Tuesday 31 July 2012

Finally! Nice Nails!

I'm studying Radiography at University which requires me to attend a lot of placement... in a hospital... where we have to keep our nails cut short and free from nailvarnish at all times due to hygiene reasons.  The nail varnish rule didn't bother me too much, but I hate the fact that I have to keep my nails cut short!  I love having long nails.  However now it's my summer holidays I can do whatever I want with my nails!

So I did this:


This is what I used:


My nails before I started:


The products I used to do this I got as a gift, but I've done some research and this is their website: http://www.fxnailz.co.uk/.  You can also get their products on ebay here and here.

First I painted my nails in one colour (the smaller bottle in the picture).  I chose a metallic very light pink.  I used two coats of this, and waited for it to dry.  I then painted on the foil adhesive, which is like a glue.  Once you paint it on, the nails turn purple, and you have to wait for this adhesive to turn clear before you can begin the next step.  By this stage your nails will be very sticky, so watch out!

The next stage is to use the foil which comes in a roll, as pictured above.  You can get many different colours and patterns, I chose a pink swirly one.  You apply the foil to your nail and smooth it down, making it stick.



The next step is to take the foil backing off, leaving the pattern behind.  I have done this quite a few times and this is the only time I have been successful in doing this.  Before I was peeling it off slowly, being very careful and it was taking off all my nailvarnish with it!  This time I ripped it off very quickly, the same sort of action as if I was waxing, and it turned out perfect!

Once the pattern has stuck down to your nail, the next stage is to use the Top Coat Sealer (which is the bottle with the red liquid in pictured above).  I suppose you could use any brand Top Coat nail varnish, but I used the one that came with the pack as it does it's job well.  I like to apply two or three coats of this.  And there we go, my nails were finished.


A bit messy, but a pretty good attempt I think seeing as I haven't done this in a very long time!  I'm quite proud of my new nails!

Monday 30 July 2012

Is It September Yet?

I want to get back to Uni already!  I do like being at home, just not for this long.

Whilst being at my parent's house I have discovered some new hair products.  I normally use Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner as I love the smell!  However I have discovered a new shampoo and conditioner that I am in love with at the moment.


Pantene Pro-V.  Normal-Thick Hair. Smooth & Sleek Shampoo.  This shampoo claims it 'fights roughness and controls frizz'.  I have been using it with John Frieda Frizz-Ease Dream Curls Conditioner which is meant for 'wavy, curly, frizz-prone hair', which is my hair type.  My thick hair usually takes so long to dry, and then I have to spend forever straightening it to get it very smooth and straight, and even then it doesn't always behave.  But since I have been using this shampoo and conditioner my hair seems much less frizzy, and takes much less time to straighten with very pleasing results!  Both of these products do not smell as good as Herbal Essences which I will going back to now and then, but they create very good results and I am pleased at how good my hair is looking.  I am about to run out of the Pantene and John Frieda products and they will definitely be on my shopping list for next time I go shopping!

Another product I am loving at the moment is Simple Derma Intensive Relief Lotion.


I love this stuff!  This moisturiser is 'for very dry, sensitive skin prone to eczema & dermatitis.'  I do not have eczema or dermatitis but my skin can be sensitive and it can became very dry if I'm not careful, especially the skin on my hands.  I use this lotion on my legs, feet, arms and hands and the product claims you can see results in 'just 4 days', but you can feel it working straight away.  I recommend this lotion to be applied when you are sitting there watching TV or just before bed because it is a bit oily and can take a while to soak in.  It doesn't feel so nice on the hands, there are much better consistency lotions out there, but I have never tried a moisturiser that works as well as this one.  It gives you extra smooth skin in days! The smell isn't so great, but then it does't have any perfume in as it is for sensitive skin, so I tend to use this lotion if I am at home all day or in the evening.  I think anyone wanting a good moisturiser could use this lotion, whether they have extra sensitive skin and eczema or not!

What is your favourite shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser?

Sunday 29 July 2012

Sundays Are Meant To Be Lazy

Well... I've been quite busy today.

Yesterday I wrote about trying to clear the rubbish in my room.  Yesterday it looked like this:


And today, after trying to tidy and clean all day, it looks like this:



Is it me or does it look worse?!


I am having one big problem here. Storage.  I am used to having a room at uni, and a room at home.  So I have had two rooms to store everything.  And now I suddenly have one.  I have come to the conclusion that I have too much clothes, far too much underwear, make-up, and beauty and hair products.  I am a hoarder.  I have just thrown out a load of school work that I was keeping in my wardrobe... I left school 6 years ago!  I have no idea why I kept it for so long!

I'm going to do a little update about what I've been up to in the last few months, as I have abandoned this since 18th April!  During which I was going through a really rough time and things only really started to look up in July but they have been getting better ever since.


So I went to see Lostprophets twice.  Once in Birmingham, where I met them!  I took pictures but they are on my other camera which needs charging.  And once in Wales, where I spent the weekend and it rained the whole time.












I finished all my exams and passed them all.  So, so happy!  And I completed 10 weeks of placement which was hard work and very tiring but I managed to get through it!

I went to see the Avengers Assemble in a normal cinema.  Then the Avengers in IMAX.  Loved it!! I went to see Amazing Spiderman, and The Dark Knight Rises.  Both awesome films!  And I went to see Prometheus.

I went on a few nights out which I hadn't done in ages!!

I went to Download Festival for the first time, which was so so so so good! But very windy and muddy and wet.  But I got to see great bands like Metallica, Tenacious D, Killswitch Engage, Steel Panther, Lamb Of God, Machine Head and Trivium.

I turned twenty-two!! Eeeek.  That's starting to not sound so old any more, and I'm starting to like being this age.

And I went to see The Darkness.




I have a few things I want to achieve this 6-week-long summer holiday (just 5 weeks left now!):

  1. Lose weight!  Not too much, just half a stone, or a stone would be nice.  I will do this by eating better and doing some exercise.
  2. Learn!  Next year at uni is my final year and I want to do as much preparation as I can so I will do as well as possible in this last year.
  3. Get a new hobby!  Something! Anything!  I want to start doing something that interests me, like start learning a new language or something.
  4. Get a job!  Preferably a bar job or something.  Although this is looking less and less likely.
  5. Enjoy myself!  This is possibly going to be the longest holiday I am going to get in I don't know how long... Maybe the next few years!  So I need to enjoy it!!

And that post was much longer than planned!!

Saturday 28 July 2012

BOO!

Where have I been?!  It's been three months!

Exams.  Exams.  Placement.  Exams... I passed all of them BTW.  Which now makes me a third year Radiography student :D

So last weekend I moved back to my parent's house for 6 long weeks.

I've been searching for a job for the last month but I've had no luck.  Well, I've had a few offers but nothing appropriate for me.  But now I've finished placement I'll take pretty much anything.  I'm about to give up hope though.

I'll have to find something else to do all summer, something which involves spending no money, otherwise come September I will be MEGABORED.

I have been enjoying the weather and now have a bit of a tan! YAY!  Although a tan for me is normal person skin colour without a tan, as I am usually ridiculously pale.

At the moment I am trying to clear out my room at my parent's house to make room for all my uni stuff.  It's quite nostalgic chucking out old birthday cards, school work and finding old letters from friends from about 10 years ago.

I can't even take pictures to make this blog more interesting because both cameras are hidden somewhere in the mess.

I better get back to unpacking.  Otherwise my Mum might murder me for leaving boxes and bags all over the house for so long.