NailNerdChallenge July 2021 // Fruit Nails

It's time for another set of challenge nails! This weeks prompt is "Fruit" and I've had this design on a false nail for ages but I just never got round to actually creating it in full on my nails but this was the perfect prompt!

It's summery, fresh and definitely fruity! Plus not one stamping polish in sight; I'm starting to get good at reverse stamping now. For this look I did two coats of Sweet As Pinkie Pie, then picked up the pineapple stamps using My Showcase Pink and then filled them in on the stamper with Honolulu Blues and Yellow (great name Barry M lol). I topped it off with a glossy topcoat. 

This one took a while to do due to the reverse stamping. You need to make sure it's dry before you stamp or will smudge but then your base has also dried so you either need to apply a sticky basecoat or a layer of topcoat and stamp just before it loses it's stickiness but won't smudge the polish underneath. I need to get at least 5 stampers so I can just do one after the other and fill them all in at the same time.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Nails:
- China Glaze // Sweet As Pinkie Pie (pink)

- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy // Diamond Top Coat

Stamping:

- Kure Bazaar // My Showcase Pink (fuschia)

- Barry M Nail Paint // 134 Yellow

- Beau Nail Polish // Honolulu Blues (blue)

- Maniology Stamping Plate // M051

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: Essie // Fall For NYC, But First Candy, Ooh La Lolly & Glowing Strong

More swatches! This time from Essie. I'm not the biggest Essie fan so I tend to ignore them when I see them in TK Maxx but last time there were a few shades that I just couldn't resist throwing in the cart (as well as interesting formulas).

Fall For NYC // orange clay creme

Collection: Fall For NYC

Release: Fall 2018

Coats: 2

I actually remember this collection being released and wanting specifically this shade along with Say It Aint Soho (an orange metallic) but Essie shades are £7.99 here and rarely on sale; the only times I do buy them are from TK Maxx, so I was very happy when this turned up in my local store for £2.99. This is one of those perfect autumn/winter shades. The formula itself is a little streaky and not that shiny but those issues are easily sorted out with a top coat (I just never wear one for swatches).

But First, Candy // dark green jelly

Collection: Glazed Days

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

Where did this range come from? I had never even heard of it so I was surprised to find it only came out last summer. I have been looking for this exact shade though; a true green jelly, so I was very happy when I saw this and Ooh la lolly in TK.  I wanted them for layering effects however, they appear to be a bit too dark and this one is a little streaky. It also takes forever to dry but that's like most jellies. I stopped at three coats, where it just about lost its transparency and marvelled at the shiny gel-like surface. 

Ooh La Lolly // dark blue jelly

Collection: Glazed Days

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

This is more like the formula I was after; no streaks and builds up nicely but still keeps its transparency. This is going to be perfect for jelly sandwiches (I've already got one planned). Again, it takes a while to dry but I love sticking glitter between the layers for that plastic gel look. Really pleased I managed to get this for £3 as it would've cost me that much anyway after p&p for a jelly polish from born pretty/eBay.

60 Glowing Strong // peach/pink creme

Collection: Treat Love & Color

Release: Winter 2018

Coats: 3

Of course I bought the peach/pink shade. For some reason I was expecting this to be a thick and gloopy creme but it's actually quite thin. It took me three coats to get the coverage I was happy with but it was easy to apply and dried relatively quick. This shade just makes me wish is was summer though...I miss the warm weather and being able to cycle without being battered by a 20mph wind.

The Rainbow Nails Challenge September 2020: Plaid // Mustard Scarf Print Nail Art

Directly inspired by the legendary Cher from clueless, I bring you these scarf/plaid nails.

It's not an exact match but I was really happy with them. I didn't wear a great base coat though and became extremely aware of how long I had this design on for as Cantaloupe is an absolute arse for staining. I think I had this on for about twenty minutes and then I took it off. The edges near the end had already started to slightly turn yellow.... I need to do this design on false nails so I can wear it for longer.

I also need more scarf print stamping plates. That means I have a valid excuse to buy more stamping plates. Sure, I could've done this with acrylic paints but I just love stamping.

Polishes/Tools Used:
- H&M // Cantaloupe (mustard yellow), Witching Hour (dark green)
- Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Black Forest (black)
- Ciate // White Heat (white)
- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Match That Mani // Sainsbury's Blue & Yellow Oriental Teacup

This didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned it in my head but it will do cause it's hella cute. I saw these cups in Sainsbury's the other weekend and they were on offer for £1.50 each. How could I resist? They're supposed to be used a teacups for fancy oriental tea but I don't really drink tea so I use them for my orange juice in the morning and I just can't; they're freaking adorable.

I won't lie; the sole reason I bought them was because I wanted to put the design on my nails 🙈 I don't have the exact wave design on a stamping plate and this was the closest I could get. Unfortunately the polish I used did not want to pick up properly and it's a little patchy in places. MoYou polishes are so hit and miss; I really need to stop buying them and buy more Twinkled T instead.

This was 2 layers of Blanc followed by the blue waves which I placed about a cm away from the tip. I then painted the tips in Lemon Sugar; my favourite yellow shade. This is the only polish I've ever used fully.

Polishes/Tools used:-

- Essie// Blanc (white)

- MoYou London // Dusty Blue (pale blue)

- Avon True Colour // Lemon Sugar (pastel yellow)

- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy // Diamond Top Coat

- MoYou London Stamping Plates // Sailor 07

Maniology // Pineapple Whip Starter Kit Review

My first order from Maniology! (formerly Bundle Monster) And probably my last due to shipping & import costs. Seriously, I spent $24.50 in total on the starter kit ($15), sticky base coat ($6) and some nail wraps ($3.50) with the shipping being a flat rate of $10. It was shipped in by Royal Mail who kindly charged me 20% VAT and then an £8 fee for handling. Bringing my entire cost to around $45 for everything. I would really love to subscribe to their mani x me box but I can't afford that tax every month just to import it. I'll stick to Mani & Lola for the moment. As for shipping time, I ordered on the 7th August and it arrived on the 20th which isn't too bad for US delivery; especially when it's coming from Hawaii. 

But anyway, I love pineapples and I've been longing to try out this brand for so long and the rose gold crystal wraps are hella cute. I'll never use them though because they're too cute so I'll just try and copy them via the dreaded hand painting.

We'll talk about the kit first and then I'll eventually get round to doing posts for the others.

Pineapple Whip Stamping Starter Kit

RRP $15

In this you receive two full size stamping polishes, a square clear jelly stamper, a scraper, stamping guide and of course a stamping plate filled to the brim with cute pineapple designs. The box is actually really cute, sturdy and everything is packaged well for the price (especially if you are American and pay way less tax than we do). I also like how the tops of the stamping bottles have stickers on them that you can swatch the polish with both dark and light halves. They sell these separately in batches of 50 for $4 but it's easy to make your own (and cheaper if you live in the UK). Nice touch though.

The stamper I actually really love and I think it might be my new fave. It's super clear, soft and large enough to stamp 3 nails at once (although you would't be able to go right to the edge of the nail). I find it a bit ridiculous that MoYou London charge £9 for a crystal rectangular stamper (which isn't all that great) and this is way better. These go for $8.50 with a scraper on Maniology so it's well worth picking up one of these $15 sets for all the tools.

Maui Gold // Yellow Creme

$6

So the first polish; Maui Gold, is a bright yellow and I love yellow shades but this isn't the greatest yellow stamping. I'm really annoyed as well because the photos make it look so much better than it is in real life. It's kinda wishy-washy and streaky. You need two coats of this polish which I always find unacceptable in a stamping polish. I'd say it looks the best on very dark backgrounds as it stands out a little better. It's no where near as pigmented as the photos on the website though and doesn't do well with other bright colours so you need to stick to neutrals when using it.

Plantation Tea // Bright Teal Creme

$6

Next is Plantation Tea; a bright teal and this is more like it for a stamping polish. This stuff is opaque man. It stamps well on any colour but it does look the most striking on white but it's ready in one coat for just a regular ol' mani.

