Pimping my Pamper Evening

Well, I think this is officially my longest break from blogging since I started. The last couple of months seem to have passed in a blur and I thought it would be nice to share what has been keeping me otherwise engaged, particularly as it's beauty related.

As well as the usual exam invigilating I do at this time of year, I have been busy organising a ladies pamper evening as a fundraiser for my daughter's pre-school. It's the first time I've ever organised an event like this, so I don't mind admitting that I've been learning as I go. The pre-school my daughter attends is a lovely setting and the staff are really dedicated to providing early years education for all children, irrespective of their background and need. They have experience of supporting vulnerable children, which often requires input outside of nursery setting. They also have a well earned reputation for supporting children with additional needs and parents do come outside of catchment to enroll their children. As it isn't a privately run nursery, fundraising events like the pamper evening help with costs of purchasing new equipment, toys and books, as well as enabling them to subsidise educational trips for the children.

As a newbie at event organising, I have a new found appreciation for how much effort it actually takes. I certainly take my hat off to all the PR girls. Embarrassingly, in a bid to avoid using stock imagery for the posters, I created an image that seems to have an unfortunate, how shall I put it...'alternative interpretation'. I will spare your blushes by not expanding any further! With only two weeks to go until the big night, I still have plenty to do and I'm anxious to make sure everything runs smoothly. I really wish that I could suddenly become less shy, as it would make selling tickets much easier. Did I mention I have a sash?!

Of course, you will be unsurprised to learn that I have enlisted the help of friends that I've made through blogging. HelenJNT and I will be running a stall together, Oxford Jasmine will be offering Rebel Nail manicures and Karin of English Rose Cosmetics will be selling her lovely handmade products. I'll be showcasing some beautiful pieces from The Fushigi Shop on my stall because I couldn't miss an opportunity to share. I also want to take the opportunity to say a big thank you to escentual.com for generously donating a prize for the raffle.

I will end with a cheeky little plea. If any of you are in the South Oxfordshire area on 10th July and want to come along, offer your service for a stall or (cheekiest of all) provide a prize for our raffle or lucky dip, do get in touch. Without completely giving away my location, I'm very close to a main train route into London, so you don't even need to be that local to join us.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reporting how it all goes.

Nail Update and Rebel Nails

It's been over a month since I posted about my self imposed nail polish ban. I've managed to stick to it, despite the horror of my bare nails! I purchased a crystal nail file too and have kept them short to minimise snagging. Unfortunately I haven't been as diligent as I had hoped to be with the other treatments. However, I have applied Nailactan regularly, I've kept my hands in good condition with regular application of moisturiser and in the last week or so I started taking some 'Hair and Nails' multi-vitamins.

So, has there been any improvement? Unfortunately not. My nails look almost exactly the same as they did 5 weeks ago. It does feel a bit demoralising. I do wish I had been better at using treatments to help repair them but I suspect that the multi-vitamins will give me the best results. I can't quite decide whether I should start wearing polish again. As my nails haven't improved in 5 weeks of no nail varnish, starting to wear it again might not actually make them any worse?

As I couldn't make a decision on the nail polish, I thought it would be a good moment to try the Rebel Nails that Oxford Jasmine kindly sent me to cheer me up. If you haven't come across them before, Rebel nails are nail wraps (a bit like nails shaped stickers) which you apply directly to the nail. You select the right sized sticker, peel it off from the backing, heat with a hair dryer and then place on the nail starting at the cuticle end then smoothing down. There are instructions on their website and as well as a helpful video. I won't deny that it's a little tricky on the first go. I found the hardest part was getting the wrap centred on the nail. Removing the excess was also a little difficult but I think that is probably because my nails are so short. I think this is the sort of thing that would get easier with practice. I was really pleased with the end result, the opaque sparkly silver is perfect after weeks of naked nails! I have found that they are prone to lifting up a bit at the tip but it isn't as noticeable as regular tip wear.

I will be leaving these on over the weekend whilst I make a decision regarding whether to continue the nail polish ban. As a final note I will leave you with a picture of the nail polishes that I have queuing up to try.

What would you do?