Reverse french pastel mani!

I've not blogged since May!
A quick Nail art post to resurrect the poor neglected nook!

I used those hole reinforcer stickers to create the curved shape, I also waited a day between base colour & top colour - just to avoid the pure torture of your base colour being pulled up by your sticker/nailguide/tape gaaaaaah! ;)

The colours used are:
Models own 'Lilac dream'
Models own 'Blooboo'
Essie 'she's picture perfect'
Essie 'Pink-a-boo'
Gap 'neon flamingo'

If the photo loads all wonky & silly it's because I'm posting from my phone & we all know how much fun that is....

Big love to anyone who actually reads this! :)

JJxx

Long lost friend

Dear Bloggy blog blog,

I've been gone too long :(
I am so unsettled after the big move I just haven't had any blogging mojo to devote to you :(
Soon I will polish you up & give you the redesign I promised you!
JJxx

Torrid April 2012

I've been thinking of ways to create posts about fashion that I like but find it frustrating to post one picture at a time, add a link, resize the photo etc etc... Then it struck me - "wait, isn't this the whole point of Polyvore?" & Ta-dah! Here we are!

These are my current favourite picks from www.torrid.com
I've never actually shopped with them before as I was living in the U.K. & was terrified by the thought of customs charges!
Now I'm firmly based in Toronto I'm hoping to finally get my paws on a few of these gorgeous pieces! I'm hoping the customs charges won't be as bad over here :)

I've gone for a Spring/Summer theme - floaty Maxi dresses with Kimono sleeve bed jackets, leopard print, cute Pumps & a good dose of edgy accessories.
I love the combination of something super girly paired with tougher accessories with harder lines. 

Black maxi dress, $69 Leopard print cardigan, $40 Black top, $25 Navy blue blazer, $59 Blush Lace Maxi Dress | Dresses, $69 Twist Tees - Black Leopard Banded Cami | New, $25 Skinny jeans, $59 Silver bangle, $13 Heart jewelry, $15 Long necklace, $15 Black With Hematite Gemstone Bow Headband | Hats & Hairgoods, $15 Serina Black Lace Toe Cap Flats (Wide Width) | Flats, $29

Hope you enjoy :)

When the doubts creep in - clean out.

Wow, I just wrote an extremely honest & brutal blog post about self-doubt... And just deleted the whole thing.
I'm not sure this is the right place to put it.

I've been tearing myself down this week about every aspect of my life & It's time to stop being my own worst enemy.
If I'm constantly telling myself I'm pointless, worthless, ugly, stupid & un-worthy of people's time, then it's no wonder that I'm feeling so darn horrendous.
If we don't stick up for ourselves & have our own backs, then who will?

I've got a long way to go but I do realise that I need to start giving myself respect if I want to start making things more postive in my life.

Basecoat advice please :)

Since moving to Toronto I've discovered I can't easily buy my favourite basecoat - Leighton Denny 'undercover' so I am on the hunt for a new one.

What is your favourite basecoat?
I'm looking at Orly bonder but would love to hear some personal recommendations :)

JJxx

New Apartment

I've not had access to my PC so blogging has been put on the back burner as I don't like posting from my phone (as I am right now!)
I find the photos upload the wrong quality & size & it drives me bonkers!

Toronto has been a rollercoaster but I'm concentrating on the positives & it's been a blast :)

I've been taking full advantage of the Subway & exploring the city & all the new shops ;) My nail polish addiction is being fed rather nicely hehe!

I'm hoping to take a bus tour this weekend to get the tourist thing out of the way, should be fun, still so much to learn :)

Hope to get back to posting regularly once our shipment arrives & I get the PC back :)

I'm in Toronto!

