Saturday's Stars NOTD

Currently watching: Crazy Stupid Love 

Good morning girls!  Thank you for all your positive feedback on the design I featured in my previous post :-)  Today I have a design to show you featuring another one of my new Lm polishes, this time a darker and brighter shade, merely numbered 106:

 

These photos show two coats of LM 106 although, as we all know, purples are notoriously difficult to capture accurately on camera so what you're seeing here is not a true representation of the real shade.

 My next step was to use purple striping tape to section off the top of my nails and then I stamped a star on each nail using Bundle Monster BM05 and MUA shade 2.

Unfortunately I stamped my nails before they were fully dry so I ended up smudging the polish and had to rescue the manicure with a layer of Essence Night in Vegas.  I actually preferred the manicure without the flakie top coat; the striping tape was much more vibrant before.

What do you think girls?  Is the flakie top coat too much?

Bye for now,

Laura

Thursday's Talons: Fantasy Butterflies

Currently listening to: The Call by Backstreet Boys

Good morning girls!

Today I'd like to show you a manicure which was inspired by a beautiful design I saw on Mini Nail Blog:

 I didn't take pictures of the different stages but I plan to recreate this manicure on my own nails whenever I can and I'll take more photos then, if you're interested.

The polishes I used for the background were Kiko 255, H&M Fashionista, Saffron London 62 and 17 Midnight Sapphire.

My first step was to paint my nails using the magenta polish by Saffron London.  Once that was dry, I  sponged Midnight Sapphire on the bottom corner of each nail and Fashionista on the top corner.  I then realised Fashionista didn't really show up so I added a layer of Kiko 255 ;-)

I added the butterflies using Konad plate m36 and Barry M Silver Foil.

 

My final step was to add a coat of Essence Night in Vegas, my very first flakie!

What do you think girls?  Do you love this manicure as much as I do?!

Bye for now,

Laura

Tuesday's Talons

Currently watching: River City

Good morning lovely ladies,

I resorted to buying false nails to keep my blog going while my own nails grow.  I'm only wearing them for the purpose of this blog so I haven't made a big effort to get the right fit or file them nicely so please ignore the ill fit of these nails and just concentrate on the colour ;-)

The picture I showed you of my Amsterdam haul actually contained some polishes that my uncle bought me in Italy, which I received in Amsterdam.  The first one I tried was this pink shimmer polish from a brand I hadn't previously heard of, Lm.

Judging by the smell of this polish, and the type of polishes my uncle usually gets me, this isn't an expensive brand.  The colour is so pretty though.  It's not as pale in real life as it appears in this photo and the shimmer is definitely more obvious.

I then layered a coat of Essence Circus Confetti, one of the polishes I bought in Amsterdam, on the top.

Last month I was tempted to buy Models Own Ibiza Mix but I held off as I knew I'd be able to get Circus Confetti on my holiday, at half the price of Ibiza Mix.  It's not an exact dupe but all that matters is that I have a bottle full of colourful glitter :-)

Do you like these two new polishes girls?  Have you tried Lm polishes before?

Bye for now,

Laura

NOTD: When Tony Met Kiko

Currently listening to: The Sun by Maroon 5

 Good morning girls!

Did you miss me?  I missed you!  But I hope you enjoyed all the guest posts that were featured on my blog during the past few weeks.  Once again, thanks to all the lovely ladies who helped me out with them.

I came back from Amsterdam on Monday at midnight and went straight back to work on Tuesday so evenings have been spent catching up with your blogs, unpacking, and tidying my study room now that I can finally hide all my exam notes and textbooks in a cupboard.  Out of sight out of mind ;-)

I had thought that once I came back I'd get straight back into painting my nails and sharing my manicures with you.  Unfortunately, that hasn't gone to plan.  I cut my nails about a month ago because they were getting too long for me to use my calculator (!) and I couldn't risk failing my exams because of arithmetical errors.  Plus, I thought that while I was studying it would be better for me not to be distracted by nail polish.  And, as an added bonus, I also thought a few weeks without polish would help to improve the condition of my nails.  Wrong!  Without polish, they have just deteriorated, so much so that I had to cut them again a few days ago.  They're too short to paint now.  So I don't know what to do, in terms of this blog.  In the meantime, here's the manicure I wore for my flight to Amsterdam:

 

 

This manicure features two coats of Kiko 332, a deep Cadbury's chocolate shade of purple, and a coat of Tony Moly purple glitter.

