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

Saturday's Stamping: Miss Fancy Berry NOTD

Currently listening to: Toucher l'Instant by Grand Corps Malade

Good morning ladies,

Last week I showed you a swatch of Essie Miss Fancy Pants.  After admiring my plain nails for a day, I decided to add some stamping.

When I looked at my nail polish collection I saw so many colours which I thought would look good over Essie Miss Fancy Pants but several of my initial attempts didn't show up so I eventually settled for Dior Graphic Berry.

 The plate I stamped with was Bundle Monster BM314.

 I usually use this design horizontally on my nails but this time I chose to use it vertically after being inspired by a photo on Instagram.

 Once I saw the final result, I kind of wished I hadn't bothered with the stamping.  I don't know whether it was the pattern or the colour combination but I didn't feel this manicure was a success.

What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Thursday's Talons: Mystic Bows NOTD

Currently listening to: The Sun by Maroon 5

Hello ladies,

Today's post will be short and sweet as this manicure is so simple it needs few words.

 

My base coat is Mystic Mauve by Models Own, one of my favourite polishes.

 I then stamped a bow on each nail using Born Pretty Store plate m59 and Dior Graphic Berry.  This polish stamps so well, it's brilliant.

 Et voila, nothing more to add!

Bye for now,

Laura

Saturday's Stamping: Multi Coloured Stamping NOTD

Currently watching: Strictly Come Dancing

Good morning girls,

Today I'd like to show you my first attempt at multi coloured stamping, as the title of the post suggests ;-)

 

I started by painting my nails with two coats of Essence Enchanted Princess.

 I then stamped a full nail image using Bundle Monster plate BM310, Yes Love 477 and Dior Graphic Berry.

 Next, I layered a coat of Barry M Pink Iridescent over the stamping.

 I then stamped two pink butterflies on each nail using Bundle Monster plate BM05 and Konad Special Pink Polish.  For the finishing touch I added some Saffron glitter to the tips.

What do you think girls?  Have you experimented with multi coloured stamping?

Bye for now,

Laura

Tuesday's Talons: Party Princess Sees Stars NOTD

Currently listening to: Hunter by Dido

Hello ladies,

I have another glitter manicure to show you today, as if yesterday's wasn't enough ;-)

 

This one features two coats of Essence Party Princess, which I applied over a coat of Essence Sweet As Candy, a pale pink jelly.

Party Princess is also a jelly so next time I think I will wear it over a darker pink as I don't like being able to see my tips like you can here.

I then stamped stars on each nail using Dior Graphic Berry and Bundle Monster plate BM 05.

What do you think girls?

Bye for now,

Laura

Monday's Manicure ft Graphic Berry NOTD

Currently listening to: Right Here by Heyhihello

 Hello ladies!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and are ready to face the week ahead :-)

My manicure to start the week is a copy from Kelsie's Nail Files.  Kelsie used Barry M Raspberry as her base colour but as I don't have that, I chose to use Graphic Berry by Dior as I thought it was the closest shade to Raspberry I have.

I always think this polish is really difficult to photograph but at least you can see how glossy it is.

 My stamping was done with Barry M Gold Foil (what else) and Bundle Monster plate BM 315.

 Like a lot of people, I think, this wasn't an image I was excited about when I received the new Bundle Monster set but after seeing it featured on other blogs I instantly warmed to it.

My only complaint with my stamping here is that I think it would have looked better if I had altered the position of the design on each nail, to make it look more like a pattern.  Not to worry though, there's always next time.

What do you think girls?  Have you used this design?

Bye for now,
Laura

Thursday's Talons

Currently watching: One Tree Hill

Good morning lovely readers!

Here is my last (probably) Valentine's-themed manicure, featuring Dior Graphic Berry and Barry M Silver Foil.

I bought the Barry M polish at the weekend specifically for stamping. The Miss Sporty one I'm used to using is good but it can occasionally cause me a little trouble. Plus, it's almost empty.

For my stamping I used my ever faithful Red Angel RA110 plate and Mash m56.

As you can see, stamping my tips was difficult. The quality of my image plate isn't the best. I'm sure the original Konad version of this stamp is much better.

If I'd been inclined, I'm sure I could have improved the hearts along my tips using a small nail brush easily enough but the gaps don't bother me too much.

Do you like this one? Do you ever touch up your stamping?

Bye for now,
Laura

Sunday's Stamping NOTD

Currently listening to: Joshua Radin

Good morning girls!

Sorry for the lack of posts last week, this week will be better! Here's what I'm wearing on my nails today:

The base is Graphic Berry by Dior

The butterflies weere stamped with Accessorize Magical Mocha

and I used plate 36 by Konad

Despite being impressed with Sally Hansen's Insta-Dry top coat in terms of drying time, its lasting power is ridiculously short; chips being to appear within 24 hours of applying the top coat.

Of course I'm going to stick with this top coat until I reach the end of the polish but does anyone have any recommendations for a fast-drying top coat which also lasts well??

Bye for now,
Laura

NOTD Dior Graphic Berry

Currently watching: Arctic with Bruce Parry

Good evening gals,

Today I'm going to show you the first of my two new designer polishes, Graphic Berry by Dior.

This is a difficult shade to capture on camera as it changes quite dramatically depending on the light. At times it is deep pink, at others blood red, and sometimes dark plum. In essence, it's what I wanted Nails Inc Saville Row to be.

Application was lovely. The design of the brush is unique to me although perhaps other brands have the same style. The mast of the handle, between the brush and the handle cap, is flat instead of tubular, and the brush is nail-shaped. I've never seen a brush like that before. Of course I tried to take pictures of it for you but my camera just didn't want to play.

Drying time was unremarkable, except for the fact that I was able to paint my nails at 8pm, go to bed at 11pm and not wake up the following morning with duvet lines and smudge marks. That made me happy.

Durability was where this polish fell short of expectations. It chipped quite badly before a day's wear and was seriously damaged by the end of the second day. That's with a topcoat. I read reviews of Dior polishes and discovered that lots of consumers have experienced the same problem which is a real shame as ultimately it is a very nice polish indeed.

What do you think of this shade? Have you tried any Dior polishes?

Bye for now,

Laura

High End Nails

Currently watching: Top Gear

Good afternoon ladies,

Happy New Year to you all :-) Let's hope 2011 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for us all.

My boyfriend and I were apart for Christmas but we were reunited on Friday. Here's the lovely gift I was given:

That's right, designer nail polish!

Graphic Berry by Dior and Pink Moon by Yves Saint Laurent

Swatches coming soon!

Bye for now,
Laura