Diary and a Manicure

Hello!

I just thought that, along with my current manicure, I'd give a little update of where I'm at in life. Nearly 3 weeks ago I had a small biopsy operation following a cancer scare; I'm still waiting for the results but the nurses seemed confident that I don't need to worry. In some completely unrelated bad luck I've also been having stomach pains and am suspected to have gallstones. I have to wait for an ultrasound appointment so a doctor can take a look around. So a lot of waiting and baited breath at the moment!

The worst thing is that these scares have completely set off my depression. I have had to take time off work and haven't been able to do my weekly volunteering either. I'm trying to post my manicures regularly so as to do something productive, and am hoping to dip my toe back in the water with a short shift back at work soon. Wish me luck!

And, of course, I have a manicure for you. I cut my nails short yesterday and I've decided to go bright and bold with Nails Inc's Baker Street and polka dots!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Jade ~ Black Tie

Hello!

Today I am wearing the fifth of the Jade Special Glitz collection that I won from Sally Magpies! Black Tie is a black jelly packed with holo sparkle glitter, building up to an opaque finish in 2 coats.

Now, Black Tie has been so hard to photograph! The way I would describe this polish is like Barry M's Black Multiglitter, but living up to its full potential. The sparkle in the Barry M gets a bit lost, but because Black Tie is a jelly it comes through strong. Here it is:

Yes, my camera definitely had a hard time with this! But it really lives up to its name, both in terms of being glitzy and black-tie worthy!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Floral Manicure

Hello!

This is just a quick mani I did a while back that I really loved but ruined on my non-dominant hand! I used Barry M's Blueberry and my Cheeky Home Sweet Home plate (surprise surprise!).

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Lovebird Manicure

This post contains products which were sent to me for review :-)

Hello!

Today I have another manicure using my KKcenterhk stamping plates. This one uses an adorable image of two birds with little hearts, which I stamped over pastel skittles!

Plate No.: NNAIL-SPPMF09

http://www.kkcenterhk.com/p11340/N.NAIL-Wings-Flower-Bird-Eyes-Candy-Strawberry-Stamping-Plate/product_info.html

I absolutely adore this image but, as you can see, I did have some trouble getting the hearts to stamp properly. I'd definitely use this image again regardless but it's a shame!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Jammy Dodger Manicure!

This post contains products which were sent to me for review :-)

Hello!

KKcenterhk sent me 2 stamping plates to review a little while ago, and one plate has a pattern that reminded me instantly of jammy biscuits! So I painted a "buttery biscuit base" of Sally Hansen's Without A Stitch, then stamped the heart pattern over it in red.

Plate No.: NNAIL-SPPMF09

http://www.kkcenterhk.com/p11340/N.NAIL-Wings-Flower-Bird-Eyes-Candy-Strawberry-Stamping-Plate/product_info.html

Very Alice in Wonderland! ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

OPI ~ Jinx

Hello!

For my birthday I received the OPI James Bond Liquid Sand mini set, and the first one I tried just had to be Jinx!

I am extremely hit-and-miss when it comes to the textured polish trend and it's rare that I see one of these polishes and truly like it. However, I am firmly adding Jinx to the "like" list! It's a sunset orange with a golden glow, very beautiful, and the textured effect really suits it. Here are 2 coats:

And in warmer light:

Perfect for the Summer!

Unfortunately, the only outing this polish had was to the walk-in centre on Sunday. I have suspected gallstones (on top of the cancer scare and everything else). It seems everything's been going wrong with me lately! All I can do is wait to be seen for an ultrasound scan and see what shows up :-(

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Hibiscus Manicure

Hello!

Today I am wearing a polish that I absolutely love but, due to my having a ridiculously huge choice of polish, has been left gathering dust on the shelf for a long time. Stand Back! by Boots No7 is the brightest, most cheerful Summer blue ever. I bought it back when Boots were doing "£5 off No7" vouchers.

For this mani I stamped on Bundle Monster hibiscus accent nails for added summeriness. Here it is with 2 coats of Stand Back!:

It's been a while since I wore a solid bright colour and it feels very refreshing!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Glasses Manicure!

Hello!

Last week I got my first pair of glasses in about 12 years! I was nervous about getting them but am so glad that I did. The glasses make it look like an artist came along, added detail to everything and enriched the colours (not to mention that they make staring at my laptop a little easier on my poor eyes!).

So, this inspired me to trying out a very smart pattern on my Cheeky Home Sweet Home stamping plate. I received my first ever China Glaze for my birthday, Groovy Green, so this provided a base for my stamping. Here is the mani, modelled with my new glasses!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Jade ~ Esplendor

Hello!

Today I have to show you the fourth polish from the Jade Special Glitz collection that I won from the lovely Sally Magpies! Esplendor is a rich blue jelly packed with holo sparkle glitter. For this mani I painted 2 coats, here it is!

I am so, so pleased with this! I've also been dying to recreate this jelly stampwich mani of fish in the sea, and I just realised that I now have a suitable blue jelly to do it! ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Sparkly Glitter Gradient

Hello!

I've been in a bit of a polishing (and blogging) rut for the past week, but today I'm back with a simple but super-effective glitter gradient!

I started off with 2 coats of a lovely sheer French shade, Graceful by MeMeMe. I then painted the sparkle-packed Noel Street by Nails Inc onto a cosmetics sponge and dabbed it onto the tips of my nails moving downwards. I topped it with a dabbing of copper and gold multiglitter from Claire's, then finished off with a coat of Seche Vite. Simples!

I'll be back soon with a stamped mani and another of the Jade Special Glitz collection, e-see you soon!

Hugs,

Lisa xx