Pretty Clever

Your daily dose of pretty: Jeffrey Campbell El Carmen shoes

2012-01-15T01:02:00.000+13:00

Sometimes - just sometimes - it's a good thing when something you really want is sold out. Trust me on this, it is.

Like for instance right now, when the credit card is maxed-out post-Christmas and the bank is dragging its heels over loaning money for the renovations and I'm browsing my newest shoe site find and lusting after all the pretty shoes and then I find The Awesomest Shoes Ever and they're on sale and OMG I really must have them even though they're completely impractical and I'd probably never wear them because what would I wear them with seriously but look at them they are so beautiful they're almost art and THEY'RE SOLD OUT!

Look at them. Are they not the most ridiculously gorgeous things you have ever set eyes upon? And if they hadn't been sold out it would have taken several strong men to wrestle the credit card off me because I would quite happily hand over US$99.95 for the Jeffrey Campbell El Carmens quicker than you can say "have you noticed the hole in the toilet floor has gotten bigger".

They do come in other colourways though, which I'm also quite partial to.

Have you noticed the hole in the toilet floor has gotten bigger?

Your daily dose of pretty: Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:00:00.000+13:00

Merry Christmas my pretties!

This is what I should be wearing on my feet today:

Or perhaps in red?:

Or, I could go all Helena Bonham-Carter on it and wear one red one and one green one. Because if there's one day you can get away with ridiculous sparkliness surely that day is Christmas Day?

The Red or Dead Shirley shoes in green or red are £65 from Schuh. And they also come in silver.

Whatever you wear on your feet, I hope that your Christmas is full of prettiness. And joy. And shoes.

Selina xx

Your daily dose of pretty: Colour Block Bag by Novo

2011-12-24T11:00:00.000+13:00

It's a good thing I didn't go into the Novo store at St Lukes when I was Christmas shopping two nights ago. If I had spotted this bag the kids would be getting a couple less presents each!

Colour blocking is everywhere at the moment. In fact the term is getting a bit overused if you ask me - I saw a plain blue scarf advertised as "colour blocked" the other day. I mean seriously? A blue scarf isn't color blocked, it's Just A Blue Scarf! Anyway, I digress. Orange and pink is one of my favourite clashing colourways, and it works really well in this cute wee across body bag, AU$49.95 online from Novo Australia, or a list of Novo stores can be found here.

Your daily dose of pretty: Ingrid Bra from Freya

2011-12-23T08:08:00.000+13:00

Remember the other day how I found that gorgeous bird print bra from New Look, and I was lamenting the fact that it only comes in B and C cup sizes? Well looky-look what I found!:

Here's a closeup of the print:

I love the pretty lilac edging. And being from Freya the Ingrid Plunge Balcony Bra fits D to GG cup sizes. I'll have one thanks!

Stockist information for Freya can be found here.

Your daily dose of pretty: Bardot Polka Dot High Heels by Red or Dead

2011-12-21T10:32:00.002+13:00

So I was watching E! Fashion Police the other day, and they declared that the platform is dead. Apparently nobody is wearing them on the red carpet any more. Nobody!

To which I reply:

Obviously nobody has told the shops, because platform shoes are alive and well in their hundreds. Thank goodness - because I love me a good platform (which I think you already know). Aside from looking so damn good, they're just so much more comfortable on the balls of your feet.

What about you my pretties? Is the platform dead to you? Or will you continue to wear them in direct defiance of E!'s Fashion Police? If you're feeling defiant the Red or Dead Bardot Polka Dot Platform Heel is £70 from Schuh.

Your daily dose of pretty: Fly Away Bra from New Look

2011-12-20T23:35:00.001+13:00

If (like me) you have big boobs you might want to look away now. Because this pretty only comes in B and C cups:

Isn't that print gorgeous? The Fly Away Padded Balconette Bra is £11.99 from New Look and comes in sizes 32 B-C, 34 B-C and 36B.

And there are matching knickers (or "Brazilian Briefs" even) too, for £5.99.

I do kind of wish I hadn't seen the bra though, because I really want it!

Your daily dose of pretty: Betty Knit Dress from Fever London

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000+13:00

One shop I didn't get to check out on our trip to England last year was Fever London. I did see a couple of their dresses in a boutique in Leamington Spa when I met up with the gorgeous Lauren of The Zombie Wears Vintage and they really are stunning.

Next year Eccentric English Boyfriend and I are planning another trip to England, so you can bet Fever will be on my Must See (and Buy All the Stuff) List. And this dress will be one of the ones to try on if it's still in stock:

Cute, huh? There are two other colourways in the Betty Dress (pink/blue and black/camel) but this red/white/blue colourway known as Bardot is my favourite. It's crying out for a beret and a baguette and a gorgeous frenchman. Or maybe just the gorgeous Frenchman. I don't want to be too demanding.

The Betty Dress in Bardot colourway is currently £49.99 on sale from Fever London.

Your daily dose of pretty: Sour Cherry Vintage Tea Cup Earrings

2011-12-18T11:00:00.000+13:00

Aren't these earrings the cutest wee things?:

I love how cartoony they look. The Tea Cup Earrings are £4.95 from Sour Cherry on Amazon, who also sell this necklace:

Which I have to have. Seriously. Because it's awesome. (Warning Necklace is £6.95 from Sour Cherry on Amazon. Buy it for me. You know you want to.)

Your daily dose of pretty: Crayon Rings by OhMyLuckyStar on Etsy

2011-12-17T11:00:00.000+13:00

You know what's even better than pretty jewellery? Pretty jewellery that you can draw pictures with!

Yes folks, that really is jewellery made from crayons. How awesome is that?

Crayon rings from OhMyLuckyStar on Etsy come in sizes from kids to adults and would make perfect Christmas gifts if you're after something a little different. The 8 pack pictured above is US$40.00.

Your daily dose of pretty: Black & White Roses Earrings from Rubi's Art N'More on Etsy

2011-12-16T11:00:00.000+13:00

I love the monochromatic drama of these handmade rose earrings:

Measuring approximately 3/4", the Black & White Rose Earrings are US$10.00 from Rubi's Art N'More on Etsy.

Your daily dose of pretty: Starry Starry Night Pendant from Kaelin Design

2011-12-15T14:44:00.000+13:00

Did you know there is a type of stone called "Druzy"? I'm not making this up, it's an actual thing. Here's a description of how it is formed from the Kaelin Designs website:

"Druzy stones [...] are the result of a stone cooling more quickly on the outside than the inside when it is formed from its near molten state. Nearly every stone that exists has the potential to have a small section of "druse", or "druzy" in its matrix. Many druzy stones are naturally colored due to the inherent qualities of the stone [...]. Occasionally, however, the stone in question, while having excellent druzy crystal structure, lacks the beautiful colors that appeal to many people. In this case, a stone artisan will take the cabochon and a piece of metal such as titanium, gold, or platinum and vaporize the metal which will permanently deposit itself onto the surface of the stone. When using a metal like titanium, the stone artist can control the resulting coloration by the type and amperage of electrical current he uses to vaporize the metal. Some of the variations possible in titanium include blue, purple, gold, green, and every combination in between."

All of which makes for something quite pretty:

Can you imagine the conversation? "What's that stone?" "It's a Druzy." "Yes it is, but what type of stone is it?" Hours of entertainment.

The Starry Starry Night Pendant is US$85.00 from Kaelin Designs.

Your daily dose of pretty: SunnyGirl at Freez Padlock Dress

2011-12-14T11:00:00.000+13:00

Not only does this dress look like a lovely flirty style for hot summer days, what appeared at first sight to be a geometric pattern of some sort is actually padlocks:

Too cute. I'm sure there's a joke about locks or keys in there somewhere. It's late at night and I can't think of one. If you come with one let me know in the comments!

The Padlock Dress by Sunnygirl at Freez is AU$39.00.

Your daily dose of pretty: Dorothy Perkins Blue Bird Ruched Waist Dress

2011-12-13T11:00:00.001+13:00

Y'know, I never used to like bird prints on clothes. Or on anything for that matter. Birds belonged in they sky and neither they, nor their poop, should be on my clothes. Then along came those Miu Miu shoes with birds on them*, I fell head over heels in love and suddenly I find myself quite partial to a bird print. I still don't like bird poop though. Which is probably a good thing.

I love the colours in the print on this Dorothy Perkins dress; and the ruching and pleating at the waist. The Blue Bird Ruched Waist Dress is £30.00.

* "Which Miu Miu shoes?", I hear you say. Would you like to see a photo of them? Oh go on then:

Did you hear that? That was the sound of me swooning. These are my dream shoes. And one day they will be mine. Somehow. When I have a spare £368.49 which is what they currently cost on Net-A-Porter. Anybody in need of a kidney?

Your daily dose of pretty: Christmas socks!

2011-12-12T07:55:00.001+13:00

Christmas sweaters are a crime against all that is good and fashionable. Christmas socks can be pretty tacky too, but these ones I would wear:

Cute, huh? I'd wear these. Although I should point out that I have been known to wear Christmas earrings. Only on Christmas Day mind. And I've never worn a Christmas sweater. Ever!

The Roll Top Christmas Striped Socks are £16.00 from Tabio.

Your daily dose of pretty: Sterling Blue Vintage Reproduction Dress from Red Dress Shoppe

2011-12-11T11:00:00.000+13:00

I kind of wish I had some swanky Christmas parties to go to just so I could justify ordering this gorgeous dress.

That colour! It's not a colour you see very often and it is gorgeous. Plus that beautiful fitted waist, gathered bust and full floaty skirt - this is like my dream dress. In fact if Eccentric English Boyfriend were ever to ask me to marry him I'd want this as my wedding dress. (I've done the white wedding once, this is perfect for a second marriage!) I'm pretty sure he won't see me wanting a dress as a good enough reason for marriage though.

