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    Nail Art, News

    Introducing Nailbox: The UK’s First Exclusively Nails Subscription Box

    Nailbox Subscription Review

    nailbox.co.uk

    Nailbox is the Nail Polish Addict’s answer to those popular beauty subscription boxes that you never really felt were made for you. They seem to be cropping up everywhere but I’ve never seen a nails only one in the UK- until now. Nailbox only launched last month so it’s all very new and exciting! I’ve been lucky enough to get an early look at May’s Nailbox before it goes out to subscribers on May 21st.

    April’s box, which you may have seen on my Instagram, was stuffed with shades perfect for Spring and this month, it’s a perfect mix to transition from Spring to Summer and see you through holiday season. My favourite from this box is, quite surprisingly, the bright pink! Essie’s Status Symbol is a crelly finish (between creme and jelly) so it’s super shiny, smooth as hell and really pops on your nails.

    In May’s Nailbox…

    Orly Fiery Orange | Orange Jelly packed with holographic hexes and micro string glitter. Perfect in 3 coats.
    Essie Status Symbol | Bright pink crelly perfect for toes! Opaque in 3 coats
    Rimmel Lucky Lilac | Smooth lilac shade bordering on a pastel. 2 coats needed.
    Nicole by OPI Alex by the Books | Dusty Mint Green. 2 coater.
    Elegant Touch Professional Cuticle Pusher & Nail Cleaner | Exactly what it says!

    The Nail Art

    1. Apply base coat and wait for it to dry
    2. To create, the negative space, stick on some Chevron stencils. I used Nail Mail’s Chevron Points
    3. Paint over everything with two coats of Nicole by OPI Alex by the Books and swiftly remove the chevron stencils while it’s still wet.
    4. Using a skinny striping brush, outline the chevrons using Rimmel Lucky Lilac  and Essie Status Symbol.
    5. Finish up with two layers of top coat.

    What you’ll get every month

    Every month, Nailbox will ship you a total of 5 items: 3-4 full-size nail polishes and 1-2 tools. In both of the boxes I’ve received so far, it’s been 4 polishes from well known brands (including Essie and OPI among other favourites) and 1 professional quality tool.

    Someone pointed out that the polishes are not from current collections but I hadn’t even noticed. I’ve never followed collection releases and I’m more interested in the colour / finish / brand of the polish. I can confirm that every polish arrived in perfect condition: the consistency is lovely and the bottles untouched.
    It’s also quite exciting (for me, at least) to know there’s the possibility of ending up with a HTF or ‘vintage’ polish. The beauty of nail polish is that tit doesn’t have a shelf life. As long as you store it properly, it can last years!

    How much is it?

    As long as you’re in the UK, you can join from £13.50-£15.00 / month. As you’d expect with any subscription service, the longer you sign on for, the more discount you get. Sign up for a whole year at £13.50 per month, or pay £15 month-to-month if you want to give it a test run with the option to cancel whenever you want.

    Where to Subscribe

    Just go to nailbox.co.uk for options and to sign up for your first box. Boxes are dispatched on or around the 21st of each month so as long as you sign up before May 21st, you’ll get this box. If you sign up after the 21st, your first box will be the one that’s released the next time that date rolls aroun.

    Is it worth it?

    Yes! I think it’s the perfect service for beginners and experienced polishers alike. If you’re looking to build up your collection and get your hands on some polishes from past collections that you otherwise may not have been able to, then this is for you. Likewise, if you already have a sizeable nail polish collection, but just can’t get enough and want the excitement of receiving a box of nail goodies every month, it’s a fun treat to invest in.

    Not to mention, it’s the perfect gift for the girl who has everything. I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it’s one of those gifts that lasts. Every time they get that box in the post, they’re going to think of the person that gifted them that subscription.

    Is this a subscription service that would suit you?

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    Christmas, Nail Art, Waterfall

    My Christmas Manicure(s) 2014

    Seems like I’m not the only one who finds it impossible to decide what I should wear on my nails on Christmas Day! I saw that so many of you guys had the same problem and then I didn’t feel so bad about the whole schtick. I actually ended up painting two Christmas manis and surprisingly, the final version is one of the most simple manis I’ve posted all year. I don’t even think it counts as nail art!

