Polka dot scallops with Barry M Denim!

Hallo! How is everyone? I hope you're all okay. I'm super happy today because I finished my dissertation! HOORAY!!!!

For these nails I used Barry M - Denim as a base. It's a super duper beautiful shimmery navy and I loveeee it. The formula is excellent too. I freehanded some scallop shapes (which my friend said looked like boob! >.<) using Orly - Old School Orange, 17 - Woo Me, China Glaze - Gaga For Green, Models Own - Pink Blush and Hot Looks Collection 2000 - Lemon Soda. Then I did some polka dots with China Glaze - White on White. I kind of love it :) 

My pictures are a bit poop. I don't know why. I only realised after I'd taken these off so apologies. :)

What do you think? I loveeee them

Thanks for looking

Aimee x

Purple Fairy Crumpet Spring Challenge Day 23 - Spring Stripes!

Evening lovely ladies! I hope all you British ladies are enjoying the sunshine! It's sooo beautiful here, I've been able to pull out my lovely summer dresses! Hooray! 

Today's Spring Challenge was Spring Stripes! 

I've wanted to do this mani for ages and it didn't translate onto that nail like I saw it in my head. It looks kind of retro which I think is cool, but it's not really my style. :) I used Zoya Cho from the Zoya True Collection which is a super beautiful yellow/peachy toned beige with a really pretty hidden shimmer which you can JUST ABOUT see in the photos. I really love it. I have quite a pale yellowy skin tone so it's just the right colour for me .

The stripes didn't go as neat as I'd like. BOOO. I use sticky labels because then you can just peel the shapes you've cut out before you need them, but I was a bit careless with this because my boyfriend was hassling me to play Space Crusaders O.o

I used - For the Base:

Zoya - Cho 

Stripes from thumb to little finger:

China Glaze - Dance Baby

Orly - Frisky

Accessorize - Ultra Violet

Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Hip Hop

Chick Nails - Gavie Green

Please check out these other lovely bloggers!

Fancy Phalanges

Gnarly Gnails

Only Always Soccermom

Purple Fairy Dust

Nail Newbie

Angelina's Nails and More

MeMa's Manis

Pish Posh & Polish

The Crumpet

Geeky Owl

Of Knit and Nails

Bee Polished

Fanning the Fumes

Color Splash Nails

Okay Now Joy

Manicurity

Confessions of a Nail Polish Junkie

Obsessive Compulsive Nail Painting Disorder

Happy Nails

The Girl with the Rainbow Hands

No Junk Nail

Munia's Nails
Nail Polish is my Crack
Polish me Lovely

Thanks for reading!

Aimee x

Neon Pink Leopard and OPI Ds Sapphire - oohhh!

Hello!

You might notice I've changed my blog around a bit. Do you like it? I've been wrestling with it for like.. TWO DAYS! Me and HTML do not get along, so I ended up having to use a template to stop my columns overlapping. Very annoying! Anyway - onto the nails!

For these I used:

Sally Hansen - No Chip Base Coat
China Glaze - Purple Panic
Orly - Ancient Jade
OPI - DS Sapphire
A-england - Excalibur (for the stamping) 
Seche Vite

Holo-deliciousness!

I tried out some swatches of DS Sapphire over some different blue/greens. From left to right - DS Sapphire on it's own (ooh), DS Sapphire over Orly Ancient Jade (ahhh), DS sapphire over Collection 2000 Hot Looks Blue Hawaii, DS Sapphire over Collection 2000 Hot Looks Show off and finally, DS Sapphire over Orly Lunar Eclipse (eeehhh). I went with Ancient Jade because it made it slightly green, but how amazing is it over EVERYTHING? You can just see a smidge of OPI Fresh Frog Of Bel Air in the picture. I can't wait to use that one!

Thanks for reading, I hope you're having a great day!

Aimee.

Hot Looks skittles gradient with stamping!

Hi there. These pictures are really wierd. It's so dark and grey outside, there's no light at all, and all the pictures I took looked super dark and horrible, so I've been experimenting. Please forgive the strangness. I WILL get to grips with my camera one day! I liked my gradient experiment so much that I decided to do a full gradient skittle manicure WITH glitter AND stamping! Phew!




This is the best natural light I could get. Come back sun! We miss you!

