Paris Challenge

I'm in the Nail Artisan Aholics group in Facebook and we decided to have a wee challenge as below

CHALLENGE YOURSELVES:

Hey ladies, today we (myself and Khylie as she is the one with the good ideas lol), are sharing with you the next challenge for #nailartisanaholics group nail collaboration. This one again is a story on your nails.
Guess what??? We are heading to Paris 🤗. Excited?
This time the theme is just as fun. 
On your holiday to Paris, you must tell us what you got up to, but this time we have added another twist.. you must include a bike ride. Where you ride your bike is up to you, Paris is after all a big beautiful place.
Are you in??? Here's what to do..

1- Tell us all about your Summer in Paris, all nails are to be different.
2- You must include a bike ride in Paris, get checking the sights....
3- Colour choices, this time is where there's a twist. Everything must be monochrome, except for one nail which is in full colour and completely your choice.

That's it.. not too hard right?
The challenge will run from the 4th July and you have 2 weeks to complete your design. Please send your pics to me by the 17th July.
If you'd like to join us, please reply by commenting on this post.
CHey ladies, today we (myself and ntil I have sent you the group collage. When posting your solo shots please don't tag the companies whose products you use, use the hashtags provided #nailartisanaholics #nailartisansRus #nailartisanbyalex

So as you can see I went with alternate black and white nails, I used the following
@zoyanailpolish Storm, anchor basecoat & matte topcoat
@sally_hansen White On
@revlon Stiletto
@uberchicbeauty Paris in Love plate
@powderperfect Knights plate
@clearjellystamper big bling stamper
@pop_polish_ liquid glass topcoat
@viragovarnish Night Swim, grunge & beet Ice.

Base was 2 coats each of White On and Storm, then I stamped with black on the white nails and Stiletto on the white nails as Storm wouldnt stamp well enough.

I did the bike across 2 nails as I have tiny nails lol I did tomb stones on my little finger nail as I absolutely love Pere Lachaise cemetery and the several hours I spent wandering around were not enough and I would love to go back one day.

I did the Eiffel Tower on my thumb nail and then fleur de lis on my index and middle nails, with script in colour under the front half of the bike. I really enjoyed this challenge and cant wait for the next one.

On my right hand I did an all white base and black roses :)

The second pic shows all the other ladies who participated and every one did a great job!

Snake Skin Nails

Good Morning

What a change in the weather we've had, its rainy and a brisk 16 degrees, next doors kitty has come to see us, she's a little damp so much have been waiting a while.

Today nails are my take on snake skin. Items used were

Virago Varnish Blueberry Bleak
Starrily Nails Unicorn
Color Club Over The Moon
Zoya Maisie and Anchor Basecoat
POP Polish Liquid Glass topcoat
Bundle Monster plate BM-XL08
Clear Jelly Stamper Big Bling Stamper

I started 2 coats of Anchor basecoat as my nails stain easily and especially with blues, then one coat of Blueberry Bleak, formula was perfect and opaque in one coat, then I stamped using Over the Moon which is a holographic blue, I then top-coated with Liquid Glass to seal the design.  I then use one coat of Maisie over my thumbs and middle fingers and this was followed by 2 coats of Unicorn then lastly another coat of Liquid Glass.

I'm very pleased with how these came out :) I might try a green version next.

Wikkid Polish - Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

I needed some cheering up so decided to go for some neon yellow nails and oh boy are they bright :D

Tis is 3 coats topped with Liquid Glass from POP Polish.

The formula on this was really good just a wee bit sheer but for a neon yellow it was very good.

Mentality Nail Polish

A few years ago an indie maker (Mentality Nail Polish) had an issue, this resulted in people suffering burns to their nails and the nails also coming off, please please do NOT buy anything from this brand, their response to the situation was rude, no refunds and he was personally abusive to the bloggers and customers who had issues with his polish, blaming them.

The below link from the lovely Ashley has a ton of info

http://www.ashleyispolishaddicted.com/2015/08/mentality-nail-polish-theres-more-to.html

This person is NOT to be trusted, he lied repeatedly about his polishes and what was in them.

The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

This set comprises

A Discovery of Witches
Shadow of Night
The Book of Life

I really really enjoyed this series, I felt that the 3rd book seemed a little rushed but over all I highly recommend this series if you enjoy anything vampire, witch or daemon :)

I dont want to give too much away but I'll give you a bit of an over view :)

Diana Bishop is a witch, she studies alchemy within old books and is doing research at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, then she requested a book and encounters a vampire, his name is Matthew Clairmont.

