Tanzania inspired nails!

Hi there!

First I would like to say thanks to sooo many of you who bought nails from me -I really appreciate it! I will let you guys know when I bring out a new collection.

I thought I'd share with you guys what I've been up to. I've been so busy fundraising for Ralaigh (a charity who I am going to Tanzania to volunteer with in February). I am doing loads of stuff but the main thing is cutting my hair off and giving it to the Little Princess Trust. If you would like to sponsor me I would be so so grateful for your support, as I am aiming to raise around £800!!! Here is the link:

https://www.justgiving.com/April-Sidlow/

And now for the nails! I created a quick mani inspired by the flag of Tanzania (Africa)...

All polishes are from Zoya, with exception of the glitter which is unbranded. I created the stripes using tape.

Thanks again for reading, means the world!!!

Halloween!

Hello my lovelies!

I would like to share some sets of nails I am selling for halloween! All the proceeds go to charity (Ralaigh) which you will hear more about soon, as I have been doing some fundraising that I need your help with! Here are the nails;

Pictured here are blood splatter nails, drip nails, ghost nails, bat/ombre nails, mummy nails, eyeball nails etc.

If you would like a set please email: aprilsidlow@hotmail.com

You can pick any combination and make any adjustments, sets include 16 pieces.

Hurry to guarantee delivery for Halloween!

Please follow my instagram: http://instagram.com/naturalnailed

and facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/naturalnailed

Thanks so much for your support, keep shining!

Ciate Day 5

Hi there.

I never know how to start posts off, so apologies for the boring 'hi' everyday! Today I've got another ciate to share with you guys; Sugar Plum.

This is a lovely elegant pale lilac, perfect for the colder weather -I can see it teamed with a fluffy jumper. I wanted to pair this classic colour with a classic design, so I added a black half-border at the base of the nail to create the 'Ruffian' look.

What do you think?

Thanks!

Ciate Day 4

Hello everyone,

Here's another Ciate polish for you, this time it is a bottle of loose sequins named Miss Mistletoe.

The bottle contains gold, pink, red and lilac glitter. They are not suspended in polish, just loose glitter particles. I found them quite easy to place using the glitter placement technique, and secured them with a layer of topcoat.

I used them over a base of the red polish Boudoir, which I previously reviewed, to create this mani.

  

 Here's a picture without flash so you can see how they reflect in the dark.

That's all for today, but I have some exciting updates for you soon, so stay connected!

Thanks for reading, as ever!

Ciaté Day 3

Helloooo,

Back to Ciate reviews! This little beauty is called Hopscotch

This is a very pretty bright orange, instantly eye-catching and works with almost any skin tone.

Although not a very original colour, it is very pigmented and applies smoothly and in a single coat.

I am not a huge fan of orange but this perfect for halloween which is just around the corner, and it goes with the autumn colours in the UK, while bringing a little bit more warmth (very much needed)!

Hope you like!

Born Pretty Store Review #4

Hey!

Here's my final review for Born Pretty, the second stamping plate.

The designs on this plate are all so lovely, but I chose to use the flower pattern on the bottom left here to create a mani. Here's what I came up with;

All colours used are from Barry M, and I added a stud -also from Born Pretty.

As you can see the design didn't transfer perfectly, after multiple tries! This is unusual for Born Pretty Plates, and a shame as the design is so pretty.

However I still like the overall effect of this and it was much quicker than painting would be.

What do you think?

Look out for the return of ciate reviews! And I have a few announcements in the next few days!

Thanks for reading and the continued support!

And as ever, don't forget to use my code! BASQ10

Born Pretty Store Review #3

Hey!

Another BPS review for you. Today we are on rhinestones! The round silver rhinestones that I was sent are an absolute nail art MUST-HAVE for me, they add sparkle and transform any mani from a daytime to nighttime look. If any of my nails ever look like they are just missing something, I add a gem and it just completes the look!

I used the brushes mentioned in my previous review to place the diamond-like studs on my nails, and secured with top coat.

The colour is Orly Fired Up, over a base of Essie.

Hope you like, thanks for reading!

Not forgetting my coupon code BASQ10!!

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!

Born Pretty Store Review #1

Hey!

Here's my first review for the Born Pretty Store as promised. First up is a stamper set and one of two stamping plates.

The stamper is quite spongey, but surprisingly not sticky, unlike many I have come across, which is a massive benefit.

I looove the designs on this plate. I chose to use the skull pattern, and found that it transferred pretty well on to the stamper, and then back on to the nail.

Here's the mani that I came up with;

Overall I think this stamper set is one of the best out there, and I am a fan of the whole idea of stamping. It is a quick alternative to hand painting, whether you need a quick mani or you just aren't very confident with free-hand painting. It takes practice however, as it can easily go wrong, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy!

