Weekend Mani #6

It only seems like two seconds since I posted my last weekend mani and yet here we are on the 13th Saturday until Christmas! Yikes!

This weekend, I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for and I was sorting out my polishes and stumbled across a pairing I had been meaning to duet for ages. Both shades are from the O.P.I NYC ballet soft shades collection of 2012 and I think they go beautifully together.  

Meet 'my pointe exactly' topped with 'pirouette my whistle'

'My pointe exactly' is a very sheer, jelly grey colour.  To me it is the perfect grey, I just wish it was a wee bit more opaque.  The picture above shows three coats and still an awful lot of VNL (visible nail line) but that is kinda the intention of the soft shades collection.  I suppose it's like the tinted lip balm of the polish world.  I found this to be quite easy to use albeit a tad runnier than I'm used to.  

I ended up using five coats to get the opacity I wanted and so drying time was a killer and I did smudge a few :-( This is then a great time to pop on a glittery top coat to hide any mishaps! 

'Pirouette My Whistle' is a clear based polish with tiny silver micro glitter and soft, matte white hexagonal macro glitter in it.  The bigger glitters do tend to sink to the bottoms and sides of the bottle and so it needs a good shake before applying. 

 I love this jazzed up neutral nail, it is another example of an easy to wear combo that would be suitable for all ages. 

This combo has however one mnajor drawback... I now really, really want to buy Illamasqua's most talked about polish, 'Raindrops'.  I have a link to some swatches here, by 'The PolishAholic' as she always has great pics! 

Maybe it's living in the granite city but I really do have a soft spot for grey polishes and adding the hint of sparkle is just the cherry on top.  It is almost like the flecks in the granite of my home toon.

Do you have a favourite combo of polishes?

What do you think of this as a wintery mani?

Hugs,

Jodi 

Cute cats and fine cheese!

The other week I was feeling like I might be in for a bit of a cold but it seemed to go away until this morning when I woke up with a sore throat! Boooo! The weekend before last we kinda just took it easy as it was grey skies over aberdeen for most of the weekend. I quite enjoyed pottering about and playing with the pusscats.

 There's an app called 'Games for cats' which I downloaded at the suggestion of my nephew and it's actually pretty cool.  In this part of the app, a mouse runs around on screen and if the cat hits the mouse, it squeaks, simples! Binx doesn't pay it much attention at all, honey is quite wary of it but will watch it and Nev, as you can see plonks himself down like a pro! This was a lazy Sunday morning laughing at Nev.  

He then starts to chew his way into the ipad! 

Binx then decided he was going to help with the laundry...

While Neville had a nap! 

We took Honey out for a walk in the back garden whilst we hung out some washing.  She doesn't go out much but when she does, we have her on a lead at all times.  It may seem a bit crazy but this is not an area she is used to and there are so many other cats and buses, that I would be terrified to let her out on her own.  She only likes a wee tooted around to chew some grass then she wants back in.

10 minutes outside then deserves a good, long afternoon nap! 

Meanwhile, my chum came round with a belated birthday pressie which was so unexpected but very welcome! 

Gorgeous shortbread from Murdoch Allan Bakeries, it was yum! The only bad thing was that the packet didn't last very long! ;-) 

The evening led to more munching and a movie.

We don't have a tv in the bedroom any more, we did have a brand shiny new 32 inch flat screen for about three months until one day Nev decided he would be a bird and perch on the top, the tv did a 180 flop right onto the metal drawer handle and that was that.  The screen looked like it had been shot! 

So that was our lazy day but I really quite enjoyed staying at home enjoying the quiet life.  

Also, we have a tomato plant that I'm proud as punch about! 

Do you like days at home? 

What's your favourite biscuit (dunkable or no)?

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

Weekend Mani #5

This is a pretty picture heavy post for one mani but it was a fun one so I went for it!

