Candy Nails - Good Enough to Eat!

I have recently been helping a friend with a Design Project, where she was a creating a point of sale display for Topshop's Pastel Polishes - the theme was "sweeties" and I was enlisted to help with the nail art designs! One of the sets that I painted used real hundreds and thousands that were glued to the nail, just like you would with Nail Art Beads.

I started by painting each nail a different pastel shade, then adding a thin layer of nail glue to one corner of the  nail. I then licked my index finger on the opposite hand, dipped it in hundreds and thousands, then dabbed them lightly onto the wet nail glue:

I know I don't usually do Nail Art on falsies (you can see they don't fit well at ALL haha) but this project called for it! I actually find it easier to paint nails if they're attached to my fingers...who knew?! Would you ever put edible decorations on your nails for everyday wear?


Don't forget you can still vote for me in the Bundle Monster Facebook Competition! Click HERE to vote for this design! It only takes one click! :)

Leave me comments, I love to read them!

Boots 17 Glisten Nail Art with Fimo Cane Butterflies.

This is the final polish that I bought from the new Boots 17 Spring collection and it's a pinky orangey shimmer called Glisten. I think I prefer how it looks in the bottle more than on my fingers, but it is really pretty in the light. Pink at some angles and shimmery peach at others, it has a really soft and feminine look to it!

I hadn't cracked out the fimo cane in, literally, months so I thought I'd give them a go! I added some yellow fimo cane butterflies from BornPretty.com to the corner of each nail - very simple nail art today! Simply cut a very thin slice of fimo cane with a craft knife and use nail glue to keep it in place! Very spring inspired!

Thanks everyone! Let me know what you think on the comments! Out of Mellow Yellow, Juicy and Glisten, which has been your favourite?

Also did anyone pick up this month's Glamour magazine with the free Percy and Reed haircare?! My hair feels INCREDIBLE! I'd definitely recommend!

Aloha! Tropical Sunset Manicure!

Y'all know how much I love my tropical manicures. I was stuck for ideas (hence the lack of posts this week), and decided to to a gradient manicure, and see if inspiration struck. Reminded of a tropical sunset, I added some palm trees and fimo cane fruit, and the Totally Tropical manicure 2.0 was born:

 

I started out with a base of Bloom Flamingo Sands, and used a piece of sponge to apply China Glaze Papaya Punch to about 3/4 of the way down the nail. once this was dry, I then repeated this on the tips using Miss Sporty Taxi. Because yellows are generally sheerer than most other coloured polishes, I sponged the yellow tips twice, for a brighter fade. This Sponging/Gradient technique works best when the colours are close in shade and tone, as it creates a neat, even fade.

I then added the black palm trees and "Aloha" using Konad Plate M29 and Konad Black Special Polish, and used MUA shade 2 to add a little, silouetted desert island at the base of each one. I used Claire's Black Nail Art Pen to freehand in the little birds.

I'm going to take this opportunity to review the Fimo Canes that I was recently sent by BundleMonster (well known for their affordable nail art supplies), because the fruity appliqués you can see on the ring finger came as part of a pack they sent me.

Fimo Cane is rubbish if you get it wrong, and great if you get it right - it can be a bit tricky to master. All Fimo Canes come as little sticks that have a picture all the way through the core (like seaside rock!), and you then slice it very thinly, with a craft knife, to be left with a little Fimo picture that can be stuck onto the nail with clear polish or nail glue.

If they are sliced thinly enough, you can use a couple of coats of Seche Vite and have the Fimo completely flat and smooth to the nail, but some prefer to slice it a bit thicker and simply "perch" them on. I really liked the Bundle Monster Fimo Canes, and are definitely of better quality than the ones I purchased off eBay. I find the designs are generally clearer, nicer and more usable than some of the very odd ones that come in the eBay packs! (evil, teddy bear Frankenstein anyone?...No, didn't think so.) All in all, I got on with these Fimo canes very well, and would definitely recommend them! :)

One of the packs offered by bundlemonster, which you can also buy from Amazon.com

I added slices of the Lemon, Watermelon and Kiwi to my Tropical Design! :)

Thanks guyyys, let me know what you think! I will also be announcing the winner of my Apothica Giftcard giveaway very soon :) Sorry for my absence, I'm back on the ball!

x

Tiger Nails - Tutorial!

Well, my exams are finally over! Wooooohooooo!!!! Back to regular posts! I promised I'd be back on form with the nail art, with a bang, so today I've got a tutorial for you, for FIERCE tiger nails!

 

This looks complicated, but its really very easy when you break it down into steps! For the base of the tiger print design, I used the sponging technique to make a colour gradient. The only piece of equipment you will need for this, is a piece of sponge, I use the corner of a kitchen scrubber:

 

Select 3 polishes in "tiger" colours -  I am using Nails Inc Candy Orange , Essence Show Your Feet in Juicy Orange, and Miss Sporty Taxi:

I started with the middle shade, Candy Orange, and sponged on the darker shade, Juicy Orange, onto differing areas of the nail. It works best if you dab a small amount of polish onto the sponge, and lightly build up the sponged area, adding a little bit at a time. I then did the same with the yellow, Taxi, and these are the results:

 

After cleaning up the cuticles with a cotton bud and nail polish remover:

 

Next comes the stripes, I did two sets of stripes in black and gold, but you could just do the black if you wanted. I used Claire's Nail Art Pens in Black and Gold (the striping brushes inside), but you could easily use a striping brush or regular brush and polish if you don't have pens:

 

get a small bead of polish on the end of the brush, and starting at the nail edge, draw horizontal stripes that don't touch, but interlock to make the tiger print, zig zag pattern. It works best if you almost flick the striper towards the centre of the nail, as it makes a neat, tapered point. Start with the Gold stripes.

