Lima's Guide to the Galaxy... Nails!

 

  

Galaxy Nails!

I think I've probably mentioned this before, but ever since I was a young girl I've had this fascination with the night sky. I was never one to really pay all that much attention at school, but one subject that always managed to hook me in was physics. Well, the astronomy bits at least! My curious mind would drag me to the library at weekends so that I could read every book and look at every photo I'd get my hands on.

And just recently I became the proud owner of a telescope! Sadly though, living in a large urban conurbation like Manchester means that light pollution tends to get a little in the way of serious star-gazing. Looks like a trip south to the villages in Cheshire, like Alderley Edge, might be in order!

Either way, the Universe is beautiful. I think it's allure, similar to the ocean, stems from the sense of the unknown. Whilst we huamns are prone to fear that of which we know little, there's also a stong sense of wonderment that emerges as you begin to dip your toes into the wide expanses that mankind knows so little of, yet what we do know of is so breathtaking.

I guess you could describe the universe as a beautiful mess, or structured chaos. And that's the spirit in which I attempted these nail: to make an imperfectly perfect look.

 

  

L - R: Eyeko Indigo, Orly Sweet Peacock*, Rimmel 60 Seconds Mary Mary Quite Contrary, Barry M Nail Paint Pink Flamingo & Topshop Ice Crush 

Whilst it may look like a mish-mash of randomness, there definitely was a structure and some organisation to pulling together this look. From the photo above, I used each polish from left to right. First I painted two coats of Eyeko's Indigo straight on to the nails, letting them dry completely. The next step was the fun bit. I got out the sponge for some galactic magic! 

 

For the spongey bit, I dabbed a bit of Orly's Sweet Peacock on to one section of the sponge followed by a few dabs of Rimmel's 60 Seconds Mary Mary Quite Contrary on another section and then some of the Barry M Pink Flamingo on a third section. Then, one section at a time, I dabbed the sponge on to the nail creating a different galactical pattern each time, making sure I left a few areas of the nail untouched to give that 'Space' effect. 

 The Pièce de résistance is of course Topshop's Ice Crush. I mean, what kind of a galaxy doesn't have stars in it? I simply applied a thin coating to the nails one by one, after I'd dabbed on the patterns with the sponge.

Worthy Mentions

  

Orly's Sweet Peacock* from the Fall 2011 Birds of a Feather collection.

I have a confession to make on this one ladies (and gents?), I was sent this for review way back in 2011. I applied it once, didn't really think all that much of it at the time so I stored it in my big box of nail polishes. Over time it must have worked its way to the very bottom and only by chance did I stumble across it again. The good news is its now firmly back at the top of the pile, the bad news is its no longer available. This will no doubt end up being a staple for me over the winter, lighting up the short, dull, dreary days with it's gorgeous shimmery electric blue finish.

  

I always come away after buying glittery nail polishes feeling a little cheated. After all, it would probably work out cheaper (and often better) to jusy buy a clear polish and some cheap glitter from a stationery shop and use that. But Tophop's Ice Crush bucks that trend for me. This is my 'go-to' glitter polish, and I'm currently midway my third bottle. 

I think what really does it for me is the two different shapes and sizes of the glitter. This then makes it perfect for this look as it really does seal the deal in terms of making the look seem quite realistic!

 

  

  

  

  

As complex, crazy and chaotic as these nails may look, it was shockingly easy to pull it off. At first glance you'd probably think that this is going to take up a lot of your time and effort, but I think it took me about 20 minutes on the first attempt!

What helped out though, was MissJenFABULOUS' tutorial video. I'd urge you to take a look and come up with some stunning designs of your own! :)

 

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Super Easy DIY Ocean Inspired Ombre Nails

 

I've been fascinated with the ocean ever since I was a young girl. It's common knowledge that 70 - 75% of the earth's surface is made up of the ocean yet somehow we find ourselves knowing more about the surface of the moon than about the depths of our seas. And there's something quite alluring about the mystique that surrounds the unknown, hence my fascination!

 One of the great things about the ocean is the variation in colours and shades: swirls of light blues and greens from the water and coral in some places; deep, dark, terrifying blues in others. So as a little beauty-based homage to our beautiful oceans, I decided to give Ombre Nails another go.

