Tbt: Santa's Belt Nail Art

Another throwback to a previous design! This one is super simple and easy, it's this Santa's belt inspired look.

I used OPI's Big Apple Red, a super glittery gold nail art pen and a black nail art pen.

There will be more Christmas designs coming so be sure to be subscribed to my channel to be the first to see them! :)

Water Decals

I would say that water decals are one of the easiest ways to create intricate nail art designs on your nails, once you have figured out how to use them.

  

There are two types of water decals

Nail Art - detailed designs that are put on top of your chosen nail polish colour

And...

Full Nail - a patterened water decal that will cover your whole nail, leaving you with a similar look like many nail wraps or minx.

Check out my videos below to learn how to apply them!

Nail Art Water Decals

Full Nail Water Decals

And by the way, I bought mine from Amazon by a company called 'Viva La Nails' but if you just type in 'nail art water decal' and you will be spoilt for choice!

xxx

Cath Kidston Inspired Nail Art

I love all the gorgeous vintage inspired patterns and products from Cath Kidston and thought it would be really cute to create some nail art inspired by this.

Below are the patterns that caught my eye... (http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/c-1214-knitting-sewing-crafts.aspx)

And this is what I came up with...

I used Barry M's Blueberry Ice-Cream on all my fingers except for my ring finger which was Essie's Mint Candy Apple and then I used acrylic paint for the floral pattern. Watch my video below to find out how I created the design...it's easier than you'd think!

I also wore the design as just a ring finger manicure and everyone loved it! :) I even had to paint it for one of my friends that wanted it over the top of her Shellac manicure.

What's your favourite Cath Kidston design?

xxx

Quick And Easy Ombre

I am loving the 'ombre' look at the moment for hair and nails so thought I would make a quick little video to show how easy it is to achieve for your nails.

I chose to use 'Aqua Baby' by China Glaze and 'Mint Candy Apple' by Essie for mine but you can use any colours you think will look good together, you can even add more colours if you're feeling adventurous!
Apart from the polishes of your choice you will also need:
- Top and base coats
- Cosmetic Sponge
- Scrap Paper
- Cotton buds with polish remover (this can get a little messy)


This is the finished look, i think it's great to wear on its own or is a good starting point if you want to get a little more artistic and use it as a base for other nail art.

What colours do you love for your ombre look?

xxx

Nail Of The Day: Barry M Spring Green

This polish is about as bold as they come and definately makes a statement. There aren't many colours of polish that I won't wear but I think with my pasty white skin this may be where I have to draw the line! I guess you could say it's a kind of emerald green, or maybe a grass green? I think if I were to wear it it would have to be with some sort of nail art like some pretty white daisies.

For me, it's probably one more for the fancy dress box to bring out at Halloween though, what do you think? Could you pull this colour off?

xxx

Easy Spider Nails

Spiders will always creep me out, which is why I think that this is the perfect look for Halloween. It's super easy to do and I think it will look really effective.

The products I used were:
OPI 'Alpine Snow'
Nina Ultra Pro 'Lime Light'
China Glaze 'Ring In The Red'
Black Acrylic paint.

I started by using a make-up sponge to dab the flourescent green over plain, white nails to create a more textured effect. Then I used a dotting tool and tooth pick to create the spider, but I do think the spider will look cool on any background you decide, you could even add a web for him to sit on! I finished off by adding a sparkly red for the eyes, just so he glistened a little bit!


Watch my video below for steps on how to create this look.

Let me know what you think! :)

xxx

Scary Halloween Pumpkins

Pumpkins are always the first thing I think of when I think of Halloween, I love how spooky they look glowing at night so thought I would create some scary pumpkin nail art for Halloween this year! This is what I came up with...

I used a bright orange nail polish by Nails Inc for the base and black acrylic paint for the faces. If you wanted to make yours extra spooky you could use glow in the dark nail polish over the top of the faces!

Warning: Be patient and let your paint dry properly before you add your top coat or it will drag like it did on two of mine! :(  What's the first thing Halloween makes you think of?

xxx

Dexter Inspired Blood Splatter

One of my favourite TV shows is Dexter, so this October I thought I would do a Dexter inspired blood splatter nail art look as I think it will be a great look for Halloween.

It's really simple to do, I used OPI's Alpine Snow for the white base and for the blood splatter I dipped one end of a straw into Big Apple Red by OPI blowing through the straw to get the splattered effect on the nail. Be warned though, this can get very messy, so make sure you cover the table you are working on and I taped around my nails so there was less clean up to do!

I've linked my video below so you can watch how to re-create this look.

Have fun!

xxx

Indie Pattern Nails

So this design was a request from someone that watches my videos. Apart from the music I didn't know there was anything else that was categorised under the title 'indie' so I had a bit of a google sesh, and this is what I came up with!

I love this colour combination and the pattern kinda reminds me of a stripey jumper, lol! Watch the video below if you want to create these nails yourself!

Let me know if you have any requests :)

xxx

Chameleon Nail Polish

Happy 1st of October!

Whilst in Superdrug recently I came accross the new range of nail effects from Barry M, 'Barry M Chameleon Colour Changing Nail Effects'. The idea of this polish is that when painted on the nail it changes colour when a clear top coat is added.

http://www.facebook.com/ILoveBarryM

A long while ago I purchased a similar sounding thing by Jessica in the shade 'Cheap Trick' and although I absolutely LOVE the colour it ended up, to be honest, there wasn't a huge difference in the 'before and after', it just became a slightly deeper.

I decided I would give it a try as with all their polishes they are very good value (this one being only £3.99) so I chose the pink (which changes to purple) and I am actually very impressed! I like that they have managed to completely change the colour with the top coat rather than just make it a deeper or darker shade of the same colour and I love the colour that it turns into.

The one tip that I would note if you were wanting to use a clear top coat to add some nail art or create a fun french tip is that a clear top coat with a thicker consistency works a lot better. For some reason when I was playing around with it a thin top coat will work for covering the whole nail but if you wanted to add dots or stripes a thin top coat doesn't seem to change the colour a whole lot.

If you want to see how it works check out my video below:

Let me know if you have tried any of these and what you think!

xxx

Owl Nails

My most recent video is for these owl nails.

I love this look and think that it is really fun, it would work well as just a ring finger manicure and I think it would look great for autumn in a darker combination of colours!

Let me know if you try out these nails! :)

xxx

DIY Caviar Nails

Caviar nails seem to have become all the rage lately so I decided to create my own. These were first brought out by a nail brand called Ciate and as much as I have my eyes on their 'Black Pearls' set, I just can't bring myself to spend that money when there is a much cheaper way of re-creating the look.

Today, I decided to go for blue toned nails, these are the products that I used:

The tiny little balls are from Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beads-Bottle-2-8cm-height-CODE/dp/B005PMM6GE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344869809&sr=8-3

and the polish is a Barry M one called 'Blueberry Ice-cream'. I used a mixture of the two different shades of blue that I got in my set and the silver to make it look a bit more interesting.

Check out my video to find out how to create this nail look for yourself:

xxx

Pink Gradient Polka Dot Nails

Today I decorated my nails with these pink polka dots forming a gradient from dark to light pink.

It was really easy to do as all I needed was a dotting tool, a white polish for the background and 5 different shades of pink polish.

I have created a simple diagram so you can see which colours go where:

Or, you can watch my video:

Thanks for watching! :)

xxx

Nail Of The Day: Chanel Ballerina

Ballerina by Chanel is a very sheer creamy colour. I bought it after seeing someone else wearing it and thought it looked really pretty.

After using the polish myself I think the lady that I saw it on must have used quite a few coats of it as it didn't look this sheer on her nails. It does give your nails a nice healthy look but I don't think that it is worth the money I paid for it and they have gone up since then! I think they now retail at £18. If it was a slightly less creamy colour it could be great for a french manicure or if the formulation was slightly more opaque it could work as a nude-ish colour, but for me, it's not a colour I often reach for!

Do you think this is worth the £18 price tag?

xxx

Olympic 2012 Nail Art

It's the opening day of the Olympics and I have gotten into the spirit of things by creating a nail art design inspired by the 2012 logo and the Olympic rings!

These are the products that I used:

And here is the video if you would like to see how I did it!

What sports will you be watching this Olympics?

xxx

Nail Of The Day: China Glaze Sunset Sail

When I bought China Glaze's Sunset Sail I was after a nude polish, something like Essie's Topless and Barefoot but I was in Sally's and they don't stock Essie Polishes so I decided on this colour instead.

I would say it has a slightly peachier tone than Essie Topless and Barefoot and isn't a creme polish either with a  very sublte shimmer to it. Although I generally prefer flat, creme polishes, the shimmer in this one is so subtle I barely notice it's there and I feel like it just adds a bit of extra glossiness to the overall finish. I also think this is probably a better colour for me than the pinkier toned Essie colour and I love wearing it so much as I feel it makes my fingers look lovely and long! :)

What's your favourite nude polish?

xxx

Black Studded Rock Chick Nails

So I know that these aren't the most summery nails for this time of year but it has been cold and raining all day where I am and the dark colour fitted with the weather!

These black studded nails are really easy to do, just a tad time consuming...so if you're short for time, why not make it a ring finger manicure instead?!

xxx

4th of July Nails

I know I already did a video of an American flag last year but the quality of the video/lighting wasn't great so I thought I would film you all a new one :) I created a new design for this year.

These are the products I used: 

Hope you have a great 4th of July if you're in America!

xxx

Inverted Chevron Nail Art

Today I painted my nails with this 'Inverted Chevron' nail art, I chose two China Glaze colours; 'Purple Panic' and 'Frostbite'. I think the contrast of these colours really make this look pop! I also alternated the colours for a bit more variety.

Hope you guys like it! :)

xxx

Nail Of The Day: Essie Mint Candy Apple

For me, spring and summer is all about the pastels and bright colours and no-one does a pastel colour better than Essie. The perfect pastel colour is creamy, opaque, smooth when applied and doesn't have any sort of shimmer to it and Essie's Mint Candy Apple ticks all these boxes.

This polish is a beautifully soft turquoise, it reminds me of a duck egg blue, but maybe with the tiniest hint of green in it. I have very pale skin and think it goes with my skin tone really well without washing me out but I also think it would look lovely on darker skin tones too. It needs two coats of polish to avoid any streaks but leaves your nail completely covered and completely gorgeous!

Whats your favourite Essie polish?
xxx

Pretty In Pink For Prom

Prom season is coming up so I thought I would do some nails to suit. They're a shimmery pink gradient, are fairly easy to do and can be done in any colour. I chose pink as thats what I wore to my prom! :)

 Hope you have an amazing time if you have a prom to go to!

xxx

Top Spring Nail Polishes!

I love the fact that as the seasons change our wardrobes do too, including the colours we put on our nails. So I thought I would show you my choice of spring nail polishes! The spring is when I tend to put down the dark polishes and go for a lighter, more colourful look on my nails.

No7 Stay Perfect in Lucky Lilac - 50

 

 

This is a really pretty pastel lilac that I wore loads last summer but I think this is a gorgeous colour for this spring. It's a cream so doesn't have any shimmer and I like the fact that this one doesn't have a grey tone to it like I have found a lot of the lilac polishes to have but it's still very soft a girly.

Rimmel London 60 Seconds in 409 Coral Crush

I'm not usually a fan of shimmery polishes but with only a very slight shimmer this coral definately makes it into my top 5. I also love that although you can't see any glitter in it at first when it catches the light it really glimmers.

OPI in Italian Love Affair

 

This has been one of my favourite polishes for a couple of years now, you just can't go wrong with it. Another pastel colour but with a very slight pearl to it, this light pink is opaque so you get amazing coverage on your nail from it and I think it really elongates my fingers and nails.

No7 Speed Dry in Hot Pink - 40

 

A brighter colour that I will most definately be wearing all through the summer as well. I love that it's a nice, bright and bold hot pink but not flourescent so doesn't look too over the top to wear everyday. Again, this one is a cream so doesn't have any shimmer or glitter and would also look great on the toes too.

  

China Glaze in Material Girl

One of my new discoveries that I am addicted too. I recently showed this polish in a 'Nail Of The Day' post and have been showing it off ever since! 

xxx

Multi-Coloured Leopard Print Nail Art

As I had a few days off over the Easter Bank Holiday I decided to have a play about with more nail art and came up with this:

Multi-coloured Leopard Print!

I think it looks really fun and would be great for a fancy dress party or on just the ring finger for a colourful 'Ring Finger Manicure'

Here are the products I used and if you want to know how I created this look just watch my video below :)

Let me know what you think and I hope you all had a good Easter!

xxx

Nail Of The Day: China Glaze 'Material Girl'

I have just discovered this nail polish and am in love!

I'm not usually a fan of painting my whole nail in glitter polish especially after Christmas has been and gone but I think this has won me over. The mixture of different glitter sizes ensures that it covers the whole nail when two coats are applied like a normal polish, although you could just apply one coat over a coloured base. The gorgeous light, dusky pink colour also means that I'm not just going to be restricting this polish to the party season, it will most definately be one of my most used polishes this summer for finges and toes! What is your favourite glitter polish?

xxx

P.S. Love wearing glitter polish but hate how long it takes to remove it? Then check out my new video for a hassle free way of getting it off your nails!

Happy Chinese New Year!

 It's Chinese New Year tomorrow and it will be the year of the Dragon. In celebration I have made a nail art Design. If you want to have a go at creating this yourself it is on my YouTube Channel :)

And if you want to know what animal you are in the Chinese calendar have a look below for the year you were born in.

Rat – 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

Ox – 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

Tiger – 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Rabbit – 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987,1999, 2011

Dragon – 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

Snake – 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

Horse – 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1956, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

Goat – 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

Monkey – 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

Rooster – 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

Dog – 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

Pig – 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

xxx

Let the blogging begin...

Hi Everyone!

So this is my first ever blog post and I wasn't exactly sure what to put in the first post so I thought I would tell you a bit about what you can expect! If you have just managed to stumble across me on the Internet you may not know that I also have a YouTube Channel under the same name 'iBeautyBoutique' where at the moment I post mainly nail art tutorials. If you have just come from my YouTube channel then thanks for checking this out!

Although my YouTube channel is mainly about nails at the moment, I love everything involved with beauty and I thought that this would be the perfect place to share it all with those who are interested! So expect make-up, glitter, body lotions and potions that I love and anything else that has caught my eye recently!

xxx

P.s. I would love it if you had a look at my channel...it's just a click away! :)