ASOS Haul Part 1 - Preview

I placed 5 ASOS orders at the weekend thanks to a glitch / discount code that appeared on the net and 3 have arrived.  Even though I've just got in from work, I had to take a pic to show you all!

• Anatomicals Another Bloody Shower Gel (bought for the name!)
• Carmex Cherry
• Anatomicals Energy Patches (needing these at the moment!)
• Barry M polish in Dusty Mauve
• Essie polish in A Splash of Grenadine
• Essie polish in Little Brown Dress
• OPI Teas-y Does It

Look out for NOTD /  reviews of these very soon, and also the rest of my ASOS order which should arrive tomorrow / Weds.  I love getting parcels in the post, it felt like Christmas today (which is only 1 payday away - eek!)

Did anyone else get lucky with the ASOS glitch?

Thank you Mr Postman!

Ok so none of my ASOS orders have arrived yet but the postie did bring a few treats with him this morning!

Glamour magazine with  free Nails Inc polish in Saville Row which looks to be a rich, berry toned purple.  I don't normally get the Glamour free gifts with my subscription so I was pleasantly surprised and can't wait to give it a go.  This will be my first Nails Inc polish so I'll report back ASAP!

I'm sure this new cover for my Blackberry is an acquired taste but I love the OTT-ness of it.  I bought it from Ebay for a fiver.  I love the strange mix of graphics - abstract florals with the coloured balls.  It's really unusual.



These are the latest polishes I ordered from Ebay.  I opted for OPI Extra-Va-Vaganza and Essie Island Hopping.  I'm really looking forward to trying the Essie polish, hopefully it will be on a par with Chinchilly and Sew Psyched in terms of finish and application.  I imagine it will be a while before I try the glitter polish; my nails are a bit wrecked from wearing Mad as a Hatter and Absolutely Alice consecutively so will wait until nearer Christmas to road test it :)

What do you think of our pumpkin?

I'm quite impressed with our family effort!

Fin and I are making Wizard's Hats with the pumpkin flesh - yummy!

Happy Halloween everyone... I hope you enjoy your extra hour in bed tonight :)

NOTD - OPI DS Coronation

Today I'm wearing another of my OPI Designer polishes - Coronation.

Outside

Inside



I'm not a fan of silver nail polish, in fact this is the only one I have in my vast collection.  To me, it's just a little bit... er... 1995.  Does that make sense to anyone?  Maybe because it was my colour of choice throughout school.  Grey polish? - most definitely... silver? - not sure.

As far as silvers go, this isn't a bad one.  It did take 3 coats and is still only about 90% opaque.  As with other Designer Series polishes, it is a holo however a very subtle one compared to the others I have.

What I love about the DS polishes is how easily they apply; it takes no skill whatsoever just to swipe on the colour and another positive is that the finish is completely smooth, even without a top coat unlike Mad as a Hatter and Absolutely Alice which have that gritty feel.

This is only the second time I've worn this polish and I've had it for ages.  I can't imagine me reaching for it again anytime soon.  I guess being pretty pale at the moment doesn't help - maybe it would look better with a tan?  But when I have a tan I want to wear bright and fun colours - corals, hot pinks, oranges and so on.

Am I alone in my apathy towards silver polish?  Would love to hear from you x

P.S. A few of us Mums are taking the kids to watch the Fireman Sam stage show today... wish us luck!

A very special NOTD - OPI Absolutely Alice

This polish was 'the one that got away' from the Alice in Wonderland collection; I only opted for Off With Her Red and Mad as a Hatter at the time but always lusted after the blue sparkles, so imagine my surprise when a little parcel arrived for me yesterday from the lovely Leanne OCD!  I had commented on her blog after she had asked about limited edition products we had missed and mentioned Absolutely Alice.  Leanne had this bottle in her collection and sent it to me with a beautiful card, explaining that she didn't use it any more and would I be able to give it a good home?  Err, let me think... of course ;)  How kind is that?!

Of course, I had to immediately remove ELF Mint Green (which had lasted a good 4 days with very little wear) and apply Absolutely Alice straight away!

Indoors

Outside - look at the sparkle!



Here is two coats and no visible nail which is great for a glitter polish.  I love the golden sparkle which contrasts really effectively against the aqua blue glitter.  I haven't applied a top coat so I do have that rough feel to my nails as often happens with dense glitter polishes.

I haven't stopped staring at my nails all day; they have attracted admiring glances and comments from various colleagues (even a couple of men!)  Such a striking colour!

So I would like to say a HUGE thank you once again to Leanne, and urge you go check out her blog if you haven't already :)

Follow my Leed(s)

Ha ha I know, what a terrible pun.  Sorry :)

So I'm back from my night away with friends and had a fantastic time.  I had planned to take lots of interesting picture and do a really detailed blog post, but my camera died and left me with my Blackberry which I have to say, has a pretty rubbish camera so apologies in advance.

We booked about 6 weeks ago and got an excellent deal at Jury's Inn, Leeds via Late Rooms.  We paid £50 for a triple room, so £17 each - bargainous!  The rooms were nothing special but they were clean and modern and more than acceptable for what we paid.

We ate at Jamie's Italian.  YOU HAVE TO GO HERE IF YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY!  Wow!  It is situated in a beautiful old building with huge ceilings and an expanse of windows.  We sat upstairs, perfectly placed to see the chefs at work.  Huge hocks of ham hung down and the chefs selected their vegetables from market stall type baskets.  The restaurant has a cool, laid back feel; you can't book for Jamie's which I think adds to the accessibility and overall feel of the brand.  We arrived at 6.30pm and were seated immediately.  The napkins are fashioned to look like old tea towels, similar to the ones Jamie chucks over his shoulder in his shows.  Mid-tempo music played quietly in the background all evening.

The service was perfect.  Our waitress was very attentive and chatty, without imposing.  She was knowledgeable about the menu and helped me choose a cocktail (I went for a good old Cosmopolitan in the end, couldn't bring myself to try the chilli infused special offering!)

So here's what I ate:

• World's Best Olives on Ice - the biggest olives I've ever seen in my life!  Like mini plums!
• Selection of Italian Breads
• Smoky Mozarella Arancini - Crispy rice balls stuffed with smoked buffalo mozzarella and porcini mushrooms, served with a spicy arrabiata dressing
• Buffalo Ricotta Ravioli - Creamed ricotta with lemon, mint and Parmesan
• Polenta Chips
• Crunchy Salad - Shaved root veg with chilli, lemon and mint

I just opted for the small sized pasta dish as my meal was already quite carb heavy and I couldn't finish everything.  I only had one Cosmpolitan and then went on to Gin & Slims which I drank for the rest of the night.

Ok, so here's what nail polish I wore:

OPI - Mad as a Hatter.  After saying the other day that I hadn't worn it much, I decided to dig it out and I love it as much as ever!  So pretty and sparkly.  I'm trying not to think about removing it yet...

Here's me:

Wearing my favourite lip combo - MAC lipliner in Magenta and MAC lipstick in Up the Amp

The cream lace dress is the Next one I bought a few weeks ago.  The tights are Cette's Moscow120D which are the only ones I wear now, very black, black!  The shoes which you can't see well are my Next black suede tassle platform peep toe boots.

I couldn't tell you the names of the bars we went to.  I think I had 9 G&Ts after the cocktail so the latter part of the evening descends into a bit of a blur :)

The next day we went shopping!  Here's what I wore:

I know, I know... awful pic!  Jeans are skinnies from Gap, butterfly top from Next and Love Label clog boots which are very comfy and did me well for a days shopping.

I'd love to post a huge haul of exciting new purchases but as is always the case when you have money to spend, I couldn't find a thing I wanted :(  We did the usual high street shops, spent an hour in Harvey Nics and wandered around the beautiful Corn Exchange. 

I managed to spend a grand total of £8.40 in the Debenhams sale.  It was £8.40 spent very well though - look at these beauties!



So after coffee and cake in Starbucks, we headed back home.  I'm not as young as I used to be and I have to admit to being pretty shattered last night.  X Factor with the duvet was all I was fit for!

Hope you've all had good weekends... venturing out now to a kids party at the local soft play centre.  Wish me luck!

NOTD - OPI Japanese Rose Garden

I was in the mood for pink today :)  Pink nails always make me smile and Japanese Rose Garden is no exception.



JRG is a dusty, mid-tone candy pink creme which is 95% opaque in one coat!  I've done two here for full coverage.  I find this shade very girly, very pretty but with a slighty dusty undertone which makes it just that bit more interesting.

This colour came from the Far East Collection, although it doesn't feel very oriental?  However a quick search on the Internet told me that there is a variety for rose called the Japanese Rose and  the nail polish appears to be a good match for it!

As I said before, I love pink polishes and own lots however I'm always on the lookout for more.  What's your fave pink polish?  Tell me in the comments :) x

FAB OPI competition over at HQ Hair!

Wowee, what a prize!

Click here to enter and all you have to do is email them and tell them which is your most favourite nail polish.  Sounds easy, yes?  However, when I entered I was sat there for about 5 minutes umming and aahing :)

Quite predictable, but I went with OPI Mad as a Hatter though I've only worn it about 3 times as I can't often bring myself to go through the arduous removal process, haha!

Let me know if you enter and what shade you put as your fave.

Meanwhile, I'm still deciding which shades to order from the Burlesque collection - I know I'm going to stick to just 2 or 3 as I still want to branch out to other shades.  I'll let you know once I've decided!

NOTD - Essie Chinchilly. The love affair continues...

I've applied Essie Chinchilly for the first time today and WOW!  It goes straight into my 'top 5 polishes...ever!'

I'm sure you've seen swatches of these a hundred times over, but here are mine to add into the mix:


Taken indoors




Outside, in sunlight





One of the reasons Chinchilly has jumped straight into my favourites list is its wearability; I love these putty / murky / clay shades, they are, as our Cheryl (Cole) would say, 'right up my street'.  It's the kind of shade I can wear for work, wont clash with any outfit or accessory (not that this normally bothers me, mind) yet still offers a little bit of interest which I miss when I wear nudes.

Consistency-wise, I found this runnier than Sew Psyched, however this is how I prefer my polish to be so no complaints there.  I was expecting that at least 3 coats would be required because of this fact however 2 coats was easily sufficient.  I did find that I inadvertently over-loaded the brush a few times, it's not one of those polishes you can just dip in the brush and swipe over the nail (I'm thinking OPI Sheer Your Toys - so easy to apply.) 

So a big thumbs up for Essie Chinchilly!  I've been pondering over my next polish order and as much as I want to try more Essie in the very near future, the OPI Burlesque collection is now available to buy and, the magpie that I am, the glitter is drawing me in big time.  Hmmm, ponder, ponder...

P.S. HELLO to my new followers!  I'm finding the comments you have given regarding my blog very useful so thanks for those.  For any lurkers out there, there's still time to enter my Nouba giveaway!  Don't be shy :)

NOTD - OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow

We had a fantastic, but exhausting day yesterday at Drayton Manor.  My train-obsessed little boy was in heaven in Thomas Land.  We will definitely go again - they're building a Drayton Manor hotel which will be complete by Summer 2011 so that will be an option for us next year as it was a good 1.5 hrs each way in the car for us from Doncaster.

So, a quick NOTD post from me today.  OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow.

HTAT is a blackened forest green.  Here is 3 coats which I felt it needed; this made the result almost black with only a hint of green showing through in direct sunlight.  2 coats was much more green, but quite streaky.

It's very glossy though, no topcoat here!  This one has been languishing in the bottom of my stash for a long time, I've used it maybe once only prior to this application but I do think it will make more of a regular appearance as I have enjoyed wearing it :)

NOTD - OPI Blue Moon Lagoon

Blue Moon Lagoon is from the Summer for Shore collection which was released a few years ago.  One of the prettiest collections OPI has ever done in my opinion!  Alas, the polishes are now quite hard to find, and when they do pop up, they're often quite pricey.

