Isn't it always the way your nails look beautiful, they're long and strong, and they're in great condition, and then when you have a whole batch of polishes to photograph, they all snap off! Thankfully before all of the breakage happened I managed to shoot some photos for a few different nails of the days. A couple of them are re shoots which I will be sharing with you in the next week or so but this one is something brand new and right on trend.
You know me, I love a special offer, and I also love nail polish, so when Nails Inc and QVC UK teamed up together earlier this year to produce a fabulously, priced Today's Special Value collection, I had to add it to my basket.
The set in question was the 6 piece I Believe In Unicorns collection, which contained five mystical and fairytale themed nail colours and a top coat, and this is one of the colours from the kit, Carriage Gotta Wait.
Fairy tales, unicorns, mermaids, and other mystical and fantasy creatures are right on trend at the moment, and something else that is right on trend is copper and rose gold.
Carriage Gotta Wait is a beautiful rose gold, copper foil. It has a beautifully smooth finish but it's crammed full of glitter and sparkle.
In their newish style chunky, square bottle, this polish isn't only easy to hold, but thanks to the wide brush, it's also super easy to paint. The coverage on this polish is excellent and you could easily get away with one coat, but I've gone with two here for a full on finish.
This is a truly beautiful colour that's right on trend, and with the metallic finish and the sparkle it's perfect for the party season. It deepens and flashes when you move your hands and it compliments the rose gold packaging on something that I will be reviewing in the next week or so, perfectly.
Being as crammed full of glitter as it is, it wears incredibly well, even without a top coat. As you might expect it is a bit of a pain to remove, the gloss and the polish breaks down to leave a stubborn rough glitter coat, that takes a little bit of effort to remove. I've already worn this polish on 3 occasions though, because it is so easy to paint and because it looks so stunning on the nails. Who cares if it takes a few extra minutes to remove, if you want pretty princess, sparkly nails then this is the polish for you.
As I say this shade seems to be a QVC UK exclusive and seems to be only available as part of the I Believe In Unicorns collection, but the kit is still available on the QVC UK website, as is the accompanying auto delivery collection that I also got, Enchanted Elegance. If you're into all things mystical and magical, make sure that following my blog to keep up to date with all of my new posts. Providing my nails grow up a bit, I've got a few of Nails Inc's unicorn and mermaid themed products to review in the run up to Christmas, and if you like glitter and sparkle you definitely won't want to miss my reviews! Have you embraced the rose gold, or even the unicorn trend this season? Let me know in the comments x
Hi Guys x I hope you're all having a nice weekend x I've got a home haul for you today and it's a long overdue one. I've had some of these bits for quite a while now but as you know sometimes life gets in the way. Some of these bits are for my bedroom, and some are for my home office, come craft room, some of the things that I've picked up are super practical and some of them are just for fun.
I'm going to start off with a few bits from a fun store, that's pretty new to me, Tiger. Hailing from Denmark, Tiger is one cool and quirky shop. It stocks pretty much everything from herbs and spices, to home wear and stationery. Since I've been going for monthly eyebrow waxes at the Benefit counter in Debenhams in Newcastle, I can't resist popping in and having a nose.
The first two things that I bought pretty much sum up the Tiger vibe, cute desk tidies that look like shopping baskets and shopping trolleys. I'd seen a few pictures of these online, and loving anything that's miniature I couldn't resist adding them to my all be it, much larger basket. Since they're made of metal, they're pretty sturdy and the plastic coated section come in a variety of different colours. I think the baskets are around £4, and something makes me think that the trolley was a little bit cheaper. I think they make great funky looking storage pieces and if you have little people I'm sure that they would make pretty cool toys.
Something else that I picked up from Tiger was this pack of wooden log, fridge magnets. I know some people think that fridge magnets are a bit tacky but personally I love them, and whenever I go somewhere new on holiday I always pick up a magnet to remind me of my travels. These cute little wooden magnets that resemble tree rings though are now safely adhered to the magnetic notice board in my office, to keep my notes and my photographs safe. They were just £1 for a pack of 4.
I also picked up a pack of magnets from Poundland. I already have the brightly coloured letter magnets that you'll probably remember from your nursery and primary school days but these vintage typewriter style magnets probably appeal more to the adult in me. You can also get them in a ransom note style type, so you can leave yourself messages or make up rude words as you please x
Like a lot of bloggers out there I love my stationery, and I'm one of them, I love cute notepads, cute stickers and even cute writing sets. I know writing letters seems to be a bit of a dying art but I don't think there is anything nicer then receiving a hand written note or letter. I usually buy note cards but for a change I decided to buy a couple of cute writing sets instead. Both of these sets come from The Works, and they had loads of pretty ones to choose from but I loved the lip print and the almost Orla Kiely style stem and leaf print. They were just £1 a set, and each one contains 10 sheets of writing paper and 10 matching envelopes x
Next up something else that bloggers all seem to love, candles! I've loved candles for as long as I can remember, and I burn a scented candle pretty much everyday. Although I'm trying to branch out a little bit and try new things, Yankee Candles are still my brand of choice. I buy a lot of my candles in store but for pricing on Yankee Candles you really can't beat QVC UK's prices. A few months ago now (I said this haul was late!) they featured a Yankee Candle Today's Special Value, which on this occasion was a QVC exclusive 39 piece Warm Summer Nights Seasonal Hamper.
The set came in a sturdy canvas basket which featured a super cute tassel and pom pom bag charm. The basket featured two layers of candle products. The first layer contained 12 votive candles in some of Yankee's newest spring and summer scents, it contained 2 x Passion Fruit Martini, 2 x Flowers In The Sun, 2 x Moonlight, 2 x Dreamy Summer Nights, 2 x My Serenity, and 2 x Sunset Breeze votives.
If that wasn't enough the second layer of the baskets contained two boxes of 12 tea lights in the Passion Fruit Martini and Flowers In The Sun Fragrances and 2 purple glass bucket holders to burn both your votives and tea lights in.
Unfortunately I can't remember exactly how much this kit was, but I do remember that the value was amazing and way less then RRP. Whilst the votives and the tea lights won't fragrance a huge space, I like to use them either on my bedside table, or the desk next to me while I'm writing, or crafting. They're perfect for a gentle, intimate fragrance and this kit gave me a fantastic opportunity to try out some new fragrances. I have to say I don't think there is a single fragrance in this kit that I dislike - my favourite is probably the super fruity Passionfruit Martini, but I can see myself burning all of these depending on the time of day and my mood. I also bought this kit on what QVC call their auto delivery programme, which basically means that I'm going to receive another 3 hampers, all in a different design, with new holders and new seasonal fragrances in fact I may have already got the Autumn hamper which I'll show you in an upcoming post :)
If you've been reading my blogger for a while now you'll know that this was the year when I was going to try and get organised. I really am trying but there is still so much more that I need to do and need to sort out, and the next few things that I've bought are hopefully going to help me do that, by improving some of my storage options.
This is a foldable, hexagonal storage ottoman which comes from QVC. I've seen a few similar things on the market but this is strongest and the best quality one that I've come across. Made of a faux leather it folds down flat, but when it's assembled it's super strong. It features a padded lid, which makes it a comfy seat, and you can even reverse the lid and use it as a tray. It's sturdy enough to stand on and it's surprisingly roomy. I'm using mine to store all of my electrical beauty bits such as my tongs and my straighteners. I also bought the wheeled section separately so I can move it round and use it around my room as a seat. QVC do a lot of these ottomans in different shapes and I would really recommend them if you need extra storage and occasional seating.
I love my jewellery but I have to be honest and say that I'm running out go places to store it. I have a large mirrored jewellery cabinet for my fine jewellery but my fashion jewellery storage is all over the place, I have some pieces in hat boxes, some in fabric dress style hangers on my doors, and I also have some jewellery hooks on the side of my wardrobe, and believe it or not i still need more jewellery storage. My mum actually got some of these a little while back for B&M and after trying hers I though that these would be perfect for hanging on my wardrobe frame. They are just £1 each and I'm currently using them for long necklaces but you can also use them for belts and scarves. I'm going to do a proper sort and then I think I might do a jewellery storage video to show you all of my jewellery and the different storage options that I use, if you'd be interested in seeing that, then let me know x
Next a few pieces from the storage mothership that is IKEA, if you need storage for just about anything then you need to take a trip to IKEA. I never ever leave empty handed and this visit was no exception, as well as picking up some dining room chairs for Mummy Lou I also picked up another set of Helmer drawers.
Annoyingly the new ones are much of a pure white than the cream ones I have but I'll have to live with that. I used my original Helmer for nail polish storage and to be honest it's starting to overflow so most of my new one will be filled with nail polish too, and if I have any space left, I'll be storing some other beauty items. These aren't the biggest drawers that IKEA do but you can fit them into quite a compact space, and the drawers actually hold quite a bit. I also love that they're on wheels so you can move them around for cleaning. I love them and i would recommend them to anyone whether you use them in the bedroom, the office, or even in the bathroom.
I'm in the process of sorting out my new office space, and whilst I'm moved in and blogging from my desk now, I'm still sorting out boxes of stuff and adding pretties. Apparently plants help you to concentrate and they help to keep you calm so I picked up a pack of 3 cacti plants. I used to have a cactus or two in my bedroom many moons ago and because they're so easy to care for, I thought that this set which was £4.50 would be perfect for my desk. I still fancy something bigger and more flowy and greener to go on the top of a set of storage drawers but given my uselessness with plants I'll need to consult Mummy Lou aka Mrs Greenfingers before I buy anything else.
The final few things that I want to show you are from eBay x According to my mam I'm slightly obsessed with cushions, and yes I'll admit it I do have quite a few in the two rooms that I consider my own, but I love my comfort and I think cushions can make a bed look more dressed and inviting in an instant. This time I didn't buy a cushion as such but these two cushion covers that I got work perfectly with the lilacs and pastels in my rooms.
Come on which beauty lover wouldn't love these cushions? The fabric isn't the best but I love the Chanel fragrance print and of course the NARS lipstick print. These two cushions came from overseas sellers, the perfume cushion was just £2.39 from this seller and the lipstick cushion cover was £2.58 from this seller. A couple of different sellers do these covers at varying price points though so it's worth shopping around x
The final thing I've got to show you in this haul also came from eBay, and it's a mug. A few bloggers I know have this mug already and I believe they got if from Truffle Shuffle, I found this one on eBay though and I love the fact that you can get it personalised with the name of your choice.
Unfortunately the seller that I bought mine from doesn't seem to sell these anymore but this seller does and they have loads of different Little Miss and Mr Men themed mugs, including some of the new adult themed mugs all of which can be personalised. I'm quite fancying a Little Miss Social Media mug next ;).
So that was my long awaited home and lifestyle haul x I've also made an accompanying You Tube video which you watch below or via this link.
I'd love to know what you think about my haul, and I'd love to know what home, lifestyle and stationery items you've bought recently so leave me a comment and let me know x I've already got another home and lifestyle haul planned so make sure you following my blog so you don't miss it x
If you're a regular watcher of my You Tube channel you'll know that I love beauty boxes. I love the element of surprise when you open the box and for me it feels a bit like Christmas - ripping open the packaging to see what goodies lie inside.
I personally love the surprise but unfortunately you do have to be prepared to be disappointed - you're not going to like everything in a box all the time and I know that the surprise element can put some people off. Thankfully though there are now ways that you can embrace the whole beauty box trend, and try new products without that unknown factor.
An increasing number of companies are now releasing boxes where you can either choose your own content, or where you know exactly whats in the box before you place your order. The boxes in these cases or either one offs or the subscriptions are more flexible. That way though you can choose what you want to try and minimise the risks and the disappointment
If that's the route you want to go down though, then there is a new box in town, and you can buy it exclusively from one of my favourite place to shop QVC UK. Tili stands for one their well used phrases Try It Love It, and that's exactly what their box is all about.
The first addition went on sale just over a week ago, and I ordered mine on launch day. The whole idea of Tili is to give customers, and beauty lovers the chance to try some of QVC's newest and best selling beauty products and brands. The website provides you with a full product listing, so you know exactly what your going to get before you checkout. This is the July box and you can see what was inside and my initial thoughts by watching the video below or if your on a mobile device, via this link
At just £20 and free postage I think this box, is pretty good value. The contents has a retail value of around £55 which seems about right - the Alpha H alone works out at about £15 ish, the Elemis Micellar Water retails at £6.90 direct from Elemis, and the full size Essie polish retails at around £7.99. I can't wait to try out some of the products in this kit and I'll definitely be picking up the next Tili box if I can get my hands on it x
This box doesn't seem to be a monthly thing, in fact I don't think that the next one is released till October, so you're not tied to anything, just a warning though, it's way to easy to shop with QVC and one purchase will inevitably lead to another!. You can find out more about the Tili box and how to order via this link. What do you think of the Tili box? Do you like the flexibility and the knowledge? or do you like a surprise? Let me know and I'd love to know what subscription boxes you like, so hit me up with your recommendations, oh and of course don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel for more unboxings, shopping and beauty content x
I love nail polish an awful lot, in fact you could even argue that I'm a bit of polish collector. I have well over a hundred bottles and still I can't resist adding to my already pretty extensive collection. I have a lot of different brands, at a lot of different price point, but one of my favourite brands and one of the first professional brands that I ever tried, is OPI.
99 times out of a 100 I'm impressed with their polishes they wear well, they apply easily, and the polishes last forever, some of mine are over 10 years old and they are still as good as new. Something else that I love about them are their collaborations and product tie ins. Based in Hollywood there are the brand of choice for celebrities, characters, film studios, and big brands.
Late last year rumours started to fly around the beauty world about a new OPI collaboration with probably the most famous feline of all time, no I don't mean Grumpy Cat, although I would love to see that, I mean Hello Kitty.
Yes I'm one of those sadults that has a obsession with Hello Kitty, so when I saw the first pictures of the collection I wanted it all. The collection comprises of 12 normal shades and the matching Gel Colours, and several special edition full sized and mini kits, all named after things linked to that little white feline.
Although the collection had already been available in the UK for a couple of days, some of it premiered on QVC a week past Friday. I was sneaky though, I didn't know whether I'd be home from hospital in time so I'd already had a little look on the QVC UK website to see what was available.
This kit immediately caught my eye due to the full sizes and the sheer value for money, so Mummy Lou, aka the tooth fairy, decided to buy me if for being brave at hospital - I told you I was a sadult ;)
For what I gather this kit is now exclusive to QVC in the UK, and I certainly haven't seen it anywhere else. The colours are available elsewhere but the packaging is just available at QVC now and as well as the polishes this kit is all about the packaging.
This collectors edition kit comes in a solid, cardboard box with a magnetic fastening, and contains 6 full size OPI nail lacquers from the Hello Kitty collection.
What makes this kit special and truly one for the collector, is the inside of the box. It comes with a cardboard stand, and 3 specially designed backdrops, one side in colour and one side in black and white for you to colour in.
Full instructions are supplied and all you do is put them into the box in a certain way and it creates an almost pop up, puppet theatre type look.
Ridiculously cute, and really unusual and you get your 6 full sized polishes. Each of the full sized polishes in the Hello Kitty collection are characterised by a Hello Kitty design lid, unfortunately this is a sticker rather than a printed lid but they are still very cute.
