pre holiday haul - h&m, tk maxx, asda...

If there's a time to brave new trends, it's on holiday. When I saw these floral trousers in H&M i was worried they'd be too in your face but then I saw they were 50% off and I was swayed. They had a few other patterns and they fit really well. �7.49 H&M.
On holiday I'm going to a water park so i need something that's going to keep everything in! Asda have some really nice swimwear pieces this summer. I saw some bikini's for �2.50 which looked nice. I opted for this bandeau floral print swimming costume with a control stomach panel. �12.00 ASDA.
After my little trip to Ibiza i've got heat rash on my face which is a pain in the bum. After doing some online research i read aloe vera gel is suppose to help & it has been a life saver. �2.66 Superdrug.
I've wanted a crochet waist dress forever! I spotted one about a year ago in Topshop for �50 but i just couldn't justify the price so i'm glad i held it off. As soon as i saw this i knew it was coming home with me. �19.99 TK Maxx.

So that was my little Dubai haul, I just hope we get a good summer so i can re-wear these clothes when i get home. Are you off on holiday this year? I can't wait to start wearing summer clothes again! 

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Disney Challenge: Beauty and the Beast

I'm almost embarrassed about this one, but here it is. My Beauty and the Beast mani for the Disney Challenge.

Nothing went right with this design. I realized quickly that I need new yellow polish because the Sally Hansen Lightening was insanely hard to work with! Then I knocked over TWO bottles of polish, one of them almost ending up in  my lap (while I was wearing my favorite pants). My nail art brush is in major need of a good clean ... or maybe I just need a new brush. Yikes!

So yeah, a bit embarrassed about this mani. I used yellow to match Belle's infamous dress, drew random music notes across my nails, and then finished with the magical wilting rose.

Up next: Bambi. Thankfully, I think I have an idea for this one!

A small update on my polish. I am working like a crazy person for a huge release of new polish and a restock of old. :)

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Time Periods: Ancient Rome

We're off to Ancient Rome with this post for the Time Periods Challenge.

There were two things I thought of when I saw Ancient Rome � gladiators and Roman soldiers. I finally decided on Roman soldiers. I did my best at creating pteruges on my nails. I had to search long and hard to find out the proper name for this piece of clothing/armor. Pteruges were the decorative skirts made of leather or fabric strips that were worn around Roman and Greek soldier's waists. Some of them had metal studs and such on them to give additional protection.

Next up for the Time Periods Challenge: Medieval.

Coming tomorrow: Beauty and the Beast for the Disney Challenge ... if I can get them done in time. I was finally right on time for my posts, and then I spent a day making new nail polish instead of doing my nails, so now I'm behind again. At least you'll have some really gorgeous new nail polish from me to look forward to.

*A reminder. The Grin & Bear It Giveaway is ending tomorrow. So get your entries in!

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Influenster Sugar 'N' Spice VoxBox

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was going through old posts the other day and realized I never got around to doing a blog post on the Sugar and Spice VoxBox I received from Influenster! How did I forget something this important you ask?? Well, I got my VoxBox very early, one of the first or second shipments likely, and (knowing how much I hate VoxBox spoilers myself) I held off in an attempt not to spoil anyone else. Then I guess I just forgot completely that I never actually posted. But it's here now!!

Have I mentioned that I adore picmonkey.com?? The things that can be done with pictures, the awesome way it creates collages is so much easier than trying to do everything myself.

Here is my box. I love the new boxes Influenster is using. They're so much prettier than the plain brown box I got for the Holiday VoxBox. You can see that it's from Influenster right away. The box is emblazened with Influenster from every side, which just ramps up the excitement. I was immediately giddy and wondering what's inside. The questions you take to qualify for the VoxBox do give you some idea but Influenster always throws in some awesome surprises!!

The first thing you see when you open the box is the Influenster Sugar 'N Spice VoxBox 2013 card. It explains the box and the opposite side tells you what's inside. I never look at this because I love the surprise.

I won't say too much about the products in this post because each one will have its own in-depth post.

The first thing under the VoxBox card is a handful of coupons. Save $2.00 on the purchase of any Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel product. The main retailers listed are Kroger, Rite Aid, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. You can find Dickinson products elsewhere as well, so be sure to look the next time your out.

I received Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes. Though they say they are oil free, non-drying, and good for all skin types I was anxious and very hesitant about using these. I have some of the worst combination skin. It's odd, my skin is usually fairly normal. A dry patch here or a bit of extra oil, but then I use the wrong thing and BAM! My skin practically drips with oil or peels from dryness or breaks out horribly! However, I wouldn't be a very good blogger if I wasn't willing to take some risks so I used one. I'll have a full post on this product shortly, but I will say I was impressed. It didn't cause any kind of breakout whether from oil, dryness, or acne. It did exactly what it says it does in addition to soothing my skin.

