Cutex Sweet Pea + rhinestones

This is one of a range of 6 autumnal colours. No idea when Cutex produced these. Still available on ebay and I rather like them.

I love sludgy, murky, muddy, dirty greens. This is no exception. 2 coats of creme formula goodness. Simple. Unspectacular. Reliable. Cheap.

Pity it doesn't have a sweet pea fragrance as I adore sweet peas. But there's Acqua di Gio for that. Although I have sadly run out.

Maybe I should grow sweet peas this year. 2 snags.

A I have brown fingers and kill plant-life just by looking at it


B Our soil is thick clay

Other than that it should all go swimmingly. I would love a beautiful garden. I did once have one when I had a dutiful husband to carry out my instructions (ie do the donkey-work).
 
You good with plants?

Jenni

GOSH Holographic - the very devil itself...

Did this mani a few weeks ago. Pictures just languished on my desktop.

Context:
Had a bottle of the GOSH (lots of people rave about it), got rid as it was a 'mare to apply. Saw it the other week half-price at Superdrug (always want to write Supadrug - seems to be more appropriate) and did what you should never do. Bought the blasted bleedin' thing again.

Well, it certainly hasn't changed for the better. Hence the liberal application of Barry M. I think they are discontinuing this so I may be too late to save you from wasting your money as GOSH already have it in hand.

I actually like the look (except for the mess on the middle finger) but it's not what I was aiming for. I can slap Barry M on any day of the week after all!

Medical miracle that is my mother now can walk a bit with a frame, sit up in the chair and put her teeth in, open the plastic wrappings and help herself to grapes, read the paper and talk very well. Certainly enough to tell me when she is tired and I can go. Hates to be helped so fell out of the chair yesterday whilst trying to fend for herself! And daughter no. 1 is helping out with the visiting. Cool.

• Will get back to reading all my fave blogs very soon and leaving my usual comments
• Will generate randomly at the weekend for a giveaway winner
• Officially thank everyone who reads this blog

Jenni

Rhinestones

£2.50 (ebay) for 12 of the teeniest bottles I ever did see.

Imagine the production line! Extraordinary. These are glass bottles. I had to remove the stopper with my teeth! How do people place these things on the nail with such accuracy? Sheesh.

First attempt. Rubbish. Things can only get better.

Made me think about the origin of the word /rhinestone/. Unsurprisingly (wikipedia, you are my friend) the whole shebang started with rock crystal gathered from the Rhine. These days they may still be made of rock crystal or glass or acrylic.

Update
My mother can now sit up, almost stand, talk sensibly, feed herself and may be transferred to the local community hospital and then home - maybe with some adaptations and help. Who would've thought?! Poor dear has shingles too although she says she's in no discomfort with it. Hurrah! All despite a rather large bleed into the brain. Tough nut. A lot to live up to!

Apology
Haven't been tracking my comments or checking out all the blogs I usually do so sorry about that....

Jenni

Illamasqua Victory

Another quality polish from Illamasqua. Such a shame my first experience with the brand was the ghastly "Rare". But I can't otherwise fault them.

This is 2 coats of perfection. Even copes well with my ridges.

The extra sparkle on the index finger is courtesy CND Gold Effects. Had a discount in the Illamasqua sale. Definitely worth it.

One of my top 2 golds. Misa Disco Queen is the other. Quite different.

Bit of a short post. I have one more in draft form. Unfortunately my mother (aged 83) was admitted to hospital with a brain bleed on Thursday and it's a two-hour drive so I shall probably be less than regular in my posting habits.....

Jenni

FAIL - FAIL - FAIL- black pearl

Black + pearl makes black pearl, non? Well yes, but not in a good way. Maybe applying this in artificial light didn't help matters. Look at Don't look at the tips.

It ought to work. I knew it would end up blue. I didn't want a Chanel-type Black Pearl because I don't like that but I did want something other than a streaky mess. Will try again with another black. I think this is a case of operator-error.

Misa Wishing on a Star + Illamasqua Prism are the culprits polishes used.

Pretty.

Would you or do you wear pearls? I'm wearing a Majorica pearl at the moment. I just wear it. I don't look at it and never noticed the green tinge before. Hm. So maybe Chanel DID get it right with this pearl business. Still don't like that shade though...

Jenni

The colour purple - Lancome Brillant Bluebird

My latest lipstick!
I have loved purple since 1971 when it was THE fashion colour.

1971 magazine spread. Purple. And see those shoes? Ankle straps, block heels and platforms. Love.

OK, I have the tights and some shoes. Purple.

All I need is the lippie. The lippie at the top. It's Lancome. It's purple. It must be gorgeous. Lancome? Je l'adore depuis plusieurs d'annees! And did I mention the purple thing?

 Well.....In the tube it was a riot of colour and texture. And after using up half a tube on my lips (on and on I pressed and slathered) it ended up like............this. Thank the Lord it was an internet bargain and not full price. I could have spat!

If I'd wanted a lipgloss I'd have bought a ruddy lipgloss. What a cheek.

Good news though!
TJ Hughes have a bunch of Urban Decay stuff at £2.99 each. Today was also 20% off and I got a bostin' lipstick and eyeliner.

Jennifer
PS You have any bargain tips?

Dior Hypnotic Poison

For Lena (but not exclusively Lena - YOU decide)

http://thestudentsguidetonailpolish.blogspot.com/

OK, this is what I want you to do. You must do this. Memorise what I am about to tell you, eat the.....No, not that.
Having committed to memory then go to Boots or wherever stocks Hypnotic Poison and follow the procedure as stated below.

