Save The Rhinos x Barry M #NailIt4Rhinos

If there is anything I am all for supporting then it's animal charities. So, when this opportunity landed in my inbox, I couldn't wait to get stuck in and share it with you all.

UK conservation charity Save The Rhino has launched a national campaign to mark the very important World Rhino Day which is tomorrow... 22nd September!

Save The Rhinos has teamed up with the UK beauty brand Barry M to work on a campaign together to spread the word. I was asked to create a special nail look (involving rhinos of course) to support World Rhino Day. I then text NAIL15 £3 to 70070 which donates £3 to Save The Rhino charity. It's so important, guys.

Us humans have such a special connection with rhinos that I hadn't seen before. Did you know that rhino horns are made from a special protein called keratin which is also found in our nails? I did not know this but now I feel very strong towards doing my bit to help save these precious animals from extinction.

So, what is the purpose of the Save The Rhino charity? 
To keep raising awareness and fundraising to protect these endangered animals from dying out completely.

Another fact for you; did you know that we have lost 95% of the world's rhinos due to poaching? The low number means that we are now at a crisis point. For an idea on numbers, we now only have around 29,000 rhinos left in the world.

Rhinos are hunted for their horns which are particularly popular in many Asian countries. These are seen to be a status symbol and are therefore used as trophies to killing a powerful animal. Many of these poachers are in highly organised criminal gangs. It's not easy to hunt these people down and stop them as they carry guns and will kill anyone who gets in their way of hunting rhinos. This means the local communities aswell as the rangers have their lives threatened every day.

It's a fact that we could lose all the world's rhinos in the next 11 years. Our children and grandchildren will probably never see a rhino. They will become another extinct animal and another part of the world's history. This saddens me SO much.

So, what can we do to help save these precious animals? 

You can create a nail look too!

I decided to create something grown up whilst being fun at the same time! I used 'Utopia' by Models Own and then Barry M in Chai* which is a dark grey as the accent nail colour. 

I was really impressed with the Barry M Gelly nail paints as it only needed one coat and wasn't streaky at all. Hallelujah!

I then decided to use some super fun rhino nail stickers from Yrnails* which are really easy to use. You just cut down the stickers to size and then use warm water on the back of the paper to transfer it to your nail. They're basically tattoos for your nails!

Here is the result! Super cute but wearable nails to show my support for the #NailIt4Rhinos worldwide campaign to raise awareness for these beautiful animals.

Want to show your support too? Here's 5 simple steps on how to take part!

1. Customise your nails either using Barry M's grey Chai nail polish or any grey! Or get creative! You could even draw some rhinos onto your nails if you're any good at nail art!
2. Upload a nail selfie  on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest using the hashtag #NailItF4Rhinos or send it to the charity directly at info@savetherhino.org.
3. If you're in the UK, you can help even more by donating £3 to help save the rhinos by texting NAIL15 £3 to 70070 
4. Share your photo with friends and nominate 5 people to do the same!

Follow Barry M for nail art tips all throughout September on Twitter @BarryMCosmetics.

Visit www.savetherhino.org to learn more and see if your nail selfie has been featured on the website as one of the best! Thank you!

Ashleigh x