NOTD: Avon "Kate Sapphire"

We are back to rubbish photos from my phone as laptop still not working.

I should have worn this yesterday for the Royal Wedding but I was too busy making soap, making Fimo figures and gardening!

The formula is very opaque but messy, just look at those smudges on my cuticles. This is 2 costs with a slick of China Glaze Fast Forward to coat. Once dry its quite black in indoor light :( I will try to take a photo in sun tomorrow.

Home-made soaps!

I was meant to do my nails in my limited edition Avon nail polish, "Kate Sapphire", for the Royal Wedding, but I made home-made glycerine soaps instead! :) Made with the finest ingredients and fragrances only with pure essential oils, I think these will go down well with family and friends!

"Caribbean Beach" is a fresh exfoliating bar with Eucalyptus and Spearmint and with tiny pumice grains (blue cupcake mould left corner and metal tin. "Sunshine Soul" (orange) is scented with warm Petitgrain and Orange with calendula petals. "Floras Love" (pink) is full of red rose petals and scented by sensual Petitgrain and Lavender.

I am in a "crafts" mood at the moment, but I promise I will paint my nails for you tomorrow!

NOTD: Rimmel LycraPRO "Aqua Cool"

Holy shizz dudes!! I went into Superdrug today and discovered they've launched a few new shades of the LycraPRO - this beauty is among them, but there is also a super-cool mint green called "Peppermint" and a super lilac! Anyway, this is 3 coats of "Aqua Cool" but the photo doesn't do justice to the dusty faded cornflower blue! Even little kitty thinks it's a pretty colour! This new polish has totally cheered me up after landing some incredible stainage of the nails from China Glaze's "Paper Chasing". Or I think it was that colour, which ever it was, it's very yellow and unsightly :(

I also discovered Rimmel have discontinued my Holy Grail of pinks - "Urban Princess". Why do companies discontinue, it's very annoying! Now I have to scour evilBay for a backup bottle... And I missed this year's Easter nails as I was too busy to do them, but please enjoy last years lovely Easter mani instead! :)

Sorry I've not been around lately, I've been not painting my nails and doing lots of gardening. I am now off to chill out with the kitty and finish off my Lindt chocolate bunny!

Yesterdays mail!

My new Fjällräven Kånken arrived yesterday, I already love it! :)

NOTD: OPI "A-rose at dawn, broke by noon"

I was looking through my stash and nothing really tempted me, until I uncovered this baby in the back of one of the drawers! This is 2 coats over base coat with FastForward top coat. You have to watch this polish for brush strokes. When you apply top coat, put it on thick so not to disturb the orientation of the polish. I believe this polish is from the Las Vegas collection.

I really like this polish, it is sugary sweet and sparkly and sping-like :) Happy!

I am now going to stretch out on the sofa with the kitten and watch some crappy TV :)

NOTD: China Glaze "Paper Chasing"

I've been very green-fingered today so I wanted a green nail polish :) I've got my greenhouse, so here goes trying to grow my own veg! I have seeded 7 different varieties of tomato... Look how beautiful my rhododendron is, it's just starting to flower. I've worked in the garden all weekend so not sure I will be able to get out of bed???

Anyway, this is "Paper Chasing", a vivid apple green shimmer. This is 3 coats and you can still see VNL but it's worth it! Now I have to find an outfit to go with it...

Also I found a very tired and wet Bombus lapidarius queen - I fed her sugar water in a warm jar, and after about 30 mins off she went :)

NOTD: Nails Inc Special Effects "Hoxton"

My laptop is still buggered so unfortunately you will have to make do with a lousy mobile phone photo of this lovely combo with "Hoxton" over Rimmel LycraPro "Urban Princess"! :) To bring out the shimmer of "Hoxton" I used a slick of Fast Forward over the whole thing. Amazing! You will have to apply a fairly thin layer of Special Effects to get the right amount of crackle, and your nail polish underneath has to be dry or it won't crackle properly as you see in my pinkie. Woohoo, this is just what I needed right now :)

Two failed NOTDs

This is China Glaze "Grape Juice" (purple) and Rimmel "Pop Apricot" (peach), both horrible in different ways so I am finally taking polish off and going to bed with just Solaroil on!!!

NOTD: China Glaze "Zombie Zest"

Behold todays NOTD! Its green, no surprises there :) this is 3 coats with Fast Forward top coat. I have been gardening all day so was nice to sit down and do my nails. My laptop has decided to pack it in so until them you will have to endure the mobile phone photos.

Anyway I'm off to east some of the fresh pineapple I made for dessert :)

Shellac - Day 14, and removal!

Today was the day I had my Shellac removed, however little kitty seemed confused as to who was getting their "claws" done!?

I have to admit I am smitten with Shellac! Look at the photo of Day 14, some slight tip wear but it is still vibrant and glossy! The main problem is the re-growth, it's almost a centimeter of new nail... But I am hooked on this concept! I have already booked Claire to come and do my nails in All Lacquered Up's St Patricks Day Shellac Attack green for my trip to The Chelsea Flower Show in May :D The removal takes about 10 minutes of my little pinkies wrapped in the remover wraps and then the dissolved Shellac is gently picked off with an orange stick. And I mean gently. Check my nekkid nails after, no scrapes, nothing! Oh but excuse the crusty cuticles, they still hate me after all the gardening, cycling, art and knitting lately, ahem... The shellac turns kind of crusty and hard and just comes off.

Now I am faced with the dilemma of what my post-Shellac manicure will be??? Maybe this Del Sol colour changing polish?.. Check back tomorrow to see my choice, 'cuz now is cuddle-time with kitten so no more nail polish for today! :)