Valentines Week! My Patchwork Heart

Happy Valentines Day!

For my final Valentine mani this year, I challenged myself and went freehand, and I think it paid off. I really love this patchwork design! I started with a coat of China Glaze Dance Baby on all of my nails, and then added a second coat to my pinkie and index. Once that was completely dry I sketched out the heart and patches using Barry M's white nail art pen and filled the sections in. I used Dance Baby, a-England Briar Rose, Barry M Prickly Pear and Above The Curve Rain Kissed Strawberries. While this was drying I added stripes of white and Briar Rose to the other nails and then went back over the lines separating the patches to neaten them up and add the "stitches". Patchwork hearts. Done.

I hope you've enjoyed Valentines week! I actually haven't, but I've had a rough couple of days and all I want to wear is black. Maybe next week should be moody black week...

Whether you're celebrating or not tonight, have a great evening!

Hx

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GOT polish? Valentines!

Morning!

This weeks Golden Oldie Thursday theme is Valentines, which fits nicely with my theme week! I based my idea on a cute design by Nicole at Nail Polish Wars and busted out the crackle polish! I started with a base of Essie Mojito Madness, then marbled it using the cling film/saran wrap method and Essie Bikini So Teeny (basically paint a coat of the polish over your original colour, then dab some off with scrunched up cling film). Once that was completely dry I painted a coat of Barry M black crackle on my ring finger and cut a stencil out of tape for the heart on my middle finger.

I think I should have used a purple instead of lilac, but otherwise I'm happy. And it was pretty simple too. Win win.

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Valetines Week - Love Letters

Hi,

Later post than usual from me as I am not well and feeling very low. But I wanted to keep up with the theme week, so I'm gonna make this quick. I've seen this design floating aroud but I have no idea who did it first, so if it was you let me know and I'll credit you. I started with Glitter Gal Light as a Feather as a base, then stamped the image from Bundle Monster 311 in Color Club Halo-graphic. This didn't show up so I stamped again with a-England Briar Rose. I like the double stamped effect, it almost makes it look distressed or vintage. The envelope was freehanded with Halo-graphic and sealed with a Briar Rose love heart.

I think I should have done the envelope the other way around, but other than that I liked it.

Tomorrow, the GOT polish challenge gets the Valentines treatment.

Hx

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Tri-Polish Tuesday - Pink, Brown and Grey #2 - Chocolate box!

Hi!

As it's Valentines week, I am going to try to fit my challenge posts into the theme too! I thought this design looked chocolate box-y and since reduced chocolate the day after v-day is probably the best part I thought it fitted! I used OPI Skull and Glossbones, China Glaze Dance Baby and Barry M Mocha, and the accent is a mix of OPI Pink Yet Lavender and a heart glitter polish I've had for yonks.

I need to work on my lines, they've been a bit wobbly lately!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Valentine Week! Lacquerdaisical Elphaba's Downfall

Hi ladies and gents!

Valentines day is nearly upon us, so this week has been nominated Valentines week! Starting off with some simple nail art featuring the last of the Lacquerdaisical polishes I was sent to review, Elphaba's Downfall. Elphaba's Downfall is a red jelly packed with red micro glitter. It really looks like yummy glitter jam! I freehanded the heart tips on top of Barry M Lychee. Since I reshaped my nails into almonds I've had to change my approach to nail art a little bit, as not everything is suitable but this was perfect and super easy. I think the hearts would look great in gold over the nude base too.

I believe Elphaba's Downfall refers to Elphaba from Wicked and Dorothy's ruby slippers, although I've not seen Wicked so please correct me if I'm wrong Alexia! I adore musicals though and Wicked is top of my list - and currently on tour in Milton Keynes just a stone's throw from where I live. I am so gutted that I wont be able to go :( Anyway, this polish is definitely a ruby slipper polish, so if you are going to see Wicked on tour it would be perfect! You can find Laquerdaisical polishes on their Facebook page!

Hx

Laquerdaisical Elphaba's Downfall was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details. All other products featured were purchased myself.

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Loves Me, Loves Me Not?

Hi!

I haven't done a Stamping Sunday manicure for a few weeks and this week over at Adventures in Stamping we had two themes to chose from - Valentines day or Love and Hate. I did a bit of both, and I must say I'm rather pleased with my effort! I started with a base of OPI If You Moust You Moust - a mid-pink creme. I then stamped on love hearts (the little sweeties!) in pastel colours by mixing Konad White Polish with primary coloured polish. I have sooo many pastel polishes, but I didn't think any of them would stamp opaque enough. It was really easy to do, too - I just put a blob of the stamping polish on my plate, then a smaller blob of the colour polish and mixed them with a nail art brush before scraping and stamping as usual. The polishes I mixed were Orly Lucky Duck, Sinful Colors Amethyst, Nails Inc Notting Hill Carnival, Orly Shockwave and If You Moust You Moust again. The plate I used was Bundle Monster 421, which has two versions of the love hearts - the usual, lovely dovey ones (lover, cutie pie, crazy 4u etc) and not so lovey dovey ones, which I stamped on my right hand (stalker, go away, don't call me, dumped, and my personal favourite, not tonight!). Please excuse the lumpy thumbs, they both have patches that I'm struggling to get smooth.

I think the stamping on the "mean" side came out better, but I don't actually mind the miss-stamping because I think it looks like the real sweets. Or that's my excuse anyway...

I'm starting a little Valentines week tomorrow, so check back for that!

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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