Saturday now Sunday Swatch: Picture Polish Eerie

Evening folks!
My second catch up post is the lovely Picture Polish Eerie, another of my recent Sally Magpies purchases and a perfect specimen in the run up to Halloween no?! Eerie is a lilac/purple bijou holo, scattered with holo and coloured flecks... Uber pretty! Now I rather like an eerie feeling one that makes you aware how alive you are, and two things that give me a nice one are bats and crows! So thanks to MoYou London, here we are...

I used three thin coats of the pretty lilac and it just glided on beautifully without streaking on following coats. I used a flat black polish and one of the MoYou London Gothic plates to add the bats and bird/fence scene. I finished with topcoat.

I was sooo tempted to add more eerie images to this mani, but the polish was just too pretty to cover up any more. Just look at the shine they have, that's no filter effect! The stamping wasn't perfect but I kinda liked it that way... more eerie lol, so didn't bother to correct :) I just adore PP's, still a few on my wishlist... nearly Chrsitmas haha!

Picture Polish: Eerie, Avon: Licorice, Color Club: Topcoat, MoYou London: Gothic 03

Rebecca x

Instagram Inspired: Emilio Ramos with Pictorial

Hello loves! 

I've spent the last week in hospital (suspected crohn's disease) so apologies for my absence, I've missed painting my nails and blogging heaps! Back at home now and have a couple of pre-prepared mani's to get posted for you...

Had I been at work on Friday, I would have been taking part in 'Wear It Pink Day' for Breast Cancer Awareness... In preparation for this I did a manicure inspired by the fabulously talented Emilio Ramos, incorporating pinks and ribbons :)

This one started with two coats of the baby pink on all but the accent nails. I then used a large dotting tool to add the hot pink spots and used a pink nail art pen to add the highlights finishing with topcoat. For the accent nails I started with two coats of a beige and drew out the main features with a black Sharpie pen. I used the same hot pink polish for the bandanas and used pink and white nail art pens to add the ribbon design. I used yellow and brown polishes for the hair and then added the smaller details with my black Sharpie and nail art pens again... pictorial below!

So pleased with how this turned out, these Instagram inspired mani's are really bringing out my creativity again and helping to boost my confidence in my abilities hahaha!

1. Two coats of base colour

2. Draw initial outlines

3. Fill with colour

4. Add finer facial details

5. Add bandana details

6. Topcoat and clean-up

 Barry M: Lychee, Dragon Fruit, Pink Punch, Mushroom, Lemon Icecream, Color Club: Topcoat, Barry M Nail Art Pens and Black Sharpie

Here's a few pieces of Emilio's work that I love, check out his Instagram HERE for more awesome art! I'll get my Miss Mindful inspired mani up soon :)

Rebecca x

Saturday Swatch: Hare Polish - For the love of Lisa

Morning lovelies!

I recently went on a massive Hare Polish splurge... I bought my first one not so long ago after a year or so of lusting after so many of them; Flight of the Flamingo's bowled me over to the point that a whole eighteen more Hare's arrived within a couple of weeks hahaha! But back to today's swatch, For the love of Lisa! A stunning neon pink jelly with a shed-load of neon pink glitter in all shapes and sizes, and topped off with iridescent  purple squares, gold flakies and purple shimmer. All in the name of the funkadelic Lisa Frank!

I did three thin coats of the pink beauty to get full coverage and then did a white base on the accent nail. Next I sponged on yellow, bright pink, bright purple and bright blue to the white and finished off with a black leopard print stamp and topcoat.

This polish is just amazeballs, and I'm pretty pleased with the Lisa Frank inspired nail art too. Really made for an eye catching manicure that's for sure!

Hare Polish: For the love of Lisa, Barry M: matte White, Yellow, Hot Pink, Cyan Blue, Bright Purple, Black, Color Club: Topcoat, Cheeky Stamping Plate CH2 (Vibrant Collection)

Rebecca x

Pick 'N' Mix Challenge: 60's/Texture

Hey peeps!
This week I chose to combine the two Pick 'N' Mix looks again, going for 60's flower power and paper texture. It made for an interesting experience using the renowned pain in the a** Paper Print from Essence. Throughout the mani I learned a few things and will do a special Paper Print post for you soon, so don't throw them away if you've given up hope lol! Think 60's wallpaper in situ after years of neglect and...

