Stripy blues...

Hi lovelies! Heck, this past week and a half has been AWESOME and scaaaaary at the same time! Firstly, me and Dean got Foo Fighters tickets! WHAT?? YES! I am so damn EXCITED! They are one of my all time favorite bands and I am in the clouds! But even better than that, after being engaged to Dean for over 3 years, we have finally decided on a wedding date and a venue! And we booked it! BOOKED IT PEOPLE! It is finally happening! Happy spazzes!...and stress. Lots and lots of stress.  The date is only next year March but I am so nervous! Especially since we are going to try and make most things ourselves.  I am my own worst critic guys! AAAAAAAGH! Yeah, fun times...but I am marrying my best friend and that is awesome! Worth every single tear, drop of sweat and swear word.

I miss having a kitty...Source

Today I have a SUPER simple tape mani for you guys. It really doesn’t need any explanation so just enjoy the pictures. What I used in this mani was Avon Forget Me Not Blue, WOW Nail Polish #393 and striping tape.

Isn’t Avon Forget Me Not Blue absolutely squeal worthy?? It is probably one of my favourite blue polishes at the moment! For some reason it reminds me of Star Wars and R2D2...Hmmm...ideas!

Lots of mad love...

 

Watercolor Mani

Hi lovelies! I really hope I can get through typing this post today because DAAAAMN, my fingers are going to break off from frostbite! Apparently my brain has frozen too because I’ve been struggling for 10 minutes already just to write the intro to this post. See, I believe in the power of laughter so if I can get a smile out of just one person with my intro it already makes me feel better and I need all the “feel better” I can get right now! I don’t do winter and winter doesn’t do me! I’m OVER IT! I need my summer! I need my warmth! I need my healthy cuticles! I NEED MY SANITY! AAAAAAAAAGH! ...Okay, glad I got that out of my system! Let’s just all pretend we didn’t see that and move on!

Source

Today’s mani is a watercolor mani. This is a technique I don’t do too often because I always tend to overwork the colors, which then just makes it look messy but when I tried it with this mani I was kind of happy. The effect still isn’t perfect but I liked the different colors that I used together so I decided I will post the results.

I started by laying down 2 coats of Sinful Colors Snow Me White. I then placed a few small drops of China Glaze Spontaneous, Essence Vintage District Antique Pink and Sinful Colors Snow Me White (one at a time) on a small metal plate and added a bit of pure acetone to the drops, thinning them down to a watery consistency and covered random areas of the nail with the acetone and nail polish mixture and a thick nail art brush.

Like I said earlier, it didn’t come out perfect but I’ve already picked up a few things I will do differently the next time I try this technique. For example, I would thin my drops out a bit more and spread out the blobs over more area so the colors can mix a little better. With enough practice, I might just nail this look one day! *holds thumbs* 

Lots of mad love...

Neon Dots AKA UNICORN RASH!

HI GUUUUUUYS! *crazy two hand wave* Oh my word, I missed everybody and blogging so much! Sorry for my absence the past 2 weeks but I wasn’t feeling 100% myself and I don’t want to blog when I feel I can’t put my all into it. So I allowed myself to have a bit of a break and just smell the roses AKA play Xbox and watch Doctor Who and Supernatural! But now I’m back, I have some good material lined up and I have some great ideas for the future! To the future and new inspiration! *Ting of champagne glasses* 

 

I am pretty obsessed lately with shapes, patterns and neon so after a bit of scouting on Google I had an idea for a neon mani. Did the mani come out like I had in mind? Pshhh, no! Did I like it though? Well yes, yes I did! And it is such a simple mani! (like most of the stuff I do!) 

I started out by laying down 2 coats of Sinful Colors Snow Me White. Using a large sized dotting tool, I made randomly placed dots using Tip Top Nail Chic Solar Flare, Tip Top Nail Chic Sun Kissed, Tip Top Nail Chic Sexy Bikini, Tip Top Nail Chic Jazz Berryblue, Sinful Colors Amethyst and China Glaze I’m With The Lifeguard.  Then using the same colors as mentioned above,  Sinful Colors Snow Me White  and various sized dotting tools, I placed dots inside my dots (DOTCEPTION!). Then I finished it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat because from the sides, it looked like my nails had the most colourful rash ever! UNICORN RASH!!! 

Like I said earlier, I really liked this mani. Of course my camera hates anything neon-ish so it didn’t capture the brightness accurately but I decided to post it anyway. No point in wasting anything I can link back to unicorns, even if it’s a rash, right?!

Lots of mad love...

#BWB Review: Crabtree & Evelyn

Hi lovelies! Today I have something a little different for you. As some of you may have seen on Twitter, I am honored to be a part of an amazing group of ladies called Bloggers Who Bless or #BWB. To find out exactly what #BWB is about you can check us out HERE and while you're there, go have look around the site! The posts are always honest and helpful so it's definitely worth a read. Now and then I will be reviewing products for #BWB and it may not always be nail polish, nail art or hand care related but I will always try and make it as informative and entertaining as possible. So let's get on to my very first review...

After the first #BWB meet up in Cape Town, I got sent an AMAZING goodie bag which contained 2 gorgeous tubes of Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra-Moisturising Hand Therapy (Iris and Lavender). I'll admit, this was the first time I've heard of the brand but that is because I have been sleeping under a non-beauty-related rock for the past 24 years! After stalking the internet and the Crabtree & Evelyn website, I was ready to test this product and man, I was not disappointed!

First off, let's talk about the packaging. Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy comes in a beautiful tube that reminds me of all those little paint tubes that you always see in art supply stores and want to buy, even though you have no idea what you are actually going to do with it! This immediately had me feeling all giddy and excited because yes, I am that easily excited. It's the small things in life people!

The actual cream had a bit of a buttery feel to it when I first rubbed it between my fingers which had me a little worried as I don't like to use heavy greasy products on my hands during the day but this worry went away very quickly! After I rubbed the cream in, my hands felt soft, moisturized, smelled divine and absorbed into my skin with no effort! I'll admit, I fell pretty hard for this product because it's truly amazing. In fact, it now is the cream I use before I take my nail art photos for the blog because it makes my hands look so moisturized without looking oily. Out of the 2 scents I received, I preferred the Iris but that's only because I've never been a fan of Lavender scented products. The only downfall about this cream is the price tag. It is quite a bit more expensive than the average hand cream on the market but that being said, it isn't an average hand cream! At the moment I'm actually planning the heist I'm going to pull when this cream is finished because I want...no, NEED a lifetime supply of it!
You can keep up with Crabtree & Evelyn via Twitter, Facebook and also remember to go check out their website. 

Lots of mad love...

Flowery Animal Print

Hi lovelies! Today something shocking is happening...I do not have a lot to say! True story! Feeling a bit meh at the moment so not going to bore you with the details. Let’s rather get to the nail art!

I started with a base of Sinful Colors Snow Me White and stamped over it using Bundle Monster Plate BM-223 and WOW Nail Polish #393. Using a dotting tool I made simple flower shapes  with OPI A Oui Bit Of Red and China Glaze Recycle.

Much like this post today this mani is sweet and simple! I did love the look though. For some reason, animal print patterns as a base for other designs work pretty damn well! 

PS...Remember to go vote tomorrow, South African loves! GO GO GO!

Lots of mad love...