Looks familiar…

So after the 5 years of painting my nails, it was bound to happen that I’d create a duplicate design and here it is. It was only after I’d finished them and had a good look at it that I got the whole ‘I’ve seen this before…’ feeling. What’s even more freaky is that the lines are hand painted for both designs (I could have used striping tape for either), I’ve painted the same amount of stripes on each finger bar my index (I could have painted them thinner or thicker) and I’ve also chosen the same finger to have the charm on. I didn’t realise I was so predictable! The previous anchor design is here, which do you prefer?

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Fish two ways…

So these little fish charms were purchased in August, but now I can say I’ve used them – twice actually! I wasn’t happy with the way the first design turned out, it was just a bit ‘blah’. My spray marble didn’t turn out very nice, and there wasn’t much thought to it. The second design however packed a little more punch I felt, and I much prefer the black and gold combo.

Which do you prefer?

Lizard and Leaves…

So these gecko charms were back from May ’15 and even though they were sent to me to review from BPS, I don’t think I’ve used them since. I suppose the problem is that firstly with them being charms they’re technically re-usable so out of the 5 original charms, I still have 5. The only way to ‘use them up’ would be to either lose them if they fell off your nail or use them on non-nail crafts. And secondly, they’re not the most practical of things – I mean that tail and those four legs could result in some serious catching *shudders*.

However now that I have some UV gel polish, I felt more confident that I could get the lizard to stay put more effectively than with just Seche Vite. That turned out to be correct, as I managed to get through a shift at work! (Before picking it off that night because I became too curious in regards to how well it was stuck down…)

BornPrettyStore: Magnet Flower Charm…

So today I’m reviewing something very playful but a little strange: it’s called a ‘Magnet Flower Charm‘ from BornPrettyStore. It’s available in 21 different colour and style options, I chose #19.

It’s a ruffled, cloth flower with dangling beads glued to a magnet which pairs with a base magnet that you attach to your nail. It’s a lovely colour, not very weighty and about the size of a 10 pence coin.

I started off by painting my base colour and then pressed on the magnet base whilst the polish was still tacky. It has a slight curve to it, meaning it sits on the nail a little better rather than if it were flat, but I thought it best to secure it further by painting gel top coat around the sides.

The below collage shows that even though the base does sit quite flat, there are no gaps after the gel is applied and it felt even more secure. (Also less risk of catching!)

It’s so important that the base is filmy secured to your nail as the magnetic attraction between the flower and base is surprisingly strong for such little magnets. If it’s not, you run the risk of pulling off the base magnet when your try to remove the flower.

The flower does sit up quite high off the nail, but it’s to be expected due to the two magnets involved. There’s only so much magic in the world and I suppose making ultra thin nail magnets isn’t part of it. At least it’s decorative in it’s on way from side on.

Just in case you don’t believe me how well the magnets work, I had great fun creating this short video. I played a game of ‘how close can I get to the magnet before they stick together’. (I’m very easily amused and I find the ‘click’ noise fantastically satisfying too.)

It’s a clever concept because it means you can take it off to wipe your bottom and wash your hands without it getting dirty or wet. It also allows you to travel to a destination without it on, and then when you arrive you can place them together reducing the risk of losing the flower en-route. (I mean I’m sure we’ve all been there when we’ve attached charms or gems for a special occasion only to get there to find out they’ve dropped off at some point.)

As usual, I tried a second look. I wasn’t too happy with how my first one turned it – it just didn’t feel pretty or delicate enough for the flower. I much prefer the second look, what’s your preference? I do think, as cute as it looks, that it would be more suited to long nails as it’s kind of engulfing my (almost) nubs. It is very fun though, and would certainly be a conversation starter. I can’t make up my mind as to wither it’s one of the most ridiculous or most clever things I’ve seen. Thoughts please?

If you would like to try out a ‘Magnet Flower Charm‘, head on over to BornPrettyStore. It’s free shipping, and if you use my code ‘AZYW10’ at the checkout, you’ll receive 10% off all the full priced items in your basket.

Caught in a FishNet…

So for this design I’ve used some ‘Nail Apps’ by OPI in the style called ‘Fishnet’. I’ve used them before, and they are really amazing for a nail wrap – they apply well as they’re flexible and sticky enough, and they don’t chip as easily as normal nail wraps (these are made from real nail lacquer), but they do smell rather strong.

I decided to elevate them from normal nail wraps to nail wraps of the sea gods by adding subtle and controlled sea-themed embellishments. I find it very hard not add to much and know when to stop. At first I only wanted to do an accent nail, but then the other nails looked to naked…

As these are applied and not painted, my right hand was able to make my left hand look pretty for once. Fortunately my non-dominant hand could even manage the placement of some charms, so I went out looking even more like a normal person. (I only ever have one hand painted, and I doubt anyone ever notices but it does worry me in case they think I’m trying to start a strange trend or something.) Look how cute that wee seahorse is!

Gilded Anchor…

So this design was really simple to do, but I think it looks really effective! I used nail foil glue and some gold foil to create the golden stripes and an Anchor Charm from Born Pretty Store. I attached it with just Seche Vite but it’s quite a thick charm and doesn’t sit anywhere near flat so I had to ensure I got the polish all in around it to guarantee it would stay stuck. (I’ve actually had these on from Saturday, and the anchor is still there!)

