Reverse Glitter

So ive started to feel a little festive and i know its not quite December yet but i felt the need to be a bit jolly.

Ive not done a reverse glitter mani before and ive seen a few posts from other on how they do theirs. So tonight i took their advise and used my nail polish brush to create the gradient. Im not sure if i like doing it that way and i feel ive cheated a bit on my regular make up sponge routine.

Its worked ok i would have preferred a sharper edge to my cuticles.... but hey you cant win them all!

Colours i used:

Nails Inc : Motcomb Street
Nails Inc : Electric Avenue

I wish now i had thought a bit more i would have used my new Nails Inc which is a finer gold glitter (one of my new bargains from Glamour magazine) as i think that the glitter ive used is a little too dense

Well here it is :)

Hope you like it!

xx

Pirates and Flakies

Well i wasnt really around this weekend, i was getting tattooed and also being super lazy :)

But Sunday we had been invited to our friends little girls 4th birthday party. The theme was princesses and pirates. Pirates being more my thing and having a few pirate appropriate clothes i decided to use that them for my nails rather than princesses.

So here is the pirate mani:

This evenings mani i was desperate to used my Kleancolor flakies :)
Ive also just bought a new black: Nubar Noir and wanted to test it out! Ive had barry M black and to be honest i dont really think its that good! it started out a really watery consistency  and ended up being really gloopy :( NOT like Nubar Noir. This is amazinggggg!! i really love it!
So simple yet effective for tonight!
Although trying to get good pics off flakies...... really hard so im afraid the photies dont really show it off too much!

xx

Its a drag.....

So tonight if im honest i wasnt going to post!

ive been super lazy and was home early from work and just wanted to chill...... but the nail varnish was calling to me!

So as i didnt want to sit cutting tape and faffing around i got my needle out. Yup its a needle drag mani to night. I think i need some more practise with this as it takes me a while to figure out where to drop and drag the needle. But i had fun with it and im now thinking what others colours will go well with this style.

I like that i cant still get a marbled effect without having to water marble. I hate water marble! it NEVER goes right for me and takes me hours!! its so messy and just a massive pain in the butt!!

Colours i used tonight:

China Glaze : Reggae To Riches (pinky/purple)
Nails Inc : Baker Street (blue)
Rimmel : Your Majesty (silver)

Ive noticed that in a few recent manis ive been using China Glaze Reggae To Riches. I have so many colours but im sure ive used this at least 3 times.

What are your go to colours?

I also want to say a MASSIVE Thank You to everyone that has read my blog and commented :) its for you guys i do it :D
xx

Ahhh Simple

Thank god that green mani is off!!

I couldnt sop staring at it all day thinking how bad it is and how unsightly it was.

So with great relief when i got home the nail varnish remover came and and off with the green!

So i wanted something that i could wear for the next couple of days without thinking how bright and ugly it is.

So i knew i wanted a nude type of mani! But not just a plain mani.

So i added some subtle gold dots and to make it stand out just a little some blue!

Colours i used tonight:

Nails Inc: Basil Street (Nude)
Stargazer: 115 (Gold)
China Glaze : Eyes Like Sapphires (Blue)

I added 2 cotes of Basil Street and dotted the gold on first then went over and added the blue. The blue colour has some slight sparkle to it and compliments the nude colour well :)

So im pretty happy tonight with my mani and will be keeping this on for a few days.

Does anyone else get days where their mani just really annoys them and  you cant wait till you can get home to take it off?

x

In My Head!

Evening!

I must admit im not happy with todays mani. I should have probably kept yesterdays on and left it tonight!

Do you ever get it when you see something in your head and can picture the design your going to do and then it turns out just completely different.

As soon as i started with the silver glitter i knew it was all wrong.

I loved the simpleness of yesterdays mani, and todays i think is just a little busy for me!

Colours i used today:

Illamasqua - Viridian (Dark Green)
Barry M - Emerald Green
Nails Inc - Electric Avenue (Glitter)

Im not going to waffle on tonight... im off to find some chocolate biscuits to see if i can make myself feel better (i get grumpy when my nails are not right)


x

I Cant Believe It's Over

Yes I was that upset that Twilight is now over Ive been in mourning all weekend.

