NOTD (BM plate 19)

Hello ladies,

The pictures above are the results of my second fauxnading session. It's not at all what I planned but I love it. Originally, I had wanted to use the nail tip images but my first try was a complete disaster so I decided to go for another full nail image.

Before buying the Bundle Monster image plates, I read a lot of reviews about the product. The general consensus seemed to be that they weren't as good quality as the Konad image plates but they were still worth having. One criticism I often came across was that the full nail images were smaller than Konad's and too small to cover a whole nail. I've never tried a full nail image from Konad so I can't make any comparisons but it is true that this image was too small for a couple of my nails, particularly my thumb nails, and having to double stamp was a pain because I found it impossible to match the image correctly. However, I'm optimistic that practice will help me to improve my technique.

For this manicure I used BM image plate 19, H&M "Fashionista" polish for the stamping and Editt Cosmetics Magic Visage (I think this brand is only found in Poland, I'm not sure) in a metallic purple shade for the base. Oh, and I also used my Essence nail polish remover pen to get rid of all the stamping residue from around my nails. What a life saver that was; so much easier and better than using cotton wool.

I hope you like it :-)

Bye for now,
Laura

NOTD (Viva La Nails)

Currently watching: Top Gear

Viva La Nails were recently kind enough to send me a sample of their nail decorations to try out:

It's a lovely selection and for my first Viva La Nails manicure I chose these pink pearls:

I teamed them with my new Essence pink polish:

This was the result:

It was quite easy to apply these pearls. First I applied my base coat then two coats of the pink polish. I waited for my nails to dry then applied a clear top coat and, using the pad of my index finger, picked up one pearl at a time and gently placed it on my nail. I didn't press down too heavily as otherwise that would smudge the polish. After applying all the pearls, I waited a couple of minutes and then applied my clear top coat again to ensure all the pearls were firmly stuck on my nails.

I did this last Thursday and only removed it on Sunday so it lasted really well, especially when you take into account the fact that on Friday I was packing up my stuff in Poland and on Saturday I was lugging my suitcase off the luggage carousal at the airport, wrestling with trolleys etc. Initially I was concerned about having the beads raised on my nails and them catching on fabric and falling off but this wasn't a problem at all. During the four days of wearing this manicure I only lost two beads. Their loss wasn't very obvious so I didn't replace them but it would have been easy to do so.

I loved this manicure and was so happy to come home and accessorise with my pink pearl bracelet and silver butterfly ring :-)

These pearls are available for £1.95 from Viva La Nails and you can buy them here.

Are you fans of nail decorations?

Bye for now,
Laura

Perfect Match

Currently watching: Mary Queen of Shops

Morning folks,

My brother kindly bought me some Eyeko nail polishes for my birthday:

Now so far I've only used the lilac polish, and that was for my toe nails, so I'm not in any position to comment on how well the polish applies and lasts etc, I just want to show you how perfectly it goes with my new shoes :p

(Marks & Spencer Outlet, £19.50)

What a match!

The shoes were a spur-of-the-moment purchase on Saturday afternoon. My mum was returning a pair of shoes and I spotted these leather ones which felt very comfortable when I tried them on. I've been wearing them for two days straight and I love them. And I can't deny that having matching nail polish makes me love them even more!

When your toes are on display do you try to match your polish to your shoes?

Bye for now,
Laura

NOTD (First time fauxnading!)

Hello girls :-)

While in Poland, I ordered Bundle Monster's pack of 21 Fauxnad image plates. They were waiting for me when I came back home and yesterday I tried a full nail stamp for the first time using a pastel pink polish and Konad special polish in white.

