Christmas Nail Art: Snowflakes

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!! 

Well, no. England is crap and we still haven't had any of the fluffy (sludgy) white (actually kind of brown) stuff. But, i'm not letting that quash my ridiculously hyped up Christmas spirit this year.

This week, my good friend Rachel (haiiii gurl) offered up her nails for me to practice a Christmas design on, so I went for a classic symbol of winter, snowflakes! I LOVE how these nails turned out...

The polishes I used:

M.U.A Nail Varnish in shade 8 - Red

Saffron London Nail Polish in shade 12 - White

I painted Rachel's nails with one thick coat of the red polish. She'd already put on a base coat which saved me about ten minutes, what a babe.

I waited for that to dry and then, using a tiny brush from my set, I painted a full snowflake on her ring finger and half(ish) of one on her index finger in white. This took a fair amount of patience, but you can play around with the snowflake designs, just Google it mate.

I then used a medium, small and teeny tiny dotting tool to create random dots (snow) on all of her nails.

As always, I finished off with Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails top coat, and there you have it, festive snowflake nails!

Happy polishing <3

Christmas Nail Art: Christmas Puddings

Christmas pudding in my experience, just like marmite, is a bit of a love or hate food. An acquired taste some would say. 

I happen to love the sticky, fruity, alcoholy, alcoholy, alcoholy goodness that is a Christmas pud...mmmmm brandy.

One of my favourite things about Christmas day comes after I've stuffed myself silly on smoked salmon, 15 pigs in blankets and enough potatoes to feed all of Ireland...when the lights are dimmed and my dad sets that gorgeous pud on fire. The blue flames on that baby just get me going, and somehow I always find myself eating 2 bowls of the stuff and several mince pies.

Is it obvious yet that I kind of like my food?

Anyway, I digress. These nails will serve to please both the lovers and haters of the famous Christmas pudding.

The polishes I used:

Barry M Nail Paint in 317 - Blue Moon

Barry M Nail paint in 310 - Mushroom

Barry M Nail paint in NP47 - Black

M.U.A Nail Varnish in shade 8 - Red

Nails Supreme Paint in Forest Green

Saffron London Nail Polish in  11 - White

I started with a base coat and then applied 3 coats of pale blue nail polish. You can use any base colour you like. 

Next I used a thin nail brush dipped in black polish to create the pudding shape at the end of each nail. I filled in each pudding with the mushroom colour (brown) mixed with a drop of black to make it slightly darker and used a cocktail stick dipped in black to make tiny dots on the brown (raisins!).

I used a medium dotting tool dipped in red to create the berries (you can use a bobby pin/hair grip if you don't own dotting tools) and then used a tiny brush to paint on the holly.

I finished by using a small angled brush dipped in white (be sparing) to create the icing sugar.

Finish with a top coat and voila! Easy Christmas pudding nails which look good enough to eat!

Happy polishing <3

Nail Art: Interlocking Dots

When I showed my mum these nails she said they looked like something by Escher...

When I showed my boyfriend these nails he said they were a "mind-fuck"...'scuse his French.

I took both explanations as compliments and I loved this design so much that I did it twice in one week. It's safe to say that my nail polishes are starting to look a little on the empty side. Santa?

Here are my interlocking dot nails...

These are so much easier than they look and the finished product is so effective and mind boggling.

The polishes I used:

Missguided Nail Splash in MissCellaneous (nude)

M.U.A Nail Polish in 8 - Red

I also did a version using black and white. To start I used my trusty base coat, which I allowed to dry before adding a thick coat of nude polish.

 I can't stress this next bit enough....LET THE NUDE DRY PEOPLE!! 

Once dry, use masking tape diagonally across each nail, leaving half uncovered. I alternated the side I did this on for each nail. Use the red polish to paint over the uncovered nail and let this dry well.

Slowly remove the masking tape and you should have half-and-half nails. 

Next take a large dotting tool if you have one, or the round end of a bobby pin and use your first colour. The key here is that red polish is only dotted onto the nude background and nude is only dotted onto the red.

