Pinwheel nail art

Today's manicure is probably my favourite nail art I have ever done. I am so in love with it. I often ask the boyfriend what colour I should paint my nails, and he always give me the same answer, pulling out all the coral type colours out of my nail polish stash. So I thought I would try to do some nail art to incorporate all of the colours, just for him. Here is the outcome:

 

 

 

I started by prepping my nails with OPI's base coat. Then painted my nails using Barry M's 'matte white' polish.  I topped this off with a coat of SV and allowed to dry. Once this was dry I used four pieces of stripping tape per nail to divide my nail into eight sections; to create the pinwheel effect. I did one hand at a time, so before I started painting my nails again, I made sure all pieces of tape were sectioned off on one hand and the lids of all the polish were unscrewed.

 

 

 

The polishes I used:

 

The corals from dark to light:

 

Instyle coral - Rimmel London

Iisie Street - Nails Inc

Summer Fizz - Leighton Denny

Peach Melba - Barry M

 

The pinks from dark to light:

 

Miami - 17

Pink Flamingo - Barry M

Petite Pink - Sally Hansen

Strawberry Ice cream - Barry M

 

 

 

I painted each individual section with one colour starting from the darkest coral to the lightest, and continued the circle with the lightest pink to the darkest. On each nail I started the darkest coral in a different section so all the nails were different, which I think gives quite a nice effect.  

 

 

 

As soon as I had completed each nail, and before the nail polish was completely dry, I removed the tape and gave it a coat of SV, before I moved onto the next nail. I waited until all the nails on my left hand were completely dry before I started the process again for my right hand.

 

 

 

Once all ten fingernail were complete and dry, I applied another coat of OPI's base coat. Whilst the polish was still wet I used an orange stick to place a little diamond stud in the middle of the pinwheel and sealed in with another coat of SV to complete the look.

 

 

 

I shall definitely be giving this manicure another go in possibly cooler colours using blue/green tones or reds/browns for autumn.

 

What do you think? Will you be giving it a go?

 

Until next time...

 

Laura-Jane

Easter Inspired Nail Art

I am sure most of your are looking forward to a nice long weekend, spending time with family and friends and munching on tons of chocolate. Well, that's what most people here in the UK tend to do. However, Easter is not just about the Easter Bunny, egg hunts and chocolate, it also has an important religious significance too, which you can read about here.

I have gone down the less traditional Catholic route to display my Easter festivities on my finger tips, and have gone for a multi-coloured, more modern take on Easter...

This has probably been the most adventurous nail art I have attempted, and without blowing my own trumpet, I think they have come off rather nicely. It took forever to do, and with a lot of patience, a steady hand, and a multitude of polishes and tools, I finally got there.

Here is what I used:

From left to right:

Black Taxi by Nails Inc

Pink by Nails Supreme

Silver glitter nail paint by Kiss

Blue nail paint by Kiss

Royal Indigo by 17

Strawberry by Barry M

Berry by Barry M

Matte White by Barry M

Lemon by Barry M

Sweet As Sugar by Rimmel London

 

Green nail paint by Kiss

Pink nail paint by Kiss

Miami by 17

The tools used:

 

 

I used dotting tools to apply the more intricate designs like the egg detail, eyes, small flicks. I used the paint brushes for the bigger designs such as the egg, Easter bunny and butterfly.

Let me introduce you to my little friends:

The pinky: A little Easter chick complete with bright orange beak and fluffy hair.

The ring finger: A speckled Easter egg just like the yummy little treats you get in packets of Cadbury's Mini Eggs. This nail art resembled an Easter egg hunt, and used grass detail to create this effect.

The middle finger: This one was probably the hardest to do, and as you can see is the character most associated with Easter now; the Easter Bunny.

The index finger: I gained inspiration for this one from my childhood, where every Easter at Primary School we had a competition to decorate your own egg with paints, glitter, sequins or any other crafts you could find. This was just a nail to have fun with, with dots, lines, zigzags, and just to add a bit of creativity.

The Thumb: This nail is not necessarily Easter related; more for the time of year. The butterfly resembles Spring, new life and growth. The silver body and antennas add a bit of sparkle to the design.

I don't tend to do different nail designs on each finger, I much prefer a more uniformed look, although I can sometimes be partial to the accent nail on the ring finger. However these designs have changed my opinion, as I do really like the look of them. They have received lots of compliments too, from both adults and children. I even got a comment today, saying "they were like little bits of art on your fingers", which of course I love to hear as I did put so much effort into creating them.