I'm still alive I swear!
It's been a tough week settling in - only as I type this do I realise that tomorrow will be our 1 week anniversary of arriving in Toronto.
It's been a rollercoaster with a lot of exitement marred by a lot of tears (I fail every day at not being over emotional) but I know it's all part of the process & I will find my feet :)

The shopping possibilities are phenomenal to a UK gal like me!!
I'm temporarily based right opposite the Eaton Centre eeeeeeek!
I dove into Sephora as fast as I could ha! Got some lovely bits today as a cheer-me-up treat & want to do a photo post (hopefully tomorrow) to show all my goodies :)

My current nail polish purchase total since landing on Canadian soil is.... 5 bottles & a set of sally hanson nail wraps.
Oh dear- that's almost 1 nail treat a day! Somebody stop me!
I've already got my eye on some cheapy neons in Claires & some more in Hot Topic opps!

If you are reading this I hope you are having an amazing week with lots of treats :)

JJxx

Duty Free MAC & Clinique splurge!

Oh My...... I just spluged £70 in duty free on make-up eeeek!
I was super emotional about moving & the pull of retail therapy got the better of me!

I got my Clinique Redness Solutions protective base for under a tenner - score!

Then the MAC stand.
I confess I've never owned any MAC before & I covet it highly .... A bit too highly it seems as I really went overboard -

Studio Tech Foundation in NC15

Pearlglide intense eyeliner in Designer Purple (intense shimmer lust!)

Eyeshadow quad (£29 OUCH!) In 'shop and drop' - at least I think that's what it's called haha!

Ooooh our gate just got called! Can't wait to try these products out & do my first swatch & review on here :)

JJxx

Toronto here we come!

I can hardly believe that in just a few hours I will finally be on my way to the airport!
It's been such a stressful week I'm practically shaking from all the excess adrenaline :'(

I can't wait to see what my new home city had in store for me - and I'm overjoyed at the fact that our temporary accommodation is directly across the street from the Eton Centre! :D

I'm hoping that the flight goes smoothly - at 8 hours long it will be the longest flight I've even taken... And I find it impossible to sleep on planes :(

I have my camera fully charged so I can be a complete tourist for at least a few weeks!

JJxx

Bad Blogger

What can I say?
I've failed the #febphotoaday challenge quite spectacularly :(

I've not posted in over a week & feel pretty lame for letting it slip by... But in more positive news - we got our moving date!
I will be a Toronto resident in just over 1week!!! Squee does not even begin to describe how exited (and stressed!) I am :)

Hope to document the move & take some amazing photos - keep a sort of reminder of all the new things I will discover :)

JJxx

#Febphotoaday Challenge #15 'Phone'

#15 'Phone'

So.... This is my phone... It's an HTC Sensation XL & I've only had it 2 weeks.... My preciouuuus! I seriously have never loved a phone before but this baby is pure Awesome! It' huge!!

JJxx

#Febphotoaday #14 'Heart'

#14 'Heart'

As Valentines has just passed I already had a cute photo!

Foam Valentines!

Do you see how the foam has fallen into the shape of a heart? I was so exited haha!
The Manshape & I went out for a drink on V day & this appeared before my eyes :)
I also think just below the heart it looks like a pair of lips!!

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #13 'Blue'

#13 'Blue'

Don't you just hate the Fail Whale?!!

Twitter Fail Whale

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #12 'Inside your closet'

#12 'Inside your closet'

I don't have a closet right now as I'm preparing to move house! It's lest me with a huge lack of clothes as I've gone & packed them all ... so I found myself making a few 'new wardrobe' purchases hehe! I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything new till I moved - Hello - New shops!!
As our moving date keeps getting delayed I'm becoming more & more frustrated by my tiny choice of clothing & I caved at the sight of my new additions & I do SO SO love them - worth it in my book ;)

Midnite Vultures top from All Saints

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wishlist Wednesday #1

Every week I discover more & more nail polishes / beauty products that I become enamoured with.
Often these are not even brand new products but ones I read about on blogs or just something I spot whilst window shopping.
I figured - why not put them in a list?
OK - so maybe not the most original idea for a blog post but I'm going to round up my pretties all the same! ;)

This week it is all about polish *Polish addict*

1. Butter London 'Knackered' - A pale Bluey lilac with micro glitter particles - just gorgeous!!

Knackered

2. Butter London 'The Black Knight' - divine Black shimmer with Pink, Silver & Blue glitter

The Black Knight

 

