Nail colour of the week

I am loving this colour: Meet My Decorator. It's from the OPI Breakfast at Tiffany's collection. I know I said I wasn't buying any more nail varnish but come on, I lasted until April. That's a good effort. I bought this at Dallas airport just because.

It's a perfect bright (but not neon) orange and just the colour for Spring.

Nail colour of the week

OPI Plugged in Plum. I always paint my nails on a Sunday evening to set me up for the week and I love this purple which reminds me of an 80s youth club disco and therefore is fabulous. I bought this for my hen night (don't ask me how I remember these things, I just do) and I don't wear it often as it's quite bright and I have to be in the mood. But's the sun was shining today and I decided I need a little disco in my life.

I was reading an article this week on how long one should keep make up. It said throw nail varnish out after 18 months. Wait, WHAT? That's insane.I can only assume it was sponsored by a nail varnish company. I got married nearly seven years ago and this baby is still as perfect as the day I bought it. I have nail varnish older than seven years and all is well. So that annoyed me and I ignored all the other 'advice' it gave too!

Nail colour of the week

One of my Christmas presents - OPI, 'Liv' in the Gray from the Kerry Washington collection. I love grey in all aspects of my life. My husband despairs that our house is going to become grey, grey and more grey and I try to convince him that various Farrow & Ball colours aren't grey really but I know I am kidding myself. It's such a good neutral, goes with everything and it's classy.

I have several grey nail varnishes in my collection but somehow there is always room for one more. I love this, it is a steely mid-grey that reminds me of prisons. I know how to sell a colour, don't I? It's chic and easy to wear.

Nail colour of the week

Happy new year! May 2017 be less devastating than 2016 for us all. Say safe celebrities (well, some of you, I'm not concerned about the Kardashians to be honest).

I've started the year having a clear out and that included revisiting my nail varnish collection. I received five nail varnishes for Christmas. Yes, FIVE! Four were Opi and one was my beloved YSL (thanks sis). More on them all over the coming weeks but today I am sporting one of them, Opi Black Cherry Chutney. It is beautiful, a very deep, blackish purple with loads of shine. I adore it.

Anyway, after almost 20 years of having my nail varnish in a beaten up old toolbox (that sounds cooler than it is, it's plastic and a bit nasty), I have moved them all to a bigger box and well, I have a lot. I have the sort of collection you might see in a professional nail salon. I have more than 20. I have more than 30. I haven't actually counted them but I have at least 30 by Opi alone. Let's not put a number on how many I have, we're all friends here. How did this happen? I'll tell you how. It happened by a mixture of obsession (I cannot sleep until I have Madam President), a love of pretty nails and the belief that a tenner on a bottle of nail varnish is a cheap pick-me-up.

I am not ashamed. There are worst obsessions out there and it's harmless but I have made a pledge to stop for a while and to use what I have. If I can't find the colour I want from my collection then I have a serious issue.

In a similar vein I have also decided to not buy any more skincare or make-up for a while. For at least January and February. I have a lot of make-up for someone who doesn't actually wear a lot of it. I bought a little bit before Christmas (ahem - Bobbi Brown called to me and online shopping is SO EASY!) I have plenty. No more for now. Skincare - no more is to be purchased until I have finished at least two full-size pots/tubes of something. No more shower gel until I am down to my last bottle in my stash (this may take a while). I am going to sell/give away/throw away what I don't use and use up my endless little bottles and sachets of samples. No more perfume until the summer. I actually finished three bottles of perfume in the last six weeks but I will not be buying more for a while. We're not even going to discuss how many bottles of perfume I have.

No more scented candles. I have an embarrassing stash of Diptique candles but I can never resist a bargain (the Christmas ones were in the SpaceNK sale but you had to move fast and I did) and if I get a £5 code off SpaceNK, I always buy a candle. No more until I am burning my last ones.

It's time to relieve my shelves from the weight of my stash, use and enjoy what I have and save some money for the new bathroom. Oh my god, when I get a new bathroom, I am hitting SpaceNK in a big way.

I shall still be blogging of course. I need to tell you all about my Bobbi purchases, my four other new nail varnishes and how I get on with all the stuff in my stash that I've not told you about yet. Fear not, I shall be here so please keep the comments coming. Don't be shy!

Christmas shopping

If you've not completed your shopping yet or you want a treat for yourself (entirely understandable) then here are my thoughts.