 

The first time I wore this Tony Moly polish, I layered it over Barry M Berry Ice Cream, which you can see here, but this time I thought I'd try it over a darker shade.

I think the glitter polish does alter the colour of the Kiko polish slightly but I just love how vibrant the different colours of glitter are.

What do you think of this manicure girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Wordless Wednesday

My Amsterdam haul :-)

Tuesday's Talons: Denim Holo NOTD

Currently listening to: Happy Ending by Mika 

Good morning girls!

Today I'd like to show you how I modified Barry M Denim:

 

 I added a coat of Kleancolor Holo Chrome, a gorgeously dazzling blue holographic polish.

 I've only worn this a few times since purchasing it but it's a real gem.

 It's a strong enough polish to look great in the sun and in dull light too, where the holographic effect isn't noticeable.  I love the "gritty" texture holos appear to have when the special effects are hiding.

What do you think of this colour girls?  Do you own any Kleancolors?

Bye for now,

Laura

Monday's Manicure: Barry M Denim

Currently listening to: The Call by BackStreet Boys

Good morning lovely ladies!

Today I would like to show you Barry M Denim, a polish I know a lot of you have been eager to see swatches of since I first mentioned I had added it to my collection.

Application was like that of Teal, i.e. poor for Barry M but not a total disaster.

These photos show two coats of Denim although one may be sufficient.

 As for the colour itself, hmm....  I haven't made up my mind yet, partly because to me, this shade looks too dark to be normal denim so it reminds me of wet denim, or shiny denim jeans, which personally I don't like.  I think I would have found this polish easier to like if it had been given a different name to be honest!

 I'm going to have to try this polish again, perhaps with nail art, before I can say whether I like it or not.

In the meantime, I'd love to know what your initial impressions of this polish are girls.  Do you like it?  Do you already have it?  Are you planning to buy it?  Let me know!

Bye for now,
Laura

Guest Post: Jackie's Sponged NOTD

Good morning girls!

I really hope you have been enjoying all the guest posts up to now.  Today I have one prepared by Jackie from MeMa's Mani's for you.  Jackie always has beautifully stamped manicures in an array of colours and finishes; her sponging manicures are my personal favourites and today she's been kind enough to prepare one for us :-)

Hello All!!!  When Laura of Clothes, Cosmetics and Chat asked if I wanted to do a guest post I was, well...so honored!  I never thought that anyone would ever want me to do such a thing!!!  Thank you sooo much Laura for the opportunity!!


I LOVE to do sponge manis so that is what I have chosen for today :)


I started with a base coat of NYC City Sweets Pink, love this pink...yes, me that does not like pink!!

I use a more porous sponge for my manis, which is something that we used to use at work and were throwing away, so I thought why not try it!!  And I really like the look it gives!!  Two different shades of pink and a yellow were used for the sponging...

 

I chose the IP#40 from the new Mash set for the stamping using Konad Black...

The final product was lacking "something", so I freehanded a black French tip.  I liked the final product, hope you do too!!  Thank you again Laura :)

I love the final product Jackie, thank you so much for showing us this pretty manicure!  I'm so excited to try and create sponging manicures as good as yours :-)

What do you think of this girls?  Are you a fan of sponged manicures?  Be sure to let Jackie know when you visit her blog :-)

Bye for now,

Laura

Guest Post: Theodora's Mosaic NOTD!

Good morning girls!

Today I have a treat in store for you: a fabulous guest post by Theodora of Red Hair and Black Nail Polish fame :-)  Theodora has one of the best nail art blogs out there which is always full of creative and impressive designs, plus she's one of the friendliest girls in the blogosphere.  Let's see what she's going to show us today:

Hello, lovely readers!