So with the red make evenly spaced dots right along the central line going into the nude base. Leave gaps big enough to fit another dot. Add another red dot or two (depending on dot/nail size) above each of those on the line. Use the same process for the nude, but when dotting along the line onto the red base, do the dots in the space between the red dots on the other half of the nail.

This is a bit confusing I apologise, but if you look carefully at the picture it should be clear what I mean! You can even see a little raised central line on each of my nails. (If you have any questions leave me a comment and i'll try and explain)

Finish with a top coat and voila...easy "mind-fuck" nails!

Happy polishing <3

Nail Art: Chessboard

Chess has never been my strong point. All that talk of pawns confuses me, and it probably doesn't help that I used to make up my own rules during the game, so now nobody will play with me. I'm not surprised, I can be very annoying.

Chess irritates me, but these nails definitely don't!

I apologise for the quality of these photos, I couldn't find my parents awesome camera so I had to use my crappy one from 1994.

The polishes I used:

Barry M nail paint in NP47 (black)

Saffron nail polish in shade 12  - White

I started with a base coat and two coats of white polish which I left to dry. Next I took one of the long striping brushes included in my nail-art brush set. I dipped the brush into black and created a 3x4 grid on each of my nails. I used the small angled brush from my brush set to fill in alternating squares with black polish.

As always I finished with Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails base/top coat.

Checkmate! You're done! Easy chessboard nails. No pawns allowed.

For more information on the brushes I used:

http://gracethorne.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/tools-nail-art-brushes.html

Happy Polishing <3

Christmas Nail Art: Gradient Glitter Tips

IT'S CHRIIISSSSTTTTMAASSSSSS!!

There are only a few weeks left until the big day and i'm really feeling the pressure with presents this year. Why are men so bloody difficult to buy for?! 

So instead of thinking about what to give people, I've been sat here drawing out loads of Christmassy nail designs. My loved ones will probably end up with shitty gifts, but at least my nails will look pretty.

I'm easing myself in slowly with the Christmas looks, as it's practically still November, with a nice easy glitter gradient. It reminds me of tinsel, but this design could be worn at any time of the year with a variety of different base colours. 

I used my new favourite nail varnish by Tecnic in the colour Carnival. It isn't really a colour, but the most amazing multi-coloured glitter EVER...

£3 from eBay.

The polishes I used:

Barry M nail paint in NP47 (black)

Technic nail varnish in Carnival

I started with a coat of black nail polish which i left to dry and then followed with one coat of the glitter over the whole nail. Once this was dry, I added another coat of glitter on the top half of the nail, then the top quarter and finally the very tip. I finished off with Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails base/top coat.

This look could easily be reversed, with the gradient going the opposite direction (more glitter towards the cuticles). You can use any colour/glitter combo you fancy!

Happy polishing <3

Nail Art: Galaxy Nails

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...STAR WARS

Just kidding! Although these nails do look like something the Millennium Falcon would have encountered up there in outer space. 

Galaxy print is everywhere at the moment and I took inspiration from fabric prints on various dresses/bandeaus/leggings I have seen whilst browsing the internet at work. Initially, I thought these were going to be an absolute bitch to create, but they were surprisingly simple. So read on if you want these nails...

First off you'll need 3 tools, which most of you should have lying around the house...

Cocktail sticks/toothpicks, tweezers and foundation sponge broken up into small pieces.

The polishes I used:

MUA nail varnish in shade 2 - Black

Saffron London nail polish in shade 11 - White

Barry M nail paint in NP134 yellow (no longer available)

Collection 2000 Hot looks in shade 46 - Fruit Loop

w7 nail polish in neon Blue

Technic nail varnish in Carnival (see below)

(multi-coloured glitter...*sigh*)

I decided for this tutorial, as it's a bit more tricky, that I'd create a step by step picture guide to demonstrate how I achieved this look.

