A Reflective Rainbow

Hey space turtles! Something fun and bright to share today - rainbow nails. This was for a Glam Nails Challenge prompt on Instagram but is also something I'd been meaning to do for a while with my new rainbow reflective glitters (colours listed below pictures). 

I started with a nude base coat for opacity as I knew there's only be one layer of sparkly polish. I then used a small nail art brush to add the striped on my nails one colour at a time. This was easier and came out neater than I expected as the consistency of these polishes is so perfect for it. Reflective glitters tend to be quite opaque and thick so it worked really well. I loved looking at these gorgeous glitters sparkling in the sun too! All of the colours are from the Painted Polish 'At Sea: Rainbow Reef' collection except the red as that wasn't in stock where I buy my indie polishes. The red is from the same brand and finish however so is close enough I think, just slightly darker. Love how these came out :)

Colours used: Soft Focus (nude) - Polished for Days, You Razz My Berries, Shell We Dance, Catch Sun Rays, Can't Kelp Myself, Laguna Matata, Feelin' Knotty - All Painted Polish

Rainbow Sparkle Ladybird's

Hey space turtles! This is my final catch up blog post for now, and it's for last Wednesday's Glam Nails Challenge theme of Ladybug. I've done ladybird nails before and thought of a few ways I might do them a little differently, settling on some sparkly purple ladybirds which don't cover my whole nail. I wasn't sure whether to add eyes as they looked quite good without but glad I did as I definitely like them best that way. Pictures of both in reflective and non-reflective forms are below.

I started with a muted pink base coat which ended up looking a bit more purple after I added a tinted top coat at the end! I then painted a line on each nail where the purple point would end and then added a thick layer of sparkle underneath it. I used a small nail art brush to outline their little heads and fill them in before painting some antennae. Once dry I added lined down the middle and then used a dotting tool to add the spots and eyes, finishing with a super glossy top coat. Love how these turned out :)

Colours used: Briar Rose - Polished for Days, Rainbow Stardust - Fancy Gloss, Essential White - Uber Chic Beauty, Lady In Black - OPI

Donut Swap!

Hello again! More catch up today. This donut nail art was inspired by 'a bit of glitz on the tips' on Instagram, who had been inspired by 'isolated.color'. We agreed to do a 'mani swap' where we each chose one of each others designs to recreate and I liked this one as it was achievable for me to do freehand (a lot of hers are more intricate and a bit tricky for me!) and fits with the general sweet things around Easter time theme. 

I started with a base of bright pink (colours listed below pictures) and then added a bit of brown to represent the donut. This colour was a bit too dark and looks more like chocolate or a burnt donut but I stuck with it! I added a matte top coat to the brown part to differentiate it more from the icing. I then used a small nail art brush to add a variety of sprinkles. Someone did ask me if it was a donut so it must have worked! These were good fun and I enjoyed our mani swap :) 

Colours used: Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Cappuccino - Barry M, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Hello Sailor - Wikkid Polish, My Mate Illuminate - Wikkid Polish

Strawberry Reflections

Hey space turtles! I'm launching straight into Spring with some nails which are actually quite summery! I have loved this winter so I'm sad to see it go but Spring brings new opportunities too (and lots of gardening unfortunately!). I was inspired by Kim Sorta Nailed It on Instagram to use this reflective red nail polish for strawberry nail art (colours listed below the pictures).

I started with a peel off base and then two coats of red reflective glitter. I almost only needed one coat as it's so rich and opaque - such a beautiful nail polish! Next I used a nail art brush to add leaves in green nail polish. Once done I added the little seeds in yellow. I would have probably done the seeds in black so I'm glad I had the inspiration pictures to try it in yellow for a brighter look. I really like the way these work with my shorter nails and I think it's a fun look. They're not perfectly neat but you can certainly tell what they are and I love the sparkle!

Colours used: Burning Bright - Emily de Molly, Spring Green - Barry M, Notting Hill - Nails Inc

Happy Valentines Day Beavers!

Hello space turtles and eager beavers! I was struggling for inspiration for Valentines Day nail art this year so I put out a request for ideas on Instagram and a friend suggested animals who mate for life. With that and another thought that later popped into my head I now have too many ideas! I think this one is my favourite though so I'm sharing it on actual Valentines Day. The first animal I've chosen which mates for life is beavers. This one is also close to my heart as I'm part of a winter swimming group called 'frosty beavers and shy turtles' so this is fitting for that too!

I started with a peel off base coat and two layers of red reflective glitter on three of my nails, and pale muted pink on the other two. I had no beaver images on my stamping plates so this was one of my rare moments of freehand! I added the brown polish with the brush from the bottle, and then used a small nail art brush and dotting tool for the details on the beavers face. I used a striping brush for the pattern on the tail. I also used a small nail art brush to add two red hearts in the same red glitter. I finished the look with a glossy top coat.

I love how these turned out! The beavers tail is a tiny bit smudged but it's only visible in pictures or very up close. I love this gorgeous red glitter too - another of my Christmas presents. Colours used are listed below the pictures and the pictures show the look in different lighting and angles.

Colours used: Burning Bright - Emily de Molly, Vintage Tee - Nails Inc, Cappuccino - Barry M, Cocoa - Barry M, Cream Soda - Barry M

Snowdrops

Hey space turtles! Today's nail art is for another Glam Nails Challenge theme, this time it's 'snowdrops'. I wasn't quite sure how to do them so thought I'd try a basic snowdrop look on one nail, and add seals to another two as those big fluffy seal pups are snowdrops of a sort! I also wanted to try out a fairy lights in the woods look and thought that would fit here too.

