Polka Dots

I found the inspiration for these on Pintrest here.  It looks like the original place it came from has been lost and I can't find it :(  but I wanted to show where my inspiration is from!

I used Essie Nice is Nice and China Glaze White on White :).  I used a hair pin for the dots.  

Hope you like this design!

Summer Chevrons

These are similar to the triangle tips I did before.  But with summer colour because summer is here (sort of!).  I used striping tape to mark off the lines and white striping tape over the coral tips.  It's not as neat as I would have liked it to be but I still like it.  Only problem is that the striping tape peels off easily :(

Julie

Black and White Dots

This is a black and white version of the coloured dots I did a few weeks ago.  I have to say I like the pastel colours better but these are fun as well!

What do you think?

Julie

Bow French Manicure

I did these a while ago but didn't have the best picture of them.  So here they are all pictured out :) complete with a little bambi!  I used:

China Glaze - White on White

George - Base coat

Black Acrylic Paint

Cocktail Stick

Manicure guides

Matte Topcoat

1. First I painted two coats of the base coat (because my nails are REALLY stained!)
2. Next I used the manicure guides to paint white on the tips
3. Once this was dry I did another coat of the base coat
4. Next I used the acrylic paint and cocktail stick to paint on the bows and lines :) (My tiny paintbrush got damaged so a cocktail stick is the next best thing i had!)
5. Then a clear topcoat over that
6. And finally a matte topcoat over it all (I LOVE matte french manicures!)

Julie 

Water Marble Nails

Max Factor - Intense Plum

China Glaze - White on White

Topcoat

Small Bowl

Room Temperature Water

Cocktail sticks

Cotton buds

Tape

I have wanted to do these for ages but always read stories where people failed and it didn't turn out good at all which put me off, but I had some spare time yesterday to do these! Here is how I did them:

1. Put room temperature water in the small bowl
2. Have your polish open at the ready as well as all of the things in the list above
3. Tape up the skin around your nails to avoid SO MUCH clean up after.
4. Now drop a colour of polish into the bowl and it should spread over the top of the water
5. Next drop another colour and it will do the same
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 about 3 times till you have a number of coloured rings
7. Next use your cocktail stick to swirl a pattern into the polish 
8. Now place your nail face down above the design and slowly lower your finger into the water (you can do this 2 nails at a time to save time!)
9. Leave for 3 seconds and get your cotton bud and swirl it about the water while leaving your finger(s) in the water to pick up all the excess polish!
10. And thats it! Repeat with all nails and finish with a topcoat! And clean up around your nails :P

This was so simple for me! I added a few dots around the design after.  In all it took about 20 minutes to do my whole hand :) it's not as hard as it looks at all!  I will upload a video tutorial soon when I try it out again!

Julie

White Dotted Tips

Finally I got round to having some spare time to do my nails last week :)  just getting round to posting them a week later !

These are similar to the dotted green tips I did ages ago but black and white! Here is how I did them:

China Glaze - White on White

China Glaze - Trousseau

Max Factor - Onyx

Topcoat

Toothpick

French manicure stickers

1. Paint your nails all over with a natural nail coloured base (except your ring finger)
2. Use the french manicure stickers as a guide to paint the white onto the tips (you might need two coats of this but make sure the stickers come off before the polish dries)
3. Paint your ring fingers white
4. Once dry use the black polish and a cocktail stick to place neat dots on the white
5. Topcoat and your done!

Hope you like these!

Julie

Dotty!

My second post today!  Im off ill from college with a horrible fluey cold :( . So in-between doing college work I have been playing about with my nails! :) Here is a soft polkadot design!

China Glaze - White on white

George - Sherbet Fizz

George - Smarty Pants

Colour Trend - Iced Pink

Kirby Grip

1. I first painted my nails all over with china glaze white on white with 3 coats.
2. Once they were dry I dotted one colour at a time over all my nails :)
3. I sealed with a topcoat and finished with a matte coat!

Let me know what you think!

Striped White

China Glaze - White on White

George - Witchcraft

Max Factor - Onyx

Topcoat

Tape

I painted my nails all white then got bored with it haha so I painted a grey stripe using tape and then a black stripe using tape for perfect lines! :) What do you think?

OPI - Don't Touch my Tutu swatch

Here is my swatch from the New York City Ballet collection of Don't Touch my Tutu!  It goes on so easily.  It is a sheer nail polish.  To get it to the colour in the picture above it took  5 coats.  But it is so worth it, I am not a fan of bright white full nails but this adds such a nice subtle white colour to your nails.  My favourite colour in the New York City Ballet collection so far!

White Glitter Mani

OPI - Don't touch my tutu

OPI - Pirouette my whistle

Marks and Spencer - White

George - Matt Finisher


Here is a matte white glitter manicure.  I used 4 coats of don't touch my tutu and 1 coat of pirouette my whistle, then using manicure stickers I painted my white tips and finished with  matte topcoat.


This is my first time using this OPI glitter polish and I love it.  It is so sparkly and full of glitter!  


I hope you like this mani!  

Spring Time

Here are some spring inspired nails I did this week.  I used:

Missguided Nail Polish - missChievous

Barry M - Yellow

Marks and Spencer - White Tip

I just used a kirby grip for a dotting tool for the flowers.  I really like it :) very springy!

