A Touch of Glitter and a Diary!

Hello!

First of all, apologies for my absence! My blog has been quiet for a month but today I have a new manicure to show you and a little diary entry for anyone who might like to read it and find out a little more about me :-)

I have talked about this on the blog before but I suffer from depression with related physical and mental health issues. I've been unwell for going on 15 years now, since I was quite young! It's severe enough to be classed as a disability and has a huge impact on what I'm able to do day-to-day. Nail art is a great hobby which makes me feel a tiny bit fulfilled (and cheered up when I have pretty designs on my nails to look at and wonderfully lovely comments from readers). However, I do have periods of time where I'm not up to doing my hobby so much and I can't always predict when or how long those periods might be. Most of the time I can still manage to post on Instagram fairly frequently but I just had a week of wearing the same chipping nail polish and wasn't up to doing anything about it!

Fortunately I'm feeling a little better now so last night I cut and filed my nails to a nice new length (they were dry and damaged from that week of not looking after them), then I got out two of my absolute favourite polishes for a fresh mani! Blueberry Muffin by Models Own is the most gorgeous pale blue and Noel Street by Nails Inc is an amazing foil-like silver glitter. I allowed two coats of Blueberry Muffin to fully dry then used French tip guide stickers to add a sort of reverse French curve of glitter to the base of my nails.

The mani is a recreation of one I did a year ago, which I posted as a throwback on my Instagram while I was getting ready to sort my nails out. Here is the original, in pink:

I'm really fond of this idea and I hope you are too! With luck I'll be able to continue with blogging and painting my nails now ~ I still have some wonderful Born Pretty Store goodies to show you and I really will have to apologise to my BPS rep for such an awful delay.

Hope to be back soon!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Geordie Nails Autumn Week ~ Sparkling Golds

Hello!

I've been posting photos of my Autumn-inspiring nail polishes all week both on the blog and on Instagram! I haven't quite written about them all here due to tiredness but today I have two manicures to show featuring sparkling autumnal golds.

The first polish is a Limited Edition Barry M for Superdrug! I can't find its name but it must have been released either last Autumn or the one before. It is a bar glitter featuring shades of gold and copper; I don't normally buy bar glitter but this one reminds me of fireworks and fallen leaves simultaneously and it's just perfect for the season. Here is one coat over the deep wine shade Victoria by Nails Inc, also a perfect autumnal polish:

The second polish is a textured glitter by Seventeen at Boots, called Charm Bracelet. It has a vintage feel to it - champagne gold with darker glitter pieces thrown in - and it's absolutely gorgeous in my eyes:

What do you think of my choices?!

I've now got some Autumn nail art in mind so hopefully I'll be back soon with piccies!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

MoYou Haul!

Hello!

A couple of weeks ago I placed my first MoYou order in ages! I bought two stamping plates - Literature 01 and Fashionista 03 - along with a couple of packs of their new hand tattoos which I think are a brilliant idea, especially after I'd already been trying out regular temporary tattoos on my fingers! Here I have two manicures to show you.

Literature 01 has a Pride and Prejudice theme and is covered with lines from the book written in various fonts, along with accents of birds and silhouettes. For my base I used Clerkenwell by Nails Inc, a textured cream polish, for an antique paper feel. On top of this I stamped the text in black. For a finishing touch I applied two of the hand tattoos - a coffee mug on my finger and origami paper airplanes on my palm!

I adore the stamping plate and its quality, and those tattoos are just so fun. I want to always have a couple dotted on my hands somewhere but at the same time I want to save them!

Fashionista 03 has a stitch theme, with full-nail knit and stitching patterns, along with L O V E lettering in a sweater style. I started with a white base, Cotton by Barry M, and stamped on a cable knit pattern in blue.

I just adore the teeny tiny perfect little stitches; I can't get enough of them. Unfortunately I stamped the L O V E letters over this mani but I didn't make a good polish choice and it doesn't stand out well over the stitching (not helped by the fact that it is dark, dull and raining here in North East England!). So I definitely want to try again with this plate very soon.

As I said, it's been a while since my last MoYou order and I'd forgotten the joy of how original and fun they are to take out of their sleeves and experiment with... so after I finished my Literature mani I went straight back onto the site and placed another order. Naughty Lisa! I did find a discount code though, 15off, which naturally gives you 15% off. It only works once you've registered/logged into the site, and it seems to be one per customer so I'd use it with a new email address.

You'll be sure to see more MoYou manis from me in the near future!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Glitter Jelly Nail Tips ^_^

Hello!

Today's manicure was inspired by @beautifynailsbydebbie on Instagram! She does lots of ethereal glitter-tip manis and I knew I wanted something similar on my nails.

For my sparkly tips I chose two polishes: Esplendor by Jade which is a glittering blue jelly, and Royal Arcade by Nails Inc which is a rich mix of larger blue glitters. To start my manicure I painted one coat of a French sheer, Ballet Slippers by Essie. I only just bought this recently but it's being used up quickly! Then I took a washing-up sponge, dampened it slightly and used it to sponge on layers of blue glitter. Two coats of top coat made my mani super glossy ^_^

I'm really happy with how this one turned out! A jelly-like glittering look is something I can't get enough of.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Subtle & Sparkle Manicure

Hello!

For today's manicure I took a neutral colour and set it off with a little added sparkle.

Utopia by Models Own is a very pretty, warm neutral which I hadn't yet used, so I was very happy to try it out today! I painted two coats and let them dry well. I then used page reinforcer stickers as a guide to paint silver glitter - Noel Street by Nails Inc - at the base of my nails. With some cleanup and top coat, my manicure looks like this!

I really quite like how this turned out! Apart from having to clean up the excess glitter polish with a cuticle stick and remover, it was simple to do and looks chic (in the opinion of someone who has no sense of style!).

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Flying Bird Manicure

Hello!

For today's manicure I decided to pair my nail design with a temporary tattoo for the first time!

The manicure itself is something I've done and enjoyed a few times before - a pale colour alongside a glittery accent nail and a stamped bird. For this I used my ever-favourite Blueberry Muffin by Models Own, and my glitter is Noel Street by Nails Inc. The bird on a branch is from MoYou's Kitty 11 plate.

For the tattoo I bought a sheet of birds from Born Pretty Store and applied one of the small ones over the glitter accent nail.

What do you think?

I really like the idea and have bought a couple more inexpensive sheets of tattoos to try ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

A Sprinkle of Manicures!

Hello!

I feel like I haven't blogged properly in ages! A lot of this is down to illness but I do want to get back to writing. I've just hit 2000 followers on Instagram which I'm indescribably proud of - posting my manicures on there is quick and easy, but it's lovely to do a proper blog post to accompany the quick pics.

So, for this comeback post I've decided to show you a few of my recent manicures! Here we go...

This is my current manicure! It's Snowfall by Sonnetarium, a gorgeous indie glitter. I dry-sponged it onto my nails over a sheer base for a glittery alternative to French tips. I also used a peel-off base coat so it won't be a nightmare to remove!

This is a textured stamping manicure! I have a couple of Nails Inc's Leather Effect polishes which I bought on sale from TKMaxx, and for this mani I stamped a floral pattern from MoYou's Pro 07 plate straight onto the texture for a vintage pastel look.

This mani means a lot to me because it uses a polish sent to me as a gift by the lovely, talented Translucent Mermaid! Check out her nails on Instagram (this sky nail art is my favourite). The polish is Rose Givré by Eye Care Cosmetics and I wore it over Barry M Indigo for an ethereal ocean look.

This is something a little different to my normal style that I tried. I used striping tape to paint a neat black line down my nails and then I topped it with my most ostentatious polish purchase ever, Man With The Golden Gun by OPI. I really need to get more use out of it!

I hope you like my manis and I'll be sure to be back soon!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Pink Patchwork Manicure

Hello!

I absolutely love using Instagram - it's full of inspiring manicures and it's an easy way for me to share my photos when I'm not feeling well. Today's manicure is inspired not by someone else's nails, but by a gorgeous patchwork pattern shared by flannelnails and made by her talented daughter (she also has some gorgeous manis on her account too so give her a look!).

My base colour was the vintage pastel pink Sweet Kisses by Seventeen, with an accent nail of Nails Inc's Power Pink. Onto the Power Pink I stamped some polka dots; I used sellotape to create a heart stencil for my index nail, and I did a stamping accent on my pinky nail as well. Here it is!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Sweater Manicure ~ Flocking vs. Glitter!

Hello!

Today I'm wearing a mani inspired by ChitChatNails - do check her out!

It's a Christmas sweater manicure done using the Fairisle pattern on Nailz Craze stamping plate NC03. My colours are Barry M Almond with matte top coat and a pink accent nail, and this is where I switched it up a bit! I bought a tub of MUA flocking powder maybe 2 years ago when it was a trend and have been wanting to try using it again. So my first pass of the manicure had a fluffy pink accent, like so:

Yeah, I think it's funky and I love it! I know lots of other people wouldn't though...

I realised that I probably wanted something more hard-wearing before I go to work tomorrow, so I switched up the flocking powder for Nails Inc Holly Place and matted it to go with my other nails:

My camera had real trouble photographing these manis - I think it's a combination of the colours and the pale Winter sunlight. But which accent nail do you prefer?

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Jelly & Neon Manicure

Hello!

Today my nails are newly short because they felt a little in danger of catching on somethng and breaking, so I decided to go for a cute pink mani and to mix up two styles of polish - jelly and neon!

My jelly is Nails Inc Henley Regatta and my neon is Models Own Bubblegum. Together on my nails they give a "lights on, lights off" look!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Nails Inc Leather Effect ~ Clerkenwell

Hello!

First of all, a UK tidbit if you didn't know already - right now Nails Inc are transitioning to a new bottle style, which means they're having sales in their own outlets and they're also selling the old bottles off to discount retailers. If you have a TK Maxx or discount beauty shop/stall near you, check them out for potential Nails Inc bargains! For me, the stall to check out is Making Faces in the Platinum Mall (I think!) of the Metro Centre, Gateshead. They have an AMAZING selection of discount polishes.

I myself got a Nails Inc Matte top coat for £2.99 from that beauty stall, a Save The Nail brand Eau So Hydrated base coat (owned by Nails Inc) for £4.99 from TK Maxx, and this Leather Effect polish called Clerkenwell also for £4.99 from TK Maxx.

The Leather Effects are a take on textured polishes which specifically give the look of stylish leather! I really wanted to buy one of these when they came out but the £11 RRP was just too much. Clerkenwell is the cream shade and it genuinely does what it's supposed to - after two coats I got a fab, opaque finish in a pretty lifelike leather effect!

Has anyone else grabbed any bargains recently? Let me know!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Lisa's Little Nail Art Round-Up

Hello!

I am here with a mini collection of the nail art I've been doing lately! I haven't been well at all which is why I haven't been posting them individually ~ I'm in the middle of switching medications for my depression and it's a miserable, physically and mentally unpleasant experience. Hopefully things will get better soon. In the meantime, here are four manicures! Underneath the collage I'll tell you the details of how I did them xx

Kawaii Breakfast Manicure

This mani uses decals I just bought from YRNails and received in the post on Monday! How adorable? I paired them with complementary pastel shades from Barry M, also used in my fourth mani below ^_^


Pink Butterfly Wings Manicure

These were done using my beloved Nailz Craze stamping plate. My pastel pink is Barry M Rosehip (a favourite to use this week, I gave it a lacklustre review when I first bought it but feel I should retract that!). I stamped on the wings in black and for the white markings I used an indie glitter, Snowfall by Sonnetarium.


Reverse Glitter Manicure

This is an idea I'd tried once before, using French tip guide stickers at the base of your nails to create a reverse French glitter! My polishes were Models Own Pukka Purple and Nails Inc Noel Street.


Italian Ice Cream Skittles Manicure

This shows off the newer Barry M Gelly pastels! I'm wearing Rosehip, Coconut, Huckleberry and Almond.


Hopefully I'll be back soon :-)

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Summer Jelly Manicure

Hello!

Today I fancied a nice sweet manicure with a summery feel, and so I got out Henley Regatta by Nails Inc! It's a sheer jelly with a strawberry colour and scent ~ very cute and lovely for shorter nails. I painted on two coats and, as an accent nail, I topped my ring finger with OPI I Lily Love You.

I feel very sweet ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Pride Manicure!

Hello!

Yesterday I attended Northern Pride for the first time ever and it was amazing! Today I am tired, bruised and horribly sunburnt but it was worth it to take in such a wonderful celebration of acceptance, love and freedom. Plus the Vengaboys were performing, how cool?!

For my manicure I wanted a simple yet super sparkly rainbow glitter skittle, and here it is:

The glitters I used are as follows, in rainbow order:

Barry M - Red Glitter
Barry M - Gold Glitter
Butter London - Henley Regatta
Barry M - Blue Glitter
Nails Inc - Buckingham Street

I painted one coat of a similar colour under each glitter for maximum opacity and pop.

Here are my nails at Pride itself, accessorised with some lovely rainbow friendship bracelets:

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Lovebird & Glitter Manicure

Hello!

My Bird & Glitter manicure is one of my favourite designs to wear and, since I have a lovely fresh bottle of Models Own Blueberry Muffin, I decided to recreate it!

I painted my thumbs and ring fingers with Nails Inc Maida Vale (another great polish I may need a fresh bottle of) and used plenty of top coat to give it smooth shine. The rest of my nails were painted with Blueberry Muffin. For the accent stamping I used the image of a bird carrying a heart from MoYou plate Kitty 11.

Looking at it now I wish I'd used a less bulky stamp, but I love the polish nevertheless ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Switched-Up Polka Dot Manicure

Hello!

I haven't been fully keeping up with blogging about my manicures recently, and I'm sorry! Life is a bit transitional at the moment - I've had some medical assessments, am on the waiting list for more mental health help and I'm waiting to see if I can/must go back to work. It's all a bit intimidating and it's been easier to just post photos quickly on Instagram. But I'll catch up over the next few days with some manicures that are lounging in my Dropbox folder ^_^

Yesterday I wanted something simple yet bright and cheerful, so I got out the brightest and most cheerful blue in the world, Baker Street by Nails Inc! All my nails got painted blue except for my ring fingers which I painted white as accents. On my thumb I stamped polka dots in white, and on my accent nails I stamped the dots in Baker Street blue.

I thought this was a nice bright look for Summer!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Heart & Sparkle Manicure

Hello!

One of my favourite manicures to do is sparkly accent nails paired with a decal or stamp, and I realised I hadn't worn one in a while! This mani uses YRNails' Lace Heart water decals which I recommend thoroughly ^_^

For my sparkly accents I used Nails Inc Marylebone with plenty of top coat to gloss it up. On the rest of my nails I painted two coats of a French sheer, OPI Bubble Bath. I applied my lace heart decals onto my middle fingers.

I feel pretty and girly and cheered up by the sparkle!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

April Showers Manicure

Hello!

I painted this manicure a little while ago when it was raining miserable April showers. I wanted a mani to reflect the weather but not something that was going to depress me! So I went for a cascade glitter gradient.

The base colour is Models Own's Blueberry Muffin. I was lazy with the gradient so, rather than sponging, I painted and dabbed the glitter on until I got the effect I wanted. The glitter is Nails Inc's Royal Arcade nail jewellery with a dab of Barry M's Rose Quartz for an extra little pink sparkle. Add top coat and here it is:

Fortunately the weather seems to be improving and we've had some really quite sunny days in the North East of England! I hope things are lovely wherever you are as well.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Black & Silver Bow Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure is a sparkly monochrome design that I wore to go with a new black-and-white gingham dress that I naughtily bought from Primark on Tuesday!

The foily glitter is Noel Street by Nails Inc and the bow is stamped from this KKCenterHk stamping plate. I don't normally go for monochrome manis but I thought this one was quite cute!

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