Teal and Green Nails

Morning guys,

Just a quick nail of the day from me this morning. 

This is how my nails were painted over the weekend, as I was in the mood for something a little cheerful and bright since the sun was shining (albeit ever so briefly). I used a lovely apple green Sally Hansen polish in Grass Slipper on my thumbs and ring fingers, and a mid green-teal Rimmel 60 Seconds in Sky High on all the rest of my nails. Although the green was captured pretty accurately in these photos, the teal is much darker and more green based then the blue the photos show. It's a beautiful nail colour, and happens to be one of my firm favourite polishes; I'm currently on my second bottle, and the great thing is, it's so pocket friendly! It retails around £3.50, and is currently just £2.50 on ASOS here.

I bought the Sally Hansen nail polish from Fragrance Direct, where it's currently being sold for just £1.49 (!), which is a snip compared to it's RRP of £4.99. I only recently saw it on sale in Superdrug for £6.99!! You can find it on Fragrance Direct here, along with other colours. I must add they're brilliant nail polishes, that handle beautifully, dry super fast, and remain chip free for days. What's not to love?

I hope you all have a great day. What are you all up to?

Life Lately

Today I've put together a post featuring the good things in my life of late, and also those little things which have been pleasing the senses. I've never written a post exactly like this before, so please let me know if you enjoy reading these type of posts, and if you might like to see me repeating this idea from time to time.

So, lately I've been...

Listening To...

Fall Out Boy's first album in four and a half years came out on Monday, which as a big FOB fan, is something I've been hugely excited about for the last few months. I've been playing it on repeat ever since.

I LOVE this album. I love every single song. Every song is so catchy and uptempo, the type of songs which instantly put me in a good mood; which is something Fall Out Boy's music has always had the power to do. Their music has evolved so much since Folie A Deux, yet it still has that distinctive FOB sound. The album is a real mix of genres, with collaborations from artists ranging from Courtney Love to Elton John! I keep finding myself suddenly bursting in to 'Rat a tat tat! Rat a tat tat tat hey!

Watching...

I've been having a Liam Neeson moment lately (c'mon, the man is God!); and have been watching the extremely moving Schindler's List, and the gripping action film, Unknown. Schindler's List is heartbreaking, and I always bawl at the end when Schindler cries for not saving more people.

Reading...

I recently finished reading Dean Koontz's Sole Survivor, which is a thriller about a fatal plane crash in which over three hundred people died, and a man who lost his wife and daughters in the crash trying to uncover a conspiracy others are trying to keep hidden. As a Dean Koontz fan, I enjoyed this novel a lot, and didn't want it to end.

I'm currently reading The Lifeboat which is a debut novel from Charlotte Rogan, and a book I can't put down. It's set in 1914; an ocean liner has sunk on route to New York from a mystery explosion; and a lifeboat full of survivors is left to wait for rescue. The book is about the passengers of this lifeboat, seated inches apart in a boat which is over-capacity, with limited supplies, and an uncertain fate. Initially, I likened the plot to Titanic; a disaster which has always interested me- which is probably why I was intrigued by this novel in the first place, but apart from the era, and the tragedy at sea, that's where the comparisons end. I'm not quite half way through yet, but it's a real page turner, and a book I'm loving. The plot could quite easily have been dull and boring, but the author has really made the unusual setting work perfectly.

I recommend you give both of these books a try.

I've also picked up a couple of my favourite magazines to kick back with.

(Marie Claire Magazine Freebies)...

The May edition of Marie Claire (UK) comes with a Ciate nail polish, and a Jerfens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser! I picked up the issue with a magical gold nail polish in 'Sand Dune'. I don't actually own a gold nail polish so I'm looking forward to trying it out. There's another colour to collect (a nude, I think), and since these Ciate nail polishes retail for £9 each, they're great freebies!

Buying/New Additions...

I added a couple of nail polishes to my collection last week. I replaced one of my favourite light teal nail polishes 'Rimmel 60 Seconds in Sky High'; was given the Sally Hansen pot by my Sister who used it once and didn't like the colour; and tried my first Gelly Barry M polish in Prickly Pear.

I got hold of a copy of a nail art tutorial book I'd wanted since Christmas.

I treated myself to some Listography books to plan things I'd like to do in the future, and record a little more of who I am to look back on one day.

I got this heart shaped polka dot memo board from Sainsbury's a month or two ago. It was only £6!

And my older sister treated me to some bunting which compliments the memo board, and work well with my curtains and bed linen. They should hopefully look great in my bedroom when it eventually gets redecorated.

I also used some money from my eBay sales on some L'Occitane make up, but I didn't have a photo ready to show you today.

Loving... The lighter evenings, and the slightly mild weather which is finally setting in. I feel like I'm coming out of hibernation! I'm so much perkier when the days get longer, and the sun shines brighter. I love everything I showed you above, too.

Wanting... This lamp for beside my bed. // Some maxi skirts, like this one, this one, and this one. // More L'Occitane make up, and some of their Verbena and Cherry Blossom products. // This ring. // This dress. // 

This nail polish. // Some Dainty Doll make up. This Stila make up palette. // A hair cut. // 

Smiling... Smiling's my favourite.