Here are my results:

What do you think? Personally, I'm absolutely thrilled with this! The true colour of the pink background polish isn't shown in the pictures but it really is pastel pink and I think it goes so well with white. I had to double stamp the image on my thumb nails to get full coverage and my right thumb nail doesn't look great but overall I love this manicure. My first time fauxnading was a success :-)

Bye for now,
Laura

Lots to say

Hey,

I'm in Scotland now, back home living with my parents and brother until I move to Manchester in August. My flight this morning was fine and my luggage wasn't too heavy but saying goodbye to my boyfriend was horrible. He is staying in Poland until the end of the month then he'll go home to his family in France for July and join me at some point in August. These four/five/six weeks apart are going to be so strange and so tough after we've just spent the past five months living together in our own little bubble. So yes, today's title lets you know that I have lots to say, and I do, but not today.

Bye for now,
Laura

New Collection

Currently listening to: Closer by Josh Groban
Song: Oceano (it's been on repeat for three hours)

I was very strict with myself when I moved to Poland and limited myself to bringing only two bottles of nail polish:

But I wasn't so strict with myself when I actually got here and this is the collection I'm going home with:


I hate packing.

Bye for now,
Laura

Essence

Hello girlies :-)

Today is my second last day in Poland so I'm a bit occupied packing up everything (my suitcase seems a lot smaller than I remember), saying goodbye to people, exploring Warsaw for the final time, working out how to get to the airport for 4am etc. However, I still have time for blogging!

I have lots of pictures from last week's trip and hopefully I'll be able to show you a selection of them soon but for now I want to show you my purchases, in particular my Essence buys.

I first discovered Essence when I went to the Czech Republic in 2007 and then I saw the brand again in Germany last year. In Germany, Essence was stocked in a chain of pharmacies called Rossmann but unfortunately Rossmann in Poland (or at least Rossmann in Warsaw) doesn't seem to sell Essence products and as far as I'm aware Essence isn't available in the UK. While I was on my travels last week I was lucky enough to spot some Essence stands in a department store when walking through Ljubljana, Slovenia. Yay! Their selection was immense and it was great seeing things that I've been reading about on some of your blogs. Of course I couldn't buy everything though so I settled for the following:

I'm sure I tried a Boots 17 nail polish remover pen years ago and wasn't very impressed by it but I decided to try the Essence one as it was fairly cheap and could turn out to be a good investment. Does anyone else use nail polish remover pens?

I also bought nail repair, another glitter topper because my current one, which I purchased last summer, is running low, Colour & Go shade 33 Just In Case and Multi Dimension shade 55 Princesses Rule!

Just In Case is the first brown nail polish I've ever bought, and I'm sure I've been buying nail polish for well over 10 years, so it's definitely something new for me. I haven't swatched it yet but I may come to regret not having bought two as the bottle is rather small (5ml).

Princesses Rule! is a light pink shade with some silver shimmer through it, so the name is quite appropriate. I think this will be a good colour to use just now while my nails are short and I want to have them painted whilst avoiding drawing too much attention to them. Saying that, I recently acquired some jazzy nail decorations that I'm eager to try out ;-)

Bye for now,

Laura

Babbling Brooke Giveaway Alert

Here's another great giveaway that was opened while I was away!

Babbling Brooke is celebrating two years of blogging by hosting a fantastic giveaway with LOTS of amazing prizes. To be in with a chance of winning, click here to enter by 14th July and be sure to *stay tuned* to Babbling Brooke on 14th July as on the spot prizes will be awarded throughout the day!

Good luck!

My Little World of Polish Giveaway Alert

Hello readers,

I've had great fun catching up with all your posts that I missed while I was away and I'm delighted to let you know that Lily nail over at my little world of polish is having a great giveaway to celebrate reaching a staggering 360 followers! If you haven't already entered, click here to do so. You have until 11th July to enter so don't miss out. Good luck :-)

I'm baaaaaack (and I need your help)

Hey girls (and hello to my new followers!),

I came back from my trip this afternoon and I can't wait to tell you all about it, because it really was amazing, but until I get myself organised, I just want to ask a quick question. My nails were in awful condition so when I got home I cut them off. I have Essence Ultra Strong Nail Repair to try but I'm not sure how these things work. Do I apply it as a base coat and then only reapply it when I remove my coloured nail polish? Do I apply it as a base coat, use coloured polish and then regularly reapply the nail repair polish as a top coat? What do I do?

