Hard As Nails.... The Perfect Top Coat!

Picture the scene... I'm all glammed up ready for a night out, wine glass in hand and the Taxi is 'just round the corner love!'. I go to take a generous sip of my vino and to my horror notice that I have not painted my nails.. look down and my toes are naked too!
Do I...
 A. Ignore them, no one will notice
 B. Quickly paint them and just 2-3 of my toes (no one will see the others)
 C. Hear the taxi beep, take another gulp of wine, paint all nails... then proceed to smudge one, some or  all of my freshly painted nails

Yep, B or C are correct, depending on how much wine has already been consumed! Well thanks to my new product I'm calling my night out BFF, I can wave goodbye to this scene of disaster and say hello to a quick fix.

This product is a miracle of a top coat which prevents chips, adds shine and dun dun dun... sets the polish colour in seconds! Not a splodge or smudge in sight, just pretty 'get my party on' nails.

What is this wonderful product you ask, come closer...

I won't be the first or last person to rave on about Seche Vite, but in the past it has been rather difficult to source (where I live anyway!) and I usually have to go to Sally's beauty wholesalers to pick it up. However, my secret spy has told me that it should be now available in Boots, its obviously a little more expensive here but will last for a seriously long time (millions of nights out in my terms!).

So far I have used it over the top of polishes by OPI, China Glaze, Chanel, Nails inc, Rimmel, Barry M and No7. I found that it worked faster over the more pricier polishes but I do believe that I'm a little more generous with the cheaper ones, so perhaps this had some impact on the setting time.

Give it a try and see if it saves you from the naked nail drama!

Jen

xoxo

Hair Therapy... Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment

Guilty! On three counts of hair cruelty and neglect;
1. Over use of hairspray and other such products
2. Excessive use of G.H.D's, conical wand and curling tongs
3. The third and final most serious hair crime... Back combing my hair continuously till I actually travelled back in time to the 80's.
With my head and hair hanging in shame I retreated to the bathroom in an attempt to correct the error of my ways and give my barnett some much needed T.L.C.
Imagine my extreme delight to find that I had a brand new un-opened box of  'Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment',  a product that I have heard so much rave reviews on but never actually gotten around to trying.

The product packaging is unique and earthy looking, in its large pot and brown cardboard packaging. When the lid is unscrewed
hidden inside is a small wooden comb, which also has a double use as a scoop for the product.



I was using this product as a conditioning treatment, so following the directions I used a scoop, rubbed it between my palms till it melted into an oil and saturated all of my hair and scalp (this took 4 scoops as my hair is quite long) then left it for 20 minutes whilst I read OK Magazine in the bath! The smell of this product is something else... it reminded me of a smoky, buttery chocolate, but still I could not put into actual words a precise description other than dreamily gorgeous.
After the 20 minutes I washed the product out and shampoo & conditioned as normal, as I was feeling a little on the lazy side I toweled it off and let it dry naturally.

The following day my hair was still smelling gorgeous, was silky and felt a lot more healthy. On the downside, my roots felt greasy and my hair a lot more dense/heavy. This was probably necessary in the repair process, but I didn't like the feeling. Not to be put off, I've decided that next time I'll just apply it to the ends of my hair with a little less product.

Some further info from the Ojon website www.ojon.co.uk
Ojon® Restorative Hair Treatment is a hair rejuvenator that helps hydrate and improve the condition of dry, damaged hair - without weighing it down. After just one treatment hair is extraordinarily soft, silky and manageable. Restorative Hair Treatment contains our highest concentration of pure Ojon® oil.
Clinical tests show :

• A 52% improvement in the condition of very dry, damaged hair after just one use.
• A 64% improvement when left on hair overnight.

Ritual: Apply to dry hair for best results. Scoop ½ teaspoon into the palm of your hand; warm by rubbing between your hands until it becomes an oil. Distribute from scalp to hair ends until hair is fully saturated. Massage 1-2 minutes to stimulate hair follicles and scalp while allowing oil to penetrate. Comb hair thoroughly to ensure all strands are completely saturated; leave for 20 minutes or longer.
Tip: For very dry or dehydrated hair, apply gentle heat from a hairdryer for 5 minutes and leave Ojon® in overnight by placing a towel over your pillowcase or by wearing a shower cap over your hair.