Eating... I had the most delicious sweet waffle with hazelnut and Nutella chocolate gelatos and Nutella chocolate sauce yesterday afternoon. I've not been able to eat anything since, but it was so good! 

Seeing... Currently my laptop screen, and my signed Ronan Keating calendar on the wall in front of me.

Hearing... Just the sound of my laptop whirring as the cooling system is over heating. I've no music playing, nor am I watching the TV as I've got a headache, and I'm enjoying the peace.

Smelling... Right now I can smell the orange juice from the glass on my bedside table.

Touching... My laptop's keyboard, and my burgundy throw quilt.

Tasting... A mix between the morphine I just took, and the square of Malteasers chocolate I took to try to take the taste of it away. Morphine tastes like nail polish remover...

Doing... Writing this post on my laptop.

Wearing... Star print pyjama bottoms, and a sleep shirt with a bunny motif on it. Well, it is half four in the morning as I write this...

Time... 4:33am.

Temp... According to the weather forecast, eight degrees Celsius.

Sitting... I'm not sitting; I'm slumped down on my bed.

Needing... I need a new bedside lamp or lamps, since the lamp shade on my battered old one has now got holes in it, and it's all faded. I also need a hair cut, quite desperately, in fact. Apart from that, my 'needs' are mostly 'wants'.

Tabs Open... Facebook, and Blogger. Google, iTunes, Tweetdeck, and Photoscape on my desktop.

Green Fingers

Lately, I've been eager to try some new green nail polish shades. 

Before I pursued a few new green bottles to try, I owned perhaps four or five green nail polishes- mainly in shades of mint, but also one in a beautiful green so dark it's almost black. That dark green nail polish has become one of my top three favourites, and the reason I've been curious about dipping my toes (and fingers) in other green paints. I like the way it looks on my nails!

With not a lot of money to spare, I couldn't afford to spend a lot of cash on new nail polishes, so I thought it was the perfect time to give Fragrance Direct a try.

I'd popped on to their site for a browse a couple of times before, but I'll admit I didn't know much about them, apart from that they sold ridiculously inexpensive make up and cosmetics. I assumed the products were so cheap because they were seconds or the packaging was a little outdated, but I was wrong. The products I bought were current lines, and the prices are low because they cut out the middle men, and sell directly.

I was surprised to see how inexpensive the Sally Hansen and Essie polishes were. I'd always wanted to try them, but I couldn't justify spending seven or eight pounds on one nail polish. On Fragrance Direct, the Essie polishes were just £1.99 (RRP £7.99), the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails £0.99 (RRP £4.99), and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure £1.49 (RRP £4.99). I bought one of each. Plus a Dainty Doll Concealer Pen (but more on that another day).

I think my order for all four pieces came to around eight pounds for all four products with delivery, and I have to say, when the parcel came through the door a few days later I wasn't disappointed.

I couldn't choose which polish to wear first, so I did a manicure using all three...

First up, is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Colour (try saying that three times fast!) in Emerald City. I applied two coats to my thumbs and little fingers. Each layer was easy to apply with the long flat brush, and it dried in just a couple of minutes. The colour is a gorgeous dark emerald green, which has a little shine to it, and a lovely opaque consistency. I adore the colour, and really can't find a fault in this polish!

The other Sally Hansen I ordered was the Complete Salon Manicure polish in Grass Slipper, which is a brilliant bold grass hopper green. This is actually one of my favourite eye make up colours, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about wearing it on my nails. Turns out, I love it on my nails; it's such a striking colour! (And you guys know how I am with colour)! 

This polish comes in a big 14.7ml pot, but the angular shape makes it easy to handle. The brush also makes application a breeze, as it's long and the brush gets in to the corners. Again, I only needed two coats to achieve the perfect opaqueness, and it dried within a minute or two. 

I'm definitely planning to try some more of these Salon Manicure polishes, as I'm really impressed with the results. I can't believe what a bargain it was! I'd actually been looking at this same polish in Superdrug a couple of days before ordering, and it was £6.99!

And the third nail polish I purchased and used for this manicure, was an Essie Nail Polish in Mojito, which I applied to my ring and index fingers. The colour is a warm green, somewhere between dark mint and sage, which is lovely, but a little more subdued shade than I'm usually drawn to. 

This was another super-fast dryer. I found the polish easy to apply with the medium length brush, although the polish had a slightly watery consistency in comparison to the two Sally Hansens- however two coats still gave my nails optimum opaqueness. This was the first Essie polish I'd ever tried, and I'm certainly intending to give some other colours a try after the success of this one.

I can't decide which colour is my favourite from the three, but they sure do make a pretty manicure! I'm looking forward to wearing each colour on all ten fingers and thumbs in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, my quest for gorgeous green nail polishes will continue!

Can you recommend any green nail polishes to me?

 And have you tried any of these polishes, or purchased from Fragrance Direct yet? If not, go and have a browse; I don't think you'll be disappointed!