Minty Jungle // Pastel Green Leaf Design

I have wrapping paper that I bought from John Lewis a very long time ago that inspired this look. You could say it's a Christmas Wrapping paper look as I'll probably be using to wrap presents this year.

I'm not happy with how hard it is to see the leaf design (even though the background colour is so light). I'll go in with darker colours next time.

I started off with 2 layers of 'Til The Record Stops, then used a large stamp from Paradise 02. I put both Cobalt Indecent and I'm On A Sushi Roll onto the plate and mixed them together to create the stamp. I then over-stamped in some placed using Lor for that "gold foil" look.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

- Color Club // 'Til The Record Stops (mint green)

Stamping:

- L'Oreal Paris // Cobalt Indecent (dark teal), Lor (gold)

- OPI Infinite Shine // I'm On A Sushi Roll (light teal)

- MoYou London // Paradise 02 Stamping Plate

Top:

MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

Pastel Paradise // Tropical Summer Nail Look

So I did these nails whilst swatching my latest Essence haul (swatches here) and I knew they'd all go beautifully together to create some wonder tropical looks; including this one!

This was pretty easy but the large brush on Essence polishes make it hard to free-hand circles and shapes cleanly (especially as the formula is a bit gloopy). But it turned out fine in the end.

I started off with 2 layers of Sugar Blush, then placed random splotches of Bubble Trouble followed by Isn't She Minty. The stamps are from Paradise 01 using Ghosted and then I used a dotting tool to place random dots of Don't Leaf Me and Swirl Pool. I topped it off with a layer of Smudge Proof top coat, and then a matte top coat.

I think using a dark grey instead of black made this much better.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- Essence // 05 Sugar Blush (sheer pink), 40 Isn't She Minty (light green), 04 Bubble Trouble (pastel pink)

- Essence // 42 Swirl Pool (blue), 19 Don't Leaf Me (teal green)

- Twinkled T // Smokey (dark grey)

- MoYou London // Paradise 01 Stamping Plate

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

SWATCHES: Color Club // Pastel Neon Collection 2015

When I saw this 7 piece set in TK Maxx for £6.99 I practically threw it in my cart and then protected my cart at all costs...even though no one was around and if there were, they wouldn't know what Color Club is anyway unless they too were nail polish enthusiasts.

And this wasn't the only 7 piece Color Club set I got....oh no I got 2 sets for £14. I considers this a win-win scenario. Currently I can find this set on amazon for £35 and there are a few other sets which I'm considering as £5 a bottle isn't that bad but TK Maxx did me a solid.

After getting them home I did some research on them and found out this set is their full Pastel Neon collection released back in 2015.

https://colorclub.com/collections/pastel-neon

It's my two favourite finishes smooshed together to create the ultimate polish.

Meet Me At The Rink // Pale Pastel Baby Blue

Coats: 2

Even though I hate the thin brushes this was surprisingly easy to apply. The first coat was streaky, but it is a neon pastel so that's expected but the second coat covered everything. I'm surprised how glossy the polish is, usually neons are slightly satin but this reminds me of Barry M's Gelly Hi-Shine formula.

Diggin' The Dancing Queen // Pastel Lavender

Coats: 2

This is almost a one coat wonder, if you can control the polish. It's a bit on the runny side but not too difficult to apply. Again, this has a lovely glossy finish and reminds me of Ciate Spinning Teacups but brighter. These peony lavender shades are some of my favourites right now as they suit my skintone so well!

Feathered Hair Out To There // Pastel Pink

Coats: 2

This is almost a dupe for Deco Miami' Cake but both polishes are hard to get hold of in the UK so it doesn't really matter. This pink has a slight hint of peach but it's wonderfully bright and makes you look more tan. Without a doubt this is the shade I'm wearing to go watch Barbie in though.

Hot Hot Hot Pants // Pastel Peach

Coats: 2

I love this shade! It's a perfect peachy pink and these are the types of shades I'm partial to buying. Surprisingly though I couldn't find anything like it in my collection! This one is the least glossiest, with more of a satin finish. Due to this, it needs at least 3 coats. I'm wearing 2 in the photo and it doesn't look bad on photos but up close you can see the streaks.

Disco's Not Dead // Pastel Yellow

Coats: 2

This reminds me of one my favourite polish shades; Avon Lemon Sugar. It's difficult to do pastel neons and this is more on the streaky side but it does well.

