A pear of manicures

Hey everyone! Back with this months final Glam Nails Challenge prompt, pears. I quite liked the idea of doing Each Peach Pear Plum (children's book) themed nails as the book has a lovely cover, but that was a little complicated for me so I decided to stick with my trusty Fruit Deco stamping plate from Maniology.

I started with a base of pale pink on my middle two nails, and Polished for Days Soft Focus on my other nails as a base for the glitter. For the glitter nails I used Champagne Diamonds from Cirque Colors which is super sparkly and lovely! While the layers dried I created decals on my Uber Mat using Mo You London's Fall In Love 08 stamping plate. I wanted to get a sort of blossom effect behind the pears but didn't quite have the right image so chose these instead. For once I created this look on both hands! I went to a wedding reception last night so wanted to have my hands co-ordinated and looking good with my dress. After applying the decals I added the layered up pear images and then a shiny topcoat.

I'm happy with how these came out. The floral images I chose were good blossom substitutes I think and the pears are cute. I really enjoyed the glorious glitter too - it's been great using a few from the Facets collection again - they always look good!

Colours used: Champagne Diamonds - Cirque Colors, Pink Lemonade - Barry M, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Marylebone Road - Nails Inc, Spring Green - Barry M

Jammy Raspberry Nails

Hey everyone! Back again with some more fruit nails for todays Glam Nails Challenge prompt which is raspberry. As with the lime nail art from yesterday I decided the follow a similar pattern, use the same stamping plate (Maniology Fruit Deco) and use one of Cirque Colors Facets collection polishes (this time it's Tourmaline).

I started by applying Tourmaline on three of my nails and white polish on the other two, topped with a shimmery iridescent topper. There was no decal making today as I used layered stamping plate images, using dark pink, green and then black stamping polish for the outline. There is one raspberry image on the stamping plate and I'm not sure I really placed it very well. I think I'd have been better off having just one image per nail at the end as a sort of accent. Still, they're not bad - after all who doesn't like raspberries?!

Colours used: Tourmaline - Cirque Colors, Cream Soda - Barry M, Good Vibes - Nails Inc, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Pomegranate - Barry M, Spring Green - Barry M

Lime after lime!

Hey everyone! Going to keep this one short and sweet as I'm multi-tasking (taking part in a quiz)! This nail art is for Sunday's Glam Nails Challenge prompt which was limes. I've had a busy few days so didn't get round to doing them till yesterday and then taking the pictures and things today. I decided on the look a few days ago and was looking forward to trying out Cirque Colors Peridot again as it's from their Facets collection which is a favourite of mine.

I started with a few layers of  green glitter on three nails and white on the other two. I topped the white with a bit of iridescent shimmer to add something a little extra. I wasn't sure how well it would work but I'm glad I did it - it's quite subtle. On the white nails I used a couple of shades of green and some black stamping polish to layer up some lime images from my Maniology Fruit Deco stamping plate. I think it's meant to be a lemon image really but it works for both.

I was slightly hesitant to do this look as I wasn't sure if the middle ones would clash with the green glitter but it came out really well. Loving the way it glitters in the sunlight and the novelty of wearing green which I don't do that often!

Colours used: Peridot - Cirque Colors, Cream Soda - Barry M, Good Vibes - Nails Inc, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Key Lime - Barry M, Spring Green - Barry M

Papaya Don't Preach

Hello nail enthusiasts! (and anybody else!) Today's Glam Nails Challenge prompt is Papaya - a great theme in my opinion. it's fun and a bit different. I knew when I saw this prompt that I had to do some nail art based on my lovely Chilly's water bottle. It's such a cute design and I love the colours, so I was pleased I have nail polishes which are a very good match!

I started with a base of Nails Inc's Baker Street - an absolute classic! I'm onto my second bottle now but haven't used it for ages so it was good to get it out again. While this was drying I created papaya decals on my Uber Mat, you can see how here. I Used the Tropical 07 stamping plate from Mo You London for the papaya image. It is the only papaya image I have and I think it's pretty good - certainly better than what I'd do freehand! Usually I use a dotting tool when creating decals, but for this one I used a small nail art brush to add the three colours of the papaya - green, yellow then orange (the shade I used is actually called Papaya which is very fitting!).

