Black shatter + ??? = FAB!

Hi, Ladies!


You would have noticed from my last post that I've recently brought my old black shatter from OPI back to life! (Hooray!) But now I face the task of trying to find colours that look great paired with the shatter. Perhaps you have the same problem, especially if you have a bright coloured shatter such as purple or red. Before now, I've played it safe, generally using a white, red or gold polish underneath. I've been reserved in my colour choices because we all know that if you paint your nails and then decide you don't like how it looks, it's going to take you forever to remove it and start from scratch again! Ugh!


I recently stumbled on the OPI website, which I discovered has an awesome feature that lets you try on the different polish shades on a virtual hand, and then add a shatter polish over top if you wish. I spent ages trying the different combinations of regular polish + shatter. The possibilities really are endless.


To try out this feature go to www.opi.com and click "Try on this colour" in the menu at the top of the page.

Then, let your imagination go wild! One of my favourite looks was Cha-Ching Cherry by OPI with black shatter. 

This feature has definitely inspired me to be more daring and creative with my colour choices from now on!


If you live in NZ, check out Candy Girl for cheap OPI (and other) nail polishes.

What is your favourite colour to pair with black shatter?


x Tara

Bring old nail polishes back to life

Hi, Ladies!

Here's a fun fact about me: I LOVE nail polish! 

A forever growing collection
(Some of the polishes are too tall for the shelves, tear...)

And since polishes can often be very pricey, (OPI, anyone?) my stubborn side comes out when my lacquers get dry, sticky and generally unusable. I refuse to buy new polishes when my originals are still half full! You can purchase bottles of nail polish thinner from beauty supply stores, but for a quick and easy alternative, try this:

Find any of your nail polishes that perhaps have seen better days and dig out the old colours that were too thick and sticky to apply. Today, I'm using my black shatter polish from OPI.

Yuck! Dry sticky nail polish!

Next, take a bottle of nail polish remover, preferably acetone free. I didn't have any of that on hand, so I used a Natural Nails remover instead. 

Lavender, mmmmm!

Place a couple of drops of the nail polish remover into your nail polish. Screw the lid on tight and roll the nail polish between your two palms to mix the two liquids together. You should instantly notice a change in consistency of the polish when used. 

I hope some of you have been able to salvage some of your old nail polishes! Look out for more tips on nail care and nail art very soon!

Note: Although I have used this method for years, and I continue to do so, please use this tutorial at your own risk. The Ballz & Thinner blog says that "Removers generally contain water as an ingredient, which means possibility of bacteria. Not to mention it can ruin a polish!" But hey, what have you got to lose?

x Tara

Back in action

Hi, Ladies!


The past month has been a busy one for me, with final assignments due at my university, and the winter holidays. It was nice to have a break and to have the time to go home and visit friends and family. I was able to spend lots of well needed quality time with my Mum, including lots of hot chocolates, lunches out and fun trips. We even got to spend the day at the snow, which was a welcome surprise as it doesn't snow where I live! 


Here are some of my favourite snaps...

A beautiful view of the mountain!

Get your hiking boots on, its a long walk ahead!

Fresh snow with the view of the towns below

Skiers in the distance 

 While I loved having a break, it feels good being back at home in my own bed and back into routine. Blog posts should be more frequent now (I hope!). 


What is your favourite thing to do in your holidays/breaks? 


x Tara

Untangle those necklaces!

Hi, ladies!

Nothing frustrates me more than tangled jewellery. No matter how I store my necklaces when I travel, they somehow always manage to end up looking like this:

A big tangled MESS!

Here's a trick for you to try the next time you travel...

Use regular drinking straws that you can buy from the supermarket or dollar shops, and slide one end of the necklace through the hole. Voilà! How did I not think of this earlier? It keeps your necklaces separated from one another, and makes it harder for them to tangle. 

Note that if the clasp of your necklace is too large for the straw, simply buy some jumbo straws that have larger holes than the regular size.

 Awesome trick, right?!

x Tara

D.I.Y pastel jeans

Hi, Ladies!

In my opinion, the only thing better than staying in trend, is staying in trend while keeping your bank balance happy. I couldn't resist sharing this amazing blog post by The Little Giggler; Do-it-yourself pastel jeans! 

Aren't these perfect?! This trend is going to be huge in spring, right alongside printed jeans. The project itself is fairly easy. All you need is bleach and fabric dye in the colour you want. That easy! For the tutorial, click here to visit The Little Gigglers blog.  

I am definitely hoping to give this a go. If you try it out, leave a link in the comment section below!

x Tara

Candy buffet birthday

Hi, ladies!

I recently had a close group of friends over to help me celebrate my birthday. The big nineteen! (Still young, I know!) I knew I wanted to do something that wasn't expected, and would put a smile on my guests faces. I browsed some awesome blogs that I will link below, and eventually decided to create a candy buffet for my movie night.

Image courtesy of  jenadevents.blogspot.co.nz

Isn't her set-up just gorgeous? I love the bunting flags, they add such an adorable touch to the table. It was this image that inspired me to create a candy buffet. However, I wanted more of a "concession stand" type of look.

Imagine courtesy of  dreamers.marthastewart.com

Image courtesy of indulgy.com/post/wixUwfXdM1/movie-party-concession-stand

Now we're talking! The colours here are perfect, and the popcorn boxes give such an authentic feel. I knew I definitely wanted to include popcorn boxes in my candy buffet, but wasn't too sure about the rest.  

So here's what I decided to do...

The buffet was simple in décor, I opted for classic glassware such as jars, containers, trays, bowls and Martini glasses. I found different assortments of candy at stores that sold in bulk, such as K-mart, discount supermarkets, etc. Some of the candy I used were gum balls, sour boiled candy, chocolate fish, fizzers, jelly snakes, jersey caramels, raspberry drops; There was so much candy left over, we're still eating now, 3 weeks on!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a glass jar big enough to contain the popcorn, so instead I found a cheap wash basket at K-mart. Not the most attractive of things, but it did the job! And of course, my popcorn boxes! They were a huge hit, my guests loved the novelty of having actual popcorn boxes. They were proof that it is important to compare prices of a product before purchasing. On Trade Me, the boxes were $9 for a box of 8, while at The Warehouse, they were only $4 for the same amount of the same product! Bargain!

This was all done in a short amount of time, in a fairly small budget. Sure, my buffet didn't look nearly as cute as those in the pictures, but it was still a hit with my guests! So, ladies, take inspiration from others and use it to create something truly unique to your own style and budget, you'll be surprised what you can create!

x Tara