26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Pond Mani

This week's prompt was pond mani. I decided to go for something pretty and spring like so I chose Lina 4 Seasons - Spring 01.
I started with a dusky pink (slightly purple base) of Kiko 499
I used Avon Iceberg White for stamping and Kandy Colors Grape Much? for the purple jelly layers.
I am never sure if the final layer should be stamping or jelly but I did stamping, jelly, stamping, jelly, stamping and left the final stamp white. The colour difference between 1 and 2 layers of jelly wasn't huge so I thought I'd just end up with a purple mess if I added another jelly layer.
I took a chance on not top coating between stamping but was very careful applying the jelly layers so as not to smudge the stamping.
I didn't take step by step photos but I did take each nail to a different stage and then do a photo.
Finally, not part of the pond mani, I stamped a floral image from the same plate with A England Nocturne because it all seemed too bright and white. I chose a similar sized floral image and I think it worked well. I also added a matte top coat, just to see how it would look.

Lina 4 Seasons - Spring 01

Lina 4 Seasons - Spring 01 with additional stamping

Pond Mani - Lina 4 Seasons - Spring 01

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Crazies Unite - Winter Animals

This week's prompt was winter animals. I have a bit of a thing for arctic foxes so I used one of my favourite Messy Mansion images to stamp white foxes over my fanbrush mani.
I did the fanbrush as a gradient this week with the intention of it being some sort of sunrise or sunset.
I used Messy Mansion MM34 with Avon Iceberg White.
Very simple mani but I thought it was cute!

Messy Mansion MM34

An InLinkz Link-up

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Christmas Childhood Memories

This week's prompt was Christmas Childhood Memories.
I couldn't really think of much but when I was young we used to go out walking a lot. Just as my memories are full of warm sunny summers, they are also filled with snowy winters (I don't know how factual these memories are but I am sure we had more sun and snow!)
Anyway, I am pretty sure we had a lots of walks through woods and fields in the snow, so here is a snowy forest scene!
I started with a fanbrush base of Kiko 336, Kiko 389 and Colors by Llarowe Aubergine Dreams.
Then I stamped some of the snowflakes and trees from Messy Mansion MM27XL with A England Carnation Lily Lily Rose. Then I added more trees with Avon Iceberg White.
I am not completely happy with these. Having cut my nails down ready for a family Christmas with small people it takes me a while to get used to the new length. Also due to lots of other stuff going on pictures were taken in poor light and I also tried a different setting on my phone which gave truer lighting and colour but also picked up any movement so if you spot any ghosts you know why!

Messy Mansion MM27XL

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Insects and/or bugs

This week's prompt was insects or bugs and I had the perfect plate! The Ejiubas and Sarah R collab plate has a strip of little buggy things down the middle.
I started with the week's fanbrush mani as a base, I thought the green, black and yellow made a great background and I stamped the little bugs in a nice crisp white.

Ejiubas and Sarah R

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Dotting tools but not just dots

"Oh dear" I thought! I don't like dotting tools at the best of times, and having to do something more creative than dots...The only think I use my dotting tools for is touching up manis where a bit of colour is missing, or for leadlighting or reverse stamping when a brush doesn't seem to do the trick.
Anyway, stop moaning and just do the mani!
I did a fanbrush mani with black, white and yellow (no, I won't moan anymore - you know I hate yellow!)
I used Oriflame Sundance as the base and then fanbrushed Nails Inc New York Noir and Avon Iceberg White on either side.
Then I used the dotting tools to add white dashes to the black side and black dashes to the white, and then finally added a few small dots too.
It wasn't a huge success, the polishes were nearly empty so a bit sticky but to be honest I quite liked the end result in a grungy, graffiti kind of way!

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Black and White Valentines

Earlier in the week I had to do white watermarble for a challenge. I cheated and stamped of course using Dixie Plate DP02 and Avon Iceberg White over Colors by Llarowe Chasing a Unicorn.
I can finally wear this CBL because the gels seem to have stopped the staining, the old staining has grown out, at last and also wearing a nude gel base meant that the opacity of the polish wasn't a problem. This mani got a ridiculous amount of likes on Instagram!!
Anyway, I thought this white base would be perfect for the Black and White Valentine prompt.
I stamped a heart from Dixie DP02 on my middle finger, scribbly hearts from DP07 on the index and little finger and finally, using the Deluxe Dixie shrinking stamper, I shrunk the "couple under the umbrella" image for my ring finger.

Dixie Plate DP02 and DP07

An InLinkz Link-up

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Things in the water

Really quick post for this this.
I used Bundle Monster Fuzzy and Ferocious BM-S166 and Avon Iceberg White over my blue smoosh. The little sea animals on this plate are so cute and they stamped really nicely.
I thought they looked great over the blue, grey and silver smoosh.

Bundle Monster Fuzzy and Ferocious BM-S166
and Avon Iceberg White

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Summer

I toyed with the idea of posting a woolly jumper and an umbrella since the British summer can be a bit disappointing but decided I should be a bit more optimistic!
In the end I went with flowers from the summer section of the DRK Seasons plate, and used a brand new thermal polish for the base.
For Your Nails Only is a UK Indie brand and Sharon has just brought out a lovely thermal collection called Climate Control.
I do love thermals although they can be stubbornly frustrating, and often stay in the warm phase too long for my liking especially in the "summer" even if it isn't that warm! However I am delighted to say Strawberry Bellini is very responsive and I was able to catch it in every stage - hence I have a folder of about 50 photos with and with out stamping.
I did use a pale base, as my nails are still very stained at the tips and often thermals are quite sheer in their warm phase.
I stamped first with Avon Iceberg White and then used the same images again with A England Lancelot (very dark red but not quite black)
I am just going to post one shot for the Summer challenge and then share my collages with you, otherwise this could be the longest post ever!

DRK Seasons with A England Lancelot and
Avon Iceberg White over
For Your Nails Only Strawberry Bellini

For Your Nails Only Strawberry Bellini

DRK Seasons with Avon Iceberg White over
For Your Nails Only Strawberry Bellini

DRK Seasons with A England Lancelot and
Avon Iceberg White over
For Your Nails Only Strawberry Bellini

An InLinkz Link-up

40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Mint Green Watercolour

Mint Green Watercolour for #40greatnailartideas - This week's colour was mint green and my prompt was watercolour.
I used Barry M Bikini, Avon Peppermint and Nails Inc Queen Victoria Street over Avon Iceberg White  - I am not sure if they looked watery enough but having free-handed flowers that actually looked remotely like flowers, I was reluctant to mess with them.
I did go on to stamp over them but I'll save that for another post.

Mint Green Watercolour - Barry M Bikini, Avon Peppermint
and Nails Inc Queen Victoria Street over Avon Iceberg White

 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

June Challenges - Uber Chic !

Lovely Jolene @superninjaflyingmonkey had this great idea of showcasing Uber Chic manis on a Sunday so this is my first entry - Uber Chic UC 1-01 and A England Spirit of the Moors (over UC 1-02 and Leighton Denny Supermodel that I did for my 40 Great Nail Art Ideas Wedding mani )
And then for my second entry - Uber Chic UC 1-03 and Avon Iceberg White - I was frustrated with this one - it looked so pretty but the camera just couldn't capture it.

Uber Chic UC 1-02 and Leighton Denny Supermodel

Uber Chic UC 1-01 and A England Spirit of the Moors

Uber Chic UC 1-03 and Avon Iceberg White

May Challenges - Aztec over a smoosh

For this week's smoosh I used China Glaze Long Kiss, Barry M Flamingo and Avon Iceberg White.
The red went a bit pink but I don't mind - I loved the way this one looked and even before I did it I was pretty sure these colours would make a great base for the Aztec mani for #ggfnachallenge.
I used Apipila 09 and Essence Stampy 002. The images were a bit small so I stamped them diagonally to cover most of my nail.
I liked this so much I wore it for a day before I did the second layer. Determined to conquer the clear jelly stamper I bravely attempted shadow stamping with the same images again and Avon Iceberg White. Having stamped diagonally I think I added to the complications of lining the second layer up and the images didn't pick up 100% perfectly but I think it gave a nice effect.
They reminded me of something and then I spotted my Albufeira dolphin on the shelf! of course!! so a quick shot of #mynailsandmydolphin too!

Smoosh!

 

Apipila 09 and Essence Stampy 002

Apipila 09 and Avon Iceberg White