NOTD : Cute Bows

Hey everybody ! Jeeez, this whole week is turning out to have been super hectic with practically no time for nails ! Two of my dogs ate rat poison this afternoon so we had to go to the vets (it wasn't very pleasant, but I'll save the details), just as I sat down to do my nails ! Typical ! So I kind of rushed this manicure, I still think it's super cute though, even though it's not my best work !

Now the first bow I did on this design turned out great, but I soon realised that I didn't have optimal "bow space", meaning my nails are too slim for the bows to actually turn out well. But I decided I really didn't have time to fuss about how perfect my bows were (that being said, I'm about to take it all off and so some other nails), so I just did what I could with the space that I had.

See what I mean about the thumb ? I wish I could have done pretty bows on all my nails !

For this design I used 17 Fairy Cake for the base, and then OPI Big Apple Red for the bow, with details done using my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pens in black and white. I really need to open a new black nail art pen, but for this design I wanted really thin outlining and I decided that a new nail art pen would turn out too thick ! I'll have to check that theory when I next use my black pen !

Okay so I'm now off to do some more nails ! I've decided I'm going to do another series for the third week of September for when I move over to the UK before uni, as I'm barely going to have any time to do and post nails ! You've got my first series to look forward to starting on Monday though for when I go to Cologne !

Enjoy your day !

NOTD : 5(0) Shades of Pink

Hey there everyone ! I'm sorry but it's another late post from me today as I've been out all day and have only just got back to do my nails. But today's design is pretty awesome if I do say so myself, and yes, there are five different shades of pink in this manicure (plus a grey base for those who are interested) !

My mother was once again my source of inspiration for today's design, as I asked her what I should do on my nails and she told me to do dots. And then, the design was born ! I grabbed all my OPI pink colours I own and decided I would do several different shades of dots to make a funky pattern. I didn't anticipate the amount of time that it would take to do this manicure, but even though it took quite a while (a lot longer than plain polka dot nails) I am really pleased with the result !

So the polishes I used for this design are OPI Skull and Glossbones for the grey base, and then for the different dots I used OPI Big Apple Red, OPI Sparrow Me the Drama, OPI Strawberry Margarita, OPI Dim Sum Plum and OPI Steady as She Rose. I did each nail individually which I think is what made it take so long to finish, but the fact that I wasn't even doing one colour at a time added to that !

So yeah ! I hope you liked this design as much as I do ! Plus, I was thinking of maybe doing some picture tutorials (or maybe even video) of designs I've posted on here, so if there are any designs on this blog you'd like to see tutorials for, just say so !

Enjoy the rest of your day !

NOTD : Paralympic Nails

Waaaaaah, hey guys ! Oh my god I can't believe how late I'm posting this ! But I promise it's totally related to today's events, as you may have seen in the title of this post, I've done Paralympic nails ! Now there's not as much of a hype about about the Paralympics as there was for the actual Olympics, but nonetheless, I'm continuing the tradition after my Olympic Nails !

So I have to admit, I was actually going to post an old manicure for today's post, but then whilst watching the news and all the reports about the Paralympics opening ceremony, I saw the logo for the 2012 Paralympics and thought it'd look pretty good translated into nail art ! I decided to keep it simple, doing one design on each nail rather than actually copying out the logo, and then I did the Union Jack on my thumbs (as you can see) in the appropriate logo colours.

I only used four different polishes for this design (not too much compared to my original Olympic nails) which were OPI Dim Sum Plum, P2 Hug Me !, H&M U Must Have This and OPI My Back Pocket, plus my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in white for the white on the Union Jacks. The design was pretty easy to do, plus I love that framed nail ! My first attempt at one and I think it looks awesome !

So that's it for today ! I hope you liked my second installment in my Olympics series haha, even though it wasn't planned and was purely on a whim ! Are you going to be watching any of the events ? I think I may have to tune in to the wheelchair basketball !

