Jungle Nail Art - Monthly Challenge

This month I'm taking part in a monthly nail art challenge Clairestelle8 created on Instagram. Every couple of days there is a different theme. To make it even crazier, I decided to do bestie twin nails for every theme!

The theme for the 19th was Jungle and I collaborated with Ebba from @nailsby_ebba.

We decided to do a colourful leopard print design!

I don't have a tutorial for these, honestly I'm not very good at leopard print!

To check out all the other themes this month, click here!

I started off with a white base using Pretty Serious Presence. This is a 1 coat white!!

After that I just apply some random blobs in different colours. Yep very technical!

I used all Kester Black polishes for this:
Tutti Fruiti (gorgeous purple I'm holding in the other photo!), Alimony (the turquoisey green), Blue Raspberry (cobalt blue) and Sorbet (raspberry pink).

I finished it off by outlining the blogs using my Barry M nail art pen. This is pretty much like a sharpie! It's super easy to use. You don't get the thinnest lines, but for something like this it's perfect!

That's it!
xx

Floral Nail Art Tutorial - Monthly Challenge

My second bestie twin nails this month was with the lovely Mo from @prettyquirkyuk. She's another UK based nail polish lover and I've wanted to do something with her for ages!

The theme was flowers so we plucked some inspiration from a design by @furiousfiler. We kept to the same colour theme, black and white as a background and purple/pink/green/teal flowers. We also added a glittery accent nail!

I have a tutorial for these on my YouTube channel! 

I started off by painting all my nails white, apart from my ring finger.

I then used a small dotting tool and just applied some polkadots. I used the larger end of the dotting tool and applied random blogs of colour onto my nails by the cuticles.

I mixed white with the colour of the blog, eg. I applied a blue blob to my nail, then I mixed that same blue polish with white polish to get a lighter shade of blue.

I then went in with a detail brush from Born Pretty Store and swirled the two shades together.

It seems so weird when I'm writing it, but when you see the video it'll all make sense!

For the glitter nail I applied 3 different glitters onto a sponge. I basically just did a gradient, but applied the glitters to random parts of the sponge.

Again the video will make so much more sense!!

I finished everything off with a topcoat.

Check out the video here!

xx Elaine

Top 12 Nail Polishes for Autumn Swatches

It's almost September which means it's almost time for Autumn! This year England hasn't had much of a summer so moving into Autumn isn't going to be a huge change. I picked out my top 12 favourite nail polishes for Autumn. I tried to get a bit of everything in there from OPI to Barry M and indies as well as brights, holos and neutrals. I feel like Autumn is a transition period between the bright neons and muted/dark shades for winter. I have included some of my all time favourite polishes! Of course you can wear whatever you want whenever you want, these are just my personal picks! I'm kind of going to go through colour order.

As always, I have LIVE SWATCHES of these on my YouTube channel!!

First up is OPI I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw.

This is the darkest colour in the bunch. It's a very deep navy with a hint of teal. I love this polish because even though it's very dark it's still a vibrant blue and it'll never look black.

I love this polish on its own as well as in nail art.

I only used 1 coat for the swatch!

I reckon if you added a second coat it might slightly deepen the colour, but I love how it looks just on 1 coat.

The formula is very opaque, easy to work with and dries to a glossy finish.

Next up is Kester Black Blue Raspberry.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm obsessed with Kester Black.

This is a very vibrant cobalt blue. This has been the colour of the year for me so far. I literally 1can't get enough of it, and not just for my nails!

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

The first coat was very sheer but the second coat fully covered up my nail line. I reckon you could add a third coat as it's still slightly deeper of a colour in the bottle than it is on my nails.

It dried to a beautiful glossy finish.

Barry M Guava is one of my go-to colours for Autumn. It's still very very bright, but not as in your face as a neon is. This is a great pop of colour for Autumn.

This is part of the Gelly range from Barry M. These polishes tend to have a slightly thicker formula and dry with a high shine finish. The formula definitely wasn't difficult to work with. I tend to like thicker formulas more anyway.

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

The first coat was pretty streaky but as it dried the streaks seemed to disappear. It was still slightly uneven so I would recommend a second coat.

Next is OPI Mermaid's Tears.

This was a huge lemming of mine! I think I finally own the entire Pirates Of The Caribbean collection!

This is a beautiful muted seafoam green. This has a hint more colour than Thanks A Windmillion, also from OPI, and that's why I much prefer this one.

The formula was very thin.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. The first coat was very sheer and streaky, but the second coat covered everything up. It dries with a glossy finish.

This is Be There In A Prosecco from OPI's new Venice Collection.

The Venice collection was beautiful but this is the only one I added to my top 12 polishes for Autumn.

This is a stunningly beautiful ivory creme nude. This is a great palette cleanser for all the brights and darks. This is a very sophisticated looking colour and I'm officially obsessed.

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

It is quite a thin formula and streaky on the first coat, but the second coat covered everything up. It dries with a glossy finish.

Next up OPI Designer...De Better.

This was another HUGE lemming of mine and I was looking for it eeeeverywhere! Until I finally found it in an auction of eBay for about £5!

This is seriously stunning and so worth the hunt. It's a white gold shimmery polish with some coppery bits. It's similar to Worth A Pretty Penne from the new Venice collection, but this is much more of that white gold, whereas that one is much more rosey toned.

I used 2 coats for the swatch, but it was fully opaque in just 1 coat. I did apply topcoat to the swatch.

Next is Kester Black French Lavender.

This is the perfect muted purple. This is quite similar to Planks A Lot from OPI, but this has a slightly better formula.

This is a very light muted purple. OPI came out with a muted purple in the Hawaii collection which was much darker which I wasn't a huge fan of.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. If you're in a rush you could easily get away with just 1 coat as it is very opaque and even coverage. The second coat will slightly deepen up the colour.

It dries with a glossy finish.

Of course I had to include holos too. I've been obsessed with holos this year and want them ALL.

This is Freckles Polish The Treblemakers from the new Pitch Perfect Collection (released today!!). This is a warm plum purple linear holographic polish.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. There was a slight visible nail line of the first coat. The second coat really deepened up the colour.

The second holo is Glam Polish Indigo Sparkle.

This is a much cooler toned brighter purple holo.

I used 3 coats for the swatch.

The first coat was very sheer, but the polish built up beautifully in 3 coats.

This is another great pop of colour for the Autumn.

It dried to a bit of a dull finish so I did apply topcoat.

Next up is OPI I Sâo Paulo Over There.

I wore the crap out of this polish last year. I never thought I would like a brown polish, but I think it's beautiful towards the middle/end of Autumn. It looks really elegant and sophisticated.

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

The formula was very easy to work with, it was slightly sheer on the first coat but the second coat covered everything up.

Next is OPI Just A Little Rösti At This.

This is my all time favourite OPI.

This is a beautiful deep red. It's still very vibrant but much darker than a traditional red. This makes it the perfect shade for Autumn.

The formula is incredible! I only used 1 coat for the swatch.

You could apply a second coat and it will slightly deepen the colour, but I love how it looks with just 1 coat. It has great coverage and a very even finish. It dries super glossy.

I'm obsessed.

The last polish is another favourite of mine.

this is Mecca Cosmetica Timandra. Mecca Cosmetica is an Australian brand.

How beautiful is this colour!? It's a purpley fuchsia and it's AMAZING.

I used 2 coats for the swatch, although if you're picky you might want to add a third.

It's a little sheer on the 1st coat and it dries to a matte finish so I added a topcoat for the swatch.

This is a very vibrant shade, but a great transition shade.



Those are my Autumn picks! What will you be wearing for this season?
xx Elaine

National Nude Day Swatches

Happy National Nude Day! I went on Instagram this morning and saw Barry M post it was National Nude Day. I'm a HUGE fan of nude nail polishes so I wanted to jump on the bandwagon and do a post about some of my favourite nudes. 

I have a very large amount of nude nail polishes, it's a bit of a problem. But in all honesty, it's my favourite colour to wear all year round. These are the four I grabbed from my collection, there are definitely all amazing, but I couldn't say which ones are my all time favourites. 

I'll start off with Toasted Almond from Let It Glitter. 

Let It Glitter! is a Dutch indie brand that I'm a little in love with. Toasted Almond is a very pale peachy pinky nude. It's the perfect shade for my skin tone. It looks really elegant and sophisticated and a great palate cleanser from all the neons I've been wearing. 

The application is super easy. I only used 2 coats for the swatch. The first coat is a little on the sheer side, but with careful application it's streak free. The second coat covers everything up. 

It dries super glossy and definitely no need for a topcoat. 

Next is a bit of a more expensive polish. This is Dior Lili. 

It's the only Dior polish I own and it's amazing. Dior retails for £18.50 which is definitely a little too pricy to own more than one! 

This is another stunning, elegant, sophisticated, chic nude. This is more beige-y than the previous one. 

Dior polishes come with a very wide brush, similar to the European Essie's, so application is incredibly easy. 

I used 2 coats for the swatch. Again it dries super glossy so no need for a topcoat. 

If you read my blog, you'll know Kester Black is a huge love of mine. Kester Black is an Australian indie brand. 

This is called Nude. And surprisingly it's a nude polish!

This is very similar to Dior Lili, but a shade lighter. 

The formula was a little sheer so I used 3 coats for the swatch. Again it dries super glossy so no need for a topcoat. 

Last up is OPI My Very First Knockwurst. 

OPI is another brand I love, and I think I own the most OPI's out of any other brand. 

Pinky nudes like this look best with my skin tone, but doesn't look as elegant as Toasted Almond or Lili. They're great if I want something that's hardly there and very subtle, but better than naked nails. 

This had a great formula. I used 2 coats for the swatch. I was quite careful as this could easily get a bit streaky. 

It dries glossy so I didn't apply a topcoat. 

These are some of my most reached for nude polishes. What are your favourite nude polishes? 

xx Elaine 

Mani Swap with @PolishIsTheNewBlack

About a week ago Rachel from @PolishIsTheNewBlack asked if anyone wanted to do a maniswap/bestie twin nails with her. I seriously love her account. She's a fellow UK nail girl who does incredible nail art. It was so difficult for me to choose which design to do, but I ended up choosing this floral design. It's something completely different from anything I've done before.

She decided to recreate my glittery mermaid scale mani (which I'll blog about in a later post... mu blog is a little behind!).

I love how hers turned out, and do you see those cute little seashell studs?!?

Luckily for me, Rachel had a tutorial of her mani on her page ;)

I started off with a pink base of OPI Pink Friday. I love this pink because it's a light pastel shade, but still very very bright.

I then added some green grassy bits. I found out that I don't have a proper grass green in my collection..... I guess I'll have to go shopping!

Instead I used China Grass Grass Is Lime Greener. It's hard to see in the photos since it's so light, but it was more visible in real life.

Following Rachel's tutorial I then added the flowers.

For this I used one of my top 10 nail polishes. This is Mecca Cosmetica Timandra. Mecca Cosmetica is an Australian brand that creates Artistry Nail Polishes, amongst many other beauty items. I miss that store!

Anyway, back to the design.. I drew the flowers and then I used OPI Pink Friday again to colour them in.

Next up is the blue-y bits. I first added some tiny dark blue dots using Mecca Cosmetica Cobalt, and then went over it with Kester Black Forget Me Not.

I finished it off with a red Mecca Cosmetica (I forgot the name) and added some dots in the middle of the flowers.

I'm obviously very technical with all my terms.

I gave it some time to completely dry and I added a glossy topcoat. I then added some star studs on my index and pinky fingers as I didn't have the same shape she used.

How cute are these nails though?!?

Check out @PolishIsTheNewBlack on instagram for more beautiful nail art!

Kester Black Haul Swatches & Review

A few weeks ago Kester Black announced they were going to start international shipping! I discovered Kester Black when I was living in Melbourne and instantly fell in love with the polishes. When I moved back to the UK I wasn't able to buy Kester Black anywhere! And the worst thing was that they kept releasing new collections!! Finally, after many many months, I can buy them again.

The service was fantastic! The polishes cost $20 each, but for international orders the tax is taken off so they're $18.18. The shipping costs $34.

The polishes arrived after just 5 days. Incredible. They were sent with DHL so I was updated every step of the way and I was given a time slot of when they'd arrive. Super super quick.

I bought a few of the new core shades and a few from the O&M collab collection.

First up is Know Knott.

This is a limited edition colour in collaboration with O&M.

This kind of reminds me of OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons, I haven't done a comparison, but I think this is a little more orangey blush toned.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. It had a very easy application without any issues.

The polish dries to a semi glossy finish.

More info and swatches after the jump!

OPI Neutrals Swatches & Nail Art

I am trying to get all of my nail polishes swatched. I don't have an 'untried' pile as I've tried probably 98% of all my nail polishes, but I probably haven't swatched 50% of them. I use a lot of polishes for nail art, and some colours I buy exclusively for nail art.

Since my collection is quickly expanding, I thought it was time to destash. I easily got rid of about 30 polishes, including 10 OPI's and 8 Essie's. Now it's time to swatch the rest and see which ones I really like and actually use.

I have already gone through all my Kester Blacks... I'm keeping them all! And my second favourite brand is OPI.

OPI has a fantastic range of nail polishes and constantly have new collections coming out. It's very tempting to buy all the nail polishes that come out, but they also release a lot of dupes (within their own brand) so realistically, I don't need them all...

I decided to start with my neutrals. I'm obsessed with nude nails and I have quite a large range from OPI. I wanted to try something new. Instead of just swatching the polishes I wanted to add some nail art.

I'll start off with the pinky shades. First up is Tickle My France-y.

This is a very pink toned neutral mauve.

I bought this because I saw so many beautiful swatches of it online, but I'm not sure if this really suits me.

I've put it in the maybe pile.

More info, swatches and nail art after the jump!

Kester Black Review & Swatches (part 1)

My all time favourite nail polish brand Kester Black is FINALLY offering international shipping! Kester Black is an Australia indie brand and I fell in love with them when I was living in Melbourne. But when I moved back to the UK, I was unable to purchase any of the new collections and it was sad. Plus I didn't want to use any of my Kester Blacks because I was worried of wasting them or finishing them and never being able to buy new ones. It was sad.