Recently, I bought my first ever Models Own polishes, 'Absinthe' from the velvet goth collection and 'Snow Mix' which is one of their Artistix Duo polishes.  The Artistix are a great idea, they combine two of the brands bestselling shades for maximum effect! Each duo consists of a base colour and a special effect topcoat.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to use the white base coat on all my nails as I was really feeling a deep purple kinda place.  I mashed it up into a slightly odd but effective mani.  The O.P.I is Vant to bite my neck? from the Euro Centralé Collection which was brought out in springtime this year.

First up was the 'Snow White' base coat.  A good quality polish, this was opaque in two coats and didn't take too long to dry in between coats. I must say, I do like the brushes too, slightly thinner than the OPI brushes which I sometimes find too thick for my little nails.

And on with the glitter! This is Ibiza Mix from the Hed Kandi collection. I love the glitter, it is not as bright as shown on the web images but I actually like that the colours are almost subtle and grown up - very similar vibe as the L'oreal Sequin explosion, which I still have to get round to gushing about!

Here is a few more pics trying to show the glitter.  I loved the lilac and the turquoise and I'm glad the orange wasn't too bright as I don't really like orange glitters that much, I have no idea why.  The orange was actually more of a rosey, orangey goldy type colour, I really liked it. There was also gold glitter too.  

There were also varying shapes and sizes of glitter too which added to the party effect, there were hexagonal macro glitters and circular micro glitters. 

I then decided I wanted dark purple nails so I kept the thumbs Artistix'd and went for O.P.I on the rest of my fingers.  I thought the lilac and turquoise of the glitter tied in with the deep purple.  The O.P.I itself was just a lovely deep, creme purple, it kinda made me think of an aubergine when I was using it.  Gah, it's just lovely, simple, elegant and lovely and a breeze to apply!

On the sunday, before I took this off for work, I wanted to try the glitter over the purple. It looks really nice and would be great for autumn/winter to add a bit of sparkle to an otherwise sultry manicure.

F.y.i., it is so hard to try and capture glitters on an iPhone!

Models Own Artistix Duo polishes are on offer on ASOS.com at the moment, link here, and they also have Vant to Bite My Neck? reduced to £7 here.  This is actually a great price as ASOS offer free standard delivery, you can also get cashback from topcashback.co.uk.  I should also say that ASOS have pretty great customer service too, should you have any problems.

Are you stocking up on the glitters in time for christmas?

Are you looking forward to the deep purple and berry shades of winter?

Hugs,

Jodi 

I jumped on the bandwagon

There has been so many new cosmetic releases of late and this is yet another raved about item that has made it's way from the US.
Maybelline Baby Lips is available in many places in the UK now for about £2.99.  Superdrug also have them on offer as 2 for £5 saving the princely sum of 98p!
There are six different types, three of them are untinted and three are tinted.

I was actually keen to get the Cherry Lips one but at the last minute decided I would brave Pink Punch.

The bullet itself is housed in a pretty sturdy, run of the mill twist up tube.

There is quite a lot of product there and the colour is surprisingly buildable.  Maybelline claim that the product provides eight hours of moisture but I feel it falls short of that at maybe three to four hours, even less if eating and drinking is involved.  The good thing is that it is handbag handy and so its not too bothersome to reapply on the move.

Pink punch itself has a lovely fruity scent, just like a summery punch drink and has a nice pink tint to it which isn't too bright.  It leaves lips with a nice sheen whilst also giving a wash of colour with just one swipe.  The colour can be built up to give a more intense finish but it is never going to be opaque.

All in all, I find this a cute product that helps keep lips hydrated and looking juicy for a reasonable price but if you are suffering from really dry or chapped lips, you're gonna need something a bit more powerful methinks!

Something to note, the untinted treatment type ones have an SPF 20.

Have you tried Baby Lips?

Do you have a dry lip saviour?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Not the cutest panda

One thing I find supermarkets are quite limited in is their selection of eye make-up removers.  A wee while ago now, I was in need and in Sainsburys and so this eye make up removal cream by Olay, found its way into my basket.

It is a white cream of which a little goes a long way, especially if you only wear one or two coats of mascara on a normal day.  The best method I have found for this is to rub the cream GENTLY onto your closed eye, being careful not to drag on the skin under the eyes as this area is very delicate.  You do not want this product in your eye as it can be very nippy, so please be careful.  After a minute or so on each eye, the cream should have dissolved the majority of your eye make up and you can use a damp cotton pad or face cloth to gently wipe it off.

