Afternoon Tea Adventures - The Ritz!

Hello there lovely readers!

Aaah the Ritz...well I couldn't very well do an afternoon tea series on my blog & NOT include the infamous & quintessentially English institution that is "Tea at The Ritz" now could I? ;)

The world famous Ritz hotel in Mayfair is well known for its award winning afternoon tea affair & tis one that is on many afternoon tea fans 'must try' list including mine! So of course I was excited to finally be able to attend for mumma bears birthday last year. (yes its taken me THIS long to write about it...bad form Aysh)

NOTD - Chameleon Chrome Nails with Magical Unicorn Dust!

Hi there lovely readers!

Now I'm sure that you've all seen by now the chrome nail trend that looks like your rocking molten metal on the talons & is the current obsession in the nail world. Seeing these stunning mirror finish metallic sci fi nails on my Insta feed has me itching to get in on some of that shiny action!

My only dilemma  has been that the majority of chrome powders I've come across work with UV Gel polish only. I do own a UV lamp, but the idea of using gel polishes, for me & I'm sure others, is just a bit much, especially seeing as I chop & change my nails so often. Though for this there is also a solution, that being using a peel off basecoat...this way I could easily remove said gel polish after a few days if I wish. 

But for now, like Indiana Jones hunting for the Holy Grail, I've been searching for a chrome powder that works on regular polish & I've just ordered one which I think may be exactly what I've been hunting for....but until then I thought I'd share with you a lovely & very budget friendly alternative you can get to achieve a futuristic finish to you nails & is courtesy of Born Pretty Store.

New Shades From True Brit London - Seaside

Hey there my lovely readers!

Time to share another one of the pretty new shades recently launched by the nail polish brand True Brit London, today I have a shade that is just so perfect for summer I know I will be rocking this both on my fingers & tootsies for sure & is the so very suitably titled...*Seaside!

ALL THE HEART EYE EMOJIS. Isn't it puuuuuurdy?! 

NOTD - Cute Kawaii Chicks!

Hello there lovely readers,

So this post is going up a tad delayed, I had initially planned on Good Friday but unfortunately I was hit with some very sad news on Thursday. if you follow me on social media you'll know that last week I lost my beloved Miss Kitty. I can't even begin to explain how devastated my family & I are with the loss of my sweet Hoshi, those who know me well know how much my little furbaby meant to me, but my little one was just too poorly & it would have been cruel to keep her with us. She was such a big character its hard to think her gone & I was so overwhelmed & touched with the thoughtful messages received over the Easter break, it truly meant a lot to me so thank you so so much. RIP my little star.

On to todays post...despite it being a bit late I couldn't very well let Easter pass on through without some form of suitably themed nail art now could I? As always nail-spiration is in abundance with pastels, speckles & cute creatures galore, I so love creating something fun every year. Have a peek at some of previous Easter themed nail art including, Cheeky Bunny Booty nails which remain a firm fav for obvious reasons, my Easter Minion Chicks Tutorial for a fun take on the design as well as a wee White Wabbit Tutorial featuring some speckled goodness too.

This year I decided to go down the chick route again but with a slight kawaii twist & created these cute little newborn chickadees popping out of their shells with their curious faces & batting us with their eyelashes :)

New Shades from True Brit London - Nostalgia

Hey there lovely readers!

I'm excited to share with you a few of the divine new nail polish shades that have been released by one of my favourite brands True Brit London, these new additions have recently joined their already stunning array of lacquers available. 

Its no secret how much I adore this brand, True Brit London nail polishes really are something else.  Not only are the shades & formulations top notch, but they really have nailed it in the packaging stakes with their gorgeous chunky ice cube shaped embossed bottles that exude luxury, only without the hefty price tag. I also love their quintessentially classy vibe, seeking inspiration for their collections in all things from history to traditionally British themes. You can check out my previous True Brit London posts & swatches HERE.  

I have four of the new shades to share with you but I wanted to give each shade the attention it deserves so will split up each post individually. To get the ball rolling we are starting things with the distinctly unique Nostalgia*.

Current Winning Cleansing with Vichy & The Beauty Kitchen

Hey there lovely readers!

