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 #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!!

I AM BACK! -Ciaté Day 2

Hello all!

My sincerest apologies that it has been so long!! I have been so busy doing my A Levels I've barely had time to sleep never mind blog. But I'm back now, and will continue my Ciaté reviews, so without further ado...

The second polish of the collection is a deep red creme;

This is the first creme I've tried and the application was smooth and full coverage was achieved in just 2 coats.

This polish is quite pretty, though not very original, there are many like it. I paired it with gold to give it something extra. It isn't very glossy, which was a little disappointing as this dried very slowly. Overall a pretty little red, but nothing special if you've already got a good collection.

What do you think?

As always thank you so much for reading, especially if you've stuck with me through my prolonged absence!

I vow to post much more regularly, if not every single day for the next few weeks.

Loves xo

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!

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 #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!

Green and Nude

 

Hi everyone!

Today I have a post inspired by some 'cut out' nails that I have been seeing all over the blog world.
I decided a lovely fresh green would look good over a nude base, as I hoped to rekindle the summer lovin' that has been lost in the UK due to crappy weather. This is what I came up with;

I decided to go over the green with a matte top coat, as I liked the smooth look of it all. For the accent I added black pointed studs, which I recieved from a friend a while ago. I like how mechanical it looks, while still being fresh.

 



 

I coated the nude in a glossy top coat, which I LOVE the effect of, it makes them look like little nail windows.

 



 

If you want to know what I used for this look here is a visual;

 

 

 

It kind of reminds me of the little alien creatures from Toy Story! I think it's because of the green :)



What do you think of this look?

Have you tried glossy and matte in the same mani?

Thanks for reading!

Belated Gradients!

And a very belated hello to you guys!

I have been so busy getting things sorted with my blog and it's still not finished! Hopefully it will be done soon so I can write more posts for you :)

Anyway, todays post is some nails I threw together in honour of summer! I love how the colours bright pink and turquoise go together, so I thought I would mash them up in a gradient, and this is what I came up with;

To create this look I used the gradient technique. I used;

• Sinful Colours -Cream Pink
• Jessie's Girl -Mermaid's Lagoon
• A cocktail stick and blending sponge.
• A disposable plastic surface (to blend colours), I usually use a freezer bag.
• Black acrylic paint and a stud (optional -for the accents).

Here is a visual of what you need to recreate this;

I am often asked where I get all my polishes from, and if I want anything specific, the best place to look is Amazon or Ebay. For general colours at extremely discounted prices, my favourite place is probably Fragrance Direct, as they sell big brands for low prices, but they generally stock older shades.

I know it has been done a million times but I have been also asked over and over to do a gradient tutorial, and I never got round to it. So here it is finally, just a simple photo tutorial, for my way of doing a gradient.

Step 1 - Apply base coat and tape up edge of nail to minimalise spill.

Step 2 - Put base colour and second colour side by side on a plastic surface.

Step 3 - Mix colours with cocktail stick until it is preferable.

Step 4 - Pick up colour with sponge and lightly dab onto nail until satisfied. Apply as many layers as needed, as long as the previous one is dry.

Step 5 - Top Coat and clean up! (I use a nail art brush dipped in pure acetone)

The best tip I can give you is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! :)

So there you go, simple but effective! I also added a design to my ring finger using black acrylic paint applied using a nail art brush, which can both be found in ordinary craft store. I also added a stud to my pinky (applied to tacky nail and sealed with a layer of top coat), which can also be found in art stores, but my go to spot is usually the Born Pretty Store if I cannot find items elsewhere.

I am quite pleased with this look but again, I think I am in need of more practice myself!

What do you think of this look? What colour combos do you always go for?

Thanks for reading lovlies :)