Bowery Mural

#NOTD OPI I Theadora You

Sunday 31 March 2013

Yes, as you can tell, OPI have again come up with another great quirky name for this polish. This pale, creamy, milky pink polish. This polish is from the recent Oz The Great and Powerful collection.
OPI I Theadora You
This is called I Theadora You after the nice witch (played by Michelle Williams). Is she from the East or the West? I can't remember. The film is pretty decent. James Franco perfect in that role.

Anyway. The polish. This is a great alternative to the bright fuchsia pinks that I've been unusually drawn to recently. It's also less boring than a beige. It feels clean and calming on my fingers.

The formula is nice. Not too thick or thin. However, I found that it did streak a bit and I had to apply 3 coats to be sure you couldn't see my ridges or the nail line. I wore this for 3 days and had no chipping and only a few little signs of wear and tear. (Perhaps because it's quite pale I couldn't see any?). I use OPI Nail Envy as my base coat and no top coat (lazy!) but I'll have to buff my ridges down on next wearing to get that perfected look.


I love this pale pink colour though. It reminds me of Nails Inc South Molton Street or Rimmel Pro French Rose, although i'm not sure if it's a direct dupe. It's pale, creamy looking and elegant. I'd say a good wedding day manicure colour if you don't want very sheer nails. It also reminded me of OPI Pink Friday but quite a bit shearer and less 'bright'.

Overall, I do like it a lot. Nice work OPI.

Angela x

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all pics were taken on iPhone 4S as you can probably tell, they're pretty grainy! oops.

Yellow dress? Red dress? The dress dilemma

Thursday 21 March 2013

I'm having a dress dilemma. For an evening wedding reception I'm going to to. There's no serious panic just now since it's in September. But i like to plan ahead. Plus i've seen two lovely candidates already.

First up is this mustard yellow affair from Zara.
Zara £45.99 - this one is a bit creased
It's a sort of a-line, semi-fitted shape. A right juxtaposition there eh. It has 3/4 length sleeves and shoulder pads. It looks really simple but classic at the same time. Ever since it caught my eye in last Sunday's window shopping wander around Glasgow I couldn't stop thinking about it. I hovered over the Confirm Order button on the Zara website nearly every day last week but resisted since i wasn't sure about the sizing. My previous Zara dress purchase is a strapless black frock with a puffball skirt. Really gorgeous for a wedding a few years back. It's a size XS since i'm tiny up top and have bigger bum and thighs. The puffball skirt allowed me to buy the XS. The shape of this yellow dress meant i'd need a bigger size but i didn't want one that looks too obviously baggy up top.

Sunday saw me in Glasgow again (for my weekly cinema trip) and my first stop was to Zara to try the dress on. There wasn't any size small and only two size medium and an extra large. I grabbed a medium and headed to the dressing room. As soon as I put it on I loved it. The colour suits me to a tee.
Black and gold heel, also Zara £29.99
I looked down, and although the dress is by no means a mini skirt length, it is much shorter than i've worn since I was in my late teens. I may be a bit self conscious wearing it. It might show off more than i'd like. What do you think?


I do so love this dress. And it's a snip at only £45.99. I decided not to do my usual and panic buy. I knew there was still stock on the website. I'd seek advice and sleep on it.

24 hours have passed and I still think about it, but...

I've ordered another one from Topshop website (£48). It's this one... in RED.





My theory for ordering this one was that it looks slightly longer than the yellow one and the material is more fitted which means it's less likely to show off more than I'd like when I sit on a chair or am whisked around the dancefloor by a handsome plus one or fellow wedding guest. Hey! a girl can dream! I'll let you know how it looks on me when it's delivered.

Oh, and I plan on the loveliest pair of sky high nude coloured simple heels. Ideally Loboutin's. Most likely a pair from Dune or something. But you never know... I have a good few months to save up!

So, friends, what's your preference? Which one would you go for? Red or yellow - two of my favourite colours.

Angela x

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M&M... &M &M - The quadruple M theory

Monday 18 March 2013

If you're part of the inner sanctum, you'll probably know that work hasn't exactly been a bundle of laughs for the past year or so. For various reasons that would be unwise to go into on here. Ask me, in person, I'll tell ya.

