The Girliest Nails in the World... Vintage Rose Nail Art Part 3

Not that I'm obsessed with rose nails or anything... but here's another rose nail art post!

Previously I've shown you my blue and white look, and my shabby chic look, and now I present to you, the girliest nails in the world...

 Pink, purple, hearts, and flowers... 

I don't mean to gender stereotype but DAYUM that's girly!

This look was made in a similar fashion to my previous two, with the rose colours the same as in my shabby chic look, just over a lilac shade instead of blue. So you may be thinking why am I bothering to show you this? Well 3 things really...

Shabby Chic... Vintage Rose Nail Art Part 2

As promised in my last post on rose nail art, here is another vintage rose look with some different colours. This look was actually inspired by my favourite mug...

My kind of camouflage

I bought this mug from Asda around 2-3 years ago. As soon as I saw it I immediately fell in love. I love the shabby chic look and something about this combination of pastel blues and pinks really spoke to me. I thought it was about time, using my newfound knowledge of rose art, to translate this look to my nails!

Read on for more...

Who needs a spa? Superdrug Face Masks Review Part 3

I think its about time I did another face mask review, don't you?

So I'm on part 3 of my reviews on the Superdrug face masks! I've lost count of how many I've got left to do... but let's just see what happens shall we? So far I have covered:

• Sugar & Spice Self-Heating Mask
• Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask

This time its the turn of the Superfruits Exfoliating Mask!

"This really is super! Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask with extracts of blueberry, raspberry, and cranberry deeply cleanses and purifies pore, while natural clay helps to absorb excess oil which can leas to breakouts. Strawberry seeds gently exfoliate the skin for a complexion so clear and bright you'll stand out from the crowd."

Read the review here...

Roses Are Blue... Vintage Rose Nail Art Part 1

The other day I posted a little preview of my latest nailart love, roses. Inspired by the dress I wore for my boyfriend's graduation, a white dress with blue roses, I decided to finally try out rose pattern nails!

With summer in full swing, Britain engulfed in a glorious heat-wave, and the roses in full bloom, floral nail art seems perfectly fitting and is a beautifully adaptable way to bring some summer to your nails! Here's what I did with mine...

Try all the nails!

As I mentioned in my update earlier today, while I've been absent from this blog I've still been playing around with my nails quite a lot (especially when exam revision was getting too much...). Unfortunately I didn't get around to taking high quality photos of them, however as I'm a bit of an instagram addict I have plenty of photos on my phone of which to show you! So here's a little run down of what I've been up to :)

1. Pastel Gradient

 Featured: Limecrime 'Parfait Day', Rimmel Lycra Pro 

'Peppermint', and Models Own 'Mermaid Tears'

Update...

Anyone who frequents this blog will have noticed my posts have been few and far between lately. Now I am properly back but before I continue where I left off I wanted to explain what's been going on with me recently so you know why I've been so absent!

Finally cracked rose nails!!

I just did my nails for my boyfriend's graduation tomorrow so I don't have time to post a proper blog about them but here's a little preview before I do a tutorial over the weekend :D

Who needs a spa? Superdrug Face Masks Review Part 2

Hey lovelies! I'm so so sorry for disappearing for a couple of weeks :( had resit exams to do so I was busy working away...

But fear not! I'm back for summer with part 2 of my reviews of the Superdrug face masks.

Last time I reviewed Sugar and Spice Self-Heating Mask (click here to read the review). This time its the Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask!

"Kick start the day with this Superdrug Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask - the perfect solution for oily and blemish prone skin. With an uplifting fragrance of cool Eucalyptus and zesty Lemon. It will revive and refresh your skin. With Witch Hazel and Willow Bark Extract to deeply cleanse pores and Dead Sea Minerals to help draw out dirt and impurities, it will leave skin looking clearer and more radiant."

Read the review here...

Who needs a spa? Superdrug Face Masks Review Part 1

Think good facials. Think £30 at a spa or beauticians. 

Think good facials. Don't think 99p at your local Superdrugs.

Or do you?

Last week my friends and I had a bit of a girly pampering day, something I have never actually indulged in with friends before (being largely friends with guys or tomboys). We decided to add face masks to the agenda but our limited budgets led us to seek out the cheapest we could find. Our feet took us along to Superdrug where lo and behold we struck gold: rows of multicoloured sachets, 99p a pop, and 4 for the price of 3!

I picked these 4:

• Sugar & Spice Self-Heating Mask
• Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask
• Superfruits Exfoliating Mask
• Cucumber Cooling Mask

Here is part 1 of my reviews of the masks I bought...

The Evolution of Photography - a brief floral journey through my photography career.

I'm a bit bored and also quite excited to be back in the blogosphere! So I thought I'd share with you some of my photography :)

I'm feeling happy so this week it's flowers - a collection of floral themed photography I've taken over the years...

Let's take a look...

Unofficial Studio Ghibli Day... Totoro Nail Art Tutorial!

Guess who's back... 

Back again...

CharBop's back...

Tell a friend...

After some HELLISH exams I am back with a vengeance for a summer of nails, beauty reviews, and general musings! I'm going to start of this new spate of posts with something I'm loving at the moment - nail art. And this time, its a tutorial!

My best friends and I spent yesterday having a girly day of Studio Ghibli movies, nail art, facials, and oriental food. Inspired by this I decided to do nail art based on Studio Ghibli's signature movie - My Neighbour Totoro. (If you haven't heard of or seen it I suggest you google it ASAP.)

 

Charbop signing off... but one request before I go!

Hey guys!

As you may have gathered from recent blog posts, I begin my 4th year exams in less than a week and as such I'm going to have to go on blog hiatus until after they finish on June 13th :( Hopefully I've left you plenty to check out so have a look at some of my nail art tips, beauty reviews, and other general musings while I'm gone! 

In the meantime I need your help...

It's so hot I'm melting! Dripping nail art...

Inspired by the sweltering recent (and probably brief) appearance of British summer, the end of my hospital placements for the year, and the arrival of my new dotting tools, I decided to make my last nail art (and thus my last blog post) before exams melt before your very eyes!

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

To Boldly Go.... Galaxy Nail Art Part 2

So yesterday I decided to try out galaxy inspired nail art and gave you guys some tips on how to create the look as best you can...

As the day went on and the sunlight began to fade I noticed the shading becoming less and less noticeable, and by the end of the day when I was just in artificial light you couldn't even see the detail any more :(

I thought I could just deal with it but when I woke up this morning I just wasn't happy with the results and decided to follow my own advice from yesterday to redo my nails properly! Quite aptly watching Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country, I went ahead and did my nails again, this time using lighter and more shimmer shades, as well as adding large glitter "stars".

Here are the results...

To infinity and beyond! Galaxy nail art...

Yeah so I said I wasn't going to be doing any more nail art until after my exams... but it's just too tempting! It's Spring Bank holiday so I have until Thursday before I'm on a hospital ward again, and I thought what better way to spend a revision break than painting my nails? Et voila - galaxy nails!

Now with added sparkle...

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

Exam eyes? A little additional advice.

Quick update in relation to my review of Simple's new revitalising eye roll-on. I forgot to add that products like these aren't the only solution to the hang-ups of exam stress! 

Make sure you drink plenty of water, take short breaks away from computer screens, eat properly, and try to get around 6-7 hours sleep a night if you can. (The 8 hours thing is a fallacy: studies have shown that the body needs around 6-7 hours a night to maximise life-span and improve daily functioning. Any more or less actually has negative consequences in the long-run.) 

Exam eyes? A solution... Simple 'Kind To Eyes Revitalising Roll-on' review.

You with the sad eyes...

Don't be discouraged, oh I realise it's hard to have fresh eyes in a world full of revision, you can lose sight of it all... 

Cheesy paraphrased lyrics aside, I'm sure I'm not the only one out there feeling the exam stress, and with that, the bad skin and tired eyes that come with it. Whether its GCSEs, A levels, or university exams, it's very easy to let yourself go at this time of year and the one thing I've noticed I suffer from the worst is tired eyes. 

Eye strain from staring at computer screens all day, trawling through lecture notes, and not getting enough sleep can make you feel pretty rubbish and can cause horrible tension headaches/migraines. But why should we have to suffer? I found a quick and easy solution for when my eyes are feeling the pressure...

Ombre nails... another success!

It's been almost 2 weeks since my first success with water marbling and it lasted beautifully for a full week without chipping! Unfortunately I was back on the wards for placement on Tuesday so I had to reluctantly remove it. However, I have until Tuesday to enjoy my nails again so last night I thought, riding on the success of my last nail art adventure, that I'd give ombre nails a go!

I've tried ombre nails before with zero success. This attempt was tricky but once I got the hang of it I managed to make it work! Like last time I want to give you some tips based on what I learnt from my experiences, so you can get it right first time without the hassle!

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

Lippy Review - Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in 'Crush'

Welcome to number 2 of my series on purple shades! I was going to to MAC's 'Hang Up' as promised in my review of Limecrime's 'Poisonberry' but I got a bit too excited about today's product.... so here it is! Its quite a mouthful but today I will be reviewing...

Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in 'Crush'

Water marbling... My first triumph!

I AM CHARBOP, MASTER OF NAILS, CONQUEROR OF WATER MARBLING!

Ahem... But seriously after numerous failed (and very messy) attempts, when I finally got it right I felt like master of the universe! 

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who's looked at all the beautifully crafted marble-art nails on Blogger and Youtube and thought "that doesn't look so hard", only to be horribly surprised by how badly it can go wrong. I'm sure I'm also not the only one who has been massively disheartened when it  did go wrong and written water marbling off as one of those things only doable by artistic gods.

However...

With a little bit of patience and a few tips I picked up along the way I finally cracked it! Now there's already a load of tutorials out there so I'm not going to add to them, but what I will do is show you the results of my attempt followed by the tips that helped me succeed :)

May Day Summer Tunes

Hey lovelies!

I'm being pretty quiet on here because it's coming up to exam season so if I'm not working I'm uber chilling. I will however take the time to do some posts and come June when I am free I'll be back to regular posts as before!

In the meantime, those of you in the UK right now will I'm sure be enjoying the sunshine, and whether you're revising for exams or chilling with a beer here's a few songs for your ultimate summer chill out :)

One of those days...

...that reminds you why you're doing what you're doing.

Today I met a woman, the same age as me, with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) who after an ectopic pregnancy resulting in the removal of an ovary was told it was highly unlikely she would ever have a child...

I Spy... Pastel!

Sorry this is so late! Been insanely busy.

I've never been the girliest of girls but there's one thing I'm without question incredibly girly about and that is style! 

I don't believe in following trends because not all trends work on everyone and frankly why should we have to waste that much money every season just because some fashion haus somewhere tells us we have to change? BUT that doesn't mean I can't enjoy what wanders down the catwalk and into the highstreet. I believe that the most important way to approach fashion is to enjoy what you love and what works for you. And on that note I'm going to tell you about one of my favourite looks of the moment - pastel!

Not enough hours in the day....

I keep saying I'm going to post things and then I don't.... I'm really sorry!!! I keep thinking I have time but I'm really busy trying to help my boyfriend with his dissertation thats due tomorrow :(

In light of that I'll be catching up with posts over tomorrow and friday evenings with the first of my trendspotting reviews, a couple of cosmetics reviews, and a post I was hoping to do today in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide (I'm half-Armenian in case any of you were wondering).

In the meantime here's a picture of two ducklings swimming in a coffee mug...

Until tomorrow!

My bank account is weeping...

Student loans are here again and any student reading this knows what that means... SHOPPING TRIP!!!!

And of course what better way to burn a hole in your pocket than being exploited by the high-street who know full well your bank account has just been replenished!

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

Nail Polish Review - Models Own 'Grape Juice'

I realise it's not been very long since I last reviewed a nail polish, but as I'm back in clinical practice from Tuesday I won't be able to wear nail polish except on weekends, also I'm going out tomorrow evening, so I'm making the most of it while I can!

I present to you...

Models Own - 'Grape Juice'

PRETTY PLEASE!! There's still time...

... to vote for me in this photography competition!

I will love you forever if you do <3

Lippy Review - Lip Smacker 'Disney Princess Collection'

Well I found these in Claire's yesterday and, well, before I knew I was typing in my pin number.... seriously it's like I was in a trance O_o

But anyway whilst I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with 8 lip balms at least it gives me something to show you guys! So behold... here's my review of Lip Smacker's 'Disney Princess' collection!

The number of the beast...

SIX
SIX SIX
THE NUUUMBER OOOF THE BEEEAAST!!!

Class song, class kiriban! Thanks guys <3

Twerk it...

Deep down inside of me there is little ghetto woman twerking away. I don't know if its cos I'm a 90's kid and 90's urban music was amazing, or whether I was just born in the wrong body, but even though I primarily love rock and alternative music I can't resist working it to some old school hip hop or rnb. Call it a guilty pleasure if you will, but I certainly don't feel guilty for it ;)

Anyway here are 10 tunes I like to shake my booty to now and again... (they're not my top 10, just what I could think of on the spot!)

Essie 'Muchi Muchi'... Update!

3 days in and still going strong ;)

Damn I love this nail polish!

Little girl lost...

Let me tell you a story...

Horton Hears a Ribblehead

A group of my friends including my boyfriend did the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge on Saturday to raise money for the National Deaf Children's Society and Leeds University Union Sign Language Society. I was part of the "stragglers" group - basically we stuck around in safe places (totally not the pub..... *cough*) to collect anyone that was unable to carry on with the challenge and generally provide support to the group. 

Being in the little group it gave me the opportunity to take my SLR out for a walk and shoot the majesty of the place I am honoured to call my home - Yorkshire <3

Nail Polish Review - Essie 'Muchi Muchi'

Today I'm going to be looking at...

'Muchi Muchi' by Essie

Essie have been going since 1981 and have established a solid reputation for quality - being favoured by Queen Elizabeth herself! Their maHOOsive range of colours just can't be found anywhere else and that alone is enough to make me drool over their shelves...

Last week I lost my Essie virginity after making the most of Boots' current 3 for 2 make-up offer. I've been looking for the perfect pastel pink for ages and after trying shades from Topshop, Limecrime, and Model's Own that just did not compliment my skin tone I finally found a friend in 'Muchi Muchi'!

Pretty please with a cherry on top... (edit with working link!)

... vote for me in this photography competition! 

Unfortunately instead of being judged by merit its being judged purely by popularity :( so if you see this please vote!

Thanks lovelies :)

Lippy review - 'Poisonberry' by Limecrime

So I'm going to start my lipstick reviews with my favourite colour - purple!! I've always loved purple everything but purple lipstick is something I've only dared to try in the last year... and I haven't done it by halves. In 12 months I've gone from owning a grand total of zero purple shades to owning at least 5 (seriously they're all over the place I've lost track lol)! As a very fair-skinned girl I've always been a bit hesitant with dark colours but when I finally found my perfect red shade a few years ago (which I will be reviewing at a later date) I realised it didn't hurt to try and was inspired to be a bit more daring with my shades. Now I have LOADS of deep shades which I absolutely adore and have had numerous compliments on.

With a grunge and goth inspired fashion scene it's currently really easy to find a wide range of deep and sexy lipstick shades with reds, purples, and browns the top choice for the trend. I challenge you lovely ladies out there (and gents if you so wish ^_^) to challenge youself to try something new you wouldn't usually go for. You never know you may be as surprised as I was!

Anyway enough chat, onto the review!

Today I'll be reviewing 'Poisonberry' from Limecrime's Alchemy collection.

When life gives you lemons....

Some people just get more lemons than others. Whilst the old adage tells us to make lemonade sometimes it just isn't that easy. 

As a medical student I see some pretty shocking things and none more-so than during my current placement in Psychiatry. Whilst social stigma dictates the most shocking things I should be seeing are extreme acts of violence and depravity from patients with schizophrenia and personality disorders I have to say that has not been the case. The most shocking things I've seen are from ordinary people who really have been dealt the most lemons. From people addicted to drugs and alcohol, screwed over by poor childhoods, social and financial deprivation and a faulty system hindering their progress despite motivation to change, to the ordinary family man/woman whose lives have been destroyed because of one person or thing setting of a chain reaction. It's the latter that has lead to me writing this...

What's occurring??

Just a quick post to say hello and give you an update on what I've got planned for the next few days!

I'm going to be looking at my favourite trends of the moment and taking you through some of my latest fashion purchases as well as my favourite key pieces in my wardrobe. I'll also be introducing you to my lippy collection with the start of my reviews on reds and purples. I also plan to start work on my campaign against sizeism on the high street with a post about big boobs and weird bras (rant warning) so girls unite and keep your eyes peeled for that! (In and amongst those will likely be some general musings so I apologise if I bore any of you :P)

Tata for now!

My Tumblr....

If anyone is interested its pastelfangs.tumblr.com/ :)

Its generally reblogs of images and other posts I like or find interesting. You never know you may like what you see! 

Nail Polish Review - Models Own 'Indian Ocean'

So what better way to start a blog than with a nail polish review!

I'm going to start by reviewing my most recent purchase, and a shade I've been trying to get hold of for ages... 'Indian Ocean' from Models Own's Beetlejuice collection.

Greetings Earthlings!

And welcome to my blog :)

My name is Charmian but you can call me CharBop. After years of mindlessly reblogging picture upon picture on my Tumblr blog, and after some encouragement from friends, I thought it was about time I started a proper blog! 

Here you will find a whole heap of things, from photography to nailpolish, music to the super nerdy, fashion and make-up to the weird and wonderful, as well as general musings and topics for discussion. 

I hope you enjoy the ride :)