♥ 5 Things

I have been absent from my blog for almost a week now. When you hear about the disaster that was my domestic life last week, you'll understand why.

We are currently having our bedroom repainted and bathroom re-tiled and painted (yay!) because they were crying out for some attention. We moved all our stuff (including ourselves) into the lounge so the work could be done and assumed we'd only have this inconvenience for a couple of days. We were also told not to use the shower so as to let it all dry out before it's re-tiled. But life never runs quite so smoothly, does it?

On Saturday, after the bedroom had been finished, we planned to move all our things back in but went in to discover that half the carpet was soaked through. After some investigation we found that a leak has been coming from the back of the washing machine ever since it was installed threeweeks ago. So not only had it leaked into the cupboard it lives in but under the floorboards and into the bedroom as well. So not yay. Three days later and we are still waiting for the carpet to dry and a plumber to visit. Ergo, we're still sleeping on a sofa bed with piles of stuff around us.

To add insult to injury, on Saturday night we had another surprise waiting for us. The toilet is also leaking. Luckily it's not the waste pipe but any kind of toilet issues are hardly ideal. We now can't use the bath/shower, toilet, washing machine or bedroom (basically half the apartment) until it's all sorted out. Amoungst my exacerbation of the current state of our humble abode I was not really in the mood to blog nor had any inspiration other than "How to cope with DIY nightmares" so decided I was better off leaving it a few days.

Anyway, with all of this going on I was grateful for the happy surprises in life to keep my spirits up.

A silky safari-style shirt I found in the Banana Republic sale.

Free limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Diet Coke given away on Bond St. last Saturday plus my Shellac manicure in a buttery nude.

Tip - Most Saturday's someone is giving away something so if you're in the area, it's worth taking a wander down. This week it was ice cream outside Mulberry.

Personally embossing the hang tags on my Mum's Coach handbag

Free Nails Inc. polish and this fortnight's copy of Grazia given away outside Kensington Gardens. I love a freebie as much as the next person.

I also managed to finally get round to uploading a few more (better quality) photos taken at the Burberry show, click here to see them.

Shellac

First of all, I'll tell you a little bit about what Shellac is.

Shellac is a product for your nails that is applied like nail polish but cured using UV light. It dries instantly and rock hard and lasts for at least a week and a half, if not more on the hands and months on the toes without any scuffs or chips. Hard to believe - but it's true. It also stays super shiny for the whole time you have it on and is easy to remove by holding your nails in acetone for a few minutes to remove the polish (which you only have to do when the cuticle grows out).

The products also come in hundreds of colours which can actually be mixed to create hundreds more colours.

My very special friend Sarah is a highly esteemed beautician working on the Costa Del Sol (if you ever visit the Marbella area give her a call - you won't regret it!) who kindly applied Shellac on me. Visit her Facebook and website where you'll find her price list and any other information you need.

I chose a pinky gold colour (created by blending dull gold and nude colours) for my hands and a deep red for my toes (to match the red soles of my Louboutins which I'm wearing to a wedding next weekend).

These are the results. This photo was taken a week after she applied it so you can see that the incredible shine really doesn't fade. Another positive is that my nails which usually split and flake have grown stronger and longer underneath the protective layers plus I've saved myself hours not having to do my nails 3 times a week!



It's a little pricey to have done here in the UK but for a holiday or special event it's really worth it. Check out the Sweet Squared website to find a salon near you.