Spring Nails // Pastel Glitter and Mint

Apparently it's the first day of spring today, or perhaps it was yesterday?! Either way, it's definitely feeling more spring like here. It's beginning to warm up, the sun is shining, it's a little blustery and there's a hint of green spreading across the park outside my apartment. And, when I was in my favourite Korean cosmetics store, InnisFree, earlier this week, they had this new glitter polish that just shouts spring. Well, it does to a polish addict like myself, anyway! 

It's a creamy coloured base that's packed with lots of pastel glitter - pinks, mint, lilac, and yellow. I often like to pick out one of the glitter colours to do accent nails Yep, I do it in reverse - glitter nails with plain polish accents. I like glitter. A LOT! In this case, I opted for a mint green from another Korean brand, Skinfood. Whilst I do love the mint colour of this polish, I don't find that Skin Food polishes apply as well as polishes from InnisFree. The formula of this one is very sheer and doesn't self level, making application pretty tricky if you're looking for a streak free, smooth finish in less than three coats. Still, I love the end result so I guess it was worth the extra effort!

Mint Green - Skin Food  //  Pastel Multi-glitter - InnisFree - available in my blog shop now :)

Spring Time Favourite :)

Don't you think it's so fitting for spring?! I love it, just need the warm weather to hurry up so I can pair it with my spring wardrobe.

What manicure are you wearing at the moment?

xxx

PS: If you haven't yet, hop on over HERE to enter the Beauty Box Giveaway. Included in the prize is your choice of nail polish from my blog shop :)

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The Indecisive Girl's Manicure

Sometimes it's hard to make choices in life, there are an awful lot of things that are difficult to decide. Choosing the colour of your manicure shouldn't be something that adds to that list though, a manicure's supposed to be fun after all. But, way too many times, I find myself sitting in front of my nail polish drawer wasting precious time just trying to select 'the right' pink. If I had less nail polishes it might help the matter but I bought a LOT, and what's done is done!

So, this morning, when I opened my drawer and was faced with the same feeling of indecision as always, "Red? Pink? Another colour? Glitter or no glitter? Okay, pink! But...which tone of pink??" (Yes, I really over think even the littlest superficial things) I decided it was time to do something different. Rather than choosing just one colour, I decided to create a kind of ombre (ish) manicure. You all know how I love a little nail experiment! Red through to hot pink, with a glittery accent nail thrown in just for good measure, because...why the hell not?!

I'm actually quite pleased with the result, although some of the colours clash I quite like that about it. Placed one after the other I think they create a pretty overall effect. No? Maybe I'm wrong, but for now I'm happy to be indecisive and know that I can wear red or pink this week without having to worry about matching to my nails, even less for me to decide!

Left to Right: Skin Food - 'Mai Tai'. OPI - 'Shootout At The OK Coral'.
OPI - 'Flower-To-Flower'. The Face Shop - 'PK109'. OPI - 'Shorts Story'.

A little Sunday afternoon treat, chocolate macarons with tea :)

So what do you think of it? Do you think the colours work together or is this just wishful thinking on my part?

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!


x x x






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Too Much Of a Good Thing

I've been busy trying to organise myself for my Hong Kong trip tonight but I thought I'd check in and show you what I wore on Sunday. Yes, it is Thursday now, I do realise, but I didn't get round to posting it before because I decided to do my ring post first. 

Sooooo, let's just pretend I'm not four days late in sharing this with you shall we?!

I love this outfit, probably because it's the first time this year I've worn my white skirt - a summer staple in my wardrobe. I used to be a tad obsessed with white in summer, wearing a white vest or blouse almost every day, in the way lots of people tend to always wear black. Over the years I've managed to expand my wardrobe out from white but the white skirt will never be gone. I love it in the same way I love my denim one, it's a fail safe, it'll go with anything and it can go almost anywhere dressed the right way. 

Also, this blouse is new, another 'Zara-made-me-spend-my-money-when-I-really-shouldn't-have-done' item! I just loved the floral pattern and the bright summery colours. The bag is also from Zara's current season although I've had it a while now. Despite loving the colour I really haven't got much wear out of it yet but I'm taking it to Hong Kong so hopefully it'll get the love it deserves there. And yes, that is the blazer I've worn on the last three outfit posts and yes it is also from Zara. It's linen so it's nice and cool and it's just so easy to wear over anything. I swear I'm not taking it with me on my trip though, I promise!

Blouse - Zara.  Yellow Bag - Zara.  White denim skirt - Dsquared2 (old).   Sunglasses - Chloe

Drinks in glass jars, sat outside in the sunshine just the perfect relaxing Sunday activity.

Rose gold peace sign bangle - Accessorize.  Other bracelets - H&M.  Watch - DKNY.

Excuse the poor quality photo, I snapped it in bad lighting using my phone.

The nails were somewhat of an experiment on Saturday morning and a bit of a rush job. I'm including the photo though because a few people had commented about them on my Saturday post but you couldn't see them clearly. I'm not too sure about the colours together but I think that a second attempt with a different set of colours could be on the cards!

My current dilemma though, is what colour to go with for my mini-break?? I'm a bit OCD about making sure my nails don't clash with my outfits so I have to pick something that will work for most things I plan on wearing as there's no way I'll have time to sit down and re-do them. Only one problem though...

The rainbow of 'definites' for my trip.

Embarrassingly, most of these items are Zara purchases, which leads me to say again... what is with that store at the moment, how is it getting everything so right?! Everyone else must be experiencing this too, no? Well, I banned myself once before and a second ban may well be in order soon.

As pretty as I find my rainbow wardrobe it's not the easiest to pick a coordinating nail colour for is it? Hot pink, neon green and pink, lilac, mint green...  What do you reckon, any ideas?

xxx


PS: Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my ring post and said nice things about it! I'm so glad you think it's pretty too, I'd love it anyway but it's even better when you all agree and love something too! :)

Fancy Fingers, Phones and Flights

Hello Ladies, how's the week going? I'm pleased to say it's almost the weekend again. I'm already getting excited about the prospect of more lazing in the park and a bit of al fresco dining!

This week has been rather good for me. The nice weather has meant we've been able to get out and about in the evening for a couple of walks around the nearby parks. Isn't it amazing how good some warm weather and a bit of sunshine can make you feel?!

On Tuesday night I also picked up a new phone. I must have been the only person in all of Korea still using an iPhone 3. As a foreigner it's just too much of a headache to try and sort these kind of things out, so whilst my phone was still functioning I wasn't too bothered about getting a new one. Recently, it's been showing signs of dying so I decided to go upgrade. It only took me two separate visits to the shop, about 15 phone calls to a korean friend of mine and a total of around 5 hours to get an iPhone 4. Haha!

The Mr. surprised me with the cute cover when I got home. Isn't he a sweetie!

'You are wonderful and I love you' iPhone cover - Lost Dog

Another thing I've been excited about this week is my latest addition to my polish collection. Which, by the way, is growing at a shocking and slightly disturbing rate! I fear I may be developing a polish addiction. Okay, that's a lie, I know I have a polish addiction and it's been going on for a long time but I've been in denial.

Still, this new polish from Tony Moly is a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's 'Glitter In The Air' and could not be passed up. I actually ordered 'Glitter In The Air' weeks and weeks ago from an eBay seller (only way I can get it here) but it never arrived. Cue angry, also very disappointed me checking the mail box...every. single. day....TWICE. for the last five weeks. No joke!

Finally I accepted it's never coming, considered crying for a bit, then found out about this dupe available in Korea (Tony Moly is a Korean brand I think...). I headed straight to the store to get it and I'm now pretty chuffed. Can you see what I mean about an addiction going on?! It only cost $3 (versus Lippmann's $18 price tag) and from all the picture comparisons I've made it really does seem to be a near perfect match.

'Milky Way' - Tony Moly, a dupe of 'Glitter In The Air' - Deborah Lippmann and Revlon's 'Whimsical'

'Milky Way' - Tony Moly

It's a pale blue base with pink and blue glitter. It goes on quite smoothly, although it's very sheer so you do need at least three coats if you want solid coverage like my photos. The glitter builds up quite nicely if you do three coats though!

As for the actual Deborah Lippmann one I ordered...I contacted the seller and apparently they've re-shipped it to me, so we'll see if it makes it this time!

Other exciting developments over this way are that we're going to Hong Kong in just over two weeks!! We booked the tickets last night for a four day trip. I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong so I'm really, really excited about it!


Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay/things to see/restaurants to eat in etc? I'd love to hear them if you do! 

xxx

Giveaway Deborah Lippmann - CLOSED.

What better way to celebrate passing 1000 followers than by giving away something that's on my recent addiction/obsession list?!

Deborah Lippmann polishes are one of my favourite things to buy and wear right now. The colours are fantastic, not to mention the awesome glitter polishes! If you don't know what I mean, I posted about the Deborah Lippmann polishes that started this obsession - the amazing 'Get This Party Started' set. I also posted about 'Across The Universe' recently so check them out to see how pretty these polishes are!

I'm so thankful to everyone who has followed me. It's really a huge compliment that you all enjoy reading my blog. So, as a thank you to everyone one person now has the chance to win two Deborah Lippmann polishes of their choice! (I decided it had to be two because choosing just one is too difficult, believe me!)

If you'd like to enter you need to be a follower of Ugly Duckling blog via Google Friend Connect. Click 'Join This Site' tab on the left bar or click here!

How To Enter The Deborah Lippmann Giveaway!


- Follow this blog on Bloglovin' - Click below.



- 'Like' Ugly Duckling's Facebook Page. Click here!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Optional for extra entries:

- Follow me on Twitter (+1 entry) 

Follow @Ugly_duck_blog

- Tweet about the giveaway (+1 entry) 

Tweet

- Place the image with a link back this blog in your blog’s sidebar (+2 entries)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Please leave a comment when you have entered. If you do the extra entries please tell me the total number of entries you've made. The giveaway is open internationally and finishes on April 10th!

Thank you once again to everyone for the support and for taking the time to read and follow my blog.

Good luck lovelies!!

xxx

New Lusts & Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe

Several weeks ago I mentioned a special on selected Deborah Lippmann polishes. That was when 'Across The Universe' caught my attention. Sadly the offer was only for U.S residents (still sad about that) so I didn't get the polish but shortly after that a parcel arrived for me. What was in it....? This gorgeous nail polish!

I used it on my toes right away but since photoing your feet doesn't seem the done thing in blog land I decided to wait to show you it until I used it on my fingers instead.

Deborah Lippmann - 'Across The Universe'

I think it's gorgeous! It's a navy blue base crammed full of fine blue glitter and large hexagonal green and blue glitters. I used three coats (two was a tiny bit patchy) and an OPI top coat to finish it off. I'm not usually a huge fan of dark colours on my finger nails, I tend to be a bit of a Barbie pink kinda gal, but this one is sparkly enough to be an exception! You should see it twinkle in the sunlight! You can order it online - here!

I want to say a huge thank you to my lovely, very thoughtful fiancée who was the one who sent me this. He was away at the time and had seen me mention it on here so he ordered it from a UK store for me! Such a nice surprise, isn't he sweet! 

Perhaps I should start mentioning just how absolutely, totally incredible Celine Handbags are?!!

Particularly the Luggage Phantom in stone/beige colour or white if possible. One of those would be perfect for summer, don't you ladies think?! If you want to send one of those my way honey, that'd be fine!

