Deborah Lippmann - Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

I know it's a bit late but this is the polish I wore for Christmas. 

This is Deborah Lippmann - Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree. Quite an appropriate name too!
It is a gorgeous mix of small and large metallic green and red hex glitters suspended in a black jelly base.

This is three coat with a thick coat of Seche Vite. The black jelly base was opaque after only two coats! The only reason I added one more was to make it even more glittery!
There was no glitter placement required either, bonus!

Apologies for the state of my nails. I have to keep them short to stop them continuously breaking at work, but my job totally dries my hands out too! :(
Anyways, I'm sure you'll agree that this is a totally gorgeous polish!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have all had a great day!

I spent my day with my family and younger cousins. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, they are still young so it's a nice thing for them.

To be completely honest, until I arrived at my cousins house, today just felt like any other day. We had to drive from one end of London to the other but it was raining, grey and just generally miserable. Apart from numerous police cars and ambulances, there were no lights, no music and no festiveness. I think it's because I'm getting older too, and being ill has just taken its toll a little :(

I suppose since I was working yesterday as well, I didn't have time to get all that festive. I did try though! I tied a piece of Christmas tree decoration into my hair and some of the customers started calling me Angel haha.

In other news, I made some cupcakes to take with me today:

They were quickly devoured which I'm happy about!

Tomorrow I'm attempting to go to the boxing day sales, wish me luck!

Whatever you did today, I hope you had a lovely day :)

Easy Funfetti Cupcakes

Funfetti!

Who doesn't love a bit of rainbow scattered cupcake eh?

Okay I admit, I'm not a huge cake lover myself. Infact I really *really* do not like eating cake. At all. But I sure do love baking and decorating them though! Weird I know.
So since it was my birthday on Wednesday, I thought I'd make something pretty for everyone else to enjoy.
And here they are! These are my Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting. They are based on my mums Basic Vanilla Cupcake recipe.
It's really simple and I use it all the time as a base for creating all sorts of variations of cupcakes.
All you need is: - 125g Self Raising Flour - 125g Butter (softened) - 125g Caster Sugar - 30ml Milk - 2 Eggs I then added 30g of brightly coloured sprinkles to make them into Funfetti Cupcakes.
The method is so simple and quick to do.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5. Begin by placing the dry ingredients into a bowl.

Then one by one, add in the wet ingredients.

Finally add the sprinkles.

Mix until smooth but still a little runny.

Using an ice cream scoop as a guide, fill the cup cake cases to about 1/3 full. Place into the oven and bake for 10-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave to cool for an hour and make up your frosting of choice. Put it into the piping bag (use a large star nozzle for a swirly finish). Pipe onto the cupcakes starting from the outside.

Finally, throw on some more sprinkles on top of the frosting and enjoy! Ta dah!

17 Today!

Guess what? It's my birthday!! (I'm kind of hoping you figured that out already for the title haha)
I am officially 17! 
Wow, it feels so weird to say that.. I feel like I should suddenly be more "grown-up" and mature because i'm not a child anymore yet I feel no different.

I made Funfetti Cupcakes for everyone :)

So what did I do for my birthday? Go out with my friends? Have a party? Go out for a meal?
Nope. I spent my birthday alone and at the hospital. Fun times, right?! My doctor was even kind enough to gave me a "present"!

Oh well... I suppose I should be used to this by now.
One really nice thing about today though was visiting my old school. I had to go there to collect my exam certificates but I also went to say hello to some of my old teachers and it only really just hit me today how much I miss them. Despite everything, I did actually like it there but I suppose you only realise things like that once they are over.
Anyway, I'm off to work now. At least I'm not stuck at home by myself eh?

But seriously though, thank you SO much to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday - I really do appreciate all your kind words!

I'm Back!

Ah yes you read correctly, I really am back! And for good this time too! I've been away from properly blogging for more than two months now and as much as I really needed the break and although it was slightly forced upon me too (see my last post), I was beginning to miss it a lot. So, as a fresh start I've completely re-designed my blog all by myself! Haha sorry I'm just super proud of myself for doing it all with no help!
Here's a before and after shot:

You may have noticed the tabs under the heading (and yes, you can click on them!) are of six different categories, some of which you haven't seen on the blog before. So why are they there? Well I've mentioned it before, but basically I want this blog to be more of a Lifestyle Blog rather than just a nails one.

Those who know me in real life will know that l LOVE all things creative, including baking, crafting and playing around with clothes and make up. So l thought, why not put that too the blog too! As well as that, I just want to bring a bit more of myself to the blog. More posts about general everyday things (not in a boring diary style, don't worry!) and things that are happening in my life. Most of all though, I just want it to be something I would actually want to read. 
Well one things for sure, I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to blogging!

I'm still here, I promise!

So where have I been? Well, interesting story... Almost a month ago, after an 8-hour stint in A&E, I was admitted to hospital for a week. I then had surgery later that week, was allowed home a few days later and began my recovery, but after being away from school and work and everything else for such a long time I'm gradually getting back to my 'normal' life. (My life if far from normal, hence the inverted commas ahha). Anyways, here are a few pictures:

But I promise I will be back to regular blogging (with an all new look too!) very soon!

