New Flower Wave // Pastel Art Synth Wave Design

I did this one earlier this year but I've only just got round to posting it now. If you couldn't tell, I think my obsession this year was line art and over-stamping.

I'm all for these simple looks that look like they belong in a museum or something. This one was quite simple to do. I started off with 1 layer of Mystery In Milan. Then, on a silicone mat I placed a large blob of Mystery In Milan and dotted Soho Square and Waterloo Place into it. I "smooshed" it together on the mat with a stamper and then applied it to the nail. I used stamping designs from Artist 29 in Blanc My Mind followed by the same stamps but offset slightly in Black Knight. I topped it all off with some smudge proof top coat.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

Cuccio Colour // Mystery In Milan (off-white)

Nails Inc // Soho Square (peach/pink), Waterloo Place (bubblegum pink)

Stamping:

What's Up Beauty // Blanc My Mind (white)

MoYou London // Black Knight (black), Artist 29 Plate

Top:

MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

Neon Halloween // Neon Orange & Black Pumpkin Carving Design

A super quick halloween look! Not spooky in the slightest but perfect for nights out when you have about 20 minutes to do your nails.

This involved 2 coats of Paradise City followed by the designs stamped with Neither Noir with a matte top coat on top. And that's it!

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

- Cuccio Colour // Paradise City (orange)

Stamping:

- What's Up Nails // Neither Noir (black)

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Match That Mani // Strange Bird Cleanser

This look came about when I was in the shower one day and using my favourite cleanser. I've always loved the design on the bottle and have been wanting to do a matching look for a while.

I didn't want an all white base for this look and finally settled on Cuccio - Mystery in Milan however as I started painting I could smell the tell tale sign of formaldehyde. I managed to peel back the little on sticker on the bottom and yep, it's barely even 1 free. The shade isn't even that old. It's a shame as I like the shade and it doesn't have the black specks in it that all new Cuccio shades have but I hate the smell.

Anyway, this was a super quick look to do. Just 2 coats of Mystery in Milan followed by some lines in Cantaloupe first, then some more detailed stamps in Ghosted. I topped it off with a smudge proof top coat. 

I then added a matte top coat as I can never decide between matte or glossy. 

I'm glad I went with an off-white base though as I think the pure white would of slightly ruined the look. This way it also looks like a chic fall look as well.

Polishes & Tools:

Base:

- Cuccio // Mystery In Milan (off white)

Stamping:

- H&M // Cantaloupe (orange)

- Twinkled T // Smokey (dark grey)

- MoYou London // Artist 29 Plate

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Christmas Peppermint Candy // Red & White Pinwheel Nails

Doesn't this just scream Christmas! I knew the moment I got Chakra that this is the look I should do with it; it's just taken me 4 years to get round to it.

This was a real simple one to do but make sure you where a couple layers of basecoat because Chakra stains!

I did 3 layers of Chakra (it's kind of jelly shade so it builds up beautifully). Applied a layer of top coat. Then applied the stamp with Blanc My Mind and added a layer of smudge proof top coat. Then sealed it in with another layer of top coat.

It's mesmerising!

Polishes/Tools used:

- Cuccio Colour // Chakra (red shimmer)

- What's Up Nails // Blanc My Mind (white)

- Barry M // Wet Set Quick Dry Top Coat

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Princess 12

Cuccio Pro Cotton Candy Sorbet Gel Kit // Mini USB Lamp & Treatment Kit Review

In May, I picked this kit up from Nail Polish Direct as the entire set was £34.95 (not including the regular polish) and I thought that was a pretty good deal for an entire gel kit with a lamp. Most kits don't include a gel top coat which is super annoying but this one has a base and top and then two others called fuse and prep.

I also love candyfloss and thought this was the cutest shade. I was going to get the entire collection, however all the shades are so similar to the new Barry M Gelly shades (that I bought the previous month) so I decided to leave it and just get the one shade I wanted the most.