Via

If I really can't have the handbag though...well...I guess I'd accept a consolation gift of any ALL of the following pretty shades which will be perfect for spring/summer...

'Girls Just Want To Have Fun', 'Glitter In The Air' & 'On The Beach' - Deborah Lippmann

That is all.

xxx

PS: I'm joking about wanting him sending me further gifts, I really am very grateful for the nail polish and do think it was lovely of him to send me it. Unless of course you are my fiancée reading this...in which case...I am one hundred percent deadly serious!! :)

 If you like this polish then take a look at some other Deborah Lippmann glitter polishes I wrote about - Just click here!

A Steal: Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish 50% Off!

I'm so envious of all you Americans out there right now! Deborah Lippmann (the nail polish brand I am currently obsessed with) has a special offer of 50% off on three of her most popular shades. Today only you can get (from left to right in the pic) Across The Universe (amazing polish that I desperately want to try), Happy Birthday (featured in a post of mine - here) and Today Was A Fairytale for $9 each. Cheap as chips as we Brits say!

It's only available to people in America, a painful fact for me, here in bloody England! But even though I can't get in on the fun I thought I'd still share it with the rest of you who can! All you have to do is go to the link below and enter the special code 'GMA'! Eurgh, why don't I live in America?! I'd be stock piling these if I did!

LINK ~ Deborah Lippmann Special Offer!

xxx

PS: Any of my American blog friends feel like buying Across The Universe for me and sending it over to England? Not joking, I think I need that sparkly goodness in my life!

Get This Party Started - Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish

 

 

If you read my blog regularly you might remember I mentioned Deborah Lippmann's Get This Party Started set in my New Year's Eve post. I showed you one colour from the set and promised to do a post on the full set soon. 

Well, it's been two weeks already and I'll tell you why I didn't get around to this sooner. I needed to make sure I have the entire afternoon free to scrub the glitter off after I've done the swatches. No, I'm kidding, it's not that bad. It only took me about 45 minutes when I did all my nails for NYE! Awesome fun. Okay, okay...pain in the neck removal aside....I do really, really love this set! 

The set includes three full size (15ml) Deborah Lippmann glitter polishes. The glitter is the same in each polish, a rainbow glitter with both large hexagonal pieces and smaller too. Each polish has a different base colour though.

Happy Birthday - Deborah Lippmann

'Happy Birthday' has a clear base and can be worn over any other polish to add some pizazz. This baby is going over a hot pink later today!

Candy Shop

Then there is my favourite, 'Candy Shop' which you can see on my nails in this post. Candy Shop has a soft pink coloured base. It's slightly translucent so you can choose how bold you want the pink to be. One coat gives a subtle pink colour and three coats will give you a solid pink nail.

Forget You

Finally there is 'Forget You', a black base with the amazing multicolored glitter. Again, you'll need two coats for a solid black coverage. This one actually goes on a little uneven, with streaks unless you do use two coats.

I don't usually like to wear a dark nail colour, it's just not me, but this one I'll be making an exception for. I mean, look at all that glitter, it's not exactly dark or dull is it?!

Now, you can call me lazy if you want, but in the end I opted to do just one hand, one time, to show you all the colours. To be honest, I didn't fancy spending my entire Saturday getting glitter everywhere by trying to get it off. So here are the three colours with two coats of each:

 

 

I had seen this set on a blog a while ago but I had a hard time tracking it down especially from UK stores. In the end I found it for a little under £26 from Amazon.co.uk. It's also on Amazon.com in the US for just over $40.

In short, I think this set is great. I'm all about a bit of sparkle but I tend to find sparkles or glitter on clothes just comes off looking tacky. Glitter on the nails however, seems like just the right amount, playful but subtle! The glitter is distributed fairly thickly and evenly through the polish and it isn't difficult to apply. One coat is enough but if you layer it you can get an amazing, very shimmery overall effect on your nails.

