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

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

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

NEON WEEK: Aztec Nails

Hi everyone!

As part of my neon week, I wanted to incorporate an Aztec/tribal pattern into one of my designs. I recently picked up a Color Club Nail Striper in black, and thought this might be a good way to test it out.

Neon Tribal Nail Art

For this manicure I used a base of MoYou London 'White Knight', then divided the nails with Models Own 'Shades' from their Polish For Tans collection (I LOVE those polishes!). Finally, I added the detail using a teeny-tiny dotting tool and my Color Club striper.

Overall I'm pleased with how these turned out. I definitely need to practice my freehand linework with my striper, though!

I love the contrast between the pop of colour and the black and white design. 

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

NEON WEEK: Strawberry and Lime!

Hi everyone!

I've got a quick post today to show you the mani I have been wearing over the last couple of days. For once I have kept it nice and simple and opted for block colours (neon, of course!), and a complimenting accent nail:

Simple pink and green :)

This colour combination is super summery and reminds me of strawberries and limes! :) 

For this I used Models Own 'Sun Hat' and China Glaze 'Grass Is Lime Greener'. The accent nail is a base of OPI 'My Boyfriend Scales Walls' and a mix of two matte glitter toppers from Claire's: 'Junk' and 'Sea Green'. 

L-R: Sea Green / Junk

Such pretty colours!

I'd love a Twister ice lolly right now!

I hope you like these summery nails :)

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

NEON WEEK: Mani Swap

Hi guys!

Today I have a special post for you - I have collaborated with Nailpocolypse on Instagram to take part in a mani swap. I love doing mani swaps, there are so many talented people out there and it's really nice to try out other designs!

Ciara chose my pink and blue half moon nails, and I chose her gradient with glitter placement design. As this is NEON WEEK, I thought that this one fit in quite well :)

Mani Swap with Nailpocolypse!

For this manicure I used Barry M 'Blue Grape', Sinful Colors 'Dream On', and Nina 'Orange Flame' to make the gradient. I then placed glitter pieces from Nicole by OPI 'Be Awesome' to create the effect of little cubes! The neon-ness of this was way brighter in real life, especially the orange, but my camera just didn't want to capture it...

This mani was super difficult to clean up, and you can easily see the white basecoat that I used before sponging on the gradient. Oops!

Go check out Nailpocolypse on Instagram, she has some gorgeous designs!

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

NEON WEEK: Radial Gradient and Stamping

Hi!

I've been *loving* the weather here over the last few days and today we saw the temperature reach 30 degrees Celsius which is lovely! I'm so glad I have a neon theme going on at the moment because it's complimenting the sunshine wonderfully :)

 Stamped Neon Radial Gradient

Today's nails include a technique that I have only tried a couple of times - a radial gradient (where the gradient works outwards from the centre of the nail, rather than horizontally or vertically across the nail). I found it really difficult to get consistent gradients across all ten fingers, but I'm pretty happy with the results anyway. I added a pretty circular-style stamped image, and of course I had to stick some sparkly gems on there too!

The polishes used for this were all Models Own - 'Bikini' (yellow), 'Sun Hat' (pink) and 'Pukka Purple'. I used Pukka Purple and Bundle Monster stamping plate #BM-618 for the design. Oh, and a sprinkling of China Glaze 'Fairy Dust' was added to the gradient.

My left hand came out better than my right hand (even though I'm left handed...)

FYI my stamping is *meant* to be off-centre...

A bit blurry but look at the pretty Fairy Dust! <3

Hope you like them :)

Thanks for reading!

Helen x

NEON WEEK: Leopard Print

Hi everyone!

Every now and then I am going to base my nail art on one particular theme for seven days. I'm hoping that this will allow me to practice my techniques, become more creative, and challenge my thinking. This week I have decided to start bright and choose neon!

Neon leopard print

For my first mani, I went back to one of the first nail art patterns that I tried - leopard print. Leopard print is super easy to achieve and looks really cool in neon colours :)

L-R: Flip Flop / Bubblegum / Louis Lemon / Kensington Park Road 

For this design I used Models Own 'Louis Lemon' and 'Bubblegum' from the Iced Neon collection, 'Flip Flop' from the Polish For Tans collection, and Nails Inc. 'Kensington Park Road'. For the detail I used black and white acrylic paints and a toothpick.

Neon leopard print

Get your sunglasses out!

On my left hand I used the same colours but mixed them around a bit - I hate things being too uniform!

Say hi to Cindy :)

Thanks for reading!

Helen x