Apothecary Stamping

Heyy space turtles! Not sure I'm going to manage as much nail art this month as I have so many things going on, but will enjoy fitting it in where I can. I have the apothecary themed Halloween 18 stamping plate and have visions of fabulous designs I can do but can't quite seem to put it together. Hopefully the ideas will come to me! For now I decided I'd just add the images in silver and lilac metallic over a dark green flakie polish for a bit of magic.

I started with a peel of base coat and then added two coats of deep green flakie polish. I then added the snake, jar, mushroom and moth images in lilac and some stars in silver. Once dry I added a glossy top coat. Although I wanted to be more extravagant when using this stamping plate I do still like this look and think it is a good way to wind down from the Halloween nail art, It felt like fitting early November nail art.

Colours used: Nightshade - Quixotic Polish, Foil Effects in Lilac - Barry M, Foil Effect in Silver - Barry M

Ghosts of Unusual Proportions

Happy Halloween! The nail art I'm sharing today had many nail fails in the process which I suppose is fitting for Halloween! I do like the design itself though. I am still loving the nail art I've currently got on so decided for my final Glam Nails Challenge this month I'd use false nails. This is where the first issue came in... the theme was Graveyard but you may have noticed there is no graveyard here! I had planned to do a graveyard with glowing ghosts but couldn't find my glow in the dark top coat. In the process of deciding what to do I managed to forget it was a graveyard theme and think it was ghosts, so I did the ghost theme twice!

I decided to try some fluid nail art with a few different Spot It nail polishes, but after doing it I thought it probably wouldn't work for the design I wanted to add. This was the second nail fail. I used the remaining false nails for the final look but that meant I was left with quite miss-matching sizes which didn't really fit my nails.

I started (again) with a nude base and then two layers of purple flakie polish. I then used my Uber Mat to create some decals of ghosts and a castle, and added the cloud and moon images directly onto the nails (all images from Mo You London's Halloween 17 stamping plate). Once (nearly) dry I added the decals to the nails and applied a glossy top coat. This is where the next fail came in. The decals weren't entirely dry yet and as I manoeuvred one of the ghosts it folded and stuck together so I couldn't unfold it. I actually think it's not obvious, but on one nail you're not seeing the whole ghost!

Colours used: Atomic - Cupcake Polish, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Celestial Silver - Barry M, If You've Got It Haunt It - Uber Chic Beauty, Key Lime - Barry M

Back Bone's Connected to the Neck Bone

Hey space turtles! More belated Glam Nails Challenge nail art to share with you today. This time the theme is skulls. There were a good few options I had here but was really keen to use Mo You London's new apothecary themed stamping plate (Halloween 18) so thought up a simple look using that plate which I could do on holiday.

I started with a base of cream on three of my nails, black on my little fingernail and a gorgeous vampy glitter/shimmer on my ring fingernail. I then used black stamping polish to add the skull and skeleton images. I possibly should have swapped over the skull and top half of the skeleton so that I could pose my hand better to show the full skeleton image. Definitely not a big deal though, it still works. I finished the look with a glossy top coat. I think the black and white nails would have looked good matte too but I didn't have a matte top coat with me on holiday.

In conclusion I am really pleased with these. They were so simple to do and I really like how science-y and gothic they look. Also really enjoyed trying out the Barry M glitter again after a long time. It suits the look well I think.

Colours used: Cream Soda - Barry M, Countess - Barry M, Lady In Black - OPI, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend

Spider Web Chic

Hello spooky space turtles! Some quite belated Glam Nails Challenge nail art to share today as I've been away with very patchy internet. The theme for this look was spiders and I decided to use a few different web images and try sheer black polish with glitter underneath for a glamorous spooky look.

I started with a peel off base coat and then added two layers of silver glitter topper. Once dry I added a layer of sheer black to each nail. For the images I used spider webs from Mo You London's Halloween 16 and 17 stamping plates. I didn't add any spiders but did include a glamorous spider lady on my thumbnail! As this dried I used a nail art brush and some black polish to carefully add an outline to each nail, trying to keep the thickness consistent. I finished the look with a glossy top coat.

I'm so pleased how how these came out. I must admit I'd meant to add a spider but forgot to bring the right stamping plate with me on holiday. However as it turned out I think adding the spider would potentially make them a bit too busy, I really like them the way they are. The outlines are possibly the neatest I've done and I'm pleased with how consistent they are. I love how the glitter shines through. Only thing I'd maybe (and only maybe) change is to add some colour to the spider lady. Really pleased with the way it all came together and how they look on long nails. I think sheer black with an outline is perfect for Halloween. So overall as you can tell, I love them!

Colours used: Diamond Glitter - Barry M, Coal - Fancy Gloss, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Lady In Black - OPI

Bewitching my nails

Heyy spooky space turtles! Yep - it's getting weirder! Today's nail art is witch themed for a witchy Glam Nails Challenge prompt. I used my new Halloween 17 stamping plate from Mo You London to create a look which I think of as a witch catwalk.

I started with a peel off base coat followed by one layer of beige as a base layer and then three coats of purple glitter. The glitter wasn't quite sparkly enough so I added one layer of reflective holographic polish onto the top which certainly brought the sparkle level right up! While all this was drying I created decals on my Uber Mat for the witches, castle and cauldron, you can see how here. I finished the look with a glossy top coat.

I'm pleased with how these came out. It's good fun and the images are great. Only down side is that my pictures didn't come out that well. I think the reflective ones are a bit dark and the non-reflective one a bit dull. Also missed some clean up. Still, in person they are fab!

Colours used: Soft Focus - Polished for Days, Fashion Icon - Barry M, Flash Diamond Flake - Fun Lacquer, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Charlotte Street - Nails Inc, Bronze Bae - Barry M, Cappuccino - Barry M, Pomegranate - Barry M, Chester Street - Nails Inc, Love Me Not - ILNP, Neon Green - Accessorise, Good Vibes - Nails Inc

Bats in a Pastel Storm

Hey space turtles! More Glam Nails Challenge nail art to share today. This time the theme is bats. I was inspired by salad.dressed on Instagram who was inspired by someone else for these so it's a popular look for recreation! I liked the idea of the swirly background for the bats as it's a bit different to other Halloween looks. The look I saw had more of a smokey effect but I wasn't sure how to do that so did fluid nail art instead.

I started with two regular polishes and a 'spot it' effect nail polish and added blobs on my Uber Mat before squishing them together with a stamper. Once dry I added a clear coat and once that was dry I peeled them off and applied them to my nails, trimming round the edges with a metal tool. I used a layer of Soft Focus from Polished for Days underneath to give it a base for any gaps in the colour. Next I used black stamping polish and Mo You London's Halloween 17 to add bats and stars, and then a dotting tool to add some extra details.

These look a little messy round the edges in the pictures(not as noticeable in real life!) but I like them a lot. They look like bats in a pastel storm - spooky!

Colours used: Soft Focus - Polished For Days, Take the Cake - Painted Polish, Counting Candles - Painted Polish, Spot It White - Dance Legend, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend

Inside the haunted house

Hey space turtles! More Halloween Glam Nails Challenge nail art to share today, this time the theme is Haunted House. I decided to go for something a little different and do a look inspired by the inside of a haunted house rather than the outside. All images are from Mo You London's Halloween 12 stamping plate.

I started with a base of sheer polish on my thumb nail and two layers of colour on all other nails (colours listed below pictures). I then added a selection of images in gold and black to look like wallpaper and other items found in a haunted house. On the thumb nail I added spider webs as no haunted house would be complete without those! I used a small nail art brush to add an outline in black. I really like how the shimmer in my base coat shows subtly through. These were pretty simple to do and I like how they came out.

Colours used: Coal - Fancy Gloss, Misery - ILNP, Eclipse - ILNP, Bright Lights - Barry M, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend

Toasty Ghosties

HelloOo space turtles! More spooky Glam Nails Challenge nail art to share today. This time the theme is ghosts. There were many possible options for this but I decided to go with sheer black and create something similar to a Halloween look I did in October 2020 which I loved.

I started with a shimmery base coat and then a layer of sheer black. I then used black stamping polish to add images from Mo You London's Halloween 13 stamping plate. Next I added a light layer of flakies at the edge of three of my nails where the ghosts where going to appear from. Finally, used more of the sheer polish to create a border by roughly splodging it around the outside with a nail art brush. This was with the intention of creating more of a foggy border rather than a solid border.

I like these. They're a perfect theme for Halloween I think and autumnal too. I'm not sure if the flakies look more like leaves or flames (hence toasty ghosties!). I do think the smokey outline works but doesn't look as smokey as it could. I prefer the look I did in 2020 but that was one of my favourite nail art looks ever so this had a lot to live up to!

Colours used: Coal - Fancy Gloss, Magma - Fancy Gloss, Back Stamping Polish - Dance Legend

Pumpkins Preparing

Hey space turtles! The next Glam Nails Challenge prompt for October is 'scary pumpkins'. Similarly to the cat nail art from my last post I didn't want to go too crazy with the Halloween themes yet so kept it a bit more subtle and autumnal. My idea was to include a pumpkin patch where the pumpkins were just starting to get their Halloween faces on. You'll see below some are further on than others!

I started with base coat and a couple of coats or green. Once dry I added leaf outlines in white from Mo You London's Fall In Love 05 stamping plate. I followed up with other colours over the top and then the detailing in black. While I was doing this some decals I had prepared on my Uber Mat earlier were drying. The pumpkins without faces are from the same stamping plate, and the other two are from Mo You London's Halloween 09 and 13 stamping plates. I finished the look with a glossy topcoat.

Super pleased with these although I think my pictures could have been better. I'm enjoying the colours, the glitter, the autumn feel and the smiling pumpkin!

Colours used: Watermelon - Barry M, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Yellow - Barry M, Red Hot Rio - OPI, Cappuccino - Barry M, Zyler the Cat - Holo Taco

Black Cats - Halloween Approaches

Hey space turtles! This month I am going to have a try and do the Glam Nails Challenge prompts again. They are of course all Halloween themed and gone are the days when I just do 2 or 3 Halloween looks per year! Since it's still early October I didn't go all out spooky for the Black Cat theme and opted for a cute look instead.

I started with a peel off base coat and then added two layers of off-white on my middle nails and two coats of glitter on the other two. First time using this glitter and it's lovely and sparkly! I made a decal of the cat on the moon using Mo You London's Animal 15 stamping plate, and then added the multi-cat image from the same plat to the other cream nail.

I'm really pleased with these and was glad to finally try out this glitter. I did have a bit of a top coat/clean up issue in the pictures but the look itself i'm enjoying. It's good to be able to fit the theme without being too Halloween-y just yet!

Colours used: Jazzagal - Enchanted Polish, Cream Soda - Barry M, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Gold Digger - Barry M

Mystic Witchy Halloween Party Nails!

Hey everyone! Happy Halloween! Today's nail art is my last Halloween look of the year and was done for my early Birthday/ Halloween party yesterday. I decided as it was for an occasion I'd actually do the same look across both hands again - something I've rarely done since before the pandemic! I enjoyed getting this super spooky ILNP shade out again (colours listed below the pictures) and having my nails so long and pointy!

I started with a base of sheer black on some nails and multi-chrome on the others, alternating and doing a few coats of multi-chrome but only one coat of black. I then created decals on my Uber mat for the crystal ball, moon and ram skull, see how here, While these dried I added the spider web and lace patterns on a couple of sheer nails. I placed the decals on the remainder of the sheer nails and then carefully added an outline to all the sheer nails with black nail polish and a thin brush. All images used are from Mo You London's Halloween 12 stamping plate.

I enjoyed the final look of these, it's the kind of mystic witchy look I was going for! I think it really works on my long nails too. I dressed up as a witch for the party so these were just right!

Colours used: Eclipse - ILNP, Coal - Fancy Gloss, Lady In Black - OPI, Bronze Bae - Barry M, Good Vibes - Nails Inc, Ruby - Barry M

Zyler & Menchie on a Halloween Night!

Hello or should I say miaow! Got some Holoween cat nails to share today for Holo Taco's 'Holoween' competition. I had to get Zyler's lovely orange nail polish out for this one of course, and I'd forgotten how gorgeous it is. I love the different sizes of glitter and that lovely holo sparkle! This nail art was a bit of a make it up as I go along look but I love it!

I started with a base of pale pink on my middle two nails, black on my index and little fingernails and just base coat on my thumbnail (all with a peel off base underneath). I then added a few coats of Zyler the Cat holo glitter over the black nails and thumbnail. For the middle two nails I added one thick layer of thermal top coat over the top and then let it all dry. Next I used a star image from Mo You London's Noel 06 stamping plate in white over the black nails, and created a cat on the moon detail from their Animal 15 plate (you can see how here). I added the cat decal and another little kitty face image to the black/star nails - I love how much the kitty face disappeared among the stars!

I enjoyed the finished look and as ever enjoyed it even more once the colour change started to take effect - such fun! I'd say it's not a massively Halloween look but it kind of is, and I love it! Pictures are below of it in different temperature states and I'm hoping to get a decent video of it in action to add on my Instagram (Claws For Thought)..

Colours used: Lady In Black - OPI, Pink Lemonade - Barry M, Zyler - Holo Taco, Black Thermal Topcoat - Fancy Gloss, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Black Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Flakie Holo Taco - Holo Taco