The Blog's Having a Makeover!

So… You may have noticed that my posting recently has been a little, well, sporadic to say the least… There are a few reasons for that. Mainly it’s because my laptop really was on its last legs and now won’t even let me access most of my blog materials (i.e. pictures, graphics, editing software, etc…) so I couldn’t really put a post together. The other reasons are because I've been and still am quite ill and am not exactly improving, and also because I'm trying very hard not to fall behind with my education. Oh and I also have a new job too!

Anyway, enough rambling. The point is, this blog is having a makeover!! I'm doing it all myself, and I know what I want it to look like so hopefully by the end of the year it will be all shiny and new. I'm saying the end of the year because I want to broaden my content and be more of a 'lifestyle' blogger, as opposed to just focusing on nails. I've made that decision because nails are not as much of a priority as they once were (I know, shock-horror!) and I would also just like the freedom to post what I like :) I've got a new laptop now but it still isn't fully set up, so regular posting won't happen just jet, sorry!

So keep your eyes peeled, changes are on their way!

OOTD ~ 31/10/13

Pink Glitter Gradient for Breast Cancer Campaign

As it is almost the end of October, I thought I'd do one last post for  Breast Cancer Campaign, in support of their Wear It Pink day. So here is a pink glitter gradient mani.

I started with a plain white base, then while it was still wet, sprinkled some very fine hot pink glitter at the base of my nails and blew it towards the tips to create a gradient effect. I then painted over it all with Revlon Sparkling and dabbed a little extra at the base to make it a bit more denser. Fairly easy to do!

I wanted to make my nails more pink than white and to use glitter so it would represent the fact that there is hope and with more research, more lives will be saved. Which also happens to be one of the main things Breast Cancer Campaign are working for.

OOTD & FOTD (#wearitpink)

For Breast Cancer Campaign, in support of their Wear It Pink day.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Pink Ribbon

Did you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month? If you didn't, you do now! Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK and it can affect both women and men. It is also the second most common cause of death by cancer, but in the last five years survival rates have significantly improved. This is largely down to research. And research involves funding. So because of that I have teamed up with Breast Cancer Campaign, in support of their Wear It Pink day. Click on the links to find out more.

Also, on a more personal note, breast cancer is something that has been all too common in my family and friends. Most of us (probably all of us really) within our lifetimes will unfortunately be hit with the news that either ourselves or someone we love has cancer and if there is anything that could better the situation, I'm more than willing to help.  

So in order to show my support I have created some simple nail art using O.P.I DS Reflection and a white nail art pen.

O.P.I DS Reflection is a stunning hot pinky coral with a gorgeous scattered holographic particles. Its also a one coater! Application was buttery smooth and it dried beautifully.

To create the ribbons I simple drew them on using a white nail art pen and on my ring finger I drew a large outline over the pink instead and filled the background in.

I decided to keep this one very simple so that it is easy to re-create, should anyone else wish to.

I hope I've inspired you to get involved in any way you can because it really is a great cause, and one that may unfortunately affect almost all of us in one way or another.

Here's a bit about Breast Cancer Campaign:

·          At Breast Cancer Campaign we are a unique community of scientists, supporters and people touched by breast cancer. Together we make Pink Science happen – our pioneering approach to breast cancer research that identifies and funds the research projects with the greatest potential to save and improve lives and, ultimately, to find a cure for breast cancer.

·          In its lifetime the charity has awarded over 360 grants with a total value of over £40 million to universities, medical schools and research institutes across the UK.

·          As of September 2013, the charity currently funds 105 projects worth £18.2 million in over 30 centers of excellence across the UK and Ireland.

·          Last year wear it pink raised a staggering £2.1million to help fund vital research and this year we hope to raise even more!

And here are some Stats and figures:

•       One woman in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime

•       It is estimated that there are 550,000 people living today in the UK that have been diagnosed with breast cancer

•       Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the UK

•       Every year around 12,000 women and 80 men die from breast cancer

•       Breast cancer is the second biggest cause of death from cancer in women

•       Five year survival rates for breast cancer have improved significantly over the last 20 years

•       Over 80 per cent of women diagnosed today will be alive in five years’ time

•       40 years ago, the five year survival rate for breast cancer was around 50 per cent

•       Research has shown that the earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater chance of survival

•       The Breast Cancer Campaign Tissue Bank, the UK’s first ever national breast cancer tissue bank is a unique collaboration with four leading research institutions to create a vital resource of breast cancer tissue for researchers across the UK and Ireland.

This will be the first in a series of posts in support of Breast Cancer Campaign and their Wear It Pink Day.

Olympia Beauty 2013

First of all I'd like to apologise for not posting for such a long time. I've now been at Brit for three whole weeks and I'm really loving it! But that also means I've been putting loads of my energy towards it and so a lot of other things ended up taking a back seat. Also my health hasn't been great either but I am trying really hard not to let it get the better of me... Because of all this I have literally just been exhausted.