First off, let me thank you, Laura, for letting me do a guest post for you!  It was a lot of fun creating this and I hope you'll like it ;)

So, for all the readers that don't know me, I'm Theodora from Red Hair and Black Nail Polish and I'll show you some Nail Art today!

I started with Catrice - The Devil Wears Red as a base, which is a gorgeous and kind of vampy color. ;P  It almost looks black, but it's a very dark red!  I used 2 coats for this, the formula is great and it applies very smoothly.

And as you can see, it's very glossy on it's own!

Then I wanted to add something to it and of course it had to be something with white, because otherwise there would be no contrast of colors at all.  I once saw kind of a mosaic pattern on Google, while I was searching for some inspiration, and I really liked how it looked.  So that's what I did on my nails in the end!

I painted some white on about half of my nail in a wavy line, let it dry and added spots in different shades of red polish with a toothpick.  You could also use a small dotting tool, just remember the spots shouldn't be perfectly round.  Just make some randomly shaped spots here and there :)  The reds I used are: Catrice The Devil Wears Red (dark), Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Brick Wall (medium) and Essence Back to the 50's (light).  After letting it dry a little bit I added a coat of TC to smooth it all out :)

It looks really interesting if you look at it from further away :)

Thanks again Laura, I hope you like this design!

Thank you all for reading! ♥

Wow, what a fantastic design,  I love it!  Thank you for showing us such a pretty and unique manicure!  As soon as I'm allowed to paint my nails again I shall try to recreate this :-)

I hope you all enjoyed seeing Theodora's nail art.  If you don't already follow Theodora, please visit her blog now and say hi :-)

Bye for now,

Laura

Guest Post: Meredith's Blue Finger Paints NOTD!

Hello ladies,

Today I'd like you to meet Meredith from Polish and Charms.  Meredith always has beautiful swatches to show of brands I could only dream of finding here in the UK and recently she's been creating some wonderful frankens.  Read on to find out which polish she has to show us today....

Hello Everyone!  I am Meredith from Polish and Charms!  I am taking over Clothes, Cosmetics and Chat today!  I have a wonderful polish to you today.  This is Finger Paints Late Night Rendez-Vous from their Summer in the City Collection.  This was the only polish from this collection that really seemed a little different to me.  They were on sale for $3.99, so I grabbed this one and a couple from their neon collection. 

 

 

I really like this polish!  It's so pretty and shiny!  I hope you enjoy!  Have a great day and thanks again Laura for letting me take over for a day!

Thanks Meredith, it looks like a great shade and really suits you :-)

What do you think of this shade girl?  Is Finger Paints a brand you're familiar with?  Be sure to let Meredith know what you think of her manicure!

Bye for now,

Laura

Monday's Manicure: Guest Post for Theodora!

Hi girls!

Today I have the honour of guest blogging for Theodora over at Red Hair and Black Nail Polish so please head over there to see today's manicure :-)

Bye for now,

Laura

Friday's Fingers: Tony Moly Purple Glitter NOTD

Currently listening to: Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5

Hi girls!

Today I'd like to show you the third and final polish from the Tony Moly set I ordered:

 

Purple is my favourite colour so I was really excited to try this one.

 

 My first step was to apply two coats of Barry M Berry Ice Cream then I applied a coat of purple glitter.

 Out of the three polishes, this one is the most colourful.  The other two polishes tend to contain three colours of glitter whereas this one has at least six: green, pink, gold, blue, red and silver.

What can I say about this polish girls?  I absolutely love it.  I am so pleased I bought this set.  I actually mattified this manicure and thought that looked fabulous (I love mattified glitter) but unfortunately my computer deleted this pictures so I will have to wait until I do this manicure again to show you how it looks with a matte topcoat.

What do you think of this manicure girls?  And which of the Tony Moly glitter polishes is your favourite?

Bye for now,
Laura

Guest Post: Marianne's Manhattan Stamped NOTD!

Good morning dear readers!

