be some sort of mega party animal & I'd end up being a loner.

Me, prior to starting Uni.

But fear not, fellow introverts! For I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt & lived to tell the tale, which is why I'm offering you all some reassurance in tonight's post. Admittedly, it's probably pretty much the same as anything you'll read in a typical 'off to Uni' guide, but this time last year I was wishing that there was something aimed at the more introverted types such as myself. That's why tonight I bring you my own version of what to expect, in my 'Introvert's Guide To Freshers', written by an introvert for her fellows. Now, let's begin:

One thing that I would say helped with coming out of my shell was going to live in halls. Even though I did originally plan to commute to Uni, I came to the conclusion that if I moved out & lived around other people, I could be more involved & would have a better chance of being part of the community, as well as being more available to partake in any social activities. For those of you that, like me, made this choice, it's a good choice to make! For starters, it gives you a head start on the socialising front, so it's likely you'll make friends or at least make the acquaintance of a few people before class actually starts. Also, it allows you more freedom- as it's likely a lot of Freshers events will be on campus or in the local area of your Uni, so living at halls means you're likely to have better access to these events.

Dodgy panorama of my room at Uni. Another tip (which you've probably heard before) is to keep your door open on move in day, allows you to see & say "hi" to everyone else. Plus, inviting people in means they can see your interests, which can lead to conversations & friendships! :)

For those of you living at home- don't panic! Obviously, you can still attend events (well, you are an adult, you can do what you like, as my Mother says) & you'll meet people during the welcome lectures & events. Also, you'll make better friends with people & get to know them more as the year goes on & you're in class together, so don't worry if you've not clicked with anyone within the first couple of weeks (although it's likely that you will).

My next point is rather cliche, but ultimately true. Remember, everyone around you is in the same position as you. Even the people that are more outgoing. You're all in a new environment, with new people & you're all nervous, which is fine & completely understandable! My advice here is to just talk to people, which I know seems a bit weird coming from an introvert, but honestly, it's the best thing to do! One thing I found during Freshers is that it's a really friendly time & everyone just wants to make friends. Plus, it isn't creepy to go up to someone & say "hey, I've seen you on Facebook, you're [insert name here]". Trust me, it's great, you'll find yourself talking to whoever, & once you get started, it just makes everything much more relaxed & you'll find yourself settling in really quickly.

This pretty much sums it up. :)

Which brings me onto point two- there will be people there with the same interests as you. One of the reasons I was worried about the social side is because I'm a bit nerdy, plus I'm the type that has these moments of joy when I see/hear something relating to one of my fandoms. Thankfully, a fellow fresher had started a Fandom Society at my Uni, on which I found a couple of people in my class before I'd even started, which was excellent & reassuring, knowing that I would find like-minded people on my course. Plus, once I got to Uni & got talking to people, I found more people with similar interests, & not just with the nerdy side of things.

This is pretty much how it happens. :)

This brings me to my next point- join societies! Societies are great ways to find new people with similar interests, allowing you to meet students from other years as well as courses. I'll admit though, I wish I'd joined more societies, however, I was based at my Uni's secondary campus, which was in a different city to my actual Uni, where there was a lack of societies. It takes a train & bus journey to get onto the main campus & a part of me a) wasn't really up for doing that alone & b) didn't know how busy my course would be at the beginning of the year. Friends of mine were also in the Fandom Society which is why I went to this one a lot. But I'm sure most of you have gotten into Unis where everything is based on a large campus, so you'll have more chances & opportunities to partake in extracurricular activities!

Also, don't feel bad if you aren't a party animal- chances are there will be activities available that involve minimal alcohol & more opportunities to sit & talk rather than having to yell at people due to the loud music of clubs. For example, at my halls there was (& this is something that continued throughout the year) a night where you could go to the common room, have a cup of tea & play board games. Chances are your Uni will have something similar. Or things like quiz nights, cocktail nights, events where you can drink & chat, like pub quizzes. At the same time though, I would advise trying something new, you may end up liking it! I'll admit, I ended up not going out much during Freshers, & looking back it's something I regret. However, I am the kind of person that only likes to do certain activities & go out with people I'm comfortable with, & although I had started to make friends during Freshers, I hadn't gotten completely comfortable with anyone so ended up staying in. Besides, going out isn't just limited to Freshers Week, there'll be plenty more opportunities throughout the year, & if you are like me, you'll have a more fun time as you'll be with people you trust & have made good friends with.

You can't go wrong with a good cup of tea & a chat! If your halls or uni doesn't offer this, then why not initiate one yourself? Would be a nice thing to do in the afternoon, especially if class hasn't started yet!

My next piece of advice/guidance is probably not the best of things, but it may help. I don't know about other Unis, but mine had a thing called 'The Master Pass' which, for £95 gave access to all Freshers events. At first I wasn't up for it, knowing what I'm like, but after seeing people I'd befriended on Facebook saying they were going to various events, I decided to invest in it. Ok, it ended up being a waste of money, but I had no idea who I'd end up being friends with so decided I best invest & guarantee myself entry rather than only pay for certain events & risk not getting into any if I decided to go later. What I'm getting at here is that it's ok if you do choose to invest in something like this- don't feel bad if you don't end up using it, but feel good knowing that you have the opportunity if you do decide to go out. Ultimately, it is up to you, I just wanted to let anyone out there that's in this situation know that it's ok to invest.

My wristband, kept as a memento.

And now for my final piece of advice- just be yourself! Another cliche, I know, but it's the best thing to do. Be yourself, don't worry if you don't go out a lot, just go with the flow & enjoy yourself! I'm sure you'll have a great time, but if not, it's not the end of the world & you'll have the rest of the year to make friends, go out & enjoy yourself. The best friendships I formed at Uni happened after Freshers, & it was with these people that I had some of the best times with.

Hopefully this article has eased any worry. If you do have any questions or would like a bit more advice, please leave a comment & ask!

So, have fun, enjoy yourselves, & I hope you have a great time at Uni!

Thanks for reading! :D

Me on my first night of Freshers, how time flies... :)