Weekend Mani #17

I have power!! Laptop cable has arrived, thank you Amazon and now hopefully normal service can resume!

My nails this weekend were all about Christmas as we had our work night out yesterday, although it was a lunch that lasted into the night! 

Ah, my smudgy penguin! my first attempt ever at a penguin and I literally had 13 minutes to do my nails so I think he turned out pretty good

The red is a Mavala number called 'Rouge Rubis' and it is rather lovely! I received this last year in my latest in beauty, you beauty advent calender (which I got for half price in January). It's packaged really cutely as a Christmas decoration so a nice wee surprise for a nail fanatic at Christmas time.  Topshop are doing similar individually packaged polishes too.  

I smudged his tummy several times although I am happy that his eyes were ok, they would have been harder to redo. I will post a tutorial this week on how I did the penguin, there are loads of tutorials on youtube or you can just google some images for inspriation.

I have used Mavala polishes before and I really like them.  They have a special formulation that apparently allows your natural nails to breathe and therefore reduce damage caused by polish (pretty sure you would have to use a Mavala Base Coat to achieve this result though?!).  Several other great things about Mavala polishes is that they are in 5ml pots therefore less likely to dry out, they are less than £5, come in a fabulous range of colours, are nasty chemical free (in your face formaldehyde!!) and they are opaque in two coats.

I tried to capture the shimmer in this polish but it is much more shimmery in real life.  It has a ruby red 'jelly' type base with these red glassfleck type particles throughout, these pictures are without topcoat by the way. It kinda reminds me of Essie's 'Leading lady' seen here, Essie's 'Ruby Slippers' here, China Glaze's 'Ruby Pumps' here or Zoya's 'Carrie Ann' seen here. Off the top of my head, I would say the closest OPI I could think of that would be even slightly like this would be 'Love is a Racket, here, but I think that is more pink with blue through it. I always thought it was weird that OPI didn't release some version of red polish with their 'Oz: The Great and Powerful' collection but it was a soft shades collection so I'll let them off!! 

It has chipped a wee bit and there is some tip wear but I was pretty tough on my nails last night, I dropped my bag alot and so was picking many a thing up off the ground, tsk tsk!!

Latest in Beauty are currently offering this Mavala polish as a 'luxury sample' and so for £2 this could be yours, its free to sign up to their website and they often have great collections. 

The Youbeauty advent calender is available here, and if you use the code YBD10 you can get £10 off.  I really liked my one last year as the samples are good sizes to try out. 

Have you tried Mavala polishes before?

Are you going to attempt some Christmas nail art?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

I'm so excited!

I'm going to mac tomorrow.  For the first time ever! I have no idea what I'm going to do once I'm in there apart from possibly wee-ing myself a little but MAC!! 

I'm a little excited! 

Also, our tree is finally up and it's starting to look a bit more festive round here! And the cats haven't killed it... yet - More excitement! 

Hope you had a great weekend! 

What would your top mac products be?

Do you have a mac store or counter near you? 

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Weekend Mani #16

Yup, it's that time of week again! It's the weekend of indecisiveness for me I think, I have on this colour but as I am off work until Wednesday I may change it for something a bit more 'va-va-voom'! 

On my nails this weekend, I have 'meet me on the star ferry' by O.P.I.  This is from the Hong Kong Collection of 2010, of which I own a few others from that I didn't actually realise! 

This one is really difficult to describe, in the bottle it seems to be an almost mauve colour but with a touch of red and a silver shimmer running through it but on the nail it looks different in every light! It looks purpley, reddy, goldy, silvery, shimmery and frosty all at the same time!!

This shows it leaning towards purple.  The shine is amazing, I have no topcoat on in any of these pics. I don't know if the colour suits my skin-tone the best but that's a small niggle that most people probably won't pay any mind to.

Trying to capture the colour without the shimmer, turns out, it ain't that easy! Please excuse the peppy pig plaster, sliced my finger on a Gillette in the bathroom.  Strange I have peppa pig plasters and no kids...

In usual O.P.I. fashion, the formula was easy to work with and this was opaque in two coats.  I have three coats on my middle finger as I bumped it whilst the polish was still wet.

And there you have it, a polish captured in pretty much every light source I have at my disposal and still remains a bit of an enigma!! I like this polish and I wanted it for ages but I'm not as in love with it as I had hoped to be.  In fact, I'd quite like to put this on my gramma! (She's pretty cool though so...) 

Do you wear polish to suit your skin tone?

Are you a fan of shimmers? 

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

P.s. This is once again courtesy of my ipad.  Binx has chewed through my laptop cable and so I am awaiting delivery of (another) new one! Good job he's purdy!

Old cats are cold cats!

With winter upon us, my little tooter, Honey, is really starting to feel the cold.  It doesn't help that her belly is still quite bald from where she over grooms.

