Nica's Christmas Gift Ideas

As the countdown to Christmas is officially on, it’s definitely time to start thinking about what you’ll be buying your friends and family for Christmas. From healthy cookbooks to sentimental crafts, take a look at our gift ideas.

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Bake up a Storm
It’s that time of the year when everybody loves to cosy up at home and pull out the baking mitts but Christmassy baking shouldn't mean that your healthy eating plans go straight out of the window. There are plenty of just as delicious alternatives which are actually good for you. One of our favourite go-tos for inspiration has been the Deliciously Ella blog, and now she’s also releasing a great cookbook that promotes her amazingly healthy recipes. It’d make a great stocking filler! 

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Invest in a little piece of art
You know just how much we love quirky influences here are Nica from our prints to our hardware so, of course we love fun pieces of artwork. They’re the perfect way to infuse your décor with a playful twist and make a great gift for a loved one. Invest in a collector’s piece or hunt out a bargain at your local charity shop. 

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Christmas Bags We believe that a girl can never have too many handbags, and our new season drop will have you covered. No matter your style preference, we’ve got the bag for you. From outfit staples to transcend the seasons to purses that make great little stocking fillers. Plus our social feeds are often filled with great outfit inspiration courtesy of some of our favourite bloggers too. Just like RosieGlow who’s been styling our Anica tote for fall

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Get Crafty
Sometimes nothings better received than a gift that’s been handcrafted by yourself as it shows that you’ve really put some thought into the present rather than just last minute panic bought. If you’re stuck for ideas regarding what to create, then a quick crafty search on Pinterest can yield a plethora of ideas. From Christmas decorations to thoughtful photo frames that’ll transcend the seasons, we’re hooked! 

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Now that we’ve inspired your Christmas shopping ideas, why not let us know which Nica bag is on your wish list this year? Simply drop us a comment below or tweet us @Nica_Handbags. 

Behind the Scenes at our SS15 Press Day

Just in case you missed our great S/S 15 press days last week, we thought that we’d fill you in with all of the exciting news. So get ready to go behind the scenes with Nica! 

Taking place over two days, we were showcasing our favourite new season designs. You can already shop some of the styles in our New In section here, whilst you’ll have to wait until next year to get your hands on others. 

Our mini Milly bowler is one of our key pieces for the season ahead. It’s both adorable yet practical, and is currently available in a range of fun colours including charcoal, lilac, raspberry and tan. Above we’re giving you a cheeky sneak peek of our charcoal zig zag colourway which will available early next year. 

It was great to be able to invite along some of our favourite bloggers who we’ve previously worked with, and we even had two special blogger take overs. Day one, saw the lovely Style Rawr blog run our Twitter and Instagram for the day, as she shot her favourite new season pieces and interviewed our senior designer Nica Kim. 

One of her favourites for next year is our pretty mini Nikki tote complete with a lovely raffia front finish. The perfect little accessory that you can also venture into summer with. 

Day two welcomed the lovely Honey Pop Kisses blog who we just adore  getting some Nica outfit inspiration from. Don't you just love this shot of her with Nica? 

One of her favourite picks from the collection was the Venice clutch. It's a great party piece that can be carried as a clutch or transformed into a crossbody, and our new cat hardware was a massive hit at our press day too!

Why not take a look at the full first drop of our collection here, and tweet us your favourites @Nica_Handbags. We'd love to find out! 

Nica Staffs Winter Playlist Picks

Are you tired of playing the same old records time and time again? Seek music inspiration from team Nica as we share our favourite winter songs.

Nikki McBridge, Graphic Designer: One Day by Paolo Nutini

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After a 5 year hiatus, Paolo Nutini is back with a bang. Following a summer filled with festival performances, the Scottish star is preparing for a hectic UK tour. Best known for his 2006 release of New Shoes, Nutini’s latest record Caustic Love has become the fastest selling album of 2014.

Boasting a rating of 79 on metacritic, the album has been well received by publications such as The Guardian and Clash Music and we love it. The mature, heartbroken vocals, the tender acoustic moments, the odd hip-hop instrumental thrown in for good measure…We just can’t get enough.

