Max Factor ~ Fantasy Fire

Hello!

This is the fab UK polish people have been going crazy over!  Superdrug were doing a "2 for £5.99" sale on Max Factor polishes so I snapped up this and one called Dazzling Blue.  Here are 4 coats of Fantasy Fire (pre-nail breakage!):

Yes, it is stunning.  The amazing blue shimmer didn't show at first in my badly-lit bedroom, but when I got some natural light it came alive.  I also tried less coats but with a black base, and you still get the amazing effect, but it has a more ethereal look on its own which I prefer!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

No... no... oh nooooooooooo...

I broke a nail :"-(

Yep, here is a photo of the lovely Fantasy Fire by Max Factor with my heartbreakingly fractured middle fingernail.

*sob sob sob*

I have really strong nails, but with the length I grow them one does inevitably break at some point.  So, like with past accidents, I chopped my nails down to baby-length and prepared to rock some short manis while they grow back.  The post-disaster polish I chose was OPI's So Many Clowns..., a milky soft soothing sheer.

You'll see a couple of long-nail posts from me in the next couple of days using photos I had lined up, including more Fantasy Fire pics!  But for now I shall stare forlornly at my nails and re-learn how to use my smartphone ;-)

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Tea and Macarons!

Hello, this is another experimental mani done while I'm poorly in bed *sniffle*

For this one I whipped out my French tip guide stickers and used them to paint two of my favourite treats: good old British tea and French macarons! So, here we have a steaming hot cuppa and yummy macarons in raspberry, pistachio and strawberry flavours...

Om nom nom!

I am actually quite proud of this one, as my nail art attempts tend to go disastrously. One thing I would change next time though is to have a base colour ~ my nail tips do not look nice, ew!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Ladybird Nails!

*sniffle sniffle*

Lisa of Happy Nails is officially poorly :-(  Since I've been lying gloomily in bed all day I fancied doing a cute, fun mani.  I painted my nails till opaque with a nice soft crème from my Color Club French manicure set, then broke out my nail art stencils (another find from Nail Delights) and painted on a few cheerful lil' ladybirds!  I topped the mani off with I Juggle... Men by OPI, which is an extremely subtle blue-purple glitter shimmer.

Sniffly hugs,

Lisa xx

White Dried Flowers on Romantic Blue ^_^

Hello!

Here is a mani using a nail art item that I love: dried flower sprays.  You can find them in lots of online nail art supply stores ~ I got mine for £1.75 per pack at Nail Delights ~ and they are so, so lovely to use!!

I took a couple of the sprays and snipped off the teeny flowers, then placed them carefully over 3 coats of OPI's I Vant to be A-Lone Star.  I tamed any loose stalks and petals with a few prods of an orange stick, then sealed with top coat ^_^

Hugs,

Lisa xx

OPI ~ I Vant to be A-Lone Star

Hello!

Another cut-price OPI buy here!  Like Play the Peonies, I chose this because I thought it would make a great base for some of my nail art supplies.

When it arrived, this polish wasn't what I expected ~ I had glanced at some swatches online but missed the pearlescent shimmer and the grey-ish tint to the blue.  Nonetheless, I love it for what it is and it actually seems like the blue 'partner' to Play the Peonies, which makes me smile!

I am accepting that, when it comes to light base colours and sheers, where streakiness and overall finish really make a difference, the higher brands usually do a better job.  Not that I'll give up my bargain hunting, but well done OPI!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Romantic Water Decal Mani

Hello!

As promised yesterday, I have used OPI's Play the Peonies as a base for some lovely rose water decals!

I realised today that I haven't bigged up Nail Delights in a while ~ they're a UK-based online store that sells nail art supplies, and they're where I got today's rose decals.  Personal recommendation*: they're cheap, they have lots of beautiful stuff and they ship really quickly.  All my water decals, nail foils and dried flowers are from them and I have some of their nail art stickers and stencils too ^_^

*It is, I promise!  I'm not affliliated with the site, I'm just a very happy customer ^_^

Anyway, here is the mani!  Since my nails are super-long at the moment I chose 3 larger decals and placed them on my favourite accent nails.

So so happyyyyyyy.  Please forgive the little chips from where I got impatient while my polish was still drying!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

OPI ~ Play the Peonies

Hello!

Play the Peonies is one of the cut-price OPIs I ordered last week.  I already had the mini, but felt I never got the best finish due to the fiddly mini brush.

I would describe this polish as solid, blushing with a pearlescent shimmer.  The reason I bought the full-size is because I think it will make a LOVELY base for water decals and dried flowers.  In fact, check the blog tomorrow for a water decal attempt!

Here are 3 coats of Play the Peonies.  They're flash photos but are very accurate to the polish I'm seeing on my nails ^_^ 

This darling will be used for many romantic manis to come!!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Accessorize ~ Emerald City

Hello!

This mani coincides wonderfully with this week's Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge: a glitterbomb!

I bought Emerald City 3D glitter for £4 at Accessorize while I was nervously waiting for my interpreting exam (which went... stumblingly :-( ).  It's a jolly, juicy, minty-emeraldy green consisting of fine micro-glitter sprinkled with larger pieces.

For my mani, I painted one coat of a similar base colour (Sally Hansen's Lagoon) then 2 coats of Emerald City.  It could have done with a third for an extra-rich sparkle, but as it is it still looks complete.  Over that I painted two coats of top coat to smooth it out :-)

And with flash...

:-D I love it!!!

As with my other Accessorize 3D glitters - Magic and Dream - the polish seems a little thick and clumpy, especially after the first use, but nothing that spoilt the end result.  It really is a fabulous, sumptuous polish!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Epic Haul!

So on Monday, to chase away the fear of the dental hospital, I bought 2 big nail polish sets from TK Maxx. Today, to chase away the fear of my interpreting exam, I bought 2 Max Factor polishes and an Accessorize 3D glitter. Then, when I got home, I found my Lena White package of cut-price OPIs waiting for me.

I feel SO SO SO bad. But SO SO SO good at the same time.

At the back ~ Nail polish set by Spring Water Spa (?) ~ Probably not a wise buy, but hey, £4.99.

Below that ~ All About French set by Color Club
Far left ~ Play the Peonies by OPI
2nd left ~ I Lily Love You by OPI
3rd left ~ I Vant to be A-Lone Star by OPI 

4th left ~ Fantasy Fire by Max Factor ~ Saw this talked about in UK Polish Paupers and needed it!
5th left ~ Dazzling Blue by Max Factor ~ It was 2 for £5.99 ^_^ 

6th left ~ Emerald City by Accessorize ~ Wearing it now, full post to come, but it's beautiful!
Far right ~ Femme de Cirque minis by OPI

Hugs,

Lisa xx