Started off with two coats of white as my base. Then as I didn't have any transfer fluid (and it doesn't work), I used good ol' vodka like I always have with newspaper art. As the paper is a little thicker than newspaper, I left it to soak for about three minutes before removing and pressing firmly on to the nail. I immediately placed a cotton pad down on top and pulled tight under my finger, holding for a minute. Next I removed the cotton pad and gently peeled back the paper. It sort of splits like 2 ply so you have to be dead careful. Finished with topcoat.

Although I didn't intend to create the distressed look, it's actually perfect for the theme! It's sort of washed out and boho, very 60's in look as well as pattern. Really accentuates the texture too. Reminds me of Grandma Jean's wallpaper, though hers remains in perfect condition!

Barry M: Matte White, Color Club: Topcoat, Essence 'Love' Paper Print, Vodka

As I eluded to earlier, look out for an upcoming post with in-depth how-to on the Essence Paper Print. There are two ways to play it!

Rebecca x

An InLinkz Link-up

Lane's Lacquers Turns Two: Blogiversary Giveaway!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Lane's Lacquers is another year old today... How time flies!

Image: c-is-for-craft.blogspot.co.uk

To celebrate, I have put together a nail art goodie package for you lovely readers to be in with a chance of winning! Due to not giving away any polish this time, it is open internationally!

Up for grabs is...

• MoYou London Pro Plate 10, Tropical Plate 03 and Gothic Plate 03
• Dual end squishy stamper and plastic scraper
• 1 x funky nail stickers, 1 x girly nail stickers, 1 x peacock feather water transfers
• 1 x black dual nail art pen, 1 x white dual nail art pen
• 1 x pot of purple glitter, 1 x pot of iridescent glequins
• 1 x DIY nail polish earrings
• 1 x mixed bag of nail decorations (fimo slices, bows, studs etc)
• 1 x silver striping tape, 1 x navy striping tape
• 1 x Essence paper print manicure

***

Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below... Good Luck everyone!

Rebecca x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday Swatch: Picture Polish - Unicorn

Ahhh... the weekend :)

After buying four of the recent Picture Polish releases, I decided I HAD to add Unicorn by Brit Nails to the collection, it just sort of grew on me! Off I trotted to Sally Magpies website and ended up buying two more as well... look out for those soon! Unicorn is a gorgeous aqua/green scatter holo with pink glitter flecks and small silver/pink hexes... Magical! Just like a unicorn!... And my favourite unicorn ever is the cuddly one from Despicable Me so tah-dah!

I did three thin coats of the PP and three coats of white on the accent nail to get full coverage. I then drew out the black outlines of the unicorn's face and the pink snout and hair with nail art pens. Easy! I topped off the horn in gold with a small brush and topcoated the whole manicure. Cleaned up with my never used Bazza correction pen and it's AWESOME! #justsaying

I adore this polish and the cute nail art as much as the movies! Really coming into my own again with recent mani's, I'm falling in love with nails all over again and I've scheduled heaps of fun of posts!

Picture Polish: Unicorn, Barry M: Matte White, Gold Foil, Color Club: Topcoat, Barry M Nail Art Pens, Corrector Pen, Dual Nail Art Tool

Rebecca x

Instagram Inspired: Zukie Art with Pictorial

Ooooh, I'm so excited about this series of mani's, each with it's own pictorial!!! 

I follow an awful lot of different artists, crafters and designers on Instagram, it's an endless source of inspiration and images that just simply bring a little bit of joy to your day; safe to say it's the only social media I wouldn't wanna live without! When I first thought about the idea of creating manicures inspired by those I follow, twelve names instantly sprung to mind and first on the list was Zukies...

I started with three thin coats of white. For the thumb I sponged on the four Zukie colours of yellow, purple, hot pink and green; I then used a nail art pen to write with and sealed with topcoat. For the cute lil creatures on my fingers I drew a guide line where I wanted the head to reach and filled in with polish, a couple of coats of each. I then used the black pen again to go over that initial guide line and draw on the different faces. I used white and pink pens to add the details and again, went over with the black to crisp up the lines a little and of course topcoated.

I love the bright, funky style of Miss Zukie's creations and I must get a hold of a Zukie doll one day; if you are not familiar with her work, check it out!!! Transfers over to nail art so well too, I thoroughly enjoyed doing this and all the other upcoming Instagram Inspired posts. I do hope the artists concerned approve of my handiwork too!

If you want to have a go at a similar look, the pictorial above shows you how to build the layers.

1. Paint base colour
2. Draw initial outline
3. Fill with colour
4. Add initial facial feature outlines
5. Add details and highlights
6. Re-draw initial outlines to crispen them and topcoat

Barry M: Matte White, B322, Bikini, A321, B321, Color Club: Topcoat, Barry M Nail Art Pens and Jewellery Sponge

Check back next Friday for something Miss Mindful inspired... In the meantime take a quick look at some of Miss Zukie's art in my collage below and on her website HERE.

Rebecca x

Mental Health Awareness Manicure!

Hello loves!
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and I thought it would be a perfect time to re-hash the manicure I did in my Depression Awareness post back in August, as well as updating you on how my journey with depression has been progressing. One thing is for sure, and that is that nails are my therapy, my passion and back on the cards as my future career. I think my thumb sums up how I'm feeling lol...

This mani started with three coats of the neon yellow and two of the neon pink as a base. Next I used a thick white polish to paint on the speech bubble. Then I used a black nail art pen to draw the brain image on to the pink nail (slightly larger than the last one as my nails have grown hahaha) and to add the wording/outline to the speech bubble. Finished off with a nice thick topcoat.

I think I like the brain better on this mani than the previous one, but I preferred the pink/green contrast to this pink/yellow one!

And me?! Over the last couple of months I have been adjusting to life as someone with 'depression', it sounds funny but in a way, it felt like I was coming out or something! I suppose stigma is stigma at the end of the day and the fear of accepting and sharing your new label is probably similar no matter what that label is... But I have been very lucky, my GP and Occupational Health Team have been amazing, as have my friends and family. 

I have adjusted well (after a couple of initial side effects) to a low dose of medication and I must say I haven't felt this calm and optimistic in years!!! I feel like myself again and I am so relieved!!! I have had regular contact with all of the aforementioned and am soon to start therapy. I am going back to work next week on a phased return and hope to be cutting my hours in the office going forwards. I'm really looking forward to the future!

Models Own: Bikini, Sun Hat, Natural Collection: Nail Tip Whitener, Color Club: Topcoat, Barry M Nail Art Pen

So as someone who had been in a deep, dark hole for a long, long time and is slowly emerging from the other side ok; I will use this opportunity to urge anyone experiencing persistent feelings of fear, frustration, anxiety and hopelessness to ask for help. 

Please speak to your best friend, close family member, GP or one of the many wonderful mental health organisations there are in the world. You are not alone, there is a way out and even some light at the end of that scary tunnel! I promise.

Rebecca x

I Dream Of Being A Nail Tech: Rewind!

You may remember that around this time last year I went to Nail School to start my VTCT Nail Technology course; if not you can see the posts HERE and HERE...

...So what's happened since then I hear you ask?!
Well, I made a good start with it all, then I made the fatal error of deleting a whole heap of my pictures and files thinking they were backed up when they bl**dy weren't!!! I totally lost heart, felt incompetent and sort of just, gave up! As you may be aware from my Depression Awareness post, I've had other stuff to deal with and just wasn't capable of getting it back on track...

...But, now I have my motivation and passion back in spade-loads! :) I have taken a fresh look at my books, reorganised my tech kit and the nail room, and printed out all of my homework tasks so they are easier for me to read through, notate and digest. Even as a blogger I'm old skool and mostly prefer the ol' pen to paper method; also no worry of deleting it LOL!

I even pulled out my uniform for the first time in months, I'd almost forgotten what it looked like and really had forgotten about my cute lil badges!

Ideally I'm aiming to do my exams and assessment in January, completing all my other tasks and case studies in the meantime... Given the recent mountains I've had to climb, I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself but I think it's do-able :) Look out for future posts on my progress and a peek behind the scenes, I can't wait to share something a bit different with you guys!

I must thank Isis Beauty Academy for their continued support of my studies, for their feedback and for the help they have offered me in structuring my study and tasks going forward. Wonderful ladies!

Rebecca x

Pick 'N' Mix Challenge: 3 Colour Gradient/Pink

Monday again folks!...

...And time for my second Pick 'N' Mix challenge mani; like last week I decided to combine the themes because I am planning and prepping lots of posts at the moment :) I chose an ethereal look of whites, blues and of course pink. It's a sort of tribute mani to my lovely Grandma Jean who passed away over the weekend, such a delicate 83 year old flower...

This mani was super simple thanks to some recent Born Pretty transfer purchases! The back of the transfer sheet was white so I just used my topcoat as a base to give it something to adhere to. I then did the usual process of cutting out and soaking the transfer in water, removing from the backing and then placing on the nail. I gave it a firm rub down with a dry cotton pad to remove any excess water and smooth out any creases etc. I finished by popping on a glitter topper and topcoat.

I loved the very delicate pattern on the transfer but as a whole the manicure just seemed a little too flat... I was at a loss as to what to do, so "when in doubt, just add glitter!" I loved it in person, but in the snaps, it masks the design a little to much... Oh bottoms lol!

This close up helps give a better picture of what I saw :)

Barry M: Superdrug LE 334, Color Club Topcoat, Born Pretty Store Water Transfer SH-01

If you want to treat yourself at Born Pretty, use my discount code R2X31 for 10% off!

Rebecca x

An InLinkz Link-up

Saturday Swatch: *NEW* Barry M Aquariums

Ok, so here is the last of my new Barry M purchases! The new aquarium polishes, I'm so glad to finally have a purple duochrome in the collection, it was the only colour missing! These polish swatches have kept me going these last few days, I'm still so poorly :( started antibiotics yesterday so here's hoping I feel better soon!

This is the stunning Persian, a purple/gold/green duochrome which reminds me of oil on water. This was three thin coats, no topcoat. The formula made for a lovely smooth, streak free application.

***

Over the top of persian I did one coat of Atlantis, a glitter topper filled with crazy pink shapes, purple and blue diamond shapes and holo hexes and large glitter pieces. Finished with topcoat.

***

Barry M: Persian, Atlantis

No I'm sure at some point this week I saw a swatch of a Tesco Beauty exclusive Bazza, something to do with ice I think... Can't seem to find anything about it now so if you know, drop me a comment! TIA :)

Rebecca x

*NEW* Barry M: Glitterati Collection Swatches

Hello lovelies...

As promised it's more from Barry M today, this time the AWESOME Glitterati collection! I bought three from Superdrug at first and they were so gorgeous I got the other three from Boots the very next day haha :) Prepare to be dazzled!!!

Apologies for some slightly dodgy hand poses/photography, I am still really poorly sick and this was a struggle... but a necessary one LOL. With these heavy glitter/texture typed polishes, the trick to a smooth finish is all in the application. I used three thin coats for all colours which left me with a lovely flat, lightly textured finish which I couldn't stop touching!

First of the six is Socialite - It has a purplish hot pink jelly base packed with pink micro glitter. Added to the mix are a host of holo and coloured glitter particles glistening in all the colours of the rainbow. Shexy!

***

This is Catwalk Queen - An aqua jelly base filled with a green/turquoise micro glitter. This one is also packed with holo and coloured glitter particles with a distinct lean towards green, gold and blue. It's like a tranquil pool!

***

Next is Starlet - A bright pink jelly base with pink micro glitter. Thrown in for good measure a bunch of holo and coloured glitter particles which glow with magenta, gold and coral tones. Very summer cocktail!

***

This is VIP - It has a bright blue jelly base teaming with blue micro glitter. Also added to the mix are holo and coloured glitter particles which shimmer with gold, green and blue. 

***

Now for the gorgeous Fashion Icon - This has a blue-ish purple jelly base with purple micro glitter. It's topped up with holo and coloured glitter particles leaning towards dark blue, bright blue and teal. It's like gazing into a galaxy!

***

Last up is Rockstar - A charcoal grey jelly base packed with silvery micro glitter. The holo and coloured glitter particles shine in gold, green and blue. Much like looking out at the universe!

***

So that brings us to the end of this round of Autumn/Winter goodies from Bazza and I want to say thank you; because in general I'm not keen on the dark, sombre tones that pop on to the scene come this time of year... So thank you Barry M for breaking from the norm with this bright, sparkling range which still as a whole, nod towards the tones of the changing season.

Barry M: Socialite, Catwalk Queen, Starlet, VIP, Fashion Icon, Rockstar

Rebecca x