Pastel Galaxy Nail Art

I have got back into the swing of more detailed nail art over the past few weeks.  I have been doing some more simple things recently, and whilst pretty, I haven't felt overly inspired.  This week I decided to break out lots of shimmery pastel colours and some brights to create a fun pastel galaxy.

I had always thought galaxy nails would be difficult to do, until I had a go myself using more typical purple shades.  You can see them here.  This time around I wanted to try them them in more spring friendly colours, so as I said, I raided my shimmers and brights to see what I could come up with.

Dotty Flower Nail Art

I have been lacking inspiration for nail art recently so I thought what better way to get some ideas than by browsing through my Pinterest boards to be inspired.  I fancied using blue as my main colour so at least I had a starting point.

I came across this lovely design by @naildecor (on Instagram) which I had pinned quite some time ago, but thought it was perfect.  I didn't copy it like for like, but really love the combination of blue, white and silver.  

I started with Essie Bikini So Teeny on my thumb, index finger, and thumb.  Its quite a thin formula, so I used three coats to get full opacity.  For the white base I used Models Own Snow White and then used a medium dotting tool to create my flowers and dots.  I started with the silver centres for the flowers so I could position them where I wanted, then I went in with the blue for the petals.  I added in random silver dots with OPI Turn On The Haute Light once the flowers were finished to fill in the spaces.  I was really pleased with these, and I got lots of lovely compliments.

Hopefully this will get me back into the swing of things with some better nail art soon.  Have you tried any new techniques recently that you'd recommend trying out?

Thanks for stopping by

Aimée x

Pretty in Peach - Sparkle and Studs Nail Art

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do on my nails this week, and when that happens I always find that going for something simple is the best plan.  I had seen a peach manicure whilst scrolling through social media and the colour just stuck with me.

I chose Models Own Peach Melba from the Fruit Pastel collection and can't stop smelling my nails.  Overall I'm not sure if it smells like peaches, because I can't remember the last time I had a peach, but it's a pretty scent anyway.  I would say, if I had to, that it smells a bit like a fruity sorbet.

I paired this with Crystal Glaze from Barry M.  This is such a pretty topper.  The flecks of iridescent glitter are so subtle but give a really lovely shimmer when they catch the light.  I then finished off my whole manicure with small gold studs at the base of each nail.

Just a quick post this week.  I hope to get back to some more detailed nail art soon.

Thanks for stopping by
Aimée x

Coloristiq Nail Polish Rental Service Review*

Do you ever see nail polishes that you'd love to try, but their price tag is just a little to steep for you to justify buying the whole bottle for perhaps only a few uses?  If so, it sounds like you could benefit from Coloristiq's nail polish rental service.

*Press sample - sent to me for review

Pink Dot Pond Manicure

I really enjoy scrolling through my social media feeds on Twitter and Instagram and seeing all the lovely manicures other people have been trying out, and in the last few days I have been seeing a few pond manicures pop up here and there and just had to have a go myself.

When I was looking at my polish collection I couldn't find anything quite sheer enough to get the right look.  I decided to use Models Own Pink Fever which is quite sheer with one coat, but when you build up further coats it wouldn't work effectively for this technique.  Using an empty polish bottle I mixed my colour with clear top coat to create something more sheer.  For the dots I used my Mo You stamping polish in White Knight.  The opacity of the stamping polish made it a perfect choice as I knew it would be visible through the rest of the layers.

To start I applied one thin coat of my new sheer pink, and then added on white dots in varying sizes. When this was dry I added another thin coat of pink and white dots.  I continued this process for about four layers.  I love the depth this technique gives.  As you build up the layers the dots gradually change in colour getting darker with each layer giving an ombré effect using only two colours.  I have tried overlapping dots like this before using different shades of a colour and it has always ended up looking messy, but I think the depth makes all the difference here.  I decided to leave the last dots white to make it look as though they were floating on the top layer.  I also thought that another layer of pink might have made the first lot of dots blend in too much.

I really like this technique and want to try it again with something more complicated than dots so I'm on the lookout for some nice sheer colours.  Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by
Aimée x