    The first set I painted on Christmas Eve was a skittlette complete with a waterfall, glitter gradient and sparkly gold foil.
    I used piCture pOlish LakoDom as the base coat for the nail art. The waterfall was created with Barry M Gold Foil, Rimmel Raw as Night and Essie Mojito Madness. Waterfall tutorial here.
    The glitter gradient was created by dabbing W7 Cosmic Green on to the tip with a makeup sponge.
    The gold foil is A-England Excalibur and it’s all topped with a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

    For mani number two, I went with something insanely simple. This velvety blue is Delush Eat Sleep Chic and I used piCture pOlish LakoDom and Lynnderella Mlle Violette de Bleu for some accents. Again, it’s all topped with a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

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    31 Day Challenge, Nail Art, Uncategorised

    31 Day Challenge: Flowers

    Floral Water Decals Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

    How many cheat days do you suppose we’re allowed on the 31 Day Challenge? Since I used water decals for this mani, I’ll count today as one of mine! 
    These are from She Sells Seashells and it’s the first time I’ve ever used all-over water decals so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was really impressed by how easy it was to trim them to the right size and then how smooth they applied. There are a few creases here and there, but nothing too noticeable, and that’s mostly my fault for rushing. What I liked about these was they disintegrated with acetone so it was very easy to clean up around the edges where I didn’t cut them to quite the right size.
    For this nail art, I used Essie Go Ginza for my base colour. You definitely need a very light base with these decals.

    The water decals are from She Sells Seashells and I topped it off with Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

    31DC2014 Flowers // The Nailasaurus
    31 Day Challenge Flowers // The Nailasaurus
    She Sells Seashells Water Decals // The Nailasaurus
    She Sells Seashells Floral Water Decals // The Nailasaurus
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    31 Day Challenge, Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

    31 Day Challenge: Violet

    Essie Go Ginza Nail Art // The Nailasaurus


    For Day 6 of the challenge, we have to create Violet nails but I have always taken that to mean purple in general. Nevertheless, I’ve embraced it today and even used a polish with Violet in the name!
    To create this harlequin look, I created my own decal using a stamping plate and stamper. I picked up the diamond design from MoYou Hipster 08 with BK Matte White and left it on the stamper. Next, I used a nail art brush to fill in the diamonds using a few purple shades. After a few minutes, I coated it with a thin layer of clear nail polish and once that was dry, I peeled it all off the stamper in one piece and placed it on my nail. There’s a video tutorial here if you want to see the method in action. The other chevron design is stamped from the same plate with The Lacquer Lab Ultra Violet.

    Items Used

    Essie Go Ginza
    Barry M Lavender Foil
    The Lacquer Lab Ultra Violet
    31 Day Challenge Day 6: Violet Nails
    Essie Go Ginza with MoYou Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
    Essie Go Ginza Harlequin Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
    Essie Go Ginza Harlequin Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
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    Uncategorised

    Baby Blue Quilted Nail Art

    Yesterday I asked what nail art I should do next on Facebook and one of the suggestions was a Quilted Nail Art. I’ve only done this kind of nail art once before and I totally defeated the object when I put a top coat over it! It smoothed over the quilted effect so it just looked like a diamond pattern on my nails.
    This time around, I used a textured polish and skipped the top coat to get a very nice, 3D quilted effect!

    I started with a base of Essie Bikini So Teeny and used a coat of HK Girl to dry it nice and quickly on the nails where I was planning to do the quilting.

    I used striping tape to mark off a criss cross pattern on my nails. Next I painted two coats of Barry M Pearl Lady over the top.and removed the tape while that was still wet.

    The swirly decal is from Born Pretty Store and I just attached that with some clear polish and added two top coats to seal it in. And finally I painted two coats of Barry M Pearl Lady over Bikini So Teeny on my pinky finger.

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    Christmas, Glitter, Stamping, Uncategorised

    My First Christmas Nail Art of 2013

    I know that today is Thanksgiving but I don’t have any thanksgiving themed nail art for you. Being that I don’t celebrate it here in the UK and I’m painfully jealous of everyone feasting on turkey dinners today, I thought I’d kick of some Christmas festivities to remind me that I have a delicious roast dinner coming to my dining table soon enough!

    This year I really feel like everything’s been done when it comes to Christmas nail art but I’m determined to come up with something at least semi-original before the 25th. If you want to see the Christmas designs I’ve done in the past, you can flick through the archives here!

    Christmas Nail Art with Essie Jag-U-Are

    Christmas Nail Art with Essie Jag-U-Are

    For starters I used Essie Jag-U-Are (which is the metallic red) and stamped on a fair isle design from Nailz Craze Plate NC03 using BK Matt White. The snowflakes on my thumb are from MoYou London Kitty Plate 09 and the crazy cute decal on my middle finger is from She Sells Seashells. It’s a deer but I think it can pass as a reindeer!

    The milky white polish with the green and red glitter is Sonnetarium Peppermint Kiss over one coat of Barry M White. The green and gold mix on my pinkie is W7 Cosmic Green over one coat of Ulta3 Mermaid Green.

    Finally, I topped it all off with two coats of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

    Christmas Nail Art with Essie Jag-U-Are

    Christmas Nail Art with Essie Jag-U-Are

    Christmas Nail Art with Essie Jag-U-Are
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