Anyway. I decided last week that no longer would I be brought down by outside factors (or irritating people). I would make my work become the happy place it so used to be back in the days of the most awesome dream team trio of Me, Linda and Brigitte. We were a great little squad.

I no longer share an office with those two lovely people. That is part of the reason it's lost its sparkle.

Anyway... I digress... or something.
afternoon work snacks help too!
Last week it hit me. I can turn this around. I can stop caring about others and their woes. I can care about the people that actually make it a great place to be. Those mentioned above, some colleagues and the awesome (if at times frustrating) students. Because i actually love the work I do and I love being a vital part of those students lives. I like to think of myself as their big sister. All 500 or so of them under my care.

So I came up with the idea of the quadruple M... The Monday Morning Motivation Meeting. It's proper official like. I've set up the meetings and everything in my outlook calendar. The committee consists of two, Me and Linda. Our inaugural meeting was held this morning and what a difference it makes. We discuss what's to be done for the week, jot them down in various to-do style lists. We don't talk about other negative influence's. We talk about getting things done. We plan, plan and plan some more. We colour coordinate the folders and get organised.

In future meetings we'll talk about how to overcome certain obstacles. Basically how to win at being happier at work. And so far it's a winner. Half an hour at that start of the week. I think that's worth the time.

Angela x

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Teeth Brace: Month 1

Saturday 16 March 2013

It's been just over one month since I had my brace fitted. It's gone quickly, just another 23 months to go. It won't be long going in, will it?

On the day i had my brace fitted I was nervous and excited and apprehensive all in one. I had the day off work and met my sister and two nephews in town. They went to McDonalds. I didn't eat or drink. I didn't want to but also i wasn't allowed to for a few hours. Time to let the brace settle. It felt weird having this contraption in my mouth. I spoke with an impediment. It would take some getting used to. The boys weren't phased by my new metal mouth. That's lucky because I think Ryan may need one when he's a bit older and i want him to know that it's fine to wear a brace, if his really cool auntie can wear one then anyone can ;)

Anyway, I waited for this tooth ache to come along. I was sure it would hit me when I was midway through that evenings episode of Emmerdale Farm. It never arrived. Emmerdale was good though. It was strange. The only thing I was feeling was slightly uncomfortable but not through pain, through the fact that there is this thing attached to my teeth. More of an awareness of something being there, rather than anything painful.

For days I ate soup. Lentil soup. Vegetable soup. Broth. Chicken. Moroccan chicken. Spiced chicken. Chicken. I highly recommend the Covent Garden Coup Co Lentil soup. Spicy, thick and really tasty. A hug in a bowl.

Everything was going smoothly as far as I was concerned. Then I went to spin class. I was in the middle of a tricky hill section and needed a drink so went to take a sig from my bottle and OUCH. I have a Camelbak bottle with a bite valve on it. You need to bite the rubber valve to open it and suck the water out. Biting was a problem. You see with me eating mushy Weetabix for breakfast and my soups for lunch and dinner, I hadn't bitten anything for days. Until now, and ouch! I realised that my teeth were very sensitive to bite down on anything. It wasn't until seven days later I was able to bite using my canine teeth. Definitely not the front teeth, and only biting into something relatively soft.

Once I'd mastered that biting and chewing technique I was fine for a few more days. As the weeks have passed my teeth have become less sensitive. I've had no real aches in my gums. There are certain teeth that are more sensitive on different days. It started on the right hand side and has slowly moved around to my left hand side. I think that must be the teeth moving process in full effect though.

What i have been getting is sores on the insides of my cheeks. Again only on certain days, and mostly on the right had side cheek. There's a wire sticking out on the back tooth so i think i'll get her to trim that when I have my next orthodontic appointment.