COLOURS

 

 L- R - Barry M Gelly Hi-shine Nail Paint in Guava, Barry M's Standard Nail Paint in Cyan Blue and Indigo.

Whilst Barry doesn't quite have that same mystique, he definitely doesn't disappoint either with his range of shades! The Gelly range has a number of unique colours with a super glossy finish. It's a shame the longevity is pants, else it'd be near perfect.

I forgot to include it in the picture, however I also used Barry M's Matt White as a base. I applied two coats of this stuff to make it opaque and left it to dry.

APPLICATOR

 

 

I purchased a cheap bath sponge at just under £1 and cut a small chunk of it out. The size doesn't really matter as long as it covers the whole nail. And by the way, once you've finished with it, it makes a great toy for kittens!

 

I applied a generous amount of each colour, lined up next to each other on the sponge. Then I began dabbing the sponge directly on to the nail, moving it up and down slightly to blend the colours into each other. Of course sponges have loads of tiny little bubbles in them, leaving the nails a little bumpy, so to iron out these bumps I applied two layers of top coat

At this point the nails will look messy as anything as the colours will have rubbed off onto your skin around the nails. I used to peel these bits off in the shower, but now I use an old eye-liner brush, dipped in nail polish remover and brush over the messy edges.

 

 

  

I have to admit that I'm not very good with nail art, but I'm really surprised how easy it is to ombre nails, and it looks so good!

Once I've finished with the bath sponge I'll most likely purchase a make-up sponge instead. I mean it's great and everything but I think the flatness of the make-up sponge will make the whole process even easier!

What to try next? 

I'm a fan of Astronomy too. Perhaps Galaxy nails? ;)

 

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NOTD: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star(s)

 

  

Hello hello! 

A couple of months ago, I finally managed to get my hands on the famous Models Own Utopia. It appeared to be sold out in my local Boots for months on end until finally, I spotted one on the Barry M Nail Paint shelf, ha! Just shows, if you can't find what you're after, try searching the other make up brands shelves, you may just be in luck!

Today, I've painted my nails in Utopia by MO and applied a coat of W.I.P in Twinkle by Urban Outfitters.

  

 Left to Right: Models Own in Utopia and W.I.P in Twinkle (or is it Twinkie?)

Models Own Utopia is a gorgeous pale milky shade, it's definitely somewhere in between Lilac and Greige and actually from afar it can quite easily be mistaken for a white nail polish. 

I freaking love the formula! Most pale/white nail polishes can be a tad streaky which is a pain in the rear end. However, I was most impressed with this, none of that streaky business going on here. The application was smooth and an absolute breeze. With one coat, it's slightly sheer but with 2 coats, it becomes opaque.

In terms of longevity it lasts for two days, by which point you'll start to notice cracks forming towards the top of the nail. I have to say that this isn't unique to Utopia, I find that so, so many of the pale, pastelly colours I've used in the past have been exactly the same. WHY?!

Nevertheless, this is one of those rare shades that look just as good in the relative heat of midsummer (who am I kidding?) as it does in the cold of midwinter. You know how people associate darker colours with autumn/winter and lighter colours with spring/summer? Forget that: this will go anytime of the year.

Best thing is, because the base is so light you can easily add decoration on top to mix it up a bit. I love adding different glitters for when I feel I want a bit of bling, and in this case I've applied W.I.P's Twinkle over it.

  

 Packed with stars and glitter! 

I'm not sure what W.I.P stands for. However, I can only ever find this in Urban Outfitters. I guess it must have something to do with them. I purchased this at the back end of last year when Urban Outfitters were doing a 3 for 2 offer on their Nail Polishes. Bargain!

 

As gorgeous as it looks in the bottle, the polish doesn't quite live up to that on the nail. Maybe it's just me but when you see how packed full of glitter it is in the bottle, then see how sparsely this translates to the nail, it's just a little underwhelming. Then again, it is just a fancy top coat so maybe I'm being too critical!

The polish itself consists of two different shades of stars, turquoise and pink, with glitter of the same colour. The stars are actually a little tricky to apply as they won't go straight on to the nail, you have to dab them on. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though as the bottle is rammed full of them.

What I tend to do is apply this as a normal topcoat, allowing the glitter to spread out over the nail, then pick out some stars with the brush and use a cuticle stick to dab them on to random parts of the nail. Otherwise you'd have to apply layer upon layer of topcoat to actually get some stars on to them, and by that point you'll have gooey, icky nails!

