Tidy Blog, Tidy Mind

If you've recovered from reading the mammoth post below, have yourself 10 points on me. Good work, trooper. Sophie Makes Up now has an easier way of finding posts that may interest you. I've actually labelled my posts properly. Looking for some L'Oréal loving? You can now find all posts that mention that brand in one go. Not exactly revolutionary, I know, but it should make your experience on this site a hell of a lot better. Go, read things!

Nailed It

First and foremost, I owe you all an apology for the hideous stream of puns that have been hitting this blog of late. Things are actually looking really peachy for me at the moment in a lot of ways, so between that and the fact that the Boyfriend is one of the punniest people I know, they're sort of inevitable... My apologies.

Moving on swiftly... Today I present for you my top nail picks for Spring. To contrast yesterday's post, in which I wrote of my love for high end products, all of these lacquers are actually from the drugstore. Safe to say that I'm fickle, then. I don't know if it's because I went through a ma-hoosive nail painting fad when I was about 15/16 (we're talking in the 100s here, I'm not ashamed to say), or because I'm not allowed to wear colour on my nails at work, but I just don't see the point in buying high end polish just yet. It's not that I don't crave a cheeky Chanel polish in my stash - trust me, I do - it's that I can wear it for a maximum of two days a week and my nails are so flaky that there just isn't much point anyway.

This aside, I'm more than happy to go a bit crazy in Boots when there's a 3-for-2 offer on and grab some seasonal hues. For this spring, I've opted for some 'is it summer yet?' orange-y tones, a minty fresh off-white and a vibrant pink. The damage? Minimal.

From left to right, I am wearing:

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in the shade Papaya - One of my favourite colours in one of my favourite formulae. These little beauties rock. They last relatively well, have a high shine and the colour selection is bloomin' awesome. This, for me, is a beautifully delicate pinky-orange. The name suits it well. I find it to be an elegant choice that goes well with casual outfits.

L'Oréal Paris Color Riche in the shade Pistache Drage - L'Oréal seems to be having a but if a moment on the blogosphere, but this really is a stunner, this one. It needs a good three coats painted on thinly, but holy smokes is it pretty. The lasting power isn't the greatest on my nails, but then again I don't use a base or top coat (bad blogger *slaps wrist*) as I can't wear nail paint for more than a couple of days anyway because of my job. This is the colour of pistachio ice cream, which brings back memories of being in the south of France with my friends this sort of time last year. It's very lovely and a little bit unusual, definitely one for mint lovers like myself.

Essie Nail Lacquer in the shade Status Symbol - This isn't a shade that gets much attention online. I think it gets overlooked by Watermelon, which is a shame to my mind as this is an awesome colour. It's not quite neon, but it's damn close. It reminds me of when I was in school and would colour my nails in with highlighter (that's how much I was into painting my nails) because we weren't allowed to wear any paint. It's a proper in-your-face sort of colour, but it's soo pretty. I actually find this to be a good great formula on my nails, but I know it's not great for everyone. Either way, it fits in with the orchid/pink trend you'll be seeing a lot of this spring/summer, so it's definitely worth taking a look.

Rimmel Salon Pro in the shade 115 Happily Evie After - I don't really get the name of this particular polish, but the colour? Now that, I get. It's a true beaut. A bright red-orange comparable to the infamous Chanel le Vernis in the shade Holiday. A brilliant transitional colour going into the summer with an amazing, amazing one-coat-wonder formulation to match. If I could only have one, it would be this.

So there are my top picks for this spring. I'm a little bit self-conscious of posting hand photos, as a) I have dermatitis/eczema on my hands and b) my toes look like thumbs (don't ask - just google Megan Fox thumbs and you'll know what I'm going on about), but it really is the best way to show a polish off. In case you're wondering, my ring is from a Siren Stacking Ring in Green Onyx from Monica Vinader and it is awesome. It can be found in various colours here.

What colours are on your radar as the weather heats up?

They See Me Haulin'...

Every now and then, I believe that it is absolutely essential to take one day out of your week and dedicate it to going for a good ol' fashioned shop with one of your girlfriends. And that is exactly how I spent my Monday. We went cruising through the aisles of our local Boots, Superdrug and err... Waitrose on a mission. The damage? Not too bad, all things considered. Here's the round up of what I grabbed.

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer - I picked this up on a whim as a replacement for my Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer, which has sadly come to an end, and d'you know what? It's actually pretty good. It's a liquid formula somewhat reminiscent of the infamous Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, but much less cakey and a much better colour. I've only used this once so far so I can't speak for it's 'up to 18 hour' claim, but I am really impressed with the texture.

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Under Eye Concealer - Can you tell I'm on the search for a good concealer? Boots currently have their 3-for-2 offer on, so I also picked up this little pot of goodness for my under eye area. It's a very creamy formula, somewhat reminiscent of the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer/Corrector, with a salmony hue to counteract darkness. I've tried the Corrector before and was a big fan of it, but the colour was off for me, so I know I'll get on with this quite well. It needs setting, or it will crease from what I have experienced so far... But, dare I say it, I think we're onto a winner.

Seventeen Eyeshadow Trio in the shade Enraged - I know, I know. More eyeshadow. Again. But trust me, this is a good'un. I've owned this before and absolutely loved it, but it smashed. It's an A Model Recommends enabled purchase and it's just really darn pretty. A very shimmery selection of a peachy pink, a golden champagne and a chocolate bronze. All the shimmaaaah.

B. B Enegergised Eye Cream - I grabbed this in a bid to replace my Eysilix Instant Eye Rescue and it's actually quite nice. Puffiness is my biggest issue, especially around that time of the month, and this promises to tackle this with some pretty convincing ingredients to back it up. I'll report back on this one...

Rimmel London Salon Pro Nail Laquer in the shade 115 Happily Evie After - The only way I can accurately describe this colour is to say that it looks like a Sex on the Beach cocktail when it's all been mixed together. Apologies. It's a pinky orangey red that rocks. It's currently residing on my toes and I bloomin' love it. It's a formula I've used before and it's a firm favourite. Summer in a bottle.

L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail Laquer in the shade Pistachio Drage - Pistachio ice cream in a bottle. It's a very pretty light green that I shall be rocking throughout this spring at a bargain-alicious price.

Short Hair, Don't Care

Having had short hair in one form or another for the last few years, I consider myself to be something of an expert when it comes to hair products. I've gone from bobs to a pixie cut and everywhere in-between and these are the products that have got me through it...

First of all, the basics. For me, this means a hair oil and heat protectant. When it comes to oil, my pick would be Moroccanoil. It's been a staple products for me since 2011 and I've never looked back. My hair isn't unruly by any means as it's naturally quite fine, but it's so much sleeker when I use this. I'm also heavily reliant on heat to style my hair, as I can never be bothered to wait for it to dry naturally but never manage to blow dry it straight or curly, so a heat protectant is essential. I'm currently using L'Oréal Elnett Heat Styling Spray, but if I'm being honest, I don't really have a preference. This is great because it definitely plumps the hair up and adds volume without any fuss. From here on, it's time to get creative.

Next up, I'm talking volume. Much as I love the look of a sleek shoulder length 'do, it just doesn't do it for me. There ain't nothing wrong with a little bit of oomph. My go-to option comes in the form of Percy & Reed Finishing Polish. Strictly speaking, this is meant to be used on dry hair, but I slap some in when my hair still pretty wet as it thickens my hair up and gives it some texture and grip. A newer addition to my haircare stash that has become a new fave is the L'Oréal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Double Serum. Not so catchy name, but an incredibly effective product nonetheless. I've been using this in conjunction with the shampoo and conditioner from the Fibrology range and have found all of them to be great for adding volume and thickness. Big fan. When it comes to adding a bit of texture, I give you two options. On a budget, look for L'Oréal Studio Matt & Messy Shine-Free Salt Spray Tousled Look (what is it with L'Oréal and the crazy long names?!). This was my go-to product during the summer to create an après-beach look and adding some grip to my locks, plus it's a great 'dupe' for Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. Win. If you're looking to spend a bit more, I'd recommend Bumble and Bumble Dryspun Finish Spray. This is great for a short-term quick fix if your hair is looking particularly flat, but the effects don't last that long. Blasted into the roots, however, this is fab for plumping things up a bit. Aaaand finally, hairspray. Again, I don't have much of a preference, but I do love L'Oréal Elnett Supreme Hold Hairspray purely because the smell reminds me of my childhood. Judge me not.