The Sterling Blue Vintage Reproduction Dress is US$78.00 from Red Dress Shoppe.

Your daily dose of pretty: Lipstik Zinga from Hannahs

2011-12-10T15:48:00.001+13:00

I spotted these in Hannahs today during a quick trip to the mall, and being me I had to stop and fondle them. If it weren't for pre-Christmas budget limitations I would have walked out with them too.

Coral is a colour that pops up every summer and while I wouldn't choose clothing items in coral because it just doesn't suit me I absolutely love it in these shoes. These are in a gorgeous tactile suede, and they also come in a stunning royal blue which I love almost as much and a go-with-everything nude. Unfortunately there are no photos of either of those colours on the Hannahs website so you'll just have to pop into a store to see for yourself.

The Lipstik Zinga is $99.95 from Hannahs stores nationwide.

Your daily dose of pretty: Bella by Kurt Geiger

2011-12-09T13:30:00.001+13:00

As a rule I try to keep the products I showcase here within a price range that I wouldn't baulk at paying myself. In other words the cheaper end of the spectrum. But sometimes I see something that's too gorgeous not to show you.

See?

You're probably all well aware that a mary jane stiletto-heeled platformed shoe with a bow is bound to have me excited, but what does it for me with this shoe is that stunning colour combination. Seriously, I came over all swoony - a bit like all those times I watched Bridget Jones' Diary just for Colin Firth.

The Bella by Kurt Geiger is £140.00. Which means I have about as much chance of owning a pair as I do snogging Colin Firth*. Just don't make me choose.

* Apologies to Eccentric English Boyfriend. Who, in my defence, is well aware of my feelings about Colin Firth.

Your daily dose of pretty: Ella Balconette Bra by Curvy Kate

2011-12-08T11:00:00.000+13:00

You've got to love a lingerie site which specialises in bras for bigger cup sizes and has the slogan "Big Bras at Small Prices". A quick browse through the offerings at brastop.com revealed a wide range of gorgeous lingerie for those of us with boobs in a D cup and above.

This bra caught my eye because I just love the bright colours used in the embroidery detail:

Curvy Kate Ella Balconette Bra £16.95, available in 28"-38", DD-H cups.

And because matching knickers are a must:

Curvy Kate Ella Thong £6.95.

Your daily dose of pretty: Sweetheart Shoes by Miss L Fire

2011-12-07T09:22:00.001+13:00

These shoes are a lovely example of how to do white shoes without them looking wedding-ish or (shudder) 80s-ish. The combination of red stitching, chunky heel, ribbon and heart detailing and mary jane style - they're pretty much designed especially for me as far as I can tell.

The Sweetheart Shoes by Miss L Fire are currently reduced from £89.99 to £65.00 on Dolly Dagger.

Your daily dose of pretty: Wiggle Dress by Pixie Pocket

2011-12-05T21:53:00.001+13:00

I spend a lot of time sighing over reproduction vintage dresses I see in online stores. Occasionally I cave in and buy them too, but not as often as I'd like because international postage to New Zealand makes them just that little bit more expensive.

But this dress. This dress is from a New Zealand store. I may have just died of happiness. And Eccentric English Boyfriend may have just made a frenzied dash to hide the credit card.

The Black and White Striped Wiggle Dress is a very reasonable NZ$95.00 from Pixie Pocket on Felt.co.nz, and it's not the only gorgeous dress in their store. Now where did EEB hide that credit card?

Your daily dose of pretty: Big Knickers from Knickerocker

2011-12-04T14:48:00.001+13:00

Browsing through an Etsy seller's lingerie listings, a section entitled "Big Knickers" may not seem particularly tempting - inspiring as it does thoughts of skin-toned granny knickers in practical cotton knits.

Knickerocker's Big Knickers are anything but granny. Their clever use of fabric and colour has resulted in a range of fun, quirky and cute knickers with something to tempt almost everyone. Including your granny.

Bright colours, lace and picot trim, and polka dots in the High Waisted Pink Polka Dot Panties (US$25.00):

Cute daisy print panel front and back in the Daisy Print Panelled Retro Knickers (US$25.00):

Nautical theme and colourway and a cute mix of prints in the Nautical Sailor High Rise Panties (US$24.00):

And my personal favourite, the Retro Style Floral Panties (US$20.00). I love the tropical print and colourway - that vibrant blue is one of my favourite colours:

So what about you my pretties? Would you buy Big Knickers? Would your granny?

Your daily dose of pretty: Vintage Telephone earrings from Art Divine

2011-07-19T11:59:00.000+12:00

I'm old enough to remember having a dial telephone as a child. These new-fangled push button whatsits didn't come in until I was a teenager, and they were almost as exciting as video players.

Our dial telephone was a particularly nasty shade of pond scum green. I would have much preferred a red one.

I'll settle for the earrings though. Because I'm good like that. The Vintage Telephone earrings by New Zealand designer Art Divine are NZ$38.50 on toggle.co.nz.

Your daily dose of pretty: Water Balloons tshirt from Threadless

2011-07-18T10:00:00.014+12:00

I love the print on this tshirt from Threadless, even if my brain is screaming "what's keeping those balloons up in the air?".

I'm going to pretend I know nothing about the laws of physics. Which actually is not entirely untrue - Physics was never my strongest subject at school. Here's a close-up of the design:

It's currently on sale on Threadless too (US$10 for the girlie tee, and US$15 for the girlie boat neck tee), so laws of physics be damned!

Your daily dose of pretty: Pink & Blue Flowers lingerie from Purrfect Pineapples

2011-07-17T10:00:00.001+12:00

Purrfect Pineapples not only produce gorgeous hand-made lingerie, they are also cruelty-free. Which is all the more temptation to buy. As if I needed any more temptation - I'm head over heels for this gorgeous Pink and Blue Flowers limited edition set:

Flirtatious, pretty, frilly, completely impractical. What more could a girl want? Well, aside from a raise in her allowance so she can buy it?

Prices for the items (in Canadian dollars): Corset (custom made) $250, Soft Cup Bra $85, Garter Belt $64.

Your daily dose of pretty: Grace dress from Hubba Hubba Vintage

2011-07-16T13:55:00.001+12:00

Sometimes I wish I'd lived in an era when a woman's wardrobe contained "occasion" dresses. House dresses and cocktail dresses and formal day dresses. Especially "formal day dresses" - there's something about that I really like the sound of.

Here's a lovely formal day dress from Hubba Hubba vintage - who do some gorgeous repro stuff.

What I love about this dress is that up close you can see the fabric has a tiny spot print.

So pretty. And that belted waist and full skirt is to die for.

The Grace dress is £150 from Hubba Hubba Vintage.

Your daily dose of pretty: Pleaser Emily Mary Jane from endless.com

2011-07-15T18:59:00.005+12:00

15 Year Old Daughter has been a vegetarian since she was 10 years old. Her commitment to vegetarianism has only increased with time, and her beliefs now extend to her choices in clothing. Wherever possible she avoids leather, so it's really nice to visit endless.com and see that along with the standard search terms such as "boots" or "pumps" they also offer the ability to search for vegetarian shoes.

In a rush of blood to the head I left 15YO with the search results open on my laptop and told her to pick a pair for me to post about. Which she did, but now of course I have to endure the "I really love those shoes they're so pretty please can I have them pretty please mummy dearest who I love very much" face.

Admittedly they are really cute, and since 15YO and I have the same size feet I could always borrow them. Which is not a justification for buying them.

The Pleaser Emily Mary Jane is US$64.95 from endless.com.

Your daily dose of pretty: Showgirl Antoinette Corset from What Katie Did

2011-07-14T10:28:00.001+12:00

Hello my pretties! I have been remiss - I promised you a month ago that I'd be back to regular blogging, and, well, that was a month ago. Sorry.

Anyway, I'm in a sexy underwear kind of mood at the moment. A trip to the mall yesterday with the singular intention of visiting the Chinese massage place saw me come home with two sets of pretty underwear. Which were on sale, so obviously I can be forgiven. Eccentric English Boyfriend might not agree but he's been away in China for the last month.

One lingerie item I would really love in my wardrobe is a corset. And What Katie Did have some beautiful examples, including this one:

This is a corset designed to be shown off - inside or outside the bedroom! At £189.50 it's not cheap, but then you should expect to pay more for a good quality corset.

The Showgirl Antoinette Corset is available at What Katie Did.

Your daily dose of pretty: Miss KG Minnie Bow Front Platform shoes from asos

2011-06-08T11:30:00.000+12:00

According to the latest email from asos "The brightly coloured stiletto heel is back". I wasn't aware it had ever gone away. I mean why would you want something this gorgeous to go away?

That bow! They had me at red platform stiletto anyway, that bow is just the very pretty icing on a very very pretty cake!

The Minnie Bow Front Platform Court by Miss KG is £80.00 from asos.

Your daily dose of pretty: Red Poppy peplum top from Dorothy Perkins

2011-06-07T14:02:00.000+12:00

The Cold That Ate Manhatten is fading gradually. But I'm still defying winter by browsing pretty floral summery styles. I love the oversized poppy print on this top from Dorothy Perkins:

Gorgeous. The Red Poppy peplum top is £18.00 from Dorothy Perkins.

Your daily dose of pretty: Symphony for a Mermaid t-shirt from La Fraise

2011-06-06T12:50:00.000+12:00

I'm still in the throes of The Cold That Ate Manhatten, so today's post is going to be short on words because my head hurts and is possibly about to explode. Plus I think I have a fever and my grip on reality may or may not be slightly tenuous. Does anybody else see the goblin in the corner?

So: t-shirt; mermaid; pretty:

The Symphony for a Mermaid t-shirt is €23 from La Fraise.

I'm going to go to sleep now, wake me if the goblin does anything suspicious, kthxbai.

Your daily dose of pretty: Betty dress by Natasha Bailie

2011-06-05T22:57:00.000+12:00

Winter has started here in New Zealand. After a warmer than normal May the start of June marked not only the official beginning of winter, but also the beginning of the cold, wet, windy weather. Oh and another head cold for me. So, ummm, yay?

Miserable weather and a miserable cold can mean only one thing - browsing the internet for pretty flowery spring dresses. Of course. And look at this one:

Look at that plunging vee back and that gorgeous oversized bow! The Betty vintage styled dress is £120 from Natasha Bailie, a Singapore-based stockist of vintage clothing who have recently started producing their own range of vintage-styled dresses, of which the Betty is one.

Your daily dose of pretty: Copper Daisy Flower Earrings from Cinnamon Jewellery

2011-06-01T13:08:00.000+12:00

Thanks to 12 Year Old Son (who spends more time watching videos on YouTube about his favourite video games than he spends actually playing the damn games), we've reached our internet cap for the month. Which means we're now reduced to dinosaur age dial-up speeds*. Pictures of pretty things take a very long time to load for me right now. Loading a picture goes something like this:

"Oooh, that thumbnail of a pretty [insert name of pretty thing here] looks lovely, I think I'll click on it to make it bigger." Click. Wait. Wait some more. Look at watch. Wait. Decide to make coffee. Realise we're out of coffee beans. Go to supermarket to get more coffee beans. Return. Grind coffee in ridiculously expensive coffee grinder that Eccentric English Boyfriend bought because he's a total coffee snob. Make coffee in coffee machine that cost considerably less than the ridiculously expensive coffee grinder that Eccentric English Boyfriend bought because he's a total coffee snob. While coffee is brewing check screen. Notice a sliver of picture has loaded. Get excited about apparent progress. Nothing further happens. Get annoyed at self for premature excitement. Drink coffee. Wait. Decide to change cat litter. Regain consciousness. Check watch. Considerable time has passed. Make mental note to change cats' diet. Check screen. Picture has loaded. And here it is:

Aren't they gorgeous? Totally worth the wait. The Copper Daisy Flower Earrings are £15.00 from Cinnamon Jewellery on Folksy.

And now I'm going to click "Publish" and make lunch while this post uploads. I'll probably have time to grow my own vegetables for the salad.

* Yes I realise they didn't have dial-up in the dinosaur age. I'm pretty certain they still had faster internet than what we currently have though.

Your daily dose of pretty: Marks & Spencer Limited Collection High Heel Bow Platform Shoes

2011-05-31T13:00:00.011+12:00

I have a very long list of English shops which I would love to transplant to New Zealand. High on that list is M&S, and not just because their 5-pack cotton briefs are the best knickers ever. Although maybe not the sexiest.

One thing that surprised me about M&S was their shoe range - I didn't expect them to produce pretty shoes like these:

Bow and polka dots and platform oh my.

The Limited Collection High Heel Bow Platform Shoes are £29.50 from M&S, whose delivery charge to New Zealand is at the higher end of the spectrum at £15. Never mind, they'll have a whole variety of new summer shoes in when we go over next year. Also, did I mention we're going to England next year? Is it too early to be getting excited?

Your daily dose of pretty: Victorian Framed Rose Hips Necklace from Fable and Fury

2011-05-30T21:25:00.000+12:00

When I was little I thought rosehips and roses were two different plants. Mind you I also thought toadstools were actual toads' stools, so my gardening knowledge was hardly to be relied upon.

Now that I'm older and slightly more knowledgeable about gardening (only slightly, my dead plants outnumber the ones that have managed to stay alive), I appreciate rosehips because they're pretty. As is this necklace:

The Victorian Frame Rose Hips and Leaves silhouette necklace is made from silver satin stainless steel and is US$26.00 from FableAndFury on Etsy. It's also available in black or red stainless steel.

Some changes at Pretty Clever

2011-05-29T18:23:00.000+12:00

Hello my pretties. You may have noticed that my posting at Pretty Clever over the last few months has been a bit sporadic, for one reason and another. During this time I've been mulling over the direction I want to take Pretty Clever in. When I first started Pretty Clever over two years ago my intention was to write a makeup and nail polish blog, but of its own accord (yes, my blog is sentient) Pretty Clever seemed to take itself more and more in the direction of being a blog about pretty things in fashion. And so I started to feel that posts about makeup didn't quite gel with the feeling of this blog.

Well in the serendipitious way that these things have of happening, Joanna from Pretty Pretty Pretty approached me and asked me to write for them. Now I've been reading Pretty Pretty Pretty since about the same time I started writing Pretty Clever. It's a New Zealand-based beauty blog that I love, and I've been lucky enough to become friends with a couple of the writers there, so writing for them seems like a great fit.

So what that means is, Pretty Clever will continue, and will be the place I blog about shoes and dresses and jewellery and all other things pretty in fashion - and hopefully the Daily Dose of Pretty will actually go back to being, you know, daily! Meanwhile, if you want to read about my nail polish and makeup adventures, join me and the other gorgeous ladies at Pretty Pretty Pretty.

Selina xx

Your daily dose of pretty: ASOS PREMIUM Pleat Shoulder Dress With Full Skirt

2011-04-05T22:29:00.000+12:00

I'm couch-bound and slowly disappearing behind a mountain of wadded up tissues today my pretties, because I have a cold. If I had the energy to do anything other than reach pitifully for another tissue I'd be roundly cursing the universe for giving me this cold so soon after the last one. Obviously someone somewhere thinks I enjoy sneezing and sniffing and coughing. Great. Thanks.

Anyway, luckily for you the pretties don't have to stop because the always gorgeous and delightful Amber over at Fashion Police has posted a dress which I am utterly in love with, and I'm sure she won't mind me sharing it with you. The link that is, not the actual dress because that would cost an awful lot in postage.

The colour above is called Deep Peacock, which is gorgeous. I am also in love with the version in black - so much so that I would dearly love to buy both:

I just love the slash neckline and fitted waist. I find myself wondering if I could get away with buying both and claiming some sort of fever-related amnesia.

The ASOS PREMIUM Pleat Shoulder Dress With Full Skirt is £50.00.

Your daily dose of pretty: Brighton Belle Polka Dot Swing Dress from Dollydagger

2011-04-02T14:28:00.000+13:00

There is a particular sound I make whenever I see a new pretty, that sounds something like "heep", said in a squeaky voice. It is also the same sound I make when I see cute puppy pictures.

This is not a puppy:

Ok so it's not the first retro-style swing dress I've shown you. It won't be the last either. But it has a bow people, which increases its awesomeness by eleventy-twelve percent*.

The Brighton Belle Polka Dot Swing Dress is £79.00 from Dollydagger, and also comes in blue and black.

* I totally used my calculator to work that out.

Your daily dose of pretty: Dark Jade Asian Style Floral Earrings by theshagbag on Etsy

2011-04-01T22:46:00.001+13:00

I love the gorgeous embossed floral design on these earrings:

US$9.95 from theshagbag (oh how I would love to know the origins of that shop name!) on Etsy, where you can find a range of earrings and cuffs in different colours with Asian and floral inspired designs. I'll have one of each please!

Your daily dose of pretty: Picadilly boots from Shoesales.com.au

2011-03-31T21:19:00.000+13:00

These are a gorgeous example of what we call, in our most ladylike manner, F**k Me Boots.

A little bit goth, a little bit rock chick and a whole lot Woah Mama! I really wish my legs were a bit longer, but it's a sad fact that when you're five foot tall knee-high boots are more like coochie-high boots!

The Picadilly Boots are AU$258.00 from Shoesales.com.au.

Your daily dose of pretty: Hopeless Lingerie

2011-03-30T22:15:00.000+13:00

I discovered Hopeless Lingerie the other day, and I am hopelessly in love.

Do you see what I did there? With the play on words? Clever, huh? Very writer-ry ... writer-ish ... writer-ous ... Clever, huh?

The Babette Camisole made from pale pink modal jersey looks so soft and touchable, along with being pretty.

And how about these cute and sexy Janet Garter Suspender Knickers to go with it?

The camisole is US$60.00 and the knickers are US$48.00 from Hopeless Lingerie.

Your daily dose of pretty: Connect the Dots dress from Bettie Page

2011-03-29T13:35:00.001+13:00

Va-va-voom is a phrase I use a lot to describe the dresses I'm drawn to, and it's possibly never been more apt than with this dress:

Va.

Va.

VOOM!

What else can I say? Figure-hugging. Flattering. Want. With renovations on our house now in the Council-Approved-Waiting-For-Quotes stage I have been on a very serious no-buy (which I've by and large managed to stick to), but I've also just come into a wee bit of money and I'm very seriously tempted to treat myself to this baby. What say you, my pretties? Should I do it?

The Connect the Dots dress in grey is US$88.00 from Bettie Page Clothing, and is also available in green.

Today's nail: Nubar Knight's Armor

2011-02-06T22:52:00.001+13:00

You've probably noticed a lack of nail polish posts lately. My nails are in terrible condition at the moment, for a variety of reasons, so while I grow the damage out I'm keeping them nubbin length which I don't think is particularly photogenic. But I've decided to expose my nubbins to the world today because look:

Black jelly base jam-packed full of chunky silver glitter - this is the glory of Nubar Knight's Armor. I love it! The jelly base is relatively sheer, and I used three coats to get to opaque, but there is so much glitter in there that it almost provides the opaqueness on its own!

Of course being full of glitter has one drawback - this was a pain in the patootie to remove. But worth it - so very worth it!

Knight's Armor is from last year's Fortress collection, which was based around greys. I love grey and black based polishes, so you know I'm going to be going to great lengths to get the rest of this collection.

I have a few more polishes I'm dying to show you, including some sparkliness from Color Club's Pardon My French collection, so I guess you'll be seeing more of the nubbins soon!

