Posts about: nail art tutorial
30/06/2015
this nail art is perfect for disguising chipped nails! when my polish starts to wear at the tips I reach for some tape and do a simple colour block design to hide any damage...
16/01/2014
when it comes to nail care I'm a little bit of a geek.
I try to take good care of my mitts so I put aside a hour or so each week to indulge in a pampering session (yep it gets pretty darn girlie up in here..)
I had some new products to try from fragrance direct including this cute cowshed manicure set so I was looking forward to putting this through it's paces.
- first up file your nails and get rid of any sharp edges.
- you'll need to soak your nails next, add a few drops of the cowshed manicure oil to the warm water and dip your hands in for a few minutes.
- dry off your hands, apply the cuticle oil and leave to soak in. take the orange stick and gently push back your cuticles (if you have cuticle scissors now is the perfect time to trim them but don't go overboard and chop off half a finger, those scissors have a mind of their own sometimes)
- apply a liberal amount of hand cream and pop your hands into the moisturising gloves (ideally overnight) but an hour or two will do the trick.
- follow up with nail strengthener and polish if required!
I also doused my hands in this burts bees beeswax and banana hand cream, this stuff smells AMAZING. I've used quite a few burts bees hand products including their cuticle balm but this hand cream has topped them all as it's so scrumptious, seriously I could eat it. it's thick, creamy and perfect for overnight soaking! delicious aroma aside it leaves my hands nice and soft (currently residing on my bedside table so I can pop it on before I hit the pillow)
the cowshed set includes the cow pat hand cream, cuticle oil, orange stick, nail file and most excitingly a pair of white moisturising gloves (yep, I've wanted some of these bad boys for AGES!)
the cuticle oil is really good, as it the hand cream which is very quickly absorbed (I hate greasy feeling hands so this is a huge plus for me) I really recommend this set especially if you don't have many nail care products as it has all the basics you'll need for a quality pampering session and my hands felt princess smooth afterwards.
I love the moisturising gloves but I have been warned by the boy that if I sport them to bed I will be forcibly removed and forced to sleep on the sofa (I'm going to have to resort to sneaky late night moisturising tactics..)
it's compulsory to finish off any manicure session with a large helping of hot chocolate, lashings of cream and a sprinkle of marshmallows.
because all that urmmm calcium is good for your nails right??
caroline x
24/07/2013
my inner child loves fruity fingers so I decided to paint some strawberry nails at the weekend!
I thought I'd share the tutorial with you as it's quite easy and a fun option for summer (I hope you'll try them too!)
start off with a red base coat, I've used my go-to va va voom red, the gorgeous models own red alert, this polish has a great formula and only requires 1-2 coats (if you're looking for a classic red this is the one!)
once dry you'll need to paint on the strawberry leaves, I've just used the corner of nail polish brush but you can also use a nail art pen/brush to do this.
lastly you'll need to add some white dots to suggest the strawberry seed pattern! I used my white models own nail art pen but you can use a small dotting tool! slightly drag down the circles of white polish so the shape becomes more like a teardrop.
seal with polish and you're good to go!
I hope you like them!
back soon
caroline x
06/07/2013
wowza it's been a while since I first painted this nail art... an oldie but a goodie!
I figured that some of you wouldn't have seen these (I first painted them just over a year ago here) I never posted a full tutorial and I wanted to show you how I did them!
I've used one of my all time favourite colours models own beth's blue as the base. the formula of this colour is crazy good- I'm wearing just one coat in the photos below.
so here's the steps I've used! first start off with the base colour and leave to dry
next use a white nail art pen to draw a white circle, dab small dots around the edges to create these 'cloud' shapes above.
next use a dotting tool to add a small dot of a light and dark pink to suggest flowers, then dot on greens to suggest leaves.
finish off the design by adding tiny white dots in a circle shape around each flower centerpiece (it's important to space out your design so you have enough room to do this!)
seal with topcoat and enjoy....