BPS Nail Mail…

So I usually order something from BornPrettyStore every month after pay day; it’s a bit naughty because no way do I need more supplies but their prices are so amazing and their products are so appealing I just can’t help it (a bit of an addiction maybe?..) It’s usually around 3-4 weeks between ordering and delivery, meaning I have a whole month to experiment with my new items before the next delivery arrives! I’ve never actually shown my ‘nail mail’ before as one post, as I usually just present the items as I use them. However as I have no nail art to present to you today, you’ll just have to look at my purchases instead.

Lets break it all down! (p.s it’s a long one so I’d just scroll down quickly and look at the pictures.)

I was feeling a bit risky, so forked out a whole $0.99 for a ‘Lucky Bag‘ of three nail art items. And I could not be happier with the results! I was honestly expecting all the crap of the day that BPS maybe couldn’t sell and that’s why they were lumped together and sold off cheap however look what I got; Hello Kitty nail stickers, cheeky cherry water decals, and a stamping plate – with my all time favourite mollusk,  A SNAIL! An absolute bargain, and a whole load of fun, I’d highly recommend giving it a go!

As I have accumulated a few stamping plates now, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a plate holder. The one I purchase holds 24 plates, unfortunately it’s no longer available to purchase but there are plenty of other holders available here. What can I say, it works great. It holds not only my round ones, but also my new octagonal plate.

Staying with the stamping theme I also purchased a large, rectangular ‘Nautical Plate‘. It’s my first one of this size, so I’m quite excited to use it. I presume it’ll perform the same as my others but the images appear larger and clearer so they might stamp better, stay tuned. I’d heard loads of people talking about Konad polishes being great for stamping, and as I find my OPI black comes out a bit wishy washy, I decided to purchase a bottle of ‘Konad Black 11ml‘ as it was on sale. The bottles are super cute, and I can’t wait to see how the polish stamps.

Continuing with the nautical theme, as mermaids and shells are all the rage right now in nail art, I had to buy this wheel of nail decorations. It contains a super cute turtle, shells, mermaids, seahorses and anchors. And the best bit, they’re in gold and silver in one wheel! Meaning no more of “what colour should I get? Hmm, maybe I’ll just have to buy a wheel of each”.

Another item that seems super cool to use right now are nail vinyls. Or maybe it’s just because I’m following nail vinyl people on Instagram… I went for the ‘NK-03’ set due to them having stars. Painting stars free hand is just a no go for me, so it felt like the correct choice. Can’t wait to use these!

Are you still with me? There’s still a few more items to go, so if you’re holding in a pee I’d just go do it now. I wouldn’t want any accidents. As I was creating amazing nail design concepts in my head (most of which don’t turn out anything near amazing), it struck me that I only have ‘clear’ and ‘iridescent’ gems – no coloured ones! Whaaat. This had to be resolved therefore I ordered this very colourful set of ‘Candy Coloured Gems‘. Hopefully my nail art dreams can now come true.

The below object may not look like much, but it’s seriously a life changer. To pick up gems I usually rely on a wet dotting tool or even my finger but honestly how fiddly is that, no longer shall this be the case though! This ‘rhinestone picker gel‘ will change it all – apparently you take a little blob off and stick it on to anything, for example a toothpick and ta-da, an instant gem picker. Sounds fantastic!

Last but not least, a tub of ‘round candy colour glitter‘. Again, I’m actually just following trends because round glitter seems to be another ‘thing’ right now.

That concludes my nail mail delivery, congratulations if you’ve made it to the end! Your prize is nothing I’m afraid, only the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made it. If you now fancy placing an order from BornPrettyStore, remember it’s free delivery and you can use my code ‘AZYW10’ to get 10% off all full priced items.

What have you learned from this post? I’m not sure, maybe that I write way too much uninteresting stuff. What have I learned from this post, that I’m such a trend sheep – I need to start being a trend setter…

BornPrettyStore: Gecko Charms…

So this is a first for me as I’ve never actually worn any nail charms before! When I was allowed to pick more items to review I  just had to try out these little Geckos*. Dare I say that some nail charms can look a little tacky? But not these guys! For $3.05/£1.97 you get FIVE charms, yes FIVE. Amazing right?

I really couldn’t settle on a design. The first one I painted was with the lizard skin foil but something just look weird about it, so I took the foil off and repainted them black. But that just looked boring so I added some more rhinestones. What design do you prefer?

The little geckos themselves were so cute! They can be attached to your nails by their 4 little feet, which I applied my glue to. They are also slightly curved meaning they sit well on your nail, giving your digits a little gecko hug!

As I previously mentioned you get 5 in the bag, they are perfectly identical with no faults or flaws which can often occur in such products. Once I was finished with my design, I carefully removed my gecko charm meaning I can now reuse it for another time. I have other ideas on how to use them so please stay tuned for future projects featuring them.

If you fancy getting a hold of these little geckos you will get 10% off them using my code ‘AZYW10’ at the BornPrettyStore check out. Now for some more photos as he just loved to pose!

*These were given to me for free in return for a fair review.