Next in the box was the package of Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener. It's 100% natural, made from monk fruit. I don't use much sweetener, certainly not in my coffee or tea. But ...

Nectresse included an awesome recipe book. Not only does this recipe book come with yummy recipes like apricot fig cinnamon rolls, cinnamon hot chocolate, pumpkin walnut pancakes, and mixed berry yogurt parfait, but it explains everything you need to or could want to know about the sweetener and the monk fruit as well as gives a conversion chart so you know you're always getting just the right amount of sweetness compared to sugar.

Once the Dickinson's and the Nectresse are removed this just rolled right to me. It's Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer. Turn the lid to the left and it clicks open, revealing a spray nozzle. Press down on the top and you get a continuous spray of soft, non-greasy moisturizer that leaves your skin moisturized in seconds so you can spray and go.

This yummy little beauty was packaged carefully in bubble wrap. I thought this was really sweet of Influenster! These are belVita Breakfast Biscuits. You get four in a pack like this; this one is cinnamon and brown sugar, and they make a nutritious and energy sustainable breakfast. I found eating one of these packages in the morning filled me right up and left me full even through lunch! They have such a wonderful texture to them too. They're filled with whole grains that give them just the right amount of crunch, and the cinnamon and brown sugar isn't too sweet!

Last but not least is the Colgate Optic White trio. I really couldn't be happier with this. I already use the toothpaste but only knew in passing that they had a mouthwash, never mind a toothbrush!  The 360 Optic White toothbrush complete with whitening cups and polishing bristles, Optic White toothpaste in Sparkling Mint said to make your teeth whiter in one week, and the Optic White alcohol free mouthwash, also in Sparkling Fresh Mint. I've been using this trio since I got the VoxBox, and I have noticed a difference! It's odd how all three together do what just the toothpaste couldn't. I certainly won't be doing any toothpaste commercials, but I feel less self-conscious smiling in public.

So, you've seen what's in the box. Stick around for the reviews. They're coming soon. For real this time; no more forgetting! :)

Which reviews are you most looking forward to? What products from the Influenster Sugar 'N Spice VoxBox do you most what to see in use??

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Disney Challenge: The Little Mermaid

Welcome to The Little Mermaid post of the Disney Challenge. I've done character nails so far, so I decided to try something different. Instead of more character nails I did an underwater scene.

I actually did these nails once before, about two years ago, for an underwater themed birthday party. I followed a YouTube video tutorial by ProfessionalDQ then but couldn't find it again this time. So, I took some liberties and did a little bit of my own thing.

I started with a base of two coats of Sinful Colors Cinderella (wrong princess, but the perfect color for water). Then I used a tiny piece of makeup sponge and a pair of tweezers to dab on Savvy Totally Teal, Petites Color Fever Figi, and the one that created most of the awesome shimmer  you see (the mostly sheer but ultra shimmery) Scherer Chameleon Mist. I want to try a nail with just these blues. They are so stunning and shimmery together!

I let the blue dry before dabbing 'sand' using Sally Hansen Lightening and very lightly dabbing on Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty, Funky Fingers Platinum Record, and Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold to add some depth and graininess.

I didn't have the exact shade I wanted for the seaweed so I added some white to China Glaze Holly-Day, lightening it until it was what I wanted. The white of the bubbles is LA Colors Energy Source, the red seaweed/coral is Wet n Wild I Read a Good Book, the orange coral is Wet n Wild Club Havana and then I added a bit of shadow by mixing Club Havana with China Glaze Desert Sun. The starfish are created with Revlon Enchanting.

I think that's it. I used a ton of colors to create this but it was actually much easier than I thought. It dried quickly too though that might have something to do with my Seche Vite top coat and the way I fought my instincts and kept my coats extra thin.

Next up in this challenge: Beauty and the Beast.

Until then look forward to the next era in the Time Periods Challenge: Ancient Rome coming Wednesday.

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my week in ibiza

You might not know this about me but i love travelling(even though i've not really travelled). I'm actually studying it at the moment in college. I'm so nosey i love looking at other people's holiday photos. I've just got back from a 4 day holiday so here are some pictures from my mini break to Ibiza last week cause i don't like to keep you guys out of the blue and you might be nosey like me! This was my first ever holiday without parents, i went with a couple of friends from college. It was nice not to have parents constantly nagging me - 'have you put sun cream on your nose, put your hat on, how much water have you drank today'....I guess they know best, I'm now at home recovering from heat rash and sunburn. Sorry mum. 

I'd recommend Ibiza if you want a girly break. The flight from the UK is about 2 hours, the beaches are amazing, weather was around 20 degrees and the locals seem really friendly. Visit in April if your not really into clubbing as the night life start May - October.
Do you enjoy these sort of travel posts? I'm off to Dubai on Wednesday so let me know if you'd like to see some pictures when i get back. Also, let me know if you have any holiday questions! 

