How to get Beautiful Nails Instantly!

Ok, So…I have a confession to make…

I have always been an on/off nail biter. I know, I know its not a great habit. The problem I have is when my nails are long I love them and so don’t even think about biting them but as soon as one breaks the rest tend to follow. Because I am an on/off nail biter my nails are very weak so I find growing them long and strong pretty challenging. The thing is though…if there’s one thing that makes me feel pretty awful about myself (maybe a bit over the top!) it would be having short, stumpy nails!! So, when I am going through a nail breakage/biting stage I buy the fake nails in drugstores such as Boots and Superdrug. As I have tried quite a few brands and methods out I wanted to share my thoughts on the different types of nails you can get, cost comparison and which ones stood the test of time on a daily basis.

There really is nothing worse than being out or in a meeting at work when your nail flies off, or when you go to grab something from your bag and you lose your nail at the bottom! So hopefully my experience will save you a whole lot of embarrassment!

Wilkinson Own False Nail Brand
Cost: £1.50
These were the cheapest of all the nails I have tried in the past. I wanted to see if a cheaper product stood up to the gruelling daily stress and strain of the everyday or whether actually you need to invest a bit of money. Sadly these were not for me! There is not a huge range of colours to choose from so I opted for the french manicure. The nails were very large. Not one nail fitted my finger 😦 I have small nails however these seemed too big for anyone. The shape of these nails seemed quite harsh which added to the overall size. They come with sticky adhesive however this is not very strong and to be honest it looked a bit like masking tape had just been cut up and used for this! You could use a stronger nail glue on these if the fit of the nail fitted your finger properly and for the price they are a good alternative for a dressing up occasion however on a daily basis these just don’t quite cut it.

Nailene So Natural French Manicure – Check out my video here to see how to apply and how they look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CJLjYDRLmg
Cost: Between £5.00-£6.99
I have used these so many times and each time I go to buy different natural manicure false nails I always end up going back to these. They fit my nails perfectly and are not too long or too short. I don’t need to cut them down, or file them too much so are easy to apply and maintain. The shape of the nail and the thickness adds to their natural look and many times people have commented on how good my nails are looking thinking they are my own. They come with pre glued tabs which I think are fine to use on the go but as I tend to wear these on a day to day basis I prefer to use the glue it comes with or my Elegant Touch strong nail glue. These have lasted between 4-8 days. The nail vanish does not seem to chip and if looked after if one does fall off it is usually still in tact to glue on again making them longer lasting. If you want a natural manicured nail look then I would recommend these. Check out the finished look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CJLjYDRLmg

Elegant touch – Express
Cost: £6.00-£7.99
These come in so many fantastic colours. You can get really bright neon colours, pastels, french manicure, red, pinks, nude, black and maroons. To suit any occasion – night out, dinner, date, festival – The range of colours and designs in this nail range is I believe the best out there – Please share your own thoughts and experiences – and if you know of any good instant manicures to help solve my on/off biting habit I’d love to try them 🙂

Depending on what Boots store you go depends on what colours designs they have available. The larger stores as you’d expect usually have the largest range.
I think this particular style is only available in Boots. I have seen this brand in Superdrug but I don’t think they do the Express range.

These really are my firm favourite when it comes to wanting colour on my nails. I also go to these when I need a very quick fix on a night out or for an important meeting. They do come pre glued and it is quite a good strong glue so is a good option if you need to put them on, on the go. They claim to last 7 days and there have been some occasions whereby mine have actually lasted closer to 14 days so they do exactly what they say on the packaging. If in a hurry or on the go I use the pre glued tabs and after a couple of days the glue can wear off so I use Elegant touch strong nail glue. They come in a handy plastic casing which I find is great to pop in my bag – just in case I happen to lose one. This has happened only a couple of times and often its because I have caught them on something which you can do with your own nails. All in all so impressed with these, worth the money, for a more hard wearing nail I would recommend using nail glue with these.

Is this actually happening?!? When will this house buying jigsaw come together?

So the first time house buying saga continues…

Its been about 3-4 weeks since I reserved a new home following a long, abysmal journey with a previous property I was trying to buy.  Everything has been moving along nicely some of you may of seen my vlog, until I received a phone call from my mortgage broker this morning.  My lender, Nationwide, in this instance has now completed the survey and they have down valued the property by £15k which means they will only lend up to what they have valued it for.  As always wanting to know more I Googled the term ‘down valued’ to get some more information.  It basically means that they don’t believe the property is worth the agreed asking price and it seems that this has been a problem for buyers in the London, southern area for quite some time according to this telegraph.co.uk article.

