NUDEY PANTS

 

Soz if you were expecting any saucy pics in this post, you perverts;) This is all about nail polish, with nude being my favourite shade at the moment. It's perfect for creating understated, classic beautiful nails. During winter and the festive period I always tend to wear lots of dark or metallic colours so this Rimmel London polish (in shade 513 Let's Get Nude) was such a refreshing change for me. I find that lots of nude polishes can be really translucent but after two coats this polish created a really solid, clean result. As well as this polish, other great nudes in my collection are Ciate polish (in shade Couture) and Londontown Lakur (in shade Tea Time).

ALL THAT GLITTERS

Scrolling through my blog a few weeks back, I noticed to my horror that it's been at least over a year since I last did a nail art-related post. I figured that as it was the festive period it was only appropriate to get back into the nail game in the most sparkly, glittery, over-the-top way I know how.

 

 (Links to nail products used below)

 

After applying an always-important layer of Sally Hansen Double Duty base coat to each nail, I applied two coats of Barry M Nail Paint in white for a solid base colour. With a small square of sponge (makeup sponge or even a standard cleaning sponge will do) I lightly dapped Ciate in Sand Dune gold onto the bottom half of each nail. I repeated this four times to create a nice solid gold colour, moving gradually up the nail to create an ombre effect. To add plenty of extra sparkle, I dabbed a few costs of Seventeen Glitter Nail Effects in gold to the bottom of each nail, again spreading it upwards. To give the nails plenty of shine and solidify the overall design, I finish with another coat of Sally Hansen. As nail art goes this was a really simple but pretty design. They worked so well of the holiday period too, being both festive as well as the perfect amount of glitz for the party season. 

MULTICOLOUR

I couldn't decide which colour to paint my nails, so...well, ta da! I've had lots of lovely complements and so many people asking me how I create this look, and actually it was so easy and straightforward. I did a base colour of light baby pink to create a solid overall base for the colours to be applied to. I then applied a few messy splodges of blue to a make-up sponge and applied the colour in dabs to each nail, in random places. I started with softer tones like purple and blue so that they made a better base for brighter colours like the yellow and coral polish. It's a pretty fun and simple way to do nail art because you don't have to be accurate and there isn't really a way you can go wrong!

BLACKOUT

Here is just some pretty simple and understated nail art that I've been sporting recently. Since starting my new job I've had to keep my nails shorter and keep clear from the nail art for a bit. The fact is that working in a pub means being in a very masculine and male dominated place and as sometimes the only female there, I wanted to be taken seriously. But I couldn't keep away forever. I felt this simple design was subtle enough that I wasn't going to get picked up on it or stand out. I think they are a good way to do nail art for work or school without drawing too much attention.

 

To create these nails, I first applied two coats of nude nail varnish to the nails. Then I used the brush part of a black nail art pen to draw a large 'X' on each nail and then filled each nail in with both black nail varnish and the nail art pen leaving the nude triangle at the bottom. And that's it! Not many steps and super easy. XOXO

CHECKMATE

 

I've found a sneaky minute away from my art coursework to do this little nail post real quick. Here is my attempt at Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2013 -inspired nails that I did a week or so ago. It is the pattern that seems to be everywhere at the moment and I felt it was only right that I embraced it in my own little way. After applying a base coat I applied two coats of black nail varnish to each nail and let them dry. Then, using a white nail pen, I drew cross-like lines down each nail. To get the squares symmetrical I made the lines as thin as possible. I then filled in the squares with the white pen, and used a black nail pen to make any corrections if I went over the lines. Finally, I finished with a thin layer of base coat. It was pretty straightforward and just a little bit tricky at times. If I had white nail varnish I probably would have done the nails the other way round (white base and black nail pen on top) but I made do with what I had and actually it was completely fine, so I think it would work fine either way.

I only kept the nails for a couple of days because I was starting a new job and the nails were quite loud and bold and maybe not so first-day-of-work-appropriate. I think the same pattern would look more subtle if you changed black for light blue and I think it would look AMAZING in yellow (like the Louis Vuitton design above). Hope you like 'em! XOXO

GREEN OMBRE NAILS

Hey everyone! So I've done a few attempts now at ombre or dip-dye nails in the past (here and here), and this week I felt like experimenting some more with a sponging technique. The result this time is by far my favourite. To do this you'll need a sponge (I used a standard yellow cleaning sponge and cut a square out of it to use), three colours and a top coat, cotton buds and nail varnish remover.

