NOTD - China Glaze "Emerald Sparkle"

I don't think "Emerald Sparkle" needs any introductions or descriptions :) It is the new colour from China Glaze, featured in their Christmas set "Sleigh Ride". It is a dark green microglitter polish, dries fast, needs only 2 coats and is simply awesome :)

Review - Tisserand De-Stress Roll-on Remedy

I have been a fan of Tisserand's essential oil products for years for their use of pure essential oils and no synthetic fragrances, parabens, petrochemicals or animal products. Lately I have been requiring some chilling out time, so I got one of their new roll-on aromatherapy oil blends called De-Stress to keep in my handbag. It contains organic patchouli and orange oil and ethically harvested rose oil. The initial scent is a light but still noticeable rose smell. As it develops on your skin, it blends into a deeper, soft scent of patchouli. It is very soothing and the smell keeps fresh for a long time. 5 of 5 stars, buy it to help your body de-stress, or just for the exquisite scent :)

It's finally here!! :)

It is mine. I have it in my hand! "Emerald Sparkle", you are the most beautiful nail polish in the world! :) I got my China Glaze "Sleigh Ride" pack today in the post, like I had hoped. I also got a gem from the new holiday collection from OPI, Holiday in Toyland called "Baby it's coal outside" - it is a charcoal colour with profusion of silver microglitter. Below is a quick picture, mostly for my own excited pleasure! It's OPI "Baby it's coal outside" on the top, then from left to right China Glaze "Tinsel", "Ruby Pumps" and my sweet, sweet baby - "Emerald Sparkle"... :)

Shimmers Skittles Manicure!

This is a rather rushed Shimmers Skittles manicure, but I was really keen to do it so I will again have to bring out the nail polish corrector pen :)

Thumb to pinkie:

OPI "No autographs, please"

Rimmel 60sec "Electrify"

Barry M "Emerald Green"

Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish "Azure"

OPI "Purple with a purpose"

I might bring you a creme finish Skittles mani tomorrow, depending on the co-operation of my friend :)

Review - Tend Skin Liquid PART 1

I have been suffering from ingrown hairs since I started epilating. Some people say epilators make them worse, but I swapped to waxing and they are still really bad. My theory is that any means that pull hair out I think will cause them. Anyway, I decided to try Tend Skin Liquid which claims to make ingrown hairs and nasty shaving bumps disappear. It isn't cheap, it retails for about £12 a bottle of 118ml, so it better be good, I thought.

When I first opened the bottle, OMG, the smell.. :( It is hideous. No, really, it is. It has a pungent vinegar-y medical smell, almost like a worse version of Salubrin (it's Swedish cure-all liquid that you were tortured with as a kid for everything from midge bites to sunburn). It stings a tiny bit in any open, sore ingrown hair bits (if you have them you will know that its almost impossible not to pick at them). The smell faded away a bit once the liquid has dried on. But sitting at my desk in the office, I could still smell it vaguely on my skin 5 hours later. After 2 applications, the red bumps have faded down from in your face angry to more pink, so here is hoping that a week of this will remove them :) I will keep you updated on how this have worked in a weeks time!

NOTD - SH "Amber Ruby" over Rimmel "Sunset Bronze"

This is not my finger - I got my male best friend to model it for me as I am already rocking a glitzy silvery manicure of Rimmel "Your Majesty". That's why it looks a bit dented too - men aren't very good at drying their polish! This was two layers of Rimmel Sunset Bronze, which is a shimmery bronze auburn rust colour, and one layer of Amber Ruby. It has a really deep glow of maple leaves in the autumn in the crisp, cold sunshine :) Fantastic!

NOTD - Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish 239 Your Majesty

High impact silver shimmer, opaque in 2 coats. Almost chromed, it is that shimmery! It's similar to pictures of Zoya Trixie, but I will have to get a bottle of that first to compare :) All of Rimmel's Londons UK range are lovely inexpensive colours and usually dry mega fast (1 coat of Seche Clear, 2 coats of the polish and a coat of Seche Vite is dry in 15 minutes!).

Review - Bourjois Brush Foundation

I have always shunned the built-in-brush foundations. I was convinced it wouldn't work. Too much product and then trying to work it all in.. Being used to separate brush and blob of foundation on the back of your hand, I was not convinced this modern invention would work very well.

I was wrong.

I have fallen in love with Bourjois Brush Foundation. I tried it in the shop and decided I would buy it. It was pricey (£12) but I thought oh well, could be good, the shade suited my paler autumn face just brilliantly. You will need about 4 clicks of the pump mechanism for your whole face depending on your preferred coverage. The brush is stiff enough to give a good work in and tapered to a edge to lend precision around the nose etc. There are colours to suit most British complexions, but I am the 3rd darkest shade, and I am not particulary tanned at the moment, which means this range does not cater for dark skin tones. But it is amazingly easy to use. I have shelved my old stuff already and getting stuck in with this :) I will post some pictures later on today.

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

I have a long-term love affair with Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. For my lips, it's a tingly, minty softening experience. It does not contain any petrochemicals (but it does contain lanolin and tocopherol acetate). I am already on my 3rd tube of this, which is an achievement. I rarely re-purchase beauty products, because I am always fooled by the prospect of new and exciting products... :) That's not to say that I don't buy other lip balms, because I do, I just don't use them because they are not as good as the Burt's Bees one and usually end up throwing them away after they have been knocking about in my boxes of stuff for about a year...

Lunch-Time Nail Polish Score!

As I was shopping for my sandwich I saw a 3 for 2 on GOSH cosmetics. I immediately went for the nail polish selection, of course! Here is my score...

From left: 541 Gasoline (micro-glitter purple); 548 Green Hawaii (multicoloured micro-glitter grass green); 547 Blue Monday (micro-glitter navy).

Stash Organising!

Following the lead of queens of nail polish Scrangie and The Polish Addict, I have been compelled to organise my nail polish stash. I have been slacking off lately however and have yet to add some of my newer purchases to the swatching wheels. But I scanned all the wheels in today, 17 in total with 18 nails on each. I have yet to count up just how many polishes there are, but extrapolating from my previous total and adding on the new purchases I think there will be around 200 polishes. Most are pink, blue and green; the more sparkly and bright, the better. Most are also weird country-specific brands, not the usual OPI and China Glaze. Many are discontinued lines, and hence I suppose kind of one-of-a-kind now. Anyway, I though I would share my green wheel. I will put on the exact brands and names in another post, as I forgot my Excel file AND my jam and peanut butter sandwich at home this morning :(

Why Ugg Boots Are A Woman's Best Friend

Who can you call on when your feet are cold because you are too cheap to turn on the heating in your house? Who makes a really long shopping trip seem effortless and enjoyable no matter the weather? Who looks really ugly and makes your S-O sigh and wish you didn't love them so much and wore them all the time? Who, but the mighty "Ugg" boot.

I discovered these gems last year, when I at bonus pay time at my new job decided to splash out on a genuine pair of Rum Raisin Ugg Short boots. I wore them all-the-time. They have now worn so badly on the sole I have had to investigate the prospect of getting a new pair of boots. This time I decided that perhaps another company made same sort of boot with a better, sturdier sole? That is how I found Emu Australia. I bought the Stinger Hi in black, and dearie me, it is the boot of my dreams!! Compared to the Ugg boots, these come with a nice rubber outsole, which is what cinched it for me. The Ugg soles are too flimsy (they were originally meant to be worn indoors). The shaft of the boot is also slightly leg shaped which fits nicely over my rather curvaceous calves. I would order your normal size in these boots; I am a 5, but I had UK size 4 Ugg boots as UK5s were too big, but these are a UK size 5 and I couldn't have fitted into a UK4. Bear in mind also that only the Stinger range of Emu Australia is the same sort of inside-out sheepskin as the Ugg boot and they retail for a bit less than the Ugg boots. The Bronte is only sheepskin lined and costs a fraction of the price of the sheepskin boots. I sprayed my boots with suede water-repellent spray to keep them nice and waterproof-ish. Doing this will slightly darken your boots but since mine were black this doesn't matter. It makes them last a lot longer though!

