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

Barry M - Tropical Florals

Tonight on the blog, I have some hand painted flowers for you.

The inspiration to do this design actually came from a pair of flip-flops - one's that I am wearing right now, actually.

Please excuse the picture quality. My camera has dropped a million times and I'm actually surprised that the thing even works now! Time to upgrade methinks. Anyway, back to the nails...

 Barry M's 'Green Berry'.

 The art is a combination of Barry M's 'Pomegranite', 'Mango' (both from the Gelly Range), Milani 'Neon Pink', green from a random eBay nail striper and detailing with Nail Supreme nail art pens in neon and matte colours. Those of you who know how miserable I can be will be aware that I struggled with these pens for a while...I like them now!

Thanks all for tonight folks. If you want further info - just let me know. Maybe I might even do a tutorial...let me know what you think?

xx

Just a bit of glitter and stickers

Today, I thought I'd show you a mani that I have been wearing for about a week. 

This is gel polish, and some Nailtopia nail stickers.

 The stickers are roses and the rest is acrylic paint.

  The lines are done with a very thin detailing brush and the dots? A dotting tool!

Here they are again in a 'negative space' manicure. The polish is gelish this time.

The stickers are thick and raised, so if using them with nail polish or gel polish, you will feel them if you run your finger over them. I suppose that this isn't a bad thing really - the stickers are quite sturdy as a result. I can't really fault them and I have been quietly adding these to my stash since last year...shhhh. It's not just polish that I hoard (muhahahahaaaa!)

xx

Gelish: Marbled croc nails and bows.

I'm officially experiencing a love affair with my new Gelish gel polishes. Here is a look I created with the help of a pretty crystal bow from Born Pretty Store.

The bow is actually curved so it fits the nail quite well. I used gel to stick this one down - I don't know if it would stay put if you only used glue alone. This would be perfect to use with enhancements or on top of gel polish.

Now that I tend to be doing nails for others more regularly, it makes sense for me to wear gel polish as opposed to normal polish.

 If you like these bows, why not visit the Born Pretty Store site and use the above discount code to get 10% off!

Birthday nails!

Hi everyone,

It was my birthday recently and I decided to do a little something with my special and extremely expensive Sha Pro nail stickers (O_0). The manicure is completely Gelish, by the way. I was doing some nails a few days afterwards so I needed something with a bit of longevity.

 Here's me posing with one of my little birthday gifts - a lip stain.

Sorry about the picture quality - my little old camera is on it's last legs and I had to use my iPhone!

Thanks for looking :)

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

Pink, push-ups and polish?

Hi Friends.

Today I'm actually missing my long nails. I love the fact that my typing speed is now back to normal (lightening speed), but my fingers are looking a little stumpy. Never mind, they'll grow back!

I'm wearing this today.  I chose this colour simply because I am participating in a contest on Instagram and the theme is #freakinpink.

This is one of my favourite pinks:

I have so much love for Rimmel. I love their precision brushes, 60 seconds range, the Professional and Lasting Finishes and also the Fruities range, but I do wonder what they are doing in terms of updating their polish line.

With all the nail-art-in-a-bottle trends that have come out over the last year or so (crackle, magnetic and colour changing polishes), they only seem to have put out a couple of crackle colours. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've seen nothing much else. Now, I go polish shopping the way some women go shoe shopping. I investigate, I scour, I hunt, I rummage, I get my magnifying glass out and get my Miss Marple on. Alas, the Rimmel display always makes me feel like I want to throw myself onto the floor and scream...much like my nearly-two-year-old did when I told her we were leaving my big girl's school summer fair today. So got herself into such a stink that she ended up on her hands and toes, yelling, in the middle of the year two playground. Like she was going to do a set of press-ups. Yup.

If you're not in the UK, or if you are and have seen some newer or more exciting things on the Rimmel polish front, please let me know. Meanwhile, I'll tweet them a question and hope they come back with some good news and don't just blank me like Maybelline did a while back. Wish me luck!

xx