Forever the ugly duckling

Valentine's day make up: MAC Lipstick in Rebel

2012-02-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hello :) I got this lipstick aaaaages ago now and am only now getting round to trying it out. I think I like it but im not sure as its a bit darker than what I would normally wear. Like all MAC lippies its super opaque and lovely.....yeah so that's the review done on to the pictures!

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And I am wearing my lovely new Sugarhill Boutique butterfly dress which I love apart from the fact its too booby....if I planned on leaving the house in it I would have to wear a little camisole underneath :P

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Pj's on ahhhhhhhhhhhh that's better :P

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What do you think? Are you a fan of MAC 'rebel'?

Hope you all have a lovely Valentines day if you celebrate it :)

♥♬ This music makes me high ♥♬ Ixorapink plate A48

2012-02-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

Hiya. This is my first NOTD using the lovely Ixorapink ebay store.

I decided to use the musical notes design but mix it up a bit as the all over design is only really suitable for a wide nail like my thumb otherwise most of the notes will be cut off.

To me it kind of looks like it could have been freehanded as its not a super delicate design like the Konad musical notes image. But I still like it.....what do you think?

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Nubar foundation base coat

Orly 'stone cold' (2 coats)

Ixorapink plate A48

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

Seche Vite

NOTD: Minnie mouse

2012-02-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Hello :) I decided to try out the smaller Dashica plates which are equally as amazing as the big ones.

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Orly 'Stone Cold' (2 coats)

Barry M 'Silver Foil' as a stamping polish

Dashica Big SdP M (the small stars on the accent nail)

Dashica SdP plate 32 (the largers stars)

Dashica SdP plate 16 (minnie mouse)

Seche vite

Blue skull mix and match

2012-02-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, sorry I have not posted in so long...I haven't been so well lately.

Anyway.

I am loving doing mix and match nails at the moment :)

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Models Own 'True Blue' (2 coats)

GOSH 'Metallic Blue' (2 coats)

I also used the above 2 as stamping polishes

All over skull design from fauxnad plate QA8

All over skull design from T43

Skull from fauxnad plate 005

Other skull from fauxnad plate D22

I love cows

2012-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

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Do you love cows? Eating them doesn't count :)

Nubar 'Black Chrome' (2 coats)

Nubar 'White Peony' (3 coats!)

White, pink, yellow & black acrylic paint

Dotting Tool

Hits 'Hefesto' holographic topcoat

Pretty bee's and flowers NOTD

2012-01-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

Yet another NOTD using the amazing Dashica plate I borrowed from my friend. I am totally making the most of it before I have to give it back!

I added a coat of the beautiful HITS Hefesto holographic topcoat instead of my usual Seche Vite although you can barely see the sparkle. It was so much more noticeable in real life!

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Nubar Foundation base coat

Nubar 'Barricade' (2 coats)

Dashica big SDP M plate

Konad white stamping polish

HITS Hefesto holographic topcoat

Pretty pastel roses

2012-01-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have no idea why this is the first time I have tried stamping with more than one colour but it wont be the last as I love the effect. I stamped with very old Models Own polishes that are not the most opaque but I think this kind of subtlety really suits the design :)

What do you think?

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Nubar foundation base coat

Nubar 'white peony' (3 coats!)

Stamped with Models Own 'Lilac Dream', 'Jade Stone' and 'Beth's Blue'

Konad plate M73

Seche Vite topcoat

Super quick Australia Day nails

2012-01-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone :) I did these nails tonight and as I took them under my crappy living room lights they have turned out rather orange toned. Can you even tell that grey nail is meant to be a Koala? Oh and the flag is full of fail :P The stamped leaves turned out okay-ish though!

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My second attempt at splatter nails :)

2012-01-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

I love splatter nails and can't wait to try more colour combinations! If you wanna see my first attempt ***click here***

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In super bright sunlight:

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Base colour: 2True fast dry nail polish in Shade 1 (3 coats)

Splattered with: Accessorize 'Electric Purple', Nubar 'Black Chrome' and Colour Club 'worth the risque'

A small cocktail straw

Seche Vite topcoat

Better or worse than my first effort?

Another NOTD using Dashica big SDP M plate

2012-01-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Another look using my friends amazing Dashica big SDP M plate.

This design is so pretty and detailed :)

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Nubar 'Geisha Blaze' (my friend's polish)

Dashica big SDP M plate

Konad White special stamping polish

Seche Vite

Super Girly Cinnamoroll nails :)

2012-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

I love the Sanrio nail art plate I got from Beautiful Scratchers.

After I did Charmmy Kitty nails I knew I had to do Cinnamoroll next as it has been a while since I did Cinnamoroll nails :) These ones are much better than the freehand ones I did ages ago!

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Base colour: 2True fast dry nail polish in shade 1 (2 coats)

Barry M 'Silver Foil' as a stamping polish

Beautiful Scratchers Sanrio plate S6

The little stars are from Bundle Monster BM14

Seche Vite topcoat

Angry birds fan?

2012-01-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

A girl in the Adventures in Stamping Facebook group posted a link to this last night and I just had to share it with you....

It is an angry birds stamping plate! I have seen a plate with one angry birds character on it but this one is all angry birds designs:

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Isn't it super cute?

It is from ebay seller Ixorapink whom I blogged about a while back as I previously purchased this plate from them. I promise to do a NOTD with plate A48 really soon! **makes note to self***

This angry birds plate costs $4.95 with $1.00 shipping which is just a touch under £4.00. I did of course snap it up seconds after the link was posted as I am a huge angry birds fan. Can't wait till it arrives!

Oh and I should also add that the Adventures in Stamping Facebook group is really worth joining if you are a fan of stamping nail art. There is lots of useful information to be found on the latest plates and what normal polishes work for stamping.