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Grin & Bear It GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the Grin & Bear It Giveaway.
Please read the rules fully and completely before entering!
The Prize
Recently, some staticky glitter had three polishes from a recent batch of Grin & Bear It turn out too blue. Instead of throwing these polishes out I've decided to host a giveaway for them. Grin & Bear It is from my recent Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland inspired collection, Down the Rabbit Hole, and was inspired by the Cheshire Cat. As stated, these polishes are not an exact match to those being sold in my Etsy Shop. The difference isn't all that noticeable unless you put them both side by side, but it would have felt dishonest selling them as Grin & Bear It.

You can see in the picture above (sorry, my original tester bottle has been sitting unshaken for a while) that the prize polishes have a lot more of the dark blue hex glitter than the original Grin & Bear It. That doesn't mean this polish isn't completely usable or that it won't make a wonderful addition to your collection. :)

The Rules
See the Rafflecopter Terms and Conditions for full rules. A rundown: giveaway starts 12:00 am EST April 15th and ends 12:00 am EST April 19th. All entries must be submitted using the Rafflecopter app; attempts to enter using the comments (except those asked for by the Rafflecopter app), or some other way, will not be counted. There will be 3 winners; each winner will win ONE full-sized bottle of Grin & Bear It (shown above). Giveaway is open to US residents only as I can't ship nail polish international. Winners will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter. A winning email will be sent to each winner's submitted email address, and winners will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disney Challenge: The Fox and The Hound

I think this is probably the only Disney movie I don't like. Well, okay, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that I can't watch it because it sends me to the safety of my bed sobbing!! It's a horrible, horrible movie, lol!!

I looked for inspiration everywhere, and finally decided to do like everyone else who has tried to find inspiration in The Fox and The Hound � do their faces.

I started with an almost watercolor background. This is two coats of white that I used saran wrap to dab blue, mint, purple, pink, and yellow over. I loved the old Disney books as a kid; when the images in the books weren't digitally created. Kind of like how it is with the old movies too! This watercolor effect reminds of those, and I love it for this challenge!!

It might have also had something to do with this scene. These are screencaps from the movie that I turned into a collage. See the awesome watercolor effect of the background and the water? You just don't get that with movies now!!

Before starting these nails, I used my morning to create nail art stickers for Tod and Copper. Their faces are all hand-painted, but creating stickers allows me much more freedom since I don't have to keep my hand turned to point of breaking thus allowing for a more precise image.

To create nail art stickers you use a Ziploc bag and put a layer of clear polish down slightly larger than your nail. Let it dry completely! And then you just draw your design over the clear polish and again let it dry completely!! If the image isn't completely dry it will stick to the Ziploc bag and tear, ruining your image.

I thought it was missing something. The sadness of The Fox and The Hound maybe. So I added footprints going in opposite directions. There's so much meaning behind that, but it all boils down to the separation of Tod and Copper. It shows them going in opposite directions, leaving their friendship behind.

Next up: The Little Mermaid. :)

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Time Periods Challenge: Ancient Greece

Ever feel like there is so much to do and not enough time to do it? I feel like that a lot lately. It's the reason for all the late night posts. I just can't seem to get ahead, but I am really grateful not to be behind! I would feel 100 times worse if I was behind. So, today's post is another Time Periods Challenge mani. We're on Ancient Greece now.

I decided on a Greek wave mosaic. Like the Greek fret, the ocean-like wave pattern was very common. Another common feature in Ancient Greek art was the pebble mosaics. It was something the Greeks pretty much perfected.

I used a base of Revlon Waterfall and then created the waves with Sephora by OPI Read My Palm. Once the waves were completed I started layering blue/green sequins over them, using clear polish to attach them when my base color dried. This is a design that will take a while as each sequin has to be added one at a time so that they touch or even overlap a little.

With thing heating up around here there are a few things I forgot.

Things I forgot over winter:

• The heat causes my polish to bubble as it dries
• The heat slows dry time, meaning I can't get away with rushing to add a second coat.
• A fan too close while I'm doing my nails causes the polish to dry out quickly on the brush turning it thick and tacky.
• The heat sometimes causes my fingers to swell, which means I'm not as dexterous as I need to be for both painting my nails and for taking pictures ... especially for taking pictures.

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Disney Challenge: The Jungle Book

Another mani for the Disney Challenge being hosted by Rambles of a Polish Addict. I'm extra excited about this mani. I was utterly stumped � not because it's anything truly stunning, but because I had not a clue what I was going to do for The Jungle Book. Finally, I decided.

I hate the ending of The Jungle Book and am only slightly appeased by The Jungle Book 2. In my memory, this is how Mowgli and Baloo will stay. They will forever be together, dancing and happy, best friends until the end ... and no human village or girl will ever come between their friendship, lol.

Next up in this challenge: The Fox and the Hound. Even at 27 years old, I still sob like a little baby get teary at this movie.

Until then, check out the other awesome artists taking part in this challenge.

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