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Nail Art

Freehand, Nail Art, Uncategorised

The Lacquer Legion Fandom: Avengers Nail Art

28th July 2014

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#LLFandom // The Nailasaurus

For this month’s Lacquer Legion theme – Fandom – I was completely spoilt for choice when it came to my inspiration. My mind has been going in circles since the theme was announced but in the end I settled on some Avengers nail art. I’m a big fan of the Marvel Universe and with all the buzz around Age of Ultron at Comic-Con over the weekend, I just couldn’t help myself! If you want to browse my past Marvel manicures, there’s a whole category dedicated to them here.

If you’re taking part in today’s Lacquer Legion challenge, don’t forget to use #LLFandom when you post your mani and share it on the Facebook page. If you’re just spectating this time around, it’s easy to follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook using the hashtag.

For this nail art, I used a lot of nail polish. Too much to name it all here but my base colours are No7 Just Black, Cult Nails Time Traveler (Whovian bonus, woo!) and Revlon Bordeaux. I freehanded all of the detail using a nail art brush.
Polishes worth noting are A-England Excalibur Renaissance, a super opaque silver and the Sweet Color Liner Polish, the perfect white for freehanding although I used a nail art brush, not the liner that’s included.

Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D. Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

Marvel Avengers Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

Nail Art, Uncategorised

And The Winner is…

27th July 2014

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The Winners

Vicky from @thepolishlist created a perfectly freehanded Strawberry Swirl design.

Rosie from @rosietabor was also inspired by Strawberry Swirl, creating a swirly design complete with 3D frozen treat!

For my own latest yoomoo inspired nail art, I followed their polka dot tutorial which you can watch below. I used Barry M Rose Hip as my base colour and then Nails Inc. Udderly Shocking Pink and Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story with dotting tools to complete the look.

Freehand, Nail Art, Uncategorised

Alexander McQueen S/S15 Inspired Nail Art

22nd July 2014

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source: alexandermcqueen.com

I spent a few hours last night browsing the Vogue galleries. Fashion never fails to provide mountains if inspiration for nail art so whenever I’m feeling a bit low on creativity, these talented designers can always spark something. Sometimes I find a piece I love in 2 minutes, sometimes it takes 2 hours! It took me quite a while to come across this beautiful dress from Alexander McQueen’s SS15 lookbook but it was nail art at first sight!

It’s been so long since I did intricate freehand nail art that I almost feel like I’ve lost the ability. Florals are always a good way to ease in to freehand nails and this pattern is the perfect mix of simple shapes with elements that are a bit trickier. My confidence has been restored a little and I’m going to build up to more adventurous freehand nail art.

I didn’t lay down a base colour for this nail art, just painted it straight on to my bare (base coated) nails which was a first for me. I started by painting on the outline of the flower with Barry M’s nail art pen and then used a nail art brush to add the colour. Finally, I painted the dark plum on the bare bits and topped it all with HK Girl.

Products Used

Barry M White Nail Art Pen

piCture pOlish Mad Magenta

Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story

Nicole by OPI LeaPink for Joy

Barry M Blackberry

Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat

Glitter, Nail Art, Uncategorised, Waterfall

Throw Some Glitter, Make it Rain

21st July 2014

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Purple Waterfall Nail Art with Barry M Countess

This mani is one I threw together in a bit of a rush last week when I was in a panic because I didn’t have anything to post. As it turned out, I did actually have a few interesting things to post so I haven’t needed to delve in to my emergency supply until today! Despite doing this in a bit of a rush, I don’t think it’s any ‘less’ than my other manis that I take my sweet time with. I think that’s the beauty of the waterfall – you don’t have to give it too much care or concentration.

For the waterfall, my base colour is Sally Hansen Pinch of Punch but your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the other colours in the mix as I shuffled them back in to my Helmer before making a note. Doh! I think I see NYC Peach Popsicles in there, a plum, turquoise, pink and white.I topped it with Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

See my waterfall tutorial here.

The glitter is Barry M Countess, a textured polish and my favourite from their Royal Glitters collection. No top coat here!

Galaxy, Nail Art, Uncategorised

The Qualities of a Galaxy

20th July 2014

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Once again I’ve found myself drawn towards the bold pairing of turquoise and pink. When I saw Wondrously Polished’s pastel galaxy nails I knew I’d have to imitate – they were so awe inspiring and I just couldn’t stop staring! I like knowing in my heart that galaxy nails will never fail me. Whenever I feel a bit uninspired, wearing galaxy nails for a few days can rekindle my love for nail art and spark new ideas.

Lindsey wrote a great tutorial for this galaxy look over at The Hunt so I’d urge you to check that out if you’re looking for some pointers.

Polishes Used

Barry M Elderberry

Barry M Coconut

Sally Hansen Pinch of Punch

Rimmel You Had Me at Hello

China Glaze Sunday Funday

Filthy Gorgeous Prism

Sweet Color White Liner

Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat

Gradient, Nail Art, Uncategorised

Nail Doodles: The Sweetheart Collection v.2

16th July 2014

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When I was introduced to new Etsy shop on the block, Nail Doodles, I had a look around and quickly discovered that the creator behind the hand drawn, hand made water decals lives but 10 minutes away from me. Small world, huh?

One of my favourite things about being a blogger is having the opportunity to collaborate with small businesses and introduce them to a new bunch of people that share my hobbies and interests (that’s you guys!). Most Indie makers and Etsy sellers that I’ve worked with are US based so I always love it when I come across one that’s in the UK. Now to find an Etsian, by chance, who lives down the road… just amazeballs!

I snapped up The Sweetheart Collection v.2. Most of the designs come in colour or outline options and I went for the outlines because I wanted to get adventurous with my backgrounds! The instructions say to snip closely around each decal, place it on your nail (with the backing paper still attached) and submerge it in water to separate the decal.

Of course I thought I knew best, didn’t bother reading the instructions first, and went ahead with dunking the whole thing in water until the decal and paper separated, then placing the decal on my nail with tweezers. My way worked too but I’ll try it the ‘proper way’ next time!

I’m really impressed with the colour on these decals – it didn’t fade at all and has stayed jet black. I was left with a few bumps at the edge of each decal but it wasn’t anything a lick of top coat couldn’t sort out and may have been to do with my application. Overall, I love the decals and next on my wishlist is the Davy Jones Collection. Arrrr!

For the gradient underneath, I used W7 Baby Pink and piCture pOlish Totes with a thin coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust over the top. There’s a gradient tutorial here. The whole manicure is topped with a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.

Where to Buy Nail Doodles

You can get Nail Doodles decals from Nail Doodles on Etsy and the seller ships worldwide. RRP £6.00.

Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

Evergreen

15th July 2014

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For this forest themed nail art, I wanted a soft and fuzzy background so I went to work with a sponge. I tried it in the style of a galaxy but I couldn’t quite achieve the look I was going for. In the end, I painted little blobs of colour straight on to the sponge and dabbed at it until I was happy. The result is barely even there, but I think it adds a subtle softness to the mani.

I started with a base of Sally Hansen Mojito and then applied a mixture of Graffiti Nails Ice White, piCture pOlish Chillax, Barry M Kiwi and Sally Hansen Green Tea with a sponge.

I topped it with a thin coat of Cirque Iris – a very sparse shimmer – and then stamped the design from Bundle Monster Plate BM407 with BK Matte White.

It’s all topped off with Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat.