Rimmel London Grey Matter

Today's manicure is a very simple one. I had a work function so I didn't want my nails to be OTT, but I didn't want them to be boring either. I'm not really a huge fan of neutral polishes, but for some reason I love grey ones. I've shown you Rimmel London Grey Matter in a leopard print mani here, but this time I wore it on its own with only a tiny bit of bling.

Grey Matter is a medium to light grey (duh) creme that covers perfectly in two coats. Honestly, it has the nicest formula - I didn't have to do any clean-up! I then used a top coat (I hate nail glue) to stick a square rhinestone to the top of each nail near the cuticle. Voilà!

Summer weather has finally begun in the UK, and so far I am not loving it. While it's nice not to have rain any more, I don't function well when it's very hot and humid outside. Claude seems to be suffering too - he has taken to sleeping in his little plastic house with his balls sticking out the window to cool them down. Seriously. I took a photo of it because it's so amusing/gross, but I won't show it to you because trust me, it's not a pretty sight (sorry, Claude).

The Many Faces of Claude

Now that the sun has come out, I decided to give my hamster Claude his first taste of the great outdoors (aka my back garden). I don't think he knew what to make of the grass at first, but he soon got over it and scampered about happily. I actually managed to take a few decent photos of him, which was a pleasant surprise because he doesn't usually stay still long enough for me to do this!

Cautious Claude

Intent Claude

Curious Claude

Gormless Claude

Valentine's Day Mani #3 - Hearts

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
- E. E. Cummings

Well, I couldn't have a Valentine's Day manicure without hearts, could I?!

I have a confession to make: I cheated with this manicure. I was going to freehand hearts on my nails, but I ran short on time so I decided to use Nicole by OPI Step 2 the Beat of my Heart instead. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I started with three coats of OPI Done Out in Deco. I initially did two, then added a third coat because when I looked reaaaally carefully, I could see a bit of VNL. Done Out in Deco is a lovely blue-toned lilac creme with a slightly dusty grey finish. I love lilacs anyway, but this one is especially pretty and spring-like (OK, it's not actually spring yet, but a girl can dream, can't she?). I have to say, the formula was an absolute dream to work with - painting my nails with it was a breeze.

My application of Nicole by OPI Step 2 the Beat of my Heart was another matter. It's pink and purple glitter hearts in a sparkly base. The hearts were a nightmare to get out of the bottle, so I actually ended up doing a coat of just the tiny opalescent glitter first, then used a cocktail stick to get the hearts out and put several on each nail. I'm pretty chuffed with the result, but the hearts really were a pain in the arse to work with.

What are your Valentine's Day plans? I'm single this year, so I'm spending it with my darling Claude (whether he likes it or not!). I cut cucumber and carrots into little heart shapes for him and everything!

"Say hello to my little friend..."

This isn't nail polish related, but I'm so excited I have to share my news anyway. Drum roll, please...

I GOT A PET HAMSTER!

Before you ask - no, I'm not twelve years old, I'm twenty-four. The great thing about hamsters is that they make wonderful pets no matter what your age. I had a previous hamster called Roxy who died last September. She was a bit of a nutter, but completely adorable, too - it's funny how hamsters, even though they're tiny, have such distinct personalities.

Roxy

Having had a respectable period of mourning, I decided it was time to get another pet. I toddled off to the pet shop on Saturday and immediately laid eyes on a little black and white male hamster. It was love at first sight (at least on my end), so he came home with me. So without further ado, may I present Claude to you:

Claude

Isn't he cute?! I had such trouble persuading him to stay still long enough for me to take photos. His colouring in the first picture (taken with flash) is a lot truer to life than the second. Claude is still a bit shy and unsure of me at the moment, but he's getting a lot bolder. He wouldn't take food from me on Saturday - now he'll quite happily eat from my hand and let me stroke him.

Claude, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...