Flowers, Glitters and Tattoos!

Hello!

First of all, I'm sorry for the month-long absence! I haven't been doing my nails as often due to a mixture of depression, tiredness and being caught up in my cross-stitching hobby (scroll down for pics!). However, I'm here to make it up with four manicures featuring floral nail wraps, fine glitters and temporary tattoos.

All the wraps and glitters are from Charlies Nail Art and I happen to have a 15% off Ambassador's coupon code for you: GNAF15 . I'll include links to where to find the nail art goodies as I write ^_^

1. Summer Dream Manicure

Summer Dream water decal wraps with Ocean Blue fine glitter, finished with a diamond tattoo from Claire's Accessories.


2. Summer Bloom Manicure

Summer Bloom water decal wraps alternated with Nicole by OPI's Sweet Surrender, finished with Flower Power tattoos by MoYou London.


3. Indian Summer Manicure

Indian Summer water decal wraps finished off with another MoYou Flower Power Tattoo.


4. Yellow Blossom Manicure

Yellow Blossom water decal wraps with an accent nail of Holographic Silver fine glitter.

I hope you like these manis! I love my Charlies water decals: they're super easy to apply and look beautiful. And, if you're interested, here are two cross stitches I've been working on - Flower Teapots!

Hugs, 

Lisa xx

Flashback Friday Manicures

Hello!

Today I thought I'd do a round-up post of what I was wearing on this date during the years 2013 to 2016!

I actually have a new mani on my nails right now, but unfortunately I was so tired that I slept all day and didn't get to take a photo. It is a Japanese cat and blossom design over grey polish, and I hope to show it to you during the weekend.

So, 2016! On the 10th of March last year I was wearing cute flower stems over a glitter tips manicure. I used my MoYou Princess 11 plate and the glitter is Northern Lights by Models Own.

In 2015 I went outside my comfort zone with an attempt at a chic black and gold manicure. I used striping tape to apply the black, and the gold flakes are OPI's Man With The Golden Gun - easily the most expensive and silly polish purchase I have ever made!

In 2014 I was also wearing Models Own Northern Lights - I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if the 2016 mani was a flashback! In any case I went for full coverage this time and applied a lovely singing bird water decal as an accent.

And in 2013 I had the striping tape out again, this time having it on my nails as part of the finished manicure. I was still taking flash photos in my bedroom at this stage.

Do you have a favourite? I hope you can see some kind of progression in quality from my 2013 manicure to now - I'm taking photos outside in daylight now, at least!

I hope to be writing again soon with that Japanese manicure.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

January Nail Art Challenge: Fave Animal and Gold

Hello!

I'm still very happily participating in the low-stress January Nail Art challenge by clairestelle8 on Instagram! This post shows you my entries for both the 10th and 13th of January, and you can see all my Instagram posts here ^_^

The theme for the 10th was "Fave Animal", and it's no contest... I love cats, especially our family cat Vienna, and also the cartoon kitty Pusheen! I happen to have her on a stamping plate I own, Suki 03 by MoYou, so she was the star of my mani. I started with a base colour of Lunar Grey by Models Own, stamped on a subtle background ice cream pattern in holo pink and topped it off with my Pusheen stamping...

The theme for today, the 13th, was Gold. I couldn't miss the opportunity to use my most ostentatious polish, The Man With The Golden Gun by OPI. It contains flakes of 18ct gold! I applied it over the bright Bermuda Blue by Models Own, and added a swirling pattern accent nail in gold as well...

See you soon with more manis!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Tiger Butterfly Manicure

Hello!

We are now in November! I don't mind the cooler weather but the shorter days are a pain as they mean less time and less light for me to photograph my nails outside - especially since I'm not feeling too well at the moment. Nevertheless, I have a mani to show you ^_^

I wanted a shade to suit the month but which would still provide some exciting sparkle, and the polish that came to mind was my mini bottle of OPI Jinx! It's a rich, deep orange/gold shimmer reminiscent of a sunset or Autumn leaves. On its own it's a textured polish, but I smoothed it out with top coat in order to use it as a base for some butterfly wing stamping. I used one of the designs on my MoYou Kitty 12 stamping plate and added pieces of white glitter to complete the wings.

Because of Jinx's colour it ended up looking a bit like tiger stripes, so I'm calling this my Tiger Butterfly manicure!

I just love how rich a shade Jinx is, it's really special.

