26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Lilac, Pink + Gold

My last few manis all seem to have gone wrong so I decided to play safe with a nice random pattern for this one. As there was no theme I figured I'd get away with it.
I started with a base of Avon Luxe Lavender (I don't seem to have any lilac polishes) and then I used Uber Chic Mini - Texture-licious with Avon Frosted Peach (virtually gold) to stamp a random camouflage type pattern.
Then I used a scribbly pattern from the same plate and stamped with Colour Alike Fuchsia Flash.
The gold was a bit subtle but overall I think it turned out OK.

Uber Chic Mini Texture-licious

 

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

March Challenges - #smooshynailsunday and Easter (#2)

This week's #smooshynailsunday was a special edition for Easter with 4 colours! I used Avon Peppermint, Avon Luxe Lavender, Nails Inc Power Pink, and Leighton Denny Brick Road.

Then I stamped and just to show I don't always get it right I am including this layer in the blog post. I decided to go for pastel blue, but the image I chose was a bit too solid and the blue didn't show up over the other pastel shades. I used Born Pretty BPL-027 and Esmaltes da Kelly Wendy. The overall look was pretty but I may as well have smooshed a 5th colour.
Luckily I saved it, I think, with Emily de Molly EDM02 and Barry M Cotton.

Easter smoosh!

 

Born Pretty BPL-027 and Esmaltes da Kelly Wendy

Emily de Molly EDM02 and Barry M Cotton

 

 

 

June Challenges - New Technique

The challenge for #clairestelle8june was New Technique so I finally decided to try a waterfall mani - I started with my gorgeous thermal KPT Plumeria and then took a very small brush and added Avon Cherry Jubilee, Avon Luxe Lavender, Virtuous Polish Humility, Mua White Wash and finally Fancy Gloss Haunted Beauty for a little bit of sparkle - I am actually quite surprised how well these turned out despite my limited freehand skills!
I acquired Plumeria from a lovely friend and it has taken me a while to get round to using it, mainly because it is very sheer and my nails are very stained. In the end I used a single coat of Nails Inc Fashion as a base, a very soft delicate grey lilac which is a pretty perfect match for Plumeria in its warm state.
I don't usually like thermals in their warm state but this is so pretty, that soft grey lilac holo is just gorgeous, and then the cool state, a lovely dusky pinky purple. The other thing that I like about this one is that it is really sensitive, even on hot days like today you can get both the warm and cold states, and often the tips were darker.
I decided it would make a lovely base for the waterfall nails, and I think they looked great with the changing base.

Waterfall

 

 

Polished by KPT Plumeria - cool

Polished by KPT Plumeria - warm

Polished by KPT Plumeria - transition

Shimmer Jasmine

Today I'd like to show you another very pretty Shimmer polish that I bought quite recently. It has sat on my desk begging to be used and I decided that yesterday's gradient would make an ideal base to try this polish. I had been trying to decide what to put over my gradient, and had considered trying stamping again, but since the gradient had taken so long to do, I wasn't prepared to risk it with my amateur efforts. Painting on glitter would be much safer!
Shimmer Jasmine is an extremely pretty collection of teal, gold, copper, blue, red and silver glitter in a clear base. The predominant colour is teal which is why I thought it would be great over my gradient, as Avon Peppermint is actually quite tealy, and teal always goes well with purple.
I did one coat of Jasmine. It applied well, with good distribution and dried quickly with a nice smooth finish. As with Shimmer Wendy, I think you'd get up to full coverage pretty quickly with this polish as the glitter mix is so dense.
As a result of the density of this mix I did think my mani looked a bit busy with all those pretty sparkles over the teal and lavender, so I applied a matte top coat. Instantly it looked perfect to me, the whole mani just seemed to work so well, the glitters appeared more distinct against the gradient.
I really like the way the glitter further softened the gradient but also extended the teal element right to the end of the nail.
I do look forward to trying Jasmine again over a plain dark base, but I am delighted with the way this mani turned out.

Shimmer Jasmine

  

 

 

 

Gradient with Avon Peppermint and Avon Luxe Lavender

Well, I finally plucked up the courage to try a gradient. I have admired these on others for quite some time but been a bit too nervous to try. However, this week I found myself with some time on my hands, and whilst idly surfing I came across these wonderful tutorials by Debbie from The Crumpet, so I watched the tutorial for a gradient a couple of times and decided to give it a go.
I painted my nails with a pale base colour, and then followed the instructions.
I chose the 2 Avon shades because I love green and purple together and I thought it would be good to see how well they merged. I love both these shades although I would rarely wear them alone, they are great as a base for indies, or underneath a glitter, excellent quality, good coverage with 2 coats and they dry well. I've had these for years, way before my nail varnish interest really started but they are still an important part of my collection. I will admit, I did chose my Avons as they are older and less precious than some of my other brands, as I feared this was going to be a real waste of polish!
I have to say, the instructions on the tutorial are great. I was very impressed with how this mani turned out, but clean up took forever! I did take the precaution of painting my fingers with PVA glue, but I don't think I used enough as it did not peel off easily.
Anyway, here is the finished result. I think for a first attempt, I am very proud of this! I do think the colours go well together, and I am truly amazed at what can be achieved with a couple of polishes and a bit of sponge. I will certainly be trying this again!

Avon Peppermint and Avon Luxe Lavender