I'm obsessed with my teeth brushing routine now. It takes a good 10 minutes so if i'm going anywhere i have to allow for that time to brush my teeth. I started with my small headed toothbrush and brush the teeth above the brace, angling the brush downwards to get behind the metal. I then brush below the metal and brackets. All the while using small circular motions. The back teeth are a bit more tricky. I already have an overcrowded mouth, now with the metal brace it means i have to really angel the brush to get in there. Next i brush the backs of my teeth. I can be pretty hard here as there's no metal, just a bit of sensitivity. I then take my little wire Tandex tapered brush, put a small amount of toothpaste on it and brush between each bracket behind the wires using an up and down motion. Just making sure to get between the teeth. I spend a few minutes on this. Finally i brush my bottom teeth as I normally would using my electric toothbrush. I can't use the electric toothbrush on the brace just incase it damages it. After all that i'm done. It sounds a bit of a palaver but I just want to make sure my teeth are clean. They may not be the whitest teeth but i want to keep them clean as the metal of the brace can make them look dark.

I've made up a little toiletry bag (see below) that I carry with me so i have two of everything, small headed toothbrush, little Tandex tapered brush, mini toothpaste (sensodyne pronamel & Colgate Total, floss, silicone brace wax and a mirror. I've used the brace wax a couple of times, mostly on that piece of wire sticking out the back tooth. It covers any sharp edges and helps prevent sores on the insides of my cheeks or the underside of my lips.
Floozie toiletry bag, bought in Debenhams sale for £2.80!

My next orthodontist appointment is 11 April where I think they'll take this wire out and put a new one in and tighten it. At least I think that's what happens.

I keep checking in the mirror to see if i can see a difference yet but with me only being one month into a 24 month treatment i doubt i'll see anything just now. However, I can definitely feel that something's happening.

Anyway, i'll update again next month.

Angela x

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Sharing is caring...

Sunday 10 March 2013

...and what better to share than some of the blogs that have kept me entertained in the past few months.  You might have heard of them, you might not have. Anyway, here they are:

denimblog.
All things denim, and jeans. Celebs wearing jeans. If like me you love your jeans and celebs in said jeans the you'll love this. I love the reviews too. Informative. Except the jeans are quite expensive but handy to know about them.

Sincerely Jules.
I might've mentioned this one before. This is super stylish LA girl Jules who flits from city to city with great outfits and the coolest little knuckle rings. Great.

Barefoot Blonde.
Tales of Amber and her new husband David. Mostly Amber style and beauty stories though. Really nice blog.

Thank FiFi
Brilliant and affordable street on the streets of Glasgow with Wendy Gilmour. Peeks inside hotel rooms, London fashion week snippets and pictures that contain her dog! Great blog.

James Vs Burger
Tales of James and his partners adventures to find great food, mainly burgers, around Glasgow and beyond. My mouth waters every time i read one of his reviews.

You are my wild
You remember my all time favourite blog and blogger ever, Ryan Marshall from Pacing The Panic Room? well he stopped blogging back in July last year (HUGE SAD FACE) but he still Instagram's and give updates on there. But he's also pointed us in the direction of this place, You are my wild. It's a weekly blog of how 14 photographers see their children. Of course Ryan contributes to it. He's a great photographer. It's beautiful. Have a look.

Okay that's enough sharing for now. Hope you enjoy these above and send me some of your favourites. I think I prefer reading blogs to reading books. Ooh that's a big statement eh... I do.

Play safe kids.

Angela x

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Burgers, at Palomino

Thursday 7 March 2013

...not involving horsemeat. I hope!

A few months ago I discovered a blog (via Twitter) called James Vs Burgers. Yes, it's about James eating his way through most of the burger joints in Glasgow, and beyond. I read it and my mouth watered with every page click. I decided that I wanted to try some of these burgers.

It's been a while since I ate a proper nice burger. Any burger really come to think of it. I haven't eaten a fast food burger for about a year. Phew. I decided that I'd take a few day off in March for my birthday and so me and Linda decided we would head to Glasgow for a little day out and go to one of those restaurants selling burgers.

On Monday we headed on the train early to Glasgow. We stopped off at Cafe Wander and had breakfast. A much needed bacon roll and tea. We headed out onto the thankfully quiet streets and wandered about, shopped, wandered some more and shopped. Then it was time for lunch. 

