New Year's NOTD: Body Shop "Starry Night"

I picked up this beauty in the sales, and decided it would be a fitting New Year manicure! Lets hope 2011 is as special, as sparkly and as magical like this nail polish :)

I had some application problems with this, it's a bit thick and stringy... But if you're not so fussy you would get away with one thick coat, but this is two thin coats and MegaShine top coat. It has a black base with sparkly silver glitter and flakies.

Well I am going to indulge in some coffee before I get geared up for the stroke of midnight!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

NOTD: Rimmel Play Fast "Art of Noise"

I've got a thing for the old American Rimmels - got a bit of a collection going... This is 3 coats of "Art of Noise", which is a bit like Zoya "Yasmeen" and Barielle "Secret Encounter". I love these polishes they all have an unbeatable shimmer and depth - if you can find them, get them!

Review: Tommyguns Jasmine & Wild Nettle Shampoo

So this is the shampoo + conditioner I've been trying for a couple of weeks. The smell of the shampoo is just divine... Not overpowering or perfumy, just a waft of the ultimate luxury scent of pure jasmine essential oil. Like having a shower in The Garden of Eden! :) The leave-in conditioner is tricky to get right, too much and it gives you sticky/crunchy hair. But it too smells lovely, almost a bit like bubblegum. I will probably get the Tommyguns Fig, Plum & Marshmallow conditioner and use the leave-in conditioner for extra treatment in winter.

These are sold in John Lewis stores as far as I know, but they can also be bought online. They are decently priced at £4.99 each.

Once you smell the Jasmine and Nettle Shampoo you will be hooked forever, as with MOP Pear Body Wash! :)

Sales finds!

Having a pitstop in Starbucks as I do a round of the January sales. And look what I found! For £3 each, they are a true bargain :) I am now away to tackle the rest of the shops aster the caffeine injection!

NOTD: China Glaze "Ingrid"

I got this polish in a swap. I loved it from the first swatch I saw, but it's a bit weird - it's a bit like Chanel "Particuliere" but with a gold shimmer :) Very cool! I kept thinking about swamp water when I applied it...

This is 2 coats with Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat. I've not got any other colours like this one.

I am gearing up for hitting the shops tomorrow for the sales... Lets hope it's not too busy!

Icy!

Recovering mentally from another water leak in my house, so I haven't done my nails for a week but I intend on doing them tonight after watching The Expendables but this is a cool pic of my rose bush after the thaw-n-freeze in the last few days! Pretty cool!

Merry Xmas!

In our house there are two days of xmas - xmas eve and xmas day! This is my little kitty in his new santa hat before he got his new giant catnip rat! :)

NOTD: Nails Inc "Aspen" and loads of snow

Such a stressful morning, I'm still on the bus to work but stuck in snail pace traffic so I thought I'd share my mani for today while trying not to think about my frozen feet. I *love* this polish! This is two perfectly smooth coats. I'm trying some new shampoo + conditioner now and I'm hoping to do a review on that tonight!

NOTD: Color Club "Snowflakes"

So I finally got to put on this lovely sparkler! :) It's from the Color Club xmas collection "Enchanted Holiday". This is 2 coats with Megashine top coat. You will need two coats of thick top coat, it is a bumpy glitter!

This is hard to photograph - it's hard to get the holographic glitter to twinkle when in focus, but in real life and out of focus it sparkles like diamonds on your nails! It's not an opaque glitter but that is probably what makes it so shimmery.

I am now about to watch some nature programmes on telly while cuddling my wee kitten, he's very affectionate today (could be that his Mummy fed him some freshly roasted chicken!).

NOTD: Mavala "Velvet"

So I had a day off on Friday to do some xmas shopping and I picked up this little beauty in John Lewis. It was once part of a set that I eyed up but decided against as the other two colours were just 'meh' to me. But I finally saw this one sold separately! :)

I am still in love with the muddy colours, greige and dusky pastels. 'So last year' I know but my goodness they are addictive...

Anyway back to the polish! This is 2 super-smooth layers with a slick of MegaShine top coat for the speed drying effect, but I managed to get a nice fat bubble in my top coat on my middle finger there.. Oops. This is a super polish. I wish that more polishes had the instant gratification of opaqueness in 2 coats and super gloss...

NOTD: Color Club "Magic Elf"

Yep, I was swayed by it's green beauty (no surprises there..) and I decided to put it on instead of "Snowflakes" for my 3-day weekend which has jus started! This is 3 thin layers with China Glaze FastForward top coat. Awesome! :D

I am just popping in to show you this beauty, I have a long day of Christmas shopping before me tomorrow so I won't linger.

