Polish Post #13: Colourful Corner Dots

I know it’s autumn (or is it winter now?!) and I know it’s always ‘in’ to stick with the seasons trends, but in these dreary months it’s nice to find a little bit of brightness from somewhere so why not put it on your nails?

This design is not too in your face, is super easy to do, and is relatively quick to achieve. Three reasons to like it right there!

I used

L-R Essie Nourish Me Base Coat, Essie Fiji, Modela Own Gold Rush, Models Own Bubblegum, Models Own Fluro Orange, Essie Jamaica Me Crazy, Rimmel Super Wear Top Coat, Dotting tools (Amazon)

You can use whatever colour combo takes your fancy for this look, it really is up to you, also if you don’t have any dotting tools don’t worry, you can use a tooth pick or the end of a kirby grip. 

First off start with your base colour and give your nails a few coats (if it’s pale you’ll need to.) 

Wait for your base colour to dry then take your dotting tool, dip it into your first colour (I chose gold) and dot it onto your nails in a corner pattern. 

Then take your next colour (orange) and start building up the design.

You don’t really have to wait for your dots to be bone dry before adding another colour, just give them a few seconds to go tacky. You also don’t have to give each dot it’s own personal space. Overlap them so they look clustered together. Take your next colour (pink) and add this to the design. I also changed  my dotting tool so the dots would be different sizes.

To complete the look add a final colour (dark pink) and overlap this over the top of some of the existing dots and fill in any obvious empty spaces.

Be generous and add two-three layers of top coat to protect your handy work. Et voila!

Jemm xoxo

 

Polish Post #12: Ombre Leopard Print

Ok, first of all let me apologise for the lack of posts lately but I have been busy with other bits and bobs. Every time I’ve sat down to write at my computer I’ve had other things to concentrate my efforts on. I have another quick Polish Post for you now and I will get back to writing proper posts asap. I promise this isn’t turning into a nail art blog! As soon as I get some time to sit and do a usual post I will.

Right, on to the Polish Post. This particular one can get rather messy so if you only have a few mins to paint your nails this probably isn’t the design for you. However it does look rather impressive so if you have a bit of time to spare then maybe you’d like to give it a go.

I used:

L-R: Essie Base Coat, Rimmel London Top Coat, Models Own Balearic Cool, Models Own Purple Passion, Models Own Bubblegum, Models Own Gold Rush, Models Own black Nail Art Pen, Wedge Make up Sponge.

I also used a dotting tool from a set I ordered off Amazon but I forgot to take a pic! 

I used strong bright colours as I thought it would look rather striking but you could use whatever colour combination you like.

So first of all I started off by applying some base coat, I then painted three coloured stripes directly onto my make-up sponge.

And here is where it starts to get messy! Once you have the colours on your sponge place it onto your nail and gently rock and press it down to transfer the polish onto your nail. Repeat this process on all of your nails (you will need to re-apply to polish to the sponge.) I’d say that once you have completed this process in order to get the density of colour you will probably have to repeat it for a second time.

As you can see there is not really a tidy way of doing this or a way to avoid getting it all around your fingers but don’t worry about that just yet as you can come back and clean around your nails once you have finished.

Let the polish dry then add a layer of top coat to protect the ombre effect.

 

Moving onto the next step, use your dotting tool (or a tooth pick or Q-tip if you don’t have one) place some different coloured dots (I chose gold) across the centre of each nail, like this:

Once these dots have mostly dried use your black nail art pen to go around them in a leopard print design, adding other leopard print shapes across the centre of your nails to fill in the space.

Give this nail art pen ten minutes to dry as putting top coat on after just a couple of mins will smudge the black polish and ruin the effect.When you’re good to go add a couple of layers of top coat to protect all your hard work! 

Now using a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover go over the skin around your fingers to clean away all that messy polish. If you don’t manage to get all of it for fear of getting too close to your nails, wait until you’re all finished and dry then wash your hands with soap and warm water and this will remove any remaining access polish.

 

Jemm xoxo

P.s Like I said, once I get myself a little more organised posting will resume as normal!

 

Polish Post # 11: Rainbow Crackle Nails

I have been meaning to put up this polish post for a while as if you don’t have the time or the inclination to spend doing your nails all fancy but still want them to look nice then this one is for you. 

To achieve this design there is literally no skill required but I really enjoyed wearing it on my nails and got lots of compliments from people wondering how I’d done it. It’s one of those nail art designs that probably look complicated if you don’t know how but is, in actual fact, really simple. It’s also really bright which is perfect for this summer season (and finally the good weather.)

The polishes I used were mostly Models Own as I love their neons and brights. I used a Barry M Instant Nail Effects polish for the crackle coat, but you can change it up if you wish and use any bright colours and crackle polish you like.

L-R: Models Own Snow White, Models Own Bubblegum, Models Own Purple Passion, Models Own Balearic Cool, Models Own Toxic Apple, Models Own Fluro Orange, Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Black, Models Own Top Coat.

Start by giving your nails a base coat then apply your white polish, one or two coats should do as the white polish is merely a backdrop to this design. By the time your done you should only be able to see tiny bits of white showing through if any.

Next take your pink (or the colour you want to start with first) and paint in it into a rough square shape in the corner of your nails.

Give this colour a minute, just a chance to go tacky before moving on to your next colour. I chose purple, so paint this in another rough square shape above your first colour.

As mentioned you don’t have to wait for all these colours to dry before adding another just let them set for a minute so there are no obvious smudges. Add your third colour next to your first in the other corner of your nail, again in a rough square shape. 

Then take your green (or fourth colour) and paint it above your third.

Lastly take your fifth colour and add it on above your fourth. So all your nails should look something like this.

Wait a few minutes for all of this to dry. Then using your crackle polish simply paint all your nails as normal, painting over the design and give it a few seconds to break up and show your rainbow colours underneath. 

Give your nails a few paints of top coat and you’re good to go!

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #10: Rainbow Leopard Print

Today we’re going to create these pretty rainbow leopard print nails. This is the first time I’ve tried this particular design and I have to say I’m rather taken with it. I purchased some rather bright Models Own polishes and wondered what designs would work with them so decided to give this a go. With the weather being so dreary what better way to brighten your day than with some rainbow brights on your fingers?!

Here is what I used:

Click on any of the images to enlarge.

L-R: Essie Nourishing Base Coat, Models Own Snow White, Models Own Bubblegum, Models Own Balearic Cool, Models Own Toxic Apple, Models Own Purple Passion, Models Own Fluro Orange, Models Own Nail Art Pen Black, Rimmel London Pro Wear Top Coat.

I also used a dotting tool. These are so easy to get hold of, I got a set off Amazon for next to nothing. However if you don’t have any dotting tools don’t worry, you can still create this design by using a cocktail stick or a Q-tip.

Start by filing your nails into a nice neat shape and giving them a lick of base coat. As we’re using white as a background colour you may need two or three coats to get the opacity required.

Once the white polish has dried take your dotting tool (or whatever you are using) dip it into your coloured polishes and dot onto each nail. I did a dot of each colour on each nail. 

Wait for these dots to dry as you don’t really want them smudging. Then using the black nail art pen go around the outside of the dots like this:

Once you’ve gone round all your coloured dots go back and fill in any white spaces on your nails with leopard print lines and dots like this:

Again wait for the black polish to dry. Putting top coat straight onto the nail will definitely cause the black pen to smudge and ruin the whole look. Give it 5 mins, better safe than sorry, then load your nails up with 2 top coats to really protect the print. 

And you’re done!

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #9: Galaxy Nails

Those of you who read the very first polish post on here will have noticed that it was about galaxy nails. Not really anticipating how popular these kinds of posts would be I didn’t post up a step by step of how I created the galaxy nails, just details of what polishes I used etc. Since then I have received lots of requests asking how I create the galaxy design. 

So never one to disappoint, here is my take on the galaxy nail trend.

Click on image to enlarge.

L-R: Essie base coat, Models Own In The Navy, Models Own Snow White, Barry M Vivid Purple, Rimmel London 60 Seconds Pulsating, Models Own Bronze Age, Bourjois Glitter, Rimmel London Pro Super Wear top coat.

You will need:

Click to enlarge

L-R: Make Up sponge, Paper towel, Dotting tool

Begin by giving your nails a base coat, I’m loving Essie’s Nourishing Base Coat at the minute. After only a couple of uses I’ve already noticed a difference to my dry, weak nails. Then colour your nails all over with either a navy blue or black polish (I obv chose navy.) If you opt for the blue you may need a couple of coats to get the shade just right.

