Christmas Wrapping Paper Nails #2 // Mint Festive Design

This is mint version of a design I saw in Sainsbury's last year. I did a dark version of it here: https://ifndefnailsh.blogspot.com/2022/12/christmas-wrapping-nails-1-sainsburys.html

I think I prefer this one thanks to the over-stamping!

Method:

I started off with 2 layers of Neely. Then I applied Liquid Gold to Noel 07 and then stamped on top with Vibin using the same stamps but slightly offset. The Holly jolly text comes from Noel 12.

I then topped it off with some smudge proof top coat.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

- Zoya // Neely (mint)

Stamping:

- Twinkled T // Liquid Gold (metallic gold), 'Vibin (black)

Plates:

- MoYou London // Noel 07, Noel 12

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

Christmas Party Nails // Nude & Gold Glitter/Foil Nail Design

I have so many designs that I just never got round to posting. Here's some nails I did for works Christmas party last year!

I'm all about super quick and easy designs right now. This one should take less then 10 minutes!

I did 2 layers of Revel, then once it was dry, dabbed on some gold foil eyeshadow, then topped that with Bijoux. I just did light brush strokes, starting from the tip to give it that ombre look.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- Manna Kadar // Revel (nude creme)

- H&M // Bijoux (gold glitter)

- Primark P.S Beauty // Gold Foil Eyeshadow 

Lilac Vibes // Pastel Lilac, Leaves and Gold Look

Today's nails were inspired by a moisturiser from Wander Beauty that I saw in the latest FabFitFun edit sale.

I'm a little shocked at how well these nails turned out; I can't stop staring at my hand. The lilac, white, gold and black combo is really stunning and I want to do more designs using these shades now.

This look was also extremely simple and took around 30 minutes to complete. I actually want to do my other hand; that's how much I love it. The base colour also helps; it's one of my favourite shades that I own. It complements my skin tone perfectly; plus it's a dream to apply.

Polish/Tools Used:-

Nails:

- Ciaté Gelology // Spinning Teacup (lilac)

Stamping:

- Twinkled T // Liquid Gold (gold), Vibin' (black), Glow Up (white)

- MoYou London Stamping Plates // Botanical 16

SWATCHES: Nails Inc // Don't Stop Be-leafing Duo

I found these beautiful jungle shades in TK Maxx this weekend for £6.99....Well I actually found them last week and convinced myself that I didn't need anymore nail polish. Well, we know that's a lie so I bought them this weekend. At £3.50 a shade; it's a bargain.

Conjuring up images of water droplets dripping off monstera leaves and the squawk of an exotic bird somewhere in the background; this duo also manages to remind me of Christmas with the deep rich shades.

Palms In The Air // hunter green creme

Collection: Don't Stop Be-Leafing

Release: Summer 2020

Coats: 1

This wonderful self-levelling creme is ready in just one coat and is an absolute dream to apply. I think this was one of the fastest applications I've ever done. It has a shiny finish but definitely needs a top coat. My favourite thing about this shade is that it's a dark green but you can still tell it's green; most of them just look black when applied. Make sure you put on your best stain-resistant base coat though because rich green shades like this will cause some pretty hefty yellow stains.

It also doubles as a pretty good stamping polish due to how opaque it is. 

Grow Your Eco // bronze shimmer

Collection: Don't Stop Be-Leafing

Release: Summer 2020

Coats: 2

I'm not usually one for bronze shades but this one gets a pass. I think it matches the green extremely well and together they make either the perfect elf christmas look or summer jungle look. For a shimmer is surprisingly opaque as well with little bits of red and green pieces thrown in with the bronze mix. Under direct lighting it has a completely different look.

// Verdict

A solid duo from Nails Inc. I'm in LOVE with the wooden caps, I wish more polishes had them. There's also a set of four called "Nude in the Tropics" which features the same box print but has some nice beige/pink shades...I may have to buy them now because I love the box print. I wish they would make the polishes easier to get out though as I ripped the box :( 

Also, this is my first post in like 6 months....I took a break from doing anything really but that doesn't mean I stopped buying nail polish; that could never happen.

Dangerous Tiles // Crimson & Gold Nail Art

A quick look that came about the other day when I was swatching my most recent Ciaté purchases. I just love the combination of dark red and gold and knew that these two would go perfectly together. Tell me this doesn't look like an amazing design for christmas parties. I might do my nails like this christmas eve.

Twinkled T polishes just make stamping so easy. I really hope they have another 30% off sale for Black Friday this year as I've been saving so I can purchase some more polishes from them. Shipping is $17 so I've been waiting for a year! I might pick up another black as I'm running low.

I also forgot to use some liquid latex when doing this and ended up with gold sparkles all round my nails which is annoying for photos but it had washed off completely by the end of the following day. This look took about 10 minutes though so it's super quick and easy. Below is a photo in some harsher lighting; it really helps to bring out the crimson in the polish, otherwise it almost looks black.

Polishes/Tools used:

- Ciaté Gelology // Dangerous Affair (red)

- Twinkled T // Liquid Gold

- MoYou London Stamping Plates // Tuttu Frutti 06

NAIL ACCESSORIES // Gold Holo Tropical Nail Stickers Review

 
I've been wanting to try these for ages but I kept putting off buying them...even though they're only 99p on eBay and at the end of March I finally decided to buy them. I bought them in both silver and gold and they're stickers instead of water decals (i'm useless with them). They arrived a week ago and it took me a while to figure out a simple yet effective look with them as they colour is quite brash.

As these are stickers I thought they would be easier to use than water decals but they are deceptively hard to pick up and I ruined the edges slightly trying to pry them off the backing paper. You can also see the clear outline of the sticker on the nail and a top coat doesn't help.

I was eager to buy these mainly for the holo effect but once they arrived I realised that only certain patches of the stickers have the holo effect and you can clearly see in places where the holo cuts off.

I'm at a bit of a loss at what to do with them now. I think the silver may look better as the colour isn't as brassy. I think these either have to be a white or super dark background for them to work as it's kind of hard to see any detail on a nude base. When I look down at my hands it just looks like I've applied some gold foil as the light reflections from the clear part of the sticker ruin the effect.

I know I can't really complain because it cost £2 in total but I'd definitely stick to stamping for the moment.

SWATCHES: OPI // Mexico City 2020 Mini Collection

OPI have released a new collection for spring 2020 full of bright pastel shades and I'm really late to the swatching party but I just wanted to paint my nails. I know bright and pastel don't really go together but the photos on OPI's website really do match that description:

I fell in love with the Coral-ing Your Spirit Animal shade because it's Peach...and I'm obsessed with Peach this year. NailPolishDirect had an offer on the mini set when I went to purchase it so I got that as well. When they arrived, I found that the shades are actually much darker than the photos and I'm a tad disappointed; especially with Mural Mural on the Wall. For example, on the bottle photo above Suzi's Slinging Mezcal looks like a shimmer pastel yellow; it's actually a dark gold metallic.

Let's get into some swatches. All are two coats with no top coat (unless states otherwise).

Coral-ing Your Spirit Animal // peach/coral creme

We'll start with my favourite shade. Even though it's darker than I was expecting, it's still a beautiful shade that is a cross between peach and coral. The first coat is very streaky and the second kind of does the trick if you don't look to closely but there are still brush strokes. I'd recommend three coats for it to be fully opaque. I wish more brands would do peaches in their spring collections.

Telenovela Me About It // rose pink shimmer jelly

When will OPI start putting names on their mini bottles?? It's so annoying. I have to keep everything in the boxes or create stickers. I almost thought this was a creme but then I saw the slight pink shimmer. What is it with OPI and putting pink shimmer in what could be just lovely creme polishes? I hated half the ones I got in their 2018 advent calendar because they all had this random bright pink shimmer in them. 

Formula-wise; it's not the greatest. Even though it's a sheer jelly it applies in a thick gloopy mess and it's quite difficult to get a nice even spread; you always end up disturbing other bits of the polish and leaving brush strokes. It is super shiny by itself but it's not my shade of pink; I prefer more muted ones. Two coats is still a bit streaky with this one.

Mural Mural On The Wall // coral jelly with gold flakies

I bought this mini set because I really wanted to see if this polish was worth buying full size and I'm disappointed to report that is it not worth buying. It's an interesting polish thanks to the flakes but it's just too dark for my liking and doesn't match my skin tone. It's a shame because you don't often see jelly flakies in mainstream polish brands.

