Nails Inc. ~ Duke Street

So, my first Birthday Gift Review concerns the lovely bluey/lilac/grey creme polish from Nails Inc.

As you can see from the swatch below, it's a fab shade - if you're a fan of sludgy, murky colours like Chanel's Particuliere or OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, I think you'll like this one.





This polish appealed to me because I don't have anything similar in my (sizeable!) collection. The closest I have is OPI's Done Out In Deco, but I could tell that Duke Street was darker and more blue-toned than Deco at first glance. To me, Deco is a true lilac - Duke Street is too dark, more in the mauve category perhaps.




Application is, as expected, a dream. Not in the slightest bit streaky, the first coat glides on effortlessly and is almost wearable as it is. The second coat just smoothes out any unevenness and intensifies the colour.

Wearabilty is excellent, too. The above swatches were taken after a day's wear - you can see some tip wear but nothing unusual. I'm wearing the two coats over Sally Hansen's Color Wear base coat and no top coat (I'm just not a fan of top coats, sorry!)

I found it interesting to observe the colour changes of this polish as I moved from indoors to outdoors, and morning to evening. At times, I'd swear this was a blue toned polish, but looking at it now (in early afternoon daylight) it's a definite dark lilac! Quite hard to quantify but really lovely.

I think this could be a new favourite!

*

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blogging on the move...

I've gone all high tech and swishy! I'm currently typing this entry on my new iPhone :-)
It was my birthday on Monday and I was completely spoilt! My lovely boyfriend bought me an iPhone (besides lots of other fab goodies) and I'm just learning how versatile they are - I'm addicted to apps already :-)
Hopefully, I'll be able to blog more frequently now that I have this wonderful technology at my fingertips (literally) - and I received so many wonderful birthday gifts so I've got plenty to blog about!
Watch this space...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh no! Vogue are on offer!

Someone lock away my debit card - quickly!

Just had an email from SewingPatterns.com, how very kind of them to inform me that Vogue are all $5.99... and in case that's not temptation enough, there are a bunch of new designs.

As usual, Vogue don't disappoint when it comes to the effort they put into their pattern designs. How 'Carrie' is this flippy little Pamela Rolland number:



It's not really my style, as I can only really see it suiting a tall willowy type, but inspiring nonetheless.

This Bellville Sassoon dress also caught my eye. Anyone in denial about the 80s being back - avert your eyes! From the structured hip peplum, to the cut-away neckline, to the bow on the bum (you heard right) this one just screams out COCKTAIL PARTY! Even the modest length has an 80s vibe to me.
Incidentally, this 80s revival is good news for vintage sewing pattern fans - there are tons of 80s patterns gong cheap on eBay, as everyone's more interested in the patterns of the 50s or earlier. Some of them are truly awful, but if you take a bit of time you could just snap up a little jem.


Finally, I'm undecided about this Donna Karan dress. The central waist detailing is really eye catching, but I can't decide if it would create the illusion of a waist, or just add bulk and make me look even fatter around the middle.

It's been far too long since I posted here! So just a quick update.

My lovely friend has bought the Vogue Michael Kors (1117) so she's kindly lent it to me to try out. I guess I'm going to be her guinea pig! Will have to put it on my (ever growing) To Do list.

I must also report, with a slightly embarrassed demeanour, that I am now a Particulière owner! I didn't actually purchase it myself - my lovely friend Paula gave it to me for my 30th birthday back in February. And, I'm afraid I've got to eat my words - it's fab! It's actually nothing like Metro Chic, as evidenced in this lovely swatch someone has very kindly provided. Although all of these shades are very hard to pin down, Metro Chic is a lilacy smokey grey, whilst Particulière is a browny muddy grey. And I love them both! Although at the moment, I'm wearing How Cute Is That? by Sephora by OPI - A lovely coral tone with a slight shimmer - just right for this gorgeous sunny weather the UK is currently enjoying!

Ooh, want!

Just been browsing the Vogue patterns site and came across this little gem. That's definitely going on the Must Sew list! Wonder when the next Vogue patterns sale is on?

Update already!

Ok, so I'm pinning the pieces on now and have come across a tiny problem - the sleeves are a tad wider than the 60" wide fabric! So I'm folding back 1 1/2" at the cuff, on both sides, tapering back to nothing at the underarm:


I'll lose a little bit of fullness but I doubt it'll be noticeable. I know if I was a bit more imaginative with my fabric folding, I could fit it on 'as is', but it's only a slight adjustment....

Moi, lazy? Never!

Winter Coat Project

Quite some time ago, I promised my best friend that I would make her a winter coat. With one thing or another, the project kinda got forgotten about... until I recently rediscovered it! At the time, we bought everything we needed - from the grey 'salt & pepper' coating fabric, to the cute pink lining, to the oversized charcoal buttons:


With the weather we're having here at the moment, I want to get this done asap! So today I'm starting. I've cut the pattern (I usually trace, but she's working out to the biggest size, so I can cut the pattern and re-use it in future if I need to make a smaller size for anyone else), and am just starting to lay it on the fabric.

I'm using Vogue 8436 which is now discontinued. We're going for view B, with sash.

I've read through the instructions, and they seem really straightforward for Vogue! Also there are a few reviews on PatternReview.com, and it's classed as 'easy' which is nice (famous last words...?)

One feature that was mentioned twice on PR is that the sleeves are massive. Both reviewers said they actually altered the sleeve pattern before cutting, as it would have been far too full if they'd have cut the pattern as it was.

I'm actually tempted to keep the sleeves as they are... I just really love statement sleeves, especially this bishop-style! The rest of the coat is pretty plain so it should all balance quite nicely. My BF likes all the same things I do, which is handy - I feel confident making decisions without consulting her lol!

The one thing I'm currently undecided on is the closure. I'm not sure if I should make functioning buttonholes for the buttons, or if the buttons should just be decorative, with some sort of hidden closure underneath (Vogue recommend snaps/press studs, but I can't stand them - they're so 'homemade' looking! I'd probably go for magnetic snaps, as found on handbags.)

I'll post pics as I progress - watch this space!