Follow:
Browsing Tag:

Sally Hansen

    Freehand, Uncategorised

    Happy Saint David’s Day!

    1st March 2014
    /
    Leave a comment
    I have never been able to decide whether I’m English or Welsh as my family is English and I was born in England but I’ve lived my whole life in Wales, albeit very close to the border. I tend to float between the two and with my generic British accent, I can pull them both off pretty convincingly! Since it’s Saint David’s Day today, the mood is decidedly Welsh and I’ve created some nail art for the occasion.

    My first finger is the Welsh flag, or at least my simplified interpretation of it. I set down a base of Barry M White and freehanded on the Welsh Dragon using Rimmel Heart on Fire. I added the green in last using Sally Hansen Grass Slipper.
    On my ring finger, I’ve painted a Daffodil – the national flower of Wales. I used Barry M Mist as my base colour and freehanded on the flower using a nail art brush with NYC Lexington Yellow and Sally Hansen Sun Kissed.
    For the remaining fingers, I used Rimmel Heart on Fire, Barry M White and Sally Hansen Grass Slipper.
    It’s all topped off with a coat of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

    Share:
    Nail Care, Uncategorised

    Threesome: Cuticle Care

    11th February 2014
    /
    Leave a comment
    Since the new year, I’ve noticed that my cuticles are looking a little worse for wear. I think the cold weather has taken a toll on my hands and nails so I’ve really had to step it up in the nail care department. I’ve seen some really good results using just a few products so today I thought I’d share my favourites with you.

    1. Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil

    This cuticle oil lives at my manicure station (read: computer desk) and I always use it when I’m giving my nails a bit of extra attention. I also apply this constantly whenever I’m sat the the computer. Oiling up my cuticles quickly between episodes of Workaholics makes the task seem less like a chore but does mean my keyboard gets pretty greasy.
    I really like the applicator in this cuticle oil. It’s a long thin brush that gives you complete control over how much product you pick up. I simply swipe it over my cuticles then use one finger to massage in the oil.

    2. Nail Butter

    I’ve sung the praises of Nail Butter in a previous review and it’s still a firm favourite of mine. I apply it mostly at night as a little bedtime ritual and sometimes even use it in addition to cuticle oil. I’ll apply the Nail Butter first, lightly brush some Sally Hansen cuticle oil over the top and work it in to my nail beds.

    3. KBShimmer Cuticle Oil Pen in Pink Sugar

    This pen is amazing for on the go. It smells ssooooo good. Like SO good! I’ve been carrying this pen around with me for a few weeks now and always have it out on the desk at work, obsessively applying it all day. You just twist the end to give it a few clicks and use the built in applicator to brush it on to your cuticles.

    What are your favourite products to use when you have particularly dry cuticles?

    Share:
    Freehand, Glitter, Uncategorised

    NYFW Nail Art: Nonoo AW14 Inspired

    8th February 2014
    /
    Leave a comment
    NYFW has brought a much needed surge of creativity for me. I was browsing the Vogue galleries for a few hours today but for nail art inspiration and I found it, once again, in the Nonoo collection. You can see last year’s Nonoo inspired nail art here.
    Nonoo’s aesthetic is right up my street – the clothes are all smart and sophisticated with clean cut lines but still edgy and youthful. The piece that stood out for me was this sweatshirt. The combination of textures shouldn’t work but she makes it work and it still looks hella classy! 
    UK Nail Art Blog: Nonoo AW14 Inspired

    Image credit: Vogue.co.uk

    I used Sally Hansen Ion as my base colour here. Next I freehanded two lines using Essie Penny Talk to lay a copper base for the metallic look.
    I drew the brown lines using NYC Midtown Mink and went over the copper with Barry M Majesty – a textured polish from the Royal Glitters collection.
    Finally, I finished it off with two coats of Rica Glossy Glam to smooth everything over.
    UK Nail Art Blog: Nonoo AW14 Inspired
    UK Nail Art Blog: Nonoo AW14 Inspired
    Share:
    Gradient, Stamping, Uncategorised

    Purple Gradient Nail Art With Stamping

    23rd January 2014
    /
    Leave a comment
    My nails and cuticles are a bit worse for wear recently so I’ve been drowning them in cuticle oil and Nail Butter whenever I get the chance. They’re drink it up like there’s no tomorrow and I’m hoping they’ll be suitably quenched very soon. Today’s nail art is nothing you haven’t seen before but it’s a simple classic that will quite possibly always be my bread and butter!

    Purple Gradient Nail Art with MoYou Stamping

    Purple Gradient Nail Art with MoYou Stamping
    I created the gradient using Revlon Cloudy and a very old Sally Hansen Lavender Colour. There’s a gradient tutorial here.
    I topped a few fingers with China Glaze Fairy Dust.
    The stamping is from MoYou Plate Tourist 07 and a couple of designs from the Fairytale collection but those plates don’t seem to be in stock at the moment. I used BK Matte White.
    It’s all topped off with a coat of KBShimmer Clearly On Top.

    Purple Gradient Nail Art with MoYou Stamping

    Purple Gradient Nail Art with MoYou Stamping

    Purple Gradient Nail Art with MoYou Stamping

    Purple Gradient Nail Art with MoYou Stamping
    Share:
    Christmas, Freehand, Glitter, Uncategorised

    Festive Floral Nail Art

    17th December 2013
    /
    Leave a comment
    Does anyone else feel like December has completely flown by?! For once, I’ve actually been fairly organised and I finished up my Christmas shopping yesterday. Gotta love online shopping at times like these, it’s almost unbearable to be real-world shopping on a weekend in the run up to Christmas. Sit me at my desk with a hot chocolate and a mince pie and I’m happy!

    I had the strongest urge to paint some roses on my nails this week so I picked a festive colour scheme to go with it! The main colours here are Barry M White and Rimmel Heart on Fire.
    The red glitter is two coats of Sally Hansen Cha-Ching over one coat of Heart on Fire.
    I’ve written a tutorial for the freehanded roses so click here for that! I then dotted around them using Barry M Silver Foil and a dotting tool.
    It’s all topped off with a coat of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

    iVillage invited me to write a tutorial for their 30 Days of Christmas DIY series and I chose to do Christmas Puddings! Click here to see the full tutorial!
    Share:
    Freehand, Glitter, Holographic, Uncategorised

    …On The Seashore

    2nd December 2013
    /
    Leave a comment
    Last weekend I came across She Sells Seashells which is an amazing online store that sells lots of little bits and pieces for nail art within the UK. They stock a great range of unique items at crazy low prices and judging by the sneaky Instagram previews there’s only more where that came from! What I really love is that everything they sell is miniature! My nails are teeny tiny so I always go for the smallest option when it comes to nail art decorations and there are so many tiny items on She Sells Seashells that I was spoilt for choice.

    You already saw me using the little deer decal in my Christmas Nail Art and today is the debut of the seashells!

    Coral Nail Art with 3.5mm Seashells

    Coral Nail Art with 3.5mm Seashells
    I started off with Sally Hansen Coral Reef and a shimmery purple from Primark as my base colours. 
    The seashell is hollow inside so I made a very small dot of clear nail polish where I wanted to place it and let that dry to a little lump so there was something 3D for the decal to ‘hold on to’! To stick it down, I applied a little more clear polish on the lump and pressed the seashell down on to my nail. I used a top coat to seal it in and it’s lasted 24 hours so far!
    The fine, holographic glitter on my ring finger is from Claire’s. I was hoping it would be a good dupe for China Glaze Fairy Dust and just from looking at it, I’d be convinced. However, this isn’t a smooth holographic like Fairy Dust but a very very fine glitter and as gorgeous as it is, there’s no getting away from that fact. While Glitter and I are better friends than we used to be, we’re hardly BFFs and I still have Fairy dust on my to-buy list. I still absolutely love this Clarie’s polish though – it’s opaque in 3 coats and insanely sparkly!
    For the purple ruffian/half frame details, I applied China Glaze When Stars Collide freehanded with a nail art brush.
    It’s all topped off with two coats of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

    Coral Nail Art with 3.5mm Seashells

    Coral Nail Art with 3.5mm Seashells

    Coral Nail Art with 3.5mm Seashells

    Share: