In the Army...

I'm going to a birthday tonight and there is a dress up theme - 'army'. I'm not one for spending money on fancy dress costumes that I'll never wear again so I'm going in khaki clothing and mud/face paint, hopefully I'll look convincing! 

Fancy dress is always such a great opportunity for me to create some fun and original nail art so I painted my nails in a camouflage pattern to match the theme!

I used MUA Shade 23 as a base. To get the camo effect, I painted on random patches using BYS Fern, Barry M Mushroom and W7 Black. The insignia was created with black acrylic paint and Barry M Gold Foil.

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Day 29: Inspired by The Supernatural

Today's nails are kind of boring. I really couldn't think of anything supernatural except for ghosts so that's what we're getting today! It's funny that I never used this stamp before Halloween and now I've used it twice in one week!

Don't forget to check out Cristina and Rie's supernatural nails today!



The base colour is W7 Metallic Neptune and I used Sally Hansen Whirlwind White to stamp the ghost from Bundle Monster plate BM223. Then, of course, I added a top coat of NYC.





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Day 26: Inspired by a Pattern

I'm running out of steam this week so I decided to go simple for today's challenge and take inspiration from my favourite Konad pattern from M64.

Cristina and Rie have created some lovely pattern inspired nails today.





Konad Plate: M64
Base Colour: Primark - Yes Cyan!
Konad Colour: W7 - Black
Top Coat of NYC



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Day 25: Inspired by Fashion

I'll be honest here - I'm not a very fashion conscious person. I'm not trying to sound conceited but I may come across like that anyway, but I believe personal style > fashion. So the first thing I did for researching today's nails was to Google 'Fashion'!
After a bit of searching, I stumbled upon Michael Kors' website and fell in love with the simplicity and elegance of his dress designs. I quickly chose this dress as my inspiration.

Thankfully, Rie and Cris know a bit more than me about fashion. Head over to see their couture creations today.

I used W7 Black as a base colour then slicked on GOSH top coat and placed on the bullion before it dried.
I used a top coat of NYC to seal it all in.



This dress is so classic yet the studs give it that rock-chick rebel vibe. I love it! I feel like such a bad-ass wearing studded nails! I'll be wearing my biker boots and leather jacket today.



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Day 13: Animal Print

Who doesn't love a good animal print nail huh? This combination of colour and stamping is the one I used to wear the most before I started blogging, but it's been a long time since I wore it. I was going to try something more adventurous today, like freehanding a leopard print, but laziness took over and I pulled out my stamping plates!

If you're craving more animal print manis, check out Cristina and Rie's Day 13 challenges too!

BYS Astro Gold
W7 Black for the stamp
Konad Plate M57
Top Coat of NYC

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Day 7: Black and White Nails

I toyed with a few ideas for today's nails before deciding to play it safe and go with Zebra print. It's been so long since I wore this pattern and colour combination (I normally go for the tiger colour combination) and I forgot how amazing it is. It's definitely not a subtle look, but I think I pull it off okay!

Don't forget to check out Cristina and Rie's nails today for some more crazy black and white designs.

I used an unnamed Collection 2000 White then stamped with W7 Black and Konad Plate M57.

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Day 6: Violet Nails

Today's criteria is Violet Nails but that seems a bit narrow compared to previous days so I took it to mean purple in general. I really don't want to do too much talking today. I want to let you all soak up the pure beauty of this W7 Polish!

This is a colour that I find myself reaching for time after time when I just want to wear something simple and pretty. I don't know how to describe the finish, my best guess is shimmer. What category would you slide this polish into?

Visit Rie and Cristina's blogs to see some amazing nail art!

2 Coats of W7 Purple Paradise
Top Coat of NYC

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Vampy Half-Moon manicure... but not as you know it

A few days ago, an idea struck for a half moon manicure but I couldn't find the stickers I use for them anywhere. I spent more than an hour searching my room top to bottom for the dastardly things to no avail!

I found myself in an 'odds and ends' kind of shop yesterday and remembered just as I was leaving that I needed some of these and I found a packet of about 500 stickers for 60p. Such a bargain!

The stickers in question are THESE hole reinforcers. I cut them in half and used them to mark off the half moon shape at the base of my nail but instead of painting a new colour over the top, I used a stamp.

Konad Plate: M64
Base Colour: W7 - Black Cherry
Konad Colour: Collection 2000 - Moonlight Shine
Top Coat of NYC

On Monday, Cris @ Let Them Have Polish, Rie @ Nails and Noms and I will be starting the 31 Day Challenge (click here for details). We decided to do it together so that we won't be tempted to stray from the strict 'post every day' rule! I think it will be fun but also challenging to go back to posting daily after relaxing my blogging schedule since the new year. I can't wait to start and I'm hopefully my enthusiasm won't dwindle too quickly!


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♪♫ Memories of times and the places that were there

I can't believe it's Friday already! This week has flown by so quickly.

You might have noticed a few changes around here recently. I put up a new banner a little while ago and my pictures have also taken a turn for the better if I do say so myself!

I've been wanting a great lamp with a white fluorescent bulb for a long time after Cris gave me some advice about lighting. They can be a bit pricey but I was lucky enough to find one in the house. It's been sat on the same side table for months and I've gotten so used to seeing it that I just forgot it was there.

I was sat in the lounge one day when I caught a glimpse of it and just had one of those moments where something clicked in my brain and I realised it was exactly what I'd been wanting for weeks!

I also changed my watermark and have started stamping it in to the middle of the pictures because I've seen a few of my pictures online with the watermark cropped out and no credit given which is so annoying (and illegal). So, I have to put it in a place where it can't be cropped without slicing up the picture, but I'm trying to keep it as unobtrusive as possible and I hope you guys don't mind too much.

I started out using scotch tape to mark off the black sections at the side but it ruined the mani underneath so I just whipped out a striping brush and freehanded the a line then filled it in after. It's obviously not as crisp a line as you would get using scotch tape but it saves a lot of time and hassle.

Plate: Bundle Monster BM223

Base Colour: Cult Nails - Cruisin' Nude
Stamp Colour: W7 - Black
Top Coat of NYC




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Internet > Chocolate

I have such a short attention span! I've been sat here since about 9pm with these photos open in Photoshop, getting them blog-ready and I've been distracted at least 4356 times. It's now just after 1am and I have managed to focus long enough to upload them and write this post!

When I sit down in front of a computer, I go in to a complete trance and until I snap out of it don't realise that I've just spent 4 hours of my day watching The Shaytards and amusing myself with every single #Parks and Recreation post on tumblr. If I have one addiction in life, it's the internet.

Plates: Bundle Monster BM201, BM224 and BM211
Base Colour: W7 Black Cherry
Stamp Colour: Collection 2000 Moonlight Shine
GOSH Metallic Purple
Top Coat of NYC

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I'm a Peacock, You Gotta 'Let Me Fly'

(context)

Any Mark Whalberg fans in here? Every time I hear the name of this polish, the scene from 'The Other Guys' comes straight to mind and I have to stifle a little giggle!

Konad Plate: Born Pretty M79

Base Colour: Cult Nails - Let Me Fly

Konad Colour: W7 Black

Top Coat of NYC

Reprise

This W7 polish is one of my all time favourites. I had a bottle of this all the way back when my collection was 15 strong but unfortunately it went all lumpy and weird so I had to chuck it. I thought you couldn't get this colour any more but I spotted a bottle in a bargain shop that sells all kinds of odds and ends and snapped it up right away!

Plate: Bundle Monster BM208

Base Colour: W7 Purple Passion

Stamp Colour: GOSH Metallic Purple

Top Coat of NYC

Legless

Today has been a very busy and exciting day. I got my car back on the road today after 6 months of relying on my feet, public transport and parents to get around! I don't mind walking everywhere, in fact I've grown to quite enjoy it and still plan to walk as much as I can, but it's really nice to know that I can just hop in the car whenever I feel like it and go wherever I want. I really missed that freedom when I was pedestrianised! 

I set out with plate BM214 planning to use the Stag design as Emily requested on a recent post. However, the Stags came out looking like vertically challenged cows! I couldn't get the horns or legs to stick to my stamper. This could just be my stamper because it has been a bit uncooperative of late but it could also be that the design is just too fiddly. I'd love to know if anyone's tried this design yet and found the same as me, or whether it's just something I'm doing that's making it go wrong.

So I moved on to another pattern from the plate - this celtic, swirly design. I kind of struggled to think of original ways to use it at first but I like the ornate way it turned out.

Plate: Bundle Monster BM214

Base Colour: W7 Black Cherry

Konad Colour: Miss Sporty Zodiac

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♪♫ I don't blame you, it's what I love you for...

I'm super tired today so it's just a quick post. I sorted out my hair - decided to dye it Auburn and it's turned out really nice. Still patchy in places but that can be passed off as highlights!

(Pete Lawrie - All That We Keep)

Konad Plate: M54

Base Colour: Franken

Konad Colour: W7 - Black

Top Coat of NYC

A New Chrome Discovery

Hey guys! I know I've been M.I.A. for a few days, other than my constant twitter moaning, but it's exam period in Uni at the moment and I have 4 exams to study for. I got the first one out of the way this morning so I felt I deserved a break from revision and stressing to do my nails properly.

A few weeks ago, I saw swatches of a chrome polish from Avon at Goose's Glitter. I know how amazing chromes are for stamping and since I know Avon is a brand I can get my hands on here in the UK, I started my treasure hunt to get my hands on a bottle.

Avon aren't actually selling this on their website or in the book, but I found a few bottles on eBay and eventually won the bidding on this one at a good price. It popped through my door on Saturday but due to my lack of studying last week, my weekend was crammed full of it so I had no time to play with my new polish.

So today, as a reward to myself for all my work, I went a bit overboard with manicuring. I painted my nails about 5 different colours today before I was happy!

Plate: Bundle Monster - BM21

Base Colour: W7 - Blue Lagoon

Stamping Colour: Avon Mirror Shine - Blue Steel

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McCreamy

I picked up this beautiful grey polish from La Femme in a £1 shop today. I spotted the display of polishes and zoned in on them. Most of the colours were not really my kind of thing - a lot of metallics and pale shimmery shades - but I spotted this one at the back and bought it thinking it might be good for stamping since it looked creamy and pigmented.

I haven't put it to the stamping test yet but I think it looks great on it's own. It is a gorgeous creamy polish that is perfect in two coats. The only down side to this polish is the brush. It's kind of stiff so it leaves streak marks but they do settle themselves - it's just annoying. Nothing I can complain about considering it was such a bargain.

Konad Plate: M56

Base Colour: La Femme - Grey Cream

Konad Colour: W7 - Black

Gems from eBay (Seller)

Top Coat of NYC

Did anyone make the connection between today's colour and the post title?!

Barry M Bright Purple

This is one of the polishes I got for Christmas. I love this colour! I was looking at it in the bottle wondering if I was going to be too pink for my liking but it's just perfect - it's bold and bright without being too tacky (imo).

Konad Plate: M64

Base Colour: Barry M - Bright Purple

Konad Colour: W7 - Black

Top Coat of NYC

I also forgot to show you this cool gadget that my aunt bought me for Christmas. It's a cute little monkey that blows on your fingers to make your polish dry faster!

In Stitches

Base Colour: Collection 2000 Hot Looks - Spangles
For the stitches I used BYS Glamourpuss and then W77 Black over the top. I used a little paintbrush.
I used a top coat of GOSH and then one of NYC to flatten all the red and black.

Roses are black, Violets are blue...

299 Followers!!! Thanks everyone and hello to all the new followers. 

To all my new followers and anyone who didn't know, I am opening my second giveaway when I hit 300 followers so get your friends over here!

Plate: BM14
Base Colour: E.L.F. - Innocence
Stamp Colour: W7 - Black
Top Coat of Collection 2000

♪♫ If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will

Here are my Dalmatian patterned nails for tonights fancy dress. It's a Disney theme so I'm going as one of the Dalmatians!

I used the leopard print pattern from Konad M57 and used a brush to fill in the holes to make spots.

Konad Plate: M57

Base Colour: Stargazer - White

Konad Colour: W7 - Black

Top Coat of NYC