Birthstone Series Amethyst Nails

So I’ve had an idea for ages now to do nail art based on birthstones. I would have had this first one up last week but I managed to delete the photos like a proper pro! Though it is still February thanks to this glorious Leap Day today, so I’m still on time with my post.

When I was younger I used to love looking at the birthstones in the Argos catalogue. I used to be so annoyed there wasn’t more opals! Anyway, amethysts always bring back nice memories for me. When I was 8 I spent a few weeks in London. My Dad was over helping my granddad and my aunt brought me to Natural History Museum. I fell in love with the gemstone sections, I finally got to see these gems in person rather than on the page! I remember seeing massive pieces of amethysts. I ended up buying some amethyst agate for my Dad as it’s his birthstone.

Amethyst always have lovely ombre colours so that’s what I went for the nails. I used Essence in Hello Marshmallow as my lightest base shadow, a beautiful lilac with purple iridescent flash through it. My next shade was nails inc in St Mark’s Square and the darkest shade was Essence in Purple Cherry. I think all these shades are discontinued but all you need is a light purple, a transition medium shade purple and a dark purple. I sponged on the ombre layers and added a glossy top coat. For the accent nail, I did the ombre circular, with the darkest shade in the centre. I added two glitters on top for dimension Color Club in Tru Passion and Essence Special Effect Topper in Only Purple Matters. I lined the outside of the nail with Revlon in Gold Coin to add to my geode effect.

I’m pretty happy with how this turned out (of course, the first time around I did the ombre it turned out better than this!). It reminds me of a dipped ombre t-shirt I loved when I was 10! Next up will be aquamarine, I have some ideas for all the months but nothing set in stone (ha!) so if there’s anything you’d like to see with this birthstone series let me know below in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.

Making It As I Go Along by Marian Keyes Book Review

This book was provided as a digital review copy from NetGalley. I am under no obligation to post a review and all opinions are strictly my own

Marian Keyes first officially came on my radar when she released Saved By Cake, her book on baking and how it helped her depression. The first novel of hers I read was this time of year in 2013. I picked up a copy of Watermelon and decided to give it a chance. I fell in love with Marian’s writing and quickly read the rest of the Walsh family series, as well as some other of herbooks. I read and reviewed the last one, The Woman Who Stole My Life, and when I saw that this book was coming out I put it on my Books I’m Looking Forward To in 2016 post.

Making It Up As I Go Along is a collection of articles, both previously published and unpublished. They’re divided into different sections like Health and Beauty, Travels, and Things I Love. You can easily dip in and out of different sections if you like but I chose to read it through from the beginning. Marian has a chatty style of writing, reading this book is like talking to a friend. She has a unique vocabulary at times, some of it is very much Irish slang which made it feel even more familiar and cosy for me. But don’t worry, Marian (I usually use the author’s surname in reviews but I feel like Marian is more of a friend!) provides a glossary of words at the beginning as well as a who’s who of her friends and family so you can check back who they are if you forget.

I enjoy how frank Marian is at times about things, like her alcohol addiction and depression. As someone who also suffers from depression it’s great to see other people talk about their experiences as it can still be such a taboo topic. There were several times while reading this when I thought ‘This sounds like me!’. As an introvert too, I approve of Marian’s plans to have a colour coded coin system, where you can put down a coin and leave a party without having to go through massive goodbyes or having people get you to stay later than you want. Pink coin to mean ‘thanks, I had a fantastic time, I just need to leave now, goodbye’, hand someone a black coin to mean ‘thanks for coming but it’s time for you to go, bye!’. Other stories I enjoyed was the account of the Antartic cruise, how to break up with your hairdresser (hilarious!), her love of chemists and her infamous Chanel nail polish musuem (it needs to go on tour!). I love Marian’s wit and her how she describes her relationship with Himself, it was so charming to see how excited they were to meet other famous people. And from reading this book I’ve discovered Marian and her siblings co-own a house in Ireland near where I’m from, I could have been sitting a table away from Marian and not have noticed it! Madness! I shall be on the lookout next time I’m at home but for now, I’m on the lookout for an Almond Magnet icecream.

Two Heart Polish Nail Toppers for Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I know there’s a lot of mixed feelings about the day, I’m not a hater of it but it’s not a massive massive deal for me either. Usually because my boyfriend is working but seeing as it’s a weekend this year it’ll be nice to spend it with himself.

Last year I bought a polish with hearts in it to use for a look but it didn’t really work for me (I did use the polish this year though for my Squidgy Jelly nails). I had looked at loads of other brands online to find a polish with hearts but that poundshop one was the only one I could find. After Valentine’s Day I discovered the Nails Inc Alexa heart polish and almost bought it, but didn’t because a) it was expensive and b) Valentine’s was over. I was delighted that Maybelline Color Show brought out the limited edition All Access NY Top Coats in NY Lover. Back then I paired it with nude polish, today with a bright pink! Shortly after finding that polish, I then found the same polish but with opposite colours in Claire’s Accessories for only £1!

