tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65676611300101850682024-03-12T23:45:26.994-07:00Pound Store Manicurea nail art blog about thrifty manicures and bargain polishesPound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-26091506646982033062014-07-21T11:07:00.003-07:002014-07-21T11:11:06.669-07:00Over The Rainbow *Samples*<br />
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Sorry I have been absent from blogging for a while. I've been too busy to paint my nails for the last few weeks, but I'm back with another lovely Essence polish. This is a Colour & Go polish called <a href="http://www.wilko.com/essence/essence-colour+go-nail-polish-173/invt/0400785" target="_blank">"Over The Rainbow"</a> and it is a pale purple-blue with an almost holographic turquoise/violet shimmer. It doesn't photograph well, but it is very pretty.<br />
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I used Cheeky Jumbo stamping plate N and tried out the black <a href="http://www.wilko.com/essence/essence-nail-art-stampy-polish-02/invt/0400841" target="_blank">Essence Stampy polish</a>. It is very opaque, but dries super-fast so you need to work quickly or the design won't transfer fully (see my index finger). The consistency is similar to the Konad stamping polish.<br />
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I finished with <a href="http://www.wilko.com/essence/essence-gel-look-topcoat-01/invt/0340170" target="_blank">Essence Gel Look Top Coat</a>, which didn't smudge the stamping and I have found to be pretty chip resistant.<br />
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Essence products are now available from your local Wilko store or through <a href="http://www.wilko.com/">www.wilko.com</a> who currently have a 3 for 2 sale on Essence products .Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-32599745924292609022014-06-27T16:54:00.000-07:002014-06-27T18:03:57.510-07:00'It's Raining Men!' and 'Circus Confetti' *Samples* <br />
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Just a quickie post to show off the two Essence polishes I'm wearing at the moment. The blue base is a Colour & Go polish called 'It's Raining Men!' which is a gorgeous blue polish with blue and pink-purple shimmery bits. Like all the Colour & Go polishes I've tried, it dries super fast, is opaque in two thin coats and and dries to a glossy finish.<br />
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The glitter topper is from the 'Nail Art Special Effect Topper' range and is called 'Circus Confetti'. It's a clear base with silver, bright pink, light pink, green, blue, gold and red metallic hex glitter in a range of sizes. This polish applies nicely and doesn't require any fishing for glitter. It dries very fast. It is labelled as '3D Glitter' which is a bit misleading as the glitter actually lies completely flat leaving a finish so smooth and glossy that it doesn't require a top coat.<br />
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I love this combination, and the colourful glitter topper makes me very happy!Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-49959811132391633212014-06-25T12:08:00.002-07:002014-06-25T12:46:05.665-07:00Oooh Sparkly! - Playing with Essence Polishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
*Samples*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYGCCP87jDkx2QV3gNNR1TpmdhdAFPWoOBBJQlp71VPZU59hy67l_arRTqH4VIzcB5XD6RJLrz5MiOHQr4_059F0d7AWABmu33uQck8uMGM26weiwz7LThRrnOAgYrf7mCW33exLdP-V8/s1600/P1070661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYGCCP87jDkx2QV3gNNR1TpmdhdAFPWoOBBJQlp71VPZU59hy67l_arRTqH4VIzcB5XD6RJLrz5MiOHQr4_059F0d7AWABmu33uQck8uMGM26weiwz7LThRrnOAgYrf7mCW33exLdP-V8/s1600/P1070661.JPG" height="516" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is more a swatch and review post than a nail art post, which is a good job really because this is not the neatest nail art I've done! I decided to have a play around with some of the <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/essence-launch_24.html" target="_blank">Essence products I got at the blogger event.</a><br />
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I started by using <a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/nail-care-repair/e/product/studio-nails-ultra-nail-repair/" target="_blank">Studio Nails Ultra Nail Repair</a>, which is a nail treatment and strengthener with keratin that also acts as a ridge filler and basecoat. This dries very quickly and did a good job of making my damaged, uneven nails look smooth. I'll be continuing to use this as a basecoat every time I do my nails to see whether the condition of my dry, peeling nails improves.<br />
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I decided to use two polishes with different finishes from the Colour & Go range. <a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/nail-polish/e/product/colour-go-nail-polish-146/" target="_blank">That's What I Mint!</a> is a pale minty seafoam green creme. I am a sucker for polishes in the pastel turquoise/peppermint colour family, and this one just became my new favourite. The brushes in the Colour & Go bottles are perfect. They have a broad, flat shape, similar to the brushes in Rimmel polishes, which means that you can cover the whole nail in one or two strokes. The polish applies very smoothly and doesn't have an unpleasant "cheap polish smell". It only takes two thin coats for full coverage, which is remarkable for a budget priced pastel shade! It dries really quickly, as fast or faster than any of the quick dry polishes I own. The finish is incredibly glossy and smooth, like a gel finish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/nail-polish/e/product/colour-go-nail-polish-147/" target="_blank">Miss Universe</a> is a stunning sparkly polish that is hard to describe and harder to photograph. It has a dark, almost black, base and is crammed with blue microglitter that sparkles green and purple in different lights. It is gorgeous and I can't stop looking at it. It might actually be the prettiest polish I own. Just like the the creme polish, it is opaque in two thin coats, it applies smoothly and dries super fast. It dries to a nice shiny finish but isn't quite as glossy as That's What I Mint!. <br />