As you can see for the pictures I decided to pose with my water bottle. The last picture is with a shiny top coat and the rest are matte. I'm really pleased with these, I'm enjoying wearing them and they came out just as planned!

Colours used: Baker Street - Nails Inc, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Key Lime - Barry M, Yellow - Barry M, Papaya - Barry M

It's Wine O'Clock!

Hey everyone, I hope you're enjoying your weekend! Today's Glam Nails Challenge prompt is grapes. I decided to use some images from Uber Chic's Bottoms Up plate, so it made sense to add a wine theme. It was a bit of a make it up as I go kind of look, and I was pleased to see the Bottoms Up plate has more wine themed images that I remembered (it has a variety of of different drinks).

I started with a base of off white and while this dried I created decals on my Uber Mat, you can see how here. I'm pleased with how well the images fit my nails and am enjoying the sparkle in the leaves and grapes. It took some deciding whether to do something more purple or red as I needed it to work for both the grapes and the wine bottle/glasses.

I'm really pleased with how these came out, with the exception of the smudging on the multiple wine glasses nail. Unfortunately I had a moment of madness where I totally forgot I needed to gently float the top coat over the image when making the decals! It's only noticeable close up though.

Colours used: Cream Soda - Barry M, Black Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Ambrosia - Cirque Colors, Someday - ILNP, Bronze Bae - Barry M

Perfect Porcelain Plates Please

Hey nail people! I have some nail art from last month to shre with you today which I didn't get round to sharing previously. I have the Mo You London Porcelain 02 plate with these lovely china plate patterns on which I usually use layering up a sheer white polish with a cracked image in grey to add the illusion of a bit of texture before I add the blue patterns. Recently I saw some nail art where the patterns were applied straight on top of a white base and I liked the way it looked so thought I'd try that for a change.

The description of how I did it will be pretty short this time! I started with a base of white on all but my ring fingernail and silver for the accent nail. I then added a couple of layers of silver glitter on the accent nail. On my other nails I used blue nail polish and images from the Porcelain 02 plate to stamp the pattern onto my nails, finishing with a quick dry top coat.

Overall I really like these, I feel like this stamping plate is fail safe, I always love it! I enjoy the way I've done it previously as well but liked trying it a bit differently. It's also a pretty easy look that I could recreate for something like a wedding if I did't have time to do more complex nail art.

Colours used: Floral Street - Nails Inc, Indigo - Barry M, Silver Lining - Barry M, Diamond Glitter - Barry M

Coconut Cocktail Party

Hey nail people! Got more fruit nails to share today for today's Glam Nails Challenge prompt which is coconuts (I suppose they're technically a nut? They seem like fruit though!). I struggled a little at first to think what to do for coconut nails but then remembered that there is a coconut cocktail image on my Uber Chic Bottoms Up plate and thought that would be perfect - I do enjoy a twist on a theme sometimes! 

I started with a base of off white on my middle two fingernails, and pink glitter on the other three. For the coconut images I used my Uber Mat to create decals, you can see how here. I used a shimmery brown shade which I am so glad I have for moments like this! For the umbrella's I added a bit of extra colour with some neons. The polishes I used are listed below the pictures.

I wasn't sure whether to try and add something to the cocktail nails but I still can't really think what. Spots were an option but I just couldn't think which colour would work next to the sparkly pink nails so I left them as they are! I do still like them though, they're good fun and make me want a pina colada!

Colours used: Love Potion - Fun Lacquer, Cream Soda - Barry M, Taupe Temptation - Painted Polish, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish, My Mate Illuminate - Wikkid Polish, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish

Peachy Nails Take Two

Hi everyone! Another late Glam Nails Challenge prompt today, this one is peaches. I had a lovely weekend with my sister visiting so didn't have time to do my nails or blog. it was a great weekend though so I'm happy to be catching up today! For this theme I decided to recreate some peach nails I did in the past with my Nails Inc Kiss My Peach duo. I'm not so good at freehand so it's good to practise and see if I've improved.

