Summer sun wishlist

I don't normally do wishlists largely because if I want something, I tend to just buy it right there and then. Now that I'm coming to the end of my degree, I'm trying to get into better spending habits and save up for things I want rather than just impulsively buying them!

This wishlist is a bit of an eclectic mix - my style is definitely changing!

1) Cream bird print dress, £12.99 from New Look. This is a really nice simple summery dress that would look great at a picnic or even a pub garden. I'm really loving prints (even though I already have a bird print dress!) this year. The sleeveless style will be perfect for sunny days and sunbathing.

2) Mulberry denim shorts, £10 from Firetrap (USC). Shorts are a staple for me in summer, and I love bold colours and patterns. More often than not on hot days my go to outfit is a pair of bold shorts and a plain t shirt; comfy in the heat and still girly.

3) Black suedette dolly shoe, £20 from Faith. Shoes are a tricky thing for me as my feet are wide and very soft - I get blisters at the drop of a hat from the lightest rub and it's hard to find shoes that really fit me. This pair of dolly shoes are both cute and functional; and they make a change to my normal summer trend of plain black pumps.

4) Cream embellished heart vest, £22 from River Island. Normally, as I said earlier, I tend to wear a plain top with shorts in summer - but this heart vest is really cute and would look awesome with a pair of casual denim blue shorts.

5) Floral print lace insert playsuit, £20 from BooHoo. I kinda... fell asleep for the playsuit craze last year/the year before but this summer I want to get myself one; there are some lovely designs out there and they're not too expensive to get either. This lace and rose print version from BooHoo is stunning and summery; perfect for all weathers this summer.

6) Swarovski wedding cuff bracelet, £15 from Etsy. Despite the fact that this is intended for use by a bride as part of a wedding outfit, I think this bracelet is absolutely stunning and would be fantastic to glam up a summery outfit for a night out. Plus it's pretty!

Nat vs the Cake Pop

(Or as it will now be known as, 'the day the cake pops won... again.')

As it's my Dad's birthday today (Happy Birthday Dad!) I set about baking him a cake. Mindful of the fact that both me and my mum are on diets pre-wedding in July, and that my Dad is only home for 4 days, I didn't want to make an actual cake. I just wanted something small and easy for the three (or four) of us to eat.

I've made cake pops before but they were an actual disaster - I didn't put enough frosting in, I didn't put chocolate on the stick before I shoved it into the pop, and consequently all my pops ended up taking a permanent dive into the bin. This time however I was prepared. I knew exactly what I was doing and when, I knew how much of what I was putting in where, and I was ready. I was going to win this battle.

For those of you not in the know, a cake pop is a small, round ball of cake and frosting smushed together, shaped onto a lollipop stick and then decorated. You can get some gorgeous cake pops that are real works of art -

Bakerella's 'love' display

If you're in London you can buy them from The Pop Bakery

What do mine look like? Well, uhm, not as good as those.

They look ok, right? Not perfect but ok. 

Apart from I made 24 cake balls... and only 12 cake pops. 12 decided to swan dive off into the candy melts I was using :( so like a mature adult, I made sure I had enough for everyone and then did the most adult thing I've done all day... threw my spoon on the floor, threw the rest of the candy melts down the drain and stomped off to sulk for five minutes. One day I'll actually grow up... hehe. I'm just passionate, honest!

Life is hectic

Sorry for a non polish related post - I'm still having major issues with my nails. My index and middle fingers just won't stop peeling; even though my little finger nails are stronger and longer than ever! It's very weird. I'm trying Sea Kelp tablets to see whether or not that will work - but they're so big they're hard to swallow and I keep forgetting to take them!

My peely nails (sob) combined with my no-buy until I finish uni mean that in reality, I haven't had much chance to blog or even paint my nails. I am of course still frequenting the nail polish addicts forum and getting my fill of beautiful nails there.

So what have I been doing other than wandering around like a lost soul on polish forums? Well, for one I've been doing uni work. I am SWAMPED! But then again, I guess that's a final year, final semester thing. My tea intake has increased three fold (my wonderful friend Kate wrote a brilliant blog post here about her tea consumption relating to her dissertation!) and I'm just trying to get everything done to the best of my ability. It's hard work though. I'm also half heartedly applying for jobs and searching for a flat to live for when I do graduate as my boyfriend is moving out of his place soon and we're going to live together. And then there's my sister's hen do to plan - which is coming along fantastically, the strippers are booked and the penis straws have been purchased* - and the fact that I have no money to do anything exciting any way...

I guess one thing I have been doing recently is drawing more. When I get stressed, sometimes the only way to bring a little calm into my life is by drawing. Here's a couple of my more recent drawings:

Phew! I wanted to write this post because I'm procrastinating like a good student I miss the blogging world! I'm going to have a cuppa and go back over my favourite blogs now I think. Then crack on with more work!

*There may not actually be any strippers and there are definitely NO penis straws, but my sister wants it to be a surprise and it's fun winding her up in case she reads it. Rest assured Charli, your hen do is going to be f%^&ing awesome!