Once your background colour has mostly dried take your make up sponge (you don’t need to use the whole sponge, using some scissors just snip off what you need) and dip it into some white polish. Dab it off a little so it isn’t overloaded then sponge onto your nails. I did so diagonally across each nail.

Next, using the same method, dip your sponge into some purple polish and sponge it along the edges of the white.

After the purple it’s the pink polish. I apologise for not being able to see the pink very well in the picture. The polish I used has a bit of a shimmer to it and no matter how hard I tried, flash on or off I couldn’t get it to show up very well on camera. But it’s the same principle as the purple. Dip in your sponge and dab the pink randomly onto the white. The beauty of this design is that the messier it looks the better the overall effect, so don’t worry about being neat.

The last colour I used was a bronze/gold. Once again get some polish on the sponge and this time dab it over the navy (or black) and along the edges of your nails.

Next up you’ll be using the dotting tool. If you don’t have dotting tools you can alternatively use the white Models Own Nail Art Pen or a regular cocktail stick would do the job nicely. Whatever you’re using you need to put put on some white dots in little clusters, these will represent your stars. 

You’ve come this far and don’t want to ruin it now so give your nails a minute or two to dry off before adding a fine layer of glitter polish to add some sparkle to your galaxy.

Once this is set, give your nails a coat or two of top coat to seal in and protect all your hard work.

To jazz up this design even further you could add a glitter nail, like so.

Jemm xoxo

Polish post #8: Dotty

This is the first time I’ve tried out this particular design and I have to say, I’m loving it! It’s something that looks totally different from a normal polish and you know you’re on to a winner when a design is this effective and this simple to achieve.

Anyone who has a set of dotting tools can create this look (if you haven’t go to Amazon, thats where I got mine but you can get them all over the place,) it really is so incredibly easy. All thats required is dipping your tools into some polish and dotting them on your nails. Simples!

My dotting tools

To make this design really stand out I used quite a few polishes, all in different colours:

L-R: Essie Nourishing Base Coat, Essie Lovie Dovie, Barry M Vivid Purple, Topshop Gone Fishing, Models Own Gold Rush, Essie Thigh High, Models Own Snow White, Models Own Fluro Orange, Models Own Bubblegum, Rimmel London Top Coat.

(Click on any of the images to make them larger)

To begin with I gave my nails two covers of Essie Base Coat to give the background of my nails a real shine, then taking my largest dotting tool I dipped it into Essie Lovie Dovie and placed it on my nails like this

And thats pretty much the basis of the technique right there! I then began to build up the dots using all the different sizes of my dotting tools, they really don’t have to be in any particular order. Next up was Barry M’s Vivid Purple, then Topshop’s Gone Fishing and Models Own Gold Rush.

I then kept filling up the empty spaces with Essie’s Thigh High, Models Own’s Snow White, Fluro Orange and Bubblegum.

It’s up to you how much coverage you go for and how many dots you put on, I was happy with leaving small gaps and letting my nail show through as I think this adds to the overall affect. I then gave my little masterpieces a couple of licks of top coat to really seal and shine the design.

And hey presto! You’re done. The reason I love this nail idea is that you can change it up and make it look different each time. On this occasion I went mad with the colours, picking all different hues, but what about trying a colour scheme? I also think it will be a long laster where chips won’t be that obvious as thats just the nature of the design, so it’s perfect if your nails need to look jazzy and perfect for a while.

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #7: Candy Stripes & Florals.

Since we are in the midst of such glorious weather (wonder how long it will last?) I decided to fashion up my fingers with something a little more summery. And what says sunshine and summer better than some brightly coloured florals and candy stripes.

Here is how I achieved this nail design. 

L-R: Essie Nourishing Base Coat, Essie Sand Tropez, Models Own Bubblegum, Topshop Gone Fishing, Models Own White Nail Art Pen, Rimmel London Pro Matte Finish Top Coat and Models Own Black Nail Art Pen. Dotting Tool.

I began by giving my nails a base coat, I then painted on two coats of Essie Sand Tropez.

Using the fine brush end of the white Models Own nail pen I  painted three evenly spaced stripes on each nail. Start at the base of the nail and carefully bring the brush to the tip.

Wanting my nails to look quite summery I chose a neon pink (Models Own Bubblegum) for my florals. Once the stripes have dried (about 5 minutes) I then blobbed on the pink polish in a circular shape. I put two flowers on my thumb and ring fingers. Using the dotting tool I then flicked on some green leaves (Topshop Gone Fishing) next to my flowers. Again leave for a couple of minutes to dry.