 

I started by applying one coat of the lightest colour (in my case, the Rimmel London 'Peppermint' polish) to each nail and letting it dry. This just helps create a solid coverage at the end. I then took the square of sponge and painted lines of the three colours (including the light colour used for the base) onto the sponge next to each other, from light to dark. I then pressed the sponge onto each nail. I repeated this a few times pressing the sponge slightly higher or lower on the nail it blends the lines between colours, creating a seamless look. You also might need to repaint the sponge a few times to get full coverage on all the nails. The sponge creates a slightly rough texture on the nails when they dry so I used two coats of topcoat to make the nails nice and smooth.

I found this technique super easy and quick, and I love the result. The only negative is that it is pretty messy, with lots of excess nail varnish around the nail bed. However, that's pretty simple to clean up with cotton buds and nail varnish remover, and then you are good to go!

 

I hope you guys like like nail look! I think they look amazing (if I say so myself!) I am so excited & I just cant wait to try out loads of different colour combinations next! XOXO

VALENTINE'S INSPIRED NAILS

What do you think of my Valentine's Day nails? I know that Valentine's Day was a while ago now but who cares? I think these nails can work for any time of  year. Since doing my Comme Des Garcons nails ages ago I've wanted to do some more cool heart nails but never found the right time until now. I used two coats of baby pink nail varnish (Strawberry by Barry M) and once dry created the hearts using two coats of red (Heart on Fire by Rimmel London). It is pretty easy to create the heart shapes as you don't have to be completely spot on, and my long and curved nails also are a pretty perfect shape for the bottom of a heart. I then used a white nail pen to do the outline of the hearts. That was definitely the most tricky part but the end result really looked better because of it. I contemplated not doing an outline but the red and pink clashed quite a lot so the white really helps to stop that. It also just adds a bit of detail which makes them look nicer. I finished with a clear top coat (Sally Hansen) and job done! XOXO

BLACK CHERRIES

I find that without doubt, whenever I go shopping I end up buying a new nail varnish. My newest is from Rimmel, one of my favourite brands for nail varnish. It's kind of a dark red/purple colour. I guess the name on the bottle - black cherries - is pretty spot on as a description. I love everything about this varnish. The colour is so classic and elegant, and it would be a great colour to wear for an evening if you like something glamorous without being over-the-top. The finish is also so glossy and shimmery, making it pretty hard not to get distracted looking at my hands all day! It's the best nail varnish I've picked up in so long! XOXO

FADED

I've wanted to try faded nails for a while and only this week did I decide to try it. I did something similar a while ago using just two colors that were similar and painting them straight on, but I wanted to try a better technique. There are a few different methods to doing this look that I have seen, but I think the most praised method that I have come across is using a sponge. I started by doing a base coat and then doing two solid coats of the pale blue/green. I then cut a chunk (ugh hate the word chunk) out of a standard cleaning sponge and dabbed some of the lilac nail varnish onto it. I blotted it a couple of time on some paper just so that it wouldn't go onto the nail really think and then dabbed it onto the nails from about half way down. I then repeated this again, only slightly higher up the nail and with a bit more nail varnish on the sponge. I then made sure the lilac at the top of the nail was a solid colour, did a top coat and that was it! For my first attempt I am pretty pleased with how they turned out! I think the lilac might have been applied slightly too thick and there isn't enough of a fade for me, so I'll be practising loads more and probably try again soon because I really like this look. XOXO

WHITE STRIPES

Monochrome is set to be a big trend this spring/summer and so I was inspired to create some bold black and white nails. I used a black base colour and a white Models Own WAH! nail art pen to create the stripes. I love them because they are so striking and draw quite a bit of attention. They were even picked up by Grazia magazine for their Manicure Monday feature after I posted a picture of my nails on my instagram and twitter! I was so excited and insanely proud of myself. Even my Dad - who thinks my interest in nails is a bit of a waste of time - acknowledged that it was impressive and congratulated me on doing a good job. XOXO