After I've dabbed on the stars I apply Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Topcoat, this is just because the stars tend not to stick flat to the nail. Longevity wise, it's terrible. After a day the edges of the stars come a bit loose and quite easily get caught on clothes and even hair. 

Everyone loves a shooting star, but not when it's falling from your nails!

  

 

Despite all that negativity, I have to admit it does look pretty epic. I'm awful when it comes to nail art, though I think I'm getting a little better at doing 'Ombre' nails, so top coats like this are an easy way to add a little fun to your nails.. 

Unfortunately W.I.P. Twinkle is no longer available on the Urban Outfitters website, but I prefer to see that as a good thing. When mine runs out, instead of being gutted that I can't repurchase, I'll head out to a cheap stationery shop and buy a pack of teeny, tiny, shiny stars. They'll do the same job, for much less of your cash.

That being said, I would recommend you check out Urban Outfitters' nail section as they do tend to have some lovely, unqiue colours at just £6. Also they have regular deals on offer, like their current 2 for £10, so keep an eye out for that too.

 I've been a fan of Urban Outfitters Nail Polishes for a few years now and, as far as I can tell, they create a new line of colours every year so it's pretty much limited edition! 

 

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REVIEW: Skin Art's Valentine's Kit

I love tattoos. 

I find myself looking on with a sense of deep envy at those with tattoos all over, secretly wishing it was me. 

I think I could probably only ever go for two or three at most, but the thought of committing to it for life is a bit of a put-off. I'm notoriously fickle, so just a few months down the line I'll be wishing I'd never went under the needle!

Temporary tattoos are a whole different ball-game though. 

I HEART them. 

I discovered Skin Art last year and have been addicted to them ever since, see my post HERE to satisfy any curiosity! Now I kind of understand why inked peeps say the needle is an addiction!

So the other week Skin Art sent me their 'Nail Tattoo Valentine's Kit'. Obviously I was excited at first, as I do love Skin Art. But that excitement quickly turned to a little confusion, I couldn't actually find the kit on their website, I could only find the individual items sold seperately. It came with three different nail polishes and a sheet of Nail Art Tattoos.

   

 Left to right - It's 'Crystal Clear', 'I live in an Igloo' & 'She Wore Red Velvet'

The application process was smooth, easy and dried to a semi-glossy finish. The longevity is good, and only began to chip on the third day. Bear in mind though that I always apply a base coat underneath, pretty much regardless of brand.

The coloured polishes, red and white, are both nice shades however the colours themselves don't particularly stand out from the crowd. What does stand out from the crowd though, is the price. At £3 a pot we're talking some seriously affordable, decent quality polishes. As far as I can tell, these are the only three polishes available at the moment so it'll be interesting to see what sort of colours come next.

Now onto the tattoos..

 

TATTOOS! 

Each sheet of Nail Art Tattoos contains 60 tattoos across a range of different designs. On the face of it, these designs look nice and cover different tastes with some girly and gothy choices. In terms of application though, I'm still yet to work out whether these are difficult to apply or I was having a ditsy moment. I found them very difficult to peel back at the time and by way of comparison, I also used a couple of Topshop designs (below, 2nd and 3rd from left) which I found much simpler.

 

As you can see from the photos, the Skin Art designs look a little simple when compared to Topshop's. In fairness to Skin Art, it is a promising first foray into the Nail market and I expect that as the range grows they will continue to improve on both the range of colours, the intricacy of their Nail Art designs and the ease of use.

 

 The key question is: 'Would I buy from the Nail Art range?'

Firstly, I would definitely consider buying Nail Polishes from Skin Art in the future. The quality and price are both good enough to suggest that once the range of colours increaases, this will definitely be a brand to look out for. 

Secondly, the Tattoos. In their current form and designs I probably wouldn't buy. Even at the realtively low price of £5.99 the designs lack that 'edge' that other brands currently provide and I did find them a little tricky to apply. Having said that, based on their awesome Skin Art collection I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the nail tattoos to see how the range grows.

Skin Arts Nail Range can be found HERE

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NAILS: Barry M Cyan Blue & Blueberry Ice Cream

I looked at my poor little nails the other day and thought: "When was the last time my nails went au naturel?" I really had a good, deep think about it and just couldn't think of a time when I didn't have some weird or wonderful colour emblazoned on them.

