Hi!
Not blue suede shoes, but purple suede nails! This mani was just intended as a quick stopgap, but I think they turned out too pretty not to share. I'm not usually a huge fan of mattes and suede polishes ( have a few, obviously) but I just think the application is tricky, they show every flaw in the nail and while they look like they dry quickly they stay dentable for hours. Quick dry topcoat is a no no because you lose the effect, and that also means they chip more easily than most. Too much work when you can just use matte topcoat and get the same effect, amirite? BUT I was lucky enough to win a full set of these Moyra suedes and boy do I eat my words. They are all autumnal, wintry shades with pretty silver sparkle, they apply really well, dry (properly dry) quickly and don't make my nails look as bumpy as the Pennines. The only issue I had was a little bit of dragging on the first coat, as they really do dry super quickly, but any bald spots vanished with a careful second coat. This lovely purple is Suede 505. I stamped a simple little paisley design from plate QA 59.
Super pretty, and I imagine it would look gorgeous topcoated too. I can wholly recommend these suedes, and they're really affordable at just £3 too, available here. Like Moyra UK's Facebook page for regular special offers too!
Hx
*Edit - I've just noticed the website is currently down, so I'll try to update once it's back!*
Showing posts with label stamping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stamping. Show all posts
Friday, 26 September 2014
Monday, 22 September 2014
Neon Stars featuring The Nail Arcade!
Hi!
Today I have some cute neon star studs from The Nail Arcade to share with you! I love anything neon on my nails, but haven't ventured into the world of neon studs yet, so these star shaped ones really appealed to me! I used a mix of the stars to accent some neon star stamping using Pueen 44 and my new Mundo de Unas stamping polishes (which I will do a separate post on soon). They were easy to apply (just popped them onto some wet topcoat, and then added another layer of topcoat to seal them in) and they've so far lasted three days with none pinging off or losing their colour! I think these are a great way to take your neon into Autumn/Winter if you want to be seasonally appropriate, and don't break the bank at just 95p for a wee bag of 50 studs. What's more, they are a UK based store, so you don't have to wait weeks for them to arrive, and you're supporting local business. Win win!
The lovely Rachel at The Nail Arcade sent me a sweet little package of goodies to try out, so you can expect more posts from me singing their praises! And in the meantime check them out on Etsy, Twitter and Facebook!
Hx
Today I have some cute neon star studs from The Nail Arcade to share with you! I love anything neon on my nails, but haven't ventured into the world of neon studs yet, so these star shaped ones really appealed to me! I used a mix of the stars to accent some neon star stamping using Pueen 44 and my new Mundo de Unas stamping polishes (which I will do a separate post on soon). They were easy to apply (just popped them onto some wet topcoat, and then added another layer of topcoat to seal them in) and they've so far lasted three days with none pinging off or losing their colour! I think these are a great way to take your neon into Autumn/Winter if you want to be seasonally appropriate, and don't break the bank at just 95p for a wee bag of 50 studs. What's more, they are a UK based store, so you don't have to wait weeks for them to arrive, and you're supporting local business. Win win!
The lovely Rachel at The Nail Arcade sent me a sweet little package of goodies to try out, so you can expect more posts from me singing their praises! And in the meantime check them out on Etsy, Twitter and Facebook!
Hx
Some products in this post were provided free of charge for review purposes. As always all opinions are 100% my own. All other products were purchased myself.
Labels:
black,
Mundo de Unas,
neon,
pueen,
stamping,
stars,
studs,
The Nail Arcade
Sunday, 24 August 2014
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
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
Labels:
adventures in stamping,
Blue,
Bundle Monster,
China Glaze,
essence,
glitter,
moyou,
OPI,
pink,
sally hansen,
stamping,
stripes,
studs
Thursday, 21 August 2014
Ahoy there!
Hi!
