30 day shred.

[MY WORD. my last post seems to have been viewed by everyone and their dog! the other day i was rather chuffed at having had 100 daily views (i'm a very simple girl) and yesterday, 330! how exciting. don't think i'll ever top that, haha...]

right. as i'm sure any frequent reader will know, i bitch a lot about my workload a lot. and it really is a lot. so much so that i feel really tense and stressed a lot of the time. so, i thought it would be the perfect time to begin jillian michael's 30 day shred. i really do hope that i stick with it, but as it stands i'm feeling positive. yes, this really is a boring fitness post.

see how ruff and tuff and tanned and tousled she is?

what do i want from it? well, i don't want to be stick thin or anything, and i mean that! i just do not want to be 'skinny fat' anymore - something caused by lots of cardio, lots of carbs, and not enough protein. i look okay so long as i have clothes on, but in a bikini? hell to the NO. i want to be toned and lose a few inches from my waist really. i mean really -  the only thing that's tight on me right now is my forehead. i had a peek at the dvd last night and boy, it's a cracker. favourite lines include: "I WANT TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO DIE", "CAN YOU HANDLE DIS? HEHEHE NO U CANT LOL" AND "IF YOU WANT ABS LIKE THESE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK FOR IT, GIMME 5 MORE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i've measured absolutely everything (seriously, everything except my eyeballs) and i can't wait to report back in 30 days - hopefully with results! if it is a success then i'd definitely like to keep it afterwards and incorporate it into my usual exercise routine. i have taken before pictures but i'm a little bit nervous so i'll hold onto those until the 30 days are up. ;)

anyway, beauty-wise (gotta have some consistency in this blog!), i've really been loving hot pink and/or fuchsia shades for my nails recently. i just think they're super bright and super fun, and cheer me up when the weather is so grey and miserable outside. these are my top three, covering a range of budgets.

left to right: opi - do you think i'm tex-y?, no 7 - jammy, barry m - shocking pink.

polka dot nails.

recently i've been wearing patterns on my nails. i find the process oddly therapeutic. the easiest (by far) is a simple polka dot. this is a totally botched job as i rushed it, but i do love the nail polishes i used.

i really can't be bothered to have seperate nail polishes for the base and top coat. personally i think it is a little frivolous if you're a regular joe like me who changes nail polishes daily and have a terrible habit of peeling them off. for that reason, i've always used 3-in-1 polishes from barry m or model's own. both do the job. i wear nail polish every single day but my nails are hardly stained when in reality, they should be. just sayin'.

i then applied rimmel's 'ethereal', a light pearly pink. following that, i then used a dotter. i'm surprised that many people i know haven't heard of these, but then again, i can't even remember the first time i stumbled across them. i got mine off ebay and it was dirt cheap.

using the larger end of the dotter, i then dipped it in model's own 'denim' (a mid-tone blue) and lightly applied it to my nails. and then ta-da! polka dot nails. it really is that simple. apply a top coat and you're done.

fashionista magnestism nail laquer.

how cool is this?! i treated myself to fashionista's magnetism nail lacquer range yesterday. there's a 3 for 2 offer at superdrug, so i bought two shades and the magnet (the shades being 'notorious silver' and 'purple me up'). there isn't really any con here as it does precisely what it says on the tin.

you're meant to apply two coats (i get overexcited and whack on about 10), hold the magnet above it for 8 seconds, and voila! it's done. it honestly is that easy. so much so that i did my nails during my lecture break and felt like a sales lady doing a demonstration as everyone was ooh-ing and aah-ing. if anything, i actually found this much more straightforward and quicker to do than applying regular nail polish, as it also dries immensely quickly. the effect is holographic almost, with tonal waves - in silver, this gives your nails a great industrial look. i hope they expand this further and work on new patterns!

nails - fashionista (notorious silver).

leighton denny 'sweet petites' & newspaper nails.

impressed. my latest bargain is a set of miniature-sized 'sweet petite' nail polishes by leighton denny, bought for £20 down from £40. i'm not one for nude shades (to me, nude = boring) but working full time and getting up horrifically early means that i don't have the time to ooh and ahh at my vast collection of bright nail polishes! very tragic indeed. so, i've invested in a set of neutral tones which will last me. i hope it shows in the photo, but they all have a lovely iridescent effect to them - taking them out of boring and into practical!

left to right: sugar babe, sugar daddy, sugar and spice, one for all, butterfly wings, diamond rose, diamond ivory, diamond ice.

i really like the finish and consistency, but for some reason, it doesn't top model's own for me. this isn't to say that the polishes are bad, but it just takes a little bit longer for me to get an even colour with no streaks when compared. i went for 'diamond ice' - as i have no other nail polishes which are essentially a pearly white, i thought it would be a fab opportunity to try out something new on my nails.

not bad for a first attempt, i like to think.

the entire thing is horrendously easy. first, apply a base coat. then, the nail polish of your choice. wait for it to dry, and then dip your finger into something containing alcohol for a few seconds (i used hand sanitising gel, desperate times bro). then, place the newspaper on top, press down for about 10-15 seconds (the longer you leave it, the darker the text appears - although it becomes harder to peel off). ta da! ink has transferred. finish off with a top coat and hey presto.

in other news: i had a day trip in the lovely city of bath. my friend lives nearby so me and a few friends went to visit him. dressing for the weather is a pain as london has pretty much skipped summer and gone straight to autumn. so, i wore my new raincoat... and i shivered in westbury... it is almost AUGUST and i am talking about shivering... bleurgh. planet why are you doing this?!?! i also did a smokey eye today, but my eyebags are so massive that anything i would've slapped on my face wouldn't have made them invisible. tired and cold, those two words sum me up pretty nicely i reckon.

raincoat - h&m, dress - christopher kane for topshop.

MISERABLE.

face: sephora smoothing primer, mac studio fix fluid (nw30), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus), nars bronzer (laguna).

eyes: urban decay primer potion, maybelline gel liner, rimmel exaggerate liquid liner, urban decay eyeshadow (creep), mac eyebrow pencil (stud), max factor false last effect mascara, benefit gilded highlighter (tangerine gold).

cheeks: mac sheertone blush (well dressed).

lips: mac (lustering).