Rara's Nautical Nails

Helloooo again!

For this mani I used Nails Inc-Big Red Apple, Tara's Talons-Supersoaker and a base of Barry M-Matt White. Also I used the anchor decals from The Vinyl Boutique. As you can see I recently bought some vinyl decals and I have been playing! I have never used them before so I was really pleased with how easy and simple they were to use especially to a complete beginner like me!

I used striping tape to do the lines on the accent nails but as I am very impatient and don't have a fast dry topcoat I always end up pulling the base coat off when I remove the tape and have to fill in the holes I have left behind!

I decided to only use my accent nails for the decals and I am glad I did because I think it makes the design look more striking!

This was a really quick and easy mani to do and I love all things nautical so it made me very happy!

*note to self* buy a fastdry topcoat!

~Rara~

Guest Post-ProcrastiNails

Hello hello! Katherine here from ProcrastiNails! I'm super excited to be here today doing my very first guest post for the lovely Jenni @ Nail Art Novice. I have a fun, bright and simple look to share with you today. I think it's perfect for the season, and it made me feel happy all day just to know it was on my fingers. :)

This look used a bunch of the polishes I got in my April Julep Maven Box: Julep Maren, Julep Flora and Julep Bailey. From the minute I saw them I knew I wanted to pull them together into a cheery summer look. I went with the cloud technique because I think it's a fun and simple way to see how different colours look together. I also varied the heights of the clouds to add a bit of visual interest. 

I really like how much the blue pops off of the more subtle purple and pink in this look, and I like how the pink is so subtle it almost looks like a nude in the right light. All together they make a striking combination! Definitely pleased with how this turned out. :) Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading, and thank you Jenni for letting me share my post with you! xx

Rara's Zigzags and Lightning Bolts

Hello all! Rara here again! Thought I'd do some blogs for Jenni while she was away, keep an eye out for them =)

Polishes used Barry M-Guava and Nails Inc-Belsize Park. I also added Tara's Talons-Fairy over the top of the bolts. Zigags and Lightening bolt decals from the vinyl boutique.

I loved this mani and I got loads of compliments on it (mainly from men which was weird!) It reminded me of Usain Bolt because the yellow turned the blue into a green and it kinda reminded me of the Jamaican Flag!I kept this mani on for ages and ages because I loved the strikingness (yes that is a word) of it!!

~Rara~

Guest Post-Pocket Money Polishes

Hello Nail Art Notice Readers!

Big thank you to Jenni for having me back and I hope she’s having a great time on her travels! My mani today was inspired by tropical summer sunshine (sorry for the slightly dry fingers, I had a bit of a frustrating painting session before this mani which involved a lot of removing and starting again).

 I used Leighton Denny-Pure White which as whites goes is not too bad for application although needs three coats for completely even coverage. While these coats were drying I applied Dollish Polish-Auld Lang Syne which was gifted to me by a lovely polishy friend who wasn’t keen on the gold colour… I LOVE IT! This is the perfect soft holo-y gold, reminds me of hot sand glistening. Really lovely formula, I used two coats for full opacity. I think this was a special edition polish for one of the Llarowe indie boxes but these things do pop up on nail sale from time to time. You could probably get a similar finish using Ciate Sand Dune and a holo topcoat. On my second accent nail (you lucky devils getting two!) I used two coats of OPI-Kiss Me I’m Brazilian from the spring/summer Brazil collection – I find this needs two normal coats and a good three stroke technique for the best even application but is a lovely pigmented bright pink.

 I went back to my white nails and added a coat of Iconic Effect-Subtle Holo Topcoat to add a bit of fizz and slightly soften the all white finish. It is a really lovely soft linear holo which is perfect for me although I am sure it would look equally amazing with a stronger holo although slightly more silvered when not in direct light.

 I added an abstract flower design to my pink nail – inspired by the tropical flower designs on girly surf wear. I am not 100% happy with how the flower came out, I wish I had used acrylic paint rather than nail polish as it is a lot easier to work with. I finished everything up with a coat of HK Girl Topcoat which for me has been a massive game changer in my love hate relationship with topcoats – I am feeling ALL the love with it right now. I bought mine from Rainbow Connection which stocks a few different sizes from a regular 15ml all the way up to salon size bottles (WANT!).

 Hope you’re all having a lovely day wherever you are and will come and check out what I am up to over on Pocket Money Polishes soon! What do you think of mix and match manis? What are your go to sunshine mani colours? I definitely love a good holo and a soft gold in the summer, just making a refreshing change from neon brights sometimes. Let me know your thoughts with a comment below!

Straya Baby!

So this is it! This is my last 24 hours in this country until the end of July which is both exceedingly exciting and also nerve racking!  One of the reasons I'm going to Australia is to meet my boyfriend's parents so I reckon I'm allowed a jitter or two! I know it's going to be a truly amazing trip but I will miss home a lot, I love Britain!

In honour of the occasion I have done Australian themed nails using Aussie flags, their national colours and a couple of adorable marsupials! Polishes used were: Barry M-Navy, Spring Green,  Rimmel-Red Obsession and Revlon-Electric, plus my Barry M white nail art pen. The decals were from YRNails.

I know the Union Jacks aren't quite right but since I only have dotting tools to work with I thought it'd be too fiddly to fill the blue in again, and I still really like em! I'm hoping they last a good few days as I have no idea when I'll next get to do my nails (which feels really weird!). I honestly don't know how much time I will have to post any manis I do do, but never fear, I have lots of guest posts from lots of fabulous nail artists to keep you interested! Also I am going to try and update my manis to instagram even if I cannot blog them, so if you want to keep in touch with me on my travels make sure you follow me over there. Also also, make sure you stick around for when I'm back cos I have a giveaway or two planned, so you don't want to miss that!

Right, that's me for now! I will leave you in the very capable hands of all my guest posters and I will see you soon! Have a good summer my lovelies!

~Nail Art Novice~