The collection predictably is very pink themed but you also get a few stand out colours like those that appear in the cartoons and of course on the toys, stationery, bedding and anything else that you can think of.
The shades that you get are from left to right - Kitty White, a pearlised, shimmery white, Let's Be Friends, a pale, creamy pink almost French shade, Look At My Bow, a brighter baby pink, and Starry Eyed For Dear Daniel, a full coverage pink / purple glitter. It also contains 5 Apples Tall, a real apple red, and Never Have To Mani Friends, a dark, black shade.
I've swatched these on a nail wheel so you can get an idea of what they would look like on the nails. As you can see the coverage is excellent with all of the shades. Ever the palest pink Let's Be Friends only needs around 3 thin coats for full coverage. This kit contains a nice assortment of shades that will cover a wide variety of occasions and take you from day to night. Throw in the limited edition collectors packaging and this kit for me is a must have, it's also great value for money. The OPI 6 Piece Hello Kitty Limited Edition Lacquer Collection is currently available from QVC UK for the special price of just £31.32 plus £4.95, not bad considering each bottle would be £12.50.
As much as I love this kit and believe me I do, it didn't contain the two shades that I'd really set my heart on so I had another look and last Monday another couple of sets came online, including a couple of gift packaged duos.
Thankfully one of the duos contained exactly the two colour that I wanted so I decided to treat myself to the Bright duo which contained full 15ml sizes of both Super Cute In Pink, a bright bubblegum pink, and My Pal Joey, a lovely creamy blue shade.
Alas neither of these colours are showing up as that true, My Pal Joey is a much more of an electric blue than it's appearing here, and Super Cute In Pink is a lot less purple than it's appearing here. I thought it might be similar to Essie Splash Of Grenadine but in reality it much pinker and much brighter. Both of these are great summer colours, and since they are both cream polishes, the pigmentation and coverage is first class.
I probably could have got these a little bit cheaper if I'd looked harder but at £18.00 plus £3.95 postage, the OPI 2 Piece Hello Kitty Nailcare Collection in Bright still works out slightly cheaper than full retail price.
There are a couple of other kits on the QVC website and elsewhere, and whilst I am debating whether or not to get the minis kit, purely for the dotting tool and My Twin Mimmy, I'm pretty happy with buying most of the collection :) My nails are quite short at the moment but as soon as I get a bit more length on them I'll start doing a few nails of the day posts, if you have any questions in the meantime though leave me a comment and let me know xx
Hi Guys x I've had a few new followers lately so I'd just like to start off this post buying saying a big thank you x I really appreciate every single one of my followers and I really hope that you'll enjoy this little glimpse into my world x
A blog about a lot of things but if you like shopping and hauls, then this is the place to be x I love shopping and over the next few weeks I have several hauls coming for you including a high end beauty haul, a nail haul, and also a couple of more budget friendly beauty hauls but first of all I've got a little fashion and accessory haul to show you.
The first three items in this haul are all tops from QVC. I've spoken a little bit lately about my new found obsession with QVC's clothing and whilst some of you may sneer, I'm going to say it again, I'm a firm believer that you can find clothing gems anywhere. I'm never going to be the most fashionable or on trend person out there but I know what I like and I know what works for me, and something that's almost being a signature look for me is a bright, or a patterned top and a pair of jeggings, leggings or skinny jeans. It looks good, people remember me for it and if you pick the right items, you can feel comfortable and confident x
The first top comes from a Canadian company called Kim&Co. My mum is a fan of the brand and they're noted for their comfortable and easy care, stretchy dresses and separates. I actually already own a piece from the brand from many moons ago, a slinky ivory, cream dress covered in a pink, black and red ladybird print. I love it's quirkiness but since then I haven't seen much that I would personally buy - the range is generally a bit safe and bit too old fashioned for me but every now and then you do see something that makes you think again.