I really don’t know how many more setbacks I can take in this house buying process. It feels like I take three steps forward and ten back.  So I’m now left to be patient once again.  The mortgage broker is now looking for another lender – which means the dreaded paperwork, printing off statements in this technological world will be continuing for some time more 😦

There are so many decisions to make along this process anyway, without a curve ball like this.  As its a new build property, other plots are valued at the same cost so surely this issue is not just affecting me? And is down to the property developers and mortgage brokers to solve, agree on?  If the housing market is in fact moving quicker than lenders surveyors, then what hope do I have: as someone who is working full time, has managed to save a deposit, has no onward chain and can afford monthly repayments easily (after all I’ve been paying extortionate renting costs for years!). And to what extent are these lenders surveyors really ‘surveying’ the area. Ive been reading peoples experiences whereby surveyors can just phone an estate agent in the area asking how much a any property is worth and use that as their guide – without any real information?

Its times like this when I feel the whole world and system is against me trying to do the right thing, its easy to slip into a negative mode of thinking – like whats the point? It certainly feels like it would be a whole lot quicker and easier for me to become unemployed, maybe have a baby or two and then get a house through the UK’s benefits system.

I will stay positive though, I will keep on fighting and trying to do the right thing and will keep you updated on my progress. Let me know if you’re having a similar situation and any tips/tricks!

Ok, so, I’m not gonna lie

… I feel the most unhealthiest I have felt in a long time 😦  I hate it.  I have always felt comfortable in my skin, I have always exercised and have always felt good afterwards … so why over the past 6 months am I finding it a struggle?  Why can’t I get motivated?

Well after a bit of desktop research – basically I Googled it 😉 A lot of things started to make sense.  One thing for sure is – we are lucky to have so much information at our fingertips, if we use it positively of course!

It seems I am currently living in a rut.  I am taking on too much, trying to achieve too many goals.  Sound familiar? 

The thing is I know how good exercise makes me feel, I know that I perform better in all aspects of my life when exercise is in my life.  My daily commute is definitely a factor – I don’t seem to find time or feel motivated 😦   At times I can spend up to 2.5 hours trying to get home and by the time I do eventually get home I’m embarrassed to say that I just don’t want to do anything but sit down, chill out, catch up on social, watch a bit of TV, write etc and so exercise really has fallen off my list of priorities which is pretty depressing from someone who has always been active.  From going to the gym, doing home workout DVD’s, running, Zumba, bootcamps – you name it I have tried it. I’ve even completed half marathons, the London marathon, the three peaks challenge. I used to always book something in like a physical challenge and always work towards that goal.  But lately even this approach doesn’t seem to be working.  

I want to address this.  Its simply not good enough when I know how much better I feel.  So my aim is to try and bring exercise back into my life, despite the million and one things that are going on in my life… 

One thing I do know though – it that I need motivation, a new challenge, something I’ve not done before.  When I was doing my desktop Google research I came across the website bodybuilding.com and was pleased to find so many free fitness plans all tailored to suit any age, fitness level and goal that you want to achieve.  The photos of very fit men and woman sure was inspiring and suddenly I felt a bit more motivated to try something new.  I have always loved lifting weights in the gym – I always did a mixture of cardio and weights albeit with no proper plan in place! So a quick search on bodybuilding.com after answering a series of short questions as to what my goal was bought up a recommended fitness plan for 12 weeks.  

So its a Tuesday and I am going to do it – I will start tomorrow – Wednesday.  Why Wednesday?  Well why not? Its better than putting all that pressure on to start something on Monday when that can be a struggle at the best of times!   I have chosen Jamie Eason’s Live Fit 12 week training programme and to try and keep me motivated I will be tracking my progress and letting you know how I feel, the results of the programme and hopefully, just hopefully I’ll stick to it … Let’s see!! Can I succeed? Follow me and find out! 

