Glitter Jelly Sandwich Nail Art!

Hi everyone!

Today's mani is a super bright, super squishy neon jelly glitter sandwich! Woah!

I created this look by layering glitter polish between thin coats of jelly polish, which does take forever as you have to wait for each layer to dry before adding the next, but LOOK AT THE PRETTY!!! For this design I used Kandy Colors 'Retro' (blue), 'Hey Girl' (pink) and 'Carnival' (green) along with Nicole by OPI 'Party Bus' glitter. I picked up 'Party Bus' at TK Maxx for £3.99 and I'm so glad I didn't pay full price for it. Even though I absolutely love the polish, I unfortunately ended up spending a lot of time fishing out the bigger pieces of glitter which is so frustrating! Less clear base and more glitter please, Nicole by OPI!

No glitter jelly sandwich is complete without snapping a few close-ups, so here they are!:

I love jelly polishes and these ones from Kandy Colors really do have the 'wow factor'. But I'm always looking for more to add to my collection! What's your favourite jelly polish?

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

Aztec Negative Space Nails

Hi guys!

Today I have a few pictures of my recent Aztec-style negative space nails. I was 100% inspired by @nailsparkl3s on Instagram - her version is blindingly neon!

For this I used Models Own 'Turquoise Gloss' that I recently received in my August MeeBox (check out my MeeBox review here). I love this colour, it is just the right amount of 'bright' without being too over the top! The black is acrylic paint.

I even attempted a matching design on Cindy!

Thanks for reading! Helen x

The First MeeBox! **Nail Art and Review**

Hi guys!

I was so excited to have received the first ever MeeBox this week, and couldn't wait to open it and try out my new goodies! If you haven't already heard, MeeBox is a brand new nail specific subscription box that has launched in the UK. Although there are various other subscription boxes available, MeeBox caught my eye due to their fun Instagram page and I just got caught up in all of the excitement! So, without further ado, here is what is in the August 2015 MeeBox (nail art at the end of the post!):

Aside from the gorgeous packaging (which was super sturdy to make sure of no damage to the contents), I was pleased to find three polishes that I don't have in my collection - all from great brands, too! Although the polishes aren't from new/recent collections, they are all bang on trend and worthy of representing the first MeeBox theme - California Dreamin'! 

This month I received: 

• Models Own - Turquoise Gloss
• Color Club - Disco Dress
• China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy
• Whats Up Nails - 30 palm tree vinyls
• CND Solar Oil (3.7ml)

MeeBox are selling these boxes for £20 on a month-by-month basis, or you can buy three months for £54. A quick search on all of my regular nail polish-buying sites (Amazon, FragranceDirect, brands own store) tells me that the contents of this box alone are worth £23.50 - and that is without shipping on top! I think it's a bargain!

Nail vinyls and cuticle oil were a huge bonus for me in this box, as they are both products that I am always wanting to buy! The CND Solar Oil is lovely and has a strong almond scent to it (which may put some people off, but I think it's nice!) It rubs in easily and doesn't leave your hands too greasy. I've only been using it for a day so can't comment on the long-term results, but my first impressions are very good! As for the nail vinyls, I have heard amazing things about the vinyls from Whats Up Nails and couldn't wait to try them out. Plus, a large pack of 30 vinyls will last me a while!

Models Own - Turquoise Gloss

Color Club - Disco Dress

China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy

CND Essentials - Solar Oil

Whats Up Nail Vinyls

Whats Up Palm Tree Nail Vinyls

 One thing that I love about this is MeeBox have made sure to include popular shades that have been mentioned in more than one 'summer must-haves' polish list! All of the shades are gorgeous together in any combo, or worn alone as block colours. I think this box has managed to capture a great 'holiday' vibe and I can totally see myself packing these three polishes in my suitcase when I go away!

Of course I created an appropriate design to fit the theme. I used all of the colours in my MeeBox to create multiple gradients, and added white accents/detail using Essence 'Wild White Ways'. I also recycled my palm tree from the centre of my vinyl and stuck it to my thumb - sealing it in with two coats of topcoat.

Overall I am really impressed with the whole MeeBox experience, from the ordering and delivery (which is tracked using Hermes postal service), to the cute, thoughtful and extremely protective packaging (gotta keep those polish bottles safe!). Personally, as someone who spends well over £20 per month on nail products this is a great product as it restricts my impulse buys and it's almost like receiving a gift from a friend who knows exactly what I need in my life every single month! Ways to improve? I can't really think of any, but if MeeBox decide to include a holo or two in the upcoming boxes I know I'll be a happy lady.

You find out more about MeeBox on their website, and follow them on Instagram for regular updates and mani pics :)

I can't wait to see what's in my MeeBox next month!

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

Green Leaves Nail Art

Hey!

Today's nails are inspired by nature. And sparkly charms!

I've been dying to use this adorable leaf charm for a while, so when I saw a manicure by @charsnails on Instagram using it, I just had to paint my nails! 

I started with a base of Nails Inc. 'Marylebone Road' on all fingers except my ring finger, which I painted using Barry M 'Cardamom' (as a background for my charm). I then used the saran-wrap technique to blend 'Cardamom', 'Marylebone Road', and Make Up Gallery 'Spearmint' on the nail. The final step was to create a leaf pattern using acrylic paint, stick on my charm and top with Poshe Topcoat. Et voila!

These turned out much better than I imagined they would, and I really love the effect of the leaves. As a result of this mani, I now have loads of ideas for nature-themed nails that I can't wait to try out!

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

Splash Floral Nail Art

Hi everyone!

This week's prompt for the Weekly Nail Art Challenge over on Instagram is 'mint and lilac' with a summer theme. I decided to create an abstract flower design for this one :)

I started off with a base of Essence 'Wild White Ways', then using a torn sponge, I dabbed on Ciate 'Sugar Plum' and Essie 'Mint Candy Apple'. Finally, I added the flower outlines using a striping brush and two polishes from Claire's Liquid Metal collection - 'Teal' and 'Purple' (very imaginatively named, Essence!) 

I kind of wish I hadn't put two flowers on my middle and ring fingers, as it makes the mani seem a bit cluttered, but overall I'm really pleased with this one. It's a refreshing change as it's much more delicate than the neon designs I've been wearing recently! 

As always, head over to Instagram to see all of the entries into the Weekly Nail Art Challenge - just search #wnac2015 :)

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

Sponging and Stamping!

Hi guys!

Today I have some pretty stamped nails to show you that I created after being inspired by this manicure by Sveta Sanders on Instagram. I loved the colours together and thought it seemed simple enough to recreate without too much hassle! 

I started with a base of Fuse Gelnamel 'Intens-so-fly' which is a muted turquoise gel. You can't actually see much of the base on my nails as it was mostly covered by the sponging, which I am counting as a good thing as I really don't like the colour! I then used Models Own 'Pukka Purple', Models Own 'Sun Hat' and China Glaze 'Grass Is Lime Greener' to randomly sponge the colours onto the nail, making sure to overlap them. I love how this looks! It reminds me of graffiti :)

Not content with the base as it was, I decided to add a touch of white stamping using MoYou London Pro-08 plate and one of the cute flowered designs.

To finish the look, I used neon studs as the centre of the larger flowers and topped with topcoat to seal it all in. 

Hope you like these as much as I do!  <3

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

Pretty In Pink Nails

Hi guys,

Today I have some super simple and girly nails to show you. This was inspired by UK indie maker PolishedbyLeanne who is giving away her sparkly 'gemstone' polish collection to one lucky winner over on Instagram. And all you have to do is paint your nails pink! Pink is my favourite colour, and I definitely don't use it enough in my nail art, so I really enjoyed this manicure :)

The polishes I used here are Barry M 'Kiss Me Quick', China Glaze 'Sexy Lady', and Seche 'Opulant'. I also used my new fave one-coat white - Essence 'Wild White Ways'. As soon as I placed brush to nail I knew that this was a winner, and such a bargain purchase at only £1.60! I think I need to stock up on this polish as I'll be using it a lot! Unfortunately, my topcoat picked up some of the darker polish and spread it onto the pastel shade, leaving me with a dry-brush effect streak. Lesson learned: don't be so hasty!

Barry M - Kiss Me Quick

China Glaze - Sexy Lady

Seche - Opulant

For those who are interested in the progress of my stubby little thumb nail after it snapped halfway down about two weeks ago, take a peek at the pic below. Ugh, it still looks so silly! I think I'm going to be leaving her out of photos for a little while yet :(

Thanks for reading!

Helen x