Revlon Facets of Fuscia

This polish has been out for while, but I only recently decided to purchase it - I love glitter polishes but rarely wear them because I change my nails so often and glitters are an absolute PAIN to remove! Revlon Facets of Fuchsia looked too lovely to pass up though! Revlon seem to be making a habit out of duping Deborah Lippmann polishes, with Facets of Fuchsia widely regarded as a dupe for Bad Romance, and their recent release Revlon Whimsical bearing an uncoincidental resemblance to Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air!

Although I realise it must be irritating (to say the least) to large luxury polish brands to have their colours duped, I am glad that the Revlon equivalents are available because they are a fraction of the price - it makes them more accessible to everyone! On one hand, I wish Revlon would stop doing it, to save Deborah Lippmann's brand integrity, but on the other hand LOTS OF PINK GLITTER ON MY NAILS THAT DIDN'T BREAK MY BANK! My head says "no" and my heart says "GIMME!". It is a case of extreme inner turmoil, I tell you, I am a mess.

This is 3 coats of Revlon Facets of Fuchsia, a black jelly base with pink glitter of different sizes:

 I added a Matte Top Coat which gives an interesting effect! Let me know what you think on the comments - I know there is a lot of buzz about duping in the polish community at the moment, where do you stand? Is it worth twice the money to support luxury brands and stand up for intellectual property rights? Or should big polish brands expect to be copied and are you glad to have an affordable equivalent that you may not usually have access to?

And what do you think of Facets of Fuchsia, I suppose, forgetting the politics of it all!

Claire's Holographic Glitter and Bundle Monster Stamping Art!

Hello lovelies, my blog has a new outift - how do you like the new layout and banner?! It's a work in progress so forgive any glitches you might come across!

I nipped in to Claire's Accessories the other day (as any self-respecting, 21 year old does on her lunch break...) and noticed a couple of polishes I hadn't seen before - the shop girl informed me that they were, in fact, new out and I had the last one of their (usually impossible to get hold of) lilac holographic glitter. Since I want anything 100x as much if I know I can't have it, I thought I better buy it to save myself later heartache. It did not disappoint, it is a gorgeous holographic lilac glitter and opaque in 3 coats:

please ignore the stub...

Ahhhhh rainbow!

As if that weren't interesting enough, I thought I'd stamp the cute heartey-liney image from Bundle Monster BM11 (imaginative adjectives don't come easy, late at night) using Konad Black Special Polish.

This looks great when it catches the sunlight and the stamping makes a glittery manicure a bit more fun and interesting! I added a coat of Seche Vite to finish and the glitter is totally smooth - not gritty at all. I'm not looking forward to the removal though, it will be the foil method, for sure. (I will do a tutorial for this!)

Thanks everyone! I have recently joined Pinterest so I can share all my favourite nail designs and inspiration on a virtual pinboard - if you're on Pinterest, it is really easy to pin anything you see on Emily's Nail Files - just sign up and get a "pin it" button on your toolbar! Alternatively, look for the Pinterest button on my pages :D

love!

Winter Wonderland Nail Art!

I suppose I should've waited for it to snow before posting this manicure (the synchronicity would be satisfying!), but I still feel bad for leaving you all alone for a month so I'm cracking out all my best stuff.

Now, I really like the design of this manicure, but it was executed badly - this, I fully admit, is my own fault. I acquired the base colour (Barry M Aqua Blue) from The Clothes Show Live, and I didn't realise it was so sheer before I began applying it. Had I known, I would've used a pastel blue base because it took about 6 coats to achieve opacity. Too many! This, paired with the 4 coats of Claire's Holographic Silver Glitter Topcoat that I added to the tips, created that horrible "too many coats of polish" look. It's kind of bubbly and icky and raised off the nail - not a fan! As if it wasn't bad enough, my Seche Vite has gone thick, and caused shrinkage, exposing the very tip of my natural nail. Here are the photos anyway, just try and ignore the poor execution and focus on the pretty glitter and snowflakes! Eeee!

cuticles are GRIM, sorry sorry sorry!

How I created the glittery snowflake tips:

Once my Barry M Aqua Blue base was dry, I added a thin layer of Claire's Holographic Silver Glitter Topcoat, starting about halfway down the nail. On the second coat of glitter, I started my brush strokes slightly close to the nail tip, and repeated for another two coats to create the glitter gradient effect. Once dry I stamped the Snowflake image from Bundle Monster Image Plate BM14 at different places on each nail tip using Konad Special Polish in White. With Claire's White Nail Art Pen, I filled in some of the gaps with dots, to make tiny snowdrops. I topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite, to make it super smooth.

Thanks everyone! Let me know what you think on the comments, I'd love to see it if any of you give it a go! I kept this on for a few days, I really liked it, especially when it caught the light!


xxx

Models Own Purple Ash with Freehand Flower Nail Art!

I had forgotten in the haze of spring pastels and summer brights just how much I really love Autumn shades! Models Own Purple Ash is a lovely deep maroony purple, but I wanted to brighten it up a little with some floral details. I added a stripe of Claire's Blue Glitter, then added a few flowers from Konad image plate M57. Using a pearlescent green Nail Art Pen from eBay, I added some vine and leaf details:

 

This was quite hard to capture, as the glitter and the pearlescence of the green caught the light differently at different angles, but I think you get the right idea of the detail! Models Own Purple Ash is a great polish to apply, and it's perfect in 2 coats. The Nail Star Nail Art Pens from eBay get a lot of stick from around the blogisphere, but I actually get on well with them - except for the horrendous stinkiness of them.

I hope you like it! Overall, I'm finding the transition into Autumn trends rather easy - I 'd forgotten how lovely some of the deep, muted shades are! 

Don't forget that you can still vote for me in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards in the Best New Beauty Blog section! Just click on the pink button on the top right side of the page!!! :D

 xxx

It Doesn't Get Much Sparklier Than This! Scotch Tape Nail Art!

When I was in the USA recently, I popped into a local Claire's Accessories, expecting it to be much like the UK shops, Nail Polish wise. I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG. I picked up some really interesting stuff like the Claire's Mood Polishes, a Glow in the Dark topcoat, a Deborah Lippman dupey-looking Rainbow Glitter and THIS amazingly sparkly holographic Gold Glitter Topcoat. Topcoat? psssssht, Ill just whack it on on its own thanks!

I did start out with a base of Bloom Goldie, just to minimise the appearance of any bald patches that might occur. Formula is fine, I only needed 3 coats for full glitter coverage, then it was like a Unicorn expoded all over my hands:

natural sunlight

A blurry picture shows the holographic rainbow effect better!

It really is a sight to behold in the sunlight! I added some Scotch Tape Nail Art, cutting tiny strips of tape, and sticking them in a "starburst" pattern on the nail. I then painted over the entire nail in MUA Shade 2, a very opaque Black. I removed the tape strips while the black was still wet, then added a coat of Seche Vite to smooth it all over.

The Gold looks great, all the holographic yumminess just peeking through. Here's a video so you can see how it catches the light:

Look at it go in the bottle haha!!

I like the trashy, blinginess of Claire's Gold Glitter Topcoat by itself, but I think it looks much more sophisticated and subtle as a highlight on a black nail. What do you think everyone?


Don't Forget you can vote for me to win Cosmopolitan's Best New Beauty Blog of 2011! Click the pic to be taken to the really easy voting system!

Thank you so much :D

Gosh Rainbow

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus everyone, it's my last exam in a couple of days, so I'll be back on form after that! I realise this isn't Nail Art, but I went to a Superdrug in a small town the other week, and found a bottle of the very rare, discontinued GOSH Rainbow - just sat on the shelf! For a fiver! It would be rude not to! A bit annoyed seen as I had also just bought Nubar 2010, which is a perfect dupe, but oh well! Rainbow is an effect topcoat containing iridescent flakies in a clear base, and it works better over darker base colours, giving a more subtle effect over lighter ones. Here is one (thickish) coat over two coats of Claire's Black, in natural light:-

LOOK AT THE RAAAINBOOOW

You can see more of the green flash here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

double rainbow, all the way accross the...nails?

