Nails Inc Matchbox

Hi everyone! I'm branching out today with one of Nails Inc's matchboxes which includes a nail polish and a lipstick. First time I've reviewed any other make up item besides nail polish so forgive my lack of expertise! I got the 'Mint' set as it looks subtle and sophisticated. There are matchboxes in three more shades: pale pink, bright pink and red. I don't really do pink and have plenty of red polish and lipstick already so went for this one.

So the box is very cute, the plastic casing of the nail polish and lipstick slides out as if it was a matchbox, and there is a nail file down the side to complete the effect. The nail polish is a good consistency and is a one coater if applied right. It comes with Nails Inc's wide tapered brush which is lovely for applying polish with. It dries shiny and lasts well, all round winner! I found the shade flattering too. It's a stylish shade which is also perfect for work.
Here are shots in different lighting of the lipstick with the nail polish. I don't have a lot of lipstick, but I have to say I was really impressed with this one. It applies smoothly with a matte finish. The shade was really flattering and it lasted for ages without feeling thick or sticky. The pictures below have a fairly light covering of the polish, which is probably why it doesn't quite look like they match! I think the natural colour underneath is affecting it.
So definitely a winner, and I am tempted to try the red, even though I definitely don't need another red polish! My only issue with nail polish shades like this is that they don't usually fit into the nail art I do, I'll just have to think of something different!

Lilac Disco Lobster

Hi everyone, I hope it's nice and sunny where you are. It's been a bit grey here and it's making me sleepy! It could also be the intense dreams I've been having... so to brighten things up here are some disco lobsters! I based this nail art on the quirky lobster jewellery from Tatty Devine in Covent Garden. I have one of their red ones which I adore, but they have also come in a few other colours as limited additions. The purple disco lobster surfaced on Instagram some time ago and I've been meaning to create it on my nails ever since.

The lobsters were painted using a small nail art brush, I did them in separate segments to mimic the necklace I have but this also made them easier to paint. It was a good excuse to practise my freehand as that's what I'm least good at in nail art. I used a dotting tool for the eyes. For the gems I put a bit of top coat where I wanted to place them, and once they were all placed and dried I added a top coat again. I find this generally keeps them on for a few days before they start to disappear, I do get tempted pick at them. It's not worth gluing them on in my opinion as it makes it very tricky to get them off!

Here they are below in varying lengths. It didn't make much sense unless I was holding my hands that way, but I enjoyed the novelty, and being able to hold them different ways for different lengths of lobster!
Colours used: Wardour Street - Nails Inc, Alpine Snow - OPI, Lady In Black - OPI

Throwback Thursday: Pineapple Addict

Hi everyone! The pineapples are back! I've done a few pineapple themed nail art designs before, so when Julys Nail Addicts collaboration theme was announced as time machine (throwback), I thought I'd recreate the first pineapple nails I ever did. I reckon they're from about 3 or 4 years ago. The older design is shown in the poor quality Instagram shot bottom right.

Rather ridiculously I did manage to do the pineapples the wrong way round! I usually paint so the designs are the right way up for me, but the original design was the other way round. I forgot this however when it came to re-doing it. I used a small nail art brush for the pineapples, and though I went for the same colours I refreshed it with newer nail polishes. I finished with my favourite top coat (Nails Inc Kensington Caviar), and it lasted just over a week, as I haven't had as much time to do my nails lately!

I think it's a slight improvement, neater round the edges anyway! You can see everyone else's throwback nail art on Instagram @nailaddictscollab
Colours used (new design): Alpine Snow - OPI, Gold Digger - Barry M, Seven Dials - Nails Inc, Spring Green - Barry M, Chelsea Embankment - Nails Inc

Floral storybook nails - attempt one

Happy Friday everyone! Bit of a nail fail to show you today, but documenting it anyway so I can link back to it when I eventually get round to an improved version! I tried newspaper print nails years ago when I was just getting into nail art and it was a great success, but this time worked less well. I used  a page from an old book as I thought it would be rather nice to use book text, but I think because the pages were thick and the ink so well dried after however many years that it didn't transfer very well. Next time I will use pieces of newspaper of magazine as the pages are more pliable and the ink is fresher.

I wanted a romantic storybook sort of look so used my Flower Power 03 stamping plate from Mo You London. This part of the design  I do like and it was the first time I used that particular plate so good to see the images in action! I used the advanced stamping technique for the flower images, you can see how here.

