Holiday Nails

So I did my nails in time for my holidays.... 2 days to go!!

I used the same colours as in my last post, but thought I'd add a bit of a pattern to them.

My inspiration is the Half-Moon tutorial in my 'Wah Nails Book of Nail Art' that I bought a few weeks ago. But, the instructions in the book say to draw the half-moons on free hand, and I don't have the skill or steadiness for that... especially with my left hand! So I had to improvise a bit.

What I used: -

l-r Models Own Beach Party; Balearic Cool; Hedonist;
3-in-1 Base Coat, Top Coat & Gloss,
Cotton buds; Hole reinforcer stickers

How I did it: -

After using the base coat and waiting for that to dry, I painted the bottom third of each nail, alternatly using the Balearic Cool, Beach Party and Hedonist nail varnishes - then waited for them to dry.

Next, I cut five of the hole reinforcer stickers in half and stuck each half to each of my nails so only a little bit of the colour was showing in the gap. As below....

Then, using the cotton buds and nail varnish remover, I removed any of the excess nail varnish showing over the sticker - The reason I did this was because the Balearic Cool blue that I'm using is a very thin varnish, and so I don't want the excess to show underneath. I'm sure if you use a thicker varnish you wont have that problem... and i'm sure if I used enough coats I wouldn't either, but it just seemed easier.

So then I painted my top coat, using the Balearic Cool, and one statement nail using Hedonist.

Wait for it to completely dry before peeling off the stickers - and I mean completely dry, like 'watch a movie for a couple of hours then peel them off' kinda dry.

Fill in any gaps that might have appeared.

Add your top coat.......Et voila!

And that's me done now until after my holiday, when I'm going to come back and bombard this place with so many pictures.....!!

Catch Up

It's been a while!

I've not been up to much - the weather was amazing last week, so we went to the beach for the weekend. I got burnt a bit, and the boyfs dog got attacked by another dog, resulting in stiches, but apart from that it was good. Such a shame to be back in work this week - though the weather has dropped, big time, so it's not like I've been missing out!

I went to see Snow White & The Huntsman with the girlies on Wednesday - which is such a great film. I would recommend for sure. I think we're going to go see Men In Black III tonight, so I'll let you know how that is.

So I've had one last shopping spree before my holiday.

Now, to be fair, even though I said I wouldn't be buying anymore holiday stuff what I've bought isn't necessarily for my holiday!

From River Island

l-r Rose Gold Tone Owl Necklace; White Owl Friendship Bracelet; Gold Tone Small Bird Stud Earrings

 River Island seem to have started a cheaper jewellery range - now, me personally, I've never had any problems with the prices of the jewellery - but if they want to sell it cheaper, I'm all for it! It just means I'll have to get a bigger jewellery box!

From Topshop

Sleeveless Crochet Collar Top

 I'd had my eye on this beauty of a top, online, for ages, but it was never in my local store to have a good look at it. Until one day, it was just there, the only one, stuffed behind a load of jeans, and in my size! It was destiny!

Star Bracelet For Fashion Targets Breast Cancer

 So since destiny was on my side that day, I did a good deed and purchased one of the new Topshop Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Charity Bracelets. I'll definately be going back for the other designs, and colours when I get a chance .

From ASOS

Sugarhill Boutique Chiffon Merry Go Tie Blouse at ASOS

 This top is definately my favourite purshase in a long time - it's so cute, I love the pattern, the shape is so flattering, it's just perfect.

ASOS Pretty Pearl Hand Harness

I have wanted this for ages, and everytime I order something I think "I'll get it next time" - I've always been a bit hesitant because, basically, I have big hands!! Every other hand harness I've tried just hasn't sat right on my wrist, and in a couple of cases, when I got it on, I couldn't bend my hand! But this one is a perfet fit, if anything its a bit too big!! I'm so glad I bought it, I can cross one more this off my ASOS Most Wanted List

From Boots

l-r Smash Up Silver; Nail Art Pen Pink; Disco Mix

And finally, I bought these Models Own goodies from Boots - did you know, if you buy two or more Models Own brand cosmetics, you get a free Nail Art Pen!?!?!?!!!!! What a bargin!!

Saturday Night at the Movies....

So, Saturday night was movie and cocktail night with the girls - we went to see American Pie: Reunion - which was hillarious! I love the original American Pies, so it was awesome to see all the original cast back.

I am also a member of LoveFilm and my two discs this week were War Horse and The Ides of March (hello Ryan Gosling!), which I watched whilst painting my nails yesterday- so it's definately been a movie weekend for me!

So yeah, I painted my nails, nothing fancy - my old design was getting a bit too rough to be classed as nail varnish! And I bought myself some Models Own goodies the other day, and so was dying to try out the colours!

What I used: -

l-r Balearic Cool; Hedonist; Beach Party; 3 in 1 basecoat, top coat & gloss

The Nail Tattoos are from Topshop, which I bought a couple of weeks ago.

The nail varnish is from the Models Own Hed Kandi collection - I didn't go for the whole collection because my local Boots didn't have them in.... I'm not too keen on the goldie looking glitter one anyway.

But these colours, I love. They are so bright, and fresh - perfect for my holiday! I'll have to get thinking about what nail art I can have when I re-do them before my holiday.

Speaking of holiday... I've been doing a teeny, tiny bit more holiday shopping - definately two of the last pieces I'll be buying before I go  - 3 weeks to go!!!

But I couldn't not get this top, this is my holiday all wrapped up in a tank top!

ASOS T-Shirt with Mickey Back Pack

I'm thinking of customising it a bit though, the neck is a bit too high for my liking.

And these shorts are just so darn cute!

Parisian Acid Spot Hotpants - From New Look

Easter Catchup - Wizards Rock

So over the Easter weekend I went to Watford and to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter

Major Harry Potter geek here.

I love anything to do with Harry Potter - so absolutely jumped at the chance to go visit the place the films were actually filmed! See the sets, walk in the Great Hall...... Heaven!

The tickets were released for sale last October, and I booked mine the release date, and went for all added extras possible. These included the Digital Guide, narrated by Tom Felton, and the Souvenir Guidebook.

The Digital Guide was really interesting - in the past I have Google'd Harry Potter to death, I have seen almost every backstage behind the scenes video, interview, footage possible, so it was quite refreshing to see and hear lots of new information, made available especially for this guide.

The Souvenir Guidebook was OK. I'm glad I waiting until we were leaving before collecting it. If I'd have got it before hand, I would have read through it in the queue, and spoiled the whole tour for myself. It's basically the tour, in book-form. It'll be nice to look back on over time though.

The whole tour has had a lot of negative press. 'It's too expensive'; 'there's nothing for children to do'; 'it spoils the magic'. Admittedly, I don't think it's the place to take young children. But it's never been 'sold' as a theme park, it's a museum.

We spent just over 4 hours on the tour - including taking a break to drink Butter Beer and browsing the Gift Shop! And I managed to take over 250 photos! So I definitely think it was worth the £28 ticket price.

I've added a small selection of my own photographs below - look away now If you don't want to spoil it for yourself!

Collage © Photovisi

Pip

xox

Easter Catchup - Busy Beetee....

Gosh, considering I had nothing really planned for my two weeks off work, I didn't half get a lot done!

I will be doing separate posts, in the not too distant future about what I got up too. Hopefully with lots of pictures, once I've sifted out my favourites!

One of the main things that took over my life over Easter was The Hunger Games!

I had bought the first book a couple of months ago, with the intention of 'trying it out'. I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and was looking for something to fill the dark empty void left behind now it's all over.

After searching around on the internet 'The Hunger Games' kept popping up. Reviewers were telling me it was 'the new Harry Potter or Twilight' but I wasn't at all convinced by the synopsis:

" Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever... "

© of Amazon

Where are the wands? The magic? The sparkly Vampires?

So, like I said, I bought the first book to try out - and then did nothing with it!

A few weeks ago, in work, a 'book club' type catalogue was passed around, in it was The Hunger Games Trilogy, for £4.99! I couldn't not have them! For that price!? Again though, I did nothing about reading them.

Then, I went to see the film - and fell in love, instantly. As soon as I got back from the cinema, ignoring the fact it was almost midnight, I made a start on the first book... then the second... then the third. The next three days I read all three books.... two days later I was back in the cinema watching the film again, two days after that I had started on the books again!

So yeah, in 12 days I had seen the film twice and read all three books twice.

I think I'm now officially a fan girl!

Yay, go me!

Pip
xox