1. Start with a good base coat and paint your nails black

2. Pick up a piece of foundation sponge with the tweezers and dip it in white polish. 
Dab some off, you want to be sparing, and map out your nebula

3. Add yellow polish using the same sponge method to the inside of the nebula

4. Again with the sponge add a peachy pink in the very middle

5. Mix a blue polish with a drop of black or use navy to go around the edges of the 
nebula, blending it into the black.

6. Use a cocktail stick dipped in white polish to create clusters of stars in various 
places on the nail. Also add a couple of larger stars on each nail

7. Use a multi-glitter or fine glitter polish with a clear  base to give the illusion 
of more stars

8. Finish with a good top coat and voila!

Easy galaxy nails in 8 simple steps!

Happy polishing <3

Nail Art: Cherry-Licious

WARNING: THESE NAILS ARE NOT EDIBLE...which is a massive shame because my stupid allergies mean that I can't eat cherries (harrumpf), but I guess having them on my nails is the next best thing.

This manicure lasted me almost a week (I blame my new Sally Hansen top coat), and since I created this fruity design I've had people insisting that they were transfers/falsies. I'm not tooting my own horn but they look pretty damn good! Even better, they only took 30 minutes!

The polishes I used:

Saffron London nail polish in Shade 11 - White

Collection 2000 Lasting colour in 5 - Fire Engine

Barry M nail paint in NP284- metallic green (no longer available)

I started as always with a good base coat and then added a thick coat of white nail polish. I waited for it to dry completely before going in with a medium-large dotting tool to create the cherries. It is best to slightly overlap the dots to give a more realistic effect. You can do as few or as many cherries as you like, or you could paint all of your nails white and just have cherries as an accent nail on your ring finger &/or thumb.

Remember, the stalks/leaves go at the cuticle end of the cherries, so be sure to leave enough room.

For the leaves, I used the green polish on a tiny nail brush and just painted them on. The shape is just like a 'V' with a flick. I used the same tiny brush in the white polish to create the highlight. It is important to add these in the same place on each set of cherries to give the illusion of light hitting them.

I finished off with Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails base/top coat and voila, easy fruity nails which look good enough to eat!

Happy polishing <3

Nail Art: Candy Sunrise

Guys...I did it, I stepped away from the dotting tools and towards the foundation sponges. I've wanted to try gradient nails for ages, and I know i'm jumping on the bandwagon fashionably late, but hey.

I saw a picture of gradient nails using bright pink and blue, bit I wanted to use pastels. These nails remind me of fizzy bubblegum bottles...

The polishes I used:

Missguided nail splash in MissBehave

Barry M nail paint in 317 - Blue Moon

I started with two layers of Blue Moon which I left until it was almost dry. this technique works best when your base colour is still a bit tacky. Next I used a foundation sponge in the pink polish and dabbed it lightly about 3/4 of the way down the nail. I then did the same, adding another coat of pink halfway down and a third layer on the top quarter. I also added some pink from the brush on the very tips.

You have to work quickly here, and as soon as you've added the pink, you need to add a thick layer of clear top coat (i'm currently using Sally Hansen Hard as Nails as a base and top coat) which will blend the colours together nicely!

This one took practice, but I will definitely be trying it again with some different colours!

I hope you enjoy giving this a go!

Happy polishing <3

Nail Art: Daisy Dots

Dots dots dots. I just can't get enough of the little buggers. I've been doing so many designs with them that i'm seeing them in my sleep.  So I thought i'd induce one more night of dotty dreams before giving my tools a break and trying something new, and so far, this is my favourite!

Even though it is about 2 degrees most days, there's still sun when i'm walking to work at 8am, so therefore I have concluded it is still summer, and i'm clinging onto it with all of my might. Hence the inspiration for this nail design.

This one was pretty tricky, especially the right hand, and there was much room for error. I didn't want my flowers merging and ending up resembling a splat.

