Hearts French Manicure - With Born Pretty Stamping Plate review

I'm really keen on patterned French Manicures, so I couldn't wait to try out some of the fun designs on Born Pretty's French Stamping plate, which was recently sent for review. The plate has 8 different designs, 4 of the designs are very similar to those on Konad Plate M56, which coincidently is the plate I used for the manicure in my last post. 

As I was still wearing my Red Carpet Gel manicure (2 weeks!!!) in Glitz and Glamorous a gorgeous crimson red shade, I thought the heart design would work well. 

What I used

Stamping Plate F10  $2.99 from Born Pretty Store

Konad Stamper, Scraper and Special Polish in White

Base Polish - Red Carpet Manicure 132 Glitz and Glamorous 

The stamping plate comes packaged as above, with a clear blue film you must remove before using

Being an avid Konad Fanatic I was very keen to try Born Pretty's Stamping plates. I can report Born Pretty's Plate worked just as well as my Konad plates, the only difference;  I found the images on Born Pretty's Stamping plate ever so slightly smaller than the corresponding designs on my Konad Plates, however they fit across my nails perfectly with no problems :D

Here's a few photographs of some of the other designs on the F10 Plate:

The To see more great Nail Art sets from Born Pretty click here, for an extra 10% off use coupon code CEB10 :)

ModCloth Nail Klub and Dresses Challenge - Nail Art Manicure Inspired by Shortcake Story Dress

I was recently invited by ModCloth to take part in a rather exciting nail art challenge:

To create a stylish manicure inspired by one of ModCloth's fabulous dresses. I was sent a link to the following blog entry for inspiration.

After spending a while browsing through the gorgeous range of dresses, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful Short Cake Story Dress in Red - A gorgeous cute/chic summer dress with an equally cute name :)

The second I saw the dress I knew I had the perfect Konad Stamping plate to create a funky french manicure to mimic the the overall look of the dress.

Shortcake Story Dress and Manicure

• I started this look using Red Carpet Manicure's gel system in 132 Glitz & Glamorous - a gorgeous lit from within shimmery crimson shade. I went with a gel base as it would be immediately dry and ready for nail art. (you can find out more about Red Carpet Manicure's Nail system over here)
• I used the floral french manicure design from Konad Plate M56 with White Konad Special Polish
• I created the Black line using a permanent fine nib marker pen
• After allowing the design to dry completely I applied Seche Vite carefully in 3 strokes.

Konad Plate M56 - floral design

I really enjoyed this challenge,  it was a lot of fun to create and I will definitely do more fashion inspired manicures in the future!

Bright Neon Spots Manicure - with Born Pretty Nail Art

Another bright Nail Look for Summer, this manicure was created using Seche Porcelain, an opaque white nail polish and multi coloured circular nail art flecks which were sent for review from the Lovely people at Born Pretty Store.

How:

• Apply 1 coat of Base Coat (I use Seche Retain)
• Apply 2-3 coats of white opaque nail polish (Seche Porcelain) ensuring you have an even opaque finish
• Apply Seche Vite to the area you want to stick the nail decals
• Using A hoof stick Carefully apply the Decals to your chosen area, or if you want a more random coverage you can dip your nail into the pot of nail decals
• Apply 1 coat of Seche Vite and allow to dry completely

The multi coloured circular glitter flecks come in two sizes 1mm and 2mm, the picture below gives u a better idea of the sizes and colours.

The box is packed with literally thousands of these little flecks, so you can get loads of uses from them. They are also very versatile, you can apply them with a hoof stick for precise placement, or even pour them into a clear nail polish bottle to create a seriously funky nail decal polish for layering. I opted to go with a white base as it seemed more fitting for a bright summer manicure, but I'm sure these would look just as awesome over an opaque black for a bright 80s themed manicure!

These Nail Decals cost $4.36 and you can find them over here, if you do decide to try these nail decals out please don't forget to use your exclusive coupon code CEB10 for an extra 10% off To see more great Nail Art sets from Born Pretty click here

Pantone Colour of The Year 2014 - Radiant Orchid

For 2014 Pantone's colour of the years is a warm dusky lilac shade - Radiant Orchid, you can click here to view more information on this year's colour of the year. 

Here are a few gorgeous shades in the same vein as Pantone's Radiant Orchid, you can click on the original post link to find out more about the shades. 

Essie - Nice is Nice original post

OPI - Planks A Lot original post

Zoya - Perrie original post

What do you think of Pantone's Colour of the year? Do you have any suggestions for more similar shades?

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover - The best Nail Polish Remover of all time? And it's Acetone Free

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover boasts "1 second per nail without cotton wool". It also states the product is acetone and paraben free. Currently £4.99 at boots, its also included in their 3 for 2 offer so you can get 3 bottles for under £10.

