Proceed with 'Caution' - Gelish

I recently ordered some really nice Gelish colours and due to me having a busy few weeks, this is the manicure that I have been wearing.

Gelish 'Caution'.
I accomplished this look with white striping tape and some gems that I got from eBay (not Swarovski).  

The floral detailing was painted (free-hand) with white acrylic paint after I had put down the striping tape. Usually with gel polishes, you are left with a sticky dispersal layer after curing. You would generally wipe this away prior to adding any art, but on this occasion, I placed the tape on after partly curing my last layer of colour for about 10 seconds. After adding the tape. I cured for another 20 seconds under an LED lamp and then added the top coat. When this was cured, I removed the dispersal layer, buffed LIGHTLY with a white block, painted on the flowers and added another layer of top coat when the paint was dry.

Here's a sneaky peak at my right hand, which is completely unused to modelling! I'll let you into a little secret...this was done about two weeks ago has grown out now although the gems are still intact. I'll probably remove it tonight though, because I'll be manicuring on a nail bar this coming week and want my nails to look freshly done!

If you wear gel polish, how long will you usually wear it before removal?

Have a great week.

x

My new (false) nails

Hi everyone.

Before I carry on with the post, I want you to know that I bought a new camera...but I'm still trying to figure out all of the settings. You may find the next few posts a little fuzzy but please be patient with me!

I haven't been looking after my nails very well recently and as a result, my nails became extra hard and brittle. I've bought various new products and rather than try them out on other people first, I am always use them on myself. Anyway, after battling with a ridiculously curled middle finger nail, I decided to chop them all off and give myself a set of acrylic nails.

First, I started out with short, sad, battered nails:

Then I blended some natural coloured tips after applying them:

I took my eye off the file to tell one of the kids to stop doing whatever it was they were doing and I nicked my thumb!

After? Not too thick. I ended up using white acrylic on the tip and pink for the rest of the enhancement.

I'm happy with them at the moment, but I can't bear to see the underside of the nail when the enhancement starts to grow out. As a result, I'll probably only wear these for a month or so.

I'm off to paint these bad boys because I'm working at V Fest this weekend (YAY!) and need to look half decent.

Have a great weekend folks.

xx

Sophy Robson's Nail Art Masterclass no.2

Hey everyone.

On 13th July , I went to a Nail Art Master Class run by none other than Sophy Robson 

See if you can find me...I'm the one with the big hair ;)

Here are a few of the nails I was able to do on the day:

The event was a lot of fun. I got to ask some pertinent questions about the nail industry, met someone who I have a lot of professional respect for and also got a few cocktails at the end!

The next Master Class will be a good one. Sophie Harris-Greenslade aka The Illustrated Nail will be there! I got to work with her recently (that's another story) and she's soooo nice.

If you're in London (or somewhere in the UK and fancy the journey) will YOU be going to the next class?

xx

OPI Dulce De Leche and Nail Art Nail Tattoos.

Happy Friday everyone.

I've been slipping on my posts again...what can I say? Nothing, apart from 'I'm getting there!'

Today, I have a quick OPI swatch and I'll also be showing off some Nail Art Nail Tattoos.

 OPI's 'Dulce De Leche'.

 Nail Art Nail Tattoos from Skin Art UK They are thin and self-adhesive. All you need to do is peel them carefully off the backing paper, and stick them onto your nails. Cover with a top coat and you're good to go!

 I decided to add a few ribbons and tails to the bow on my nail. I was trying to be 'office appropriate' whilst wearing these.  The beauty of wearing art on only a couple of fingers is that you can strategically place your gilded talons when necessary! Imagine me at the water cooler, talking to a senior manager...with my middle and ring fingers hidden behind a clip board, hahaha!

xx

To gloss or not to gloss? That is the question.

Hello there!

Tonight, I want to share one of my Poundland bargains. I have at least 15 Revlon polishes - only one of which was bought for the full price (£6-7). This one was bought for £1...

Revlon's 'Red Ribbon'. Yes, it's a matte polish and yes, it did look like suede...but when adhering the rhinestones, the polish became glossy in some areas. To fix it, I covered it with a glossy top coat.

Admittedly, I do love glossy polishes. I'd rather turn a glossy finish into a matte by using a matte top coat, because that eliminates streaks (for me, anyway).

This is what happens when you use cheap rhinestones! As soon as I embedded these rhinestones in the top coat, their backs started to wrinkle. Any integral shine they had diminished immediately. I ended up smothering them in top coat in the end. Now they don't even look like rhinestones!

So, how do YOU feel about matte polishes? Are you a sucker for gloss, like me or is matte the way forward for you? Let me know in the comments box.

Take care!
xx