But anyway, thats probably not why your reading this, so back to the actual post.

Yesterday I went to Olympia Beauty for the first time ever. I had fairly high expectations, and I'm glad to say it definitely surpassed them! I mainly went so I could mooch around the polish stands and perhaps even pick up some nice new one at much purse friendlier prices and I can safely say it was mission accomplished! ;)

It was actually so good!! Mainly because I was in polish heaven for a while! :P As you have probably worked, I did plenty of shopping!! I ended up not having very long to browse (read on to find out why) but I managed to get my hands on lots of goodies in the short while I did get! You may also notice that I am such a glitter bug and much like a magpie, was draw to mainly glitters! Take a look...

And guess what happened? Well, while I was at the Nubar Stand, I was asked to model for them at the Nailympics. Apparently there had been an issue with their model and they needed someone within the hour. I said yes and so for almost three hours I sat and got my nails done and judged. The technician doing my nails was Shannon Nakamura (from Hawaii, ooh!, and she really was so lovely! I did have to have my long nails cut right down but the whole time she was so sweet and even taught me a thing or two about nails and nail care! The section I was modelling for, was the Acrylic Tip & Overlay round. It was definitely a new experience for me, but I enjoyed it at the same time. I'm not sure what the results were, but as a thank you, she gave me a goodie-bag totally filled with Nubar products! (And some bits from her personal kit too!)

Meet Shannon :)

Oh and I also met up with some other British Bloggers: Lucie of Lucy's Stash, Vic of Glowstars and Dimpal of Crazy Polishes. They were all so nice and I'm glad I got to meet them :)

I am so glad I went because it really was an experience!

ITS MY 1 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY!!!!

Hiii!!!

Guess what?? It was my blogiversary yesterday!!!!!

I seriously cannot believe ONE YEAR has already gone!! I know its a cliche but it genuinely does feel like it was only last week when I set this blog up!! 

I started this blog one year ago, just as a trial to see if I liked blogging. Prior to that I used to read a number of blogs (that number has now turned into hundereds) and always thought I'd love to give it a go. So I did! And that was how The Teenage Shopaholic was created. This was my very first post. Since then, because of my blog, I have been invited to industry exhibitions, been offered products to review, completed challenges, received awards, been in frequent contact with many other bloggers and been featured on online magazines! I've even been offered the chance to be on television! (which by the way, I'll let you know more about soon!)

So here are some stats:

Top 5 most-read blog posts:
1) L'Oréal Color Riche Nail Top Coat Confetti (800+ !)
2) Revlon Scandalous
3) Revlon Girly
4) Barry M Sequin Nail Effect - White
5) Christmas Nails

Top 5 audience countries:
1) United Kingdom
2) United States
3) Germany
4) France
5) Canada

Number of countries visiting my blog: 106
Number of combined (GFC/Bloglovin/Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) followers: 415
Number of pageviews: 20,000+
Number of posts published: 138 
Number of comments: 339

By no means has it been easy, but I think that all adds to the challenge. I've learnt so much and I have such huge respect for all the bloggers out there! I've realised that blogging isn't as easy as it seems and sometimes I want to just blog and blog and other times I can't even look at the screen. I've also found that life does get in the way, but I just have to work around it and go at a pace thats good for me. 

Its been an amazing, interesting, crazy one year and I'm just hoping the next one is even better!

Basically if your reading this right now, I'd just like to say a massive Thank You! Without all of your support and encouragement I may not have stuck at it, but boy am I glad I did!

Love you all <3

Crazy Color - Violette

You may have noticed that my hair looked a bit different in the last four posts compared to when I told you I dyed the ends of my hair purple here. Well basically after just three washes, ALL of that colour had gone. That wasn't really an issue for me since I was getting my hair cut a lot shorter, but if I wasn't I would be giving that dye a big thumbs down! But anyway here is the post explaining what's changed.

So, after my haircut last week, I realised I still wanted funky coloured ends. So I went and bleached a smaller section at the bottom again and repeated the whole process.

This time however, I used a different dye. I used Crazy Color Violette, which is described as an "Electric Purple". After using it, I would say it is actually more of a blue than a violet. Actually I would say it is blue (you'll see why I say that further down). Keep that in mind if you are thinking about trying it.

I bleached about 4 inches and then I applied colour to about 6 inches. I did this so that it would look a bit more gradiented, rather than a stark block of colour at the bottom. Again, like last time, I roughly straightened my hair at each step to ensure a level spread of colour. The consistency was that of the thick cream but it applied easily and spread well. No issues there.

I left it in for about 45 minutes, longer than your supposed to, I know. But I'm glad I did because the strand I washed out at 30 minutes was SO much lighter than the rest. This is the result two says after I washed it for the first time:

I really like it! Definitely going to be keeping colourful ends for a while! When this washes out, what colour do you think I should go for next?

Yes I got lazy with the straightening :P