Lets face it all of this sounds too good to be true, I've tried various brands' "acetone free" formulas and have always come to the conclusion that it takes double if not triple the time to remove nail polish, so Ive tended to always go back to acetone based nail polish removers. So I was extremely sceptical about this product, however as I'm always keen to give new things a go I picked up a bottle about 3 months ago in Boots.

How?
firstly a word of caution, though this may seem pretty obvious, make sure you are holding the bottle completely upright before you open the lid. The slightest tilt when opening the lid will result in liquid pouring out the sides and precious remover wastage!

Stick your finger in the small hole and begin twisting, I found doing 2/3 twists then switching direction to be most effective.

Remove finger and...

The Result?
Well firstly it has to be the best nail polish removed I have ever used, yes ever! The 1 second per nail is a mild exaggeration as it does take a little bit of twisting but in all honestly, less than 10 seconds and your nail is completely polish free, I was literally gapping when I took my finger out the jar to reveal a completely free of polish nail. Less than a minute and a full hand is nail polish free, no acetone soaked cotton to dispose of, no mess and most wonderful of all no horrid acetone scent. On the jar the scent is described as Red fruit and vanilla fragrance, coupled with nourishing sweet almond oil, these leaves your hands feeling soft and not reeking of acetone.

I've used the remover for all types of polish, light colours, dark colours, metallic thick polishes, glitters, and it works brilliantly will all types, and is so much quicker than the standard cotton soaked with remover method.

I was initially sceptical about how long the product would last, but I'm in my third month and it's still going strong. It truly is magic!!!

Pros
Quickest method of polish removal I've ever tried
No mess
No cotton wool required
Small and easy to store and travel with
Acetone and paraben free formula
Pleasant Scent
Feels Moisturising
Great Value for money
Long Lasting
No cotton bits stuck to your nails

Cons
Not suitable for toe nails
After a month or so little black bits of the foam do come off on your nail, but one scrub and this is all removed!

10/10!!!!

Neon Stars Manicure - with Born Pretty Fluorescent Star Nail Stickers and Illamasqua Scorn

These neon star shaped nail stickers were sent for review from Born Pretty Store

How to apply

• Apply base polish of your choice, I used Illamasqua Scorn; a lovely rubbery textured black nail polish.
• Allow polish to dry completely
• Carefully use a hoof stick to lift the sticker
• Carefully apply the sticker to the nail
• Use the flat end of the hoof stick to smooth the sticker in place
• Optional Add topcoat for a super shiny finish

Illamasqua Scorn and Neon Stars without Top Coat

Illamasqua Scorn and Neon Stars with Top Coat

These nail stickers are so easy to apply and they really stand out great over a black base polish!

They cost $1.59 and you can find them over here, if you do fancy trying them don't forget to use your 10% off discount code CEB10! 

Cocktail Manicures - No. 2 Strawberry Fields Daiquiri - With Born Pretty Fruit Decals and China Glaze Strawberry Fields

Next up in Cocktail Manicures is a Strawberry Daiquiri, and what better polish to use as a base than one of China Glaze's greatest creations: Strawberry Fields. 

Strawberry Fields Daiquiri

This Manicure features China Glaze Strawberry Fields as the base polish, OPI I Lilly Love You from the Nice Stems collection on the tips, and the pink Strawberries from Born Pretty's 3D Fimo fruit nail decals, which was sent for review, you can read a full tutorial on how to apply the decals over here: 

Strawberry Daiquiri Cocktail

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

China Glaze Strawberry Fields has got to be one of my favourite polishes from China Glaze, it's the perfect pink for summer, a build-able jelly base (this was two coats) with gorgeous glass flecks of gold it literally beams in the sunshine, and fits perfectly for a bright vibrant cocktail themed manicure. OPI I Lilly Love you is great for complimentary tips, the polish is a very sheer pink toned glitter with lots of lovely random shaped flecks. They look pretty great combined together.

You can find the 3D Fruit shaped nail decals from Born Pretty over here and don't forget your 10% off code CEB10 :) 

Cocktail Manicures - No.1 Tequila Sunrise Manicure - with Born Pretty Fimo Fruit Pieces

I was recently sent a lovely collection of fruit shaped fimo pieces to review from Born Pretty Store, and with a stroke of luck the sun has just begun to show its face over here in the UK. It's actually a beaming hot lovely day, so I thought it would be a great time to start a season of Cocktail themed manicures to celebrate the sunshine. First up a Tequila Sunrise. 