The polishes I used:

Barry M nail paint in NP47 (black)

Saffron nail polish in shade 12  - White

Barry M nail paint in Mushroom (brown)

W7 nail polish in Neon Blue

Missguided nail splash in MissBehave (pink)

Barry M nail paint in 304 - Mint Green

Collection 2000 Hot Looks nail paint in 46 - fruit Loop

W7 nail polish in Gold Dazzle

I started with a black base coat and then did the white flowers and dots. The coloured flowers and dots have white underneath them as I found this to help the colours pop. I finished with gold glitter in the centre of each flower.

I topped it all off with e.l.f.'s matte nail finisher, which doesn't really show up in the picture, but it's an optional step. Beware of matte designs as they usually chip after a day.

I'll definitely be doing this again soon, maybe with christmassy colours. I know it's only november, but the christmas Coca Cola advert is out so i'm allowed o:)

Happy polishing <3

Tools: Nail Art Brushes

In the words of The Mask..."somebody stop me". I am a woman obsessed. I have somehow ended up with a 15 piece nail brush set and several new nail polishes. I definitely didn't mean to accidentally on purpose click 'commit to buy'.

It doesn't matter though, because my new toys were an absolute steal. At around £2 on eBay, you can't really go wrong. I probably won't be saying that in a week when the bristles shed and I end up with a hairy nail design but come on...two quid?!

Here are the beauties...

Included is:

- a dotting tool
- fan brush x2
- angled brush x2
- flat brush x4
-fine brush x5
- angled fine brush

The quality isn't out of this world and they are synthetic, but I can't wait to play around with them and come up with some more interesting and intricate designs.

 There are several different sizes of each type of brush, so the world is pretty much my oyster. Well, it will be when I own the whole O.P.I. Nail Lacquer collection. Santa?

Nail Art: Nude Dots

Today is VERY busy in the office. So what better to do than blog...right? As long as i'm typing nobody will know that i'm slacking (reeheehee)

After my last nail design constantly distracting me with it's crazy colours, I decided to try something a little more toned down. My Grandma still thought it was "crummy" however. There's just no pleasing some people!

I used all 4 sizes of dotting tool for this one and as you can see there are bigger dots at the top which gradually get smaller. I did it quite randomly, with some dots going from top left to bottom right, some right to left and some quite central. It is also a good idea to do some half dots on the very tips of your nails which gives the illusion of a continuous design.

The polishes I used:

Missguided Nail Splash in MissCellaneous

Barry M nail paint in NP47 (black)

And don't forget lads and lasses, always use protection (base/top coat)

Happy polishing <3

*hello Movember mug*

Nail Art: Disco Lights

First of all, excuse the Grandma in the background. I'm not entirely sure what she made of this nail technique, but huffing and puffing made up 90% of her response. She's way too old school for this 21st Century 'rubbish'. Her words.

So, on Tuesday my nail dotting tools, which cost a whopping £2.19, arrived. eBay. Go. You know you want to. 

My friends will tell you that I rush things, probably due to the multiple occasions they have witnessed me walk into doors/people/bushes etc, so very true to nature, I slapped on a ton of black nail polish without even re-doing my base coat (big no no unless you want lovely stained nails) and haphazardly dotted away. I like to think of myself as a bit of a modern day Georges Seurat. With breasts. 

The polishes I used:

Barry M nail paint in NP47 (black)

Barry M Nail Paint in 317 Blue moon

W7 Nail Polish in Lilac

Missguided Nail Splash in MissTify

This look is so simple as the nail dotting tools come with different sized ends, so it is really easy to achieve neat dots of varying size.

(http://tamilvip.com/media_thumbs/5169.jpg)

I chose a black base so the colours I used would stand out, but this would look good with loads of different combinations. I chose 3 colours that I thought worked well together for the dots, and did lines of different sizes/colours on each nail. 

Don't forget  a good base coat. I like to use Sally Hansen nailgrowth miracle. And use any clear polish as a top coat.

This look is definitely not uniform and there is room for variaton on each nail. I strongly suggest getting some of these tools and having a go :)

Happy polishing <3