From there something called the congregation get involved because the vampires should not be hanging out with the witches nor the daemons.

What will happen when Diana finally gets her hands on The Book of Life aka The first Grimoire.

The second book is set in 16th century London which Deborah really brings to life, she is amazing at painting the sights and sounds of Elizabethan London.

Zoya Sandy and Missy

Today I have 2 stunning pinks :)

They are Sandy the darker and Missy the lighter, they are both from the 2018 Sunshine collection.

The formula on both of these was perfect, both opaque in 2 coats, they were almost opaque in one I just had a couple of little bald spots at my cuticle to cover up. These two didnt need topcoat as they are both very shiny on their own.

Sandy dried darker than in the bottle also, this is something that I find I've only noticed with Zoya

A Zoya a Day
Name - Missy
Year - 2018
Number - ZP942
Coats - 2
Finish - Creme
Collection - Sunshine 2018
Colour - Pink
Topcoat - None

A Zoya a Day
Name - Sandy
Year - 2018
Number - ZP943
Coats - 2
Finish - Creme
Collection - Sunshine 2018
Colour - Pink
Topcoat - None

Zoya Minnie and Elise

Morning

The good weather is still holding out and I've somehow managed to tan!? I'm normally a lovely shade of white but sitting out in the sun only after 4.30pm in the afternoon seems to be working, I dont think I've been this tan since I was a little kid.

Anywho today I am wearing the stunning Elise and Minnie :)

Elise had a good formula she was just a bit sheer and in some lights you can see visible nail line after 3 coats, I guess if you wanted it completely opaque you'd have to go for maybe 4? But I tend to stop at 3 as I dont mind VNL, you could of course use this as a topper which I did do on my thumb which is wearing Minnie and it gives a nice effect. You could also put down a coat of an orange creme too.

Minnie is a really pretty coral pink shade,  also a good formula, I used two coats for my mani, I think with use and careful application this could be a one coater.

A Zoya a Day
Name - Minnie
Year - 2018
Number - ZP948
Coats - 2
Finish - Creme
Collection - Sunshine 2018
Colour - Coral
Topcoat - None

A Zoya a Day
Name - Elise
Year - 2000
Number - ZP200
Coats - 3
Finish - Metallic
Collection - Classic
Colour - Orange
Topcoat - None

Wikkid Polish Neons - nail art

I love neon polishes and when you get good ones they are stunning, I was very lucky to pick up the full set of neons from Wikkid Polish link below as they are still available and even better on sale!

https://www.wikkidpolish.co.uk/product/life-s-a-beach-collection

There are a set of 6, all opaque in 2 coats and no need to put white undies on!

I went a bit mad with testing them all in a crazy bright floral beachy summer mani. These stamped like a dream.

I used Sally Hansen White On in one coat for my base then all the neons for the stamping.

Zoya Amber

Today I have the stunning Amber from Zoya, this is a gorgeous peachy golden beauty.

The formula was good if a little sheer so I used 3 coats.

I've also compared this to a couple more Zoya, I have Austine, then Amber and Goldie on the right, Amber is the perfect mix of Goldie and Austine I think :)

I used Liquid Glass topcoat by POP Polish

A Zoya a Day
Name - Amber
Year - 2000?
Number - ZP246
Coats - 3
Finish - Metallic
Collection - Classic
Colour - Golden Orange
Topcoat - Liquid Glass by POPPolish

Nail Artisan by Alex facebook group competition.

I took part in a facebook competition from Nail Artisan by Alex.

The rules of the competition were as follows:-
1- Tell us all about your Summer in Paris, all nails are to be different. 
2- You must include a bike ride in Paris, get checking the sights....
3- Colour choices, this time is where there's a twist. Everything must be monochrome, except for one nail which is in full colour and completely your choice.

First I had to buy the Uber Chic plate Paris in Love as I didnt own a late with a bike image.

I decided to go with alternate black and white nails.

I used the following products

Sally Hansen White On
Revlon Stiletto
Zoya Storm
Virago Varnish Beet Ice, Grunge and Night Swim
Uber Chic plate Paris in Love
Powder Perfect plate Kings and Castles
Powder Perfect plate Halloween 1

I started with 2 coats of Zoya Storm and Sally Hansen White On, I then stamped using White On on the black and Stiletto on the white, I used the 3 coloured Virago Varnish as the background for half the bike.

I'm super pleased with how this came out :) on y other nails I went with a roses theme as they weren't part of the competition.

Nail fail

Some days you cant win

I bought a sheer polish from Sally Hansen called Sweet Nothings which is a very pale pink.

I did three coats and it was streaky, the colour is lovely but streaky is no good.

Fail :( and its really showing up my repair on my right hand ring finger.

Oh well good job the polish wasnt expensive, yay for Fragrance Direct.

Zoya Tosca

Hi Friends

I collect Zoya polishes and a few years ago I came across a set of very old bottles of Zoya polish so I bid and I was lucky enough to win them, when they arrived the red below had no name, so I didnt know what her name is, I posted at the time on Instagram asking if anyone knew what polish it might be but didnt really get any results.

This bottle is the original bottle design that Zoya came up with, I think its from the 80's, in the late 90's they changed the bottle to the one they still use today but the font stayed the same, the font was changed to the present one in the early 2000's I believe.  The cream polish is Camile showing the present bottle design but the older font style. I kinda like the original bottle and font style :) maybe for an anniversary they could do a limited run of the old style bottles??

Then a couple of days ago there was a discussion on the Zoya Nail polish group on facebook and I shared my polish list, I then decided to have one more go at seeing if anyone knew what polish I had and low and behold Zoya themselves replied and said she was Tosca! :) I am so pleased I was able to find out and in honour of that I decided to wear her today :)

Base is 3 coats of Tosca a gorgeous bright red with golden shimmer, then I stamped with Models Own Chrome Copper using Uber Chic plate Paris in Love and used my Big Bling stamper from Clear Jelly Stamper and all topped off with Liquid Glass by P.O.P Polish :) The formula on Tosca is still amazing and as you can see I havent used a lot of her either.

Tosca bottle shots inside under artificial light.

Bottle shot inside under artificial light.

Items used in manicure.

Taken inside in the shade.

Taken outside in full sunshine.

One of my other vintage Zoya :) 

Summer Neon Nails

Evening :)

So I decided on some cool summer neon nails :)

I used the the full bleached beach neons collection by Virago Varnish plus the limited edition orange which was created for Nail Artisan by Alex

I started with 2 coats of Sally Hansen White On on my middle 2 fingers then 2 coats each of the neons of all my other nails.

Then on the white nails I went ith a chevron design using the neons 3 on each nail.

I used Bundle Monster plate BM-XL04 with my Big Bling stamper from Clear Jelly Stamper.

Once the stamping was done I covered all nails with 2 coats of Star Dust from Wikkid Polish a fantastic British Indie maker :)  My topcoat of choice was Liquid Glass by P.O.P Polish.

The Migraine Pose

There has been a lot of talk recently on Instagram and Twitter about the so called migraine pose, here a blogger in collaboration with Elle defined what she called the migraine pose, she had her hand held against her head and looked kinda vacant, the shot was taken outside in direct sunlight.

Let me be clear, this was NOT a migraine pose, this was someone making fun of a serious neurological disease that effects a great many million people around the world, if it had been a #truemigrainepose she would have been in a dark room with an icepack or hot water bottle on her head or hunched over a toilet being violently sick!

Migraine is not a jock, it is completely and utterly debilitating, I've had migraine for nigh on 35+ years and believe you me I wish to God there was a cure or better research even, we've only now in the last 3 years seen a new medication thats been developed specially for migraine, everything else was made for something else and just so happened to help with migraine, so that included beta blockers for your heart, anti-depressant meds, meds for epilepsy plus botox to freeze the veins that constrict and dilate causing the pain.

I've lost jobs because of migraine, I've cancelled so many social events its a wonder my friends still ask me I even had a migraine on my own wedding day.

They are not cute or cool in any way shape or form.

Migraine can also kill you like strokes and epilepsy

Oh and just to be very very clear it is that painful, it wont go away with 2 over the counter pain meds and yes we try everything our doctors suggest to us because we do want to not feel like death warmed up..

When I have a migraine I feel hot then cold, nauseous, I cant stand loud noise or bright light, if I'm about to have one I get a super cold nose and feet, smells get more intense and sometimes I smell smoke that isnt there or a burning smell. Migraine is a whole body experience, I then can start to under urinate because my stomach has stopped processing things, which leads to vomiting, I get brain fog where I cannot focus on what someone is telling me or asking me

I try extremely hard not to let migraine control my life but you know sometimes thats impossible and I am confined to bed in agony for days at a time.