// Verdict

Overall I'm pretty happy with the stamping polishes and I wish I could afford to order some more as they do pretty well. However I'm impressed the most with the stamper; it's squishy, crystal clear and picks up detail well. Hopefully in the future when I have a higher disposable income I'll be able to order some more but if you're already in the US give them a go as they have cute new starter kits every month.

Heatwave // Look Fantastic August 2019 Nails

Not the greatest box art I've ever done but still way better than last months Look Fantastic offering. I was completely inspired by the red sand/orange sunset combo and set about to recreate that. The sea foam on my middle and ring fingers are actually from the Nicole Diary marble plate and I placed it strategically to look like waves as I don't actually have a stamp like that...over 100 plates and only a few with waves on them. Looks like I need to buy more.

I was also very happy to finally do the ombre of H&M colours that I wanted to do when I first got them and mentioned here when I swatched them. They blend so beautifully together and the dark burnt orange stamps really well on light colours. I'll have to use that in a future design.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- Cuccio // Flirt (white)
- H&M // Cantaloupe (mustard), The Heat is on (orange), Sun on Clay (burnt orange), 
- A-England // Camelot (black)
- Avon Gel Shine // Top Coat

- Harunouta //L080 Plate
- Nicole Diary // 076 Plate

Cantaleaves // Mustard Yellow Palm Leaf Design

Time for a cute mani! I love this look so much. It's directly inspired by this post I saw on pinterest and I managed to track the author down to @mkmk1209 on instragram. She is an amazing nail artist so please check out her work. Here's the original:

I am no where near this level of artistry yet but I'm trying!

I would wear this everyday throughout summer. I just love that mustard yellow colour but boy does it stain your nails. Once it came off it looks like I have a 90-a-day smoking habit. Oh well, I guess that just means I have to paint my nails more often to cover it up...

How I did it:

I did two layers of Cantaloupe and one layer of White Heat. Then I mixed some of the green and white acrylic paint together to add detail and used a little black at the end to darken the edges. I then just topped everything off with a glossy topcoat. I also have a video this time! Please be aware though that this one was filmed after these photos were taken and in the video I decided to place the leaf at the top of the nail.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- Ciaté // White Heat (white)
- H&M // Cantaloupe (mustard yellow)

- Crafts 4 All Acrylic Paint // 105 Titanium White, 615 Emerald Green, 753 Black

- Avon Mark. // Gel Shine Top Coat
- MoYou London Plate // Tropical 12

Lemon Mandalas // Spring Yellow Mandala Nail Art

Yes, those are my nails. They were getting a bit to long again and instead of lopping them off I decided to try the square style that appears to be all the rage with nail artists....these nails are not for me. Not only do they look very strange without polish but there's just something about them that makes me go "eurgh". On me anyway. I love how they look on others but this isn't my style. I filed them back into some sort of curved oval shape but now my nails are little too short because of it.

Anywho, the prompt for Clairestelle8's March challenge on the 12th was Mandalas and I love doing mandala nails. In fact, this nail plate was part of my first nail plate order. I was also thinking about this shade as well and how I hadn't used it in a while. It's called Lemon Sugar by Avon and it's my absolute favourite nail polish shade; I just think it's perfect and I always get asked about it when I'm wearing it.

How I did it:-
I started off with 1 layer off Blanc then sponged on four layers of Blanc and Lemon Sugar. After a layer of top coat and I then stamped on some mandala designs in #4 and followed it up with Pink Planet on top.  An easy peasy one today!

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- Essie // Blanc (white)

- Avon Nailwear Pro+ // Lemon Sugar (pastel yellow - this is the old formula, the new one is the Avon true colour)

- Born Pretty Stamping Polish // #4 (white)

- Born Pretty Stamping Polish - The Universe Series // BPU03 Pink Planet (gold to pink duochrome)

- Avon Mark Gel Shine // Top Coat

- Born Pretty Stamping Plate // BP-L051