Summer Nail Picks

1. Essie Go Ginza, 2. Topshop Skip, 3. Essie Mint Candy Apple, 4. Topshop Unicorn,
5. Barry M Gelly Rose Hip, 6. Essie Fifth Avenue, 7. Nails Inc London Victoria and Albert,
8. Sally Hansen Insta-dri Top Coat, 9. Essie Help me grow 10. Soap and Glory Hand Food.

If there's one thing I have an unhealthy addiction to... it's nail products.

Nail varnish, top coats, nail buffers, hand creams, nail oils, bright, bold, glittery, sparkly, classic, pastel, dark... The list is endless.

Here's what I've been reaching for nail varnish wise, so far this summer:

1. Essie Go Ginza- I'd been on the hunt for a perfect light lilac shade, so of course made a beeline for my favourite nail varnish brand of all time Essie (controversial choice).  Anyway as usual Essie did not fail me! All Hail Go Ginza! This is the most beautiful pinky lilac colour. I don't care if the pastel trend belongs in spring. I will wear pastels as long as the sun is shining and the birds are chirping! As usual with Essie the formula is smooth and lasts well on me.

2. Topshop Skip- I'd always been skeptical about Topshop Nail Varnish- not having many in my collection, however I couldn't resist this bright pink shade. Good price and £6 and the formula is super creamy and easy to apply. Will definitely be packing this in my suitcase for my holiday in August- I think it would look great on tanned hands and toes. 

3. Essie Mint Candy Apple- Another Essie one (can you tell it's my favourite yet?) Repurchased this colour back in the spring and I'm still wearing it! I've tried quite a few pastel mint colours in my time but this one is my ultimate. Nuff said.

4. Topshop Unicorn- This glittery wonder may not look that exciting in the bottle but I've recently been loving this over the top of a pale pastel pinks or nudes (e.g. Barry M Rose Hip or Essie Ballet Slippers). I tend to wear glitters more around Christmas time but I love the subtle bit of sparkle this brings, especially for evenings or nights out. 

(Couldn't find a link for this on the topshop website but they've got whole load of great glitters here)

Another great glitter I love over the top of a nude or pink is the American Apparel Milky Way nail polish.

5. Barry M Gelly Rose Hip- Yet another pastel shade (it's an addiction), I love the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine formula so when I spotted this pale pink colour in Superdrug, I lunged for the shelf. The other two pastel shades Huckleburry (a blue) and Sugar Apple (mint) are also lovely. The whole collection reminds me of ice cream or milkshakes in the summer.

6. Essie Fifth Avenue- My orangey red shade of choice this summer has to be Fifth Avenue. A bright bold colour-can't wait to be laying on the beach with this on my nails. 

7. Nails Inc London Victoria and Albert- For every season I have a red that I am obsessed with. This month it's this classic glamorous red from Nails Inc. You can't go wrong with a red and two coats of this with a glossy top coat is perfect.

Extras

While I'm on the whole nail topic, I thought I'd throw in some nail and hand care staples. I'm always trying out different base coats. This month I've been using Essie's Help me Grow base coat- which encourages nail growth over 5 days. Lovely base for my nail varnish, colours don't stain and helps with the lasting power. I'd definitely repurchase. 

When it comes to top coats I'm fussy. When it comes to waiting for nails to dry, I have no patience whatsoever so of course I love the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri which dries in seconds (I usually give it a minute to make sure). I also love the Seche Vite Fast Drying top coat. Both give a beautiful glossy finish and eliminate the chance of chipping. I will never stop recommending these two.

For hand cream I've been using this mini Hand Food from Soap and Glory that I received in a set. It's a really nice cream,  not sticky or thick and leaves my hands baby soft. The scent as usual with Soap and Glory is lovely. I'm rubbish at describing smells, I'd say it's a sweet clean scent. Also the mini tube is great for throwing into your bag on the go!

20

20.

It's the number of years I've been on earth. The number of attempts it takes for me to successfully parallel park (or just give up and go home...).Also the number of minutes I can run on the treadmill before my lungs start burning (I hate cardio). The total number of fingers and toes I have combined. The numberThe number of times a day my mum asks me if I want a cup of tea (I've never drank/expressed a liking for tea in my life). The number of times a day (on average) I open my instagram app and aimlessly scroll...

You get the picture. 20 is the number in discussion. And 20 is the number of my summer.

So it's that time of year again, the best time of year (debatable... Christmas is most definitely way up there on my list). For some, the school year is coming to an end, for others it's the time when you start to feel more restless at work and "I need a holiday," is probably the most repeated sentence in your vocabulary or in my case, uni's been finished for over a month and I find that 70% of my time is spent on the internet or front of the TV watching Wimbledon and The World Cup (I don't even like football).

And while doing nothing can be very fun, (believe me, my 4 o'clock afternoon nap is the best part of my day)  it can also be very unproductive and will most definitely result in regret when it gets to September and you realise you have achieved nothing with all those weeks off. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying everyone should be climbing Mount Everest or solving world hunger, I just think that doing things or at least making plans to do things will make for a more interesting summer. And next year when I look back and think what did I do in the summer 2014. I won't be saying: "I don't remember." "I just watched tv and reblogged a bunch on tumblr."

So where do you start?
well, like almost everything in my life- it all begins with a list.

Here's my list of 20 things I want to do this Summer 2014:

1. Go outside more
You can never have enough oxygen. And we all need more vitamin D.

2. Listen to some live music.

3. Take more photographs/experiment with film

4. Rearrange my bedroom
Nothing like a bit of feng shui to bring something new to my life.

5. Keep a sketchbook- do a drawing a day
I'm a art student, I want ideas to be flowing so when it comes to returning to uni I'm not confused as to how a paintbrush works...

6. Go on a hike.

7. Go to the seaside in England and go swimming
Despite living in the UK my whole life, I've never actually swam in the sea in England (always looks too cold!)

8. Bake something new.

9. Wake up/ go to bed earlier.
in other words don't stay up till 2am watching Netflix.

10. Read and finish at least 10 new books.
sounds like a lot but I'm a speedy reader and this needs to be challenging.

11. Spend less time on the internet and more time actually interacting with people in real life.
deep!

12. Find a new band/artist I've never heard of.
cue a new obsession.

13. Go abroad
this one's half done as I have literally just booked a holiday. 31st July could not come sooner!

14. Learn a new piece on the piano.

15. Write someone a letter/send a postcard.
old school.

16. Cook for a group of people.

17. Work on my fitness level.
run, swim, bike. Anything that will lessen my out of breath-ness going up the 4 flights of stairs at uni.

18. Blog regularly!

19. Jump on a Barclays bike and ride around London.

20. See more. Experience more. Go to galleries, shows, the cinema, visit new places etc.

So that's my list.
Let's see how many I can cross off by the end of September! And maybe I've inspired you guys to make you're own list too.