Jen

xoxo

Thread-Bare: My Eyebrow Threading Experience!

Image taken from chicklitplus.com

On Friday I had my second eyebrow threading session, so I thought I would divulge my thoughts on this 'procedure'. As I am a little obsessive with my beastly little brows (well they do frame the windows of your face!) I am always on the look out for new products to use and which grooming methods to take and have been known to go a little crazy with the tweezers. This unfortunately has left my brows growing in an annoying pattern which needs constant maintenance, so I decided to try out threading to tame my brows into a nice manageable shape.

Threading is a hair removal method which originated in the Eastern world. It involves the technique of using a pure, thin, twisted thread of cotton which is rolled over untidy hair and removed at the follicle level. It is especially great as it can remove an entire row of hair which leaves the brows even and tidier. Waxing can not be this precise and sometimes leaves strays, while plucking takes more time with only a single hair being taken at time. The only major downside is that I find threading the most painful method, and my eyes have been known to water during the treatment... but hey pain is beauty!

The first time I had my eyebrows threaded I was really pleased with the results and knew immediately that I would be returning to have them done again. On the negative side it was rather embarrassing as it is done in a shopping centre in front of shoppers and passers by at the Victoria Brow Bar in St Helens, Merseyside. The lady there was nice and efficient, but there's not much conversation and zero privacy. At £9.00 I thought this very reasonable and you also receive a loyalty card were you receive a free session after 6 paying sessions.
I was annoyed when a few strays started to sprout a few days later, but this I was willing to take the blame for as I'm so impulsive with my tweezerman's! I decided for my second session I would wait until they had totally grown back so that I would only need to have them threaded every few weeks minus the strays! So, cue the monobrow and the freakishly close resemblance to my brother... and I'm ready to pay a visit to eyebrow hell!

I don't particularly wish to put the pictures of my beastly brows on my blog, but I am so pleased with the results and in order for you to see the results it is necessary, so apologies for the gross images :(

Right Brow: BEFORE

Right Brow: AFTER

Left Brow: BEFORE

Left Brow: AFTER

 Hopefully, leaving them to grow back will have been worth it and I should need less maintenance in future. I thought I'd give a quick little mention to the perfect brow crayon that I'm using at the moment which is incredibly easy to use and is totally affordable...


No7 Precision Brow Pencil



The No7 Precision Brow Pencil from Boots is only £10.25, is easy to apply due to its angled shape and lasts ages! It's currently on 3 for 2 across a wide range of products and you get Boots reward points too... extra bonus! I use lots of different brow products from powder to pencil, but I always return to this product which was recommended to me by my sister-in-law, because it is so fabulous... thanks Twisty!

Jen xoxo

My Poor IPhone is re-born!

Hi! Just a quick little post regarding my beloved IPhone. Whist I was on holiday I broke the screen, which I believe is quite a common fault. I really was gutted as I've had it for a while and taken good care of my little pal that completely organises my life *drama*.

OOhhhppps!!!!!

Well, I thought I would quickly share with you that after careful IPhone surgery it is as good as new and if you have the same problem then this should hopefully point you in the right direction of what you need to do for a fraction of the cost that some companies are charging to carry out the repairs (£40-£60!)

eBay £6.60 (make sure you buy a suction cup!)

First off I purchased a replacement screen from eBay for £6.60 (be sure you order the correct model mine is a 3GS) I actually got my brother to do the 'transplant' for me as he had done it before. I bought the wrong version which required using a hairdryer to melt the glue on the old screen to separate it from the phone, but you can buy complete units which cost approx. £13 on eBay, so it is probably better to buy this one.

The new screen

My bro carried out the repairs by following a video on YouTube which is created by the manufacturers of the replacement screen (info is on packaging) which took him a little while as I didn't supply a suction cup... so make sure you get one of these! Ensure you connect the three tabs at the top and press down firmly on the bottom one when the screen is placed back. If they are not the the home screen button and volume will not connect.

Ta-Da your screen is repaired and just for a small cost, mental note to self.... don't drunkenly mis-treat your phone in future!!

