Sunday's Stamping: First Time Houndstooth

Currently listening to:  Friendly Fire by Tyler James

Good morning girls,

Today's manicure was inspired by a photo posted on Instagram by victory_nails.

 I started by painting my nails with a variety of polishes: a Color Club white, Essence Cherry Juice and Barry M Silver Foil (which I then covered with Essence Disco Disco and Barry M Diamond Glitter).

 I then stamped houndstooth on my ring finger and thumb using MUA Shade 2 and Bundle Monster BM 322.

 I'm not sure whether I even like houndstooth but I liked the overall look of this design and thought I could get away with wearing it to the office ;-)

What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Friday's Fingers: Lilac Sorbet Confetti

Currently listening to: This Is How a Heart Breaks by Rob Thomas

Good morning ladies,

Another glitter manicure for you today, something bright and spring-like to end the week.

This is Accessorize Lilac Sorbet topped with L'Oreal Confetti.

 As much as I like Confetti, it is difficult to control the glitter distribution and achieve an ever coverage, as evidence by the abundance of black glitter on my middle finger!  I don't think it detracts from the prettiness of the manicure though and a colleague actually complimented me on my nails when I wore this to work so that was nice.

What do you think girls?  If you own this polish do you find it hard to control as well?

Bye for now,

Laura

Mid-week Manicure: Stamped Hearts on Glitter

Currently listening to: Anymore Is by Enya

Good morning ladies,

On Monday I showed you Essence Oh My Glitter topped with Models Own Boogie Nights.

I thought it would be nice to add some nail art so first I stamped a heart image using Dior Graphic Berry and Bundle Monster plate BM 317.

 To bring more attention to the hearts I decided to stamp the same pattern again, this time using Barry M Silver Foil.

 I've done a similar thing in the past with pink shades and it's a design I really like, especially as it's so simple to create.

What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Monday's Manicure: Oh My Glitter Boogie Nights

Currently watching: Top Gear

Good morning ladies,

Sticking with the glitter theme, today's manicure is purple based.

I started with Essence Oh My Glitter, a pretty purple with red, bronze, purple and blue shimmer running through it.

 I then added Models Own Boogie Nights.

 This is a clear polish featuring assorted colours, shapes and sizes of glitter.

 It was fairly easy to get an even distribution of glitter on each nail and most of it lay flat, apart from a few troublesome metallic shards ;-)

What do you think girls?

Friday's Fingers: Essie Meets Models Own

Currently watching: This Boy's Life

Good morning ladies,

Today's manicure is simple but it features glitter so that must be good.

I started with Essie Bobbing for Baubles, a grey-toned navy polish which looks amazingly glossy in these photos.

 I then sponged Models Own Ibiza Mix on to the base of my nails.

 If ever I apply glitter to only part of my nails, it's usually the tips so this was a bit different for me and I really liked it.

 I think Ibiza Mix was released in summer 2012.  I saw it reduced a few weeks ago so I decided to get it, thinking it was similar to L'Oreal Sequin Explosion which I've had my eye on ;-)

What do you think girls?

Bye for now.

Laura

Mid-week Manicure: Kiko Stamped with Essence Flowers

Currently listening to: The Fall by Bo Bruce

Hello ladies,

Today's manicure is one I'm really proud of and absolutely loved wearing but of course it was really difficult to photograph.  Isn't that always the way?

I started with a base of Kiko 254, a very pretty magenta pink full of shimmer which I've only worn a couple of times since buying it several years ago.  I will definitely be wearing this more often in the future now that I've been reminded how special it is.

 I then stamped a full nail image using Barry M Silver Foil and Bundle Monster plate BM 310.  This is one of my favourite images to use for double stamping.  I love how crisp the image stamps.

 To finish, I used Essence Free Hugs to stamp the flower pattern on Bundle Monster plate BM 224, another of my favourite images.  I was surprised how clearly this stamped for a pastel shade.

 This made me think of cherry blossom, which I absolutely love, and I'm sure I'll be reproducing this manicure in the months to come.

What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Monday's Manicure: Color Club Makes My Nails Pop

Currently listening to: Only If by Enya

Good morning ladies,

Today's manicure is bright and almost spring-like as we make our way ever closer to that season.

I used three colours for my base: Color Club Harp On It, a silver holographic shade, a white no-name Color Club shade and Nail Pop It's Mint, the bluest shade of "mint" I've ever seen.

Using a design akin to those I've seen on various blogs and Instagram pictures I then painted dots on three nails.

I even managed to capture the holographic effect when the sun was kind enough to shine.

What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Friday's Fingers: Nails Inc Mayfair with Multicolour Glitter

Currently listening to: Let Me Go by Gary Barlow

Hello ladies,

Today's manicure is very simple but full of colour.

I started with Nails Inc Mayfair as my base, a pearly cream shade which I didn't photograph on its own as it does not suit my skin tone and I didn't make it fully opaque as I knew I would be covering it.

 I then added a layer of Innis Free glitter shade 121, a grey-toned white polish full of multicoloured glitter.

 I ordered this polish from a Korean website a couple of years ago but I think this may be the first time I've worn it.  I really love it, I just wonder how it would look over other colours aside from white.

 What do you think girls?  How long does it take you to try a new polish?

Bye for now,

Laura

Mid-week Manicure: MUA with NYC Lights Camera Glitter

Currently watching: Mind the Gap

Good morning girls,

A while ago I cut my nails as they were just getting too long and I was experiencing a few peels.  This was my first manicure with short nails.

This is MUA shade 5, a green polish that I loved so much that I bought a back up.  That was the only time I have ever bought a back up.

If I bought this polish now I definitely wouldn't buy a back up.  I think nowadays I try to buy shades I can get more use out of ie work appropriate.

 I added NYC Lights Camera Glitter to the tips of my nails, a clear polish full of blue, purple and silver glitter.

 What do you think girls?  Do you regularly buy back ups?

Bye for now,

Laura

Monday's Manicure: Nails Inc Loves Paris

Currently watching: Top Gear

Good morning girls,

Today's manicure is a tribute to Paris, a city I love.

My base is Nails Inc Elizabeth Street, a very pale pink, which I then covered with a layer of Essence Night in Vegas.

 I stamped my accent nail with a black polish and MoYou London plate Tourist Collection 07.

 I then stamped my other nails with 17 Knockout Red and MoYou London Pro Collection 09.  Unfortunately the polish wasn't dry when I stamped so my pinkie nail smudged quite badly.  In other words, don't look too closely ;-)

 What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura