Top Four Nail Polishes

Nails have always been an issue for me,  I have bitten mine for years so they’re very thin and bendy. I also have a terrible habit of peeling the varnish off and along with it the top layer of nail, so they usually look a bit rubbish.

Here are four polishes that make them look slightly better:

Models Own | Scarlett Sparkle £5

I wore this for my wedding day, I love it that much. It’s a brilliant red and very densely packed with glitter and two coats give a brilliant finish. This lasts about three days before chipping, or one day if you’re like me and love to peel it off *embarrassed face*.

OPI | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service £11.50

This varnish lasts amazingly well, we’re talking a week here. I love the gunmetal grey with some amazingly fine sparkles in, it’s so pretty and goes with anything. It also goes on so well and feels like it covers quite thickly and dries to a really cool satin finish, so it’s not super shiny and has a hint of texture.

Nails Inc | Jermyn Street £11

This is an old favourite of mine, a brilliant nude but grungy colour. It’s great for everyday wear, the only trouble with the Nails Inc range, I find, is that they chip within a day which is a bit disappointing really, but I love this colour.

Butter London | Knackered £13

This is a ‘sheer twinkling oyster shade flecked with micro glitter particles’ according to the blurb. It’s just so pretty and subtle. I’m a sucker for a glittery polish. Butter London nail lacquers contain no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP (whatever they are), so I can wear this guilt free that I’m not fumigating my lungs or absorbing any nasties.

So there we have it. I should add that I always use Nail Envy as a base coat and Nail Inc’s Caviar Top Coat on top. 

Sorry I don't have any pictures of these on, but my nails really aren't photo-worthy. I tried and they look terrible so I wouldn't be doing the varnishes any justice at all.

30 Day Snap #8 | Flowers

I missed a snap yesterday, eep. We had a BBQ and I completely forgot to take a picture.

Today's snap is of the flowers my friend Clare brought over for me. I love tulips.

Aren't they pretty.

30 Day Snap #7 | Enough Clothes?

I was tidying the future nursery today and put away all the clothes we have bought or been given.

Here's a peek at what we have so far.

We have so many already and still have four months left to go, do you think we have enough yet?

30 Day Snap #6 | Puffed Out Bippa

We took our dog Ripley, or Bippa as we call her, for a walk tonight and she was puffed out when we got home.

She sat like this for ages, which means she must have been pooped because she's usually running around like a nutcase.

Mission accomplished.

30 Day Snap #5 | Baby Wallace

Today's snap of the day has to be of our baby.

We had our 20 week scan today and everything looks fine, so we just have to wait another 20 weeks now until we can see him again.

Baby Wallace at 20 Weeks

Our Stay At Stanley House Hotel & Spa

As you have probably seen, last weekend me and the husband ventured ‘oop North’ to Blackburn for our friends’ wedding at Stanley House Hotel & Spa in Mellor, Lancashire.

The night before the big day we stayed in a Travelodge - it was definitely not the nicest one I have stayed in as it was above a service station, stuffy and a bit ming all round. We only paid £20 for it, but to be honest I’d have forked out a bit more for a decent night’s sleep and not having to hear the hacking cough the person in the room above had all night.

The comfiest bed in the world. I want to get back in it right now!

After our Travelodge nightmare we were SO glad we had booked into a room at the wedding venue for Saturday night. We checked in during the wedding reception and were ecstatic to find an amazing room with a lush green view.

The view from our room thanks to the massive floor to ceiling window

The room was so light and airy thanks to the floor to ceiling window, the bed was possibly the most comfortable we have slept in – I want to buy one for myself. I should have had a sneak peek at the brand before I left .

I’m a bit of a hotel bathroom snob and ours got top marks from me. The shower was huge and powerful, so refreshing after a long day spent as a wedding guest and even more welcome after the Travelodge’s shower that should be renamed ‘trickle’.  It was so well thought out and luxurious. The thick, fluffy towels also scored a few extra plush points.

The plush and shiny bathroom and possibly the biggest shower in the world

Luckily we got breakfast included so we both tucked into a hearty Full English before we left, which was served in Mr Fred’s restaurant. Luckily the weekend was gloriously sunny and it was emphasised in this room thanks to the light and airy layout.

The rest of the spacious room, total luxury

Not only was the wedding fantastic, but the hotel was amazing too. I spied that they had a spa, so I’m dying to revisit for a girls’ spa weekend. Hopefully I won’t be waiting too long before I return.

We stayed in one of Stanley House’s Woodland rooms, for prices and spa deals click here

30 Day Snap #4

It's been so sunny today and the goods I bought for my holiday also arrived, so in the spirit of all things sunshine today's 30 Day Snap is a pic of my new swimming attire and a staple denim skirt to chuck on.

I got the flip flops last week, but they're a tiny bit too small, so I might end up giving them to someone else.

I cannot wait to get to Sitges and do nothing but eat, swim and sunbathe for a week - hurry up 22 June!

30 Day Snap #3

Today's 30 Day Snap is a bit of a cop out as it's about a week old, but this might just be my favourite picture of our dog, Ripley.

She discovered a Father Christmas polar bear that my mum bought her last year and pulled off his scarf and hat and ran around the house with them for ages. This picture was taken before she decided to attempt to eat the whole hat. She's so naughty!

Body Shop Crazy!

I have to admit that I haven’t been to the Body Shop in years. It always reminds me of the White Musk body spray that I used to douse myself in at school and since then I have firmly shut away all things Body Shop along with Impulse, Tribe perfume and Rimmel’s Heather Shimmer lipstick in my mental ‘teen mistakes’ box.

However, I was in search of a hand cream that didn’t leave an oily slick on my delicate mitts and was recommended the Body Shop’s Almond Hand & Nail Cream by one of my friends, so in I went. I think it’s been taken over by L’Oreal since I last shopped there and you can tell purely through the marketing.

Most of the products were but one get one half price, and I had a 40% off voucher from Vouchercloud in addition – bargain city!

I picked up the hand cream and two shower gels, Mango and Satsuma, as well as a prezzie for a friend’s birthday and a pretty coral shower puff and the whole lot came to about £14, what a steal.

On to the products: The Almond Hand & Nail Cream is pretty good, I initially found it a teeny bit oily, but this might be because I used a bit too much, now I’ve scrimped on portion size it’s pretty good and smells yummy.

Ripley is also a sucker for the smell of the Mango shower gel, mmmmm mango!

The shower gels I am in love with.  The mango one smells AMAZING, It foams up really nicely and hasn’t left my skin feeling dry at all. The Satsuma gel also smells delicious, but I’m saving that one until the mango runs out, which will probably be very soon at the rate I’m going through it.

I think I might venture back this weekend and grab more mango goodness in the shape of their body scrub and body butter. I can’t wait!

The Almond Hand & Nail cream was £5 and the Shower Gel was £4.

30 Day Snap #2

We passed loads of wind turbines on the way home from Blackburn this morning, I took a quick snap of some of the best ones. We managed to make it home in about 3 hours which was brilliant, I was expecting to be sat in post-half term traffic jams all the way home.

Look at the blue sky! I hope it's going to stick around this week.

30 Day Snap #1

We're at our ex-neighbours/good friends Jack and Mel's wedding in Blackburn tonight, so this has to be my snap of the day to kick things off.

Here's a sneak peek of the first dance - how amazing is Mel's dress? 

30 Day Snap!

I've decided to join in with Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter's 30 Day Snap challenge to get me back into the swing of blogging and also to add a bit of variety and deviate from make up for a bit.

So from June 1 I'll try my very best to upload a snap of the day - should be easy enough.

If you want to check out Louise's blog then head here

The Big Mascara Test

They all promise amazing results - but which ones actually work?

A quick glance in my make up bag highlights a recent obsession with mascara.  I always used to have just one favourite – Lancome’s Hypnose, but then I soon realised that Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie had exactly the same effect for half the price, so that was my staple until very recently.

I branched out when I read all the hype about Benefit’s They’re Real and snaffled myself a tube from Boots and it all snowballed from there so currently I have quite a few mascaras on the go, here’s what I think of them:

Max Factor 2000 Calorie (£7.99)

This is still my favourite, it claims to make give your lashes 300% more volume, not sure how they calculate that, but it does make them noticeably thicker and longer. It’s also totally smudge proof and doesn’t flake at all. It stays on all day and there’s always plenty left to remove at night. 9/10

Benefit They’re Real (£19.50)

Claims to lengthen, curl, volumise, lift and separate lashes and it is pretty good. I love the brush that ensures clump free application, but find that it doesn’t go on as thickly as the Max Factor mascara. You need a good two coats to make lashes look thicker. It’s also smudge proof but lasts a bit too well. I barely use it because I find it impossible to remove at the end of the day and have to use a waterproof mascara eye remover to get it off as well as my usual cleanser. 7/10

Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Black Drama (£7.99)

This has a ridiculously long name and claims to give a dramatic false lash effect – it doesn’t. The wand is quite feathery and bends easily to catch all the lashes on application. The finished result is ok, but it flakes really badly and the wand gets clumped up very easily. Not sure I’d buy this again. 5/10

False Lash Flutter: The mascara with the most bizarre wand I've ever seen, have a look in real life and see why!

L’Oreal False Lash Flutter (£10.99)

Claims to extend lashes towards the outer eye without clumps, which it does. The wand is like nothing I’ve ever seen before and is plastic, so doesn’t clump. It took a few goes to get the hang of it though, but actually it’s pretty good at catching every lash and does have an impressive result. The only thing that puts me off is that the product smells very strongly of honey and I hate honey. I had to ditch it when I was suffering with a touch of morning sickness as it made me want to yack. 7/10

Avon SuperShock (I got this free with an Avon order, but it retails at £5.00)

For the price this mascara is brilliant. It claims to thicken your lashes for maximum volume and it does what it says on the tube, it doesn’t flake but it must rub off quite a bit during the day as there’s usually only a scant but to remove in the evening. I also find the wand a little on the chunky side and this makes it difficult to grab the maximum amount of lashes. However, for a fiver I think it’s fab. 6/10

Big News...