Your daily dose of pretty: Blue & orange twist drop necklace by (SF)2: glass + metal design on Supermarket

2011-02-06T19:18:00.000+13:00

Apologies for being away for the last few days, my pretties. Eccentric English Boyfriend has been stricken with a kidney stone in the last few weeks, and on Wednesday he had an operation to have it removed. Much better out than in, obviously, but I'm a bit bummed that they used a laser to break up the stone because how awesome would it have been if he'd had it removed intact so that I could wear it in a glass vial on a chain around my neck? Don'tcha think? No?

Ok, moving along quickly because on second thoughts kidney stone pendants might never catch on ... here's a pendant made from glass that is lovely and not creepy (also, I'm so unappreciated in my own lifetime):

I love that it looks like a teeny lightbulb.

The blue & orange twist drop necklace is US$25.00 from (SF)2: glass + metal design on Supermarket, although it's currently out of stock.

Your daily dose of pretty: Snow Queen Rose Necklace by Eclectic Eccentricity

2011-01-29T10:00:00.004+13:00

I love the delicacy of this necklace, which is a reproduction carving molded from lucite and based on original rose pendants produced in Japan during the 1940s.

So pretty, and currently on sale for £9.00 down from £15.75 at Eclectic Eccentricity who ship internationally.

Buy pretty, help Queensland

2011-01-28T15:57:00.001+13:00

The relationship between New Zealand and Australia is a bit like the relationship between siblings: we call each other names, make jokes at each other's expense, and steal each other's toys (it's ok Australia, you can keep Russell Crowe); but when one of us is in trouble the other is immediately there to help. And goodness knows after the flooding in Queensland the Aussies could do with all the help we can spare.

One way you can do your bit is by heading over to Etsy and purchasing an item from AusDisasterRelief, a collective of Etsy sellers who have donated items from their own shops for sale. The proceeds from the sales will be donated to The Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal.

I've got my eye on these earrings:

this bracelet:

and these earrings:

Note: while the majority of sellers donating to AusDisasterRelief ship internationally not all do, so it pays to check before making your purchase.

Your daily dose of pretty: 'Bee Mine' pendant by Kettle of Fish on Folksy

2011-01-28T10:00:00.005+13:00

You know what's embarrassing? Getting stung by a wasp when you're trying to show the Nice Exterminator Man where the wasps' nest is that you want exterminated. And no, that didn't happen to me, it happened to Eccentric English Boyfriend. After I said to him "don't flap at them, you'll make them angry". I am nothing if not helpful. In this case helpful from a safe distance, but helpful all the same.

The Nice Exterminator Man later said to me "I thought he was a bit brave, standing that close to the nest.". To which I replied "Brave? Or stupid?". Helpful from a safe distance and sarcastic - I'm your dream girl, aren't I?

Anyway that story was by way of a segue into today's pretty, which has a picture of a bee. Bees are much nicer than wasps, albeit just as sharp at one end.

The lovely little bee picture in the pendant is printed onto vintage linen and then varnished. The 'Bee Mine' pendant is £20.00 from Kettle of Fish on Folksy, and is guaranteed not to sting you or embarrass you in front of Nice Exterminator Men*.

* Note: not actually guaranteed for either of these.

Your daily dose of pretty: Kara shoes by Paris Hilton. Seriously.

2011-01-27T10:00:00.001+13:00

I'm pretty sure I woke in an alternate universe this morning. It is the only possible explanation for a world in which "Paris Hilton" and "classy" are words which can be used in the same sentence.

That said, I'm going to stay in this alternate universe, because look at the shoes it has:

My wardrobe is astonishingly lacking in grey shoes, I have realised. And it's such a lovely alternative to black. These would fill that gap perfectly. And they have pink soles!

PINK SOLES!

The Kara Grey Crystal Satin by Paris Hilton is US$94.99 from Heels.com who ship internationally.

Your daily dose of pretty: Camel Cowl Neck Belted Dress by Miss Selfridge

2011-01-26T18:31:00.000+13:00

I love the soft simplicity of this dress. Although I suspect it's not a colour every skin tone could wear. Certainly I couldn't, without looking like a well dressed sand monster.

The Camel Cowl Neck Belted Dress is £36.00 from Miss Selfridge, who ship internationally.

Your daily dose of pretty: Japanese Fabric Necklace by Freedom Creative

2011-01-10T21:42:00.000+13:00

I love the simplicity of this Japanese Fabric Necklace:

Made from layered bamboo and vintage Japanese kimono fabric, I think this is one of those pieces that is guaranteed to have people asking where you got it from. And you get it from New Zealand designer Freedom Creative for NZ$27.00.

Note: The site lists postage costs within New Zealand, but I had a twitter conversation with the lovely person behind Freedom Creative who assures me international postage is available, just message them for info/cost.

Your daily dose of pretty: Vintage Allure Wiggle Dress

2011-01-09T16:20:00.001+13:00

The problem with having children is that certain word associations become irrevocably changed. For instance, I cannot hear the word 'wiggle' without thinking of, well, The Wiggles. Mention 'wiggle dress' and I'm immediately beset with visions of The Wiggles in dresses. It's all fun and games in my imagination, I tell ya.

Still, if The Wiggles were going to wear dresses they could do worse than this one:

I love the bow detailing at the waist, and that fire engine red. It also comes in black, but not yellow, blue or purple so the other the other three Wiggles are plumb out of luck.

The Wiggle Dress is £69.00 from Vintage Allure.

Your daily dose of pretty: Garden Secrets Platform by Iron Fist

2011-01-08T12:30:00.006+13:00

Ahhh Iron Fist. How much do I love you, let me count the ways.

Well here's Number 1 for a start:

I can never resist ribbon and bow detailing like this on a shoe, plus peep toe, platform, gorgeous heel and that pretty pink and black floral print - I'm having a very hard time not clicking the Buy button on these ones!

The Garden Secrets Platform by Iron Fist is US$49.00 from Heels.com.

Your daily dose of pretty: Frida Dress by Hell Bunny

2011-01-07T22:35:00.000+13:00

Well, the holiday season has been and gone and it was lovely. We spent Christmas with my family in Dunedin, where 15 Year Old Daughter and 11 Year Old Son ran across Tomahawk Beach:

Those dark clouds over the Pacific Ocean even produced a couple of lightning flashes, but I didn't capture them on film!

Santa* cemented his position as The Best Boyfriend Ever by bringing me these from a business trip to China:

Look at them, being all awesome and pink in their awesome pinkness. What makes them even more awesome is that in the embossed logo on the side "Wear" is spelt as "Weear". Awesome, pink and bad spelling! Do Christmas presents get any better?

Actually, yes they do. When they're this:

Image: Kate's Clothing

Although technically this isn't so much a Christmas present. It's more of a post-Christmas "look darling it's on sale and it's so pretty would you buy it for me pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease" present. Isn't it gorgeous? I love the print on the fabric. And did I mention it's on sale at Kate's Clothing at the moment for only £19.99? Although they only have sizes 8 and 10 left - obviously they have customers with excellent taste!

* By Santa I obviously mean Eccentric English Boyfriend. The real Santa isn't my boyfriend, that would just be weird. Because he doesn't exist.

Your daily dose of pretty: Mink Schmink Mint Turquoise Resin Earrings

2010-12-17T23:51:00.000+13:00

The colours in these earrings ...

... remind me of the colours in this picture of an Antarctic ice cave (from one of my favourite blogs, The Big Picture):

Except the earrings can be worn year-round with no danger of melting, or attacks by marauding penguins*.

The Mint Turquoise Resin Earrings are AU$15.00 from Australian site Mink Schmink, who ship internationally.

* I don't think penguins actually maraud. They're probably too busy keeping warm.

And because I love you all, and if you're anything like me right about now you're probably feeling a mite stressed about how it's nearly Christmas and there's still a whole lot of Christmas shopping to do, here's a little Christmas giggle for you from the always brilliant Simon's Cat.

Your daily dose of pretty: Forever 21 Open Toe Heels With Flower

2010-12-16T22:39:00.000+13:00

Alright, I'm here. I've been gone for a while, I know, but things are on the improve and I'm about ready to resume transmission. In order to ease myself back into it, this post will contain just a few words. And they are:

Pink! Pretty! Strappy! Flower! Heel! *dies* That is all.

Well maybe just a couple more words: Bloody. Cheap! Because these babies are only US$18.24 on sale from Forever 21.

Your daily dose of pretty: The Sophisticate Skirt from Red Dress Shoppe

2010-11-17T10:20:00.000+13:00

Since my recent healthy eating has seen my weight going down (at the doctor's today I was 10kg lighter than when they last weighed me, hooray) I've been on a hunt for really sexy pencil skirts, because I now feel brave enough to wear them. So of course this summer sees all the shops stocking floaty maxi skirts or cute wee a-line skirts. Both of which are lovely, just not on me!

The Sopisticate Skirt from Red Dress Shoppe has me very tempted, and I may just put it on my Christmas Wish List. (If you're reading this, Eccentric English Boyfriend, the following skirt is on my Christmas Wish List - please see me for sizing details!):

I'm such a sucker for the whole "Sexy Secretary" look. I love the pleat and bow detail at the waist, and the 'relaxed pencil silhouette' should be nicely forgiving on the wobbly bits! The Sophisticate Skirt is US$49.00 from Red Dress Shoppe.

In other news, I mentioned a couple of days ago that I thought my MS might have flared up, and sure enough I am now having some vision and cognitive problems. I saw my doctor this morning, and we are just waiting to hear back from the Neurology Department at the hospital. Anyway, my wonky eyesight and slightly scrambled thought processes mean it's becoming quite hard for me to focus on the computer screen at times. I will try my hardest to keep up regular posting as much as possible, but if I do disappear for any length of time you'll know why.