I purchased this bottle from Ebay for about £10.

Blue Moon Lagoon is a subtle aqua holo.  It's quite sheer and the pictures here are 3 coats although there is still a hint of VNL under some lights.  It's quite thin in consistency and applied very easily.  My photography skills are rubbish however the holo you can see in the bottle pic is there on the nail too but only in direct sunlight.

I like these kind of polishes, they're quite mysterious as it's almost like a little secret between you and your nails.  From afar, Blue Moon Lagoon looks like a pale aqua with a hint of shimmer however go outside and see them sparkle!

Spontaneity rocks!

Eurgh... had one too many gin and slims last night so forgive me if this post is more incoherent than usual...

So with hubby out at football, and Fin out at grandparents, when a friend suggested we get together I couldn't refuse.  We decided to just go into the village to a couple of pubs for a drink and a chat, sounded good!  2 hours was plenty of time to get home from work and get ready, wasn't it?

However, I had the age-old panic nothing to wear!

The town I work in has very little to offer by way of clothes outlets, BHS is about as edgy as it gets... seriously, however there is a little retail park with a TK Maxx and a Next.  The Maxx had a multitude of viscose, fake fur and studs but that wasn't really the look I was hoping for.

So into Next I go...  I don't mind Next, although I know a lot of people don't rate it.  I do feel they have upped their game over the past few years and managed to move away somewhat from the combat trousers / embroidered t-shirt ensembles that used to feature so heavily. 

I bought:

Cream lace dress which I linked to on the wishlist post a few days ago.  Love it!  (Though I may have to return and swap for a size 10 as it comes up on the generous side.)  Plan to wear with black opaques, black tassel platform shoots and pearls for an upcoming night out... might try and fashion some kind of nude coloured flower in my hair.

Then, to wear last night, I purchased:

I'm a sucker for anything butterfly although I wasn't sure of this on the hanger.  It could have quite easily looked frumpy, however I'm hoping it didn't (I did try to take a pic but I was home alone and they kept coming out too dark.)  It's not as floaty looking as it is in the pic and I wore with very skinny jeans from Gap, black tassel platform shoots and some cream chandelier earrings.

So impromptu night out, impromptu new top and then impromptu nails:

Wish I'd had more time to spend on clean up - this is far from my neatest application ever!  But time was limited.  It's OPI Shorts Story which is a barbie pink cream.  About 95% opaque in 2 coats.

So, 6 impromptu gins = impromptu hangover - yuk!  Worth it though.  Plans made in haste are often the best I find.  My friend and I had such a giggle and my lovely hubby came to pick me up when he got in from the footy, so no taxi fares.  Yay!

NOTD - OPI DS Illuminate

I'm having an indulgent morning; no work today and my son Fin is at his grandparent's.  My husband left strict instructions for me to stay in bed as long as possible and then do very little when I wake up... aah how lucky am I?! 

I've been having an uncertain time at work where things are changing and I'm unsure of my place and last week I put my back out which was very, very painful.  A long lay in was just what the doctor ordered!

So, making the most of my 'lazy morning', changing my nail polish with no interruptions of 'can you get me a drink?' or 'can you take me to the toilet?' (From my son, not my husband.  In case you were wondering) has been a rare treat.

Today I went for OPI DS Illuminate with is a tan holo with green flash

This is definitely one of my 'go to' shades.  Applies so smoothly (2 coats here), subtle enough to wear for work yet the holo and green flash adds a little more interest when you look more closely.  Quite autumnal, don't you think?

 I love this ring; it gets so many comments when I wear it.  And the best bit - £2.50 from Primark!

I've never been disappointed with any of the OPI Designer Series.  I find the application effortless and the results, stunning.  Well worth the couple of quid extra! 

I will swatch some more of my DS shades in the future but for now, lunch in solitude... bliss!

New perfume plus my first FOTD / NOTD

If there's one thing that excites me on a similar kind of level to nail polish, it's perfume.

I feel naked if I'm not wearing it and could easily waste an hour in Boots oohing and aahing over the latest releases.

