NOTD: Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine inspired nails

Something quick and easy for you today!

My first ever attempts at nail art, aged about 8, involved dotting on daisies with the head of a pin, and while my tools have evolved a bit since then, my technique is pretty much the same and I still really like the simple, cheerful pattern.

This particular colour combo is inspired by the new Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine perfume, which I decided to paint on a nude pink nail rather than a stark white for a more natural effect.

Products used:
Essie Fill The Gap base coat
OPI Sweet Memories
Bourjois Rose Lounge
Orly dotting tool - you could use a ballpoint pen/head of a pin etc
Barbara Daly for Tesco Sassy
Rimmel Blue My Mind
OPI In My Back Pocket
Claire's Accessories green
Barry M metallic gold (LE over Christmas)
Seche Vite top coat

Happy Easter everyone - have a great weekend x

CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNY NAILZ

Oh, this? This is just the Lindt bunny, hanging out on my nails.

Ba-BOOM.

Coming up with original holiday nail art is always a challenge and I was on the verge of succumbing to the ubiquitous white rabbits/Easter eggs when this idea smacked me in the brain. I'm so pleased with how he (I'm sure it's a he) turned out!

Products used:
OPI Sweet Memories as "underwear"
Barry M metallic gold (LE over Christmas)
Rimmel Ready, Steady, Aim!
Collection 2000 Shiraz
Orly detailing brush
Seche Vite top coat
Cotton wool for the fluffy tail

A very organised weekend

I spent a good chunk of my weekend rejigging my nail polish stash, figuring out the best way to keep things orderly in my Helmer drawers while minimising the space given over to the dividers themselves. I mentioned a while ago that I was planning to use posterboard, for a set-up like that of Jess at Laquerology, but then I decided to use materials I already had to hand - cardboard boxes salvaged from the recycling bin.

Yep, it's all glamour round here.

The dividers are flimsier as a result, but they still do what I want them to and cost me nothin'.

I simply cut pieces of cardboard to fit either the interior length or width of the drawers, eyeballed where I wanted the cross-sections to be, and snipped cuts halfway through each piece of cardboard at the designated splicing spots. (For anyone in need of a more detailed breakdown of the hows, a quick Google leads me to believe that this might be useful.)

I found it easiest to slot the pieces together outside the drawer and then work the whole thing into place (after lining each drawer with two layers of super thin foam that pieces of our Ikea furniture had come wrapped in. If a job's worth doing, etc)

Bada bing, bada boom: organised drawers without the loss of an inch of storage real estate. 

Talon-tastic Thursday: Springtime florals

Today's mani is proof, as if any was needed, that nailspiration can come from anywhere.

These nails are inspired by a lovely set of floral bathtowels that were part of my Christmas present from Mam last year!

For the flowers, I used a tiny Clinique eyeshadow brush from a palette to daub on small amounts of white and varying shades of pink polish to achieve a soft, dreamy, watercolour-ish effect, and I used the end of a cocktail stick for the leaves and anthers.

Products used:
OPI Nail Envy as base coat
Angelica Be Mine
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Barry M Baby Pink
OPI Elephantastic Pink
Rimmel Pop Your Pink
L.A. Colors Palm Tree
Rimmel Lemon Drop
Seche Vite top coat

Feedly: Like Google Reader, but better.

If you're Google Reader user like myself, you'll no doubt have heard the news that the service is to be canned on 1st July, thought it was a hoax or a publicity stunt, and then groaned into your screen when it turned out to be true. Himself recommended that I try Feedly as an alternative and it looks like I'm not the only newcomer giving it a whirl: according to the Feedly website, 500,000 Google Reader users have migrated there in the last 48 hours.

Hardly surprising, I suppose, given that it's free to use and the transition is seamless as all your subscribed blogs and starred items from Google Reader will appear in it automagically when you create an account using your Google credentials.

my feed on Feedly

So far, I really like the simple yet designy interface and functionality of the app (for iOS and Android) and the Feedly website - actually, I think I might prefer it to Google Reader.

If you're ready to jump ship to a new RSS reader, Feedly is one that's definitely worth checking out (here's how easy the switch is.)

If you'd prefer to follow along with Lyndar The Merciless and all your other favourite blogs on Bloglovin', there's a handy fix for that, too. Just go to http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader and click on the blue button that says “Import from Google Reader”.

Simples!

NOTD: Paddy's Day Nailsss

Happy Paddy's Day, everyone! I thought there was something a bit perfect about a green snake print manicure for the day that's in it. Of course every Irish schoolchild knows that legend has it St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, but since 2013 is the Chinese Year Of The Snake and snake is the animal print of the season for SS13 it's sort of a triple whammy of appropriateness.

This is only my second ever attempt at a Konadicure - you can see the first here - and I think it turned out fairly well. I roughly stamped the nails with a metallic gold polish to add a bit of interest and depth before stamping with black polish.

