Leaf It To Me // Leaf Design Using Watercolour Paints

So this isn't the most exciting design however it was a fun experiment in trying to use watercolour paints. I spent a Saturday afternoon watching some painting tutorials on YouTube and finally invested in some good watercolour paints and spent some time practicing leaf designs. Eventually I moved onto my nails and I'm kind of impressed with myself.

My first attempts were horrible blobby messes. Also, I was using very cheap acrylic or watercolour paints that I got off Amazon. There really is a difference in quality and how it applies to the nail. I've noticed that cheaper paints just don't stick to the polish (even when it's matte) however these paints from Mont Marte spread beautifully and did that amazing 'colour wash' that I love from watercolour.

Now that I've got some proper tools behind me I honestly feel like I don't need new nail polish anymore. Once you get more experienced with painting techniques, you can make any shade you like and pretty much do anything. But I'm a long way off that just yet as I'm still practicing my painting skills but £20 for watercolour pan set is well worth it in the long run.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- China Glaze // Coba Cabana (matte white)
- Mont Marte // 24 Watercolour Pan Set

- Essie  // Platinum Grade Top Coat

Rock Mermaid // Iridescent Mermaid Scales Nail Art

This look came about whilst I was messing around when swatching the new Green Origin range and I noticed that the H&M Will-O-The-Wisp topper looks absolutely amazing on top of dark green/teal shades. Please excuse the chips in the next photos as I needed some daylight to capture the shift and I did the manicure at night.

I even did a video! And I'm talking in it! But I won't be posting it lol, I'm not ready yet, I did enjoy filming though as it took my mind of work and stopped me from spending every moment of my time programming. Even though I only have a small little area to film in I'm going to try and film something every Saturday as it forces me to try out new nail art techniques as well.

Back to the look though, I really loved wearing this and the shift kind of reminds me the oil slick Avon polishes that I reviewed a while ago. The white stamping could be a lot brighter as well however I'm struggling to find an opaque white stamping polish that I can easily buy within the UK. Maniology's Bam White seems to be pretty good however their shipping is $10 and I have to stay under $15 otherwise I get hit with an £9 import fee plus 20% tax. It's the same for Twinkled T as well. I think I may turn to Etsy as I've seen some interesting polishes on there from little indie brands operating in Europe.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- Barry M Green Origin // Rock Pool (teal),  Diamond Glitter (scattered holo)
- H&M // Will-o-The-Wisp (purple/blue shimmer)

- Nicole Diary  // Born Perfect (white)
- Orly Wont Chip  // Chip Resistant Top Coat (.....I have no words)
- Born Pretty Plate // 109

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

SWATCHES: Barry M Green Origin Collection

I love Barry M, they make great polish for an extremely affordable price and their new range is no exception. I first saw the mustard shade (Butterscotch) and had to have it. After wearing it, I went out and bought the rest of the collection as Boots had a 3 for 2. Unfortunately, the last shade, Down to Earth, still escapes me but it's a lighter nude shade similar to Mushroom so I'm not missing too much. I do think this is a perfect range for autumn and winter with every single shade is a one coat wonder. They don't stamp well though which is strange considering the pigmentation but they're not advertised as such so it's ok. I can't recommend this range enough, Barry M never fail to impress when it comes to their nail polish and I wish they'd focus more on it than their makeup range which is just nowhere near as good.

Night Sky // Dark Blue Creme

Aptly named as I now reach for this whenever I need to do a night look; Night Sky is a one coat wonder. It did take me a while to clean up though as this really stains the skin. If you're going to be wearing this shade for a while, I'd recommend a couple layers of stain-protecting base coat just too make sure it doesn't stain your nails as well.

Butterscotch // Caramel Brown Creme

This was the shade that caught my eye because I love these mustard polishes; even if they stain my nails like crazy. This one is definitely more on the brown spectrum though and I love it. This is a perfect shade for Autumn and winter. Ready in one coat, I would recommend applying a red flakie top coat for ultimate cozy vibes.

Red Sea // Burgundy Creme 

I love this shade, it is the perfect colour of red. I hate bright red anything and much prefer the darker, rusted tones of red and this fits the bill perfectly. It's rich, shiny and will probably stain your nails like a bitch. I wish Zoya did a PixieDust shade in this colour, it would be amazing. In other news, Barry M have brought out a new matte texture range that is basically the Pixiedust, so hopefully they will because I can't be spending £11.90 on just 1 polish.

Boysenberry // Magenta Creme

I didn't think I'd like this when I bought it, I'm just a hoe for having full collections (it hurts that still don't have the last one in this range) but once I got this on my nails; I love it. It's a deep purple reminiscent of Nailberry shade Fashionista.

Evergreen // Dark Green Creme

My camera did not want to take proper photos of this shade. It is a super dark green creme, but in the light, you can tell that its green but the white balance just kept ruining the photo so these photos are slightly edited to make the colour more like how it is in person. This shade is similar to Nails Inc Girls Got Goals but not quite as dark. It's also one of the weaker shades and just cuts it as a one-coater. It also has more of jelly formula to it as well.

Mushroom // Dark Mauve Creme

This comes out a lot darker than what's in the bottle and once it was on my nails I realised it's pretty similar to OPI's Berlin There Done That (of which I have two of....). It's a nice neutral brown shade, nothing to get really excited about. I wish it was a little lighter but this looks much better with a  matte top coat.

Rock Pool // Dark Teal Creme

I think this one is my favourite just because it was a dream to apply, the formula is buttery smooth and not too runny but not too thick. I also love how this looks with an iridescent top coat on and some holo.

Barry M Green Origin Collection

£3.99 Each

Explore More // Night Blossom Nail Art Design

This is such a cute, yet simple design. Also how is it the 7th November already? I really need to start scheduling some posts, I'm backing up with the nail art here. Work is just kicking my ass though and I'm spending most of my nights trying to understand the AMD64 processor used inside of the Xbox One...fun times. (Actually though, it is fun...well to me anyway, good thing I'm a programmer).

Anyway, here is some nail art. I love this plate, I think it might be my new favourite? It has so many layering possibilities and allows you to create some truly fantastic 'wanderlust' designs. At £2, you can't go wrong, well done Nicole Diary.

I'm also really loving the new Autumnal Barry M Green Origin collection, I have a full swatch post coming up soon but I'm really annoyed because I'm missing one of them and none of the boots or superdrugs near me stock Barry M; what is wrong with them? My local Superdrug has 3 different Makeup Revolution stands hogging up all the space and I can't get my Barry M nail polish fix.

I was going to use some paint and actually hand draw everything but, time and I'm shit at painting lol. Fortunately, the MoYou polishes I used in this look decided to be pigmented and pick up on the first go; a rarity for MoYou shades.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- Barry M Green Origin // Night Sky (dark blue)
- MoYou London // White Knight (white), Lumberjack (brown), Teenage Blush (pink)

- Barry M //  Plumpy Top Coat
- Nicole Diary Plate // 122