I don't have a 'type' but tend to go for pretty bottles or perfumes that have had a lot of hype (yes I am a sheep, baa!)  Marc Jacobs' Lola fits both of those criteria perfectly, however my latest perfume doesn't.

It's this:

There was a sample towelette in this month's glamour and I was instantly hooked.  I'm rubbish at explaining scents so I'll leave it to the experts:

Calvin Klein Beauty evokes the ultimate power of femininity and sophistication, while capturing the spirit of a woman who is beautiful from the inside out, with an aura that radiates

The feminine, sophisticated fragrance opens with top notes of Ambrette Seeds, middle notes of Jasmine and dries down to base notes of Cedarwood.

For me, CK beauty bridges the gap effortlessly between contemporary and sophisticated.  It's potent without being headache-inducing and longevity is good.  There's a hint of floral and an underlying burst of freshness.  However... the bottle!  Thank you to Glamour for introducing this fragrance to me as I can honestly imagine me re-purchasing this over a long period of time, but had I have been browsing the perfume aisles, I would have skipped straight past it.  I want a bottle of perfume to look good on my dressing table, like MJ Lola where the packaging has proven to be equally as exciting as the scent. 

Aesthetically,  CK Beauty is snoresville! 

Thankfully, the scent more than makes up for it and I imagine it will be a favourite for a long time to come.  I got mine from Boots for £34 for 30ml.

Anyhoo, here's my first FOTD.

The lips were doing the talking today!

• 
  
  MAC Mineralize Satinfinish foundation in NW20
• 
  
  Benefit Bluffdust
• 
  
  Benefit Hoola
• 
  
  MAC Powder Blush in Dame
• 
  
  Urban Decay Primer Potion
• 
  
  UD e/s in Virgin on the brow bone
• 
  
  UD e/s in Naked all over the lid
• 
  
  UD e/s in Toasted on the inner socket and blended outwards
• 
  
  UD 24/7 eyeliner in Whiskey on the upper lid and waterline
• 
  
  YSL Faux Cills Mascara
• 
  
  No 7 Lipliner in Nude
• 
  
  Nouba Lipstick in 183
• 
  
  Chanel Briliant Levres Lip Gloss in 68 

And NOTD: OPI - Meet me on the Starferry

Thanks for reading!

My name is Chicky, and I am an addict...

...to nail polish that is.

In particular, to OPI nail polish. 

I can't remember when my addiction began, or why, but it's been on-going for a few years now.  I buy a couple of new ones each month (this is a limit I have had to set myself as for a while, it was more like 6.  Eek!)

I must have about 80 in my collection now, and one day I will count them all and create a more organised and efficient storage system as currently they are kept like this:

It might not look much in the pic, but that is a Soap & Glory Hat Box from last Christmas and it's pretty huge!

I started off with pinks and purples but now I will consider anything.  I love brights and glitters (both alone and together!)

This is blurry on purpose to show the different colours of the glitter.  True to it's name 'Golden Rainbow' is very special, and quite hard to find nowadays.  This is definitely a layering polish and looks good over almost anything from black, to purple to orange.  It came from the Reflection Glitters collection a few years ago.  When I first started getting into nail polish, I never envisaged myself buying or wearing anything as 'out there' as Golden Rainbow however this is quite tame for me now.  Like I said above, anything goes! 

I'll start doing proper swatches of my collection as my blog progresses but I just wanted to give you an introduction into my love for OPI.  For now though, here's a pic of me wearing 'Give Me a Coral Sometime'

Considering that I've started getting the knitwear out already, I'm going to have to put my brights into hibernation and dig out the old faithful Black Cherry Chutney, Over the Taupe and Baby it's Coal Outside which tend to be my winter staples. 

Given that all my polishes are OPI, I'm quite insular when it comes to other brands.  I've said many times that I'm going to try Essie, or China Glaze but the pull towards OPI is just too strong!  I would love for someone to recommend to me their must have shade from another brand - sell it to me!  Make me feel like I can't live without it!  Or is my love affair with OPI destined to last forever?