Floral Week - Poppies

Hi Goddesses

This week, I and a few of my besties are doing Floral Week. I love flower manis and can't get enough of them, but I've been really unhappy with almost everything I've attempted for this week!

So, as I write this, you're seeing the one I've done JUST NOW (which never happens), I have one stamped mani I like and 2 that I don't.  I can't remember the last time I started a challenge without all my manis done!

This mani makes me HAPPY.  It's so cute, so colourful, and so simple.   It's inspiration comes from this photo, which is sadly uncredited.  If you know who did this awesome mani, please let me know so that I can add the details.

For my mani I used happy spring colours.  I wanted the mani to look like a psychedelic flower bed :)   The base polish I can't reveal, as that has it's own blog post later this week.

For my poppies, I used a medium dotting tool and -

Butter London Muggins - lilac

Barry M Blood Orange - red

KIKO 368 - orange and

Rimmel Pulsating - pink

I then went back with a small dotting tool and added the black centres.

Just to reassure you, this is really just a sophisticated version of a splodger's paradise.   Again, you can't really go wrong with this mani.  The flower bed is crowded, so they will overlap, or be half shapes.  If you want to take your dotting to the next level, this is a great mani to try.

So, who are my besties, and what are they up to - go and check them out, and enjoy xx 

Missy at Gnarly Gnails

Emma at Manicurity

Kerrie at Pish Posh & Polish

Ashley at Smashley Sparkles

Best of 2012 - Lilac Polishes

Hi Goddesses

As I am sure you are ALL aware by now, purple is my favouritest colour, so doing 1 post for all my fave purples of the year was just NOT a goer.  Instead, I've divided it into 3 - purple polishes, purple glitters and, today, the lilacs.

I find lilac a really calm and soothing colour to wear.  In the same way that I can rely on orange to perk me up and make me smile, I can always rely on lilac to restore the equilibrium.  As before, click on the name of the polish to go to the original post with more photos.

Barry M - Prickly Pear

Silky smooth and super glossy, this was love at first swipe.  Beautiful, luscious and elegant. Love

Cult Nails - My Kind of Cool Aid

I'm pretty sure this isn't a 2012 polish, but I only got into Cult Nails this year.  This is heavenly and complicated - a deep dusty lilac with loads of shimmer.

Pretty and Polished - Tart

THE lilac glitterbomb of the year, this is confection perfection.  Light, frothy and fun, this is perfect for summer.

Butter London - Muggins

Another winner from their Spring Collection, Muggins is smooth, creamy and elegant.  Ultra glossy, super perfect.

Zoya - Megan

Cashmere in a bottle.  Super fluffy and delicate, this is the gentlest lamb of a lilac you will ever find.

Nails Inc - Charlotte Mews (coming soon)

A recent find, I have no idea when this was released.  Blue toned and creamy.  Cool and classy.

Where does lilac rate in your favourite colours to wear?  And are there any other winners I've missed out ?  I don't feel lilac was very well represented by the big brands this year - oh well, maybe 2013 will fix that !

Enjoy xx  :)

30 Days of Purple - Day 12 - Purple Roses

Hi Goddesses

A quick and simple post for you today, but proof, if ever it were needed, that sometimes simplicity can just be stunning.

This is a base coat of Butter London Muggins, stamped with Barry M Gelly Blackberry and BM-323.

BM-323 is probably the best roses pattern I own - it's crisp and it's clear.  Fantastic.

And hallelujah for Barry!  Who knew the Gellys would work for stamping ?  To be fair, they follow the number one rule - if a polish is opaque in one coat, it will stamp well.  Well, most of the Gellys are, and it did :)

Enjoy xx :)

30 Days of Purple - Day 5 - Splatter

Hi Goddesses

As a lot of you know, the splatter is one of my favourite mani techniques.  Not only does it fit naturally into the skillset of a "splodger", but it always looks so damn awesome.

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful splatters I've ever done - but it shouldn't have looked like this.  No ?  No.   You see the dark purple I used is Let's Groove by China Glaze.  I love it cos it's got a funky 70's vibe to it - you can see that swirl of shimmer in the bottle shot.  And yet when splattered, it came out jet dark purple, and I'm so glad it did.

This started as a base of Butter Muggins, which I love.  It's a gorgeous soft blue toned lilac, and the BL formula gives it a lovely thick, squishy appearance.

I then splattered with Let's Groove - and the lilac and the dark inkiness of the purple just go sooooo well together - and then I splattered with Catrice Dirty Berry, a stunning medium grey / purple holo.

This is also my favourite way the polish has ever landed on my nails, and I think now polish consistency has more to do with it than I ever realised (makes sense), so a newer, thinner polish will fly further and more randomly than a thicker, stodgy old polish.

And just for a laugh, here's pre clean-up.  

Enjoy xx :)