Well, look at me posting twice in a week and stuff! I really liked these nails and so I thought they deserved a post. They were inspired by my new phone case, which I bought from Born Pretty Store, and I just love it. I love all things nautical and particularly anchors, and the design was really easy to recreate. I used all Barry M polishes in my base; Huckleberry, which is a super pale blue, and I then dabbed on Damson and Matte White with scrunched up clingfilm to get the mottled background. I actually wore it like this for a day before adding the stamping, from Cheeky's Summer collection. Pictures ahoy! Please excuse the odd shape of my index finger, it has a patch on it which is making it flatter than usual, if that makes sense! They'll all be going back to almonds shortly!
I loved the subtle effect, and think I got a pretty good match to the phone case! Funny where we find inspiration sometimes :)
Thank you for all the lovely comments on Sunday's post, it means a lot.
Hx
Well, look at me posting twice in a week and stuff! I really liked these nails and so I thought they deserved a post. They were inspired by my new phone case, which I bought from Born Pretty Store, and I just love it. I love all things nautical and particularly anchors, and the design was really easy to recreate. I used all Barry M polishes in my base; Huckleberry, which is a super pale blue, and I then dabbed on Damson and Matte White with scrunched up clingfilm to get the mottled background. I actually wore it like this for a day before adding the stamping, from Cheeky's Summer collection. Pictures ahoy! Please excuse the odd shape of my index finger, it has a patch on it which is making it flatter than usual, if that makes sense! They'll all be going back to almonds shortly!
And before the stamp...
I loved the subtle effect, and think I got a pretty good match to the phone case! Funny where we find inspiration sometimes :)
Thank you for all the lovely comments on Sunday's post, it means a lot.
Hx
Labels:
Barry M,
Blue,
cheeky,
cling film,
inspiration,
iPhone,
phone case,
stamping
Sunday, 17 August 2014
Fight for Life and Live
Hi!
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?! Almost 2 months since I blogged last, and I am so ashamed of that for a multitude of reasons. The thing is, life just sometimes gets in the way and recently a lot of "life" has happened. My beautiful Mummy was taken seriously ill, and as she doesn't live close to me a lot of two-ing and fro-ing has ensued. She's got a long journey of recovery ahead of her, but hopefully she's on the mend. My own health hasn't been fantastic, I'm having trouble with my eyes and earlier in the year I had two miscarriages within the space of 4 months, which was painful both physically and emotionally. We also lost our lovely cat George, who had been our furbaby for almost 10 years. Mr NN has had work trouble and was made unemployed (again), leaving us with no car and uncertainty over a lot of things. He's working now, but only agency work, which is never reliable and could end any day. The end of term was busy for me and my boys, and now they're on their summer holidays and running me ragged. We were planning a house move, which fell through at the last minute and was very stressful and upsetting. As a result of that, we decided to do some decorating and rearranging of the house we're in, which honestly was just as stressful! All of this sounds like excuses, right? I wont blog tonight, I'm too worried about Mum/ stressed about money/ tired from painting. But it all contributed to me feeling just too overwhelmed to take anything else on, or some days to even function enough to get dressed. Which is why today seemed like a fitting time to break the silence and make an effort to blog.
I've posted about depression and how it's affected me and my family before (you can read about it here), and recently I just can't keep the black dogs from creeping in closer. And I don't know what to do to make myself feel better. Nothing I do is going to lift this heavyness from my chest for now. It's there, it's real and it's bloody scary. Sometimes, when I feel like this I get obsessive about not feeling adequate. I've still been painting my nails, stamping, glittering and nail art-ing them, but feeling like the final result hasn't been good enough to post. And when they were good enough, the photos didn't come out well, when I even bothered to photograph them at all. But of course they're good enough (some of my photos have been cringeworthy and I still posted those!) It's just, in my mind, I'm not good enough. I'm the same with other things in my life. Food, make-up, my house. If it's not perfect I give up, binge eat, ignore the mess, hide away. But I enjoy blogging and the community surrounding it. I know my nails aren't perfect, that I don't photoshop my mistakes, I'm an honest blogger. It shouldn't be a stressful thing.
