Wish Upon A Starfish

Hey space turtles! More sea themed Glam Nails Challenge art today, this time it's Starfish. I went for a fairly simple look for this one and used Mo You London's Atlantis 02 stamping plate to repeat the same starfish image in a variety of pastel neon colours. 

I started with a base of A Mantis Shrimps Favourite Colour (best.name.ever) from Bees Knees Lacquer (two coats). Once dry I added the base layer of the starfish images across my nails in a variety of colours. It was a bit time consuming as I had to keep cleaning the stamping plate but pretty straightforward to do. I then added the starfish detailing to each star in black.

I love how these came out! They're so bright and I like my nails this length. I've included a picture below from before the black detail. I have now added a matte top coat which doesn't feature below, will have to remember to share a pic of that on Insta.

Colours used: A Mantis Shrimps Favourite Colour - Bees Knees Lacquer, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, May Mate Illuminate - Wikkid Polish, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend

Nostalgic Shells

Hey space turtles :) Next up in the series of Glam Nails Challenge catch ups is for the prompt 'shells'. I have many cool stamping plate options for shell images and decided to try this one from Uber Chic's Mermaid Life 02 plate. Having gone through a bit of a dark colours phase (I love dark colours but don't usually wear so many in the summer) I'm going for a neon look to balance it out!

I started with a base of peach and pink on my thumb and outer fingernails while leaving the middle two blank. I created decals on my Uber Mat for the middle two, colouring the shells with a selection of neons from the same collection. I made sure to add a pearlescent topper before the colours so it would show up when I added the images to my nails. I then added pearlescent topper to my other nails and once dry stamped the shell image on in white, finally adding the decals to my middle two nails.

I wasn't sure about these at first but now they are making me really nostalgic! I had a little sea themed necklace and bracelet with these pearlescent pastel shells on when I was a kid. They are certainly summery too!

Colours used: Bikini So Teeny - Wikkid Polish, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish, Hello Sailor - Wikkid Polish, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Jellyfish - Barry M, Angelfish - Barry M, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection

Beach Please

Hello space turtles! More Glam Nail Challenge catch up today. This time the theme is beach. I was looking for a fairly simple design for this and came up with the idea of a couple of my nails looking like beach towels and the others like the ocean. I also tried out a thermal polish I've had for a few years and was pleased to see it still works! Colours are listed below the pictures.

I started with two coats of blue/green on my ring finger, little finger and thumb nails and white polish on my index and middle fingernails. Once dry I used white stamping polish to add the ripple image from Bundle Monsters Twi Star stamping plate onto the blue/green nails, I then used a variety of neon polishes to create a gradient with images from Mo You London's Tropical 34 stamping plate. The patterns reminded me of the sort of thing you might see on a beach towel. I'd buy one!

I struggled to get good pictures of these so most of the below are outside in natural light. Good job it;s summer!I am enjoying the fun summery vibes though and still quite like my beach towel idea.

Colours used: A Mantis Shrimps Favourite Colour - Bees Knees Lacquer, Blue Beard - Femme Fatale Cosmetics, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Beachy Beachy, My Mate Illuminate, Joyful L'il Jellybean & Bikini So Teeny - All Wikkid Polish

Pow! Fruit Nails!

Hello space turtles :) I wasn't going to but I've decided to do the Glam Nails Challenge again this month as there were so many themes I was thinking of doing anyway. I will be very behind for at least the first few though as there's so much on at the moment! The first prompt for July is fruit. I thought I'd use this opportunity to use my WhatsUp Nails Summer Seeds stamping plate for the first time and also to use some bright colours again as I've still been veering towards darker ones even though it's now July!

I started with two coats of a variety of neon polishes (colours listed below images) in a sort of skittle mani effect. While the base was drying I created decals on my Uber Mat for the fruit and planned which nails each fruit would go on. I really love the banana nail and am tempted to try it out across all nails with different coloured backgrounds Andy Warhol style. After applying my glossy top coat I decided to try it matte which I think I prefer for this look as it helps the colours pop, you can see pictures with matte and glossy top coats below. Let me know which you like best!

I like these, which I'm pleased about as I wasn't sure if they'd be a bit too garish with all the neon colours and bright fruit. The lemon and banana nails are my faves. The lemon image is the reason I bought this plate so perhaps it's not surprising!

Colours used: Peachy Beachy, Bikini Bombshell, Down At The Deepend, My Mate Illuminate - All Wikkid Polish, Yellow - Barry M, Spring Green - Barry M, Pomegranate - Barry M

Dolphin Summer

Hey everyone! This will be a short blog post as I am sleepy and have a lot of catching up to do! I have been away for a hen weekend and these are from Wednesday's Glam Nails Challenge prompt. I have decided to give this month a try as it's all sea creature themes and I couldn't resist! Also lacking a bit of nail inspo at the moment so good to have some prompts!

