Just a little bit of sparkle!

Here is a quick mani I did the other day.

You can do this with any nail polish. I thought the beige-y pink colour from Kiko worked perfectly with the silver.

Once you have picked your colour, apply a few coats on your nails and let dry completely. 

Once they are dry add another layer of the SAME nail colour and before it dries (using your finger) dab on some glitter at the base of your nail... and slowly work upwards. 

To get this 'ombre' effect I made sure the base was completely covered with the glitter and just rubbed my fingers together on top of the nail allowed the last remaining glitter pieces fall to the tip of the nail, thus giving you the ombre look. 

Finish with a top coat.

• Try not to use your fingers too much and don't press too hard as you might undo all the layers of polish underneath.
  
• The other tip is you can use a clear nail polish to help stick the glitter on (instead of  the same colour).
  
•  Make sure you check your top coat brush for any stray glitter, because I can guarantee you it will sneak its way onto your next mani and it will annoy the crap outta you! 

That's it... SIMPLE!

Let me know what you think?

-B xx


PS: Check out my GIVE AWAY!

100 'Likes' of Facebook GIVE AWAY!!

Hi Guys!

I am extremely excited about my first EVER giveaway!
I am doing this to celebrate my 100th 'Like' on Facebook and to thank all those lovely people out there who have supported me and like my nail art.

OK... so here's the deal:

I have 2 different prizes to give away.

Each prize will consist of 2 nail polishes AND a surprise goodie!

Here's how to enter.

There are 2 mandatory requirements for this give away.
1. Follow my blog.
2. 'Like' me on Facebook.

Once you have done this (or if you already have) just click the tabs on Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are also some other ways to add to your chances.

Entries close on the 10th July and winners will be notified by Facebook.

GOOD LUCK & THANKS AGAIN!

- B xx

Nails Inc. Glitters

I got given some really lovely glitter polishes from a friend and I thought I would try them out...

I started off with Nails Inc. - Romily Street in the bottle it looks like it is jam packed with magenta flakes but as I used it it seemed that there was a lot of gold and green flakes. I used this glitter polish on top of one of my favourite polishes BC&Co. - Shade 6.  I think using the magenta polish doesn't give the glitter enough time to 'pop' so when I use this polish again I would probably use it on a gold or green polish. So that the magenta stands out.

The other design I came up with is...

For my thumb, ring and pinky nails I used L'Oreal - Opera Ballerina and then used Nails Inc. - Newburgh St. Again I was surprised by these polish, looking at the bottle it looks like there are only bronzey gold glitter flake in there but then as you put it on there were these little black stripe bits. I am not going to lie when I say that I think it ruined this mani. I wanted to have it mostly the cream and the gold but with the touch of black it became way to harsh, I did try and co-ordinate the colours by adding black on the other ombre fingers but it was just too harsh.

Overall these glitters are really pretty but I would have liked a little bit of a heads up about what to expect. I have, however, learnt my lesson and will try the glitter polished before I come with a mani. Just so I know what to expect.
The positive about these polishes is that they are jam packed! When you normally use a glitter polish the glitter bits are usually few and far between, so these were a present surprise.

Enjoy!

B xx

Announcement! Pretty and Polished SALE!

Hey All!

The awesome indie brand 'Pretty and Polished' are having a moving sale...
"A moving sale?" you ask.
"YES A MOVING SALE!!"

They are moving locations and just can't bothered taking all their stock with them so they need people like YOU to buy their awesome products.

On July 1st Pretty and Polished are doing a complete make over and are getting rid of some old stock to make way for the new. Some products will not be available any more so this is your last chance to get them.

So to get your hands on this unbeatable deals,  shop HERE!
And check out all their updates and deals on there Facebook page.... HERE!
And for all you social media nuts check them out on Twitter... HERE or Instagram... HERE!

So everybody get shopping!!

B xx

Inspired by... The Great Gatsby

A few weeks ago I went to go see 'The Great Gatsby' with a good friend of mine. And even though I was never a huge fan of the book, I completely fell in love with the way Baz Luhrmann created this wonderful masterpiece. After the awesomeness of 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Romeo + Juliet' who would expect anything less from Mr. Luhrmann?? 

