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Nail Art

    Glitter, Gradient, Stamping, Uncategorised

    23 Shades of Birthday Purple

    25th March 2014
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    Today is my 23rd birthday! These aren’t actually the nails I’m wearing right now, they’re from a couple of days ago, but the ones I do have on are not as interesting. I’m wearing the classic old creme with glitter combo – Barry M Blue Grape with Models Own Valerian as an accent.

    I had an unofficial birthday celebration last night with my family and this evening I’m heading straight out after work to grab some nibbles with my friends so I’d say it’s shaping up to be a pretty great week. I’m one of those (kind of annoying) people that likes to really milk their birthday for all it’s worth and I use ‘It’s my birthday week though’ as an excuse to get away with everything! Fess up… you know you do it too!

    For the gradient, I used Barry M Heather as my base colour fading to Barry M Bright Purple to Sally Hansen Plum Luck. There’s a gradient tutorial here.

    The stamped pattern is from Bundle Monster Plate BM419 and I used BK Matte White.

    For the accent fingers, I used two coats of Models Own Amethyst. Can you tell I’m loving the Velvet Goth Collection.

    It’s all finished off with Color Club Top Coat .

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    Tutorial, Uncategorised, Video, Waterfall

    Waterfall Nail Art Tutorial Video

    23rd March 2014
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    Here’s step one on my ‘Done is Better Than Perfect‘ mission… tutorial videos! This is something I’ve been intending to do for more than a year and tried more than a few times but there was always something I was unhappy with. The main issue was lighting but once I decided to stop fussing and just get on with it, I did my research and found a really cool lighting setup that lets me get nice and close without blocking out any light.

    For my first video, I started simple with a Waterfall Nail Art Tutorial to accompany the picture tutorial I posted last July. I must say, I’m really happy with the way it’s turned out which has definitely encouraged me to keep going with videos!

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    Freehand, Studs, Uncategorised

    Curtain Call

    20th March 2014
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    China Glaze Fade Into Hue with Nail Art
    I started this manicure with absolutely no idea where it was going. It’s one of those that just developed as I went along, all the while facing the very real risk of going completely overboard with colours, details and stick-ons but this one stayed on course and I really like the simple result. I just started with a general idea that I wanted to do something geometric and went from there. I’ve confessed before that my geometric nail art is not really A-game standard but it’s a style that I’m determined to practice and perfect this year!

    China Glaze Fade Into Hue with Nail Art
    1. I started with a base of China Glaze Fade Into Hue.
    2. Next, I used a striping brush to paint on the cobalt blue sections in Nails Inc All Saints Row.
    3. Using the same brush, I carefully went over the line with Models Own Bubblegum.
    4. I felt like it was missing something so I dug through all of my studs before deciding on some 1.5mm white studs which I attached using a drop of clear nail polish.
    5. Finally, I topped it all off with Color Club Top Coat.
    China Glaze Fade Into Hue with Nail Art
    China Glaze Fade Into Hue with Nail Art
    China Glaze Fade Into Hue with Nail Art
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    Stamping, Uncategorised

    Done is Better Than Perfect

    17th March 2014
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    They say that ‘Done is Better Than Perfect’ and it’s a mantra that I’ve been trying to adopt recently. I’m a perfectionist to the core which can be a great thing but also means that I procrastinate whenever I doubt my ability to complete the task at hand to ‘perfection’. I have so many ideas scribbled down for this blog but because of that mind block, I’ve been putting them off for too long.

    This weekend, I told myself that enough is enough – my blog has become too formulaic, too predictable and it’s no fun for anyone! I want to start mixing things up and I think the best way to do that is to proclaim my intention to you guys. If I say it, I have to do it right? And I figure that the best way to do it is to push forward with a new set of ideas. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s better than nothing!
    I won’t be doing anything too drastic. There will still be a lot of my ‘regular’ posts like this one with some nail art and a bit of chat but I want to splice in some other types of posts too, like little extra treats to fill things out at least once a week!

    I used Kriston 05 as my base colour as it’s a very light shade of mint.
    Using the Saran Wrap technique, I created the mottled effect with the Kriston shade, NYC Water Street Blue, NYC Blue Sky and Rimmel Aqua Cool.
    I added some of the Silver Triangle embellishments from She Sells Seashells. I gently curved them first using a pair of tweezers so they’d sit flush to my nail.
    The stamped designs are from MoYou Plate Fairytale Collection 06 and I used BK Matte White.
    It’s all topped off with a Color Club Top Coat.
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    Freehand, Uncategorised

    My eBay Collections

    13th March 2014
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    There’s a new way to shop on eBay and I’m pretty certain most of you guys are going to dig it. eBay have just launched Collections which is a Pinterest-esque feature that introduces a very visual element to browsing the site. I was invited to try it out a bit early and I’ve already built up 12 collections of mostly nail related items!
    You browse collections in a similar way to Pinterest but the difference here is if you see something you want, you can buy it in just one click. I get so frustrated when I find an amazing product on Pinterest but it’s got a dud link and I can’t find out where to buy it. There’s none of that mussing here… I see, I want, I buy!
    You can view my Collections here. My personal favourites are That’s Punny, Nail Care Essentials and the collection dedicated to everything I Can’t Live Without. If any collections catch your eye, just click follow and whenever items are added to that collection, you’ll see it on your home feed. 

    Can you remember the best bargain you’ve ever found on eBay?

    I think mine was a pair of brown fluffy boots that I won about 4 years ago for £10 and wore until the soles fell off! Oh the trends of days past!
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    Galaxy, Uncategorised

    No7 Galaxy with Galaxy Nail Art

    11th March 2014
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    After seeing No7 Galaxy on Brit Nails, I knew I had to have it. It took a few weeks of casual searching, but I finally found one in stock although I’m two months behind all the cool kids who knew about this beautiful shade way back in January! I felt it only fitting today to use it as a base for some galaxy nail art.

    For this nail art, I used No7 Galaxy as my base colour.
    For the galaxy, I used a make-up sponge with China Glaze Tarty for the Part-y, Sally Hansen Lively Lilac, Barry M Pearl and a sprinkling of piCture pOlish Altered State.
    I used white acrylic paint with a nail art brush for the star details. 
    There’s Galaxy Nail Art Tutorial here.
    It’s all finished off with a coat of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

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