So, I'm going to make an attempt to get my blogging mojo back. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself, and I certainly wont be posting everyday or pushing myself to be perfect. I am what I am and it's about getting me to accept me. Any additional support is just a bonus.
The death and apparent suicide of Robin Williams on Monday hit me hard. I grew up watching Mork and Mindy, and I don't know anyone who could honestly say Mrs Doubtfire isn't one of their favourite films. It came as a shock to many that a comic genius could suffer so badly from depression that he would take his own life, but it just goes to show that these black dogs come in many shapes and sizes, and they don't discriminate. Whatever form it takes, if you even suspect that you're suffering, tell someone. No one is going to laugh, or tell you just t cheer up and get over it. Depression is real, and there are so many things you can do about it.
My green mani in support of depression awareness comes in the form of Picture Polish Tail Feather, which embodies so many of my favourite things - mint green, sparkles, peacocks and one of my favourite bloggers, Kayla Shevonne. Peacocks for me have huge connotations. Many people see them as bad omens, because of the eyes on their tail feathers, and because they have strong stomachs and can eat things that would poison other birds. But to me, this epitomizes strength, and only adds to their beauty. It reminds me to be proud of myself, that I am strong and beautiful despite, or even because of, my imperfections. I even have a peacock feather tattoo, a permanent reminder to just be me.
I hope I didn't ramble too much, and I hope to be able to post again sometime this week. Please have a look at everyone else's beautiful green manis - but if you only look at one please make it Debbie's over at The Crumpet. It's so beautifully written it made me cry.
Hx
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?! Almost 2 months since I blogged last, and I am so ashamed of that for a multitude of reasons. The thing is, life just sometimes gets in the way and recently a lot of "life" has happened. My beautiful Mummy was taken seriously ill, and as she doesn't live close to me a lot of two-ing and fro-ing has ensued. She's got a long journey of recovery ahead of her, but hopefully she's on the mend. My own health hasn't been fantastic, I'm having trouble with my eyes and earlier in the year I had two miscarriages within the space of 4 months, which was painful both physically and emotionally. We also lost our lovely cat George, who had been our furbaby for almost 10 years. Mr NN has had work trouble and was made unemployed (again), leaving us with no car and uncertainty over a lot of things. He's working now, but only agency work, which is never reliable and could end any day. The end of term was busy for me and my boys, and now they're on their summer holidays and running me ragged. We were planning a house move, which fell through at the last minute and was very stressful and upsetting. As a result of that, we decided to do some decorating and rearranging of the house we're in, which honestly was just as stressful! All of this sounds like excuses, right? I wont blog tonight, I'm too worried about Mum/ stressed about money/ tired from painting. But it all contributed to me feeling just too overwhelmed to take anything else on, or some days to even function enough to get dressed. Which is why today seemed like a fitting time to break the silence and make an effort to blog.
I've posted about depression and how it's affected me and my family before (you can read about it here), and recently I just can't keep the black dogs from creeping in closer. And I don't know what to do to make myself feel better. Nothing I do is going to lift this heavyness from my chest for now. It's there, it's real and it's bloody scary. Sometimes, when I feel like this I get obsessive about not feeling adequate. I've still been painting my nails, stamping, glittering and nail art-ing them, but feeling like the final result hasn't been good enough to post. And when they were good enough, the photos didn't come out well, when I even bothered to photograph them at all. But of course they're good enough (some of my photos have been cringeworthy and I still posted those!) It's just, in my mind, I'm not good enough. I'm the same with other things in my life. Food, make-up, my house. If it's not perfect I give up, binge eat, ignore the mess, hide away. But I enjoy blogging and the community surrounding it. I know my nails aren't perfect, that I don't photoshop my mistakes, I'm an honest blogger. It shouldn't be a stressful thing.
So, I'm going to make an attempt to get my blogging mojo back. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself, and I certainly wont be posting everyday or pushing myself to be perfect. I am what I am and it's about getting me to accept me. Any additional support is just a bonus.