Thanks Bro! With the completed project.

Hope this helps

Jen

xoxo

May day May day! Our holiday in Rhodes, Greece

The holiday came and went, but boy did we have an amazing (slightly drunken and crazy!) time!! I travelled with David who celebrated his Birthday there, also my Brother Mark and Sister-to-be-in-law Jen were celebrating being together for 10 years. We had been building up to this holiday for several months and were incredibly excited to be together, I haven't been on holiday with my Bro since I was 13 years old!

The crazy guests!

I managed to bag us an amazing deal from Bookable Holidays via www.teletextholidays.co.uk for approx. £300 each we got flights, transfers and 7 nights accommodation all inclusive at the 4* Sunshine Vacation Hotel in Rhodes, Greece.

The front entrance to the hotel

It's a bit of a con with the Teletext prices that are advertised as when you phone to book they add on baggage allowance, transfers, taxes and charges which bumps up the price by about £100 each... but for £300 I still felt we had a total bargain.
You have to be a little organised and computer savvy to book your holidays this way as you have to print off your details yourself and ensure you check yourself into the flight online, which was simple enough for us

So the holiday....

We flew from Liverpool John Lennon airport with Ryanair to Rhodes, the flight was 3 hours and 40 minutes and was your typical budget airline experience. I was really disappointed as they had no food for a Vegetarian... infact they had very little food at all, but hey it was a bargain so I went hungry for a few hours.

Touch down in Rhodes and it was raining (booo!) the transfer took 15 minutes and we arrived at the fabulous Sunshine Vacation Hotel in Ialyssos, Rhodes.
Check-in was quick and efficient, then we went to our rooms in the 6th block, taking our cases with us as there was a wait for the bell boy. I'm one of those people who like to get straight in the room, hang all my clothes up, set out my make-up and toiletries in the bathroom so that I feel at home! The rooms were such a surprise as they where huge, with a separate lounge/dining/kitchenette complete with LCD TV. There was a small hall with wardrobe for coats and shoes, which lead to the bathroom and bedroom. The bedroom was fab, as it had a wall full of wardrobe space, large comfy bed, massive dressing table and extra LCD TV! Granted all the hubby could watch was CNN until he discovered NBC towards the end of the holiday (I was ready to crack if I watched any more digital re-constructions of news events) it was a nice surprise for such a bargain of deal.

Bedroom

Lounge

Suffice to say the rooms were fantastic we quickly moved on to the food and drink...
Being a Veggie I sometimes struggle finding food that's edible and/or were I have more options other that mushroom... which I can't stand! The food at the Sunshine was simply to die for! I had so many options to choose from; lovely fresh salad, stuffed peppers, veggie pie and lots and lots of my favourite dish AUBERGINE Mmmm Mmmm, I can taste it now. Sometimes all inclusive can be a slight let down in the food and drink department, but not here. There was a wide selection of drink from herbal teas and hot chocolate to alcoholic spirits and cocktails. Whilst the red wine appeared watery it was nice to drink and rather lethal in the 'get me drunk' category, that said the cocktails tasted lovely but 'rocket fuel' springs to mind!

First day and the 2 Jens are drunk!

My favourite part of the Sunshine was the staff, we made so many friends including Ali, Mihai and Alex who after working incredibly long hours, partied with us into the small hours of the morning then started the morning shift to do it all over again!

Our new friends... Miss them already!

The hotel had plenty of things to do, with 3 pools and situated right on the beach, swimming and sun bathing was number one priority. Whist I was there I took part in a few activities which included my favourite form of excercise 'Zumba' with expert instructors, it was really fun in the sunshine!

Stunning pool... bit nippy though!

Hotel beach

Very difficult mini golf :)

The weather changed on the second day to glorious sunshine so we hired a car to discover the area which cost 60 Euros for 3 days, we got to see some gorgeous beaches and a some of the local picturesque areas, some of the cliff edges were rather scary I must admit.

Our hired Suzuki Splash!

Yes! They actually drove with these on, listening to Euro Trance lol

Anthony Quinn Bay, one of our stops! They filmed the Guns of Navarone here.

