Mermaid Nail Art Tutorial

Im back with another nail art tutorial and today I created this mermaid nail art look. I always sit down on a sunday afternoon and do my nails and today I wanted to create something glittery and mystical, so this was the final creation! As always I have put together a step-by-step pictorial for you, just in case you wondered how I achieved this final look/ want to recreate it yourself!

What will you need?

To create this look you will need nail varnishes in dark green, blue and purple as well as a fine glitter varnish and a black. You will also need a top coat, a sponge and a very small dotting tool.
Just in case you were wondering, the nail varnish shades I used are Collection 'Show Off' & 'Bongo Beat'; Barry M 'Vivid Purple'; Illamasqua 'Boosh'; Rimmel 'Glitter Top Coat' and Seche Vite 'Dry Fast Top Coat'.

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint all nails in a dark green shade.

Step 2: Taking your blue nail varnish on a sponge, create an ombre effect 2/3 of the way down your nail.

Step 3: Again using the sponge, this time with a purple nail varnish, create another ombre effect 1/3 of the way down the nail.

Step 4: Using the glitter nail varnish apply this over each nail. I applied slightly more near the tip of the nail.

Step 5: Take the black nail varnish onto a dotting tool and create the scales over each nail.

Step 6: Finally once all your nails are dry, go in with the top coat over each nail. 

And there you have your mermaid inspired/ fish scale nails. 

I hope you like this nail art look! Let me know in the comments below what you think, I love reading all your comments! 

Happy Nail-Arting! Samantha xx

Sugarpill Brush Set

The lovely Shrinkle who owns Sugarpill Cosmetics kindly sent some of her brushes to Illamasqua HQ and I was lucky enough to take some home to try (for those of you who don't know I'm currently interning at Illamasqua Head Office)! I have always wanted to try something from Sugarpill as I have seen many amazing artists using Sugarpill products in their make-up looks and application.

Sugarpill offer 4 brushes in their range and these are the Precision Eyeliner Brush, Lip Brush, Large Eyeshadow Brush and Tapered Blending and Crease Brush. At first sight I was in love as they are a candy pink shade and the bristles are super soft! I put each brush to the test when doing my make-up this morning so here are my first thoughts ...

Large Eyeshadow Brush:

By looking at the brush I was quite daunted at first due to the large size and thickness of the brush, however these worries were suppressed after using the brush. The large width of the brush means it covers the whole lid and is perfect for patting on the base shadow of your eye look. The brush also picks up a good amount of product making it easy to apply a colour to the lid without fall down. 

Tapered Blending and Crease Brush:

As the name suggests this brush is perfect for blending shadows into your crease. What I loved about this brush is it didn't pick up too much product. This then meant I could go into the crease area and create a seamless blended look, applying more shadow until I reached the desired shade. This brush would be perfect when creating a smokey eye as it will blend out darker shades beautifully, without leaving harsh lines. 

Precision Eyeliner Brush:

Creating a perfect flick is something which I am obsessed with at the moment, and a flick of eyeliner along the top lash line is something I am constantly adding into my make-up looks. The dense bristles on this brush make it easy to create a neat line above the lashes. Also the fine point on the end of the brush makes it super easy to thin out the flick as it comes to an end. 

Lip Brush:

I am not normally one to use a lip brush to apply my lipstick as I normally apply straight from the bullet. Like the Precision Eyeliner Brush the bristles on this brush are quite dense and therefore I found it quite hard to apply my lipstick without dragging. Therefore it was better to use the brush to pat lipstick on. This isn't one I would use on a daily basis, however I can imagine its create for creating an ombre lip, or to tidy up the edges of your lipstick!

You can buy these brushes in a set on the Sugarpill website for $68 (which is just over £40) or individually with prices ranging from $16 to $20! These are quite pricey but they are great brushes and you would be supporting a young independent colour brand. The brushes are also vegan and cruelty free. Therefore they are made from synthetic hair, making them easier to clean and overall more hygenic. If I had to pick a favourite brush I would probably say the Large Eyeshadow Brush, as I have never used a brush like it before and it is therefore unique to my collection. 

Have you tried any products from Sugarpill before? I definitely want to try some of their eyeshadows and pigments as the colours look amazing! Which of these brushes do you like the look of? I would love to know your thoughts so please leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading! Samantha xx

Tie Dye Glitter Nail Art Tutorial

You all know how much I love my nail art, and as always one of my weekly tasks in my free time is creating a new nail art look. Today I created a sponged, tie dye effect over the nail with a glitter stripe down the centre. If you want to find out how I created this look keep reading...