 

 

 

 

3. nubar 'Treasure' from the Prisms collection - Lilac filled with holographic glitter.

nubar Treasure

4. Nubar 'Brilliant' from the Prisms collection - Pink filled with holographic glitter.

nubar Brilliant

5. The elusive Max Factor 'fantasy fire' - Holo Heaven Can't find it anywhere!!

Max Factor Fantasy Fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you go :)

Please forgive the random sizing of photos or dodgy formatting - I'm still learning all this linking jazz ;)

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #11 'makes you happy'

#11 'makes you happy'

Colour.
Colour makes me happy.
Colour makes me super duper happy & is sometimes the only way I find inspiration!
This is a glowing Halloween ghost that I get out every year - he changes colour & brings me a smile or two :)

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #10 'self portrait'

#10 'self portrait'

This was a tricky one as I'm still unsure as to how anonymous I want to keep myself... so here is a lot of editing instead! ;)

Top coat searching!

Sooooo... What do I look for in a top coat?
1. Durability
2. Super fast dry
3. Doesn't smudge nail art!

This is quite a tall order it seems...
I did treat myself to a bottle of the ultimate top coat 'Seché vite' last year but, as expected, it was gloopy & unusable within 3 weeks. No Bueno.
I'm also not comfortable with the health warning on the side of the box!

After doing a lot of research I ended up trying Sally Hansen's 'insta-dri top coat' and have been so impressed with it!
It dries super quick & lasts so much longer without chipping.
It's never smudged any of my hand drawn nail art :)

I've read about people having their Konad stampings being smudged by topcoats but I guess I'll have to test it out when I finally treat myself to a stamping set!

Anyway - my problem this week was that everywhere seemed to be out of stock of my sacred insta-dry! Even on the feel unique website!

I went searching for an alternative but found conflicting reviews on most products.
I'm pretty interested in trying an OPI top coat but the price makes me wince a bit!
I also picked up on Nubar, Essie & Poshe - if you have tried any of these or have a top coat you think is amazing I'd love to hear your advice :)

I got ultra frustrated trying to decide what to order but needed to pop into town... I went in my tiny local chemist & got a nice surprise - Sally Hanson Insta-dry right there on the shelf!!

Shop local - who'd of thought?! :)

JJxx

Q&A #2 - 9/2/2012

Phew! After all that #Febphotoaday posting I need a break & thought it would be fun to post another Q&A :)

Again - I found this idea on this fab blog:  www.funnyfacebeauty.com


1) Mood: I'm a total Grumpasaurus today! My anxiety is super high (for some mysterious reason)which throws off my whole day :(
I'm trying my best to keep busy so have been immersed in redesigning the blog with the Manshape & trying to avoid eating my own weight in Chocolate. Ahem. *rustles*


2) How do you feel about teal eyeliner?: I love when I see a bright swoop of eyeliner, especially when it's on the top lashline & winged :) Bright eyeliner is something I want to experiment more with this year instead of sticking to dark Purple & Black EVERY time!


3) The name of a perfume you own but never wear?: Vivienne Westwood - Boudoir. It's a gorgeous scent but very strong & unfortunately The Manshape is allergic! So I just look at it in it's beautiful bottle ;)


4) Have you ever noticed...: How the quicker you try & do something the worse it turns out? Rushing always lands me in disaster but it doesn't stop me doing it again & again!


5) A scent that reminds you of your teenage years?: Exclamation! *make a statement, without saying a word* haha!! I remember the bottle looked like an Exclamation mark.


6) Where's your favourite place to nap?: Under a blanket, pretty much anywhere other than a moving vehicle.


7) What's the best thing about Mondays?: Errrrm... It's not Sunday night anymore? I hate Sunday nights - they remind me of homework that hasn't been done! (and it was so long ago!)


8) How's your hair today?: Hideous. Wild woman of Borneo style. Hedge-backwards-behind-a-plane-engine.


9) What's the most important thing you look for in a lipgloss besides colour?: Non-tackiness & moisturising.