The hotel is situated very close to some local restaurants, bars and shops, therefore there was plenty to do outside of the all-inclusive complex. I managed to pick up a couple of replica bags and some local handicrafts and my Sis Jen got lots of gifts for the kiddies including replica Ray-Ban aviators for 5 Euro.
Most nights we found our drunk bums and our new friends travelled over to the the club next door called 'Empirers Cafe' which played all the latest dance music. We had some amazing nights here as the atmosphere was amazing, one particular night was my hubby's Birthday! I had sneakily packed some neon glow-in-the-dark make-up and huge joke glasses just for fun, little did I know just how popular it would be... everyone that night has paint all over them, which proved difficult to remove the following morning!!

Empires Cafe, our 2nd home :)

Spot the neon paint! It had melted off the boys heads!!

Local shops by night

All in all it was an amazing holiday, we had so much fun and acquired super tans. I don't feel I could drink anymore alcohol for a few months, but we have lots of special memories as we laughed for 95% of the time. We would love to return in September so I'm going to keep my eye out for some more bargain offers!

With our new tans lol!

Jen

xoxo

Party like a Rock Star! CND Shellac Nails

Let me say I am a total convert! Move over nail polish you chip and as for Gel and Acrylic, you damage my nails, cost a fortune to maintain and prevent me from performing simple tasks like texting!
Whilst this has been around for a few years, its has been my first experience and I am loving Shellac nails!!

It goes on like a polish (setting with top coat and UV light) wears like a gel with a mirror finish, drys instantly, causes no nail damage AND can last up to 2 weeks!

I went to Escape Beauty and Nail Clinic in Rainhill, Merseyside and opted for the fabulous Rock Star range in Bronze. It was on offer for the month of April for £19.00 (usually £24.00) and the girls there were very knowledgeable, talented and lovely! The Rock Star is slightly different in that you have actual glitter sprinkled onto each of your nails (how fun and 5 year old is that!) but the Shellac top coat and UV light makes harden so that it is glossy and smooth to the touch. A mini manicure is performed prior to treatment including all cuticle work and took approx 40 minutes. FYI: http://www.escapebeautyandnailclinic.co.uk/

Here are the results;

                               

 2 WEEKS LATER

(After swimming, shopping and several drunken nights out!!)

Sorry about the rubbish pic!

  
I am so pleased with my 1st Shellac experience that I'll be booking in again, I think I'll go for French this time. If you haven't tried it yet I totally recommend you give it a try and I'm pretty sure you'll be converted too!

Jen 

XOXO

Mini M.A.C Haul

Hi! I'm back from my hols and I've been AWOL from my blog for far too long as I was busy trying to get fit for my bikini clad body, but I'm back and have so much to share!

First of all I had a mini shopping spree at MAC online so that I had some new essentials for my hols, this is what I bought...

Paint Pots in Bare Study and Rubenesque

£13.50 each

Rockin' my paint pots!

Why oh why had I not discovered these babies before, I ask? They are stunning! I found them really easy to apply, as either a base or one shade and they didn't crease no matter how drunk I became... genius!
The bare study was used the most and I doubled it up as a highlighter on my cheek bones, under brows and the shoulders!
I'll be purchasing the rest of the shades as I simply love them and their versatility, Plus the small pot will go a real long way.

Next was Satin Taupe pro palette refill £9.50, which I put in my quad pan to reduce weight

 

I found it looked stunning over the Bare Study paint pot, the colour is extremely pigmented and beautifully shimmery.

Costa Chic and Girl About Town

£13.50 each

I really wanted the Candy Yum Yum lipstick which was sold out so I opted for Girl About Town as a alternative. The Costa Chic was my favourite choice on holiday as the coral colour matched lots of my outfits and looked great against my new glowing tan. I actually left Girl About Town at home as it was incredibly Matt bright and I don't feel it suited me. Instead I took the Wonder Woman Spitfire which is similar but more suitable for me.

Strip Lashes No 7



lash-tastic! Do you think I look like my brother?

Finally I got this mascara as a free gift, kindly supplied by MAC as they had temporarily shut down their website and I registered with them to let me know when to order... Bonus!

Thanks for reading.... Jen x