Giant Granny Stripe Afghan Progress

I'm still crocheting away at my massive granny afghan project, I'm up to 48 rows now, that's every colour twice.  At the moment I am aiming for every colour 4 times, so 98 rows, although I will probably have to add on an extra two to even out the number, 98 just doesn't feel like a good number.

It's coming along nicely and it's large enough now that it cover me while I am working and keeps me cosy, not really necessary at the moment as the weather is lovely and warm!

There are still some small issues with the level of 'help' James wants to give though, he can be pretty tricky to work around. ;)

It's looking pretty good, and I have to admit when I see it all laid out like this I do wonder whether it needs to be twice the size it is now, I think I'll do another one of each colour and see how I feel then, although I don't suppose a GIANT granny afghan can ever really be too big, can it?

Subtle Wedding Style Stamping

I said the Spa Ritual polish, Optimistic, which I had on the other day was a perfect base colour for some nail art so I couldn't resist stamping over the top of it. 

 

I decided to try something delicate and sophisticated over the cream base, something which might be appropriate for a wedding day maybe, so I used Barry M Gold Foil Effect and a delicate scroll stamp to create the subtle, delicate look.

 

I'm pleased with how this turned out, it looks so pretty on my nails and was definitely more subtle than some of the stamping manicures I've done in the past but still had an added bit of interest over plain nails.

 

As pretty as this is if I ever get married I think I'd be going for something a bit more blingy and glittery and a bit less traditional colour-wise for my nails. ;)

Stamping with Kiko 621 Violetta

Another stamping manicure today using Kiko Mirror Nail Lacquer (621 Violetta), I love stamping with these polishes they just work so perfectly.

 

 

I chose a lilac / violet colour to go over yesterday's Warwick Street.

 

I think it adds a nice extra layer of depth to the fine sprinkles.

Spa Ritual - Optimistic

Today I have another polish from Spa Rituals to show you and another from the summer 2013 collection Laugh, this time I am wearing the pale creamy white Optimistic.  It's a little different to the bolder shades and glitter I showed you the other day but equally pretty, I think.

 

 

Yet again I loved the rubberised handle on the bottle, it makes it so pleasant to hold while applying the polish and really does add an extra luxury look and feel to the bottle.  The bottle is a generous 15ml size which will do countless manicure.

 

Optimistic is a cool cream polish, not quite white but not too yellow, it's a love;y fresh clean colour on the nail and looks to me like an ideal base for some nail art.

 

The polish applied nicely, it's slightly sheer meaning it needed 3 coats to even out the colour across the nails but it applies smoothly and dries pretty fast so it's worth the three coats to get a deep opaque cream covering.

 

Optimistic can be found on https://www.sparitual.co.uk/ for £9.75 and while you're there check out the SALE section where you can pick up lots of bargains including full sized (15ml) polishes for just £5!

 

 

 

*This product was sent to me for review

 

Nails Inc Fine Sprinkles - Warwick Street

Earlier in the week I showed you the Fine Sprinkles collection from Nails Inc that I picked up in TK Maxx.  Today I have a full nail of the day post featuring one of those polishes, Warwick Street, a jelly cream base crammed full of multi-coloured micro glitter, or as Nails Inc likes to call them fine sprinkles.

These pictures are just two coats and the polish is wonderfully opaque, you could almost get away with just one it covers so well.

The polish applies smoothly and dries pretty fast too which is an added bonus and although the glitter is a tiny bit rough it's easily smoothed out with a generous coat of top coat.

On first inspection I would say the fine sprinkles are in a white base but in some lights it seems to lean a mauve or lilac sort of colour, I'm not sure if that's the colour of the base or just the sprinkles making it look that way, either way it's very pretty.

The fine sprinkles collection is a softer more subtle little sister to Nails Inc's Sprinkles collection which I posted about HERE.  The fine sprinkles give a more subtle, gentler look than their rather more in your face big sister collection.

I really like this polish, it's a more subtle glitter look with a nod to recent indie collections which feature glitter suspended in creamier bases, I can't wait to try out the other 3 in the set, if they're half as pretty as Warwick Street the set will have been the bargain of the century!

Baby Blanket

I've finished the baby blanket I was working on, good timing since the young lady in question is 1 this month and it's to be part of her present.  I'm pleased with how it turned out, and while it's not perfect, I think it's definitely presentable enough to be given as a gift.

 

 

I like the way the colours have turned out so I am looking forward to using what's left of the yarn to make another blanket in the same shades, this time I think I might give granny sqaures a go.

 

I'm also pleased with how my border turned out, I wasn't following a pattern and I was worried the spacing might not be quite right but I think I've managed to pull it off, just.

 

I just hope the recipient and her dad like it!

 

Spa Ritual Nail Lacquer

Today I have two Spa Rituals colours to show you; a lovely green called Emerald City, emerald is the pantone colour of the year, and Out Loud one of the gorgeous new glitters from their Summer 2013 Collection - Laugh. 

Despite having seen Spa Ritual around before they are a brand I have never tried so I was keen to see what their polishes were like, first up a quick bottle shot of today's colours.

Spa Rituals describe themselves as a vegan luxury spa lifestyle brand:

Dedicated to the spa tradition, SpaRitual is committed to creating eco-friendly products and packaging perfectly crafted for the enlightened consumer. We use Vegan ingredients from around the world, including many specially sourced and selected plant essences that are wild crafted OR organic. The formulations are naturally coloured and free of synthetic dyes. SpaRitual is constantly monitoring sustainability issues and strives to be on the cutting edge of environmental awareness. Enlighten yourself. Be a SpaRitualist. Because we all deserve to live the good life.

Sounds good so far, and the bottles do have a lovely luxury feel to them. The larger bottle (15ml) is a very generous size and I love the rubberised caps, they make the bottle tops lovely and comfortable to hold and give really good grip. It's not something I've seen many polish brands do but I'm all in favour of it, it does add a little luxurious edge to the bottle while you're painting your nails. Even the smaller (5ml) mini bottle feel quite generous and substantial compared to other brands mini sizes, they feature the same rubberised cap.

Now, on to the actual polish, first up Emerald City.

I really like the colour of this polish, although I would say it seems more like a teal to me than emerald as the name suggests, nonetheless it's beautiful colour and super shiny, these pictures are without top coat and they still have a brilliant shine that you don't always get from polish alone.

Application wise the polish is lovely, very smooth and easy to apply. Although the polish is listed as a cream I would say it almost veers towards gelly texture as you do need three good coats to get full opacity with no visible nail line, the polish build up to an opaque finish beautifully.

 

The bonus of this slightly more sheer finish is that it looks like it might work well for a jelly sandwich manicure which is unusual from a darker shade so I am looking forward to trying that out in the future.

 

Next up Out Loud, this one is a real stunner, it's a dark blue base crammed full of green and blue and colour shifting hex glitter, even in the bottle it looks fantastic, I couldn't wait to try this one!

The base of the polish is quite sheer so you do need 3 good coats of polish to get it totally opaque on it's own however this really adds to the multi-dimensional look of the polish as you can see the glitter at different depths when all the coats have been applied. 

As with Emerald City this polish applies really well and it has the added bonus of you not having to fish around to pick up glitter from inside the bottle which can be a real issue with some glitter polishes.

Under bright light you can really see the glitter pieces sparkling and they seem to take on an almost holographic look changing from deep green and blue through brighter blue shades and even a bronze, so pretty and sparkly!

I decided to try Out Loud as a glitter topper over another polish (I used a dark green colour) to see how it fared that way too and I was not disappointed, although you don't get the same multi-dimensional effect as you do from using several layers the polish still looks fantastic and really adds some shimmer and glitter to the plain polish underneath.

Both polishes, and a whole lot more, are available from www.sparitual.co.uk prices start at £9.75 for 15ml and £5.50 for 5ml minis. They also have a selection of colours in their Sale where you could definitely pick up a bargain, some of the large 15ml sizes are only£5.00! 

 

 

 

*These polishes were sent for review.

Nails Inc Fine Sprinkles & Special Effects Set in TK Maxx

I popped into TK Maxx at lunchtime to pick up a present for some family we're visiting later for dinner, promising myself I would avoid looking at the nail varnish, and the scented candles, and the cookware too.  Truth be told there aren't many sections of TK Maxx I can be trusted in.  However, sometimes something is such a bargain you just have to buy it which is, funnily enough, what happened today.

 

I'd previously been eyeing up the Nails Inc 4 Piece Fine Sprinkles Collection on QVC which includes:

 

* Market Place - Lilac Sprinkles

* Langham Street - Vanilla Sprinkles

* Little Portland Street - Pink Sprinkles

* Devonshire Place - Mocha Sprinkles

 

So when I spotted a Nails Inc Colour Collection set in TK Maxx that looked very, very similar for just £12.99 I couldn't really resist.  It turns out it's not exactly the same set but very similar, the TK Maxx version includes:

 

* Special Effects in Warwick Street
(which oddly is often described online as a QVC exclusive shade with Blue, Red & Silver sprinkles but mine doesn't match that description.  Mine is the one shown here with multi-coloured sprinkles which I think is even prettier!)

* Langham Street - Vanilla Sprinkles

* Little Portland Street - Pink Sprinkles

* Devonshire Place - Mocha Sprinkles

 

 

I'm slightly sad to have missed out on Market Place as it does look very, very pretty but getting the other three and Warwick Street for such a bargain price will no doubt ease my pain in time. ;)

Poor macro shot of the multi-coloured glitter in Warwich Street:

 

After the excitement of my Nails Inc find I couldn't decide on anything suitable to take as a gift to dinner so it looks like it'll be a stop off to grab a bunch of flowers on the way over there, excellent shopping skills there, I'm sure you'll agree!

Look out for swatches coming very soon.

 

 

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Yankee Candles New Q3 Fragrances 2013

 

It's that time again, new quarterly fragrance releases from Yankee Candles.  I have to say I wasn't blown away by the selection this time but I was very keen on trying Salted Caramel and I wanted to give the others a go and see what they were like so I picked up a wax tart of each scent.

 

 

 

First up, what Yankee have to say about them:

 

November Rain

 A quiet interlude of the season is reflected in this airy, refreshing mix of watery leaf notes, warm amber and crisp, brisk air.

 

Lake Sunset

 The serene beauty of the sun's golden rays as they dip into still blue waters, calling to mind the musky descent of nightfall.

 

Vanilla Chai

 It's the perfect accompaniment to me time, a superbly satisfyingly rich and spicy recipe of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla.

 

Salted Caramel

 Sweet surrender is your with our luscious gourmand confection of burnt sugar, sea salt, and smooth vanilla caramel.

 

As predicted I LOVE Salted Caramel, it's rich and sweet and perfectly caramel-ly scented, no great surprise that I love it since the majority of my favourite Yankee scents are the super sweet gourmand ones like Christmas Cupcake and Red Velvet.

 

November Rain is ok, I think it's unlikely I would repurchase it, there are definite hints of air freshener about it to me and I don't think it's the sort of scent I want my home filled with although it isn't unpleasant.  Lake Sunset is nice enough and could grow on me but so far it's a bit lack lustre and not really blowing me away, it's another fresh scent which isn't bad but also isn't anything special.

 

Vanilla Chai was the one I was most curious about, I love ginger and I love vanilla but I really dislike cinnamon, I've never bought any of the Yankee fragrances that include cinnamon, this time I decided to give it a go hoping the ginger and vanilla might drown it out.  Sadly for me they don't, unlit I can smell the vanilla (and cloves and cardamon) but once it was lit this one was all cinnamon to my nose and very strong cinnamon at that.  It does have an amazing fragrance throw though, so if you like cinnamon then this is one for you.

Maybelline Polka Dots - Chalk Dust

I first posted about these Polka Dot polishes from Maybelline HERE when I picked up the collection, today I decided to use Chalk Dust as a topper for the yellow varnish I had on the other day.

 

Chalk Dust has a clear base jam packed full of black and white round glitter particles in a variety of sizes, these pictures are two coats, you could get away with one but when it comes to glitter I tend to think more is more. :D

 

The polish dries to a fairly smooth finish and with a thick coat of top coat you will get completely smooth nails even after applying a couple of coats of the glitter.

 

I think the monochrome glitter gives a nice effect with the bright base, a bit like bees.