Skulls and Flowers

Hi!

First I just want to say a big thanks to anyone who has supported by donating/sponsoring, so grateful! If you haven't already you can still do so via https://www.justgiving.com/April-Sidlow/.

Got a cute mani to show you guys today, getting ready for winter in the UK, so I've done some wintry flowers paired with silver skulls/stripes, to get the feeling of chillllls.

All polishes used were from ciate.

Hope you like what I did with these, stay tuned for more born pretty reviews and a GIVEAWAY!

Thanks

xo

Born Pretty Store Review #2

Hey guys, another review from Born Pretty Today.

This time it's brushes. I have been through many, many nail art and regular brushes during my time as a blogger and even before then. Some have been pretty bad with the bristles falling out and the ends becoming frayed and misshaped, so you can't get a crisp line, but Born Pretty's are some of the best out there. I was sent a 15pcs set which had a variation of sizes and types included. The brushes are simple enough and work effectively for a variety of signs, and they don't go out of shape when immersed in acetone.

[A dotting tool and fan brush is also included]

This is the design I created with the brushes and some studs which are also from the Born Pretty Store. The base is Barry M Lychee, and the glitter is Barry M Topaz. Below is a comparison between using stamping and free hand.

I always prefer brushes to stamping when it comes to animal print. It really depends on your skill level and what you feel comfortable with, but you can see here, depending on the polish it doesn't always come out right with stamping. You can layer up the polish so much easier with brushes, and tailor the design to fit the contours of your nails, which just makes the design more fluid.

What do you think?

How do you find free-hand painting?

Thanks for reading, as ever. 

And don't forget to use my coupon code BASQ10 if you want to purchase anything from Born Pretty!

Ciate Day 1

--I AM SO SORRY BEEN TRYING TO POST FOR TWO WEEKS BUT BLOGGER DIED ON ME--

Hello all,
I am pleased to share the first beautiful shade in 'Mini Mani Month'!!

I will start by showing some snaps of the actual packaging itself, which is beautifully decorated to look like a fairisle knit..

I especially love the little quotes behind every door, such a nice addition.

As you can see the first shade 'Snow Globe' is a beautiful shade packed with lots of flaky glitters.

The foil-like glitter is set in a frosted clear base, which dries glossy. The glitter pieces are quite different in size, varying quite a lot which I like. The colour changes in every lighting, giving your mani a completely different look.

Although it is a mini polish, the brush is quite wide, giving quite a generous amount of glitter to your nails!

I chose to layer this glitter over a nude base (that I mixed myself to match my skin tone). I am loving a bit of nude recently.

Here is my completed look;

The glitter is not too over powering and is very subtle, unlike many sparkly IN YOUR FACE glitters, which I kind of like.

The low down

Application: Good, wide brush, even quantity of glitter, not very gloopy.

Finish: Fairly glossy, in need of top coat. Glitter makes surface very uneven.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Great for evening wear to spice up an ordinary daytime mani!

I would quite like to see this layered over a very dark polish to see the contrast.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading!