Nails Of The Day!

I just wanted to quickly show you the look I have been enjoying on my nails for the past few days before I take off the polish and do them a different colour, but unfortunately, my camera is still up the spout, so I have had to find pictures to illustrate what I went for online. So, picture credits for this particular post must go to http://oxentechique.blogspot.com.br/2011/10/verniz-poodlegemssamba-juliana.html, and I do hope she doesn't mind. I want to make a point of saying that this would not be my normal approach, I just really wanted to show you how my nails are at the moment, and this was the only way to do so!

So, for this look, I used Brazilian brand Risque's nail polish in 'Poodle'. It's a lovely pastel lilac colour, but I have to say that I was slightly disappointed after application, as though smooth and fast drying, it had appeared to have some subtle shimmer in the bottle, which didn't transfer to the nails.

The second polish I used is this pretty glitter one, which is 'Gems', by Milani. Actually, I did it slightly differently and only applied the glitter to my ring finger nails, but I couldn't find a more accurate photo for you!

Milani nail lacquers are available from their website, but you can also find them quite easily on Ebay. For a choice of their gorgeous glitter polishes, as well as some other brands like Kleancolor and NYX Girls, visit Joy's Cosmetics ebay store. Joy is a top-rated seller.

Unfortunately, I can't find a supplier of Risque in the UK for you ( I picked mine up in Brazil), but I will keep my eyes peeled and let you know if the polishes become available.

Milani Glitter Polishes (£2.75 - £2.90) in Gems, Gold, Silver, Fuchsia, Lavender, Teal, Hot Pink and Red.

Hope everyone is over the Monday blues and having a lovely evening!

xx

Mac: Hey, Sailor!

     Drumroll, please!!                     

Presenting Mac's new 'Hey, Sailor' collection, due out at the end of May! 

I am so excited about this little lot!

The whole collection is nautical-themed, from the packaging right down to the product names, and I already know that I'm going to be dying to get my hands on more than just a few of these gorgeous offerings.

So, without further ado, here is the collection, in full:

Nail lacquers in Gold Knot, Touch of Red and Vestral White 

Sun Tint SPF20 Liquid Lip Balms in Abalone, Rose Au and Sea Mist 

Lipsticks in Red Racer (bright red), Sail la Vie (bright orange), Salute! (peach) and To Catch a Sailor (frosted tan)

Lipglass in Blessedly (pale coral), Cut Loose (white gold), Orange Tempera (pale peach), Riviera Life (tangerine) and Send Me Sailing (bright red).

Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Saunter, Shore Leave and Throw Me a Line

Eyeshadow in Barefoot, Crystal Avalanche, Feeling Fresh, Jaunty and Nautical

 Highlighter Powder in Crew (peach with shimmer)

Bronzer in Soft Sand (golden bronze) and Refined Golden (gold with pearl)

Powder Blush in Launch Away! (peach) and Fleet Fast (pinky coral)

Pigment in Old Gold and Naval Blue

Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Blue Stripe, Emerald Sea and Handforged

And there you have it!

On my must-have list are definitely the highlighting powder, both shades of blush, the Powepoint Eye Pencil in  Blue Stripe, the Pigment in Old Gold, Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Shore Leave, allllll the nail lacquers, alllll the lipsticks.....and that's having whittled it down to the absolute essentials! Haha.

What do you think of the Hey, Sailor! Collection? Is it your cup of tea? Which of these beautiful treats are you itching to get hold of?

Hope everyone has had the most fabulous weekend!

Mel

xx

Weekend Favourites

It's that time again!

This week's most wanted list features a variety of things, from a variety of places! I haven't really gone for a theme this week, so instead, I've just put together a little collection of beautiful things for you to peruse. Enjoy!

Patchwork Persian Quilt, £120, Urban Outfitters Home.

Tin, £5.99, Ebay

Tokyo Doll Pink Tropical Jeans, £24.99, New Look.

Vintage 'Tea for One' set, £17.05, Ebay

'To Kill a Mockingbird' poster, £18 (pricey!), Urban Outfitters Home.

This is my favourite book!

Nails in Gilted, £6, Topshop.

Co-ord Bird Print Shorts, £35, Topshop

Graphic Beaded Clutch, £45, Accessorize

Leaf Tree Jewellery Stand, £18, Urban Outfitters Home

Floral DIY Shorts, £35, Miss Selfridge

What's on your wanted list this week?