NOTD: China Glaze "Innocence" with matte top coat

Hello everyone! We're very snowy here in Aberdeen, so I really wanted to do a manicure with Color Club "Snowflakes" but I have to be 'smart' tomorrow so I chose to do my old nude fave "Innocence" but with Rimmels matte top coat! And here it is!

This is 2 coats of "Innocence" with a slick of the Rimmel matte top coat. I think I like the glossy version better but hey this is a novelty!

Now I am off to work on my knitting while the little kitty sleeps (his name is Elvis and he is adorable, see photo attached!) while watching 'Aliens v Predator: Requiem'!

NOTD: Color Club "Wish List Red"

So the lovely Xmas set from Color Club finally arrived so here is the gem that is "Wish List Red"! My camera doesn't like this colour, it's not capturing the sparkliness of the glitter.

This is two perfect coats (almost no cleanup needed!) with a coat of China Glaze FastForward top coat. This dries gritty like a glitter polish, I am going to put another thick coat of top coat on tomorrow as it's still gritty.

I can't wait to put on the other polishes in this collection for you, hopefully with some of the decals that come with it :)

I'm off to watch the dire movie that is XxX 2...

NOTD: Rimmel Play Fast "Out There"

Just a real quick NOTD for you today. I got this in the pound shop the other day - I love a £1 polish! :) This is 2 coats with some China Glaze FastForward to coat. I love the sheer glitter in this, it goes with everything, especially the freshly fallen snow! :)

I love these Play Fasts... They are all very 'now' even though I believe the line has been discontinued for some time. I always buy these when they pop up in the pound shop or on eBay; they're worth it!

NOTD: George Cosmetics "Jester"

I love a red glitter! And now the time for red glitter has come as Xmas is heralded by the arrival of the 1st Advent Sunday. Only 27 more days to go (and yes, the decorations are coming up...)

My all-time red glitter fave is of course China Glaze "Ruby Pumps". This polish is slightly similar to Boots No7 "Cherry Tang". I have high hopes for the red glitter "Wishlist Red" from the Color Club xmas set "Enchanted Holiday" which is currently winging it's way here from a lovely lady in America...

Anyway, back to my George Cosmetics NOTD. This is 3 coats of this jelly red glitter. It is not as in your face glittery as "Ruby Pumps", more of a glowy shimmer, but it is very nice and smooth. I think my camera hates reds, this looks orange but in real life it looks like a true Christmas red. It looks a bit sheer and I suppose it is as it is a jelly but overall, this is a very nice polish! :)

I'm off to watch 'Beowulf' with my little kitty!

NOTD: George Cosmetics Matte Finish "Freedom"

So I was rocking the green "Under the sea" (I checked the name in the display at Asda, I was right, the name on the bottle was an abbreviation) for the whole week but now it's started flaking off so I changed it.

This pink matte is certainly matte but a nightmare to apply... Creating bald patches if you go over the same place before completely dry, this thick and stringy formula promises much in the bottle but I am not sure that I will actually wear it tomorrow... Anyhow this is 2 coats over base coat.

Hmm it may be £1.50 but I think that next time I fancy pink matte cremeI will just use a pink creme with Rimmel matte top coat...

Snow in my lunch baguette...

It's definitely winter in Aberdeen now!

NOTD: George Cosmetics "U the sea"

So this is my second cheap Asda nail polish. I don't get the name? Is it perhaps a short of "Under the sea"?

This is much better than the previous polish - this is 3 coats but it only needs 2 to look good. The formula is a bit runny but goopy, hence the mess on my pinkie. But it dried fairly quickly so wasn't too bad. I slicked on some China Glaze FastForward to speed dry this mani as I needed to clean the cat litter tray...

I was hoping for a bit more glow with this but it still looks very good. Just be wary for any visible brush strokes - it does stripe if you are not careful due to the formula.

Glad this one turned out ok - I must get down to Asda again this week to see if they still have the mattes in stock... :)

REVIEW: Superdrug Optimum Swiss Apple Serum

I got this some months ago, and I've actully just used this up! A product for princesses indeed!

This is a serum, so best used under a moisturiser. I've been using this under my Neal's Yard Power Berry Moisturiser, morning and night. The serum is silky and actually feels more like a moisturiser as opposed to a serum, but it doesn't leave the slight residue feeling on the skin a moisturiser does.

My skin has improved a lot, no more breakouts on my face! :) I will definitely get myself another one of these, the combo I've been using obviously works really well for me at the moment.

