Talontastic Thursday: Bling for Bublé

Finally, a use for those nightmarishly chalky Essie light pinks! This is two coats of South of the Hi'Way (which is, to be fair, the least problematic of the lot), with not one, not two, but three Sally Girl minis in silver, rose and iridescent glitter whacked on over it. The silver and rose are especially lovely, with dual sized hexaganol bling bits suspended in a clear base. You can see a picture of the trio in all their multi sparkly goodness here.

Application is less than perfect, but then I was in the back of the car en route to Mickey Bubbles' concert last Saturday night when painting these nails. I can tell you right now that the hairpin sliproad that takes you down from the N7 and catapults you onto the southbound M50 is no manicure's friend.

Now, unless you have an understanding pal in the States to post Sally Girl products home to you or manage to swap for them on Make Up Alley as I did, these little bottles of blinging goodness are hard to come by. Get the look with Essence Space Queen for multi-coloured mini glitter and either Models Own Silver Spangle or China Glaze Techno for silver hexagonal chunkiness. China Glaze Doll's House is packed full of rose-gold hexy bits, or alternatively you could try Eyeko Chi-Chi for a less ostentatious rose glitter fix.

Totes amaze: Sky gardens

I strongly feel that if you actually need the monthly Financial Times magazine to tell you How To Spend It, your money is completely wasted on you and you should be forced to hand it all over to someone with a little more imagination. 

Sometimes, though, when I'm not busy rolling my eyes at the extreme excesses between its pages, I'll espy an article so jaw-droppingly awesome, I'll get completely distracted from thinking that it's rather vulgar to have a publication dedicated so exclusively and unabashedly to high-end buy-it-all consumerism. 

Take these photos by way of example. They accompanied a recent feature entitled Taking The High Ground about the seriously lush gardens and outdoor spaces created on the rooftops of some London city homes. Forget mismatched planters and windowboxes: I'm talking about grass and hedging and even mature trees.

Now that is city living I could totally get down with.


All pix via How To Spend It

The Blog Writer Dress: Kinda Fugly.

According to ModCloth.com, this is what bloggers (or "blog writers", as the website calls us) should really be wearing as we "swan around for hours with laptop in tow" or "meet up with readers for cupcakes".

Quite apart from the fact that I think this dress is seriously overpriced at $131 and looks rather like a printed sack with buttons, I don't really understand how it's supposed to be worked into my classic pjs/multi-coloured striped socks/Himself's hoodie combo.

Should they stay or should they go now? You decide!

Um, so I may not have disclosed the full extent of my T.K. Maxx purchasing the other day.

You see, in addition to the Orla Kiely buke, I also took home three photo frames... and this here pair of shoes.

Pink + sparkly + platform + peep toes = something I could totally see Katy Perry or Slag Barbie (not as popular as Veterinarian Barbie or Fashion Editor Barbie, funnily enough) wearing. 

This makes them extremely appealing to me. In my book, the only way they could possibly be better is if they also featured corsages, additional bejewellment in the form of large rhinestones, or perhaps a Hello Kitty head.

However. They are a bit (okay, okay, half a size) too small, which means my feet look fantastically petite in them but also means they'll need to stretch out a bit to be comfortable.

Now, this is where you folks come in! I want to know if you think they're worth the effort of wearing around the house for a few days with Himself's thickest socks, or if I should just bring them back for a refund.

Whaddya reckon? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Challenge accepted!

Watching How I Met Your Mother earlier tonight, I found myself lusting after a dress from Lily's wardrobe.

 

Source

Nothing unusual there: the grown-up in me loves mostly everything that Lily wears, and I usually spend a bit of time after each show figuring out where the items of my affection have been pulled from.

I'm nosy like that.

This frock, a 2-in-1 cream corsage top and vertical beige striped skirt number, was a hard one to pin down, but I donned my best deerhunter and posed for a while with my finest pipe and eventually deduced that it was the Bold Boutonniere dress from Anthopologie (SS09) which cost a fairly whopping $128 while it was on the rails.

 

Source

Hey. When you're good, you're good, my dear Watson.

Talon-tastic Thursday: Navy glitzy bitz

Indoors, no artificial light, no flash

Outdoors, sunlight, no flash

I'd only had it on for a couple of hours when I decided Sephora by O.P.I. Opening Night needed a kick of glitter up the arse. This is two coats of it layered underneath a topcoat of Nina Ultra Pro Purple-xing, both of which I hauled home from the States.

In the bottle, Opening Night is a shimmery midnight navy that looks kinda like an amped up version of Chanel Blue Satin. Blue Satin is a firm favourite of mine, but I do fervently wish that the glitter wasn't quite so hidden. I get that it's Chanel and ladylike and understated blah blah blah, but if the shimmer was more obvious I might never wear anything else.

(Well. Might.)

On the nails, though, the shimmer in Opening Night gets a bit lost, making it look simply metallic, and to my eye it also looks quite blue rather than decidedly navy. Blub.

Nina Ultra Pro Purple-xing, meanwhile, is a purple jelly with holographic shimmer and glitter. It's goes on evenly and is very sheer, which makes it good for layering as it doesn't alter the base colour too much.

Actually, Purple-xing is fully deserving of its own dedicated post. I'll organise that shortly so you can fall in love with it too ;)

New Orla Kiely buke is bargainous at T.K. Maxx

ser·en·dip·i·ty
n. pl. ser·en·dip·i·ties
1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries
3. An instance of making such a discovery

T.K. Maxx is a good spot for some serendipitous shopping. I nipped into my nearest store this morning in search of a particular pair of shoes in my size, which I sadly didn't find. 

However, I did happen upon this.

It's Orla Kiely's buke 'Pattern', and I was only thinking to myself yesterday that I'd rather like to get my paws on a copy! 

Well, needless to say I swooped down on that bad boy faster than you could say "multi-coloured Stem print", and was pleasantly surprised by the price sticker.

It's a really lovely big hardbacked giant of a coffee table tome that's beautifully illustrated and feels very personal. Definitely one to keep in mind for a C******** (I know, I know, sorry) pressie for the Orla Kiely fan in your life.

By the by - if you happen across a pair of Liberitae patent and suede concealed platform courts with brogue detailing in a size 3 in your local T.K. Maxx, do me a favour and pick me up a pair, please?

Last week, I also...

... got very excited about the arrival of this little lot, received as part of a Make Up Alley swap...

... ordered Military (khaki/spinach-y green), Rain (light grey-blue with silver shimmer), and Vampira (black with red glitter bitz), above, from Eyeko...

... started using Vichy's new Normaderm moisturiser, Tri-Activ Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care. Stay tuned to Beaut.ie to see what I'm making of it...
 

... wished fervently for an iPad to drop into my lap that I might better peruse new kid on the free interiors e-mag block, Rue Magazine, above, launched on Thursday... 

... and watched some celebrity Come Dine With Me, only to fall for Ben de Lisi's incredibly adorable French bulldogs. (Luckily for him/unluckily for me, our Westie Boris was too busy snoring/farting quietly to notice.) 

Ben's gaff was alright too: 

First image of Ben de Lisi's home is by James Royall via The Guardian; all others are by Paul Massey via The Daily Mail.

Talon-tastic Thursday: China Glaze Liquid Leather

This is China Glaze Liquid Leather, a gorgeously glossy black jelly. I love that it doesn't completely wash out my skin, which is probably thanks to its brown undertones (virtually undetectable unless you compare it side-by-side to a blue- or grey-based black.)

It definitely needs three coats to be opaque, and actually the first coat was such an uneven green-brown-black nightmare that I came very close to taking it off and starting over. After three thin coats, though, Liquid Leather looked just beeyoriful. 

There's no top coat over it in this photo, by the way - it really does shine like patent leather all on its own!

America: Land Of The Free, Home Of The Sephora

An American nail stuff haul post has been a while in the planning, but was delayed by my determination to include the shiny new bottle of Poshe topcoat which had been mislaid almost the second we returned home from the States. (It eventually turned up under the passenger seat of Himself's car - perhaps a sign that I should really stop doing my nails on the move?)

Then, even when the Poshe was recovered, I kept putting it off because I'm not sure that haul posts are such a great idea. I feel like they're quite often an exercise in showing off rather than sharing, which bugs me no end. However, being a nosy sort I still quite enjoy a virtual root in other people's shopping bags and am going to go ahead with it in the hopes that it might be of interest or use to you if you're taking a trip Stateside in the next while. 

In that spirit, please feel totally free to let me know if you'd be interested in a review, swatch, or just more info if you see something here that piques your curiousity :)

L-R: Pure acetone, Zoya Remove+, plastic
dispenser pump for nail varnish remover, Seche Restore

Sephora by O.P.I. / China Glaze / Essie nail polish families

Sparkly purples! L-R: Nina Ultra Pro Purple-xing, Zoya Mimi, Milani Hi-Res

L-R: Graham HandsDown Ultra pads, Orly Bonder base coat, Poshe' top coat,
Milani Pink Rocks! (neon), magenta Sally Girl Mini (matte),
Tweezerman cuticle pusher & nail cleaner


Sephora by O.P.I. Chic Prints for Nails in (L-R) Lace, Anchor, and Skulls

Badge me, baby.

If, like me, you went through a phase of collecting badges and pins and the like at some stage of your life, you'll probably have quite a few of them rattling around in the bottom of a drawer. While they go pretty well with stolen liberated traffic cones, integrating them into home decor once you're past college-going age can be a tricky proposition.

Well, dig those badges out and prepare to display them with pride! Here are just two options for showing them off that aren't the least bit student-y.

When Viv of ish & chi posted her "how to" for this padded badge display frame, I mentally filed it away for future use. Just stick the pins of your badges into the cushion-y back and away you go. Flipping genius.

