Review: e.l.f. cosmetics Nail Varnish [Smokey Brown]

I came across elf cosmetics on Twitter, on my search to find cosmetic companies. When I found out that they are based just down the road from me (and saw the price of their products!) I had to place an order.

With my recent addiction to nail varnish, guess what I bought!

From left to right the colours are: Mint Cream, Smokey Brown & Purple Pleaser. All in the new collection. All cost £1.50 each. 

I painted my toes with the mint cream and my hands with smokey brown. The brown polish seemed to go on better than the mint, but I think that's to do with the colour rather than anything else. The polish seemed to dry pretty quickly - great for me as I'm a bit rubbish at sitting still and have a tendency to dent or smudge nail varnish pretty quickly.

The colour of the polish on the website & in real life is pretty accurate for the mint. The brown comes out darker than it looks. The purple is a lot brighter (better). Obviously this is on my monitor and may be very different on your screen!

General consensus (from my Mum) is that the Mint Cream should never be used again - although I do quite like it, but is more of a Summer or highlight colour, and the Smokey Brown is a good colour. Bang on trend!

So, well done Elf - I will purchase again! Am particularly looking forward to the Matt Finisher coming in!

Leopard print nails

This is my attempt at Leopard Print nails after seeing GemFatale's blog post & tutorial video.

More practice needed!

Black Nails (Free Nail Varnish)

This came free with Cosmopolitan magazine. I love free gifts.
It is Black n Gold from Miss Guided.
It has a very delicate gold sparkle, that will be great for Halloween and Christmas parties, but was an absolute nightmare to get off!
Good quality product though.

Nails: 17 Lasting Fix (Parma Violet)

I bought this in the Summer (May-ish) to go with my new flip flops.

I have worn this colour a lot over the last few months and don't quite want to let Summer go yet. It's also a fairly neutral colour but adds a bit of fun for work. With my new found want to wear nail varnish & take better care of my appearance, I have (as you know) started wearing a lot more nail varnish. Now I do not profess to be a professional/fashion conscious/any authority at all, but I do know what I like.

This nail varnish is not expensive (at £2.99), but when I first had it went on really well, and even one coat was enough. Now I can tell it's a bit older & used and there are a few bristles on the brush that need sorting out. However, I like it, and its nothing a smidge of nail varnish remover & pair of scissors won't fix!!

Housework & Flying

As this blog has been set up as a lifestyle blog, I thought it was time I posted about something very few of us can get away with - housework.

I know. It sucks.

But when it's done, how great do you feel? There's something lovely about sitting down in your living room when the sofa cushions have been 'plumped', when the floor is hoovered, there's no cob web in the corner, no dust on the tele, everything has been put away & that smell of polish is in the air.... go on, admit it - you like it too! :)

I am rubbish at it. I do it because I have to, plus I will confess hubby is actually pretty good at it too, so it's not left entirely up to me, and I don't have kids to contend with either.

I found it really difficult to get into any sort of routine, as I really didn't want to spend my weekends cleaning, rather than going out, especially as I know often have cakes to make too. Plus working full time there are some evenings I just really can't be bothered!

So I did a bit of searching online and came across FLYLady: "Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home." The essence of FLYing is to divide your home into zones and concentrate on one each week, while carrying out tasks such as a Weekly Home Blessing Hour and the 5 minute room rescue.

While the premise is great - getting & keeping your home tidy with a series of daily tasks, I did find it difficult to keep up with it while having a full time job, and spending time with friends. I don't want to go into any detail about the FLYLady techniques beacuse she has so much valuable information on her website but here are a few lessons that I learned.

1. 15 minutes is a long time - especially if you can manage 15 minutes a day sorting out a room or dedictaed to a project.
2. A timer is indispensible - if you want to get something done quickly set your timer and once it beeps (or makes whatever noise has been set) stop.
3. You don't need to be perfect all the time - don't put off a job because you can't do it perfectly right then, even a quick tidy up/clean/wipe down will make you feel better & make the job easier next time.
4. Work as fast as you can - as well as helping get your jobs done quicker, I found I put more effort it and you burn more calories.
5. Keeping your sink shiny does make you smile in the morning. :)

Review: Betty Hula

When I started this blog I wanted it to be a helpful blog, full of reviews, hints, useful information etc etc. So when I saw @bettyhula on Twitter asking if people wanted free samples - I said yes. This was weeks ago! Unfortunatelt they came at a time when I had loads on at work and was rushing round a lot. Anyway long story short (ish) I DID sample the products I was sent and here (finally) is my review. Betty, please accept my apologies for it being so late!

The products I recieved were Kiwi & Lime Shea Butter Moisturiser and The Secret - anti-aging oil.

KIWI & LIME SHEA BUTTER MOISTURISER

The first thing that hits you when you open the moisturiser is the smell. It's divine! Really fresh and not at all chemically like some creams can be. It's quite a thick moisturiser, so not one that I would use every day, but one to keep for when I fancy an at-home pamper session. It does go on well and my skin felt lovely and soft that evening and the next day, and every now and then I'd get a hint of the lime-y scent which lasted longer than I thought it might.

THE SECRET - ANTI-AGING OIL

Being new to sampling such a wide range of cosmetic goodies - I wasn't entirely sure what to do with this, as I only had a sample (I'm not sure if the full-size product has directions) so I asked. I was told to smooth a few drops onto my face after a bath. So I did.

I was a little dubious at smearing oil on my face, but it was lovely. I tend to think of oil as olive oil type consistency but this was light with a very delicate fragrance. I did end up with more on my hands that my face...but that just meant my hands were lovely & soft too. My skin did feel & look great the next day - whether it looked younger, well I guess I'll have to try it a bit longer to check that out! ;)

All in all I would say that the products are lovely. They sink smoothly into your skin and are definitely worth a night in to try them out. I am intrigued to try the Champagne & Spice Moisturiser but I think, at the moment, it'll have to go on my Christmas list (hubby, if you're reading this....).

I love the brand and the products, and Betty has been great to deal with, I would defintiely buy these products in the future & am looking forward to seeing what other products they develop.

(All images taken from www.bettyhula.co.uk © Betty Hula.)

Wardrobe Planning

I have recently returned from holiday where I took the chance to plan a brand new wardrobe. A walk-in wardrobe! Now I know that I am lucky enough to have a room in my house that we can spare - unfortunately I do still need to share it with hubby (just kidding!) but I thought I would share my tips on wardrobe planning.

One thing we have struggled with since moving into our house 4 years ago is lack of storage. We wanted a nice open, spacious house without clutter. Ha! We didn't realise exactly how much 'stuff'we had, and by stuff I do mean clothes, shoes, bags, scarves, jewellery, coats, etc etc, and how much space it would take up. So here's what I did:


1. Make a list of exactly what you want to store in the space. Will your shoes be stored there or do you have somewhere else for them? What abut coats?

2. Add to this list a rough idea on quantity & space needed. How many pairs of shoes?  Do you have lots of jewellery or will a little box on your dressing table do?


3. What type of storage do you need? Do trousers need to be hung full length or folded in half? Do you have long dresses that need to be hung up or could you get away with 2 clothes rails? What can be stored in drawers?

4. Measure the space you have available & start doodling!

We used the ANOTNIUS system from IKEA and after several sketches and plans now have a lovely, spacious wardobe suitable for all my (and hubby's) clothes.

Feel free to share your tips below and let me know how you planned your clothing space.