The Rabbit is Back! (and Fireworks NOTD)

I don't know how to apologise for the ridiculously long hiatus! I moved house, and have finally become a full-time employee by getting another 50% part-time research post. Juggling the two and commuting between the new house has taken up a lot of time, and in my spare time I've been nesting like a mofo. (Cos that's what mofos do, isn't it? Nest?)

Anyway, thank you all for sticking with me. Part of my new plan of action to make my life truly fulfilling is not to feel guilty about blogging (all that time I could be writing academic stuff) but to commit to it as something I really enjoy and which I hope some of you might enjoy reading.

As part of this, I think I'll be doing more book reviews and thoughtful posts as well as keeping up the outfit and face of the days - and I'm going to be introducing you all to a small part of my jewellery collection in a non-very-elegantly alliterative series titled Charm Tuesdays. I've also added to my dress collection (a particularly Rabbit OOTD coming up shortly!)

So to start things off with a BANG!, this is a manicure that's been in my head ever since I purchased the now legendary Revlon Facets of Fuchsia. The little bright glitter pieces glinting in the dark jelly base made me think of pink fireworks in the sky, and got me thinking about a "sandwich" manicure with a multicoloured glitter. Along came the OPI Muppets Collection a couple of weeks ago, and I've finally got a decent substitute for the much-lemmed Deborah Lippmann polish, Happy Birthday, at almost half its price. I cannot wait to do some layered manicures showing Rainbow Connection in all its glory (I'm thinking over bright purple Illamasqua Jo'mina and over OPI Jade is the New Black) but I couldn't wait to try this combination out. Please excuse the poor photos, as my Panasonic Lumix has given up the ghost and is having focusing issues, and I've had to revert to my old 5MP Ixus. Most phones have more pixels! But it'll have to do for now...

So what we have here is a base coat of Nail Envy Matte, followed by one layer of Facets of Fuchsia, then one layer of Rainbow Connection, and another of Facets of Fuchsia. I love the way the bright sequins of Rainbow Connection are somewhat muted and only ping out at you at certain angles.

If you're going to see fireworks this weekend - have fun!

The Rabbit is Hopping

More cute bunnies by rabbitier here

To a new burrow.

Normal service will resume when the internet is up and running at the end of June!

Friday Frock! OOTD: Knackered Candystriper

My apologies for looking dishevelled, minus makeup, and generally exhausted. That'd be because I am, having had one of the busiest and most exhausting two weeks I've had for ages. But though not officially a "frock' but a skirt, this is as "frock-like" as a skirt can get I think and it has been perking me up no end. It's a new arrival in Primark, and £16. I've not tried a high waisted full skirt before (I tend to wear mine lower on the hips) but I really like this look - and it's very flattering I think!

Skirt, Primark, black top, Dorothy Perkins, cardigan, New Look, tights, M&S, red bow ballet pumps, Office, necklace, Accessorize, earrings, Accessorize.

Close up of the print - which contains pretty much all of my favourite colours:

FOTD: Peaches and Plums

Here's a fairly standard FOTD, but using one of my favourite shadows of all time, MAC's Expensive Pink. Usually I tend not to use a crease shade as the shadow is so glowy but today I paired it with the plum shimmer Rockstar shadow from the Urban Decay Book of Shadows III, a favourite crease shade of mine. The two together make me think of sunsets.

I'm wearing one of the No 7 Poppy King lip glosses here in Confidence - I know some people have found the shade range a bit dull and the pricing high, but I got them in a 3for2 and I really needed some toned down glosses in my collection. The somewhat browned, muted shades I got - Seduction, Confidence and Glamour really work on my skintone as nudes that don't make me look dead. Plus they're inoffensively scented, non-sticky and glossy - a trio I think is hard to find in many high street glosses.

Base:
MAC Moisturecover Select concealer

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion on upper lids
MAC Expensive Pink mixed on lids and Urban Decay Rockstar in the crease
No. 17 liquid liner in black
Maybelline Colossal mascara in 100% Black

Face:
MAC MSF Natural in Deep
Estee Lauder Blushing in plum with NARS Albatross buffed over the top
MAC Brow in Spiked

Lips:
Poppy King for No. 7 Lip Gloss in Confidence

NOTD: OPI Stranger Tides

 This is a polish that I wasn't sure I would like, but was intrigued by. Turns out, I love it, and I think it works best on darker skins as it looks totally different on me than the swatches I've seen. It's a beautiful, pale sage green with a decent amount of grey in it, but not so much that it isn't green. It's stunning and elegant, and a really unique colour. I highly recommend it to everyone, but especially women of colour, on whom the green shades are the really brought out in this polish!

Friday Frock! OOTD: Sugar and Spice and... Bugs

If you recall my post on my printed dresses, I have a thing about whimsical prints, and I especially love bug prints, though not being the greatest fan of insects in real life. I love the subversiveness of the dress with bugs on - feminine on one hand, a bit weird on the other. My Topshop bug dress looks like leopard print from a distance - but has created shivered responses when people realise what the print is. I love that!

Dress, Dorothy Perkins, cardigan, New Look, patent black Mary Janes, Clarks, single pink pearl choker, custom made, pink pearl earrings, Aarong Bangladesh.

This Dorothy Perkins dress has become a smart work event staple, it's a pretty pinky taupe and from a distance it looks so sweet with the discernible butterflies. It's only when you look closer that you see the bugs!

The etched print and pinky shade make me think of Prada's Fairy collection, one of my all time favourite fashion collections. It's whimsical in the same vein, I like to think...

Pistachio Burfi NOTD

So I promised to try to recreate these delicious Asian sweets (one of my favourites!) on my nails after Rhamnousia commented during a Twitter convo that the OPI Silver Shatter reminded her of the silver foil that decorates them.

For a truly authentic look I'd need a much more yellow-toned green, but it's still kinda reminiscent I think!

On my other hand I tried a bit of nail art using four pieces of invisible tape stuck together to make a diamond-shaped stencil to replicate the burfi shape. I didn't lay it on evenly across my nails but quite like the haphazard effect. I'm now thinking a layered mani with a nude base, green diamond and silver diamond on top would be the most awesome burfi-mani! (I also think I'm going to try this with Stranger Tides too, for a badam burfi manicure as per the first picture).

I just adore Mermaid's Tears by the way. It's the most perfect seafoam creme polish I've ever seen. It's perfect for darker skintones, where many mint polishes can look chalky and tippexy (yes that's an adjective, that). Seafoam is my second favourite colour after aubergine and it's a joy to finally own a polish that replicates the shade I love best, murky, deeper and greener than duckegg blue, but bluer than mint. I hate chalky insipid pastels - but I love interesting, muted shades like this. Here it prior to being shattered.