My first time at nail stamping

Today I had my first go at nail stamping! My sister came over at the weekend and lent me some bundle monster plates so I thought I'd give it a go. I won't go through the "how to" as there are so many videos on YouTube on the subject and they are all quite easy to follow. 

I started off by doing a couple of coats of Rimmel's Marshmallow Heaven then used Barry M's silver foil effect for the stamping as recommended by my sister (thanks sis). Finally I topped it off with a top coat to protect my pretty stamps. Note to self for future; try to apply top coat in one swipe as if you keep going over a spot it smudges the stamp.

Overall, it's a fairly easy method to come up with really effective results. It is harder to do the hand you write with as I'm sure you'd expect, but not impossibly hard.

I think I'll invest in some plates of my own.

 

I used bundle monster plates 213, 317 and 320.

Mix 'n' Match nails

I was going to just do silver "studs" on my ring fingers for an accent, but ended up having a bit of a play. I've also gone for a heart on the side of the thumbs and silver tips on the little fingers.

In hindsight, when I got to this point I should have gone the whole hog and done something on the other two nails, but we live and learn. :)

Valentines heart nails

 Heart technique easiness: ★★★★★


I saw this tutorial on YouTube and thought of Valentines day. I've used the heart technique (which anyone can do with a hair grip/bobby pin - no specialist nail art tools needed) from the video to create a romantic valentines manicure.

Will go perfectly with my red dress!

ASOS £30

Update

Pink version of the manicure:

Barry M nail polish - hands (and feet) above the rest?

Barry M nail polish range: ★★★★★

Barry M seems to be leaps and bounds above other nail polish brands in 2012. Not only do they do stunning high fashion colours, but they also have a growing range of special effect nail polishes. The first one I came across was the Instant Nail Effects Crackle. I bought this when it first came out and they only did it in black, but now they have a handful of colours which make it ridiculously easy to apply this very effective crackling style. You paint your nails as usual with a couple of coats of your chosen colour, then brush the crackle polish over the top. As it dries you see it crack before your eyes, leaving behind an impressive looking pattern.

The next nail effect I came across was the Foil Effect. I have previously used Rimmel silver nail varnish and somehow Barry M seems to have the edge here. Their colour is just on another level of shimmeryness! It looks like you are wearing nails foils, rather than nail polish.

The most recent one I have purchased is the Magnetic Effect in blue. (And also made my friend buy it on a recent shopping trip and bought it for my sister - Barry M should give me royalties!) You put a base coat of the colour on, then when you do the second coat, you hover the magnet (detachable from the lid) over the wet nail and it creates a pattern as shown on the magnet itself.

 

This currently comes in blue, black, red and purple and each colour comes with a different magnet pattern - a great incentive to buy all four!

I've only just come across the Chameleon Colour Changing polish and not yet had a chance to try it. But it seems the general idea is that it works with the Barry M clear polish whereby anywhere you apply it, the colour changes. This is definitely going to be worth a look this summer, as nail art seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

Finally I would just like to mention Barry M's non-effect colour range. They have some absolutely stunning colours and I'm particularly loving the pastel colours that are so on trend for SS12, especially mint and peach melba. Also Berry Ice Cream (lilac) and Blue Moon (baby blue) which my sister and I would have once referred to as "tipex blue" in days gone by are definitely worth a look. In fact, there's so much choice, that I'm tempted to buy five pastel colours and do a different one on each nail.

Well done Barry M for staying ahead of the "nail polish" game and keeping our nails looking fresh and extremely fashionable all year long! xx

Laser nails

Ease ★★★★★
Effectiveness ★★★★★

This is not a product review as such but more of a technique review. I saw "laser nails" described on Cute.A.S.Nails blog and thought they looked quality and it sounded like something I could do myself.

I started off painting two coats of Barry M Baby Pink polish on my nails and letting it dry thoroughly. Then I cut some thin strips of tape and stuck them at angles on my nails (2 per nail, except 1 on little finger). Then I coloured in between the tape with Barry M in Mushroom and Rimmel in Silver. I left it to dry mostly and took the tape off and there they were - pretty laser nails! I did then do a clear top coat just to protect it all and smooth it over.

This is very easy to do, no assistance needed and looks really effective. No special equipment needed either, just your favourite nail varnish colours and some scissors and tape.

Have a go and show me the pics please!