Sunday Stamping - Birthstones

Morning! I hope it's as sunny where you are as it is here, gorgeous. But of course we can't get to enjoy it because the plague is still going around! The baby had it last weekend, then the older one got it Friday, and now I think Mr NN has it... So not long before I succumb too I'm expecting! No sleep for Helly! I feel like I've not had a full nights sleep in about 6 years...that'd be right before son number one came along then...

Anyway, I have still managed to participate in this week's Adventures in Stamping theme - and on time this week! The theme was to be inspired by your birthstone, and since I was a February baby that's amethyst. Not complaining that I get to play with purple! I have a couple of polishes in my collection named amethyst, so I chose this pale lilac foil by budget brand La Femme as my base, and then stamped with Color Club Wild At Heart (never lets me down for stamping). The plate used was Gals Fairy GA38. I really love the outcome. Not particularly summery for this gorgeous weather, but then February isn't exactly a summer month...

I hope you like them! What's your birthstone?

Hx

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Adventures In Stamping - Poisonous or Toxic

Hello!

This week's Adventures in Stamping theme was Toxic or Poisonous - now, I know I have a fair few plates but compared to some in the group (I'm looking at you Sarahpedia) my images are quite limited. But I was surprised to find that I had quite a few different skull-like images, some toxic looking bubbles and some hypnotic patterns that done with the right colours could be classed as toxic. I went for this little skull image (although I think it's ended up kinda cute rather than toxic...) over a green and orange crackle combo. The green is Color Club Twiggie - yummy neon green and the crackle is La Femme Orange crackle, which is a really great crackle polish and super bright. I used a coat of poshe to smooth it out then stamped the image from SdP D18 with Konad special black polish. I had to fill in some of the fine lines with a fine nail art brush because it didn't transfer quite properly, but it didn't matter too much.

Cute or toxic? Bit of both? I couldn't quite bring myself to wear this one out, it was just a bit too garish for me...would you wear it out? I ordered a set of the OPI Ger-mini's and they came yesterday morning while I was wearing this, so that might have had a part to play in the lack of longevity this manicure had too...

Hx

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Adventures in Stamping - Unnatural Animals!

Morning!

I have had this mani ready to show you for over a week, since I got confused and missed the announcement last week and thought this was last week's challenge. Oops! Nevermind, it was pretty cool anyway :P For this mani I used LaFemme Ultra Green - a pearly lime green polish which was brushstrokey and gross. Look at the colour though! I added a coat of Sinful Colors Call You Later- a green and gold glitter before stamping the image from a faux Konad Q1 plate that I got on ebay. As the image was too big for my ickle nails, I tried to make it look as though the image went across two nails...I hope you can tell!

The plate was a little bit difficult to work with, but I used my Wet n Wild Black Creme to stamp with and that in itself is temperamental. I swatched the whole plate and I know with a bit of trial and error I could get them all to work, so I'm pleased!!

I love the swallows and can't wait to give them a go :)

Hx

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Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge - Re-create your favourite!

Today's task was to recreate someone elses mani. Simple, right? Actually no! There have been soooo many good ones it was so hard to chose something that a) I could do and b) I could make look as awesome as the original. So hard! In the end I decided to go for something by our illustrious leader, Debbie Crumpet of The Crumpet, and recreate one of her mosaic designs, which she featured for Gnarly Gnails as a guest post. She's done a whole series of these now, so you should definitely check out her blog for more inspiration! I chose 4 greens for my mosaic - Nails Inc Spring Mews, Barry M Spring Green, La Femme Beauty Ultra Green and Sinful Colours Green Ocean, and a teal striper. Debbie recommends using 6 colours but all my other greens were too minty or too baby puke-ish. And believe me I've seen way too much puke over the last week thanks to 2 poorly boys with tonsillitis. It isn't the neatest mani, thanks again to the 2 poorly boys with tonsillitis, but I like it :)

Aren't my pictures a million times better when the sun's shining? Pray for more sunshine!

Last day of the challenge tomorrow! I have to say I'm a little bit glad it's over, although I have thoroughly enjoyed it it will be nice to just wear what I want to for a while :) Well, not exactly as in an effort to not feel so guilty at having never used about a quarter of my polish stash I will be doing a month of untried polishes challenge from Saturday 14th April to Monday 14th May. If anyone would like to join me, please let me know in the comments as there are already a few of us from my Birthday club taking part. You don't have to post every day, but every mani you do should be based around a polish you've never worn before. If you want to add stamping or nail art, that is excluded from the untried rule! Have you got a stash of untried polishes? Join in the challenge!

Hx

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Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge - Favourite thing about Spring

The challenge is nearly over! Just two more posts after this, and we're done with spring! And we're finally getting some Spring weather - today we have had typical April showers, and I don't mind at all!

Onto today's nails, which was your favourite thing about Spring. Now while I love Spring for me the best thing about it is that it leads onto summer, and summer for me means flip flops! Yes, I painted feet on my nails. And what?

The base colour is Nails Inc Basil Street, which is my perfect creamy nude. It's actually pretty squishy and jelly-ish and is almost opaque in just one coat. The only thing is that the drying time isn't great, so if you want a quick perfect neutral mani add a quick drying topcoat and you're good to go! The other polishes are far too many to name, so I've included a picture - ask in the comments if you want to know a certain shade! All off the flip flops were done with striper polishes, and all of toes with a dotting tool and neon polish. I can't wait to try some neon pedicures for real this year!

That's a lot of polish!

Please don't tell me I'm alone in thinking these are kinda cure? No? Just me then...

Hx

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We Stamp on Sundays - BM 203 over China Glaze Atlantis and a crapton of glitter...

Hello!

This week's theme for stamping Sunday was a plate ending in three - so I pretty much took that as an excuse to break out the glitter and go to town with a full nail design. I used three birthday club polishes from the lovely Jebba (Mode Party Girl), Janelle (CG Atlantis) and Kathryn (Pop Rocks Groupie), and added some pretty irredescent glitter by La Femme beauty (the name has rubbed off the bottle). One it was topcoated and dry I stamped with Barry M Silver Foil. I'm planning a big post with all of my birthday club gifts once they're all here!

Before I stamped...or cleaned up...

I was kind of hoping for a fish scales/mermaid tail effect, but it looks more like a chunky jumper! Still like it though :)

I may not be around much for a few days, because I have an infected finger and it's making things difficult :( It is sooooooo sore! You would never think that having a sore finger could make you feel so rotten. The next Purple Crumpet Spring challenge is due on Tuesday, and it's one I really want to do, so hopefully I'll manage it...

If you want to stamp on Sunday, click here!
Hx

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Halloween Week v.1!

Boo!

So, Halloween is a week away, and I decided to do some Halloween inspired nails. I have a few ideas, so I'm creating a little mini-series! I wont be posting every day, as I don't change my nails every day. Some of the ideas I've come up with myself, and some I've seen on other blogs and shamelessly stolen adapted to suit me!

First up is something simple but that I really love the look of, and it's a classic Halloween colour combo. I started with my green Depression Awareness mani as the base and topped it with a thick coat of this neon orange crackle by La Femme Beauty. I picked this up on a market stall for £3 but you can pick it up easily on ebay and Amazon.

You do need thick coats of the crackle because it isn't completely opaque. And it needs top coat because it's very chalky without it. I love how the glitter peeks through the crackle though! What I didn't love was removing it using the foil method. How is it that every time I remove a glitter this way I discover a sore spot on a cuticle that I didn't know I had? Ouch!

What Halloween designs do you have planned?

Hx

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