31DC: Red Base

For today's red base mani, I didn''t really have any ideas. I hadn't pre-prepared anything and I didn't have much time, so it needed to be something simple.

I decided to do a leopard print mani as I have only done leopard print once before.

I don't mind how these turned out. They're certainly nothing special, but they're OK!

To begin with I used two colours for the 'spots'. A nude colour in the centre and a dark brown around the outside, but I didn't like how they looked. So I painted over them again in the red, creating a sort of leopard-print-sandwich! Much better!

The polishes I used were Essence Do You Speak Love?, Maybelline Mudslide Tote and Revlon Tradewinds (For the spots underneath which can't really be seen!

Why  not look at the other entries to the challenge:

31DC: Water Spotting

Today's prompt is a new technique for me: waterspotting.
I have seen some beautiful outcomes from this technique, however I have also seen some serious fails! Hence why I have never attempted it before!

It took a long time and lots of trial and error but I eventually got a half reasonable result!

I used Ciaté Ferris Wheel as my base colour and Essence Let's Get Lost! for the waterspotting, as I know this polish works well for watermarbling.

In case you're interested, here's the story of my disaster:

I didn't have any spray alcohol gel, so after watching a few YouTube video's I started off trying to use hairspray. Massive mistake. The hairspray just seemed to instantly dry the polish and make it sink to the bottom. So I tried again. But there was hairspray residue left on my water, which the polish sat on top of. I took my toothpick and tried to remove the layer of hairspray, but it seemed to be never ending. Each time I took some out, more filled the gap!
I emptied the water out to get rid of the hairspray and started again. But somehow, there was still hairspray on the water! Several cups of water and many toothpicks later it appeared hairspray-free.
So, if hairspray doesn't work, how am I going to do this?
*Trawls Google for another hour*
Aha! Acetone.
I dropped my polish onto the water, it dried instantly and sunk to the bottom in a ball because my water was too cold having come straight from the tap. Doh.
After microwaving my water, I again dropped my polish onto the water, let it spread, dipped a brush in acetone, flicked it at the polish andd... nothing happened? The acetone seemed to evaporate in the second it took to move the brush from the bottle, to the polish. So I tried again. This time I held the acetone over the polish, so it dripped in as soon as I took the brush out. I ended up with a massive clear circle in the centre of a tiny ring of blue. Third time lucky? I dipped into the acetone, which was as close to the glass of water as I could possibly get and gently tapped the brush over the polish, creating little 'holes'. Success! At last!

Conclusion: Biggest hassle ever! Safe to say I never intend on water spotting again!!

12 Days of Christmas: Red and Green

I am a little late with this post, it was supposed to be yesterday but I found it really difficult to think of a design for the prompt 'Red and Green'.

This prompt is probably one of my worst nightmares!
1. I hate colour prompts. They are just so vague!
2. I don't like contrasting colours. I am all about matchy colours!

But this is what I came up with:

I know, its kind of cheating using each colour on different fingers, rather than integrating them, but by this point I was fed up! I already tried using the colours together, creating designs with red on top of the green watermarble, but they turned out horrendous! This was my 3rd attempt and I wasn't going to try again!!

For the red fingers I used Essence, Do You Speak Love?, Rimmel, Red Steady, Go! and Nails Inc. Hanover Square.

For the green nails I used Essence, Thats What I Mint!, Essence, Lets Get Lost! and Sinful Colours, Kissy.

I'm really happy with how the green turned out... not so much the red!

Check everyone else's (much better) mani's for this prompt:

An InLinkz Link-up

Watermarble Nail Art Tutorial

This week I have created some watermarble nail art. 

Over the past few weeks a lot of my non-nailie friends have been sharing pictures of watermarble nails on Facebook, so I thought I would create a tutorial to show them how to do it! :)

The polishes I used were Essence, That's What I Mint!, OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian and OPI Where Did Suzi's Man-Go?

Here is a pictorial. See below for step by step instructions to go with it!

1. First paint the nails you intend to watermarble onto in a light colour: white or nude are good options.

2. Now, gather together everything you will need. Water, polishes (open the lids), cocktail sticks, Vaseline, kitchen roll.

Some people recommend filtered water, however I just use tap water. I do let it sit for about an hour beforehand though, to ensure it is room temperature otherwise the polish will dry too quickly.

3. Cover your cuticles and the backs of your fingers in Vaseline. This makes cleaning up afterwards so much easier! Careful not to get it on your nails though.

4. Now you are ready to start. Drip your polish into the water and allow it to spread.

5. Working quickly add drops of your other chosen polishes into the centre.

6. Once you have plenty of polish in there take a cocktail stick and move the polish around to create a pattern.

7. When you are happy with the pattern you have created dip your fingers in, nails down and leave them in the water. Use a cocktail stick to gather up any leftover polish floating on the water, otherwise this will ruin your mani when you remove your fingers.

8. Take the fingers out of the water. Ta Da! You have a beautiful watermarble design. Don't be tempted to dry your fingers yet, allow them to air dry or you risk smudging your marble.

9. The excess polish on your fingers should wipe away easily with kitchen roll, because you used the Vaseline. More accurate clean up can be done around the cuticles with acetone and a small angled paintbrush.

10. Now all thats left to do is paint the rest of your nails and topcoat. I like to use one of the polishes I used for the marble, to keep it matchy!

I hope this has helped.

Try it yourself!

Disney Nails: Minnie Mouse

This weeks Llama Nails theme is Disney.
Disney is my all time favourite film genre!! I know, I'm sad!

 I have chosen to paint Minnie Mouse on my nails today. Though I have to admit I have another  Disney mani coming tomorrow!
I know she doesn't feature in many Disney films nowadays, but in the past she has been in lots!

I used Essence Do You Speak Love? for the ring finger, thumb and the dots, Ciaté Amazing Gracie for the middle and pinky fingers and an unnamed nude Revlon for the index finger, with details painted using Barry M Black.

I really like these. Themed, without being too much for a change!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Regal Roses

Today I have a mani I have been meaning to post for some time!
This is in fact the mani which was my most popular on Instagram last month, however I never got round to posting it on here, oops!

I used two coats of Essence Do You Speak Love? for the base colour. I then used Barry M Matte White and Ciaté Pillow Fight to paint the Roses before finishing off with the Essence Quick Dry Topcoat.

This is such an amazing topcoat. I have quite a few of the budget brand topcoats and this is by far my favourite. Doesn't smell too bad, goes on nice and smooth, dries quickly and it is super dooper shiny! 

Green Gradient

Today I have a very quick post to show you this simple green gradient I painted.

The colours look much closer in the pictures than in real life, making the gradient look more subtle.

I used two Essence polishes for this, That's What I Mint! and Lets Get Lost! 

I love how well the colours go together. 

If you want to try a gradient mani yourself, I have a tutorial HERE.

Back to School

Here is a very quick post today to show you my Back to School nail art, as I started teaching this week.

These are my first ever negative space nails! It's not really a technique I have ever been inclined to try, but I though I'd give it a shot!

I used Essence Do You Speak Love? as the main colour, Sinful Colors Savage for the leaf and brown acrylic paint for the stalk.