10) Weekly Goals:To get over this cold once & for all! It's been clinging on for 2 weeks & I'm fed up! Also to stick to my daily schedules & make a MUCH better effort at regulating my sleeping pattern :)


Ahhh that's better :) Nice good ramble soothes my mind! Now off for a cuppa & maybe to bake something... muffins or flapjacks?


JJxx

#Febphotoaday Challenge #9 'Front door'

#9 'Front door'

Pretty literal!

JJxx

#Febphotoaday Challenge #8 'Sun'

#8 'Sun'

WOW. This one was hard. It's so gloomy today so this is from a while ago. Sunset in a local park.

JJxx

#Febphotoaday Challenge #7 'Button'

#7 'Button'

I feel suuuuuper Lame for not keeping up with this challenge :(
I'm doing 5 photos in a row to catch up!
Naughty Blogger! ;)
Also, because I'm still learning the Blogger posting format, I'm being driven slightly bonkers by not quite grasping simple things like line breaks & how the hell to type under a photo raaaah!!!
I look forward to the day when I can look back at this post & feel relief that I now understand it inside out (that day will come won't it?!)

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #6 'Dinner'

#Febphotoaday challenge #6 'Diner'

This turned in to a yumtastic soup I promise!

#Febphotoaday challenge #5 '10am'

#5 '10am'

Coffee. I love love love Coffee.

The Never seen naked nails eeek!

Redesign!

I am currently working on redesigning the whole blog. It's so much harder that I thought!
I'm even going to be changing the name.
I often wonder if every blogger goes through this? Having a few versions before settling on one design?
I'd find it really interesting to see the way others develop their designs & that gave me this idea:
To have a 'design graveyard' where I will keep a screenshot of each blog design as I go along - I'm bound to change my mind again so it may end up with quite a few ;)

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #4 'A Stranger'

#Febphotoaday #4 'A Stranger'

I found this one a little trickier - I mean, I can't whack up a photo of a random person without their permission can I? Well, obviously I could of done but then I came across a photo I took just yesterday after the great snow!
We had a little 'Stranger' visit us in the night & they left a cute calling card behind ;)

Tweet tweet!

I like to think the bird was attracted to the crumbs from my latest home baking attempt - that day it was Apricot, date & maple flapjacks :)

#Febphotoaday challenge #3 'Hands'

#Febphotoaday #3 'Hands'

Well.... How could 'Hands' not be interpreted as 'Nail art' ?! *Polish addict*
Here's one of my favourite nail designs - it's a bit time consuming but totally worth it.

When I have them done this way the bright colours help make me smile :) 

Pow! Leopard print Nail art

I'm really enjoying this challenge - Hope everyone else taking part is finding it fun too :)

JJxx

#Febphotoaday challenge #2 'Words'

I've been super slow today & realise I need to play a little catch up with this challenge as it's already the 6th!
Please excuse the photo size/placements - I am posting this from my phone & have very little control over visual aspects of the post!
So!

#2. Words.
This is a beautiful Ring I commissioned a very talented artist to make for me :)
It's a great reminder for me to keep hope when times get tough & knowing that it was handmade just for me makes it even more special :)
You can take a peek at this great girl's work over here: The Sunshine Daisy

#Febphotoaday challenge #1 'Your view today'

I've decided to give this Feb photo a day challenge a go - to get myself into the habit of blogging daily :)
I hope the links I put in work!
I found the challenge on the following blog :)
www.fatmumslim.com.au

So, to my 1st photo!
#1 Your View Today
This is a genuine moving truck outside my house.. many giggles were had ;)

Neon Pink Nail Polish - forever hunting

Over the years I have searched & searched for the perfect neon Pink nail polish.
You really wouldn't think it would be this hard... Maybe I'm being too fussy but dammit - I know what I want!
The perfect neon Pink from my past was by a Swedish brand called 'Viva La Diva' in #11.
As you can probably guess - I got it in Sweden & can't even order it online :(

The second best contender was a random find in Superdrug a few years back by an Australian brand called 'Bloom' in the shade 'Molly' - a really poster paint neon - perfect! ... Discontinued gaaah!

