Adventures in Stamping - World Music Day

Hi!

Apparently yesterday was world music day, so to celebrate this week's stamping Sunday theme was music. I decided on a bright gradient with some music notes in black for a summery look! The three polishes in the gradient were all from the Models Own Polish for Tans collection - Bikini (yellow), Beach Bag (peach) and Shades (pink) over Crabtree and Evelyn Snowdrop. The stamping was from Cheeky CH31 and I stamped with a new-to-me black - MUA Pitch Black. I usually use Konad Black, which is ever so slightly more opaque but an absolute pig to clean up. This is the only other black that I've been happy with stamping wise, and you can pick it up on the high street for a quid! I would suggest grabbing it if you see it as I've been looking for a while and kept coming up empty handed. Now I'll grab another as soon as I can!

I think keeping it simple over a bright busy base is the way to go. It looks striking without being too in your face. I really like and I'm glad it didn't chip after spending most of the day swimming today, so bonus!

Hx

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Au Revoir Almonds...

Hi!

This is the last of the manis I have to show you from before my nails got the chop, so say good bye to the almonds for a while! It's a shape I loved and I'm definitely aiming back towards that shape again so hopefully they wont be gone for long. In the meantime though, things are going to be pretty nub-tastic around here!

For this manicure I was inspired by the fabulous Louise from Tips and Topcoat and used a couple of the Models Own Polish for Tans collection, which I think are best described as pastel neons. Contradiction perhaps! Anyway, for this manicure I used a nude base and then added Models Own Beach Bag and Shades, a pink and peach from the collection, using the saran wrap/cling film method. Once that was dry I stamped the basket weave pattern from Konad S6 in white. I had to stretch the image to make it fit, so it's a little distorted, but it kind of fits the theme!

I'm loving this collection of polishes, sometimes Models Own really gets it right! I can see myself reaching for these all summer long...

Hx

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GOT Polish? Totally Tropical!

Hi!

Today's Golden Oldie theme was tropical, and I thought I'd try my hand at a little stamping decal again! My golden oldies were China Glaze Peachy Keen and Color Club Poptastic (should have used Flip Flop Fantasy really!) I also used Milani Gold Gems and Sinful Colors Paris for a little glitter gradient. Don't look too closely at the decal, it folded over at the edge and smeared a little bit. I will perfect them one day!

Fits the tropical bill, no? I loved the gradient despite the little decal accident! I really can't wait for summer, I can't stop cracking out the neons! My pedi is even neon in readyness for real flip flops!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Totally tropical...

Well it seems that finally here in the UK summer has arrived. And by summer I mean it is hotter than the devils asscrack. Nice bit of imagery there, yes? Anyhoo, I'm not complaining, and in fact I decided to celebrate the heatwave with some totally tropical nails! I'd been wanting to do this for a while, and when my lovely friend Ashley from One Nail To Another posted her version it was immediately bumped up the to-do list!

I started out with a gradient comprising of 4 different texture polishes. The base was one coat of Beauty UK's new Grit Effects in Kensington - a sparkly champagne nude. I then sponged on 3 Kiko Sugar Mats - imaginatively named 639, 640 and 641 - a pale peach, pink and corally-orange. Who knew texture polishes were so good for gradients> Because of the texture they kind of blend themselves, easy peasy. Cleanup wasn't so easy though, especially as all the polishes I used were sparkly. But what's a bit of glitter herpes between friends, right?

Once the gradient was dry (didn't take long) I stamped on a palm tree and painted a little island underneath. No topcoat, obviously, or I would have lost the texture. Still insanely sparkly and summery though. I am in love!

Now I just need a lurid-coloured cocktail, a beach to drink it on and a hot man to serve it to me... Dream on, dreamer...

Hx

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NOTD - Peachy Plait or Fishtail Fail?

Morning!

I must have pinned 11tybillion of these fishtail/braided designs, so I decided the other day to try one, in my favourite peachy tones. I used Barry M Peach Melba, Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fruit Salad and Barry M Gold Foil. I did two accent nails, ring and middle, with the plait detail and the other three fingers with the separate colours. Every version I've seen of this has been beautiful, and the tutorials have looked so deceptively easy - but can I just say I didn't find this easy at all! It was a pain in the arse, messy, took ages because I had to let each stripe dry before I could do the next one and when I was finished I didn't like it. Hmph. I forced myself to keep it on (mainly because it was about midnight by the time I was finished and I couldn't face the prospect of going to bed with naked nails) and it's grown on me I guess. It doesn't look so bad now it's cleaned up, and I've had some compliments on it so I guess it doesn't look too bad...

Maybe if my nails were a bit longer it would look better? I don't know, I'm just not sold on this one, on me at least. Maybe it was just more effort than it was worth! Kudos to everyone who does on every nail - you have more patience than me!

So what do you think, peachy plait or fishtail fail?

Hx

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NOTD - Just Peachy...

