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