NOTD : Mini Multi Shapes

Hey there guys ! Does that title help at all in giving you indications as to what I've done for today's mani ? I actually have no idea what to call these nails, I originally thought of "jack in the box nails" because all the shapes reminded me of baby toys and stuff, but "mini multi shapes" is pretty precise too... well, as precise as it gets !

So my mother (once again) gave me the idea for these nails. She told me to do a mix of different shapes and different colours, so I grabbed my trusty nude base colour and a couple of nail art pens and away I went ! I absolutely love bright colours on nude bases, like my Bright Splatter mani I did the other day, as I find it more muted than what it would look like with a white base.

For this mani the polishes I used were OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh ?, then for the little shapes I used OPI Big Apple Red for the dots, and then my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pens in yellow and blue for the stars and squares. I really love how these nails look ! From a distance they all look like little dots, but close up you see that they're all different shapes, which I love !

I really need to remind myself before I do my nails again, to clean out my lightbox : there's a spider I evicted yesterday that's been rather busy spinning webs, and so each time I go to take photos of my nails, I keep getting coated in web.. not nice !

And so that's it for today ! Let me know if you can think of a good title for this design, I've got title block, you know ?

NOTD : Rainbow Nails

Hey there guys ! I've got some super bright nails for you today to go with the (kinda) really bright day we've had here in France ! My mum told me to do rainbows on my nails when I asked her what to do, and so I got out all the colours I needed and just painted away !

See what I mean about bright ? I love these so much, there's something about rainbow nails that's seriously intriguing ! They look seriously impressive from a distance as well, that being said, I wish I'd have used a slightly darker green, just to fit in because I think it looks a bit too light for the rest of the colours, but other than that I wouldn't have changed anything ! These nails remind me of the gradient nails I did during the 15 day nail challenge (which I loved) !

So for this rainbow design the polishes I used were OPI Alpine Snow for the base, to make sure that all the colours would show up properly when I painted them on. Then for the actual rainbow colours I used from red to purple were OPI Big Apple Red, OPI My Back Pocket, P2 Hug Me !, Kiko Acid Green, Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream and OPI Funkey Dunkey.

As a matter of fact there is something I would change about this mani : the incomplete red part on my ring finger, my OCD self can only look at that every time I look at my left hand ! I can't believe I didn't notice that until after I'd taken photos and everything !

And there we are, I hope you enjoyed today's nails, and I hope they cheered you up or made your day !

Red Roses

Hey  there everone ! So I've sorted out a scheduled post for today as I'm writing this super early and I've still got loads to do in preparation for the arrival of several friends to stay over ! So todady I'll be showing you one of my first ever floral designs, which I, at the time, absolutely loved having on my nails. I got loads of compliments and I thought they were really eye-catching !

So this design shows my first attempt at a representation of abstract roses. I was nowhere near ready at the time to go full on floral, but I think this particular design turned out pretty neat and looks quite cool ! All I needed was my dotting tool and nail art pen to be able to do this design, which at the time was absolutely ideal due to my lack of skills !

The polishes I used for these nails were OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Big Apple Red and then my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in black. I actually think that despite the very little detailing that went into the roses, it actually looks really representative, and it's easy to distinguish what the flowers are. If not, it's not that bad if they just look like spots with somme black on them, still makes for a cool mani !

And there we are everyone ! I'm off to help mother clean up the house some more, I in particular need to clean up my nail bar (aka the lounge coffee table) because it needs to be used by other people !

Enjoy the rest of your day !

NOTD : Hawaiian Hibiscuses

Hey there everyone ! Now before I start talking about my nails, I just wanted to say a huge great big thank you to all those who voted for me in Makeup Savvy's nail challenge, and also to Fee for organising such a great challenge ! It means so much to have won, and all your comments regarding the nails that were chosen have been wonderful to read ! Thank you all !

Now, onto the nails ! I fancied some florals on my nails today, this being because I haven't done floral nails for aaages (does a few weeks count as ages ?) ! I didn't want to do my usual floral format for today's design, and so I was racking my brain for some inspiration in the form of flowers.

So the inspiration for these nails was actually one of the themes for my university's Freshers Week parties, that being "tropical luau", which automatically makes me think of all things Hawaii ! So I therefore decided that for my nails today, I would do a typical sort of cheesy hawaiian T-shirt design ! I went for the blue colour because I didn't fancy using red because it's such a pain to clean up !

For this design the polishes I used were Barry M Cyan Blue and then for the hibiscus flowers I used my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in white. I practiced doing a few of the flowers on a plastic surface (the same one I used for yesterday's Splatter Mani as a matter of fact), and I did contemplate painting the flowers with a nail art brush, but decided that the nail art pen was far easier for me to do the design on my right hand as well as my left.

So there we are everybody ! I hope you like this design as much as I do, I can't stop looking at my nails haha, but then again, when do I ever stop looking at my nails ?

Now I'm off to go help mother tidy up the house in preparation for family friends arriving tomorrow ! I'll make sure I get a post up before they arrive so I don't get sidetracked and lose time !

Plus thank you again to everyone that voted for me in the nail challenge ! I'm really thankful to each and every one of you !

NOTD : Bright Splatter

Hey there everyone ! Another late post again I'm afraid, I was up late last night and had barely any sleep, so I've been napping this afternoon and didn't do my nails until gone 7pm. But never fear, today's mani is a new technique in my repertoire, and I'm really excited to share it with you !

Ta da ! My first ever splatter manicure ! I have tried to do splatter designs before, but I could never get the technique right and I hadn't sussed what sort of polishes to use, and generally ended up with giant splodges of polish that didn't resemble anything much at all ! I had originally planned to just do a nude colour with pink splatter, but I ended up going completely mad and went for three different colours !

For this design, the polishes I used were OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh ?, Barry M Pink Flamingo, Barry M Yellow and Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream. When it came to the actual splattering, I didn't end up dipping my straw in a blob of polish on my workspace, but instead I just painted the polish straight onto the straw, which worked great for me !

So there we are ! I really like this mani, although I think the colours would have "popped" more had I used a white base (but I'm trying to refrain from using any white as bases at the moment, until my Seche Restore arrives, that is) ! Have you ever had any problems with splatter manis ?

Enjoy the rest of your day everybody !

NOTD : Blue and Orange Stripes

Hey everyone ! Sorry about the late post today, but I actually wasn't planning on doing another NOTD for today's post (the nails I did after yesterday's post were sooo nice, I didn't want to take them off), but I received a package from the Born Pretty Store in the post today, and couldn't wait to try some of the bits out !

So for this design I used the silver striping tape I purchased, which, I have to admit, is an absolute godsend for making lines in manis ! I bought the tape because I'm so lazy when it comes to selotape manis, as I can never be bothered to cut each individual piece of tape, and I can never get them to a uniform length ! The Born Pretty striping tape is about 1mm thick (maybe a touch more) and comes in a roll which I should imagine will last me a lifetime ! The tape is really fine, and isn't too too sticky, so it's great for when it comes to lifting the tape off as it doesn't lift the polish off underneath !

For this mani, the polishes I used were Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream as the base and OPI My Back Pocket. In hindsight I really should have used the orange colour as a base, as Blueberry Ice Cream is so opaque, I think the colours would have been bolder !

Also, here is a quick photo of what the striping tape looks like in action (please excuse the relatively bad quality photo) ! I love the look with the plain striping tape on the nails, but I'm not sure how I'd cope with that ! I think there would maybe be major bubbling when the topcoat goes on ! Do you have any experience with bubbling topcoat over striping tape ?

So that's it for today ! I hope you enjoyed my first ever review, as I look forward to doing plently more with my other purchases ! Also, how would you guys feels about me swatching some plain polishes from my collection ? Or would you rather I stick to the nail art ?

Plus, don't forget to vote for me in Makeup Savvy's nail challenge ! The voting ends tomorrow so get in there quick if you haven't already voted ! Any votes would be greatly appreciated !

For more great offers, don't forget to check out the Born Pretty Store, shipping is free with every order !

