Wednesday 28 December 2011

Red & Gold Christmas Konading


Well, I haven't updated in a while due to various reasons, the mains ones being a busted laptop and my old camera driving me insane. I was lucky enough to get a brand new camera for Christmas! :) no more desperately trying to make it focus! I love love love it. 

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Christmas. This is how I had my nails, as red and gold are my absolute favourite Christmas colours (also the colours of Gryffindor...HP nerd alert).


The base colour is OPI - The One That Got Away, and the stamping colour is Barry M Gold Foil Effects. I finished with NYC top coat. The stamping plate is Konad M60.


This is only the second full mani I've done using a Konad plate...I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. The Barry M foils make great stamping polishes.

Quick haul picture before I go...I was given these Calvin Klein polishes for Christmas. There's some really pretty colours that I can't wait to swatch!

Share:

Wednesday 30 November 2011

Barry M Instant Nail Effects Foil Gold and Silver Swatches


I had high hopes for these because I love Barry M polishes. The official word on them is -

 "Instant Nail Effects foil is an amazing addition to our Nail Paints. It is applied like any other Nail Paint but with a luxurious foil finish previously only acheived from a salon manicure. It only requires one coat and is very quick drying."

The finish did end up being quite nice, but I had some trouble with visible brush strokes, leading to me needing more than one coat on some nails. It did dry quite quickly though.


As you can see, there's visible brush strokes no matter how hard I tried! It goes on like silk, which does make it somewhat fiddly to manage. It looks lovely in sunlight though! (see below)


The silver was a little easier to apply, I didn't end up with as many brush strokes.

 


Overall I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be, but I'll definitely be using them again. Maybe practice makes perfect when it comes to the application of foil finishes. Also, I hear these polishes are really good for stamping, so that alone makes them worth it to me.

You can get these in Superdrug for £3.99 each.

Share:

Sunday 27 November 2011

Shimmery Leopard


I decided to bust out a Konad plate because I haven't used one in ages. I'm rarely in the mood for the unholy mess I end up making! 

I used OPI - Designer...De Better from the Muppets collection as a base. My Mum got this for me last week and I'm really impressed with it. It's so shimmery and sparkly yet warm, so perfect for this time of year.


I stamped on a couple of accent nails on each hand using Konad m57 and Konad special polish. I then filled in the leopard spots with OPI - The One That Got Away from the Katy Perry collection. I finished with a top coat from NYC (I picked some of this up on the recommendation of Sammy from Nailasaurus) and I'm pretty impressed with it so far, since it only cost £1.79.


Pretty happy with it, the combination of the OPI polishes are super shimmery. You can't tell from these pictures, but my middle finger nail is about to snap clean off. Joy!

Also, I'm at 170 followers! Thank you to everyone who follows me :) Thinking of having another giveaway if I manage to hit 200. 

Share:

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Barry M Coral Swatches


A little complaining to do before I start - My favourite nail (lets face it, we all have a favourite nail...or am I just strange?) has split half way down (on my swatching hand no less) so that's 3 completely broken nails this month. My hands look a complete mess! I swear I have tried everything to prevent breakages but nothing works. Also, my camera is going all crazy on me, refusing to focus and taking awful grainy pictures :( hopefully Santa will bring me a new one, but until then I'm stuck with a crappy one. All this is making blogging much too difficult! /end complaining...for now :P

Anyway. This is Coral by Barry M. I LOVE this polish. I honestly do not have a Barry M I dislike.

  

It's a very bright, orangey coral, super easy to apply and opaque with two coats. Like a lot of Barry M, it seems to be a hybrid of creme and jelly, though I'd lean mostly towards jelly.


I like wearing it on nights out when I'm wearing mostly black clothing, it makes dark outfits pop! 

Share:

Thursday 17 November 2011

Models Own Jade Stone Swatches


Hello! Still swatching my way through my Model's Own collection. This is the first time I've tried Jade Stone, and I have to say I love it. 

 

This is a minty green creme. I never used to like this kind of colour, but I'm officially a convert. 


