Wimbledon Inspired Nail Art Tutorial

With the Wimbledon championships in full swing, I thought it was about time I created a nail art look inspired by tennis. The two main colours of Wimbledon are green and purple, so I incorporated these into my design, as well as creating a saran wrap nail art for the first time (which was a lot trickier than I first thought!!). As always I have put together a step-by-step pictorial, so if you want to find out how I created the look below keep reading...

All you will need is nail varnish in dark purple, light purple, bright green and white; some cling film, a top coat and a dotting tool.
I used Barry M 'Vivid Purple', Rimmel 'Ultra Violet', Collection 'Look At Me' and Illamasqua 'Scorch'. I also added Seche Vite 'Dry Fast Top Coat'.

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: To begin I painted all nails in the bright green shade. I changed my design half way through the nail art, so you actually only need to paint the thumb, middle and little finger nails in green.

Step 2: Next, once the green base has completely dried you can create the 'Saran Wrap' nail art. To do this take your dark and light purple shades in turn and place a small amount onto a scrunched up piece of cling film. Then quickly transfer this onto the nail, pressing the cling film lightly over the nail until you spread the colour as you desire. 

Step 3: Next I painted the ring and index finger nails in the dark purple shade and left this to dry.

Step 4: Taking a large dotting tool create circles over the nail which will be the base of the tennis balls.

Step 5: Using the white nail varnish on a dotting tool, carefully create 1-2 white lines over the tennis ball.

Step 6: Finally, once everything is dry you can add a layer of top coat to each nail. This will seal in the design, even out the nails and prevent chipping.

And there you have the Wimbledon inspired nail art!

Have you been watching Wimbledon? Who do you want to win? 

Happy Nail Art-ing!

Sam x

Subtle Summer Floral Nail Art

I do have a big love for bold bright nails, however today I thought I would create a more subtle look perfect for any toned down events you have coming up this summer!

I used all Barry M nail paints: Gelly High Shine 'Rose Hip', 'Hologram' glitter and 'Matt White'.

I began by painting Rose Hip all over the nails. Next I took Matt White onto a dotting tool and created the flower and polka dots. Taking the hexagon glitter pieces individually on a dotting tool, I pressed these into the centre of each flower. Finally I finished off with a top coat to seal in the nail art and give a bit more shine!

What do you think of this nail art look? Do you have any events you will be creating a nail art look for this summer?

Sam x

The Perfect Hair Trio: Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatments

I'm sure that I am not alone in the search for hair products which will one day make my hair as long as Rapunzel's and add a splash of hydration, to apologise for the colouring and straightening I put my hair through! So when I recently made a trip to Boots and found this lovely trio, which claim to protect and boost hair growth, I thought I would give them a try.

My love for the products doesn't just end at the barbie pink packaging, after washing my hair with the 'Hair Growth Shampoo' and leaving the  'Hair Growth Treatment' in for approx. 5 mins my hair is left feeling so conditioned and silky smooth, as well as smelling divine! Add the 'Poker Stright Flat Iron Protection Shine Mist' into the equation and your hair is definitely up for a fight when it comes to combatting the nasty side effects of hair straighteners. After using these products for around 2 months I have definitely seen an improvement in the health of my hair, which in turn has helped it to grow that little bit longer.

If I had to choose one of the trio to be my stand out favourite it would have to be the 'Hair Growth Treatment'. I like to use this product in the style of a deep conditioner. The thick, rich and creamy consistency glides onto the hair and is really quite a treat! I only wish the pot was slightly larger, as I finished this way before the other two products and only got about 10 washes out of it.

Priced at £7.99, £6.99 and £5.99 these products are not as cheap as some other treatment methods. However I am so happy with the benefits of this product on my hair and I will definitely be making a repurchase when they are back on 3for2 in Boots!

With all of this in mind I would definitely recommend these products if you want to invest in a slightly more expensive treatment, which is sure to give your hair a health kick and help in your childhood Disney dream of becoming Repunzel!

Have you tried any of the Lee Stafford hair products before? Which hair products do you love to help look after your hair?

Sam x

Ombre Dogtooth Nail Art Tutorial

You may have seen my previous dogtooth nail art tutorial, however today I wanted to try something a little bit different and create an ombre background to my dogtooth design. I love ombre as I feel it makes a nail art look stand out from the crowd, although I have never ever tried out a vertical ombre, so that is exactly what I did today! If you want to find out how I created this look keep reading!

What will you need?

All you will need to create this look is two variations of your favourite shade (I chose pink), a black nail varnish, a top coat, a dotting tool and a small make-up sponge. I used Illamasqua nail varnish in 'Obsess' & 'Boosh' and Collection nail varnish in 'Dynasty'. 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by creating the ombré on the base of your nails.

Step 2: Next take a black nail varnish onto a dotting tool and create square shapes all over the nail. 

Step 3: Again using the dotting tool and black nail varnish create the tails/lines of the dogtooth pattern. 

Step 4: Finish off with a layer of top coat on each nail to seal in the design

And there you have your ombré dogtooth design!

What do you think of this design? If you are heading to any festivals over the coming summer months why not give this a go yourself!

Happy Nail Art-ing!

Sam x

Nail Vinyls: Bright Chevron Nail Art Tutorial

So I think I'm a bit late jumping onto the nail vinyl wagon, however I only recently discovered them when I was browsing through an amazing blog by Madison 'Fundamentally Flawless'. Previous to this discovery I would always create a chevron nail art by taking individual pieces of thin nail art tape and zig zagging them over my nails (whoops!). After receiving my order of the chevron nail vinyls yesterday I couldn't wait to use them!

You can get 100-300 of the chevrons depending on how much you want to spend. I thought I would give them a whizz first and see how I got on so I ordered 100 for only $5 which is just under £3. I will definitely be ordering more because I LOVE them and would love to try out some of the other designs such as the half moons and single chevrons. 

I created this bright design using the nail vinyls and if you want to find out how I created it keep reading...

What will you need?

All you will need is a white nail varnish, three other nail varnish shades of your choice, chevron nail vinyls and some small gems. You will also need a small sponge. I used Illamasqua's UV nail varnish in 'Omen', 'Seance' and 'Ouija' and Avon Nail Experts in 'White'. 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting the middle and ring finger in white and the small finger, index finger and thumb one of your other shades. I also added a fast drying top coat over the white nails. Make sure you leave them to dry for at least 15-20 mins!

Step 2: Next take the nail vinyls and apply them to the white nails. I used three on each nail and found them easier to apply using tweezers. 

Step 3: Next take your three nail varnish shades and using a small sponge press these onto the nail, over the top of the vinyls. 

Step 4: Remove the vinyls straight away and paint a top coat onto these two nails. Then one by one paint a top coat onto the other nails, pressing gems on top as you go. 

And there you have your bright chevron nail art design!

If you want to get your hands on some nail vinyls take a look here. Don't be put off by them coming from the US if you live in the UK as they were super speedy and arrived on my door stop in no time!

Have you ever used nail vinyls before? What looks have you created with them?

Sam x

Double Polka Dot Nail Art Tutorial

A polka dot manicure is one of the easiest nail art designs to create and I regularly find myself grabbing my dotting tool in a rush and quickly adding some polka dots to an other wise simple, one colour manicure. Today I went for a double dot nail art look, which is just as easy as the standard polka dot design to create.

What will you need?

All you will need is a white nail varnish, along with three variations of your favourite shade (so I obviously chose pink haha!). You will also need a dotting tool and if you don't have one of these a toothpick or the end of a hair grip works just as well!

The nail varnish shades I used are Graffiti Nails 'Butterfly Pink', Barry M 'Rose Hip', Avon Nail Experts 'White' and Avon Gel Finish 'Parfait Pink'. 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in white and leave this to dry.

Step 2: Next using the three shade variations on a dotting tool, randomly place dots all over the nails.

Step 3: Again using the dotting tool and the three shade variations, add smaller dots into the centre of each dot you created in step 2.

Step 4: Once all nails are dry take a top coat and paint a layer onto each nail. This will even out the nail and seal the nail art into place.

And there you have your double polka dot nail art tutorial!

What do you think of this nail art look? Have you created any nail art looks recently?

Happy Nail Art-ing! 

Sam x

Summer Neon Nail Art Tutorial

In true summer spirit I have gone for a bright neon mani! I had my nails done at the weekend and had them painted in China Glaze 'Flip Flop Fantasy', which not only has a great name but it is a fab bright coral polish. I couldn't resist but do a nail art look with this as a base colour, so lets get into it...

All you will need to create this look is a bright coral, white & black polish and also a dotting tool. This look is super easy and quick to create, taking me just 10 mins!

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint your nails in a bright coral shade and leave to dry completely.

Step 2: Taking the white polish on a dotting tool, create the flower petals on the thumb, middle and little finger nails and add polka dots to the index and ring finger nails.

Step 3: Next taking the black polish, again on the dotting tool, create small dots in the centre of each flower.

Step 4: Once all the above steps are completely dry you can add a top coat. This will seal in the nail art and make your nails last that little bit longer!

And there you have your bright neon summer nail art!

What do you think of this nail art design? What nail art looks will you be creating this summer?

Happy Nail Art-ing!
Sam x

Summer Bronze Make-Up

I think it's fair to say most people love a bit of bronze in the summer and a bronze shimmer make-up look, paired with tanned skin, is one of my favs to create at this time of year. A shimmer eye paired with a bright lip is the perfect summer combo for either a summer day-time or evening look, and combine this with bronzed skin to create the perfect summer glow.

I began this look by creating a bronze shimmer eye and here is a step-by-step tutorial for the look along with all the products I used...

Step 1: To begin I applied Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Permanent Taupe' to the lid to prime the eyes.

Step 2: Next I went in with 'Twinks' eye shadow from MAC all over the lid and also under the lower lash line.

Step 3: Then I took 'Woodwinked' from MAC on a blending brush and put this lightly through the crease and under the eye.

Step 4: To create more shimmer on the lid I pressed 'All That Glitters' from MAC into the centre of the lid. I also took a bronzer just above the crease to add further definition. 

Step 5: Next taking 'Wolf' Powder Eye Shadow from Illamasqua I used an angled brush to blend this into the upper and lower lash line to define the lashes that little bit more and create a smokey effect.

Step 6: Finally to finish of the look I added a few coats of mascara to the lashes. 

And there you have your bronze shimmer eye look!

To create a full face look I used Bourjois 'Delice de Poudre' Bronzing Powder (also known as the chocolate bronzer) to add definition under the cheek bones and topped this with Illamasqua Powder Blusher in 'Lover. I also used Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Soaked to add a bright splash of colour to the lips. 

What do you think of this make-up look? What are your favourite looks to wear in the summer?

Sam x

Watermelon Nail Art Tutorial

I am back with another nail art look and today I wanted to do a simple nail art. As I was browsing through Pinterest I came across some watermelon nails which gave me inspiration to do this nail art. As always I have put together a step-by-step tutorial for those of you wondering how exactly I created this look.

What will you need?

You will need nail varnish in the shades barbie pink, light green, dark green, black and white. You will also need a dotting tool and a small nail art brush.
The nail varnish shades I used are Collection 'Look At Me', Barry M 'Shocking Pink' and Illamasqua 'Omen', 'Boosh' and 'Scorch'.

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in the barbie pink shade and leave to dry. 

Step 2: Next taking the white nail varnish, add this to the tip of each nail.

Step 3: Using the light green shade, pain over the white tip, leave a small stripe of white showing at the bottom.

Step 4: Taking the dark green shade on a small brush, create stripes over the light green tip.

Step 5: Next, take the black nail varnish onto a dotting tool and create the pips just under the white stripe.

Step 6: Once all steps are dry, paint a layer of top coat over each nail to seal in the nail art design.

And there you have your quick and easy watermelon nails!

What do you think of this nail art look? Have you created any nail art recently?

Happy Nail Art-ing! 

Sam x

Graffiti Nails: Swatches and Review

You may not have heard of Graffiti nails as they are a relatively new nail varnish brand. Graffiti nails were set up with the help of the amazingly talented Alice from the nail art blog One Nail To Rule Them All. There are currently 13 shades in the collection, as well as a top and base coat. I was very kindly sent 3 of the shades to review - Mellow* (lemon yellow), Butterfly Pink* (coral pink) and Pistachio* (mint green).

I love the square shaped bottle and the lid can be pulled off to reveal a round lid, making it easier to apply the polish to the nails. I found all three nail varnishes super easy to apply neatly onto the nail and two coats was sufficient to create an opaque base. All three shades had a shine finish, however I did apply a top coat in order to add extra shine.

So onto the swatches....

Mellow:

Pistachio:

Butterfly Pink:

At just £3.99 per bottle you can't really go wrong and when you purchase 3 or more postage is free! The only negative thing I have to say about the polishes is the smell. They smell quite cheap which is a bit of a shame, however this is only a small thing and I can't wait to combine these shades into a nail art look very soon! You can check out the full range of Graffiti Nails here.

What do you think of these shades? Have you tired any of the Graffiti Nails?

Sam xx

Double Darkness Eye Make-Up Tutorial

I put a photo up on my Instagram earlier this week of a double darkness eye make-up look and it went down very well. Therefore I thought I would produce a step-by-step tutorial on how I created this look.

Creating a dark smokey effect in the inner and outer corners of the eye is something I am seeing more and more people create, as well as being a look I love to wear. All you need to create this look are a selection of eye shadow shades, including at least one dark shade. You will also need a range of brushes to help you apply and blend the shadows effectively. To create my eye I used the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, applying the four shades shown in the image below...

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: To begin I applied my foundation and defined my brows. You may want to leave out finishing off the skin with blusher etc. until you have finished the eyes, just incase you get some fall down.

Step 2: Taking 'Limit' from the Naked 3 palette, I applied this all over the lid and under the lower lash line.

Step 3: Taking 'Factory' from the Naked 3 palette, I placed this into the inner and outer corners using a small brush and blended this upwards into the socket. 

Step 4: Next taking 'Blackheart' from the Naked 3 palette, I darkened the inner and outer corners of the eye further. To define the contrast of light and dark further, I then took 'Strange' from the Naked 3 palette and pressed this onto the centre of the lid.

Step 5: This wouldn't be an 'insamazement' eye look without a flick of eyeliner, so next I took the Maybelline Gel Liner and applied this to the upper lash line, flicking it out at the corner of the eye.

Step 6: To finish off the look I coated my lashes in mascara. 

And there you have your double darkness eye look!

To finish off the look I applied a neutral look using Illamasqua Lip Colouring Pencil in Fantasy.

What do you think of this make-up look? Have you ever created a double darkness eye make-up yourself? I would love to know your thoughts so please comment below.

Sam xx