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    Swatch, Uncategorised

    Nicole by OPI Seize the Summer Collection Swatches and Review

    Nicole by OPI Seize the Summer Collection Swatches and Review
    Seize the Summer is Nicole by OPI’s second collection that will be hitting shelves in the UK this summer consisting of 3 bright cremes and a glitter. I already reviewed the Roughles collection and I’m happy to say that Seize the Summer is another hit with me. At first glance, I didn’t have high hopes for this collection and while I never really warmed up to the glitter, the cremes are truly amazing and have already become firm favourites. You’ve already seen glimpses of them in my nail art so here are some proper swatches!

    Nicole by OPI Lay it on the Lime Swatch
    Lay it on the Lime is an almost neon yellowy green shade. It has a white undertone which compliments most skin tones and distinguishes it from true neons. I had to use 3 coats to banish all signs of streaking but the formula is thin enough that each coat dries quickly.
    Swatch of Nicole by OPI Lay it on the Lime
    Nicole by OPI LeaPink for Joy Swatch
    LeaPink for Joy is a perfect rosy pink. It’s feminine and extremely bold all at the same time. I used two coats with top coat.
    Swatch of Nicole by OPI LeaPink for Joy
    Nicole by OPI Shaved Nice Swatch
    Shaved Nice gives absolutely great coverage but I think the reason I just can’t come around is the mix of colours in here. There is silver and white with larger hexes of purple, rose gold and green. The green just seems a bit mismatched and without the green in there it would have a thumbs up from me.
    Aside from my personal dislike of the green glitter, this is a really great glitter polish. I used one coat in the swatch over the other 3 shades from the collection. While you won’t get complete coverage with this, 3 coats over nude nails gives a really nice effect.
    Swatch of Nicole by OPI Shaved Nice
    Swatch of Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story
    The Coral of the Story is, without a doubt, my favourite from the collection and my favourite coral shade ever! It’s as close as you can get to a sassy red while still being in Coral territory. I used two coats here for a perfect application.

    Where to buy Nicole by OPI Seize the Summer

    In the UK, the Seize the Summer collection will be available from July 30th in Superdrug stores and online. RRP £7.99.
    These shades are already available to purchase in the US. Check Nicole by OPI’s stockist information for more info.
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    DIY, Glitter, Tutorial

    DIY: Make Your Own Peel Off Base Coat

    DIY Project: Make Your Own Peel Off Base Coat

    For a long time I deprived myself of the joy of wearing glitter nail polish altogether because I simply couldn’t deal with the aggravation of trying to remove it! Of course, there was the foil method which was my saving grace for a while but let’s be honest, it’s not much of a time saver. The first peel off base coat I remember reading about was Essence‘s offering way back in 2012 and around that time, I was also reading a lot of stuff about PVA/Elmer’s glue being a cheap and easy alternative. With nothing to lose, I decided to give it a try and haven’t looked back since. Read more

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    Nail Art, Uncategorised

    ‘Murica! Fourth of July Nail Art

    Patriotic Fourth of July Nails - The Nailasaurus
    Every year, I get sucked in to the July 4th mani mania and end up creating one myself even though I’m not in the US and won’t be celebrating myself!
    For the nail art, I used Rimmel Raw as Night, Graffiti Nails Ice White and Sally Hansen Pacific Blue as my base colours. 
    On my first and middle fingers, I did some glitter placement with Glequins from Born Pretty Store (#3 and #11). There are my stars!
    For the stripes, I laid down some striping tape so the white would shine through and then blotted on the red using the textured saran wrap technique. The texture is made from mostly Barry M Burgundy Crush and Rimmel Raw as Night with a tiny bit of Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story and Graffiti Nails Ice White.
    It’s all topped with two coats of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.
    Patriotic Fourth of July Nails - The Nailasaurus
    Patriotic Fourth of July Nails - The Nailasaurus
    Patriotic Fourth of July Nails - The Nailasaurus
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    Freehand, Nail Art, Uncategorised

    Moon Moon

    Double Moon Manicure | The Nailasaurus
    When I saw this colour combination on Lily’s blog last week, I couldn’t wait to try it myself. It’s so classically cute that I’m kind of mad that I didn’t think of it myself! This kind of mani is traditionally called the ‘Double Moon’ but my take is more like ‘Moon and Skinny Tip’. Sometimes the simple things make a big impact and that’s how I feel about this mani – I love it!
    I started with two coats of my new favourite ‘mannequin hands’ polish – The Lacquer Lab’s Dita – and used a nail art brush to draw on the pastel blue details in Barry M Huckleberry. It’s all topped with a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl.
    Double Moon Manicure | The Nailasaurus

    Double Moon Manicure | The Nailasaurus
    Double Moon Manicure | The Nailasaurus
    Here is a swatch of Dita on its own. This is two coats with no top coat. Creamy perfection in a bottle!
    The Lacquer Lab Dita Swatch - The Nailasaurus
    The Lacquer Lab Dita Swatch - The Nailasaurus
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    Nail Art, Uncategorised

    The Lacquer Legion On Holiday: Windbreakers

    If you’ve ever spent the day on a British Beach, you might know what I was going for with this mani! I spent many of my childhood summer holidays on beaches along the coast of Devon and Cornwall and have nothing but fond memories of those times so my #LLOnHoliday manicure is paying tribute to an essential piece of beach equipment in the UK – the windbreaker!

    Although I don’t love the nail art – it’s a bit bright and gaudy for my taste – I have so many lovely memories with those windbreakers that I don’t even care! It just makes me happy to look down and be reminded.

    Don’t forget to keep up with The Lacquer Legion on Facebook to find out what next month’s challenge will be and if you post your On Holiday nail art today, don’t forget to use the hashtag, #LLOnHoliday!

    For this nail art, I used a base of NYC Lexington Yellow and then a thin coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl to dry it out nicely.
    I put down a few straight vinyl stencils and painted over everything in NYC Hudson Breeze before removing the stencils right away.
    Finally, I used a long striping brush to add the red details with Rimmel Raw as Night and topped it with a thick coat of HK Girl.
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    Freehand, Nail Art, Uncategorised

    Nailvengers Assemble: Summer Treats

    Strawberries and Cream Nail Art | The Nailasaurus
    June’s Nailvengers theme is ‘Summer Treats’ so with Wimbledon coming up, I decided to so some Strawberries and Cream nail art. 
    For the strawberries, I used Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story as my base colour with Barry M Key Lime for the green. I added the details using black acrylic paint and Barry M Spring Green.
    For the creamy nails, I used Graffiti Nails Ice White as my base, then the Saran Wrap technique with a tiny bit of Barry M Rose Hip and Nicole by OPI The Coral of the Story.
    Strawberries and Cream Nail Art | The Nailasaurus
    Strawberries and Cream Nail Art | The Nailasaurus
    Strawberries and Cream Nail Art | The Nailasaurus
    Strawberries and Cream Nail Art | The Nailasaurus

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