Blossoming Nail Art

Hi there!

I hope you're all doing well, because I sure am!

Remember last week when I told you guys I had plenty of Spring designs up my sleeve? Well, you're getting another one this week! And probably next week as well.
I hope you're excited, because it's about to all floral and beautiful up in here!
I'm hoping to do some more involved nail art soon. I have been very bad with time management lately which usually means that I opt for something simple, hence why I've been doing a lot of stamping lately.
Please just bear with me while I get my stuff sorted (ha ha).

This week's design is pretty simple. I decided to do something basic but pretty, and stamping is always fun (not to mention super easy).
Below you'll find a list of polishes and tools I used to create this fun, Spring design.

Blossoming Nail Art

I used these nail polishes:
Bootylicious Babe by Chi Chi Cosmetics
South Beach Bling Bikini by Chi Chi Cosmetics
White Stamping Polish by Born Pretty
Black Stamping Polish by Emily de Molly
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen
Top and Base Coat by Rimmel

As well as these tools:
Stamping plate Chic Peek BM-XL472
Stamper
Scraper
Tweezers
Liquid Latex by LuLaa
Small dotting tool
Mani saver

Blossoming Nail Art with South Beach Bling Bikini

Rightey-o, so I started with Top & Base Coat.
After drying, I applied two coats of Bootylicious Babe then, while that was drying, I applied liquid latex around each nail. I then gathered my stamping tools.
Taking Black stamping polish I applied it over the design on stamping plate BM-XL472, scraped off the excess, picked up the image and pressed it onto the nail. I did this for all nails, placing it in different positions each time. Cleaning the plate with my Mani Saver between colours, I continued with White Stamping Polish. Using the same image, I applied them to the nail in a different position to the previous one. Once I was finished stamping, I removed the latex with tweezers.
Taking a sandwich bag, I applied a small amount of South Beach Bling Bikini to it, then used a small dotting tool to place dots over the "buds" of the design.
Once dry, I finished with Kwik Dry Top Coat.

Blossoming Nail Art with Black Stamping Polish

I found that with this image, the "buds" which were supposed to be full dots did not want to pick up properly. I tried a few different things but it just wasn't working for me, so I decided to add to the design. I'm glad I did because it turned out so cute!
It almost looks like an Arizona Iced Tea can, which I am totally cool with! 

I really love this green and orange mix. I've done similar colours before, but I think this one turned out better. Even though it's only a little bit of colour, it totally enhances the whole thing. I'm sure I could use a variety of colours and it would still look good. Maybe I'll have to try some different options in the future.

What are your thoughts?

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Thanks for stopping by!

Funky Floral Nail Art Design

Hello lovely people!

Welcome back! I took a break last week (in case you missed it) because, well honestly, why not? Sometimes you just need to mix things up a bit and take a break from routine. Plus, this blog is a hobby, so if I don't get something out each week, I'm not all that fussed.

It is officially Spring here, (even if the weather doesn't know it yet, it's pretty cold right now) which means pastels, floral prints, and all the pretty girly things! I can't wait to do more of this stuff! So many stamps, so little nails, sigh... But, right now I have this fun, funky, floral design to kick things off, along with plenty more ideas up my sleeve!
Let's get into it!

Funky Floral Nail Art

For this nail art, I used these nail polishes:
Go With The Flowy by Essie
Off Tropic by Essie
Lime Zinger by Lilypad Lacquer
Ring in The Bling by Essie
Attitude Attitude by Essie
Black Stamping Polish by Emily De Molly 
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen
Top & Base Coat by Rimmel

As well as these tools:
Large clear stamper
Scraper
Stamping Plate BP - 98 by Born Pretty
Liquid Latex by LuLaa
Mani Saver
Cotton ball with Acetone

Funky Floral Nail Art with Ring in The Bling

I started this design with Top and Base Coat. Once that was dry, I applied two coats of Go With The Flowy (should have used a peel off base coat, so much glitter!). I then took Attitude Attitude, wiped the excess polish off the brush using the neck of the bottle and gently swiped it across the nail sparingly. I did the same with Ring in The Bling, Off Tropic and Lime Zinger until I was satisfied with the coverage.
I then took my stamping tools and plate BP - 98, applied Black over the image I wanted to use, then scraped, picked up and pressed the design onto the nail. This image is quite large and has a whole bunch of different elements to it, so I decided to use as much as I could by selecting different areas of it. I made sure to clean the stamper and plate between each use with my mani saver and acetone.
All it took then to finish off was some Kwik Dry Top Coat to keep it sealed and shiny.

Funky Floral Nail Art with Lime Zinger

I'm pretty happy with the end result of this nail art. I was going for something more edgy than just a typical floral design, which I'd like to think I achieved. Not exactly how I wanted it to turn out, but still pretty sweet, I think.
What I really should have done was a reverse stamp to get exactly what I wanted, but I'm honestly so nervous about trying it.
I'll do it one day, I promise!

What do you think?

What funky designs have you got lined up for Spring?

Don't forget to check out my social media pages. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Dry Garden Nail Art.

Hello lovely people!

I hope you're all doing well.

It has been a nice, quiet weekend for me; I spent a good portion of yesterday in my pj's. It was fun, it has been a while since I've done that and today has just been nail art. Pretty much my ideal weekend - the only thing missing is reading, but I'll be doing that as soon as this post goes live. 

I decided to create a winter-ish design this week. Since it's still quite cold here and winter is showing no sign of leaving anytime soon, it gave me a chance to use some of the colours I don't very often get to. I also got to use another "new" plate!
I'm calling this one Dry Garden, due to the use of the dry brush technique, as well as the dark colours. 

These are the nail polishes I used:

Snuggle Me by Face Of Australia

Instant Adventure by Essence

Mixetaupe by Essie

Black Stamping Polish by Emily de Molly

Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

Top and Base Coat by Rimmel

I also used these tools:

Stamping Plate BP-79 by Born Pretty

Large Clear Stamper

Scraper

Liquid Latex by Lulaa

I started with Top and Base Coat. After drying, I applied two coats of Mixetaupe. Taking Snuggle Me, I wiped off the excess polish from the brush using the neck of the bottle. Once I felt I had the right amount of polish on the brush, I gently swiped it across the nail in varying directions. I continued this for all five nails, reapplying when necessary.
The same was done with Instant Adventure, making sure to leave enough of the base colour showing through.
Next, I applied liquid latex around each nail, then allowed to dry before continuing. I then gathered my stamping tools (see list above). Taking stamping plate BP-79, I applied Black stamping polish over the image, scraped off the excess, picked up the design with the stamper and pressed it onto the nail - rolling the stamper back and forth to make sure the whole image transferred correctly. Again, doing this for all five nails, making sure to clean the stamping plate and stamper between each use.
Once the stamps were dry, I applied a coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat to seal it all in.

I really liked this one.
I think it has a bit of an elegant feel to it, which I'm not so good at because, to be honest, I am not exactly very elegant myself! Hahaha!
I do like to dabble though. Besides, I like to do anything and everything on my nails.

I'm also trying to create more winter-themed nails, using those deep cozy colours. Every time I go searching online for ideas on winter nails, all I get is a bunch of snow related stuff, which is frustrating because it only snows in certain areas here, so it seems a little silly for me to do designs like that. 

I also get a lot of Christmas ones, which I don't even like to do during the holiday seasons. I'm not going to start doing them now. 

What do you think?

What do your winter nails look like?

Leave me a comment below with links to your nail art so I can check it out.

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If not, you should be!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gradient Garden Nail Art

Hello hello!

I hope my fellow Aussies are enjoying the long weekend. Usually, I'd be away right now. Sitting by the fire, wine in hand, looking over the dam. But, here I am, bringing you more of my nail creations. I'm okay with that though. It has taken me about 4 hours to get my photos ready for today (lesson learnt, I'll be getting my photos edited in advance from now on). Photoshop was being a pain in the butt, but I finally got it sorted, so here we go.

This week, I have a fun gradient with some stamping. I have no idea what to call it... gradient garden? I think that will do. It includes some of my favorite nail things; gradients (obviously), pastels and stamping! Details on polishes, tools and directions are below. 

Gradient Garden Nail Art

I used these polishes:
Rose Libertine by Rimmel 
Roll In The Green by Rimmel
Lovey Dovey by Rimmel
White Stamping Polish by Born Pretty
As Black As Night stamping polish by Hit The Bottle
Nail Base & Top Coat by Rimmel
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

I also used these tools:
Liquid latex by LuLaa
Cosmetic sponge
Large clear stamper
Scraper
Stamping plate 05 by Born Pretty
Cotton ball
Mani saver

Gradient Garden with Purple

I started with Nail Top & Base coat. Once dry, I applied two coats of Roll In The Grass. After allowing time to dry (at least to the touch), I applied liquid latex around each nail, then continued to let dry. Next, I grabbed a cosmetic sponge and applied one stripe of Roll In The Grass, Lovey Dovey and Rose Libertine across the sponge. I then gently dabbed over each nail, making sure each colour was evenly distributed on the nail whilst not blending them together too much. This took a fair few coats for all five nails, and I needed to reapply the polishes to the sponge a few times. Once I had an even gradient, I removed the liquid latex and allowed the polish to dry. I then gathered my tools and stamping plate 05. Picking my design, I painted White stamping polish across the design, scrapped off the excess and picked up the image with the stamper. I pressed the design onto my index nail, making sure to roll the stamper in order for the stamp to completely cover the nail. Then, using some tape, I removed what had transferred onto my skin (I may have forgotten to use latex this time). Remembering to clean my plate between each use with my mani saver and a cotton ball dipped in acetone, I repeated this on my middle finger. I did the same for my ring and pinky finger, only using As Black As Night stamping polish instead. To finish off the design, I applied a coat of Kwik Dry Top Coat. 

