Leopard Print

I've been extremely busy starting my job and getting into the swing of living and working in London but last night I did my first nail art in ages and I wanted to share it 

It's a very basic, subtle leopard print using some of my favourite opis and a england polish. I don't have my dotting tools with me so I did it with a hair grip.

I love how this looks- there's something so classic about a good leopard print.

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ILNP Nostalgia Swatches

I recently bought a bottle of ILNP Nostalgia. This is one of their famed multi chromes and now using it I can see why! It changes easily and regularly and although I was a little unsure of the colour at first it grew on me.

This is two coats of the polish- it is very easy to apply and ridiculously shiny, that's the reflection of my camera you can see in these photos.

I'm loving this polish- what do you think?

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Smitten Polish Nimbus Take Two

The last time I showed you Smitten Polish Nimbus there was no sun in gloomy England but when I put it on today in preparation for work there were remnants of sunlight so I snapped these two quick pictures to show you the glory of this polish.

I've been very busy starting my new job, celebrating my birthday and moving all my stuff into London but the blog will be starting to pick up again now :).

Isn't it gorgeous, the scattered linear holo lifts the grey polish. I'm very excited about getting back to blogging, doing a little bit of makeup and lifestyle mixed in with my nails. Next up, what made it into my handbag?

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The Routine: Skin

Moving to London by train meant I had to be picky with what I brought so I thought it would be the perfect time to give you an insight into my skin care and makeup routine.

The morning set: After showering I use this Coola sun care sample for extra protection then the REN Day Cream and Elemental Herbology Facial Hydrator alternately to moisturise and leave a smooth surface for makeup to sit on. Benefit's The Porefessional I use to blur imperfections on my nose and the So Susan Lip Cushion I put on first thing to start hydrating my incredibly dry and chapped lips.

At night once I have cleansed using the L'Occitane Cleansing Gel I use the matching toner on a cotton pad to cool my face then massage in the Roger & Gallet Huile Sublime followed by the REN Night Cream. The Blistex Intensive Moisturiser stays on the lips throughout the night and really does work to help repair damaged lips.
When I wake up after this my skin looks incredibly healthy and none of my normal dry patches are dry at all, however I am still looking for a morning moisturiser which is really effective for dry skin so if you've found one I'd love to know!

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Glam Polish Coven

This is the best red polish ever!

The best way I can describe it is as a holographic polish where all of the sparkle is red, it is just amazing!

This is two coats and it is incredibly easy to apply. This is my first Glam Polish but it certainly won't be my last.

This is a proper power manicure- wear this on the day you want to get your own way.

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Fan Brush Gradient

Fan brushes are the ones that come in packs of nail art brushes and nobody really uses. I decided to use one to create a sort of marbled gradient. I generously dotted four different colours up my nail and then swept the fan brush side to side moving from the top to the bottom of the nail.

I put down a white base to make the colours pop and if you do this you have to be really careful to get colour over the whole nail.

I will definitely be trying this again, although the clean up is a little traumatic- make sure you put tape on the sides of your fingers before you start! What do you think of this?

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Packing my bags for London

Just incase you haven't heard yet, I'm moving to London on Saturday to start my new job. This is my first proper office job and I have had to reboot my wardrobe after 4 yrs of casual living which including buying a new bag! I bought a stunning brown leather bag for a third of the original price at TK Maxx and then set about buying mini essentials to fill it.

After watching Vivianna Does Makeup's What's in my bag video this week I picked up an antibacterial hand gel from Carex moisturising to try and protect my hands a little more and Tisserand De-Stress aromatherapy roller ball for the tube journey home at the end of the day. I also chose the Revlon Highlighting Palette in Bronze Glow to add a healthy glow to my complexion (I use this under my foundation ala Goss Makeup Artist) and the Rimmel Exaggerate eye shadow primer as I needed a cheap primer. The mouthwash is for use after lunch (I don't like gum) and I will fill it up from a big bottle when I run out.
I did buy the Superdrug own Vitamin E eye cream and Radiance moisture cream- under no circumstances should you buy these; they both have large amounts of glitter in (presumably to add radiance, but it's way over the top) and the eye cream dries to a chalky texture which is particularly unpleasant. I'm not too annoyed because they were so cheap but I'm going to be saving my pennies to buy a high quality eye cream and moisturiser and I'l make sure I'm shopping somewhere I can test a little bit for texture first!

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