I hope you like them! back soon!
caroline x
10/03/2013
hello OTT nails!
forgive me. sometimes I just can't resist sticking on some shiny bling.. call it magpie syndrome! I felt like trying a darker colour with some stones as I usually opt for pastels and ice cream colours!
a lot of people ask me where I get my decorations from; the truth is I pick them up randomly when I see them on these eBay and amazon shops! a few pound here and there and all of a sudden you have yourself a sparkly collection just asking to be played with!
once I've painted my nails I get my stones out ready and apply a coat on cleat polish to one nail and attach the stones into the wet surface (top tip; pop a tiny piece of blue-tac onto the end of a cocktail stick to pick up the tiny stones) repeat one finger at a time and seal everything with at least 2 coats of top coat to seal!
there's a million and one ways to use these stones so this is just an idea for you guys!
hope you like them!
caroline x
10/01/2013
I've been having a pre spring love affair with pastels but today I decided to va va voom my nails with a bright splash of colour!
firstly can I say it's godammn hard to find a primary yellow nail polish! after raiding a few shops I finally found a maybelline yellow that was a close match to what I wanted, I'm not crazy about the formula it took 4 coats for full coverage but beggars can't be choosers!
once I had the yellow base I dabbed on red alert and feeling blue from models own and drew on the rough outline with my black nail art pen to finish.
this is quite a simple nail art and doesn't have to be perfect (especially on your tricky other hand aha!) plus it's a favourite of mine as there's so many variations depending on the colours you pick (this one is definitely my andy warhol inspired choice!)
ps. don't forget to seal your efforts with a good top coat but be gentle with your strokes or you'll risk blurring the pattern.. grrrrr!
anyhow I hope you like them, I'll be back with another nail art next week!
back soon kitty kats
caroline x
20/12/2012
hello guys! a quick post today (I'm busy wrapping my fingers up in yards of sellotape and wrestling non square presents into wrapping paper... joy)
I was asked my the lovely people at US magazine maniera if I could come up with a nail art tutorial incorporating their colours of black and gold. I had a lot of ideas but I was really swayed by the idea of gold leopard print, not only is it a easy style but the metallic base also makes them a great option for festive parties this month!
I've used models own gold rush for the base (this is my all time favourite gold nail polish!)then simply apply white dabs over the nails and once dry outline with a black nail art pen!
you can read the full tutorial in the magazine here
I hope you like them! I'll be back with more nail art later this week (spoiler alert... it's christmas trees!) and some other bits & bobs so stay tuned!
big love
caroline x
14/12/2012
well I couldn't do a christmas nail month without painting some snowmen..
so here's my latest festive offering; frosty the snowman eat your heart out!
I decided to just paint one nail today and have some snowflakes thrown in as well, but you can paint as many as you like! I think I'm going to try out some christmas tree nails at the weekend (earlier this week I went to buy a real tree and decided that I had to include them in my xmas nail party!)
so here is the basic step by step you can follow!
first off I painted a base of beth's blue from models own and then got out my nail art pens for the following details..
that's it folks!
hope some of you try them! (I've loved seeing your penguins & reindeer's pictures so far!!)
back soon gang!
caroline x
07/12/2012
here's my next festive nail art instalment.. some little penguins!
not as difficult to paint as my last set reindeer nails but equally cute I think these are an easier option if you want to get your christmas on but don't want to spend an age painting your nails!
I did these really quickly so they're not as neat as I would have liked; the overall effect is still pretty cool and I definitely recommend giving these a go!