Okay confession time...when it comes to skincare I'll admit I've not given as much attention as I should, especially considering I'm now in my late twenties. There was also the slight problem of it all just confusing the heck out of me! I'd find myself reading posts of bloggers skincare routines containing 152613 different products & my mind would implode! However this is something that I plan on rectifying & I've slowly realized that it doesn't have to be complicated rocket science & discovered a few skincare gems that have been a delight to use. One can only pray to the skincare gods that I've not let my tardiness cause any long lasting effects haha!

My skin has thankfully never been too problematic which is a blessing considering my neglectful ways, other than being sensitive & a tad on the dry side. Another admission for you seeing as I'm on roll....I've only in the past 5 years actually made the effort to remove my makeup before bed *cue gasps of horror*...I know. Again this just falls down to my utter laziness so when it came to finding the right product to remove my makeup the USP for me would be speed & ease. Enter at this point CLEANSING OILS! Discovering these bad boys was a definite game changer & I actually found myself anticipating my makeup removal come evening...what can I say? My oddness knows no bounds.

A few of my tried, tested & loved favorites include the NUDE Perfect Cleansing Oil (RRP £28), No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Oil (RRP £11) & one which, until recently, beat them all, The BodyShop Chamomile Silky Cleansing Oil (RRP £12). This stuff was the bees knees of cleansers, removing even the most hardcore of mascaras without irritating the eyes quickly & effectively. However I had one MAJOR gripe with it...the pump bottle packaging! I took this on a weekend away with me & the oil LEAKED EVERYWHERE. Not fun. I've even appealed to the lovely BodyShop peeps about this because I love it so much, hopefully they'll work on changing it!

However until they do, they have themselves some serious competition as I've now discovered a new cleansing oil that may have reached HG pedestal status it is THAT good. Enter at this point Vichy Beautifying Cleansing Micellar Oil (RRP £13.75)

NOTD - Golden Chrome Nails with Jamberry Nail Wraps & Champagne

Hi there lovely readers!

Chrome nails were a BIG trend last year & still going strong. I'm sure you've seen the Youtube & IG videos showing how to achieve this metallic look using the magical pot of powder. However a lot of these chrome powders seem to only work with gel polish & I've yet to try them myself, but I've ordered a pot to play with from Born Pretty Store that supposedly works with regular polish so I will report back! In the meantime I'm finding easier means to get me some chrome metallic goodness on my mani's with a little help from Jamberry nail wraps & Models Own.

NOTD - Rustic Rose Trellis Nails

Hello there my lovely readers,

There's nothing that makes me happier than wearing a feminine floral manicure & my favourite way to achieve such a look on the nails is by adding a few roses onto them, giving your mani a vintage kitsch vibe! And now that we are into Spring well...I have the powers of foresight & I predict a lot more floral mani's to come!.

There's many different ways to freehand roses, adding a few drops of a light & dark colour on top of one another & swirling until you form petals, drawing a whole rosebud like I did on my Beauty & The Beast manicure HERE...One of my favourite ways lately is applying little curved swirls around a dot of polish to create a rustic rose with petals like I've done today.

I am also seriously loving this colour combination, a mix of gothic vampy burgundy & sweet subtle pink giving a gorgeous contrast to look

NOTD - Pink Chevron & Pretty Lace Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

I've found myself with the rare treat of free time on my side of late which has given me opportunity to take part in a few nail art challenges that I've come across, not only are they fun to do but also such a great way to connect with other nail obsessed lovelies!

They also give me a chance to challenge myself with different designs, especially freehand. Todays nail art that I have to share with you is an entry I've done for a competition that my nail art Queen Yagala is holding at the moment. The challenge being to recreate one of her designs.

Haha if only the competition happened a few weeks ago when I recreated this Jewel Bloom Ornament Nail Art which I was inspired to do by Yagala herself. But hey I was up for the challenge again as I adore all her designs so after having a sift through her gorgeous Instagram feed, I came across this pretty Pink Chevron & White Lace Design that was just so gorgeous I definitely wanted to give it a go myself

And I'm actually so chuffed with how it came out! Of course it is in no way anywhere near the league of the guru herself, but for a first attempt at this type of design I was really happy with the result.