NOTD: Essie Bermuda Shorts

I wore this last week. Took two coats to get a decent colour, and it needed a topcoat as it had a strange finish (not quite a gloss, not quite matte) but it was worth the effort. It's a gorgeous pinky purple shade and I had so many compliments. It lasted three days without chipping, which is great for me; as a teacher I have a pretty hands-on job so any polish that lasts longer than two days is a winner with me.

Here's a picture, taken after three days so please excuse chipped ends;

Highly recommended! And such a bargain at £2.50 in the ASOS sale.

NOTD: Nails Inc Basil Street

I had an interview last week (didn't get the job, boohoo) and had to choose a work-appropriate colour for it. I knew this would be tricky, but after looking through my collection I found a Nails Inc polish I got free with a magazine a couple of years ago. I'm not a huge fan of Nails Inc as I find the polishes to be streaky and tricky to apply, but thought I'd give it a go as the last polish I bought (well, got free) from them was actually pretty good. This one went on very easily, and took three coats to get a decent colour. It's a very natural blush colour, and really suited my skintone. It lasted about 12 hours before chipping, so I wouldn't buy it at full price.

Here's a picture;

How much do I need to get myself a new camera?!

NOTD: Eyeko Rain

So I mentioned in my last post (or last but one, can't remember) that I bought a few nail polishes in the ASOS sale recently, and Eyeko Rain was one of them. I wore this last week. Lovely colour, but application was tricky and staying power was poor. It only lasted two days. Here's a (bad) picture;

I don't know if I'll buy any more Eyeko polishes to be honest, although they do have some unique colours and are very cheap. Hmmm.

NOTD: Essie Mink Muffs

I used Essie Mink Muffs on my nails today and I really like it. As usual with Essie polishes, the first coat was pretty poor but after a second coat my nails looked fabulously opaque. Here's a picture, apologies for the make-up free me in the background;

ASOS order and shopping update...

Gosh, it's been AGES since I posted. Not sure why really! So, here's a little look at some of the things I've bought since I last blogged...I will point out here that I am not completely superficial, although I am fully aware this blog makes it look as if I am *blushface* Anyway, I took full advantage of the ASOS sale at the weekend and treated myself to five new nails polishes, costing me the grand total of £7.50 (including P&P). They arrived this morning, and I love them all. Here's a rubbish photo (left to right; Essie Bermuda Shorts (£2), Essie Mink Muffs (£2), Eyeko Rain (£1.25), Eyeko Nude (£1.25), Ciate Asos Paint Alexa (£1));

I also went shopping today. I had a dress to return to H&M (too big, didn't try it on) and they didn't have one in my size in stock, so I replaced it with a lovely beige and black striped jumper dress, a cream and black striped dress and a set of the cutest stud earrings I've seen in ages (squirrels, deer and other woodland animals). It came to the grand total of £28.97, and as the dress originally cost me £29.99, I ended up making a profit... I then went into Lush and treated myself to a Cinders ballistic, a Satsumo Santa ballistic, a Gingerbread House bubble bar slice and a So White ballistic. I always really like the Lush Christmas items, and could easily have spent much more this morning! The lovely SA also gave me samples of Ultralight moisturiser and Fair Trade foot lotion, which I am looking forward to trying. Saw a gorgeous jumper dress in Topshop that has definitely gone on the birthday list;

 

 A good day was had by all.

Pompom necklace that I NEED

I saw this gorgeous pompom necklace whilst browsing Folksy this evening and have decided I need it;

I think it's beautiful, a real statement piece and a definite conversation starter. Trouble is, I don't have £50 to spend on a necklace at the moment (will I ever?!) so it will have to remain bookmarked for me to look at and sigh at least once daily.

Necklace is made by La La Loop and can be found here.

New Chanel nail polishes; Les Khakis de Chanel

Don't they look lovely?

I want them all.

Lovely eBay bargains

I haven't had much spare cash recently, but it hasn't stopped me buying new clothes; I've just had to look for them in cheaper places! Here are my most recent bargains;

Peacock print scarf, £2

Topshop blouse, 99p

Oasis skirt, 99p

NOTD: Barry M Mushroom

A lovely, well, mushroom-coloured shade. Goes on smoothly and is opaque with just one coat. I feel very grown up with this on my nails, especially as I have spent most of this week with each nail painted a different colour.

A mini Topshop spree...

The worst thing about being a supply teacher is the fact that you don't get paid during the school holidays. This means that I have barely bought anything in the last couple of months, and this is NOT ON. So whilst in Cheltenham this morning, I decided to throw caution to the wind and assume that I'll get at least three days work this week, therefore allowing myself to legitimately treat myself to a few bits and pieces from Topshop;

Sheer black lightning bolt tights - £8

Beige cloud socks, taupe ribbed socks and grey polka dot socks - £7 for three pairs

Tan cobweb knitted snood - £16

Lovely! Now I just need it too be cool enough for me to wear the snood!

PS - what are the red lines on my pictures all about?! I can't get rid of them!

A little bit of a style-crush...

I can't say that I've ever noticed Jessica Alba's clothes before, but when I saw her in this outfit at the Venice Film Festival, I fell in love with her (and it) a little bit...

I love the style of the dress, the long sleeves, the length of the dress, the distressed hem, the bold print, the bangles, the nail polish, the simple hair style... And don't get me started on the shoes! I need them. What's not to love?

Sadly, I could never get away with this style of dress (the neckline is too high for me, my chest would look like a shelf) but I think she looks stunning. Dress is by Dolce & Gabbana.

NOTD: Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream

This is the shade I meant to buy last week when I bought Pure Turquoise. It looks quite pale in the bottle, but on my nails it's pretty much the same as the turquoise shade. When I think of blueberry ice cream, I think of a very pale, powder blue, but Barry M obviously think differently. Take a look...

Nice colour, but the name is a bit misleading. As usual with Barry M, this went on easily and dried quickly.