No im not that bad but i really didn't want to take my twilight nails off.

Twilight was AMAZEBALLS!!!!!!!!! You have to go see it. And if anyone out there is listening when the box set is out.... I NEED it in my life! :D

I thought as the last few sets of nails I've done have been pretty in your face i wanted to do a more sophisticated mani.

Ive been seeing these ruffian manis everywhere and was always too scared to try. I just didn't think i would be to get such a perfect line.

But tat all changed when my other half trekked to Sainsburys to get me 4 Glamour magazines as the were giving away 4 colours of Nails Inc polishes :) WIN!!!!!!! 4 polishes for £8! I couldn't say no.
So here are the colours :)

Blue - Motcomb Street

Pink - Elizabeth Street

Glitter - Glamorous Glitter

Red - St James

I thought the blue and the pink would look lovely with a ruffian mani. Although i wasnt sure how i was going to get the pink to cover the blue, as the blue is such a dark blue and covers really well. Its almost a 1 coater!

So i had to add a layer of white first over the blue before i added the pink.

Im really pleased how they turned out. Although i would advise as my polish ended up being quite think.... NOT to go peeling spuds after! Yes i dinked my left hand :(

x

Team Edward or Team Jacob.......

FINALLYYYYYYY its here!!!!!!!!

Yes I'm talking about Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2!!

Ive been waiting for this my whole life i feel!

Me.... personally im a team Edward. How could i resist a sparkly vampire??

So i thought it was only appropriate tonight's mani was in honour of this film. SSsshhhh i dont want to hear anything about it till tomorrow as I'm going first thing with the boy!

So colours used tonight are:

Collection 2000 : All that jazz (Metallic Grey)
China Glaze : High Maintenance (Dark Red)
China Glaze : Ruby Pumps (Red Glitter)
Nails Inc : Basil Street (Nude)
Glam Nails : Grey
China Glaze : White On White

So for most of the nails i used All that Jazz and both the reds from China glaze to create a gradient. Which i think gives a very vampy look.
For Bellas eyes i used acrylic paint (yes it took a while)
And for my ring finger on my left hand i created two puncture wounds. Well we are going to see some Vampires!

I wanted to give both hands something a little different, well i certainly couldn't paint eyes on my left hand what with being left handed it would have proved very difficult. And Ive spent long enough on these babies and the boy was getting a little impatient.
So to amuse himself while i was happily painting away..... he had a go himself. I turned around just after clearing up and he had a big smile on his face and held out his hand.......

let me know what you think lol

So tomorrow im off for the last time to see Edward...... i hope its a gooden

xx

Something Fishy.......

Evening Guys and gals :)

Well tonight i feel like Ive been doing these nails FOREVERRRRRR

I thought by looking at everyone else's nails that these would be a breeze! wrong! it didn't take too long but boy the clean up was a pain. Id managed to get varnish all over my skin :( But in the end i think its turned out ok. What do you think?

Ive been meaning to do this fish tail mani for ages but i just keep getting a little side tracked and then forgetting that i wanted to do it.

So here we have it..... finally!

I probably should have used 3 colours so i got a more uneven pattern, but heyho!

Colours i used:

Nails Inc: Baker Street (Electric Blue)
Nails Inc: Piccadilly Circus (Dark Pinky Red)
Pupa: M096 (sort of mint green)
Rimmel: Your Majesty (Silver)

This mani involves a lot of layering and even with my old faithful top coat Seche Vite its so thick it doesn't dry as quick and i managed to dink my right hand :( never mind new nails tomorrow night!

So now I'm off for a little chill out and to torture myself watching man v's food! you guys over in America have some awesome food!!!

x

This evening i have really been struggling to think of something to inspire me.

Ive been sitting for a while just staring around the room and even looking at my photos on my phone. Then i got to a point that was i even bothered to do my nails. I hate getting a block on what to do and find that it takes me agesssss to decide if i dont have something in mind.

This is going to sound super cheesy but i was really missing my boy so decided to do nails inspired by him.

I know that whenever i use striping tape i get comments that he likes them. So i decided to use the tape he likes, and just to add some more cheese i dotted a sparkly red heart for him! i know i know pass the sick bucket!!!

