Pretty & Polished Cuttlefish

Hello!

Helly the lemming slayer strikes again! This polish has been on my wishlist ever since it came out last spring, and I finally got my grubby little mits on it and straight on the nails it went! Cuttlefish is a thermal glitter polishes that changes from a mid-teal blue when cold to a lighter teal/aqua when warm, with green and blue glitter added in the mix. I just love how more glitter is revealed when the polish is warm, like it's come out of hibernation! I used two coats, and then two of topcoat because it is a little thick and bumpy, but I had no problems with application. The accent finger is Sinful Colors Snow Me White stamped with MoYou Sailor 04 and Color Club Perfect Mol-ten. LOVED this manicure. I wore it to Ikea and kept bumping into things because I couldn't stop looking to see if it had morphed! And because I'm a klutz...

Such prettyness! I want MOAR thermals!

Hx

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33 Day Challenge day 26 - something from Pinterest!

Hi!

It's not often I pin something and then recreate it in the same day! But, I loved this so much that I did just that, albeit unintentionally. I'd pinned this manicure by Love, Varnish, Chocolate and more earlier in the day, and when I sat down and checked which challenge mani I was due to do that evening, the gods were shining on me and I went for it! I used a different stamping plate, but the polishes used were the same - China Glaze Exotic Encounters and A England Saint George for the stamping (from Bundle Monster 404). My version isn't as perfect as Deborah's lovely original, but I still liked the combination and it's one I'd use again.

Are you a pinner? You can follow me on Pinterest here!

Hx

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Adventures in Stamping - Tiger Teal

Hello! Very exciting day here, we got a doggy! Keep reading for a pic of Scooby, but until then, onto the nails!

This week's Sunday Stamping theme was to stamp over a saran wrap/cling film base. I'm a fan of the cling film look, so was looking forward to this challenge. I loved my result so much I've kept it on for three days! A record for me, I must say, two days is usually my max. I started with a base of Sally Hansen Green Tea, and once it was dry added a coat of China Glaze DV8, one nail at a time, before using scrunched up cling film to take some of it away. It looked pretty cool at this point...

And then I stamped over some tiger print from Cheeky CH2 in Barry M Silver Foil.

Pretty, right? Kind of abstract and boho looking, I love it!

And here's Scooby! He's a 15 month old collie cross spaniel and we picked him up from a rescue centre this morning. He's already made himself at home and has got the boys chasing after him with balls and bones! I think I'm a little bit in love already...

Any doggie advice gratefully received!

Hx

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New 31 day challenge day 12, tape mani

Hello again!

Just warning you from the start: I fail at tape manis. I think I have only ever had one truly successful one, and that was a fluke. Whether I use striping tape, sellotape (scotch tape), masking tape, french tip guides, hole reinforcers, stickers - I always foul it up somehow. Anyway, I've seen a lot of gold and teal coloured manis done with striping tape and thought I'd give it a go...first mistake. Second mistake was the gold I chose, a cheap drugstore brand that wasn't opaque enough and needed too many thick coats. I thought I'd just do an accent nail, and that made all the mistakes more blindingly obvious. But never mind, you live and learn! You can kinda see what I was trying to do, right?

Also, it was the darkest, dullest day ever when I took the pictures, so it looks doubly awful. Anyway, I was in love with the mani I did for tomorrow's challenge so I hope I will redeem myself!

Hx

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Teal Tuesday - Teal for Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Hello!

Did you know this Friday is National Wear Teal day, in support of Ovarian Cancer Awareness? Well now you do! There are a group of bloggers who do a teal mani every Tuesday, which I've watched with interest but never could commit to, so when I saw Gnarly Gnails post about it on Facebook I wanted to join in for this special Teal Tuesday. We are teaming up with Teal Toes in support of Ovarian Cancer Awareness to coincide with National Wear Teal Day. Now don't worry, I'm not gonna subject you to my feet. Summer has not been kind to my tootsies and I have horrendous tan lines. Seriously, I could go out barefoot and people would still think I was wearing flip flops. But I did brave some teal on my fingers :)

I used 2 coats of China Glaze Exotic Encounters, a slighly dusty dark teal, over two coats of basecoat (these sort of colours hate me and stain me blue for weeks). On the accent nail I used 2 coats of Nubar Gem (pretty taupe holo sparkles). Then over the teal nails, I tried the cling film/saran wrap technique. But what is this crazyness? I hear you cry. Well, basically, you wait until the base colour is completely dry, paint a layer of a contrasting colour over the top (I used a Miss Sporty shimmerly gold) and then immediately pat it off using a scrunched up bit o' cling film and you are left with a pretty, marbled effect.

I didn't realise how awful my cuticles were until I was editing the pictures. I took them on the go (at a farm with my kids actually) and didn't have my usual cuticle pen or any lemony flutter with me. Apologies.

Check out the other awesome bloggers taking part :)

Hx

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NOTD – Teal and Pink Ruffian

Hi!

I don't know if you UKers have noticed, but Accessorise have changed the pricing on their polishes, in Superdrug at least. They all used to be £4, but now the cremes are £2.95 while glitters and other “effect” polishes have different prices ranging between £3-4. I picked up “Teal” a while ago, when Superdrug were doing a 3 for 2, and combined it with a freebie I got from Marie Claire magazine, Ciate Jelly Bean to make a rather scruffy Ruffian. I couldn't be bothered *ahem* didn't have time to fiddle around with stickers, so the lines are far from perfect. I rather think a scruffy ruffian sounds about right though!

