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

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.

Mani & Lola July 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

I am soooo late with this one. This came in the post the day after I left home last month and I had forgotten to change my address because I thought it would arrive whilst I was back so I only just got it last week when I went home. Suffice to say I've now changed my address so everything should start to be on time again. It was so hard as well seeing all the beautiful bright shades that came in July's box and it was just sat there all lonely. Let's start off with the neon shade.

Love at First Skate // Artistic Colour Revolution

15ml Full Size - RRP £8.95

Collection: A New Skate of Mind

Release Date: Summer 2017

This surprised me as I was expecting a gloopy thick polish but it's actually quite sheer (but not streaky) and very bright. You could use this to layer designs while still having a neon mani; I'm impressed. This is a hot pink Barbie shade though and will be perfect for summer flamingo nails. It also dries spectaularly fast. I'd say that this needs between 2/3 coats depending on how thick you apply your layers; I'm wearing two layers.

Flirt // Cuccio

13ml Full Size - RRP £4.95

Collection: Coquette

Release Date: Spring 2019

Yes a Cuccio shade, and a white! It's hard to do a good white and Cuccio tried but this isn't the greatest white shade I have. I'm still yet to come across the perfect white that doesn't have any streaks but Essie Blanc is pretty close. The first coat of this is super streaky and the formula is quite thick as well. The second coat is ultra gloopy and I've not had to do this much clean up in a while. It was just not nice to apply. I think this is the first time I've been disappointed with a Cuccio polish.

Dance Party 'Teal Dawn // OPI

15ml Full Size - RRP £8.95

Collection: The Neon Collection

Release Date: Summer 2019

This is a fantastic blue shade and it goes so well with the white. I really love another shade in this collection called "Pump up the Volume" and it's this super bright neon yellow/green. In fact I love the whole collection. It's also nice to see it's the regular formula as I'm not a big fan of the Infinite Shine (and I don't use gel). This shade is stunning though and quite possibly my new favourite blue shade I own. It has a silk finish, so not quite matte but not glossy. It also dries incredibly fast. I'm wearing two coats as 1 is still sheer but I love this shade. It's my favourite in the box.

Believe or Leave // Nails Inc

14ml Full Size - RRP £10

Collection: I Believe In Unicorns

Release Date: Summer 2017

Nails Inc briefly brought back this set for £30 for a while but now it's gone. I already have quite a few shades from it now and we just got another shade a few boxes back. I feel like this shade would've been nicer in a spring box though and we received another bright shade. That said it is a nice pale lavender shade and I don't actually have a shade quite like this in my collection. The closest is H&M Wild Lilac but that's a bit warmer. This needs at least two coats but applies like a dream. Not a bad shade at all.

Cuticle Oil + // Orly

9ml Full Size - RRP £7.85

Apparently this has won the Beauty Bible Anti Age award? The scent is bloody awful though. It could just be me as it's this chemical orange and cherry but it reminds me of this orange medicine I used to take as a kid and that stuff was revolting and always made me feel sick...yeah this stuff smells exactly like that. Great memories. I do like that this isn't as oily as some pure cuticle oils and it absorbs rather quickly. I eventually added up adding some of my own essential oils to it to try and mask the orange smell but to no avail. I'm not sure if I will use this up.

// Box Totals //

5 Items - All Full Size

Estimated Value - £40.70

// Verdict

Finally, a pretty perfect summer box. Even though the white wasn't the best formula it will definitely be useful for smooshing and drag marble. Oooo maybe that should be my first look with all the polishes; a drag marble with all the shades. I'm very excited for next month though, I'm hoping there are some burnt orange/green shades for autumn. I can finally do some looks using my new Uberchic lovely leaves plates!

Mani & Lola

Monthly - £20

3 Months - £62.85

6 Months - £113.70

12 Months - £203.40

£2.95 p&p every month

Mani & Lola April 2019 // Nail Subscription Box

I'm back with a Mani & Lola post! I've sat out on the last three boxes (really wish I hadn't for last month though) as I had too many subscriptions and something had to give. However, now I'm nearing the end of my degree (5 weeks left...eek!) I decided to start it back up again because I miss receiving my monthly surprise polishes. 

