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 am SO excited about this post! Having seen the truly gorgeous water marbled nails out there, I've wanted to be able to do this for so long. I've tried multiple times previously, and just ended up with a huge gloopy mess of revoltingness. I'd given up. Then today I found this wonderful post at Lacquerish, and I felt all inspired to try again. In particular, she pointed out some common errors, most of which I'd been doing! I tried again, and hey presto!
I started with a base of Barry M Coconut, and then got to work. I used Mushroom, and 3 Gellys - Paprika, Cocoa and Lychee - to get this look.
While is hasn't come out perfectly (there are a couple of bubbles, and I caught my little finger nail with the tip of the cocktail stick), I'm thrilled with how this came out. It worked exactly as the tutorials say it should! Like magic!
My cleanup on this isn't the best, but I'm not hugely bothered, as I'm so chuffed with my results. The bits round the edges will neaten up after I've washed my hands and used hand cream a few times, and had a night's sleep, so they'll be looking better tomorrow morning.
On the cleanup note - I do NOT recommend PVA basecoat as a shield on your fingers! I did most of my fingers using a good dollop of handcream as a barrier to stop mess, and it worked well. Then I wondered about PVA peel off glitter basecoat and tried that on the last couple. Oh dear oh dear! Not a good plan. Very messy. I suppose it's because it's water-based, so doesn't go well with dipping in water!
Another happy thing about today - the sun was out! And it was out long enough to take some photos outside! It's starting to just about feel as though spring might be on the way one day!
Today's nails are an autumnal colour combination, using more She Sells Seashells chevron stencils.
The orange nails are two coats of Essence Flashy Pumpkin, with a stud from the Born Pretty Store added as an accent.
The other nails are a base of two coats of Models Own Coconut Cream, and then the stencils used with Barry M Cocoa.
I love these stencils - they're so easy to use, and so much better than sellotape, as they're that bit stronger, and less sticky.
Today I have some gorgeous water decals from the Born Pretty Store to show you! I am in LOVE with these decals, they're just so pretty!
These are item # 14777 on the Born Pretty Store (click here for details) and cost $2.86, which is a total bargain! As you can see, there are lots of different lines of lace patterns, in a bright yellow and a hot pink. I've worn these decals every day for the last week, in three different looks.
This was my first look - Barry M Sugar Apple (a lovely green from the new range of Gelly colours) with decals across the tips. I wasn't thrilled with how the yellow looked over the green in the end, and wished I'd used all pink, but I still like the look.
Sugar Apple is a lovely colour - it's very similar to China Glaze For Audrey actually, possibly a very tiny shade brighter.
This was the second look I wore - this is Models Own Sun Hat (the neon pink) and Models Own Bikini (the neon yellow) with more pink decals.
I loved Sun Hat and Bikini! They're such cheerful colours, and the decals just set them off really well. I added a rhinestone too, just for good measure.
And just look what the polishes do under UV light! You may notice that my middle finger nail isn't quite right, and you'd be right. It's not mine - my tear (see the teabag repair post the other day) ripped right off, so I had to use a false nail. I hate it!
Then this was my final look. This is Models Own Coconut Cream, one of the scented range. I can't say it smells of coconut, I think it smells of sunscreen! For me, it's a really nostalgic smell, as it vividly reminds me of the ski sunscreen I used the first time I went skiing, back in the mid 1980s! Anyway, it's a good colour - this is two coats, and it's a nice, even, opaque finish with lots of gloss.
I added the decals over the tips. I got one a bit wonky, oops! It doesn't look too obvious in real life.
I really love the range of decals in the Born Pretty Store. The range is huge, and always expanding - they add new ones all the time. There's something for everyone there; whether you want classy, elegant, cute, funny, bright, dark, floral, stripy... As always, you can get 10% off any order using my discount code - just enter AKJ61 at the checkout.
These decals were provided for review purposes. See my Disclaimer section for more details.