Opaque after two coats, this can be a little streaky, but if you're having trouble a third coat should sort it right out. Formula is great, as it is with most Models Own polishes. I think I'll be wearing this for a while :)

Share:

Friday 4 November 2011

GOSH Ocean Swatches


Hello! I hadn't even finished swatching my last haul and I'm already onto a new batch. Oh well, I'm determined to swatch the lot one day.

This is Ocean by GOSH. A beautiful mermaid blue-green shimmer that really does remind me of a tropical ocean.

 

It applies pretty nicely, but beware of brush strokes! It's a little sheer but still manages to be opaque in two coats. It's such a nice colour, especially in the sunlight - 


Look at the shimmer! Shame it's winter and sunlight is few and far between :(


I'm really starting to like GOSH polishes, although £5/8ml is a bit expensive. As soon as I see the shimmery ones though I just cave!

Also, because everyone (by everyone I mean some people) like haul pics, here's my latest - 


Top L-R: Models Own - Purple Ash, Utopia, Black Swirl, Bronze Rage, Lemon Meringue
Bottom L-R: OPI - Rainbow Connection and Gone Gonzo, Barry M Gold and Silver foil nail effects and Coral, GOSH - Ocean, Berry Me and Gasoline, MUA shade 22, Barry M - Pink Iridescent and NYC - Spring Street.

My Mum got me the Models Own polishes :) she knows my obsession!

Share:

Saturday 29 October 2011

Halloween Blood Spatter Nails


Here's the first of my Halloween manis (maybe the last depending on how much time I get!) I've seen this mani on plenty of people before, but I just had to try it myself. I usually wouldn't leave the polish pooled in my cuticles but I think it adds to the effect here!


I used Snow White and Red Alert by Models Own, and of course, a trusty straw!

I know Halloween isn't 'til Monday but I think most people are having parties etc. this weekend, so have fun! :)

Share:

GOSH Purple Heart Swatches


Just a quick post today. I've got lots of new polishes lately so I'll be swatching a lot next week and probably posting haul pics! 

This is Purple Heart by GOSH. It looks gorgeous inside the bottle, but unfortunately just doesn't pop as much on my nails. It has flashes of purple, black and green.

 

This is the only picture I managed to get that showed off the colour. For some reason the green you see in the bottle doesn't really translate to the nails. It's still quite nice though and the purple and black look great together. I'm sure someone with a better camera/lighting could get better pictures!

Share:

Monday 24 October 2011

Rimmel Starlet Swatches



Here's another of my favourite polishes, from the Rimmel 60 seconds collection.




If there's one word I'd use to describe this polish, it'd be juicy! Kind of strange I know, but looking at it makes me thirsty! It's a jelly-like finish, yet at the same time it could be described as a foil. I can't pin it down.


It glides on effortlessly and two coats is perfect. Please mind the massive gaps between my cuticles and the polish, I don't know what happened there! :\


I added a matte topcoat, and it looked gorgeous! I definitely love it more with a matte finish. 

Share:

Tuesday 18 October 2011

50 Follower Giveaway winner :)

I'm all better, at long last! So I was finally able to sort out my giveaway. I had 111 entries! So much more than I expected. Anyway, with the help of random.org, the winner is....dun dun dun...

Number 50: Amber!! I may possibly have had more than one Amber, so to clarify, it's the lady from My Nail Graffiti :) I've emailed you, Amber.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and hi to all my new followers, I hope you stick around. I'll definitely be having more giveaways in the future, so don't be sad if you didn't win. 


Share:

Friday 14 October 2011

An apology!

Hi my loves. Sorry I've been gone for ages and not updated my giveaway. I've been so, so sick for the past 7 or 8 days. I've been to a doctor 3 times and almost ended up in hospital. I wont go into the gory details of what was wrong with me, but I would say I'm about 70% better now. 

I will announce the winner of the Barry M polishes at the weekend, and I will post them out asap. Then hopefully get back to posting on my blog! 

Again, I'm really sorry for the huge delay. :(
Share:

Tuesday 4 October 2011

50 Followers Giveaway!

**Now Closed**

This definitely crept up on me. My followers shot up in one day! So, it's time for my first giveaway. Only a small one, I'll try and do a bigger one for 100 followers, if I reach that milestone!

