Friday 28 December 2012

Brit Nails 2012 Favourites

Here's my 2012 favourites post. I've only picked six posts, I wanted to keep it quite short...I originally picked ten and it was hard casting some out! They're all just my personal favourites, the ones I thought turned out the best and were the most fun to do.

These are not in any order, because I probably would have taken about 17 hours picking an order of favourites as I am the most indecisive person EVER. 

Clicking the title will take you to the original post.


This is such a simple design but it got so many compliments when I was wearing it!




The rose design is probably my favourite Bundle Monster stamp, and stamping with Lesbihonest on white just worked out perfectly.




I did this to celebrate the latest season of True Blood, which in all it's Over The Top glory remains one of my favourite shows!




This was my first ever tribal design, and is my most replicated and re-posted design (almost always without permission or credit but we won't go there) 




This is one of my newer designs, and I think that shows in the picture quality. At least, I hope it does! 




Another simple but effective one, this has been called everything from fabulous to trashy. I think I prefer trashy.



And those are my favourites! I'm not making any New Year Resolutions in any aspect of my life, including my blog. I'd like to post more often but that's all really...if my nails will stop snapping!

Do you have any Resolutions, for your blog or otherwise?


Share:

Monday 24 December 2012

Blue Glitter Snowflakes

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I've been busy moving around and my computer wasn't set up. I can't believe it's Christmas tomorrow! Is it wrong that the thing I look forward to above all is the Christmas dinner? 

Here's my take on a Snowflake mani. In hindsight, I should have used a thinner brush for more detailed snowflakes! I used Barry M Blue Glitter, and Essie Blanc to paint the snowflakes. I put a little sequin in the middle of the flakes for sparkle.





I absolutely love Barry M Blue Glitter! 

 I've got a giveaway coming soon, and I need to choose posts for a 2012 favourites thing, which is easier said than done! I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and thank you for following me. And remember, Christmas is a waste if you don't eat your weight in chocolate. :)


Share:

Monday 17 December 2012

Green and Gold Gradient

Hi! I'm miserable today because I've pulled a muscle in my back and it's agony. I've been wailing like a banshee all day and the house stinks of deep heat. Took me about 10 minutes to get upstairs to the computer...that's dedication, that. 

I love gradients so decided to do a Christmassy one. Kinda reminds me of a dragon or something.

I used China Glaze Glittering Garland, then sponged on some H&M Golden Treasure. 






I love the colours I used, Golden Treasure is my favourite gold and Glittering Garland is ridiculously festive. I might re-create these for Christmas day!


Share:

Saturday 15 December 2012

Random Swatch Saturday - China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

Here's another from my seemingly endless stash. Champagne Bubbles is from the 2011 Let It Snow collection. It's probably not a shade for everyone, but I love the little bits of silver glitter! 

China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

China Glaze Champagne Bubbles


China Glaze Champagne Bubbles


Like I said, it's not for everybody...It's a nice Christmassy colour though! 

Share:

Friday 14 December 2012

Jacava Blackberry Fool - Swatches


Today I have a polish to show you from a new British brand called Jacava. Jacava are designed in London and made in the UK, and are free from all those nasty chemicals - Toluene, Formaldehyde, Camphor and DBP. 

The first thing I noticed about this brand was the long gold caps, which offer plenty of control while applying polish. The brushes are also longer than the average polish brush, which also helped with application (Especially since my nails are so long and narrow!) And according to the media pack, the brushes touch the bottom of the bottle, making it easy to use every last drop. 

So far so impressed. But what's the formula like? Really good, actually. It's quite thick but not too thick to manage, and was perfectly opaque in 2 coats. Once applied, it looks super smooth and shiny...my pictures seem almost photoshopped because the polish looks so smooth!

This is 2 coats of Blackberry Fool (plus topcoat), a really rich berry-purple creme, that in some light looks more magenta (either way, a lovely colour)

Jacava Blackberry Fool
Jacava Blackberry Fool
Jacava Blackberry Fool
Jacava Blackberry Fool
Jacava Blackberry Fool

See how smooth it looks? I'd like to try a few more colours! They have a few metallics in the collection and I'm interested to see what they're like. 


Jacava is available www.Jacava.com and also at Amazon. They retail for £13.50 each and are currently 3 for 2 on the website.



Share:

Monday 10 December 2012

Oh Christmas Tree!

Here's my second set of Christmas nails! These really didn't photograph well, which I'm dissapointed about. They're SO sparkly in real life but the camera has made them a bit dull :( why are cameras so anti-glitter sometimes? They just don't appreciate the finer things in life.

My base colour is Models Own Snow White, with a coat of China Glaze White Cap on top. 

For the oh-so-cute little trees, I used China Glaze Holly Day, painted over with Models Own Emerald City glitter. The tinsel is Barry M Silver Foil Effects.

The stars are studs from Born Pretty Store, as are the little glequins. (Use code LGL91 for 10% off at Born Pretty, with free worldwide shipping!)





I love how these turned out! I just wish you could see the sparkle!


Share:

Saturday 8 December 2012

Random Swatch Saturday - OPI Designer De Better

Here's the second edition of Random Swatch Saturday, AKA me going through all my unswatched/untrieds. 

This is Designer De Better by OPI, from the 2011 Muppets Collection. I loved this collection when it came out, I was so excited for it! I have the mini collection and a couple of full sized bottles too.

Designer De Better is a champagne coloured foil with little bronze flakes, which make it really shimmery. I used 2 coats and top coat.




This is quite a unique foil in my opinion, the bronze flakes are so shiny and shimmery!

Share:

Thursday 6 December 2012

Barry M Superdrug Limited Edition Christmas Glitter - Swatches and Review

Barry M recently released some Limited Edition nail paints for Christmas. There are two available at Superdrug, and two available at Boots, and you get one free when you spend £6. I picked this one up yesterday in Superdrug, my eyes immediately went to it on the stand! 

It contains different sized red, green and blue hexagonal glitter in a clear base. The glitter isn't densely packed, so it's best used as a top coat over another colour. 

Here's two coats of glitter over one coat of Barry M Cyan Blue (with top coat to smooth out the glitter)




It's so festive, I really like it!

I also tried it over two coats of Barry M Blackberry Gelly






Glitters like this can be prone to leaving air bubbles on your nails, but I encountered very few with this one. If you're having trouble with placement of the glitter, try dabbing it on, and don't forget to smooth out with top coat when you're done! May I also recommend using PVA glue as a base coat when using glitter polishes...more details can be found here. No more scrubbing!

Share:

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Candy Canes

Hi! Well, my light box started falling apart already, so I gave up with it and just bought a little light tent from eBay. It was only £10 and came with different coloured backgrounds, so I'm trying out black for a while. It's nice not having to wait for decent daylight to take pictures anymore, but it still frustrates the hell out of me trying to get consistent pictures! I'm a god awful photographer!

Anyway, today I have the first of my Christmas themed nails. I wanted to do a candy cane pattern, but didn't want just plain red and white stripes, so I tried to make it a bit different.

I used Essie Blanc for the base colour, and China Glaze Ruby Pumps on my middle finger. I painted on the stripes (China Glaze Winter Berry) and the candy cane with a small paint brush. I added some silver glequins for sparkle!




It feels really odd having a black background!

Share:

Saturday 1 December 2012

Random Swatch Saturday - Illamasqua Poke

The amount of un-swatched polishes I have sent me into a flap earlier, so I decided to create Random Swatch Saturday. Every Saturday (unless I forget, which let's face it, is likely) I'll post a random swatch from my stash. It's not the only time I'll post swatches, but it'll allow me to go through my stash including my untried polishes regularly.

I'm starting with Illamasqua Poke. This is a gorgeous rich violet, packed with shimmer. As you can see, my picture angles etc. are changing lately, due to me messing about with my light box. I think this set are my favourite and I might stick with these angles. Opinions?





I used two coats and top coat, and the formula is gorgeous. So glad I got this when it was on sale!

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