Spa Weekend!

This past weekend I took a trip to Barnham Broom Golf & Spa Resort in Norfolk with two of my best girlfriends for some much needed R & R between coursework and exams!

This was one of our rooms - the beds were like clouds!

 We spent the afternoon in the spa getting massages & then headed for dinner. I have never been in such a posh hotel & if we hadn't have booked with an offer it is not somewhere I would usually go! I 'tested' our wine & even tried caviar! Still, it was some of the best food and I couldn't move afterwards!

My beautiful best friends & me!

 I wore brown wedges from New Look purchased last summer - these are the comfiest things I have ever worn! My cream cardie is from Primark and my dress was a bargain I found in the sale at Monsoon - if you're from England you probably know this is not the cheapest of shops so I was extremely pleased with this cute little spring find! There is a huge bow on the back which makes it extra cute but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture!

 The next morning after an evening of gossip and chocolate, we had a huge breakfast and took it easy in the spa again this time with a manicure! After that we headed back to the hotel to grab some (very tasty but very cheeky) lunch (pictures below). Overall it was a fantastic getaway and as I don't get to do many girls trips it was a fab experience!

5 stone later...

Feeling Posh!

Have you guys been to any good spa's in England? I'm feeling a little obsessed with them now!

O.P.I Nail Envy

Winter and coursework overload means one thing - chipped, brittle and dry nails! While I try to avoid painting them during these times they still managed to get into an awful condition and it was clear I needed help!

As a little treat for handing in my uni work & starting this blog back up, I bought myself an O.P.I favourite I'd heard rave reviews about.

I purchased this from Amazon which is my go-to store for any O.P.I polishes. Priced at £5.50 instead of retailing for over £10 I had nothing to lose! Delivery took four days & on opening I was pretty impressed! Coming in a full sized bottle (15mL) with a milky white liquid that paints on clear, the extract on the back of the box reads:

"It is an AWESOME base coat. I've had manis last a week with this on the bottom"

Say hello to stronger natural nails with Matte Nail Envy - formulated with wheat protein and calcium to resist peeling, cracking and splitting.

The bottle comes with an instruction booklet advising a two coat application to begin with following with an extra coat every 2 days for 2 weeks. I've been using it every day so far and the only negative I can find is that my nails seem to hurt after application - maybe that's just in my head! 

I figured it would be best to do a before and after shot here so I'll keep this posted!

Have you guys ever used any good nail strengtheners? If so comment them below, I am forever on the lookout!

UPDATE:

Okay so I have been using this product for a while and it's safe to say - I'm not a fan.

The pain in my nails kept coming back (image the achiness of trapping them in a doorway). I read the instructions and it warns of bad sensations so perhaps I'm just sensitive to it. I also found whilst stronger (See below) the nails themselves didn't grow as quickly as other reviews I had seen.

BEFORE

AFTER

To me - the difference is not noticeable and I found that they split extremely easily. I'd often find myself admiring their growth only to see a split where the whole nail nearly came off on one. 

All in all, not the worst strengthener but definitely not for me. I was probably expecting a miracle but I'd give it a 7/10. 

The search continues!

Bracelet Obsession!

I usually stick to my trusty charm bracelet but recently I have become obsessed with dainty little bracelets that I can mix and match with each outfit.

As a late christmas present due to rubbish delivery services in the UK, my boyfriend purchased these amazing little finds & I thought I would share them!

1) Infinity, Leather, Cross:

I fell in love with these after seeing them on sites like Pinterest but I had no idea where to find them. They're slightly loose for the wrist but I adore them, particularly with this flannel shirt!

2) Infinity, Leather, Branches:

I never tend to wear a lot of white jewellery but I thought this was gorgeous! It will definitely look a lot better when the summer comes and I (hopefully!) start to get a tan!

3) Anchor Chain:

Probably my ultimate favourite. It's so dainty and I love anchors so this was perfect!

There are so many little online shops through Ebay, Etsy and Pinterest etc that sell these little gems so its definitely worth taking a look out there! I usually purchase all my jewellery in store but there are some great finds out there on the world wide web!

Minnie Mouse Nails: An O.P.I Tutorial

The Colour of Minnie

As you may know from my first few posts I am in love with Disney & my favourite character without a doubt (& the exception of Tinkerbell & Ariel) is Minnie Mouse!
I've seen many dotty nail tutorials & decided to put my Minnie Mouse OPI collection to good use & try to create a cute style for my nails & here are my results!
I've never done nail art so I was a little worried it would turn out rubbish but I'm pretty pleased with the results and all it took was some varnish & a little paintbrush available at any cheap crafts store!

1) Get hold of a red and a white polish - I used a white OPI from a manicure set & Minnie Mouse OPI in the perfectly named shade 'The Color of Minnie'.

2) Paint 2 coats of red & then apply a top coat for strength and shine.

3) Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of this part because I was concentrating so hard sorry! In a nutshell though - Take your little paintbrush and carefully dip it into the white, then make tiny dots on your nails in a random manner. This part really is so simple but make sure you hardly have any white on the brush - it's much better to build up the dot colour rather than have a big blob of it!

4) Add another clear top coat & voila! You have nails that Minnie Mouse herself would be proud of!

NB: I also added a little black bow using the same brush method but this was a little trickier & didn't come out as well but I liked the idea of the detail on the thumb!

I hope you enjoyed my first tutorial & excuse the awful state of my cuticles and nails at the minute!

Enjoy testing the dotty minnie method & let me know or show me any of your results or tips!

Disneyland Paris

DISNEYLAND PARIS!

Decided to upload a few of my holiday photos from Disneyland! I went about 3/4 weeks ago now with Glen & it was such a fun getaway! I am such a huge Disney fan, I love the movies, the parks, the general magical-ness! I'll upload actual photographs in a longer post but thought i'd collage up some of the best ones i took on my Iphone that I put on Instagram.

If any of you guys have instagram, comment me your usernames!

If You Moust, You Moust: A Minnie Mouse O.P.I Review

MINNIE MOUSE O.P.I COLLECTION 

PART 1: IF YOU MOUST, YOU MOUST.

For my 20th birthday this year my boyfriend bought me the entire O.P.I minnie mouse collection which hit shops around June 2012. I was super excited to use them because I am an avid fan of O.P.I and minnie and went to disneyland paris the day after receiving them!

I was a little wary of having another baby pink as I have the Nicki Minaj 'Pink Friday' bottle which is a very similar shade however this is that little bit brighter, more candy pink than pastel pink.

The base colour I have on here is titled 'If you Moust, you Moust' and is a baby pink creme polish. I have also topped the colour with a little bit of the minnie glitter polish too which is why the colour is not 100% the same as the retail picture, however it's not too overpowering & so I'll review that in later parts.

The polish itself is retail priced at around the £11 mark but the bottle is huge and a little really goes a long way. The polish went on smoothly, dried quite quickly and needed 2 coats for the best colour. The collection is super girly and perfect for anyone with a minnie mouse obsession!

INTRODUCTORY POST!

Hi everyone! My names Eleanor Jayne & I decided to create this online blog to combine my recipes, my beauty tips, reviews, travel photos, basically to combine them all into an online space! I'm prone to losing things so I thought this blog would be a great way to save memories & to meet new people.

I'm a 20 year old student studying Business Management at University & all fingers crossed I graduate next spring/summer. I've been with my boyfriend Glen for almost 3 years now & my main passions are baking, cooking & travelling. I live in the Cambridgeshire countryside, drive a little navy blue smart car & am the very proud owner of a puppy named Maisie who is my world!

I hope this blog will work out & really becomes something useful and worthwhile so once again welcome to my new blog and I look forward to speaking to you all!