Hope you are all having a great week :)

Glitter Gal Marine Blue & New Hello Kitty nail art plate KD1

2012-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

This my second plate from this ebay seller based in Hong Kong. I would 100% recommend this ebay store as they have a really good selection of unusual and kawaii plates and they are super cheap!

I got this one, plate KD1

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This plate costs £3.77 and shipping to the UK was free.

The minute I spotted the squirrel I knew I had to have it!

Here are the designs from the plate swatched on some paper:

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Here is a NOTD using this plate and my new lovely Glitter Gal 'Marine Blue' holographic polish:

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As usual my pictures lack the bright sunlight needed to capture the holographic beauty so I took one with flash:

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Woah!

Nubar Foundation base coat

Glitter Gal 'Marine Blue' (2 coats)

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

Fauxnad plate KD1

Roses are from Konad plate M76

Seche Vite topcoat

NOTD using Dashica Big SdP M & Mavala Waikiki Orange

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

Another NOTD using my friends beautiful Dashica nail art plate.

This is another Mavala polish from my recent haul and I adore it.

It was almost opaque in 1 and the colour was so glossy even before I added Seche Vite.

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Damn rabbit hairs get everywhere sorry! :P

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Nubar Foundation base coat

Mavala 'Waikiki Orange' (2 coats)

Dashica big SDP M plate

Barry M 'Gold Foil' as a stamping polish

Seche Vite topcoat

Nude holographic nails & Fox NOTD

2012-01-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

I recently got some Mavala polishes and decided I wanted to try the lovely nude 'vanilla' polish first and use the amazing Hits 'Hefesto' holographic topcoat as I have never seen a nude holographic polish.

I took some pictures of it but to be honest my pictures don't capture the beautiful holographic effect which reminds me of a milky opal gemstone.

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As my pictures failed to capture its sparkle I decided to take a quick video to show you just how lovely this nude & holographic topcoat polish combination is:

This is the first time I have done this......would you like to see this on future posts?

And now on to the NOTD I did attempting to copy the fox and leaf design on the lovely Topshop PJ's I got for Christmas. My apologies its a bit messy.....my excuse is this is the first freehand nail art I have done in ages :P

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Nubar Foundation base coat

Mavala 'Vanilla' (2 coats)

HITS 'Hefesto' holographic top coat (1 coat over the vanilla then another over the finished design)

Orange, blonze & white acrylic paint

A random fine tipped pen for the black detail

Color Club Nail Polish 'Revvvolution'

2012-01-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hello. A little while ago I blogged about Colour Club's 'worth the risque'.

As I loved this polish so much I decided to purchase another of Colour Club's holographic polishes, Revvvolution which is a almost black holo.

It is amazing!:

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Please excuse my rabbit cage background......you have to catch the sun where you can find it in this weather!

Oh and these were taken just before I took my nails off......it was long overdue as you can see :P

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I bought this polish from American ebay seller Beauty Zone 2007 for just a tad over £5.00 which included shipping to the UK! As it was from outside the UK it took 2 weeks to arrive but I was prepared to wait for this beauty especially since I was getting it for such a reasonable price :)

Id give this polish a holo rating of 8.5/10 It is ALOT more dazzling than 'worth the risque' I love it!

Small Mavala and Nubar polish haul

2012-01-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

I decided to treat myself to some new nail polishes from Beautybay.com after I managed to complete the time consuming task of organising all the ones I already have into some kind of logical order (really all I did was create a pile of ones that I use all the time, another pile of ones that I never use but refuse to give up and identify a few that I will give away as 'orphans' soon)

I got Nubar 'White Peony' and 'Pink Creme'. I also got some Mavala polishes as I have never tried them. I picked up 'Blue Curacao', 'Vanilla' and 'Waikiki Orange'. Nubar polishes are £5.50 each from Beauty Bay which is the cheapest I have ever seen them online (from the UK) and the Mavala's were £2.99 each.

I have really high hopes for the white Nubar polish in particular was I have been looking for a white polish for ages as it is a staple when you are doing nail art :)

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Do you own any of these polishes?

2012 hair fail

2012-01-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I went to the hairdressers to get my roots done and decided I would get some light purple lowlights added using Crazy Colours 'Lavender'.

It didn't turn out quite how I wanted........

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You can barely see the lilac tones:

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And my blonde turned out a bit darker than id like.....my hairdresser said it should lighten but im impatient!

I have since taken to the bottle......the bottle of Crazy Colours 'Pinkissimo' that is! Only problem is I really hate how that turned out too!

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Yucky orangey pink wishy washy hair! Urgh! I have decided just to let it fade out and plan on using lots of Paul Mitchell platinum blonde shampoo to help speed up the process *sighs* oh and I have become a hermit as this dye mishap has me feel even uglier than usual.

One of my new years resolutions was to stop messing with my hair and clearly I have failed on that front! I really don't know why I keep doing this as I have a multitude of clip in hair extensions I could easily dye myself if I fancy a new colour through my hair.

Have you had any hair dye disasters?

1st play with Dashica Beauty Shop nail art plates

2012-01-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

For my best friends Christmas present I got her lots of nail art plates from Dashica Beauty Shop as she is just getting started doing stamping nail art.

We tried the plates last week for the first time and I am pleased to report they are all AMAZING! The quality of the designs are all so beautifully detailed.....needless to say I can't wait to order some for myself! :)

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The big plate pictured above (plate M) is the one I used for the all over design and the little owl is from this plate ***clicky***

Here is the NOTD I did:

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Nubar 'Pasadena purple' (2 coats)

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

Dashica big SDP M plate

Dashica XL SDP Plate 53

Seche Vite topcoat

Are you a fan of Dashica nail art plates?

