Hard As Nails...

Or, the lazy girls guide to nail art!

I did blog a while back about the trend for nail art. Well, since that blog, I think that nail art has taken off in a bigger way than anyone really imagined it would. I've seen intricate Christmas scenes, Easter bunnies, spots, stripes, and all manner of wonderful art forms adorning nails across the country. Nice. But, what if you are like me, and can't do nail art to save your life? Or simply don't have the time to do these sorts of manicures?

Thank god for Barry M, and their crackle nail effect polish. Simply paint your nails with a desired under colour, and leave to dry. Then paint over them with the 'crackle' effect, and exactly like it says on the bottle, watch as the paint magically cracks to reveal a funky take on an otherwise normal manicure. It took me a while to discover this product. I'd heard of it, seen friends wearing it, but didn't actually buy it till not long ago. Why you ask? Well, in all honesty, I'm not quite sure! I think I was a little sceptical at first as to how well it would work. However, after finally trying and buying, I do wish I'd invested in a pot sooner.

Seeing the success of the black crackle effect, Barry M have since diversified their 'nail effect' line, and have brought out a white version of the crackle, a magnetic effect polish, and a denim style effect, to name just a few. In times of recession, having nice nails is an in-expensive way of bringing your looks bang up to date. The crackle effect polish, priced at around £3.99 really is budget beauty. 

The only thing I would advise, is a clear top coat over the top really makes the colour 'pop', and the manicure last much longer than it would do normally. 

Over the past few weeks, I've been charting my love affair with this polish. I've used it on top of a variety of colours so you can see what it looks like. Below are some of the results of my experiments:

So, if you haven’t already invested, why not add some ‘snap, crackle and pop’ into your next manicure? ;-)

Until next time lovelies x

Hard As Nails...

The Strictly Come Dancing Edition!

I love Strictly Come Dancing. Nearly as much as I love painting my nails. Ballroom dancing has been given a modern make over with a host of sexy profession dancers, (ooooh Artem!) some spectacular costumes and clever routines. I also love Len Goodman simply because he is such a darling! This may sound really old fashioned and a bit sad, but I would absolutely love to learn how to ballroom dance! Who knows, maybe Santa will grant my wish this year? 

I associate Strictly with winter. Winter equals Christmas. And Christmas equals lots of glitz and glam. Yes, at Christmas it is the only time of the year where it is acceptable to look like a disco ball. I decided to take a little bit of glam to my nails. My latest Avon haul included this glittery top coat so I decided to experiment with colours to paint underneath it. Black sprang to mind simply because I thought it would make the glittery top coat stand out so much more than say a red or a purple. You can also buy the same top coat but in a purple or a gold colour. Too shop the collection, click here. 

I used my trusty Barry M black for the first coat. After painting my nails I left them to dry and then painted the glittery top coat on. What a difference it made! My nails sparkled and glittered, and brought a bit of a change to an otherwise simple manicure. I got a few compliments from people in work too. Let’s face it; it's always nice to have a compliment or two! Brightens up my day anyway :-)

The only thing I would say about this top coat is that it is a devil to remove! So be prepared to scrub your nails to get this polish off!

You can experiment with any colour as the first coat - it gives a nice winter sparkle up any manicure. I shall defiantly be using it again and again to make my nails glam ;)

Don't forget to also put base coat on - you don't want to stain your nails.

Until next time lovelies x