LITTLE SNOWFLAKES

Last post of the year everyone!! Get excited! I hope that you are planning on doing something fun tonight to celebrate the end of 2012. As for myself, I'll probably be sitting with my new Slanket (most useful Christmas present of all time) watching TV and sipping on a big mug of tea. I lead an exciting life right? Anyways, being Christmas and all (did you know?!..) I thought it was a great opportunity to play with nail art and produce something fun. I toyed with a few ideas but the idea of doing snowflakes was a clear favourite for me. It was really really hard to do and I don't usually say that. I used the brush end of a Models Own WAH! nail art pen and used a silver pen to do some dots and dashes. It took flipping ages to get right because I kept starting over because some snowflakes were not as neat as I wanted. The finished result however turned out great and I am quite impressed even if I do say so myself. I hope you guys like them and have a great time tonight!  XOXO

LILAC WINE

NAIL POLISH - MODELS OWN IN 'LILAC DREAM'

Hey everyone! I painted my nails this sweet lilac colour last week and I can't get over how pretty they are! It's been a while since I've had a more feminine colour on my nails so I chose this beautiful colour from Models Own. This colour is great. Pastel colours tend to create a more subtle effect but these nails stand out so much! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the colour is quite bold and a great contrast when I wear darker clothes. It's brilliant! What do you think? XOXO

I'M BLUE DA BA DEE DA BA DIE

NAIL POLISH - TOPSHOP 'AWOL'

Congrats if you got the reference in the title! I couldn't resist. Anyway check out these beauties! They are pretty great! I first saw this colour at the Erdem Autumn/Winter 2012 show earlier in the year, and ever since I have been on the look out for a electric blue polish. I spotted this in Topshop a week ago and had to get it ASAP. I usually get bored with my nails after a week or so but I can't get enough of this colour! It is so striking and bold and so many people have noticed them and thought they were great. XOXO

VAMPIRE NAILS

CLEAR BASE & TOP COAT - MODELS OWN, PINK GLITTER POLISH - MODELS OWN IN MAGENTA DIVINE, BLACK AND WHITE NAIL PENS - MODELS OWN X WAH NAILS

 

Belated Happy Halloween everybody! Since I had no plans or parties this year I honoured my favourite holiday with these fun nails. In case you can't tell (some people got confused when they saw them), they are a vampire mouth design. They were a little bit tricky to get right but in the end they turned out pretty good. First, I needed to do a clear base coat on my nails and let them dry. Sometimes I forget to do a base coat but I always remember to do a base coat before applying a glitter polish because when removing the glitter without a base it can really really damage the nails.  I then used a glittery pink polish for the lips, making a small 'V' at the bed of the nail to create the top lip. To get a solid colour I recommend doing two to three coats. I then used the brush end of a black nail pen to make a rugby ball/American football shape in the middle of each nail, making sure it touched the point at the bottom of the 'V' shape. This just makes it look more like a mouth. I then used a white nail pen to draw on the white teeth and fangs. Finally I used to top coat to finish. A top coat can be really good when using glitter polish as it makes the nail really smooth and stops the glitter from fading or coming off. I got loads of compliments from people at collage and at work, and I think they would be good for any time of year too, especially if you are a twihard (Twilight die-hard obvs..) or something :) XOXO

BLACK HALF MOON CLAWS

 

I adored these nails! This was my second attempt at half moon nails (see my first here) and this time they turned out perfect. I used curved stickers and by doing so this created a clean line and made the whole thing really easy. I think they looked fierce and slick and I think they were just the best. I am sad to say that this is the last of the super long nails for a while, because I had to get rid of them a few days ago. They were making writing at school impossible and just needed to go. I was so gutted! :( I'll wait until the next school break before I do them again but I will be trying it with false nails because they are a million times quicker :) XOXO

 

 

BLUE DIP DYE NAILS

I saw someone with dip dye effect nails recently and I loved it. I had to try it ASAP. Before attempting this I looked at the different methods that people use so that I knew vaguely what I was doing. The main method that I saw was using a make-up sponge to gradually build up the nail polish. However since I didn't actually have a make-up sponge and was too impatient to get one, I used a different and probably less effective method. I painted the nails first in the lighter blue and let them dry. Then, starting about halfway up the nail, I painted each nail with the darker blue and let them dry. I then dipped a cotton bud into nail varnish remover and lightly brushed it over the line where to two colours met to blur the line. I was really pleased with how they looked and am definitely going to try it again with different colours and methods in the future. XOXO