Wednesday wants: Style noir

2012-01-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hell Bunny Victorian skull flock coat £110 (from Fairygothmother)

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Glitter Gal 3D Holographic nail polish in black $14 (From Llarowe)

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Beautiful mermaid print by Strangeling aka Jasmine Becket-Griffith $13.99 (From etsy)

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Memento Mori earrings by PersephonePlus $28 (From etsy)

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Loungefly sugar skulls embossed satchel £54.99 (from Beadasurus)

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Skull print beauty train case £39.99 (From ebay)

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Faux leather winged leopard wedges £22.99 (From ebay)

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Cross crown headband £12.50 (From Topshop)

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I really need the coat and nail polish.

Do you like any of these items? :)

NOTD: Pretty Japanese girl

2012-01-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is my first time using my purple Beautiful Scratchers stamping polish and I love it even more than I thought I would :)

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Base colour: Models Own 'Lilac Dream' (2 coats)

Konad S9 Image Plate

Beautiful Scratchers purple stamping polish

Seche Vite topcoat

NOTD: A quick & simple freehand look

2012-01-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

A rare break from stamping! I really hope to get back to doing more freehand nails soon :)

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Base colour: Accesorize 'Indigo' (2 coats)

Silver acrylic paint

Dotting tool

Seche Vite topcoat

New years health and beauty resolutions

2011-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year again where we reflect on the past and pinpoint things we would like to change or do better in the new year. The only resolution I kept from last time was going vegan and there is no looking back :) I know alot of you may see resolutions as pointless but for someone like me who lacks focus and never gets anything done without planning they are important!

1) Get to bed earlier

This is the most important thing to me at the moment. I used to feel lucky that despite not getting much sleep it never showed on my face......well that has changed now! About six months ago I noticed I had dark circles under my eyes. I have NEVER had dark circles in my life but knew it was only a matter of time due to my poor sleep habits.

I haven't really spoken about it much but it has taken a toll on my already almost non existant self confidence. If I continue getting such a bad quality of sleep it is only going to get worse.

Of course lack of sleep affects more than ones looks it has a detrimental effect on every part of my life. My eating patterns are all over the place, I am constantly lethargic, achey and my mood is very much affected. When you have a bad sleep everything seems so to require so much more effort so you can imagine I don't get much done.

My problem is my brain just wont switch off! It seems to awaken in the evening and I have a constant whirl of thoughts running round my head making it impossible to relax enough to fall asleep. I have tried every traditional insomnia remedy to no avail. This resolution is my most challenging one as I have absolutely no idea just how I am going to achieve it!

2) Grow long healthy natural nails

I have been acrylic nail free for around two months now and only now are my nails starting to show some signs of improvement. I have not done many new NOTD at all as quite often I do my nails then look at them and think my horrible nails take away from the design so I do not even bother photographing them.

I think short nails can be lovely but do not think my short stumpy nails suit my skinny hands! I have never been able to grow strong long nails in the past and think this is partly down to my diet and also painting and removing nail polish much too frequently.

My diet has gotten alot better this year, however, there is alot of room for improvement. I am also only painting my nails every three days and taking better care of my cuticles and hands.

If I continue with this I hope that 2012 will be the year I am able to grow lovely nails like so many of you have.....you are all my inspiration!

3) Do not mess with my cuticles!

I am going to confess to doing something REALLY stupid! A few months ago when my cuticles were all dry and raggedy I made the mistake of trying to trim off the excess. This resulted in red sore cuticles that are only now healed. I will not be making this mistake again. I will keep my cuticle oil with me at all times and remember to moisturise my hands every time they wash them and will promise to never abuse my poor cuticles again! :P

4) Be more creative with my make-up

My make up is SOOOOOO boring! I always do the same look every day, natural eye with a bright lip or even more boring nude shiny lip. I really need to experiment more and actually use the colours I have and learn more about different make up techniques. I need to make more of an effort in general as when you make an effort it always makes you feel a little better even on days where inside you feel like utter poo! I plan on watching lots of Promise Phan tutorials for inspiration.

5) Stop messing with my hair!

Honestly I have a problem. I fiddle with my hair 24/7 and this is deffo making it drier and increasing my split ends. The days where I lay off the straighteners and don't touch it other than to give it a quick brush it actually looks okay. I need to treat it better and try not to obsess over it so much. Hopefully I will be able to grow it longer and thicker as this is something I have always wanted but have never been able to achieve.

6) Eat three meals a day

Eating two meals a day would be a start! I do eat healthily 80% of the time I just have a bad habit of having just one big meal a day (usually in the evenings) I need to get into better habits and keep a food diary again as this is something I used to do and found it really helpful. I need to start having three small meals a day and include alot more fruit and veg :) I feel I am a bad representative of how extremely healthy being a vegan is! I also need to loose weight but this goes hand in hand with eating better and my next resolution.....

7) Get active

I have went from a gym obsessed maniac to the ultimate stay at home couch potato and the effect on my figure is so obvious! Where did my 24inch waist go?!

I no longer enjoy the gym and im too self concious to go back so I am not planning on forcing myself.... just want to get out more for some long walks as I used to enjoy nothing more than a walk in the park to see the squirrels and ducks.

I used to walk EVERYWHERE and never use public transport no matter what the weather. Now I get the bus into town instead of walking the mere 20 minutes it takes. I need to get back to my walking ways and keep a diary of my exercise as this used to help keep me motivated to do more.

8) Cut out fizzy drinks completely

I had already somewhat attempted this and had gotten as far as only drinking fizzy drinks when I go out for dinner. I plan on cutting them out completely and only drinking squash and water.

