B is for Butterflies Nail art

New BarryM Gellys are MINE! 

I havent bought any mainstream polishes in soooo long as I have really only been excited by indies. BUT when BarryM brought out the new Gellys it rekindled my love for the ones I already own and then I decided I needed more! 

The new gellys I have bought seem in no way as thick as the others I have which I am a bit disappointed about as I love using them for art and stamping but as we all know they will thicken up in time. 

This is another one of those faffing nail arts where I have no idea or plan I just go with it..... 

So this is what I went with. 

I went for a waterfall (Nailasaurus inspired) then added some Happy Hands B Is For Butterflies to the ring finger. 

Macro bottle shot  *i didn't get any flowers or butterflies on my nails :( *

The middle finger is a sponging technique using the the Gelly polishes, I think it looks washed out like watercolours, I just call it mottling LOL 

I used, from the Gelly Range, Huckleberry as the base and then Prickly Pear and Greenberry for the add ons. Oh and I used a Color Club glitter striper too (squint and ya may see it LOL) 

Like I said they are a lot thinner so that was a tad annoying but I still like the overall look.

I am in LOVE with pastels and I think we will be seeing a lot of them again this summer.

What do you think? Do you love pastels? 

Lightining Nail Art!

I have been super busy this week with a couple crochet orders I have to finish so here is a quick lightening themed nail art!

This was one of those late night faffings. My husband and brother were on Fifa so I thought Id have a mess around.

I used two polishes for this. BarryM Gelly in shades Guava and Grapefruit.

I love the Gelly range as they thicker. They are great for stamping and art although I do find the application can be a bit more tricky as it is that bit thicker.

I used the Bowie stamping plate from MoYou but i think that was like special edition or something so I am not sure if it is still available... But I do have another MoYou plate and that has bolts on it too. 

I haven't used these polishes in so long and pretty much forgot I had them lol. After using these I then ordered the new shades and a few others from the range.... OOOOPPSS!

This is so funky and bright! And its been awhile since I have done any art at all.

The gradient nail didn't go completely to plan and I think it looks like more of a tie dye nail LOL

What do ya all think?

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Polish Remover

In my time as both a nail tech and a polish fanatic I have used a lot of different nail polish removers.

 

I usually buy the most basic brands and I have finally found a favourite!

 

I have, for the last month or so, been using two different types of polish by Boots.

Why do you need two types of remover I hear you ask?!

Well, I use one for general polish removing and one for clean ups and glitter removal as its stronger.

 

For general use I use the basic Boots own brand for £1! Its is, IMO, better than the Superdrugs own brand. It really doesn't struggle with dark colours or anything. And its a good size (250ml).

 

You can buy it HERE

 

For clean up I also use a Boots own brand polish called Clean Off. It is really good at cleaning up any accidents on the side walls or cuticles. Also nails are left nice and smooth after polish removal, they don't feel dry at all.

Bit more pricey as its £1.30 for 150ml but to be honest that's still really cheap!

You can buy it HERE

 

BOTH of these contain acetone and to be honest I only use polish remover with acetone in. I find non acetone remover doesn't do the job as well. But if you wear acrylic nail extensions then please don't use a nail polish remover which contains acetone.

 

Just thought I would share this with you all as I know it can be hard to find a good one.

 

Hello Kitty Stamping and Polish Review

 

Today I am sporting a lot of Hello Kitty! 

The polish I purchased from +Superdrug purely for the face that it has a super cool bottle that looks great on my shelf! 

Previous post about my haul and to see the bottle check out HERE
I was incredibly surprised by the polish as being Hello Kitty I assumed it would be a child's type polish quality but i was wrong! 

It was opaque in pretty much one coat, and the actual formula is beautiful BUT the brush is very thin. I also had a problem getting enough polish on the brush. This is because the neck of the bottle is really long. But after all this I am still very happy with the formula and the bottle is cute!

The stamping plate is from the Born Pretty store and I actually received this for free via a code I received in a package with an eBay order!

Usually it sells at $2.99 with free shipping. 

Sorry about the picture, I forget to take one BEFORE I used it :S 

The ones I used picked up great with no problems. 

The main design in the centre of the plate is huge though and I don't know what nail that would fit on, maybe my big toe LOL!

Polish used is Got Dat Thang by Hello Kitty, you can buy it for £2.49 HERE

Stamping plate available from Born Pretty Store for $2.99 HERE

 

BarryM Gelly Guava Bubbles

 This is a BarryM Gelly in Guava. A new addition to the Gelly family.

Unfortunately I the photograph doesn't show the colour as i had hoped. 

Its a bit more turquoise in real life. 

I was really disappointed with the consistency of this product. It was quite thick and hard to apply. But the colour is truly beautiful! I am not a fan of a thick polish, it reminds me of a cheap polish. 

Its actually put me off using this polish again which is sad as its so beautiful.

The bubbles are done using OPI If You Moust You Moust and Barry M Nail Art Pen in White.

Accessorize Speckled Swatches

I purchased these from Superdrug a couple weeks ago on a 3 for 2 as i am really into glitters at the mo and I wanted to try these out.

Big apologises in advance of my TERRIBLE cuticles and side walls! Gross! No excuses, i will sort them :)

So first up is Damselfly. Here it is with 3 coats, no top coat.

 A light blue,almost turquoise with dark blue and silver glitter. This is my fave out of all three. All three polishes applied really well, i was actually surprised as i thought that with all the glitter i would get a rubbish cuticle line but in fact all these swatches had NO clean-up so that's a bonus. 

Next up is Dragonfly, also pictured with 3 coats and no top coat

 A green with blue hex's. This is my least favourite as i think this colour combination is a tad boring! 

Last up is Butterfly, you guessed it... 3 coats with no top coat.

A PVA glue style white base with red and black hex's. Loved this!

The formula was really good on all the polishes and the glitter distribution was fair too. I hate the lid on these! I have big ol' hands and its hard to use :( 

I loved the jelly type effect these had and it created depth as the glitter from the previous coats are slightly covered. 

Lovely Polishes all in all and there are a few other shades available. 

Buy from Superdrug HERE for £3.45

Accessorize Electric Purple

 This is Accessorize in Electric Purple. It dries a silky matte rather than a shiny finish, which i actually love! 

The colour is a beautiful, forget me not purple. 

It was really hard to photograph the actual shade of this polish. 

I would say that to my eye, in real life, it is a far more purplish hue. 

Although one of my neighbors said they saw it as a more blue shade.

 Well whatever the shade, it is one of my fave polishes at the mo. Really summery and looks great with embellishments. 

The one thing i will say that is has the same tendency as a metallic polish, it brings out your nail imperfections. So make sure you use a good ridge filling base coat. 

This is 2x coats with no top coat

This polish along with other Accessorize polishes are available from +Superdrug 

 

Barry M Ice Cream Collection

Ive been without a camera for a while, hence why i haven't posted recently. Did ya all miss me ?!

Well i have a camera now, so here is some Barry M Ice Cream swatches :)

I got these on my last haul from +Superdrug on a 3for2.

First up is Blueberry Ice Cream, a lovely creamy light blue. This is quite an opaque shade. Here is 2x coats with no topcoat.

  It applies well, although there was some visible brush marks. This would easily have been smoothed out with a top coat.

Next is Lemon Ice Cream. A sunny bright yellow. Here is 3x coats with no top coat.

This needed three coats to be opaque but totally worth it! i mean look at this lovely summer shade!. Again this applies really well. 

And last up is Berry Ice Cream. A pale, pastel violet. Here is 2x coats with no top coat. 

As you can see its a very pale shade but it does have a really good coverage and is opaque in 2 coats, 

This shade is really nice but is my least favorite of the three.

Out of all three my fav would have to be Lemon Ice Cream with Blueberry coming in a close second. 

I love pastel shades and Barry M doesn't disappoint. Especially when they are only £2.99 Each! 

You can purchase them HERE

My Haul 22/05/2013

Today I received these absolute beauties in the post.

 +Superdrug  were having a 3 for 2 on all cosmetics so i couldn't resist!

What i have here is 

TOP PHOTO 

Barry M's in  Lemon Ice Cream, Mint Green,Berry Ice Cream,Blueberry Ice Cream and Vivid Purple

LEFT PHOTO 

L'oreal Confetti, Maybelline ColorShow Polka Dots in Speckled Pink,Shooting Stars and Rain forest Canopy. 

RIGHT PHOTO

Gosh Holographic Hero, Hello Kitty Got That Thang, Accessorize Electric Purple

I just had to get the Hello Kitty Polish, just for the bottle! I had to have it on my shelf :) 

I used to own Gosh's Holographic Hero years ago when i worked in Superdrug. It was the most i had ever spent on a polish and even with my discount i still had to think for a few weeks before i actually bought it. Unfortunately it went gloopy not so long later so when i saw it online i had to buy it, just for old times sake :)
 Purchase online HERE

BARRY M MORE NEW PRODUCTS!

I was doing my usual read of another nail blog Polished Criminails when i discovered that there will be more new products coming in June!

 

 

Confetti Nail Effects.

This type has polish has been everywhere this year and now Barry M are release their version, I am particularly interested in the blue one!!

Colours are Dolly Mixture (Multi), Liquorice (Black/White), Marshmallow (Pink), Bubblegum (Blue), Sour Apple (Green). 

These can used as a top coat or can be built up to a more opaque shade using multiple coats.

 

There will also be five new members of the Gelly family :) again i am looking forward to the blue!

 

 Key Lime (Lime Green), Guava (Teal), Passion Fruit (Pink/Red), Blue Grape (Cobalt Blue), Mango (Orange)

Both Polishes will retail at £3.99 and will be available on June 5th in Superdrug and Boots on June 12th :)

STOP THE PRESS! Barry M New Product Sequin Nail Effects

Yesterday Barry M announced a NEW Effect nail polish

 

Sequin Effect will be in store on the 8th of May priced and the same rate as the other special effects £3.99

 

Available in Boots and Superdrug

 

 

I cant wait for these!!

The Velvet Manaicure, Fluffy!

"Its been around for ages" I hear you shout, yes it has but im still yet to try it!

When i first saw it on +Sam Biddles Website i admit i thought i was strange but very funky and i love new innovations but on later reflection and when pictures kept popping of really messy application i really changed my mind. Plus i really love Sam Biddles products and have followed her career avidly since i got into nails.

But when i went for a stroll in Superdrug i noticed that MUA  now do a range of nail fluff i just had to give it a go. And it was only £3 for a quite big pot.
EDIT: it is now £2 on thier website HERE

 

Questions keep popping into my sceptical head like, what happpens when it gets wet? how long will it last? Is it easy to apply?

Later on today im going to have a nice old mess around with it and see if it will infact change my mind.

Keep your eyes peeled for my design later tonight x