First up is the Maybelline polish

I didn’t think I’d like this polish over a bright pink but I LOVE it! I used Essence in Free Hugs for the base with the Maybelline All Access NY Top Coat in NY Lover.

For the base coat I used Essence That’s What I Mint!, which I think has been discontinued but there’s loads of colours like this, especially seeing as it’s spring. This Claire’s polish was a bit harder to manipulate but I still like it.

Which one do you prefer? I think I prefer the Maybelline one but it could be because I’ve used it more.

Rose Gold Stamped Roses

I love rose gold. I’ve used my Models Own Chrome polish before and I’ve heard they’re good for stamping so I decided to give it a go. I’m still not the best at stamping but this is definitely a step in the right direction for me! It’s not perfect but I’m particularly happy with the baby finger.

Scrabble Valentine’s Nails

I’m a big fan of Scrabble. I used to play a lot with my cousins, though mostly we’d play what they called ‘Go Scrabble’, which was essentially Bananagrams where you use your own tiles to make your own scrabble board. So when I saw these nails by One Nail to Rule Them All I decided to give it a shot of my own. Now the original used nail wraps to get the figures perfect but I freestyled mine.

I used OPI You’re So Vain-illa from the Coca Cola collection as the base. Usually when I write over polish I use a matte top as I find it easier to write but my matte is all dried up so I couldn’t. I used Barry M Nail Art Pen in Black to write my numbers and letters and on the thumb I used Maybellline Color Show in Vivid Rose from the Rebel Bouquet collection for the heart.

If you like this look, then you might enjoy the look I did last Valentine’s using the same OPI shade.

Squidgy Jelly Heart Nails

I love jelly sandwich nails, how squidgy there are! I bought this random heart filled polish in Dealz last year but never got around to using it. There is way too much base coat in it so instead I fished out the heart pieces and used Essence The Gel polish in Bubble Gum in several layers to create the jelly effect.

January Reads Part 2

This post continues digital advanced reading copies from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I split the January Reads post into two parts as I had read 16 books. You can find part one here.

January Reads Part 2

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Mai is an eleven year old girl, born and raised in California and just looking forward to spending her summer with her friends on the beach. Until her parents tell her she must accompany her grandmother to Vietnam, who’s travelling there to find out what happened to her husband during the Vietnam War. Her parents see this as an exciting oppurtunity for Mai to find out more about her family and heritage but Mai just sees it as a massive pain in the butt. It’s hot, she keeps getting bitten by mosquitos and she can barely understand the language. But slowly Mai grows to enjoy her trip. It was a very sweet book, I loved seeing this different culture and all it’s traditions. This is a great middle grade book that kids will enjoy but I think adults will too.

 

The Robber Bridesgroom by The Brothers Grimm

I picked this up from the Penguin 80s collection for one of the Read Harder challenges. Most people are familiar with the Brothers Grimm in one form or another, their fairytales are famous. This book has several short stories, the only two that were familiar to me were Snow White and The Musicians of Bremen. The Brothers Grimm did not shy away from the twisted and gory, this has the wicked stepmother in Snow White being made put on iron shoes that were heated and made dance until she died! These Penguin 80s are a great way of trying new authors and genres without paying too much money (80p in UK, about €1.15 here in Ireland).

 

It’s Not Me It’s You by Mhairi MacFarlane

I read this after seeing Leena Norms mention it in a video. Delia Moss has been with her boyfriend for 10 years and loves their lives together. So much so she decides to propose. After getting a lukewarm reception from her boyfriend, he sends her a text message that was meant for his mistress and Delia is devastated. With her relationship in ruins and her work shit, Delia takes up her friend’s offer of a room in London and moves down there. She takes up a new job with a dodgy boss, is blackmailed by a handsome journalist and reignites her love of drawing comics. Not to mention becoming online friends with the mysterious Peshwari Naan. Delia must also try and sort out her feelings about her ex, about whether to she trusts him and if they should get back together. This was funny in parts and sweet too. I loved Delia’s relationship with her brother and I loved the fact that we saw some of Delia’s comics come to life too. Predictable in parts, yes. Most ‘chick lit’ is to some degree but this doesn’t change the fact I enjoyed this, it wasn’t cliched and Mhairi’s writing is witty. If you enjoyed Lindsey Kelk’s I Heart New York then you’ll probably enjoy this too.