What will you need?

To create this look you will need around five shades of your choice, a glitter polish and a top coat and base coat. I kept to pastel shades with a champagne shimmer. You will also need a sponge and some striping tape.
The nail varnishes I used were Rimmel 'Sweet As Sugar', 'Ring A Ring Ó Roses' and 'Tangy Tangerine'; Barry M 'Mint Green'; Illamasqua 'Harem' and 'Trilliant'; Orly base coat and my brand new Seche Vite 'Dry Fast Top Coat' (which I LOVE- see my mini review below!).

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint the base of your nails in a reasonably light shade, to ensure that the colours you sponge over the top stand out. 

Step 2: Take each shade one-by-one and song randomly over each nail until covered.

Step 3: Take your striping tape and place in two vertical lines. Depending on how wide you want your glitter stripe to be depends on the width you space the tap apart. 

Step 4: Take your glitter polish and apply in the gap of the two pieces of tape.

Step 5: Remove the tape and once nails are dry apply a top coat. 

And there you have your nail art look!!

I just want to quickly tell you about my love for Seche Vite top coat. I purchased it this weekend, after seeing many positive reviews from my favourite nail bloggers and can completely understand the rave around this product. It applies to the nail beautifully, and is perfect for nail art as it does not drag polish. Also the product claims to be fast drying and it really is! I applied the top coat to each nail and after 5 mins max my nails were 100% dry, with no risk of denting or smudging. I would highly recommend!

What do you think of this nail art look? I would love to hear what you think and any nail art designs you have been loving so let me know in the comments below!

Happy Nail-Arting! Samantha xx

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Review

So this weekend I got a beauty buy I have wanted to get my hands on for a long long time. The Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette received a lot of hype after it was released just before Christmas last year and was sold out for a long time. However I waited patiently and now have my hands on the palette which I think is one of the nicest palettes I have tried.

So lets start with the packaging. I love the embossed effect on the outside of the packaging and with the palette being super light weight for its size, it means its great for packing in your bag for a weekend away! The only downside is I find it quite hard to open, however I'm sure this will become easier as I use the palette more and more.

The shades are what make this palette for me. I love the rose gold shades and a berry eye is one of my favourite looks at the moment. How ever the gold shades, deep purples and browns mean you can create many different looks with this palette, with great colour pay off. Out of the the 12 shades in the palette there are only 2 mattes, however these two shades are perfect to use in the crease, so for me this isn't a downside to the palette.

The palette puts you back £37, which may seem like quite a lot to spend at once. However when you break it down to each eyeshadow, this makes them just over £3 each, which I think is great! You also get four primer testers. I haven't tried any of these yet, however I have heard amazing things about Urban Decay primers, so I am expecting great things! 

For me the shades blend perfectly and are great to create a sultry smokey eye. My three favourite shades in the palette so far are Buzz (pink with a rose gold shimmer), Nooner (mink matte shade) and Blackheart (deep purple/brown with flecks of gold and pink glitter), however I'm sure my favourites will chop and change depending on my current favourite look to create as all the shades are beautiful!

One of the very first looks I created with the palette is the one below. I used the two matte shades Nooner and Limit in the crease; Buzz, Liar and Trick over the over the lid and under the lower lash line to add some shimmer; and finally Darkside and Blackheart in the outer 'v' area to define the eye. I finished off the eye with a flick of Gel Liner and some Mascara to open up the eye. I have had this eye make-up on all day and it hasn't budged, so that's another thumbs up from me!

I love love love this palette and can't wait to create more looks with it! Have you tried the Naked 3 Palette, or any of the other Urban Decay Palettes? This is the first Urban Decay Palette I have purchased, and I'm sure it won't be the last! Which are your favourite shades? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading, Samantha xx

Disco Ball Nail Art Tutorial

I am back with another nail art look, and with the sun shining today I was feeling painting a pastel shade on the base of my nails. I have seen lots of amazing nail art where glitter pieces are placed individually on the nail to create a fish scale look. So I thought I would try this popular design myself and I am quite happy with the outcome!

What will you need?

All you will need for this nail art look is a nail varnish in the colour of your choice for the base, various coloured glitter polishes, a top coat and a small nail art brush/ tool to pick up the glitter pieces.

The nail varnish shades I used are Illamasqua 'Harem' & 'Top Coat', Barry M 'Rose Quartz Glitter', 'Pink Sapphire Glitter' & 'Hologram' and Models Own 'Ibiza Mix'.


Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint all nails in a base colour of your choice.