Disappearing Act

Hey,

Just a little post to let you know that I'm going on holiday tomorrow morning (I leave at 5.30am so it really will be a bright and early start) and will be away for a week. I won't be able to blog when I'm away so I'm afraid there won't be any updates until the middle of next week but I hope to see you all back here when I return :-)

Bye for now,
Laura

Trinny and Susannah

Hello girlies!

I'm still in a good mood from yesterday's post :-)

On Saturday Trinny and Susannah (UK style advisers) made an appearance at my local shopping centre. I swithered about going but in the end decided to go and see what they were doing here.

They had chosen 12 ladies to represent 12 different body shapes and put on a fashion show to show people what clothes are suited to each body shape and how you should dress for your shape. Before I went, I was worried that when Trinny and Susannah spoke they'd be simultaneously translated into Polish and I'd miss what they were saying in English, but the translator (the woman in the white tshirt) waited until they'd finished speaking before she translated so that was good.

(Trinny, girl who had a makeover, translator, Susannah)

It was quite a good idea and fun to watch although we didn't stay for long as it was very hot and crowded. I'm definitely glad I went though as I was excited to see Trinny and Susannah and it was so random to see them here in Poland.

Have you had any celebrity sightings?

Bye for now,
Laura

Cherry on Top Award

Hello ladies!

Good news to report: I was given a Cherry on Top Award :-)

A big thank you to Mimi for putting a smile on my face by giving me this award. Here's a virtual hug for you *hug*

The rules:
Thank the person that gave this to you.
Go on, give them a virtual hug!
Copy the award and put it on your blog.
List 3 things you love about yourself.
Post a picture/s you love (eg a person you adore etc).
Tag 5 people you wish to pass this award on to.

Three things I love about myself:
1. The way I treat people
2. My memory
3. My nails

Pictures I love:

It was really difficult to select only a few pictures so I've gone a little bit overboard here but hopefully you'll enjoy seeing some of my photos from the last few years.

Montlucon, France (Nov 2006)
This was taken when I spent a year living in France and visited some friends in Montlucon. I love taking pictures, I love fountains, and I love France.

Frankfurt, Germany (June 2009)
Last summer my friend and I went to Frankfurt for a couple of days after graduating from university. I love photographing flowers and I have a lot of good pictures (and memories) from this trip.

Autumn Leaves
Autumn is my favourite season as I love to watch the colours of the leaves changing. This picture was taken in the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow, Scotland last year.

Holiday Photos
I love taking pictures while I'm away on holiday and can easily go away for a few days and return with 500 pictures. My digital camera was one of the best presents I've ever been given :-) These two pictures were taken in Berlin, Germany in July 2009. The first shows Berlin Cathedral with the TV Tower in the background as well as a sneaky fountain in the bottom lefthand corner. The second was taken in the World Gardens. Summer 2009 was really significant for me and I was lucky enough to travel to many different countries in Europe so I always enjoy looking back at my photos and reliving that time.

Pictures of my home country, Scotland :-)
The top two were taken when David and I spent a week in the Outer Hebrides (Scottish islands) in August 2009 and the bottom two are from our trip to the south of Scotland in October 2009. My country is beautiful.

Pictures of my host country, Poland
I moved here at the beginning of February 2010 and I'll be leaving at the end of this month. I live in the capital, Warsaw, but I've managed to visit many of the country's other cities such as Krakow, Poznan, Torun, Lodz, Wroclaw and Gdansk. The weather was terrible when I visited a lot of these cities but regardless of that, I've liked everything I've seen here. Next week I'll be going to the south of Poland and will have the chance to see some of the countryside. I hear it offers some impressive sights so I'm looking forward to seeing life outside the city.

I would now like to pass this award on to:
America
Amy
Laura
Marie
Susie

Bye for now,
Laura