NOTD - Zoya Apple + Stampedy Stamping

Morning!

I aquired Zoya Apple (a long time lemming) in a lovely swap :) thank you El! I couldn't wait to wear it, it's so pretty. It's a little darker than I expected, and less lime-y, but I adore it. The pics before the stamping show it a little brighter than it is most of the time, as they were taken with flash.

I stamped a leafy pattern from the second Bundle Monster set (go follow them on Facebook for teasers of the third set which is being released really soon!) with Barry M Silver Foil. I think the pattern covers up too much of the base colour, and it didn't come out very crisp, but I love the foil-y finish!

I think Zoya Apple is my favourite green. I don't know if I could choose favourites of other colours...maybe China Glaze Ruby Pumps is my favourite red, but I can't think of any more favourites. Do you have favourites?

Hx

NOTD - Revlon Tropical Temptation

My name is Helen and I have a problem.

I nubbed my nails and was in the mood for a peachy-coraly-orangey-pinky polish, so I trotted off to my stash and pulled out a few of my polishes that fit the bill....

Ahem. Do I need all of these  peachy-coraly-orangey-pinky polishes? No. Surprisingly though, there aren't any exact dupes, but still.

Anyway, I went for Rimmel Tropical Temptation, a pretty coral that I'm sure I picked up in Poundland. It was a little streaky, but polishes this colour often are for some reason. I added a couple of little butterfly stickers as accents.

I was going to go for a big butterfly and a small one on the ring finger as well as the thumb, but I couldn't quite fit them on my newly nubbed nails. Usually my little and ring fingers have the longest nails, and never peel, but I took them all short to give the peels on the index fingers a chance to grow out and the misfit nail on the other hand to redeem itself (uit's getting there!) I may keep them short until stubby catches up and until them I'm lavishing lots of TLC and Lemony Flutter on them!

Are there any colours in your stash that you have far too many of? Somehow I can't quite bring myself to have a cull...I'm a collector I guess!

Hx

NOTD - Orly Glowstick Funky French

I told you soft and delicate wouldn't last long! My friend Zoe showcased this polish a week or so ago and I had to have it! I never thought I would be one for neon polish, but you can't get much more neon than this! Super bright highlighter yellow, with black tips. I really wanted to stamp this, but since my black stamping polish is less than reliable I decided on tips instead. I am going to treat myself to a Konad black and white stamping polish next payday, so I'll get it out again then. This was four coats, but I might have gotten away with three if my nails were less stained and yukky. Of course a coat or two of white underneath would have solved that too but I never learn!

I actually got compliments on this, from the most unexpected places! It's funny how the manis I think are going to get nice compliments rarely do, and then something eye-scorching and definitely not to everyone's tastes like this turns heads.

Loving or hating the neons? China Glaze have a summer neon collection this season, I think I'll be adding a few to my wishlist...

Hx

NOTD – Sinful Colors Cinderella + Zoya Maisie

Howdy!

Continuing with the soft and pretty theme (I don't know what is wrong with me...I'll be back to elephant-clumsy soon I'm sure) I used super pretty Sinful Colors Cinderella for this manicure. I got this polish from one of my birthday club girls, but I think the new Models Own Indian Ocean is close for us UK-ites.I applied three coats, as it's pretty sheer, then two coats of Zoya maise (blue flakies, yum!) over the ring finger and thumb. Subtle and pretty. Two words I don't use very much in association with my nails!

Bit blurry to see the flakies better *drool*

If you were getting married, I think this would be a lovely polish to have as your something blue. What do you think? Would you have blue nails for your wedding day?

Hx

NOTD – Shopping the stash for a new look...

Hello!

After taking off China Glaze Flying Dragon (Neon-that-isn't) I wanted something soft and pretty (I don't do soft and pretty very often...) on my nails for a while. I've seen some lovely things done with the new OPI New York Ballet polishes – milky jellies and a glitter topcoat, but I don't have any and my bank balance is less than healthy at the moment, so I decided to try and create something similar with what I already have. You Callin' Me a Lyre? is the pink jelly from the collection and I decided to try and recreate it by using a coat of Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream, topped with Bourgois Rose Lounge. Rose Lounge is a sheer milky pink, which apparently is one of the polishes worn by K-Mid on her wedding day to Prince Billy. Apparently. Anyway, a coat of that over the Barry M made a more or less opaque crelly-like soft pink, not exactly the same as You Callin' Me a Lyre, but as close as I was going to get. I then added a coat of Revlon Stunning, in place of Pirouette My Whistle from the OPI collection, added another layer of Rose Lounge and then mattefied it all with 17 Nail Xtras Matte topcoat.

 

Before I mattefied it...

Exactly what I wanted, and without having to buy anything new! Ok, so if I had bought the polishes especially for this manicure it probably would have come in at about the same cost as two ebay-sourced OPIs (Barry M £2.99, Revlon £6.49 and Bourgois around £6) but since I had them already it cost nothing. Chuffed. I hoping that the Rose Lounge will have the same effect over some other pale crème polishes so that I might be able to recreate the grey and lavender OPI soft shades from the NY Ballet collection.

Do you have any of the NY ballet polishes? Did I get close?

Hx

Adventures in Stamping - The Sky's the Limit...

Hi again!

I hadn't intended to take part in yesterday's Adventures in Stamping challenge, I tried a sun-themed mani earlier in the week and failed, and since I knew I wouldn't be able to post it in time anyway I decided to give it a miss. Then inspiration struck and even though I hadn't intended it, I ended up stamping something that kinda fit the theme. Feathers – birds fly in the sky, so it works right? I don't care, I'm having it anyway! :P I used Fab Ur Nails Silver stamping polish and Barry M Gold Foil to stamp the feather from BM15 over China Glaze Flying Dragon (Neon-that-isn't).

A really simple mani that looks really pretty. I love feathers, I think they're so pretty, and very symbolic. I'd love a feather tattoo one day...if only I wasn't such a wimp...

Hx

NOTD – China Glaze Flying Dragon (Neon-that-isn't)

Morning!

Now, this polish is a bit of an enigma. I got it in a lovely swap, but I can't decide how I feel about it. Firstly, despite the pains China Glaze have gone to to ensure we know it's neon (it's written on the label in brackets as if there's a non-neon version too – is there?) it isn't neon. The only time I could see this as a neon is when I took a picture with flash, which isn't at all colour accurate, and since I don't tend to walk around with a camera flash trained on my nails, not very helpful. The only other thing that sets this out as a neon is the matte finish and horrible application. 3 coats got it even enough but the fist two were streaky, draggy, uneven messes. And once it was dry it wasn't only matte, but completely flat, showing every bump and ridge in my nails. Weird. It also has these odd flecks of something in it – glitter? It isn't glittery when it's on the nail, but you can see blue and silver flecks peppered through it. Not unlikeable, just...strange. I can't say I don't like it. I just can't say I love it either. It is a lovely colour, just not what I wanted it to be. If it didn't have the strange formula and neon claims I would love it as a pretty purple. What do you think?

Flash

Artificial light

Daylight

Pretty? Strange? Pretty strange? Do you own this polish? Would a white base coat make it more of an eye-popping neon like I wanted it to be?

Hx