The death and apparent suicide of Robin Williams on Monday hit me hard. I grew up watching Mork and Mindy, and I don't know anyone who could honestly say Mrs Doubtfire isn't one of their favourite films. It came as a shock to many that a comic genius could suffer so badly from depression that he would take his own life, but it just goes to show that these black dogs come in many shapes and sizes, and they don't discriminate. Whatever form it takes, if you even suspect that you're suffering, tell someone. No one is going to laugh, or tell you just t cheer up and get over it. Depression is real, and there are so many things you can do about it.
My green mani in support of depression awareness comes in the form of Picture Polish Tail Feather, which embodies so many of my favourite things - mint green, sparkles, peacocks and one of my favourite bloggers, Kayla Shevonne. Peacocks for me have huge connotations. Many people see them as bad omens, because of the eyes on their tail feathers, and because they have strong stomachs and can eat things that would poison other birds. But to me, this epitomizes strength, and only adds to their beauty. It reminds me to be proud of myself, that I am strong and beautiful despite, or even because of, my imperfections. I even have a peacock feather tattoo, a permanent reminder to just be me.
I hope I didn't ramble too much, and I hope to be able to post again sometime this week. Please have a look at everyone else's beautiful green manis - but if you only look at one please make it Debbie's over at The Crumpet. It's so beautifully written it made me cry.
Hx
Labels:
#fightforlifeandlive,
#fightforlightandlive,
depression awareness,
green,
mint,
peacock,
picture polish,
silver,
stamping
Sunday, 22 June 2014
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
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
Labels:
adventures in stamping,
black,
Crabtree & Evelyn,
gradient,
Models Own,
MUA,
neon,
peach,
pink,
stamping,
yellow
Thursday, 19 June 2014
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
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
Labels:
Barry M,
Blue,
colour club,
glitter,
Golden Oldie Thursday,
GOT polish,
green,
icing,
moyou,
perriwinkle,
pink,
stamping
Monday, 16 June 2014
The sun has got his hat on!
Hi!
We seem to have had an uncharacteristic run of good weather in the UK last week, which was very welcome after a thoroughly soggy winter! So, I celebrated by digging out the remaining untried colour from the Models Own Polish For Tans collection from the three I picked. This is Bikini, a white based neon yellow which in the bottle just looks like lovely, neon perfection. Oh how wrong could I be. This is a devil of a polish and by the third nail I wanted to throw it at the wall. I very nearly did, but managed to restrain myself and add some thinner, which didn't help at all. It was streaky, gloopy, lumpy, thick yet somehow still craptastic enough to flood my cuticles and make a complete mess. I struggled through two coats before giving up and slapping some China Glaze Fairy Dust on top in the hopes it would improve. Then I had to clean the bugger up. I have been trying really hard to be neat with my clean up lately, really making an effort to get good lines and crisp cuticles, but f&*k me it wasn't easy! I then stamped some sunglasses from Cheeky CH37 to distract from the lumpy mess a bit more, and managed to smudge that too. This mani was not meant to be! I endured it for a day, and then it came off because I was too cross and every time I looked at my nails, it made me grrr.
I want to give Models Own the benefit of the doubt with this, but I had similar issues (though not as bad) with Beach Bag from the same collection, so I'm pretty sure I didn't just get a bad bottle. I took it off and replaced it with a Mentality matte polish that just glided on like butter, practically applied itself. If an indie can get it so right, how can a mainstream brand get it so wrong?
Have you tried any of the recent Models Own releases? Have you had formula issues? I'm keeping this polish for nail art purposes, but you can bet your rarest OPI that it will never grace my nails as a full mani again!
