NOTD - Cracked Pottery Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

I have some new nail art to share but before then how's about a bit of a catch up before getting to that...

So...despite the year starting off in not the best of ways with bush fires, apocalyptic storms & of course being hit with a worldwide virus pandemic...I am still determined to try & achieve the goals I wanted to this year, especially after having such a rough 2019. This includes travel (though naturally one is holding fire for now...) better health (I finally bought a bicycle & will be attempting regular cycling when I can!) & one other thing that I have wanted to do for the longest time which is...POTTERY! 

NOTD - Peek-A-Boo Panda Nails for #artists4earth

Hey there lovely readers!

Coming at ya with some cuteness today with these sweet Peek-A-Boo- Panda Nails, not just for the good vibes because who DOESN'T want an adorable bear on their nails, but more importantly for a good cause too!   

NOTD - Dr Seuss The Cat In The Hat Nails

Hey there lovely readers!

Something a tad, crazy & quirky, for today's nail art I think  is an apt way ti describe this design hah!

Halloween Nails - Day Of The Dead Sugar Skulls!

Hello there lovely readers!

Time for another Halloween mani & I believe we are on number 4 now! The next prompt that came up in the Instagram nail art challenge I'm currently partaking in was Skulls. Well this gave me the perfect opportunity to create some Day Of The Dead Sugar Skulls, perfick for Halloween & a design I've been wanting to do for ages!

NOTD - Fourth of July Nails!

Hello there lovely readers!

As today's nail art has distinct red, white and blue vibes going on I think its obvious what occasion is inspiration is here ;) Every year I like to throw together a mani to mark my American cousins over on the other side of the pond's Independence Day celebrations. Any excuse to get my nail art on!

I was muchos happy with my Fourth of July nails last year which featured blue dripping glitter & a step by step tutorial so go have a peek at those HERE. I loved them so much & didn't think I could top them...maybe it was a mistake to go in with that attitude as I really wasn't happy with how these ones for this year came out but meh you win some, you lose some & I'm gonna roll with this FAIL of immense proportions!

NOTD - Pink Chevron & Pretty Lace Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

I've found myself with the rare treat of free time on my side of late which has given me opportunity to take part in a few nail art challenges that I've come across, not only are they fun to do but also such a great way to connect with other nail obsessed lovelies!

They also give me a chance to challenge myself with different designs, especially freehand. Todays nail art that I have to share with you is an entry I've done for a competition that my nail art Queen Yagala is holding at the moment. The challenge being to recreate one of her designs.

Haha if only the competition happened a few weeks ago when I recreated this Jewel Bloom Ornament Nail Art which I was inspired to do by Yagala herself. But hey I was up for the challenge again as I adore all her designs so after having a sift through her gorgeous Instagram feed, I came across this pretty Pink Chevron & White Lace Design that was just so gorgeous I definitely wanted to give it a go myself

And I'm actually so chuffed with how it came out! Of course it is in no way anywhere near the league of the guru herself, but for a first attempt at this type of design I was really happy with the result.

NOTD - Blue & White China Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

Now you know how much I adore my afternoon teas, the numerous reviews on here would be a dead giveaway...One of my favourite parts of a good tea, other than the food of course, is the pretty crockery used to partake. Call me crazy (many do) but I do feel a cup of tea tastes better when sipped from a pretty cup & saucer ;) I adore intricately patterned teacups & have a somewhat odd addiction you might say of accumulating said crockery, a habit that drives my mother bonkers as I guess it ruins the aesthetic of her neatly ordered cupboards with my random finds. There is a point of me talking about this topic by the way & that point leads naturally to my other addiction...nail art! 

Many times I've found myself inspired to create nail art using some of the designs I've come across on my teacup & saucer adventures.

NOTD - Expecto Patronum by Dollish Polish!

Hello there my lovely readers!

Gotten back in to the swing of things yet? Find myself currently surrounded by gym obsessed work colleagues filled with the obligatory after holiday over indulging guilt...& here's me just sat here happily munching away on left over Roses...haha! I mean if it wasn't the fact that I was allergic to gym I totally would succumb too...its not pretty...sweats, palpitations, breathlessness, hot flushes...this ALWAYS happens whenever I go...so for my well being I simply cannot so hey ho.

One of my favourite things about the Xmas break, other than all the food & family time of course, is the fab selection of festive films to enjoy during ones hibernation. This year we were treated to the entire Harry Potter saga. I visited the studios last year which was absolutely magical & it brought back so many wonderful memories, these films will always have a special place in my heart just like Disney.

Anyhoo watching the films immediately brought to my mind a particular polish in my stash that I had picked up donkeys ago but had not yet had the opportunity to test out...Expecto Patronum by Dollish Polish...well...you can imagine my eagerness to rectify this situation immediately after watching The Prisoner of Azkaban...so out it came!

The delightfully titled Expecto Patronum is an indie polish by the brand Dollish Polish. I picked up this little beauty in a blog sale but you can find it on their website HERE. This polish is seriously stunning beauts & if you are a Harry Potter fan then you NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE. Heck even if you're not just look at its purdiness!

As expected from a polish named after the well known charm spell, Expecto Patronum is a beautiful milky white crelly shade that gets its special magical element from the presence of beautiful minty green iridescent flakies & teal green holo glitter chunks of different sizes....SWOONS!

The formula is light therefore to get full impact of this polish, 3 coats will be required to achieve opaque coverage but oh boy is it worth it. I can understand why this little gem is a best-seller as it really is something rather special.

Not that it needed it but to add a bit of extra oomph to the mani I added on 3 dots of this gorgeous pink glitter from China Glaze called Mrs Claus just above the cuticle, China Glaze really do glitter polish well & this one is no exception. I love this sort of dotticure nail art as its such an easy way to get a glitter fix & can jazz up any mani effortlessly!

Finish with obligatory topcoat to protect all that sparkly goodness & you have your nails ready to cast your Patronus charm!

You can get your hands on this divine polish via the Dollish Polish website HERE where they offer international shipping & is available in both large & small sizes. Thanks for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

Olympics 2016 TeamGB Nails!

Hello there lovely readers,

Now I wasn't actually planning on doing an Olympics themed manicure dolls! But unless you've been living under a rock these past few weeks, its hard NOT to get absorbed in the goings on over in Rio right now, especially the incredible performances from the Team GB athletes! Seriously how amazing have they done & it really is so great to see so much positivity & inspiration in a time where there seems to be so much sadness going on in the world. So in honour of the Olympics & a subtle nod to Team GB I've done a suitably styled mani which I'll show you how to create as well!

As you can see I've gone for some GB flag tips with some Gold, Silver & Bronze medals thrown in there too & its honestly so easy to do :) First things first, gather together the polishes you'll be using. Here I've opted for some Nails Inc, KIKO & Models Own to help create this design.

To start things off you'll need these nifty little french mani guides which you can get super cheaply of Ebay. I always make sure I have these in constant supply! Place a guide on each of your nails,about a quarter of the way down as you'll only be painting the top part of your nail.

Now begin with applying your blue, this is Nails Inc Denim, a nice thick opaque blue crème so only one coat is needed. Wait for the blue to dry as now you'll be adding the white detail of you flag & the last thing you want is the blue running into the white!

I used the KIKO french manicure for white tips nail lacquer which I LOVE & has replaced ALL of my nail art pens. The thin brush is perfect for detailed nail art, I only hope they still do it as I want to stock up on these babies!

Using the brush, apply a line along the bottom edge (so right above by the mani guide) & one horizontal line in the centre going up to the tip.

Then add two diagonal lines going up from either side of your horizontal line.

Now grabbing your red polish & a thin nail art brush, I've used Nails Inc St James, apply a thinner line on top of the white, making sure you still leave a bit of white showing.

Aaaaand finally, because y'all know I am a sparkle FIEND, as an additional touch I went over the red with a bit of red glitter courtesy of Nails Inc Trafalgar Square.

Now you can (slowly) peel off your mani guides, don't worry if you have any smudges or your edges aren't perfect, this can easily be rectified with a small brush & some acetone. And you have your GB flag tips!

You can leave these as they are but I couldn't NOT put some medals on too, so using a dotting tool & Models Own 25 Carat Gold, Sonia Kashuk Smoke & Mirrors & Models Own Cherry Pie, I added me on some Gold, Silver & Bronze medals along the cuticle.

Finish with topcoat & you're done! Told ya it was easy.

Hope you liked the mani dolls, how are you celebrating the Olympics this year? Thank for reading & keep up the awesomeness Team GB!

Lotsa love to ya!

Fourth of July Drip Nails Tutorial!

Hello there lovely readers!

Hope you're all having a top weekend, especially my American beauts on the other side of the pond! Oooh what I wouldn't give to be back in the states right now as this weekend sees the US celebrating its Fourth of July Independence Day meaning days of fab parties & fun times.

Naturally I couldn't resist marking the occasion in the way I know best & getting my nail art on. Using the American patriotic colours of red, white & blue I went for some dripping glitter Fourth of July Nails plus I've done a step by step tutorial so you can create these too!

I saw a picture of a similar design in a Daily Mail article of all places & thought ooooh what a fun & innovative way to do patriotic nails! Plus I love drip nail art (see my chocolate drip nails on the left of the page) & haven't done the design in yonks, perfect time to remedy that with this :)

If you want to re-create this design as well then keep on reading dolls...

First start with your red base, here I've applied just one coat of Nails Inc St James as I knew there would be a few layers of polish on top & didn't want to overdo it.

Then using the thin striper brush from my Models own white nail art pen I applied three vertical stripes down the length of the nail.

Now for the drips! Start by applying three dots on to the nail using a dotting tool as shown with your chosen blue polish, here I've used Nails Inc Baker Street.

Next, using a thin nail art brush, draw three vertical lines going down from your dots to the tips.

Using the same thin brush, curve the edges of the straight lines into your dots as well as applying polish along the tips of your nails to create your drip effect!

You can skip this next step but my inner magpie was calling for an extra bit of sparkle so I applied a bit of blue blingy glitter polish from Color Club on top.

For a final touch I just applied a wee red star rhinestone underneath my drips to finish.

Apply your topcoat & you're done! Sparkly Fourth of July nails ready for Independence Day party celebrations!

Thanks as always for reading! Have a fab weekend whatever you may be doing my dears!

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Faded Lavender & White Marble Nails...

Hello lovely readers!

Anyone else a tad freaked that we are in March already?! Wooo where is the time going? Anyhoos my dears, the dry marbling obsession continues, I can't get enough of this fun nail art technique, experimenting away with different shades & combinations! Check back to my Blue Marbled Nails post for a wee guide on how to create dry marbled effect nails. 

For this mani I found myself prowling through Instagram & @Yagala's account in particular for inspiration, her designs are simply incredible. I saw her mani for marbled tips in pretty lilac tones & just had to recreate!

Obviously my skills aren't a patch on this talented ladies but I'm super chuffed with how these came out. I love the idea of just applying to the tips, ending three quarters of the way down the nail, almost giving it a fading effect.

For this I used Bourjois Lavender Esquisse for my lilac shade & a random Claires polish in white. 

These two polishes actually worked so perfectly together, not only due to the colours but also the formulas. The Bourjois is a thick creme whereas the Claires polish is actually extremely watery, so I'd flung this into the back of my drawer with the idea that it would never be used on account of this!

However because the Claire's white formula is so watery, it actually made the marbling with the thicker Bourjois much better, huzzah! Well done Claire's you sly dog you, forgive me my impulsive error.

Start with applying a coat of clear base polish to your nail, I dug out this random Miss Sporty one, these polishes retail for just £1.99 & are fab in my opinion, this clear one was perfect for the task! Then whilst the polish is still wet apply a few dots of purple & a few of white on to your tips & marble together using your brush/toothpick/dotting etc bringing the polish down as you marble to wherever your happy!

To finish add two curved rows of little dots down the nail in various patterns on each nail using a nail art pen or white polish & dotting tool. Add your topcoat & your done!

Oooh these nails make feel so ready for Spring now! :)Thanks as always for reading!  

Lotsa love to ya!