April Favourites

How fast are these months going now?

I have a mixed bag of favourites for April. 

Barely There Gel Finish Nailwear by Avon. This is the perfect nude. It gives a nice sheer cover with just one coat, but add 2 and it is a fabulous opaque colour. Two looks for the price of one. Currently on offer in Avon for £2.50 - which is half of it's RRP. 

Insulated cup and straw - I now have 3 of these. I love them. One at work, 2 at home. They make drinking water so much easier, I really don't like the stuff that much. Also it keeps it cool for longer and cuts down trips to the drinks cooler at work. You can currently buy 2 large ones for £5 at Wilkinsons.

Going hand in hand with the cup and straw is this miniature cordial syrup by Robertsons. I love the orange and peach flavour. 

I got these sunglasses at the start of the month, when the weather was so much brighter and a lot less wet that it has been this week. I got them from ebay, I think they were about £2. I didn't want to spend too much as I wasn't sure if they would suit me. What do you think?

I'm still pretty much obsessed by cheesy puffs for some reason, pretty much eating them daily. 

For lunch at work I've been taking soup, I love these cups by Sistema. I have a couple of their lunch boxes too. I have these in Red and Blue (currently £3 each at Wilkinsons). They can go in the freezer, but normally I split a fresh soup between the two and take them to work over 2 days. 

I eat them with my other obsession, the pumpkin and sunflower seed rolls from the bakery section at Co-op. 46p for 1 or £1 for 4. 

On a night I've been unloading my daily thoughts in a journal over on www.dietingrollercoaster.blogspot.com and watching youtube videos. This month I've been loving: 

Sprinkle of Glitter - she's a mummy blogger, she's so pretty and gorgeous and funny. I love her hair and make up, it's fair to say she is my current girl crush. I want her as my bestest buddy. 

Saccone Jolys - An Irish family. Anna has just given birth to her 2nd child. I love to watch their antics on an evening I go to bed, and now they're moving to the UK!!!

Fun for Louis - Louis has been out of the UK for 6 months most of this month he has been in LA hanging with other youtubers including Cyr and Piddleass. I'm going to miss them in his life. 

and finally for this month

Betty Pamper - I've really been enjoying her look books this month. 

My Nail Woes: Avon Gel Finish Nailwear

So I've not spoken about my nails recently.

Right now they are looking pretty good, even if I do say so myself. (What's the bet that I've just jinxed them right there?)

What have I been doing to them this time? Not much if I'm honest. Increased typing seems to have helped them grow. The constant tapping also appears to have made them that bit stronger too.

I've also been using the new Gel Finish Nailwear by Avon (available from Campaign 8). I've been loving the nude colour of Barely There. It lends to the look of a muted French Manicure which I adore.

I have been lucky enough, as a consultant, to be able to try several of the colours. So far out of the 11 I got to do some Wel Gel events this one is my favourite, and at just £3.50 on it's introductory offer it's a real steal; full price it will be £7 and I believe still worth every penny.

The Barely There is easy to apply, and dries to a high shine with no streaks surprisingly quickly.

The best bit that I have found about these Gel Finish colours is their durability.

I don't particularly look after my manicures after I have done them, I get up to all sorts. However the staying power is astonishing, I've not managed to chip a colour without major effort, in my case it was wrenching go-karts in and out of a lock-up container.

From the other colours I have tried the stand outs have been Candy Apple, an almost transparent neon red, I found this one needed a couple of coats. Red as Roses, Mauvelous and Berrylicous all had great staying power.

I also loved the richness of Mudslide. I hope to try and mix it with Glimmer - a gold colour to see what happens, I have heard mixed reports on this though.

Overall, I'm loving this new product. The one downside... once you take the bottle from the box, there is no name on the bottle to refer back to. So quite a small downside, but noticable - especially if you are planning on going down the party route.

Nail Woes: Update

If you spotted my Something Fishy post you'll have seen my nails were finally getting to a decent length.

Alas, not long after that photo was taken a couple of them broke... now I've managed to cut them all down to a similar length and the splitting that was wrecking them is starting to only effect a couple of nails now.

I have started to use Avon's Diamond Strengthening Complex and Nail Experts 24k gold strength. Apart from the residual dye from my hair tinting the nail they're starting to look good again.

I apply the Diamond Complex after removing my nail varnish, I apply it to the cuticle area and the nail bed then massage it in, which - I am informed - encourages nail growth.

I seem to have been having much more success with the 24k gold treatment than with the pearl shine. It both protects and has a much longer durability than the Pearl Shine. You get a nice golden shimmer too which means that you can use it as your daily polish or as an undercoat.

I've also been carry around my current favourite hand cream also by Avon. It has a fresh apricot scent which isn't overpowering and sits happily in my handbag. I like it that much I'm considering getting a second one for my desk at work.

Overall, I'm really happy with how my nails are looking right now, hopefully it won't be long until I can embrace my nail wraps and more intricate nail art again.

Nail Woes #2

So we are at the end of week 1. 

I have been using the Avon Pearl Shine now for a week. 

I'm loving the pretty pale pink shimmer that it gives you. However, I'm finding that I need to reapply on a daily basis. It isn't keen on people washing up, or even cleaning, using your hands for anything apart from sleeping. 

I have found that if you don't use rubber gloves that the polish starts to bubble, if you do much else it starts to not so much chip and wear off on the tips, which is wear you need the most protection. Especially as I'm growing out some major splits. 

One thing I have noticed though is the speed in which my nails have grown this week. I don't know whether or not that is down to the Avon product or just co-incidence. 

My Nail Woes

Over December I had some fabulous nail art going on.

Since January they've done nothing but split and peel. I've never had this problem before.

So I have taken it upon myself to cut my nails right back, and will use an arsenal of Avon nail care products as I grow them out again.

This is my starting point.

Short and stubby.

The first product I'll be using is Pearl Shine.

Let's hope that my nails grow back fast, and strong, I'm not keen on this lack of nails nonsense. I don't wear them exceedingly long, but I do like the pads of my fingers to have a little bit of protection.

What products do you use to keep your nails in tip top condition?