CHANEL INSPIRED NAILS

Okay so this feels really late because I did this maybe two weeks ago but I was busy and forgot to post it. These nails are a copycat attempt of the nails at the Chanel Couture Autumn/Winter 2012 show. I did only one layer of silver polish followed by two or three layers of pink. I really liked them because I hadn't seen this nail design before and they are quite different. I was also feeling kind of girly so I was really into it. XOXO

RED HALF MOON MANICURE

I had never done the half-moon nail trend before but I had seen it about. I chose to do it just with red polish and the negative space of the nail for the half-moon. I did it without using tape or stickers, because in my experience stickers or tape can let the varnish leak through making it really messy. Considering that it was done without tape or stickers I am happy with the result and I really want to try and experiment with it more in the future. XOXO

FAMILY NAIL FUN!

I got some new nail varnish a week ago and was desperate to try it out. I chose to do a blended nail effect. It is from Models Own in Purple Haze. I am really pleased with how they turned out, and they were so easy to do. I did a clear base coat, and then a really thin coat of the glitter starting about half way up the nail. The coats got higher up the nail and slightly thicker each time so to create the blended effect.

Once my younger step-sisters saw my new nails they asked for the same. I think

they look good and they were both really happy. It also shows that this design looks good

on nails of varying lengths.

Even my brothers wanted to get in on the action (: Jack wanted alternating

sparkly pink and blue and he was really so happy with them.

I then painted Charly's nails in alternating sparkly blue and gold. It was funny because it took

my step-dad quite a lot of convincing to let me paint their nails. Reece tried to paint the

dog's nails but it was a bit of a failure because I think she just wanted to eat it D:

XOXOXO

OLYMPIC NAILS

Hiya! So somehow I managed to leave the house today after a week of not really doing anything (by that I mean watching DVDs and hilarious clips on youtube :|) and ventured into town with my dad for some serious and important grown up jobs (snore). I experienced a rare and completely embarrassing 'fail' moment while getting a new railcard (I hate myself for using the word 'fail' sorry). Okay so I was at the ticket desk with my dad and this guy was signing me up for a new card, and he asked me 'and when were you born?'. This was one of those 'to check that you are who you say you are' kind of things. I was born in May. I know this very well. I don't understand why, but I started to say April. It was kinda like 'Ayypu...um..what? May. MAY!!'. My dad looked at me and I knew he was thinking 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU CHILD!?' and all I was thinking was 'AGHH I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!'. The guy looked at me like I was a freak. It was so stupid. My mind went blank and I actually managed to forget my birthday. I am so completely stupid sometimes. He clearly thought I was just a having a weird moment (CORRECT) and gave me the card anyway. I was so embarrassed. It was awful. I then went to the bank to ask them why I have no money :'( and the rest of my day has consisted of feeling sorry for myself as I am losing my voice a little bit. So yeah today has just been the best!

It's been really reaaally hot the last week and today it is still pretty muggy and humid, so I wore a black and blue midi dress from Topshop Boutique. I apologise to anyone who was blinded by my snow-white calf's today :( I mean I like the 'pale and interesting' thing but I am a bit of a joke. I am so SO white it can be deeply upsetting LOL okay I don't actually mind that much. I wore the dress with my leopard-print belt, also from Topshop, because it is quite shapeless. The nude pumps are from Topshop and the bag is from a charity shop.

In other news, as today is of course the official start of the London Olympics, I wanted to paint my nails with an Olympic theme. I initially tried to paint little Union Jack's on each nail, but as my little brothers and sister have pretty much squeezed the life out of my white nail art pen, it was a complete failure. SOOo I thought I would get a bit creative and do something different. I painted the nails in red, blue and gold, then added different combinations of glitter and gems. I'm so mad for 3D nail art at the moment so I really wanted to start using gems and things on my nails. I love the end result because they are just a bit of fun and so different from what I have done in the past.

I literally have only started to feel enthusiastic about the Olympics in the last 48 hours or so. It's been in the news I think every single day for about a year. But it does now seen pretty exciting. I really hope tonight is huge spectacle like anticipated and not a total disaster. I also am actually really excited for Team GB to do the best in the next few weeks and bring in the medals. I think it's going to be pretty special for sure. Go London lav ya XOXOXO