NOTD - Coachella Festival Vibe Nails

Hey there lovely readers!

There is one event that is currently on everyone's social media's right now..the pinnacle Oscar caliber festival of festivals...Coachella. Alas I was not one of the lucky humans to go...my invite must've gotten lost in the post....Until then I'll have to get my festival vibes in another way...Now these nails are totally giving me ALL the Coachella vibes, what do you think? I may not be there in body but most definitely am in spirit! 

Festive NOTD - Lilac Pastel Starry Night Sky

Hello there lovely readers!

So I'm back from my holiday in the beautiful Dubai, which has completely captured my heart & then some, I already cannot wait to return next year! But for now lets get back to continuing all things FESTIVE with some suitably Christmas-y nail art shall we?

Disney Nail Art Series - The Lion King

Hello there lovely readers!

I could not let August go by without throwing in a new manicure for my Disney Nail Art Series now could I? Speaking of, how on earth is it almost September already? This year seems to be going by at an alarming rate!

My next Disney manicure is a bit special to me I guess as it is up there as one of my favorite Disney films & was actually the very first Disney movie I went to watch at the cinema...The Lion King.

NOTD - Wicked Inspired Nails Tutorial!

Hey there my lovely readers!

If you caught my last post where I reviewed the Mitty Burns Peel Off Tape Barriers for easy nail art clean up, you'll remember how we left things...with a neon gradient nail base of yellow & green that was begging for some nail art action...

Well I had me some plans for this base & in particular with this colour combo especially. I recently went on a little London adventure with my dearest chum which saw us popping by the Apollo Theatre to finally watch the award winning show Wicked which (no pun intended) we absolutely loved. Honestly we must've been the last humans on earth NOT to have seen it & I'm glad to finally tick it off my list. 

Mitty Flawless Finish Peel Off Mani Tape Review

Hi there lovely readers!

When it comes to doing nail art, no one likes a lot of mess. And yup there are a number of techniques that can cause just that, thus putting many people off doing them. Sad times. However nail art has come a long way & now there are lots of ways to make the whole process so much easier with minimal stress & easy cleanup! Happy times!

I'm sure you've heard of the method of using liquid latex as a skin barrier when doing messy nail art such as sponging, stamping, water marbling etc. If not then go have a peek at my post touching on that HERE.

Using liquid latex really has been a game changer for sure, waving goodbye to the days of having to wrap cellotape around your cuticles, praise the gods! 

One little product that caught my eye were these peel off mani tape barriers from Mitty Burns that basically work in the same way except, not only are they latex free which is fab news for those who have skin allergies but also no fiddly bottle or brushes required, or waiting around for the barrier to dry, you simply peel the tape from the sheet, wrap it around the skin, then peel off in one go after you've done you nail art! Nifty! 

NOTD - Pastel Cherry Blossoms

Hey there lovely readers!

Cherry Blossoms have to be one of my favourite blooms with their pretty, feminine & elegant presence. Not only do I adore the florals themselves when they come out in all their glory every year but I am a sucker for anything cherry blossom print & especially (surprise surprise) nail art!

I've done a couple of different takes on the design, which you can see HERE & HERE. This time I was in the mood for some soft pastel tones & gradient nails as its been a while since I've done me some good ol sponging & this was the outcome!

NOTD - Unicorn Nails!

 Ello ello me lovelies! 

This week I've been sporting a 'dragged backwards through bush' look thanks to the glorious gale force wind we've been blessed with the past few days. I think if I actually attempt to run a brush through my hair it'll get lost forever in the forest of knots never to see the light of day again O_o Guess its updo's for the time being eh?!

If you caught my previous post on how to use Masking Fluid as a barrier for easy nail art clean up, you'll remember that I also shared how to do a quick & simple pretty sponge gradient. All the details on the process can be found on that post HERE!

The gradient created a canvas that was begging for a bit of extra attention so twas the perfect opportunity to test out the new DIY Nail Decals I picked up recently. The colour combination of pastel pink & turquoise blue immediately brought mystical unicorns to mind so I couldn't resist applying the fab unicorn decals!

For the gradient I used Models Own Hypergels in Pink Veneer & Turquoise Gloss applied over a white base, I love this combo! I think I may have a new found addiction to gradients now that I know how easy they are!