Hopefully if I make these changes I will be healthier on the inside and start to feel better about myself ***fingers crossed*** 2011 was a year I would rather forget so I hope that I can become a more positive version of myself and make my 2012 resolutions happen :)

I also want to say a big thank you to all of you who read my blog and take the time to comment. It really means the world to me as quite often this little bloggie is the only thing keeping me sane!

Hope you all have a great 2012 :)

NOTD: I heart skulls

2011-12-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

A super girly look from when I still had my acrylic nails on :)

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What I used:

Base colour: 2True quick dry polish in shade no 1 (3 coats)

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

The skull is from plate T43 and the hearts are from Bundle Monster BM03

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

Splatter nail art

2011-12-29T05:08:00.000-08:00

Hello :) I have attempted splatter nails in the past but they always turned out really messy, thick and blobby as I think the straw I used was too wide.

I found some tiny cocktail straws on ebay and bought them as I was determined to get it right and im pleased to report that using thin straws works heaps better than using standard/wide staws (for me anyway!)

This is probably the second cheapest nail art technique ever (sponging being the absolute cheapest!) and is really easy and fun to do.

If you are thinking what the hell are splatter nails click ***here*** to see a really good tutorial that will explain it better than I ever could :)

I am really happy with how these turned out:

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Base colour: Nubar Barricade (2 coats)

Splattered with: Accessorize 'Indigo' & 'Electric Purple' and Colour Club 'worth the risque'

A small cocktail straw

Seche Vite topcoat

What do you think? Have you tried this technique?

My recent nail polish haul :)

2011-12-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I mentioned that I discovered the amazing Llarowe store and was lusting after all the amazing polishes. Well I decided to pick up a few to try them out and wanted to share them with you :)

Glitter Gal 'silver' 3d Holographic Polish

HITS 'Hera' turquoisey green Holographic Polish

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Sorry I forgot to take close up pictures of these two.

Once I received the above two polishes I treated myself to the ones below as a little Christmas gift :P

HITS 'hefesto' holographic polish

Glitter Gal 'Marine Blue' 3d Holographic Polish

China Glaze 'Lorelei's tiara' glitter polish

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I really can't wait to try this one as I have been mourning the loss of my China Glaze holographic topcoat for ages now :P

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Can't wait to try some NOTD's with them!

Which polish do you like best? :)

Accessorize teal nail polish

2011-12-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hello! Hope you all had a great Christmas day and aren't suffering too much from over indulgence. Oh and if you braved the sales today you are braver than I am as the thought of being squished by the masses in pursuit of bargains terrifies me :P Online shopping FTW!

Anyhoo!

I really love Accessorize polishes and this one is no exception. It is super glossy and was opaque in 2 coats :)

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£4.00 from Accessorize.com or Superdrug stores

Merry christmas to each and everyone :)

2011-12-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone.

Just wanted to wish you all a merry christmas or a happy sunday if you do not celebrate it.

I don't really celebrate Christmas and always find it to be a sad time...a time of reflection on the year that has passed. Next Christmas I hope to do some voluntary work so I can spend the day helping those who need it rather than wallowing in my own misery!

I wanted to share with you this video......it is really sad. These poor factory pigs get a visit from santa.......perhaps the only moment of joy in their much too short lives :(

'Spare a thought for all the millions, perhaps billions of animals who had to

suffer and die during this time where the message of the value

of life and love and love of life seems to have been diluted. Whether you

celebrate this time or not, animals still suffered and sacrificed.

Have mercy, have compassion, make a difference and care - because the lambs

were silenced. In vain.'

Please don't forget about the animals this Christmas :(

NOTD: Tokidoki Hello Kitty nails

2011-12-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have to warn you before you look at the pictures that this is not one of my better manicures!

I lost my small dotting tool and my paint was going gloopy.......a good artist never blames her tools! Guess that's why ill never be a good artist!

This is my bag which was my inspiration:

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What I used:

Base colour: Nubar 'black chrome' (2 coats)

Green, white, pink, red, yellow, gold & black acrylic paint

Dotting tool

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

NOTD: 'Love is only one fine star away'

2011-12-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been loving turning small stamped images into all over designs :)

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What I used:

Base colour: Nubar 'Barricade' (2 coats)

Bundle Monster plate BM14

Barry M 'Silver foil' as a stamping polish

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

My Christmas wishes for 2011

2011-12-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

Hello, I have loved all the Christmas lists that have been popping up in my dashboard over the past week so I thought I would share mine:

Hungry Designs glitter day of the dead cameo $20 (around £13.00)

This pretty piece is from a lovely independent artist who creates gorgeous things at reasonable prices.

Nigel Barker's Beauty Equation Book £11.69

This book by America's next top model judge & photographer Nigel Barker is all about building inner confidence to help you feel more beautiful :)

Cath Kidston the crochet book tin £11.30

Words cant describe how much I want to learn how to crochet! I have tried in the past and always failed so I am hoping this book with all the tools I will need will be able to get me crocheting! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This year I feel like I have changed quite a bit as a person. If I am honest in the past I have been too materialistic. I was always thinking about what I was going to buy myself next! I am not saying there is anything wrong with being that way at all as you have to do what makes you happy.....and if you can sleep at night happy with the person you are that is all that matters :)

Recently I have not been getting that good feeling I used to get when I bought myself stuff. I am trying to be less selfish! Instead I would prefer to do some good for those who deserve it and are unable to help themselves. I am of course talking about animals!

Sometimes I get really down (&angry! Hulk smash angry!) when I think of all the animal cruelty that goes on in the world. Instead of focusing on what I can't do and feeling bad about it I am going to try to focus on what I can and I can afford to give a little every now and then to the charities I care most about, do some volunteering when I can, raise awareness for animal rights, sign some petitions on change.org etc etc

So this Christmas rather than going crazy buying people lots of presents I will get people small meaningful presents so I have enough money to make some charity donations.

Here are some of the charities that mean alot to me that I plan on donating too and wouldn't mind if a donation was made on my behalf instead of a Christmas present :)

A donation to the Soi dog rescue foundation

The Soi dog rescue foundation do wonderful work rescuing dogs affected by the floods in Bangkok. Without these people these dogs would be left to starve to death :( I have donated to this charity before and will continue to do so but hope I can get some donations by asking for less this year for myself and include some charities that deserve help.

A donation to the animal kingdom foundation

Another amazingly worthwhile cause. This charity rescues dogs from the illegal dog meat trade in the Philippines. The dogs in the above picture were suffering in horrendous conditions and would have been killed had it not been for the charity who rescue them and take them to their purpose built rescue and rehabilitation centre. Another charity that I donate to when I can and would love to be able to do more for.

A donation to Glendrick Roost animal welfare centre

Glendrick Roost is a charity based alot closer to home in Scotland. They take in all types of animals that have been abused and abandoned and have a no kill policy. The little dog in the above picture, Ben the chihuahua was a stud dog for a puppy farm who the charity took in. With their love and care he is now thriving and works as a therapy dog giving comfort to others :) A one off donation can be made as well as sponsoring a particular animal which would make a great Christmas present.

Will you be making any charity donations this Christmas?

Nail art stamping without the stamper & scraper....yes really!

2011-12-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

Last year I bought two soft stamping plates from Nail art & Mehr's ebay store. Click **here** to take a look at their ebay store which btw I totally recommend as they have some absolutely amazing nail art plates and general nail art supplies :)

I have no idea why it has taken me until now to try them out. I think forgetting I even have them is a sign as I have too much stuff!

They cost around £5.50 each and postage is usually around about the same amount per plate. As far as I know these soft stamping plates are exclusive to Nail art & Mehr.

Anyway these soft stamping plates eliminate the need for both a stamper and a scraper! The plate is embossed with the designs in the same way a normal plate is only different is these soft plates are made out of a rubbery material that can be rolled across the nail easily.

This is one of the ones I bought, plate A20:

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The back of the plate shows you the designs on the plate

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I have absolutely no idea where the other plate I bought along with this one is :(

To use these plates you apply your stamping polish to the design as normal and instead of scraping it and transferring it to a stamper you simply wipe the excess polish off on a piece of paper and you are left with the clean design ready to be stamped directly on to your nails........pretty amazing isn't it!

I probably did not explain that very well so if you are curious please take a look at this video from their website which shows you how its done:

Whilst they are pretty ingenious and awesome I did find they take some getting used to as the excess polish does not always come off when you swipe it on paper so I had to use a cotton bud with some acetone to remove any polish that was not part of the design that I did not want transferring to my nails.

I am still getting the hang of using it so please forgive me as my first manicure using it is far from perfect:

(click picture to enlarge)

See, it looks like just a normal stamped image.

What I used:

Orly 'Stone Cold' 2 coats (One of the ones I won in the competition I mentioned **here**)

Soft stamping plate A20

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

Seche Vite Topcoat

So what do you think? Have you heard of soft stamping plates before? Would you consider giving them a try?

Random: I won something! & nail woes

2011-12-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

I was one of five lucky winners in Beauty Bay's facebook festive nail art competition :)

This is what I won:

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Cant wait to try the Orly polish as its a brand I had been pondering trying for ages now :)

And the nails I entered to the competition were these penguin ones from earlier this year:

(click picture to enlarge)

Since taking my acrylic nails off a month ago I have been feeling seriously down everytime I look at my nails. I am laying off the acrylics for at least 3 months to let my nails recover from the damage. I am just not used to them being so short anymore and I feel incapable of doing any nail art (I still have tons of posts from when I had my acrylics on) worthy of posting. The health of my nails are improving and I would say they are almost the length they were in the penguins manicure above *sighs* but still I am just not happy with them.

I used to be a huge fan of short nails and did not let them hold me back trying different nail art looks. I was wondering if any of you felt the same or had any advice for me? I know some of you will be thinking pull yourself together girl its only nails.....and part of me knows that its just nail art is my main hobby and not being able to do it sucks big time.

Accessorize starlet with flowers, butterflies & a bow

2011-12-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is my first time using Starlet and it won't be the last! Starlet is a gorgeous pinky red that was opaque in 2 coats. I decided I needed to stamp a design in pink but could not find a proper pink stamping polish so I tried using China Glaze 'Admire' which worked wonderfully!

(click the picture to enlarge)

What I used:

Accessorize 'starlet' 2 coats

China Glaze 'Admire' as a stamping polish

Flowers & Butterfly from Konad M36

Bow from Konad M59 Seche Vite Topcoat

A flower from a Bundle Monster plate (sorry I cant remember the plate number)

Seche Vite Topcoat

Marina

NOTD: I heart kitty

2011-12-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

I love when I discover a new polish in my stash that works great as a stamping polish. This time I used Colour Club worth the risque which is a silver holographic polish. If you want to see the polish on its own click ***here***

(click picture to enlarge)

Sorry the lighting in these isn't so good......it was a dull day so I snapped these while I was waiting for my friend in a changing room :P

What I used:

Base colour: Models Own 'Feeling Blue' (2 coats)

Colour Club 'worth the risque' as a stamping polish

The kitty faces are from Konad S10, The tiny hearts are from fauxnad plate QA12 and the paw prints are from fauxnad Halloween plate P59

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

Adopt a polish: And the new parent is

2011-12-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth of Life and Polish who said:

'I would love to give these polishes a home. I would use the gold to make twinkly stars over the OPI nude and lavish them with all different kinds of glitter. They would be well loved and I would make sure they were fed and watered every day (with whatever it is nail polishes eat - base coat maybe?'