I think the colours together all tie in together and complement each other too.

To top off all the designs, I finally got to use my newly purchased bottle of Seche Vite fast drying top coat. I was super excited to use it when I purchased it, and I have to say it did not disappoint. I am going to put myself out there and keep with the religious theme and say it is the Holy Grail of top coats. This stuff is a-maz-ing! If you do not have a bottle, I suggest you pick yourself up some. I bought mine from Boots for £9.00, but I know you can get it cheaper on Amazon if you don't mind waiting the posting time.

Which one is your favourite?

Do you have any Easter nail art designs you want to share?

Until next time...

Laura-Jane

Nail Polish: Battle of the brands...

Rather than a nail art or nail design post, this post is more of a behind the scenes editorial (and a bit of a long one, sorry.) Every beauty buyer and blogger has their own opinion when it comes to their favourite piece of make-up stash. My question I put to you all is; How do you identify a good nail polish brand?

 

For me, a good nail polish brand has to have a nice consistency – smooth, creamy, pigmented etc. Is opaque after applying one coat (two maximum) and also lasts the length of time, by this I mean does not turn gloppy or starts to thicken after a few months and also lasts on the nails after a time consuming manicure. I expect a manicure to last without chipping and peeling for at least five days. After all a nail polish should be for life (or until you have an empty bottle) not just for Christmas.

 

I have experimented with a few different brands of nail polish. I have by no means tried and tested them all, but I have drawn up a list of the ones I have put to the test and some that I shall firmly place on my wish list.

 

Nails Inc.

I would have to say hands down that this brand is my favourite brand of nail polish. I like their consistency, and I only ever have to apply one coat, which in my opinion is a bonus. It means less waiting around time for polish to dry and you get to do more of the fun stuff like nail art designs and making them look pretty. The smoothness and texture are a 10/10 for me too. I don’t however like their price tag. At £10.50 minimum for a bottle it is a little on the steep side, but the bottle design has a nice look to it, and I guess you are buying into the brand name. However you can forgo the RRP, as I have recently found out that the shopping channel QVC often do deals on Nails Inc. products, and you can pick up sets for a bargain! There are also eBay and amazon where you can pick up a bargain too, although I am sure you all knew that anyway!? I am finding it really hard to get my manicured paws on their matte black polish called 'Oxford Street'. Every time I try to make the purchase, they're sold out. GRRRRRRRR!

 

OPI:

Okay, so I may get a little stick for this, as I know this brand of nail polish is favoured by many beauty bloggers across the globe. However I have bought a numerous amount of polishes from them, and I have found some (not every) polish to be rather watery. They are definitely not my go-to brand for polish. They are great for water marbling, so are great for that nail art effect. For an every day nail job, and intricate designs theses are a no-no, for me anyway. On a positive note I have to say I do like the application handle on the packaging, which is rather long in comparison to other brands out there, which allows you to maintain a good grip thus a steady hand when applying. I do have one confession regarding OPI nail polishes; my favourite thing about OPI are the names they give individual products. They never fail when it comes to giving them a catchy moniker, some often make me giggle, and I do love a good nail polish name. Sometimes this can be the deciding factor upon purchase. My favourite at the moment, has to be "Kiss me on the Tulips." It has a nice romantic ring to it. Another named favourite has to be "No more waity Kaity" a cobalt blue polish, which was named after Kate Middleton's marriage to Prince William. Not only am I fan of the Royal Family, and the Duke and Duchess. I really like the purply-blue colour, which for me is rather regal and an apt named polish.

 

Barry M:

Now I do like Barry M. They are easily available at Superdrug and some department stores here in the UK, and at £3 a pop, they are not too hard to resist. They do offer a vast range of colours, and are great for releasing on trend colours and mimicking and duping (in some cases rather closely) the likes of Chanel at a more affordable price. However some polishes can be a bit hit-and miss, some are lacking in smoothness and pigmentation which doesn’t always make application that easy even for the most experiences nail polish addicts. So over all, if you get a good polish and not one that is lacklustre and not a dud, you’re laughing!

 

17

Although the nail polish colours are rather limited, and those that are more adventurous are not really my style, these are okay polishes. Some colours you need to apply two coats, but the polishes that I have purchased seem to work well for me. One great thing about the 17 nail polishes are the application brushes. The seem to be flatter and have a curved tip which makes application near to the cuticle area so much easier than the standard brush. However whilst looking through my nail polish collection, I did notice not all polishes have this application brush. I have also noticed taking photo’s of nail art, that in normal light they appear opaque, but under the flash of the camera, they tend to be a little transparent, which has been a nightmare when writing new blog posts. Nowadays I make sure I definitely have two coats before taking pictures.  You can find these little pots of colours in most Boots stores

 

Revlon:

I don’t own too many of these polishes, just a handful. The ones I do have seem to okay, not brilliant by any means, but okay. They have quite a watery consistency and can be a little transparent, but if you don’t mind applying two-three coats, then they are nice polishes. I do like the shape of their bottles, they are easy to hold on application, although they only tend to stock the mainstream colours and have played it safe with a few naturals, reds, and pinks that make up the bulk of their collection.

 

The wish list:

 

Chanel – This is on there for obvious reason. The have been put on a pedestal by many; bloggers, fashionistas and celebrities to name a few. They tend to lead the nail polish battle which many nail companies try to dupe seasonal colours. They always have rave reviews, however they do tend to sell out very quickly, so you have to be fast, but if you don’t mind shelling out a high price-tag, I’m sure you wont be disappointed. I have never tried a Chanel polish, but hopefully I will do

 

Ciate - The packaging is super cute and girly, and from the website the colours look rich and creamy, and just has an ora about it that speaks out to me. A little birdie told me that they have recently changed the company that actually manufactures the nail polish. So those little people stuck in the lab of nail polish heaven are none other than the ones that create the polish for Chanel! So before I head to the Chanel counter at Harrods or Selfridges,. I shall be making my first pit-stop there

 

China Glaze - Now this brand is another sort after nail polish brand that I know is rather popular amongst bloggers. However I have not tried these so therefore can not really make an informed judgement. From what I have read on other blogs, YouTube videos and from their own website they seem to sell a variety of colours, that tend to be rather popular, so may have to add these to my wish list and make a purchase soon.

 

L.A. Girl - I recently discovered a hot pink matte shade that I really REALLY want.. However from the little bit of research I have done I can only seem to get it from across the pond in the US and they don’t ship internationallyL if any of you out there know how I can get my talons on a bottle, please let me know…

 

Essie - I have heard rave reviews on these polishes, and would like to give them a go. They seem to stock a good range of colours, and are not too steep in price either. Could be a close contender in my nail polish battle.

So, for me Nails Inc. win my battle, but they may not win the War. I wont know that answer until I have tried and tested every single brand. So my War may last years, but then again what War doesn’t?

 

Who wins your battle and why?

Until next time…

 

Laura-Jane

Nail Art: Paws for thought....

For the next couple of weeks, I shall be dog sitting as my parents are off on their holidays (luckily things!) So I came up with a design inspired by my four-legged friend.

 

 

Let me introduce her. This little pampered pooch is called Tiffany, she was named after my favourite Jewellery shop at the time Tiffany & Co and as a puppy she actually use to wear my Tiffany & Co bracelet as a dog collar, unfortunately it no longer fits. She is a Chihuahua by name, but not by nature. She’s not yappy, and she thinks she’s a BIG dog. To quote the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, she’s “tiny, but mighty!” She recently celebrated her 6^th birthday (in dog years that’s like 42!) on the 15^th January 2013. She is adorable and has such a nice nature and loves to be cuddled and stroked. She definitely has no trouble in letting you know she wants a belly rub!

 

I opted to use a pastel colour for the main shade for this design, which I was recently inspired by London Fashion Week, and the fact that although quite chilly, the sun has been out sporadically this week. For the design, I used a deeper shade of the same tone, as I thought it would compliment them nicely.

Nail polishes used:

 

 

Base colour: Barry M - Berry Lilac

Design Colour: 17 - Royal Indigo

Top Coat: OPI Top Coat

I used one coat for the base, as the polish by Barry M (not for all shades though) seems to be thick enough to make it opaque by just using one coat. I waited for approx. 10 minutes to let them dry. Using two different sized dotting tools, one big one small to design the paws.

 

I placed the paws diagonally opposite each other, which kept the design fun, paw-like, but not too overbearing. Obviously you can have as many or as little as you like. Using the dotting tools makes this design super easy.

So there you have it, fun nails that look woof-derful!

 

 

What animal associated nails would you like to see next?

Have you ever had animal inspired nails?

Until next time…

Laura-Jane