I kind of made these up as I went along and went for a brightly coloured theme. The dolphin images are from the Bundle Monster Twi Star and Mo You London Doodles 01 stamping plates. I created decals for all images and decided to use something shimmery on the nail art nails to give it something extra. Not one of my favourite looks but is' nice enough!

Colours used: Hello Sailor - Wikkid Polish, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Wardour Street - Nails Inc, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish

Alpaca Walking Nails

Hey everyone! Got some rather fun nail art to share today :) A few weeks ago my sister got married. It was a beautiful day! A week before hand she had her hen do which involved alpaca walking. It was so much fun and they were so cute! I decided to do some themed nail art for the occasion. I've included a picture of the nail art with the alpaca I was walking, Truffle. He was such a cutie and liked plodding along at the back of the group.

I decided to go for something really vibrant for this look so used some pastel neons from the Bring On Spring collection from Wikkid Polish. I created decals for three of the nails, you can see how here. On the other two I added some spots and funny wording - all images are from Mo You London's Animal Collection 19 stamping plate. I really love the image with the colourful necklace on - such party vibes!

Really pleased with how these came out, they're so fun and were just right for the occasion! 

Colours used: Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Hello Sailor - Wikkid Polish, My Mate Illuminate - Wikkid Polish, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend, Cream Soda - Barry M, Cappuccino - Barry M, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish

When Life Gives You Lemons Make Nail Art... Again!

I couldn't resist re-using the title for this - what else does one call a lemon themed nail art blog post?! Today's nail art is a fine example of just how much my freehand needs some work - it's always harder than I expect! I was inspired by Naileenj on Instagram and had to give this look a try! I started it on holiday in the North York Moors, sat outside on on a goat farm! I ran out of time to finish it here though so had to do the rest at home, which was probably more practical in the end.

I started with a base of neon pink on all nails except my little fingernail which I painted yellow (all colours listed below the pictures). I planned to use pens to draw onto my nail as I did when following the One Nail To Rule Them All tutorials a while ago, but I couldn't get it to work at all so used a small brush to paint on the lemons, leaves and the outline. They were definitely not as neat as I had envisaged! Still, it was an abstract look I was going for so I suppose it's not too far wrong...

Colours used: Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Sunny Days - Rimmel, Key Lime - Barry M, Lady In Black - OPI

Neon Chevron's and Shapes

Hi everyone! Got something bright and fun to share today - which is brightening up my days while it rains and rains here in the south of England! I was inspired by Piontkowaa on Instagram to try some zig-zag gradient nails - it's been on my list for a little while so I'm glad to finally get round to it. I also thought it would go quite well as a base for by contribution to the latest Nail Addicts Collab. The theme was in celebration of them reaching 1,000 followers. I've included pictures below of the full look, and some right at the bottom of just the zig-zag look.

I started with a base of cream (colours listed below pictures) on all nails. Once dry I used Mo You London's Tropical 34 stamping plate for the zig-zag pattern. I used a selection of pastel neons to create a gradient for each nail. Unfortunately one of my neons has changed from purple to pink so the thumb doesn't really look like it has a gradient, but it kind of went purple when I did the blue/pink gradient on my index fingernail. Over the zig-zag pattern I used black stamping polish and the Mo You London Typography 04 stamping plate to add the number 1,000, and the Uber Chic Beauty Basic Shapes 01 plate to add some triangles on my other nails.

In conclusion - these are good fun! I think the ring finger one is a bit washed out but all in all I like them. Next time I'll remember to blend the blue and pink to get some of the purple colour on my thumb nail!

Colours used: Cream Soda - Barry M, Bikini Bombshell, Down At The Deep End, Hello Sailor, Joyful L'il Jellybean, My Mate Illuminate, Peachy Beachy - All Wikkid Polish, Black Stamping Polish - Dance Legend

A Selection of Nail Art Techniques for Nail Addicts Collab

Hi everyone, hope you've had or are having a lovely day! I have some very bright nail art to share with you today. A few years ago I was part of the Nail Addicts Collab on Instagram, whose first challenge was 'nail art' themed. I did some pastel nails with images of nail art brushes and stamping tools, I believe I bought the plate especially. This year the collab is back, and starting with the same theme, so I thought I'd try something a bit different rather than going back to the same plate, tempted as I was!