 

I Call Myself a Feminist: The View From Twenty-Five Women Under Thirty edited by Victoria Pepe

This book has short essays from different people under the age of 30 about feminism. What I liked most about this book is that there's so many different views on feminism and that feminism isn't just something you can look at on it's own. That there's other cross sections like when feminism crosses with sexism, or racism or when you don't identify as hetreosexual. Or even a combination of these issues. As a straight white cis-woman my experiences with feminism are different to a woman of colour, a trans woman or a lesbian woman. I think it's important to educate myself with these other views. But also to try and not judge woman in general, that we're all in this together and if I don't agree with someone else's choice, just remember these words from Amy Poehler 'Good for her. Not for me'. Speaking of Poehler, in between each essay are little quotes and snippets from other people which help break up the essays and add some extra food for thought. Worth a read (NetGalley Sample)

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This book cropped up a lot on my radar last year and I bought it on Kindle at a cheap price. And it sat there waiting for me to read it, as do so many of my Kindle books! I finally got around to it though and I’m so glad I did (especially with book two coming out later this month!). In this book there are 4 different Londons. Grey London is the ‘normal’ London, set during the time of mad King George’s reign and lacking magic. Red London is where life and magic flourishes, White London is a ruthless London, where people fight and murder there way to the throne. And Black London no longer exists, having been too greedy when it comes to magic. Kell is one of two people who can travel throughout these worlds, living and working for the palace in Red London as an adopted Prince. His job is the travel between these Londons, giving and receiving correspondence between royalty in these worlds. Kell also smuggles things from one world into another, something that is strictly forbidden. When his reputation gets him in big trouble by smuggling an extremely dangerous artefact, he finds his life collide with Delilah, a talented Grey London thief who dreams of being a pirate. They must work together to get rid of this dangerous artefact. I loved the worlds this is set in (Schwab does a good job of describing the atmosphere in each London), it’s such an interesting idea. Lila is such a great character and I found myself rooting for her. I liked how the magic worked in this world and I can’t wait to read this next book! I’ve already read a preview of it on NetGalley and it looks like it’ll be a great follow up.

 

The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson

This is probably Ronson’s most famous book and yet it’s taken me almost 3 years to read it. The Men Who Stare At Goats has Ronson look into the secret psychic unit in the US Army that was set up in the 1970s and what influences it’s had on the modern US Army. He speaks with people who were key players in these departments and the experiments these performed, such as being invisible and being able to kill a goat with just a stare. This was interesting (some of these men seem interesting and how their beliefs have trickled down to modern warfare techniques, like the mental effects of playing certain music on prisoners) and as with any of Ronson’s books with a conspiracy element to them, there are some strange goings on too which add to the intrigue. While I did enjoy the book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Ronson’s other writing. It’s possible this is because the book is over ten years old and while it’s not out of date, it might have had a greater impact on me if it were up to date with information.

 

The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth by Katherine Woodfine

I loved The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow when I read it last year, it was such a fun, a mix between Enid Blyton, Mr Selfridges and Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series. The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth sees the return of Sophie, Lil, Billy and Joe when they are asked by débutante Veronica to help find the jewelled moth that was gifted to her by Lord Beaucastle. Of course, it doesn't take long before the infamous Baron crops up in the story, all while the gang enjoy teas, iced buns and codes to crack. It's fantastic that the books has strong female leads, this book can easily be enjoyed by girls and boys. I liked seeing a bit more of London besides the glitz when we see Chinatown in Limehouse. Super fun reads for target audiences (10-14 year olds) but can equally enjoyed by older audiences who want to feel nostalgic for Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew. (NetGalley Sample)

The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After by Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is the queen of cute and quirky romances. Every year I enjoy reading one of her new books, whether it's returning to old favourites or meeting new character. In The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After, we meet Nina, a librarian in Birmingham who has just lost her job due to downsizing. On a whim, she decides to go to Scotland and open a book bus. Colgan has a way of writing small, close communities where the heroine starts up cute fun business. Previously I've wanted a cupcake cafe, a sweetshop, a bakery and now I want to run a book bus! The book was a bit predictable in places, especially cos I'm familiar with Colgan's previous works, I could see influences from her other books in this one but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book. If you've enjoyed other Colgan books, then you'll enjoy this jaunt into the Scottish Highlands! (NetGalley Sample)

January’s Stats

Number of books read- 16

Ratio fiction to non-fiction- 12:4

Female to male authors- 13:3

Number of eBooks- 11 (Lumberjanes, Forensics, Red Queen, Rebel of the Sands, A Fever of the Blood, Glass Sword, Assassination Vacation, I Call Myself a Feminist, A Darker Shade of Magic, The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth and The Little Shop of Happy Ever After)

Number of books borrowed from library- 2 (The Body at the Tower and Listen, Slowly)

Book Riot Reading Challenge Completed

Read a non superhero comic that debuted in the past 3 years- Lumberjanes

Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900- The Body at the Tower

Read a non-fiction book about science- Forensics

Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction)- Assassination Vacation

Read a book that is by an author from South East Asia- Listen, Slowly

Read a book under 100 pages- The Robber Bridegroom

Read a book over 500 pages- It’s Not Me It’s You

Read a non-fiction book about feminism or deals with feminist issues- I Call Myself a Feminist

Read a middle grade novel- The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth

I’m really pleased that I managed to get through quite a few of my NetGalley books, I have a habit of building up books to read. Physical books and ebooks that I buy but now also NetGalley requests! I’m also pleased with my start to the Read Harder challenge, I’m over a third of the way through.

Don’t forget, you can read part one here to see some of the other books I’ve mentioned above. If you’ve read any of the books, I’d love to hear your opinions down below.