Konad Nail Art

I have some special equipment that makes such a good subject for a blog post!



Video taken from: http://www.konad.co.uk

I've had this kit for nearly three years now. I went through a phase of not using it for a while but now I'm all into it again.

Basically it's an invention that makes it easy to do nail art at home. And by nail art I mean patterns and jewels etc.

You can see how to use it in the demonstration above. The kit has four components: a palette, a swiper, a stamper and special nail varnish.

It sounds a complicated method but it isn't really. You have to get the knack of it, but once you've got the knack it's quite easy.

First you begin by painting your nails in regular nail varnish as you would normally; two coats is recommended. Allow to dry.

Then apply a sweep of special nail varnish over the chosen pattern on your palette. Then swipe off the excess with the swiper tool. Do it in one clean sweep. (This is the trickiest part: It's essential to apply the right amount of pressure - if you scrape off too much or too little the next step won't work)

Next, roll the stamper over the pattern in one clean sweep.

The pattern should transfer from the palette onto the stamper! If it's not picked up, or it's smudged, or it's only partly picked up, then you've gone wrong somewhere. Admittedly, even now I have to repeat the previous steps several times before I get it right.

Then roll the stamper onto your nail. And as the French say...

voilà.

When you've finished all the nails, allow to dry for a couple of minutes then apply top coat to the nails as normal.

When using this kit, I can't emphasise how important it is that everything is clean and prompt. No fiddling or blotting or 'going over' - it has to be swift. Step 1, SWEEP, Step 2, SWIPE, Step 3 ROLL, Step 4, ROLL. Or it will dry and not work, and you'll have to do it over.

Once you've got the knack though, this kit is so cool. I get complimented all the time. It looks so professional and the kit is so affordable: only £15, including two special nail varnishes. It's also fun to do, I do mine often.

However, it is fiddley and requires A LOT of practice.

So here's the results of my recent kit usage:





You like?

Well worth the time and effort!

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Coralista...Guess who it's buy?

You may think, while reading this post,

Oh my days, this girl has an Obsession with Benefit make-up!

And you'd be absolutely right.

Because I do.

I went shopping today, again, and bought my latest Benefit product. It's called Coralista, and it's basically a blusher powder.

But it's a little more than that, of course. I said to the lady at the counter

"I don't want to commit to either a blusher or a bronzer. Each day I can switch between the two depending on my mood, so I need a product that can double up."

And so she recommended Coralista. It's a coral coloured blusher, as may be able to guess, and the lady said it can be applied over cheeks as a perk-me-up or over bronzed/tanned skin to compliment it.


Apparently, it's best to apply bronzer in a 3 shape starting at the hairline, moving across the brow line and sweeping along cheekbones.

Click here to view the product online!

Oh dear me... might I one day actually get to own the entire Benefit range?

Let me know what you think of my latest buy!

Much love,
Emma
x x x

Look what the Boyfriend bought me...

I'm such a lucky girl, I have a boyfriend that is just THAT good at buying presents...

He knows how much I rave about Benefit's Cosmetics, and he was sweet enough to spend I-don't-know-much on some of the products I tried at the

Make-up Application Demonstration

I blogged about a while back.

Do you remember the products I tried?

You rebel lite, for fair/medium skin:



That Gal Primer, which I wrote about in my last post! Now I have a full sized product instead of the tiddley little thing in Confessions:


(I still maintain the idea that it looks like a lipbalm...it does, doesn't it?)

Ollie also bought me some lovely perfume; I made some passing comment about not having a summer fragrance this year. I wanted something light, floral and summery, and that's exactly what I got!



This scent is so lovely, it's called Gina. I couldn't have chosen a better perfume myself.



It reminds me of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, if you've ever tried it!



And the box it came in is a little bonus. Isn't it pretty?



Finally, this particular product was a lovely surprise. Aren't the best present the ones you'd never buy for yourself, but intrigue you once you own them?


That's how I feel about this product. It's called 'Talk to the tan'. It's facial tan that washes off with cleanser. It's not something that I usually buy because I'm wary of putting tanning solutions on my face; I'm worried that they'll clog my pores and make my skin oily.

However, I wore 'Talk to the Tan' for my Birthday meal. It's so natural looking and smells really good. It didn't clog my pores. The thing about Benefit cosmetics is that none of their products are oil-based, so they're kind to skin.

I'm so spoiled, aren't I?

Thank you for the lovely presents, Ollie.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Cosmetics On My Birthday List!

Yes that's right people, it's my 19th Birthday in no more than 60 hours!

(That's 2 and a half days, btw)

And there's a few products I'm really keen to get my hands on right now. For this post though, I'm just going to talk about one of them.





This is Clinique's Liquid Illuminator. It brightens, contures and highlights the face. In other words, it gives that

'Feeling fresh-as-a-Daisy, I just got 8 hours sleep'

effect.

At the moment I use Benefit's That Gal Primer.


That Gal is a very similar product, and, although gorgeous, isn't good value for money when used every day. I pay £20.50 for a product about the size of a lip stick(11ml), needless to say it doesn't go a long way. So I use it sparingly!

Clinique's Illuminating Lotion (30ml) costs £18, and I get OVER DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF PRODUCT FOR THE SAME MONEY I'd otherwise spend on Benefit's That Gal (£20.50 for 11ml).

That makes Clinique's Illuminating Lotion a brilliant investment pour moi, who is planning on using this stuff every day during summer as a substitute for tinted moisturiser.

I don't have to feel guilty about smearing this

dream cream...

all over my face.

Also, Clinique's Illuminating Lotion is oil-free so it won't block pores and give my skin that bumpy texture.

Wish me a Happy Birthday!

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Glam Sandals

Following one of my earlier posts about Royal Blue, I dug out some sandals I bought from Topshop at the end of summer. They were one of the last pairs of shoes in the whole sale!



Do you like them? I do.



And can you guess how much they were? A measly £5. Because nobody wanted them :(




Silly people didn't realise just how fashionable Royal Blue would become this summer. And even when Royal Blue is not so in fashion, these shoes are still lovely. They're plastic actually so they're great for water fights and padding around the beach/poolside.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Well I guess it would be nice...

This post has nothing whatsoever to do with fashion, but I'm sure my readers won't mind too much if every so often I write just about some things that make me happy. Maybe I should change my blog title to:

Emma Loves Fashion (and random things that make my day)

Or maybe not.

I don't know about you, but I like reading posts about happy things and happy people. The happiness reflects in my mood.

Anyway, just to prove my point that this post has NOTHING TO DO WITH FASHION WHATSOEVER, here is my outfit from today:


Classic jeans and black t-shirt: Nothing special.

Haha! The one with the weird hand gestures is an action-pose from when I was telling my brother: 'Make sure you get my entire body in, yeah? From head to toe.' It's turned out to be my favourite picture. (That's an apple in my hand btw. Nom nom nom)




So I was out and about in Town today with my umbrella, and

Oh my days, the weather was terrible. Drizzly, cold, and cloudy.

I was just crossing the High Street and passed a busker, whom we'll call Mr. Busker, playing his acoustic guitar. He was playing Go-Ya-Ha by Phil Collins, and he had a pretty nice voice.

At this point, I wasn't playing all that much attention. But generally speaking, I feel rude if I just pretend Buskers aren't there, particularly today when it couldn't have been much fun for him to sit and play in the cold and rain.

So I flashed him a smile, not a silly shy smile, a Real, Proper Smile, like this:

:D

And just as I passed him close by, suddenly, like, real suddenly, he stops Go-Ya-Ha and begins another song which I didn't recognise, but I remembered the first line:

Well I guess it would be nice, if I could touch your body, I know not everybody, has gotta body like you!

And I can't tell you just how nice it was to have Mr. Busker sing this little song, just for me, on this cold and rainy day. He might have noticed that I was looking pretty miserable or he might have been complimenting me, I don't know.

I also don't know if anyone noticed his sudden change of tune, or if this little exchange of communication between us was our little secret :P

But, I'm telling you, it really, really made my day.