Alternatively, you could skip the DIYing and instead just buy a premade magnetic display frame into which you slot your badges. Button Collective are an Etsy store with a range of sleek offerings to choose from, all of which I'd be more than happy to hang on my not-a-road-sign-in-sight walls. 

Now, where did I leave that Safe Cross Code badge..?

Manicure Monday: Getting WAHed.

Myself and Himself are just back from a couple of days in London, and while we were there I decided to book myself in with the girls in the Topshop branch of WAH Nails for a 10-digit mini overhaul.

I also tried to get in with the Hersheson Blow Dry Bar for one of their £22 fashion blow dries but no joy. I really, really wish places wouldn't advertise themselves as "walk-in" if they're going to fill up every available slot with appointments.

Anyway, I was horribly, mortifyingly late for my paint job. I called ahead to say that I was running a bit late but should only be five minutes behind time, which would have been grand but then the Tube conspired against me and ultimately I was late to the tune of over half an hour.

When we eventually emerged, blinking, into the daylight at Oxford Circus, I decided that I wasn't going to go in as I felt bloody awful about the tardiness (not to mention that I reckoned a talking to rather than a manicure would be on the cards.) Himself got a bit cross, in a nice but firm sort of way, and said something along the lines of how he hadn't listened to me calving about how much I wanted to get my nails done in this place and traipsed the length of London city to get there only to turn on our heels at the front door. 

Thankfully, they very graciously accomodated me anyway (apparently I looked like I was about to burst into tears while speaking to Rachel - morto) and then Sophie set to work.

Want to see what I left with?

Since we were off to a black tie do on Friday night (Twitter peeps will have spotted the frantic "what to wear?!" freakouts last week), I went low key with Chanel Particulière and just an accent nail on each hand. I couldn't decide on a single design so opted for pearls to go with the cream lace and pearl detail on my LBD on one hand, and then a tux, complete with bow tie, on the other.

For fear I'd be underdressed, like ;)

There was a bit of a hoo-haa over payment when I was leaving which slightly took the shine off what had otherwise been a great experience. I'm not really sure what the issue was, but by the time my nails were dry both Rachel and Sophie were gone from the floor and neither of the other nail techs seemed able to put through a payment on the till which was completely insane. 

After a few minutes of bitching about their colleagues in front of myself and two other clients, I subsequently had to traipse around the shop after one of the girls as she looked for another staff member to take payment from me. Rather than wait for someone to get free from the main Topshop till (massive queue as always, would have been there a week) I negotiated an agreement whereby I'd just leave the cash with her until she could put it through her till later (no, that's ok, I'll live without a receipt... please, please let me go now) and headed on my slightly bemused way.

Despite that hiccup, I'd go back again - I'll just be sure to pay upfront next time! - and would recommend a pitstop in WAH to other nail art fans visiting London.

File & paint £20 + £3.80 for single pearl accent nail + £3.50 for single tux accent nail.
See WAH-nails.com for full pricing and contact info.

Butterflies and bees and Verbena, oh my!

Very, very busy today. So of course it makes perfect sense to be arsing about the garden taking pictures of small tortoiseshell butterflies and furry bees, yes?

The plant they're loving there is Verbena bonariensis, or "the weed" as Himself likes to call it. It's a babe butterfly magnet, and one of the few perennials in our garden that survived last winter's seriously bad frosts. It has even gone forth and multiplied impressively by self-seeding through a layer of gravel and weed membrane. 

Methinks it should be reclassified from borderline hardy to bloody amazeballs.

Today, I am mostly wearing... a hot mess.

... black lace bodysuit from Penneys (in store now, €10)
... black vest top from Penneys
... blue skirt from Marks & Spencer
... shoes from Irregular Choice

It may be bang on trend but, as you can see, I haven't *quite* gotten the hang of wearing black see-through lace yet.

I tried this top on with a black pencil skirt this morning, but the skirt was a greyer shade of black than the top and I thought the two looked stupid side-by-side. And the all-black thing is inclined to look a bit funereal on me. On reflection, though, that combo may still have looked a bit more put together than this mash-up!

I think a nude (or cropped, for the very daring and confident of stomach) vest top and black skinny jeans will make a far better pairing with the bodysuit than this rig-out. What do you reckon?

Tat's all, folks.

I blogged about Art Of Love's Chanel-a-like temporary tattoos over on Beaut.ie a couple of months ago, but despite carting them to the States and back again and thinking about putting them on for random nights out, I haven't really had anywhere to wear them.

Well, until Electric Picnic rocked around.

LOVE.

Since buying mine in New Look, I've also spotted them in Claire's Accessories and River Island so they're now easy enough to come by if you fancy giving them a whirl. 

I eventually settled on this paint job for the weekend that was in it, mostly because I had no idea what I was going to be wearing so I wanted something fairly neutral:

Sephora by OPI Ocean Love Potion & Lancome BB Sand

Four days on, there are no chips or nicks to report, just the slight bit of tip wear that's visible in the photo above. God bless you, Stickey Sandwich!