You can win these:


Three Barry M polishes. Fuchsia, Cyan Blue and Red Glitter. I picked these because they're 3 of my favourites from Barry M...they're lovely!

Just fill in the form below and submit once.




Share:

Monday 3 October 2011

Barry M Matt White + Half-Moon Mani



I am a sucker for half-moon manicures, there's endless colour combinations and I find they make my nails look longer. I started out with two coats of Matt White by Barry M (It's not actually matte, for some reason).


I always find whites a pain to get even, but this was ok after two coats.

I then used some of those little hole reinforcers from stationary shops (I got mine from WH Smith) and painted one coat of Black by Barry M over the top. I have tried to free-hand half moons in the past, but the result is just never as good as when you use these stickers.


I finished with a top coat by Rimmel and it was good to go.

I'm thinking of getting some Kleancolor glitters from eBay. Does anyone have any, and what ones are your favourites? I need help!

Share:

Friday 30 September 2011

Models Own Peach Puff + Nubar 2010




Hi! :) I'm up late making a post because it's too hot to sleep! Yes, in England! I have no idea why it's so hot when it's about to be November. I don't like it though, I'm purely an Autumn/Winter weather kind of person.

Also, I will definitely be having a giveaway when I hit 50 followers, it won't be anything too special because I'm desperately trying to save money for Christmas, but it'll be open to all :)

On to the polish! This is Peach Puff, from Models Own. 

 

Nude peachy shades are perfect for this time of year, and I think this one is becoming my go-to polish for when I'm not sure what to wear. It really is nice, I promise if you buy it, you will love it! The formula is quite thin and I needed three coats, but somebody who is better at application than I am might get away with two.

After a little bit of wear I decided to add a coat of Nubar 2010, which is a gorgeous clear polish full of duo chrome flakies. I'm so glad I bought it, it looks SO pretty. It was a little hard to capture on camera in it's full glory, as flakies tend to be.

 

You can get an idea of how nice it is though. This was only one coat and its packed with flakies.

I added a couple of slices of Fimo, just to make it cute!


As its officially Friday in the UK, I hope everyone has a great weekend. :)


Share:

Wednesday 28 September 2011

New Models Own polishes!

Models Own announced five new polishes today, to launch this November.

Called The Beetlejuice Collection (yay!!) This is how they're described:

GOLDEN GREEN - A fresh energetic acid
PINKY BROWN - A warm, rusty pink
PURPLE BLUE - A vibrant punch of fuchsia indigo
AQUA VIOLET - A true sky shimmer
EMERALD BLACK - A bold-blackened midnight peacock.

Each bottle contains four pearlescent colours mixed into one gleaming shade, and the complex colour-shifting, with flashes of vivid tones and ethereal hues, gives a shimmering duo chrome finish.

Priced at £5 each and available early November, exclusively at http://modelsownit.com


So excited for these! I think Aqua Violet looks the best, but Golden Green looks a little like Chanel Peridot.

Share:

Rimmel Your Majesty Swatches




I'm thinking of having a 50 follower giveaway, since I seem to be close to that amount now. I have no idea when (or, indeed, if!) I'll hit 50, because I have no idea how to drum up more followers, but I'll announce the giveaway when it happens. I've never done one before so I hope I don't mess it up! Any tips? help?

On to the polish. This is one of my favourites from my collection, I always seem to be using it in nail art and just on days when I'm too lazy to do something creative!


 

Your Majesty is a fabulous silver foil. Very shimmery and beautiful, it really stands out. 


The formula is wonderful and applies like a dream. My pictures are two coats, no top coat. I find it seems to be pretty hard wearing, even without a top coat. The only thing is, it takes a little while to dry thoroughly, but it's only £2.99/8ml so who can complain? Anybody else have a favourite foil they'd recommend?

Bonus picture of the polishes I bought last week:


17-  Magnetized Blue, Rimmel - Sunshine, ORLY - Fowl Play, Nubar - 2010.

Share:
© Brit Nails | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Developed by pipdig