Hx
We seem to have had an uncharacteristic run of good weather in the UK last week, which was very welcome after a thoroughly soggy winter! So, I celebrated by digging out the remaining untried colour from the Models Own Polish For Tans collection from the three I picked. This is Bikini, a white based neon yellow which in the bottle just looks like lovely, neon perfection. Oh how wrong could I be. This is a devil of a polish and by the third nail I wanted to throw it at the wall. I very nearly did, but managed to restrain myself and add some thinner, which didn't help at all. It was streaky, gloopy, lumpy, thick yet somehow still craptastic enough to flood my cuticles and make a complete mess. I struggled through two coats before giving up and slapping some China Glaze Fairy Dust on top in the hopes it would improve. Then I had to clean the bugger up. I have been trying really hard to be neat with my clean up lately, really making an effort to get good lines and crisp cuticles, but f&*k me it wasn't easy! I then stamped some sunglasses from Cheeky CH37 to distract from the lumpy mess a bit more, and managed to smudge that too. This mani was not meant to be! I endured it for a day, and then it came off because I was too cross and every time I looked at my nails, it made me grrr.
I want to give Models Own the benefit of the doubt with this, but I had similar issues (though not as bad) with Beach Bag from the same collection, so I'm pretty sure I didn't just get a bad bottle. I took it off and replaced it with a Mentality matte polish that just glided on like butter, practically applied itself. If an indie can get it so right, how can a mainstream brand get it so wrong?
Have you tried any of the recent Models Own releases? Have you had formula issues? I'm keeping this polish for nail art purposes, but you can bet your rarest OPI that it will never grace my nails as a full mani again!
Hx
Labels:
cheeky,
China Glaze,
china glaze fairy dust,
Models Own,
neon,
stamping,
yellow
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Picture Polish Illusionist - galaxy in a bottle!
Hello!
I'm going to jump straight in today and say I can't do galaxy nails. The fact I've only actually tried them once, about three years ago is irrelevant. It was a fail and I shelved the idea and never tried again. Galaxy nails are so pretty, I "ah" every time I see one, traditional or pastel, and I think to myself I really should try that again someday. But in the back of my mind I still have the fail and a little niggle that says don't even go there. So I don't try. But now, along comes a polish that does it all for me, in one little bottle! Picture Polish Illusionist is a beautiful glittery multi-chrome polish with just the right amount of holo glittery flakies running through it to make it twinkle like the night sky. So. Beautiful. As multi-chrome polishes tend to be, this is sheer so I layered two coats over Sally Hansen Navy, Baby so you can see the full shift from pink to purple, blue and turquoise, and even a rusty red at the extreme end (which you can see in the underwater pic at the end). I combined it with a silver accent nail and some simple white stamping. But the Picture Polish is the real star of the show.
Stunning! I nabbed my bottle from the wonderful Sally Magpies when there was a sale, but even though it's back to full price now I suggest you grab it because it wont be in stock for long!
Maybe next time I wear it I will attempt some galaxy art over the top...or maybe I'll wimp out and just admire it instead!
Hx
I'm going to jump straight in today and say I can't do galaxy nails. The fact I've only actually tried them once, about three years ago is irrelevant. It was a fail and I shelved the idea and never tried again. Galaxy nails are so pretty, I "ah" every time I see one, traditional or pastel, and I think to myself I really should try that again someday. But in the back of my mind I still have the fail and a little niggle that says don't even go there. So I don't try. But now, along comes a polish that does it all for me, in one little bottle! Picture Polish Illusionist is a beautiful glittery multi-chrome polish with just the right amount of holo glittery flakies running through it to make it twinkle like the night sky. So. Beautiful. As multi-chrome polishes tend to be, this is sheer so I layered two coats over Sally Hansen Navy, Baby so you can see the full shift from pink to purple, blue and turquoise, and even a rusty red at the extreme end (which you can see in the underwater pic at the end). I combined it with a silver accent nail and some simple white stamping. But the Picture Polish is the real star of the show.
Stunning! I nabbed my bottle from the wonderful Sally Magpies when there was a sale, but even though it's back to full price now I suggest you grab it because it wont be in stock for long!
Maybe next time I wear it I will attempt some galaxy art over the top...or maybe I'll wimp out and just admire it instead!
Hx
Labels:
Blue,
flakies,
glitter,
holo,
indie,
indie polish,
multichrome,
orange,
picture polish,
pink,
purple,
red,
silver,
stamping,
turquoise
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