Cocktail Manicure - Tequila Sunrise 

Tequila Sunrise Cocktail

Photo By Theculinarygeek

Tools

Born Pretty 3D fruit fimo pieces

Base Coat - Seche Restore

White Nail polish - Seche Porcelain

Neon Orange Polish - China Glaze  - Sun Worshiper from China Glaze Poolside Collection

Neon Yellow Polish - China Glaze - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini from China Glaze Poolside Collection

Glitter Polish - China Glaze - Snow Globe from China Glaze Let it Snow Collection

Top Coat - Seche Vite

Wooden Hoof Stick

Dotting Tool

Bit of Sponge

Born Pretty 3D fruit pieces

The fruit pieces come in a lovely little box, with a see through hole you just slide round to take out the piece of fruit you desire. For my first manicure I went with the orange pieces.

How

• Apply Base Coat
• Apply 1 coat of Seche Porcelain (a white base always helps Neon colours apply more even and opaque)
• Allow to dry
• Apply 2 coats of China Glaze Sun Worshiper, one great thing about neon polishes is they tend to dry quicker than normal nail polish, which is great for a gradient manicure
• Using a sponge gradually apply China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini to achieve a gradient effect
• Once Dry Carefully apply China Glaze Snow Globe to the tips for your sugar sprinkle effect.
• Apply Seche Vite and allow nails to dry completely

Applying Fimo Oranges

• Apply a tiny spot of Seche Vite where you want the nail decal to go
• Using a hoof stick carefully apply the fimo piece on the nail
• Using the dotting tool carefully press down the edges of the decal so it adheres strongly to the nail bed
• Apply Seche Vite to seal the decal

I have to admit, I didn't think this manicure would last more than a day or two, but I'm onto day 4 and all the fimo pieces are still in tact :) I absolutely love these little fruit pieces, they can really spice up a summer manicure, and are going to be a vital part of my cocktail themed manicure season.  Here's a few more piccies :D

Depending on how you use these you could get 12-20+ manicures from them. They are so easy to apply, and top coat really holds them in place so you'll get more than a few days wear from them :D If you would like to try out these Fruit Decals click here They are only $1.79 for 120 pieces, and if you do decide to try them don't forget to use the 10% off code below :D

Anyway hope you've enjoyed the first part of Cocktail Manicures Season, there will be more to come :D

Born Pretty Silver Nail Studs Review

The Wonderful people at Born Pretty Store recently sent me these silver nail art studs to review.
I've include the one penny piece in the picture below to give you an idea of the actual size of the studs.

These particular studs were 2mmx2.5mm, there are other sizes and colours available as well. 

Tools

• Base Nail Polish
• Born Pretty Nail Art Studs
• Seche Vite Top Coat recently thinned with Seche Restore
• Two hoof sticks, one with some cotton wool attached
• A clean surface to work on
• A lot of patience :)

How

• Apply base polish and finish with Seche Vite to speed up the dry time
• Ensure the nail is completely dry 1-2 hrs
• Decide where you want the studs to go and apply one tiny drop of Seche Vite to a small spot on the nail, where you want to place the first stud
• Apply a tiny amount of Seche Vite to the cotton covered hoof stick
• Use the cotton covered hoof stick to pick up the stud
• Carefully place the stud over the spot of Seche Vite
• Use the other hoof stick to carefully reposition the stud exactly where you want it
• Repeat this process for placement of all other studs
• Optional finish with top coat to further seal the studs

The Results - 3 different looks

A Line of Studs

with Illamasqua Scorn a matte finish polish and Illamasqua Load for the accent nail

This was probably the trickiest out of the 3 manicures, it's quite hard work to get the studs perfectly straight.

Random Studs

with OPI Suzi Skis in The Pyrenees Suede

This was definitely the easiest of the 3, as there's a lot more room for error, and the randomly placed spikes really look effective.

French Studs

With Nails Inc Magnetic Effect Polish in Trafalgar Square

Probably the least practical of the bunch, but perfect for a night out, a very unique and punky take on the french manicure, and the magnetic polish really works great as a base for studs. 

You can create so many different style manicures with these studs, I opted for an accent nail, but there's no reason you can't do a whole hand. The tiny size of the studs means you do need a rather steady hand and a lot of patience, I imagine the larger studs would be far easier to apply. 

I found these manicures lasted around 1-2 days before the first stud dropped. To be honest it's definitely not an every day manicure, as the studs can get in the way, you certainly want to take care wearing hosiery with these studs :) but for a night out they make for a really cool alternative manicure. I really enjoyed these and will definitely be re-using them! 

if you're interested in trying these out for yourself click here, you get 100 studs for $4.33, and you can receive 10% off your order by using the coupon code below :D