I loved the colours together, just a shame the execution wasn't better. I need to get myself some of those ring binder sticker things, because I do love me a Ruffian ;)

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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31 Day Challenge day 12 - Stripes

When I won Sarah Louise's awesome giveaway, I couldn't wait to try everything these Essence stripers. I've never used specific striping polishes or Essence polish before and I can say, colour me impressed. Easiest. Nailart. Evah. I used two coats of a deep racing green by Miss Sporty (number 470, if anyone's interested). Another good polish from Miss Sporty, I've never been let down by these polishes. Took 2 coats and was a little thin, but dried nice and shiny and handled well. Then I used the purple, gold and teal stripers (I also got a pink) in alternate stripes and topped with Seche.

Loved this mani, what do you think?

Tomorrow - animal print. Rawr.

Hx

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31 Day Challenge day 5 - blue, I think...

Teal. Is it blue or is it green? I can't decide, but I chose some teal-blues for today's manicure, even though Mr NN said it was green I like it so I'm sticking with blue!

I've been enjoying wearing plain colours the last few days but fancied a change so glittered it up a bit. I used 2 coats of Rimmel 60 Seconds Sky High to all but my ring finger and thumb, then topped it with 2 coats of Kleancolor Chunky Holo Teal. For the accent nails I used 3 coats of Wet n Wild Fast Dry Teal of Fortune and topped it all with my beloved Seche. I got the Kleancolor and WnW from an awesome swap with Jasmine at Colour Coated :) Thank you Jasmine! I am going to use another of the polishes she sent for the next days challenge ;)

I'm not taking this off today - it hasn't chipped and I want to give my nails a break from the acetone - they're in okish condition right now but I can see some peeling starting. Also we're going to a fireworks display tomorrow and I think this is appropriate! I bought a new base coat today - Sally Hansen Nail Quench as I think it's lack of moisture more than anything that's causing my peels. Trying to moisturise as often as I can and I think it's helping too.

So anyway, since I'm not doing day 6 yet I'm going to try and get an October faves post up tomorrow :)

So, what do you think, is it green or is it blue?

Hx

PS Be safe if you're heading to fireworks over the weekend!

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NOTD - Missguided MissTique Nail Splash

Hi :)

I got the polish I'm wearing today as a magazine freebie last month. I want to say it was from cosmo but I can't remember...anyway, you can't get the magazine anymore but you can get this polish on the Missguided website for £5. MissTique is a lovely teal creme, unique in my collection and applied perfectly in 2 thin coats. I didn't want to leave it plain, so I tried to stamp over it. I say tried because I went through at least 10 stamp/polish combinations before I got one that worked. Sort of. In the end I (wonkily) stamped this swirly pattern in Miss Sporty Electric Beige.

The next picture isn't pretty. This polish stained my nails an skin like a mo'fo' when I removed it. Look away if you're of a sensitive nature...

Ew!

Anyway, that's me for today. Have you picked up any magazine freebies lately? There are loads around!

Hx

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NOTD - Splatter Nails!

I've seen a few other blogs featuring this style over the last week or so and thought I'd give it a try! It has to be the easiest nail art EVAH and I think it's seriously funky. All you need is a few different colours of polish (neons look good) and a straw and off you go! The polishes I used are Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream as the base (I've seen this done over white but I didn't want white nails so thought this pale pink would be perfect), then I splattered with Rimmel 60 Seconds in Sky High, Miss Sporty Taxi and Pop Fiction and Beauty UK Glam Nails Pink Explosion. Topped with Seche Vite to smooth it all out.

Left hand

Right hand

My favourite nails:

Right ring and little finger

Left thumb

The cleanup was pretty mega, and I missed some so sorry! It was really fun creating this manicure and as an 80's baby I love it :) I ended up slightly light headed from fumes and blowing down the straw lol

Will you be trying a splatter mani? 

Hx

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NOTD - Freebie Friday, InStyle Nails Inc Electric Teal

As promised, I've swatched one of the InStyle Nails Inc polishes, Electric Teal. As I said yesterday, I've always found Nails Inc a bit of a PITA to apply, and this was no exception. Although at £11 a pop I've only ever tried the freebies, so maybe their regular range is better, I don't know. This was two gloopy coats, I wasn't going to go for three in case I ruined it. The first coat looked like I'd been using tippex but the second more or less evened it out. The brush is rubbish and I don't know if it's because of the wide cap but when you shake the bottle (which you need to often because of the gloopyness) the cap fills up with polish and flood everywhere. ARGH. And the name annoys me, it's more of a racing green than teal, they clearly only called it that so they could play on words with electric teal/eel. /endrant.

I was quite pleased with the result though, it's a colour I've got nothing similar to and because it's thicker it might be good for stamping? I'm having trouble finding polishes that work for stamping without drying too quickly...but that can wait for another day...

Here are the pics, 2 coats plus Seche Vite (incidently the drying time wasn't too bad for such a gloopy polish)

The gold flakie bits on the ring finger are the remains of a decal that fell apart when I put the top coat on... but it did inspire me to add some gold glitter in the form of W7 Gold Dazzle this morning.

What do you think, better with or without the glitter? I'm undecided...

So, should you buy this month's InStyle to get this polish? Well, if you don't mind paying £3.70 for a polish that's a bit rubbish, then yes. The colour is pretty unique, I think, but there are plenty of better, and cheaper, polishes to spend your money on.

Hx

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