8 things I don't want you to know

I think that one of the most attractive parts of social media is that you can pretend to be anyone. You can be super witty, always happy, the feisty one or any number of personas you choose to put on even though the people who know the 'real' you know that's a load of BS.

Now don't get me wrong I enjoy that aspect of anonymity as much as the next person but the blogs and YTers that I enjoy the most are actually the people who seem to share more of themselves with the rest of us. So in an effort to peel back another layer on this onion (and seriously if anyone gets that reference I'll be really impressed) here are 8 things that are true about me but maybe I'd rather you didn't know:

1. I don't drink alcohol: While I am not ashamed of this decision it always brings a lot of "but why" or "are you kidding me" reactions that make me feel put on the spot. The real reason is because I get an allergic-type reaction where I get red welts on my face but either way who cares right?

2. I'm overweight: Now we can call it plumpy, winter weight, the obvious outcome of having Syndrome X or whatever.... but if I need to shop in the "bigger" section and shops then I'm going to own that and call it what it is. Why do you think I like makeup and nail polish so much???

3. I'm well educated: In my workplace having a degree is not helpful but it doesn't diminish the fact that I spent years at university when other people were backpacking across Europe or getting started on their careers. I'm glad I did it for me but now when I tell people about my studies it just feels like bragging, plus there is always that one person who is completely hopeless at work who always tells people how smart they are (at least at my workplace there is) and I don't want to be mistaken for them.

4. I cry when I get angry: I have no idea why I do this but shit it always happens at completely the wrong time and I end up feeling embarrassed. I also cry when I'm happy so buggered if I know what is going on there.

5. I avoid confrontation: Now this may not seem like something to be not happy with but what it really means is that I let people treat and talk to me like crap and say nothing rather than having a dramatic moment. Mostly this is because I hate yelling and I mean I HATE HATE HATE yelling. It is something I am aware of and that I am working on but people often misjudge me for being weak because of it. Being confrontational is not the same as being strong... just putting that out there. I don't doubt that I am strong I just don't want to fight unless I am totally cornered.

6. I'm proud: The last time I saw my dad alive I didn't tell him I loved him because I was waiting for him to say it first. Granted I was 16 but when he died a couple of weeks later I learned a very valuable and hard lesson - being proud is very similar to being stupid. I wont ever make that same mistake again with the people I love.

7. I am a crazy cat lady: Seriously I am. I love everything about my cats - their personalities, their meows, their fur and their smells. I love paws and whiskers and their breath. I was expecting to be an old cat lady before T came along and if for any reason he leaves I expect to go back to that plan again.

8. I wear my pjs a lot at home: Look I have cats so I don't want my "outside' clothes covered in cat hair, that means as soon as I am home on go my pjs - 2pm in the afternoon I really don't care. But if you drop past my place 9 out of 10 times I'll be in my pjs - consider yourself warned.

So there you have it, some of the warts in my "warts-and-all" tale.

By the way, I let my husband read this post before publishing and he said that I was telling everyone bad things about myself and why would I do that. Well... that is actually quite simple to answer because I don't want to live in the fantasy. I don't want to present myself, my blog or what I stand for generally to be anything other than what is true. I'm not interested in being in the 'cool crowd' or being 'in' or being a hipster, at 36 all I am interested in is being me. Not to mention I am way past the point of not accepting these truths about myself. I accept thee Jac.... lol but you get what I mean (or I hope you do).

If you are feeling brave I'd love to hear some of the things you'd rather people didn't know and if you do decide to do a post please link it below.

Jac x

A letter of my intentions for 2012

Image source

 
So I've had a bad case of writer's block. Perhaps not so much writer's block as I know what I want to say but I am having trouble working out the best way to express what I want to say (so expression block?).

I've read a lot of posts about goals and resolutions for 2012 and I too have some things I would like to work on this year, but how to put out there what and why I want to achieve these things I've struggled to do. So it's the 14th of January and instead of continuing to eyeball this month and procrastinate further I'm doing it with a letter of my intentions for 2012 to 2012...