16-week Baby: Looking slighly more human and less like Skeletor

Ok, so I feel bad but I am back. I’ve neglected this blog lately because my mind has been very busy since I found out that I’m pregnant!

Bad blog timing, I know. No sooner had I decided I needed a project to focus on and that project should be a blog then I soon had something much bigger to obsess about on my hands. For the first three months I didn’t really feel like doing anything at all apart from napping, so this little project kind of fell by the wayside.

Anyway, I have a few product posts planned – I have loads of stuff stored up from my buying sessions over the past few months that I’m dying to share, so I will kick my lazy butt into gear and get cracking.

Anyway baby news... I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant, which in real language is a four and a half months and we found out a few weeks ago that we are having a boy, so any name suggestions are welcome. 

12-week Baby: Lazy baby, hand on head and feet in the air

I’ll add a scan pic or two, they totally looks like every other scan picture, but they're ours – promise! The first scan we had he was asleep and only managed a yawn, but on the later one he was moving about loads and sucking his thumb, so that made things a bit more interesting and I could stop thinking that I would be having a very lazy baby.

Anyhow, I’m looking forward to getting back into things, so after the initial hitch let’s get back on it.

Alyssa Smith Jewellery

I first stumbled upon Alyssa Smith’s jewellery after she had been retweeted by broadcaster Dawn Porter who was showing off a shiny new ‘Tweetie’ necklace from the designer. I had a quick nose around online and discovered that Alyssa lived in the same town as me – small world.

The Pink Sapphire Bambino necklace and the Mixed Up Gold & Silver Tweetie bangle

I decided to have a quick look at her other offerings and spotted quite a few items that I loved right away. Luckily my 30^th birthday was coming up and my girlfriends always club together for a special present so I pointed them in the direction of Alyssa’s Lovebirds necklace, which I was so happy with when I finally tore open the wrapping paper and claimed it as my own.

From there I’ve watched Alyssa’s business grow as she has gathered up a rather impressive posse of celebrities that also love to wear her designs, including entrepreneur Theo Phaphitis, presenter Suzi Perry and star of stage and screen Sheridan Smith, not to mention the likes of Little Mix, Caroline Flack and Gail Porter.

She has also got her own dedicated followers the ‘Alyssa Groupies’ who seem to snap up most of her new items immediately and keep coming back for more. It seems there is mutual affection between the designer and her fans. When one of her customers’ houses caught fire last year Alyssa organised an emergency collection and she and the groupies donated a huge box of goodies to help her customer out until she could return home. How lovely is that?

My fave - The Heart Tag necklace and me wearing it last summer.

One of my favourite pieces from Alyssa’s collection is the Heart Tag necklace, I love this one so much that I wear mine nearly every day. I also bought these as gifts for my bridesmaids and they barely take them off either. One has even had hers on constantly since the big day last year!

Other favourites of mine include the super-cute Pink Sapphire Bambino from the My Fairy Tale collection and the Mixed Up Gold & Silver Tweetie bangle from The Original Tweetie collection.

Alyssa also makes bespoke orders, corporate jewellery, bridal jewellery and is in the process of launching a brand new Mini Me offering for her younger fans which is set to include a Christening range.

You can check out her online shop here:www.alyssasmith.co.uk 

Be prepared to become addicted!

P.S. I have a little interview coming up with Alyssa soon, so watch this space!

Help! I Have A Serious Sugar Crush

I’m super excited to be blogging about Soap & Glory. Recently I’ve been trying out the Sugar Crush Body Wash and the Smoothie Star Buttercream.

Firstly the packaging deserves an A*, I love it, it’s so bright and colourful with a twist of humour that always makes me chuckle – what can I say, I like quirky!

First up the Sugar Crush Body Wash, it’s super foamy and smells really fresh, like a twist of lime in the first G&T of the Summer.  According to the packaging it features an ingredient called Coolcapsule X which cools (duh) and refreshes. It’s fast making its way on to my favourites list.

I hate having dry feeling skin after showering and the Smoothie Star Buttercream has been keeping my skin super-soft. I’m not too sure what it smells like, though. At first I hated it as I thought it smelled like antiseptic, but my other half things it smells like cake so maybe my nostrils need fine tuning. 

Anyway, the cream is super nourishing and has pistachio and almond oil in to boot, to be fair all of the Soap & Glory creams I have tried have all been amazing and worked fast to make my skin smooth and they all smell yummy, yummy, yummy. 

I love this range so much!

Check out your local Boots store for Soap & Glory. The Sugar Crush Body Wash is a steal at £6.50 and the Smoothie Star Buttercream can be snapped up for £10.50. A little birdie tells me the whole range is on a 3 for 2 at Boots, so get down there pronto!