So what do you think? What other glitter polishes can you ladies recommend? Let me know whilst I spend the next 30 minutes trying to get these off! Haha!

xxx

PS: Does anyone have any useful tips for glitter polish removal?

Happy New Year : Deborah Lippmann, Drinks and a Dress.

My New Years Eve Nails - 'Candy Shop' Deborah Lippmann

'Get This Party Started' - Deborah Lippman

Champagne ready and waiting.

Metallic pink wrap dress with shoulder pads - ASOS - Link Here!

New beginnings.

I've spent my last day of 2011 painting my nails. As if by a stroke of magic the aptly named nail set 'Get This Party Started' by Deborah Lippmann arrived on my doorstep today, over a week before the estimated delivery date. I chose the colour 'Candy Shop' for tonight, I will post about the whole set in more detail another day.

Of course when I say 'I spent the day' I actually mean a few hours,whilst tooling around in between doing various other things. I've spent a lot of time today thinking about the year that has just passed and the things that have happened. I have been living in Korea for the third year so that's been a big experience. I've learnt a lot more about the cultures there and made many more great friends. I also had my mum visit me which was a highlight of the summer. And now I have the pleasure of being back in England with my friends and family here. There's been two big events that stand out for me though. Steve and I got engaged (still smiling) just a few weeks ago and in August I began this blog.

The five months since I first created this little piece of internet feel like they've flown by but I couldn't be happier with how my blog is growing. I'd like to take this chance to thank you all for your support over the last few months. I am so grateful to all of you who read, comment and follow my blog!

I wish you all the very best for the New Year. I hope that with a new year comes lots of fresh new opportunities and great experiences for you all. Have a fantastic night tonight, celebrate the new beginning in style whatever you do (I know you all will)! Make sure you come back in the New Year because I have lots more to share with you and I aim to make my blog better and better.

Happy New Year Lovlies! xxx

China Glaze Snow Globe, Blue Years Eve & Let It Snow Winner

Silver charm bracelet - Links of London. Silver ring and Bangle - Mont Blanc.

This was my main reason for purchasing the China Glaze 'Let It Snow' gift set. I'd been eying up the color Snow Globe and thinking about how it would look layered over white. As we all know by now I'm a big advocate of a little sparkle, on nails in particular! So when I spotted a swatch of the white, very iridescent Snow Globe I had to get it. Up close it has gorgeous flecks of pink, blue and soft yellow glitter.

I had a vision in my head of a white base coat with a thick coat of the glitter over the top turning out like a snowy looking type of nail.

Well....I think it worked! I'm sort of surprised because usually my imagination does a better job than I can ever do in real life. Sadly, as with most glitter polishes, the pictures don't capture how it twinkles under the light. But let me tell you, it's very eye catching and...I love it! It looks like winter, in my head anyway. What do you reckon?

White polish base coat with China Glaze 'Snow Globe'.

Before going ahead and doing this I actually tested out both of the colours (Snow Globe and Blue Years Eve) in the 'Let It Snow' gift set. I get a bit over excited about new polishes and have to try them as soon as possible.

China Glaze 'Let It Snow' nail polish set - 'Snow Globe' and 'Blue Year's Eve'.

I'm a big fan of the blue on it's own as a block color. It has a very metallic foil like finish. For me it doesn't seem to work with Snow globe though. I feel like it's too fussy and the colors don't seem to compliment one another. Just my two cents. I'm excited to try Snow globe over a lilac though. I think it will go well with the soft pastel colors in the glitter. I've seen it over black too which looked cool so I may possibly try that at some point.

One lucky person has won the giveaway for a China Glaze 'Let It Snow' gift set all for them. The lucky lady is...

Bri!

Congratulations Bri! I hope you like the colors and find a way you like wearing them best.

Thank you to everyone else for entering and for all of your support. Reading everyone's lovely comments is what keeps me blogging so thank you all very much!

xxx