Pastel Neon Mermaid Scale Nail Art

I had a phase where I was only doing swatches, but I'm completely back into nail art now! My boss has recently allowed me to wear my nails to work so I actually have a reason to paint my nails again!

I created this pastel neon mermaid scale design and I'm obsessed with it! I used some of my favourite polishes for this: Shop Eight4 and Let It Glitter!

Although the design looks like a lot of work, it's super easy to create!

Products Used:

Barry M - Cotton

Shop Eight4 - Lasha Lavender

Shop Eighty4 - Powder Puff

Shop Eighty4 - Candy Mint

Nail Mail - Mermaid Scale Stencil

Nail Mail - Mess Free Mani

Let It Glitter! - Invincible

Primark Cosmetic Sponge

Hema - Quick Drying Top Coat

Keep reading to find out how I created this design

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 

Let It Glitter! Haul & Swatches

Let It Glitter is a Dutch indie brand created by Suzanne. I'm seriously in love with her polishes, but unfortunately I can't afford to buy every single one.

To check out my first haul click here!

I picked up a few random polishes. Three are from her new Anniversary collection, and I have 3 randoms.

I'll start off with my favourite.... and the most difficult polish to photograph. EVER.

This is Soulmate. This is from the Anniversary Collection.

It's a really bright neon medium warm toned pink. It's unlike any other pink I own. The picture isn't 100% colour accurate, but it's as close as I could possible get it. I actually swatched this 3 times on 3 separate days. It was frustrating.

Luckily it has an amazing formula.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. The coats are super easy, smooth and streak free. The second coat fully covers up the nail line.

It dries to a semi matte finish so I did apply topcoat to the swatch.

More info and swatches after the jump! 

Let It Glitter Spring Collection

Let It Glitter is a Dutch indie brand created by Suzanne. I've been following her on Instagram for a while and when I saw photos of her new Spring collection I needed them all. The collection consists of 3 cremes and 3 matching glitters.

First up is the lightest colour of the collection; Toasted Almond. Ahhhh look at that beauty! Toasted Almond is a gorgeous slightly pink toned nude. It's the perfect colour for my skin tone. I can't stop staring!!

I used two buttery smooth creamy amazing coats for full opacity and no top coat. If you're in a rush you could just do one coat. It applies really evenly but you will see a bit of nail line.

The matching glitter is Gold Shine. Oh my goodness. Do you see that amazingness??? I'm so sad that I started off with this combo because I honestly didn't want to take it off!!

Gold Shine is a stunning golden flakie type glitter. I used one coat for the swatch over Toasted Almond. It's such a subtle nude glitter effect and it would be great for any occasion.

In Love.

The next creme is Strawberry Ice a super pretty slightly muted medium pink. It does look very similar to the strawberry sorbet we serve at work!

I applied two creamy amazing coats and no top coat.

The matching glitter is called Springkles. How cute is that name!?? This is the nail polish I saw on Instagram and instantly fell in love with so had to buy the whole collection.

This consists of matte white glitter, holographic pink glitter and a tiny tiny golden flakie shimmer.  It's such a beautiful combo! The golden shimmer doesn't get lost in the polish as you can see in the swatch.

So beautiful!

The final creme is called Marsala. I honestly could not photograph this accurately for the life of me! The polish is the bottle is more true to colour than it shows up on my nails. It's a dusty plum type of colour. It's so beautiful in real life!

I used two easy peasy creamy buttery coats for the swatch. No topcoat.

The matching glitter... oh my goodness this is beautiful ... is called Cherry Topping. Again, the photo does not do the polish justice. Just look at the bottle shot! I need to retry this on a sunny day.

This glitter consists of matte back glitter, dark red glitter, pink glitter that reflects purple and orange and the same tiny golden shimmer as the previous glitter. It's so incredibly beautiful and unique.

I'm seriously madly in love with this collection. I don't think I've ever liked an indie collection as much as this. The cremes are just the most incredible formula and the glitters are so unique! I can't wait until spring!


What do you think of Let It Glitter?
xx Elaine