This top normally retails at £40 but it was on special offer on the day I ordered it. I love the floral design but it was the combination of navy blue and lime green that sold it to me. At first glance it looks like you're wearing two tops but it is actually just the one. It features a rose, print panel on the front and the back and the sleeves are in plain navy.
I talk more about the fabric content more in the video below but this super soft, slinky and stretchy, it is so, so comfortable and I love the tunic style length. Here I'm just wearing it with jeans and Converse but it's definitely something that you could dress up. This top also comes in a black and a pink colour way and I have to say as tempted as I am to pick up that one up too, I think I'll wait and see if the price comes down x
The next two tops are from a QVC brand that I'm really loving at the moment, Wearable Art By Bob Mackie. I love his use of colours and prints x The first top that I got was this contrast sleeve, tile print tunic x
This was another one that was on special and although I originally wanted this top in the blue, it had sold out so I ended up getting it in the brown with the black sleeves. I love the Moroccan style print, that's featured on both the back and the front of the top and the browns, yellows and oranges are really autumnal and perfect for this season. I'm a huge fan of tan and brown accessories and I think that this will work really well with say a tan bag or brown boots.
The final QVC item that I got was another top from the Wearable Art By Bob Mackie range and this time, this one was from the clearance section. This 3/4 sleeve top, is all about the colour and the bright eye catching print
It features a stripe, and almost floral and leaf design in bright,but distressed neon shades of pale blue and green. All the designs and stripes are outlined in black which gives a real stand out look x I would have maybe have liked this to be a little bit longer but since it was less than £15 I can't really complain x
The only other clothing item in this haul came from H&M and it was a sale item, that again embraces my love for colour and print.
Although I remember wearing printed trousers when I was younger I was slow to embrace them this time round x I just didn't feel confident enough but all of a sudden the confidence just clicked and lately I've wanted all the patterned trousers that I could get my hands on. I've mainly been sticking to floral prints but these ones are a bit different - on an ivory, beige background these ones features a bright tropical leaf and flower design, scattered through with illustrations of leopards and tropical birds. These trousers aren't for the faint hearted and although I don't think I'll get any wear out of them this year, for £6 they will be a fab purchase for next summer.
Now accessories and first up something that you might have caught a sneaky peek of in my YSL -Style Is Eternal Vlog x
Although I didn't buy it at the time I thought that this sheep scarf was really cute, so I had a look on ebay and found an identical one at a slightly cheaper price. It comes in few shades and what you can't really see here is how big this actually is. This one was £4.49 from this seller x
I used to be very much a scarf person, and although I don't wear them anywhere near as often as I did I still love them and I can never resits adding a new print or pattern to my collection. As well as picking up a gorgeous blue and white floral one for Mummy Lou in the recent Next sale I also got this one for myself.
I can't really describe the print it looks almost like florals, plates or panels, but again I love the blues and the coral shades.
I think that this was about £5 or £6. I didn't buy a lot in the Next sale this time round just this scarf, some blue and white floral PJ's, some underwear and a few pieces of fashion jewellery including this necklace x
One of the fashion guests on QVC regular wear a similar necklace in either a silver or a gold tone and I loved it. This one isn't the same as either of hers but it's as close as I can find in style at the moment. I have a few mesh pieces from H&M already and I think that this will work really nicely. I love the combination of both the gunmetal and the silver tone metals and I love the length.
The final item in this haul is another necklace from the Next sale and it's another long one. Unfortunately I've managed to delete the main picture from my camera but this necklace is from the brand Adorning Ava, and it's a long line, gold tone chain which features a diamond shaped filigree pendant with long lines of gold chain hanging from it. It definitely has an Asian feel to it and the super long length means that you could either wear it as a statement piece or even as a layering piece with some shorter chains.
So that was my small but very long winded clothing and accessories haul x I've made a little video to accompany this haul which you can see here x If you're on a mobile device don't worry you can find the video here x
Thanks for watching and reading, and if you have any questions please leave me a comment I love reading what you have to say x
