Valentines Nail Art Tutorial

Valentines day is just around the corner, so I thought I would spread a little love with a valentines themed nail art look.

What will you need?

To create a similar look yourself, you will need red, white, pink & pink glitter polishes, a dotting tool and some top coat.

The shades I used were Illamasqua Throb (red), OPI's new Hello Kitty Super Cute in Pink (pink), Avon Matte white polish and Essie Fashion Flares (pink glitter). 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in the pink polish.

Step 2: Next, first taking white onto a dotting tool, create a heart on the ring finger nail. After this has dried, take the red polish onto a dotting tool and fill in the centre of the heart, leaving a thin edge of white.

Step 3: Onto a dotting tool take the white and red polishes in turn and create dot-to-dot lines horizontally along the little and index finger nails. Place the pink glitter polish onto the middle finger nail.

Step 4: Once everything is dry, add a layer of topcoat to each nail to seal everything into place.

And there you have your manicure all ready for Valentines day!

Do you have any plans for Valentines day?

Happy Nail Art-ing!

Sam x

Black & Gold Geometric Nail Art Tutorial

I create a lot of geometric nail art looks, so I thought I would give this one a metallic twist.

What will you need?

All you will need to create this look yourself is polishes in black, nude and gold; a dotting tool and some striping tape.

The polishes I used were Illamasqua Monogamous (nude), Avon Matte Black (black) and Essie Leggy Legend (deep gold). 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in a base of the nude polish, aside from the ring finger nail which should be black.

Step 2: Take three pieces of striping tape and create a triangle on the ring finger nail. Fill in the gap using the golden metallic polish.

Step 3: On all other nails place some striping tape horizontally across the nail and fill in the gaps using a mixture of the black and gold polishes.

Step 4: Finally, again using striping tape, create a triangle from the cuticle of the index finger nail down to the tip and fill in with the gold polish. Finish off with a layer of top coat on each nail.

And there you have a black & gold geometric nail art!

Do you have any metallic polishes? I would love to hear your favourites!

Happy Nail Art-ing!

Sam x

Blue & Green Tile Nail Art Tutorial

I always choose girly pink and purple shades, so today I thought I would mix things up and use some blue and green hues to create this tile nail art look. This design was inspired by the very talented Wondrously Polished. 

What will you need?

To create this look you will need 4 blue & green polishes, some striping tape, a dotting tool and some top coat.

The polishes I used were Illamasqua Cameo and a limited edition green polish, Essie Bell-Bottom Blues and Avon Magic Effects in Turquoise. 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in a base of white polish. I used a matte polish to speed up the drying time.

Step 2: Take around 4 pieces of striping tape and place them horizontally on each nail.

Step 3: Taking each of the coloured polishes in turn, create small squares, leaving a thin white gap between each.

Step 4: Finally peel off the striping tape to reveal your design and paint a layer of top coat onto each nail.

And there you have your tile nail art design!

What are your favourite nail varnish shades?

Happy Nail Art-ing!

Sam x

Pink & Purple Striped Nail Art

With the Christmas Nail Arts parked to one side for another year, I thought I would see in the new year with a bright design using some of my favourite shades.

What will you need?

All you will need to create this look is a white polish, 4-5 pink & purple shades, some striping tape and a dotting tool.

The nail varnish shades I used were Avon Magic Effects Polish in Matte White, Avon Gel Finish Polish in Lavender Sky, Illamasqua Polishes in Stance, Seance and Fire Rose.

Step By Step Tutorial

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in a white polish and leave to dry completely. I used a matte white polish to speed up the drying time.

Step 2: Take some striping tape and place several pieces evenly across each nail.

Step 3: Taking each polish in turn onto a dotting tool, carefully add the polishes in the gaps between the tape.

Step 4: Remove all the striping tape to reveal your design and paint a top coat onto each nail to seal everything into place.

And there you have your girly striped nail art look.

Happy New Year!

Sam x

Phee's Makeup Tips Eyeshadow Review

If you haven't heard of Phee you must go and check out her Instagram! Phee creates amazing makeup looks and has recently launched her own makeup line - a range of loose and pressed pigments all handmade in Sheffield. Take a look at her full range here.

After having them on my wish list for a long time, I treated myself to 3 of Phee's pressed eyeshadows. The shades I went for were Shinx (foiled copper), Moreish (foil finish gold) and the Original (pressed glow highlight).  

When using a flat dense brush, the eyeshadows pick up perfectly, allowing you to create super pigmented looks. If I had to pick a favourite it would be Moreish, as the bold foil gold finish is like no other eywshadow I own and was a top pick of mine this Christmas and New Year!

To create the look below, I used Sphinx on the outer corner of my lid and slightly through the crease, blending out with bronzer. I also added Sphinx under the eye. I pressed Moreish in the centre of my lid to create a spotlight of gold and added the Orginal in the inner corner/tear duct area to create a pop of highlight and open up my eye. 

I would definitely recommend having a look at what Phee has to offer in her makeup range. At just £6.50 per shadow you can't go wrong. I am so impressed with what i've used so far and can't wait to see what Phee has coming out in the future!

Sam x