I find this to be pretty effective although if I use this after cleansing, I often find I still have a little bit of a panda eye the next morning and so I prefer to use this then cleanse.  I especially like to sweep some cleansing water over the top just to lift off any residue.

This process is best left to the privacy of the bathroom as it can get messy, might be a good look for halloween though!!

I think I prefer the quickness of an oil based eye make up remover but massaging this into the eye area can be quite nice after a long day.  It is perfume and colour free but if you have sensitive eyes, be super careful this doesn't get in them.

Do you prefer cream or oil eye make up removers?

What do you think of Olay?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

P.s. Superdrug have this buy one get one free ath the moment, priced at £2.99 

My cup of Thé

Ages ago, I used to get my Glossybox delivered monthly and it was a joy.  I have stopped it for now as I felt I was becoming inundated with samples and needed to use up some of the stuff.  One item I did receive in my glossybox that I loved was a (generous) 10ml Sample of a Caudalie Eau Fraiche.

I got the Zest De Vigne, which was feminine and citrussy and quite uplifting and my boss got Thé Des Vigne.  I loved the feminine, fresh and fruity initial scent with the top notes of orange blossom and the heart notes of grape which blend beautifully into more sensual notes of white musk, neroli and ginger.  

I bought Thé Des Vignes from feelunique recently as it was on sale and I got a code for another 10% off, I couldn't refuse.  It arrived really quickly and was well packaged in it's own sturdy cardboard tube.  Caudalie are all about natural ingredients and have used grape water as a base for this scent.  This wears off after about 4 hours or so but still leaves a lingering scent behind.  It's almost romantical!

This seems to be marketed as a limited edition but it was released in 2011 and is still on the go.  The cheapest I can currently find it is here.  

The bottle itself is good and sturdy whilst still looking pretty, it has an ombré effect on the bottle which could be interpreted to show the founder, Mathilde Thomas' description that 'Thé des Vignes captures in a bottle the magical and fleeting moment when the last rays of the sun turn the vines purple in the twilight.'

The bottle also has an impression of a bunch of grapes on the vine on the back, which is again, a nice nod to the natural grape water base.

This is one of my most complimented scents and I have only worn it to work twice!

Have you tried an Eau Fraiche before?

Have you tried any products by Caudalie?

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

Summer is not yet over

As Autumn approaches pretty quickly up here in the North East (of Scotland), it's time to get cosy!

I don't like putting the heating on this early in the year and so prefer to use fluffy jumpers and candles to keep me toasty of an evening.  

A few months ago now, I was walking past Clinton Cards and they had a display of Yankee Candles on their shop floor, the main attraction being the delicious summer scoop.  Ever since then, I couldn't stop thinking of the summery scent and so purchased it two weeks ago from this seller, on Ebay, free p+p was the clincher.  You can get the candles from Yankee Direct too but there is postage charges to add on.  

Two Weekends ago, I was strolling through my local Dobbies (garden centre) after having a magnificent breakfast there and spotted their Yankee display.  If you have a Dobbies near you, I would definately go and check it out as they often have special deals going on their candles.  I got this huge Coral Beach jar for £12, when they usually retail for about £20.

Coral Beach seems to be pretty difficult to track down in the UK which is unfortunate and to get it shipped from the US will cost over £20 in postage alone!! It is a lovely scent though, almost like peach chewits.  It is a very addictive scent.  I almost never bought it as I had already bought Summer Scoop but I had to go back for it! 

Summer Scoop is definitely my favourite one of the two though, It smells just like the graphic on the label, of strawberry ice cream and summertime! 

One thing about Yankee Candles I like is that the jars are re-usable, I currently have one in my bathroom that I use to store my cotton wool in, much swisher than the usual draw-string poly bags.

Have you tried Yankee Candles before?

What things about Autumn are you looking forward to?

Hugs,

Jodi xx