Today I have a fabulous guest post for you from the wonderful Marianne at Rainbowify Me.  Marianne always has great swatches of brands I've never heard of before and often adds pretty glitters and nail art to her manicures.  Let's see which polish she's going to reveal to us today!

Manhattan ~ 45N
Berry red packed with shimmer

When Laura asked me if I was interested in writing a guest post, I didn't hesitate to say yes.  In fact, I was super excited to be given the opportunity.  It is indeed my very first guest post, and I must say that I'm extremely happy to be writing it here on Laura's blog.

Anyway - the big question was:  What to do?

I decided to go for a polish that you don't see everywhere around the net.  I chose a Manhattan product with the number 45N.  It's a berry red polish packed with shimmer, and it's opaque in one coat.  I gave it two coats to be sure to show this polish from its best side, but one would easily have been enough.  I'm not wearing a top coat in the pic:

Manhattan is a German brand, and I bought this polish on vacation in Berlin.  If you ever get the chance to get your hands on some Manhattan polishes, you definitely should.  They're cheap, they're great quality and they come in a big range of colours!

Those of you who happen to read my blog know that I can never just leave a mani like that.  I wanted to stamp on it!

I chose a flower design from an Essence plate (they don't have numbers for some reason) and stamped one white flower and one silver flower on each nail.  The thumbs had two white flowers and one silver. :)  I used Konad's white stamping polish and Essence "Stamp me! Silver" stampy polish.

Here's what that looked like, all sealed up with a layer of Poshé top coat:

After that I found an iridescent glitter from Jesse's Girl called "Opal Glitter" and gave the whole thing a layer of that, just to shine it up a bit more!

 

So, what do you think?  I'm quite pleased with it myself.

Once again I want to thank Laura for this opportunity to write a guest post for her blog.  It's a real honour!! ;)

  Thank you Marianne!  I really enjoyed your first guest post and I'm sure everyone else did too  :-)  Your floral design is so pretty and I love the extra sparkle you added!

What did you think of Marianne's manicure girls?  Be sure to let her know when you visit her blog!

Bye for now,

Laura

Guest Post: Vanessa's Shabby Chic NOTD!

Good morning lovely ladies,

As you may be aware, I am very busy studying for exams just now, which take place 11th - 13th June.  The day after I finish, I'm going on holiday to Amsterdam, so at least I have something to look forward to, but that means I haven't, and won't have, much time for nail art or blogging for a while.  Luckily I've been able to call on some fellow bloggers to help me out and give you some pretty manicures to look at during my absence (plus I have prepared a few of my own posts as well) so I'm not abandoning you completely!

Today I'd like to introduce my first guest blogger, Vanessa from Nail Stories.  Vanessa's manicures are beautiful and I often wish I had the skills to recreate them myself.  Let's see how she's decorated her nails for us today:

Hi Clothes, Cosmetics and Chat followers!  I'm Vanessa from Nail Stories and today I'm guest posting for Laura whilst she is extremely busy studying for her exams!  Good luck in your exams Laura!!!

I've been following Laura's blog for a little over a year now and as you all know, Laura's manis are always very feminine yet sophisticated.  Thus the reason I decided to do this mani.  I used Essie Navigate Her as a base colour because it always looks very  "shabby chic" to me, especially when paired with some stripes and roses.  I used a small nail art brush to draw both the stripes and detail the roses.

 

I hope you guys enjoyed my mani as much as I did executing it, and a big thank you to Laura for having me!

Thank you for your kind words and for showing us this gorgeous design Vanessa!  I definitely need to work on my freehanding skills so I can recreate this manicure for myself!

What do you think of Vanessa's manicure girls?  Do you love it as much as I do?  If so, be sure to let her know and don't forget to visit her blog if you aren't already a follower!

Bye for now,

Laura

Giveaway Winner Announcement

 Hi girls,

Thank you to everyone who entered Clothes, Cosmetics and Chat's second blogiversary giveway :-)  I'm sure you're all anxious to know who the winner is........

 

And I can now reveal to you that the winner is Sandra from My World.  Congratulations Sandra!  Your prize will be on its way to you shortly :-)

Bye for now,

Laura