Christmas Tree Nails

So today I attempted Christmas tree nails, and I love the result! 

They were so simple to achieve (though a little time consuming), and they just make me feel so festive! I saw the idea for these on Pinterest and knew that I would have to give them a go.

I used Missha Lucid polish in a light glittery cream for the base, and Revlon's Matte Suede in Emerald City (933) for the tree.

 

 

Unfortunately I didn't have gold stars, so I used holographic silver for the tree toppers (which were very difficult to capture on film). I used gold hex glitter and a holographic red/green hex glitter for the baubles. It's difficult to tell from the photos but the red/green glitter is so funky, it's transparent red when not in direct light but bright glittery green when the light hits it.

 

Of course I put on every individual piece of glitter on with a toothpick, that was definitely the most time consuming part.

I topped it all off with 3 coats of Seche Vite. (Which is new and which I love! Wow I feel like a real nail blogger now... :P)

All in all lots of fun to do and I'm super pleased with the result. I have some more thoughts for Christmas nails over the coming weeks so stay tuned for some more funky festive nail art soon!

Cirque du Soleil Crackle!

So I went to see Cirque du Soleil's OVO in Sydney, and I decided I needed some funky nails for the night! I thought rainbow might be fun for the circus, and decided on a black crackle finish just to spice it up a little.

 

I used Australis Black Crackle for the crackle top coat (which I love, its surprisingly easy to work with for a fast drying crackle), and The Face Shop polishes for the base colours. From thumb to pinkie: PP401, BL602, GR502, YL702 and RD302. Such catchy names.

I didn't use a top coat, because I love the two different finishes the crackle and the colour base give off. Its difficult to see in the pictures, but in real life the crackle has a slightly matte finish while the base colours are glossy, which looks really cool. Adding top coat glosses the whole thing, and takes away from the look for me.

I apologize for the dodgy pictures - I was in a rush to get ready and leave for the show! I found it difficult to capture the colours correctly, and resorted to using two light sources in an epic rush to take pictures.

Oh and in case you were wondering - OVO was even more spectacular than I had imagined it would be. For much of the performance I had to periodically remind myself to close my damn mouth, I was literally sitting in amazement the entire time. For me, Cirque du Soleil turned back the clock to a more innocent time, when I was young and believed that anything was possible. It was funny and beautiful and mesmerizing and a joy for both my eyes and my ears.

So I suppose you could say I didn't dislike it.

BlueNote begins Christmas nails

So it's December (for those of you that didn't notice) and although I'm months behind stores in Christmas decorating, I thought I would ease into the holiday season with a very mildly Christmassy mani. For those of us in and around Sydney, we've finally had a little bit of a break from the scorching weather, and I couldn't be more pleased! It's been far too hot for me to sit in the sunroom and paint my nails (a small windowed room separate from the main of the house, where I'm banished to while painting nails - my partner can't stand the smell), so my nails have felt naked and exposed for a few days now. They're finally dressed and ready to begin decorating for the holidays!

I used TT Tips & Toes #70, a gorgeous jelly red. I used 2 coats and added gold cosmetic glitter and Australis too coat.

I had been planning to do a glitter sandwich, but I just loved the red and gold together, it feels so festive without being over-the-top Christmassy.

I attempted to do a sort of gradient glitter, except on my feature nail which was all glitter. The gradient didn't turn out as well as I hoped but I still really loved the finish!!

 

Funnily enough, when I first bought this polish I was really disappointed because the finish on my nail looks nothing like the deep glossy red in the bottle. After 2 or 3 coats though it is absolutely beautiful, it's Not as dark as the bottle but it has a super glossy but slightly sheer finish. It reminds me of red cellophane! This is definitely going to be getting a lot of use during the holiday season!!