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Glitter Cascade Manicure

Hello!

I haven't quite run out of nail-painting energy yet so today I am back with another short nail mani! This time I've painted a milky sheer base and sponged a cascading glitter gradient down from my cuticles. The polishes I used were Don't Touch My Tutu! by OPI, Rose Quartz by Barry M and a holo sprinkle glitter by Bourjois.

I love how dainty this looks on my nails. And it's pretty far removed from my last design of a bold cartoon border framing a hot neon!

Right now I'm trying to decide between a couple of ideas for my next manicure, so hopefully I will post again soon.

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

My Christmas Manicure

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

So I decided on my Christmas manicure and it is currently complete on one of my hands (hey, there's still time till midnight, right?). It's inspired by one of my manis from last year but with added glitz and colour!

My red Santa tips were done using Jade Echarpe de Seda, page reinforcer stickers as guides and my white Barry M nail art pen for detail. The accent nail is OPI My Vampire is Buff with a letter to Santa stamped on using MoYou Princess plate 11. I topped it all with a shimmering glitter I found in Claire's Accessories a couple of years ago.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas - thanks so much for reading!

Festive Hugs,

Lisa xx

Purple Rose Design Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure is another design featuring my new MoYou Gothic 05 stamping plate! I wanted that gothic style without going full-on Halloween too early, so I decided on a purple gradient beneath the plate's rose and netting image.

For my gradient I started with 2 coats of OPI's Care to Danse and sponged Jade's Vestido de Gala onto my tips with a damp washing-up sponge. I top-coated to smooth the gradient out then stamped my design on!

I'm not normally 100% happy with my manicures but this one looked really professional in the flesh - some credit has to go to the polishes and MoYou for that! - and I really, really loved it.

Lastly, a Lisa Update (feel free to skip this bit!): I've been writing on the blog about my struggles of trying to get back into work whilst suffering with mental illness. Fortunately - well, fingers crossed it's fortunate! - I was hired for a new part-time Christmas job! This week is the induction week and I'm being physically ill because of the fear, but I'm still trying because I know the only way to get better is if I push myself. I won't say where I'm working in case it backfires on me, but safe to say that it seems like a great place to work with lovely people.

Hugs,

Lisa

French Lace Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure uses a lace pattern from one of MoYou's newest stamping plates, Gothic 05. I was planning on using it in a more Halloween style but I actually have a new job interview tomorrow and thought I'd try and show off my nail art in interview-appropriate colours!

In the vein of a French manicure I used the lovely sheer Bubble Bath by OPI as my base; I then stamped on the lace design using Konad's white polish. Here it is:

I'm so happy with this! The lace design is just gorgeous (well done as usual MoYou) and, while it isn't perfect, my stamping accuracy has definitely improved. Has anyone else bought this plate?

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Ballerina Manicure

Hello!

This manicure features curved pink French tips overlaid with polka dots ^_^

First I started with one coat of a sheer French shade, Bubble Bath by OPI. I gave it plenty of time to dry then used page reinforcer stickers that you can buy in stationery shops as tip guides. For my pastel pink I chose Sweet Kisses by Seventeen. I then stamped on my white polka dots and finished with top coat!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Golden Duck Egg Manicure

Hello!

It is currently 3:40am in England and I can't sleep, so here is my latest manicure :-)

OPI's The Man With The Golden Gun is my most extravagant polish purchase to date; I think I bought it with my first paycheque after graduating university. It has flakes of real 18 carat gold. As it's Summer I chose a light base colour, Blueberry Muffin by Models Own, to apply it over. The result is a speckled duck egg type of effect, but a very luxurious one!

When the Autumn comes around I'll be applying Golden Gun over a deep plum colour, and perhaps a navy ^_^

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

Glitter & Neon Accent Time!

Hello!

Yesterday I showed you Bubblegum from Models Own's Ice Neon range. After I swatched it I really wanted to try it as an accent paired with a sheer French shade, so I put Bubblegum on my ring fingers and broke out OPI Bubble Bath for the rest! Afterwards I had the idea to add an extra accent of glitter, and for this I chose a gold and copper glitter mix from Claire's Accessories.

The combo is a bit more... party?... than my usual style but I love the change!

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

Feather French Manicure

Hello!

Today I have a hopeful attitude and a hopeful manicure! It's been a terrible week where I've been ill and haven't made any progress with my mental health, but I've seen my mental health worker today and have made a plan to get back on track.