Via James' blog, I had set my sights on The Butchershop Bar and Grill but it's a bit of a way out of the city centre so looked at other places. Next I wanted to go to Cocktails and Burger but that didn't open until 5pm. Then i saw Palomino. The review was pretty good - if you don't count the skinny fries. It was on Bath Street, prefect. We wandered along there about 12.45 and went inside. It's a nice place. Dark furniture with downlights above. We sat in a comfortable booth so we could sprawl out after a morning on our feet. There was only about 4 other people in at this point. That didn't bother us. 

We ordered a drink then set about looking at the menus. It's two courses for £13.95 lunch menu or you can do an express lunch at two courses for £9.95. We opted for this. I chose the sliders (cheese royale burger and pulled pork), Linda chose two cheese royale burgers. With that comes a bowl of skinny fries. (The sliders are £7.50 on their own). The food came around ten minutes later. Nicely presented on an oblong plate with a little silver bowl of skinny fries. The little slider burgers were perfect looking. The brioche buns shining in the low light.
only got one picture. pulled pork on left, cheese royale on right.
I tucked into the pulled pork in BBQ sauce. Wowsers it was tasty. I got it without the grilled pineapple. It was sweet along with the bun but not like dessert sweet, just BBQ sweet. Tasty stringy pulled pork like I've never had before. Yum. I savoured that for a minute then ate some fries. Next I tucked into my cheese royale. This too was tasty, although I'd have preferred more runny cheese. The burger was really juicy, I squeezed it to test it. There was pancetta ham on top too which added to it. I had to cut both burgers in half as i find it hard to bite into anything just now with my brace but i coped well with the halves of these little sliders. I finished off the fries too. The were quite salty, which is good because I like salty fries. But they were just fries, nothing more. 

In between times we were being asked if we wanted more drinks. We didn't. And do you want to know why? Because what they served as drinks was a 200ml mini glass bottle of Coca Cola. And guess how much that was, for one bottle? £2.50... Yes. Two Pounds and Fifty Pence for a 200ml bottle of Coke. In the end, 2 drinks cost me the same amount as half of the food I ate. A FIVER!!! Oh my God! Now come on good people of Palomino. You could at least serve the decent sized bottles of Cola. Or a can. Even a can of Coke for £1.50. It's lucky we were in a good mood because as Linda pointed out we could've got 3 cans of Coke for £1 from the Poundshop just down the road.

For dessert we had sticky toffee pudding. It was nice. I'd say the square slice was a bit too big but it's fine, i left some. Luckily we weren't being hassled to get out as it was Monday lunchtime and the place was near empty, but the lovely waitress kept asking if we wanted more drinks. There comes a point you just have to get up and move.

We'd had nice food and a great chat and I would go back. Next time i might have the full sized pulled pork, it was that nice.

Angela x
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#NOTD OPI The Colour of Minnie

Tuesday 5 March 2013

As you know, red is one of my favourite colours. Before 2010 I would always have considered red nails to be 'tarty'. How very old fashioned of me! (Cringe).

But look at this... This luscious candy cane red is OPI The Colour of Minnie from the Vintage Minnie Mouse collection that was released in summer 2012. I bought this from my usual eBay shop last year along with I'm All Ears from the same collection.

I really love this red. It's shimmery and not at all glittery. It is enough to brighten up any outfit and as a classic red it goes with most outfits. The consistency is not too thick nor is it too thin. The wide OPI helps the polish glide on. Two coats are best. I use OPI nail envy matte as a base coat these days as my nails really quite dry and ridged and that seems to be the only thing to help them out these days.

But back to the colour. Look at it. You could just pop it in your mouth, BUT DON'T!! It's my go to red shimmery polish at the moment. I always find myself drifting back to this one. I wouldn't say it's a dupe but it's pretty close to Chanel Rouge Karat that I have too. Except this is more shimmery. Rouge Karat has tiny golden shimmer running through it and is less candy-cane-esque. So actually probably not a dupe at all.
you can see the shimmer better here
Overall a really nice red shimmer polish.

Angela x

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