All this month they've been teasing nude shades over their insta and I'm happy to say we've got two beautiful nude cremes, a stunning dark pink creme and some nice shimmers. It's a great box to come back to; especially because all the products are full size. Let's get into some swatches!

Cuccio Colour // Take Your Breath Away

Collection: Coquette

Release year: 2019

I'm very happy to see this in the box as I was going to buy the collection anyway, but now I only need 7 instead of 8. This shade is from Cuccio's new 2019 Coquette collection so it's amazing to see a brand new shade in the box.

Take Your Breath Away is a soft lilac hue that needs a minimum of two coats. This is a perfect spring shade.

Will it Stamp? Yes, technically, but it is a sheer creme so it won't produce outstanding results. I would use this for when I need a design to be somewhat transparent.

Morgan Taylor // Up in the Air-Heart

Collection: Sweetheart Squadron

Release year: 2016

I LOVE Morgan Taylor polishes and this shade is just beautiful. This shade is a few years older than the last as it's from MT's Fall 2016 'Sweetheart Squadron' collection. Up in the Air-Heart is pastel coral shade that needs a minimum of two coats. I don't know why they originally released this at Autumn because this is perfect for Easter looks.

Will it Stamp? Yes, and the detail is good but this another sheer creme that is quite transparent. It doesn't do well on darker shades but makes a nice contrast against white.

OPI // Samurai Breaks a Nail

Collection: Tokyo

Release year: 2019

Another brand new shade! Hailing from OPI's latest 2019 Tokyo collection is this deep purple shimmer. At first I thought this was Berry Fairy Fun from their Nutcracker range and whereas the colour is similar Berry Fairy Fun is chunkier in glitter pieces and a little lighter. I think this is the strangest polish to include in a spring box, it feels more like a Christmas party shade to me.

This one turned out to be very sheer and needs at least three coats and in true OPI fashion doesn't apply all that great. It has lots of sparkles in it though with the majority being lavender shade and then chunkier bits of red and blue scattered about. I think this is my second to last least favourite out of this months selection, however it's really annoying because it looks like space nails straight out of the bottle in photos..it literally does not look like this is real life.

Will it Stamp? Yes and better than I thought it would. It is a little sheer but looks great against lighter colours. You also get that nice iridescent sheen to it 

ORLY // Seize The Clay

Collection: The New Neutral

Release year: 2018

Oh man do I love this shade. I loved it when I saw the spoilers and I love it even more now I have it. This shade is quite recent as it was part of the Fall 2018 collection, 'The New Neutral'. This dark pink shade only needs one coat but you can add another for a little more 'depth'. This is my favourite colour from this months box, I can already see the flower art I'm going to do with it. Thank you Mani & Lola for bringing this shade into my life.

Will it Stamp? Yes and it's quite strong on light backgrounds. It does struggle with intricate details though.

NailsInc // Mermaid Playsuit

Collection: I Believe in Unicorns

Release year: 2017

I believe this collection came out back in June 2017 as that's the earliest I can find any info on it. It appears to have started as one of those deal sets on QVC that eventually makes its way into mainstream. I know that year the Nails Inc Christmas collections were all about Unicorns cause I bought one. NPD are sneakily calling this a 2019 collection??

Anyway, this is a simple sheer blue to pink shimmer. It needs at least three coats and it's my least favourite of the bunch. It's a bit too icy and I'd prefore more blue pigmentation.

Will it Stamp? It does but you wouldn't want to use it as there is barely any pigment in the design. It adds that pearlescent glow to the design but that's it.

//Verdict

A solid month! It is a little strange that they included two Fall shades in the spring box but I guess they can't include brand new collections in every box. It would've been nice to see something from the new Jessica Tea Party collection, I'm drooling over that right now. But other than that I can't really complain this month, roll on the summer collections!!

Mani & Lola

MATCH THAT MANI // Kitsch Blush-Mauve Hair Ties

So, because I love stealing designs from life, I'm starting a new section called "match that mani" to well, match that mani to life and eventually I'm hoping to start doing videos as well (if I ever finish this degree lol). First up we have these hair ties from Kitsch because god damn if they don't look cute and who doesn't love a simple ombre mani?

The colour match isn't great...clearly a sign I need to buy more polish. I wanted to do a little more than just a simple ombre...who knows I may end up stamping on top...I can never resist.

I almost don't even want to use these they're so cute. I chose them in my Latest In Beauty box for March and they had a set of black/grey as well but I loved these ones the most. I was hoping they wouldn't sell out by my next order date so I could get both but they did.

I kind of like the simplicity of the look though. I normally don't wear just polish on its own on my 'main' hand. The colours remind me of Neapolitan ice cream. Oh I should put ice cream stamps on it....don't ruin it girl...

Ok it didn't ruin it and it looks hella cute.

Bless, this stamping plate was also the first one I ever bought. I stuck a matte top coat on as well and the colour match is much better now as well. I also didn't use a white stamping polish...oh no I used OPI Alpine Snow which, as I discovered in this post, is one of the greatest white stamping polishes ever! It's weak as hell painted on but stamping is perfect. I also love how it doesn't smudge under a matte top coat.

Polishes/Tools Used:-
- Ciaté // Prima Ballerina (grey/mauve)

- Cuccio Colour// I Wonder Where (light grey)

- MoYou London Polish // Teenage Blush (dark pink)
- MoYou London Polish // One and Only (light pink)
- Jessica // Tease (pale pink)
- OPI // Alpine Snow (white)
- Barry M // Matte Top Coat
- Born Pretty Plate // BP-L076

Girl Power! // Birchbox March 2019 Nails

I have finally posted this months Birchbox nails! I'm not mad at myself though because I've done a lot of work on my dissertation this month so at least I'm properly prioritising. A part of me can't wait until June when I've graduated and I can do my nails without feeling guilty.  

This months Birchbox wasn't exactly the most exciting box, I got a repeat product in the Paw Paw balm (which I've got about 5 of now...I don't even like it) but Birchbox promise to never send repeats and gave me a £5 voucher to spend in the shop instead so all is not lost. I'm also not a fan of the Charlotte Tilbury scent. I chose that once in the Feel Unique Pick 'n' Mix and it smells like cooked chicken; not exactly sexy. The bronzer is amazing though and I'm always happy to receive Nuxe face creams so I'm on the fence with this box.

The design was also not my favourite. I've been thinking all month about how to pull this off and eventually ended up with this look. It's not perfect; the polish smudged in places from the top coat and the lines are a little wonky. I also just don't like the colours together. Roll on to next months design, hopefully they'll have something cute and spring like now we're finally heading out of winter.

How I did it:-

I started off with two layers of I Wonder Where (I knew this was the perfect the grey the second I saw the box) then used the lines on Tropical 35 to create the stripes. The thumb was two layers of Play Date followed by the leopard spot design on Tropical 35. I used Night Sail for the spots and I Wonder Where to colour them in (on the stamper, then stamped it on). The letters are from Typography 04. They didn't have 'G' in the same size as the other smaller letters so I stamped on a 'C' and then changed it by hand...that's why it looks so messy.

It's not my favourite Birchbox look...in fact I think it's the worst one I've done so far but it does kinda look like the box. I also have an excuse now to go out and buy some dark navy stamping polish as I had nothing that matched the box.

Polishes/Tools Used:-
- Ciaté // Play Date (Strawberry)

- Cuccio Colour // I Wonder Where (light grey)

- MoYou London Polish // August Plum (grape purple)
- MoYou London Polish // One and Only (light pink)
- MoYou London Polish // Night Sail (dark grey)
- Born Pretty Polish // #1787 (lightish red)
- Born Pretty Polish // #4 (white)
- Barry M // Matte Top Coat
- MoYou London Plate // Tropical 35
- MoYou London Plate // Typography 04