It's not flawless by any means, but I'm telling myself that the irregularities just make it look more like snakeskin than a really perfect job would. 

Ehem.

Products used:
Bundle Monster plate BM 215
Konad short-handled stamper and plastic scraper
L.A. Colors Palm Tree
Topshop Crystal Clouds
Nubar Noir
Seche Vite top coat

Nail Fail: Barry M Textured Nail Effect Paints

I'm usually a big fan of Barry M polishes. Cheap, cheerful, and with frequent trend updates as well as regular expansion of the core colour range, they're widely available, often on offer, and regularly outperform some of the prestige polishes in my stash. So when I clocked that the new Textured line (£3.99/€5.95 each) were not just on sale but on offer in my local Superdrug, I snapped up all four shades and rushed home to swatch them.

I started with Ridley Road, the mint green, since I reckoned it would be my favourite.

Actually, it might be more appropriate to say that I started and ended with Ridley Road because I thought the finish was ick and made my nails looked like they'd been haphazardly pebbledashed. I immediately removed it and haven't tried any of the other shades since.

Now since it was purely the bumpy finish that I didn't like - the colour itself was fab - I don't know why it didn't occur to me to slap on a layer of Seche Vite to even things out.

Probably because every cell in my body was busy screaming "ohmyGodgetitoffGETITOFF!"

The other colours in the line-up are Kingsland Road (candyfloss pink), Atlantic Road (baby blue), and Station Road (bizarre slightly sparkly scrambled egg yellow) and while Barry M Textured Nail Effect Paints are certainly innovative and affordable, they're just not for me. Sadface.

Whether it was a disappointing new polish purchase or some nail art that didn't quite go to plan, tell me: have you had a nail fail recently?

Pretty in Print: NCLA Nail Wraps review

Nail wraps are a great idea in theory, since they make it possible for everyone to achieve eye-catching designs or effects with a minimum of mess, smelliness, and effort. They're perfect for a last minute fix or for DIYing showstopper nails on the go, but in some respects they can be hit and miss.

For every wrap I've used that worked beautifully, I've tried three that were thick and unwieldy and refused to adhere smoothly to the nail. I also feel that wraps can be wildly expensive when compared to polish on a cost-per-wear basis. So when the lovely ladies at Cult Beauty sent me a gorgeous-looking packet of NCLA nail wraps designed by Melody Ehsani, well, I wasn't optimistic that I'd get on brilliantly with them. (Spoiler alert: I kinda did.)

The pack contained far more wraps than I'd anticipated (44 wraps on 2 sheets) together with a nail file, and the wraps were easy peasy to use. As instructed, I applied a base coat (two layers of OPI Nail Envy), selected the best size for each nail, peeled them off the backing, aligned them with the base of the nail, and smoothed them firmly onto the nail plate and tip.

Before lifting them, I used a small scissors to trim some of the larger wraps to fit - minimising waste and ensuring that I can get the maximum number of manicures (4) from the pack.

Then, after filing away the excess at the tip, I added a layer of top coat to each nail, per the instructions.

Want to see how they turned out?

BOOM. Awesome.

As you can see, I had no issues with wrinkling or bubbling, although I did make a bit of a hash of trimming the wrap for my right thumb.

To give you a bit of context, NCLA nail wraps are thicker than Sally Hansen Salon Effects, but not as thick as Claire's Accessories or Nail Rock decals, and I found that they were flexible and easy to work with. The tips filed off cleanly to give a perfectly smooth free edge, but on some nails you can juuuust see the white base showing under the design where the tips were filed. 

That's my only complaint, and really it's a very slight perfectionist gripe. I've had these on now for nearly 24 hours and took those photographs just a few minutes ago: they look just as good as when I applied them and there's been no lifting or additional tip wear. 

All in all, I've been pleasantly surprised by NCLA wraps. Given the ease of use, that it's possible to get 4 full manis or pedis from each pack, that the wraps don't dry out and have a shelf life of a whopping two years, and how truly unique the designs are (possibly the important consideration for moi) so far I think these are a bit of a winner. 

I'll update you in a few days to let you know how they wear!

NCLA nail wraps are £12.50 from Cult Beauty

NOTW: Kate Mink's elegant tips

I have may-jor nail shape envy this week thanks to Kate Verling of Dublin nail emporium Mink. Kate has been busy swatching the new OPI EuroCentrale shades and I have been busy admiring her fabulously elegant nails. An exaggerated tapered shape with rounded, gently pointed tips, they're a wearable take on the so-hot-right-now stiletto trend.

This shape looks best on those with long nail beds and slender fingertips, and of course a decent length of nail to work with. If that's you and you fancy emulating the look, remember always to file nails from edges to centre and take care that the shape is even on both sides of the nail.

My own nails are sadly a bit on the short side to pull off this shape right now, but hopefully in a few weeks when my OPI Nail Envy trial is finito I'll be able to WERK IT!

images via Mink's Facebook page // shades are My Vampire is Buff & Eurso Euro