Hello lovelies :)

Peachy colours are one of my favourites. I think they just suit my skintone and are just a little bit "different" without being too out there. For this manicure I combined Barry M Peach Melba with one of my favourite patterns from the second Bundle Monster set, stamped with Barry M Gold Foil.

I love this combinations - and Barry M did too! I tweeted it to them, and they retweeted it so I got lots of nice comments. I think my nails were quite nice at this stage too *sobs* grow little nubbins, grow!

Hx

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NOTD - Summer Water Marble

Hi guys!

I think this is the best water marble I have ever done! I was super pleased with how it came out. I wanted the petally design, and got it on a few nails. The only one I wasn't all that pleased with was the middle finger but even that looks ok. I used Models Own Lemon Meringue and Feeling Blue, and China Glaze Peachy Keen and Aquadelic.

Left hand:

Right hand:

(You can see stubby is getting better!)

 Left thumb, my favourite:

I was so proud of this mani! Unfortunately it didn't last long, and chipped before the day was out :( Water marbles always tend to do that to me. I can usually get a mani to last a couple of days now, but not a water marble.

Models Own cremes tend to be good for water marbling. This is the second time I've used Lemon Meringue in a marble. They do take a while to dry, and definitely have that non 3-free smell to them, so maybe that helps? I don't now, but it gives me an excuse to stoc up on more colours!

Hx

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NOTD - Pastel Spotty Dotty!

Hello!

I showed you swatches of the Nails Inc freebies you can get with InStyle magazine this month here,  and I decided to do a manicure with them. All three of them! They go really nicely together, and I just did a simple spotty design. First, I painted all 9 of my nails alternately with the three shades, and then used the other two colours to make large dots with a dotting tool. Then with the base colour I put a smaller dot in the middle, so it (mostly) looks like circles.

The colours go really nicely together, so I'm glad I got all three...as if I needed an excuse... Now, what to do with three copies of the same magazine...

Hx

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Purple Crumpet Spring Challenge - Easter Bunnies

Quick post today, for what was a relatively quick manicure! I used two coats of Julep Alicia, which I got in a lovely swap, and them stamped some cute-ass bunnies using HB38 and Barry M Gold Foil.

Cute, but I wasn't super happy with it, so I ended up doing this.

MUA Nail Quake in Quiver. Still love me some crackle!

Hx

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Purple Crumpet Spring Challenge - Day 9, Spring Peach

Morning!

Day 9 and the challenge was favourite Spring lilac or peach. I chose peach since I don't have a lot of lilacs and what I do have you've seen already. Plus I got the polish I used in one of my Birthday Club presents from the lovely Ashley and I wanted to wear it! This is two coats of China Glaze Peachy Keen. Yum!

Then I added some fimo flowers to the ring fingers, so I did get the lilac in somewhere!

I'm getting better at slicing the fimo now, but they still don't lie as flat as I'd like them. Better practise some more...

Hx

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Feeling tonal

*WARNING* Foot Picture Below *WARNING*

Todays post is a little different than usual. I can't remember if I blogged or just tweeted about it, but I won a Beauty UK competition on Facebook for 3 of their new pearl eyeliners! I seriously never win anything, the last time I won a competition was whan I was about 6 and I won a My Little Pony. For this comp you had to tell them what your festival beauty tips were, and I said something about dark nail varnish so you can't tell if your fingernails are grubby. Yukky, but needs must. Anyway, my new eyeliners came this morning and I couldn't wait to try them.

I got a silver, gold and metallic purple liquid eyeliner, and since I was already dressed and wearing a peachy coloured top with pinky-corally flowers on, I chose the gold as I thought it would go best. I tried to take a picture of the top but it just made me realise how ginourmous and out of proportion my bewbz are, so you wont be seeing it. Anyhoo, moving on...

Here's the eyeliner, over a sheer MUA eyeshadow that I also use as highlighter. The mascara I'm using is Collection 2000 Big Fake False Lash Effect, and I love it. It gives good length and volume without those annoying fibres that irritate my eyes.

Yes I have wrinkles and bags under my eyes. I'm old and I have 2 young kids.

 Then onto the nails. I added 2 coats of ELF Golden Goddess on top of yesterdays gold crackle and pink. Golden Goddess is a clear base with tiny gold glitter and hex golden holo glitter.

 Matched my bracelets in gold and corally-orange.

And then I ruined it all by painting my toenails in Barry M Dusky Mauve haha!

Have a nice day!

Hx

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NOTD - Er, peachy nude Wednesday?

So I messed up. I thought this mani would come out more pink but it didn't. I guess I can't sit with you guys today...

3 coats of 17 Supreme Shine in Bared plus stamping from Born Pretty fauxnad M65 with E.L.F Mod Mauve (great for stamping btw), plus Seche Vite.

The rarely seen right hand...

My stamping non-skillz are getting better. Although I still can't get the flower pattern from M65 to stamp properly :( And I REALLY want to use it for the mani for the wedding I'm going to :(

One more thing, can anyone recommend a silver polish that's easily available in the UK and isn't too pricey that's good for stamping?

Hx

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