Birthday Cake Nail Art

Today my little old blog reaches a milestone: its first birthday!

 

I have to say that this last year has flown by and I have really enjoyed my little blog and would like to say thank you to all of you that have had a little visit, followed, shared and especially to those who have left me such wonderful comments. I do read and reply to them all.

 

To mark the occasion I designed some birthday cake nails, as no birthday is complete without a little bit of cake! Right?

 

 

I prepped my nail using OPI's base coat and got to work with the base coat using 'Delicate' by Seche Vite. I allowed to dry (as it is Seche Vite, its super fast without a top coat) and then added on some sprinkle effect glitter polish by Nails Inc called 'Fulham Palace Gardens.'

 

 

To create the cake I used a selection of colours from Frauline which as all thin brushed nail polishes. Unfortunately they are unnamed. I first picked a fushia colour for the cake and applied a rounded shape to the tip.

 

 

Once dry I took the white polish and outlined the whole cake including the tip of the nail. To finish it off I added a single blue candle and added a touch of yellow for the flame. Now its time for the singing to commence and the wishes to be made.

 

 

Once again, thank you to everyone who has contributed to my blog. Without you guys, I don't think I would have reached this milestone.

 

What do you think?

Until next time...

Laura-Jane

 

Stand Up To Cancer and wear pink nails

If you're a regular reader of my blog you should already know that throughout the month of October I shall be wearing pink nails in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Today in the UK marks a very special day in the cause with 'Stand up to Cancer'. This is where people all over the country shall stand up and tell their story about Cancer to help raise awareness on the subject and help raise money for Cancer Research UK. If you would like to read more, you can do so here.

My story:

Although I have lucky enough not to have to hear the words that I have cancer, and I thank my lucky stars for this everyday. I hope I never have to hear those words. I know from first hand experience how hard it can be on suffers, their family, friends and support groups. I have lost a few family members to cancer and I have seen my Mum go through numerous types and of course she is a very strong woman and has kicked its ass every time. Go Mum! Last year I did have a little scare, where they found a tumour in my hip socket, which I recently had surgery on earlier this year in July 2013. I was lucky that it was not cancerous, but waiting for blood tests to come back was agonising. The brain always turns to the worse case scenario. Given my families medical history the big 'C' word was the first thing that swamped my thoughts and it probably wont be the last time either, unfortunately.

For those of you who have suffered from cancer in the past, are going through it/know someone who is at the moment or have lost a loved one to the horrible beast of cancer this nail post is dedicated to YOU. You are all so brave, strong and I salute you.  If we all work together to help spread the message then hopefully we can banish Cancer forever!

The nails:

Today's nail art is an easy little number. Its not that hard to do, but looks quite eye catching and probably looks harder that it actually is.

I first prepped my nails using OPI's base coat, allowed to dry and then topped it with Seche Vite's Breast Cancer Awareness polish 'delicate' and a coat of the SV fast drying top coat to help with drying time.

Once this was dry I used stripping tape to mark off areas on the nail bed to form little stripped patterns. I opted to create different patterns on each nail. I have only every really attempted vertical or horizontal lines using tape, and wanted to experiment a little with this nail art post and create a few patterns.

Once the tape was in place, I covered the whole nail with 'Kensington Rose' by Jessica, Which is a bold metallic pink and gently pulled of the stripping tape using tweezers whilst the polish was still wet. Once I had completed this process on all five fingernails, I then finished it off with another coat of SV and got to work on my other hand.

What do you think? which nail design do you like the best? Let me know in the comments box below.

Have a great weekend and remember today is Stand Up To Cancer Day. I did, will you?

Until next time....


Laura-Jane

Geisha Girl Water Decal Nail Art

For today's nail art post, I tried something I haven't tried before: water decals. Why haven't I tried these before? I have no idea! I wish I could take credit for the beautiful detailed little designs, but I can't. I purchased them from a nail art company called Sparkly-Nails and I think I paid around £1.50 for the pack which contains 15 decals. So enough to do one full set of nails and a few spare in case of mishaps or accent nails.

 

 

 

I first prepped my nails using OPI's base coat, and applied three thin coats of Nails Inc's 'Warwick Avenue' to make the polish opaque and applied a coat of Seche Vite to speed up the drying process and allowed to dry.

 

 

 

I chose five different designs to apply to my nails. I made sure I used the same picture for the same finger for both hands, but I used mirroring images so they were not all facing the same direction, which was a nice touch. I made sure I cut extremely close to the image so that it would fit onto my nails.

 

 

 

I filled a small bowl with tepid tap water and started with thee pinky finger. I placed the decal in the water for around 30 seconds and removed using tweezers. the image should then slide very easily off the paper backing and allowed me to place on my nail in the desired spot. You have around 30 seconds before the decal dries in place so you don't have to be super quick.

 

 

 

I continued with this process until all ten nails had been completed and topped them all off with a coat of Seche Vite to seal the water decals in place and to give my manicure that extra shine.

 

 

 

I am really please with how they ruined out and how simply and easy they were to apply. I got lots of compliments from this manicure. I ordered a bunch of different decals and I can't wait to use them again. Although I have lots of planned nail art for future posts to get through first.

 

 

 

Have you used water decals before? Do you find them easy to apply too? I would love to see some of your designs, let me know what you think in the comments box below.

 

Until next time...

 

Laura-Jane

Retro nail art; Back to the '60's

I have to say this manicure is probably one of my favourite manicures I have done. It will be a sad day when the nail polish remover comes out and I have to say goodbye to this one. I'm not too sure about the reason behind my fondness, but I just really, REALLY like it. I like the colour combination, the way it stands out, and I think it just looks really pretty. The best thing about it is that it is so easy to do.

 

 

The design on this manicure reminds me of the 1960's. Now, I wasn't around then, and I doubt I was even a twinkle in my parents eyes, as they were just kids. However, it does bring back fond memories of my GCSE Textile project, as it looks like the prints on dresses that would have been worn by the likes of supermodel Twiggy & Co. If you are around my age or older, you'll also remember a TV programme called 'Heartbeat'. This manicure would fit in nicely there.

 

 

 

What you'll need:

 

Three nail polishes of your choice.

 

 

From left to right:

 

Black Taxi - Nails Inc

Matte White - Barry M

Lilac Pastelle - Revlon UK

Fast drying top coat - Seche Vite

 

Two different sized dotting tools and a stripping brush.
 

 

Paint your nails with your desired base colour. I chose the Lilac Pastelle colour, which is quite a soft pink/lilac rather than a true lilac. It is very pretty. I used two coats as I prefer an opaque look; paint them to your own personal preference. Top it off with a coat of SV and allow to dry. Once dry, using a stripper brush,  paint lines with the black and white polishes, alternating them so the pattern continues throughout the entire ten nails (yes, I always paint both hands!).

 

 

 

Now using a dotting tool, place large size dots along the thin strips. Use the contrasting colour to place a smaller dot inside the larger ones. Top it off with a top coat and you're done. See, simples!

 

 

I really love the contrasting colours, and the way it has turned out. I shall definitely be doing this manicure again; I may experiment with different colours, but I have to say this combination is probably going to remain my favourite.

 

  

What do you think? Will you be giving them ago? Let me know in the comments box below.

 

If you have any nail art suggestions, let me know too, and I'll try my best to do them for you.

 

Until next time...

 

Laura-Jane

Dripping in Diamonds...

I was feeling in a very girly, glittery, pink mood when I came up with this new design. The beautiful blue skies and sun across London today also adds that extra sparkle. The pictures really do not do the glitz any justice at all.

 

  

I also used some techniques I haven't used before and I am very pleased with the results. Instead of using polish for my base coat, I used an array of different dazzle dusts by Barry M to create my desired colour. I used different shades of pink and added a touch of silver and bronze to add the extra sparkle.

 

 

 

 

I mixed the dusts together in a glass pot and kept adding colours until I got the shade I wanted.  Before applying the dust to my nails, I diluted PVA glue (mixed with water) and began to draw grass-like stands from the base of the nail to the tips. With a light feather brush, I gently dabbed on the sparkly pink dazzle dust. I then allowed to dry to complete the next step.

 

I then reapplied some diluted PVA glue to the dips of the fingernails, and packed on the powder to add impact and a pop of colour, which is quite like a gradient effect. I topped this off with Seche Vite's top coat.

 

 

Whilst the top coat is still wet, you need to add your rhinestones. I did one nail at a time, as Seche Vite dries VERY fast, and by doing it individually it allowed me to stick the rhinestones on without having to reapply wet polish, which would result in wasting the product. I used a selection of rhinestones from Cheeky-Beauty, which I received as gifts for Christmas. I opted to use diamond coloured stars and circular 2mm rhinestones in the same colour to complete the look.

 

 

I wanted a starburst effect, so I placed the stars in their desired place then added sporadic circular rhinestones to give that effect. I placed some close to the star shape to give the vision of a cluster, and then spaced them out to resemble a bursting effect. Make sure you do not place rhinestones too near the edge of the nail, as these will just pop right off with the slightest of touches.

 

Once all the rhinestones were in place, I then gave all my nails another coat of SV to seal them onto the nails and avoid them pinging off.

 

With all nails complete they look very nice together and they really do dazzle in the sunshine, giving the manicure an eye-catching look. To me, they also feel really nice to touch, as it has a bumpy feel to them and I can't help but touch them. I often catch myself doing this whilst daydreaming, and then have to remember not to or my manicure would be ruined.

 

 

 

What do you think? Let me know in the comment box below.

 

Have you used any alternative materials to create a manicure other than nail polish?

 

Until next time...

 

Laura-Jane

Floral Nail Art

It is officially Spring, however I have woken up to a panoramic view from my apartment of Central London that has had quite the dusting of snow. I have however attempted another Springtime nail art design, in the hope that the more I do, the more chance there is of waking up to sunshine and warmth. I know its unrealistic, but a girl can't help but try!

I gained inspiration from a dressing gown I own, which I am actually wrapped up in now as I write this blog post. It was bought for me as a present by the boyfriend before we moved in together last year. I have to say it is the best dressing gown in the world; long, fluffy, cosy and even has a hood, which is perfect for cold cosy nights in watching a movie on the couch. The colours are vibrant and bright, and you can't help but feel in a happy mood when wearing it, especially in the winter as I tend to wear quite dark colours, so it makes a change for me to wear such bold ones.

The said dressing gown:

I obviously didn't copy the design of the bathrobe exactly, but I created my own adaptation using the colours and floral print for inspiration. I have been wearing them for a few days now, and I have had quite a few compliments; I even got the seal of approval from the boyfriend.

Nail polishes used:

Base colour: fuchsia pink by Nails Supreme

Petal colour: light pink by Nails Supreme

Centre of flower colour: 'Poppies in the snow' by Revlon UK

Leaf colour: Green by Nails Supreme

Top coat: top coat by MUA.

To create the flowers I used a large dotting tool. I used the same size tool to create the middle of the flower and the petals. I used approx. five petals per flower. I then used a smaller dotting tool to create a little flick of green for the leaves, which I think finishes off the design perfectly. It adds another colour and therefore another dimension to the design. Don't forget to add a top coat to make your manicure last and also give it that extra bit of shine.

 

 

 

This is a really easy design to do, yet it's bright and stands out and will get everyone noticing your nails.

Let me know what you think?

Are you going to give it a try?

Until next time...

Laura-Jane