Then using my Models Own black pen I went around the outside of my pink florals and added a few lines and dots to the insides to really define them as flowers and make them stand out.

To finish off I added top coat, this time instead of using a shiny top coat I opted for a matte finish, to give them a bit of a different look. 

Ta-Da! Stripy, summery, flowery nails!

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #6: Coloured Corners

A really easy one this time. You won’t need any nail art pens, dotting tools or fancy skills for this one. Just a simple way to make your nails look jazzy.

I started off by giving my nails a bit of prep this time as they looked in need of a spruce up. I used the Models Own 4 Way Buffing Block to file, smooth, buff and shine the surface of my nails creating a super smooth surface for my polish.

Models Own 4 Way Buffing Block

The polishes I used for this particular design were black and pink but you can use whatever colour combinations take your fancy.

L-R: Sally Hansen Base Coat, Rimmel London 60 Seconds in Black Out, Rimmel London 60 Seconds in Pulsating and Rimmel London Pro Wear Top Coat

Give your nails the customary swish of base coat, once dry add a couple of layers of black polish.

Then taking the other colour of your choice (in my case pink) clear any unnecessary/excess polish off the brush and paint a diagonal line across the corner of your nail(s.) Don’t worry about getting any polish on your fingers, you can clean that off later with a Q-tip. Depending on the thickness of the polish you use you may have to go over this a couple of times to make it really stand out. Once your happy with the look of your ‘corner’ give it a lick of top coat.

To give this design a little something extra I then added some small glitter stickers to the centre of my nails. You can choose to leave out this step if you wish and just stick with the corners.

The stickers I used are not actually nail stickers just bog standard sticky back glitter circles which you’d be able to find in craft/stationary shops.

Simply place a glitter sticker in the middle of each nail putting on a bit of pressure to make sure they stick, to seal them in place and give the design a nice shine finish with a another top coat or two.

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #5: Lace Look Nails

I spent my bank holiday monday chilling and trying out this new nail design. I rather like it, although I do feel with a bit more practise I’d be able to get it that little bit neater as a degree of steady-handedness is required. This look would be easy to modify and change up by using different colours.

Here’s how I achieved this effect.

L-R: Sally Hansen Base Coat, Bourjois 1 Second Innovation in number 9, Models Own Snow White, Rimmel London Top Coat, Dotting tools.

I began with the usual base coat then painted on two coats of the Bourjois polish. Wait for this to dry.

Then using the white and making sure the brush wasn’t overloaded with polish I painted a diagonal section across the corner of each nail. Because I used white I needed to go over these sections a couple of times to get the coverage I wanted. Once again I waited for this to dry.

Then by taking the green dotting tool and dipping it into the white polish I went along the edges of the diagonal lines to create the frilly look of the lace.

Next I used the purple and slightly smaller dotting tool to place three dots over the white sections making the holes in the lace. Once this was dry I gave my nails 2-3 coats of top coat to seal the design and make it shine.

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #4: Ombre (fade) Nails

The ombre trend is pretty hot right now and it’s not just confined to your hair. Get more nail colour for your money by adding the fade out, why have just one shade on your fingers when you can have two? Or three if you’re really pushing the boat out.

Here’s the how to:

To begin with these were the products and tools that I used to create this effect

L-R Sally Hansen Base Coat, Models Own Snow White, Models Own Bubble Gum, Models Own Nail Art Pen Black, Rimmel London Top Coat. Cut up make up sponge.

First off give your nails a base coat, then apply the white polish. Usually with white polish you don’t get the opacity you need right away so it may take a couple of coats, I applied three.

Once dry take your sponge and dip the edge into some pink (or any colour of your choice) polish. Dab this onto the tips of your nails gradually taking it lighter as you move downwards. Don’t worry about it looking messy or a bit uneven, the effect doesn’t have to look perfect. Continue this process on the rest of your nails.

If you like you can finish at this point by just adding a top coat but I wanted to give this design a little something extra. I added a flash of leopard print to an accent nail. 

To create the leopard print design I used a black Models Own nail art pen. To get the leopard effect draw shapes like these:

Give it a good five minutes for the nail pen to dry as it does have a tendency to smudge if you put on a top coat too soon. Give your nails more than one swish of top coat to really protect all your hard work and to ensure that you get a good shine. 

And Ta-Da! The finished product!

Jemm xoxo