This one is much easier to apply than the previous jelly and each coat is even with no brush strokes. There is also an even distribution of gold flakes which starts to look really nice when you build up the layers. It looks better in the sun so perhaps this is a polish to take on holiday with you....if we can ever go on holiday again...

Mexico City Move-Mint // pastel blue creme

Oh I do love me some pastel shades and this is no exception. This is very similar to Barry M's Berry Sorbet so there is your £3.99 dupe. The first coat is very streaky, the second coat kind of fixes it up, three is probably needed. The problem with this polish is that it dries very quickly and if your brush isn't loaded up it causes serious drag marks. Even though it's a nice polish it's deceptively tricky to apply. I'd say go for the Barry M one.

Suzi's Slinging Mezcal // gold foil

This one really surprised me (especially given how on the website it looks like a pastel yellow). I was unenthusiastic about it; I saw it and was like "not another gold shade" but then I put it on and I LOVE IT. Many have spoken about the brush strokes but if applied slowly and in thin layers they're not really that noticeable. I also love the formula; it applies like a dream. The shade itself is also on the cool side so it's not brassy. I normally hate gold polishes; I'm in shock.

// Verdict

There are 12 shades in the collection but I after swatching I don't feel the need to go out and buy them. I have a strange relationship with OPI as more often than not I really hate the formulas of their polishes. I heartily recommend Coral-ing Your Spirit Animal and maybe even Suzi's Slinging Mezcal now I've tried it but there are many similar shades from cheaper brands.

Match That Mani // Primark Gold & Pink Pineapple Flip Flops

Summer is almost here!....technically. December 21st was officially the shortest day and from now on the nights start getting lighter. Which means it's totally acceptable to start doing summer nails again. especially seeing as how the swimwear and shorts have returned to Primark. I found these flip flops and loved the print.

And this is my recreation in nail form:

Thanks to the cooler tone of the gold, I think this could pass for a fresh wintery look. This was my first time using the shade Liquid Gold from Twinkled T and it's my new favourite gold stamping polish. It picks up beautifully every time and cleans up easily with little glitter left behind.

It's also been a hot minute since I did an ombre, I want to do so many ombre looks but I'm too lazy to do all the clean up.

Polishes/Tools used:

- Essence Shine Last & Go // Wild White Ways (white)

- Essence Shine Last & Go // On Air! (gold glitter)

- H&M // Chalky Pink (dusty pink)

- Twinkled T // Liquid Gold (gold stamping polish)

- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy // Diamond Top Coat

- Maniology Plate // M051 Stamping Plate

Bohemian Birds // Dark Blue & Gold Bird Feather Design

Oh my god, what happened to October? I blinked and it's gone and I only did 1 Halloween look...cue the see no evil monkey emoji;  🙈.

I won't lie though, I barely did any nail art last month mainly due to work and just overall lack of motivation to do anything really. It's harder than I thought, moving away from everyone and everything that you know so well and you've just gotta get on with it. When I was younger, I moved to Dubai to work for Emirates and it was very different as I was 22, and we were all in the same boat (or plane) in that we were single girls, ready to party and surrounded by lots of great things to do. Here, even though I'm in the same country as my family again (just a 3 hour drive away) it's even lonelier because everyone I work with is married with kids and there is nothing around for miles and miles. I program at work, go home, program at home, watch Minecraft videos and sleep...rinse repeat. I love doing my nails though but I'm starting to become overwhelmed with all the different things I could do thanks to my inability to stop buying nail products so I think I'm going to do a no nail spend November...it's going to be so hard...especially if MoYou release a new collection and you just know they're going to.

Anyway, these nails are inspired by a shower gel I bought from TK Maxx by a brand called Sara Miller. I honestly thought it was one of TK's in house brands however you can buy this shower gel at John Lewis for £15!

It smells wonderful though and lathers into a thick and creamy foam. I'm super impressed and I'll keep my eye out for other things by Sara Miller now. I'd love to make some nail oil in this scent though. I already have the vanilla but just need to invest in some good Tuberose and Sandalwood essential oil.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- Jessica // Bohemian Rhapsody (dark blue)
- Barry M Liquid Chrome // Bright Lights (gold metallic)

- Essie  // Platinum Grade Top Coat
- Harunouta Plate // ?? ( I can't remember right now)
- MoYou London Plate // Princess 04