NOTD #3 - Art Attack

Having taken a little break to concentrate on my second semester of university starting, I'm back with a beauty-related post today and I thought I'd share my nails of the day!

I can't really figure out what I think they look like, but I've called the post 'Art Attack' because I basically went mad with different colours and a paintbrush. Sometimes I think they look kind of feathered, sometimes I think the colours look a bit like those of a peacock... I like the fact that they're all completely different and some nails have more of one colour than the others.

What do you think? Would you try this out yourself? Would you like to see any more designs using this technique? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Liebster Award!

I was kindly nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Annie-Lou of Big World Small Girl. You can view her post on it here. I actually did this ages ago on my personal blog (and the cute little graphic definitely didn't exist back then!) so it's lovely to do it again.

The rules are:

1. List 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger who nominated you left.
3. Ask 11 new questions for those you nominate.
4. Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate.
5. Go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award.
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

So, 11 facts about me...

1. My beauty weaknesses are nail polish and lipsticks...a girl can never have enough in my opinion.

2. I have two pets, a bunny called Dusty (or Duddles) and a guinea pig called Peanut (or Nuttles).

3. I am a first year Linguistics and Phonetics student in the north of the UK.

4. Josh Groban is my absolute favourite musician and I'm SO excited for his new album.

5. I can write my name (Rachel) in the alphabet/language from which it originated (Hebrew). It also means 'ewe', which is possibly the most random name meaning ever.

6. Today is a snow day, so I'm snuggled in my favourite jumper doing nothing...just how I like it ;)

7. I'm OBSESSED with Forbrydelsen (known to most people as The Killing). If you haven't seen it, you should. 

8. I'm lucky enough to have met nearly all of my favourite comedians (Jon Richardson, Mark Watson, Rhod Gilbert), have been tweeted by one of them (Adam Hills) and have spoken to another (Alun Cochrane). In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a huge comedy junkie.

9. I speak two languages, English and Spanish, but am also studying Hebrew and Icelandic and have taught myself some Swedish.

10. I don't like watching films. I don't know why, I just don't.

11. There's nothing I enjoy more than spending a miserable day sitting in my grandma's living room while she tells me stories and shows me photos.

And now for Annie-Lou's questions (which I love because they're mainly travel themed!)...

1. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Bizarrely, I'm fairly content living where I am. In my wildest dreams, I'd have to say either Australia or somewhere in Scandinavia.

2. Make up your own ice cream flavour: what would it be?

OK, so I'm going to cheat a bit on this one because I have eaten this flavour before, but only once and I've never seen it anywhere since... Salted caramel. I had it in France in...2011(?)...and it was literally the best flavour ever. Unfortunately, I haven't found it since and that makes me sad.

3. What super power would you like to have?

The ability to read minds... but I'd have to be able to switch it on and off whenever I wanted. It would have helped me out so much in previous situations...

4. All inclusive package or backpacking adventure?

Backpacking! While all-inclusive would definitely be more luxurious, I definitely believe backpacking is more enriching and just more fun. If I hadn't gone backpacking with World Challenge in 2010, I'd never have had the amazing experience of camping right next to the top of a waterfall, I'd never have seen so much of the beautiful Croatian countryside, and I'd have never experienced a true feeling of being proud of myself.

5. What is the one thing you would not want to travel without?

A camera (preferably a decent one, not just a crappy phone camera) and a travel diary/notebook. When I was in Croatia I took pictures of literally everything and I love reading my diary back. 

6. Skiing on the slopes or surfing in the sun?

I'd like to say surfing in the sun, but I imagine I'd probably fit in a lot better skiing on the slopes... plus I have an irrational fear of being underwater, so it's also probably a lot safer for me, haha :)

7. What animal would you use to describe yourself?

I've had this conversation with my friend Eliza before and I can't remember what we decided on. Probably an owl because I'm constantly looking all around me... especially in exams, which isn't a good habit to be in.

8. Do you prefer the hustle and bustle of urban city breaks or the tranquil and peace of rural retreats and why?

I actually love both, but I think I'm definitely a city girl and I feel much more at home in a foreign city than the countryside somewhere. I think rural retreats are something that you shouldn't do too often because then you appreciate them more. 

9. Born to travel or stay at home?

I definitely want to travel. There are so many places on a mental list inside my head that I want to visit. 

10. What is your best/worst travel experience?

Best: I have a few. I previously mentioned camping basically at the top of a waterfall, and that's definitely one of them. Our group toasted marshmallows over a campfire and Slaven, or tour guide, played his guitar and sang to us. Another is when we were in our minivan on the way to Split Airport on our way home and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol came on the radio and we all sat there singing along in our own little worlds. One of my best travel memories is also from Poland in 2011 when my lovely friend Jess and I sat having a heart-to-heart in our favourite coffee shop in Krakow. 

Worst: Getting stuck underneath a kayak in Croatia, being stranded in the Channel Tunnel en route to Disneyland Paris for hours and hours surrounded by screaming children, and the time we landed in Liverpool John Lennon Airport after the Poland visit and my suitcase came out onto the luggage carousel open. Way to go, EasyJet. The worst experience is probably climbing a mountain in Croatia and spending two whole days pretty much having panic attacks because I couldn't breathe. Awesome. I think I redeemed myself when I pretty much ran back down the mountain to get help on our last day when the people I was walking with all became ill, though.

11. Travel plans for 2013?

No plans as yet. My Comedy Twin (CT) Poppy and I are hoping to go to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer and my friend Sophie and I have briefly discussed the idea of going to Sweden (especially hoping for this to happen). I'll be going somewhere with my family, but we went to Cornwall and got rained on for a week in 2012 so I don't really count family holidays as 'travel plans'.

And now for the questions I'm setting...

1. If you had to choose a quote to live your life by, which one would you choose and why?

2. Do you speak any foreign languages? If so, which ones?

3. Describe your perfect day.

4. Do you have any 'odd' habits or rituals that you do but nobody else you know does too?

5. What is your favourite season and why?

6. Why did you start your blog?

7. If you could be any animal for a day, which would you be and why?

8. If you could pass a new law that would ban something you dislike, what would you ban and why?

9. Go onto iTunes or your music library and go to your most played songs. Which song have you played the most times?

10. Have you ever had any interesting celebrity encounters?

11. Tell us about one of your proudest achievements.

I can't think of anybody to tag at the moment (they've all done it!) but if I think of anyone in future, I'll pop another post up about it :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Looking forward to spring and summer yet?

Bunting style necklace, Topshop.

I bought this necklace just after Christmas, so I'm assuming it's still in stores now. I couldn't find it online, but then you can never find everything on the website anyway. It feels a bit ridiculous posting about such a bright, summery piece when the whole of the UK is currently dealing with what the news likes us to believe is a 'snow crisis', but maybe it will cheer us all up a bit?

I think this is going to be the perfect necklace for spring and summer. The colours are gorgeous, vibrant  and perfect for summer, particularly the coral and the lime green, but the teal and lilac are still muted enough for it to be perfect for the spring too. 

What do you think? Are you already looking forward to the warmer, sunnier months? Do you have any spring/summer jewellery staples? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Perfection in a tube?

Today I'm going to talk about a product that has definitely already done the rounds on blogs and YT channels, but as usual I'm totally behind with the times and have only recently decided to see if the hype is justified. Being a lip product lover, I can only be talking about the Clarins 'Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector'.

Mine is shade 1 'Rose Shimmer' and I bought it for £16.00 from Debenhams. Firstly, this product smells divine... It really reminds me of the Korres 'Jasmine' lip butter scent which I love. Secondly, the colour payoff is surprisingly good. For a nude lipgloss, I expected the pigmentation to be fairly lacking, but as you will see from my swatches it is definitely pleasing. 

These swatches are taken in different light. The first is taken without flash in dim light, and the second is also without flash but in daylight. My lips are naturally slightly darker than most nude lip colours can suit, but because this product isn't fully pigmented I feel I can pull it off well and it feels lovely on the lips.

Have you tried any of these? I know the coral coloured one is also popular. If you have, let me know in the comments :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

YSL 'Le Teint Touche Eclait' Foundation Review

It's 11:46pm as I sit down to write this post, so I apologise in advance for any spelling mistakes or sentences that just don't make sense. I've been up at about 8am two days running to sit in and wait for a delivery (don't even get me started on deliveries...) and revision is just about killing me. So, to try and balance out the stress I thought I'd take to my blog and talk about my most recent purchase.

As far as I know, the foundation is relatively new to the YSL range. My shade is BD40 (Beige Dore 40) and I was colour matched at my nearest YSL counter. 

For £28.00, you get this 30ml bottle, though in my experience you don't need a lot at all to get decent, long-lasting coverage. I am actually able to wear this foundation without using a concealer over any blemishes, but I'd say the coverage is medium. I wore this all day on Friday with barely any powder and found that it pretty much lasted all day, including through a nap on the sofa where I woke up with one half of my face pressed into a cushion. 

A little bit terrifying, but here's how it looks on my skin. This photo was taken in natural daylight and the only other face products I have on are blush on the apples of my cheeks and the Touche Eclait highlighter around my eyes. 

I feel like this foundation is definitely worth investing in as it will last me for ages and gives me better coverage than any drugstore foundation in my collection (and believe me, I have a fair few of them). I don't feel like my face looks too made-up and the fact that I don't need to spend an eternity concealing my face is a big plus point. 

I also got given a 7 day sample of this, which has gone in my little handbag make-up bag for when I'm out during the day. If you're interested in the foundation, it would be a good idea to go and get colour matched then try it out for a while.

What do you think? Have you ever tried high-end foundations? Do you prefer drugstore foundations? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

DIY: Flower Rings

Hi guys :) I'm back today with a really easy jewellery DIY post :) You will need:

1x super glue
1x flower 'bead' (I bought mine from Yum Yum Beads, although an example can be found here)
1x plain ring back

Step 1

Apply super glue to the plain ring back, spreading it evenly across the middle and outwards. Be careful not to touch the glue at all, and you might find it helpful to do this over a sheet of paper.

Step 2

Lower the glued side of the ring back onto an overturned flower bead, making sure it is placed evenly in the middle of the base of the flower.

Step 3

Leave the ring to dry. Even though it will seem almost instantly that the ring is dry and secure, it is worth leaving it for a while before attempting to wear it.

And that's it!

Hope you enjoyed :) Have you got any jewellery DIY posts yourself? Leave a link in the comments because I'd love to read them!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Tag: Sunday Activities

Hi guys! I was tagged by the beautiful Vanessa of house in the sand to do her brand new Sunday activities tag. If you don't already read and/or follow her blog, you need to go and do that right now because it's a lovely little blog and Vanessa is lovely too :)

So, the tag is fairly simple - all you have to do is talk about or show photos of the things you get up to on a Sunday and then tag some (7) of your favourite bloggers to do it too. Vanessa also asks that we all make sure we mention who started the tag and who tagged us to do it. Now the rules are out of the way, let's get started...

Sundays are usually the quiet days in my house. We often spend the whole day lazing around the house doing nothing, but I think that's probably quite typical of lots of households. If I'm not sitting in the house, I'm also likely to be at my grandma's house. We often go up on a Sunday afternoon and catch up with all of the gossip from our relatives (who are usually there too). 

Being a student, Sunday is also 'homework day' :( Today, I've been revising Icelandic for my exam on Wednesday but I can usually be found at 10pm trying to finish work for the next day. It's not fun, but it's necessary. 

In terms of beauty-related things, Sunday is also 'pamper day' where I'll do all of the girly things that you might like to do to set yourself up for a new week. This evening, for example, I have a lengthy list of pamper-ish things I want to get done, including painting my toenails and sorting out my eyebrows. Ladies, I'm sure you know this kind of routine well ;) I also often sit down and write up a few blog posts on a Sunday evening so that I can publish them at various intervals throughout the week.

I think Sunday is probably my least interesting day, but for most people it's a day of relaxation and preparation for the new week... it's no different for me.

I tag:

Jess at do you believe in hallucinations?
Beckie at Picnics and Pretty Dresses...
Rosie at Cider With Rosie
Annika at Sternenstaub
Gabby at Love From Londres
Zoe at Mammaful Zo
Alice at Confessions of a blog writer.

As well as anybody else who fancies doing this tag. If you do, leave me a link below so I can go and nosey at your blog :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Best of 2012

It may be January 9th, but I figured there was still time to put up this 'best of 2012' post. I've got some nail polishes to share, some lip products and a few more bits too...

1. Deborah Lippmann 'Happy Birthday' - I bought this over the summer and whenever I want some sparkle, there is nothing better than nude nails with this as an accent on the ring finger. Yes, it's expensive, but I haven't yet found a high-street dupe that's as good. 

2. Essie 'Fiji' - I lusted after this for quite a while and I saw so many swatches and photos of it actually on nails that I knew I had to have it. It's a bit like 2012's version of Models Own 'Utopia' (in that it's done the rounds on blogs and YouTube and is a gorgeous pale shade that's very close to white) but I think the hype is justified.

3. Urban Decay 'Naked' palette - I use this on an almost daily basis, and I do actually think that for someone who is new to higher-end make-up, this palette is worth buying. If I were to purchase any of these shadows individually, I'd probably only choose 'Toasted' (4th from right) and 'Creep' (2nd from right), which are both beautiful colours that I use a lot. 

4. Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in 'Born to Bling' - I can't remember how long I've had this lipgloss but it is pretty much the only gloss I'll wear at the moment. It's a pretty peachy-beige colour and isn't too sticky at all. I love wearing this over nude and neutral coloured lipsticks to give them a bit of shimmer.

5. L'Oreal Paris Rouge Caresse in 'Nude Ingenue' and 'Tempting Lilac' - I love, love, love Caresse lipsticks. They're pretty much everything I imagined Revlon's Lip Butters would be and they're just so easy to wear and apply that I find myself reaching for them on a regular basis. 

6. L'Occitane Hand Cream in 'Rose Petals' - I got one of these in Marie Claire magazine back in the autumn sometime and I liked it so much I went and purchased a back-up almost straight away. I adore the smell of this hand cream and I've been using it almost every day and it's lasting forever. L'Occitane hand creams are, without a doubt, my favourites. 

And that's it! There were lots of products that I used and liked on a regular basis this year, but I think these are probably the best of them. Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments below :) I'd also love to know what your 2012 favourites were.

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Bring Out the Bunting Nail Tutorial

So, dear readers, Christmas is over and we're now officially in January 2013. This means that I'm already looking forward to spring and cute pastel designs being everywhere again. In anticipation of this, I have another nail tutorial for you all today :)

Who doesn't love a good bit of bunting? I know I do, so I thought I'd experiment a little with bunting and nail art, and since the results pleased me I thought I'd share. 

To create this 'look', you will need:

• 1x base coat
• 1x plain white nail polish
• 1x matte top coat (I used the George at Asda one)
• 1x plain black nail polish OR nail art pen (I used my black Rio nail art pen) 
• As many pastel nail polishes or nail art pens as you like... I think I ended up using 8 different colours (I'll be doing a post talking about the lilac, blue and green soon)
• If you're using polishes and not pens, you might want to get hold of a dotting tool or something similar (I used a dotting tool similar to these, which were a fabulous and much appreciated Christmas present from my lovely friend Sophie)

Step 1:

Start off, as always, by applying your base coat. This will protect the nails from being stained by the nail polish, and since you'll be using a white polish (which can have a tendency to leave yellowing on the nail) it's extra important to make sure you don't skip this step.

Step 2:

Apply as many coats of your white polish as you need for it to become opaque but make sure you allow them all to dry before applying the next coat. If you don't, the still-tacky polish will drag and you'll have to start over. 

Step 3:

Take your black polish/nail pen and draw on lines like you can see in my photo. These are effectively the strings that hold the bunting up. I think my lines are perhaps slightly too thick, so try going for thinner lines if you like :)

Step 4:

When your black lines have tried, take your dotting tool/nail art pen and draw on your tiny little triangles, as also seen in the above photo. You could just use two colours and alternate them, or like me you could use lots and use them in a random order. Don't worry about accidentally going onto the black line a little, we'll clear that up in a minute.

Step 5:

Allow your triangles to dry then if you have any overlapping onto the black lines, take your black polish/pen and just go over the lines once more. This is also the stage where you can tidy up any triangles that are slightly misshapen or not fully opaque.

Step 6:

Leave your nails to dry. I'd recommend at least half an hour because in my experience, applying a top coat too soon after doing detailed nail art just means that the pattern gets dragged in the direction you're applying the top coat. So, make sure you're confident your pattern won't be ruined, and apply your matte top coat. You could just apply a regular, shiny top coat, but I found that the shine on the nails somehow distracted from the pattern. This is less so with them being matte :)

Et voila! Pretty, spring-ready bunting nails. This is something that you could do with any colour, too, so it's very versatile and could probably carry through all of the seasons. Let me know in the comments if you've ever tried bunting nails or if you think you'll try them out now :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Positive Thoughts...

If you know me in 'real life', you might know that I'm a big lover of jewellery. I love to look at it, buy it, and also make it. Today, I'm going to share two of my current favourite pieces of jewellery with you all.

Be Happy

I found this little lovely for £6.50 in Dorothy Perkins. It's a dainty gold chain with a little 'plaque' saying 'Be Happy' and a tiny little gem hanging from the right hand side. It's totally not my 'style' at all, but for some reason I just really love it. I think it's a nice little reminder of something so simple that so many of us forget. 

Don't Give Up

This is one of two Kathryn Riechert rings that I received as Christmas presents from my parents. I also have one that says ''have faith in brighter days'' (a lyric from Keane's ''You Are Young"). If you know me, it will come as no surprise that I took ''don't give up'' from the Josh Groban song ''You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)", which is my absolute favourite song. 

I wear both of these rings every single day and I would highly recommend you check out Kathryn's Etsy store (linked above) to see all of the different items you could order. They are made of sterling silver (meaning that they won't turn your finger that lovely shade of green that cheap high-street rings do) and are available to order according to size. I'm actually contemplating ordering myself another of these stacking rings, because goodness knows I like a good quote ;)

I thought these would just be two nice items to share with you all, given that I think we're still in the ''new year, new me'' phase of 2013 (or is that just me...?) What's your favourite piece of jewellery? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy 2013!

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com