I've photographed the basic steps to help you along..
paint a black base coat, I've used models own black magic.
once it dried I painted on the white belly with models own snow white and added two eyes!
now you need to use a dotting tool or nail art pens in black and yellow.
use the black to add two circles to finish off the eyes, using the yellow add a small triangle for the beak and two little feet.
seal with top coat... voila penguin nails!
back again with more christmas nail art so follow me & stay tuned for more tutorials!
ho ho ho :D
caroline x
20/11/2012
I've been a fan of heavily embellished nails for a few months now. I wanted to incorporate my love of the baroque trend with the current fashion for 3D nails.. hence these totally over the top nails were born!
possibly not the most practical nails but definitely fun and perfect for all those festive parties we've got coming up (I'd wear these with a little black dress and lots of gold toned arm candy!)
so the main base for these is a beautiful gold polish from models own called gold rush. I actually wore this a lot last christmas and it's still perfect shade for autumn/winter glamour.
you may want to invest in a nail stud and gem kit for this; the one I've used is from misguided and has a great selection of studs, pearls, caviar and gems.
start by applying your gold base and leave to dry; now it's time to build up your textures! using a drop of clear polish as glue secure a selection of pearls, gems and studs to the tip of your nails.
build up the 3D effect by scattering some gold caviar balls around the gems and fix on some additional rhinestones with clear polish. once you are happy with your embellishment seal everything with two coats of clear top coat!
I hope you like them!
caroline x
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12/11/2012
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I love fair isle knits, I have at least three in my wardrobe and recently bought some pj's that are so festive and cosy they inspired me to paint my nails too...!
this nail art only requires a one colour and a white nail art pen, I used my all time favourite by models own called red alert its a brilliantly vibrant pillar box shade that's perfect for festive nails.
after applying a base coat of red alert I used my pen to draw on the lines and patterns (if in doubt paint hearts, snowflakes or diamonds these are commonly found in the patterns) they're just like painting aztec nails but with a more winter theme to them!
one quick sweep of top coat.. you'll have the cutest autumn nails in town, kapow!
hope you like them!
caroline x
07/11/2012
this is a really simple nail art! I wanted to try out some more autumnal gradients so I came up with this rather vampy red & black combination.
if you're not very experienced at nail art gradients are a great place to start; it's just a simple sponging technique and lots of fun!
- I started by painting the red base coat; I used american apparel lipstick lacquer here.
- once dry take a piece of sponge and paint a few heavy strokes of black varnish on the tip.
- dab the sponge on the tip of the nail several times to blend; taper the colour upwards.
- finish with a clear topcoat, this will smooth over the polish and give a nice shine.
all done! (if you want to see a full tutorial on gradient nail techniques see here!)
it's that simple! hope you like them!
caroline x
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05/09/2012
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in case you haven't noticed I love to paint my nails, it's a teeny (alright huge) obsession of mine. sometimes my nails can't cope with the constant removing and re painting regime I put them through and get into a rather flaky and damaged state!
when this happens I love to give them a bit of TLC. I cut, file, buff and moisturise the living daylights out of them and give them a coat of two of clear strengthening polish.
then I paint over them once again aha!
I love glitter nails (even if they are an absolute sod to remove!) I really like this manicure as the glitter tips actually give my worn down weak tips some extra protection and strength (whilst looking delightful)
It's a very simple manicure, I used one of my favourite models own polishes utopia which is a gorgeous pale pink with a hint of lilac. once this is dry I shake out some assorted glitters and mix them together, paint half of your nail with clear polish and then use a sponge to dab on the glitter.
I got my tubes of glitter from hobbycraft but you can use glitter nail polish if you like (I just enjoy mixing up up my own!)
hope you like it!
caroline x
28/08/2012
have you noticed galaxy print tee's, leggings and vests seem to have taken over the high street?!
I've taken this inspiration for my latest nail art. I thought I'd share it with you as it's surprisingly easy to do yourself!
first paint a dark base coat, most people would use black but I have a really dark navy from models own and I opted to use that instead. now pick an assortment of colours, I went for blue, yellow, pink, orange and white.
now take a small piece of sponge, you'll be using this to dab on different rainbow colours for a cosmic pattern on your nails. get dabbing, you can be totally ramdon here!
using a toothpick or dotting tool dot on a few white dots to suggest stars. you can seal with a clear topcoat or for an even better effect use a clear glitter polish!
what do you think? hope you like them!
caroline x
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