DIY Nail Art Book Review

Hey guys,

I've got a nail art book to review for you today. I bought this book in the new year, and I can't believe it's taken me all these months to write about it.

The book is called DIY Nail Art by Catherine Rodgers, who, according to the blurb, is the creator of a 'popular' nail art Youtube channel called Totally Cool Nails. I'd never heard of the channel before purchasing this book, but perhaps some of you are familiar with it. She's a self-taught nail art designer, who lives in Dawsonville, Georgia.

DIY Nail Art is a nail art tutorial book and is filled with 75 creative nail art designs, each with a step by step tutorial to help you through every step of the design so you can recreate them at home.

It also provides advice for preparing and taking care of your nails, along with tips and techniques, which tools to use, and instructions on how to use the book. It's a softback book with 159 pages.

The tutorials are so easy to follow. Firstly, you're provided with a colour photo of the nail art design, so you know what you're trying to create; crucial for success, I'd say! Each tutorial is printed on white pages, which makes everything easy to see, and read. And, there's also a colour photo for each stage of the design, complete with concise and clear instructions. 

It's refreshing to follow clear instructions, instead of ones which make you feel like you're trying to decipher a foreign language from another world. I wish all instructions were this easy!

Most of the tutorials take up a double page spread, like the one shown above...

... while others are on a single page, like the Zig Zag nail tutorial above.

The book features a great selection of fashionable, colourful designs to recreate, including classics like polka dots, stripes, animal prints, and florals; fashionable galaxy print; cute animals like ladybirds and penguins; fruits; and even designs for holidays like Christmas and Halloween. 

Here are some of my favourites: (Apologies for the quality of the photos, they proved hard to capture well without a scanner).

There are such a great mix of designs to try, and I just want to keep coming back to this book to try another look or try one again. I've had a go at several, and the ladybird design is definitely my favourite so far. I'm most looking forward to trying the tiger print and zebra print nails next.

While I like to attempt nail art, I'm a complete novice, and I have to say this book is easy enough for a beginner to follow, and the designs are achievable for anyone who has a bit of patience and a steady hand. If you're a nail art pro, you'll probably have tried your hand at many similar designs- a lot are similar to what can be found on Pinterest- but there are sure to be a few in here you've not seen before.

This book has something for every taste and occasion and would no doubt appeal to nail art fans from tweens, to teens and twenty-somethings and beyond. I do think some of the designs are quite 'young', but they're bound to appeal to the young at heart, too!

It retails for £10.99, but I bought it on Amazon for around £6 or £7. It's currently £7.69, and can also be bought for the Kindle. It's very well priced for the amount of tutorials it's filled with, and I recommend it for any nail art enthusiast, whether you're a beginner or a bit more experienced! You won't be disappointed.

I certainly wasn't!

Wednesday Wish List

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 //

Like a moth to a sixty watt light bulb, or me to any dress with a quirky pattern, I'm finding myself drawn to everything tartan, plaid, and chequered right  now. True, it looks best worn on handsome Scotsmen, but the next best thing is wearing it myself, and I can live with that!

I'll probably have bought this tartan skater dress by the time you're reading this, but my next favourite is the tartan ASOS Curve pinafore dress (2). I love the fabric, and how it's an unusual shape for a pinafore dress, looking more like a shirt dress. It looks like it would be super cosy for winter with tights and boots and a biker jacket. 

I also really love the tartan Primark shift dress with the peter pan collar (4). I saw it featured on Look.co.uk and was instantly smitten. When I see beautiful pieces like that, I really wish that Primark had an online shop. Sigh.

Tartan has also made it's way in to the world of accessories, and the best one I've seen is The Leather Satchel Company's pillar box red tartan satchel (6). Isn't it stunning? It's on sale at the moment, but sadly, still way out of my budget. It doesn't hurt to dream.

Another new favourite of mine is the adorable toadstool brooch from Cath Kidston (5), which I really need to have. I don't know why toadstools are so appealing... but I've always loved them. It would look so cute pinned on to a dress or cardigan.

I'm also really taken with the woodland print New Look Inspire t-shirt (15). It has a very similar pattern to a peplum top I bought from ASOS Curve last winter, which I truly adore. It has deer, foxes, rabbits, and squirrels all over it, and it's the loveliest print out there. This one will have to make it's way in to my wardrobe.

And, I couldn't finish this post without mentioning ASOS Curve's amazing Paris skyline tights (7). They're opaque black to mid-thigh, to look like stockings, and above them is printed a skyline including the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe! Amazing.