NOTD : Double Dots

Hey there guys ! So I've got a new NOTD for you today, it really should be called NOTH (nail of the hour, that is) seeing as I'm spending loads of time at the moment chopping and changing designs in preparation for me going away on holiday at the beginning of September ! But not to worry, there will be plently for you all to read and see when I go on holiday, the things I do for my followers ! So anyway, here are the nails I did for today's post !

So these nails were soooo easy to do, and all you need is a dotting tool ! Plus I think they look really effective for something so simple, but that being said, that's the case for most designs... the simpler the better ! I think the overall look is really reminiscent of the 60's sort of clothing/dresses etc, you see when you look it up on google images and stuff !

For this design I only used two colours which were OPI Dim Sum Plum for the base, and then OPI Alpine Snow for the white dots. Dim Sum Plum is a lovely polish (as with most OPIs), and literally glides on to your nails, with only a teeny little bit of clean-up to do due to lack of concentration during application !

And there we are ! Another day of posting ! Now I'm off to go and sort out my last mani for my scheduled holiday posts, I'm telling you, it's going to be an awesome 6 days !

Also, don't forget to vote for me in Makeup Savvy's nail challenge ! There's a new voting interface due to some cheating in the old comment system, so all you have to do now is click on "A" to vote for me and then confirm to validate your vote !

White, Pink and Black Spots

Hey there guys, quick post today as I need to do my nails.. I've started picking off all the bits off fimo eyes from my sugar skulls I showed you in yesterday's post ! So I did this design last month before going on holiday (without taking any nail polishes with me, may I add), and it actually managed to last for 5 whole days without me getting frustrated and bored with it and ripping it off ! So proud of myself !

So you may be thinking you've seen this design on my blog before, and you'd be right ! I mentioned in my blue spots post that I'd done a similar design previously, and this is it ! I prefer this one to the blue spots, I just love the combination of black, pink and white. Such a classic !

I suffered with pretty major shrinkage with the pink nails, which I think is most probably due to the fact that I used three coats and didn't let the second coat dry completely before putting the third on. And then to make matters worse, I put my Seche Vite on before the third coat was dry.. oops !

For this design I used Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream for the pink colour. I reaaaaally love this colour, but it's more like a jelly than a creme and doesn't become opaque enough for my liking, can anyone recommend a great similar pink colour that's a creme polish ? Other than that, I used OPI Alpine Snow and my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in black for the two dotty accent nails.

So that's it ! I'm off to change my nails, I can't cope any longer with the rough gritty old glue surface on my nails ! Major buffing alert !

By the way, today is the last day of voting for the finalists in Makeup Savvy's nail challenge ! Don't forget to vote for my nails in entry "A" if you have the time !

NOTD : Dia de los Muertos Sugar Skulls

Okay guys, so the original design I had planned to do on my nails yesterday actually didn't turn out well at all, and I took it all off as soon as I'd finished the design on my thumb, plus the fact that I was too lazy to go and do my nails straight after writing the post like I said I did. But never mind, I've still got a new NOTD for you, so don't worry ! I've had this design in my inspiration file for a week now (I think ?), and so when my initial design for today failed miserably, I turned straight to this.

So I based today's nails on this design by Nancy Mc, a nail artist I've been following closely on Tumblr for the past year or so, and I absolutely love her work ! Her nail wheels she posts are full of wonderful inspiration, plus she uses great colour combinations that always come up so flawless !

Now besides the fact that these nails are highly impractical (the fimo didn't fit on all my nails properly and I didn't cut the slices thin enough to mould to my nails), I absolutely love them ! They look soooo much better in real life than they do in the photos, and both hands put together look amazing (if I do say so myself) !

The polishes I used for this design were OPI Steady as She Rose for the base colour, then I used my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pens in black, white, yellow and blue (plus OPI Big Apple Red) for the mouths and details on the faces. I used fimo slices and rhinestones for the eyes.

So what do you think ? Would you wear something like this on your nails even though it gets in the way and you're worrying about bits falling off ? I'll keep you up to date as to how long the fimo pieces last before they snap off ! Hopefully the nail glue I used is so industrial they shouldn't be going anywhere ! We'll see though won't we !

