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    Glitter, Swatch, Uncategorised

    Introducing my piCture pOlish shade… Fool’s Gold

    23rd August 2014
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    48 Comments
    piCture pOlish Fool's Gold by The Nailasaurus Swatch

    piCture pOlish Fool's Gold Swatch
    I first knew about this project a little over a year ago but I had to keep it hush! The shade itself has been in the works for almost 9 months so after all that time holding the secret in, I’m so thrilled to be announcing my collaboration shade with piCture pOlish… Fool’s Gold.

    My Inspiration

    When piCture pOlish asked if I’d like to work on a collaboration shade (like that’s even a question?!?!) I had a few ideas in mind that I’d been storing away in case I ever got the chance to create my own nail polish. In the end I settled on a turquoise with gold glitter. I wanted it to look like flecks of gold as seen through deep, tropical waters and the result is absolutely on point! The blue base is very pigmented but still has a smooth, jelly-like consistency that allows for the gold glitter and shimmer to peek through.

    I came up with the name but the ladies at piCture pOlish helped me out with the tagline as my solo efforts were somewhat less than inspired. I think the one we decided on – it’s a keeper… a real treasure –  is really fitting for this polish. I sure think it’s a keeper at least!

    Wearing the Polish

    As for the polish itself, it has piCture pOlish’s standard 5-free formula and the base leans towards a jelly but is more pigmented than a true jelly. You can quite easily get it opaque with two thick coats or three thin ones – I used three thin coats for this swatch with a top coat. Thanks to the insanely smooth formula, you can even use it as a topper over another polish. So far I’ve discovered it looks great over white and blue. And finally – it’s not gonna stain your nails! I know staining can be an issue with many turquoise and other blue shades so I’m very happy that noone will be suffering because of me.

    Fool’s Gold is everything I hoped for and more. It’s a shade that has spent years living in my head so it’s surreal and incredible to see it so perfectly crafted in real life. The team at piCture pOlish got it right on the very first try – they’re truly masters of colour to have created this beauty from nothing but a few pictures and a brief description of the way I envisioned the polish. I think it’s a fresh and unique glitter polish and I really hope that you guys are as blown away as I was when I first laid eyes on it!

    Where to Buy piCture pOlish Fool’s Gold

    Fool’s Gold is available from picturepolish.com.au and more stockists worldwide.
    For my UK girls, you can get it from Sally Magpies and Rainbow Connection.
    In the US, your stockists are Llarowe and Color4Nails.
    piCture pOlish x The Nailasaurus Fool's Gold Swatch
    piCture pOlish // Fool's Gold by The Nailasaurus
    Fool's Gold // Blue Glittery Nail Polish
    Gold Glitter in Blue Nail Polish // The Nailasaurus
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    150 Words or Less, Nail Care, Review, Uncategorised

    Lush Lemony Flutter Review in 150 Words or Less

    20th August 2014
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    33 Comments


    Lush Lemony Flutter is not the life-changing product I was led to believe. It’s good but it’s just not that good. While it certainly does leave my cuticles looking quenched, it doesn’t seem to have the lasting effect that other similar products have had on the overall health of my nails.

    The fragrance is crisp and lemony but not too overpowering. It can also be used on any dry areas of skin (like elbows and knees) and a little bit goes a long way. At the rate I’m going, this 50g tub could last me for five years or so!

    It’s not my favourite nail care product out there but it’s still a really great cuticle moisturiser and one of the most pocket friendly butters on the high-street. I’m happy to call myself a casual user of Lemony Flutter but I won’t be ditching my Nail Butter just yet.

    Where to Buy Lemony Flutter

    You can get Lemony Flutter from Lush online or in stores. RRP £6.50 / $16.95.

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    Nail Art, Uncategorised, Video

    Video: 3 Ways To Use Chevron Decals

    16th August 2014
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    8 Comments
    Streaky Watercolour Nail Art Tutorial // The Nailasaurus YouTube


    This video is completely different from any of the tutorials I’ve done in the past and I had so much fun making it. Quite a few people have asked me how chevron decals are used and I think the best way to answer is to show you a few different ways to have fun with them and hopefully answer any questions about the decals themselves.

    Items used

    C H E V R O N    D E C A L S
    Nail Vinyls (Grey)
    She Sells Seashells (Pink)

    L O O K    1   |   T H E    C L A S S I C
    Barry M White
    NYC Hudson Breeze

    L O O K    2   |   C R A C K E D
    Barry M Rose Hip
    NYC Peach Popsicles
    The Lacquer Lab Ultra Violet

    L O O K    3   |   T H E    G R A D I E N T
    Barry M Huckleberry
    NYC Blue Sky
    Barry M Cancun

    T O P    C O A T
    Glisten & Glow HK Girl

    C L E A N    UP
    Flat Nail Art Brush
    Pure Acetone

    If you take some inspiration from this video, I’d love it if you tag #looknailasaurus when you post your look on Instagram so I can see.

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    Uncategorised

    Free Wallpapers: Home Is Where The Helmer Is

    16th August 2014
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    11 Comments
    I know they say Home is where the heart is but a little piece of my heart lives in my Helmer next to hundreds of bottles of nail polish. I’ve had this little quote written on a post it next to my desk for a while now and thought it was about time I prettied it up a bit. 

    I put this wallpaper together, then got a little bit carried away with all the pretty colours so there are 10 schemes to choose from. At the moment I have ‘Sorbet’ and ‘How Bold of Hue’ in rotation on my computer with ‘Barely There’ on my tablet but I really don’t think I could pick a favourite!
    These wallpapers are sized for standard 16:9 computer screens and really hi-res so you can crop them to perfectly fit your phone and tablet too. Just make sure you click on the download link or the images themselves to get the full-size version.

    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // Barely There
    Barely There: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // Berries and Cream
    Berries and Cream: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // How Bold of Hue
    How Bold of Hue: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // Mint Choc Chip
    Mint Choc Chip: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // Pastel Pink
    Pastel Pink: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // Sorbet
    Sorbet: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // White on Blue
    White on Blue: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // White on Gradient
    White on Gradient: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // White on Green
    White on Green: Download
    'Home Is Where The Helmer Is' Wallpaper // White on Purple
    White on Purple: Download
    This should go without saying but please don’t distribute these hi-res downloadable images anywhere else on the internet or claim them as your own. If you like this resource, please feel free to Pin from this page and share the thumbnails on your social media with credit back to thenailasaurus.com or @thesammersaurus. Thank you!
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    Nail Art, Stamping, Uncategorised

    The Trouble With Bargains

    14th August 2014
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    26 Comments
    Gradient Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus

    The trouble with bargains is that it’s very unlikely you’ll ever find the same one again. It’s a truth that I refuse to accept despite continual proof that it’s one of the harsh realities of life. I found this mint Sally Hansen polish in Poundland and it is, hands down, the best mint nail polish I’ve ever owned. To this day, I still check the shelves every time I go in there, holding out hope that I’ll be able to buy a backup bottle as this one is nearly empty. I even check Fragrance Direct on the regular because I know they often get end of line Sally Hansens but if it has ever appeared on there, I missed my chance. I’ve had so many comments and emails asking me where to find it but the answer is, it seems, nowhere! I guess I’m just sad because I know this polish is coming to an end and it will be a hard one to replace. If anyone knows how that feels, it’ll be you guys!

    Today’s nail art is something new to me – a gradient stamp. I’ve stamped over a gradient before but this time the stamping is the gradient. It took me a few goes to master getting a smooth gradient and even more to get the designs straight on my nails but I made it in the end!

    I know tribal pattern nails are really popular but insanely hard to perfect so I thought this plate was worth a special mention as it’s covered in ready made tribal nail art. There are a few more in the Explorer Collection that have similarly awesome tribal designs so definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for some easy tribal nails. If you’ve never purchased from them before, you can get 20% off your first order with the MoYou discount code, SAMMY20. Just make sure you’re signed in to your account or the code won’t work.

    Items Used

    Sally Hansen Green Tea
    Sally Hansen Brisk Blue
    MoYou Explorer Collection 14 Stamping Plate
    MoYou Gradient Tribal Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
    MoYou Explorer Gradient Tribal Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
    Gradient Tribal Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
    Tribal Stamping Nail Art // The Nailasaurus
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    Glitter, Swatch, Uncategorised

    Sorbet Seams Swatches: We Are Golden and Chewing on a Candy Bar

    13th August 2014
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    9 Comments

    I must confess, I’d never heard of  Sorbet Seams but was immediately taken by their exciting range of glitter toppers when I came across this Belgian brand on Pretty Polish. The polishes were offering some pretty unique glitter combinations and the labeling was just too kitsch to ignore. Those are real punched Dymo labels on the front of the bottles. Old school! Today I have swatches of two of their polishes – We Are Golden and Chewing on a Candy Bar.
    We Are Golden is made up of mostly fine gold glitter with two shades of pink hexes and little person shaped pieces… or Skull x Crossbones depending how you want to look at it I suppose!

    I only had to use one coat to get a good spread of glitter for this swatch over NYC Peach Popsicles. Seeing it like this, I’d label it as a very summery glitter but it could also great over a moody, dark colour in winter, and especially around Christmas time.

    Chewing on a Candy Bar has a good mix of glitter including some white bars and really pretty, iridescent purple squares. I had to use two coats for this swatch over Barry M Heather but I kind of expect that whenever there is chunky glitter involved. 
    With the bars and squares in these bright colours, there’s a very digital, technologic feel about this polish. I think it would look amazing with 3 coats over white.

    Where to Buy Sorbet Seams

    Sorbet Seams polishes are available from prettypolish.com with shipping all over Europe. 
    RRP €9.95 /  (approx.) £7.90.
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