I started with a base of pale peach on all nails, and used brighter peach to create a gradient on my index finger, little finger and thumb. On my middle two nails I used the bright peach to add some peach shapes, I created sort of vague heart shapes as this helped me work towards something and stop them being to blobby! I then added some little green leaves using the same brush. Overall I do think they've come out better than my previous ones. I'd like to see what the peaches are like with black outlines but I didn't want to risk messing it up!

Colours used: Peach Tease - Nails Inc, Hot Fuzz - Nails Inc, Key Lime - Barry M

Mushy McMushroom!

Hey everyone! Got some fun colourful nail art to share with you on this rainy day. The Nail Addicts Collab theme this month was 'when I grow up' (que Pussycat Dolls music). Those taking part created manicures based on something we wanted be be when growing up. Mine is a bit obscure! I had the usual actress phase I think many teenage girls have, but I also spent some time wanting to be a mycologist - a scientist who studies mushrooms - yes, really. Random as that may seem it was a great theme for my nails and I decided to do a neon skittle mushroom mani!

I started with a sheer pink base to give a bit of a negative space look, and then used a small nail art brush to add little semi circles on each nail using shades from Cirque Colors Vice 2019 collection. Once mostly dry I added little white stems with the same brush, and then used a dotting tool to add spots to each mushroom. Once dry I finished the look with a matte top coat.

I'm pretty pleased with how these came out. They're not perfect but I kind of like them that way! As you can see from the extra pictures at the bottom of this blog post I enjoyed having a little mushroom photo shoot with them when making a risotto!

Colours used: Bashful - Barry M, Floral Street - Nails Inc, Game Over, Vitamin D, Electric Daisy, High Roller, Miami-Dade, Rehab - All Cirque Colors

Blueberry Flowers

Hey everyone! The second Glam Nails Challenge prompt this month was blueberries and I've seen some gorgeous designs people have done for it! I was a little unsure what to do at first so was pleased when I discovered my Maniology Fruit Deco plate had a berry image I could use. I decided to go for an abstract sort of look with some pale colours so the blueberries would stand out. 

I started with a base of white (a challenge as my white nail polish is getting quite thick!) and then added a swipe of pale purple and pink nail polish on each nail. After that I used the blueberry image from the Fruit Deco plate on each nail. It's a layered stamping plate so I didn't need to create decals and could just layer up the colours. To finish off the look I used a dotting tool and gold nail polish to add a little extra detail on each nail.

I think the final look is very summery and reminds me of jam jars or some sort of  cottage core fruit packaging! Also looks kind of floral to me, hence the name of this blog post. I used a shiny top coat but might add a bit one just to see how it looks.

Colours used: Floral Street - Nails Inc, Strawberry Ice Cream - Barry M, Berry Ice Cream - Barry M, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Indigo - Barry M, Uptown Glamour - Nails Inc

Pinapular Delight

Hey everyone! I'm trying the Glam Nails Challenge on Instagram again this month. All the themes are fruit based which I think it pretty good fun, and some of them are more unusual ones to try too. I was a bit behind with the first one which is pineapples. Pineapple nail art is great and I've had an idea on my to do list for ages so thought I'd give that a go. Ever since I saw Belle of So Hot Right Nail do foil pineapples I knew I needed that super shiny pineapple look!

I started with a base of pale pink on my middle two nails and blue on the others. I added a layer of gold flakie polish over the top to add something extra! I then used the Tropical 07 stamping plate from Mo You London to add pineapples on the middle two nails in black. Once dry I added foil glue over the top of the pineapples, followed by the gold foil then the green foil once the glue was dry. I worked surprisingly well I think and the gaps around the leaves kind of looks like an outline. I used a thin nail art brush and black nail polish to add a bit of detail over the gold. 

So in conclusion I wasn't really expecting this to work but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome! It was never going to be quite as fabulous as the original but I think it went as well as it could! Also to explain the title of this blog post - my boyfriend and I use the word pinapular to describe something pineapple like - I can't think of any examples....

Colours used: My Car Has Navy-gation - OPI, Strawberry Ice Cream - Barry M, Lady In Black - OPI, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend