Claire's Indie-esque Polishes...

Just a quick couple of swatches to post tonight...

I spotted these little beauties the other day when I picked up the Shell Manicure Set, they were £2.50... The blue (L3E08) has a mix of purple, navy and green glitter pieces and the nude/latte (L3E09) has a mix of white and black... I do wish they would name their polishes, what is up with that?! I have named them, the blue is Bubblemint and the nude is Cookie Dough... Done! How hard was that?!... They also had a pink which had a mix of silver, pink and purple; but I recently bought the Revlon Girly so left that pretty on the shelf. For these mani's I used three coats of each, they took that much to be completely opaque over the nail tips; of course you could always use a base but I like to layer up the glitter :) I finished them with the  Color Club Topcoat, this is fast becoming my favourite topcoat, its sooo shiny and smooth!

Color Club - Clear Topcoat, Claire's - L3E08 (aka Bubblemint)

Claire's - L3E09 (aka Cookie Dough), Color Club - Clear Topcoat.

MissLanage x

Shell Nails Manicure from Claire's!

I spotted this little kit in Claire's today, unfortunately I missed out on the £1 a bottle offer on polish over the weekend, but it does seem to have made way for some fresh stuff! Found a couple of lovely polishes for £2.50 which I will use tomorrow... And I got this little set which was £5 and comes in this pink or a mix of pastel shades.

I paired this little kit up with a pink Barry M favourite of mine, two coats over a base of 3 in 1. I then used the 3 in 1 again on the thumb, middle and pinky fingers before sprinkling on the shell... brushed off the excess and just patted down with the tip of my finger, I also used an orange stick to neaten around the cuticles. I then just poured the excess back into the bottle with the handy little funnel provided in the kit; which will also be useful for my caviar beads etc! I wasn't sure what I'd make of this look, I can't really say I've seen many shell mani's around?!... But I really like it! Will be keeping my eye out for other colours that may appear in Claire's. What do you guys think? Yay or nay to the beach being brought to your mani?? :)

Barry M - 3 in 1 & Dragon Fruit, Claire's Shell Nails Manicure Set.

MissLanage x

Stamping Sunday: Inspired by New Summer Dress/Swimmers!

Had a busy weekend of seeing friends and watching football so already it's Stamping Sunday... If you are a nail stamper and are on Facebook check out the group Adventures In Stamping, very friendly crowd :)

I don't have a new summer dress or swimming costume/bikini yet... holiday is booked for August so I haven't shopped for that yet and summer doesn't really happen in the UK, certainly not enough to require a new bikini hahaha!... So I have used my new summer blouse instead! I love it! Its a sheer pastel green sleeveless blouse with pretty white polka dots and gold buttons...

So for my nails I used two coats of pale green for my base, then topcoated before using a slightly sheer white to stamp the polka dots on. I love the quick result stamping gives you! I really must invest in some new plates this summer, I'm desperate for some new patterns... Finally I picked out a random number of spots on each nail to dot with a gold to represent the buttons and topcoated again. I was actually pretty happy with these :) Do they do my blouse justice???

Models Own - 3 in 1, Jade Stone & Snow White, Barry M - Gold Foil Effect, Cheeky Plate 6 (Vibrant Collection), Avon Dual Ended Nail Art Brush/Dotter.

MissLanage x 

Daisies with Color Club...

Late post today, I've been in my sick bed again... boohoo! There is soooo little to watch on daytime TV, I ended up tuning in to some coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show... I was inspired for today's mani! I chose a quick design as I was feeling so blah! But, it's still one I haven't done before :)

I started with three thick coats of the green to get the colour completely opaque, but what a gorgeous colour it is! That's why I didn't choose to do a base of a different green underneath, I do that with many sheer polishes, but not with any from the Take Wing collection because they are so stunning on their own; they also go on very well and dry shiny & smooth. So then I simply used a dotting tool to add the yellow centres first, more as a guide for spacing, and then added four white petals. I finished by dotting the centres with the yellow for a second time and adding a topcoat. I used the smaller end of the dotter for the finger nails and the larger end for the thumb nail. Makes me smile, which is ideal given how I felt... Perked up this evening though!

Colour Club - Fly With Me & Almost Famous, Boots Natural Collection - Nail Tip Whitener, Color Club Topcoat, Large Dotting Tool.

MissLanage x

Colorshow Wine Shimmer and Nail Art Stickers...

Today is the Weekly British Nail Blogger Round Up, so make sure you check out what the other ladies have been getting up to at the bottom of this post! :)

The polish I used for this mani was one I've had for maybe two months and still hadn't got around to even swatching, just like my Revlon Girly yesterday. (I always said I wouldn't buy more polish when I had some I hadn't tried... LOL... that quickly went out of the window and I have many, many pretties I haven't tried yet... But I LOVE them ALL hahaha). I saw a lady called Roxy had posted a mani using it on the UK Bloggers group and was inspired to try it out at last...

So I bring to you Wine Shimmer from the Colorshow range, I bought this on impulse because it just looked good enough to eat! I would say it has a fushia red gelly base with a holographic, super fine glitter. I used two thick coats to give this fully opaque cover, it dried super smooth but not as shiny as I would have expected from the look of it wet; after a quick topcoat it came back alive though! It's so, so pretty... I didn't want to cover too much of the lush polish so just popped on a couple of nail art stickers, these were another find in Poundland when I picked up the charms. Think I'll get some more given the price, I can then do some heavily embellished works!

Maybelline Colorshow - Wine Shimmer, Barry M - 3 in 1, Allura Nail Art Stickers (Poundland)

MissLanage x

Revlon Girly with Diamante Bows!

I fancied something pretty and girly in contrast to the bright and funky mani's of the last couple of days. My Revlon Girly seemed the ideal polish given the brief! I bought it a couple of weeks ago and hadn't got around to trying it. I went for this polish after being disappointed with the texture of the Barry M Sequins and not being able to get hold of the Nail Inc Sprinkles at the time, in fact I liken this one very much to the Nails Inc Topping Lane... but cheaper! :) I coupled this pretty polish with some diamante nail charms that I found yesterday in Poundland! Their stock of Sally Hansen polishes (among others) and nail art bits 'n' bobs has improved so much over the last couple of months. Get down to a store near you to grab a bargain!...

... So I did 3 coats of the sparkly goodness on the thumb, middle finger and pinky finger as the base is rather sheer. I then did two coats of the lilac colour on the index and ring fingers; I topcoated all nails with and then placed the bow charms on the lilac coloured nails. These charms have a curved back to them so they make good contact with the nail, even my slender ones, so they were quite secure once dry! Pretties!

Revlon - Girly, Barry M - 3 in 1 & Berry Icecream, Allura Nail Charms (Poundland).

MissLanage x

Monkey See Monkey Do Monday: Graffiti Nails!

Monkey See, Monkey Do time, with Crumpet's Nail Tarts, another Facebook group I enjoy. Today's mani was a beauty I spotted the other day by Alexis over at Glitter Tips, her blog is a source of endless inspiration to me! I hope one day my mani's equal hers! She had been inspired by a YouTube video to do this mani and I in turn, was inspired by her... The love spreads :)

This was a case of two coats of white for the base, followed by sponging on the various neon shades in combinations of pink/blue, orange/pink, yellow/green. I sponged each colour twice as these neons are pearlescent and slightly sheer. Next I applied a topcoat. Once the topcoat had COMPLETELY dried, I used my Barry M Nail Art pen to draw on the black detailing - zig zags in an explosion type fashion at the edges of the colours etc. This was the first time I've pulled out these pens even though I've had all of them for aaaages now; and what a joy this one was to use! A few pumps to get the inky polish down to the tip and away you go; the lighter the touch the thinner the lines :) Awesome product!

I was soooo pleased with how this turned out!!! Can't wait to get creative with these pens now! Here is a pic of the original, it was so perfect that I stayed true to the design...

***

Models Own - Snow White, W7 - Pearlescent Neon Pink, Orange, Blue, Yellow & Green, Models Own - 3 in 1, Barry M - Black Nail Art Pen, Makeup Sponge.

MissLanage x

Stamping Sunday: Over Skittles Base

I have been a member of the Adventures In Stamping group on Facebook for months now and haven't taken part in their Sunday Stamping Challenge for quite a while, but I am so on the case with my blog at the moment, that I am joining in with all sorts and enjoying it... My new nail room has made all the difference, it's my favourite place to be!... Back to the challenge, this week it was stamping over a skittles base; I have been wanting to use the full set of my Ice Neons for some time and this was the ideal opportunity :) I didn't bother with a white base, so two coats of the pink, purple and orange; three of the yellow and green. These polishes apply so beautifully, I love using them. I then pulled out the silver and a stars plate to finish off my look. Very summery! All I need now is some sunshine... and my nails to grow!... Please?! Hahaha...

Models Own - Bubblegum, Pink Punch, Luis Lemon, Toxic Apple & Pukka Purple, Barry M - Silver Foil, Cheeky Stamping Plate 5 (Vibrant Collection)

MissLanage x

My First Indies!!!

YAY! I am so excited to have received my first indies in the mail today; courtesy of a lovely lady on the UK Only Polish & Beauty Swaps Group :) I have been wanting some indie polishes for sooo long but the majority come from the US and are so hard to get hold of and ship; so the swap group is perfect for starters like me! Inside my package were the following lovelies, the Love Hearts were such a cute touch, I love them too!

KB Shimmer - Elle, Candy Lacquer - Sugar Skulls, (Swizzles Matlow - Love Hearts lol).

First off I went for the KB Shimmer which has a lovely sheer grey base with a mix of red, holo, silver and white hexes, both big and small. I really like the red pieces, not bright red, a lovely pale/pinky shade; just beautiful in the grey. I am a huge fan of grey nails on my fingers and toes so decided to stay true to the base with the Barry M Grey. Two coats of that followed by two of the Elle. I loved it like that... but then I had an urge to pop a matte top coat on the top and boy, I loved it even more! :)

Gloss

Matte

Barry M - Grey, KB Shimmer - Elle, Rimmel - Matte Finish Topcoat

Next up the Candy Lacquer - Sugar Skulls :) Love this! A mix of small pink, white, blue and yellow hexes; with some large white and yellow hexes and some white and pink heart shapes for good measure! Sparce it is not! I took my inspiration for this mani from the name and decided to go for some actual sugar skulls too! Seemed obvious to me!! I chose a base of neon purple for the thumb, middle and pinky fingers and white for the index and ring fingers. Over the purple I did two coats of the Sugar Skulls polish; over the white I painted some sugar skulls using only dotting tools. I picked out the pink, yellow and blue from the indie polish and also took the purple from my other nails as the colours for my skulls. What do you think?? I only wish my nails were wider for a fuller picture! What are your favourite indie polishes??

Avon - Licorice, Models Own - Snow White & Pukka Purple, Candy Lacquer - Sugar Skulls, Colour Club - Pink, Yellow & Blue from the Brights Collection, Smallest & Largest Dotting Tools

MissLanage x

Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013

I have decided to put myself out there a bit this year and so am doing something completely alien to me and entering a competition... The Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 - The Next Newcomer Category and Best New Beauty Blog... I'm truly not expecting to win, there are sooo many talented bloggers out there covering all sorts of fascinating subjects, but why not have fun with it anyway?! If you like my blog and care to take the time to nominate me, I would be most flattered and grateful! You can do so via the link below...

Vote for Me! 

My URL is: http://lanes-lacquers.blogspot.co.uk/

You can also use the link to enter the competition yourself or nominate another blogger :)

Good Luck to all taking part! 

MissLanage x

A Little Bit Of Sparkle!

I needed a bit of sparkle to cheer me up today! The last couple of days have been spent seeing doctors, getting x-rays and taking all sorts of tablets to ease a spasm in my back... Rubbish! Thankfully this afternoon it had eased a little and the haze of drugs had just about worn off so I could indulge in my nails :)

I decided to pull out one of the new Sinful Colors polishes I bought and was yet to try - Frenzy. I coupled it with a two of my fave Barry M shades which matched the glitter almost perfectly!! I did two coats of the blue and purple on the index and ring finger and added a rhinestone to the nails whilst the polish was still tacky. I then used the Frenzy on its own for the other nails, three thick coats gave the coverage you see here. Simple as that, just a 10 minute job. I really love these Sinful Color glitters, they dry super fast for a glitter and the finish is so smooth there is no need for a topcoat!

For this look I used:

• Barry M - Blueberry Icecream
• Sinful Colors - Frenzy
• Barry M - Bright Purple
• Clear Rhinestones (removed from an old outfit lol)

MissLanage x

Ask A British Nail Blogger: The Oldest Polish In Your Collection

I have only been a polish addict and gained a vast amount of pretties in the last year or so but the oldest polish I have in my collection is probably closer to five or more years old!!! I have long since used or thrown away any other polishes from that long ago but this one I have only used once and the formula remains true :) I didn't even buy this one, it was given to me by my mum after she received it as a freebie with some makeup!...

... So I present to you Dior Addict - Vernis 580 (Rose Mirage); 

It's a rose/brown creme polish with a super fine blue/purple shimmer. By superfine I mean almost invisable lol... I guess that's why I've had it so long and used it only once, and why it lives in the spares bag instead of on my lovely shelves!! It looks more obvious in the bottle but one the nail, not so much :( It required two coats to become completely opaque over the tip area. To me it's rather drab and yukky so to cheer it up I stamped some gold flowers (see below), better, but looking forward to taking it off lol! Brown is not my thang!!

Dior Addict - Rose Mirage, Barry M - 3 in 1, Barry M - Gold Foil, Cheeky Plate 16 (Vibrant)

So glad I'm finally on the ball and up to date enough to take part in the British Bloggers 'Ask a British Nail Blogger'. Really like being part of this group and it's about time I pulled my finger out!

MissLanage x

NEW!!! Models Own Splash Collection!... Part Two!

Hello again! As promised, here are the final two polishes in the Splash Collection used in their own looks...

Firstly the Aqua Splash; I used two coats of this over one coat of the Greenberry on all but the middle finger which I didn't give the sparkly treatment to. I forgot just how much I love the Barry M Gelly's!!! Fantastic coverage, colours and shine and beautifully complimented by the lovely Aqua Splash. I finished off with a coat of the Clear 3 in 1 (as seen in yesterday's mani's) followed by adding a cute, pale blue 3D bow to that middle finger. Loved this look... So pretty and summery, it reminded me of Carribean Shores :) What do you think??

Barry M - Greenberry, Models Own - Aqua Splash, Allure - 3D Bows (Poundland).

And Finally...

From a cool look to a hot one with Golden Shores; I used two coats of this over one coat of the Solar Flare, on all but the ring finger this time... It was the first time using this particular Colorshow Polish and I really like it, another with fantastic coverage and colour but with a more traditional polish finish, I think it really made the Solar Flare pop! I topped it off again with a coat of the Clear 3 in 1 and added some small round studs to that bare ring finger. Another summery look and this made me feel warm just looking at it!! Lol :)

Maybelline Colorshow - Solar Flare, Models Own - Golden Shores, Cheeky Nail Stud Wheel.

MissLanage x

NEW!!! Models Own Splash Collection!!!

Wahoooo! So pleased to get my mitts on these beauties :) well worth the trip to the Westfield Bottleshop, though for me it is only a 30 min drive (bonus!) so not too much of a trip... All five plus an extra one (I chose Mushroom) for £20. Works for me! Available in Boots and online next week...

Red Sea, Golden Shore, Pink Paradise, Aqua Splash, Mermaids Tears.

To start with I wanted to see (and show you guys) how sheer/opaque and how bright/pastel they would show up on their own... So I did a couple of coats of Snow White and then did two coats of each of the colours on each nail in the order they appear above... oh not quite hahaha, the blue and purple need switching! Darn it!... I wouldn't suggest this as a mani lol!

I liked the formula of these, they weren't too smelly, which Models Own have been known to be (especially glitters), they went on easily and like a lot of polishes now, have the more gel like consistency. The larger pieces of glitter can stand up off the nail as they curl a little when drying, but a topcoat evened this out. I especially like the Pink Paradise (middle finger) as it has lots of fine glitter in as well as the chunks... I wish the blue had this in too! As you can see the red is much more opaque and brighter than the others... Which takes me on to my next mani...

For this look I simply used two coats of the Red Sea followed by one of the Clear 3 in 1, it glistens orange, purple, pink and red... looks good enough to eat!

This mani was just one coat of my new Mushroom polish, then two of the Mermaids Tears and finally a coat of 3 in 1. it gave a lovely purple hue to the grey underneath and I love the blue/purple shimmer of the glitter chunks!

Final look tonight was this, a single coat of the Bubblegum, two of the Pink Paradise and again, finished with a coat of 3 in 1. I liked this mani the best, I only wish my nails were longer!!! I also like the Pink Paradise best of all because of that extra fine glitter; it sparkles pink, orange, purple and gold.

That's me done for tonight... all mani'd out... will use the Aqua Splash and Golden Shore tomorrow :)

Hope you like the swatches (not really my forte lol), look out for the collection in stores near you soon!!!

MissLanage x

Sinful Colors Nail Junkie!

Well.... I couldn't wait to try the new Sinful Colors polish I bought today and I was feeling more than a little inspired after my last post so here we are again (at two in the morning lol)! One coat of the teal all over, then glitter on the thumb, middle and pinky fingers; on the ring and index fingers I did another coat of the teal and placed a gold nail art stud in the centre... it was just what I fancied and a little bit more adventurous than the last two. I loved both of these polishes, I particularly like the metallic finish on the teal and these Sinful Color glitters are lovely, such great coverage!!!... And still two more to try :) Happy Nail Junkie hahaha!

Barry M - Teal, Sinful Colors Nail Junkie, Cheeky Nail Art Studs.

Tomorrow the NEW Models Own Splash Collection!!!

MissLanage x