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

Polish Post # 3: Glitters

Something quick and easy today folks because some days you just don’t have the time or the inclination to spend on nail art. But that doesn’t mean that your little finger canvases should go unadorned. Glitters are the perfect way to jazz up your hands and the best part is there is  little to no skill or effort required. God bless you glitter.

Here is the look my fingers are rocking at the moment: 

I’ve had a few requests to show how I did it so here is the easiest step by step EVER (brought to you on Mamma Smith’s nail so snaps to ya Mamma Smith:)

Its always a good idea to start with the products you need

L-R: Sally Hansen base coat, Rimmel London 60 Second polish in Black Out, Models Own polish in Juicy Jules, Barry M polish in Pink Iridescent, Rimmel London Super Wear top coat.

First off I painted on some base coat and then gave my nails a generous two coats of black polish

I let the black polish dry before adding glitter polish ( Models Own Juicy Jules) to the base of my nail, working my way up the nail to approximately half way. You may need more than one coat of glitter to get the opacity required.

I gave the Juicy Jules glitter already on my nail a minute to set then used the Barry M Pink Iridescent glitter above it to take the glitter coverage on my nail to about three quarters.

To finish off I gave my nails a few minutes to set then covered them in two coats of top polish to really make them shine. And boom! Your done.

Glitters are usually renowned for taking for- freaking- ever to dry but the two that I used are my faves as they get the job done in a matter of minutes and even better they’re both dirt cheap. Winner.

If those take your fancy here are some other sparkle designs to give you a bit of inspiration:

Glitter Tips

MIdnight Nails

Glitter Base

Or for something a bit extra spesh how about

Glitter Leopard Print

Jemm xoxo

P.s. This isn’t turning into a nail art blog, promise! There will hopefully be a new post up in the coming week : )

 

 

Polish Post #2: Florals & Polka Dots

With all this lovely weather we’ve been having I wanted to fashion up my fingers for spring, and on the day I decide to paint on some finger florals, it rains. Typical. 

I love this design as it looks super effective but its actually really simple to achieve. You can also mix up the colour combinations and make it as bright or as neutral as you prefer. I’ll probably stick with more pastel shades for spring then brighten this design up in the summer by using vivid hues and neons. 

These are the products I used:

(L-R) Sally Hansen Base Coat, Topshop Mannequin, Rimmel London Pulsating, Topshop Parma Violet, Topshop Gone Fishing, Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black & White, Rimmel Top Coat.

I started off by painting on one cover of base coat and then two coats of my chosen base colour which was Topshops ‘Mannequin’. I then added circular blobs of Rimmel London’s ‘Pulsating’ (to four fingers) and Topshops ‘Parma Violet’ (to one finger, creating an accent nail.) For the leaves I added little flicks of Topshops ‘Gone Fishing.’ Like This:

I then went round the edges of these blobs and flicks, defining them as flowers and leaves by out lining them using my Models Own black Nail Art Pen:

I added the white polka dots in-between the floral design using the white Models Own Pen and voila!:

I left the design a good 15-20 minutes to dry before adding any topcoat as I didn’t want the design to smudge, however once it was fully dry I added a generous two coats of top polish to really protect my floral work of art!

Jemm xoxo

Polish Post #1: Galaxies

Hello lovely readers! This little idea here is probably one for the ladies (but if there are any fellas interested then hey I’m good with that!) Now I don’t confess to being a beauty blogger, a quick scroll through the posts on this blog makes that pretty obvious and there are far too many brilliant beauty blogs out there for me to want to muscle in on the action. But I have to admit to kinda liking this little idea.

I’m a bit of a nail polish enthusiast and can never resist trying out a new design that takes my fancy. In the past when I have posted up pics of my fabulous fingers on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram I’ve received lots of comments on what products I use, how I do it etc etc. Recently a friend asked if I could keep a photo diary of my decorated nails and I suggested doing a series of short posts (polish posts) on here every time I paint a new design. I asked various other readers if they would like to see such posts on the blog and they told me to get right on it! So here it is. These polish posts will keep you informed every time I fashion up my fingers with a funky new design. I’ll also post up some pics of past polishes, as I seem to have accumulated quite a few!

Here’s the look my nails are rocking at the moment:

Galaxy Nails

Here are the polishes I used:

Sally Hansen Base & Top Coat, Models Own Top Coat, Models Own In The Navy, Models Own Snow White, Barry M Vivid Purple, Rimmel London's Pulsating, Models Own Nail Art Pen in white & Bourjois Glitter.

Wedge shaped make-up sponge with the top cut off. I used this to create the design.

If you would like a more precise step by step explanation of how I create my nail designs let me know in the comments and I will include this  in future polish posts.

Ciao for now.

Jemm xoxo