Please send an email to me at marina@forevertheuglyduckling.com with your details and I will arrange for the polish babies to be sent to you :)

Stay tuned for more adoptables hopefully by the end of this week.

Adopt a polish: enter by tonight at 10pm (G.M.T)

2011-12-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Hello :) Hope you are all having a good weekend. Thanks to everyone who has expressed their interest in my adopt a polish giveaway.

If you haven't entered, there is still time! You have until 10pm this evening (G.M.T) so click ***here*** for details.

Ill leave you all with some pictures I took of Chub-Chub last night while we were watching the X-Factor:

(click picture to enlarge)

Fifi Lapin nails :)

2011-12-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Being a huge Fifi Lapin fan I have no idea why I have not tried Fifi Lapin nail art sooner :) I had to include Fifi's cute little dog Stella.

Bright sunlight:

(click picture to enlarge)

This accent nail caused me so much trouble as I couldn't decide what to put on it! I must have re-painted it at least five times before I decided to keep it simple with dots.....well until I ruined it by adding the 'Fifi x' lettering :P

(click picture to enlarge)

What I used:

Base colour: Models Own 'Jade Green' and 'Lilac Dream' on accent nail (both two coats)

White, pink,lilac, yellow, green & black acrylic paint

Dotting tool

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

Colour Club 'worth the risque'

2011-12-08T09:57:00.000-08:00

I am a holographic polish FIEND :p Since my beloved China Glaze OMG turned into a gloopy mess I went on the hunt for a new silver holo. It had to be affordable as paying £20+ for a bottle of a discontinued polish on Ebay is a bit outside my price range!

After much late night browsing I discovered the wonderful brand Colour Club who are vegan, 3 free and not tested on animals.

I picked up their 'worth the risque' polish and here it is after 2 coats:

(click picture to enlarge)

£6.08 from Liberty Nail supplies who I would recommend as the polish arrived just two days after I ordered it :)

For a holo polish it applies really well and was opaque in 2 coats. It is not the most holo of all the holo polishes but I can assure you it is alot more dazzling in real life than in my dull daylight pictures!

I would give it a holo rating of 6/10. Its a little less dazzling than OMG but is a beauty none the less. Can't wait to try it as a stamping polish and for splatter nail art.

Are you a fan of Colour Club polishes? What do you think of this one?

Marina

New and interesting nail art plates on ebay :)

2011-12-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am really loving nail art stamping at the moment and spend alot of time trawling the net looking for the latest plates. I found an US based ebay seller, Ixorapink who has a small selection of really nice plates I had never seen before and thought I would share them with you :)

Here are some of them:

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Plate A-49

(click picture to enlarge)

Plate A-54

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Plate A-53

I ordered this one yesterday and will do a review when it arrives:

(click picture to enlarge)

Plate A-48

All images plates are $5.50 (approx £3.50) and postage to the UK just $1.00!!

What do you think? Will you be adding any to your collection?

Adopt a polish: the first orphans

2011-12-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Hi :) A few weeks ago I blogged about the adopt a polish website and how I was saddened that they do not ship their adoptables outside the US and Canada. Well I have decided to go ahead and put some of my own abandoned polishes up for adoption in the hope of them going to a home where they will be appreciated :)

First up are OPI Samoan Sands and Model's Own 25 Karat Gold. This subtle nude and in you face gold may seem like an unlikely paring but opposites attract and these two are inseparable which is why they must be re-homed together. They both have 80% of their lives left and are in good health.

(click picture to enlarge)

To see Swatches of OPI Samoan Sand click ***here*** and to see swatches of Models Own 25 Karat gold click ***here***.

If you think you can give them a good home click on the 'follow my blog' button to the right and leave a comment on this post stating why you want to adopt these polishes. If you have any polishes you think these too would get on well with or any ideas on how to maximise their potential then please say so as I will pick the best answer and send these two lovelies to you :)

Please leave your comment by Sunday 12th of December at 10pm GMT

I am prepared to send these polishes anywhere in the world and the only condition's are that you are a follower of this blog (I will check!) and have left a comment on this post.....simples!

Good luck :)

Crafty things: Meaow Beret

2011-12-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

I bought this lovely but rather plain red beret for £3.99 from H&M and decided it would be perfect for a little craft project:

(click picture to enlarge)

I also picked up some black sequins and beads from my local fabric store:

(click picture to enlarge)

And this is what I made:

(click picture to enlarge)

If you follow my blog you may think this beret looks familiar......it is indeed inspired by the wonderful designer Chatham Girl aka Zara Carpenter. I love these berets and have coveted them forever but unfortunately they are just too pricey for me which is why I decided to create my own :P

I chose 'Meaow' as I love kitty cats and often 'meaow' at them in such a catlike manner they look at me all confuzzled! (Why am I telling you this?!) I got the cute buttons from this **clicky** ebay seller.

The lettering is not as perfect as I had hoped. I think next time I will write the text using some tailors chalk rather than just freehanding it and hoping for the best!

I can't wait to go back and get some more plain berets and make some more.

What do you think? Would you be seen in this? :P

Marina

2True fast dry nail polish in Shade 1 & NOTD

2011-11-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

This polish is so so very glossy! I do love it even though it took 3 coats to become opaque. Can't really complain as you can get 3 items from the 2True range for £5.00 from Superdrug which is a great bargain.