NOTD: Zoya's Ivanka

Ivanka (along with Jo) was one of my most desired shades from the Zoya range - yet I had to wait ages to order it as it was pretty consistently out of stock. I think sometimes it's a bad idea to hype up shades in my head as my expectations always become too high. Does that mean Ivanka is a dud - not at all - it just didn't change my life and perhaps that's a little bit of an unrealistic expectation for a nail polish anyway ;)

Anyway onto the important stuff what is Ivanka -well Zoya call it a "mermaid green sparkling metallic" but I'd say it's more citrus than mermaid if that makes sense to you. Either way being more of a glitter finish this was more work to get off but it's a great bright for anytime of year. All photos were taken with 2 coats in natural sunlight.

A lovely shade from a quality polish company. It may not be a HG colour for me but it definitely gets the job done.

Jacx

NOTD: Zoya's Meadow

 

Pretty is the perfect word to describe Meadow. I cannot even remember why I decided to pick up Meadow - it's certainly not bright or blue or green or sparkly but there is something so unforgetable about it. Zoya call Meadow a "soft medium pinkish peach with mauve undertones and warm frosty golden shimmer" and I'd tend to agree with that description. All pictures are shown with 2 coats in natural sunlight.

If you prefer more netural/muted tones or you feel you can't quite carry off the nude look then this is a must have shade for me.

Jacx

p.s what the hell was going on with my cuticles??? Sorry guys.

NOTD: Polished London's Buckingham Blue

I was lucky enough to receive three shades from this range to try. Polished London polishes are 4 free and according to the release I received they are "a full one coat coverage enamel with smooth application". Buckingham Blue is one of 6 shades in their summer collection that includes two crackle colours. To find out more about this range you can check out their website.

Because this range is supposed to be full coverage at one coat that's all I have on here -

 

This polish was easy to apply, clearly full coverage in one coat and lasted several days without chipping (although I did do a second coat after these pictures as I think every polish should have a 2 coat minimum). I am totally impressed as these polishes retail for $7.99 RRP and this colour is so gorgeous but then you know how partial I am to blue.


I'll do a more in depth review post including the other 2 shades I received very soon. Spolier: best black crackle I have tried so far.

Jac x

Disclaimer: As stated above I received this polish to review but my words and opinions are as always my own.

NOTD: Zoya's Reece

This is a long overdue post that I promised to the lovely Jade when I mentioned this shade on twitter. Reece is a gorgeous, happy pink with golden shimmer. Zoya describe it as a "metallic rose duochrome. A frosty hint of gold creates a unique "oil-slick" rose-gold". I say who cares if it's rosey or pink - just sit back and enjoy her gorgeousness.

All pictures are taken with 2 coats in natural sunlight. I just love Zoya polishes (and I haven't even tapped into their reds yet which are what many people rave about with this brand).

I'll be on a family holiday until mid next week so I hope you all have a happy new year and I'll be sharing pictures via twitter and instagram if you are interested (I am chloeblue2005 on both so come and say hi).

Jacx

NOTD: China Glaze's Ruby Pumps

I'm not sure if I have mentioned on here previously that I hate hype. When something is "must have" and everyone is going bonkers over it I walk in the other direction as quickly as possible. It's fair to say that this polish has a lot of hype surrounding it and being that I am actually not a fan of red polish generally (I blame the 80s) I had very little interest in Ruby Pumps. I was also under the impression from swatches that this was a glitter. So

1. I was wrong - this is not a glitter
2. this is a very pretty polish - even when you aren't a fan of red.

This polish is a bit of a perfect storm:

• China Glaze brushes and bottles are great.
• The formula on this one is easy to apply and opaque in 2 coats.
• It wears really well. Mine didn't chip for at least 3-4 days.
• The shimmer particles you see in the bottle totally translate to the nail.

All pictures here are taken with 2 coats and no top coat in natural light (some in direct sunlight to show the flecks better)

So in summary - love this polish, it's worth every penny and it's a hyped product for good reason - it's gorgeous.

Jacx