I got this on special offer but it is sadly £14.99 RRP, which is perhaps a bit steep for a drugstore brand, but I will still buy a new one! You can only get it in Superdrug stores, or online.

"I just need some shut eye..."

I have been busy today looking after my little furry fury, but have now settled down while The Man does dinner - mighty fajitas!

NOTD: Avon Nailwear Pro "Pink Radiance"

Sometimes you just need a pink thats super-sparkly to soothe away the disappointment of a pretty-in-the-bottle-but-crap-formula polish.

This is it.

This is 2 perfect coats and a slick of China Glaze FastForward to harden it extra-super-quick so I can play with the kitty while watching 'South Park'.

Thank you, Avon! :)

Oh sorry Zeke if I hampered your recovery in any way by posting this... :) Just read the tattoo mag I sent to you instead!

NOTD: George Cosmetics "Ultraviolet"

I went to Asda last night for cat litter, and I found that they now stock George Cosmetics! They had quite a few nail polish colours, including some matte ones (they matte pastel pink is my next buy!).

I picked up a couple as they are only £1.50 each. This colour is a duochrome lilac-blue in the bottle but the applied mess was a total disappointment.

This is 4 coats (I got tired of trying to make it look ok) and if you have long nails, this will still give you VNL... It is supposedly "quick-dry"; I found it to be neither. This is my right hand, the usual left hand was completely ruined by sheet marks and dents as despite putting on China Glaze FastForward as top coat lats night, the polish is still soft and dentable today.

I still have another polish to try and I hope it will perform better because it is a gorgeously luminous green frost in the bottle...

NOTD: Sally Hansen Hard as nails Xtreme Wear "Marine Scene"

So this is one of the polishes I scored in the poundshop on Friday! It's quite sheer, this is 3 coats, and I would have benefited from a 4th coat. But you know me! Too much hassle with 4. So instead I covered some sheerness with NYX Glitter in "Disco Ball" and slicked a coat of Megashine on the top to make it less 'bumpy'. I may have to add another coat of Megashine though... The holo glitter is refusing to show off in the photo so imagine it is 10 times more 'holoey' and you're there. If I had paid RRP for this polish I would have demanded my money back, but at £1 it's ok.

My kitten is soon 11wks old, and seems to be enjoying our home! I managed to do all ten nails without getting cat hairs in them and I am about to enjoy some knitting as he has snuck off to his sleeping corner under our bed so that will be excellent!

It's tiring being a 10wk old furry fury...

Sorry I've been absent lately but my little furry friend is taking up quite a but of my time. However I did get 2 cool Sally Hansen nail polishes yesterday in the pound shop so I will put one of them tomorrow for you!

Purple potatoes...

This is the latest rage in Britain - purple potatoes! They are actually very tasty but I over-boiled mine as you can see as was distracted playing with the kitten...

Sent from Samsung mobile

Welcome home, little cat boy!

We today welcomed home an adorable 10 weeks old longhaired moggy who's name has not yet been decided! So cute and fluffy! :)

We are still waiting for him to do the cat toilet and sleep - it's a busy and strange time to be suddenly uplifted to a new home!

NOTD: Max Factor Max Effect Mini "Diva Pink"

Aha! I have finally found a pink that appeals to me! This is 3 coats of "Diva Pink" with China Glaze FastForward top coat. It is fairly sheer so you really need 3 coats. It is a cool fuschia shimmer (a lot cooler than the photo shows), reminds me of pink velvet :)

Busy weekend is about to continue being busy week for me so this was just the 'hit' I needed!

Hard work being a baby in a coffee shop..

Babies are so nice when you can hand them back to the parents :)

NOTD: Bourjois "Rose Caraibes"

I really needed something pink today but I again settled for something else as I didn't fancy ANY of my pinks.... I don't really know what kind of pink I want but I know it must be out there...

This is 4 coats of this polish, it needs it as it is sheer. It has a nice green duochrome to it, but it doesn't seem to stick on camera so I got a slightly blurry photo to show the green duochrome and one of the actual base colour of the polish.

Today's NOTDs

I first did a mani with the awesome Color Club "Revvvolution" but then I totally screwed it up by covering it with a crackle polish from Isadora so I took it off. I felt like something super-pink but nothing appealled to me so I just did 2 coats of Rimmel All White Now nail whitener instead. I love this whitener as it's kind of opaque in 2 coats and has twinkly blue pigments in it! It now comes with the good new brushes from Rimmel, the one they use in their LycraPro polishes.

So nice clean nails for work tomorrow - my boss will probably think I am using drugs or have been possessed by some evil spirit or something! :P Anyway, I'm off to see to the terrible blood-filled blisters I got under my feet today walking home in the pouring rain... Who knew?.. It's so sore and swollen I've had to take strong painkillers :(

Anyway, I need to find a really pink polish. Any ideas, kidz?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hi guys, I woke up to a lovely winter's (yep, definitely winter now!) morning and got this super shot of the beauty that is "Zombie Zest" :) Apart from the awesome name, it's amazing; like a murkier, more glittery version of my old fave Sinful "Show me the way"! I can't wait to see how I feel about Orly "It's not rocket science". This has quickly made it into my Top 20!

Halloween NOTD: China Glaze "Zombie Zest"

When I first saw the swatches from the China Glaze Halloween 2010 collection called "Awakening" I knew I had to have them. I wore "Mummy May I" some time back and I've been loyal to the quick dry topcoat FastForward since I got this pack.

This is 3 coats of the swamp-water slimey green glitter that is "Zombie Zest". I really love this colour - it is so disgusting but thats what makes it amazing :) In the bottle it looks dead-on dupey to Orly "It's not rocket science" but I've been assured they are different... Oh and also see my new nubs - thanks to Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle, no more peeling nails! They do grow insanely quick now though (they grew quick before) - the tip growth you see is only 7 days of growth :O

My master computer is currently broken so I needed some serious cheering up so I am watching 'Fringe' while doing my nails. I can't wait for 'The Walking Dead' tv series to start next Friday! I am also currently enjoying watching 'V' the new series as well. It's gonna be a very good TV winter! I may just make myself some hot choc now and stick another episode of 'Fringe'...

Out of office...

Sent from Samsung mobile

NOTD: Topshop "Airplane"

I will make this brief as I am enjoying "The Towring Inferno" on the sofa. Not much to say - I love this polish. The formula is perfect, the colour is to die for and totally original and the price is right! :) This is 2 coats with China Glaze FastForward top coat. Love! The colour should been called Thundercloud as that is what it looks like :)

Also check out the knitted & felted handbag I finished today :) Awesome!!!

Tired cat...

It's a hard life being a cat :)

Lunchtime find

Look what I found at lunchtime :) it's more dusky than shown here, I have no colour like it. It's called Airplane, should have been called Thunder cloud! :)

Recent NOTDs

Struggling with light arrangements, I just can't seem to get right light in my house so I haven't posted lately, as I am not satisfied with the photos. But I decided to put the up anyway so here are my latest NOTDs; the awesome red glitter Sally Hansen Extreme Wear "Fireberry Red" and the sea-blue shimmer Icing "Roger That". This is 3 coats of each with China Glaze FastForward top coat. The formula on both of these was ok, and "Fireberry Red" was really easy to remove without staining :) Lets hope that goes for "Roger that" is the same...

The polishes are not as sheer or washed out as they look in these photos, it is all to do with crap lighting. I hope I can find somewhere with good light soon...

For Weebie

OPI Bubble bath is the one on the left, it will go perfectly with your wedding dress :)

I finally got a shot of my cool Claires with my jazzy new Galaxy S mobile phone :-)

NOTD: Claires Mood Polish "Happy/Earthy"

I got these super-cute polishes from a fave American lady of mine and I just only now got around to trying one on! Brings me right back to the sweet 80's (minus the crimped hair, parachute pants and incessant Wham!) and I love it!

This is 3 coats of "Happy/Earthy" with China Glaze FastForward top coat. I should have waited for the polish to react properly before I took the photos. But I took some more ones when it had come out proper however because of lighting the gradient effect is lost in my photos. Because my nails are so short the gradient is very small. Check out Asami's pix instead, they rock!

Fairly stringy to apply, and it dries matte-ish, which had completely passed me by in stuff I'd read about these... It's still a mega-cool polish! :)

Oh and here is my finished "Carpet Scarf", I made a matching headband too to keep warm now that the mornings are really chilly :) Anyway, I'm off to play some more with my new Samsung Galaxy S phone, maybe one day Google will make a Blogger app for Android and I can just use my Google powered mobile to blog. One day. Lets hope I've not retired by then and can't afford to download it...

National Knitting Week 2010

So I guess you didn't know that another one of my obsessions is hand knitting?.. :) well it is - here is one of my current projects and my little pom pom makers from Clover I will use to adorn the finished scarf with pom poms!

Today sees the start of National Knitting Week in the UK - I hope it will inspire more love for this lovely craft. Even though knitting has seen a resurgence in latter years, it is still up to us 'knit-wits' to continue the craft for future generations, so if you can, pass on your skills to someone else to continue the craft! :) This obviously also goes for your nail polish or makeup skills!