Splatticure!

So I've finally tried my hand at a splatter manicure! Very exciting stuff. I used two layers of OPI Nail Envy (standard), then put on two coats of gray- Mavala no. 217 'New-York' on, then used Leighton Denny 'Do Me a Flavour' in orange for the paint effect, as well as Avon 'Viva Pink'. Absolutely loved the contrast between the bright colours and the gray, it gave it a really modern vibe. 

I half cheated on the splatter- I used the straw method as well as just putting a dollop of varnish on and spreading it with a dotting tool (see my left pinky for an example!) I found the straw method a bit unreliable for creating the right effect- sometimes it looked awesome but other times it came out like a huge blob and looked crap. I topped the mani of with two layers of SV and it made it so glossy and lovely.

Not happy with the fact that I've had it on for an afternoon and I already have tip wear on my thumb...! Not sure if it's my extreme clumsiness or the fact that there's quite a lot of layers involved so it's bound to get a bit raggedy.  

Might have gotten a tad picture happy with this one so bear with me.......

I love it! Really hoping it lasts a decent amount of time. Although I am looking forward to experimenting with some dotting tools....watch this space!

xXx

Stamp happy

Ok so I decided to jazz up my normal manicure with a stamp or two! 

I had the most GORGEOUS purple Barry M nail colour on- Indigo- and it already looked really rich and vibrant, but I thought a white stamp might make it pop even more (also, I love that the purple matches my living room perfectly....yes I need a life). I also put two layers of OPI Nail Envy on, as I think it's the best for reducing that horrible staining efeect you get from dark polish.

I used Konad image plate M2 and Konad special polish in white for the flower- I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to stamping, and I actually ended taking one nail off and re-doing it as I'd stamped the flower too centrally! Topped it all off with two coats of SV as usual.
 

I love how simple and pretty it is- and I have a real weakness for shiny shiny nails so Seche Vite is a godsend! And I bought the bundle monster set of stamps (21 pieces!) so I'll be giving those a good airing at some point.

Thanks for reading,

xXx  

(and here's what I used!)------------------------------------------------------>>>>> 

Popping my watermarble cherry

So here’s my first proper blog- tried my hand at watermarbling for the first time!

I used Barry M no. 303 Bright Purple, Nails Inc no. 510 Strawberry Hill, Nails Inc Saville Row, and Seche Vite as a topcoat.

My technique was just to put droplets of nail varnish into a cup filled with water, then use a toothpick to gently create patterns in the polish. I put sellotape around my fingernails before I dunked them into the water, in an attempt to minimise getting it absolutely everywhere.

   I initially tried to use some Avon colours, as their polish has some gorgeous bright shades, but that went DRASTICALLY wrong! When I tried to drag my toothpick through the Avon colours in the water, the pattern totally broke apart. I think it might be to do with the fact that Avon use acrylic in their varnish- which works really well to combat chipping, but I guess it’s too thick to use for watermarbling.

N.B. These pics are before cleanup-  I totally forgot to take some pics after cleanup until two days later, and by then I had tip wear! It makes me twich a little bit as I'm really OCD about tidy nails!

Also, I LOVE the accidental little Nike tick on my right index finger…..think I could get them to pay me for advertising?

Really happy with how it turned out, especially as it’s my first crack at it- however, such a messy clean up! Even though I taped my fingers off it took an age to get all the polish off my hands. Good fun though, and everyone comments on it!

xXx

Greetings!

I'm new to this blogging thingy, so bear with me whilst I faff uselessly!

I've always been really into manicures, and it's only recently that I realised there was a whole WORLD of other polish-a-holics out there! I've seen some amazing blogs and nail artwork, and it's inspired me to get involved with my own attempts. 

Can't wait!