(click picture to enlarge)

I did of course have to add a little nail art to it:

(click picture to enlarge)

What I used:

Base colour: 2True quick dry polish in shade no 1 (3 coats)

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

The diamonds are from Bundle Monster plate BM09

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

Review: Beautiful Scratchers nail art stamping polishes

2011-11-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

Hi :) Not long ago I blogged about the Iron Red stamping polish I purchased from Beautiful Scratchers. Well I was so impressed I decided to place another order and get some more. Here are the ones I bought:

(click picture to enlarge)

I got the 0.2oz size's which costs $3 each (around £1.90). As before my order arrived on my doorstep within 2 weeks. Here are the swatches and a quick review on them:

(click picture to enlarge)

White: Opacity rating 10/10 This is just as good as konad's white stamping polish

(click picture to enlarge)

Cherry: Opacity rating 9/10 This one is a lovely hot pink despite looking more like red in this picture.

(click picture to enlarge)

Metallic ice pink:

Opacity rating 9/10 This one is so gorgeous. I can't wait to try it over a pastel pink

(click picture to enlarge)

Black: Opacity rating 7/10 This one seemed alot thinner than the others and did not transfer as well as the others. Will stick with Konad's black stamping polish.

(click picture to enlarge)

Purple: Opacity rating 9/10 This one is a gorgeous blue tinged purple.

Overall these polishes are wonderful quality and just as good as Konad's.

The colour selection is wide and there is the option of 3 different sizes. I can't wait to try them out on my nails and 100% recommend these polishes and the Beautiful Scratchers website :)

Marina

NOTD: Beware of cupid's bow

2011-11-23T01:52:00.000-08:00

I think this is the most individual image plates I have used for one manicure :)

(click picture to enlarge)

What I used:

Base colour: China Glaze 'Ruby Pumps' (2 coats)

Barry M 'Gold Foil' as a stamping polish

The cupid is from Konad M34, The flower Konad M36, The big heart Konad M59 and the Tiny Hearts from Bundle Monster BM03

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

Little Haul: Some new nail polishes

2011-11-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

At the weekend I went to Superdrug to take advantage of the 3 for 2 across all cosmetics offer. I picked up some make up and these polishes:

(click picture to enlarge)

I will share the swatches with you very soon :)

Do any of you have these polishes?

Marina

Adopt a polish?

2011-11-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hello :) Have you heard about the fun website adopt a polish? Its basically a no kill shelter for unwanted polishes!

Look at this poor little fellow desperate for a loving forever home.

You make an application on the website stating your reasons as to why you should get to adopt the polish you desire and if the adoption panel deem you a fit parent the polish will come home to you :P

Unfortunately the polishes have been through enough of an ordeal and cannot travel....so unless you are in the USA or Canada you can't adopt which is a shame.....

BUT! It has given me the idea that I could totally start up an adoption scheme of my own as I have SO many polishes that I have used once or twice and abandoned.

Nail polishes do not deserve to sit in a box unused and unappreciated they need to be worn which is why I plan on preparing my little polish orphans for their new homes soon :)

Better one of my fellow nail addicts gets them as otherwise I would probably just be ruthless and bin them as I am trying to de-clutter at the moment.

As I am not exactly flush with cash I will only be able to let my little ones be re-homed at the rate of one a week.

I will let my little ones go anywhere as its a big world :P

So, what do you think? Would you be interested in giving an abandoned polish a new home?

Marina

Beautiful Scratchers: Sanrio nail art stamping plate & Iron red stamping polish

2011-11-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I discovered the wonderful Beautiful Scratchers nail art website. I fell in love with the wide selection of nail art stamping plates and their own brand of very affordable stamping polishes.

I ordered plate S6 and a small stamping polish in Iron Red which is a lovely shimmery bright red. The stamping plate cost $7 which is around £4.50 and the polish was $3 which is around £2.00. My parcel was with me in just under two weeks which is rather speedy for international airmail.

(click picture to enlarge)

Here are the images from the plate tested on some white paper:

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The designs all stamped really clearly so I would not hesitate in ordering more of these plates from the site :)

And here is the Iron Red stamping polish:

(click picture to enlarge)

This polish is amazing! The quality is just as good as Konad's special stamping polishes and the colour selection is alot more varied so I can't wait to order lots more. Another benefit of this range is the polishes come in three different sizes and can be used as a normal nail polish also (I have not tried this yet so I cant say how well it works)

Off Topic: Does anyone else's BM205 design rarely transfer properly?

Oh and I have no idea why I did not just use the red stamping polish to test the Sanrio plate :P

Here is the Charmmy Kitty design on my nails:

(click picture to enlarge)

Please excuse my dry cuticles...I forgot to use my Solar Oil for a while and the effects show :/

(click picture to enlarge)

I also stamped the little bows from plate QA12 I blogged about ***here*** and a flower from Konad image plate M36.

The base colour is two coats of Nubar black chrome and the stamping polish is Barry M gold foil. As always the topcoat is Seche Vite.

I love how this manicure turned out......I don't say that often!

Have any of you shopped from this site before?

Marina

Wednesday wants: Holographic polish heaven @ Llarowe.com

2011-11-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon the most amazing site recently selling what I can honestly say are the most gorgeous holographic polishes I have ever seen!

The site is http://shop.llarowe.com/main.sc

The owner of the shop confirmed to me on her FB page that all of the brands she stocks are cruelty free :) Now they are not the cheapest polishes but I guess that is to be expected as im sure all that holo goodness doesn't come cheap!

Here are some swatches from the site, prepare to be dazzled:

I plan on ordering a polish very soon once I have decided on just one which is not easy when I want them all :P

What do you think? Have you bought from this site before?

Marina

Fashion inspiration: Moi-même-Moitié

2011-11-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

If you are a fan of gothic lolita fashion you will be no stranger to Moi-même-Moitié. If you have absolutely no idea what I am on about and want to know more click ***here***

This brand is pure gothic luxe with a price tag to match!

The prints are to die for and the advertising imagery is just stunningly beautiful.

I think even if you are not a fan of this fashion you can still appreciate the pretty photographs :)

All images are from this wonderful blog: http://moi-meme-moitie.tumblr.com/

Oh how I wish I had the iron gate dress in black/gold!

Are you a fan of gothic lolita fashion?

Are you lucky enough to own any Moi-même-Moitié?

Marina

Hello Kitty nail art stamping plate QA12

2011-11-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

Hello. As a Hello Kitty devotee I am always trawling the internet looking for the latest cute HK branded stuff. One late night while browsing ebay I found a seller based in Hong Kong that sells super cute fauxnad nail art stamping plates and without hesitation I bought plate QA12, the Hello Kitty one:

(click picture to enlarge)

This plate costs just £2.83 and can be bough here **clicky**

In case for whatever reason that link does not work the ebay item number is 280758558644 and the seller is 'samuelwsk333'

It arrived on my doorstep in just under two weeks and after using it a few times I can vouch for it being good quality.

Here are all of the designs stamped on some paper:

(click picture to enlarge)

As you can see all of the images transferred rather well. If there are any small gaps this is likely down to my stamping ability not the plate!

And on my nails:

(click picture to enlarge)

I used the small HK face and the larger bow for this manicure and the images transferred perfectly to my nails. I used Barry M silver foil polish for stamping and the purple base colour is Models Own Purple Poppy.

I absolutely LOVE this plate and have it to thank for getting my stamping mojo back :)

What do you think? Will you be getting one?

Marina

"That'll do, pig. That'll do."

2011-11-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Hi :)

(image from CuteOverload)

(click picture to enlarge)

What I used:

Models Own 'Pink Punch'

Nubar Opulent Pearl (1 coat on top)

White, pale pink & black acrylic paint
Small dotting tool
Seche vite topcoat

Marina

Craving curls & new hair

2011-11-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hi :) I thought I would share with you all my new blonder hair. At my last hair appointment my lovely hairdresser managed to remove any remaining pink highlights and lighten my hair up a few shades.

(click picture to enlarge)

It is quite a bit lighter and is taking some getting used too!

When I was in Manchester at the weekend getting ready to go to the Britney concert I decided I would try to curl my hair as I have not curled my hair in years!

I used a conical wand and managed to do my whole head in just minutes!

(click picture to enlarge)

Please excuse the miserable face and crappy bathroom lighted pictures!

(click picture to enlarge)

Whilst I liked how it looked I did not like how frazzled some of my hair looked the next day! I did use plenty of heat protection but I guess the high heat was just too much for my fine fragile hair. This led me to ponder other methods for achieving curls.

I have been eyeing up these curlers for a while now:

They are the Enrapture Extremity Heated Hair Rollers and they cost an eye watering £75! I think they are supposed to cause less damage to the hair than using a heated tong and are apparently perfect for creating both curls and volume which is something my hair desperately needs!

I had seen them on someone's blog a while back but forgot about them until I watched the gorgeous Imogen (Foxy Lock's) youtube tutorial for Kardashian hair using these rollers.

The results are impressive! I want me some Kardashian hair! :P I have added the Enrapture rollers to my wish list and hope to get them soon as my hair is always so straight and boring.

Are any of you heated roller devotee's? Do you have the Enrapture heated rollers?

Marina

Crafty things: 1st attempt at ribbon roses

2011-11-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

When the longer winter nights come in there is nothing I like to do more than sit by the fire and get crafting :) Last week I tried to make some ribbon roses as I wanted a nice new hair band.

(click picture to enlarge)

I looked at so many tutorials online and on youtube but found them hard to follow so my rose is far from perfect! I think I follow instructions from books better :P Despite it not turning out as well as I hoped I still can't wait to go get some more ribbons and give it another try :)

(click picture to enlarge)

What do you think?

Do you have any craft projects planned or in progress?

Marina

New nails: Silver chrome stiletto

2011-11-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hello. After 2 weeks of going au natural (and absolutely hating it!) I decided it was time to go get my nails done especially since I am going away tomorrow to Manchester for a girly weekend of shopping and seeing Miss Britney Spears.

I knew I wanted chrome effects tips and had bought these ones from ebay:

(click picture to enlarge)

100 tips for £3.99! They took around 2 weeks to arrive but you can't complain at that price! Click the above picture to be taken to the ebay listing where I got them.

At first I was certain I wanted to get gold ones done but I changed my mind when I was at the salon and went for the silver ones instead. I had been loving all the stiletto shaped nails I had seen on tumblr so decided that would be the shape I would go for as I was feeling daring. I opted for a slightly tamer version and got the exact same shape the girl who did my nails has :)

(click picture to enlarge)

Aren't they fabulous?

(click picture to enlarge)

Please ignore my nasty cuticles and little cut on my finger.

As always I got my nails done at I Love Nails in Glasgow but this time a girl called Simona did them. She did an amazing job and I am so happy with my nails.....they are exactly how I pictured them.

What do you think? Yay or Nay?

Marina

Fashion: Its all in the detail

2011-11-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

I am currently on my annual search for a winter coat and have been so bored by the lack of anything original or interesting on the high street. I am sick of wading through rail after rail of identical padded parkas and duffle coats!

Don't get me wrong I will be buying a super cozy coat but I also want a more dressy one for days where I don't feel like going uber casual.

If you want a coat that is a little bit special you may want to consider this beauty from Yumi. It costs £79.99 which is far from cheap but im sure you will agree the detailing is beautiful and it is the kind of coat that will provoke many 'OMG I love your coat, where is it from' comments :P

(click picture to enlarge)

Super pretty bird embroidery

(click picture to enlarge)

If this is not to your style there are lots of other gorgeous coats to choose from.

This coat is definitely on my wish list along with most of the items on the Yumi site :P

Have you found your winter coat yet?

Marina