NOTD: Go bananas

As is often the case, this manicure was inspired by one posted by Wah Nails on Instagram. Mine's not quite as good as theirs, but I love the contrast of the yellow against Models Own 'Hedonist'. Need to make my bananas a bit bendier next time!

 

Pinspiration #3: Nails

I think I've made it pretty clear I'm a big fan of nail art. I got into doing my nails at uni, as I only had 6hrs of lectures and a lot of free time! Here's some designs I've pinned recently (some Easter themed nails are next on the cards I think)

NOTD: nude half moon mani using Barry M Nail art Pen

I have something of a split personality when it comes to nails. I veer between the completely crazy to the more refined and classic. A friend at work had recently had a gorgeous, chic half moon mani that I wanted to recreate myself. I don't have the steadiest of hands (something of an impediment when you are a big nail art fan), so I thought it would be a perfect time to try my new Barry M Nail art pen

I needed a new black nail art pen and the design of this looked so much easier than conventional nail art pens- it's just like a felt tip.

So the idea is, you pump down on the nib a couple of times to get the ink flowing and voila! Nail art is a hell of a lot easier! It is literally like drawing on your nails with a felt tip (FYI- I have heard Sharpies can be used for nail art, something I'm yet to try out...) I always found conventional nail art pens to be difficult; if you used the nib, it would sometimes scratch your polish and would eventually clog up, not to mention the cramp you get in your hand from squeezing the tube bloody tight to get the polish to come out!  But this was so easy to use, you can tell by the crisp lines I managed to get doing my half-moons 

My only issues with this is that I think it is meant more for drawing lines and shapes rather than block areas; it did crack slightly when used to 'colour' in a large area. But it's hardly noticeable, as in the photo below you can barely see it. Also, you have to make sure your polish is dry before drawing otherwise it can dent a bit. Still, this is definitely my new favourite nail art tool, just wish they did more colours!

NOTD: Sharks

When I saw WAH nails new shark design pop up on Instagram I straight away went to recreate it! I used my favourite Barry M Cyan blue, 17 Holographic silver and Models Own Hedonist to make it pop. 

Models Own Haul inc. Hyper Gel swatches

I've been keeping my eye on the Models Own Facebook page for weeks now,waiting for the elusive 50% off code to drop when they reached 250,000 likes. And it finally happened! I was so happy as some of my favourite Models Own polishes needed replacing, and I wanted to try a couple of the Hyper Gels too. Here's what I got...
All swatches are 2 coats

(top L-R: Hedonist, Beach Party, Ibiza Mix, Sophie's Pink, Red-Black
Bottom L-R: Hypergels White Light, Pink Veneer, Cornflower Gleam, and Scented Blueberry Muffin)

My Hed Kandi collection polishes (Hedonist, Beach Party, Ibiza Mix) had gone thick and gloopy but they're some of my favourites so I wanted to replace them.
Hedonist (left) is a neon red and Beach Party neon orange. They have somewhat of a matte finish and look really good with a tan (which I'm lacking at the moment)

Ibiza Mix is my all time favourite glitter. Below is 2 coats; you can see how good the coverage is. It looks great over so many colours. 

I've always seen Sophie's Pink on the website and been tempted, so when the 50% off deal came around I thought I might as well. It's not as bold as the swatch looked on the website which I'm a bit annoyed about.

Left- Sophie's Pink on the website. Right- Swatch

Img- nailpolishdirect.co.uk

Red Black actually seems more purple-black than anything, which I was a bit disappointed with as I was hoping for more of a 'Chanel Rouge Noir' colour. It was really hard to photograph too, so in the photo below it just looks black.

I didn't indulge in the scented collection when it was first released, as I thought it was more gimmicky than innovative. But I love a blue polish so went for Blueberry Muffin. This applied really well and wasn't streaky which surprised me. Looking ahead to summer I kind of wish I'd got the whole scented collection as I do love the pastel colours.

And finally...the Hypergel polishes. Part of me wanted them all but I restricted myself to three. 

I always find white polishes a chore, as it's so hard to find one that's not streaky and gives solid opaque coverage. The Hypergel shade 'White Light' is completely opaque in two thin coats. 

In hindsight, I didn't really need Cornflower Gleam, as on inspection it is nearly identical to Barry M's Gelly Polish in 'Blueberry'. I'm a sucker for a blue polish though.

Below is a comparison between the two, Models Own 'Cornflower Gleam' on the left and Barry M's 'Blueberry' on the right. The formulas are also really similar, in that they are quite sheer and require a few coats for full coverage. I was hoping this wouldn't be the case with the Models Own one, as that's part of the reason I don't use the Barry M one as much. You can see how much shinier the Model's Own polish is though.

Pink Veneer is a pretty cool toned baby pink which I didn't think would look right against my skin tone (a lot of pink polishes just don't look right on me) but I really like it on. It applies well and non-streakily which is a bonus in such a pale colour.

NOTD: Vintage Wallpaper

Stripes, spots and flowers...what's not to like?

NOTD: Ladybirds

Posts have been rather sparse this week, as I have been commuting 4hrs a day for a training course, and wasn't organised enough to schedule some half decent posts. Next week I'm at a conference too so who knows what state this blog will be in by next week! Anyway for now here's another NOTD:

I've been running out of ideas for nails, but these cute ladybirds didn't take long and will do as a stop-gap until I get some creative inspiration

NOTD: Black tips

I've started running out of ideas for nail art. So, whilst I try to find some inspiration, and whilst my nails are of a decent length, I decided to go for a really simple look; french manicure style but with a gothic edge.