 

Lifestyle & Health

#FBWT – Fast But Worthy Tip – First Time Home Buyer

#FBWT – House Buying Process – Check your credit using Experian.com report to see where your credit score is at.  You can sign up for free on some of their promotions – and if you’re not sure you can cancel it – Just make sure you remember!  Its a useful site to see financially what you look like (on paper!).  What credit is available to you? Added bonus for me was, it gave me a lovely list of my past addresses which has helped with the whole mortgage process paperwork – woop whoop!  Anyway wish me luck, I have my official “mortgage meeting” tomorrow where I now have to present all my paperwork i have printed out (even though most of my bank accounts are online!) plus ‘old skool’ style of coming around to where I live for “official face to face!”.  It feels like we have come full circle – from door to door salesmen (note: not sale person) online acceptance of whatever credit you ever wanted back to face to face meetings! I’ll keep you posted 😉

Do what feels right… for you xXx

I believe we are all selfish in many different ways but particularly if it means making your own dreams come true, fighting for your life because of cancer or trying to pick yourself up from a bout of depression. Whatever the reason I believe that deep down we have to be selfish to survive. We are after all … animals and it’s a natural instinct.  Don’t get me wrong I don’t believe in being selfish on a daily basis, I am talking about when you know a situation feels wrong or could be made better. Its that emotion, that feeling that creates change.

So there are many different levels of selfishness and of course some people are naturally more caring, empathetic, thoughtful than others but how long do you leave a situation that doesn’t quite fit with the way you’ve lived your life or your dreams and one you know you can improve?

The answer simply is … You do what feels right for you at that time.

I’ve always worked hard, ever since I was 13, washing cars for a few quid or washing up at a local restaurant every unsociable day and evening. I’ve always been thankful for having a job, or paying my way in this world and feeling proud of that fact.

Independence was drilled into me from a young age and it’s only ever served me well to date.

So the last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind compared to the very long and drawn out process of trying to buy my first home which feels like it started about 2 years ago in all honesty!

I say my first house, it will be my first house I truly have owned/mortgaged myself.  I was in a long-term relationship quite a few years ago, too young for mortgage responsibility it seems as we sold it, I lost money and we parted ways.

It feels like I am making a dream come true 🙂  I just hope this one turns out to be true!

Having been away to Lanzarote for a week for a flop and drop style holiday to unwind, chill out and recharge the batteries.  I made a conscious decision a couple of days before leaving having got the same dreary response from the estate agent “No change I’m afraid, we are still waiting for vendor’s seller to find a property blah, blah, blah”. The thing is it was 7 months since I put an offer in on that property, paid the solicitors and survey costs. 7 months, yes goes quickly but also things change, conversations are had, the market and world move on.  The decision I made was that I was going to look at other properties, be more open minded. I feared I would outgrow the property quickly and that I’d be moving again in a year or two.

So even before leaving lovely sunny (in the end!) Lanzarote I started widening my search to areas I didn’t really know but were just a couple of miles from the house I already had an offer accepted on.

nce I get something/an idea in my head its very hard for me to focus on anything but that goal and getting things sorted. I had already booked in a couple of house viewings for the weekend ahead and planned to visit a few areas on my way home from work.

I am so glad I did this – it made me see what was out there in a more realistic way.  And it made me think bigger – not over the top, just bigger.

When I first started looking at houses my list was simple… A south facing garden with a house!  I had dreamed of being outside so much in the flat so at first was all I dreamed of.  As I gathered prices, viewed areas, properties my list suddenly got longer …  modern, not too much work to be done required, spacious, cottage chocolate box in a desirable area, south facing garden, tree lined streets, close to a train station, 2 or more bedrooms and so on!  The area I was looking at was shooting up in price monthly and was a hot market with houses going for more than marketed.

After my second viewings when I came back from holiday it was clear that something needed to give if I was going to be owning my first home.  I’ve heard it on Kirsty and Phil’s Location, Location, Location so many times about having to compromise on something and for me I knew I needed to look in a different area.

What I have found is literally a dream come true.  I am excited, scared, nervous, excited again all rolled into one. As I have mentioned in past blogs I am keen to give my tips/advice on what I’ve learnt going through the house buying process (I can’t call it home until the keys are firmly in my hand!) so if your going through the process then take a look and if you have any you would like to share please do 🙂

Tips so far – Buying your First House to call Home 🙂

1. Do a budget first – sort out how much you can borrow, afford on mortgage repayments per month, how much you can afford for the house deposit/stamp duty.
2. Consider getting a mortgage broker.  I did this for the first property and I have found it very useful. I did my own research in the first instance and also visited my bank however many mortgage brokers look at the wider market and can compare rates and payment terms.
3. Think about your priorities – do you need to be near a train station, school, healthcare – what is important to you on a daily basis?
4. Get out there and explore areas – Be open minded and take some notes, video, pics to remind yourself of what areas are like.
5. Book some house viewings in.  Try to do a few in a morning or afternoon or dedicate a day at the weekend.
6. Have a bucket load of patience!!!

Watch this space for more news!!

Random thoughts and an interesting stat on General Election

15.5 is how many times you will vote if you lived until your 80!

Which means including the 2015 UK General Election coming up, I have 11 more votes to cast. Mmmmmm…

My initial feeling was, actually thats quite a lot but then part of me also thought will I actually ever see major change in my lifetime? I have not really ever considered myself hugely political but over the last couple of years I find myself more interested in what its all about, not the nitty, gritty detail although I am sure this is to some, critical, however more just trying to live in todays society. As someone who just wants to work hard, learn, love and grow as a person (I don’t mean this to sound too soppy!) and ultimately be happy and be accepting of everyone individually, I have increasingly found that the way the country I live in is run is very much down to the government.

At times this country can feel like an uphill struggle, don’t get me wrong, I consider myself to be a lucky person just to have my health, a roof over my head and food babies regularly swelling my stomach! I have ore than most and am thankful for that but I have a niggling, can’t quite put my finger on what it is feeling that a country like the UK, in the western world could be a lot easier to live in.

As some of you know I have been trying to buy a house after years of working, paying uni fees, living in gross flats, house shares and I am trying to do this in a country that feels like it is red taped to the max. One of my main reasons for wanting to move is to be closer to work. I commute daily, a journey that can take anything from 45mins to over 3.5 hours depending on the time of day, traffic conditions, railway services. With this comes battling NCP parking charges for parking just outside of the faded painted white lines even though I paid the ticket price, a daily toll charge on the Dartford tunnel bridge which I understand was paid off years ago, train tickets that have gone up god knows how much over the last 5 years and certainly not relative to wage increases – I am not even going to get started on the road rage, the anger, the miserable faces I see daily. I know life is not easy and I know I’m up for the challenge and I am certainly not alone but I do question how this county is run and whether there really, truly can be change to make the everyday living easier.

With the general election just around the corner you can’t help but get involved in some of the hype, the political game playing, the media frenzy, the staged interviews , live panels, and visits to help people around the world, the promises, the acts of kindness to try and gain trust.
In my mind it doesn’t feel like I’m asking for a lot, mostly to try and make my life simpler, a commute to a job that takes less time so I can try and live my life the way I would like to, not life of riley type living just well…balanced.

Will I vote? Yes of course I will, after all this was a battle that was fought for us so we each had a voice. Who will I vote for? Ummmmmmm….

Let me know your thoughts 🙂

Trying to buy a house in the 21st Century!

7 months
3 weeks
4 days
4 hours
and
40 mins …

Well there or there abouts, but the point is I have now been waiting 7 long painful months for my first house, not my dream home but a place I can call home to go through. Its always been written and spoken about for many years that buying your first home or any home for the matter is one of the most stressful things you can do and trying to do it in the 21st century as a thirty something year old woman feels pretty much impossible!

And yes it is emotional, but not just for all the usual reasons like wanting to have a place to call home, an investment for my future but because I feel I have worked hard in my career for years and don’t really have anything to show for it. I did university, paid the £20k+ tuition fees myself whilst working at times 3 jobs at the same time and I honestly thought that by now I would feel a lot more settled.

I have moved around so much from student digs and house shares in Winchester whilst studying at university, to renting flat, after flat after maisonette, yet another house share which quite a few years after my uni days was testing my limits to say the least! You name it I have probably lived it! And why, because it is tough and at times feels near on impossible to buy a house in this day and age.

I started looking for properties about 2 years ago. In the early days I was just dreaming a bit and would pass my time on sites like rightmove and primelocation. At this point I had saved some money but was way off my target for a deposit, not to mention the stamp duty fees, solicitors and all the other expenses that comes with buying a home. After about a year and at my wits end with living in a batchelor pad with my boyfriend I craved to move. Not because we had parted ways or broken up but because I needed to move my life on and have something to show from all the hours I’d worked.  Having spent so long moving around from pillar to post, with nothing substantial to show for my the hard earned money I had outgrown living in flats, spaces where there was no outdoor space. Not because I wanted kids although you can’t help the daunting thoughts that occasionally creep in, when your in your thirties but I want and crave having my own spaces, living and organising things the way that works for me, for my everyday life.

