Not Halloween It's Adventure Time!

Happy Halloween!

I'm the first to admit that I don't actually like this particular 'holiday', I struggle to get into dressing up and I hate horror films! So a scary themed party is not exactly my idea of fun.

 

However this year I am going dressed as Fionna the Human for Halloween! Fans of Adventure Time will know what this means, but for those of you who haven't seen the show, it's a cartoon on the Cartoon Network channel about a load of colourful characters who have essentially evolved from the items which survived the end of the world as we know it. Cheerful huh? Finn is the last of the human race, and Fionna is his female counterpart in a series of character written fan fiction in the show. I've probably confused you now, so on to the nails!!

 

Each nail represents a different character, from thumb to pinkie it's B-Mo, Jake the dog, Finn the Human, Lumpy Space Princess and Gunther the Evil Penguin.

 

I started by doing the base colour for each nail, again in that order I used China Glaze Towel Boy Toy, a yellow from George @ Asda, China Glaze White on White, a purple from George, and China Glaze Liquid Leather.

For the details I used a combination of dotting tools and a striping brush.

Once dry I topped it all off with a coat of Seche to seal them, and then a coat of OPI Matte to make them really pop! I think the matte really helps the whole cartoon character aspect.

Unfortunately I didn't seal my thumb first (learnt from my mistake!) so B-Mo's poor face is all smudged :(

 

Hope you like these, I'd love to see what you all have done for Halloween so feel free to leave me a link and I'll check them out!

Bx

 

 

 

Omg

Today I have a review of something a little different – nail strips!

I was approached recently by OMG Nail Strips and asked to review some of their nail decals. Firstly, I was just happy to be asked! Secondly, once I had a look at their website I decided there were definitely some designs there that would appeal me. So I agreed.

I’ll be honest; I have never ever used nail strips before. I love painting my nails and creating designs and have never been drawn into the world of decals. However some of these designs are so fabulous I would never be able to replicate them, and who am I to shy away from trying new things!

From OMG Nail Strips you receive 14 strips (2 sets of 7 different sizes) for $7.99 and currently you can receive 5 for $25 with coupon code "5pack" or 10 for $45 with the coupon code "10pack".

How to do:

To begin with, the pack suggests you soak your nails in warm water then moisturise. I didn’t do this, I just applied them right on top of my nail envy I already had on. I guess this only really makes a difference to wear time, as they claim they last for up to 10 days, so they probably won’t last that long for me!

I found that the variety of size was surprisingly good – I’ve always thought my nails were the wrong shape for nail strips but I was wrong! Four I could fit perfectly to my nails, for my middle finger I did to trim slightly with nail scissors as the sizes remaining were all too wide or too narrow. Awkward middle finger being awkward! As long as the edges fit right down the sides of the nail it should be fine.
Once you’ve ensured that the strips are the right width for your nail you feel off the clear top layer, then carefully remove the backing. This can be quite fiddly, and be careful not to roll the sticker back on itself (which I did. A lot.) as they are really sticky! Place the top of the strip right down against the cuticles and smooth out.

You should be left with a lot of excess at the tip. To get rid of this you simply take a nail file, hold it so the blade is horizontal, flat against the nail, and gently file at the strip until it comes away. You can also use this technique around the sides of the nail if you’ve overlapped onto your finger. (which I did. A lot. You can see a trend here can’t you!)

Once finished, the instructions recommend that you swipe lightly with a little bit of nail polish remover as this helps melt the strip onto the nail. I forgot, and I just finished with a few coats of Sally Hansen fast drying top coat.

Overview:

I was quite surprised by how much I like having these on my nails! They took around 40 mins to apply, which isn’t much more than me painting my nails – less than if I try nail art! – so I can definitely see the appeal in using nail strips. Although they were rather fiddly they weren’t too difficult to use, not more so than a dotting tool or a striper brush! I think that although I’m a polish girl at heart it will never hurt to have a few of OMG’s fab designs in my stash – I’m very much looking forward to trying out my Christmas themed strips *spoiler!

OMG Nail strips are available at http://www.omgnailstrips.com/nail-polish-strips or you can check out other pics and reviews on their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/omgnailstrips

DISCLAIMER: I was provided these items free of charge to review on my blog.

 

 

A Jolt of Pink Volt!

Today I have a VERY pink pink for you!

This is the gloriously cheap and cheerful Pink Volt by Maybelline, part of the Megawatt Superstay Gel polish. It’s not every day you find such an intense pink.

This polish is thick in the best kind of way, easy to work with and applies easily with the wide brush. It is super pigmented so you could easily wear with one coat. I gave it two but only because I’m fussy and could still sort of see nail line if I held it up against the light. They aren’t kidding when they call it Megawatt Gel either, I’ve never personally had gel nails, but this has an almost cartoonish level of shine, a permanent white reflection of shine down every nail which didn’t fade.

Pink Volt fairly held it’s own in the wear and tear category too, lasting a full week (I only removed it because I’m impatient and wanted to try something new) and I only re-tipped one nail because it’s a weak nail and bent.

To summarise, I was very impressed with this polish, perhaps coming from such a massive brand like Maybelline I shouldn’t be so surprised but when I got it on 3 for 2 in Boots it hardly broke the bank to add a heavily pigmented, hard wearing super-pink to my collection.

Bx