Grapevine

Quick, simple, juicy grape coloured autumn design....

The base is two coats of Rimmel 60 seconds in 615 Fast & Fushcia. Once dry, I added a stripe of Bourjois 10 days No Chips shade 23 and then a stripe of purple which is a No7 unnamed shade nail art pen from a Christmas giftset. To get a glossy finish I added a coat of Seche Vite quick dry top coat. 

The trick with a layered design like this is to use dense coloured polishes that can be added over the base colour in just one coat - too many layers and it will take ages to dry and you'll probably end up smudging.

I just love the colours as they're so autumnal and remind me of one of my favourite things... wine!

Happy painting... the nailist xxx

Spotty tiger

I've had one of those weeks which started kind of OK (Mondays are never great!) and then every day has gradually got more stressy (is that a word?!). This resulted in me not having much time for nail painting but I can't go bare nailed (even the thought makes me cringe) so cobbled a quick design together after the Snow Leopard surviving, unchipped, a good 4 days. I've actually ended up with a design I really like, albeit very simple. 

It took me a while to think of a name as it was more impulsion lead rather than inspired but I've landed on spotty tiger as the striped nails remind me a little of Toni the Tiger! They're gggrrreat!

The base colour is a new purchase - W7 UV Nail Polish in Disco - love the colour but haven't tested out the UV-ness as yet. I then added detail with black and white nail art pens. Trick to get tapered stripes is to draw from outside edge in, pressing firmly to start with and giving lighter pressure as you draw towards the tapered end.

Happy painting... the nailist xxx

Quick fix crackle

So I'm currently away on business in the NYC hence no posts for a while... as I'm in one of the fashion capitals of the world I couldn't have arrived without my nails looking good. However, in my usual style I ran out of time to do a full on design so resorted to my 'go to' quick fix. It's simply a bright nail with a side sweep of crackle coat. Easy but very effective as it looks like you have an animal print painted on one side.

Here I used Butter London Nail Laquer in Snog for the all over colour and W7 Nail Polish Earthquake Crackle in Black for the diagonal sweep.

Happy painting... the nailist xxx

Now you see it... now you don't!

I sometimes find it difficult to just do a plain nail colour... I always find myself reaching for my nail art pen or wanting to add a different coloured tip! However, for some occasions, less is always more! So this is a clever trick to add a bit of flair to plain manicure without being all out nail art-tastic!

By using a crackle top coat similar to the base colour the stripe can only be seen in certain lights.

Firstly, I applied two coats of Nail Colour by H&B in Nerd followed by a diagonal thick stripe in Nail Colour by H&M in Check me out.

Step 1 - pale colour and bold stripe

This in itself is a great look which you can further jazz up with a dark crackle top coat over the stripe or add a similar coloured crackle coat to the base colour to create the 'now you see it, now you don't' look. I used 17 Nail Xtras Crackle Top Coat

Step 2 - add crackle coat

Add top coat and enjoy your subtle but on trend nails!

The kit

Happy painting.. the nailist xxx

Bright angled tips

So unfortunately my Olympic nails were looking a bit dingy so they've gone before The Games have even properly begun!

So I've opted for a quick and simple bright look for the last day of sun this week using a couple of my favourite colours

After base coating (I use a strengthening treatment so I'm keeping up with nail maintenance), apply two coats of a bright colour  - I've used Models Own in Purple Passion.

Step 1  - all over bright colour

Once dry, add angled tips with a contrasting colour. Create an inverted 'V' shape by sweeping diagonally across the outer edge of your nail then repeating the action on the inner side of your nail. I find it easier to go from bottom to top edge/tip. The strokes should cross over at the top.

I opted for a gorgeous bold blue - Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Candy Blue.

Step 2 - create inverted V tips

Repeat the process on the other hand and apply a second coat if needed.

There'll be quite a lot of edges to clean up so don't worry. Use an acetone soak cotton bud to do the majority and any small bits will come off easier once it's fully dry and you've washed your hands a few times. Finish off with a quick dry top coat and there you have it.

The kit

Happy painting... the nailist xxx