When I went to see 'Gatsby' I did have this nagging voice in my head that kept saying 'By the end of this you'd better have an idea of a nail design...' and NOTHING was inspiring me. I have done research on all the other beautiful nail designs out there, and a lot the nail art is inspired by the art deco theme of this fantastical era, but I wanted to do something different. 

So I am sitting in the cinema and waiting for inspiration to hit me when the party scene comes on where Joel Edgerton's character takes Tobey Maguire to that little party in NYC....

And for this one little scene we are introduced to Myrtle's sister (In the picture she is the one in the green next to Nick Carraway). And at one point she is sitting on the couch staring out the window and you get a really good shot of her nails... AND I FELL IN LOVE! 

Emerald green, half moon, nude tipped nails. <3 b="" nbsp="">

The rest of the movie was basically a blur as my mind raced to create this design. 

When I finally got it right it was the most wonderful feeling ever... and I have never been so proud of myself. 

I didn't go with the nude nails because my natural half moon didn't look as good, so I made a artificial half moon with a creamy colour. I think it looks better then a nude nail underneath. 

I am pretty proud of these. 

What do YOU think?

B xx

The Best... Top Coats

So yesterday I did a blog about my Base Coats and today I thought I would go to part 2; my top coats.

Top Coats are just as important as base coat. Top coats protect your manicure. No matter what nail polish you use it will help protect it from bump, scratches and all those chores we have to do throughout the day.

And these days a good top coat will also dry your manicure in less than 5 mins, so no sitting around like a loser waiting for the 'paint to dry'.
Ok here we go....

4. Seche Vite - Fast Top Coat

This is the mother load of all top coats. Before I discovered Seche Vite I was that loser sitting around with my fingers out waiting for them to dry. And especially when you are doing a few different layers it is a real pain waiting for them to dry. So along came Seche Vite and made my life a lot easier. 

Pros: It dries so fast. After you put your nail polish on you can on a layer of this stuff and wait 5 minutes and  its done! Pretty amazing. The polish it also really protected under the stuff. You can buy Seche Vita off Ebay for about $5 which is pretty cheap. 

Cons: Over time it gets quite thick and unusable. It also shrinks the polish the older it gets. I have discovered there is a certain technique to stopping Seche Vite shrinking, but I think that is a pain. You can however by a polish thinner to thin it out again and it's good as new. I have just purchased some one if so hopefully I can test that out soon. 

5. Sally Hansen - Diamond Flash Fast Dry Top Coat

I bought this because had run out of Seche Vite, but I am so happy I did. 

Pros: It is a really great product. It is quite thin which means it spreads evenly. It protects the polish so well. I have worn a nail design for over a week and there was minimal chipping, which is extremely rare with other top coats. This is def a 10/10 product. 

Cons: It is quite expensive. You are looking at about $16 from Priceline. I haven't had the top coat for very long so I don't know how it will go in the long run. 

6. Sally Hansen - Dry and Go Drops

I bought this just as an experiment. It is really good if you have a to get out the house quickly and you want your nail to dry super fast. 

Pros: Its good for last minute jobs. It is also good if you have a old top coat that is works well but doesn't dry fast. You can just pop this on top and it will dry super fast. 

Cons: It leaves a oily residue around your nails. You can wash it off, it is not permanent, but it can be a little annoying. It is also a bit expensive, about $15 from Priceline. 

The Best.. Base Coats

A lot of people have been asking lots of questions about what base and top coats I use, so considering I have many of each, I thought I would do a little blog review on the different products I own. 

So here are my many Base Coats. Base coats are really important because they sort of act like a glue between your nail and the polish, therefore helping the polish stay on longer and stops the polish staining your nails. It also smooths out the surface of your nail to make the polish glide on a little better. 

Here are the 3 I have tried and tested:

1. Revlon - Quick Dry Base Coat
Now this is the first base coat I had ever bought and I feel in love instantly.
Pros: The brush is a little wider like so there are less strokes. And it says what it does on the bottle, it dries super quick. I am an impatient person and to have the base coat dry so quickly helps a lot! I also liked how it was a little thicker so that the nail is really well protected and long lasting. It is also pretty cheap when you buy it off Ebay, I got this bottle for about about $7 including shipping. 

Cons: It does get really gunky after a while. The thickness does make it a little difficult to paint on. But in saying this, I had been using the bottle for over 5 months before I noticed a real different in consistently. It also can cost up to $15 from somewhere like Priceline. 

