Happy Anniversary To My Husband

Hi Everyone,

It's so hard to believe that it has been a whole year already. 365 days of married bliss.

I know they say time goes quick when you are having fun, but seriously? I remember how hot it was that day. The weather had been terrible in the run up, and was terrible after, but on that Saturday, the sun was blazing and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I can still remember how it felt wearing my Wedding dress, the weight, the texture of the material, and the fit around my body. I can recall the smell of my bouquet - white roses and freesias, a mix of my favourite and my Grandmother's favourite flowers. It seemed only fitting seeing as I had chosen her Wedding Anniversary to make my own.

I remember how nervous I was through the entire ceremony. I was literally shaking under my dress, my heart thudding, and my voice squeaking. Not exactly a cool and relaxed bride. It was by far the scariest thing I have done, and also by far the best. I know that it will always be the best thing I have ever done.

I can also remember the huge swells of relief; when he turned to see me for the first time that day, as I walked down the aisle - his eyes lighting up and the smile on his face. He wanted to be there, I wasn't abandoned at the altar, he wanted to marry me. When we were pronounced Husband and Wife and he kissed me. Everything else fell away, it was just me and him and I loved him ferociously. For being there, for wanting me.

When you love someone, your worst nightmare is that they will decide that they don't love you anymore. They don't want marriage, or commitment. On your Wedding day, despite all of your common sense, there is always that worry at the back of your mind that you will arrive, and they won't be there. When you see your love, you realise that today, your dreams are going to come true. You win. You get your happy ever after. At least, that's how it feels to me.

I might not have the best job, or a decent wage. I might not have the biggest house, or a new flashy car. I'm not the prettiest, thinnest, smartest. But when I get home at night, it's to the best man I could have ever married. My best friend. The only person on the planet I could be trapped on a desert island with. The one person who truly gets me, and who I truly get. He makes me roll my eyes at his silly antics, and he makes me cry with happiness for how good he is to me. He can make me laugh when all I want to do is cry. He brings out the best in me, every single day. He might wind me up from time to time, but he is always there for me. And he is always the one I want to be around, for better or worse.

I love him. I always will.

Arriving with my Brother and Bridesmaids, my Sister and now Sister-in-Law

My Bouquet, simple but just right

A very happily married couple :)

Sunset on our Honeymoon

Summer Flames

Hi Everyone,

Seeing as everyone in the UK, and pretty much everyone else on the planet Twitter has been talking about the Olympic Opening Ceremony - and more specifically the lighting of the Torch, I had flames in mind when painting my nails for last night's outing.

We were off out for a meal to celebrate my Brother's birthday, and of course, the nail polish fiend in the family had to do something with her claws!

For my flame inspired mani, I started with a black glossy base. I used Bourjois Ultra Shine Noir de Chine. Although not typical flame-esque colours, I am a complete sucker for purples and bright pinks. I used OPI's Pamplona Purple, and Leighton Denny's Plush Pink. How's about that for alliteration - Pamplona Purple Plush Pink?!

I started with a few blobs of the purple on the tip of my nail, and using a pin, I dragged it up in varying swirls and flicks. I left it to dry slightly and then added the pink in the same manner. I sealed it with a top coat, and I was done!

This is my first time doing a manicure with pins. Whilst not ah-may-zing, I was happy with my finished result! I love the colour combination, and the flame effect is so cool!

Either way, I hope you like it! Have you done a mani like this before? I would love to see any pictures of yours!

Love Charlotte x

2true Shade 9

Hi Everyone,

Here is another swatch from the vault. I swatched this a while ago during an epic swatchathon, and never got round to posting it. Ooops!

Anyway, you may have seen the 2true stands in your local Superdrug store - they are the ones where everything is £1.99 each, or three for £5. Bargain!

I had read good things about the tall, skinny 2true polishes, and at that price, I figured it wouldn't harm to try for myself. Of the ones I picked up, I am going to show you this one first, as it is my favourite. This is shade number 9, a glorious smokey brown.

This is a pleasure to apply, with a great brush and formula. It dries quickly, and to a very glossy finish - you can see my patio doors reflected in the shine of the top pictures! This is a gorgeous colour - a great neutral colour for Summer nails, and again, a good one for the eventual transition into Autumn.

If you haven't already tried some of these polishes, I kindly request demand that you do, just so you can thank me for it afterwards! Yes, I'll take some credit where it's not due!

Love Charlotte x

Tales: Charlotte's Holiday!

Hi Everyone!

You may (or may not, haha) have noticed that my blog has been a little low on posts recently, and whilst I apologise for not keeping you all up to date with my nail based ramblings, I have a valid excuse.

I've had myself a holiday! Woot!

Well, not just me, the Mr. too, seeing as it was his Dad and Step-Mum we were visiting!

They live in the oldest town in Norway, a lovely place called Tønsberg. During the trip, they also flew us to Northern Norway, to the beautiful region of Lofoten. We stayed on Store Molla for a few days, and enjoyed a typical Norwegian fishing holiday!


During our time away, I had no real opportunity to keep up with painting my nails - so this will be a polish-free post. However, I would like to share a few pictures from our trip!

