Decals!

So. The diamond on my nail is the result of some nail decals I bought from eBay. They take a bit to get used to but I really love the effect. I used my usual black (sephora in chic and rebel) and a few colour club ones. I adore them. What do you think?

Whatever's in my mind

Literally is just a mash up of everything. Excuse my right hand, it's a state. I'm right handed, and can't focus with my left hand!
I used:
Color club (various shades)
Nail pop in chino (shade 7)
Leighton Denny in viva la diva
Leighton Denny in coral reef
NYC in 138 classy glassy
Orly in white out
Sephora in chic and rebel
Orly in hottie
Nail star pens in black and white
Essie in 472 (got them as part of a box in TKMaxx and no names on them!)
Miss sporty in coty paris

Panda!

I seem to be updating from my phone more and more these days. I did only this one nail because I'm still unsure of what to do with the others. I'm going to see the pandas in Edinburgh zoo next week and felt inspired.
I uses:
Orly in White Out
NYC nail polish in 138 Classy Glassy
And my two faithful Nail Star art pens in black and white.

Summery studs :)

Quick rushed job so can't be done properly. :)

stripes!

So.
I saw something kinda similar to these on tumblr and thought I'd give it a go because I'm going out on sunday night, but I'm busy all of tonight and tomorrow, which is why it's been done so early. You can tell that my little finger one messed up. The problem was, the black nail polish I was using is fairly old and quite clumpy (I should buy new, I know, I know) and was my only option, and of course, when nail polish goes lumpy it can be a bit gel-like. One of the gel lumps managed to squidge it's way under the tape and messed up. I wasn't too happy, but I've sorta corrected it with a tiny bit more yellow on top.
How did I do it then?
I used Color Club nail polishes (I bought these in a seven pack in TKMaxx for my mother's birthday and oh my lord they are AMAZING!! I only just took the yellow one off to do these and I'd had it on for weeks!) but I can't find any colour names on the bottles! If I do, I'll update this entry. For the black I used Sinful Polishes in Voodoo. It was a seriously good black when I bought it all those many moons ago. It's nearly completely empty now anyway as black's my go-to colour if I can't think of anything to do with my nails.
And the magic ingredient? Tape.
I painted my nails with the five colours (I used the Color Club ones because they're soooo bright, they stand out massively compared to the black) and left them to dry. Then I painted a clear coat over the colours before adding the black. I call this the 'insurance layer' because obviously, usually when your nails come into contact with tape, any polish that touches the sticky-side tends to be pulled off, ruining whatever you've done with your nails. By putting the clear coat over, if any polish was coming away, it would be the clear (which wouldn't matter because it would all get a fresh coat of clear in the end anyway. Plus, Color Club polishes dry fast). I cut a strip of average, every day selotape down into really thin strands then literally stuck them to my nails, making sure bits of them were sticking out at the sides of my nails so I had something to pull the tape off with. I did cut 30 strips, thinking I'd do 3 strips on each nail but that went out the window and I just went for it, which i why on both hands there's a different amount of stripes and thicknesses of stripes on every nail!
When the tape was stuck down, I gave it a few seconds then painted over with the black. I did a very thick coat of black too, which was not only because my black's dead as a dodo, but to really make sure the bright colours popped when they were revealed again. I gave my nails about a minute to dry with the black on top and the tape still stuck to my nails to make sure there would be no running or smudging (obviously didn't work on my little finger...). When the minute was up, I pulled the tape strips off and viola! Brightly coloured stripy nails! Then I gave them another thirty or so seconds to make sure they were definitely dry, then added the clear coat to make them ultra glossy.
The picture's from my phone and doesn't look too great, but honestly, they look SO effective in real life. Really eye-grabbing.
So if you want simple, but effective nails, give it a go. You won't be disappointed!

brands.

If you've looked through my blog you'll notice I tend to revert back to the same polishes time and time again but work them in a different way. When I first started with the nail art I never really had a preference for polish but now I do (I'm a nail polish snob!). I'm going to give a quick run through of the brands I regularly use and grade them according to colour/coat ratio, chip resistance, drying time, choice of colours, average price and overall quality. I'm only going to do my main 5 for now.

(1) Essie
Essie is arguably the brand I use the most now. I got my first few bottles of it when I was in Canada because the exchange rate meant they were cheaper over there than they are in my home in jolly old England.
Colour/coat ratio: 4/5 stars.
I find the colours go on really quickly and easily and are beautiful. I usually only have to do one coat, which in my book is a great deal.
Chip resistance: 3/5 stars.
It seems to depend which colours you go for. The lighter ones chip a lot easier than the darker or brighter shades I've found, which is fairly disappointing when the candy type colours are huge this season.
Dry time: 4/5 stars.
Really quick drying time and rarely smudge.
Colours: 5/5 stars.
The colour choices are ENDLESS with this brand.
Average price: 3/5 stars.
They're relatively expensive. I think the average bottle is about £8.
Quality: Unbeatable. Worth the price you pay for them and they go the distance. Just wish they were a little bit cheaper and the paler colours didn't chip so much.

(2) Rimmel (including all sub-brands within the range)
Colour/coat ratio: 3/5 stars.
I find that some of the colours need quite a few coats before they eventually build up into a strong colour.

Chip resistance: 2/5 stars.
Tends to be chip resistant, but the yellow and green colours chip almost seconds after you've finished painting your nails.

Dry time: 4/5 stars.
Quick drying.

Colours: 5/5 stars.
Absolutely huge range.

Average price: 5/5 stars.
Most bottles are anywhere between £2.50 and £4.

Quality: Overall good quality, but aren't reliable to wear for a long time. Aren't very long lasting. You'll more than likely have to paint your nails a few times to top up if you want to keep the colour on for longer.

(3) Sephora
I can only get these when I'm in mainland Europe or North America so to me they're a pretty big deal.

Colour/coat ratio: 5/5 stars.
Cannot be beaten. Wide brush and thick gloss mean it takes seconds to paint a whole nail perfectly.

Chip resistance: 5/5 stars.
Extremely chip resistant.

Dry time: 5/5 stars.
Dries almost instantly with a pretty shine.

Colours: 5/5 stars.

Average price: I can't actually remember this (sorry!)

Quality: Very high quality brand and worth the reputation. This is my favourite brand of polish ever. You will not be disappointed. Just wish the bottles were bigger.

(4) GOSH

Colour/coat ratio: 1/5 stars.
Colour goes streaky and uneven very quickly. Hard to get a good smooth coating.

Chip resistance: 2/5 stars.
Chips easily but can probably go for a few days without any signs of damage.

Dry time: 1/5 stars.
I've been known to wait for this polish to dry for over half an hour then think it's dry and smudge it everywhere. It also makes a massive mess.

Colours: 3/5 stars.
A lot of nice colours but a very small range.

Average price: 1/5 stars.
Not worth the price that it costs.

Quality: Some of the colours in this range are breathtaking which is why I have invested in them. Would I invest in more polishes by this brand? No. Could be okay if you have the time to sit and wait around for it to dry and have the time to apply coat after coat.

(5) OPI

Colour/coat ratio: 3/5 stars.
Some of the colours (such as Your Royal Shine-ness) are a one-coat job that looks amazing. Others (such as Fiercely Fiona) take a while to apply and need multiple coats.

Chip resistance: 5/5 stars.
I am yet to have OPI nail polish chip off before it grows out or I've taken it off.

Dry time: 3/5 stars.
This again depends on the colour. The glittery ones dry very very quickly as do some of the normal lacquers, however others have taken a while and have smudged while I've been waiting (such as Dating A Royal). They're worth the drying time though, so it does balance out somewhat.

Colours: 5/5 stars.
Ridiculously large range nobody can knock.

Average price: 3/5 stars.
The average bottle is about £13.50 which is very expensive for a bottle of nail polish, but it is genuinely worth the price. The polish lasts for ages and the quality of it doesn't decrease with age. It's just parting with the cash to begin with that's the issue....

Quality: Would be better if all the colours dried as quickly as each other and if the price was a little bit lower. Other than that this is an extremely promising brand to invest in and the quality is second to none.

the hunger games!

So, this is my left and right hand together and yes, I did only just figure out how to get this to happen. This design is in honor of my pal Michaela. We're going to see The Hunger Games tonight and she suggested I do a design for them so here it it. I'm pretty happy with the way my left hand went more than my right in all honesty. Not to blow my own trumpet, but I love how the glitter drips worked out on the black varnish. And the mockingjay took forever to do (try drawing upside down with a leaky nail pen and you'll know my pain). I stuck with the whole 'girl on fire' thing for my right hand, which is why the nails are bronze with a bronze glitter over the top. It's not too clear on the photos either, but the thumb nail of my right hand says 'The Capitol'.

I used:
Sephora Nail Lacquer in Chic and Rebel
Essie in Cocktail Bling
Accessorize nail polish in Molten Copper
Sephora Nail Lacquer in Not That Shy
Sephora gold nail art pen
Nail star black and red pens
Claire's accessories gold glitter
Natural Collection Nail Polish in Sunset (I got this years ago so I'm not sure if it's still in production, but any bronze shade will work fine)