Vertical pinstripe nail art

This manicure is another one I created with the goodies I got for my birthday from my Mum and is the first time I used stripping tape. I also used my new Nail Inc polishes I got in a lucky dip selection from their website. I was very impressed by their colour selection and very glad I didn't get any dupes. The best thing about it too, was the price, it was a fraction of the cost if I were to purchase them all individually.

 

 

 

I prepped the nails with a base coat from OPI, and once dry I painted on my based colour; 'Berry ice cream' by Barry M.  I used a coat of SV to help with drying time, before I began the task of applying the stripping tape. A helpful hint I would suggest, is to cut LOADS of mini pieces of stripping tape before you begin this part of the nail art, just to make it a little bit easier. I placed the tape equal distance apart on each nail (doing one hand at a time.) Making sure there was some overhang on the nail to make it really easy to remove.

 

 

 

Once this was completed I was able to apply my contrasting colour. For this I used 'Market Place' by Nails Inc , which is a very light lilac colour with small iridescent flecks which give off a little bit of shimmer and adds a bit of texture and sparkle to the manicure. Both polishes have the same hues and in my opinion compliment each other well.

 

 

 

I used one coat of the 'Market Place' polish, until the entire fingernail was covered and then immediately removed the tape to create the vertical lines before I moved onto the next nail. It is very important to remove the tape as quickly as possible, whilst the polish is still relatively wet. If the top coat of polish starts to dry, when removing the tape it will become sticky, which in return shall not create neat vertical lines and shall ruin the manicure if not careful.

 

 

 

Once all the tape had been removed from one hand, I finished it off with a top coat of SV before starting all over again on the other hand.

 

 

 

The boyfriend actually likened this manicure to wallpaper. The more I looked at it, the more I thought it did. What do you think? Have you used stripping tape before? Let me know in the comment box below.

 

Until next time...

 

Laura-Jane

Perfect plum nail art

Last Sunday I was watching QVC (a UK shopping channel, for those that have no idea what it is) and low and behold they were doing a nails inc. special. Those that know me will well and truly know I put nails inc. on a pedestal and is my Holy Grail - or should I say Holy Nail, of nail polishes. I pretty much wanted to buy everything they had to offer, but avoided every temptation and opted to buy just the one set. The boyfriend had to twist my arm slightly, but not much as you can imagine. I got it for a bargain at £31.50 inc. p&p, as its RRP is £77.00! Here is what I bought:

 

 

As soon as I saw this set on the TV, I knew I just had to have it. If I am being honest, I probably bought the whole thing for the beautiful little bottle on the right hand side, and I have to say it does not disappoint! As soon as I opened the little parcel, which was literally two nano seconds after the postman had put it in my hands, I knew my next manicure would involve 'Redcliffe Road', which is the moniker given to this little beaut.

 

 

The consistency of the polish is perfect; I only had to use one coat, which I love. Makes nail art very quick, which is always a good thing. It looks really pretty just as a plain nail. However, I can't remember the last time I didn't have some sort of design on my nails, so a few little dots were a must. Of course, I used a dotting tool to create those perfect round flecks with the help of some gold acrylic paint. I know Barry M do a foil gold colour, if you prefer to use a polish. I topped it off with the old faithful, Seche Vite.

 

 

The colour is quite dark for Spring/Summer, but as the global fashion weeks dictate it is either pale pastels or vampy dark colours that should adorn the tips of your fingers this season. So in my opinion, these are bang on trend! I always like to have short nails when wearing dark colours, and I am quite liking the short, really square look too.

 

The gold is a nice touch, to me it provides a sense of regalness, elegance and sparkle, as they really do shimmer and stand out in the sunshine.

 

 

 

What do you think?

 

Until next time...

 

Laura-Jane