This is a really important time of year not just to keep yourself cosy but also to keep your pussy cats cosy. If your cats are outdoor cats please, please make sure they have a reflective collar, preferably with your number on it and if they go awol, please check in surrounding sheds etc as they will try and find a warm (or less draughty) spot. 

As Honey is now about 14 years old and very little (3.2kgs) it's important that we give her a little help to keep warm (I think it is anyway!) 

So I bought her a hoody... I know, I'm mental! I got this off of amazon but I actually think it is too small for her but at least I know she wasn't totally against wearing it! This is really for dogs more than cats but the selection for cats is minimal.  

I also had a therapeutic heat pad lying around from when I used to get a lot of backache and so this is like her own electric blanket that I put on for a while at night, they have these in Argos for £29.99 which actually sounds like quite a lot but you can get them from eBay and amazon ( you can get waterproof ones!)  I use the scarves that I got from poundland for my Cheshire Cat outfit a few weeks ago.  

As for the boys, they are in the livingroom next to the radiator, or on the sofa, or on our bed... They can sleep anywhere and if they are feeling the cold they often snuggle up together - so cute! 

I'll sleep on the sofa then...

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

P.s. This has been posted on my ipad and so apologies for lack of links and unformatted pics! 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Todays post is just a quick one but it may give some of you some nice new storage ideas.  I am a big fan of candles, as I may have posted about once...or twice... anyhoo, nowadays it would seem the packaging is almost as luxurious as the candle itself.  I have found a few handy ways of re-using candle containers once the candles is all gone.

Here's a small selection of my candle jar storage, I love finding ways to reuse things, if something is in good condition, it seems such a shame and a waste to just throw them out.  I have even found storage for my birchboxes and glossyboxes.

Super handy is what I would call the yankee candle large jar!  Great for storing cotton wool, keeps it dust free, cat hair free and also prevents it getting wet! I favour this rather than storing packs of cotton wool in random drawers, I always forget where it is and end up buying more.  This is also great if. like me, you don't have loads of storage space in the form of drawers etc. 

The cuboid(?) on the left with the cotton buds in it was originally a candle from Tkmaxx, they have a great selection of candles especially at this time of year and some of them are in really pretty jars. I was in tonight and the scent selection is so varied! Great for keeping things dust and damp free and also stops 'the boy' from putting his used buds and various other items of debris, back into the container as he is prone to do! Grump!

 The middle jar was a three wick candle from sainsburys that was pretty huge, similar sort of size to a three wick neom candle but about a tenth of the price! Sainsburys candles are actually pretty well in terms of scent throw, their selection isn't huge but they are nice.  The one I had was a coconutty one and you could smell it even when the candle wasn't lit. It is currently home to a rotation of different tealights and votives and I don't have to worry about wax spilling everywhere.

Lastly, this wasn't a candle, this was a toothbrush holder that never got used as a toothbrush holder.  It was from Asda, they also have cute bathroom accessories just now in loads of different colours.  This originally had cotton buds in it but 'the boy' was sick of my make up brushes lying around 'everywhere' (apparently) and I couldn't cope with them in a sealed bag every morning.  This keeps them all together nicely without them being all bunched up and taking out four at a time when I only went in for one.

I have loads of glass jars from the likes of glade and febreeze candles too, they come in so handy.

Do you try and re-use items?

What is your favourite scent from a candle?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Gone in November...

So the title of this post is inspired by this song by Wyclef Jean 'Gone 'Til November', it's quite a chill tune for a monday night!

So these are the products I have used up in the last month or two, I have been trying to 'shop my stash' I just seem to have a lot more in my 'stash' than I realised! Ooops!

There is a bit of variety here, some I will repurchase others I will not.  I make it sound so complicated eh?!

So, the hair...

Batiste Dry Shampoo for dark and deep brown hair.  I posted about this waaaay back in March, here, and this is me just finishing up the can! I won't be repurchasing this which is a shame as the shade is great for my dark hair but the fallout is not a good look.  Also, I find this seems to make my scalp feel quite itchy and irritated, not something I usually have a problem with.

Percy & Reed  Totally TLC Hydrating Mask.  I used up some Percy & Reed products in my September empties post, here, and my opinion of the Totally TLC hydrating mask is similar.  It is a bit too hydrating for my fine hair so I use it before shampooing.  It contains marshmallow and coconut oil to nourish and moisturise.  As with the other products, I feel this is overpriced for what it is, it has a subtle, clean smell but no coconut.  It is easy to apply, it's not thick like alot of other hair masks.  I didn't notice much a difference in my hair.

Finally, KMS Hair Play Makeover Spray from my recent birchbox, here.  This is nice, my boyfriend sniffed my head and told me I 'smelt like fruit' thanks to this little nugget! I do like it, the powder is quite white unless you do it from a good distance.  I would repurchase but £10+ for a dry shampoo is a bit on the steep end for me. 

The face...

Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder in Transparent.  Rimmel are pretty dependable and I would say this powder has never completely blown me away but it sets my make up well enough, doesn't oxidise (get yellower/darker) throughout the day like the Clear Complexion one, doesn't cake and isn't too yellow.  I think I would repurchase this as it is good for the price and it does last quite a while.  It doesn't really do much in the way of minimising pores though. 

Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye and Lip Make up Remover, phew, that's a mouthful! I got this deluxe sample size as a gift with purchase last year and it has lasted me for quite some time.  I Like the duo-phase make up removers, I think oil is much more efficient at removing mascara whilst still being gentle to the eye area.  You just shake this up so the liquids mix and put a dash on some cotton wool and apply to eyes, simples. I would repurchase this but would like to explore other varieties from other brands - I have heard the body shop camomile one is really good.

The Bod... 

Soap & Glory Heel Genius.  I think this is my third tube of this and I have a fourth waiting to take its place.  This is best applied after you have given your feet a bit of a pamper and finished off with some cotton socks or booties overnight and you will wake up with lovely, soft feet.  It has a slightly menthol smell to it and is lovely and cooling on hot feet after a days work.

Soap and Glory Mist You Madly fragranced body spray.  As much as I love Soap & Glory, I am actually glad this is finished.  This is a rather heavy floral, I didn't think it was a fruity floral as it claims on the bottle and a few minutes after spraying this on my body or my clothes, I couldn't really detect any scent.  This has been living in my work locker for the last year and a half trying to be used up!  I won't be repurchasing this I'm afraid.

Lastly, Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Intensive body moisturiser.  If you don't like the smell of the original 8 hour cream, chances are you won't like this.  I found this easiest to use on my hands and arms, it is a very thick cream and it felt quite 'stiff' to rub into my skin, almost like using a shower gel without being in the shower... Was great on my hands though.  I think this would be best for targeted areas such as knees, elbows and shins but as an all over moisturiser, it just requires too much elbow grease.

And that's that! 

Scary to think the next time I do one of these posts will be 2014!

One point I will mention, I  cut the ends off most of my squeezy tubes etc as there is often a few more uses worth left in the tube.  I got another 5 applications from the Elizabeth Arden!

Have you tried any of these products?

What scents do you like in your lotions and potions?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Weekend Mani #15

Pinch, Punch, it's the first of the month!

December, seriously?!?  I was feeling a little bit Christmas-y this weekend and so this weekends mani definitely reflects that.  I was also at a a wedding and was wearing a berry coloured dress and so this colour complimented my dark hair and dark outfit quite well. 

Meet 'Honey Ryder' one of the delectable Bond Girls released this year as part of a six piece liquid sand collection by O.P.I. 

Love it. I applied this on a minibus, in the dark, going up some country roads to my chums wedding venue (we were going for the evening reception as we had both been working all day.) This went on like a dream, you could pretty much get away with one coat of this, similar to the other liquid sand, 'Get Your Number' , here.

The colour was more of a metallic sandy gold and dried down well.  It wasn't too gritty but the texture definitley gave it an extra dimension and gave a twist to what could have been a very safe mani.  Did I mention I love it?! I have a wee tutorial coming up involving this which would be great for christmas ;-) 

It doesn't have a multitude of different glitter particles, it does just appear to be a proper 'suits any skin tone' gold.  It doesn't lean too warm, too bronze or too cool, it's just right. I fear I may be starting to gush a little! 

The one problem that I'm finding is that it seems to be sold out on a lot of sites, what I would recommend is to keep an eye on sites such as nailpolishdirect, asos etc in case they restock (it is gold and it is christmas so we can hope!).  You can also get it on the likes of Amazon and ebay but always be wary that there are quite alot of fakes going around nowadays.  Also be aware that polishes sent from the states may never reach you as there are a lot of restrictions in place regarding posting polishes now. Phew.

In this picture, I'm trying to show that although it is a textured polish, it doesn't leave nails looking all bumpy and uneven.  I don't mind the texture of the Liquid Sand polishes but I know for some people it's a big no-no, that is something to keep in mind if you are thinking about buying it for someone else.

The colour doesn't change much in different light sources either.  As I mentioned, it applies easily, even on a minibus, and it has the typical O.P.I pro-wide brush.  It dries super duper quick and after 36 hours I had no chips and that was with no base coat *gasp* and no topcoat.  I didn't get round to trying it with topcoat to see if that changed it much. 

Ideally I would have used the foil method, see here for that, to remove this polish but it's going to be another one of those walking to work whilst removing my polish mornings tomorrow.  Pretty much dragging the weekend out as long as possible!

Also, there is a facebook group called 'Nail Sale' where a lot of lovely ladies buy and sell polishes, I think this is where I got this one.  Some polishes may be brand new, some may be swatched once or twice but for brands such as O.P.I and Nails inc, you can sometimes get them at half price.

Have you tried any Liquid Sands?

Have you got an Advent Calender this year??

Hugs,

Jodi xxx