Creepy Tree Branches Manicure

Hello!

I got into the Halloween spirit for Wednesday's manicure, and today I'm back with more spooky nail art! This one uses clingfilm and stamping to create a horror film style tree.

To start off I painted my nails a pearly white, Pearl by Barry M. Then I painted on a grey, Enigmatic by MeMeMe, and used the clingfilm technique to dab away and end up with an ominous, stormy sky look. I added top coat before stamping on top the bare tree from Born Pretty Store's BP-L015 stamping plate!

I'm really pleased with the end result! You can mix it up by choosing different colours for the background - I've also used purple before.

I've just received a new review pack from Born Pretty so will be posting next week with some lovely goodies! See you then!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Two Fuzzy Knit Manicures!

Hello!

Today's manicures feature one of my favourite nail art ideas to wear: knitted sweater nails! I wore the first one earlier in the week, and I liked it so much that I decided to create another one.

For the first mani I took a polish that I didn't really like when I first bought it, the textured pink Kingsland Road by Barry M, and used it as the base for something I knew I'd like ^_^ I stamped on a knit pattern in white using MoYou stamping plate Fashionista 03. This is the result!

For the second manicure I took my mini bottle of OPI Solitaire, a sparkling white textured polish that reminds me of crunchy snow. The bottle is definitely running out which is sad, because it's a perfect polish for Winter too. On top of Solitaire I stamped the sweater pattern from Nail Craze stamping plate NC03 using MeMeMe's Enigmatic. For fun I added a Hand Tattoo from MoYou! Here we are..

Both manis are warm and fuzzy and they genuinely look like textiles to me, which is what makes sweater manis so fun to wear!

See you on Monday,

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Frankenstein Manicure

Hello!

Here is my latest manicure using my MoYou Gothic 05 plate - this is seeing me all the way to Halloween, it's a brilliant plate ^_^

For my base colour I used MeMeMe Virtuous and on top I stamped the Frankenstein stitches from Gothic 05. I chipped the mani on my first day of wearing it, but for a not-so-bad reason - I was working, and managed to survive the shift with my nails as the only casualty!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

(Successful) Job Interview Nails!

Hello!

Today I went for a job interview for some Christmas retail work, and I was offered the job! All I have to do is wait for the "official" phone call to confirm it. I am very happy indeed. Sometimes I write on my blog about my struggles with depression, and this seems like a nice opportunity to try and get back into work.

For the interview I wanted simple and suitable nails so I went for Innocent by MeMeMe, which is a milky French sheer:

...and I paired them with one of my new Pura Vida bracelets! I chose the Platinum Ice Blue one in the middle:

Happy times! I'll be back soon with a couple more bargains I found recently.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Victorian Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure uses my two new stamping plates from MoYou, Tourist 07 and Kitty 11. I am so in love with them!

My base colour is Barry M Pearl, a soft shimmering white from their Silk Effects line. For the first layer of stamping I used the lace and stripes pattern from Tourist 07, stamped with Models Own Cornflower Gleam. The top stamping is a selection of cute little images from Kitty 11 plus the cameo image from Tourist 07 on my thumb. I stamped these with MeMeMe Enigmatic, a dark grey, then top coated.

I adjusted the colour vibrance on the photo just so the blue pattern is visible; I was having trouble getting it to show up on camera. Here is my Victorian-style manicure!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Lacy Floral Manicure

This post contains products which were sent to me for review :-)

Hello!

Today I have some very pretty water decals from Born Pretty Store to show you. They're a selection of white lace designs with lovely ivory flowers as accents.

The thing I'm happiest about with these decals is that they're completely opaque even though they're a white design, which means I could try them over a dark grey (Enigmatic by MeMeMe) for more of a chic look. The application was simple: I put the decals in water for 30-50 seconds then positioned them as I liked on my nails before pressing them down and applying top coat. Here they are!

http://www.bornprettystore.com/1sheet-graceful-white-lacy-floral-patterned-nail-water-decals-transfers-sticker-y092y104-p-12688.html

Water decals are one of my favourite kinds of nail art and I love these ones! The flowers especially are so dainty. As always you can get 10% off Born Pretty Store orders with my coupon code, CMBQ10

Hugs,

Lisa xx

The Frenchest of Manicures

Hello!

I fancied something quite sweet for my newly short nails so I decided to combine a glitter, a French sheer and some Parisian charm for this manicure!