I Youtubed this line when I got back, and found it's from Faith, by George Michael.
So here's the song. It makes me think happy thoughts.

I'm sorry to say I didn't tip Mr. Busker because I didn't go back that way. But I assure you, if I see Mr. Busker again, I will.

If it's raining where you are, Dear Reader, or if you're just feeling blue for whatever reason, I hope this post puts a smile on your face like it has for me.

:)

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Something I am very keen to try

I know this post isn't exactly glamourous, but I'm trying to be realistic here!

Cellulite has never bothered me before but for some reason, it does now. So I've been browsing around trying to find ways to combat it.

Cellulite is notorious for being hard to get rid of and I've heard all sorts of ways to try, body brushing and anti-cellulite creams being the main two.

I've been trying to drink three pints of water a day too to reduce toxins and keep me hydrated.

The main product that really got my attention is this:



Sanctuary Spa Results Cellulite Massager, £7.99 from Boots.

It's for massaging areas of the body with cellulite to boost circulation and reduce the orange-peel effect.

Unfortunately, there are no reviews of this on the Boots website. But I'm going to give it ago and write the first review myself!

Fingers crossed it might actually make a bit of difference in time for bikini parades.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

She mentioned me :')

I just had to share this with my readers because it just made me so happy!

This is the link to OVERTLY GRAND, a blog by a blogger called Sahara Patel. Her latest post is about her interview with Becca from

(whom, you must surely know by now, I am a huge fan of).

In her interview, Becca says she likes my blog!

So check it out!

Ahaa, I must be doing something right.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Tanning Solutions

Like a true blogger, I've chosen to write this post as a review for some self-tanning products I've been trying out.

Now I'm starting to wear some of my Lovely Summer Dresses, I've been preparing to Bare The Flesh. This is a product I've always sworn by:

It's St. Tropez's Self Tanning Lotion, available at Boots for £30 (at the moment it's on offer at £27). I know it's a little pricey, but it's soooo worth it. For me, this product is a true

10/10.

I've had mine for three years now and you only need such teeny tiny amounts when applying it; my bottle is well over half full. Seriously, a pea sized amount will easily cover an entire calf.

I apply it by beginning with clean, exfoliated skin. Moisturise and apply a small amount of St. Tropez for a natural looking tan.

If you can't fork out quite so much, then my mum has recently made a discovery.



This is St. Moritz's Tanning Mousse. It's RRP is £9.99 but you can get it for around £3.99 in a lot of bargain stores around the UK, or online. I have to say for its price it's pretty decent. I'd give it

7/10.

My mum's Beautician suggested applying this product in the morning on exfoliated and moisturised skin, allowing to dry throughout the day and applying another layer of moisturiser on top before bed, and rinsing in the morning.

However I did this, and it went very slightly patchy around my feet and knees after showering so I ended up applying another thin layer of tan this morning to fix it (I don't have a good exfoliator with me or I would have been tempted to start again).

If you want a quick fix, St. Moritz is a slightly thicker substance than St. Tropez and actually has quicker results - it browns a lot faster and again, a little goes a long way. St. Tropez is more effective if you want to build up your tan over two or three days and I have to say, having a little more patience pays off because it's much better quality and has no streaks at all, even after showering.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Blue shoes

I've always been in LOVE with the colour Royal Blue, so I was very pleased to learn it is THE Colour for shoes this summer.

I've been scouting around, and here are my best finds.

First up, strappy blue clogs. Three trends in one sassy pair of shoes...


One of my Style Classics! Ballet pumps are always in fashion.



Sandals are perfect for flaunting tanned tootsies.
They also give you an opportunity to show the world your knack for DIY pedicures ;)

And aren't these pretty? You can find them at New Look for just £20.

Bargaaaain.

They'd look great with long denim shorts.


But please, please wear with trainer socks.

Enclosed shoes + Bare feet + Summer Heat = You know what.

:/

;)

I hope you enjoyed my mini celebration of pretty pretty Blueness.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Summer fashion...with COLOUR!

Some of my UK readers will know just how hot it's been here in England today.