Last week they posted online that they are offering international shipping so I instantly placed an order. I received my polishes within a week! Incredible. Anyway that haul is coming up soon, but first I wanted to do a little (long) brand review.

I swatched 12 colours. I wanted to start off with 5... then 7... then 10... and then I decided I wanted a bit of every collection so it ended up coming to 12.... I am actually planning on swatching all of my Kester Black nail polishes in the same way, so I'm sure they'll be a part 2 (or part 10) coming up soon!

Kester Black is a Non Toxic, 5 free, Vegan, Cruelty Free brand that's proudly Australian made and committed to supporting local businesses. They use sustainable production methods including using recycled materials. The colours are high shine and chip resistant. Does that not sound like the best brand ever?!

Since I started collecting Kester Black nail polishes the brand has slightly changed. The front of the bottles has changed: The red colour is the old bottle design and Blush is the new bottle design. The brushes have also changed. They started off with very skinny round brushes like the US Essie's, and now they have very wide brushes like the European Essie's. The flat wide brushes cover my nail in 1-2 brush strokes so it really is an easy application.

More info and swatches after the jump!

Top 10 Nail Polish for Autumn

The weather is getting cooler and the leaves have started changing colour... it's time for Autumn! I love everything about Autumn, especially how it used to be back when I lived in New Jersey. There would be crisp blue skies and brightly coloured red, orange, green, yellow trees. I also love the fragrances that come out around autumn, the vanilla's, spices and pumpkin scents are so cozy and warm. Aaaand of course I love the Autumn nail polish colours. This is the time of year I get to wear one of my all time favourite OPI's: Just A Little Rösti At This. I've picked out my top 10 colours. Most of them are cremes, but I did pick out two shimmers.

I'll start with a nice refreshing pop of colour. This is OPI...Eurso Euro. It's very similar to OPI's Do You Have This Color In Stockholm from the new Nordic Collection, but this is a little more blue toned. 

This is a great transition colour from the summer neons as it's still very bright but not quite as in your face. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

The second colour is another popular shade this season, OPI's Thanks A Windmillion from the Holland collection a few years ago. This is a lot more muted than My Dogsled Is A Hybrid from this years Nordic Collection by OPI. Barry M has also come out with a shade very similar to this one in their winter collection which could be a cheaper alternative. 

I like how this is a bit more muted and neutral and thus a lot more wearable. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

Third up is Just A Little Rösti At This by OPI. Oh how I love this colour!! I bought it in Melbourne last year and it's been my favourite deep red ever since. It's a classic Autumn colour that'll transition perfectly into winter. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat, you can easily get away with just one coat though! 

Next is another OPI, let's get all these out of the way first. This is Steady As She Rose from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection a while back. As well as the deep dark rich colours, I love wearing something a little more neutral and light. This is a beautiful rosy colour that's wearable all year round. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

This OPI is new to my collection but I know I'll be wearing it all Autumn.... this is Muir Muir on the Wall from the San Francisco collection. It's a shimmery duocrome in a very dark plum base. The shimmers reflect from this beautiful bright pink, to a golden shine. 

It kind of reminds me of Every Month Is Oktoberfest by OPI, but that's much more purple. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

The final OPI is one of my very first OPIs... The World Is Not Enough from the Skyfall collection. This is a shimmery silver brown base with pink coppery shimmers. This is so beautiful in real life and just glows in the sun! 

The formula is a little sheer so I used three coats and no top coat. 

My first non OPI had to be a Kester Black. This is Deep Violet, and it's a dark plum colour. Even though it's very dark, it's definitely purple in every light and doesn't come off as black. This is another popular colour this winter. There are many alternatives you can buy such as Barry M Plum, Mavala Tokyo, OPI Vant To Bite My Neck. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat, although you could easily get away with just 1 coat. 

Next up is Mecca cosmetic Ophelia, a very bright red. I have recently been getting back into plain red nails, and although it's another shade that can be worn year round. I think it works great especially in summer and autumn. Every single brand in the whole world has a red like this, so it definitely isn't unique, but I love the formula of all Mecca Cosmetica polishes. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat, although you could easily get away with just 1. 

I wanted include a very simple neutral nail polish and Honey Trap by Leighton Denny is my go-to nude. This is a much more beige toned neutral shade that looks elegant, sophisticated and very natural. It's something everyone can pull off. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

Finally my last Autumn shade is probably the most typical shade.. a burnt orange! I chose Barry M Paprika. This is the meaning of Autumn. It's the colour of the fallen leaves and pumpkins and reminds me of warm Autumn days. The whole autumn/winter Gelly collection by Barry M this year is fantastic. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

What do you think of my top 10 Autumn picks? Are they similar to your favourites around this time of year? 

xx Elaine