Its so hard as we only get weekends together as he lives in Leicester and I'm here in Croydon.

So yes i was feeling a little gooey tonight and these are for him!

Colours i used:

China Glaze - White On White
Barry M - Grey
Collection 2000 - Big Hair (Red)
Barry M - Red Glitter

I applied 2 cotes of White On White added the tape and painted 1 cote of Grey. Off came the tape and a cote of Seche Vite, then came my faithful dotting tool and drew a heart on each ring finger. To make it stand out a little more i added Red Glitter.
I still decided that it wasn't enough so added a few dots on each finger, one more coat of Seche Vite et voilá!!!!!!

Least We Forget

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 Today is Remembrance Day

This day is a memorial day to remember those who died in the line of duty in World War 1.

The red poppy has become the familiar embalm due to the poem ' In Flanders Fields'. The poppies bloomed across the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War 1, the red colour of the poppies an appropriate symbol of the blood that was shed.

We hold a two minute silence on the first stroke of 11am. I held my silence.... did you?

So today's mani signifies Remembrance Day

I wanted to do a mani that showed that i was thinking about those who have died for us and wanted something that stood out.

Colours i used:

China Glaze - White On White (White)
Dollish Polish - Baby Gravy (Pearlescent white)
Collection 2000 - Big Hair (Red)
Stargazer - 115 (Gold)
Barry M - Black
Collection 2000 - Ninja (Green)
Collection 2000 - Dusk (Dark Green)

I started with my base coat, the two coats of China Glaze white on white followed by Dollish Polish Baby Gravy. I thought the White On White was a little too in your face and i like the sparkly shimmer of Baby Gravy.
I then used my dotting tool to outline the big poppy on my thumb with the Stargazer gold. And repeated the process with Big Hair to create a smaller poppy within the gold poppy. Giving it a beautiful gold outline. Using the other smaller end of the dotting tool i applied the Black for the centre of the flower.
On all my fingers i again used my dotting tool and created small red dots to replicate the poppies. With the other smaller end added my black centres.
To give the effect of grass and stems i took a nail art brush and dipped it alternatively in the two greens and striped it on.
All finished of with a few coats of Seche Vite.

I'm really proud of how these nails have turned out as for the last few days Ive really had to rack my brains on what to do. But Remembrance Day has given me the perfect inspiration for what i wanted to do.

Hope you all like them :)

Taped!

This eveining is going to be a quick one im afraid.

We are off to see my friends and out goddaughter :D shes an absolute angel and i cant wait to see her. But dont worry tomorrow i have all day so will be a longer one.

This evening i was really stumped with what to do.

So here we have it. A quick striping tape mani

The colours used were:



Bourjois - No Name im afraid :(, its the light purple base colour
China Glaze - Reggae To Riches - The pinky purple
Nails Inc - Connaught Square - glitter

I love the glitter in the mani. Its soooooo sparkly! I love using it, but HATE taking it off! its such a pain in the bum.

Again ye old faithful Seche Vite finished this off perfectly and gives it a gorgeous shine :)

Sorry this is so quick, i just didnt want to do nothing for you :)

P.S ive had to file my nails down this evening :( i broke 1 on the stupid fridge door! FAIL!! Well more about that tomorrow :)

xx

Dotty 4 You!

Evening All

Sorry ive not posted for a few days ive been a little busy catching up on all the Twilight films ready for next weekend :D

So today for you i have a ditticure :)

Its very simple yet effective i think. Didnt take long to do at all (which the other half is grateful for) The thing that seems to be taking time is the pics. Im no photographer and the extent of my photo taking was aim and click with my Iphone. So Ive had a little play with a 'real' camera. So i apologise if they are not expert standards. If any of you out there has any tips for me with taking my nail pics id be more than grateful for some advice.

So down to business!

Colours and brands for today are:

Base polish: Nails inc - Victoria - (deep red)
First dot : Barry M - Mushroom - (pretty self explanatory)
Second dot : Best Sence - Cosmic - (golden sparkle)

So I painted two coated of Victoria and added my faithful Seche Vite. Then got out my dotting tool and dotted in differend sizes Mushroom. I thought that it needed a little extra so added a second lot of dots slightly smaller in Cosmic. It gives a little bling to my nails and makes them feel a little more dressed. And again 1 last coat of Seche Vite.