 

Once it's dry, you can go back with the Black striper, almost exactly on top of your gold stripes:

 

Add a coat of Seche Vite or your favourite topcoat, and you're done! I added the tiger face as an accent on the ring finger. Take an eyeshadow applicator (as the sponge is smaller and denser!) and add a small amount of white polish. Dab on the orange base like so:

Next, take a green, pink, grey and brown polish . with a dotting tool or brush, add two green dots to the bottom of your white sponged eye areas, and with the pink polish, draw a 'T' shape towards the nail edge. Contour the tiger's nose with two fine lines in brown polish. I added some grey whiskers with a fine brush.

 

All that's left to add is the black details, for which I used Claire's Black Nail Art Pen. Add your topcoat. You're all finished! Longest. Tutorial. Ever! Rest your tired eyes.

I hope you like them! Let me know what you think! Will you be trying it?

xxx

*EDIT* Because this post took BLOOMIN' AGES, I completely forgot to mention the reason I did this manicure in the first place! I knew Swaffie Blog was having an "inspired" competition, and I really wanted to enter. I was watching a documentary on endangered species, and decided to let the segment on Bengal Tigers be my inspiration! Here is the link to the competition, you can vote for me if you want my love and affection forever and ever and ever, I would really appreciate it :D:D. I am entry number 3! There are some fantastic entries, and you can vote for your favourite three, which I think is a great way of doing it, giving everyone a fair chance! :D

Totally Tropical

Hi everyone!
In the spirit of craving summer SO BADLY, I decided to try out my newest Konad plate M29, and stamp a design I had been wanting to try for a while. Unfortunately, I only managed a quick flash shot of this, as I headed down in the morning to do the washing up, and a) broke a nail on the light switch, and b) managed to chip it all - washing up is kryptonite for manicures!

photo with flash - sorry it's the only one!

I started with a base of Topshop Green Room, and Bloom Flamingo sands II (both my absolute favourite polishes for the summer). I bought a couple of other Topshop polishes, and they are quickly beginning to rival my, previously unfaltering, love for Barry M! The formula is great and the colour selection is so different - I hope to do a review this week!

I added yellow ovals to the nail in Miss Sporty Taxi! and stamped the pineapple image from Konad M29, very carefully, over the top of these using Konad Black Special Polish/Konad Green Special Polish (for the leaves).

For the accent nail, I sponged 17 Orange Soda and Miss Sporty Taxi! over the top of Flamingo Sands II, then stamped the hibiscus image three times using Konad Special Polish in White and Red, as well as mixing my own pastel blue from Barry M Cobalt Blue and Konad White Special Polish (to see how click here). I stamped the "Aloha!" image in Konad Black Special Polish. I then added a coat of Seche Vite after the stamping had ten minutes to dry properly, so as not to smear the image.

I absolutely love this design - especially how the accent nail and the rest of the fingers do not match each other AT ALL in colour - I'm loving the colour clash trend this summer haha! My favourite mani in a while - I only wish I could've kept it on longer! I'm eager to try some variations on the accent nail design, the sponging is really subtle, which gives a cool effect.

Let me know what you think!

xxx

Tropical Crackle

Well it's looking like the sunshine is getting me in the mood for summer - I tried the sponging technique for the first time today, creating a gradient from pink to yellow through orange. Heres how it came out!

I did this late last night, so sorry for the shoddy photography and lack of clean up!
I was suprised just HOW EASY this was to create, and it takes no time at all. Firstly, I painted two coats of Barbara Daly for Tesco in Neon Pink, then cut a little bit of sponge off a pan scrubber. I painted a bit of Barbara Daly for Tesco in Salsa to about halfway down the nail. If I were do it again I think I'd sponge in white first, then over the top in orange, just to get a more pronounced effect. I then sponged the tips in Miss Sporty Taxi! to complete the gradient. I love how Beachy this looks :D like a Cosmo cocktail!!
I love the Barry M Nail Effects Crackle Polish, but because the crackles have been so relentlessy blogged about recently, I havent done a post. But...I added it to this look :D

It annoyed me that theres a big black patch of crackle on the middle finger, would've liked to see it crack up a bit more, but oh well. I would have loved to top it all off with a couple of coats of Seche Vite, just to smooth the whole thing out, but I don't yet own the holy grail of topcoats. This looks great from a distance, as it's a really neat fade out. I'd like to do this base and then freehand some black palm trees in, like a tropical sunset, but alas! I am still waiting for my nail art brushes from Evilbay.

CANNOT ACTUALLY WAIT for the Models Own Crackle range - I need that Plum and the Turqouise.

Stay safe homies x