Wonderful Things: Afternoon Tea, Busted Concert and more!

I was treated to an afternoon tea for two gift experience for Christmas which was super lovely and as I am a big foodie and a big tea and coffee drinker I was super excited to get it booked up. I went with a friend and we had the most amazing afternoon tea; with soup, hot crumpets, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam and of-course lots of teeny tiny delicious sweet treats and hot beverages. Anyone that knows me well knows that anything ditsy and floral print is right up my street and the decor inside was just beautiful. It was such a lovely day, I would definitely recommend Jelly Pickle Jam if you are local to Evesham or are visiting.

I really like Yankee as a brand, but I just buy their sampler votive candles these days as it gives you a chance to see if you like the scent for just £2, rather than investing in a jar costing around £18. If I'm honest I've found that some Yankee scents aren't very strong and have been a bit of a let down, but not this one! Macaron Treats smells gorgeous and brightens my mood when its burning; it reminds me of times from when I was young - its just a lovely, sweet scent.

I love having false nails on my nails, it is probably one of favourite 'pamper me' type things to do. I've never been very good at growing my own nails, and after using false nails so much in the past, my nails are really weak and tend to break. I have given false nails a rest for a while so I can look after my own nails a little bit better. I was challenged recently to try the Renunail 3 Step Kit* out to see if my nails would strengthen in four Weeks. Included is their original Nail Strengthener, Nourishing Oil and their Nail Strengthener in pink. I've been using this kit for probably over five Weeks now, and I've noticed such a difference. You simply apply the Nail Strengthener every day for one Week, remove on the seventh day and then continue this pattern for the next three Weeks. Alhough my nails haven't grown all that much, they haven't broke and they do feel stronger and look in much better condition than before. I will be purchasing these products once they've run out as they have worked really well for me, so these have definitely been wonderful products for me this Month.

I am big Busted fan (13 year old Zoe was completely obsessed with them back in the day) and having seen them for the first time in over ten years last year on their comeback tour, of-course I had to buy tickets to the latest tour too. They were brilliant as always; we were standing this time and I always think its a much better atmosphere compared to seating. I think Busted will always have a big piece of my heart, regardless of what anyone else thinks, their music really makes me happy and reminds me of being young. I didn't take any photos while I was there, I try to enjoy the moment when I go to concerts (plus being a tiny 5'1 I can't really take any decent photos as I cant see the stage too much!) so here's a selfie of me wearing last Years tour t-shirt.

The Best Lashes and Nails for a Natural Look

Impress Nails

When it comes to false nails and lashes, I'm definitely no pro at application but I do love having long eyelashes and pretty nails, so it is an ongoing progress for me to achieve it. One of my favourite pamper things to do is to get acrylic nails put on at a salon, but this isn't always an option as it can be a little bit pricey if you have your nails done often, which isn't really something I can commit to; so buying false nails to put on myself at home is a much more affordable way of doing things for me. I'm pretty rubbish when it comes to nail glue and all the rest of it, so I do tend to reach for stick on nails like these Impress Nails. I love these as they stay on for a reasonable amount of time; which for me is usually about a Week or so. They are so easy to apply and come with a little nail file too and lots of extra nails in-case one does fling off. I personally love a simple manicure look, however Impress nails are available in tonnes of pretty designs and colours. I think they are great for every day or for a special event. They last well and look professional. I like this style as they are not over the top and not too long which makes them ideal for work and day to day.

The Kiss Acrylic French Nails are just as good, they come with a really good nail glue and are easy and quick to apply onto your own nails. I think these last really well for a reasonable price, I would definitely recommend these as they are a great alternative to going to a salon.

To perfect my manicure I do tend to find manicure sticks useful, my cuticles aren't in the best condition so these Kiss manicure sticks are an essential for me.

I have really straight and short eyelashes, so if I am going somewhere special false lashes are always a good idea for me. I tend to stick with individual lashes as I feel they don't look too over the top, I have been wearing the Kiss Haute Couture Trio Lashes recently which are so easy to apply and they stay on well too. 

Although I prefer individual lashes, I have tried this pair of lashes recently from Kiss in the style 'Hot'. They are very natural and have a tapered end to the lash. I have found these much easier to apply onto my lashes compared to other false lashes I have tried before. The glue included in the pack is also quite good. They feel really light and not too heavy, which is something I tend to find I struggle with when wearing lashes.

What lashes and nails do you recommend? Have you tried these before?
Impress Nails and Kiss Lashes and Nails are available at ASDA and Boots.

*PR sample*

FNUG Skinny Jeans Nail Polish

It isn't often I talk about nails or nail varnish or anything nail related on my blog. I like wearing nail varnish but I have always had the bad habit of biting my nails - gross I know. I've tried to stop this awful habit in recent Months which has meant I have taken a lot more interest in nail varnishes. I have found I really like nudes, greys and lilac colours. I think they are very classic and underated colours for nails. I'm not quite brave enough to sport bright nails just yet so this is a perfect shade for me.

You will have to excuse my nails in the photograph - this picture was taken a few Weeks ago now, and I haven't yet had chance to take another picture due to memory card problems!

FNUG are a natural beauty brand which sell a range of nail polishes which contain strengthening silica and vitamins and caviar. The polishes are designed to condition the nails as well as look great. I chose the shade Skinny Jeans as it looked a really wearable colour which would be suitable for work.


I think the polish is very pigmented. With just one layer of product, it gives a good colour pay off just like the bottle. When I have been wearing this polish I have been using two coats of nail polish and a top coat, and it lasts really well with no chipping for around 6 Days. The brush is a good size and distrbutes the polish evenly. I love the colour of this nail varnish, it is described as a 'plum brown' colour which I think is accurate to the shade.
Overall I am quite impressed with the nail polish - the polish lasts on the nails - and if it is beneficial to the condition of the nails I am all for it.

You can buy this nail polish online here at Mypure for the price of £12.

*PR sample*

Dr. PawPaw Original Balm

I love a good lip balm - I have one at my desk, one at my bedside table and probably around 3 in each handbag I own. Lip balm is an essential item for me - I don't like having chapped, dry, sore lips.
I recently starting using the Dr. PawPaw Original Balm, which retails for a reasonable price of £6.95. It has been on my must-try wishlist for a while now, I had heard nothing but fantastic reviews about it and was expecting good things.
Dr PawPaw Orginal Balm is made from a variety of natural ingredients. The main ingredient is fermented Pawpaw; the fruit of the plant Carica Papaya. Pawpaw is said to have natural healing qualities.

I have been using the product every day for a few Weeks now and it has been a complete game-changer for me . This is all I have been using! It works a treat, my lips feel soft and smooth and they haven't felt dry or sore at all. It actually feels like it is working and doing my lips some good, and I am not just coating my lips in product. I also really like the shine it gives when applied over a lipstick, I am now looking at trying their tinted lip balms.
It isn't every day I give a glowing report on a lip balm product, as I do think that a lot of lip balms out there don't really moisturize the lips, but this does. I just think this ticks all the boxes for me and it works so well.
Not only is this a brilliant lip balm, it is a multi-purpose product too which you can use on sun burn; on skin irritations, on the hair, on the skin, as a nappy cream.... the list is endless. I have used the balm as a moisturizer which leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth. I have also used the balm on dry skin which seems to have helped clear it up quite a lot. I've even tried applying the product to my eyebrows after grooming them, I really like it for this - so fantastic results all round.
Dr PawPaw Original Balm is stocked in Harvey Nichols, Urban Outfitters and Asos.

Have you tried Dr PawPaw balms before?

*PR sample*

Review: Priti NYC Shirley Temple Peony Nail Polish

Are you looking for a sheer nail polish which is perfect for work? Look no further!

Priti NYC products are completely vegan, non-toxic and are free of carcinogenic ingredients.
The shade of this Priti NYC nail polish is Shirley Temple, which is a very pale peachy nude. It is quite a sheer nail polish so adds just a touch of colour.
I think this colour is perfect for work, as it is so simple and looks very professional and neat. I don't often wear bold colours on my nails so this polish is perfect for me.

It takes 3 - 4 coats of Shirley Temple to make the colour more opaque, which is great as the colour is buildable if you only need a sheer colour on the nails, or want more of a bold colour. The sheer shade is perfect for work or a manicure.
The brush is of a good size and it is very easy to apply onto the nails. I think this shade would also make a great toe nail colour too!

The fantastic thing about this nail polish is that it is free from toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and camphor, and it is also suitable for vegans.

This gorgeous nail polish is available to buy here* from www.lucyrose.biz.



*This post contains PR samples/items which were sent to me for consideration to review. All opinions are 100 %  honest and my own. You can view my full disclaimer policy on the contact tab above*

Event: Nail It! Birmingham, Urban Coffee.

Nail It! 

At the weekend I headed to Birmingham to attend an event held at an independent coffee shop Urban Coffee. I was really looking forward to it, as it was all about nails. I am quite clueless and not the best with painting my nails, so I was looking forward to trying some new colours out! 

On arrival, we we were given refreshments and we then took a seat to begin our nail styling! We used Avon's New Gel Finish Nail Polishes and their other Nail Polishes - I absolutely love the lilac shade - there was a huge selection of lovely colours to choose from. We also tried out the Magnetic Nail Polish and the Magnetic Wands - very impressive. other items we tried out were the Avon Nail Gems, Nail Enamel Corrector Pen, Gem Applicator, and lots more! We also had a look at some of the Avon Perfumes, Mascaras and Eye Shadows as well as having a good browse of the Avon brochure.

A big thank you to Rickie for arranging the entire event. I think it was a huge success and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, it was a lot of fun.
You can purchase Avon products from Rickie here.

Christmas Giveaway! NO 7 Nail Set

Christmas Giveaway!

As a little 'thank you' for you supporting me and my blog, I thought I would hold a little Christmas Giveaway. I really appreciate all the support my readers give me, especially in the past few Months where I haven't been able to blog as frequently as I would like to. 

 

Up for grabs is this beautiful Nail Glitter Collection Set by No 7, now I don't know about you but glittery nail polishes really put me in a festive mood at Christmas time, and this set includes a gold, silver and pink glitter top coat which are perfect for any upcoming parties you may have. The set also includes two other pretty polishes which are in Beanie and Temptress.

To enter, you MUST follow my blog via GFC and leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. You can also follow me on bloglovin, twitter and tweet about the Giveaway to gain extra entries! Use the rafflecopter below - it is super easy! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good Luck and Happy 1st of December! 

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Essie Dupe for £1 - New MUA Nail Polish in Pistachio Ice Cream

MUA Pistachio Ice Cream - £1

Hi everyone! Quick post today, briefly talking about the new MUA nail polishes. Sorry about the instagram pictures, I have been having camera problems for a while now but thought I would pop this up anyway.

MUA have recently released a new line of nail polishes, and in there own words, have "new shades, new bottle and a new and improved brush!"

I have only used one of their older nail polishes before, but do agree that the brush on this new polish is slightly better. I really like the new bottle design too, I know it looks so much like the Essie polishes, I really think MUA are making their newer products look so much more nicer and they look more expensive than what they are.

The polish I chose was Pistachio Ice Cream, which has been dubbed as a good dupe for Essie Mint Candy Apple. I have never owned that polish but looking at reviews and pictures online, I would say the colour is very similar. 

As for the polish itself, I have had it on 3 days now and it has not yet chipped. Quite good for a £1 polish! I did find I needed 3 coats though to get the best colour pay off.

The new colours in the line are really lovely, spring inspired colours. I decided to just pick one as I am not much of a nail artist, infact I am useless at nails as you can see my nails are really short and messy!

I paired this with a lilac toned pink from Collection (2000) and a nude brown from Models Own. I thought it was very Spring - esque!

The link to their new Nail Polishes you can find here.

Have you tried any of their new polishes? 

Perfect Winter Nail Colour: No 7 in Damson Dream

I love having pretty nails for winter. My only problem is that I have super short nails, and I am utterly useless at painting them or doing any form of nail art. I am trying to grow my nails as a New Years resolution and try and do my own nails a little bit better! I picked out this nail polish last week to put on as it is a very Winter colour I believe. It is all dark tones at Winter and thought this purple was a gorgeous colour and perfect for the festive party season. It lasts on the nails without chipping for 5-6 days, it is really good quality and you only need two coats and a top coat and then you are good to go. No 7 polishes cost £5.50 at Boots, which is pretty average for a full sized nail polish. I am so glad I got this a while back as it definitely is a perfect match for the cold months to come.

Bargain of the week: Twist&Pull Nail Polish Remover

I strolled into Poundland last week to pick up some shower gel and other bits, and needed to top my purchases up to £5 to pay on card. I had seen this blogged about to high heavens in the past few months, and being a bargain hunter myself, who refuses to pay £5 for the much hyped Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover, I got this instead.

I have taken before and after photographs (on my rubbish Iphone again, apoligizes but my camera is broken!) to show you how good it is! I cant recommend enough! You literally have to dip your finger and twist inside the pot only twice for all your polish to be removed!

Just before using the product.

After the first attempt

Second attempt, all gone!

If you have a spare £1 when you are next near a poundland I would definitely recommend picking this up! 

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Review: No 7 Stay Perfect Totally Teal

330 Totally Teal

The good:

Lastability - does not chip for about 4/5 days

Gorgeous colour

Brush is good, easy application

Not so good:

Price tag £7 for a 10ml polish - bit heavy for nail varnish in my opinion

Doesnt come off easy with nail varnish remover.

Repurchase:

Definitely! Gorgeous colour, lasts well, a thumbs up from me!

Photography all my own.

Just a short post today folks! Hope you are all well!

Have you tried this polish? Let me know

Comment or tweet @zoelianne_x

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