Wednesday 27 June 2012

Growing my nails and Avon Nail Illuminator review

I've recently been trying to get my nails into better shape and grow them.  I have bitten and picked at my nails for the best part of 30 years.  Even though I have always longed for beautiful long nails I just can't resist biting them.  Well this time will power has won over and I have managed to go for at least 3 weeks without so much as a nibble.  They aren't growing at great speed but they have the strength I was hoping for.  They were looking a little bit dull and weren't smooth so I have been using a 4 in 1 nail buffer.  I used it to smooth the nails and get rid of any ridges and then buff them to a beautiful shine. 

When I saw the Avon Nail Illuminator on special offer I had to try it. 





 It goes on easily and doesn't clump.  I was left with a beautiful glossy shine.  My nails reflect the light and seem to shimmer slightly.  I did think that I could have gotten the same effect from a clear nail varnish but I have noticed that the whites of my nails seem brighter and the finish is very hard wearing.  If I ever use a clear varnish it chips almost immediately and I need to re apply every other day.  With the Nail Illuminator I haven't had so much as a chip and I'm on day 4 and my nails still look fab.  The Nail Illuminator also claims to reduce the look of staining on nails but my nails weren't particularly stained so I cannot comment there.  All in all I think that this is worth a try if you like to have natural looking nails.  I don't tend to have the time to maintain beautifully painted nails so I'm liking the natural look.

I think this is a great product which is easy to apply and does illuminate my nails.  I paid £2.49 for this but the rrp is £5.  It's in the current brochure for £2.50 here I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've tried it.

Hopefully when I get my nails to the length I want I'll treat myself to a CND Shellac manicure.  Ticking off one of my "7 Things for 7 Days" goals.  YAY!!!

Thanks for reading ;-)

Emma xx

Sunday 24 June 2012

7 Things for 7 Days : June

What do I need above everything in my life???  MOTIVATION.  And I've found it in the form of Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter).  She is running '7 things for 7 days' blog posts here so I thought that I would join in.  I am hugely disorganised and procrastinate far too much and need to do something about it.  If I write it here on my blog I may be more enclined to go for my goals.  Oh, and I love list writing too so this is right up my street.




My first priority is to sort my mess of a house out but I thought I'd throw some beauty related stuff in there to keep me interested.

1.  Take real good care of my skin - I'm often too busy with the kids or tired that my skin doesn't often get much more than a wipe over with a face cloth.  I'm quite lucky that I have pretty good skin but with a little pampering it could be so much better.
2.  Don't bite my nails (and reward my self with a manicure) - My nails are terribly short because I bite them.  I have found, over the last couple of weeks, that If I take time to keep them looking nice I don't seem to bite them as much.  They are starting to grow and hopefully I'll have beautiful nails in no time.
3.  Tackle the boys bedroom.  And keep it from becoming a mess again - It is horrendous.  I can't even open the wardrobe door.  My youngest is 6 and he can mess a bedroom up in 30 seconds flat.  I have been putting off sorting it out because I know it will take me a least a whole day.  The thought of spending a whole day tidying it, only for it to be back in the same state after a couple of days, is really putting me off.  WILL I DO IT?
4.  Find 7 bargains - just for fun ;-) - I love looking for bargains.  Whether it's beauty bargains or bargains for the home, I love finding them.  I get a real sense of satisfaction when I come across something cheap.
5.  Sort kitchen cupboards out - Can't find anything in my kitchen.  I have sorted it out so many times but my husband doesn't seem to get the concept of 'everthing has a place'.  I'm going to give it one last try and see if I can educate him about where things go.  Wish me luck. 
6.  Try to eat better - I'm very overweight but I love food so much.  I'm going to try to reduce my portion sizes and eat a few things which are 'better' for me.
7. Get some followers on my blog - Sometimes I feell ike not bothering writing anything on here because nobody ever reads it but if I don't then nobody ever will.

I'm really hoping that I manage to achive these goals in the next 7 days but I suppose all I can do is try.  I should have put an extra one in there - When the kids have been asking for breakfast for the last 20 minutes, stop writing a blog post and get them some (poor starving children awww).

Thanks for reading
Emma xx 

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Jubilee Fun!!!

What a weekend its been!!!  Had a whale of a time celebrating our queen's 60 years on the throne, mainly by relaxing and not doing much.  I'm not really mad about the monarchy like some people but I do love to join in celebrations like this and royal weddings etc.  We've watched most of the jubilee celebration events on the tv including the fantastic concert outside Buckingham Palace.

We went to my parents house on Monday for a street party.  It was the street where I grew up so got to see loads of familiar faces.  The kids had a great time as there were lots of activities organised like a treasure hunt and even a hat competition.  For the adults there was a quiz with a royal theme.  If that wasn't enough there was some live music provided by one of the residents' band. 



I really enjoyed baking for the event.  I get sick of baking the same old fairy cakes which the kids like so it's nice to be a little more adventurous.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to contribute to the "wear red white and blue" theme as my wardrobe can only fulfill the white criteria. 

Hopefully I'll get round to putting the recipes on my cooking blog and I'll maybe try to re-create my OOTD.

Emma xx