Spring is Here!

Over the weekend we had some bright and sunny weather here in London, which I enjoyed so much :)

On Sunday afternoon after a lazy morning, on a whim I asked Mon Bel Homme if he minded helping me finally paint the decrepid fence at the front the flat. I was going to go for a nice greeny-blue colour, but ended up deciding on "Country Cream."

So we set to work, and what a time consuming job it turned into! We also ended up running out of paint, so the fence only got one coat (I have bought some more and have Friday off work to complete it. Fingers crossed for good weather!) Nevertheless I am so pleased with the result! It looks so fresh and "spring-like." I also bought pots for either side of the door which add a nice touch. How are you getting ready for Spring/Summer?

Country Cream paint, from Homebase £19.99 for 2.5L.
Pots, £20 each from Homebase (half price from £40)

Cuticle Balms

Hello chéris! Have you all had a nice weekend?

As I am currently trying to grow my nails properly, I thought I'd test some cuticle balms I have.

First up is Jessica's Nourish Cuticle Cream, which I bought not long ago. I like Jessica's stuff and some of thier nail varnishes are fab. This comes in a cute see through tub and smells lovely. The consistency is quite liqiud-y, and also slightly greasy. It takes a while to rub in properly and can leave you feeling like you need to wash your hands. So, I usually only put this on at night. I must say though, my nails feel quite strong and look healthier. They have also grown quicker.

I have also tried the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. Again, I do love Burts Bees products as they are just good quality guaranteed. This cuticle cream does not dissapoint. It is quite hard, but once you rub it in your nails and cuticles it vanishes so quickly and leaves them smooth and supple, with no greasiness. It also smells divine, and left my nails shiny, and my cuticles conditioned and supple. I love this and would recommend!

Verdict: Burts Bees wins.

I Love OPI!

I don't paint my nails often as they are usually short. But when they are long and luscious, I like to use OPI nail polish as I think they are the best. They give great coverage, they last for ages, they are high shine, and they stay fresh for years without going thick and gloopy or 'separating'. They also have a wide range of colours which they are always updating. I tend to go for more neutral and pinky shades and my old favourites include Samoan Sand, Malaysian Mist, and Pink-a-Doodle.

For 2011 OPI have released a new range named "Texas" which I love. Two of my favourites from this collection include "I Vant to be A- Lone Star" which is a gorgeous grey blue (great for spring with a nice pair of beige chinos) and San Tan-Tonio which is a rich, gorgeous dark tan colour.

San Tan-Tonio

I Vant to be A-Lone Star

For more OPI go to www.opi.com
 

Camden Sunshine

As the sun has been shining brightly everyday this week, I decided to take a wander around Camden at lunch and snap some pictures (only on my phone so not the best). As Camden is so quirky and different, I thought it would add to the effect to make them retro. I think they came out pretty well. What do you think?

The Highroad

The highroad again

Lots of yummy food in the lock

Such a cute shop :)

The bridge

The lock (outside)

Westyard

A gorgeous little tea shop (best choc fudge cake EVER)

The lock

Converse Kids All Stars

Hi lovelies! How have you been? Missed me? :P

It's my gorgeous niece's birthday coming up very soon and she will be 2 years old. I was trying to think of buying a present for (as Ariel would say) "the girl who has everything." I thought of toys, then I thought of clothes but she has so much of both. So then I thought of trainers as she doesn't own a pair. And what is cuter than mini pink Converse?! I added my own little personalisations to these with UHU glitter fabric pens. How cute are they!

Shoes: £22 from JD Sports

Glitter Pens: £10 from Argos

Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes

Yesterday I took a wander after work in the Harrods Food Hall. I found Lola's Cupcakes but was on the hunt for Hummingbird, which is my fav. Turns out they don't sell Hummingbird in Harrods. So I settled for a mini Lola's Strawberry Cupcake- it was pretty delish, and inspired me to take once again to my kitchen and bake up a storm! Today I made Hummingbird plain vanilla cupcakes. And damn they are good ;-) As I have mentioned before, the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook is brilliant and the cakes come out so yummy as long as you follow the instructions carefully. The sponge is possibly the most delicious I have ever tasted! (Aren't I modest?!)

Unruly Studio Hair Salon London

Hi Loves! The weekend is upon us!

As promised here is my review on Unruly Studio hair salon in Portobello Road, London...

Having had curly hair all my life (inherited from my father who was blessed with a Jewfro), I have always wanted to have my hair cut properly by a hairdresser who knows curly hair and how to cut and style it. There are not many hairdressers around who know how to work with curly hair, unfortunately.

So I done some online research and found (what seems to be) the only specialist curly hair salon in London- Unruly Studio. I read very mixed reviews about this salon from many people with curly hair who had tried it. Some very scathing, and others full of praise. So I thought I'd give it a go and make my own judgement. Located on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, it is pretty nondescript from the outside. Some stairs lead you down to the salon in the basement. It is quite modern and swanky but also quite small. My hairdresser was Charlotte and she was pleasant enough though not over friendly. There was a bit of an arrogance in the air too, which I find at most salons.

I had my hair washed which was lovely, the sink was comfortable and he gave me a lovely massage.
Charlotte cut my hair wet which I wasn't too impressed with as you are supposed to cut curly hair dry. She put in some layers, etc to give me bouncier curls. Then she applied Curls Rock curl amplifier cream by Tigi and blow dried it with a diffuser.



I could tell by how she dried it that it wouldn't come out too well as she barely scrunched the curls. She just plopped my hair into the diffuser. And I was right. It came out ok, but not as curly and soft as I can get it! (I also prefer serum to creams for my hair). But here is the horror bit...She then started HACKING at random bits of hair quite haphazardly. She took off quite long bits of hair and lovely curly bits which I wasn't too happy about. But hey, maybe she knew what she was doing.

Anyway, today I am not overly pleased with my hair though it is not terrible- just not as good as I'd expected. I'm hoping that later when I wash it I will be able to style it more to my taste. The cut cost £50 total, so not too bad price wise.

Overall verdict: Meh.

Has anyone else been here? Did you have a good experience?