Mini USB Gel Lamp
RRP £19.99

This is cute but I'm thinking I could've bought it cheaper on eBay. It is literally just a Chinese made LED lamp with 6 lights with a Cuccio sticker stuck on the top; it looks and feels really cheap. The Cuccio sticker is slightly touching the start button as well. Also the legs are super flimsy. Every time you move it one falls in. This has clearly just been bought in bulk from China and then Cuccio hiked the price up and stuck their own labels on them. I'm not impressed given that it's £20. Here are some identical lamps I found on eBay:

It doesn't even work that well and takes a good 4 minutes to even slightly cure gel polish. I feel cheated.

Cotton Candy Sorbet // Lilac Pink Creme
Collection: Rainbow Sorbet
Release Date: May 2020

Regular - £3.95
Coats: 2

For some reason, my bottle seems to have little black specks in it? This is not advertised as having bits in it and other swatches I've seen seem to be a regular creme so I think I got a bad one. It also wasn't the best application; the formula is thick and gloopy. I think I'm just spoilt by Barry M's self-leveling ability at this point. It's a nice enough shade but I was underwhelmed.

Gel - £7.95
Coats: 2

The matching gel shade is ever so slightly darker and less pink but it doesn't have black flecks in it. The scent is also surprisingly tame for gel. I put one thin layer on a plastic swatch stick and it was still wiping off after 2 minutes under the lamp. I eventually stopped at 4 minutes and then wiped off the top with a lint free wipe and some gel cleanser and there was some polish on wipe. It didn't feel hard or lasting. I used the recommended prep, fuse and base on the swatch stick (I don't wear gel on my normal nails...that's far too much commitment for me 😂) and I wasn't impressed. It was not as good as the DND gel polishes I have. I use these gel shades on my friends who like to have gel manicures but I would not buy anymore Cuccio gel polishes for this purpose.

// Verdict

Underwhelmed. At £35 I should've just bought some more Daisy DND duo's. My £3 eBay lamp is far superior (it can fit your entire hand and has automatic sensors). Save your money.

The Summer Classic // French Manicure with Gold Leaves Nail Art Design

When I did the french manicure I just couldn't resist adding more detail to it and took inspiration from this Blusher and Bronzer palette I bought from Essence. I'm going to eventually do a match that mani of the pattern because I love it.

This involved some really simple double stamping with the first layer in Pink Clay and then adding the gold. I really need to start doing MoYou London polish swatches though because they are, for the most part, trash. They just never pick up properly.

Polishes/Tools used:-

- OPI Infinite Shine // Brightening Primer

- H&M // Bleached Peach (sheer nude), All Clear (top coat)

- Cuccio // Mystery In Milan

- MoYou London Stamping Polish // Pink Clay (dark pink)

- Twinkled T // Liquid Gold (gold)

- MoYou London Stamping Plates // Tropical 23, Tropical 28 

The Classic // French Manicure Design

Today I woke up and decided I wanted to some nice, clean, classic nails. I've never actually done a french manicure but I've been trying out new techniques (I've ordered some polygel as well) since I decided to become a part-time nail technician. 

This is my first attempt at a French Manicure. I started off with a layer of my favourite base coat; the OPI Infinite Shine Brightening Primer. Not only does it dry slightly sticky so polishes adhere to it well but it gives your nails a slight lavender shine as well.

I then applied 2 layers of H&M Bleached Peach, which is a super sheer light nude. This is perfect for giving your nails a uniform base shade as it's sheer but never streaky. With these two, you could go ahead and do negative space designs without worrying about slightly stained naked nails peeking through.

For the tip I didn't want to use a super white shade and instead went for Mystery In Milan by Cuccio which is an off-white. I applied it using a fine striper brush from Mitty. This was actually easier than I expected.  I do need some practice though as the lines are a little wonky (and uneven). I like how much more natural this looks though than if I'd stamped on the white tip. I then added a top coat and I'm going to have to do something else with this H&M top coat because it's ridiculous; it takes forever to dry and when it finally does; the nail design is still soft and prone to dents. It's really awful.

I then, as usual, couldn't just leave it alone and ended up adding some leaves. I will add that in another post though.