Yesterday I cut my nails very short because I felt like a fresh start, and today I went for a simple French mani with a twist! I painted two coats of OPI Bubble Bath and sponged a little white onto my tips rather than doing a bold line. I added feather water decals from Born Pretty Store to my ring fingers and used a matte top coat:

It feels nice to have something simple(ish!) on my nails ^_^

Lisa xx

Paperchase Manicure

Hello!

Today's manicure is inspired by the Paperchase notebook I use when studying Old French poetry! The design is of shining metallic butterflies over aged vintage postcards. This mani took me a long time to get around to finishing as I've been ill... it was weird to have just the nude base colour on my nails for four days!

The nail art techniques I've used are the clingfilm technique, regular stamping and stamping decals ^_^

And here is the inspiring notebook!

I've tried quite a few times to make stamping decals with limited success, but I'm really happy with how these ones turned out! I made little butterflies with Bundle Monster plate 307 and coloured them in with metallic polish.

For the clingfilm part I painted a coat of Barry M's Gold Foil over a fully dry base of OPI's My Vampire Is Buff, and dabbed at it with my scrunched-up clingfilm while still wet. And the regular stamping is the pretty script design from Moyou Princess 11. Everything is topped with plenty of Sèche Vite.

Hope you like it!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Porcelain French Manicure

Hello!

This manicure uses some of the water decals I just bought from Born Pretty Store: these delicate blue porcelain designs. I thought they'd look good as a French manicure so I painted my nails with OPI Bubble Bath, added white tips and accent ring fingers, then applied the decals!

I needed to be more careful to apply thinner coats of white on my tips, but I love the porcelain romance of these decals <3

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Black Feathers & Glitter Sandwich!

Hello!

After being sent some feather water decals for review from Born Pretty Store I went back and bought a ton more for myself. They've just arrived and I now possess a zillion manicures' worth of various pretty feathers ^_^

The first decals I decided to use were the black feathers from this listing (I bought all 11 designs as the bulk price was really a steal). I also had an idea for a delicate base manicure to apply them over: I painted a coat of Sonnetarium's beautiful Snowfall glitter then topped it with 3 coats of OPI's sheer white Don't Touch My Tutu! Here it is:

God my cuticles are a state! I'm so sorry! But I'm really pleased with the feathers over that sandwich base. I can't wait to use more of the decals, but maybe I'll apply some cuticle butter first ;-)

Hugs,

Lisa xx

P.S. A little personal update ~ I was feeling terribly depressed yesterday but have since seen my mental health worker and have a slightly renewed sense of hope with plans for taking little steps to get better :-)

Lisa tries Stamping Decals

Hello!

Adventures in Stamping is one of my favourite nail art communities, and lately there have been so many photos posted of stunning manicures using stamping decals. The basic principle is that you paint a coat of clear polish onto a flat yet flexible surface, then once it's dried you stamp your chosen pattern over it and colour it in with a nail art brush and whatever colours you like. When everything is dry you have a homemade decal to apply to your nail!

I've made a couple of smaller, non-coloured decals in the past but this was my first attempt at a full-nail design. As a surface I used a silicone baking mat, bought on Amazon for £2.97 with free delivery. My design of choice was from MoYou plate Pro 07. I coloured it in and stuck it on my ring fingernail over OPI My Vampire is Buff...

OK, I can see the potential but this wasn't a great attempt. My application ended up very gloopy. The decal pushed the polish underneath around, it didn't clean up very well and overall there was a lot of polish on my nail. I'm going to go back to the nail art community and ask advice on this one - hopefully I'll be back with an improved look because I really do love the idea!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Antique Letter Manicure

Hello!

This is a manicure inspired by talented people in the nail art community. I've seen a couple of manicures recently made to look like old paper or parchment with text stamping, really beautiful and romantic. For my take on the idea I decided to use the clingfilm technique and MoYou stamping plate Princess 11.

I started by painting my nails with My Vampire Is Buff by OPI. Once it was dry I added a coat of Barry M's Goil Foil and, while that was still wet, I dabbed at it with scrunched-up clingfilm (saran wrap). I top coated it and ended up with a nice old parchment effect. Over this I stamped my text in black!

I really like this idea of a letter mani; if you wanted to make it a love letter I think it would look really nice with the clingfilm effect done in white and pink or lilac!

Hugs,

Lisa xx