I used a standard black nail art pen over Barry M's 'Nude'. I really like the simplicity of this look, though Barry M Nude is so sheer I had to use 3 coats before it even showed on my nails!

Bits and bobs

When I picked up the OPI dupes from Primark (see this post) I also treated myself to a few other bits and pieces

4x Primark Nail polishes, £2: probably didn't really need these, but I thought the purple was a really interesting colour that I don't have in my collection, and the true orange on the end is also one missing from my stash.

All the colours were really bright and opaque in 2 coats...perfect summer nails.


2x Barry M Gelly Nails, 2 for £6 in Superdrug: Though these have been around a little while, none of the previous colours appealed to me at all. So it was only with the new releases that I decided to invest in a couple. I've seen the turquoise (Green berry) on a few blogs and loved it, and I always love a good neutral shade (Lychee).

Frilly socks, £1.50, and scrunchies, £1: a 90s revival at Primark! I have exactly the same socks from Top Shop, which cost £3.50 (booo!) so I picked up two black pairs in Primark. They also had white ones and grey with cream lace, which I'm regretting not buying now... Not sure if the scrunchies will be a bit too hipster for me, but as they were only a pound for three won't be the end of the world if they don't get worn.

Models Own Ice Neon...what do you think?

I was just recently saying how I was waiting impatiently for the announcement of  Models Own's new season collection, as the last four have been wonderful (Wonderland, Mirrorball, Beetlejuice, and Hed Kandi). And then it was announced: Ice Neon! 

Hmm. For some reason, I didn't feel as excited as I have for the previous collections. I'm going to have to try them out for myself to see because though I've been loving neon, I'm not sure about the neon yellow, and I've tried neon pink on my nails before and it  really hasn't suited my skin tone. Maybe I'll just have to do some extreme tanning. Intrigued by how the green and purple will turn out, as you don't often see neon purple. Think I'd be a bit more excited about this if they were more like pastel neon shades, if that makes sense? Like the colours that amazing beauty store born pretty does (see here to understand what I'm waffling on about)


It launches at Boots on the 22nd March, though as they're supposed to be refrigerated to keep their brightness, I'm wondering how they will do this? Or is it all just a big gimmick?

What do you think of the new collection? Are you excited? 

Primark OPI Minnie Mouse dupes

Picked up a few bits from Primark the other day but thought these deserved a post. I saw this four pack of nail polish and thought no, I really don't need any more polish. But then, I couldn't remember the last time I bought a new one so I just went for it! Especially when I took a closer look and the colours and realised 'OMG OPI Minnie Mouse dupes!'

Primark vs OPI (OPI picture from shefindsit.com )

Obviously for £2 they're not gonna be on par with OPI, but after swatching them I was quite impressed.

From left to right:

Polish One: This was a deep pink polish with a shimmer to it. I don't usually go for shimmer or pearl finish polishes, preferring opaque block colours, but because of the hot pink colour I think this would look great on some talon-like nails. It did take three coats for full coverage but the drying time was surprisingly quick

Polish Two: This was the worst out of the bunch. It had barely any colour, a mere hint of golden-pink shimmer, and was very difficult to pick up any of the hearts with the polish brush as they just kept sinking through the polish. Though I think the golden shimmer could look nice layered up over one of the other polishes. I've heard various complaints about the real OPI one too with regard to getting the hearts out, so maybe this isn't just Primark's fault but a general problem with larger glitter shapes.

Polish Three: Loved this one- a bright almost neon pinky-red. Again this went on quite sheer, but once three coats were layered up it was a lovely bright pink, again one that'd look great on some serious nails (and with a tan)

Polish Four: I've been after a baby pink polish for a while, but could never find one that was quite right (as in opaque, pink but not pastel and girly, one that packed a punch). I loved this one from the four, as it was more opaque in colour, only needing two coats and was the perfect shade of pink. 

So out of the four, two I loved, one I was surprised I liked and one was a du. For £2, I don't think that's bad at all! :)

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Nail treatment

Despite being an avid nail art fan, I really don't take very good care of my nails. They're brittle and never get too long, because as soon as they get any sort of length they bend and snap. They were an uneven mess and all different lengths so thought I may as well snip them all the same length and start again. Giving me the perfect opportunity to test out this:

I didn't really know what sort of nail growth product to go for, but as Sally Hansen is such a well established nail brand (and it was under a fiver) I thought I'd go for it. This is to be applied every day which meant bare nails for me for a week, but it left them looking glossy and polished, like a good top coat. I've been using this fairly frequently (though perhaps not every day as they advise) but my nails have certainly grown a lot more than they usually do, and seem stronger too. I found it kind of hard to capture in photos, but basically I went to having almost no white tip on my nails (as I cut them all off to start again) to having an even length white tip on all my nails (long enough to do a french manicure on, let's say)

There's another Sally Hansen growth product that's a tad more expensive (nearer the ten pound mark) but promises even greater results (30% longer tips in five days). This is also tempting me, but for under a fiver I was  pleased with the results of this one and looking forward to getting back to nail art :)

NOTD: floral stickers + polka dots

I tend to do a floral and polka dot combo quite a lot, but changed it up a bit using these 3D nail stickers my sister got me a while ago. 

Colours used: Model's Own Lemon Meringue and Bloo Bloo

With flash

I'm running low on these stickers and I really like them, pretty sure they're from Ebay, but I've been struggling to find them. Will have to ask my sis

NOTD: Hello Kitty tips

I saw this on a tumblr page a while ago, and as a devoted Hello Kitty enthusiast had to try it! And I really like how it cutesies up a boring french manicure: quirky elegance :)

With flash