I've Moved!

I've moved!

 

Come and have a little look at my new blog!

 

It's much prettier, and nicer and is basically the same blog, but on a different website.

 

Come and have a nose around!

 

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Rimmel - Metal Rush #2

This is the second of the Rimmel Metal Rush varnishes I bought, but this one is in the colour, rather nicely named 'Gold save the Queen'. Basically all of the colours have something to do with the monarchy. The four colours are 'Gold save the Queen'; 'Purple Reign'; Royale Blue' and 'Pearly Queen'. Someone got paid a lot of money for that.

Basically, it's exactly the same as the other polish I bought (you can read my review of that here), expect that the two tone colour is a little less easy to see and looks more like a shadow.

Looking back now I wish I bought 'Pearly Queen' instead. If anyone has that varnish could you link a picture so I can see what it looks like?

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Rimmel - Metal Rush

A few days ago I indulged in a few new nail varnishes ... let's say it was a reward for ... urm, getting up before 9, of my own accord. I know, quite an achievement.

One of the varnishes I purchased was Rimmel London Metal Rush - Royale Blue

In case you didn't know, metallic varnish changes colour in the light so you get a two tone effect. According to Rimmel's website that means we can "Be your own stylist!....Paint.. Metalise.. Mesmerise!" Seems a bit over the top but anyway ...

Firstly, the good points:

• It's a really pretty colour, though I wouldn't necessarily call it 'royal blue' which I think is more of a darker blue, but the names all have something to do with the monarchy so we'll give them a bit of artistic license there. 
• It's quite thick. No one likes those really thin varnishes where it takes 15 coats before you start to see some colour. This took only two coats.
• It dries incredibly quickly. I'm talking, less than a minute.
• It's cheap. Compared to a lot of other varnishes around at the moment, £3.99 seems hardly anything.

Then, the not so good points:

• The colour effect only seems to work in full on sunlight. In artificial light, it looks like a normal blue colour with a lot of shine. Even if you're just sitting inside the effect doesn't really work fully.
•  Chips. Noooo! I have to say I was disappointed on this point. Within a day, I'd already adopted these two lovelies:

• Now this could be my fault but for some reason the brush seemed to feel wrong and I ended up with a lot of varnish on the skin surrounding the nail, which looks pretty crap. Then again, I could have just had a really shaky hand that day! 

If you fancy getting some of this varnish, here's a link to Rimmel's website

But if you need an excuse to indulge, head over to Tesco's website where they have a 2 for 3 offer on all Rimmel products! That was my excuse anyway!

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Spring is coming ...

Today in Birmingham it's actually warm. Well I say warm, it's actually 8 degrees, but compared to the last few weeks, that's pretty damn hot. AND the sun is shining, the sky isn't grey and there are birds tweeting incredibly loudly, which must mean that spring is on its way ...

The first day of spring technically starts on the 21st of March (which happens to be my Dad's birthday) with it being so sunny I decided to paint my nails in a summery fashion, so I can pretend it's actually 30 degrees outside:

The polishes I used were:
           

Barry M - Hologram Hexograms

Can't remember where I got this one from, sorry!

                                             
                                                           

Rimmel London - 60 second clear

The perfect home manicure ...

Hello!

So the French Manicure is the mother of all things nail painting. It originated in 18th-century Paris and has been popular ever since. However, it can get very expensive to get them done professionally at a salon, so here's a little guide to how you can do your own at home ...

Make sure you have:

Emery board nail file
Nail buffer
Hand moisturiser
Bowl of warm, soapy water
Nail polish remover
Cotton pads
Cotton buds
Cocktail stick
Clear Nail Varnish
White tip nail varnish

File the nails into curves. Always file your nails in one direction to get a smoother finish. Also, try not to apply too much pressure as this damages the nail.

Use a nail buffer on the top surface of the nail to take away ridges and give a high-quality shine. Most nail buffers have three sides; buff, smooth and shine. Ensure you use all three to get the best results

Soak your fingertips in warm soapy water for around three minutes. This cleans away any dust left from filing and softens the cuticles

Use a cuticle pusher (or if you don't have one, a cocktail stick) to gently push back the cuticles. The cuticle is the soft pinky skin that protects the divide between the finger and nail, but can grow over the top part of the nail

Moisturise your hands and nails, being careful to rub it into the remaining cuticles. Make sure it is fully soaked in before the next step. Then take your nail polish remover and quickly rub it over your nails. Having moisturiser on your nails when you try to paint them will mean the varnish can't stick properly

Apply a clear base colour and allow to dry completely

Apply the white tip polish, following the natural curve of the skin under the nail. It is easiest the start in the middle, then move out to both sides

Now I discovered this little tip completely by accident but if you run a cocktail stick along the curve as soon as you have applied a white tip, it replaces a wobbly top with a smooth, professional-looking line 

Use a cotton bud to remove any excess varnish from the sides of the nail

Once the tips are dry apply a top coat of clear nail varnish to protect them from chipping and produce a high-shine effect

Finished! The perfect home French manicure, and maybe a little treat for your dear mothers in a few weeks ....?