For these I used:
Miss Sporty Base Coat
Barry M - Matt White.
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Siren
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Lemon Soda
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - BMX Bandit
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Fruit Loop
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Mint Mojo
E.L.F - Twinkle
Konad Special Stamping Polish - Black
Bundle Monster Plate No. 10

These Hot Looks polishes are actually pretty good quality for the price (£1.99 each!) but as you can see, Seche Vite didn't like it all that much and it has shrunk a little, which is especially evident at the tips. I think this is kind of cute and spring-ish (which might be a little optimistic!). I wish I'd maybe used a lighter blue. These nails didn't last long because my new a-england polishes arrived this morning and I simply MUST use them! I cannot wait! Have you tried a-England? They are AMAZING!

Aimee.

Snowflakes and Glitter!!!

So after putting my Christmas decorations up today I was inspired to do some mega Christmassy nails. I used:
Barry M - Matt White
Chine Glaze - Ruby Pumps
Miss Sporty - Unnamed Purple/lilac
China Glaze - For Audrey
China Glaze - Lorelei's Tiara
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Fruit Loop
Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Fruit Salad
Beauty UK - Black

I used a tiny brush and dotting tools for the stars, snowflakes, dots and the reindeer, and some little rhinestone hearts from ebay on the ring fingers.

I think my photos are getting better! I could do with some protips though! Maybe I will ask Father Christmas for photoshop. In the meantime, does anyone know of a free editing alternative?

Aimee

Dots, Stripes and 80's Hearts!

Hello!
I opened my first advent calendar door last night! HOORAY! It's getting exciting! My four year old is super excited about Christmas this year. It's the first year he's REALLY understood what's going on and that makes it a million times more exciting. Here he is dressed as a star for his Christmas play:

So for these nails I used Barry M - Matt White as a base on the heart nails, and Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Bubblegum on the pointer and the ring finer. Then on the thumb, middle finger and little finger I used China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy, Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Parma Violet, China Glaze - For Audrey and China Glaze - Tuned Up Turquoise. I drew the hearts with a teeny tiny brush, and used a dotting tool for the dots. I wasn't sure about the colours at first; they're not as 'pretty' as I would normally like, but they've kind of grown on me - they remind me of an 80's music video - maybe something by Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, or Mel and Kim! All I need now is some curly shoelaces, some cycling shorts and a really big T-shirt and I shall be the very spirit of the 80's!

For the pointer and ring finger I layered over the pink with a coat of E.L.F - Twinkle and then when that was dry, I used sticky labels cut into thin strips to create the stripes. A lot of people use scotch tape for stripes, but I always found that even over a really dry coat of Seche Vite scotch tape still has a tendency to pull the polish off, so I use sticky labels - like the ones found in stationary shops. I find them easier because you can cut everything you need out before you start and then just keep them on the backing paper until you're ready to use them. Putting polish over them softens up the sticky too, so they don't pull off any of the underneath polish when you remove them. I used some nail stickers I got from ebay on the stripes and topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite. I kind of like them! What do you think?

I hope you're having a good advent! Is it too early to crack out the mince pies and mulled wine? Thanks for reading! :)

Christmas present nails!

Hello! It's the first of December tomorrow! Happy Advent!

I did these the other day and I didn't want to take them off because they looked so pretty, like all different Christmas presents. I am SO in love with China Glaze - Twinkle Lights which I used for the ring fingers. It needs about three coats to look evening but oh my goodness once it's on it's so very glittery. It is the veritable spirit of Christmas. I am REALLY excited about Christmas already. I'm in a band and each year we join forces with another band we know to become a SUPER AWESOME CHRISTMAS BAND! We do sort of.. folky Christmas songs. I'm very excited about it!



So here they are:

The thumb is China Glaze - Ruby Pumps which is so, so beautiful. I have this on my toes and I layered over China Glaze - Love Marylin. It looks amaze, but I don't really want to post pictures of my feet, so you'll have to trust me :) I added little butterfly sticker that I got really cheap on ebay.

For the stripes and the little fingers I used China Glaze - Tuned Up Turquoise, Barry M - Matt White and Collection 200 Hot Looks - Parma Violets. I used some striping tape I got from Ebay on the little fingers. This stuff is pretty, but a big pain. It doesn't stay on too well and was peeling off after a day, even with two coats of Seche Vite on top. For the middle finger I used a Miss Sporty silver foil and dotted with ruby pumps, parma violets and tuned up turquoise. It makes me feel all festive inside!

Thanks for looking!