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

The Edge of French Manicure Glory

If you follow me on Twitter (you can do this here), you would have known that on Maundy Thursday I received quite a few gifts of the nail polish variety. One in particular was Nails Inc Matte polish effect named 'Westminster Bridge', which I received from the boyfriend. I got boxes full from my Mummy, which you shall soon see in my up and coming manicures.

I have been after a matte black polish for some time, however this polish is better than a matte black, as it makes every nail polish in your collection to that desired effect. It has enabled me to do this edgy manicure, which I have been wanting to do for aaaaages, ever since I have seen similar manicures popping up on Google images, instagram, pinterest et al.

As you can see from my blog thus far, I am an avid fan of bright colours, eye-catching designs and girly floral prints. However, I have to say I am rather partial to a black nail too. Whenever I paint my nails in a dark colour I always tend to go short, as I think it looks classier, as long black talons just remind me of Halloween and witches outfits. This is just my opinion, of course.

This manicure is really easy to do, you do not need an abundance of polishes, tools and time. This is a quick manicure! All you need is a black nail polish, the matte polish and some scotch tape.

For my manicure I use the following:

Nails Inc 'Black Taxi'

Nails Inc 'Westminster Bridge'

Seche Vite fast drying top coat.

I first painted my nails in 'Black Taxi', then generously coated it in Seche Vite and allowed to dry. If you have ever used Seche Vite before, you will know that it doesn't take long at all. I used this top coat to help the drying process and to also give the tips of the nails that extra shine. Once dry, I taped the tips of the nails (I did all nails individually) and painted the main body of the nails with 'Westminster Bridge'. Whilst the matte coat is still wet, remove the tape to get a perfect line between the matte and glossy nail polish. Westminster Bridge is fast drying too, and you can see the effects of the polish straight away. I have fallen in love with this manicure even more now I have it on my fingertips.

However, a little word of warning, if you are like me and like to use hand cream like its going out of fashion, you'll notice over time that the matte polish tends to go a little less matte. This is probably from the oils and other chemicals in the cream to make your hands less dry and soft. You can always touch up the matte polish if needs be, and shall only take a few seconds of your time.

What do you think? Do you like it? Will you be trying this one out? Are you a fan of the matte nail?

Until next time...

Laura-Jane