Today's nails are some autumnal dots, using several different polishes.
I started with a base of two coats of Barry M Butterscotch Sundae. I then used dotting tools to add curved rows of dots using Barry M Cocoa, Chilli, Mustard and Twinkle Twinkle, and OPI DS Luxurious.
I topcoated over everything for extra shine and longevity. I wore these to work for a couple of days, and really liked how they looked.
I was so excited to be asked to review the June Nailbox! I've seen so many of these subscription boxes around for everything from dog toys to makeup to sweets, and only fairly recently heard about Nailbox. I'd heard good things, so I jumped at the chance.
Nailbox is a subscription service where for £13.50 a month, you get a box with
three or four different nail polishes, and one or two nail care or nail art items. These include lots of big brands like OPI, China Glaze, MoYou London, Nails Inc and many others. I was skeptical at first - I have so much nail varnish already, surely I would get a duplicate or colours that are similar to what I already have?
The June 2016 box is themed around Festival Fever, and contains 4 polishes and some nail art tape.
OPI Is Mai Tai Crooked - usually costs at least £9
Bourjois Turquoise Block - usually costs around £5.99
Rimmel Cheeky Chap - usually costs around £2.99
Essie Jazzy Jubilant - usually costs around £7.99
Elegant Touch Metalllic Nail Art Tape - usually costs around £4
So I calculate the value of the box at around £30, which is obviously lots more than the £13.50 the box costs! In fact in some shops, you couldn't buy one bottle of OPI for that amount.
It was also a big plus in that there were no duplicates in my collection, and the OPI and the Essie weren't even similar to any polishes I own. The nail art tape is gorgeous! There are five long strips each of 6 different colours. I use striping tape from time to time, and not as often as I'd like, because I generally find the rolls really fiddly to use. I love the idea of having nice short strips all ready for you to peel off the card! Plus, look at that third one down! It's copper, but it's full of rainbows in the light!
So, what did I do with the contents? I decided to try two different looks. First up is a floral design. I started with a base of the Rimmel, which is a one coater that applies nicely and dries to a matte finish. Then I freehanded some leaves with the Bourjois, and flowers with the OPI. I found that the green didn't really contrast with the blue enough to show clearly in the photos, but it was more obvious in real life. I sponged a bit of the glitter from the Essie into the flower centres and topcoated everything. I wore these nails for two days.
My thoughts about the polishes after making this first design was that the Rimmel was really nice, and I really really like the peachy orange of the OPI. I didn't feel I used enough of the Essie or the Bourjois to really comment.
Next up I wanted to swatch all the colours individually. I made a skittle across all my nails, and then used the tape to make a rays design on two of my nails.
The green swatched beautifully - it applies really well and is another one coater. The OPI is a gorgeous colour, but is a bit thinner and streakier than the other two, and needed two coats. I preferred to topcoat the Rimmel one, as I wasn't crazy about the matte finish.
I did the ray design freehand and then added the tape to cover any wobbles on the joins. I topcoated over everything just in case the tape wasn't sticky enough (I think it was though) and because I want to wear these for a couple of days.
Overall, I'm massively impressed! I'm trying really hard to spend less at the moment, but I am so tempted to sign up. The August box is called "Into the Sunset", which sounds gorgeous. It's my birthday in early September, so maybe I need to treat myself!
You can check out Nailbox on their website here.
This box was provided by Nailbox for my honest review. See my Disclaimer for more details.
I've posted before about how much I love the Crucible Theatre (see here for my previous nails) and I was there on Thursday night for Artistic Director Daniel Evans' leaving do, so I decided it was the perfect time to redo my Crucible nails.
I love the Crucible so much! It's my far my favourite theatre ever, and I go often (although not often enough for my liking!)
These are just a straightforward chevron skittle. I used nail vinyls from What's Up Nails to make these. The base colours are Barry M Blue Grape, Essence Flashy Pumpkin, Barry M Blood Orange, Illamasqua Prosperity and Barry M Key Lime. The black top colour is OPI 4 In the Morning.
I'm happy with how these came out. They're much tidier than my previous effort, and the colours are clearer.
Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently - I've been off and about jumping up and down at Springsteen concerts. It's been far too long since I got the chance!
This tour is based around the 35th anniversary River boxset that Bruce released last year, and the album sleeve of the original River album is what I used as (very loose) inspiration for my nails.
I decided to use the colour scheme, and my favourite MoYou London stamping plate (Rockstar 01). I started with a base of OPI 4 In the Morning, and then stamped using the guitar designs and Konad White. I then painted over the white with OPI Turquoise Aesthetic, from the Color Paints collection, to get the teal-blue colour. I then freehanded the plaid thumbnail using a base of Barry M Coconut and Chai, and OPI 4 In the Morning.
The plaid came out a bit rough round the edges, but somehow that seems appropriate for Bruce...
I wouldn't normally take blog photos in the evening sunlight like this, but again, it seemed appropriate for Bruce. There's something about that evening light around sunset that just goes perfectly with a Bruce show...
You can see my previous Springsteen nails here.
I fell in love with the MoYou London Steampunk plates, and bought two of them. However, I'm not quite sure what to do with them!
Today I used a couple of metallic autumnal shades and the XL plate 01, with a few tiny studs. I'm not convinced by the whole look. It's nice, but it doesn't blow me away.
I used OPI's Germanicure by OPI and China Glaze Harvest Moon. I stamped using my very precious and diminishing Barry M Gold Foil. The studs are stuck down with topcoat.
I really like the clock design on my thumb! The gold isn't a high contrast with the China Glaze polish, so in hindsight I'd have used black to stamp on those nails.
I was in the mood for a different sort of post this weekend, so today I'm going to share my favourite nail and hand care products with you.
These are my favourite and most-used items for keeping my nails clean, strong and in decent condition most of the time. Sometimes my nails break, or my cuticles look dry anyway, but that's usually because I've either neglected them, or because I've done something stupid like trying to prise things open with my nails!
My number 1 most essential, CANNOT live without nail care product, by a country mile, is OPI Nail Envy. I go through gallons of the stuff! I use it as base coat for every mani, and I paint it under my nails whenever they're long enough. I paint it on the free edges of my nails, I paint it on the sides of my nails. If my nails are feeling particularly delicate, I use two coats. I buy mine on Amazon, where it's usually half the price of places like Boots. I always keep empties too, because they're useful for putting stuff in, like homemade peel-off basecoats, or spare acetone for cleanup.
The rest of my essentials, in no particular order are:
HAND CREAM! I'm currently using this lovely Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, which was a gift. It's pricy though, so I don't buy it for myself! Any hand cream is better than no hand cream at all, and I have some everywhere - on my nail desk, next to my bed, in the bathroom, in my handbag, in the car, in my desk drawer at work... I can't get enough. This Clarins one is gorgeous though, really nice and soft and non-greasy.
Next up is cuticle oil. This is my favourite, China Glaze Peppermint Cuticle Oil, in a mini bottle. This stuff smells AMAZING - it's like Christmas! The brush is stiff, and I like to cover my nails top and bottom, and rub it in and let it soak in, every couple of weeks or so. I also use it on my cuticles only (just a dab) after most manis, just to soften and get rid of any dry bits.
Another cuticle product I really like is Sally Hansen Cuticle Rehab. I use this less often, as it's really greasy and takes ages before nails are ready for nail polish again, but it's a really good product for very dry cuticles. The brush is soft, and the product squeezes out at the base of the brush, and is sort of an oily gel consistency.
Next up is a nail brush. I've always used a nail brush almost daily, and in the past used a cheapy traditional one. I've recently switched to a BruzZ though, and I'm a total convert! See my earlier review here.
Another of my essentials is a glass nail file. My first one was a gift, but I managed to break it (don't drop your glass nail files on concrete!) and I replaced it with a Leighton Denny one, which I'm sorry to say I hated. I didn't like the texture of it, and the blunt, rounded end was a pain to use. My current one is (I think) a Mont Bleu, which I bought on Amazon.