First up, my beloved Bobbi Brown. Someone please buy a city palette. They are beyond divine. I want all of them but if forced to choose, I'd pick London:

I also have loved the Bobbi Luxe lipstick this year. One of the few lippies I've found that don't dry my lips.

Nail polish - always a winner. OPI has a new Breakfast at Tiffany's collection. I admit to not being a fan of the film but it's iconic, no arguments from me there. I especially like this colour: Can't Read Without My Lipstick:

I also want YSL Rouge Pop Art. I've said it before but I like to repeat myself, YSL nail varnish is the easiest to apply for a perfect home manicure.

New perfume? Yes, always. I am taken with Jo Loves in Pomelo. Gorgeous bottle and as delightful as you would expect it to be.

I also want to try the Byredo Unnamed. Exactly what it sounds like, it has no name, you make your own up.

I don't think anyone would be disappointed in a Charlotte Tilbury palette. The Rebel makes my heart race with those gorgeous greens.

After all the parties and family get togethers, there is nothing better than a bubble bath and there are no finer oils than Aromatherapy Associates. All of them are wonderful but Relax does the job. Expensive but a little goes a long way.

You'll need a scented candle too. I adore Diptyque, you can't go wrong with this brand and it's always a treat to receive a candle. The Menthe Verte is refreshing and clears the head.

I shall be back with a specific skin care Christmas guide soon.

Nail colour of the week

I return from lovely NYC with a box fresh manicure. It's a long time since someone did my nails for me and I had forgotten just how nice it is. While I am happy to do my own, it's good to have a professional shape them and sort the cuticles. I went to a great salon which was in the basement of the hotel I was staying in. It was one of the best manicures I've ever had.

The shop was a chain and brand I'd never heard over: ten over ten. On investigation I learn it was set up in Tribeca and is not 'trend-driven'. You can read more here if you're interested. For $25 the technician really laboured over my nails and took her time. I was very impressed.

I chose this colour which is called Carmine! Those who know me will know how amusing this is. It's described as a Hollywood red and it really is, I love it.

In other nail varnish news, I scoured Manhattan looking for OPI stockists since I had decided I wanted a particular colour. It's quite hard to find which surprised me. The trusty Duane Reade no longer have it. I eventually found it in Ricky's (which is beauty heaven, I adore that shop) and although they had hundreds, they didn't have the one I wanted. But, I discovered the Washington collection which is based on the TV show Scandal.

This shade is called Madam President but it is sold out everywhere. Oh, the irony. If only wearing the nail varnish is enough to make it happen. Because it was sold out, I wanted it even more. I ordered it yesterday from Amazon here in the UK.

I also picked up the colour I originally wanted (I'm Not Really A Waitress) at JFK.

I would describe this as Wizard of Oz red shoes, red. This picture does it no justice. Perfect for Christmas.

Nail colour of the week

Opi's My Gondola Or Yours. This is a very dark and chic grey. I adore it. On each ring finger I have a layer of Luxe effects by Essie in silver sparkles. It's my one and only nod to Christmas.

Nail colour of the week

I declare Autumn open. I have this lovely deep red on my fingernails and everything seems right with the world. Be gone neons, see you in the Spring!

Nail colour of the week

I had to do my own nails this week. I know darlings, I know. This OPI Russian Navy is one of my all-time favourites. It's perfection in a bottle and somehow never looks tacky despite being so dark. I love it. And amazingly, I managed to do a halfway decent job with application, much of which I think is down to luck as well as skill. Sometimes it's just a disaster all round but yesterday, it all went swimmingly. I am loving it.

Christmas shopping tips

Some people find Christmas shopping hard. I don't understand how shopping can ever be hard but here are some tips for the beauty addict in your circle.

The Karl/Shu Uemura collaboration continues to make my heart sing. This eye palette is so divine, who wouldn't want it?

Bobbi Brown is our friend when it comes to easy make-up and her gel eyeliners are legendary for a reason. I have my eye on this Antique Gold one.

I also love the look of the Black Pearl Eye Palette.

The NARS Andy Warhol set is so beautiful, you'd never want to mess it up.

I know I am always going on about eye make-up. I make no apologies, it's the most fun you can have. And the Urban Decay eye palette is so much fun, you can create loads of different looks with this.

The OPI Bond collection is genius. I almost don't care what the colours are like as I am so in love with the idea of wearing The Spy Who Loved Me.

I'm a bit over Jo Malone these days but you can't go wrong with bath oil and the Red Roses one is still my favourite.

I adore Bliss, their products are fun and they work. The body butters are gorgeous.

Make-up brushes are always a great gift. MAC has some fun ones. Look at the bag!

A Tom Ford lipstick is the height of luxury. Stupidly expensive but that's why we have Santa, right?

After all that partying, a good face mask is what every woman needs. I know it's not cheap but this Sisley baby delivers, trust me.

I could go on and on but I'll stop there for now. Happy shopping!

Opi James Bond collection

Why has nobody done this before? A James Bond nail colour collection! All named after the films!

They land in October and I am already coveting at least six. I must have The Spy Who Loved Me whether I like the colour or not.

And look at this:

It's a thing of wonder and joy. Roll on October, it almost makes the end of summer bearable when you have this to look forward to.

What to get a beauty addict for Christmas?

Everyone knows someone who lives for Harrods Beauty Hall and so I am here to make your Christmas shopping a little bit easier.

My love for Bliss knows no bounds and they do some really good value boxes for Christmas. I can't imagine anyone not being thrilled to get the Lemon & Sage shower gel and body butter. I can't not mention their Oxygen mask. It's life-changing.

Clarins Eau Dynamisante is still one of my favourite perfumes and it's a perfect Christmas gift as it's so refreshing. A great present for whoever is doing the main cooking for them to spray on after their much-needed shower or bath.

Urban Decay do the best eye make-up, I am convinced of this. They have some great palettes and I love this one particularly.

All beauty addicts know that Guerlain do the best perfume. Don't get a new one, go old school.  Apres L'Ondee is lovely and I've never met anyone who doesn't like it.

Dr Hauschka do divine bath oils. The Lavender one will have anyone sleeping like a baby. My tip is to mix it with some bubble bath so the bath doesn't get too oily and don't overload with the oil - one or two drops is fine.

If you know someone with thick hair, get them some Moroccan oil. They will love you forever.

The Muppets OPI collection is pure genius. My money is on Excuse Moi! It's a glittery pink.

Literally every woman I know would love to get a Chanel mirror.

We all need something to carry our makeup in and MAC do some very cool bags or Lulu Guinness if you want something more fun.

I really like the SpaceNK Life range. This gift set is just £15 and is so cute.

I could go on and on. Basically, when in doubt, go to SpaceNK or a Chanel counter and just do a supermarket sweep!

New nail varnish

Lately I have become obsessed with orange-coloured things. For example, I just bought an orange skirt. And a new orange skirt requires some new nail varnish, I think you'll all agree.

I was in Selfridges yesterday looking at their Opi colours but having just got the skirt, couldn't persuade myself to buy any. Of course by the time I had come home, I was convinced my life would not be complete without some Cajun Shrimp.

Then while I was browsing online (having put the shrimp in my basket), my eye was caught by Conga-line Coral.

And then I saw Red Hot Ayers Rock which was in the sale so I had to have it.

Colours of nail varnish online are hopeless. None of these look particularly orange but the first two definitely are. The last one is more red but I couldn't resist it.

I shall be watching my letterbox eagerly and reporting back.

Nail colour of the week

My nails were looking a little stained and pitiful so I went for a mani/pedi today and decided to go neutral on the hands so I picked an Opi pale pink. It may be this one above, it may be another one as I don't recall the name. It's so boring. How can people bear to have such dullness on their fingers? I bore myself just looking at my hands. Utter tedium.

A return to colour next week I think.

Nail colour of the week

Opi: Shootout at the OK Coral. Contender for one of the best names? I think so. I subscribed to Red magazine last month simply because they had an offer of three free Opi nail varnishes. What's an addict to do? This is one of them and I put it on this morning and I kind of love it.

Normally I hate corals on me but somehow this works. It's bright, I'm not gonna lie, but in today's glorious sunshine, it was just the ticket. This is a classic holiday toe colour. I might book a holiday just so I can start planning...

Russian nails

Two nail colours to report and both are from the Opi Russian collection. First up, Vodka and Caviar. I love this colour so much and being the control freak that I am, I made my sister wear it to my wedding. It's a gorgeous deep red. I had that colour on my nails last week.

Then yesterday I had a colour change manicure in NY ($7!) and went for Russian Navy which is the most beautiful blue with a purple tinge. I am loving it. I have it on my toes too. New York is the best place for a mani/pedi - cheap and so efficient.

I bought some other bits and pieces while I was there too. This time I did make it into Sephora...