Splash! Nail Design

 How do you like my first nail design? I'm really excited about this, I've never done any kind of nail art before! I saw some videos on YouTube featuring this kind of a look, so I decided to do this yesterday evening and today, everytime I look at my nails, I feel so fun... if feeling fun makes any sense :)

Read on to find out how I did it, this is so simple!



What you'll need:

* At least 2 different coloured nail polishes. Make sure that they aren't too similar so that your design will stand out!

* A topcoat (not pictured)

* Toothpicks

* Nail polish remover

* Q-tips

Paint your nails with the base colour. I used two coats of OPI I'm Indi-a Mood for Love, which has been my favourite pink polish for some time.

Clean up any extra nail polish around your nails, using q-tips that you dip in nail polish remover.

And don't forget to let your nails dry really well before you move on to the splashy part!



Now, take your second colour and your toothpicks. I used OPI Russian Navy, which is a beautiful, deep blue/purple shimmery colour, which almost looks black. Really pretty and I think it goes well with the pink.

Take the brush out of the nail polish, and dip your toothpick in. Then put a dot on your nail (only one nail at a time!) like the one in the picture. Using your toothpick, "tease" the dot until you have a splashy pattern like the one in the first picture. To make it look more naturally splashy, add some small dots.

Let your polish dry really well before you apply a top coat to seal the deal!

Have you been doing any nail art lately? I'd love to see it!

Yours,

Miss Diorista

P.S. If you decide to try this, consider using two different colours for the splashes. I think it would look super-cute!

Wavy Hair - Without the Heat!

I love wavy hair - it's my favourite hairstyle. I have some slight natural waves, but I like to emphasize them. However, using a curling iron (or a straightening iron, for that matter) is both time-consuming and more importantly, not good for your hair. Read on to find out how I get beautiful, natural-looking waves!

1) Wash your hair

I like to do this in the evening before I go to sleep, but you can do it in the morning if you are going to wear the waves in the evening and not during the day.

2) Don't blow-dry your hair!

This is really important. Just use a towel, and don't dry your hair completely.

3) Braid your hair

See where I'm going with this? :) The tighter your braid is, the smaller and more defined your waves will be. In the same way, loose braids will give you big, loose waves.

Tip: Try different kind of braids for different kind of waves!

Another tip: To get waves right down to your hair's ends, loop that last piece of hair under your hair tie!

4) Let your hair dry

For me, I braid my hair in the evening, right after washing it, and then I sleep through the night with my braids. However, if you wash your hair in the morning, you can sport your waves throughout the day.

5) "Miss, your waves have arrived!"

When your hair is dry, remove the braids to reveal beautiful-looking waves!

Spray your hair lightly with hair spray to keep those waves in place, and add some shine spray if you want!

I know five steps seem like a lot but it really just comes down to two things: Braid your hair when it's wet, and wait until it has dried to remove the braids! Super-simple :)

Have you tried this techinique? Do you like it? Try it the next time you wash your hair!

Love,

Miss Diorista

P.S. I'm loving the new blogging format! Have you tried it? Oh, and does anyone know how to rotate pictures? I can't figure out how to do it! Thanks ;)

And the picture of that little girl is from http://www.updoprincess.com/

Some of my Favourite Books for Baking!

Since you know that I'm really into baking, I decided that maybe some of you would like to see my favourite baking books :) Enjoy!

This is where I keep my favourite baking and cooking books. I have more but those are my favourites and the ones that I use most often.

And here are those five favourites from the favourites shelf, that I will be showing you in the post :)

The first one is Hot Chocolate by Michael Turback. Obviously, this is not a baking book, but it had to be included. I never knew so many different kinds of hot chocolate there were, until I bought this book! Endless fun :)

Next up is one of my all-time favourites, How To Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. This is one of those baking books that I can actually read, not just bake from.

Nigella Express, by Nigella Lawson. This book has lovely recipes, and as the title describes, they're quick, too. And I love the beautiful pictures in it!

As you can see, I really love Nigella, her recipes and her shows... something about her is just so relaxing, and you can't possibly be down when you're cooking her recipes, they're too much fun for that!

My friend gave me Baking with love from Reader's Digest for my birthday... two years ago, I believe. I'm still discovering great recipes there, and I love how they try to keep things healthy (act as if you can't see those brownies on the cover... I'm not going to try to make you think they're healthy! ;)

And finally, my aunt gave me this one, Eric Kayser's Sweet and Savoury Tarts. I prefer the sweet ones, let me tell you right away :) This is a very elegant book, and you need to have some time on your hands before you dive into a recipe from there. They are completely worth the effort, though!

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What are your favourite baking and cooking books? Please tell me in the comments!

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Happy baking,

Miss Diorista

Votes are in - and 100th post!

To celebrate blog post number 100 on Miss Diorista, I wanted to take a moment to give all of you for being so supportive, for reading my blog and for being those amazing followers and readers that you are!

Also, I want to thank you for voting in the small poll that I had up a few days ago, about what you wanted to see on Miss Diorista in the future. Turns out that most of you wanted to see more reviews, so that is what you will be getting. Also, you want hauls and favourites posts - those three received the most votes.
However, you can count on it that I will continue showing you some of the unhealthy cookies and cakes that I bake (hey, that rhymes!), as well as showing you pictures from Iceland. And our health posts will still be there on Fridays!
Again, thank you for voting, it really helps me see more clearly what you want to read - so that I can write it :)

And don't forget that even though this poll is over now, you can always contact me if you want to tell me what you would like to see on the blog - you can of course comment, but you can also tweet me or send me an e-mail - all information can be found under "Contact Miss Diorista" to the right on the blog.

