Nailed: French Gradient with Tutorial

Today I decided to do something a little bit different with my nails. I like the classic french manicure but I sometimes think it can look a little bit too prefect, and I know a lot of people think it can look tacky (though personally I like it!). This look is softer and is inherently easier than doing your own french manicure as well!

The steps are really very easy, but I'll go through them anyway. You're going to need a nude nail polish, I used Maybelline Everstrong in Ivory Rose (£4.09, here), a base coat, I used Save the Nail Repair and Rescue Base coat as my nails are quite weak (£7.50, here), a french white polish, I'm using Collection 2000 French Manicure in French White (£2.99, availbile from Boots and Superdrug, but irritatingly not online) and a topcoat. I'm using Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat (£10.50, here), a nail file and/or buffer, a makeup sponge and some sort of non-porus surface, I just use old packaging.

The first step is to prep your nails. File them into a shape you like, and then I always use a nail buffer to give a smoother finish, but you could skip this. Apply your base coat.

 Apply your nude polish, using enough coats for it to be opaque, though if your nail line shows it doesn't matter too much.

Once that is completely dry, you need to pour out a little bit of your nude polish onto the plastic. Dip the edge of your sponge into it and then dab it off on a clean part of the plastic. If the sponge is too wet you wont get a nice gradient, just a harsh white patch, so this bit is important! Start to stipple the sponge onto the tips of your nails. concentrate on getting a subtle wash of colour at this stage, and dont worry if your tips aren't completely white yet. Once you have done this on all 10 fingers, you can go back and use the sponge just on the very ends of your nails to make the tips fully white. Apply your topcoat and you're good to go!

Using a matte topcoat can make the gradient even more fuzzy and soft looking, it's a really pretty effect.

Muji/Travel Haul!

I know that this isn't strictly beauty related, but I love watching travel videos from beauty gurus on youtube, and I'm so excited about my trip that I couldn't resist posting this!

When I'm packing for a trip I love to organise all of my stuff, I'm a bit of an organisation freak! I have loads of different little pouches that I use for all kinds of stuff, from makeup to medicines.

The big white case is a medium Tarpaulin Cosmeic Case from Muji (£3.95, here) which I'm planning to use to transport my shower gel and conditioner just in case they leak in transit, as this is waterproof. It should also be pretty useful for transporting wet clothes/bikinis after trips to the lake and stuff. There is a custom in Uganda of never allowing people to see your underwear (even when you're not wearing it!), so once you have washed your clothes, there is a definite possibility of having to wait a while to dry them. 

These flat pouches are useful for so many things. The mesh ones I will probably use for my first aid and sterile kits, which are pretty huge. The kids at the school I am going to be working in often always have health problems, and trips to hospital with your students are frequent. Last time I was there I was one of the only qualified first aiders, and ended up taking about 10 children to hospital in 7 weeks. Having my kit to treat minor problems in these mesh pouches means that I can see easily what is in there, and makes everything quicker. They are Large Nylon Mesh Cases, also from Muji (£2.95 each, here). The floral pouch was £1.50 from Primark and will probably end up being used to transport my Tangle Teezer and hairbands.

I bought the Large Hanging Travel Washbag (£11.95, here) because I realised that despite having loads of pouches I don't actually own a washbag! We won't actually have bathrooms in Uganda per-se, but there is a little shower cubicle in the corner of each room, with a few nails in the wall, so this should be really useful as I will be able to keep all of my stuff off the floor, and at eye level. this has loads of compartments so I should be able to further organise everything as I pack! 

I learned some good lessons about travelling when I went to Uganda last summer, and many of those lessons related to what you should and shouldn't bring! As I was flying alone for the first time I was very conscious of the fact that I needed to look after my passport and travel documents. I had a little cardboard folder that was provided by the agent I booked my flights through, which I kept everything in. The problem was that it was only really designed to hold a couple of sheets of paper, not a bulky passport and other important documents! This Muji Purple Passport Case (£9.95, here) should be much more suitable, and has enough room for my passport, tickets, cash, cards, even my keys and a pen!

