The Manicure Diaries – Pt 9

Brighter weather calls for brighter nails.

And inspired by Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere, I thought I’d jazz up a mani in a subtle way. I’ve tried crackle polish, two-tone manicures and nail art pens, this time I opted for a sprinkling of glitter.

It’s so subtle that you can only really see it in proper light, but I love the violet shimmer effect. And I’ve finally got a use for all that facial glitter that I used to wear at uni. BTW loose facial glitter + contact lenses really don’t go. I’m surprised I can still see…!!

Nails – Shoreditch by Nails Inc plus Pixi loose glitter.

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Not the Manicure Diaries

In case you didn’t know, gardening isn’t good for your nails.  It’s not great for arachnophobics either. Nevertheless, with a week off work, a bit of a sun and an embarrassment of a window box, I decided to plough on…

Believe it or not, I kept an IKEA house plant alive for 5 years. It’s dead now, but that wasn’t my fault.

My main problem with window boxes is that I forget to water them.

All my floral hopes and dreams are now heavily invested in these wee guys…

I’ve got a Viola. Good for shady areas, according to the label.  I also think it helps me to go for flowers that are described as ‘hardy’.

A pretty, grassy nameless thing. Does anyone know what it is?

Ivy is impossible to kill, so the box should have a bit of green in it, even if the worst happens.

A rather weedy looking plant…

…but it will hopefully end up looking like this!

Whatthefuckisthat!?!? THIS is why I shouldn’t be gardening!! And I also saw a spider the size of a mouse near the compost bag….

So I should put them in this order? Yeah? And then add some gardening gloves, a trowel and a lot of nose wrinkling…

And here’s the finished masterpiece! Phew, thank god, that’s over. Need to have a bit of a lie down now.

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The Manicure Diaries – Pt 8

A lazy (hungover!) Friday night is so much better when you’ve got some new Chanel to play with.

Nails – Vendetta by Chanel 

I’ve been painting my nails for so long that I can still work with shaky hangover hands.

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Define “dancing”

I’m always a bit tired and emotional on New Year’s Day. And who wouldn’t be? All the fun is over, your bank account is completely wiped out and it’s only a day or two before you have to go back to work.

No wonder I bawled my eyes out last year while watching WALL-E. 

And it didn’t help that WALL-E and EVE sound like the real names of the soon to be Mr & Mrs ThreeSmallApples.

Yep… Mr ThreeSmallApples.

*yay*.

Ps: Nails – Wicked by Essie.

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Cadbury’s Caramel ft Three Small Apples – Part 2

Don’t you find that things are always better when they’re done for you? Dinner tastes nicer when it’s cooked in a restaurant, wine is better when it’s served in a pub (or when Olly brings me a glass), bags feel lighter when someone else is carrying them (again, thanks Olly!) and my nails looked better when they were done by Emily!

Emily, of Emily’s Nail Files (or snail files? I might start some snail files…anyway..!), is a nail artist and blogger extraordinaire whose stunning designs caught the eye of the dudettes at Cadbury’s and before she knew it, she was being whizzed to London by the Cadbury’s Bunny to decorate the digits of this newly unretired hand model.

One day, 3 nail art designs… phew! It was tough going but Three Small Apples soldiered through like a trooper and was rewarded with not only the fanciest nails I’ve ever had (and the most complimented too. Not just by girls either, random BOYS asked about them!), but my paws (and chops!!) slapped on a number of easy peasy (well almost easy peasy) step-by-step nail guides:

THOSE ARE MY HANDS!!

Strikin’ a pose.

I’m obviously hard at work in this shot.

Probably looking a bit grumpy because my nails were too wet to eat chocolate with.

These were my awesome weekend party nails!

Tada!

Three Small Apples has been trying to recreate this look with varying degrees of success. Chocolate consumption has required less practise.

What do you think? Tempted to give nail art a try?

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Cadbury’s Caramel ft Three Small Apples

***A Manicure Diaries Special***

Q: Do you fancy hand modelling for Cadbury’s?

A: Yes.

So I did.

Here’s a wee sneak preview.

Three Small Apples flexes the elbow grease.

Dear Anthea: ” Did you ever know that you’re my hero and everything I would like to be….”

Who doesn’t hold a chocolate bar with 2 hands these days?

More chocolate, pictures, nails and nail art to follow… nom nom nom.

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The Manicure Diaries – Pt 6

It looks like I’m going to be reviving my old hand modelling career (calling it a career might be a bit of an exaggeration… I only did one shoot… ) next week when I do a photo shoot for a new nail art product.  And I’m not being purposely secretive and vague about it (I can’t keep a secret to save my life. I can’t help it, I’m such a blab), it’s just that they’ve not actually told me too much about it (maybe someone told them I’m a blab?!?)

Anyway, it couldn’t have come at a better time either, as anyone who follows me on Twitter will know I’m BANKRUPT this month. Paying for a holiday that I signed up to a year ago, impulse buying junk that I don’t need but couldn’t live without and being forced to shell out for all sorts of home improvement doo-dads (never decide to decorate in the summer. All you’ll want to do is go to the pub and then you’ll realise that it’s been 3 months and your bedroom looks as though someone has tried to (pretty successfully) bulldoze it… and then you go crazy and spend all your money trying to fix it) has left me rather poor this month.  Pay day can’t come fast enough.

Nails – Sparkly burgundy (can’t remember the name!!) by Orly which was a present from Mashford.

I love Orly as it has just the right consistency, neither gloopy or thin and it has a good size brush which makes it easy to apply without making a mess.

Check out the bit of white paint on my pinkie. PROOF that I’ve been decorating… although my input tends to be more project management rather than full on physical involvement.  And now I have a good excuse to stay out of it. I have my hand modelling career to think of after all.

P.S. I can’t wait to turn into this!

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The Manicure Diaries – Part 5

A few bee facts:

*  Drone bees do not have a sting.

*  Bees don’t snore when they sleep.

*  Wee sis, Jacq, once threw her (completely untouched) ice cream across the road because she heard a slight buzz in her ear. It wasn’t a bee, it was a fly. 

*  Jacq also once loved, lost (although I think ‘murdered’ is more precise) and still mourns for her favourite bee, Beemoot.

* And finally, I once tried to (I was organising, not participating!!) break the record for the ‘most bees in mouth’. But I got told off by the BBKA (British Bee Keeper Association) for cruelty to bees.  TRUE STORY. And this was before bee plague, which I do genuinely worry about.

Anyway,  in ode to Beemoot, the BBKA and the diminishing bee population (grow flowers – help bees!) I’ve gone for a bee manicure.

Bzzz….

Nails – Yellow by Essence Colour & Go (a gift from the Countess) and Earthquake Black Crackle Nails by W7

Weeeeeee………….!

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The Manicure Diaries – Part 4

A few things that have been grinding my gears this week:

1.  Having to carrying a 5ltr tin of white emulsion on a really hot day

2.  Working in an office that has minimal natural day light and is overly air    conditioned (it’s 31degrees outside… why do I need to wear tights?!!)

3. The holiday blues

 Nails – Smoking Hot by Essie

4.  Having to sit near the world’s noisiest eater, who also has the most annoying breathing technique (how can you irritate people by breathing?!) and whose phone keeps beeping a reminder despite the fact that they’ve gone and disappeared? (I bet they’re trying to wind me up on purpose…)

ARG.

 

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The Manicure Diaries – Part 3

Fact: I recently cut my finger on a thorn while gardening (and I was wearing gloves), ended up with an infection and had to take antibiotics for 3 weeks!

Fact: No sign of a fairytale prince either.

Nails = Merino Cool by Essie.  Evidence of said infection can be seen on the right hand side of the nail on my ring finger (see it?) 

Fact: Despite pruning the rose and bramble bushes to within an inch of their lives, both have recovered impressively (the bramble is approximately 2 ft high again!)

Fact: I am significantly weaker than a garden plant.

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