Phhewwwww

And the weather man told me it's only going to get better this week...

Yaaaaaaay.

So naturally I've been thinking about my summer wardrobe. Earlier I started digging out my favourite items from last season.

And I'm very, very lucky to be able to say...

I have some Jazzy Harem Pants! I bought them from Quartiera Market in Portugal's Algarve but wasn't brave enough to wear them when I returned to England. This year, I'm going to be daring! Take a look at these beauties...

My favourite summer colours! Green, pink, orange, yellow, blue...



A close up of the detailing on the waist...




I'll be turning heads in these!



I also have a really pretty scarf and beach bag to match.

First, here's the scarf.



Look how pretty it is.

I wore it whilst on holiday last year in Sunny Portugal when the sun was reeaally hot, so I didn't burn. How to keep sun-safe in style!



And here's the beach bag. I don't wear the scarf & bag together, the attention should be draw to one of them, not both at the same time!



I have to confess... I have no idea where they're from. I bought them at a Boutique store somewhere about three years ago, and there isn't a label on either item...








One thing's for sure though, there won't be many other people out there with these items this season.

How exciting!

I hope you all of you have something unique and beautiful too! If not, make it your priority to find something special this summer.

Happy Holidays!

Much love,

Emma

x x x

I Want To Be A Style Classic

It's something I wrote about in my Fashion Journal last week.

Since I've recently got myself a job, I've been thinking less about how I can save money and more about how I can spend it.

So I've been looking through magazines such as GLAMOUR, Marie Claire and Instyle, thinking

Hmmmmmm. Wouldn't it be nice, instead of buying cheapy outfits on a whim that will last one season, to spend more money on quality, classic pieces that will stay in fashion for years, and won't look worn out after long?

To me, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Now don't get me wrong, I still like a bargain. Very much so. I'm not suggesting I'm going to go on a spree and blow hundreds of pounds. This will be more of a gradual process.

I'm just a part-time waitress, you know. I'm not loaded.

So I've been browsing around for items of clothing with these criteria:

1. Versatile - to be worn with LOTS of different items, all seasons
2. Preferably within the region of £30-£50
3. Durability, lasting years and years
4. Classic. Always in fashion.

Picky and tricky, you might think?

Oh no, definitely not. You'll be amazed at what I found! I hope this impresses you.


YOU NEED TO CLICK ON THESE PICTURES TO ENLARGE THEM!


Looking at these pictures I'm quite pleased. Here are just a few examples, but I hope I've proved how easy it is to be a Style Classic!

I'd bet that in ten years time, these items will be just as fashionable as they are now.

Much love,

Emma

x x x

Crop Top Trouble

This has to be my most difficult post yet!
Crop tops. I've bought a couple from Topshop recently and they've been sitting in my cupboard all week because I just can't think of an interesting way to wear them.



Because it's not strictly summer yet, I don't think I'll be warm enough or tanned enough to show off my tummy for a little while.

So I'm thinking... layering? Wear something, anything, underneath, on top...who knows!

I certainly don't, I'm stuck.

My first port of call: Ask Becca from Fashion Train! She knows everything about everything about fashion. But she hasn't answered me on Facebook :(

So I was looking at magazines and browsing the Internet, when I came across a fellow fashion blogger!



Anggi Anggarini... she writes a blog called Mystery Cheap. She wrote a post on Crop Tops in May 2009, telling her readers about the 8 different ways she found she could wear them.

Click here to see the post!

So this post is a year old, but it's totally applicable to today's Crop Top fest.

After reading this, I was inspired to put my own outfits together and do my favourite thing... Experiment!


This is my favourite :) Thinking of wearing this ensemble tomorrow.



Clashing patterns. But is it a bit TOO clashy? Hmm, this one is dangerous. I'm very unsure, but I kept it up for interest. Maybe with a blue or grey under t-shirt for the crop? Tread very carefully. I'll ask Becca...


Now this one is also interesting. Jeans and a sequinned waistcoat.

After another fun evening of mixing and matching, I hope I've inspired you to carry out your own fashion experiments!

:)

Much love,

Emma

x x x