Orange Criss-Cross Glitter Gradient

Today's nails are a bit of an all-in kitchen sink mani! I started with no overall plan in mind, I just added bits and made it up as I went along!

I started with two coats of Barry M Full Throttle. This is a really pretty peachy orange colour, but it's a streaky, awkward formula, which I always forget. Still, it's a good colour. 

I then taped off a couple of nails with a grid of striping tape, and sponged a gradient of Full Throttle and Barry M Satsuma.  I decided to add some glitter for good measure, and used China Glaze Electrify, which is packed full of gold and red glitter. I sponged this over the tips, with the odd dab further down the nail.

I loved how the quilted nails looked, but it took a while to do, and was quite fiddly, so I did something different with the other two, and used striping tape, Satsuma and Electrify to add some blocks of colour. The Satsuma looked quite overpowering on its own, so I then added the tiny studs. 

I'm so pleased with how these look! And they were a total happy accident, which makes them even better.

 

Barry M Matte, Vanilla - and a 2true Glitter Gradient

This is another of my weekend purchases, one of the Barry M Matte collection. I chose Vanilla, a beigey neutral polish.

This is two coats of Vanilla, no topcoat.  The first coat is a little streaky, but the second evens that out and dries smooth and even.  The finish is almost a satin matte, there is a nice soft sheen to this which I love.  I think it looks really pretty.

I wore this all day at work and thought it looked quite elegant and smart. It also wore well, and would easily have been fine to leave on for another day or two.  However, I decided to jazz it up by throwing some glitter at it, and I chose 2true Elle (which I blogged about previously here) and sponged it on the tips.

I love how these two go together! They're both nicely subtle, so I've got blingy, sparkly tips that are also understated - at least, I think so!

I love how versatile Elle is - without topcoat as you see here, it's quite a subtle, dusty pink, with a rough texture that I think goes perfectly with the matte base.  With topcoat it becomes much more vibrant in colour, and the sparkle really goes wild.

I haven't topcoated this yet, I'm still enjoying how it looks matte. I am toying between keeping this for work tomorrow, or adding a smooth shine...

2true Pro - Naomi, and a Purple-Silver Glitter Gradient

Tonight I have a third of the 2true Pro Sequins range for you - this is Naomi, the purple one.

This is two coats of Naomi, with topcoat.

Naomi is a gorgeous lilac-purple glitter. It has the same excellent quality as the previous two (Elle and Christy) but with this stunning purple colour. Without topcoat it's a slightly paler lilac than you can see here, but topcoat not only makes it super glossy, it also slightly darkens the shade of purple as well.

Isn't this gorgeous?  I loved it so much that I decided to add some of the silver glitter, Christy. 

(Urgh, I wish my scratches would hurry up and heal!)

I sponged this on the tips of my nails, and then added more topcoat.

The Sequins range is really good, in my opinion! These sell in Superdrug for £4, and as well as the three I've tried, there is also a blue and a gold. I think I definitely have to go and buy the gold one, being such a fan of gold and these being so good.

These polishes were provided for honest review. See my disclaimer for more information.

Pink-Purple Gradient with Glitter

It's been COLD for ages here! I'm so fed up of snow and cold and having a million layers of clothes on. At least the sun has been out recently though!  Today I've got a quick gradient to show you.  I had been wearing China Glaze Pink-ie Promise, and quickly jazzed it up with a sponged gradient of Barry M Bright Purple.  

However, this didn't look as neat as I wanted, so I covered the worst of the mess with Barry M Lavender Glitter. 

I've also been experimenting with watermarking.  I never bothered to do it when I first started blogging, initially because I didn't know about it, then because I didn't know how, and then because it never occurred to me that anyone would want to post my photos anywhere else... and also because I'm lazy.  What do you think? Is it essential? Worthwhile? A waste of time? And am I doing it wrong? 

Glitter Gradient - Barry M Rose Quartz

Yesterday I wore China Glaze Escaping Reality (blogged here) and today the sun's out, so I wanted to add some glitter.

I made a glitter gradient using Barry M's Rose Quartz Glitter. To do this I dabbed a bit of glitter on the bottom of each nail, then dragged it and spread it around a bit with a makeup sponge. 

Rose Quartz is a mix of tiny pink glitter and larger pink hex glitter in a clear base. The tiny glitter - or perhaps some of it? - is holo too, so it's ridiculously sparkly in the right light.

This is the first time I tried a glitter gradient (or any gradient come to that) and I think it turned out ok! What do you reckon?