Your daily dose of pretty: Greta Square Toe Mary Jane from TopShop

2010-11-15T11:05:00.002+13:00

I've been disappearing on and off lately, and I do apologise. Hot on the heels of the Worstest Cold Ever I developed The Annoyingest Virus Thingey That Made Me Ache All Over And Gave Me A Headache Ever. Which is actually a genuine medical condition. Although I think they just call it a Virus. Anyway, being all run down and tired has resulted in some problems with my eyesight and concentration which I think might be MS related, making it hard to sit at the computer and focus on coming up with posts for you.

However, complaining aside I found these gorgeous shoes on the TopShop website which I just had to share (they're out of stock on the website at the moment, I wonder if the TopShop here in Auckland has them in ...?):

White shoes can be a mite problematic to wear. I've only ever owned two pairs of white shoes - one as a teenager in the 80s and one for my wedding in 1993. And therein lies the problem - white shoes are so often either weddingish or 1980s chic (an oxymoron if ever I heard one). Not these though, the chunky heel and mary jane style of these is more reminiscent of 1960s vintage, which is fine by me. I think they'd look lovely with a geometric patterned shift dress.

How would you style these my pretties? The Greta Square Toe Mary Jane is £60.00 from TopShop.

I hope you'll bear with me over the next few weeks if my posting is a bit sporadic while my eyesight and concentration levels settle. I've got plenty of pretties lined up I want to show you, and since Christmas is only a month and a half away (I know, I know, it frightens me too), I'm planning to start my All I Want For Christmas series again. So stay tuned!

Your daily dose of pretty: look what I bought!

2010-11-09T08:15:00.000+13:00

I took a trip to the local outlet mall in the weekend, with a very definite idea in mind of what I needed: summer trousers.

And I came home with nail polish, shampoo, face masks, paracetamol tablets, ballet flats, a nightie, and a pair of these:

None of which are summer trousers. Obviously. BUT, the shoes were on sale! Down from NZ$100 to NZ$20, how could I possibly say no? I mean just look at the prettiness! And that heel! Who needs trousers when your shoes are this gorgeous?

These are from T.U.K, an American label whose shoes have a serious case of the pretty and quirky. You can find them online at T.U.K., or presumably in an awesome shoe shop near you. In New Zealand they're sold at Wild Pair, although these particular babies are only in their outlet store and if you've got teeny tiny feet you're plum out of luck because I bought the last pair!

Your daily dose of pretty: Soda Pop Dress from ModCloth

2010-10-31T21:30:00.001+13:00

I love this pretty dress. The deeply pleated full skirt is so girly, and the boning in the bodice means that any wobbly bits would be nicely contained. I do suspect though that I'd have to wear a fairly heavy duty strapless bra to keep the girls in check. And possibly avoid raising my arms above shoulder height in case they decided to pop out!

Doesn't it just scream Spring? And the aqua and grey colour combination is a total winner.

The Soda Pop dress is US$74.99 from ModCloth.

Today's nails: Eyeko Vampira Polish

2010-10-31T21:20:00.000+13:00

Today being Halloween, Eyeko's Vampira Polish seemed the perfect choice for my nails. And folks, this one is a stunner - a black jelly base with ruby coloured shimmer that for me is the perfect vampy colour - dark and sexy and glowing from within:

Because these are not my normal nails-plus-bottle swatch shots (I took them in the car this afternoon while waiting for a bunch of teenage girl zombies - true story), here's a bottle shot from the Eyeko site:

The Eyeko bottles are cute, and a huge improvement over their old bottles which were lovely but had stumpy little caps which were so difficult to work with. The only complaint I have about the bottles is that the brush wands are longer than your standard brush wand, making them just a little more difficult to control during application. The formula on Vampira however was a dream to apply, flowing on to the nail nicely. The first coat was super sheer, but by two coats it was pretty much opaque. I ended up doing three coats simply because when I held my hand up to the light I could still see a little visible nail line.

Like many jelly-based glitters the finish on Vampira, although gorgeously glossy, is a bit bumpy looking. This is easily solved with a good top coat though.

All in all I absolutely love this colour. I know there are many others out there of this ilk, notably China Glaze Lubu Heels which I also have, but have yet to wear. I think I'll be trying it soon though!

And finally, a picture of my front door decorated for Halloween. I made the spider web with dental floss - a minty-fresh spider web!

Your daily dose of pretty: Hey, Mr Blue Sky tee by Threadless

2010-10-30T10:00:00.014+13:00

I just love the whimsical illustration on this tee:

Here's a close-up look:

Of course if I was that little girl I would be revealing not a fluffy cloud laden blue sky but shoes. Lots and lots of pretty shoes. If anybody wants to make me a tshirt of that I'll be one very happy girl!

The "Hey! Mr Blue Sky" tshirt is US$18.00 from Threadless.

Your daily dose of pretty: Spider Ceramic Necklace on Etsy

2010-10-29T22:33:00.000+13:00

With Halloween coming up in a couple of days creepy spider jewellery seems appropriate. This particular piece of spider jewellery, however, is not in the slightest bit creepy:

Look at the little cutie, with his big googly eyes. Not even the most spider-phobic of you could possibly find that little guy creepy now, could you?

The totally non-creepy Spider Ceramic Necklace is US$10.00 from artisansagogo on Etsy.

Your daily dose of pretty: Bedroom Antics shoes by Office

2010-10-28T12:09:00.000+13:00

It amuses me that Office have named these shoes 'Bedroom Antics'. I don't know whose bedroom they are referring to, but if they were named after the antics in my bedroom then wearing them would result in dogs bouncing all over you with muddy paws, 11 Year Old Boys bugging you constantly to tell you they can't sleep, cats sitting by your head and licking themselves noisily, neighbours playing loud hip hop music on their car stereos and Eccentric English Boyfriends waking you with an elbow jab to inform you that you're snoring.

Yep, we really get up to some antics in my bedroom, I tell ya. Still ... they're very pretty:

Actually, come to think of it a swift kick with these would make EEB think twice about jabbing me with those elbows!

The Bedroom Antics shoes are £72.00 on sale from Office.

Your daily dose of pretty: Floral Loveliness Necklace from Maggie Angus

2010-10-27T07:05:00.001+13:00

Apologies for being absent the past few days my pretties, I have had The Worstest Cold Ever. It's effect seems to be waning today though, I am at the very least upright rather than lying in bed disappearing under a mountain of tissues and complaining loudly to anyone who comes near me. In between sneezes.

As is always the way of these things, my body decided that a holiday weekend of beautiful warm Spring weather was the perfect time for a cold. Way to go, body - you've outdone yourself, because I'd obviously much rather be in bed feeling miserable, and sneezing, than outside enjoying the sun.

Anyway, this necklace is perfect for Spring days - even Spring days spent lying in bed with The Worstest Cold Ever feeling sorry for myself. In fact, particularly those days!

The Floral Loveliness Necklace is on sale for £7.50 from Maggie Angus, who ship internationally.

*sneeze*

Your daily dose of pretty: Armwarmers from Zen and Coffee Designs on Etsy

2010-10-21T11:18:00.000+13:00

15 Year Old Daughter has a wonderful individual sense of style that I really admire. She takes elements from subcultures like goth, punk, retro, gothic lolita and whatever else she fancies on the day, mixes them up and creates a look that is distinctively her. I wish I'd been that brave about my style when I was her age. Although, in hindsight one could argue that it takes a certain amount of bravery to wear neon socks, tightly permed hair and frosted blue eyeshadow. Cringe.

One of 15 Year Old Daughter's favourite items to add character to an outfit is a pair of fingerless gloves. So I'm pretty sure she's going to faint when I show her Zen and Coffee Designs on Etsy. And then once she's regained consciousness she's going to be hogging the computer and exclaiming "OMG Mum I want these ones. And those ones. And Mum LOOK! Can I have those? And those are so pretty! And I NEED those ones Mum!".

Actually, on second thoughts maybe I won't tell her.

I'm quite partial to these ones:

Deadly Nightshade Long Spat Style Armwarmers US$34.00

While I think these will be right up 15 Year Old Daughter's alley:

Marilyn My Bitterness Gothic Lolita Corset Laced Up Armwarmers US$28.00

Your daily dose of pretty: Rockabilly Western "Stompin" Dress from Babygirl Boutique

2010-10-19T10:00:00.030+13:00

So, my pretties, we've been together for a while now and I feel that we're at the stage of our relationship where I can share a deep dark secret with you and you won't judge me for it. You won't judge me, will you?

Ok. You see, when it comes to music my taste tends towards the heavier stuff: some metal, some rock, a bit of goth. But I also love me a bit of country music. Not the jangling guitar "my dog done died, my girlfriend left me, my crops ain't growing and I can't get the ketchup stain out of my favourite jeans" type of country music. Think more along the lines of Sweet Home Alabama and Copperhead Road. That sort of country/rock music.

And Achey Breaky Heart.

Yep, when Billy Ray starts singing about that ole achey breaky heart of his I want to leap up, don some cowboy boots, hook my thumbs into my belt and linedance my wee socks off.

And this dress would be perfect:

So cute, my total ineptitude at anything requiring rhythm might not even be noticed!

The Rockabilly Western "Stompin" dress by Lucky 13 is US$68.00 from Babygirl Boutique.

Today's nails: Beauty UK Lilac Girl

2010-10-18T10:15:00.002+13:00

Today's polish is another I picked up in England. Beauty UK is a reasonably priced drugstore brand which is either available in Superdrug or Boots (there were a lot of nail polish purchases, I can't remember where I got them all!).

Lilac doesn't always look the best on my skin tone, but Lilac Girl has enough blue that I like it on me. Lovely application in two coats, this is perfect for spring.

Your daily dose of pretty: Topshop 60s Sequin A-Line Skirt

2010-10-18T10:00:00.005+13:00

The beading and sequin detail on this skirt is so pretty. I love that the large disc sequins are all different.

I could never own a cream skirt though. I can guarantee that within minutes of me putting it on it would be covered in dog hair, muddy paw prints, sauces of various indeterminate origin (and startlingly bright colour), chocolate (even though I don't eat it any more), zombie blood and ectoplasm. And let me tell you, ectoplasm is the very devil to get out!

If you're not as disaster-prone as me, the 60s Sequin A-Line Skirt is available from the Topshop website for £35.00, or of course if you're in Auckland you could always check out Topshop at The Department Store to see if they're stocking it.

Your daily dose of pretty: Iron Fist Sweet Skull O Mine Boots from Kates Clothing

2010-10-17T10:00:00.002+13:00

It was the buckles, platform, and sky high stiletto that attracted me to these boots at first glance. It was only when I looked closer that I realised what I first thought was a paisley print is in fact skulls. Scary looking, flower-decorated, silver stud-bedecked skulls. Awesome!

The Sweet Skull O Mine boots by Iron Fist are £80.99 from UK site Kate's Clothing (who ship internationally), and are also available on the Iron Fist website, who are US-based and also ship internationally.

Today's nails: M.A.C Jade Dragon

2010-10-16T10:15:00.000+13:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet my new favourite green:

M.A.C Jade Dragon is part of the 2010 Jin Soon Collection currently in M.A.C stores. I fell in love with this after seeing swatches of it on other blogs, but in real life it is so much better than that even. A gorgeous dark green jelly shot through with blue shimmer, it had me exclaiming out loud as I applied it.

Two coats, lovely application. M.A.C have knocked it out of the park with this one!

Your daily dose of pretty: Office Kitsch Hook Boot

2010-10-16T10:00:00.000+13:00

There's definitely a look of the 90s in these boots, with their shape and multiple antique gold eyelets. Which is fine by me, there aren't many looks from the 90s I'd want to re-visit, but boots like this are still are favourite of mine.

The Kitsch Hook Boots are £85.00 from Office.

Today's nails: Boots 17 True Blue

2010-10-15T10:15:00.026+13:00

Boots 17 is a great range of budget-priced cosmetics by Boots, with some great polish colours in the range. And of course I picked up a few when we were in England.

This is True Blue, and it's gorgeous. I mean it's a no-brainer that I'm going to love a dark blue - it's probably my favourite nail polish shade - but this one is truly stunning.

Apologies for the horrific state of my cuticles - I'd just done housework! Anyway, isn't she a beauty? I have so many blues now that I figure I'd better start learning to tell the different shades apart, so after referring to the Wikipedia Shades of Blue page I think I would describe this as 'Dark Blue'. Yeah, I needed a web page to tell me that. Or maybe 'Ultramarine' - it depends on the lighting. Whatever, I love this blue cream!

Lovely application in two coats - I would call this a must-have if you're a blue polish lover.

Your daily dose of pretty: Caribbean Blue Cloisonne Earrings on Etsy

2010-10-15T10:00:00.000+13:00

According to Wikipedia, cloisonne is "an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials".

I love cloisonne, despite the fact that I have no idea how to pronounce it. I used to have a couple of pieces of cloisonne jewellery, and when people would ask about them I'd reply: "yes it's c... it's cl... it's clwah... it's pretty isn't it?".

The bright colours in these cloisonne earrings are beautiful:

The Caribbean Blue Cloisonne Earrings are US$16.00 from Mindielee on Etsy.

Today's nails: Eyeko Coral polish

2010-10-14T10:15:00.002+13:00

Now I'm not a big fan of coral polishes. They're often just a little on the 'nana' side for me. Eyeko's Coral Polish isn't bad though, not bad at all:

I don't love it, but I do like it. 15 Year Old Daughter loves it! Coral is very vibrant, and at the redder end of the coral spectrum. Two coats, the only problem I had was that the formula was very runny - so much so that I had to wipe the brush down carefully or it would drip off the brush onto the couch. And my arm. And the carpet. And the dog.

All in all, I think if you're a lover of coral polishes this would be one you'd want to have in your collection.

Your daily dose of pretty: Eye of the Nebula Storm glass pendant by Steam Punk Glass

2010-10-14T10:00:00.019+13:00

As a sci-fi fanatic I am totally entranced by this pendant:

It reminds me of the stunning images from the Hubble Space Telescope, which I could happily spend hours staring at.

The Eye of the Nebula Storm Focal Handmade Glass Pendant is £12.50 from Steam Punk Glass on Folksy.

Today's nails: My birthday mani

2010-10-13T10:09:00.001+13:00

I have the Awesomest Kids Ever. Seriously. Apologies to anybody who thinks their kids are the awesomest, but mine bought me nail polish and shoes for my birthday. I repeat: Awesomest. Kids. Ever!

In my imagination, the conversation went something like this:

11YO Son: "Oh sister dearest, what shall we buy our wonderful mother for her birthday?"

15YO Daughter: "Well, brother dearest, she is truly the most wonderful mother, so we must buy her something that she will love and that will express our devotion to her."

11YO Son: "She loves nail polish."

15YO Daughter: "And shoes."

Together: "Let's buy her nail polish AND shoes!"

Apparently in my imagination I have borne Children of the Corn. Great.

So here is the nail polish they bought me. L'Oreal Resist & Shine Titanium No 733.

(I'm still messing around with the macro settings on the camera I got for my birthday and I haven't yet quite perfected it yet so apologies. The camera is awesome, its operator needs some lessons!)

I love the L'Oreal Resist & Shine Titanium polishes - especially this series of black-based colours which come in the bottles with the black lids. 733 is a stunning shimmer that I think I would describe as a black-based plum (I'm not always the best at colour descriptions). This has a beautiful glow to it, and the plum colour is apparent in all lights.

The best part of all: this is ONE coat. Brilliant! The formula was a little tricky to work with - a little on the thick side which meant it was hard to get a nice line at the edges but still - ONE coat!

My only quibble is with the packaging: the chunky, curved bottle design is lovely to look at, and the lid pulls off to reveal a smaller brush handle which is meant to be easier to hold for applying polish (shown below), but it is actually a little bit too small - especially length-wise - so it's a bit fiddly to control. But like I said, that's a small quibble for such a gorgeous one-coater!

Your daily dose of pretty: Vintage Flower Socks from Tabio

2010-10-13T10:00:00.037+13:00

These are some of the sweetest socks I've ever seen. I love the loose fitting cuff, the contrast stripe and the tiny wee bow at the back.

The Vintage Flower Socks are £14.00 from Tabio.

Note: Although the website states that they do not ship internationally, I've been in contact with their lovely and very helpful customer service person who assures me that they do in fact accept international orders. Simply email them at info@tabio.co.uk for an order form which you can fill out and email back, or they also accept phone orders.

Today's nails: Barry M Dusky Mauve

2010-10-12T10:15:00.002+13:00

In a stunning display of bad timing, Barry M released two new polishes just weeks after we returned from our UK visit. It's obviously a cunning ploy to get me to buy more stuff, because when I'm buying online I'm not going to pay for delivery to New Zealand just for a couple of nail polishes am I? Of course not. At the very least I'm going to add some eyeliner and lipstick to my order.

Dusky Mauve is one of the two new polishes, and it is a stunner.

These purple/greys are everywhere at the moment, and with its lovely pink shimmer Dusky Mauve may well be a dupe for the much-coveted (and considerably more expensive) Chanel Paradoxal. I don't have Paradoxal, so I'll point you to rijaH, who has some great comparison pics.

I love, love, love this unusual colour. These photos are from a couple of days ago, as far as I can remember this was a two-coater. Certainly it had the usual excellent Barry M application. And for only £2.95 from Barry M compared to whatever the cardiac-inducing price of the Chanel is, it's a great buy!

Your daily dose of pretty: M.A.C Venomous Villains Maleficent Collection

2010-10-12T10:00:00.004+13:00

If you're a beauty addict M.A.C's Venomous Villains collection will already be on your radar. Unless you've been living under a rock. And why anybody would want to live under a rock is beyond me. There's probably slugs under there you know.

Venomous Villains comprises four collections, each based around famous evil characters from Disney: Maleficent, Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil and Dr Facilier. Each collection has a variety of eye/face/lip and nail products with packaging featuring the eponymous villain.

There are products in each collection I'm lusting after but I particularly love Maleficent, not just because it's my favourite in terms of the packaging but also because those polishes look gorgeous:

Picture: maccosmetics.com

Venomous Villains was released in New Zealand on October 4, and in the interests of having money for our soon-to-be-started-if-the-council-ever-gives-us-planning-consent renovations I think it's best if I avoid going anywhere near a M.A.C store for the forseeable future!

Check out the rest of Venomous Villains on the M.A.C website.

Today's nails: Eyeko Rain Polish

2010-10-11T15:07:00.001+13:00

Rain is perfectly named - this gorgeous grey/blue with a very subtle shimmer is so reminiscent of drizzly skies. In a good way!:

The photo's not the best sorry - I got an awesome new camera for my birthday (yes, today I'm one year away from being 40), and I'm still playing with it.

Without having seen a side-by-side comparison Rain looks very similar to Essie's Sag Harbour, albeit with considerably better application. This was two coats, and although the formula was a wee bit on the thick side and it didn't completely settle to a smooth finish a top coat of Seche Vite smoothed it out beautifully. Absolutely love it.

Your daily dose of pretty: Dangle Ghost Porcelain Earrings on Etsy

2010-10-11T10:00:00.030+13:00

Halloween is only a couple of weeks away, which means that Halloween themed items are showing up all over the place, and children are planning their scariest possible outfit.

The least scary outfit ever - especially when worn by a small child - has to be the white-sheet-with-eyeholes ghost. It's just too gosh-darned cute to be scary. And the more they wave their little arms around and make "woooooooooooooooooo" noises the cuter they are.