Inglot Freedom System Lipsticks and Concealer Palette

When it comes to make up, I almost always make my eyes the focal point with lashings of black mascara and brightly coloured shadows, but I rarely give my lips any attention. In fact, I haven't worn lipstick or gloss religiously since my mid-teens.

It's not that I've not wanted to paint my lips, but I'm prone to badly chapped, dry and sticky lips which are hardly the ideal canvas for bold and eye catching lip colour. Still, I've been aspiring to buy a perfect red lipstick for a while now; one that even I could wear. I've always loved how classic red lips can look, and how effortlessly they can complete an outfit.

So, when I found out about Inglot's Freedom System sale, I couldn't resist treating myself to a few pieces. Inglot is one of my all time favourite make up brands, and I was interested in finding out if their lipsticks and concealers were as fantastic as their wonderful eyeshadows and nail polishes.

I treated myself to a concealer, four lipsticks, and a palette to put them in. They were all half off their original prices. The refills were just £1.75 each, and I think the palette was £3.50 or £3.75. Delivery was a little steep at a fiver, but my order arrived after just a few days, and I was impressed by the efficiency.

The palettes and the make up refills are sold separately, which gives you the complete freedom to personalise a set to your own tastes, which is something I really love about Inglot's Freedom System. It's so much more appealing to me than buying a ready made make up set that always has several shades I'll never use. By choosing every shade yourself, you'll have a better chance of loving every colour. And they don't cost any more than a ready made set, either.

The palettes are extremely sturdy and thick, and you can see the make up at a glance through the transparent lid, which makes it easier to find the right palette if you have more than one in your collection. The lid is secured by a magnet on each corner, which keeps it firmly in place. It's easy to open, and shuts with a satisfying snap. 

Each make up pan came in a little plastic packet, inside a little plastic bag. Thankfully, they all arrived in pristine condition as they were packaged well for delivery.

With each pan out of its wrapper, I organised them in the order I wanted them, ready to pop in to the palette.

And they all fitted in perfectly. The pans are held in the palette magnetically, and they all fit in snugly and securely. There should be no danger of any of them coming loose and getting damaged.

I bought a concealer in 'Y', which was the palest shade as far as I could tell from the online swatches, and four lipsticks in, from left to right, 81, 64, 09, and 56. I was so excited to give each of them a try.

So, here we have the lipstick swatches. I swatched them from my wrist down, so they've ended up in reverse order to the palette in these photos; I hope that's not too confusing.

Let me skip all the nonsense and say now that these lipsticks are fantastic! I can honestly say that I've never been so impressed with a lipstick in my life. Three of them glided on as smoothly as butter, and not only did they keep my lips soft and nourished whilst wearing them, but my lips have become much softer in general since I started using them. A miracle with my lips! They're all highly pigmented in gorgeous shades that suit my colouring, and they're long lasting, too. I found that the lipsticks stayed  in place for about four hours without reapplying, and little transferred when eating and drinking. (Although it didn't stand a chance on fajita night!) I'm extremely impressed.

The exception here is shade 81. Unlike the other three, it's a pearl lipstick, and although it's a beautiful colour, I found it incredibly drying on my lips and difficult to get a smooth application. I'm going to go back and give it another chance, perhaps mix it with some lip balm, but it hasn't made me disappointed with my order at all.

Please excuse the state of the application; I didn't have lip liners at the time to prevent them from bleeding.

My favourite is shade 09 which is a classic blue-toned red or 'tomato red', as I would describe it. It's so beautiful and vibrant, and I love the way it looks against my very fair skin. It's the perfect red lipstick I've been searching for for years.

56 is lovely for something a little more toned down. I'm finding it difficult to describe the colour, I think it looks like a dark salmon colour, perhaps with a slight hint of coral, but I don't know what it would officially be classed as. Answers on a post card...

64 is not as fuchsia as it appears on my lips above. It's a deep red with a hint of pink, and it's another winner in my eyes. It's beautiful.

81, however... it's a deep brick red in the palette and on my arm, but it doesn't translate well on to my lips.... oh, well, you can't win them all!

Now quickly on to the concealer. I purchased 'Y' which is the palest shade available. I wasn't sure if it would be right for my skin tone, but I took a chance. It's quite yellow based and appears to be the wrong colour for my skin, but once I start blending it in, it matches my skin perfectly. It's a smooth and wonderfully thick concealer. I usually just use a light under eye concealer pen for my concealing, so it's a little alien to me, but- it's amazing! It covers blemishes and  red patches, and even works to even out my skin tone. And if that wasn't good enough, it does it's job for hours without needing a touch up.

So, with those conclusions, I really couldn't love this little palette more. I'm so impressed with four out of five of the products, and I can't believe this set cost me just £12.50, before shipping costs! I got myself a bargain without compromising on quality, and I found my perfect red lipstick. Happy days!

There's a huge selection of lipsticks, concealers, eyebrow powders and wax still on sale for just £1.75, and palettes starting from £5.00 for a ten-pan. You can find it all here. I highly recommend them, the quality of Inglot's products is far superior to anything I've ever tried before. I'm tempted to go back for another purchase and snap up some other colours before they all sell out and are gone for good.

Have you used Inglot make up yet? Which products are your favourite?

My Life With Disc Injuries: A Two Year Milestone

I can't quite believe it myself, but yesterday, (8th September), marked two years of living in constant pain with disc injuries. I'm finding it difficult to comprehend how I've made it through 104 weeks or 731 days of life in pain, and living this unconventional life on hiatus that confines me to bed. How did that happen? Where has the time gone? And how did I get here?

If somebody had told me two years ago that I had injured several of my discs, and would still be in pain two years later, I would never have believed them.  I couldn't have even imagined living such a life. Bad things like that happened to other people, not me. It happened to people in magazines and on TV, and to people much older than I. I was even convinced, when the pain first began, that I'd be back to normal in a week or two if I just kept going. How wrong I was.

What would follow would prove to be two of the most difficult and life-altering years of my life to date. Two years filled with disc injuries, constant pain, medical appointments, a cocktail of painkillers (none of which have worked), little help from the NHS, and learning how to cope with all this whilst being house-bound with my life on hold.

My life has changed dramatically over the last two years-

- I've lost my freedom and independence.

- I've lost my physical strength and full mobility.

- I'm in pain twenty-four hours a day and rely on medication that doesn't even skim the surface of it.

- I spend up to twenty-four hours a day in bed with just my thoughts and a laptop for company.

- Most of my friends have stopped calling, but I've learnt who my true friends are.

- I can't get out and about much. I can't go and do all the things I enjoy most in life. I can't socialise.

- I can't fully take care of myself; I have to rely on family members for help with some tasks.

- I can't work (in the physical sense out of bed), though I am still employed.

- I don't sleep well, and have turned nocturnal.

- And waiting rooms have become a common sight.

... but I also feel like I've learnt so much and grown so much as a person during this time.

Finding myself in this serious and fragile state so suddenly really opened my eyes to what is really important in life, and it actually snapped me out of a bad bout of depression that I'd been struggling with for a decade. It literally lifted over night, easing away like a blanket of fog. I think I just realised how trivial and unimportant some of the things that were getting me down and plaguing me were compared to what I was suddenly going through with my back, and I suddenly had a whole new outlook on life. I can't really explain it; I can't quite get my head around how a difficult situation like this could improve my depression, but I'm thankful that it has. The depression is still with me, of course, but it's mostly lying dormant now, and I've not been this content with life since my early teens.

I don't allow myself to be bothered by every little thing in life like I used to. I prefer it this way. Life's too short.

I know if I hadn't have become injured and bed ridden from pain, that I probably wouldn't be a plus size blogger today, nor would I be so comfortable with who I am. I wouldn't have needed to find something to occupy myself with, and I wouldn't have stumbled upon the wonderful world of body positivity and fat acceptance on Tumblr by chance. I never knew such a world existed, and I was honestly amazed when I saw women like me being comfortable in their own skin and enjoying fashion. I loved fashion and beauty, but I still hadn't learnt to love myself at that point. (I had spent my entire life hating myself). I started following some of these fatshion and body positivity blogs, and I began to accept myself a little more each day. I was hooked.

Less than six months later I found the courage to begin my own blog to share my outfits as a plus size girl... me; the girl who hid from cameras for over a decade, and untagged herself from Facebook photos. This would never have happened if I hadn't have injured myself. I know this as a fact.

Starting my blog is one of the best things I've ever done, and I truly mean that. I have it and all my lovely readers to thank for so much. I started it in an attempt to work towards self-acceptance, to share my love of fashion, and to keep myself occupied while I was alone in bed all day. I decided that I wanted to have something positive to look back on one day from a difficult time in my life. I think I've achieved that.