Love,
Miss Diorista

P.S. That cute little picture is from http://www.universalscraps.com/.

MAC - Cham-Pale

Did you like this collection? I thought I wouldn't but I actually kind of did... However, the products I wanted the most (Chez Chez Lame and Dangerous Cuvee Paint Pot) were sold out when I finally got the chance to visit MAC, so I decided to get those two products instead. Turns out I really love both of them!

To the right is a lipgelée, and the colour is Sin-Tillation. This is a light pink shade with lots of multi-coloured shimmer, and it's one of those that look good over almost any lipstick!
And the paint pot I got is Chilled on Ice. It's an exceptionally pretty colour, though very light, and can go under pretty much any eyeshadow.

A close-up of the Chilled on Ice paint pot - the colour is so pretty, it's a light one (almost white!) with a hint of melon to it and some golden shimmer to top things off.

Why does looking at product names make me feel so good? :)

The lipgelée is swatched lightly to the left (top row) but heavily to the right.

And below is the paint pot, very lightly swatched to the left but heavily to the right.

The same swatches, different lighting. Wanted you to see the multi-coloured glitter in the lipgelée, so pretty!

I love those product because I know that I will be using them non-stop! Did you get anything from this collection?

Love, Miss Diorista

January Favourites!

It's already February! I can't believe it :) So it's time for another monthly favourites post, yay! I don't have an awful lot of products to show you, but I have also included one TV show and one foodie... or maybe it's a drink. Yes, water it's definitely a drink :) Enjoy!

L-R, top row first: I don't know why I haven't mentioned the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer to you before - 'cause I love it! I have seriously come to the point where I can't wear foundation without applying this to my skin first!

The Diorskin Nude Glow Foundation you already know - I've told you how much I love it, been wearing it non-stop this month! You can find my review here.

How come I am first now discovering the wonders of blotting sheets?! I've had those Bourjois Anti-Shine Blotting Sheets forever... maybe three years, I think, but I never used them until three weeks ago. Now I can't leave hourse without them, these are a lifesaver.

The blush is by Make Up Store, Frozen Daiquiri - it is a beautiful, bright colour with shimmer (see my haul and swatches here). I love this for a pop of colour on the apples of my cheeks - but be careful! This is very pigmented - which is why I use the next and the last product on the picture to apply it - the MAC 188. In case you aren't familiar with it, it's a small duo-fibre brush which can be used for mineral blushes, regular blushes (if very pigmented) and even foundation. I find that by just tapping the brush twice, very lightly, in the product, I get about the amount I need. Then I blend out with a kabuki.

Mixing blushes - I love this! It gives you such a natural flush, much more natural than you could achieve using just one product. I will do a separate post on how to mix two blushes for a flushed but contoured blush-look, without having to use a contour colour!

Dexter - Is loving him wrong? Because I can't help it :)

Sparkling Water - I can seriously drink dozens of bottles of sparkling water!


What are your favourites for January? I'd love to hear, please comment and tell me ;)

Love, Miss Diorista

P.S. I'd be happy to review any of those for you - let me know if you would like to see reviews, and then I'll be sure to put them on the top of my list!

Granola, sleep and weekend-eating!

This post is one day late - sorry about that :)

This week's challenge: Get 6 to 7 hours of sleep every night.

Ough, this one is going to be tough for me! I can easily get away with 4 hours of sleep... but I know it's not good for me. This week, I'm going to try to change my sleeping habits a bit... I'm not really picking the best week, though, it's going to be crazy, and I will be needing those extra few hours to get work done... but I'm going to try to think like Garfield... well, no, not really, then I wouldn't get any work done at all!

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This week's recipe:

Granola (Bars) - slightly adapted from a recipe by Seventeen Magazine (they sometimes have surprisingly good recipes!)

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*0.5 cup butter

*3/4 cup oats

*1 T semolina flour or cornmeal

*1/3 cup packed soft brown sugar

*Nuts and/or dried fruit, if you wish

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Preheat your oven to 190°C or 375°F.

Mix together the dry ingredients, then pour melted butter over them and mix well. Press into a greased baking pan, about 11*7 inches, and bake for at least 15 minutes.

Now, you can either leave to set in the pan, and then cut into bars (about 12 pieces), or you can leave it to set, and then crumble it up for granola. I personally favour the latter option :)

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I know this isn't terribly healthy, and you probably shouldn't be eating tons of this every day (butter and sugar are sadly not good for you... but oats are, however!), but every now and then, this is a great way of getting your fibre!

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Now, I'm pretty sure that we all recognize the following situation: You've been eating healthy all week, then it's Friday... and all of your good intentions seem to fly out the window, never to be seen again. Here are a few tips for dealing with those weekends!

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*Work out - the harder you work out, the less likely you will be to spoil your hard efforts!

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*It's ok to indulge a little - If you constantly tell yourself that you can't have this or that, it will only make you want it more. Allow yourself a little splurge every now and then, and you won't be as likely to binge.

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*Prepare healthy food before - If you already have sliced fruit and veggies, nuts or a vegetable soup just waiting to be heated, then you won't be as likely (I feel like "won't be as likely" is all I'm saying in this post...) to go and buy unhealthy food, or prepare them.

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*When going to parties - Eat healthy a breakfast and lunch, but scale things back a little. And when you get to the party, keep your hands full! If you're holding a low-cal (preferably water) drink, you can't reach for more food so easily ;)

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That's it for this week, hope you liked it and stay healthy!

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Love,

Miss Diorista