All That Glitters

Hey guys,
These are some nails I was rocking at Christmas- OPI Big Apple Red and Milani Gold Jewel in a glitter gradient. They are quite Christmassy, but I would totally wear them at any point in the year! I did have to apply a top coat of Gelous and two thick layers of Seche Vite, as the glitter hexes were a bit scratchy. Perfect party nails!

And here's a bonus shot of Christmas Eve in the pub -  I did my BFF's nails as an extra Christmas present! Mine are the candy canes, the Father Christmas bellies belong to Sarah, Carys had the French tips and Al had the glitter gradient. We so cool.  

Love,
Alice
xXx

Click here to follow me on Bloglovin'

Candy Canes

These nails are from before Christmas (so only six months overdue....ahem) but I had to share them because I just loved them so much. My nails were super long back then - I'm currently growing out my nubbins, or trying to! I do love them longer, I'm much more inclined to experiment with nail art when I've got a bigger canvas.

 I used Revlon White as the base, and let them dry over night (I try to always do this when using tape in manicures) then cut Sellotape to various sizes - a feat in itself, you end up with tiny shreds of it all over the bloody place. Then I popped the tape on and applied China Glaze's Ruby Pumps, and used tweezers to instantly peel the tape off.  

I've got one other Christmas manicure lurking in the minnows to put up as well...it's not overtly Christmassy so hopefully I won't be judged too badly *hides*

Alice

xXx

Click here to follow me on Bloglovin'

Summer Gradient

Hi friends!
Well it's been a while. I've been a bit awol - sorry to anyone that's noticed or missed me! I'm a bit besotted with gradients at the moment, we've had a whole WEEK of sun in Wales (almost unheard of amidst the constant rain) and I seized upon the chance to get a bit summery with my nails.

 This is Essie Orange, It's Obvious and Boots No.7 Me! Me! Me! I did a base layer of white nail polish before sponging, to make the colours pop more, and added a topcoat of Seche Vite to smooth it all out. It's not as obvious as the previous gradient I've done, but the similar colours merge really well and help it look a lot smoother.

I can't wait to do a few more bright gradient combos...I might even get around to uploading them this year haha! ;) 

Alice

xXx

2true Review- The Crystal Coutures

Hello!

I've got the last of my 2true review posts today- I'l be sharing three of the Crystal Couture polishes with you.

Let's start with my favourite from the Crystals- Rio. This golden polish is such a beautiful colour, it's very similar to OPI 'Goldeneye' from the recent Skyfall collection- a very luxurious foil effect. Two normal coats and it's totaly rich and opaque. I loved the application on this, the polish was very easy to control and looked amazing. This is with one coat of Seche Vite just to smooth it out, and stamped with my Konad Q plate. Slyly sneaking in some Christmas with the gold and white birdie combo!



Next up - Ibiza. This is a purple foil with flecks of blue. Out of all the polishes, this grabbed me the least, and is probably the only one I wouldn't buy for myself. It was quite streaky, and dragged quite badly when I painted the second coat (as you can probably see in the pictures). I built up three coats, but I would definitely layer this over a purple base polish in the future, I'm sure that would help with the dragging and the streaking. It's also not as shiny as I would like- this pics are with two coats of Seche Vite and it's still a bit too matte.

And lastly, here's St. Tropez. After struggling with Ibiza, I decided to layer this polish over 2true Soft Grey, and it made all the difference. This is two coats, and it was much easier to apply. The colour is lovely, and there's so many facets to the shimmer, you can see gold, orange, blue and brown when it catches the light. I dotted on some gold polka dots and it really brought the gold base out.

Well that's all folks! Overall, I think this is a really solid collection- good base colours with a fantastic formula, dense glitters, and a few luxurious foils. I would definitely recommend them if you're looking for something a bit different on a budget.

Til next time,

Alice

xXx 

These 2true polishes are available exclusively at Superdrug stores from December- £1.99 each or 3 for £4.99.
http://www.2true.com

2true Review- Glitterati Aqua

Continuing from on from my last post (reviewing the 2true New Season nail polishes), I've got the third polish from the Glitterati to show you. I had to give this polish its own post, as it's such a beautiful creation I felt it deserved the extra attention! It's a jelly glitter in a deep blue base, and it's packed with flat glitters that give it so much depth when layered. The below pictures are three coats, and a layer of Seche Vite to smooth out the glitter. 

Application was easier than some glitters, but a tiny bit fiddly when trying to get a smooth cuticle curve- if you're OCD about a neat outline at the top of your nail like I am, I would recommend layering it over another similar coloured polish, as it will be a lot more controllable. I really wanted to show it off though, so I just layered it over a clear base coat. 

I had a bit of fun on my right hand, and used striping tape over white polish to create a criss cross effect. This polish really reminded me of a mermaid tale, so perhaps I was subconsciously trying to re-create fish scales! 

Isn't it gorgeous? I loves me some glitter!
Keep your eyes peeled for my third and final post on the 2true polishes- I've got three of the Crystal Couture collection to share with you!

Til then,

Alice

xXx 

These 2true polishes are available exclusively at Superdrug stores from December- £1.99 each or 3 for £4.99.
http://www.2true.com 

2true Review - New Season Nails! Glitterati & Chic Neutrals

Hello all!

I recently got sent some polishes from 2true to review- they're launching 9 new shades on December 5th exclusively in Superdrug, just in time for the party season! They sent me 8 out of the 9, so I'll be spreading them over three posts to avoid photo spamming you all. As always, I'll mix the swatches up with a bit of nail art to keep it a bit more interesting.

They're split into three groups- Crystal Couture, Glitterati and Chic Neutals. I have to say, I was so pleasantly surprised with the formula of these polishes. The Chic Neutrals were in-between a creme and a jelly, and they applied like an absolute dream, and were totally opaque in two perfect shiny coats. All the glitters were packed with large and small hexes and tiny iridescent sparkles, so you really get a decent bang for your buck. 

First up- Mushroom and Sapphire. This is two coats of Mushroom and one thick coat of Sapphire, topped with a coat of Seche Vite. Whereas Mushroom was effortless to apply, Sapphire was a bit more difficult as it was a tiny bit gloopy. However, with glitter this dense, it's a small price to pay as you get so much from each coat. I did the triangle shape by putting a piece of sellotape over my (thoroughly dried) base coat and painting the glitter polish over it, and peeling it off whilst the polish was still wet. Very easy way to make your nails stand out!

Next up: Soft Grey and Fairy Dust. I absolutely LOVE pink and grey together (as you can see here and here) so when I saw these two polishes I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Glitter gradients are my fave party nails- easy, sparkly and perfect for parties. 

Soft Grey was also an amazing formula and super easy to apply, it slid on like butter. Lovely shine on it as well, it really didn't need topcoat. Fairy Dust was similar to Sapphire, in that it was a tad gloopy- I would recommend using these polishes over a base coat instead of alone, it makes them much easier to control- but the pink glitter was soooo gorgeous and looks a LOT more expensive than it is. 

And here's the two Chic Neutrals by themselves- Soft Grey is with Seche Vite topcoat, and Mushroom is without, so you can see how shiny it is. I absolutely love Soft Grey, I think it's become my new go-to grey for nail art.

Stay tuned for Aqua, the last of the Glitterati, and my favourite of the collection (I love it so much it has its own post) and three of the Crystal Coutures!

Alice

xXx 

These 2true polishes are available exclusively at Superdrug stores from December- £1.99 each or 3 for £4.99. 

http://www.2true.com

Candy Lacquer - White Wedding

Evening peeps!

Today I've got a beautiful indie polish to share with you- Candy Lacquer White Wedding. I was feeling a bit prematurely Christmassy, so I used Butter London Knees Up as a base and layered one coat of White Wedding over it. My nails looks like a Christmas decoration!  

I am so in love with Candy Lacquer- their polishes are so beautifully crafted, and the application is so easy. This is just one coat, and it was really easy to move the glitter around on my nail to get the snowy effect I wanted. I really wanted to to dig more hearts out- that's my only gripe with this polish! I managed to get one on my index finger (see below pic) but I would have loved a few more.

I was going to do some stamping or nail art over the top, but I just loved the red and the white together so much I decided to keep it simple! I'm seriously looking forward to some more Christmassy designs- counting the days until my annual candy cane nails!

Alice

xXx