My Second Versatile Blog Award!

A big thank you goes out to Emily of Emily Fierce for nominating me for my second Versatile Blogger Award!

I have recently discovered Emily's blog, and it's a great read. She's a bit of a nail queen and does some brilliant NOTD posts, some of which have really inspired me to be a bit more adventurous and to try and learn the art of, well, nail art. Highly recommended.

Anyway, as you have probably realised if you are a regular reader, I was already lucky enough to receive this award from the lovely Tasmina at Life and Loves last week, so I won't bore you by repeating the same questions and answers again. Instead, I'll link back to the original post, which you can find here.

Please do go and have a look at Emily's blog, and leave me a comment if you decide to give any of her nail designs a go. I am still in awe of those who are actually good at nail art as I find it so ridiculously fiddly!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Thursday!

xx

Get To Know Me Tag

1. What would you do if you had a magic wand?
Ok, I don't want to sound cliche, or like I'm just saying this for everyone to say "aww, she's so nice". But the other night, I watched the film Machine Gun Preacher, which is basically a true story about a bad boy who turns good and ends up going out to Africa to help protect and house orphaned children,  and it seriously made me cry so much! So I would love to wave a magic wand and give these guys a safe and happy life.
Other than that, I'd use the wand to make sure my family were all right, and on a more fun note, I think I'd like to be able to magic myself to wherever in the world I wanted to be, as I LOVE travelling.....and of course, to magic myself lovely new clothes and beauty products as and when I want them, haha!

2. What would you like to change on you?
I'm assuming due to the wording that this means physically. Hmmm...well, I'd love it if my hair wasn't so dry on the ends. If you had asked me this a few years ago then I'd have definitely said I wanted to be taller, but nowadays I am quite happy with my height, and trying to just be happy with what I've got in general.

3. What's your biggest flaw?
As most of you know, my husband is Brazilian. And I find that when I'm in Brazil I become a completely different person and am really shy! I suppose it's due to not being able to speak in my mother tongue, but I absolutely hate the feeling of awkwardness that comes over me! I am also really impatient, and a bit messy!

4. Do you tell lies?
Well, I absolutely HATE being lied to, as most of us do. So, I only tell white lies really. Like, the kind that you tell to prevent someone worrying about you, or to stop them from nagging you. Orrrr, maybe about how much I've just spent on Ebay.....haha! Of course, I lied about lots of silly things as a kid, but who didn't?


5. If you won a lot of money, what would you do?
First things first, I'd jet off around the world, taking my husband, parents, sister and friends with me, and have an amazing time visiting all the places I've always wanted to. Then, I'd go home and buy a lovely house and go on a huuuge shopping spree! And bearing in mind my answer to question one, I'd like to think I'd also do something genuinely positive with some of the money.

6. What can you brag about? 
Not really one for bragging. But I suppose it would be being able to speak fluent Portuguese.


7. What's your dream job?
A professional fashion and beauty blogger/journalist, definitely. Or a stylist, I would adore that job!

8. Have you got a motto?
If I'm honest, there are few things I find more annoying than the constant motto-sharing that goes on on Facebook, and fills up my newsfeed. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a few positive words as needed. But being bombarded with them constantly somehow just makes them seem meaningless. A truly good one, though, is one my mum always used to say to me, which is 'treat others as you would like to be treated yourself'.

9.  How do you imagine yourself in ten years time?
Hopefully living in a nice house closer to my family and friends, and doing a job that I enjoy.

10. What would be the ideal gift for you?
Ooh, now you're asking! Umm, maybe a winning lottery ticket!?


11. If you could be somebody famous for a day, who would you be?
This is a tricky one, as  fame has never really appealed to me. And also, how could you benefit from being a celebrity for a day? Maybe a Victoria's Secret model, just to know what it's like to be that ridiculously hawt! Haha.

I tag all my lovely followers to answer these questions, as I'd really enjoy getting to know a bit more about you all!

Weekend Favourites: Ebay Essentials!

So, as promised, this week's Weekend Favourites post is all about the wonderful little gems I have found on Ebay, and their even better prices.

I don't know about you ladies, but I absolutely adore vintage and costume jewellery, and I love having a scout around charity shops to see what I can find. A lot of the high-street stores do do some lovely 'in the style of' pieces, but the drawback about those is that often, everyone else has the same things! At the end of the day, I like what I like, and I won't let other people having something stop me from getting it if I really want to, but at the same time, I love knowing that the beautiful piece of jewellery I am wearing is unique. With ebay, it's easy to find gorgeous jewellery that you are unlikely to come across anyone else wearing. Yes, there are some sellers who sell lots of each item, but even then, it's unlikely you will bump into someone on a night out who has exactly the same thing.

Now, personally, I have currently got a bit of a thing for vintage pocket watches, which you can wear on a chain around your neck. I am also a big fan of animal themed jewellery at the moment. I don't really wear silver jewellery, I'm more of a gold or bronze girl. So, with all that in mind, here is my pick of the most beautiful bits that Ebay has to offer. (You can snap each of these up for less than a pound if you're quick enough, but I have noticed that these sellers are always adding new stock anyway, most of it equally gorgeous).

I hope you all like this selection and agree that they are absolutely bargainous! For more information on any of the pieces, leave me a comment in the box below, and I will tell you what I know and how to find the item.

Sorry there aren't any silver bits in there, I just happened to save the pieces I personally would like to own while browsing on Ebay, but if you would like me to do a post focusing on silver pieces then do please let me know, as I would be more than happy to do so!

So how has everyone's weekend been? Feel free to leave me a comment, I'd love to hear your stories, or your opinions on this post!

Saturday Summary

Playsuit: Miss Selfridge

Clutch: Primark

Belt: New Look

Hello you lovely people, hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend.

I'm in quite a chatty mood, and as my posts have been a bit thin on the ground this week (sorry about that), I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a catch-up.

First things first. As you may have noticed, my 'Friday Favourites' series is proving a little difficult for me, as as I previously mentioned, I seem to be extremely busy on Fridays at the moment. I don't know if any of you know this, but I am a teacher of English as a foreign language, so come the end of the week, I find myself faced with stacks and stacks of homework to be marked and paperwork to be done. I know some of you might say that I've got all weekend to do this, and you'd be right, but I'd really much rather try and get it all out of the way so that I can relax and enjoy my days off, as well as doing a few blog posts (which I enjoy far more!) so I hope that you can understand that. So, the point of this all being that I have decided to rename the series 'Weekend Favourites', and the posts will be up on Saturdays or Sundays.

(Dress: New Look  (Yes, yes I did get it from the teenager section. The benefits of being a bit of a shortie!)

Belt: Newlook (came with dress)

Bracelet: Miss Selfridge

Sunglasses: Chilli Beans

Sandals: A shop in Brazil called Boroto.

This week, and in fact the week before too, I have been on a bit of a diet, which I am going to be posting about tomorrow, for those of you who are interested. I just decided to do it because we all tend to stay at home and munch a bit too much during the colder months, and with summer coming, I wanted to just lose a couple of pounds in order to get back to my 'comfortable' weight. Anyway, the long and short of it was that I have been (surprisingly) very successful, and have even managed to lose a little extra, which is great. 

I have also developed a rather unhealthy obsession with Ebay over the past few days, having 'popped my Ebay cherry', so to speak. Of course, I had known about it for years, but for some reason I'd never actually got around to getting on there and having a browse. Now, however, it's like it's taking over my life! Haha. I spent hours on there today, and it got to the point where I found myself getting into bidding wars for things I don't even really want! Ooh, the competitiveness of it all. 

A couple of days ago, my husband asked me to buy him a pair of Vans he had seen on there, and so I was left with the responsibility of winning them for him, knowing that he'd be really gutted if I didn't get them for him as they were a vintage pair. No pressure then. So, I decided to employ a little tactic a friend of mine had let me into, and waited right until the last few seconds to place my bid. I got so nervous it was actually ridiculous, all that adrenaline! Thought I was going to pass out, haha. Anyway, luckily for me, I did indeed win the shoes, and that was the start of my addiction! Since then, I have bid on countless items I have since decided I neither want nor need, and am desperately hoping for someone to outbid me on them before the auctions end! That said, I did win a brand new Topshop skirt for a pound today - bargain!

My biggest triumph, though, has definitely been finding absolute piles of gorgeous vintage and costume jewellery, for prices so low my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw them!   I am posting on this tomorrow too, when I will be bringing you my favourite, most amazing Ebay jewellery finds as part of my 'Weekend Favourites'.

I do have a little bit of an Ebay haul winging it's way to me, including clothes and makeup, so I will be sure to tell you all about it when it arrives.

Not much else to fill you in on this week, I'm afraid, as I've mostly just been working (and Ebaying!). Our new house is still not ready to move into, and I haven't been out for any delicious meals or cooked anything exciting due to the afore-mentioned diet. Plans for the rest of the weekend are to have a bit of a lazy day tomorrow and watch some films. What have you been up to?

xx

Versatile Blogger Award!

Well, how exciting. My second blogging award of the week, courtesy of Tasmina at Life and Loves!
Big thanks go out to her for thinking of me, and I'd definitely recommend you go and check out her page. She's quite a new blogger, like me, and I really enjoy reading her posts.

Here's the lovely certificate I received! I will keep it up on my wall forever.

Rules - 

~ Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.

~ Let them know you have nominated them.
~ Share 7 random facts about you.
~ Thank the bloggers who have nominated you.
~ Add The Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

So, here are a few things you may or may not know about me:

1. I studied Print Journalism at university.

2. I speak fluent Brazilian Portuguese!

3. I'm married, and my husband is Brazilian.

4. I have recently developed an unhealthy addiction...to Ebay!!

5. When I finished school, I went and did some volunteer work in Costa Rica, and travelled around a bit.

6. My favourite shop used to be Topshop, but now I try to avoid it as the prices have got ridiculous!

7. I'm a bit on the small side, at 5'1", which, as a teenager, was a bit of a pain. But as I get older, I am discovering that it definitely has it's advantages, although I do still love a good heel!

I am loving reading so many brilliant blogs at the moment. 

Here are my nominees:

BB Beauty

London Squirrel

Rachel's Journal

Miss Sunshine and Sparkle

Sweetaholic Beauty

Sugar Sweet Monster

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far!

By the way, is there anyone out there who can tell me why my posts keep coming up with a chunk of white background behind them!?

xx

'This or That' Tag

Hello pretties, Tasminaaa over at Lifeandloves recently did this tag, and I thought it was interesting to see what people say when they are forced to choose between beauty essentials! Haha. It's funny how people differ.

Anyway, here are my choices. A couple of the questions weren't really relevant to me, as they were about locations/stores in the USA, so I have slightly re-worded them. I do hope this doesn't offend anyone, I just didn't feel qualified to choose between places I have never visited, that's all. But I am sure they are great and would love to check them out someday!

Makeup -
Blush or Bronzer: It's got to be blush.
Lipgloss or Lipstick: Lipstick! Slightly obsessed at the mo, especially Topshop!
Eyeliner or Mascara: Hmm, a toughie, but I'll go with mascara. I've only recently found one I'd choose over eyeliner though, and that's

Foundation or Concealer: Foundation...it can conceal a multitude of sins on it's own!

Neutral or Colour Eyeshadow: Neutral
Pressed or Loose Eyeshadow: Pressed

Brushes or Sponges: Brushes...though if I'm honest, I haven't even tried sponges! 

Nails - 

OPI or China Glaze: OPI. Love it, although haven't tried China Glaze so I can't really judge fairly which is better!

Long or Short: Medium.

Acrylic or Natural: Definitely natural.

Brights or Darks: Brights! Though at the moment, I am loving pastels more than anything. I like dark shades in the winter.

Flower or No Flower: I love flowers, but not really on my nails. Have seen some really cool nail art on some of your blogs recently, though.

Body - 

Perfume or Body Spray: Perfume

Lotion or Body Butter: Body Butter

Body Wash or Soap: Body Wash

Lush or Other Bath Company: Lush

Fashion -

Jeans or joggers (sweatpants): Jeans, in various colours!
Long Sleeve or Short: Ahhh, another tough one! This one definitely depends on the season.

Dresses or Skirts: Dresses

Stripes or checks(plaid): Stripes, by a mile.

Flip Flops or Sandals: Sandals, because then I can have a heel! I'm not one for flats as I'm too small!

Scarves or Hats: Scarves. Although I love both

Studs or Dangly Earrings: Danglies. Unless we are talking pearl studs.

Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots: Riding boots

Jacket or Hoodie: Hoodie. Lovely for chilling out at home in.

Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe: Forever 21, but haven't been to Charlotte Russe. F21 is great value for money.

Topshop or Zara: Topshop, but it has got SO expensive lately!!

Mac or Smashbox: Mac.

Hair - 

Curly or Straight: Curly, but I do both.

Bun or Ponytail: Bun!

Kirby Grips or Butterfly Clips: Kirby Grips (Bobby Pins, if you're in the USA.

Hairspray or Hairgel: Hairspray! I do not, nor will I ever, do gel.

Long or Short: Long. But not overboard, I am not a fan of ridiculously long extensions.

Light or Dark: Dark

Side Sweep Fringe or Full Fringe: Side sweep

Up or Down: Up if it's hot. Down if it's not.

Random -

Rain or Shine: Shine, but I love snuggling in bed when it's raining!

Summer or Winter: Summer.
Autumn or Spring: Spring. Birds singing and flowers blooming.

Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate.

North or south: South!

Hope you enjoyed seeing me crack under pressure!

Would love to know what your answers would be, so please comment below if you are going to step into the hotseat! I tag everyone who reads this post.

Hope everyone's had a great day today.

xx

Friday Favourites

Ahhh, late again with my Friday Favourites! Sorry about that, it seems that as soon as I decided to start doing the series, I suddenly found myself with loads to do on Fridays, and actually, coming towards the end of the week, I have been feeling a bit under the weather too, so that hasn't helped. Just a bit of a cold, but they can make you feel pretty rubbish, can't they?

Anyway, onwards.

This week's Friday Favourites is based upon my favourite finds from the 'New in' sections of the high-street stores' websites. Being the turn of the season, and that time when the shops are jam-packed full of gorgeous, colourful spring/summer attire, there was an absolute shed-load of things that I could have put on here, but I did try to restrain myself and keep calm! I am absolutely adoring all the gorgeous pale pastels and bold tropical prints in stores at the moment, not to mention all the different pieces printed with various little animals, which are just so cute and I could buy them all!

Pleated Scallop Crop Shell Top

£28, Topshop

Folly Metal Chiffon Sandals

£50, Topshop

Skull Wrap Ring

£6.50, Topshop

Lemon Broderie Tie Shirt

£29, Miss Selfridge

Tropical Print Shorts

£40, Oasis

Luminescent Floral Bikini Top

£14, Oasis

Balinese Border Print Maxi Dress

£55. Warehouse

Bonbon Birdie Clutch

£35, Accessorize

Capri Statement Ring

£15, Accessorize

Pearly Tweet Twoo Owl Brooch

£5, Accessorize

Pineapple Fabric Fan

£4.50, Accessorize

My favourite finds have to be the lemon broderie shirt and the bird-print clutch. I've already got the same shirt in white and it is so gorgeous and summery. It looks amazing with the coral crepe shorts featured in last week's Friday Favourites, and with a tan the whole ensemble will look even better.

Sadly, the sandals will probably stay on my favourites list but never be bought,  because despite the fact that I am constantly falling in love with flat shoes and sandals, I never actually buy them, because I know from past experience that I won't wear them! I'm small, and I feel that flats 'cut  off 'my legs and make me look even shorter, so if I do put a pair on, I ALWAYS end up taking them off at the last minute in favour of heels! I feel so much more in proportion with them on.

I am a huge fan of statement jewellery and am always on the lookout for chunky cocktail rings. If they so happen to be animal/insect inspired, then that's even better! Accessorize really do have a gorgeous selection in at the moment, which is no surprise. Every time I go in that shop, there's trouble!! I always see so many things that I want to buy, but I always feel that I have to keep myself under control because there are often cheaper alternatives elsewhere. If, like me, you get bored easily, then it's a good idea to stock up on loads of cheaper bits (charity shops, Primark, H&M...) rather than one or two expensive pieces, or at least, I find this to be the case. But it's definitely nice to sometimes treat myself to some things of higher quality I know will last.

That said, some of the gems you can find in charity shops and at boot sales are amazingly good value and last forever!

Which pieces from the 'New in' sections are you going to be treating yourselves to/admiring from afar this spring/summer?

What is your favourite spring trend?

xx