 

 

 

As you can see, the coverage really is brilliant in one coat, I can't think why they discontinued it, along with Holographic. Maybe they didn't sell well because they don't look very impressive in the bottle? Who knows. This actually looks really interesting with a Matte Topcoat, it doesn't translate brilliantly in the photographs, coming across a bit milky looking (ooer), but IRL it looks really cool.

Ring finger and Index mattified using Claire's mattifying topcoat.

Just for my amusement, I decided to compare it with Nubar 2010. Overall, you can get exactly the same effect, but you need two coats of Nubar 2010 to create the same coverage that Gosh Rainbow can achieve in just one. Considering GOSH Rainbow is now Hard To Find however, 2010 is a perfect alternative. Sorry the lighting isn't as good:

Thumb, middle and Pinky, one coat of GOSH. Index and Ring, 2 coats of Nubar 2010

So there you have it. Two iridescent Flakie Topcoats, and no nail art. The next post I have for you will make up for it, I promise...it's FIERCE.

aaaaaaaand back into the pit of revision despair I go!

GREAT #bblogger chat tonight as well! If you don't know what's going on, on Twitter, at 8pm on Sunday evenings (UK time, GMT +1), Beauty Bloggers get together for a chat (using the hashtag #bbloggers) and talk about a different topic every week. Today, it was the controversial subject of self promotion, and there are some interesting opinions out there. Would love to see even more people there next week, so get involved if you're on Twitter!

Also guys, I have an FOTD (make-up look) that I could post for you, but every time I have done this in the past, it hasn't gone down awfully well, as I know a lot of you tune in for the Nail Art. Is this something you would like to see? Not really arsed either way? Or should I stop trying to flog a dead horse? Hahaha!

Emily xxx

The girliest you will ever see me!

Don't worry, these are MY nails, not those of Katie Price or any of the cast of The Only Way is Essex. I would never call myself a girly-girl (she says with a blog centred entirely around nail polish art and makeup), preferring to do more colourful, eyecatching and badass designs. This manicure is, however, the most trashy-fabulous you will ever see my nails haha. All that's missing is a giant 3D acrylic bow.

I've got exams coming up (BOOOO), so wanted something on my nails that would tempt me away from removing it and doing something else, to maximise revision time. Anyone whose ever had a full glitter manicure on, will know what an utter ARSE they are to remove. I am hoping that the fear of removal will make me concentrate harder on revision, and resist using nail polish as a distraction!

I started with two coats of Catrice Be My Millionaire, a silver polish, then added 4 coats of Models Own Juicy Jules. Juicy Jules is AMAZING, it's a holographic glitter, and catches the light beautifully - perfect for sunny days. I could have got away with 3 coats, but I wanted maximum glitter coverage. I had a hard time photographing the sheer awesomeness of this glitter, and I'm sure that if I had got it perfect, your eyes would have exploded anyway. I resorted to using a lamp directly over the nails, and using the macro setting (as opposed to the SUPERmacro setting) on my camera to blur the image sliiiighttly so you can see more of the holographic-ness. *gets a bit pic heavy from this point onwards...*

Juicy Jules on its own:

blurred so you can see the holographic sparkle

a sharper picture that doesnt show the colours as much! also sorry for my STUPID index finger that broke, I know it looks ridiculous!

I added a coat of Seche Vite to smooth it out and create a base for Barry M's new pink crackle polish Pink Fizz. I find the best way to use the Barry M crackles is to apply them thickly, as they crack better, with larger spaces between the pink bits. I hate it when you use a crackle and it barely cracks, so you can only just make out the base colour (I'm looking at you Boots 17!).

I added another coat of Seche Vite to top off the whole thing, and because the Barry M Instant Nail Effects dry Matte.

under the lamp

under the lamp

natural light

I tried my best to capture it, but imagine all that holographic glitter shining through! BLINGTASTIC! Now, this was somewhat of an experiment, but I took a video on my camera to see if I can better show you the sparkle. The quality is pretty poor, but it does give you a good idea of the shine. (bloody nicked my cuticle right before though didn't I?!)

 

Hopefully you get an idea! I actually tweeted this manicure at Amy Childs from The Only Way is Essex (a trashy reality TV show over here in the UK - IT'S BRILLIANT), she is yet to reply though haha :P

Let me know what you think everyone, was it worth it to include a video? I really wasn't sure about it, but thought I would get some feedback from you :) I realise this isn't strictly Nail Art, but that's what I love about crackles, they add instant interest to a Manicure with minimal effort. I know they've been around a while now, but I've not seen this combo before :D

Em x

it's-a meee, Mario!

Yesterday, I asked you to share your Nail Art ideas for a Rainbow Base, and the response was incredible! You all have some fantastic imaginations, I tell you, and I struggled to pick one design - until I saw Ngelic's suggestion. Girl, you had me at "Rainbow Road". Clearly a geeky girl after my own nerdy heart, she suggested a design inspired by the "Rainbow Road" level in the MarioKart Nintendo Games.

New Years Eve, this year, was a really great one for me, a small group of close friends came over to my gaff, we played hilarious board games, set off some Sky Lanterns and played drunken MarioKart to see in 2011. Now, I love a party, but I wouldn't have had this any other way (seen as last year I had an asthma attack, and the year before that I rubbed cat on my face, drunkenly forgetting that I am horrifically allergic!) So, with my love for beating the virtual shit out of my friends, for lungs that work, and for Italian Plumbers, you won the vote, Ngelic!

I hope this is along the lines of what you had in mind :)

 Ring Finger, Middle and Thumb are the stars that give Mario invincibility - I freehanded in the star-shape with Claire's Black Nail Art Pen striper, then filled in the black, adding a coat of Technic Bonanza - a blue glitter in a black jelly base.
For the Pinky, I used thin strips of Scotch Tape to make the crazy race track pattern from the game, then painted over it in black, and then Technic Bonanza. I removed the Tape Strips before the polish was dry so the edges were neat.
I couldn't resist adding Mario to the Index Finger. I started with the peach face shade, freehanded in the moustache and hat, then outlined using Claire's Black Nail Art Pen. If you would like to know what particular shade is, just ask me in the comments - there's a lot to list here!
I topped the whole thing off with 2 coats of Seche Vite topcoat, to smooth it all out.

Ngelic, I hope you like it! Thanks for the inspiration! Ngelic has a beauty blog of her own and it's fantastic, letting us know about all the latest trends, new products and the offers going on at the moment. Get following!! :D I have added 10 entries to my Giveaway (WHICH ENDS TOMORROW) for you, as a wee prize :)

I hope you enjoyed the Royal Wedding if you managed to catch it. In my opinion, Pippa Middleton stole the show in her stunning Bridesmaid dress, the queen looked like a giant (bored) Easter Bonnet, and Prince Harry - what a loveable Twat.

Hello Kitty

Morning everyone! I received my Free Gift Hello Kitty Stamping Plate from BornPrettyStore yesterday, so decided to do a Hello Kitty themed Manicure for your viewing pleasure.
I started with a Skittle-patterned base of Models Own Blooboo, Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream and Elegant Touch White, here is the swatch, as promised! Remember, you can always click to enlarge these photos, if you really want my hand all up in yo' grill.

Pinky and index are Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream, Ring finger is Elegant Touch White, middle finger is Models Own Blooboo. A wee smudge on the pinky but sssshhhhhhh.

I then stamped white polka dots on to all but the ring finger from Konad M79. I stamped the Hello Kitty Image off the BornPretty plate, and filled in the bow and nose in Barbara Daley Neon Pink and Miss Sporty Taxi! respectively. I added a pink rhinestone to the middle of her bow using Nail Glue, and free-handed a silver tip with Claire's Nail Art Pen Striper, topping it with 2 coats of Claire's Holographic Glitter Topcoat. Here's how it came out, all without Flash, in natural light. Colours are accurate.