The view from my window on the plane on our way to Norway. We flew at 7:10 am. Which was painful. And very early. And did I mention painful? But still, the cotton wool clouds looked beautiful, soft and comforting - even for a wimp like me who HATES flying.

The Tønsberg Kommune have commissioned a replica Viking ship to be built, along the city centre waterfront. This amazing replica has been hand built by volunteers, and using only the tools that the Vikings themselves would have had access to, which is pretty stunning considering the detail of the carvings. The original ship had been found buried in a Viking Burial mound, with the corpses of two women inside it! I wonder how they ended up there...?

Again, I couldn't help myself on the flight to Evenes Airport. By the way, airlines - if you are reading this, Norwegian Air get it so right. Free WiFi, comfortable seats and proper leg room.  On a budget airline. Even the steps to get on the plane are awesome. (I have an issue with stairs I don't know. They fox me, the pesky buggers! They make me feel like I'm going to fall off them - but as soon as I get used to them, I'm fine! Overshare lol!) Anyway, large, foot sized steps, that are comfortably close together and don't feel rickety when you climb them. Yes Ryanair, I'm looking at you with your wobbly death trap steps!

A random snap from the car window, as we were crossing a huge bridge near Harstad. The blues of the water were stunning. So clear, and beautiful, and slightly tropical looking. Shame the water is actually freezing!

These two pictures were taken at around 23:30 pm local time in Store Molla, Lofoten. Yes, that's half an hour to mid-night, and yes, it's still daylight outside.  For about three months of the year, the have what they call the 'Midnight Sun', as they are so close to the Arctic Circle. The Sun doesn't 'set' enough for it to go fully dark; it only appears 'dusky' as the Sun is hidden by the mountains surrounding us! This is as dark as it gets, which was a bit of a shock to my system. Thank God for blackout curtains...!

Where else on Earth can you see white sands and clear, tropical blue waters surrounding by snow peaked mountains? This is a secluded beach in Brettesnes, on Store Molla, and has to be one of my favourite ever beaches. It's beautiful. Truly, naturally beautiful. Call me mushy, but it was breathtaking. And majestic. And, dare I admit, it was the type of place you would expect to see characters from Lord of the Rings running about, complaining about the lack of second breakfasts and trying to throw away jewellery.

The water on this beach was so clear. The water actually starts at the bottom edge of the picture, but it's almost impossible to tell. I don't think it's even that clear straight from my tap!


During the trip to Lofoten, we were told to expect temperatures of around 10 - 15 degrees Celsius. No problem, I thought. I've lived through many British Summers - I can do cold.
Except, for two days we had temperatures around 20 degrees. Unusually warm, they said. 
I didn't pack for Summer, I said. Even so, it was lovely. The water was exceptionally calm, which was great for a wimpy boater like me. We caught many fish, and ate a lot of it! For any fish lovers, you have not lived until you have eaten fish caught on the same day. It's wonderful! 


The Mr. redeemed himself by catching a huuuuge cod - the last time we went over to Norway, I managed to catch three fish, and he caught none... Even though it was my first ever time fishing! This time, I caught four smaller fish, and he caught a beast of a cod! He truly beat me this time haha!


We also caught an elusive and rather nasty Wolf Fish.

Taken from Wikipedia - I forgot to photograph the ugly blighter!

As you can see from the picture of the skull, this beast has rather nasty teeth, and is capable of crushing human bones if it gets hold of you. It might be ugly, but it sure is tasty.


We were also lucky enough to spot a wild Sea Eagle, which nest in the surrounding islands. Unfortunately, he wasn't as pleased to see us as we were to see him, so I don't have a decent picture to share. I'm just happy that we were lucky enough to see one!


This might be somewhat different to your typical holiday - certainly not touristy, no tacky gift shops, and unfortunately, no 2 for 1 cocktails. I may not have a tan to show for my time away, but I have come away with fantastic memories. And a smile on my face at having done something different, and having seen what has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

I hope you have enjoyed this slightly different post! Not a nail in sight...!


Thanks for reading,


Love Charlotte x

Model's Own Pink Fizz

Hi Everyone,

Mmmm Pink Fizz... Yes please, it sounds tasty and alcho-frolic so I'll totally have some!

The polish doesn't disappoint either! My glitter holographic phase seems to be moving onto a glitter phase. Which will likely cost me a small fortune in tin foil, but since when did we skimp on the basics for our nails?

I have to confess, this post is a lot later than intended. In fact, I think I picked this up when Boots were offering 3 for 2 on all cosmetics, around the beginning of March. As lots of people bought me lots of fantastic polish for my birthday, the ones I bought myself kinda got forgotten about. This is kind of embarrassing, as I also picked up some of the highly sought after Beetlejuice polishes too. I feel like I should be writing lines here - I will not neglect my purchases 100 times.

Anyway, in my ever growing collection of polish, I had felt that I needed a pink glitter, to help me feel more complete. Ta dahhh!

*Feels more complete*

This polish applied rather nicely for a glitter - it has a pleasing, thick consistency and is densely packed with glitter. The photo's above show just two coats. I think a third would have been perfect, as the photo's show some small gaps I hadn't noticed on the nail.

So, bubbly vino anyone?

Love Charlotte x