I painted my ring fingernails with Nails Inc's foily pink glitter Holly Place and the rest with the milky sheer Innocent by MeMeMe. On my middle fingernails I applied these Eiffel Tower decals from YRNails to complete my French look!

I have been studying some Old French poetry while I'm trying to get better so this mani does quite encapsulate what I'm about at the moment!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Hello Kitty Winter Manicure

Hello!

Today I tried out a Hello Kitty French manicure with a Winter twist... the end result didn't turn out as I'd hoped but I wanted to show you anyway!

The French nails are Sinful Colors Snow Me White over MeMeMe's Graceful, using page reinforcer stickers as tip guides. I used a dotting tool and a nail art pen to make the Hello Kitty face :)

The accent nails are Nicole by OPI's All Kendall-ed Up with snowflake stamping using plate BM323.

I didn't like the manicure because the stamped accents and the dotted Hello Kitties don't go together at all, even more so in the flesh. Perhaps as two separate manicures they'd fare better!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

China Pattern Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure has a china pattern as French tips and full accent nails. Luckily there was enough sunlight to photograph this, although it's not as vibrant as in the flesh!

Here's a step-by-step of what I did:

1. Painted a sheer French base of MeMeMe's Graceful on my index, middle and pinky fingers.
2. Painted 2 coats of Sinful Colors' Snow Me White on my ring finger and thumb.
3. Gave the French base lots of time to dry, then used page reinforcer stickers as French tip guides.
4. Painted white onto the tips and removed the stickers straight away.
5. After drying time, stamped the pattern from MoYou's Pro 07 plate using Barry M's Blackberry. Used page reinforcer stickers again as quick guides so I didn't stamp over the rest of the nail.
6. Plunged my nails into cold water for 30 seconds to set the polish.
7. Top coat!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Letter to Santa Manicure

Hello!

It's December already! Both my cat and I opened the first doors on our advent calendars yesterday (I got chocolate, she got cat treats) and I figured it was time to start wearing festive manicures! This mani has a "letter to Santa" theme.

For the French nails I painted a sheer base of MeMeMe's Graceful - this has been showing up a lot in recent manicures and it's my #1 recommended French shade. I used page reinforcer stickers as a tip guide and painted on Orly's Star Spangled, a sparkling jelly-red which came free with Cosmopolitan magazine this month. I added the white using Barry M's nail art pen.

For the accent nails I painted OPI's My Vampire Is Buff then stamped over a letter design by Bundle Monster. Everything was top coated and that's the manicure!

I'll try to think of more seasonal designs to adorn my nails for the rest of the month ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Pink Glitter Gradient Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure is an extremely sparkly pink glitter gradient. I bought the Nicole by OPI Kardashian mini set a while back and never got round to trying Wear Something Spar-Kylie, so here it is!

For this mani I painted a coat of MeMeMe's Graceful as a sheer French base then sponged a little pink polish over my nail tips in case the glitter didn't fully cover them. I then sponged on Wear Something Spar-Kylie ~ the base is slightly pink-tinted which looks nice when sponged ~ and topped it with two coats of Seche Vite for a glassy finish.

A happy side effect of this manicure is that I found that sponging a colour onto your tips makes for a beautiful French manicure! I will definitely revisit this.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Floral Purple French

Hello!

I cut my nails short over the weekend as the cold weather really wasn't doing them any favours, so I will be experimenting with ideas for short nails for a little while!

Today's manicure is a purple French tip with white floral stamping over it. For the tips I used page reinforcer stickers as guides and painted further down than my natural nail tip - I have long nail beds and this makes my nails look nicely in proportion! I then painted a coat of MeMeMe's Graceful, a sheer French shade, then stamped over the lot using Konad plate m71.

I feel this French look is great for people like me with short nails yet long nail beds and long fingertips. When I cut my nails I'm only left with 1-2mm of white at most and it always looks a bit rubbish for a while!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Accented French

Hello!

Today's manicure is a little different from my normal style. Normally I avoid French manicures as:

a) I can't do them well, even with tip guides, and
b) they tend to remind me of Essex-style false nails which I'm not a fan of!

However, I had the unexplainable urge to do a French with ultra-glittery accents and a decal to boot, so here I am!

For the French nails themselves I took lots of time for proper drying and to get them perfect. As a tip guide I used round page reinforcer stickers. My white was Sinful Colors' Snow Me White and my sheer was MeMeMe's Graceful. Both of these I recommend; Snow Me White gives great coverage and Graceful has a wide brush which is perfect for getting a one-coat even finish.

The glittery accents are Nails Inc's Marylebone, topped with a liberal coat of Gelous then Seche Vite.

The water decal is by YRNails, a UK nail decal store; I bought the love trees here.

I'm not sure if this manicure is to everyone's taste (I wasn't sure if it was to my taste!) but it's nice to experiment and to keep trying out new ideas!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Peacock Sparkle Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure was inspired by an amazing Instagram polisher, thary_xoxo. She has lots of beautiful manis but the one that caught my eye was a twist on a glitter gradient, adding glittered feathers. You can see the original manicure here: http://instagram.com/p/Yq8MQPPh3G/

For my own version I started with a milky French base, Innocent by MeMeMe. On my middle two fingers I stamped the peacock feather design from Nailz Craze plate NC01. For my glitter I chose Royal Arcade by Nails Inc; I sponged it onto the tips of my unstamped nails then, using the edge of my cosmetics sponge, applied it along the lines of the feathers. Here it is!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Sparkly Pink Glitter Gradient

Hello!

Today I am wearing a super-sparkly gradient made with two pink glitters! Here are my steps:

1. I used Picture Polish Revolution as a base coat so that the glitter will be easy to remove.
2. I painted one coat of a sheer French shade, Graceful by MeMeMe.
3. I used a cosmetics sponge to dab Holly Place by Nails Inc - an ultra fine and dense glitter - onto the tips of my nails.
4. I topped Holly Place with a dabbing of Rose Quartz by Barry M; this is what gives the manicure its iridescence and larger glitter pieces.
5. One coat of Seche Vite was enough to smooth and top the mani!

I am so happy with this manicure! Everything was quick and easy to do. I'll be trying it again in the future with different glitters for sure.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Sparkly Glitter Gradient

Hello!

I've been in a bit of a polishing (and blogging) rut for the past week, but today I'm back with a simple but super-effective glitter gradient!

I started off with 2 coats of a lovely sheer French shade, Graceful by MeMeMe. I then painted the sparkle-packed Noel Street by Nails Inc onto a cosmetics sponge and dabbed it onto the tips of my nails moving downwards. I topped it with a dabbing of copper and gold multiglitter from Claire's, then finished off with a coat of Seche Vite. Simples!

I'll be back soon with a stamped mani and another of the Jade Special Glitz collection, e-see you soon!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

MeMeMe ~ Virtuous

Hello!

Now this is a confusing polish and a half! I got MeMeMe's Virtuous as part of my birthday haul back in June, and I'm just getting round to trying it now. On the website, the swatch looked like a cheerful yellow. When it arrived, it looked a mustardy colour. Looking at it in the bottle tonight, it looked like a weird Shrekky sludge. And on my nails, it looks a lovely pale olive!!! So strange.

Despite the confusion this is a really great polish. Like the other MeMeMes I bought, it has a fab formula, well-pigmented and is opaque in 2 coats. For this mani I added accent stripes in purple using striping tape.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

MeMeMe ~ Innocent and Graceful

Hello!

Today I am showing you two of the MeMeMe polishes I got for my birthday. I'd describe them both as French shades; Innocent is a nude ivory, while Graceful is a nude pink. I have a bit of a thing for French sheers, and squeal over a beautifully even coverage - and these two have the most even coverage I've found! Squealy time!

This first photo shows 2 coats of each polish: Innocent on the middle and pinky, Graceful on the index and ring:

And here are 3 coats of each:

Ahh! Oh this makes me so happy. I think in future I'll be using these as a base with a little delicate stamping.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

BM312 ~ Clouds

Hello!

I think this pattern from plate BM312 is open to interpretation, but to me it looks like blustery clouds!

As a base colour I used Pensive by MeMeMe, a beautiful pale green that applies wonderfully and one that I think I'll be using often! I then stamped over in white. Here it is :-)

Yay!

This makes for such a cute manicure and I love it. I also have to comment on what a godsend the new larger-sized designs are on this new BM set ~ they are more than big enough to cover my nails in one go, including thumbs :-)

Hugs,

Lisa xx

BM307 and BM308 ~ Pastry Nails!

Hello!

For this mani I took yesterday's hot pink Vivacious by MeMeMe as a base, then used the full-nail cupcake design on plate BM307 for my thumbs, and the doughnut and muffin on BM308 alternated on my fingers. Stamping polish is Konad's Special White. Here it is!

Delicious!

Hugs,

Lisa xx