Matte Sparkle French Manicure

George - Base Coat

George - Jackpot

George - Matte Finisher

Marks and Spencer - White Tip

French Manicure Stickers

I bought 3 new nail polishes today, again all 3 by george from asda.  All 3 only £1.75 each.  Bargain if you don't have much change to spare.  Also picked up french manicure strips while I was in also for 99p.  So much easier than fiddling about trying to cut tape into perfect curved strips!

Here I used 2 of my new polishes named Base Coat (a nice natural colour) and Jackpot (a delicate silver glitter polish).  I applied 2 coats of the Base Coat to my nails.  I used my new manicure strips to separate the tips, painted them with white polish pulled off the strips and left to dry.  I applied another coat of the Base Coat and left to dry.  Next I put on a coat of Jackpot and left to dry.  Finally I put a coat of the matt finisher on finish.  I have never tried a matt french manicure or a glittery one but I think it turned out really nice and natural especially with the matt finish.  The glitter is so subtle with the one coat, I really like it.

Has anyone else had any experience with any of the george nail polishes? Let me know what you think of them?  Let me know what you think of these nails :)

White Tipped

George - Smarty Pants

Barry M - White

George - Matt Finisher

Topcoat

Tape

Silver Tinsel

I first painted my nails all over the smarty pants colour.  When that was dry I taped of a diagonal line for the white to go.  Once the white was dry I put a topcoat on and used tinsel cut to the size of my nails to separate the two colours.  Another topcoat once it was dry and finally a matt topcoat.  

Circus Nails

George - Smarty Pants

Barry M - White

Tape

Excuse the messy bits around my nails! First I painted my nails all over with smarty pants, then once that was dry I cut out thin and thicker strips of tape and put them on the nails I wanted the designs on.  I painted white polish over that and peeled the tape off before it dried.  Circus nails!

Candy Nails

George - Sherbert Fizz

Barry M - White

George - Matt Finisher

Tape

I first painted my nails the sherbert fizz pink and waited to dry before cutting tape into small long triangles and putting them on the nails I wanted the design on.  Covered those nails with white nail varnish and peeled off the tape before it dried.  Finished with a matt topcoat.

Excuse the mess around my nails haha.

Quick Easter Nails

These were just silly cute nails I did and managed to smudge straight after this webcam picture was taken so they had to come off :( 


I mixed my purple and yellow nail varnish with white nail varnish to get the lilacy and pale yellows :)


Here is the video I got the idea from:

Gradient Ombre Pinks

Max Factor - Disco Pink

Barry M - White

Topcoat

George Manicure - Matt Finisher

Cocktail Stick

I was just playing about with this, I didn't think this would actually turn out keepable!  I only have one shade of pink so I painted my thumb the original pink.  Then on a sheet of paper I mixed the white and pink together to make a lighter shade and that went on my index finger, added more white for the third finger and so on.  After that had dried I used the cocktail stick and the white to dot lots at the top and less as I came away from the tip.  I think it looks quite like snow :) I was going for an easter look, but seeing as it is snowing outside as I type this it is quite fitting!  I sealed with a topcoat and waited a few hours to dry completely before doing any washing or physical things with my hands.  The dots took ages to dry.  Next day I put on matt finisher and there you go!

ASDA Matt Finish

I love matt finishes but I cant afford to spend £10 on a nail varnish.  In asda I noticed a matt finisher by george.  For £1.75! So I bought it and it works great! I wish I had taken a before picture to show how it works. But here it is after I applied the matt:

It applies really well and easily.  I got two other george nail polishes today so when this chips off I will post those colours!

French Manicure with Bows 2

French Manicure with Bows 2

Colour Trend - Iced Pink

Barry M - White

Black Acrylic Paint

Tape

Small Paint Brush

Cocktail Stick

Topcoat

This is the second bow french manicure I did.  I love french manicures, they just always go with anything and make nails look neat.  I used a shimmery pink and a white nail varnish to create the classic french manicure and used tape cut into a curve to keep a nice neat line. After this was dry I used black acrylic paint and a small paint brush to draw a black line between the two colours and painted a small bow like above.  I then used a cocktail stick to place a small dot in between each bow.  Then used a topcoat to seal.

Purple Polka Dot Tips

Purple Polka Dot Tips

Max Factor Nailfinity - Boja

Max Factor Nailfinity - Onyx

Barry M - White

Topcoat

Kirby Grip

Tape

I nailed this look by first painting my nails a dull purple and waited for it to dry.  I used tape to make a diagonal tip, then i painted a thin white line along the edge of the tape.  I waited for this to dry completely and put another piece of tape just a little bit above the bottom line to make sure it was completely straight and perfect, I then painted the rest of the tip black so when I pulled off the tape I was left with my nails in picture one.  I really liked this effect but I really wanted to go for cute polka dots so I put a little of my white polish on a piece of foil and used my kirby grip to place even spots on the black tips.  Finish with a top coat.

http://polishartaddiction.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/teal-polka-dots.html  Here is where I originally saw the idea :)

I will try and take more pictures of the process I go through to do my nails :)