So watch this space for attempt two...eventually! I'll include a tutorial once I've mastered it again.
Colours used: Miscellaneous - Missguided, Midnight Mischief - Painted Polish, White Knight - Mo You London, Pink Lemonade - Barry M, Key Lime - Barry M, Seven Dials - Nails Inc

Sparkle Like A Unicorn!

Hello unicorns! Hello also to anyone else whose stumbled across my blog today. Today I'm sharing my review of Nails Inc's 'Sparkle Like A Unicorn' duo, which I am very glad to finally have my hands on! It's a set of two gloriously shimmery full sized polishes for £15, which is half the price of one of their normal newer polishes - I think they missed a trick there! It sold out pretty quickly the first time round so I was glad to be able to get some from the second batch.

I tested them out together on both hands so I could see how well they worked as a pair. My thoughts on the individual polishes are below:

Rainbow Wishes - I started with the lovely pearlescent purple, Rainbow Wishes. This is definitely the most unicorn-esque (that's a thing now) of the two shades, and of most nail polish shades to be honest. It was quite sheer to start with but built up well. I'd recommend two to three coats, probably three if you want it opaque.

Dream Dust - Next up is dream dust, a shimmering rose gold. The roseyness depends on  the lighting, in some pictures it looks really quite pink. You can see a bit of bronze/pink shift in the pictures below. I'd say it;s a bit like a pinker version of Cirque Color's ever popular polish, Halcyon. I used two coats for this one.
Colours used: Rainbow Wishes - Nails Inc, Dream Dust - Nails Inc

So in conclusion I of course love them! I look forward to trying some unicorn nail art with them in the future.

Ibiza Meebox Review (June Box 2017)

Hi everyone! I've put the Ibiza Meebox card at the top of this post to avoid any spoilers, but I think I'm too late for that to be an issue now! I can't seem to keep up with blogging at the moment with so much going on (we're buying our first house :D).

So this is the second Meebox I have purchased, the last was around this time last year. I love the themes they do and they have consistently good polishes, I just can't always justify getting them in case of duplicates. This was a little treat before I have to be good to save for moving!

Read on to see what's in June's Ibiza themed Meebox...

Before I even get into the items in the box I just have to compliment the lovely tissue paper! I want it in back or nail polish form!

The polishes:

Models Own - Beach Hut (RRP £4.99) - So starting with my favourite of the polishes, we have the lovely neon orange beach hut. The coverage and consistency on this are great I am really impressed, and the colour is so vibrant. With this and the other polishes I painted them on the swatch sticks over white, but this one probably doesn't even need that.

Zoya - Mirajane (RRP £11.70) - This gorgeous blue is the least neon of the set but goes very well with the neon's and is pretty bold and bright over white. This polish is on the sheer side but covers in two to three coats. Dries fairly matte.

Nails Inc - Claridge Gardens (RRP £15) - This polish is quite sheer so goes best over a white base (such as the neon activator included in this box) and comes out as a lovely bright neon shade. I don't think it could be used on it's own though, possibly but with a lot of layers!

Nails Inc - Neon Activator Mini (RRP £8) - The last polish (pictures shown below) is Nails Inc's neon activator. I had seen this before and thought this isn't a 'neon activator' it's just white polish! I have been very much won over though! This is a strong one coater with a good consistency. It dried matte and makes a perfect base for neons and brights. I'm not sure if I'd pay £8 for a 5ml bottle, but I'm certainly tempted by a full size one.

Non-polish items:

Deco It Designer Nail Decals (RRP £4) - These look like striping tape to use as stencils but are actually for sticking on your nails as part of nail art. I have to say I am so impressed with these. You don't even need to trim them as once they're stuck down firmly on your nail you can just pull them and the excess tape will snap off. Plus I love the shiny ones and they come in a variety of lengths. Will definitely check the website out for more.

NCLA Nail Wraps (RRP £12) - These wraps I haven't tried yet so can't say how good they are but they're certainly pretty! I can't decide whether to use them all at once or as part of nail art with some of the other items in this box.

Below is the nail art I did using all three colours (over the neon activator) and the nail art tape. I love the way these turned out and have had them on for nearly a week. They have such a holiday feel!
So in conclusion I'm definitely happy with this box. I wanted some neon's anyway as I only had one, and I really love the extra's/ non-polish items. Next months theme is birds of paradise which sounds lovely and summery as well. Unfortunately I have to be strict with saving money so won't be getting that one, but I'm sure I'll be back!