For some reason I've always avoided using nail decals, I guess I was under the impression that they were majorly complicated to use. However I couldn't have been more wrong!

To apply the decals you simply choose which design you wish to use, so I picked out the ten different unicorn decals I wanted to apply & cut them out. Then doing one nail at a time, pick up your nail decal & plop it on the surface of a cup of water to soak for 5-10 seconds.

Once done simply lift the decal out of the water & wait for another 5-10 seconds or so & the decal should slide right off the backing paper, remove with the tip of your finger & position on to the nail (polish must be dry!)

Pat the surface dry with a bit of tissue then finish with a slick of topcoat to seal the design & make your decal last longer. Hello magical unicorn nails!

I picked up quite a few different nail decal sheets with funky designs from DIY Nails which I can't wait to try out! Thanks as always for reading my beauties!

Lotsa love to ya! 

Tips & Tricks - Masking Fluid For Easy Nail Art Clean Up!

Happy Star Wars Day loves! May the Fourth be with you! I confess I'm disappointed in myself in that I've not done a Star Wars theme mani in honour of the day...bad form Aysh. Oh well there'll always later on this year when the new film is released, excitement is hard to contain!

When it comes to nail art, there are some techniques that can be a tad, messy shall we say? Such as sponging, water marbling etc. resulting in polish ending up all over the skin not just the nail, which can make the task off putting for most. Therefore any short cuts available to make said tasks much easier to do & clean up after are most welcome.

One method that's taken the nail world by storm is liquid latex, yup you heard me right. When I first investigated on social media the result was, lets just say quite amusing. I believe its something that was started by the brand Kiesque who released Liquid Palisade, a liquid barrier that is applied on the cuticles & once dry, simply peeled off after nail art is done. However the $22 price tag that came with did make one wince! Recently a few online polish retailers have jumped on this & begun selling little bottles of liquid latex barrier at a friendlier price. Though I've purchased one myself which I look forward to trying when it comes, I first wanted to investigate an option that's more easily available & I'd heard works just as well as liquid latex, the product in question...masking fluid.

Masking fluid is a product used by artists who need to mask areas of their work needing protection when colour is applied in broad washes. Once dry the barrier is simply peeled away. I picked up this bottle of Windsor & Newton Art Masking Fluid from WH Smiths for just a fiver. So yup, definitely a much nicer price!

The fluid is composed of rubber latex & a yellowish pigment. The formulation of it is quite runny, though not so much so that its hard to work with. It also has a slight odour to it that reminded me of stationary glue. To apply the masking fluid I dug out an old art brush.

Now water marbling is a nail art form I have not ventured towards yet, however I am becoming very much addicted to gradient nails which of course require the sponging technique so that's what I have to show you today.

Before doing your gradient you need to have a white base, here I've applied two coats of No7 Snowflake, not the best of whites as it wasn't fully opaque but it was just the first one I saw & grabbed haha!

Using the old art brush, I dipped the brush into the fluid from the bottle & applied it around the skin of the cuticle area & sides as shown. Like I mentioned, the formula is a tad runny, but not problematic to work with thankfully. I made sure to apply the masking fluid quite thickly so it is noticeable where its applied.

The masking fluid dries clear, much like PVA glue, so you know when you can start with your sponging. For my gradient I've used Models Own Hyper Gels in Pink Veneer & Turquoise Gloss. The formulation of these are quite thick making them great for sponging.

Apply the two polishes next to each other on a piece of makeup sponge then dab onto the nail, applying in an up/down & side to to side motion. Depending on the type of polishes used, this needs to be done two or three times to get a nice opaque finish. As you can see with this technique, a lot of polish ends up on the skin around the nail.

Once I'd done all ten nails & was happy with the finish, I simply grabbed a pair of tweezers & very gently, being careful not to pull the skin, lifted up the dried masking fluid, which I'm happy to say peeled off easily! Of course there were some areas I missed but this was easily cleaned up with a spot of acetone & a brush.

The end result, mess free sponged gradient nails! I'm really happy with how well the masking fluid worked & will definitely be using it again as a barrier when doing sponge gradients. However when I receive the bottle of liquid latex I've purchased online I'm eager to do a comparison to see how well it works compared to masking fluid. I'll be sure to report back!

Thanks as always for reading dolls!

Lotsa love to ya!