So having saved more money the time felt right to start looking and seeing what was available, what I could afford and what the process would be. I wanted to document this journey as much as possible in my blog/vlog and also give some tips along the way which I hope you will find helpful.

As you can see by my opening sentence I am still waiting to move into my home 😦 I have learnt so far to…

1. Do your research – get on lists, search online, get notifications, use technology to stay up to date with houses and the areas they are in. 

2. Keep an open mind – visit areas that maybe were not on your list in the first place, visit them at different times of the day and ask people who know the area to give you the lowdown.

3. Be patient and stay positive

It happened … the curling tool that changed my life!

I have never been someone that is naturally good at doing my hair. Don’t get me wrong, I love my hair to feel good, look smooth and have that polished just rolled off the red carpet thing going on… But to create this, with my hair type: thick and can feel coarse at times, coupled with my hair being quite long to achieve a polished look has always taken me time and nine out of ten times I have given up because to do it even weekly I would need to allow myself at least an hour! Plus, I do get in a muddle, regardless of how many YouTube videos I watch, when using curling tongs or straightener’s to achieve a natural curly bounce to my hair. This is until I discovered the Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl… You can check out how this tool works by watching my video:  http:/http://bit.ly/1JnytQi

And I am not joking…

For so long I have gone into Boots or Superdrug for a “couple” of products like deodorant and maybe some tampons and ended up coming out with £50 – £100 of cosmetic bliss, in the hope, the dream that this time I will be a different person, find that product that literally changes my life!! Well it happened!!…

The Babyliss Pro Curl has indeed changed my life!! It is so simple to use and really does create effortless, beautiful long-lasting curls. It has revolutionary new patented technology; and that it certainly is…

It is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I bought mine on Amazon and like so many other hair tools/straighteners, curling tongs I have bought I really expected to be disappointed but when I got going I was pleasantly surprised. It is unbelievably simple and quick to use.

How it Works

The tool has innovative, patented technology – This basically means that rather than winding your hair around a barrel like standard curling tongs or when using straighteners, the Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl does it for you:

• Grab small sections of dry heated treated hair, as you would when curling using regular straighteners/curling tongs.
• Hold the Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl tool so the heated barrel on the side is facing towards your head. You will know what side this is as it says it on the side and there is a velvet round barrel.
  Grab your dry sectioned off hair and grip in between the two side of the tool and then press each side together.
• A warning light will beep a few times to let you know when you can let go.
• Once tool beeps, let your hair fall out of the barrel.
• There are three settings on the Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl, these give you a good range of looser and tighter curls depending on what look you are looking to achieve.

I bought my Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl and paid about £160 for it on Amazon. It came the next day which I was very happy about as wanted to use it the next day for a party and wanted to give it a road test first.

The tool is fairly heavy but this is not a show stopper and because it is so quick and easy to use it does not hinder the process. Hair is automatically drawn into the ceramic curl chamber where it is softly held and heated from all directions.

The hair is not put under any tension and it takes just a couple of seconds to form a perfect curl. It even has an audio beep indicator to remind you exactly when to release the hair.
I would recommend experimenting with the different settings to create a variety of looks from tight, more defined curls to softer loose waves.

The Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl tool has the following features:

• Ceramic curl chamber for smooth and shiny curl
• Three temperature settings
• Three timer settings
• Powerful heat settings which heats up in literally a few seconds!
• You can create soft curls or more defined curls with the three heat settings; 190C, 210C and 230C for long lasting curls
• Automatics shut off – I’m always leaving the house thinking “have I turned my straighteners/curlers off?”

Before I bought this Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl tool I never used to go out in the evening, let alone wear my hair curly to work as I never had the time, patience and skills at times to do it. I am so bad at curling with GHD’s I am just not a natural ! The Babyliss PRO Perfect Curl tool has changed all of this and I regularly curl my hair for work, at the weekend, for weddings and on nights out. If you have always struggled with regular curling tongs or straightener’s when curling your hair then this really is the tool for you! Let me know how you’ve got on 🙂

Planet Piccolo’s Ratings:
Simplicity = 5/5
Value = 4/5
Results = 5/5

To see this amazing hair gadget in action check out my video:  http://bit.ly/1JnytQi