Supermarket Sweep

Hello dolls, hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday! The weather has been a lot greyer here in the UK today, however this is a fact that please me! I have decided now it's September, summer is officially over. I am not massively sad about this as I love Autumn and Winter, and am looking forward to the cosy nights in, comforting food and of course, Christmas!

Over the past couple of days I have turned my attention to my work wardrobe. A new school year and a new season requires a whole new working wardrobe in my opinion! I quite enjoy shopping for work clothes (although not as much as clothes for my weekend wardrobe), although I refuse to spend a fortune on this type of clothing. I am not sure why, as of course, I spend the majority of time at work. I have always been happy to spend as I see fit on my weekend wardrobe, but never much more than £20 on a dress for work. Luckily for me, the supermarkets now have extremely comprehensive and very good value ranges, so I can pretty much pick up everything I need while completing the weekly shop!

I have recently purchased 3 dresses from Tesco, one full price at £16 and two in the sale at £7 and £8 each. Yesterday my best friend Clare and I went for a browse in Asda Living and both purchased some more dresses for work. This time both full price at £16 and £10 respectively. I tend to gravitate towards dresses for work as I find them easy to just throw on in the morning, with a pair of tights, heels or pumps and a statement necklace or bracelet. On chilly days a cardi or blazer work a treat as well, layered over the top. 

Black ponte formal dress £10 Asda

Mono print dress £16 Asda

F & F jersey wrap dress £16 (mine is a different style, navy blue with a print)

Just a selection of the dresses I have bought, I couldn't get pictures of the other two. Now I have new stationery for work and new clothes, I just need to stock up on tights and buy a new pair of winter heels (M & S most likely, I will only wear leather to work as I am on my feet all day and need to be comfortable!)

Well that's all for today, I am making the most of the last bit of weekend by catching up on some reading in between making my to-do list for the week, and a chilli con carne for dinner! : ) xoxo

I nailed it

With my nail technician away for the summer, I have had to be more inventive with my nails for the past couple of months. I never thought I would say this, but I have really enjoyed painting my nails, trying new colours and styles. Nail art has really exploded again recently and it has been really enjoyable trying different techniques for myself. I now own a great deal more nail polish than ever before, as well as a vast array of nail oils, cuticle creams and scrubs! I will never be fully converted though, as I enjoy the luxury and ease of having a professional take care of my nails, however, its good to know I have back-ups!

One such nail experiment that I have been particularly pleased with is the application of nail foils on my toes. You may remember that I blogged about my minx toe nail foils here, back in June. I was so impressed with the look of these foils, and the way they stayed put for a good 5 to 6 weeks. I was therefore keen to try the at home version when my friend told me that she had bought some. They are available to buy in Boots and Superdrug, as well as Ebay which is where she purchased hers from. Just like with Minx, they come in many designs, and cost a very reasonable £9.50 for 5 designs.

Step 1 - Clean off any old polish and residues with nail polish remover.

Step 2 - Select the size of foil that fits best for your first toe and blast with a hair-dryer to soften for about 5 seconds. When soft and malleable, lay the foil down on the toe nail.

Step 3 - The foil will be much too long so use a pair of nail scissors to trim off the excess. When this is done, you can file the edge of the foil and nail to neaten and to seal the edge.

Step 4 - Use a cotton bud and roll over the nail to ensure good adhesion and smoothness.

Step 5 - Check the nail, and repeat the steps above until all toes are complete.

Ta-da! Your nails should look something like this when finished! These foils should last at least a month, however, if you wish to remove to change design, they are easily taken off by blasting a hair dryer on each one to soften. They will then simply peel off.

That's everything for today, hope you are all having a nice week : ) Until next time xoxo

Shellac is my new best friend

I have worn acrylic nail extensions for as long as I can remember (it must be a good 9 years now). I think nails are important and say a lot about a person. I certainly feel a lot more professional and groomed when my nails are perfect and sporting the latest colours. Recently however, I have had an about-turn in terms of the way I want my nails to look. I have started to prefer the shorter, squoval look - more natural and smarter looking too I think. I guess working in a secondary school, I have grown tired of the look of mega long talons with super sharp edges (the kids adore these!) and I guess also, as we get older our tastes change.

So, I took the brave step of having my fake nails removed. Deep breath, breaking out into a sweat, gulp! I then researched nail artists in my area and found a fabulous local lady who specialises in all kinds of new techniques over from the US, in particular Minx and Shellac. I have since had Minx on my toes and Shellac on my nails. And I am converted, one hundred and ten per cent! The Minx on the toes (a foil that comes in a gazillion designs, melted with heat and applied to the toes, lasts at least a month on feet) is so special looking and has earned me many admiring glances and comments. The design I chose literally looks like molten gold - so gorgeous on bronzed feet in the summer! The shellac on the fingernails applies like a polish but cures like a gel. It does not smudge or chip and lasts a full two weeks (when you need a replacement due to re-growth). This comes in many colours and of course the classic french mani. Today I had my colour changed over to a gorgeous warm red shade called 'Hollywood' (see photo).

If you haven't tried Minx or Shellac yet, give them a try - they may just change the way you do your nails forever!! xx