Paris!

On Friday I had the chance to go to Paris for the day! And of course I had to do some Parisian themed nails to go with it! Here are the nails and some snaps from the day.

                           

             

 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Flowers

After swatching Models Own Diamond Luxe collection and falling in love with Marquise maroon, I couldn't help but paint some dainty daisies on them!

For the flowers I used Rimmel - White Tips, and 17 - Silver Glitter. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Models Own Diamond Luxe Swatches

When I saw that Models Own were releasing a collection in autumnal colours with diamond dust in, I just knew I had to have it. Sadly due to finances I couldn't afford all ten colours in the collection but thanks to Superdrug's buy one get one half price offer I was able to get these four colours for a great price!

First up is Emerald Green. It's a gorgeous light green colour. The  consistency is perfect and it went on like a dream. It's such a beautiful colour and the shimmer from the diamond dust just topped it all off. The only negative I would say about this one is that it stained my fingers rather badly as I was removing it. This is three thin coats with no top coat. 

Next up is Oval Plum. This is a stunning deep pink and is the most unusual colour out of the four I've got. The shimmer is really strong in this one and as it catches the light it's just beautiful. Really good consistency again and is easy to apply and remove. This is two thick coats with no top coat. 

Next we have Asscher Blue. This is a really gorgeous bright blue and could be worn all year round. I found this one was really hard to apply as it had a really grainy texture. It's a stunning colour but is my least favourite of the collection due to the poor consistency and texture. This is three thin coats with no top coat. 

And last but certainly not least is my favourite of the four - Marquise Maroon. I'm a sucker for anything burgundy or deep red and this did not disappoint. The shimmer really sets off the red and it's just the perfect autumn/winter polish. Out of all of them this is the thinnest consistency which made it slightly runny but it was still easy to manage and went on really well. This is two thick coats with no top coat.

Altogether it's a really concise, well thought out and beautiful collection. I can't wait to save up and get the rest of the colours!

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Retro Flowers

Nothing's happier than a few brightly coloured retro flowers! This design is so quick and simple to do but looks so nice! Especially with the horrible weather we've had in London the last few days, it's nice to brighten up an autumnal outfit with some summery nails. 

The colours I used were - BarryM - Cancun for the background, BarryM - Pomegranate, Zoya - Pippa, and white acrylic paint for the flowers. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Dotticure

I love having a clean, white, blank canvas of nails to work on! Today I decided to do a dotticure with some roses. 

I used Rimmel - White Tips for the base, then O.P.I. - Viking In A Vinter Vonderland for the dots, Zoya - Pippa for the roses, and acrylic paint for the leaves. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Flowers, dots, and stripes

Again, I've been feeling fairly uninspired the last few days. So, i was very happy when this random design appeared out of no where this morning! 

Very simple but I like the way all the designs look together. 

The colours I used were; Models Own - Sardonyx, Coconut Cream, and Obsidian, O.P.I - Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh, Rimmel - Grape Sorbet, and Round And Round The Garden, Sinful Colors - Envy, and Essie - Eternal Optimist, and finished off with HK Girl Fast Drying Top Coat.

Until next time,

- Esther :) 

Viking In A Vinter Vonderland

I got some very exciting nail mail this morning, including Viking In A Vinter Vonderland from O.P.I.'s latest Nordic collection for winter 2014. It's a gorgeous deep purple, is a great consistency and is lovely to apply. Here it is by itself, with an acrylic design on top, and in a water marble along with BarryM's Coconut. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

The other day I did a design that came out of nowhere and wasn't planned at all, but has to be one of my favourite designs I have ever done! 

I started sponging white and blue polish and somehow came out with a gorgeous galaxy! I'm so happy with them, and it's nice to know I can create good manis even when I'm not inspired! 

The colours I used were - Rimmel - White Tips, Models Own - Valerian, BarryM - Pacific, Miss Sporty - Sparkle Touch 889 and 2208, and acrylic paint. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Blue Flowers

These swirly, rosy, flowers were inspired by a pair of leggings I got recently! I love the way these flowers turned out and I hated when they started to chip and I had to take them off! I must say they looked prettier in real life and the colours stood out much more than in the photo. 

The colours I used were China Glaze - White On White, O.P.I. - Just Groovy, BarryM - Cardamom, BarryM - Blueberry, and acrylic paint.

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Freehand Corners

I wasn't sure what to do on my nails today so without me even really knowing it, this came out. 

I'm proud of them, in that a few months ago I could not paint a straight line if you held a gun to my head, however as a perfectionist they are frustrating me because they're not perfectly neat! 

I guess I just need to keep practicing! 

The polishes I used are Rimmel - Aye, Aye, Sailor, BarryM - Coconut, and acrylic paint.

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Swatching!

Here is the end result of about 6 hours work and 250 polishes. 

I decided to swatch all my colours to make it easier for me and my clients to choose what colours to go for. I'm so happy with them and they look so pretty in colour order, but boy was it a lot more work than I was expecting! 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Combo Colour Swatches

I was going through my polishes and decided to try out a couple that I haven't really used. And when I saw Models Own - Indian Ocean and Rimmel - Blueberry Whizz I know I had to put them together. 

Here's the result! It's such a pretty blue with the shimmer of Indian Ocean changing the colour in the light. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Checkered Roses

I've been feeling really uninspired the last two days but I wanted to try out my new polish from Models Own - Banana Split. 

I paired it with BarryM - Chilli, Models Own - Rhubarb and Custard, and American Apparel - Peacock to make this look. 

Until next time,

- Esther :)

Exciting Announcement!

I know I've been pretty out of it this week, but there is a very good reason for it. I am now a qualified nail technician!!! 

I went to a week long intensive course, learned how to do acrylic, gel, fibre glass and all sorts of other nails and I'm now fully qualified! 

I'll be creating a website in the next couple of weeks with more information on what's next for me. But for now, here's some photos from this last week :) 

Until next time,

- Esther :)