The last thing I bought in my little travel accessories spree is a free standing mirror from good ol' Poundland. Last year the only makeup I took with me was a limited edition Sleek palette that wouldn't be availible when I got back that I bought on the way to the airport. I thought that as I was doing charity work it wasn't a holiday and I wouldnt have any reason to get glammed up. Was I ever wrong! Every friday saw us go out to a local club to dance, and when I was staying with my cousin in the capital I went to some of the most glamorous places I've ever been! I ended up buying eyeliner and mascara while I was there as I didn't want to be walking into casinos and posh restaurants looking like a scruffy backpacker! Anyway, lesson learned. This time, I'm definitely bringing some makeup!! So I bought this mirror as they were in seriously short supply at the lodge, and they were not free standing. For £1, this will do the job nicely! 

Living in halls; top 5 tips

hey guys. i know this post is a little random and unrelated to my usual blogging content, but i have lost my blogging mojo recently and I i'm trying to easy myself back into it by just blogging about things that are important to me at the moment.

please bear in mind i tool these photo's without tidying up or anything, this is a true picture of what my room usually looks like!

this is the view from the doorway of my room. immediately to the left is my cupboard bathroom, which is about the size of a large public toilet cubicle, and houses a shower, toilet and sink. my room is quite a good size for student accomodation, and because these are newly built halls,  all rooms have ensuite bathrooms, meaning you dont have to pay extra for the privelage, and you don't have to share with other people.

Tip number 1: put photos EVERYWHERE. as much as you might think you cant wait to get away from your parents, you will miss them. wherever you move in there WILL be a pinboard, so use that, but i also wanted some framed pictures on the wall, so I mounted these using Command Picture Strips, though to be honest I think the Hooks are more versatile and useful.

Tip 2; check your inventory and DON'T DAMAGE ANYTHING.

accidents happen, but you need to be careful not to cause damage that could loose you your deposit, such as marking the walls by sticking things up using blu-tack or sellotape. command strips as mentioned above are availible from Rymans and WHSmith stores, and white tack is a better alternative to the blue version. if something is broken when you first move in, make sure you report it straight away; my university only allowed you 48 hours to report any damage or you would be blamed and charged for it.

be careful with the fixtures and fittings and don't try to change anything major. even changing a lightbulb yourself can sometimes be a breach of your accomodation agreement. the best thing to do if you have a problem is to speak to the relvant people on campus, who are most likely to be the residential services team, and bug them until they sort it out for you.

Tip 3; Get creative.

when i moved in to my flat, i found that the door to my bathroom is magnetic, and i use this to the full. i have pictures of my friends and family stuck up there, and i also have a load of ransom note letter magnets, which were hugely succesful for me. when people come to visit they love to leave a little message on my door, even if it is something a bit immature (see top left of picture!!). while not every room is going to have a magnetic door, there will certainly be little things that you can use to their full potential, and all it takes to find them is a little time getting to know your room.

Tip 4; maximise your storage

if you're a bit of a makeup junkie like me, chances are you'll have a bit of trouble storing everything compactly. while it's lovely to have eveything on display, that's just not practical in such a small space. these drawer dividers from ikea are great for makeup and small clothing items, like underwear.

i keep palettes in a metal mesh letter holder i got from WHSmith, and i store brushes in mugs i recieved as gifts or freebies. 

this is a view of my desk, and you can see that  keep my nail polishes on a small ledge that houses electrical cables. it is only just deep enough for the bottles, and otherwise would just be wated space.

my final tip relates to food. small, grabable food should be kept in your room, not in the kitchen. A, because when you want that sort of thing you don't want to have to go far to get it, and B, because that is the typ of food that is most likely to get nabbed by other people you live with. I trust everyone i live with, but in the past, when i've had snacks in the kitchen, tey have gone missing, so its best to keep a snack box close at hand in your room! it's also useful if, like me, you have to head out to work and you need to have something with you to get you through your shift. i work very antisocial hours and it means that i basically never get regular meals, so i'm always grabbingthings out of here before i run out the door.

 i hope you enjoyed, and i promise i'm trying to get back to blogging properly as soon as possible.

what are YOUR top tips for uni life?