And there you have it - Dotty 4 You :D

So untill tomorrow....... Adieu


xx

Quick gradient!

Evening Everyone :)

Tonights mani is just a quick gradient. Gradients are awesome as they are sooooo easy to do but give the illusion that you have taken ages on your nails (SSshhh dont tell everyone)

Colours I used were:

Barry M : Black Multi Glitter
Collection 2000 : Bongo Beat

Ive not used these to colours much as i got them in the summer and i personally prefer darker colours in the winter. But i think they go really well together. Both colours go on really well and have good coverage

For the gradient i use a cut off from a foundation sponge. You can get a pack of 10 for a few £ on ebay. Ive seen various techniques with regards to gradients i just dab the sponge on the top colour and sponge straight on the nail. When i have a little more time i will do a tutorial of the different ways i do mine. although i didnt put enough colour on my sponge and little bits came off on my nails (hopefully they dont show too much)

Right offf to watch Twilight. Im having a quick catch up as the new one is out next week and i cant WAIT to see it :)

TEAM EDWARDDDDD!!!!!

x

Pink Gradient Stripes

Evening!

This mani has taken me agesssss!!!!

I love striping tape for my manis, I like that i can get clean straight lines with the polish. But sticking and painting and taking off the tape has taken me a little over and hour and a half (the fiance thinks closer to 2)

The colours i used today:

Essie : Marshmallow
Dollish Pollish : Baby Gravy
Collection 2000 : Candy Floss
China Glaze : Reggae To Riches
China Glaze: Boom Boom

Ive put on 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat as after only 1 coat i could still feel little ridges from the tape to to smooth everything out i just lashed on another coat!

I put on 2 coats of Essie Marshmallow and added a coat of Dollish Pollish as it has a beautiful white sparkle and then to dry it off so i could add my tape added a coat of Sech Vite. Maybe i didnt wait long enough but i found that the tape pulled off a little of the base coat! GGrrrrrr i hate it when that happens! oh well i tried to keep my OCD under control and just carried on. Rather than taking it off and starting again! then added the 3 different pinks and pulled off the tape!

Let me know what you think, as this has taken me so long i dont think i can bring myself to take it off tomorrow night so i'll be keeping it on for more than my usual 1 day.

Right off to make dinner, i think we are having Shepherd's pie and will be watching a few episodes of Homeland. Has anyone else been watching this? what do you guys think?

x

Movember!

Well here it is, my first nail post!

As i cant grow a moustache..... obviously!! i thought i'd at least show my support and have them on my nails!

I used Nails Inc : Basil Street and Barry M : Black. My nail strengthener is Rimmel nail rescue. And my go to top coat is my fave Seche Vite.

I used a dotting tool to create the moustache's. My right hand came out perfect... well for my first try, but my left hand... well not so good but still passable!

I think they are really simple yet so effective. Ive found my top coat smooths out the design somewhat. Which is good as my black is now on its last legs ( woohoo new nail varnish alert) and left some rather unsightly bumps! Thank god for Seche Vite!!

Let me know what you guys think :D

x

This Takes Time

So i started my page to night and ive just about got the hang of adding tabs and navagating aroung the site :)
So please stick with me and ill add info as i go!

x

Well Here We Go!

Hi

Im Ellie, im 28 and live in Croydon.

Ive started this blog to share in my love of Nail Varnish!!!!!

Ive always been into nails and beauty but recently the nail thing has taken over. I try to 'do' my nails every night BUT I do have a life (sort of) and sometimes i just dont have the time!

It started with just painting my nails with as many pretty varnishes as i could find, but as the obsession grew so did my NAIL ART.

I love tape to create designs as it gives you a crisp straight edge, much better than doing it free hand as im a massive perfectionist and hate it when my lines are not straight. I also love sponges to create the gradient effect!
Marbling and stamping i dont like so much. Dont get me wrong i LOVE they way they look i just dont have the patience to do them and they take allot of practise.

With this blog id like to share how i do my nails and possibly post some tutorials. Also to review from my perspective the polishes i have and whats out there on the market.

Well introductions over........ lets get started!!!!!!!!