I could never have imagined the impact this blog would have on my life. It's kept me distracted and occupied like I'd hoped, giving me something to focus on and throw myself in to every day. It's given me a purpose in life. My mind is always busy, which stops me from dwelling on my pain, and it keeps me from boredom. I have somewhere to express myself; to share what I'm feeling along with writing about things I'm passionate about; a place to share the real me. I find blogging here so therapeutic; I feel my troubles ease away with every word I write and a sense of accomplishment when I publish a post. Writing has done more for me than any doctor ever could. It's been there for me when I've had nothing else, when the pain had been raging, and I've felt a little lost and alone. It's taught me so much about myself, and helped me to evolve as a person. It's helped me to go further along the road to self-acceptance than I've ever been before;  a million miles further than I ever thought I'd reach. I've gone from detesting myself and my body, to being content with who I am. And I know I wouldn't possibly have reached this place if it wasn't for the struggle I've faced over these last two years. I would never have had the inspiration, confidence, or time to get to where I am today.

But... I have made it here. I have become a blogger. I have become part of a wonderful community, and I have come along leaps and bounds on the yellow brick road to self acceptance... I have made it through two years of pain and living on hiatus. I gave myself the tools to get myself through two years of pain and uncertainty, and if I hadn't have started this blog, I know the last two years would have been a much harder struggle.

My blog may be small, but I love what I've created and I'm so thankful to everyone who has read and commented on my posts, offered me support, and kept me going. It's thanks to you that I made it through to this two year milestone unscathed, strong, and still fighting. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I may not have made any improvement with my pain levels or recovery during a full two years, and I may see the future with uncertainty, but I've proven to myself that good really can come out of difficult times. And that to me is a sign that I can make it through another two years if I have to, and I can make it through anything.

Here's to the future!

Little Red Dress

Hey guys,

I've been meaning to show you this dress since I bought it earlier in the summer; I've even taken outfit photos of it a couple of times, but I wasn't happy with the quality of the photos either time, so I didn't share them. And since most of July and August had been spent living in my pyjamas trying to deal with the aftermath of physiotherapy sessions, the dress has been waiting patiently to be worn, along with a few others that I've yet to share here. 

I thought it was about time I gave this particular dress it's blog debut...

Introducing my little red dress! I bought it from Dorothy Perkins a few months ago, after deciding I needed some more red in my wardrobe. I considered it a good piece to start with. It was originally just £16, which is nothing for a cute cotton dress, but I think I may have paid as little as £12 for it with discount codes. It was a total steal! Dorothy Perkins have had such a great selection of low priced dresses this year, and it's been refreshing to fill a few gaps in my wardrobe without spending a fortune. I've picked up several great casual frocks and I'm so pleased with them.

The fabric is a good quality, heavy cotton, making it an ideal piece for wearing all year round. The waist is softly fitted, meaning it has decent stretch to it but still stays nicely in place, and it's also embellished with a matching red bow. It's sleeveless, has thick shoulder straps, and a scoop neckline. It's a lovely casual dress, but I think it could also be dressed up for something a little more formal.

Unfortunately, this dress is almost sold out online in all the different colour ways it came in, although they do have some smaller sizes left. It's worth checking in store, though, as you might still be able to find one in your size.

I wore the dress with black Evans tights, my black Lovedrobe shrug, New Look studded slippers, a double cameo necklace from Rachel's giveaway, and an assortment of pearl and beaded bracelets. Oh, and dark green nails.

These are my lovely wide fit studded slippers which I bought last Autumn from New Look in black and navy. I've had a few issues with my toes leading back to September last year, and I've barely been able to wear shoes since... I don't think I've even worn these outside. Now my toes are almost healed, I'm looking forward to breaking these in, and giving them lots of wear this Autumn. This OOTD was the first time shoes have touched my feet since February. Oh, how I missed shoes!

I wore these bracelets shared between both wrists. The pearl ones to the left are by Matalan; the silver and black bracelets were a gift from my best friend; the other black beaded bracelets were part of a set from Dorothy Perkins; and the remaining pearl bracelet with the pink charm was from Rachel's blog giveaway.

Outfit Details

Dress- Dorothy Perkins // Shrug- Lovedrobe // Tights- Evans // Shoes- New Look //

Necklace- Giveaway // Pearl Bracelet Pair- Matalan // Pearl Bracelet With Charm- Giveaway // 

Black and Silver Bracelets- Gift // Black Beaded Bracelets- Dorothy Perkins //