Polishes/Tools used:-

- OPI Infinite Shine // Brightening Primer

- H&M // Bleached Peach (sheer nude), All Clear (top coat)

- Cuccio // Mystery In Milan

SWATCHES: Cuccio // Pinky Swear, Mystery In Milan & Verona Lace

First off, let me apologise for the chip on my index finger in some of the photos. I then chipped another finger a day later and filed them all down to match. With that out of the way, lets talk about the polishes. I bought Pinky Swear a couple of weeks ago when I also purchased these China Glaze polishes. I bought the other white shades sometime last year and decided to swatch them all as there aren't that many swatches of Cuccio polishes online. Hopefully these are helpful to someone!

Pinky Swear // Light Pink Creme
Collection: Pastels
Release Date: Spring 2014
Coats: 3

This pastel barbie pink is a streaky one and I'm convinced that no matter how many coats you do, it will always be slightly streaky. It photographs well but up close you can still see patches of your nail coming through and it' slightly annoying.

Mystery In Milan // Off-White Creme
Collection: Amore
Release Date: Summer 2013?
Coats: 3

This is quite a tricky shade to apply and the first coat is just all streaks. When researching to find when it was released, the only post I could find one this one by The-Mani-Fest posted in 2013. However, they show and describe this as being a "classic clean white" which this clearly isn't. I have a feeling this shade may have been re-released later as the off-white I have now. I do like this shade though as it makes me look more tan but it needs at least 3 coats to cover the streaks. Once it's built up it kind of reminds me of Ciaté Pretty in Putty which is ready in 1/2 coats but, that costs £12 full size and this is only £3.95.

Verona Lace // White Creme
Collection: I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Release Date: 2012
Coats: 3

I didn't realise this shade was so old! I also have the shade I Left My Heart In San Francisco which is a wonderful sheer pink. As a white shade this is not the easiest to apply and is quite streaky; it's not Barry M Cotton or Ciaté White Heat. It is a classic white though and you can see the differences this and Mystery In Milan more clearly here:

I'd say this is easier to use than Flirt though that I swatched here back in July. Flirt is part of the Spring 2019 Coquette Collection and is pretty much identical. This one dries with brush strokes though which is a pet peeve. So far I have not come across a good classic white by Cuccio.

// Verdict

I think Mystery In Milan is my favourite out of the three but I like how Pinky Swear looks when you use it in nail art. Here's a quick look I did using all three shades (the leaves are Barry M Wild Mint). 

Exploring older shades is always fun but I'm really excited for their latest collection; Rainbow Sorbet which will be available for purchase at the beginning of June. It's an amazing collection of pastels; my favourite type of nail polish. I haven't bought a full Cuccio collection in a while so I think I'll be purchasing this one.

Rose Quartz 2: The Rose-ening // Rose Quartz Nails

I've been experimenting for a while now on how to create the perfect looking rose quartz nails that's simple and doesn't require gel or expensive products and well, here is another attempt. I think this is the best one yet but I think I can get it better. The lines need to be a little more blurred so next time I do it, I'm going to go over them with a little acetone to smudge them out.

This is a pretty cheap look though, all the products used are under £4 each. The entire look would set you back around £25 but that's for 6 polishes, a stamping plate and a stamper so you can just keep doing the look over and over and over again.

How I did it:-

Start off with 1 thin coat of H&M Aurora Mist for a shimmery lavendar/blue base. This is the key to getting that pink you see in the rose quartz. I've found that using an actual pink base makes the entire look too pink or dark. Lavender bases seem to work the best.

Added some veins using Barry M Cotton and stamps from Nicole Diary 76.

Then, I gently floated a layer of Essence Sweet As Candy over the first set of white veins. This is a sheer pink/white that offsets the lavender a little.

Added another layer of veins using the weaker off-white Mystery in Milan by Cuccio. This makes it look they are actually in the background without having to add many layers of polish.

Then I floated a thin layer of H&M Peach & Quiet. This is too peach for rose quartz but the lavender really calms it down.

The last step was to add a layer of H&M Beyond the Pale for extra shine and some added subtle blue sparkles in the sun!

I will warn you that this will take some time to fully dry; about an hour to fully harden due to all the layers. You can add a quick dry top coat to speed it up a little but without gel all those layers will need time. I think next time I will sponge on a base of the lavender and a white polish so it's not all one colour and smudge the veins a little but I'm pretty happy with this one!