Charlies Nail Art ~ Colour Wave Nail Wraps

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

Hello!

Another day as a Charlies Nail Art Ambassador! Yesterday I showed you some rhinestones I purchased, and today I have something that was specifically sent to me to review: colour wave water decal wraps.

The wraps cost 89p and consist of a sheet of 10 decals that you cut to your own nail shape. The patterns are a mix of rainbow colour waves. To apply them you just dip them in water for about 30 seconds, slide them off the backing paper then adhere them to your nails, rubbing gently to stick them in place. I took the optional step of applying the wraps over one coat of white nail polish to give the colours added vibrance.

I had to start this manicure again because I made the mistake of trying to apply the wraps over completely dry nail polish and they wouldn't stick down! I think this is a top tip for water decals in general: apply them over touch-dry polish. Once I did this the wraps adhered just fine and I achieved a look that I was happy with. I finished off the mani with top coat for protection.

I hope you like these as much as I do! 89p is a bargain and, of course, you can get an extra 15% off your entire order with my Ambassador's coupon code: GNAF15. Check out my snazzy new sidebar button!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Charlies Nail Art ~ Rhinestones

Hello!

I thought it would be nice to inaugurate myself as a Charlies Nail Art brand ambassador by doing a manicure using some of my purchases! Check out the new button on my sidebar featuring a 15% off code especially for you - GNAF15.

I also want to try writing full blog posts again in addition to posting manis on Instagram. As I've written about before, I have health problems which include depression and feeling very tired. This makes it rather difficult to blog consistently! That said, my hobby does cheer me up so it's worth making an effort for.

Back to the nails! I did a French manicure using lovely little pink and blue gems bought from Charlies Nail Art at 75p per pack. I also used a clear gem that I already had in my collection.

To achieve my French manicure I applied Maybelline Winter Baby using tip guide stickers for a neat shape, followed by a coat of Essie Mademoiselle. I used nail glue to add a sprinkle of the gems as accents...

I was super-pleased with how this turned out. Not meaning to boast, but this is possibly my neatest French mani to date!  And I think the gems added the perfect finishing touch ^_^

Hoping to write again soon...

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Charlies Nail Art Ambassador!

Hello!

I am proud and excited to let you know that I am now an Ambassador for Charlies Nail Art! Charlies is a UK site with a wide range of nail art goodies including decals, glitters, foils, stickers and wraps. Their prices are definitely on the bargain side. They ship worldwide but of course are especially great if you're British like me and want a speedy nail mail fix!

What does my being an ambassador mean? Basically it means you all get a 15% off discount code - GNAF15 - to use when you order. I will also be sent product samples to try out. This is in exchange for me spreading the good news of Charlies Nail Art via honest reviews of their nail art goodies, be it here on the blog or on my Instagram.

Why did I want to be an ambassador? I started out as a regular Charlies Nail Art customer and was always happy with my orders and proud to post the resulting manicures on Instagram. I also liked that I was supporting a UK site - I'm happy to shop worldwide but sometimes it's nice to shop "local"! A big plus is that I feel like I can be an ambassador and remain honest to you - Charlie's already told me that an honest review is good for her credibility, so that gives me a lot of confidence.

To start off with I've done a little collage of some of my Charlies Nail Art manicures, shown above! You can buy the products here:

Barbie Graffiti Water Decal Sheet - 99p - http://www.charliesnailart.co.uk/barbie-graffiti-nail-art-wrap-sheet/
Gold Nail Foil - 39p - http://www.charliesnailart.co.uk/metallic-nail-foil-in-11-colours/
Nail Wraps - from 89p - http://www.charliesnailart.co.uk/nail-wraps/
Silver Nail Studs - 89p - http://www.charliesnailart.co.uk/round-metal-nail-art-studs/

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Barry M ~ Frosted Cupcakes

Hello!

Barry M have released a new mini collection of nail polishes called Frosted Cupcakes! What ties them together is delicate colouring with flecks of shimmering glitter. Boots currently have a "2 for £6" deal on Barry M so I bought two shades to show you: Strawberries and Cream, and Earl Grey. My photos show two coats of polish with top coat in natural daylight.

I hope you can see the effect clearly enough! I love these polishes, especially the pale pink Strawberries and Cream. There are two other shades in the collection and I am tempted to go back and buy them!

With their "Frosted Cupcake" effect they remind me very much of the more expensive and much coveted Illamasqua Raindrops - do you agree?

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Christmas Manicures

Hello!

Happy Christmas Eve! I'm here with a selection of manicures I've done this festive season. As well as the photos, I've posted links to where you can get many of the products I used. Hope you enjoy them!

1. Christmas Tree Manicure

This mani uses the gorgeous green glitter Henley Regatta by Butter London - a TXMaxx find - topped with a Christmas tree nail charm for Charlies Nail Art.


2. Snowy Scene Manicure

These are water decals from Born Pretty Store! I loved the snowy trees.


3. Tartan Manicure

Another Charlies Nail Art find! I was especially happy with how these water decals applied and thought the tartan was perfect for Winter.


4. Christmas Glitter Manicure

This manicure is a mix of two glitters - Beyond Gorgeous by Madam Glam, topped with Keeper of the Grove by Femme Fatale. I think this makes for the ultimate Christmas glitter!


5. Metallic Knit Manicure

To give some edge to a Winter Knit manicure, I chose black and silver as my colours. The stamping plate is Fashionista 03 by MoYou London.


I hope you liked my manis, and have a great Christmas!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Born Pretty Water Decals ~ Florals and Fruits!

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

Hello!

Today I have two colourful sets of Born Pretty Store water decals to show you! One has florals matched with funky overlay patterns, and the other has both individual fruits and full fruit patterns.

As always with Born Pretty water decals, I was really pleased how these applied. You do cut them to shape yourself, but that means you can get a perfect fit and play around with the decals.

With sheet BPY32 I sampled both the plain and patterned florals to make my manicure:

http://www.bornprettystore.com/patternssheet-born-pretty-leaf-flower-nail-water-decals-transfer-sticker-bpy32-p-33972.html

With sheet BPY22 I took four of the individual fruits and placed them over pale matching colours for a Skittles manicure:

http://www.bornprettystore.com/sheetsset-born-pretty-fruit-pattern-nail-water-decals-transfer-sticker-bpy21-p-33964.html

As always you can get 10% off your Born Pretty order with my coupon code, CMBQ10

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Born Pretty Water Decals ~ Desserts!

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

Hello!

Last week I received a package from Born Pretty Store containing a mixture of review items and goodies I'd bought for myself, so I have had plenty of inspiration for my nails! Today's review shows off some super-cute water decals.

BPY28 is a water decal sheet with two different yet complementary patterns - one with cupcakes, and one with a variety of desserts like ice cream and doughnuts. They are adorable and versatile because, as well as applying them as a full-nail design like I have, you could also cut out the individual desserts and create your own mani ^_^

Here are the two designs, each applied over a white base:

http://www.bornprettystore.com/patternssheet-born-pretty-various-dessert-nail-water-decals-transfer-sticker-bpy28-p-33967.html

I really loved wearing these decals, especially the mixed dessert pattern. The sheet is on sale now so you can get both patterns for $0.99 total!

As always you can get 10% off your Born Pretty order with my coupon code, CMBQ10

Hugs,

Lisa xx

European Postcard Manicure

Hello!

Today I'm wearing water decals from Charlies Nail Art! They're a vintage postcard design of European landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I applied them over one coat of Barry M Cream Soda...

I am so so happy with them ^_^ They are just my style - and they were only 89p!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Black Metal Manicure

Hello!

I just placed an order with Moyou London to get 2 stamping plates I've been craving for a while now - Gothic 12 and Trend Hunter 01! This manicure uses the Gothic plate.

I used to be a goth and I still listen to some black metal music. One of my favourite songs is called The Hangman of Prague by Marduk, so I used some of the images on my new Moyou plate to create a look inspired by the song and which is also fitting for Halloween...

I love my Moyou plates so much!

Hugs,

Lisa xx

Smouldering Embers Manicure

Hello!

Both Halloween and Bonfire Night are coming up, and I had an idea for a glitter manicure to encompass the two. I call it smouldering embers!

My base polish was Black Tie by Jade, a sparkling opaque black jelly. I then sponged on a gradient of Love Letter by Ciaté, an orange-tinted pink glitter, using a normal washing up sponge. I used two coats of Sèche Vite to make the mani nice and glossy.

I hope the idea comes across!

Hugs,

Lisa xx