2. Seche Clear - Crystal Clear Base Coat
This is a Base Coat I bought by accident. I thought I was buying Seche Vite but alas, I ended up with this so I gave it a go.

Pros: Super thin and leaves your nails really shiny. I don't know how important a shiny base coat is but it was really shiny. It is thin so it spreads quite thinly so that drying time in minimal too. :) And no stainage!
Cons: I felt that this polish didn't  actually smooth out the surface of my nail as well as the others. Also the brush is quick thin so you end up doing a few strokes which are a pain. 

3. Sally Hansen - Salon Manicure Base Coat

I thought I would give Sally Hansen ago since it is so accessible at the shops around where I live. 

Pros: This product is pretty amazing. It has a large angled brush to glide over your nail easily, and usually takes one stroke. Its a little thicker so that the nail is actually protected by the polish, so no stains. It also leaves the nail smooth so your nail polish glides on perfectly. 

Cons: It is not the fastest drying base. I have only had it for a few weeks too so I don't know how the thickness will change over time. The other con this product has is the price... you are looking at about $16  at Priceline, cheaper at places like Big W or Target.

Even though these all have different pros and cons I tend to use them all at different times. Depending on the design I am doing or the time I have to do it. Or even how long I'm going to wear it. 

If you want any more info about the products above feel free to leave me a comment below. 

Tomorrow I will be doing a similar review on Top Coats.

Enjoy!

B xx

Peach Polka Dots

Just a quick one today...

I painted my nails all the one colour, this beautiful peach colour by Kiko.  But then I thought to myself, 'What the heck are you doing? You never have a single coloured nails!!' So I swiftly changed them to this cute polka dotted design.



Nothing really too it... Just paint your nails a desired colour and polka dotted some dots on the top. I used a dotting tool but you can use the head of a pin, bobby pin, tooth pick or even a old pen/pencil to make your dots.

Enjoy!

B xx

Khaki Stripes

My latest creation....

I wanted to use my lovely khaki coloured nail polish as I hadn't used it in aaaaaages. I decided to play around with some free hand work too. So all those stripes have been done free hand. Like I have said many times before, I am not very good at free hand work so I thought this would be an easy (and safe) way to practise.


I started off by painting my thumb, pointer and middle finger with the beautiful  L'Oreal - Rivegauche Green and for my pinky I used NYC - Park Ave. 

In the pictures I could really tell the difference between the two colours but out in the 'real world' the colours looked really similar and lots of people thought I had used the same colours for all 4 nails, which was a bit disappointing.

For my ring finger, I places a label sticker (those label round ones) and I painted one some stripes using the two colours from my other fingers along with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - White On and BC&Co. Shade 11. 


I then took the sitcker off and drew a black line to make it neater.




What do you think??

Nailed It NZ Give away!

Hey All!!!

I want everyone to head over to Nailed It NZ and check out Jessie's give away!
You could win all the essentials for successful nail-arting... so enter quickly!
Good Luck!

B xx

Guest Hands... My cousin Natasha!

I am extremely lucky to have a massive family and some of the GREATEST cousins a girl could ask for. When I first started this blog I didn't have any followers, and without a second thought my cousins stepped up and supported me. And have ever since.
So when one of my cousins Natasha sent me a text last week asking me to do her nails I did not hesitate to say 'YES!'.

She had a party to go to on Saturday night and wanted some fancy nail art to go with her outfit.

So I lugged all my stuff to her house and after looking at her super cute outfit I came up with this...

She had bought this beautiful multicoloured aztec inspired skirt so I took the colours from it and came up with this design. I didn't want to go too aztec-y (if that is even a word) so she could wear the nails for a few days. So I picked a base colour, the green, and did 2 feature nails.

 

On her middle, pointer and pinky fingers I used Kiko - Shade 389 once  it was dry I topped with Rimmel - Matte Finish. 

On her ring and thumb finger I started with  a base colour, Kiko - 359 and once it had dried I sponged on the two other colours; Savvy - Grapetini and Kiki - Shade 389. 

Once the colours had dried I used striping tape to create the 

anztec-y design and painted over it with a the black, Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear - Black Out.

I think that they came out great ESPECIALLY on Tasha's beautiful tanned skin (damn her)... and she got lots of complements that nights, which is the most important part.

I hope you like?

B xx