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)

Starry Glow // Pink Shimmer Constellation Look

A quick look that I did back in April when I bought the Kelli Marissa plate from MoYou London. I actually wore this without a peel off base so it lasted me all week! It's rare I wear the same look for longer than 6 hours lol.

I knew when I saw the beautiful constellation designs on the plate that it would suit the heavenly shimmer from Give It A Glow.

Polishes and Tools Used:-

- H&M // Give It A Glow (duo-toned pink/green shimmer)

- What's Up Nails // Blanc My Mind (White)

- MoYou London // MYL x Kelli Marissa 04 Stamping Plate

- Revlon Colorstay // Diamond Top Coat

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.

Ice cream Candy // Brown & Pink Ice Cream Drip Nails

The days are getting brighter and warmer so that means one thing; ice cream drip nails!! It's been a while since I've done some nail art. I was feeling burnt out by everything and I don't think the winter weather helps but today I sat down and spent 3 hours on these nails.

They are a recreation of these amazing nails by @NailFashionByJenny. I saw this video on pinterest and I just had to give it a go as I love the colours and I recently just bought false nails in this exact shape.

How I did it:-
- Started off with 2 layers of Cuir Chocolat (brown), 5 coats of Spring In My Step (pink) and 3 coats of Pack Lightly (nude beige). After all that had dried I applied a matte top coat to all except the thumb.

- For the drips I used Flashdance on the brown nail, Cuir Chocolat on the pink nail and Pink Voltage (neon pink) on the nude nail. To do the drips, I painted on solid colour at the edges about 1cm up. Then used a liner brush to draw thin lines coming down from that. Using the brush I used extra polish to join the lines up so it was more rounded. I then used a large dotting tool to place balls at the end, then used the liner brush to connect it to the line and remove harsh edges.

- For the milkshake nail, I covered the bottom half of the nail with 1 coat of Spring in my Step, then used a liner brush with Cuir Chocolat, Pink Voltage and Blanc de Lune (white). For the 3D effect of the milkshake, I used a large dotting tool and 3D painting gel in After the Snow. I would pick up a large amount on the end of the dotter and place it on the nail; curing after every few dots. I then used Pink Voltage, Flashdance, Honolulu Blues (blue) and Jaune Citron (yellow) as sprinkles on the milkshake and the drips on the other nails.

- I then took some gems from a wheel of assorted nail gems bought from Primark and placed them near the top of the nail.

- For the thumb, I used the striping brush with Blanc de Lune and Pink Voltage to create the lines.

My striping skills leave something to be desired but practice makes perfect! I also used normal polishes for this and I've found striping with gel is so much easier.

Polishes/Tools Used:-
-L'Oreal Paris Color Riche // B25 Cuir Chocolat (brown), B07 Jaune Citron (yellow), 112 Blanc de Lune (white)
- China Glaze // Spring In My Step (pink), Pink Voltage (neon pink), Pack Lightly (nude beige)
- Beau Nail Polish // Honolulu Blues (blue)
- Maniology // Flashdance (peach pink)
- Born Pretty 3D Painting Gel // BP-PG02 After The Snow (white)
- Essence // Double-ended dotting tool
- Nail Magic // Brush on glue
- Primark // Assorted Nail Gems
- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

- Cuccio // Mini LED Nail Lamp

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.