Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots

A couple of weeks ago there was a bit of excitement on the nail pages of Facebook about these new  Maybelline polishes, so I had to have a try.
These are Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Shooting Stars (blue), Rain Forest Canopy (teal green) and Speckled Pink. Each has a coloured base with two sizes of white and black hexagonal glitter and also tiny white and black dots.
The 1st 2 pics are with 1 coat and then with 2 coats. The base itself is quite sheer, and I have since seen swatches with up to 4 coats to get them to full opacity, but I guess it depends on how many dots you want on your nails as too how many coats you are prepared to apply. Personally the 2nd coat for me is probably a bit much, on the pink and the blue, the green seemed a little less packed with particles.

 

Because I didn't want too many layers of dots, I re-swatched over undies. I chose Leighton Denny Captivated, Persian and So LA which I think are a pretty good match. Possibly too good as it almost meant what was the point of having a coloured base?
I think at some point I'll re-swatch them over a less similar undie, I have seen white suggested, so maybe white or similar toned pastels.
Anyway, they dried well, application was pretty easy, distribution of glitter was good. They are great colours, the fact that I had those LD colours in my collection mean these must be "my colours", and I am looking forward to trying them again. Great value at £2.99 each, even better value if you have a boots or Superdrug selling them at 3 for 2, or buy one get one half price.

 

 

A Couple of Cards

My little niece loves penguins at the moment so I aimed for a penguin theme for her latest birthday, bought her a cuddly Emperor penguin, a penguin pencil case and a penguin drinking bottle (via Edinburgh Zoo). I was stumped by the local shops for a penguin card so I made one, just a simple little cross stitch figure on a blue backround.

 

It's my 19th Wedding Anniversary today and I have a tradition of making cards for my husband, and I try to be a bit creative. Inspiration was not forthcoming, so I googled 19th Anniversary and found that the gemstones associated with this anniversary are topaz and aquamarine. The modern material is bronze, so I dug in my thread stash for the best matches I could find, stitched a 19 and mounted it on a bronze background.

More Gloves

Thought I'd blog these last 2 pairs of gloves that I've made.
This blue pair are Three Cable Fingerless Mittens from Rubyknits, pattern sourced from Ravelry.
I used Stylecraft Life Chunky wool in Blue Haze, with 4mm needles. The pattern called for 6mm needles but I wanted a tighter snugger fit.
I made these for a friend, and when I'd finished I had enough wool to make another pair for another friend so 2 pairs out of 100g ball, pretty good I thought. Quite easy to knit, I adapted the pattern a bit along the way, but I am pleased with the outcome and my friends were delighted.
I like these so much I may well make a pair for myself too.

Three Cable Fingerless Mittens

 

 

The 2nd pattern I've done was called Handed Yes, Fingered No designed by Ellen M Silva of Twinset Designs, also sourced from Ravelry. I have used this pattern a few times, usually with double knittting wool and 3.75mm needles, but this time I used a scrap of Aran Marl I had in my stash so they are nice and snug.

Very quick and easy to do, but they are handed in that the back of the hand has no increases, all the thumb increasing is done on the palm, hence being "handed". These are a lovely neutral shade, easy to wear, nice and simple.

Handed Yes, Fingered No

palm of hand, showing thumb gusset

back of hand, and thumb - no increases here :)

OPI Pink Nail Envy

Exclusive to QVC UK, OPI's Pink Nail Envy is a combination of treatment with colour. You only need a couple of coats, so its quick and easy if you want your nails to look like you've done them, but really they just need some TLC.
I was between manicures, took off some heavy duty glitter and and was dithering what to wear next so I opted for a day of Nail Envy, and my natural nails are way too yellow to go naked, just with normal Nail Envy, so this is perfect.
It's a lovely dusty pink, which is my kind of pink, a nude pink if you like. There is still a visible nail line with 2 coats and if I was wearing this a bit longer I'd probably have gone for a third coat but I wore it like this for over 24 hours, and after a while the VNL bothered me less.
It's a really pretty shade, lovely glossy finish, and even better - a great match for my fave pink Aran sweater!

OPI Pink  Nail Envy

Invogue Jaye Bird

This is my 2nd Invogue feather polish, I reviewed Parakeet a couple of weeks ago (as part of green week), so now I am reviewing Jaye Bird for blue week.
I think most of the swatches of this that I have seen were over a paler blue, and having dismissed Baker Street as too similar to the blue within this polish I went for Nails Inc Southwark, as I wanted to see it over a darker blue. I did do a quick pre-manicure swatch to make sure I could see the blue strands. Jaye Bird is made up of white and mid blue strands in a clear base, as you can see on the bare nail, and I think they do look like they were made for each other :)

Distribution of strands on the first coat is pretty good, and I only had to touch up in a couple of places were I thought I needed a few more strands.
I am pretty pleased with the end result, the contrast isn't massive between Southwark and the blue strands, but it's not bad, and it makes me think of blue willow, in reverse :)
The finish is quite rough, with one coat of top coat you can still feel the strands so I may well add a 2nd coat, and you do need to be careful not to leave strands over-hanging the nail as they are quite sharp but its easy enough to knock them back onto the nail if you catch them before they are dry.
I am so glad I bought these feather polishes, as I like them a lot more than I thought I would. These are available at Superdrug, and also at ohbeauty, where 1st class postage is free.

Invogue Jaye Bird with Nails Inc Southwark

 

  

 

Nails Inc Southwark

It's still Blue Week on All Things Nails, so here is my 2nd blue contribution. I think this has to be the bluest blue in my collection!
This is more of a jelly than a cream, so really I think I needed 3 coats to completely obscure the nail line but it is such a lovely uplifting colour. The pictures are taken with no top coat as I had plans to put something over this, hence not being so fussed about getting a completely opaque finish, but look how glossy it is.
Application was good, but the formula is definitely less thick than say Baker Street. Having said that, I did give it a good shake and I think I got a better result.

Nails Inc Southwark

 

China Glaze Luxe and Lush

I spent  a bit of time thinking what would look pretty over my Leighton Denny Between Blue, and then it struck me. I didn't get Leighton Denny Angel Effect when it came out, with Between Blue, as I already have a number of flakies but I think China Glaze Luxe and Lush would be a good one to try. Most of my flakies tend more towords red or green, but this one has more subtle pastel shimmers with gold, and I think it goes well with the blue. The flakes are all quite jagged, different shapes and sizes, picking up blue, pink and green as well as gold.
This is one coat of Luxe and Lush, and one coat of top coat made it virtually smooth. There was a good distribution of flakes and although I did dab a bit extra in a few places, it was pretty easy to apply. I love the way a flakie can transform a polish and I think this is a particularly pretty one.

China Glaze Luxe and Lush