I started with a base of lilac and pale pink glitter (colours listed below the pictures). I made decals on my Uber Mat using a fairy lights image from Uber Chic's Holiday Spirit stamping plate and trees image from Mo You London's Noel 08 plate. While these were drying I painted on the little white seals and some snowflakes from the Uber Chic plate. I don't think I got the placement of the features quite right but they still look like cute little seals! I also painted on some basic snowdrops on my ring fingernail. I then added the trees decal followed by the lights before a glossy top coat.

Although these have their imperfections I do rather like them. Can't go wrong with baby seals! I am wearing seal pyjama's as I write this :D

Colours used: Nimbus - Illyrian, Charming - Illyrian, Essential White - Uber Chic, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Little Bo Peep - Rimmel, Gold Digger - Barry M, Key Lime - Barry M

Butterfly's All Over

Hi there! I'm pretty late posting this, bit pretty tired lately and busy with work etc. I did this freehand butterfly nail art for the Glam Nails Challenge butterfly prompt and followed a tutorial on Instagram. I decided to go for a bit of a skittle effect with different Barry M Under The Sea toppers.

I started with a couple of coats of neon pink, and then a couple of coats of shimmery topper on each nail (colours listed below the pictures). Once dry I used a striping brush and black nail polish to add the lines. I then used the brush from the polish bottle to fill in the area at the top of each nail. I then used a dotting tool (two different sizes) to add the white spots over the black. I finished the look with a glossy top coat.

I'm honestly so pleased with how these came out! If I'd known how nice they'd be I'd have done them for my sisters wedding at the weekend! I had a cobalt blue dress so they would have gone nicely. I have quite quickly ended up with some tip wear on the black but it can easily be patched up. Would definitely try this look again :)

Colours used: Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Lady In Black - OPI, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Butterflyfish - Barry M, Angelfish - Barry M, Seashorse - Barry M, Moonfish - Barry M

Peeping Easter Chicks

-This was meant to be shared on Saturday! - Happy Easter everyone! Sharing Easter nails today as I won't have time tomorrow. These were for another Glam Nails Challenge prompt of Easter Chicks. I thought this would be a good opportunity to try some more of my new reflective polishes too since they are in bright/pastel colours.

I started with a base of yellow on my middle two nails, and reflective glitter on my index and little finger nails. While these were drying I got a decal going on my Uber Mat using Mo You London's Festive 58 plate. I think the zig-zag image has good Easter egg vibes! I did this nail art on the sofa as I didn't want to miss what I was watching so it was a little trickier than usual! I used a nail art brush to add the outlines of the egg shells in white then filled them in with the brush from the bottle. I then added a little beak with the same brush and eyes with a dotting tool. I didn't leave enough space on one nail so the little chick had to peek out the side of the egg instead!

All in all I like how Eastery these are but they could have been better. I think they are a little scruffy in places. Cute chicks though and I'm enjoying the reflective glitter so not all bad!

Colours used: Seven Dials - Nails Inc, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Black Widow - OPI, Beach Hut - Models Own, Flavour of the Week - Emily de Molly, I Knead You Now - KB Shimmer, Charity Polish: Heartkids - Emily de Molly

Classic Valentines

Happy Valentines Day in advance! I have a couple of Valentines nail art looks lined up, the other of which I'll share tomorrow. I was lacking a bit of inspiration for Valentines nail art this year so thought I'd give the classic heart tips look a go with a bit of glitter.

I started with a couple of layers of sheer pink, and then added a couple of swipes of red quick dry polish in the shape of a heart. This was surprisingly easy and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I added another layer and then a layer of red glitter. Finally I used another layer of red glitter from one of Fun Lacquer's Valentines Day collections for the final pop of glitter. I finished the look with a 'glitter grabber' top coat followed by a quick dry top coat. I'm enjoying this look - the simplicity works and I'm enjoying being sparkly!!

Colours used: Get Discovered - Nails Inc, Dead Heat - Barry M, Red Glitter - Barry M, Kiss Me - Fun Lacquer

A chill in the air

Hi everyone! I'm back so soon as I have more Glam Nails Challenge nail art to share. Today's prompt is icicles. This was a tricky one as there is one very obvious look (which I've chosen to do) but any more interesting ones I could think of seemed to difficult! I liked the idea of having icicles on the side of a house but wasn't sure how to portray that on my nails, especially with freehand not being my strongest technique.

I started with a peel off base coat followed by one layer of reflective gel polish (colours listed below the pictures). I was pleased to find it was a one coater! I'm not entirely keen on the texture of gel polish I usually end up with so after wiping off the tacky layer I added a regular topcoat which seemed to work fine. This kept it how I liked it till the next morning when I added the nail art. I used white polish and a striping brush to add the icicles and a little white polish at the base of my nails. Once dry I added another regular topcoat. 

This was a pretty straightforward look to create and although it could have been neater I like it! Sometimes the simple looks can be quite striking I think. Also loving the reflective sparkle of this polish! It was a Christmas present I was trying out for the first time.

Colours used: A Chill In The Air - UberChic Beauty, Neon Activator - Nails Inc