Why does it have to be such a blue kiss?

Hi!

It's been a while since I've done a Sunday Stamping mani, and this weeks theme was to use a colour combination you've not used before. I had to think hard, but eventually decided to use pink and blue and a design inspired by Mod Nails. I left off the bow from her design, as I only have white ones, and replaced it with a stud, and moved the designs around a bit. The polishes used were OPI Pink Friday and Sally Hansen Insta Dry Blue By, and the glitter was China Glaze Snow Globe. The kisses were from two Bundle Monster plates and an Essence plate, and the stripes (first time I've got them straight!) from MoYou Pro 01. Oh, and I went back to almonds which I think suits my curvy bendy nails much better when they're long.

I like this as a colour combo, and I wouldn't have thought of it if it wasn't for the challenge. I love how challenges continue to push me, even if I'm not always happy with the result! This time, I was though. Happy Helly.

Hx

Pin It

GOT polish? Freestylin'!

Hi!

Sorry I've not posted for a few days, technology has not been on my side! For this week's Golden Oldie Thursday we could do what the hell we wanted, so I did! Actually the base was a brand spanking new Barry M Summer Ltd Edition from Boots called Bikini, a lovely perriwinkle blue, my "oldies" were the stamping polishes and the glitter. I stamped peacock feathers (I rather like peacock feathers, in case you didn't know!) using Color Club Perfect Mol-ten, Cold Metal and Hot Like Lava from the Foiled collection, and the glitter gradient tips were done with Icing Lemme See Your Peacock. The stamping plate was MoYou Pro 03, and Nails Craze NC01 on the thumb. Loved this mani, perfectly me.

I'm currently sporting a gel polish pedi, but when it comes off I think something similar to this will be replacing it! It'll match my tattoo nicely ;)

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

Stained Glass Springtime

Hi!

This week's adventures in stamping theme was spring, and I thought I'd try out a new technique. I blogged a while ago about some sheer tint-esque polishes I made, with this technique in mind. The idea is that you stamp a pattern on a white base, and then "fill in" the image using these sheer polishes and a little brush or dotting tool, making it look like stained glass (or leadlight). Because they're sheer, the colour will only show over the white and not the black stamping lines. For a first try, I'm quite pleased with how this manicure came out - I used MoYou XL Pro 06 and pink, raspberry, purple, yellow and green home made sheer polishes. The unstamped nails are China Glaze Keep Calm Paint On, which is my favourite mint and as such has gone a little gloopy. I love it so much though it finally made me order some thinner!

It's not perfect but for a first go I don't think it's too bad! And a little bit of wonk adds to the charm ;)

Hx

Pin It

GOT polish? Flowers!

After yesterday's Pink Wednesday, I decided to go with pink again for today's GOT polish theme which was floral. This was actually my second attempt after an epic fail the first time, so I went relatively simple. My base is Lilypad Laquer Bubble Yummo, a sweet hot pink holo, topped with some stamped flowers from MoYou Pro XL 10 in Color Club Revvvolution. I like the doodle-y look of how the flowers came out, but I feel like I've done a lot of floral manis lately, and this isn't my best. Boo.

Neon next week - I've been craving neons lately so I'm looking forward to it!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

Crabtree & Evelyn do polish...

Hi!

I don't know about you, but Crabtree & Evelyn isn't a brand I associate with nail polish. Skincare and fragrance, yes, but they've recently launched a polish range too. So when Mr NN came home with four for me to try, I was excited to give them a go! Of the 21 shades available, he chose Tomato, Snowdrop, Mica and Pistachio, and today I have Mica and Tomato to show you. Mica is a lovely steel grey shimmer, and I used two coats for opacity here. It applies really well and dries quickly to a great finish. I used Tomato on my ring finger, which is, as you would expect, and orange toned red but with gold shimmery flakes that make it really special. I stamped some roses (again!) with a magnetic polish similar in colour to Mica and topped it all off with a coat of Poshe.

These polishes have a great formula and they're really pretty, too! Of the other colours I got, Pistachio is a pale green shimmer and Snowdrop is a white cream which I used as yesterday's neon gradient base and is a good 2 coat white - which are hard to come by! All in all, these polishes surprised me, I like them much more than I thought I would! And the best bit is the price, just £6 each and currently on offer at buy one get one half price online, although Mr NN says they are BOGOF in store (at least in the Canary Wharf store). I really like the look of Wisteria and Petal Pink too (hint hint!)

Have you tried Crabtree & Evelyn polish? What did you think?

Hx

Pin It

Tri Polish Challenge April #3 - Blue, yellow and pink

Hi!

We're mid-way through April and mid-way through the school Easter holidays, so please forgive me if I'm a little cranky! My little darlings have been very demanding and later on we're off to build a birds nest and a fire in the woods. Basically, we're making things with sticks. Such fun! Anyway, I went simple for the TPC today. I had plans for all singing and dancing multicoloured gradients but instead went for a simple accent nail and stamping. Maybe next week... I used Beauty UK Blue Himalayan and Miss Sporty Taxi (incidentally, these were my primary school colours, so I reminisced a bit before I stamped!). The stamping was done with Sally Hansen Insta-dry Speedy Sunburst and MoYou Pro XL 6.

I love the contrast of the bright primary colours here, really simple but eye catching. I've just realised that April has 5 Tuesdays this year, so maybe I'll get that all singing and dancing multicoloured gradient in after all!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

GOT Polish? Coral!

Hi!

Today's Golden Oldie is one of my favourite colours, at least on my nails! I have a fair few coral polishes, from high end to drug store, neon to pastel. I chose a pretty polish with a troubled upbringing - I am never wowed by this brand unfortunately. Revlon Tropical Temptation is a really nice colour, but the formula leaves much to be desired - it's thin and watery, patchy and streaky, the brush is thin and stiff, I got nasty bubbles and it chipped within hours, which rarely happens to me anymore. I used three coats when it really could have done with another, but I used a fan brush to 'antique' it with some gold (Nails Inc Chelsea Bridge Road). I love how coral and gold goes together and originally had planned a skittle. Instead I stamped a lock and key on my ring finger, which sort of matched the antique theme.

Not wowed by this, but maybe it was the polish that put me off. Revlon are the higher priced end of the high street for me, but I think I got this one at a discount store. Good job really...

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

Tri Polish Tuesday - April #1 Blue, Pink & Yellow

How is it April already? Not complaining, the sooner summer comes the better! The tri polish colours this month are blue, yellow and pink, which just screamed floral to me so that's what I went with for week one! The base is Barry M Huckleberry (naughty, steaky, gloopy polish, but so pretty!) which I then stamped this script writing from MoYou XL Pro 07 on top of. I have no idea if it says anything, means anything or is from something but it fitted what I wanted here! I then freehanded some flowers using two pinks, Orly Preamp, which I thought would add depth as it is sparkly, but it wasn't enough, so I added OPI Pink Friday accents. The middles of the flowers are Illamasqua Blow. Once I'd topcoated it, I mattefied it too, and it just made it all so much more delicate looking.

I think this is one of my favourite manis ever! Possibly...I think...there's been so many now! I am rather fond of it though!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

Adventures in Stamping - Grey-diant and roses

Hi!

I love grey and pink together, and I've had this gradient swimming around in the "mani's I need to do" file in my brain for a while so as this week's Sunday Stamping theme was to combine stamping with another technique, I went for it. The grey to pink gradient consists of Sally Hansen Eel Skin and OPI Pink Friday and If You Moust You Moust. I topped my ring finger and thumb with OPI Pure (silver and white gold leaf topcoat) and stamped roses from MoYou Pro XL 10 in Barry M Silver Foil.

I feel like I've dine a lot of gradients lately, so many that I had to buy new make-up sponges! But it's such an effective technique, I can't stop!

Hx

Pin It

Tri Polish challenge blue, green and purple #4 - Flossing...

Hi!

For the last TPC of the month of March I decided to try something a little bit silly! I started off with an off-white base - Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud, and then used a little dental flosser to make the lines across the nail using all Barry M polishes - Key Lime, Cobalt Blue, and Plum. I topped it with a sparse gold glitter, Nails Inc Glamour Glitter, and overall it looked quite abstract and interesting.

I felt like it was missing something so I added a couple of stamped accents using MoYou Pro XL 6.

Next month's TPC colours are pink, yellow and blue - will you be joining in?

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

Irish Roses

Hi!

I have no idea if Irish roses are an actual thing, but this week's Adventures in Stamping theme was St Patrick's Day (which is tomorrow) and I wanted to use this image from my new MoYou Pro XL 10 plate (I went for 3 XL plates and they are awesome, I made the right choice!) so I merged the two and got this! The base is a holo gradient (obviously the best kind)  made up of A-England Princess Sabra and Saint George, with Nubar Reclaim sandwiched in the middle. I then stamped with Barry M Gold Foil and heart shaped roses, and added OPI The Man With the Golden Gun 18k gold leaf topcoat on the accent nail.

I didn't realise the sun washed the stamping out so much, so here's an indoor pic too.

Princess Sabra alone

And the gradient before I stamped

I don't actually celebrate St Patricks day, I don't think I ever have, even when I was a student and it was any excuse to get wasted have an alcoholic beverage. I might make myself a Shamrock Shake tomorrow though, because we can't get them here in the UK and they just sound awesome! Will you be celebrating? Have fun and be safe whatever you do!

Hx

Pin It

Darlin' it's better, down where it's wetter...

Hi!

This week's Adventures in Stamping theme was Under the Sea, and so I share with you the earworm that has been plaguing me all day. You're welcome. This mani was actually pretty complicated, combining several techniques and finishes to create what I think was mediocre at best. Don;t get me wrong, I like it, but it's not my favourite. I muddled together a watermarble accent nail, saran/cling wrap, glitter, stamping and shimmer topcoat for these schools of fishes from MoYou London Sailor 04 plate (double stamped again, can you tell? Pretty pleased with myself!) My colours were Barry M Greenberry and Nails Inc Baker Street (in the water marble and saran wrap under the stamping), Claires Accessories Shiver (glitter under the stamping which isn't very visible, but it's a lovely polish so I'll be using it again soon!) and then stamped with Konad White. I then added Collection Sparkle Top Coat over the whole thing because I wanted it to shimmer.

I think that for all it's layers and complexities, the fishies have good depth to them. I just wish my watermarble wasn't so wonky and the glitter showed up better! Onwards and upwards!

I want to order some more MoYou plates, and I'm torn between normal or XL images. You get more images on the normal plates, but obviously they are no longer big enough. I can double stamp, but not having to is much less hassle! What would you do?

Hx

Pin It