Step 2: Pick up each piece of glitter on a nail art brush and place neatly onto the nail. I began at the base of my nail, placing them into the gaps as I went up to the next row.

Step 3: Carry on placing the glitter up the nail until the whole nail is covered.

Step 4: I then repeated step 2 and 3 on my index finger too!

Step 5: Paint a thick coat of top coat over the glitter nails to ensure that the glitter pieces are sealed into place and do not chip off.

And there you have your finished look! I love how this design almost looks like a mix between fish scales and a disco ball. I am really happy with the colour glitters I chose and I think its nice to have as many glitter shades in there as possible (I think I had around 7 different coloured glitters).

What do you think of this nail art look? What nail art looks are you loving at the moment?

Happy Nail-Arting! Samantha xx

Minnie Mouse Nail Art Tutorial

I don't like many cartoons, but like most girls when I was young I LOVED Disney! A while back I created quite a simple Minnie Mouse nail art look, but this time I wanted to make it slightly more detailed. I'm not going to lie, this nail art did take me around 2 hours, with the bow taking up the most amount of time. I am really pleased with the outlook so I really wanted to share it with you! As always I have put together a step by step guide and if you don't want to spend so long on a nail art look you can always simplify the bow slightly.

What will you need?

So what will you need to create this nail art look? I used nail varnish in light pink, dark pink, beige, black and white. I also used a base and top coat, dotting tools in several sizes and a very thin nail art brush.
The nail varnishes I used were Illamasqua 'Top Coat', 'Boosh' and 'Scorch'; Bourjois 'Rose Satin'; Nails Inc 'Porchester Square' and Barry M 'Shocking Pink'.

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint your nails in a layer of base coat.

Step 2: Paint all nails in the light pink shade. I applied 3 thin coats to ensure the base of the nails was opaque.

Step 3: Taking the dark pink shade on a dotting tool, create the bow shape just above the centre of each nail.

Step 4: Next, take the white nail varnish, and a very small dotting tool, add polka dots to each nail.

Step 5: Taking the black nail varnish on a thin nail art brush, outline the bow and create the outline of Minnie's face.

Step 6: Using the black nail varnish again, this time on a dotting tool, fill in the area around the bow and the face.

Step 7: Next use the beige shade on a dotting tool to fill in the face area.

Step 8: Using the black and white nail varnish for the final time, create the eyes at the tip of the nail.

Step 9: Finally once all nail varnish is fully dry, add a top coat onto each nail. This will seal the nail art into place and prevent the nails from chipping for slightly longer.

And there you have your Minnie Mouse nails!

What do you think of this nail art look? I would love to know your thoughts so leave a comment below and let me know!

Happy Nail-Arting! Samantha xx

'Berry Smokes' Make-up Tutorial

I really enjoyed creating the step-by-step tutorial on how to stop your eyeliner smudging, so I thought I would do another tutorial style make-up post. I have been loving a berry eye recently, and with Rita Ora creating a gorgeous purple smokey look for the Grammy awards adding a purple pop on the eye has become very popular. With all of this in mind, I thought I would share with you how I create a berry smoke on the eye, so here it is...

What I used to create this look:

To create the berry shades I use Maybelline colour tattoo in Pomegranate, Illamasqua Complement Palette and a shimmer cube quartet from The Body Shop. I also like to add a flick of Maybelline Gel Liner and Seventeen Blow Out Mascara. To apply all these products to the eye I would be no where with out my trusty brushes. In this look I used an Illamasqua Blending Brush, Smoulder Brush and Fine Liner Brush and Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and Shading Brush!

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: I began by applying my foundation and defining my brow.

Step 2: Next I took Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate on my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and washed this over the lid.

Step 3: Next I took the dark berry shimmer cube from The Body Shop on the Real Techniques Shading brush and took this onto the lid and under the lower lash line.

Step 4: Next using my Illamasqua Smoulder brush and the Illamasqua Complement Palette, again I took the berry shade and ran this under the lower lash line and through the crease. I then took my Blending brush through the crease to blend out any harsh lines.

Step 5: To blend this out further, I took my bronzer onto the Blending brush and ran this around the crease area.

Step 6: Next using Maybelline Gel Liner on a Fine Liner brush, I created a flick to frame the upper lash line. I also took this lightly in the waterline. 

Step 7: Finally I added Seventeen Blow Out Mascara to both the upper and lower lashes to finish off the look.

And there you have it! My berry smokes eye make-up look!

I hope you have enjoyed this make-up tutorial style post, let me know what you think in the comments below! Have you been using any berry shades in your make-up looks?

Thanks for reading! Samantha xx