31 Day Challenge - Day 8 - Metallic

Hi!

Day eight of the 31 Day Challenge on Instagram is metallic nails. I started these nails with only one plan - to use chrome polishes to create them. Unfortunately, this isn't a very detailed plan, and I am rubbish at winging it. I decided to post them anyway because that's what I love about nail art - it's a constant learning curve! Therefore, I proudly declare these a Nail Fail! :D

I started out by painting all of my nails a different metallic shade (polish details below).  I should have just applied topcoat at this stage and left it, because this is where it all goes wrong - I then painted a matching non-metallic strip of polish on each nail, and outlined with Barry M 'Pearl'. I finished 'the look' by dotting the metallic polish down the strip of non-metallic polish. Ugh, what was I thinking?! 

Polishes used:

Models Own 'Chrome Silver' + Andrea Fullerton 'Sharon'
Claire's 'Teal Liquid Metal' + Butter London 'Fiver'
Claire's 'Purple Liquid Metal' + Barry M 'Prickly Pear'
Claire's 'Pink Liquid Metal' + Nails Inc. 'Westbourne Mews'
Models Own 'Chrome Blue' + Nails Inc. 'York Street'

As you can probably tell I'm not particularly overjoyed with this manicure, but that's the great thing about nail art - I can just wipe it off and start over again! Next year my metallic mani is going to be AWESOME (I had better start planning it now!)

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

PS Why not check out some of the amazing metallic designs others have created on Instagram for the 31 Day Challenge? Just search the hashtag #31dc2015 :D

31 Day Challenge - Day 3 - Yellow

Hello!

Today I have my third set of nails created for the 31 Day Challenge. The prompt for this one is 'yellow', which is a colour I don't often wear on my nails, but surprisingly I actually own quite a few yellow polishes (or not, when you consider the size of my stash!)

For this mani I used the gorgeous Butter London 'Jasper', which is such a beautiful pastel yellow creme polish. I teamed it with Hello Kitty 'Whatcha', a bargain that I picked up in Poundland! The little flower studs are also from Poundland - they don't look like a good match in these pictures, but I promise they are in real life!

I'm loving the 31 Day Challenge, it's giving me a great opportunity to try out some more of my unused polishes, such as 'Jasper' in this mani. Being ill this week has given me the time to plan out what I'm going to do each day on my nails, so I have no excuses not to finish the challenge!

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

P.S. Check out all of the other submissions for the 31 Day Challenge over on Instagram - just search the hashtag #31DC2015 :)

31 Day Challenge - Day 2 - Orange

Hi guys!

This is a super quick post featuring my second mani in the 31 Day Challenge. Prompt number two is 'orange' so I decided to stamp a tiger design onto my nails :D

For this design I used Bundle Monster plate #613 from the CYO 2014 collection. For the base I dry brushed  NYC 'Summer In NYC', an unnamed Ted Baker peach shimmer polish, Barry M 'Cocoa' and Barry M 'Coconut' onto my nail, then stamped directly onto the nail using MoYou London 'Black Knight' stamping polish.

Sorry for the short post, I've been feeling under the weather this week and haven't been able to put as much time into nails and blogging as I usually would. Stick with me, guys!

Thanks for reading!

Helen x 

P.S. Check out all of the other submissions for the 31 Day Challenge over on Instagram - just search the hashtag #31DC2015 :)

31 Day Challenge - Day 1 - RED

Hi everyone!

It's that time of year again - the 31 Day Challenge! I didn't participate last year so I've decided to give it a go this time :) Most (if not all) of my posts this month will be based on the prompts from the 31 Day Challenge, and prompt number 1 is Red. So here they are:

I have been meaning to do a red-black gradient for forever so this prompt gave me the kick up the backside to just go for it. I started with a base of Butter London 'Knees Up' and sponged the gradient using Seche 'Bella' and Rimmel 'Black Out'. I found it really hard to get a decent gradient, and you can see that I over-sponged a little on my thumb and pinkie as there a little pieces of sponge on the nail.

The stamped rose image is from one of my favourite plates - MoYou London Pro 04, stamped using Models Own 'Gold Chrome'. I finished with some small gold discs that I picked up in Poundland.

This is definitely something that I would have worn when I was younger and more 'edgy', but now I think it's a little too vampy for my tastes! What do you think? Is this a look you would wear?

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

P.S. Check out all of the other submissions for the 31 Day Challenge over on Instagram - just search the hashtag #31DC2015 :)

Galaxy Nail Art

Hi guys!

Today I want to share a short post with you featuring some galaxy nails that created recently. This is my third attempt at this design, and so far is my favourite - they actually look like galaxies! Woohoo!

For this I started with a base of Barry M 'Black' and sponged/dotted a galaxy 'shape' with Color Club 'French Tip' white polish. I then used too many polishes to remember in pinks, blues, greens and purples and dabbed them around the white markings with my sponge. Finally, a few pieces of Ciate 'Celestial' glitter and a thin layer of China Glaze 'Fairy Dust' and my galaxy was complete! :D

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

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

Pink and Black Chevron Nails

Hi guys!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might know that I recently had a nail disaster where the majority of my thumb nail snapped off :( I thought that it would all be fine and that I'd just make do with creating four-finger manicures until it grew back to a suitable length, but lo and behold the next day my index nail snaps too. So, I'm back to the nub club! Although I love having long nails, some designs just look better on shorties, so I'm trying out a few tried and tested colour combos and designs to compliment my new length (or lack thereof!)

For this mani I used one of my favourite colour combinations. I just love how pink and black always looks so striking in a manicure - it's fun, edgy and girly all at once! The black here is Aimeili gel polish in 'Blackpool' (colour #007). I used my new chevron nail vinyls from She Sells Seashells, and Models Own 'Sun Hat'. I must take a moment to gasp in awe at how beautifully this polish layers over black. Can you believe that this is one (thick) coat over black, with no white undies to speak of?! No? Me neither.

As you can see, I'm shying away from including my thumb in any pictures for a while as it is in such a sorry state. Hopefully soon she will be back in my photos, as I'm not sure I like this four-fingered look so much - it feels incomplete!

  
Thanks for reading!

Helen x