Saturday 24 May 2014

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 :) 

Friday 16 May 2014

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
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

Wednesday 7 May 2014

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