Gradient Garden with Green

I initially intended on continuing with the white stamping, but after doing two, I decided black would look better. Since I had already done the white, I was not starting again and decided it was more fun with the two different colours. If I were to recreate it, I'd stick with black. I feel like it brings out the pastel colours underneath so much better. These colours deserve to shine! I love this green, I'm a little obsessed with it and I probably have about 4 similar ones. Woops.

What do you think?
Would you try this design?

As always, let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Marble & Stamping Nail Art Design

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to start by saying sorry for my extended absence recently. I have had a lot going on in my personal life, some good and some not so good things which have kept me occupied. Unfortunately, I have been a little too busy to do my usual weekly posting or even nail art in general!

It appears that the dust is finally settling and things are returning to some form of normal. In my time away, I have made a few changes. I'm currently playing with the idea to change the day I put out new posts, although I'm undecided on when/if that will happen. I am still very interested in doing this blog, because I do enjoy it and it's a little bit of a routine I'd like to keep. So, all I can ask is that you bare with me over the next few weeks until everything comes together. With that, let's get onto the nail art!

I have mentioned in other posts that I want to start doing more involved nail art, so I decided to throw a few things into one design and created a marble background with stamping over top. I have these seriously beautiful stamping polishes from Hit The Bottle and they're just sitting there looking pretty, so I'm breaking them out and giving them some time to shine. If you'd like to know how I created this mani, keep reading.

I used these polishes:
Big Primer Base Coat by Sally Hansen
Sparkling Cyan-ide by Hit The Bottle
Paint The Town Violet by Hit the Bottle
Lady In Black by OPI
Blanc by Essie
Cocktail Bling by Essie
Kwik Dry Top Coat by Sally Hansen

Side note, these nails were done about three weeks ago, and I forgot to take note of which grey I used so there's a possibility it could also be Sunny London by Essence.

The products used are:
Stamping Plate 181 by Born Pretty
Plastic Scraper
Large Clear Stamper
Liquid Latex by Lulaa
Thin Striping Brush

I started with one coat of Big Primer base coat, allowed to dry then applied two coats of Blanc for the base. Whilst drying I applied liquid latex around each nail. Using Blanc, Lady in Black and Cocktail Bling, I applied a few drops of each polish to my stamper. I tried to use as little black as possible as it tends to overpower the other colours. I then pressed the stamper onto the nail, rolling and dabbing to get a good blend of colours. Once I was satisfied with the marble, I used an orangewood stick to remove excess polish around the nail and removed the latex. I repeated this for all nails. Once I had finished stamping the marble design, I decided to add just a little more black. Using my thin striping brush and Lady in Black, I created some thin wavy lines. I then used a little bit of acetone to blend it out. For the stamping, I reapplied liquid latex to each nail. After drying, I grabbed my stamping plate, stamper, scraper and Paint The Town Violet. I painted the polish over the portion of design I wanted, then scraped off the excess. Picking it up with the stamper, I quickly pressed the image onto the nail, then removed the latex. I did the same for all nails, except switching to Sparkling Cyan-ide for my middle and pinky nails. To finish off the nail art, I applied a Kwik dry top coat.

I thoroughly enjoyed this design. It was so fun to create and even more fun to wear! I'm sure everyone went through that marble stone obsession that took over the internet in the last year or so, but I'm still stuck on it. 
I love the way these stamping polishes look over the marble. Especially this enchanting blue! It's such a beautiful colour. I wanted it on all of them, but I thought the purple would look just as good. I think I was right, ha ha.

What do you think?
Are you still obsessed with marble too?


Thanks for stopping by!

Pink Daisy Dotticure Nail Art

Hello Hello you lovely people!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend! 

Just a quick side note, I'll be away for the next few weeks so I may not be able to get posts out. But do not fret, as I will be back as soon as I can.

This week is a deceivingly simple design! I was feeling a little lazy, so I decided to do something quick & easy. This is the Pink Daisy Dotticure. 

Pink Daisy Dotticure

For this design I used the following colours & tools:
The "IT" Color - OPI
Apricot Cockatoo - Essence
Mexican Madness - Australis
Small dotting tool

Pink Daisy Dotticure with The "IT" Color - OPI

To create this design I applied two coats of Apricot Cockatoo for my base. After allowing ample time to dry, I took my dotting tool and dipped it into Mexican Madness, then made small circles by placing four to five dots next to each other, creating petals. I also placed a few loose dots to fill in the space between the flowers. After allowing this to dry and cleaning my dotting tool, I used The "IT" Color to place dots in the center of each flower. Once complete, I applied a quick dry top coat. 

Pink Daisy Dotticure

This is so simple and so cute! It just makes me want to smile every time I look at it! I think using the pastel base makes it look even more floral. Surprisingly, I think these colours all go very well together. 

Pink Daisy Dotticure with Mexican Madness - Australis

I would also just like to apologize for the mess of my cuticles at the moment. I somehow managed to get a paper cut on one of them recently which I just had to wait out. Also, due to the colder weather, my hands have become very vulnerable and I just can't get enough moisturizer or oil on them. 

So that's it for today! 
What do you think? 
Would you do something like this?
I need to do more dotticures!

Thanks for stopping by!