Poolside Party

Finger Top Rings from River Island | Snake Pinky Ring from Asos | Dress Ring from Topshop | Headline Colors Nail Polish in 'Poolside Party'
So this is a post full of things you can't actually buy anymore, awkward. I'm really into finger top rings right now, and pinky rings have always been pretty up there for me. I got this Headline Colours polish, which is going to be muy bien for the summer (if it ever actually bloody arrives) in the May Glossy Box which is maybe the second best box I've received so far - really impressed! I would really recommend Glossy Box for anybody that likes to investigate new products, although there's probably only about 3 people left worldwide who aren't subscribed to a beauty box at this point.

Again, I apologise for the blogging being so sporadic at the moment. I'm a horrific combination of lazy, forgetful and down in the dumps, so blogging has taken a bit of a hit, but I'm getting back on the horse!

Burt's Bees Beeswax & Banana Hand Cream

Burt's Bees Beeswax & Banana Hand Cream - £9.99
Just a quick post today! So this one's a toughie. It smells super nice while it's still in the pot; which I love, by the way - glass packaging! A nice change from the usual fare. It has a nice creamy banana smell that mixes with the smell of the beeswax. But when it's on your hands... it smells a bit like you've been working in a chip shop. A little like grease and the paper they wrap your food in. It's not absolutely horrendous but it's definitely not nice. But this gross smell does wear off eventually and it leaves your hands feeling super soft without feeling vulnerable, which I get from a lot of hand creams. Because the forumla is thicker than other hand creams it feels a little bit like you're putting a protective balm on your hands, which is handy (ha) considering the weather is still ridiculously cold and my skin is still down in the dumps. So all in all, I suppose this is a recommendation - it's just a shame about the smell.

Models Own Scented Fruit Pastel Range

Models Own Fruit Pastel range: Banana Split, Apple Pie, Blueberry Muffin, Grape Juice & Strawberry Tart
I have never preordered anything faster; when I saw the word 'scented' I pretty much destroyed my fingers smashing them against the keyboard in my haste. Smelly stuff is just... my thing.

These smell like you'd expect; the candy version of each fruit, all lovely and sweet. So far, I haven't been able to find out how long the smell actually lasts because the polish seems to chip off within a day, although it might be due to my job not being so easy on the nails (I've broken three within the last week, hence why they're all so hideously shaped and short). Top coat is most likely a no-no, since I can't imagine it doing anything but covering up the smell, although I haven't tried it so don't quote me on this. But honestly, I don't care how long it lasts. I'll redo my nails every 5 seconds if I have to, because MY NAIL VARNISH IS SCENTED. I haven't stopped sniffing my fingers since I got these, and I probably look like some kind of escaped mental patient.

Even if you ignore the smell these are worth a purchase, because they're full-on pastel. A lot of varnishes are kinda pastel but don't pull it off and the colour is a little too strong - this is a bigger problem with purples and blues, I've noticed. But these? These are AGGRESSIVELY pastel, and I love it. They'll be perfect for summer, if it ever actually arrives.

So yeah. This is absolutely a rave review from me, despite the shortcomings, because SCENTED NAIL POLISH. Some might say I'm a little too easily amused. I might be inclined to agree. Now excuse me while I smell my fingers.

Recently 02.

01. Getting used to waking up for my new job. | 02. Cloud mountains! | 03. Got a big ol' boo boo :( | 04. Me and my baby girl Holly | 05. Silliness with Holly's little girl | 06. Pompey can be pretty... sometimes | 07. Blue Reef Aquarium with the babies | 08. Lilly's attempt at rollering my hair | 09. My attempt at rollering Lilly's hair | 10. Pretty sure Lilly's going to be a model | 11. Insomnia, you bastard | 12. Burger challenge that I somehow lived to regret
Bit of a low content post this week but I felt I had to post something. I've been either crazy busy or exhausted after starting a new job that involves standing up for about 9 hours at a time and selling people prints of Justin Bieber and One Direction (cringe); I've been collapsing in bed pretty much immediately after getting home so blogging has taken a bit of a backseat. I'll try and get something substantial up sometime soon. Apologies for the big ol' posting gap!

Nail Polish Favourites #1: Autumn Shades

17 Lasting Finish in Smoke Signal, OPI in Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!, Essie in Chinchilly, Barry M in Mushroom, Essie in Angora Cardi
Since I have a frankly obscene amount of nail polish, I thought I'd show you all a few of my favourites - this post will be the first of quite a few! The theme for this one is neutral/muted shades that are perfect for autumn (and maybe winter, although I tend to go for white glitter and metallic blue as soon as it gets frosty!) that I've been consistently going back to between random glitter polish breaks.

17 is very hit and miss for me so I tend to stay away from it, but Smoke Signal goes on fine and is a really handy not-quite-black that's slightly less harsh. In the pictures you can't really tell the difference between it and Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!, mentioned in this post, but the latter is a more military green that's almost grey and it really does add an extra finishing touch to any military outfit. Chinchilly is lovely and especially amazing as a base for glitter polishes. Mushroom is a muted brown that works particularly well with burgundies/dark reds, like Angora Cardi (post here) which I'm absolutely in love with.

Iridescent Adolescent

Iridescent Bag - New Look (£9.99 in sale) | Models Own Indian Ocean (Beetlejuice Collection)

Naming posts is hard sometimes, so I'm just going with the first thing that came to my head and totally ignoring the fact I'm not a teenager anymore! I first saw this bag on a night out in the hands of my baby Alice. I'd been absolutely dying for a bag like this after its sudden appearance on the catwalks made me realise how much iridescent clothing and accesories actually work - and I'm never one for turning down a shiny thing! The unfortunate thing is the material gets marked and dented by pretty much any contact with anything ever so you have to be pretty careful with it if you want it looking pristine.

As for the polish, Indian Ocean is a gorgeous addition to the duo-chrome Beetlejuice collection, which is swiftly proving to be my favourite collection of polishes ever, and these photos don't do it justice - along with the purple shade you can see above, there's an amazing grey blue in there too. Duo-chrome shades are sometimes a bit of a cop-out in that they turn out to just be metallic and the second shade doesn't show up at all, but Models Own has done a really great job at truly capturing that beetle-esque shine.

Giveaway Haul: OPI, Nars, Benefit & More

OPI Mini Skyfall Collection, OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!, Clarins 3-Dot Liner, Benefit Hervana blusher, NARS blusher in Sin, Wet n Wild Colour Icon Eyeshadow Collection
A little while back I was the lucky winner of a giveaway by Sarah on her lovely little blog - thank you so much Sarah! I think I've won something in my life a grand total of once, so this was really exciting for me, and it marks a couple of firsts in terms of beauty products too.

I've found a new, unexpected love in OPI Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine! which I'm wearing in this picture. It's hard to bring across in pictures but it's a super dark military green/grey. It's absolutely perfect for topping off a military style outfit. On the other end of the spectrum is the Skyfall OPI Mini Collection, a little pack containing four minis; The Spy Who Loved Me, Live and Let Die, The World is Not Enough and GoldenEye. Metallics are quite big right now so this is a very handy little package to have. I'm going to do a more in-depth post about it to show you what each of them look like (even though they've been out for ages) at some point, so look out for that!

I've not been able to stop using Hervana since the package arrived, even though I REALLY don't want to use it and mess up the pattern; its a gorgeous matte light pink which I would originally have thought too girly for me, but it's super easy to only get a really light finish (I have a really bad habit of accidentally putting way too much blusher on and having to salvage my face) and it just looks like a little natural flush that'll be great to layer up during the summer. However, I do find that it's a little bit too light and summery for the winter months, and for that the NARS blusher in Sin is perfect. It's a lovely matte damson pink that works really well with my mostly beige/brown/burgundy wardrobe. The packaging is gorgeous to boot. This is the first NARS product I've ever owned; I have to say, I'm in love.

The Clarins 3 Dot Liner is a godsend for me - I can never seem to get in between my lashes with my current liquid eyeliner, and I'm a bit clumsy with it and end up messing it up a lot, so the kind of guideline function that the 3 Dot Liner lends you is super handy for me. This also means I can define my upper lid a little more without having to create thick black flicks like I usually do. Finally, I've yet to use the Wet n Wild ColourIcon Eyeshadow Collection despite having it for ages, but I definitely have high hopes for it. I absolutely love the left side of the palette, as brown/neutral shadows always seem to be a winner and are perfect for making your face look warmer in the chilly months; on the flip side, I'm not so sure about the green, although my hesitation is probably mostly just due to the fact that I'm awful with eyeshadow and tend to never leave my comfort zone in case I mess up.

All in all, this was a fantastic thing to receive in the mail - especially considering I don't usually get anything at all! Again, thank you so much to Sarah - you should all go check out her blog if you haven't yet!