Under The Blacklight // Pastel Green

Coats: 2

A bit of a seedy name for a polish but whatever. Neon pastel green is a notoriously hard shade to get right but Color Club have done a great job. It's not even that streaky. I'd say Hot Hot Hot Pants was the worst offender in the collection. This is a more affordable version of OPI's Pump up The Volume and doesn't need a white basecoat under it either. I'd say the cheapest UK alternative is Cuccio Dancing in the Dark but that has the black speck problem that releases from Cuccio in the past few years have and it's not a pastel finish.

I didn't have this on for long but I can see it proper staining your nails so get those basecoats on when wearing it.

'Til The Record Stops // Pastel Mint

Coats: 2

And last is this dupe of Essie's Chillato; also one of my favourite polish shades. It's still quite streaky though after 2 coats. I'd go with 3 but then you're looking at long dry times.

// Verdict

What a great collection. It's a shame it's so difficult to get hold of Color Club in the UK. You either have to rely on amazon or ebay as many specialist UK nail stores have stopped stocking them. 

If I had paid full price for them, I would've expected better self-levelling properties, but other than that I have nothing else to complain about.

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

Spring Clean-Lines // Pastel Butterfly Nails

Today I present to you this glorious pastel offering. It took me a while to decide on what shades to use. I'm a pastel polish hoarder so trying to select the "right" shade of pastel pink is excruciatingly hard. I ended up choosing Spring In My Step by China Glaze; I adore this shade. It's a bit of an arse as it's streaky with a satin finish and needs about 4 coats but it's such a wonderful shade of pink. That's mainly the reason I did this on false nails as I can just let the false nails dry whilst I'm off doing something else and I don't have to worry about messing it up.

Originally I was going to leave it at just the lines but Lieve91 has been doing some wonderful butterfly nails lately so I decided to add some using her collab plate with MoYou London.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

Nails:

- L'Oreal Color Riche // Jaune Citron (yellow)

- Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Sour Candy (blue), Pistachio (green)

- Ciaté Gelology // Spinning Teacup (lilac)

- Born Pretty Soak-Off Gel Polish // Previous Gum (white)

Butterflies:

- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Lieve91 x MYL 03

- MoYou London Stamping Polish // Turquoise Min (blue), Orchid Chic (purple), Candy Floss (pink), Coral Crush (red)

- Twinkled T // Vibin' (black)

SWATCHES: China Glaze // Cali Dreams Spring 2021 Collection

It's here! It's FINALLY here! These actually came out for spring in the US but over here in the UK, the only place that stocks new CG collections are Nail Polish Direct and so I waited patiently. I was pretty much checking their site and blog daily for any hint when I asked on instagram if they were getting the collection and they said in about 4 weeks. As soon as the in stock alert hit my email inbox I bought the entire lot because it's quite possible my favourite release ever released.

Look at those colours! A pastel creme girls dream. CG are known for doing weird formulas in their collections so I'm super happy this is just a straightforward set of cremes in a range of beautiful sunset shades. Coupled with the amazing neons in the Havana Nights summer collection, CG has pretty much won this year in terms of nail polish (for me anyway). Let's get into some swatches!

Shore Feels Good // pool blue creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I think this is my favourite blue that has ever blued. Never have I seen a blue that has matched my skin tone so flawlessly. My favourite thing about this shade is that it's really bright, even in dark rooms. It has an almost teal tinge to it which gives it a little something extra as well. It is on the jelly side so you can get away with one coat because it's not streaky or you can add another for full on shiny coverage.

Surfside Skies // pale periwinkle creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I can't decide if this is a purple toned blue or a blue toned purple...China Glaze describe it as a cool toned purple so I guess it's supposed to be that. Either way; it's amazing. This is the perfect transition shade for sunset gradients or the perfect start. The first coat can be a little streaky and difficult to apply but the second covers up any imperfections. It's a much better application than most CG polishes I own anyway.

My camera captured this way more blue than it actually is so I had to do some colour correction on the photos to make them more representative of the shade irl.

Live In The Mo-Mint // pale mint creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

CG say this is a pale mint green but it looks pale pastel blue to me. But it doesn't matter because I love pastel shades. On the nails, it has more of a green tint to it but I feel this is another chameleon shade. For this one, the best result is one thin coat followed by a slightly thicker second coat; leaving you with wonderfully glossy/plump nails. The only similar shade I can find in my collection is Ferris Wheel by Ciaté but that's way more expensive.

I'm No Tourist // cool toned pink/beige creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

If my skin tone was slightly lighter this would be the perfect nude for me. It's not often you come across cool-toned nude shades so I really appreciate this one. This is a perfect base to add neon accents on; I can already see the neon slime drips with this. Here's a quick look I did using CG's Pool Party and Flip Flop Fantasy V2:

Honestly obsessed with nude bases and neon accents this year. I think that's my "thing" for this year.

Vacay Dreams // pastel pink/peach creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

This seems very similar to More to Explore from their 2015 summer collection in the bottle but on the nails it's way more pink. I did a little comparison to show. If you know me though (and seen some of the posts on this blog), you'll know peach/pink pastel shades are my favourite. This is a nice light peach though that will go great with greens.

Sunset Crew // rose pink creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I'd say this is my least favourite shade in the collection; not because it's bad, shades like this just clash too much with my skin tone. I think the shade is beautiful though. I'll probably use this as decoration or within gradients. If I'm going to wear a pink; I'd prefer it be on the neon side. Formula wise, this is what I would call the 'typical' china Glaze formula; i.e., it needs to be applied in thin layers or you're gonna have a bad time.

Sunny You Should Ask // pale mustard creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I love this shade; I have a thing for teal and orange combos; it's just so striking so I love that I got this in the collection. The first coat is a bit streaky but the second is perfect. This isn't a shade I would wear completely by itself but in gradients it's going to be fantastic.

Tangerine Heat // orange/yellow creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I wouldn't really call this tangerine...it's more pastel yellow than orange. It doesn't particularly suit my skin tone either but I can make it work with decoration. With a second coat, it kind of goes a bit neon in darker rooms. I'd say this one is the streakiest out of them all and the hardest to apply.

// Verdict

I can't get enough of this collection. The formula for the most part is absolutely bang on. Knowing my love for pink/peach shades you would've thought my favourites would be Vacay Dreams and Sunset Crew but it's actually the striking Shore Feels Good and Sunny You Should Ask. I wish I could get these in gel as well to paint with as they dry quite fast.

Overall, if there is a set to buy this year, it's this one. For the UK, it's only available on NailPolishDirect right now for £42 for all 8.

Pastel Moon Phases // 'Halloween' Look 1

Yes, this is a halloween look. I used a plate called "Halloween 1" therefore it is clearly a spooky mani. Also, I refuse to stop using pink and peach just because it's winter now. I suggest we make a new holiday called "Pastelween"...that sounds really stupid. I need to stop buying cheap alcohol from home bargains and drinking it whilst writing these blog posts.

Not only is this look super cute, but it's super easy. It took me about 15 minutes (drying time not included because the Barry M matte top coat is not the fastest). 

I might do some scary looks this year...maybe. I have also been  extremely good though and not bought any stamping plates since August! I have so many plates that I haven't used yet; if I can't come up with some Halloween looks with them then I have failed lol.

Polishes/Tools used:

- OPI Infinite Shine // Rice Rice Baby (lilac), Malibu Pier Pressure (hot pink), Excuse Me, Big Sur! (pink), Barking up the Wrong Sequoia (peach), No Tan Lines (orange)

- Twinkled T // Glow Up (white)

- MoYou London Stamping Plates // Halloween 01

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Icecream for Days // Pastel Icecream Nail Art on False Nails

It's official; I think I'm becoming a addicted to painting false nails. Buying a pack off 500 off eBay was the best thing I ever did. I only need four of the nine sizes so I use the others to practice a design first. I hate having long nails but I love the extra space. Being able to pop these on and off whenever I want is an amazing feeling!

Also, it's warm. Super warm. The coast is usually a good 5 degrees colder than the rest of the country but we've been having a glorious 20 degrees for the past few days and I've eaten my body weight in icecream; cue these nails.

I started off with two coats of Cashew, then stamped on the square pattern with Mushroom. I used some acrylic paints (just red, blue, yellow and white mixed until I liked the colour) to add the extra detail to the waffle bits. Using a dotting tool, I placed down the ends of the drips first using White Heat then connected them to each other. I then just painted the rest of the nail tip white (this took two coats). I used a small paint brush to add the sprinkles and then topped it all off with a glossy top coat.

Polishes/Tools used:-
- Primark Ps Color Care // Mushroom (brown), Cashew (cream)
- Ciaté // White Heat (white)
- Primark Ps Gel Effect // Candy (pink)
- Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Berry Sorbet (blue)
- Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache // White, Primary Blue, Primary Red, Primary Yellow
- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Mix & Match 13