I love the way this one feels - it's so smooth and gentle, but really effective at shortening and smoothing nails, and the pointy end means it's easy to get in to the sides of your nail if you need to (and you can use it to clean under your nail too). The crystals are so pretty, and the file is pretty much everlasting, unless your concrete floor comes into play!
Last of all, I use a basic, traditional cheapy pair of nail clippers. I don't regularly use them to cut my actual nails (only if I have to drastically shorten all of them at once) but I do use them to clip off ragged corners, or those tiny bits of hard cuticles or hangnails at the sides of my nails. The pointy bit it also really useful for cleaning under the nail, for pushing back cuticles, and for helping to peel off latex protector layers round my fingers.
If I sound like an advert in places here, I really don't mean to! I'm not being paid or sponsored or anything else for mentioning these products - I just really really like them. Most of them are things that I have used and loved for years.
What about you? Do you like these products? Is there something else you love and want to recommend?
Just a quick post today to show you what I was wearing at the weekend. This is a base of the OPI Color Paints and stamping with silver over the top.
I started with a base of OPI Silver Canvas, and then used a coat of Pen & Pink. I then stamped over that with silver (I was going to use Silver Canvas, as it does stamp, but I only have a mini and I don't want to waste it! Instead I used Barry M Silver Foil.) The stamping plate was the MoYou London Pro XL 06. I really love this plate, and use it a lot as there are so many good designs on it.
I really like how this came out. It's so shiny and bright and pretty! What do you think? I love it when you comment!
This morning, Emma from Em's Little Corner spotted this gorgeous mani by PiggieLuv and shared it with me because she knew I'd got the OPI Color Paints recently.... and wow! What a fantastic design! I knew I had to have a go at doing my own version.
I did mine a bit differently, as I didn't want to paint white over the top of glitter and end up with it lumpy, and certainly didn't trust myself to do neat lines freehand. Instead, I started with a base of white (Barry M Cotton) and use curved tip guides to tape off the central section of the nails.
Then I painted a silver glitter over the curved central section. This is 2true Sequins Christy, which is a lovely dense one-coater but with small particles which won't overlap the tape too much.
I topcoated over the silver to make it smoother (Christy has a rough finish to it), and then used the Color Paints to paint my rainbow. I removed the tape, added more topcoat, and there you go.
It's not as fantastic as PiggieLuv's, but I'm pretty damn chuffed with this! The Color Paints look fab over glitter, and I love the contrast of white and the colours. I included this blurry photo because it shows how glossy and juicy these colours are!
What do you think?
Following on from yesterday's big post about the OPI Color Paints (click here if you missed it!) here are two more quick looks I did this morning while I was experimenting with them.
This is my first attempt at leadlighting. It's not the tidiest, but I do love the effect! I started with a base of Silver Canvas, then stamped using Laqa & Co Black Gloss and MoYou London Holy Shapes XL 04. Then I used a fine paintbrush to add the Color Paints in the spaces.
This gradient look was done with a white base. I then added a stripe of Color Paints down each side of the nail (yellow and pink, and yellow and turquoise) which I then dragged sideways using the polish brush. Where the yellow and turquoise meet, they make green. Where the yellow and pink meet, they make orange. I love this effect!
Ever since I first saw the press release for these, aaaaages ago, I have wanted the OPI Color Paints polishes! They're described as "blendable nail lacquer" colours that can be combined for all sorts of artistic effects. Officially, these aren't on sale in the UK until July 1st, and will only be available in Selfridges. However, they are available on Amazon from lots of different sellers. I bought a set of the minis, as I couldn't decide on what colours I wanted, and didn't want to spend a fortune buying several and then be disappointed.
This set has Silver Canvas, the 'undercoat' polish, and then 5 of the 8 colours: Primarily Yellow, Chromatic Orange, Pen & Pink, Purple Perspective, and Turquoise Aesthetic.
How sheer are they?
They're sheer, but very pigmented, so they're nowhere near as sheer as polishes like the Sheer Tints. Depending on the colour, some are more sheer than others. They are beautiful, glossy and pigmented jellies.
Here are, left to right, Primarily Yellow, Chromatic Orange, Pen & Pink, and Purple Perspective with one coat each.
Here they are with two coats each.The yellow is obviously more sheer than the others. The purple in particular is almost opaque. But I love how juicy and glossy they all are!
Do I need the silver base?
Well, it's going to be up to you. You probably don't need this specific silver base. Do you need a silver base? No, but it does do something different to the polishes.
Here is Turquoise Aesthetic left to right over the silver base, no base, and a white base. As you can see, the polish is less streaky over the silver base, and the colour pops much more. On its own, you have the sheer effect and less colour-pop, and over white you get the colour-pop but have some streakiness. Which you prefer is going to be a matter of personal taste.
How does the silver compare to other silvers?
Left to right, I used Models Own Chrome Silver, Barry M Silver Foil, OPI Silver Canvas, and OPI Push and Shove. These are all one coat, except the Models Own, which is two.
The Models Own Chrome Silver is good for stamping, but I find it hard to use as a polish on its own as it is quite thin, and drags a bit on application, so ends up streaky unless you're really careful. As you can see, it's a bit uneven in application. The Barry M Silver Foil is excellent for stamping, but nothing special to wear on its own. Silver Canvas is nice and even. OPI Push and Shove is really nice as a shiny chrome, and is definitely shinier than the others here. I found the two OPIs very similar in application, although Push and Shove is more of a mirror-shine. Silver Canvas is really nice to apply, and isn't nearly as brush-strokey as many metallic polishes are. If you already have a silver chrome/metallic that you like, then you probably don't need Silver Canvas too.
I tried the Color Paints over all the silvers. As you can see, they're much of a muchness, so if you already have a silver you like, I wouldn't buy another just to use with the Color Paints.
How do they compare to the OPI Sheer Tints?
Very well! I was really excited when the OPI Sheer Tints came out, but they were so disappointing. Formula was gloopy and thick, and the colour was far more sheer than I'd hoped for. The Color Paints are what I hoped the Sheer Tints would be.
Here I've compared Purple Perspective and Don't Violet Me Down from the Sheer Tints range. Left to right is one coat of Don't Violet Me Down over silver and on its own, then Purple Perspective over silver and on its own. This is typical of the difference - the Sheer Tints are very pale, just a hint of colour, where the Color Paints are very pigmented. The formula of the Sheer Tints is also really difficult to work with as it's so thick and sticky. The Color Paints have a much better formula - it's much less thick, and not at all gloopy. It seems strange to me that the formula can be so much thicker on the Sheer Tints, and yet the colour less visible, but I suppose that was what they were going for. Anyway, Color Paints beat Sheer Tints hands down for me.
Do they water marble?
Yes. I struggled to get the mini bottles to drip well, which meant that the colours dried more quickly than I could work with, but the actual spread is really good, and they look really zingy.
Left is over silver, right is over white. I think my issue was only because the mini bottles are so small that you need to be careful with the brush, so the dripping takes longer and leaves time for the polish to dry on the surface of the water. With full size bottles, I think this would be fine.
Do they stain?
Generally, no. But you probably need to be very careful with Turquoise Aesthetic!
Can you stamp with them?
No. But you can stamp with black over a base, and then use them for leadlighting. This is my next mani plan for these - I'll add a link here when I've tried this!
What can you do with them?
Lots of things! Here are two designs I did.
This ruffian design uses the Silver Canvas base. I then painted on Chromatic Orange and Purple Perspective on alternate nails. I also added a stripe of another colour over the original - Primarily Yellow over the orange (which doesn't show) and Pen & Pink over the purple (which does!).
I wore these for a day, and loved how glowy they were.
My second design was this freehand flower art, which I did using all the colours and a fine paintbrush. I don't have the green one, so I used yellow and turquoise together.
I love how this looks!
It really glows in the evening sunshine!
What's the formula like?
It's good. Even and smooth, and not too thick and gloopy like the Sheer Tints, but not so runny that it floods the cuticles. Application is nice and easy, and drying time is normal.
Overall, I LOVE this collection. I am definitely going to buy the red one in a full size, although I'm not sure I need the darker blue or the green. I may well also buy some of these mini colours in the full size, although I need to wait til after pay day!
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