You pay good money for perfume? You want it to impress/make a statement/insinuate itself into the senses of your beloved? That's sillage. From the French - the wake that a boat leaves behind. Sillage. Now, HP has pretty good sillage unless your chemistry is a bit weird! In other words, strong and odoriferous.

Next - the pyramid. Tell me I don't have to give you a picture of a pyramid! No, of course not.

So. You are in Boots. Spray on the perfume. Sniff. What are you getting?
For HP the apex of the pyramid has bitter almond (think maybe Bakewell tart?). Marzipan? So that's the top. Top-notes. Immediate ZING! The first impression. That's what hits you first. Now go for a wander round and wait for the other notes to develop.

Bitter almond tree blossom with optional parakeet

As the pyramid widens we get jasmine. As time goes on you may detect jasmine. Gives heart to the perfume. I'm not good at detecting middle notes even after all these years. I don't have the greatest nose. In fact your sense of smell does decline with age so Lena will definitely be more sensitive than I. But never mind the mid notes at this stage.

At the base (BASE notes) vanilla and musk. These are pervasive and last longest. So that's what you end up with. That's what lasts longest. And a good perfume should last/have good longevity. If you spray it on YOU rather than on a paper strip then sniff again after a couple of hours. Heck, use a paper strip if you want.By the time you get home the top notes have dwindled or disappeared. Depends how sensitive you are. Me - not so much.

Doesn't matter if you hate HP - these are still the constituents. So that's what you are smelling. If you hate it you may want to avoid any other perfume with bitter almond on top (there aren't many widely available). But when you know what you dislike or like on first sniff then you can work out what else to try. Use 'basenotes' as a resource or just google. Unusual top notes make for distinctive perfumes. And HP doesn't have many clones/dupes/twins.

If you hate vanilla then don't get HP even if the top notes appeal because you'll be left with vanilla after the bitter almond dies down. Perfumes tend to come in families. Floral. Oriental (spice). Woody. Green. Gourmand. I could go on....and on...

If this makes no sense I am going to do another post on perfumes with /red/ in their name. That may be more enlightening.

Jenni

Silver rings - 3

I do love rings. Mind you, I read one of these ludicrous psychology results ages ago that stated there's a strong correlation between a woman wearing a lot of rings and mental fragility! Although come to think of it....there may be something in that! I do look at women's hands and wonder about their stability. But these psychologists - what are they like!

The heart is rose quartz. The black is onyx. These are both Fair Trade silver rings from Traidcraft. You can get much cheaper rings but I am glad there are Peruvians who are a bit less poorer. After all, I'm a helluva lot richer than they are. Spread it around. These two are adjustable which I usually associate with cheapo rings made of base metals but these are very good quality. The onyx is faceted but the pic doesn't show that well.

The mother-of-pearl was an ebay buy.

My wedding ring is yellow gold, white gold and 5 diamonds. Had to find one that we both liked. Not so easy as I favour the flamboyant and the OH is much more (decidedly small c) conservative. I am definitely a silver rather than a gold. Too much of the Del-boy/Katie Price about gold jewellery in my head. *shudders*

I wear these day after day. Don't remove them ever. I keep one earring in permanently and take the others out at bedtime. I also wear a silver chain. Pearl at the moment. Plus my watch. I had a gorgeous 'silver' cuff but it irritated my skin. I'm looking for a real silver cuff a bit like the quartz ring with a hammered finish but I'm outta dosh at present.

Then there's piercings but that may be TMI!!!!!

Silver or gold?
How many earrings?
Any allergies?


Jenni

Wet n Wild Sparked

I got this from Cheap Smells. I thought I was buying Starry Night. That's certainly what it said on the website and the invoice. I'm sure you can guess what that kind of polish 'should' look like. I actually got this fellow (do nail polishes have a gender?) and I'm not perturbed.

I love this kind of finish and thought at first glance it must be akin to my beloved Butter London Rosie Lee.

And there is indeed a resemblance but, even to my untutored eye, they could not in a month of dull and rainy Sundays be described as dupes.

Do you think you have a good eye for colour? Do your friends ask your advice for 'what goes with what'? Do you pick something thinking it will go well with an existing piece only to find that they clash disastrously? Or do you like clashes? Would you wear different shades of blue (for example) in coat, cardi, skirt, shirt, tights???

Jenni

Jessica Soak Up The Sun

Jessica is a great brand and I was rather hoping this would be a great polish (well, formula-wise as the colour isn't the most interesting one has ever seen) but it fell victim to the curse of the neon-pastel streakitudity.

3 coats and it was still patchy so....

I can't say I like the effect but it will simply have to do. The 2010 over the pink is slightly suggestive of a nasty fungal disease attacking my nails but you can't win 'em all...
Nubar 2010 and Illamasqua Prism btw.

Now the other hand is sporting something far more interesting but we shall leave that for another day.

I have an embarrassment of (relative) riches to show you in the coming week.

• Perfumes. I have rather more than I had imagined and do fancy myself something of a connoisseur. *splutters*
• YSL lipstick
• Silver rings
• Giraffe tights
• My Dove giveaway from Charlie - but it's being sent from Dove HQ so I don't have an ETA
• Nail polish by Zoya, Revlon, GOSH, BB Couture, Illamasqua, Bourjois, OPI

Jennifer