The 3rd and final polish in the running is by Pixi beauty in shade no.13 - really good neon Pink although not the smoothest to apply.  I can only get this via the website but there's still 'something' missing...

I've ended up ordering what I hope to be a super duper pick-me-up bright Pink shade from Butter London - Disco Biscuits.
I ordered from Amazon & have high hopes :)
I've fallen foul of bad colour representation while buying polish online so many times I don't know why I'm getting so exited ha!
However - fun post is still fun post :) Even the anticipation of delivery is kinda fun... Just me?

Strictly speaking this is still not a Neon Pink but it sure looks super bright so maybe it will tide me over till I track down the elusive Pink perfection :)

New phone & blogging app issues!

This is just a test really to see if this app works!
I got my gorrrrrgeous new phone - HTC Sensation XL ....IT'S HUGE! :) I'm in love with it but have run in to trouble trying to find a good blogging app :(
My two concerns are:
1. I want a simple app for posting on my own blog that actually works and doesn't resize my photos...
2. I want an easy to add-to app for following & reading blogs that lets me comment without logging in every time.
Simple right? Nope!
If anyone can recommend an app to me I'd be very grateful :)
I'm posting this with the blogger app... Lets see how it goes

Blog changes & Birthdays

I'm still not quite happy with the name / style of this blog so I'm in the process of  redesigning.
The problem isn't coming up with ideas - it's picking one from a great long list!

I'm taking the Manshape to the Science / Natural History / V&A museums tomorrow for his Birthday - he's never been, should be fun! Hope to get snap happy & post some pics here :)

I'm far too exhausted to do anything more today but alas - Birthday Brownies have been requested! ;(

Nail Art Tuesday #2

Just a quick post today :)

This is a Panda nail I did a while ago - very cute & easy to do

Q&A #1 - Such a Newb!

1) Mood: 
Started off on a total downer, Rotten afternoon BUT a very exiting & hopeful evening! It's all just a roller-coaster ;)


2) Do you consider yourself an organized person and if so, does it come naturally to you?: 
Both! My room is a complete tip due to lack of space and my craft table is a total mess (organized chaos tee-he) but If I'm organizing a day out or event - I will research it beyond a normal amount & everything HAS to go to plan or it just freaks me out! 



3) Your favourite hand cream?:
Jinx! I was just thinking about this today - I've been searching for a new hand cream for months since Dove discontinued the only one my hand would deal with - I have ridiculously sensitive skin so hand cream has to be fragrance free & relatively dull :( 
I've been through around 10 different tubes of hand cream recently (all total failures) right now I'm using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula fragrance free & so far so good :) 



4) What do you usually order when you go out for breakfast or brunch?: 
Bagel every time - with cream cheese & coffee mmmm


5) Have you ever been in a band?:
Just the one in my head ;) But it's always been a pipe dream of mine...  



6) Ferris wheels: fun or frightening?:
If it's a slow one then I'm game 



7) What's one important trait to have in a partner:
Honesty & understanding




8) How often do you heat style your hair?:
Every day unless I'm ill - I've been in a serious relationship with my GHD straighteners for 9years now ;) 




9) Can you eat with chopsticks?:
Yes indeedy... but if I'm really hungry I'm forking it!



10) Weekly Goals: 
SO many! I've started writing schedules this week to try & get better at time management - so my Goal is to keep it up & stick to them as much as possible :)

Well that was kinda fun :) I really need to find out how to link things on here as I've taken this idea from a blog I just started following (Which is pretty darn awesome)... Oh I haven't a clue how to do it! 

www.funnyfacebeauty.com 

If that works I will be quite proud! 

Baking and Selling

Today I have already been to the post office with 5 more Ebay parcels :)
It's rather wonderful that I seem to be selling almost everything I list for auction - never thought any of my stuff would sell!
Even if I only get 99p for an item I'm thinking of it going towards our 'Toronto Fun Fund' - only have to sell 50 items to pay for a cracking day out ha!

This afternoon I will be baking Triple Chocolate muffins - I find baking has quite a therapeutic calming effect on me & I've had a rather stressful weekend - time to hit the mixing bowls ;)

I will be using the following recipe ..... but I'm planning a little experiment involving melted Chocolate... I will share the results if it's a success or a complete mess ;)

Here is my fail-safe go-to Chocolate muffin recipe (without any experimenting madness hehe)

Chocolate Muffins

makes 10 - 12 standard-size (not the ENORMO coffee shop kind!)

9oz (225g) self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) bicarbonate of soda
1/2(2.5ml) salt
4-6oz (110-170g) fine White granulated sugar
3-5 tablespoons (45-75ml) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
8-9 fl oz (240-260ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla essence/flavouring
3 fl oz (90ml) Vegetable oil OR 3oz (85g) butter, melted
100g plain Chocolate chips



Method

1. 
Prepare muffin tins - put 12 cases into a 12 hole muffin tin.  
Pre-heat oven to 375-400'F (190-200'c) for a conventional oven, Gas Mark 5-6.

2. 
In a large bowl, sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar & cocoa powder. Add 50g of the Chocolate chips.


3.
In another bowl, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and vanilla, followed by oil/melted butter.

4. 
Pour all of wet mixture into dry. Stir until just combined and no dry flour is visible. Batter will be lumpy. (Do not over mix!)

5.
Fill muffin cups three-quarters full. Sprinkle tops with the remaining 50g of chocolate chips.

6. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops spring back when pressed gently.

I always use the vegetable oil option & not the butter but it's completely up to you.(Note: hot melted butter must not be added directly to the beaten egg as it would cook the egg instantly. Always cool the butter slightly and add the ingredients in the order given).

Storing & Freezing:

Store in an air-tight container for 2 days.

Muffins freeze very well - simply cool them to room temperature then store in air-tight boxes or bags in the freezer.

For instant thawing microwave unwrapped at Medium for 30-40 seconds.

If you try this recipe I'd love to hear how it turned out!

 





 

I'm just going to jump in & start writing randomly in this blog instead of over-thinking every post & then writing nothing at all!
It's all good practice :)

Getting ready for the big move to Toronto has been pretty hard going. Super busy every day & soooo much sorting out, re-cycling, trips to the Charity shop & trying to sell big stuff on Ebay... I am exhausted!
It'll all be worth it in the end and it's always good to have a big clear-out isn't it? 
I find it cathartic once you get past the negative or sad memories that can come up when sorting through bags of old stuff. Even old clothes will remind me of a time or place that maybe wasn't so jolly for me so getting shot of it clears your mind a bit - I'm hesitant to use the word 'closure' as it's become quite over used but that's the only way to describe it I guess!
Closure. From an old time that you have moved forward from - that you won't forget but you can put to rest. I also get a cheeky thrill from seeing some of my old clothes go on sale in the charity shop hehe! It's lovely knowing someone else will get a whole new use out of the item & treasure it & never know what murky history lies behind it for me!

Today I started using a schedule - my first since I was at school eek! And so far it's really helped me get much more done :)
For instance - I've broken the day down into 2 hour slots & it's helping me to not spend ages on one project & then missing another chore altogether. Here's how today looked:

10am - *Breakfast

12pm - *Wrap up Ebay sales items (Whoop!) & Go to Post office
            *Go for walk 


2pm - *Lunch
          *An hour of Shredding (zzzzzz) And paperwork sorting.

4pm - *Take cat to Vets
          *Snack & Cuppa - Homemade Chocolate Brownies today Yum!


6pm - *Go to superstore to buy more packing materials for Ebay sales (again Whoop!) (Can you tell I find
            Ebay a bit too exiting?!) 
          *Grocery shopping


8pm - *Dinner


10pm - * Hugs & watch TV (The manshape told me I must put hugs in the schedule hehe!)


12pm - *Bedtime

Now - this may look slightly unorthodox time-wise to the average bear but I'm used to going to bed at 4am & getting up at midday so - this is a huge change & improvement for me already!

Ok, Must make another Schedule for tomorrow - more shredding in my future I suspect -  Snooze! 

JJ*