Also, don't forget to vote for my nails in Makeup Savvy's finalists for the 15 day nail challenge ! All you have to do is comment the letter of your favourite (mine are entry A, hint hint) !

UPDATE : I ended up picking the fimo eyes off individually after 24 hours of perfect wear (major picking though, teeth and everything, it wasn't going anywhere) ! I even jammed my thumb nail in my nail drawer just after I'd written the post and that fimo did not budge !

Red Poppies

Hey there guys ! So I've got an old manicure I did waaay back in February (I think), so absolutely ages ago ! I do plan on going and doing my nails straight after I finish writing this post so that I'll have something new to post for you tomorrow. I have an idea of what I'm going to do, so we'll see how it turns out !

I did this design using The Sugar Cube's (home of Nostalgic Nail Lacquer) tutorial, using roughly the same colour theme as was in the original design. I did the design literally as soon as I'd finished reading the tutorial ! I actually think this is one of my first ever floral nails, and I found it so easy because I did most of it with a dotting tool !

For this design I didn't use any of the same polishes as were used in the original tutorial. Instead, I used OPI Skull and Glossbones for the base, then I used OPI Big Apple Red and 17 Tiger's Eye for the flowers (you couldn't really see the difference between the two reds though), P2 Hug Me ! and then my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in black. I'm beginning to realise I actually use the nail art pens for most of my manicures, I'll have to tally up the different posts I've done so far and calculate how often I use them !

And there we go ! I really did like this manicure, and I think I actually kept it on for several days (this was back when I could bare to keep a design on for more than 48 hours) ! Don't forget to tune in tomorrow for a new NOTD !

Oh and also, don't forget to vote for your favourite finalist (I'm one of them !) in Makeup Savvy's nail challenge ! All you have to do is comment what your favourite design is (my nails are entry A, hint hint !) ! Voting is only open for a few more days because the winner will be announced on Wednesday so don't leave it too late !

NOTD : Tessellated Stripes

Hey there ! So I've got another NOTD again today, and I absolutely love this one ! I asked my best friend Lauren for some suggestions as to what I ought to do and her first suggestion was stripes. I've had a stripey pattern in mind for ages, and so I figured I really ought to try that !

So this is a tessellated design, which basically means it's a super-repetitive pattern, it just sounds really fancy ! I don't actually know whether there's a proper name for this design (like "herringbone" or "houndstooth" for other patterns), so i'm just going to stick with tessellated stripes ! Please comment me the name of the pattern if there is a precise one !

For this design I used Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream and then I drew on the stripes for the pattern with my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in white. I did contemplate doing the design with a nail art brush, but then decided that I could be better with the precision using the pen, on both my left and right hand ! I quite like the fact it's so subtle from a distance, and the stripes actually blend into the blue base colour.

And yeah, so that's it once again for today, I do hope you like this design as much as I do ! I'll still probably end up taking them off tomorrow anyway because I'll get bored and want a new design ! But oh well, it can't be forever can it !

Oh I almost forgot to say, Fee from Makeup Savvy chose me as a finalist in her 15 day nail challenge ! You can vote here for your favourite design out of the three that she chose ! Happy voting !

NOTD : Nude Stripe

Hey there guys ! So this is just a quick post for today, I'm feeling pretty ill and can't really be bothered to do much (except change my nails for something quick for today), so I've got a mani I did really quickly when changing my nails last night !

So I've seen this kind of design around quite a bit over the past couple of months, and I really like it for a sort of break from all the nail art I've been doing recently whilst participating in the 15 day nail challenge ! I think this look is simple yet striking, and it actually makes your nails look longer (a thought to keep in mind for any future breakages, that and leopard print !)

For this design the polishes I used were P2 Elegant (seriously going to need a back-up for this !) and then the striper brush from my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pen in black.

So I'm afraid that's it for today ! Like I said, just a quick post, hopefully I'll have something fun up for tomorrow's post, I'll see what I can do ! Enjoy your day anyhow !

Turquoise Leopard-Turtle

Okay, so I think it's time for a bit of detox after the 2 week long challenge (even though I missed the first 3 days), so I've got a mani from the vault for you all ! I'm currently sorting out scheduling posts for when I go away during the first week of September, and it's actually really difficult whilst trying to post daily on here ! Please excuse me in advance if ever I do have to skip a day of posting, I am trying my best not to !

So I did this mani not too long ago, and despite the fact that it was supposed to be a teal-ish leopard print design, it reminded more of a turtle shell ! I guess that after staring at it and having it constantly on my hands I got used to it and it turned into a sort of blur, so it may be from the "blur" that the turtle theory sprouted !

For this design I used (and this is a rough guess) either the combination of P2 Jetset and P2 Who Cares ?, or it could have been OPI Mermaid's Tears and OPI Jade is the New Black. Please forgive me for forgetting the polishes I used, I do try my best to remember what I used and I usually can remember, but then again, I'm only human !

So there we are ! I'm now off to go and sort out future scheduled posts for when I'm away, which I can confirm is going to be pretty awesome ! I'm gove some awesome designs lined up for you all, I swear !

Enjoy your day !

15 Day Nail Challenge (Day 15) : Anything !

Hey guys ! So today is the last day of Makeup Savvy's 15 day nail challenge (I can't believe it's all over !), and today we have been given the chance to do anything ! Yes, anything. Now I actually think that not having any guidelines as to what we should do on our nails is probably the most difficult challenge of all, and so I decided that I'd try doing a design that I've never attempted before ! So lo and behold, my "never attempted before" nails !

Yeah ! Tribal nails ! Now these sorts of designs were all the rage a few months ago, but I never actually tried it because I thought it looked much too time consuming, and everyone who was doing these manicures actually admitted that it took up loads of time. So I looked around yesterday after I'd decided what to do (it was a toss-up between a floral design and tribal nails), and searching through loads of different tribal manis, before coming up with something that I liked. I didn't want to inclued loads of polishes, and I didn't want to have to use tape to cut off sections, so I wanted to use my Models Own nail art pens as much as possible !

So the polishes I used for this tribal design were P2 Who Cares ?, OPI Big Apple Red, and then my Models Own Wah Nails nail art pens in black and white. I really like how this design turned out, and it didn't really take all that long to do, I've had previous manicures that have taken waaaay longer than than this did ! The fact that I kept the design relatively simple to do made it easy to have my right hand turn out just as well as my left hand, which I love !

Overall, I think that tribal designs are nothing to be afraid of ! Even a simple tribal design looks just as good as more intricate ones do, and for less effort as well (in my opinion anyway) ! I'm sure I'll carry on with tribal manicures in the future, and am looking forward to seeing what else I can come up with for these sorts of designs !

I hope you like this manicure as much as I do !

15 Day Nail Challenge (Day 14) : Dots

Alright ! Dots is the theme for today's 15 day nail challenge run by Makeup Savvy, I can't believe there's only one day left, and I still don't know what I'm going to do for tomorrow's challenge ! Now, I don't actually think there's anything more simple as far as nail art goes than two polishes and a dotting tool. Dotting tools were the first kind of "nail art tool" that I got when my obsession started, and I used them for such a long time, not just for dots but instead of brushes as well !

I found a tutorial for this design by s-lacquer, and I've been meaning to try it for aaaaages, and so I decided that today was the perfect opportunity for me to try it out ! I loved the colour combination I used for the drips on my index finger in yesterday's post for the film challenge, and so I thought it would be great to re-use the two polishes in today's manicure !

So the colours I used for this design, as you may have seen yesterday, were OPI Funky Dunkey and OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh ?. These two colours look so goooooood together ! I can't believe I didn't think of using purple and nude before !

After looking at the photos I took, I've slowly started to realise that this manicure looks far better from afar than it does up close, but still, this design is so cool, I love it !

I'm sooo looking forward to seeing everyone else's designs today, dots are so simple and yet sometimes they make for the best manicures !

Enjoy the rest of your day !