OneDay is Graphic Designer Nikki’s favourite song from the album. A slow burner, the sound is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. It’s full of soul.

Grace May, Assistant Product Manager: Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

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It’s hard to think of many British singer-songwriters who have achieved the same levels of fame as Ed Sheeran has. Since releasing The A Team back in 2011, media moguls have been all over him like a rash, he’s sold out arena tours and Jamie Oliver has even offered to personally cook at his wedding.

With this in mind it should come as no surprise that here at Nica we’re also pretty fond of the Sheeran. Our Assistant Product Manager Grace adores his breezy love song, Thinking Out Loud. It’s all saccharine sweetness and cooing vocals, just in time for festive goodwill.

Nica Kim, Senior Designer: Elliot Smith – Waltz #2 XO

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From commercial superstars to lo-fi lovelies, we’re a well-rounded bunch here at Nica and our music tastes cover a wide palette. For Senior Designer and our brand's namesake Nica Kim, it’s the soothing sound of Elliot Smith that gets her whistling while she works.

Although she loves all of his music, Nica Kim is particularly enamoured with Smith’s 1998 album  From a Basement Over the Hill and her favourite song is Waltz #2(XO).

For those who are unfamiliar with the singer-songwriter, Elliot Smith was an American musician who released 7 beautiful albums in his lifetime. Unfortunately Smith died at just 36 years old, but his impossibly lovely music is still enjoyed by a large fan base today.

Samantha Robinson, Content and Social Media Executive: Two Bodies – Flight Facilities

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Breaking up the procession of singer-songwriter soloists is Samantha Robinson’s winter playlist pick. Our Content and Social Media Executive has fallen head over heels for electronic producers Flight Facilities and it’s easy to see why.

The Australian duo creates infectious retro-house tunes sprinkled with laid-back vocals which are perfect for mellow Sunday afternoons or office background music. Listen and daydream.

We’d love to know which tracks have been on your radar lately. Tweet your favourite sounds to @Nica_Handbags and we’ll add them to our ever-growing playlist.

Layer up in style: AW Fashion

The cold weather is well and truly here. Instead of mourning the loss of bare legs and sleeveless dresses, we’ve been busy scouring the shops for a new season wardrobe. Let the rain fall and the wind howl, we’ve got the AW style game covered. Read on to discover our favourite cold weather trends.

The Camel Coat

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Every year there’s that one covetable coat style which manages to become a showstopper. Past seasons have seen teddy coats and faux fur collared outerwear pinch the top spot but this year it’s all about looking cool in camel.

And for good reason too. Camel is an all-time classic; it’s versatile, it’s smart and it suits pretty much everyone. The neutral colour offers a number of versatile styling options. Pair your camel coat with all black everything, skinnies and ballerina flats or a fetching tartan scarf. The possibilities are endless.

As for choice of fit, we’re traditionalists in the sense we prefer the fitted silhouette to boyfriend and dressing gown styles. But it’s all a matter of personal preference.

The 60’s Mini Dress

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Winter is all about layering and that’s why we love the 60’s mini-dress trend. All the shops have fallen hook, line and sinker for shift dresses meaning we get to pick from colour block, brocade, paisley and embellished collar varieties which are all an absolute breeze to style. Simply add a faux-fur coat and tights with boots for a classy, night time look. Consider our Christmas party outfit in the bag.

The Formal Backpack

*Nica Amelia Backpack in Black

The formal backpack is this season’s must-have. Even the most loyal handbag enthusiast will be converted when they realise how great it feels to sling a backpack over the shoulder and go about the day hands-free. Trust us. Plus, you can fit food shopping into one of these babies without having to choose the corporate plastic bag option and look cool at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.

70’s Boots

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A/W ’13 was all about grungy tractor heels. Thick cut, chunky boots with a nod to the 90’s reigned supreme. Fast forward 12 months and 70’s style boots are leading the directional footwear pack. Platform style, block heels and over-the-knee suede fabric boots are all in high demand this season.

Style yours with olive green riding pants or skinny jeans for a smart daytime look.

Cigarette Trousers

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When bare legs won’t do, ankle grazers are the next best thing. Enter the cigarette trouser: super elegant, figure defining and easy to style, you’ll want to wear them everywhere. We’re in favour of mixing bold cigarette prints with classic fit tees, cropped jumpers and smart loafers. Whether for the office, the cocktail bar or the shops, cigarette trousers are an easy to style, AW staple.

That just about wraps up our favourite AW pieces. Have you checked out our new season handbag collection yet? Visit the NICA website to browse the full range. 

Our Pick of the New Collection

We’re really excited about our new season collection, and we hope that you’re going to love it just as much as us. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, then let us introduce you to a few of our favourite things!

The Cat

It's the season of the cat! Here at Nica we love infusing our bags with a quirky twist and for our new collection our hardware has gone feline. Covering a selection of different styles, we'll hope you'll agree that it'll make the purrfect little addition to your handbag collection. Plus, did we mention that it's also been uniquely designed  by Nica?! 

The Grab

Our favourite grab of the season has to be our mini Milly bowler. Channel the winter pastels trend with our lilac Milly by teaming with a dark ensemble. Play it classic with black and tan or get ready for Christmas with our warm raspberry hue. Plus, if you tire of carrying as a clutch, then you can also transform it into a crossbody bag thanks to its detachable strap.

The Clutch 

If you’re looking for a statement making party season clutch, then look no further than our Venice crossbody. Yes, that’s right another handy Nica crossbody but when you remove its strap, it transforms into a really great clutch. It's fun cat hardware gives it a quirky twist yet the bag’s sleek form maintains an air of sophistication. Play it safe with our black version that can be paired with almost any outfit or create a fashionable statement with our bold blue tone.

Why not take a look at our new collection at nica.co.uk and let us know which ones are your favourites by dropping us a message below or tweeting us @Nica_Handbags on Twitter. 

Easy Nail Art Ideas

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As we cover up for the cold season, attention turns to the little details. Embellished collars, statement jewels and of course, painted nails. The beauty of winter is that we find time to do the things we were too busy for during the summer months. From getting stuck into the latest detective series to homemade arts and crafts, winter is for nesting.

And to that end we've been getting hooked on winter nail art here at Nica. Spending time perfecting nail designs is relaxing and fun- plus we get to have Instagram worthy talons without leaving the comfort of the sofa. It’s a win-win situation.

Beautify your claws with our easy to do nail art ideas. You’ll be the envy of all your friends.

The Monochrome Spot

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Winter nail colours don’t come much better than black and white. The monochrome combination complements everything and looks oh-so chic.

You’ll need:

-Black nail polish

-White nail polish

-Bobby pin

-Top coat

Method:

1) Paint your nails with 2 coats of black polish and leave to dry. Patience is key, otherwise you’ll end up with smudgy polka dots and nobody wants that.

2) Dip your bobby pin into the white polish and apply to nails. Aim to have around 5 polka dots on each nail. Leave to dry

3) Apply a top coat and hey presto, your autumn nail art is complete.

Festive Red

Red glitter is the epitome of festive nail art. The rich red colour of baubles and Santa’s cloak paired with tinsel glitter is a chic way to channel Christmas through your nails. And it’s so easy to perfect.

You’ll need:

-Red nail polish

-Pot of glitter

-Disposable paint brush

-Varnish top coat

Method:

1) Paint your nails with two coats of red varnish. Allow to dry.

2)  Dip the brush in the glitter and apply to the top half of your nails. Alternatively you could use a glitter polish taking care to apply light strokes to the nail.

3) Apply a top coat and leave to dry. 

4) Go out and show off your Christmas nail art!

Show off your winter nail designs by tweeting snaps of your handiwork to @Nica_Handbags. If you’ve got any tried and tasted tutorials you think we’d like, leave us a comment with your blog address. We’d love to check it out.