Barry M Texture Nail Art

Hello!

Day 20 of the New 31 day challenge was texture. Now if you want to see the horrific caviar bead fail I had, check out my instagram...instead I'm going to show you three of the new Barry M texture polishes :) Cheating? Just a little bit... Cheeky? Well, that's why you love me ;)

Barry M bought out four texture polishes, along with four new Gelly shades for the spring. As soon as they were available to order from Superdrug, 3 of them went in my basket. I didn't get the yellow at the time, although I've regretted it and I will go back for it! I've got swatches of Ridley Road (pale, mint green) and Kingsland Road (pale pink) and then some stripey stripes with baby blue Atlantic Road too.

First up, Kingsland Road. On it's own it would be a perfect baby pink, akin to Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream. It took 2 coats to get the opacity you see here.

Next, Ridley Road, yummy mint green, not dissimilar to Barry M...Mint Green... Again, 2 coats.

Then I added stripes with Atlantic Road, baby blue, very Blueberry Ice Cream-ish.

I love these polishes! The texture reminds me of woodchip wallpaper! I was singing this song all day when I was wearing it (showing my age now, but it could have been written about me ;) )

What do you think of this texture trend? I'm loving it!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 19 - my favourite polish

Hello!

Now, this polish speaks for itself really, and I've worn it before. Beautiful, beautiful OPI DS Original. It's my favourite for two reasons - obviously because it's a beauty, and secondly because it was another surprise gift from my birthday club ladies. I wore it simply for day 19 of the challenge, just adding a little rhinestone to each nail.

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 18 - my oldest untried

I am ashamed to say that the polish I chose for today's mani has been in my stash since April 2007 and it has languished, sad and unused since then. The shame. And it really is super pretty! I used W7 Purple Paradise and blinged it up with some gold as you do. And tada. One less untried in the tin...

And here is the rest of my untrieds exploding out of a roses tin...not bad compared to some peoples apparently... ;)

One more post later today and I'll be caught up (again!)

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 17 - new technique (Black spotted effect)

Hi again :)

Day 17 of the challenge was to try a technique you'd not tried before. I pondered this for ages and had almost settled on trying a fan brush, when I was hit by inspiration. A new technique started floating around the nail art community, headed by Cutepolish to create an OPI Spotted-look, without the impossible to find OPI Spotted polish. She uses alcohol-hand sanitiser sprayed into black polish floated on water, and I'd been mulling it over in my head for days. I couldn't find spray bottles of hand sanitiser in local shops and was about to order some online when I suddenly thought of using perfume. Perfume contains alcohol, right? A bit of experimenting later, and it worked! I played around with different black polishes and how high to spray the (cheap unwanted Christmas present) perfume from, and I came up with this, on top of my watercolour mani from day 15.

I found you have to spray from quite a height, and work really quickly or the alcohol takes to much polish away. It's really cool to watch it when you spray, the perfume sort of eats the polish! I really like the effect, although I still REALLY want the real OPI black spotted, it's taken the edge off a bit ;)

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 16 - Colour opposites

Busy busy weekend, so am trying to catch up!

Day 16 of the challenge was colour opposites - which basically are Yellow/Purple, Green/Red and Blue/Orange. I, along with most people I think, chose yellow and purple, and went for simple stripes and dots. The base is Orly Au Champagne and I used Color Club PucciLicious and Models Own Lemon Meringue for the details. I quite liked the slightly textured effect, so didn't topcoat it.

I was quite amused when this happened when I took it off. Simple things please simple minds, eh...

Hx

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New 31 day challenge, day 15 - watercolour

Hi!

Sorry for the late post, time seems to have gotten away from me today...although I've not actually done very much but sometimes days like that are good! I think I'm getting sick again so that's my excuse...

The challenge for day 15 was watercolour - something I've not tried before. So I spent quite a long time watching youtube tutorials and I came up with this pastel monstrosity! It actually came out quite similar to my cling film mani, although that was done with neons. Anyhow. I started with a pastel yellow base (Models Own Lemon Meringue) and topcoated it. I then added blobs of Models Own Jade Stone, Pink Blush and Feeling blue and tried to blend them with an acetone-soaked brush. I think my brush was too scratchy though, as they didn't really blend, more just wipe away. Never mind, it's still quite striking.

My favourite yellow- just two coats

I used it as a base for another mani in the challenge, so you'll be seeing it again in a few days!

Hx

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New 31 Day Challenge day 14 - stamping

Hi guys, Happy Valentines!

We're up to day 14 of the New 31 day challenge from Crumpets Nail Tarts, and the theme today was stamping. I love me a bit o' stamping, but I was uninspired when this day of the challenge rolled around. I did come up with something I liked in the end though! I used a black with holo glitter from a cheapy Christmas set as the base, really lovely colour, awful formula. It was like brushing my nails with tar. Sparkly tar nonetheless, but really gloopy. Once that was dry, approximately 11tybillion years later, I stamped with a barbed wire image in silver. The details didn't come out as much as I would have liked, but you could tell it was barbed wire, so I was happy!

The base on it's own. Pretty, but not worth the hassle!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge - day 13, a cheer-yourself-up mani

Blue. Glitter. Leopard print. That is all.

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 12, tape mani

Hello again!

Just warning you from the start: I fail at tape manis. I think I have only ever had one truly successful one, and that was a fluke. Whether I use striping tape, sellotape (scotch tape), masking tape, french tip guides, hole reinforcers, stickers - I always foul it up somehow. Anyway, I've seen a lot of gold and teal coloured manis done with striping tape and thought I'd give it a go...first mistake. Second mistake was the gold I chose, a cheap drugstore brand that wasn't opaque enough and needed too many thick coats. I thought I'd just do an accent nail, and that made all the mistakes more blindingly obvious. But never mind, you live and learn! You can kinda see what I was trying to do, right?

Also, it was the darkest, dullest day ever when I took the pictures, so it looks doubly awful. Anyway, I was in love with the mani I did for tomorrow's challenge so I hope I will redeem myself!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge, day 11 - spaltter

Morning all

Day 11 in the challenge was to create a splatter mani. I have tried the splatter straw technique a couple of times and all I end up with is a mess and a headache. So this time I cheated and used a stamp - clever Helly!

I started with a navy blue base and stamped a sort of splatter with Color Club Blue Heaven, and reversed it on my ring finger as an accent. My topcoat shrank the blue at the cuticle, so it looks messy, but was kinda cute.

Day 12 coming up later!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 10 - Geometric

I'm so excited to share this mani with you today! I adored it, and the polishes I used were pretty special too!

Now, if you're sitting comfortable, I've got a story to tell! If you're a regular reader you might know that financially things haven't been great for my little family over the last 6 months or so. It has been a long time since I've had a polish 'haul' as such, and I've only been able to buy one or two bottles every now and then as a treat. New clothes have been a thing of the past too. Anyway, I got some money over Christmas (only about £70, not a massive amount) but I was going to spend it on ME. If you're a mum you understand that doesn't happen very often! Alas it was not to be, as the day before we were due to hit the sales Mr NN drove the car through a big puddle and flooded the engine. Cost of the repairs...you guessed it, £70. Bye bye new boots...

Anyway, I was pretty annoyed, so I had a little rant in my birthday group, they patted me on the back and commiserated and then it was forgotten. Until a little while later a USPS box arrived at my door. I had no clue who it was from or what was in it, and when that happens it's usually down to one of my birthday girls. I opened it up and out fell a full collection of the Color Club Halo Hues! They had all clubbed together and got them for me, because I had had to spend my Christmas money on the car, the sweethearts. I was literally stunned, and I'm afraid to say I had a little cry (happy tears!). I couldn't wish for a lovelier group of nail-friends, so this post serves as a very special thank you to them all. I love you ladies!

Anyway, onto the nails. I used 5 of the Halo Hues in this, and an older Color Club Holo - Revvvolution. I  used a striper brush to do a line down the middle of the nail with Revvvolution once the bases were dry. Then I drew the coloured in side of the heart and filled it in, then made the other side of the heart a tiny bit bigger and filled in the outside space. Does that make sense? I'm not good at tutorials!

I hope you liked them as much as I did!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 9 - saran wrap/cling film

Helloooo

Today's theme was to create a cling-film (saran wrap to stateside readers!) mani. There are a couple of ways of doing this apparently - you can paint your base, let it dry, paint another colour on top and then lift some of the top colour off with scrunched up cling film to make a marbled effect, or you can paint your base and let it dry, then "sponge" another colour on top using scrunched up cling film. I did neither of these though, starting with a white base, then adding blobs of neon pink, blue and yellow on top and then squishing them down with the cling film so they merged a bit. I really liked the effect, and used it as a base for a later challenge, so you'll be seeing it again!

Hx

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New 31 dc day 8 - duochrome, flakie or holo

Morning!

For day 8 of the new 31 day challenge we had a choice between duochrome, flakie or holo, and I chose duochrome because I have a couple in my untrieds. I used a coat of Miss Sporty 040 Fiery Blaze, one of three duochromes they released last summer, over an oxblood creme to get the most from the duo effect. Then I stamped a bit of swirly stuff from the 3rd Bundle Monster set on top in silver and it came out all prettyful like.

The duochrome isn't the most groundbreaking, but these polishes are cheap as chips (£1.99 each, often on offer too) and pretty enough! I definitely don't have enough duochromes in my stash... *opens ebay*

Hx

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Valentines Glequins - Born Pretty Store Review

Hi loves!

It's come to that time of year where all the shops turn pink and are filled with tacky heart shaped nick nacks, chocolate genitals, novelty underwear and pink champagne. Cynical, moi? But whether you like it or not it makes for cute nail art! 

I was contacted by Born Pretty Store, and offered the chance to review one of their products and I jumped at the chance to try these loose glitter hexes/glequins, and create some valentines-themed manicures with them. I've used glitter placement techniques before, but never with loose glitter, so here is what I came up with!

Firstly, I tried a glequin gradient with three different colour glequins. I painted all my nails with China Glaze Surreal appeal, except for the middle nail , on which I created a gradient using Surreal Appeal, Nails Inc Elizabeth Street and China Glaze Igniting Love. Then I got my glequin on! I used a light pink, medium pink and red glequin, starting with red at the tip, placing them with an orange stick into wet topcoat. On top of the gradient in the middle I created a wee heart. All together now: aw!

Although the glequins are easy to use, covering a full nail like this can be time consuming, so for my next design I went for something simpler, but I think sexier ;) This time I used the glequins only on accent nails, making a heart shaped french tip in black and outlining with red. The rest of the nails are just plain glossy black, and the whole look is elegant with just a bit of sparkle.

The glequins I used can be bought online from Born Pretty here for just $6.45 for 12 little pots, or individual colours for $1.99 here. Remember to use my discount code NBL91 for 10% off! Shipping is free worldwide, I ordered on the 12th of January and they arrived on the 4th of Feb, which considering they came from China isn't bad at all. They have such an Aladdin's cave of goodies from stamping to rhinestones, and I can honestly say I've never been disappointed with anything I've ordered from them before.

Have you ever tried glequins? I'm totally in love with them, so I've a feeling you'll be seeing them quite a lot!

Hx

Product provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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New 31 day challenge day 7 - skittles

Morning!

Another not so successful mani today. The challenge was to create skittles, and I went for a neon and nude. I've done Neon and Nude in a few guises before, and my on original neon and nude tips post I had a request for a skittle version. Ok, it was nearly a year ago, but I'm happy to oblige! However, it was fated to be a fail from the start as my favourite nude polish had locked itself shut and Mr NN had to take the pliers to it to get it open. Then the formula had gone a bit lumpy and streaky. And then as you can see the chevron tips I tried were less that neat. AND then the topcoat streaked...oh well, we live and learn!

The nude is Nails Inc Basil Street, and the neons are from the Color Club Poptastic collection with the exception of the yellow which is Orly Glowstick.

Tomorrow's post is duochrome, and I didn't fail! Yay!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge, day 6 - Favourite Colour Family

Hello!

Today's theme for the 31 day challenge I took part in in January was to create a mani using your favourite colour family. You have no idea how hard it was to pick a colour family. My favourite colour is purple, but is it my favourite colour family? Since favourite colour came up later in the challenge I decided to go for something different, and picked turquoisy-greeny-bluey for my favourite colour family, and came up with a braid mani using Models Own Jade Stone (pinkie), Accessorize Mermaid (index) and Accessorize Superstar (thumb).

I'm still not sold on these braid manis, they look ok, but they can be a bit of a pain...what do you think?

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 5 - purple

Hello again!

Second post of the day and I'm caught up with posting for the new 31 day challenge! Getting back into the blogging swing of things ;) And this was a mani I was really pleased with. I don't think I did too bad for my first time trying glitter placement (even if it did take 45 minutes to do both hands...) I didn't use loose glitter/glequins for this, but instead used Color Club It's a Hit, which has large lilac hexes in a clear base. I blobbed a bit out onto some plastic and used an orange stick to pick out individual ones and place them on my nail. Because they were in a clear polish I didn't need to stick them into topcoat, but just topcoated over them afterwards. Easy framed mani, even if it was a bit time consuming...

I really loved wearing this - so simple yet eye catching. I'm going to try painting frames at the weekend...I'm sure it wont be as successful!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge, day 4 - pink

Morning,

Catching up with my challenge posts - day 4's was pink, and another skittle. This one didn't come out as I imagined it in my head - but do they ever?! I used OPI Steady as she Rose as the base, and Models Own Pink Fizz with striping tape and stamping. A cute idea for Valentines day maybe?

Excuse the glitter herpes! Coming up later is day 5s purple nails, a mani I was proud of for once!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge, day 3 - gold

Hi everyone!

I mist have been a good girl last year, because I was lucky enough to get OPI The Man With the Golden Gun 18k gold topcoat from Father Christmas (well, ok, Mr NN, but he is rather rotund...), so of course when the challenge called for gold, I had to use it. I used China Glaze Aquadelic as the base, with 2 coats of TMWTGG, and stamped a cutesy bow on the accent nail. I loved this mani and couldn't stop looking at it!

I think this is one of my favourite combinations ever. Love!

You might have noticed I've added a cheeky little Born Pretty Store discount code in the right hand sidebar! I'm working on a review post with more details, so look out for that soon ;)

Hx

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New 31 Day Challenge day 2 - Silver

For day 2's Silver theme, I did some more skittles, with stamping, glitter, crackle and a wee gradient ;)

Too much flash...

I'm late posting this one so day 3 will be up later!

Check out all the other day 2s :)

Hx

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New 31 Day Challenge - Day 1 - Black and White

Hi!

Here as promised is day 1 of the new 31 day challenge I took part in over on Crumpet's Nail Tarts on Facebook (an awesome group of nail artists, check them out!) The first day of the challenge had a black and white theme and here is what I came up with!

Here's what's coming up in the rest of the challenge!

And here is what everyone else came up with for day 1! Check out the awesome!

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