Migraine is stigmatised enough as its an invisible illness and if you've never had a migraine unfortunately you probably dont *get* migraine. I wouldn't wish migraine on my worst enemy because of the horror it brings me and no I am not being dramtic, think of the worse pain you ever had, child birth, a broken limb? now add in that it goes on for days, now add in a dose of food poisoning for that genuine feeling of nausea and vomiting, add in the worst hangover you've ever had the pounding head the nausea the sound thats too loud even when people whisper.... now thats kinda a migraine but triple it.

Also I cannot stress this enough we arnt faking it and when people say oh I have a migraine but i take 2 aspirin and it goes away, well honey that ain't a migraine, I've eaten painkillers like smarties and they havent even made a dent in the pain.

A headache is defined as not lasting longer than 2 hours and being controlled by over the counter meds.

A migraine is defined as lasting at minimum 4 hours and upto and over 72 hours, there are chronic daily headaches and chronic daily migraines too and something called Ice Pick Headaches which last seconds but are so excruciating that they are also known as the suicide headache because unfortunately by the time you've even just reached for a pain med its gone but it'll be back at exactly the same time tomorrow, people with icepack headaches can tell you exactly the time and date theirs started.

My #MigrainePose taken by my husband on the 3rd day of a migraine.

The Cows by Dawn O'Porter - No Spoilers

Wow, this is the story of Camilla, Stella and Tara and how their lives intertwine.

Cam is a lifestyle blogger who is luxuriating in her semi single life in her flat that she purchased herself.

Tara is 42 single and has a 6 year old daughter from a one night stand, she's a producer of documentaries,

Stella is single, she was a twin but both her mother and twin sister died from cancer as they all have the BRCA gene.

Stella works as PA to Jason a photographer who has been asked to write a book about his pictures.

On a blind date Tara walks into a bar and mistakes Jason for her date Al, they hit it off really well but when Jason asks Tara if she'd like to go back to his she says no as she really likes Jason and whats a relationship, on the way home on the tube, it all goes a bit pear shaped and the story evolves from there.

I'm not going to spoil what happens next you'll have to read the book but I do recommend this, its funny, touching and shocking at different points.

I read this in one day it was that good and it was 440 pages long :)

Zoya Sydney

Hi

This heat is making doing my nails quite tricky, in this kinda heat polish doesnt really want to dry and I've been outside as much as possible while I feel well and dont have a migraine.

So last night in the coolish evening temps I did a polish from my Zoya Untried Mountain :) 

The polish I picked is Sydney which was actually a mistake as I thought I was grabbing Bobbi another untried pink, Sydney in the bottle is a very foily metallic frosty thing.

Thankfully on the nails it looks like liquid chrome pink, I'd say its a dark version Models Own Chrome Cerise, I cant find my mani when I wore Models Own but I do have swatch sticks of both to compare. If the Models Own had the same colour as Sydney it would have been fab but the Models Own are a washed out muted colour.

Sydney went on like a dream, went where I put it and it wasnt sheer either, below is 2 coats without topcoat, I dont tend to wear topcoat unless I have stamped because I dont wear my polish long enough to warrant topcoat.

Sydney is the darker pink on the left, Chrome Cerise on the right.

Nail Artisan by Alex Nail Art Challange

Today on the blog I have a fantastic challenge from the lovely Alex over at Nail Artisan by Alex facebook group.

The theme was a day at the beach and the only rule was to use 5 fingers and include pink glitter!

So here we are

The base is the following

I started with Unt peel off basecoat as I'm wearing glitter, then 2 coats of Zoya Anchor basecoat.

Thumb 2 coats of Zoya Nova, the flesh colour is Zoya Taylor
Index and middle fingers 1 coat of Zoya Brighton
Ring and little fingers 1 coat of Remy with 1 coat of Maisie over that
Then I stamped some shells using Zoya Nina and a crab using Zoya Cora

The plates I used were Bundle Monster plate BP-33 and El Corazon plate EC-s 571 and Lina Summer 01 plate. My stamper of choice is the Clear Jelly Stamper.

I decided to go with as simple a design as possible as I am not the greatest at drawing on my nails and who knew drawing a body on your nail was so hard!

I then used Love Angelina topcoat as it doesnt smear stamping then when that was dry I mattified everything with Zoya Matte topcoat so you could see all the detail and the flakies in Maisie really shine as water :)