This cannot be good for them. When I'm wiping off some nail polish every other day (yes, I change colour that often), I see how weak and withered away my nails have become! They are definitely in need of some kind of nail treatment, suggestions most certainly welcome!

Going back to nail polish itself, how bloody addictive are they?! You go into Boots or Superdrugs or any other shop and see the shelves full of every colour conceivable. They are so gorgeous and just a slick of it updates your style.

Hopefully you noticed there are two shades of blue in the photo:

Blueberry Ice Cream is the lighter, more pastelly of the two, while the darker of the two is Cyan Blue - such a fun mid-toned blue! I spent a few minutes trying to decide which one I liked most but then gave up and put them both on at the same time, on different nails of course!

As much as I love Blueberry Ice Cream, it looks very similar to Barry M's Turquoise, so if you already own Turquoise I wouldn't recommend you buy it unless you're a die hard Barry M fan like moi!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Barry M nail polishes, they are fun, opaque, fast drying, easy to apply and are a steal for £2.99! Perfect!

It looked so good the plant died!

One day I will own all of the Barry M shades, I feel so privilidged we have Barry M in the UK. You Americans may have your Make Up Forever & Sephora, but we've got our Barry, so ner! :P

I'm currently watching the Glastonbury coverage on BBC 3, on one hand I'm jealous but on the other it looks a bit dull this year. I've also booked a week in Dubai in July, I can't wait! As regular readers may know I went to Abu Dhabi last year and I so desperately wanted to hop over to Dubai but time prevented it, but there'll be no stopping me this time! Ahhhh, I CANNOT wait!

Have any of you tried any unusual nail combinations? What are your Nail Polishes of the moment?

 

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It's so Milan darling!

Hello hello you gorgeous people. First of all, I do apologise for my recent slacking of posts. It's a mixture of laziness plus I've started getting into running to keep fit!

Now my big brother ran the London Marathon this year. Actually, he has been doing so for the past few years as a professional runner. He completed this years London Marathon in 3 hours and 8 minutes! Which totally inspired me to start getting into running. So today I managed to run around 2 miles! Okay, it may not seem much to some of you but it's a big deal for me because I'm just generally lazy. So yeah, a big achievment for me. Hope I manage to stick to it! :) 

Anyway, the point of this post is that I managed to remain looking chic (and sweaty) whilst running! How I hear you plead? Well, my nails of course!

After seeing a countless number of posts about Boots scrumptious offer on 2 x 500ml Diet Coke bottles and a free Nails Inc polish, I had to jump onto the bandwagon and get me some freebies! Mind you, I don't even drink diet coke, my husband does though, so it's all good!

There was only one shade left which was Milan. shocking really as I thought it was oh so chic (A lot of chics being flung around in this post, he he). After I purchased my item I fled from Boots and into the bus, ran home and locked myself in my room! No, not really. But I couldn't wait to try it. The result after 2 coats?

Messy application. The laziness shines through. And I hatehatehate my hands. Mleh.

It looks like a bright, classic red shade. But in some lights it looks slightly coral-ish. Anyone noticed that too or is it just me? I'm on day 3, and the chipping has begun.

Love the way how a red shade makes you feel all feminine, chic (Yeah, here I go again..) and glamourous. And I personally feel that it flatters most skin tones. Whether it's on the lips, nails or even clothing.

Which shades have you bagged from the Boots offer?

 

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NOTD - Models Own in Peach Sherbet

Ever since I saw Lollipop26's post on the peachy nude colour she bought from Urban Outfitters, I have been longing for it. I dashed to my local Urban Outfitters and sadly, they'd sold out. How gutted was I? Very!

Few weeks later, I came across a post from the lovely Zara on a peachy nude colour she purchased from River Island (Yes! River Island sell Models Own!). It looked gorgeous! And looked similar to the one Lollipop26 had.

In sunlight 

In my rooooom!
 

It comes up as a creamy peachy nude and I loves it! It applied non streaky too which is a problem I've been having with light nail coloured polishes. I've had this on for about 3 days now, no chipping in sight! 2 coats are enough to make it show up completely opaque.

 

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Revlon Spring Summer 2010: Lilac Pastelle Nail Enamel

My latest obsession has been pale, pastel sort of shades for the nails. And as soon as I saw Revlon's Lilac pastelle in my local superdrug, I was sold! As I picked it up, I noticed they also had a minty shade called "minted" which is part of the Spring/Summer collection. What was even better was when I saw a sign above the nail polishes; "2 Revlon nail polishes for £8". Woot! Obvs I bought both of them.

Revlon's "Lilac Pastelle" (Left) & "Minted" (Right)

As you can tell from the picture above, they look sooo pretty and springy!

I've actually got "Lilac Pastelle" on my nails right now.

"Lilac Pastelle"

Such a gorgeous pastel lilac. But let me tell you, it was a PAIN to apply. Many a times it turned out streaky. But finally I managed to make it "work". The consistency is quite runny, so you have to apply a thin layer which looks transparent once it's dried. However it doesn't take too long to dry, so apply 2 more thin layers and it's completely opaque! I've had this on for about 3 days now and not a single bit of chipping in sight, impressive!

I did spot Revlon's "Coral Reef" & "Peach Petal" lipglosses in Superdrug but resisted purchasing. I am now longing for them. Someone please tell me they're not worth it?!

 

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Barry M Nail Paint haul & Lip Paint in 147 Peachy Pink

I've recently been obsessing over Nail polishes. Especially Opi. But it ended up becoming a quite expensive obsession...

I went on the hunt for some cheap polishes until I stumbled across Superdrugs 3 for 2 offer on all cosmetics. I came across Barry M Nail Paints. The colours are just unique.

Picture above: From left to right. 161 Vivid Purple, 299 Racing Green, 291 Cobalt Blue, 305 Pink Flamingo, 295 Turquoise, 304 Mint Green (Possible dupe for Chanel's Jade and MAC's Peppermint Patty), 294 Cyan Blue.

I'm currently wearing Cobalt Blue on one hand and Turquoise on the other, how cool am I? Haha. I don't find it streaky applying them, 2 coats is enough, and it's lasted at most 2 days for me until it started chipping.

I also purchased the Lip Paint in 147 Peachy Pink.

I didn't think this would suit my NC37-NC40 skin tone. But when I tested it I was quite impressed, it just appeared to be... well.. peachy pink! And looked amazing on my skin tone. The only thing about this Lip paint is that it's super matt and really drying. If you apply this over dry lips, it will show up the flaky skin, not a good look. Only use this when you've exfoliated and moisturied your lips.

I feel I need to inject my life with more Barry M goodies. I can't believe I haven't even tried the Dazzle Dusts yet. Suggestions people!

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Mini haul from Elf including mineral shadows and swatches :)

I finally jumped onto the bandwagon and bought some goodies from Elf. :)

After all the raving reviews on youtube, I'd be mad not to try it. Plus, it's cheeeap! Wo0t!

Anyways...

Nail polish in Coral (Left) and Champagne (Right). It looks like Champagne must have leaked but I think it looks ace, so I'm gonna keep it that way, ha! :)

From the Studio range, the blusher and bronzer compact. so far I've only tried this and the contouring brush. This is my first bronzer :) I use it to contour my face with a big, fluffy brush, sweeping it down the temples, under the cheekbones and along the jawline. And the remaining product left on the brush goes down the bridge of my nose. So far so good! It doesn't make my face look muddy or anything. I use it sparingly though. :) I applied it this morning but by 4pm, it seems to have worn off quite a bit, it would have probably lasted longer if I used a primer?

The actual blusher is okay, but maybe a bit too pink for my skin tone so I probably won't be using it again. I hope they come out with different shades of blushers and bronzers.

Mineral eye shadows :D

They're either shimmery or frosty. Temptress is probably the only matte shade.

Here's the swatches...

Wild (Top left) Confident (Top right) Socialite (Bottom Left) Sassy (Bottom right)

Celebrity (Top left) Temptress (Top right) Caffinated (Bottom left) Golden (Bottom right)

They all look so pretty. Can't wait to try them out. :D

The conturing brush from the Studio range. The brush is dense, and picks up colour and easy to blend. All in all it's very good quality :) Bargain for £3.50!

For more info on elf, visit their website http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/shop.htm

Hope you're all having a good weekend. :)

xx

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