On each nail I tried out a different nail art technique, all using the Bring On Spring collection from Wikkid Polish. I enjoyed getting these super bright neons out again! I finished off with a matte top coat to enhance the colour of the neon polishes. I've listed the effects I used below:

Index Finger - Watercolour (nail polish mixed with polish remover on foil & applied with a brush)
Middle Finger - Three colour gradient.
Ring Finger - Stamping (I'd forgotten white doesn't show up well over neon yellow!)
Little Finger - Dry brushing
Thumb - Smoosh (polish blobbed onto a stamper and then roughly pressed on the nail)

The smoosh nail is definitely my favourite and I'm glad to be back doing this challenge again!
Colours used: Cream Soda - Barry M, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Hello Sailor - Wkkid Polish, Joyful L'il Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish, My Mate Illuminate - Wikkid Polish, Down At The Deep End - Wikkid Polish, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection

Food At The Fun Fair

Hi everyone! Back with another entry to the Holo Taco nail art competition, this weeks theme is 'sweet tooth'. I don't have a lot of sweet images in stamping plates but I noticed there are some on the Uber Chic Carnival & Fair Time plate which I bought when it came out, I believe it was around a year ago, and still hadn't got round to trying! It was only a matter of time before I tried this plate this spring/summer as my boyfriend and I seem to have got really into watching YouTube videos about roller coasters at the moment, which is kind of ridiculous as neither of us are particularly into actually going on them - oh the joys of lock down! I've also been reminiscing about playing Roller Coaster Tycoon as a child, I loved that game!

So for this look I got the Wikkid Polish Bring On Spring collection out again, it was only fair it had a go on my real nails! I love how vibrant it makes it all look, I think the pink works especially well for the ice cream and candy floss, and it amuses me just how neon the popcorn is! I stamped the images on my ring finger and thumb nails directly onto my nails, and for the rest I used the advanced stamping technique, you can see how here. I finished off with a matte top coat to make the colours pop even more!

Before I go I think it's worth mentioning the thumb nails. The pink one came out really well, I love the circus tent image and how it stands out against the background. The yellow one I was expecting to prefer as it is such a bright neon yellow, however because of this the white stamping polish I initially used didn't really stand out. I also had loads of trouble getting this particular image to pick up from the stamping plate. So I tried going over it in black, but still had trouble with it picking up, and then smudged it with the top coat. leading to the rather horror movie-esque look you see below! That nail definitely lets the look down, but at least it's only my thumb!
Colours used: Floral Street - Nails Inc, Black Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, White Stamping Polish - Rainbow Connection, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, My Mate Illuminate - Wikkid Polish, Joyful Lil Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Hello Sailor - Wikkid Polish, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish, Down At The Deep - Wikkid, Cappuccino - Barry M

Easter Reptile Nail Art

Hi everyone! I'm super excited to bring you this blog post today as it is something quite different for me, and took me on a bit of a nail adventure! Last weekend I did some Easter nail art which I entered into the Holo Taco nail art competition, and I had another Easter design I wanted to do this year which I thought I may as well enter as well. However I didn't want to take off my current nail art so had a bit of a dilemma. Some time ago I was painting false nails and selling them on eBay, and I still had some spare ones lying around, so I thought I'd give it a go so I could do the new nail art but still keep mine.

For this look I decided to try the Bring On Spring pastel neon collection from Wikkid Polish, a brand I haven't tried before. The formula is great and they are perfect for stamping too as the colours are so strong. I look forward to trying them on my natural nails! I used the Festive 58 and Animal 10 plates from Mo You London for the stamping. For the crocodiles and snakes I used the advanced stamping technique with my Uber Mat, you can see how here. Below the initial pictures you can see the full set of falsies I painted. The third picture also shows the nails balanced on my hand in the order I'd intended this look to be in. A big plus of the false nails was that I could play around with which ones to wear, as I felt some had come out better than others, and really love the crocodile and snake ones!

I think it's worth explaining my inspiration for this look too, as it is a little random! One Easter when I was maybe about 8, instead of traditional Easter eggs, my parents got us each a beanie baby (90's yeah!) sat on a bowl of mini eggs. Mine was a snake called Hissy who I still have to this day, but I believe she is at my parents house so unfortunately I can't share a picture of her. I'm sure you'll believe me she's cute though!

So, before this blog post gets way too wordy, I'll move on to the pro's and cons. I did find stamping on the false nails quite tricky. The main reason for that is that they were still on the plastic stick in the middle, but  taking them off would have made other parts of the nail painting trickier, I need some sort of false hand for them! I also wasn't so keen on the big pink thumbnail, just not very me but it fits the design I suppose. On the plus side however I loved that I could play around with them and look at different design combinations. I also enjoyed them being wider than my natural nails, as mine are quite narrow which leaves less room for nail art! Surprisingly I also enjoyed the novelty of the square shape. I didn't think it would suit me but it does. Doing it this way was great fun as it was a bit different, but after all that effort to keep my current nail art I kind of wish I could do both - maybe next time I'll have one look on each hand!
Colours used: Floral Street - Nails Inc, Joyful Lil' Jellybean - Wikkid Polish, Bikini Bombshell - Wikkid Polish, Down At The Deep End - Wikkid Polish, Hello Sailor - Wikkid Polish, Peachy Beachy - Wikkid Polish