The glitter is really pretty IRL, it's a shame it was an overcast day today.

you can see a bit of that holo glitter in this one

There we are! Let me know what you think :) I have a habit of running my hands through my hair quite a lot, so the little rhinestones snag and annoy me a bit, but apart from that, I like it! I realise it's not very original and there are a ton of other Manicures like this one out there, but I really wanted to try the new plate, so I'm sure you can forgive me :D

In other news, the Blog Round-up that we took part in yesterday was a success, I hope you got to see some new designs and we helped to broaden your bloggy horizons! Tune in next week where there will be even more collaborators. If you're interested in including some of your artwork, please please get in touch! The more the merrier!

Bundlemonster, the creators and distributors of the image plates I own, are also holding a contest over at their Facebook page so if you own any of their products, get involved! There are 25 prizes to be won! 25! waheeey! I'm definitely going to enter (what have we got to lose....right? Gulp.) so may be asking your valued opinion on a few designs and ideas before submission day!

Anyone else in the UK watching Friday Night Dinner?! I've just watched this week's episode and it made me creeeeaaase! Bloody love it!

In with the Cat Theme of this post (and trust me, there won't be many as I am hideously allergic to the bloody things and have therefore developed a general dislike for any and all feline creatures - except Lions. Lions are sik), Katy Perry has a cat called Kitty Purry - Baaaaahahaahahaaaaaaaa, it's funny cus it's like her name but for a cat, innit.

Finally, Happy Blogiversary to Sam at Nailasaurus :D

Hologram Hexogram - chunky chunky glitter!

Hola everyone! As I mentioned yesterday, I used a different topcoat over the Barry M Boots Ltd Edition on my right hand. This is two (thickish) coats of Barry M hologram Hexograms, with a bit of shuffling around to get the glitter evenly spaced:-

This glitter is amaaazing, it shines beautifully in the light - I chose to show you photos with the flash on though because its a more accurate portrayal of the base colour - it's a really lovely purple. I really wanted to keep this on a bit longer, I loved the sparkle! Despite having to use quite thick layers of this topcoat, it still dried pretty quickly.
Here's a blurry pic so you can better see the holographic hexs!

These polishes from the last couple of days have been from a few new ones I got on Friday - they have some great offers on in Boots at the moment, I rarely buy any new polishes unless they're on a special. Here is what I picked up:-

You can see the Hexogram, 17 crackle and Barry M purple that I've already shown you, but I also picked up another Rimmel Fruity, this time in Apricot Punch, a Lime Green Collection 2000 polish (I'm going to experiment with a shimmery topcoat to see if I can create my very own Illamasqua Radium haha) which I got free with the lighter foundation that I needed to match my Pasty Jane face. I also got a 17 polish in Orange Soda - I'm really drawn to the corals at the moment, it looks like! I can't wait to do some swatches and Nail Art with them for you!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends xxxxxxxxx

Strawberry Picnic Nails

It was another lovely, bright sunny day yesterday, making me wish I was sat on the park having a picnic - this manicure would have to do instead!

ooooh I wish they had all come out as well as the index finger! The other two strawbs are looking a bit squished and deformed....Nails are SO tiny to draw on hahaha!

With Flash - Pesky Orange is very apt for this mani!

I made little picnic rug tips by taping them off and painting them white over a base of a shimmery Claire's polish. I then stamped with Barry M turquoise and MUA shade 16 from BundleMonster BM17. I stamped the shape of the strawberry (not the leaves) with Barry M Red off BM05. I tried stamping the Lemon image but was struggling to pick up a complete image (I think it was the Miss Sporty polish) so just freehanded them in the end, using Barry M Spring Green and Miss Sporty Taxi! I outlined using Claire's Black Nail Art Pen, and topped it off with Barry M 3-in-1 Topcoat.

I got some compliments on this, it was lovely to wear on a hot summery day! I cracked out the Raybans today and it felt sooooo good!

Let me know what you think, kids!

xxx