Nail Art: Diamond Jubilee

If you live in the UK I don't need to remind you what is happening this weekend, but if you are abroad then you might not be aware that tomorrow, 2nd June, we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation. This event is known as the Diamond Jubilee, a term which  normally marks a 75th anniversary but is used differently when it comes to monarchs.

As you can imagine, 60 years on the throne is no small feat, and the only other monarch to have celebrated such a date was Queen Victoria in 1897. Ten years ago, when I was living in London, I went to the Golden Jubilee celebrations near St Paul's Cathedral but this year I will be staying at home. There are many events planned for the long weekend, and for the first time ever, I will be having my birthday on a Bank Holiday!

There are hundreds of manis out there to portrait the Diamond Jubilee. In a sea of Union Jacks and red, blue and white themes, I decided to take a different approach: 

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As you can see, I went for a subtle look. Using Nubar Classic Camel as a base colour, I got my inspiration for the accent nail from a 1st Class stamp. The rest of the nails are covered in diamonds, in the form of OPI Servin' Up Sparkle.

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Would you say this mani is fit for a Queen? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

New Skip Hop Zoo Nail Art

I am back after a few weeks of silence! I've got a great excuse to reactivate the blog a little...

Last week I was pleasantly surprised to see an email from Christy at Skip Hop. After my first Nail Art doing their Owl, the company contacted me to take part in the launch of their latest Zoo backpacks and lunchies by doing the new designs on my nails.

My photos were used as teasers on their Facebook page, starting with the Hippo last Friday and continuing with the Dino today. Some of the fans guessed them correctly, so I suppose my creations were pretty close!

I was super excited to take part in a fun launch like this! Creating the designs was a little difficult but after a few attempts I came up with the following:

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For the Dino I used:

• OPI Ski Teal We Drop
• OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
• OPI Did It On'Em
• OPI Black Onyx

For the Hippo I used:

• OPI Fly
• OPI Alpine Snow
• OPI Black Onyx
• China Glaze For Audrey
• Kiko 279

What do you think?

New Page: My Nail Care Routine

I created a new page on the blog describing my nail care routine. I will be updating it as and when I find new products, change my method or learn new tips. If you haven't yet seen it, please feel free to have a look and share your suggestions!

Nubar - 2010

If you like flakies, and I know many of us collectors do, I'm sure you've heard of Nubar 2010. Nubar is a cruelty-free, vegan brand based in the USA. All their nail varnishes are B3F and reasonably priced.

This top coat was released for their 10 year anniversary. It's a clear base with different size iridescent flakies that reflect mostly red and green. The formula is pretty good and dries quickly; one coat is enough for layering.

I've been thinking about this post pretty much since I started the blog. I wanted to do it justice and show it to you over lots of different nail varnishes, but then realised that it looks so cool over black I don't need to show you less interesting options. Here's a few anyway, so you can see what I mean:

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From Top Left to Bottom Right:

OPI Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow Suede

OPI Fly

OPI Ali's Big Break

a-england Galahad

Mavala Poetic

OPI Jade Is The New Black

Over black it's just amazing, like autumn leaves or even embers. I really like this look, it certainly shows off all the different colours vividly.

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This is definitely a must have as it can update your mani in a matter of minutes. If you, like me, fancy a change after a day or two and can't afford to completely change your look, make sure you try this.

Brand: Nubar

Name: 2010

Type: Flakie/Top Coat

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: 4.6/5

Potential dupes: several potential dupes, Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure is probably the most popular one.

Buy it from BeautyBay £5.50 (with free worldwide delivery)

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Enhancing Base Coat

2 x OPI Black Onyx

1 x Nubar 2010

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Nails Inc - Notting Hill Gate

It's not news that most Nails Inc polishes are named after places in London/stations. While Notting Hill Gate might bring memories of Julia Roberts being glamourous and Hugh Grant being awkward, it reminds me of something much closer to home.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in late Summer 2003 when I went to Notting Hill to have a coffee with my now husband. Norah Jones was playing in the background, we were sitting on a brown leather sofa in a small venue on Portobello Road and realised we wanted to be more than just friends. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So I ended up buying a pink nail varnish! I haven't gone insane, I am a romantic and this is not just any pink. This is a cool pink, it's neon! I thought it'd look great as a vibrant pedi colour but haven't tried it yet.

The formula on this is very good. It goes on smoothly and only needs two coats. The finish is between a matte and a creme, for those who, like me, are not familiar with neon polishes. I thought it might glow in the dark but it doesn't, I hope that gives you an idea of how eye-catching this product is!

I honestly can't wait until the sun is back, hopefully for more than a week, in the UK and I can wear this again. When my little girl gives it back, that is!

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I also created a few mani options below using Nails Inc Paddington for the French tips, star and dots and Nails Inc Electric Lane holographic top coat. In hindsight, I'm not sure how good they look... see for yourselves:

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Brand: Nails Inc

Collection: Neon

Name: Notting Hill Gate

Type: Neon

Colour: Pink

Pantone equivalent: Rhodamine Red

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Illamasqua Collide, comparison coming up soon! Other neon pinks out there.

Buy it from Nails Inc £11

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Extending Base Coat

2 x Nails Inc Notting Hill Gate

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight