Sleeping beauty – benefits of getting enough shut-eye

  (You think you love your sleep? If you’re not Japanese – think again. The Japanese are HARDCORE SLEEPERS. Google images of “Japanese subway sleeping” for some pro-level public transport power-naps that most of us mere mortals can only aspire to.) I’ve been staying up til all hours recently for a number of reasons (Diablo, nail painting, thesis – in …

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Artsy Wednesday: Inspired by a celebrity manicure

Hi! Sorry this is a bit late, I got carried away doing a sugar scrub… my legs went from scaly hellbeasts to soft, plump happy things, so it was all for a good cause! Anyway, here it is: I trawled the internet for a few weeks to find a design for this when’s challenge, but ended up back at my …

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Artsy Wednesday: Newsprint Nails

This is a new technique I’ve never tried before, and it turned out a lot easier than I expected! All you need to do is let your background colour dry thoroughly, then dip your nails in alcohol (vodka, rubbing alcohol, methylated spirits etc.) so there’s a thin alcohol layer on top. Then you quickly press a rectangle of newspaper onto …

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How Can I Get Rid of Stretch Marks?

One of the things I hate the most about my body are my stretch marks. I have a lot around the sides of my bum from when I had my growth spurt in puberty. Every summer I’m paranoid about going to the beach in a bikini (yay swimming skirts!). So what can you do? Causes Although it’s not clear how …

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NOTD: essie-inspired Autumn half-moons

  I was feeling uninspired with my Autumn manis (but with a million ideas for Spring manis… argh reverse seasons) so I was really excited when I came across this look: It’s the mani the models rocked for the Michael Lo Sordo SS 12/13 show, done using essie Sew Psyched and Case Study. Instant love! Gorgeously sophisticated and so, so …

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Review: Kosmea Daily Exfoliant

I know I promised warpaint, but I’ve been a bit sick so my nose is gross and red at the moment so I didn’t want to subject anyone to that level of ew. So skincare review it is… I’ve reviewed Kosmea Rose Hip Oil here before. As well as the pure liquid gold, Kosmea also have a range of skincare …

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Artsy Wednesday: Candy/Sweets

  This Wednesday the theme is Candy/Sweets. I had a bunch of ideas, but I ended up back in my comfort zone – freehand colour blocking with cremes. Sorry if you’re sick of these! I’ll be more adventurous next time. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I hate liquorice. Hate it. But when I was a kid, these …

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How does UV light “cure” gel polish?

Shellac and other hybrid gel nails give long-lasting nail colour that can be soaked off with acetone. You simply paint your nails using special gel polishes, then “cure” each layer under UV light. What’s in those special polishes, and how does the UV light change that? Plastic – it’s fantastic To understand gel nails, first we need to understand plastic! …

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