5 Rules for Ugg Boot TLC

1) Always waterproof your boots BEFORE you wear them!

2) Wear socks, this is for keeping them smelling ok for longer, and it kinda looks cool if knee-high socks stick out of the top of them

3) DON'T put them on when its raining, you will cry when they go hard and patchy...

4) Wear with EVERYTHING but make sure you don't wear them on a night out, red wine stains is NOT a good look..

5) Love them forever!

My S-O will once again sigh and wish I had stilettos on, but hey, you know what, if he wants stilettos, he can buy them for me :)

NOTD - Sally Hansen Nail Prisms "Amber Ruby"

I saw this on Rocketqueens blog, and I had to have it. It is a red-gold duochrome. It is as gorgeous on the nail as it is in the bottle. Rocketqueen managed better pics of it, hers were over OPI Midnight in Moscow, but this photo gives an indication of the autumn gold that is this colour just as it goes on the nail in two coats. I got so many positive comments for this polish - even from men! It seems everyone loves it, and rightly so. It is like a metallic autumnal maple leaf - firey and golden at the same time :) However, it doesn't apply very evenly and the wear is less than 3 days even with Seche Vite (the pic is after one day) , but it is a fantastic colour and well worth the hassle.

The pic shows 1 coat Seche Clear, 2 coats Amber Ruby and 1 coat Seche Vite. I will try it again next week over a Rimmel colour called Sunset Bronze which is a golden-sparkly dark chocolate polish.

Chagrin Valley Bath Melts!

I really like the "I'm Happy" Bath Melts from Chagrin Valley :) I just wanted to say that. They are fizzing but oily! And they are all natural ingredients! Shown here is the "Invigorating" bath melts as I have used up the two "I'm happy" ones O:)

Manicure Essentials

Here is a round up of what I currently use for my manicures. It has turned out really well, my manicure lasts for 4 days before I get impatient and change my polish :) I like the little tin of SolarBalm, because I can keep it in my handbag and just apply throughout the day in the office :) The Seche Silk is lovely, it is instantly absorbed and smells of lavender. Seche Clear is a base coat (ridge fillers stain my nails so I went for this clear version) and I have not noticed any polish stains at all on the new growth of my nails. Nothing needs to be said about Seche Vite - it is THE top coat and well worth every penny :)

New OPI Designer Series #26 "Extravagance"

My new OPI DS arrived this morning, and it is lovely! Just the sort of colour I longed for for autumn :) Rich jewelled magenta with holo sparkle. It is like a precious gem! I used the flash to try and capture the sparkle but it doesn't seem to have captured it properly; the magenta colour is true to in real life colour however.

Weekend at Gleneagles

I am doused with St Tropez spray tan, eyebrows waxed and eyelashes tinted and have painted my nails for my corporate weekend away at the Gleneagles Hotel. My dress is metallic green, and so I decided to do my manicure in the awesome Nfu-Oh #56 over China Glaze Gussied-Up Green. It looks amazingly exquisite - it is the most beautiful nail polish combo I have ever worn! A 5-star manicure for a 5-star hotel :) Well, it will be 5-star after I start with my nail polish corrector :)

Portuguese Treasures!

My work buddy came back from holiday this week and she brought me a treasure trove of nail polishes back from Tenerife - I just wanted to quickly show the best ever nail polish bottle design! :) The brand is marked as FCC, never heard of it, but just look at that bottle!!




Also, my stuff arrived today from Chagrin Valley Soaps! The parcel is currently busy wafting luscious soap scents around my office, and I can't WAIT to try everything tomorrow!! :)

New OPI Designer Series Colours!

I am soooo excited - I have ordered my OPI DS "Extravagance" from my seller on ebay. Hopefully it will be here soon... :)

Check out the new DS colours here!

Weekend Activities...

Nfu-Oh #45 and Palmaria palmata seaweed

And my first vegetables of the year :)