Tag Archives: nails

Feb 03 2017
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Yearly Review

2016 – A Review

For some reason this post didn’t publish when it was meant to and I didn’t even notice! Bad blogger! So I know it’s late but I thought I’d put it out there since I went to the effort of writing it and collating the pictures so here’s my late review of 2016.

January

Best Nails:

French manicure

My first ever attempt at a French Manicure turned out surprisingly well.

Favourite Photo:

Sunset at Lee on the Solent

The sunset at Lee on Solent.

February

Best Nails:

Rimmel Let's Get Nude

These nails actually don’t look that good at all *blush* but it’s the best from February.

Best Photo:

Sunset at Stokes Bay

Sunset at Stokes Bay. No filter was needed for this photograph.

Best Blog Post:
February saw the launch of this blog. I’m choosing How I became a parkrun Volunteer as my best blog post. parkrun is something that means a lot to me so it’s a reflection of who I am.

March

Best Nails:

OPI Princesses Rule

I love how pink, sparkly and girly OPI’s Princesses Rule is

Best Photo:

Sea and Pebbles

The Solent. I remember taking this photo. It was such a warm day for March.

Best Blog Post:
It’s another parkrun post I’m afraid. I got some good feedback on my Becoming a parkrun Run Director post.

April

A Memory:

parkrun pacers

At the end of April Giles, one of the founding members of parkrun and chairman of Gosport Road Runners passed away. People were asked to wear their club vests to the run. I’m not a member of a running club but parkrun is the club I belong to. I didn’t know Giles well at all, I only met him a couple of times but he was adored by many.

Best Picture:

Ice Cream 99

First ice cream of the year. April was so warm!

May

Best Nails:

OPI Hello Kitty Spoken From The Heart

The Hello Kitty/OPI collaboration. This is Spoken From The Heart

Best Photo:

Weymouth Harbour

Weymouth Harbour

Best Blog Post: I got a lot of good feedback on my post parkrun – More than meets the eye People just don’t get to see this side of parkrun and people told me this made them appreciate their parkrun teams even more.

June

Best Nails:

New Look Pure Gel Nails

New Look Pure Gel is the best home gel nail varnish I’ve found.

Best Photo:

Spinnaker Tower

Spinnaker Tower taken from the Gosport Ferry

Best Blog Posts: In June I did my own Travel Guide for London, Scotland and Florida. I tried to include some of the none tourist sites so there were new things for people to try.

July

Best Nails:

Rimmel 60 seconds nail varnish

Best Photo:

parkrun 25 volunteer

I reached my 50 milestone for volunteering at parkrun.

Best Blog Post:
This is the blog post that has the most views on my blog – It’s the information post of when the Disney X Cath Kidston collaboration was announced.

August

Best Nails:

Gelish gel nails

In August I learnt to do my own gel nails.

Best Photo:

Sheffield Millennium Square

In August I passed my driving test and drove myself to my home town, Sheffield!

Best Blog Post: My only blog post in August was a catch up post called Let’s Have Coffee…

September:

Best Photo:

Super Low Tide

Super low tide at Lee on Solent

Best Blog Post: I did well with blog posts in September but I think my favourite was Fantastic Mr Fox I miss these guys now it’s Winter.

October

Best Photo:

Hot Chocolate at Costa Coffee

To be honest I’m surprised I made it until October before posting a picture of a Costa Coffee!

Best Blog Post: I wrote a post all about my holiday to Wales I’d never visited Wales before.

November

Best Photo:

Dusk at Lee on the Solent

I know I know, another sunset at the beach picture. I just can’t help it!

A Memory:

Reindeer

I love Reindeer and in November I got to hand feed one!

Best Blog Post: This blog post felt like a collaboration. I decided to write about marshalling at the Gosport Half and was blown away by how many people were willing to help me.

December

Best Nails:

Gelish Nails

I did my own gel nails for the Work Christmas Party.

Best Photo:

Kilner Jar

It had to include a Christmas tree I suppose for December and I didn’t want to bore you with another sunset beach post, although I did have one!

Best Blog Post: It has to be What I got for Christmas. I love looking at what other people got!

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Jan 02 2017
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Monthly Review

December Roundup

Happy New Year Everyone!

December is that month that comes and goes in a flash. Before you know it the New Year is here and Christmas is over for another year.

So what did I get up to in December?

December started with a visit home to Sheffield to spend some time with my Mum. I was there for 4 days. It was so nice to be able to spend some quality time at home and visit Meadowhall, the shopping centre there. Meadowhall is so much better than West Quay but I actually didn’t find anything to buy!! Typical!

Coffee

A much needed coffee whilst shopping.

Blogwise I completed a Christmas Haul series of posts. I worked hard on these and liked how the pictures turned out.

Christmas Haul

December also had my work Christmas Party. It was at Saint Mary’s Stadium. The venue was nice but the room was hotter than hell which made it an uncomfortable evening! I did my second attempt at gel nails for it and added nail glitter. I was pleased with how they turned out.

Gel Nails

We went and met up with some friends from Sheffield who were en route to visit family for Christmas. We’d originally planned to meet in Costa Coffee (of course) but with it being Christmas Eve they closed at 3pm to enable them to set up for their Boxing Day sale! We went to Starbucks instead which meant I got to try their Toffee Nut Latte. It was beautiful.

Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte

Christmas was spent at home and was a quiet affair just the way I like it. Since then I’ve been trying to be good and have been out for a walk or a bike ride almost every day. I am a bad blogger though and haven’t actually taken any pictures whilst I’ve been out!! FAIL!

I hope you’ve all had a good December.  If you feel you’ve missed any of my posts through December, here they are below:

Christmas Haul Part 1 – Cath Kidston

Christmas Haul Part 2 – Garsons Garden Centre

Christmas Haul Part 3 – John Lewis

Christmas Haul Part 4 – Finishing Touches

What I Got For Christmas

parkrun – That time when 552 runners turned up

That’s all from me but I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have supported this blog since I launched it in February. Here’s to a successful 2017 for us all

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Sep 28 2016
2 Comments
beauty, nails

Gelish by Nail Harmony Review

Recently my work put in place a new policy. No nail varnish to be worn unless it is a gel manicure! Imagine my horror. You know I love my nails to be done but now having to spend anything up to £25 a fortnight at a salon to get them done?! This was going to get expensive and quickly.

I began googling and saw a home gel nail kit. To be honest I didn’t have a clue about doing my own gel nails and needing UV lights etc. I googled more and more and eventually decided I’d give it a whirl. I ordered everything I needed from Amazon.

What I ordered:

Mylee Lint Free Wipes

Harmony Gelish Nails in Pink Smoothie

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Harmony Gelish Mini Basix Kit

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Bella Nails UV Lamp

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eBoot soak off clips

The order came to just under £80 which, if I could actually manage to do them successfully, was a good bargain compared to going to the salon. When everything arrived there were no instructions with the Basix Kit. I googled again and came across this great post on Lulu & Sweetpea.

I followed the tutorial to the letter and that is why there are no progress pictures. Melissa is very strict about not touching things like your phone until you are done completely. If anything touches your nails it means they won’t turn out correctly and I definitely didn’t want that.

The tutorial actually uses the Gelish Basix kit I had bought and so it made it a lot easier. The instructions were clear and easy to follow and I found it all went well. It didn’t turn out perfect but for my first attempt I was more than happy.

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I have nothing to compare the Gelish products to but I’m more than happy with the way they applied, looked and lasted. The nails stayed on for a fortnight and had just started to chip on my two pointer fingers which is good going.

Also on Lulu & Sweetpea is a tutorial to remove your nails which I followed and again was pleased with. There are also other tutorials on how to fix a nail or how to add glitter. If you’re thinking of doing your own nails at home I’d definitely recommend the Harmony Gelish nail kit and Lulu & Sweetpea’s blog for showing you how it’s done.

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Sep 12 2016
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Monthly Review

August Roundup

I know this post is a little late. Really?! It’s the 12th September already!! Time sure is flying and I’m glad September is here. I love the Autumn. It’s my favourite season and not just because this is when Starbucks start serving their Pumpkin Spiced Latte again! However apparently this week is going to be a heat wave so maybe it’s not Autumn just yet!

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So here’s my August in pictures

Top Left & Middle Left: Now that I’ve passed my driving test I gave motorway driving a go and drove to Sheffield. I felt like a tourist in my own city and took pictures of pretty buildings and architecture. In the top picture is Millennium Square that has the car park that is affectionately known as the cheese grater! The middle left is Millennium Square again facing the Winter Gardens.

Bottom Left: A new rule was introduced at work where you can no longer wear nail varnish but gel nail varnish is ok. As I like my nails to look pretty it was time to decide. Do I spend lots in the salon or buy the kit and do my own gel nails? I decided to buy the kit and did my own gel nails. The first attempt came out pretty good. I was really pleased.

Middle Bottom: My lovely car. I picked her up on 5th August. There are other posts about her on here though so I won’t go on.

Bottom Right: Just another lovely beach shot taken from parkrun. So lucky to have this view on my doorstep.

Large picture: I was Run Director on the #IAmTeamGB day. There’s a blog post coming up on Friday about the run so be sure to check it out when it goes live at 8am!

 

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Jul 31 2016
2 Comments
beauty, Fitness, Monthly Review

July Roundup

roundup

July has been and gone in a flash! This Roundup is very parkrun focussed! Starting with the top left and centre picture is the cake and card I received for volunteering at parkrun 50 times! When people run it 50 times it’s something of an achievement. I wasn’t sure volunteering counted as much but it turns out it sure did as my friends gave me these wonderful gifts.

The top right picture is when my nails were looking good. This must have taken 10 coats to get a good solid coverage but they looked beautiful once done. The colour is Alaska and it’s part of the Rimmel 60 second shine collection.

The middle left picture was taken at the graduation ceremony at work. The purple cap and gown ties in nicely with the purple in the parkrun pictures! At the graduation it was time to say goodbye to our little ones going off to school in September. I had to split myself in two this day as it was the graduation ceremony and party in the afternoon and on the same day it was my local parkrun’s 1st Birthday so there was the run in the morning and the picnic in  the afternoon. I decided to attend the graduation ceremony in the morning and the picnic in the afternoon.

As you can see from the remaining two pictures, the 1st Birthday was commemorated with cake and cupcakes! It was so lovely to get so many of us together and I even received a certificate for the most tasks performed at parkrun!

The end of July has certainly seen the weather perk up. Summer is finally here.

Before you leave and we head in to August why not check out my July blog posts?

Volunteering at parkrun 50 times

Disney X Cath Kidston

Moving 250 miles

Gel Nail Polish Review

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Jul 01 2016
2 Comments
beauty, nails

Gel Nail Polish Review

 

I’m probably a little late to the party but I recently discovered gel nail polishes that don’t require you to go to the salon to have them done and you can remove it easily at home. I first bought the Rimmel Super Gel Kit in Soul Session from Superdrug for £8.99. Foolishly I didn’t take a picture of it the two times I used this kit.

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Image courtesy of superdrug.com

The box claims that this will give you 14 days of colour and shine. Unfortunately I didn’t find this to be the case but it certainly lasted a week. After 7 days though it started to crack where my nails bend and after 9 days it needed to come off but it didn’t chip too bad at all and gave my nail a thick gel like look which I liked.

The next gel polish I bought was Model’s Own Hyper Gel in Naked Glow. I love a nude nail can you tell? Unfortunately I didn’t get to take pictures of this one as it chipped the very next day when I wore it both times! The colour was lovely but it took a good while to dry and chipped way too easily for the price.

The last one I bought was New Look’s Pure Gel in Biscuit. I spotted this at the till at the last minute and literally grabbed it whilst paying for something else. It was only £2.99 and I thought there was no way it would live up to the  7 days it claims to last but lo and behold it did! I was so surprised. It went on beautifully and gave my nail the thick gel look. It dried quickly and only needed two coats. The polish lasted so well. After a week I only had one small chip on the pointer finger of my left hand. I’m a leftie so if any hand was going to chip first, it was going to be this one. I was also complimented when wearing this polish. Someone asked me if my nails were gel or acrylic. When I told them they were natural they said I was blessed and that they looked like I’d had them done at the salon. So New Look is definitely a winner with me! The polish lasted the best and was only £2.99.

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Winner!

Which is your favourite gel polish? Do you like a nude nail or a pop of colour?

Keep in touch with me on Instagram, Twitter or add me on Snapchat – @bigmugoftea

Read my Rimmel 60 Second Shine Review here

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Mar 31 2016
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Monthly Review

March Roundup

As we’re coming to the end of March it definitely feels like Spring is in the air now and I think this months pictures reflect this. All of these photographs are taken from my Instagram feel free to give me a cheeky follow! Now on to the roundup!

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  1. I won employee of the month for February and the prize is a £100 Debenhams voucher. One of the things I treated myself to was a new OPI. This one is called Princesses Rule and is so pretty, pink and girly! I love it.
  2. This month I have become obsessed with having fresh flowers in the house. This is the Spring Bouquet by Tesco. I still have these a week later and they’re looking as perfect as when I bought them.
  3. Someone complained that my Instagram is all beaches, nails and sunsets. I won’t apologise for living in a very photogenic location.
  4. We went to London this month but unfortunately I was too ill to enjoy it fully. A lovely Costa Coffee helped cheer me up whilst we were there though!
  5. More fresh flowers, this time from the local florist. I love tulips, they’re one of my favourite flowers.
  6. I’ve been doing lots of reading up on how to make a good blog, one tip was to have a recent photograph of yourself and so here you have it. I used a snapchat filter to make my skin look better! Not got me on snapchat yet? I’m @bigmugoftea on there too.
  7. Daffodils are a sure sign of Spring and I think they look fantastic in my Kilner jars. I’m currently obsessed with Kilner!
  8. Just another beach shot. It’s been so warm lately I’ve spent a lot of time down there.

April brings with it even better weather (hopefully) and lighter evenings!

Like what you see here? Follow me on Twitter , Bloglovin and Instagram

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Mar 07 2016
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Monthly Review

February in Pictures

I’m a little late in posting this but here is my roundup of February in pictures. I can not believe it’s already March! It only seems two minutes since Christmas was here but now there’s a definite feel of Spring in the air and I’m so ready for warm evenings and new blooms.

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  1. February saw some great sunsets. This picture is taken at Stokes Bay, the next bay along from ours.
  2. I got two new candles from a local shop with a 25% discount! I’ve never used Village Candle before. Review to follow!
  3. In February we went to eat out a couple of times in Portsmouth which houses the Spinnaker Tower. I thought this angle was different to how you would usually see it.
  4. There were some gorgeous days in February where we saw sunshine and blue skies. I enjoyed getting out and about!
  5. I made a good effort with my nails in February, something which has fell by the way side so far in March. I must try harder!
  6. Whilst walking along the beach I found a heart shaped stone. I pocketed it and brought it home to add to my little seaside display in the hall.
  7. Despite February having some lovely days there was also strong winds and rain. When I took this photo I was trying to capture the waves crashing in. Usually the Solent is reasonably still.
  8. One last sunset to finish off 😉

Here’s hoping March turns out to be just as pretty.

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Feb 08 2016
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Wishlist

Valentine’s Day Wishlist

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and whether you have a significant other or just want to buy yourself a little treat here’s some of my favourites for Valentine’s! Details are below.

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1. Hello Kitty by OPI colour Spoken From The Heart – I already have one colour from the Hello Kitty range but have been lusting after more. I love how this one is pink enough for Valentine’s but vibrant enough for Summer too.

2. Cath Kidston Confetti Hearts Mug – I love Cath Kidston and have a few mugs by her but this one with the multi coloured hearts is too cute to pass up.

3. Yankee Candle Red Raspberry Large Jar and Illumalid gift set – Yankee Candles are great for fragrancing your home. Some scented candles don’t really smell when you burn them but Yankee Candle do and that’s why I have such a large collection of them! This one comes with a heart/Valentine’s themed illumalid which helps your candle burn correctly and is a must. You can use the lid on any of their large jar candles.

4. Hello Kitty by OPI colour Look at my Bow! – Another one from the Hello Kitty range that I just couldn’t resist.

5. Cath Kidston Mini Leather Zip Bag – Cath Kidston is my go to company for bags (I have  over 60 Cath Kidston bags sssh!) and this one is small enough to be a clutch bag but still have space to carry the essentials!

6. Cath Kidston Hearts Mug – Perfect for holding a big mug of your favourite beverage to warm you up on a cold Valentine’s Day…or any other day!

How are you spending Valentine’s Day? Do you have a wish list too?

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Feb 06 2016
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beauty, nails

Rimmel 60 Second Shine Review

I’m an OPI fan at heart but just recently I’ve been hearing good things about Rimmel’s 60 Second Shine polishes so I’ve given them a go. There’s a pretty extensive colour range out there but I’m a pale/nude kind of girl so I picked up #500 Caramel Cupcake and #513 Let’s Get Nude.

I tried out Caramel Cupcake first and the first thing I noticed was the brush. It’s different to other brushes and allows the polish to glide on to your nails really nicely. It also meant I barely got any streaks in the covering like can be the case with other pale polishes. This went on nice and thick and glossy. I applied a second coat but could probably have gotten away with just one coat.

I was amazed by how quickly that first coat applied. It was touch dry within just a couple of minutes and within an hour was knock proof too, something that is needed with me! For some reason once I’ve painted my nails I knock them on everything leading to dents!

I then tried out Let’s Get Nude. This was more of a rush job and I ended up applying a couple of coats within a couple of hours of each other and had a nap. When I woke up it had imprints from the blanket I’d had on! My own fault for applying coats so close together but consider it a lesson learned. I really like the look of Let’s Get Nude on, it suits my pale skin and looks like milky coffee when applied. It went on just as smooth as Caramel Cupcake and has lasted a whole week with no chipping or fading and in my line of work that’s a sign of a good polish, especially since I’ve worn it with no top coat!
Rimmel’s range of 60 Second Shine colours can be purchased at most beauty stores for around £2.99 I however managed to pick up Caramel Cupcake on offer in Asda for the bargain price of £1.99! Such a bargain for such a lovely colour and long lasting polish.
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