These earrings are a perfect example of the cuteness of this look:

See? No amount of arm waving and "wooooooo"-ing is going to stop me from wanting to tickle these wee dudes' tummies!

The Dangle Ghost Porcelain Earrings are US$12.00 from HolidayDesigns on Etsy.

Versatile Blogger Award

2010-10-10T18:47:00.003+13:00

I'm normally completely hopeless at doing tag posts that do the rounds - someone will tag me and I'll make a mental note to write the post and then completely forget about it. Come to think of it this doesn't just apply to tag posts - pretty much my whole life is spent in a state of "ooh I must remember to do that later".

However today I'm feeling all efficient - I even made a fish curry for freezing earlier and hung two loads of washing on the line instead of shoving them in the drier. Efficient and domestic. This is unusual and unsettling behaviour. It is entirely possible that I am being inhabited by an efficiently domestic alien life force who is using me in its evil plans for world domination. Although how efficient domesticity is the route to world domination I don't know. I'm not going to question my alien life force inhabitor - it may decide to make my brain explode.

Anyway, the lovely Polish Insomniac tagged me for the Versatile Blogger award.

The Rules: Tell us seven things about you then tag 12 other blogs for this award.

So, seven things about myself:

1: I have a ridiculously over-active imagination. But the efficiently-domestic alien world domination story was probably a dead giveaway, right?

2: I am addicted to Phineas & Ferb. I know most episodes off by heart, and the Perry the Platypus theme song from the show is my ring tone. Which was actually kind of embarrassing when it went off in the middle of the book store yesterday.

3: Since I read my first Arthur C Clarke book at 11 I've been a science fiction nut. My taste in literature is reasonably varied, but 80% of what I read is science fiction.

4: The first music gig I ever went to was Donnie & Marie Osmond when I was about 12. I kid you not.

5: My best celebrity encounter was when Eccentric English Boyfriend and I went to London in 2007. EEB treated us to a stay in a 5 star hotel (yep, he's awesome), and one afternoon we were sitting in the lounge room overlooking the garden when PIERCE *SWOON* BROSNAN came through the door from the garden and walked through the lounge. After he'd gone (and I'd regained the power of speech) I excitedly squeaked to EEB "That. Was. Pierce. Brosnan!". EEB was sitting opposite me with his nose buried in a book. He looked up, failed to see Pierce Brosnan, snorted "you must be imagining it, I didn't see him" and returned to his book.

Not too much later we were in reception, about to head out, when who should walk right past me again but PIERCE *SWOON* BROSNAN. I literally could have reached out and touched him, he passed so close by. Except I couldn't have, because I'd lost the ability to move. And talk. In fact the only ability I retained was the ability to grin inanely. And possibly drool. By the time my faculties had returned Pierce was gone. EEB, who had been chatting to the Concierge the whole time, joined me and I spluttered "Pierce. Brosnan. Walked. Past. Me. AGAIN!". EEB looked around, failed yet again to see Pierce Brosnan, and replied "Nope, you're still imagining things". "Are you kidding?" I said. "If I was going to imagine Pierce Brosnan I'd at least imagine myself shagging him!"

Also, Pierce Brosnan is damn hot in real life.

6: A distant relative of mine on my mum's side was quite famous in Auckland in the 1940's for painting herself gold and dancing naked. She was also witness to a murder. As family history goes, that's pretty awesome. (Her name was Freda Stark, Wikipedia entry here.)

7: I'm also descended, on my mum's side again, from Portugese convicts. If I remember the story right they jumped ship in New Zealand. Despite this I have no criminal tendencies. And for that matter no desire to paint myself gold and dance naked.

Alright, I can't narrow down a list of bloggers to tag, so I'm going to tag some Kiwi bloggers:

...different... (15 Year Old Daughter)
Anyone Can Do It
Hannah's Ramblings
geekchixxx
Nail Juice
Pretty Pretty Pretty

along with anybody else who wants to do it!

Your daily dose of pretty: Ribbon Point pumps from atseoul

2010-10-10T10:00:00.003+13:00

Yesterday I used the "brown shoes are totally a wardrobe staple" excuse, today it's the "pale pink shoes may not be a wardrobe staple but they totally should" excuse.

I love the off-centre bow, and the stitching detail.

I can't actually use the Pale Pink Shoes Justification though. Because remember those pale pink New Look shoes I blogged about a while ago? Well I bought them. Oh and also, remember how I described them as "vertiginously high"? Turns out that was a bit of an understatement. They're actually more like "Holy-Cow-I-Can-See-the-Curvature-of-the-Earth High".

If you're in the market for pale pink shoes and prefer your horizon to remain un-curved, the Ribbon Point shoes are available from atseoul for $50.97 (I'm pretty sure their currency is in US dollars, but you might want to double-check before purchasing).

And they're also available in navy.

Which is totally a wardrobe staple.

Except I already have a pair of navy shoes.

DAMMIT!

Your daily dose of pretty: Twinkle Tush shoes from Office

2010-10-09T10:00:00.007+13:00

I had great intentions of paying a visit to Office when we were in England but you know what? I totally didn't. I'm pretty sure Eccentric English Boyfriend is enormously relieved about this - apparently he nearly had a cardiac when he saw the credit card bill after our return. I'm glad that he didn't, obviously, because he's all cute and stuff.

Plus he hasn't taken out life insurance yet.

Did I say that out loud?

Anyway, I really regret not visiting Office. Look:

So pretty - they make me want to do The Charleston! Plus they're brown, and I don't have any brown shoes. What shoe wardrobe is complete without brown shoes, I ask you?

The Twinkle Tush (I literally "teehee" every time I read that name) shoes are £65.00 from Office.

Shhhh! Did you hear that sound? That was the sound of EEB looking at the credit card bill!

Your daily dose of pretty: Pre Columbian Figure Earrings on Etsy

2010-10-08T10:00:00.005+13:00

I love the wee figures on these earrings:

Typically for me (because seriously if there was a gold medal for over-active imaginations I'd win it) I'm convinced these are totally Mystical Pre Columbian Figures who would exact some sort of Mystical Pre Columbian Hoodoo on anybody who wears these earrings.

I don't know exactly what Mystical Pre Columbian Hoodoo is, but I'm pretty sure it's painful and / or messy.

If you don't have as overactive an imagination as I, or you're brave (or stupid) enough to incur the wrath of Mystical Pre Columbian Hoodoo Exacting Figures, these are available from PutumayoDesign on Etsy.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Your daily dose of pretty: Cream Ruffle Sleeve Top from Dorothy Perkins

2010-10-07T08:29:00.000+13:00

I love the delicate, floaty ruffle sleeve on this top:

Plus, Dorothy Perkins have 20% off online at the moment, so instead of its normal price of £22.00 it is currently £17.60.

I actually had to add it to my cart to work out the discount for you. Purely to work out the discount, you understand - not to buy it. And to prove that I'm now going to remove it from my cart ...

While I'm doing that you can buy it here.

Still trying to remove it from my cart, seem to be having some difficulty getting my mouse clickey finger to work. Must. Click. Mouse. Must. Not. Buy.

Your daily dose of pretty: Steam Cream Vinyl

2010-10-05T10:43:00.000+13:00

Steam Cream has a bit of a cult following. I hear the cream itself is pretty good, but it's the retro style tins with their limited edition designs which really draw me in.

Their latest release is Vinyl by Josh Miller, which was the winner of their annual design competition.

Reminds me of when 11 Year Old Boy was about 6 years old, sitting on his dad's knee watching him go through his old albums. When dad pulled one out of its sleeve to show him, the dear wee lad exclaimed "wow, Daddy, that's a Really Big CD".

Yup. Kids. Nothing like 'em for making you feel old.

The Limited Edition Steam Cream Vinyl is £8.51 from Steam Cream.

A quick update post

2010-10-03T00:09:00.002+13:00

Hello there my pretties - I have been absent for a while and I apologise. It has been a really rough couple of weeks - my darling Grandpa was admitted to a Hospice a couple of weeks ago, and passed away peacefully this past Monday morning. Poor Grandpa had Alzheimers and was becoming increasingly frustrated that his mind and his body were letting him down. I think in the end he decided it was just his time to go. It was heartbreaking for us, as we all loved him dearly, but at the same time I know that he'd found the last couple of years so difficult after having lived a very active life - old age didn't sit well with him. We gave him a lovely send-off, with much laughter and telling of funny stories, and I even managed to get up and speak!

On the same day Grandpa left us we had to make the heartbreaking decision to have our gorgeous wee dog Fred put down - he had a slipped disc and although it was operable it would have meant a lot of post-op pain and a long and uncomfortable recovery period during which he would have had to be confined to a cage. We couldn't bear to put our stoic wee boy through all of that. Our house isn't the same without him - he was such a character of a dog, and our big dog Jessie misses her best mate so very much.

So I hope you will all forgive me for my absence, life is returning to normal and I will be back very soon with the pretties!

Selina xx

Your daily dose of pretty: Closet pink cowl neck dress from Dorothy Perkins

2010-09-19T10:00:00.000+12:00

I'm a bit wary of peplums on dresses. Partly because I wore them to death in the 80's and partly because putting a peplum on my figure is a bit like wearing a big sign saying "Check out my Child Bearing Hips, y'all".

The peplum on this dress, however, is nicely understated and possibly even curve friendly and I love the cowl neckline.

It's funny that I love this shade of pink in a dress, but would never wear it as a nail polish.

The Closet Pink Cowl Neck Dress is £30.00 from Dorothy Perkins.

Today's nails: Color Club Poptastic

2010-09-18T12:13:00.001+12:00

Poptastic is the final colour in the seven piece Poptastic Collection.

Poptastic is a neon Barbie pink. Good application in two coats and again it has the vinyl-like finish of neons (shown in the pictures however with a topcoat). For me this colour isn't a thriller, but I'm not a pink lover, and where Warhol won me over because of its depth of colour and its unusual orange tinge Poptastic is a fairly standard neon pink. That said, if you're a pink lover I think you'll like this one.

So that wraps up the Poptastic Collection. All in all a great collection. Formula-wise, with the exception of Almost Famous the polishes had great application, far exceeding what I would expect from a neon. Color Club have done a great job in improving the formula over the old neon collection which Poptastic replaced.

Aside from Poptastic I loved all the colours. If you're a neon lover, or looking to add a pop of bright colour to your summer mani/pedi you should definitely check this collection out.

Thank you once again to Color Club NZ for providing me with this collection for review.

Your daily dose of pretty: Paul & Joe Sparkle Collection Lipsticks

2010-09-18T10:51:00.000+12:00

Paul & Joe always do beautiful packaging, and the lipsticks from their latest Sparkle Collection don't disappoint:

Beautiful packaging and lipsticks shaped like cats! Total win!

And also completely pointless. After a couple of uses those cats are going to look like an accident in a nuclear power facility. Never mind how difficult the pointy ears are going to make actual application of the lipstick.

Still, practical aspects aside that is some seriously cute lipstick. A list of Paul & Joe Beaute stockists is on their website, or Zuneta ship them internationally.

Your daily dose of pretty: The Babes Crazy Kiwi Eau de Toilette

2010-09-17T10:00:00.004+12:00

Quick lesson for you all.

This:

(Image: Te Ara Encyclopaedia of New Zealand)

is a Kiwi.

This:

(That's me!)

is also a Kiwi.

This:

(Image Zespri New Zealand)

is a KiwiFRUIT.

Outside of Australasia people tend to refer to the 'Kiwifruit' as a 'Kiwi'. As in "I'm going to eat a Kiwi". Which is actually kinda scary, both for the endangered bird (don't eat it, it's endangered) and the person (don't eat me, I need to buy more shoes).

Likewise, Kiwi-scented products. Seriously, it smells like a Kiwi? The person or the bird? Either way, eewwwwwww. I've met a few kiwis who I wouldn't want to smell like*. And the bird, well it feeds by grubbing around in the dirt. I don't know about you, but earthworm and damp leaf mold doesn't appeal as a fragrance.

Which brings me to today's pretty, which apparently smells like Kiwi. Crazy Kiwi even.

The website is in one of those foreign languages which has way too many K's and G's so I can't read the description, but the packaging is adorable. And I'm pretty sure it doesn't smell like sweaty Kiwi blokes or earthworms and leaf mold. No guarantees though.

The Babes Crazy Kiwi Eau de Toilette is available here, and costs 149,00kr. I think.

* Disclamer: I've only met a few Kiwis who smell bad. Don't be thinking we're all stinky!

Your daily dose of pretty: Tweety Bird Earrings by Little Shop Of

2010-09-16T16:10:00.001+12:00

These little dudes look like they're just testing out their wings for the first time:

Flit ... flit ... crash ... flit ... flit ... fly!

The Tweety Bird Earrings are AU$12.95 from Australian site Little Shop Of, who ship internationally.

Today's nails: Color Club Wham! Pow!

2010-09-16T15:31:00.000+12:00

Wham! Pow! (from Color Club's Poptastic Collection) is possibly the most aptly-named polish ever - it's a total assault on the retinas!

My camera took one look at this colour and started quaking at the knees - it just couldn't capture it accurately! The bottle colour in the first photo is probably closest to what it actually looks like on the nail - glowing and neon and BRIGHT! Seriously, this colour is SO bright I swear if I touch my nails they'll be burning hot!

The formula on Wham! Pow! is lovely, thinnish and easy to apply. I used three coats because I thought I could see a little visible nail line, but I think two would probably have been ok. The finish is your typical neon satin, it's shown here with a top coat.

Revlon release new scented polishes for summer

2010-09-16T14:09:00.002+12:00

I love Revlon's scented polishes - they really do smell delicious when they dry. Although from experience I can tell you that waving your hand under people's noses and exclaiming "smell my nails" can result in some awkward situations!

I'm thrilled to see that there is a new collection out for Summer 2010 (with apologies to those of you in the Northern Hemisphere heading into winter - sucks to be you!).

Colour-wise I'm liking Grape Icy, Beach, Gum Drop and Ocean Breeze; and I want Orange Pop and Cotton Candy just for the scent!

Last year the scented polishes were released in packs of three which retailed at NZ$28.00 per pack. No news on whether these are being released singly or in packs but you know I'll be heading to the shops to find out. And of course buy!

EDIT: I checked these out in Farmers today and they're selling them singly for NZ$17.00 each, which isn't as good a deal as last year's NZ$28.00 for a pack of three I have to say.

Your daily dose of pretty: Teal Plume clutch bag on Etsy

2010-09-15T10:00:00.023+12:00

Yep, I'm looking at bags again:

But this is a clutch bag, rather than a handbag. So that's different, right? Because I'd be able to fit even less of the Mountain of Stuff I Carry Around in it.

Dammit, as a justification that totally didn't work. Still, I love the art nouveau style of the fabric, maybe I can justify it based simply on its prettiness?

The Teal Plume silklined clutch bag is US$75.00 from redrubyrose on Etsy.

Today's nails: Color Club Almost Famous

2010-09-14T12:46:00.001+12:00

Today's colour from the Color Club Poptastic Collection is Almost Famous.

I really like yellow polishes, but they don't often like me - yellow's just not a great colour for my skintone. I really like the banana yellow of Almost Famous on me though.

Look at that - bright and cheerful and banana-y!

This was, however, a total pain in the patootie to apply. The formula is quite thick and it pooled at the sides, dragged, and refused to settle into a flat finish. Even after three coats and a top coat of Seche Vite, which normally smooths out an uneven polish, it still looks lumpy and uneven to me, athough it's not so obvious in the photos.

Still, an easy-to-apply yellow is a rarity in my experience, and Almost Famous is a keeper because of it's gorgeous colour.

(My nails haven't suddenly grown longer overnight, by the way. I glued on some acrylic nails last night because my natural nails were so soft and kept breaking off right at the quick. Which explains the state of my cuticles - I may have used a wee smidge too much glue!)

Your daily dose of pretty: Keiko Secret Compartment ring on Etsy

2010-09-14T11:59:00.000+12:00

Two words people: Secret. Compartment!

Wearing this I could pretend I was a femme fatale from a Poirot mystery. But shorter. And, umm, wobblier. With a Kiwi accent.

I'm pretty sure none of the Poirot femme fatales were short and wobbly with Kiwi accents...

Did I mention the secret compartment?

The Keiko Secret Compartment ring is US$16.00 from FleurAvenue on Etsy.

Today's nails: Color Club Chelsea Girl and Warhol

2010-09-13T10:09:00.000+12:00

Today I have two more colours from the Color Club Poptastic Collection for you. First up Chelsea Girl:

Brighter and darker than this photo shows (ain't that always the way), this is a vibrant jellyish royal blue. The formula on this was thinner than the others from this collection that I've tried so far and had a tendency to either pool at the sides or go on quite sheer. By the second coat, however, coverage was good and the thinness of the formula didn't make application particularly difficult. (I wore this a few days ago now, and I can't for the life of me remember whether it was two or three coats in the end - I think it was only two though.) This was another colour that I got heaps of compliments on.

Warhol:

Now I make no secret of my dislike for pink nail polishes, but dammit if I don't love this one. Warhol is a bright, hot pink that has an amazing orange glow to it which is not evident in the photo. A true neon (blindingly so), application on this was absolutely lovely.

Both colours are shown with top coat, without they again have the satiny finish of neons. To give you a bit more of an idea of how it looks on, and also so you can fall about laughing, here I am rocking Warhol on my nails dressed as Madonna circa Desperately Seeking Susan for 15 Year Old Daughter's birthday party in the weekend:

The theme of the party was 'Backstage Pass' and 15 Year Old Daughter insisted that I had to dress up too. I suspect she ended up regretting that. 11 Year Old Son's reaction was to yell "NOOOOOOOOOOOO" and run away. But the highlight of the evening was forgetting I was in costume when I opened the door to the pizza man. To say he looked startled would be the understatement of the year!

Your daily dose of pretty: Winnie the Pooh blotting papers

2010-09-12T23:07:00.001+12:00

I love oil blotting papers - they're a staple in my handbag for a quick fix when I don't want to have to re-apply makeup. And life is always so much better when the stuff you carry around in your handbag is this cute:

Winnie the Pooh oil blotting papers. In a choice of pink or blue. Beyond awesome! Because there is absolutely nothing weird about wiping your greasy face on a beloved children's book character. Nope, nothing weird at all.

Winnie the Pooh blotting papers are HK$19.00 (which is NZ$3.36, US$2.45 or GBP1.59 apparently) from adambeauty.com.

Your daily dose of pretty: Velvet Bow Court from New Look

2010-09-11T08:21:00.000+12:00

I loved the shoes at New Look when we were in England. Fortuitously they were kind enough to time their sale to coincide with our trip (now that's what I call service) so 15 Year Old Daughter and I bought a couple of pairs. And by a couple of pairs I mean The Whole Shop!

Now New Look are tempting me with even more gorgeous shoes on sale. Look:

A gorgeous shoe with a vertiginously high heel, and in such a beautiful colour. Pale pink is not a colour you see very often in shoes. However if you don't like the pink they're also available in purple.

Which is equally gorgeous. I'm pretty sure I have to have both of these. I mean there's simply no way I could choose between the two colours. Eccentric English Boyfriend will understand. Probably.

The Velvet Bow Court is on sale for £15.00 at New Look. Oh and it comes in black too. But it's ok, I don't have to have the black. I mean I'd like it, but I don't have to have it.