What do you think?

 More stamping plate reviews and other product from Born Pretty on the way!

In the meantime, go grab yourself some plates of your own from the website www.bornprettystore.com don't forget to use my 10% off code!

Thanks guys!!

Halloween Part Two

Hi!

Just wanted to quickly show you guys the other nails I did for halloween!
I created a kind of collage using water decals, I really like the look, and I don't think it's been done before. Look out for more of these in the future!

(without flash) 

 

 

I'll be posting more of 'The Challenge' soon hopefully,

 

Thanks for reading!

Halloween (Born Pretty Review)

Okay, so I finally got around to posting my HALLOWEEN nails. So late. I sowy!
I did two designs in the end, one minimal and sophisticated, one more creative and playful.
I would also like to take this opportunity to review my first product from the Born Pretty Store, so if you haven't already, please read my Disclosure.

On with the nails! Here is the first, more sophisticated design;

 

For the base on my index and middle finger, I used Nail Girls -Matte Grey. I used Sinful Colours -Innocent for the other three. And created the stripes using a striping brush.

 

The spider webs are water decals, also from the Born Pretty Store. The round neon studs are also from BPS, but these arn't the ones I'm reviewing today, look out for one in the future!

 

My review is on;

 

 

This stunning silver skull stud. I recieved five pieces in the package, which doesnt seem a lot, but you wouldn't want to use more than two in a mani, because of their size. I suppose it might be better to have an even number, so you can have the same number on each hand, but this isn't a major problem.

I added one to this mani;

 

 

 I have quite narrow nails, so the skull looks even bigger, however, it did stay on very well. My nails are also quite curved, so its hard for large studs to stay on, but these did a pretty good job (with plenty of glue).

 

Overall I think these are a great addition to any manicure, and are suitable for many types of nails. I would say save them for special occasions though, because they can catch on things when you do everyday tasks.

 

You can pick up these studs here, for only $1.99!

Remember to use my 10% off code when you buy ANYTHING from the Born Pretty Store;

 

 

What do you think of the studs?

 

Do you like the 'sophisticated' halloween look I created?

 

Look out for my second halloween look, and more reviews!

 

Thanks for reading!

Challenge #4 -green.

Gosh I am SO bad at this!!

So everyone has finished the 31 day challenge, meanwhile I am still on DAY FOUR.
Life has been so hectic, but I promise I have loads of posts lined up, so watch this space!

Finally, here is my green entry. I bought this beautiful mint-jade colour from a random shop on the highstreet, for about 20p! Great bargain.

 

I added a few leaves because I feel like I've neglected hand-painted nails for a while. I used acrylic paint and a nail art brush.

 

As you can see, I added some gold studs from the Born Pretty Store, to finish off the mani. I am also delighted to announce my new partnership with them! Reviews will be coming soon!

 

Use my code BASQ10 for 10% off sitewide!



 

Thanks for reading! Check back for more posts soon!

 

I will post my Halloween inspired nails tomorrow!

 

 

Challenge #2 -orange.

Hi everyone.

Basically I love the colour orange, and I think it can look really beautiful, especially if it is used subtly. So to use hints of orange in my design, I decided 'the waterfall' pattern would work best. This is something I wanted to try for aaages, ever since I saw it on the wonderful Nailasaurus blog, by Sammy. Here is what I came up with;

 

I think it turned out pretty neat, what do you think?

I added a plain orange accent, paired with a Born Pretty Store stud, to complete the mani.

 

I'm really proud of my recent photography, I got a new Canon camera, which is now my baby, haha.

 

What do you guys think about my version of Sammy's waterfall?

(I hope I did it justice)

 

Did any of you come up with an orange mani?

 

Keep your emails coming, I love hearing from you!

And as always, thanks for reading :)



Challenge #1 -red.

Hellooooo there!

I told you I wouldn't keep up with this challenge! Trust me, in life I am late too everything. This won't be a very long post I'm afraid, but I'm busy, busy, busy.

As I am sure you are aware, the first challenge is the colour red. I am not a fan of plain red polish on my own nails at all, it just doesnt sit well with my skin tone, no matter what shade, which is unfortunate as I do love the colour red.

I therefore got inspiration from one of my favourite characters - Disney's Minnie Mouse! I created this simple, but hopefully effective mani;

 

I wanted to add polka dots to the gradient nails, but I decided to just keep it simple and save the polkas for polka day ;) Here is my thumb nail;

 

 

 

(You may have spotted my new watermark, what do you think?)

 

 

Did any of you create your own red designs? How did they turn out?

 

I shall post my Challenge #2 (orange) soon, hopefully I can find time!

 

Thank you!