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I love everything about these Colour & Go polishes! These polishes cost £1.59 for 8ml. The bottles are really cute and the matching caps make it easy to find the shade you want if your polish collection is stored in drawers or boxes.<br />
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I decided to paint some triangles using an Essence striping brush and Miss Universe. Unfortunately I didnt work fast enough with the super quick drying polish and made a bit of a blobby mess. I'll know to speed up next time! I tried to disguise my messy edges by adding some white stripes in Sinful Colors Snow Me White. It wasn't a huge success.<br />
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I decided to top some of my nails with one of the stunning Special Effect Toppers from Essence, called <a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/nail-art/e/product/nail-art-special-effect-topper-23/" target="_blank">23 Million Dollar Baby</a>. It's a clear base with chunky semi-transparent holographic hex glitter. Over a pale polish it looks really pretty and quite subtle, over a dark polish it really stands out and the glitter looks orange and green. I think I prefer it over the pale That's What I Mint! polish. Be careful if you tend to smoosh glitter polishes around to get an even distribution - this polish dries super-duper fast and you could easily end up making a gloopy bubbly mess. My nails began to succumb to that fate! <br />
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I topped everything with <a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/top-base-coat/e/product/gel-look-top-coat/" target="_blank">Essence Gel-Look Top Coat</a>. This top coat applies well and does give a lovely shiny finish, but not quite as shiny as the super glossy finish that That's What I Mint! had to start off with.<br />
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I also used this opportunity to try out the <a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/quick-dry/e/product/express-dry-spray/" target="_blank">Express Dry Spray</a>. I let my first coat of Colour & Go polish dry naturally then used the Express Dry Spray on the second coat. To be honest, the Colour & Go polishes dry so quickly anyway that it's hard to see any difference. I think I need to try it out on one of my slow drying non-Essence polishes to see how well it works.<br />
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I also tried the <a href="http://www.essence.eu/uk/products/nails/quick-dry/e/product/express-dry-drops/" target="_blank">Express Dry Drops</a> which are an oil that come in a dropper bottle. I used them over the Gel-Look Top Coat. Because I am daft, I used the drops on both hands so I have no way of comparing drying time (I'll remember to only do one hand next time). The drops do seem to prevent denting while the polish dries. Because your nails are oiled, things seem to glide over the soft polish without damaging it, particularly clothes. The oil also moisturises your cuticles with almond oil and vitamin E.<br />
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Essence products are available from stands in Manchester Arndale and London Westfield, and are coming to a Wilko store near you, and Wilko online, this July!<br />
<span id="goog_1598896061"></span><span id="goog_1598896062"></span>Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-81948071850256274902014-06-24T11:30:00.000-07:002014-06-25T08:32:31.561-07:00Essence Launch<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> *Samples*</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />Hello fellow nailoholics! Sorry I haven’t posted anything
for a couple of weeks. My poor laptop had to go in for repairs and after two weeks of
being poked and prodded by experts it is still not behaving itself.
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To make up for my absence, I have a mega post full of nail polish and
makeup that are brand new to the UK market. On Sunday I spent the day at
my first ever cosmetics launch for bloggers and I am still giddy with
excitement.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Essence is an established
European budget makeup brand, based in Germany, with the widest range of products I
have ever seen, and now they have arrived in the UK. The
majority of their products are made in Europe. Essence does not test their products on animals and they have very strict
controls regarding ingredients. Essence products are already available from
retail stands in Manchester Arndale and London Westfield shopping centres, and
will be sold in all branches of Wilko from July (very exciting for me because Bolton has a large Wilko store).
<br /><br />
I took my Mum to the launch with me and we had an incredible girly
afternoon. As soon as we arrived we were given bulging goodie bags and
shown to tables piled high with products for us to try out. We watched a short
presentation and then we were shown to a large stand of products, just like you
would get in a store, and told to help ourselves to anything and everything
that we wanted to try, all free of charge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWVf5jKBQxf024tJRVGY6d-0QZPAru0PcDZ-mYp-7ppG_CL3HzsPucjR2QK48A4Ws2arZspRDX4opYEZ_uigqPhb8Ed6P-0mbq4l84EwIr0QdQRdbJ3D_uD851-TqYq6Km6oxgEOxhzDd/s1600/stand+launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWVf5jKBQxf024tJRVGY6d-0QZPAru0PcDZ-mYp-7ppG_CL3HzsPucjR2QK48A4Ws2arZspRDX4opYEZ_uigqPhb8Ed6P-0mbq4l84EwIr0QdQRdbJ3D_uD851-TqYq6Km6oxgEOxhzDd/s1600/stand+launch.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />At first it felt very strange, almost like stealing, and I limited myself just
to some nail care products and a few polishes. Even the more experienced
bloggers seemed to be a little overwhelmed by this “take anything you like”
system. As the afternoon went on, every time a product was getting low on the
stand, Essence staff would instantly refill it. They were incredibly helpful
and friendly, answering questions and recommending products. After a few hours,
everybody had forgotten their initial trepidation about helping themselves and
had bags bulging with makeup.
<br /><br />
We were provided with yummy food and unlimited hot and cold drinks, then we
were all taken to the new Essence stand in the middle of the Arndale shopping
centre, where we were given another goodie bag and posed for some photos. The Essence stand at the Arndale even has a giant nail polish bottle made entirely out of bottles of nail polish!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisptHdpMVdrLzzZc9B7nMXJwfd8lU74P2-vizjnMWOK804gt14LTuevdhJ8Tyf0M3kBgvsFZe8BPHy2IKwMYR-PBaTQ0tvGtIknVOj1wz7EBAtVf5CJ5wrygp0G1UdPDzV40eMbGyBYjRr/s1600/arndale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisptHdpMVdrLzzZc9B7nMXJwfd8lU74P2-vizjnMWOK804gt14LTuevdhJ8Tyf0M3kBgvsFZe8BPHy2IKwMYR-PBaTQ0tvGtIknVOj1wz7EBAtVf5CJ5wrygp0G1UdPDzV40eMbGyBYjRr/s1600/arndale.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ORQ0w0mcMM-OjbfPgQa8FOW2lYypi8Ic1DTZyp-kuNpy61pPevq_3jhQFGPG36Fq_oEcSQaniD7MMZ-HMoIOzAd5xmt7HGH0ezF91ZNolS5Ly4uyQ70wwv-YQMjpYaOz6Gl6eDuhr7ha/s1600/arndalebottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ORQ0w0mcMM-OjbfPgQa8FOW2lYypi8Ic1DTZyp-kuNpy61pPevq_3jhQFGPG36Fq_oEcSQaniD7MMZ-HMoIOzAd5xmt7HGH0ezF91ZNolS5Ly4uyQ70wwv-YQMjpYaOz6Gl6eDuhr7ha/s1600/arndalebottle.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
I ended up with so much stuff that I’ll be trying out Essence products for
months. I’m not exaggerating. Here are some of the things I came home
with: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>Nail Care</u><br />
Essence produces lots of nail care products, including at least four types of
cuticle conditioner, a few types of cuticle remover, nail hardeners,
strengtheners, conditioners, files and buffers. These are the nail care
products I picked up - less than a third of the full nail care range. I’ll
be trying these out over the coming months and I will let you know the results. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9cfsB4yJYfOTjqG9YJpCAR7cwWj5Ax3kLcD0IvOk3PzGv-M4rGrzAWoGSUIpJvwl9qwfF5ZYyJDXUCzguEGarWHCVobaMWCtlSa9842diUx9bTjXheTIjK_wI9oG8RhcGaESFa7LAtx0/s1600/P1070572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9cfsB4yJYfOTjqG9YJpCAR7cwWj5Ax3kLcD0IvOk3PzGv-M4rGrzAWoGSUIpJvwl9qwfF5ZYyJDXUCzguEGarWHCVobaMWCtlSa9842diUx9bTjXheTIjK_wI9oG8RhcGaESFa7LAtx0/s1600/P1070572.JPG" height="640" width="600" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>Nail Polish</u><br />
The range of colours and finishes of nail polish from Essence is incredible!
Even for a premium priced brand the range would be impressive, but all of these
polishes retail at £1.59 - £1.79 a bottle. I love the cute Colour & Go
bottles. They have plastic caps which exactly match the polish shade inside,
even the shimmery and glittery ones. This will make it super easy to find the
right shade if you store your polishes in drawers or boxes. I was pleased to
find that they don't have the unpleasant chemical smell that many budget
polishes have. I picked up a whole bunch of these and it's still only a tiny
fraction of the shades available.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jla3qv61BP2EbBltPblppVmx5E2hcwg0ertRb-uPzqqPyi9ARX07xdWHwrty7jsyYTCZHlPjVzCDsUL94LwLdNugr4sgEj1MEQ451sZy9fvk-cgz2CvqQQ4M2VDByqwpbYxnbNPTkkyd/s1600/P1070579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jla3qv61BP2EbBltPblppVmx5E2hcwg0ertRb-uPzqqPyi9ARX07xdWHwrty7jsyYTCZHlPjVzCDsUL94LwLdNugr4sgEj1MEQ451sZy9fvk-cgz2CvqQQ4M2VDByqwpbYxnbNPTkkyd/s1600/P1070579.JPG" height="394" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
The Effect and Special Effect polishes are an assortment of unusual glitters
and toppers that all look really pretty. I picked up a selection but there are
loads more available. They also have a range of pretty pastel polishes called
Nail Candies that contain hardener and conditioner and smell sweet and fruity.
I will be doing some swatches, reviews and nail art with the Essence polishes
very soon! </span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>Gel Nails</u><br />
Essence have their own home gel nail system called Gel Nails At Home, which
involves using a peel off base coat, any ordinary Essence nail polish, followed
by a gel top coat (available in clear and several different glittery finishes).
I even got a free USB mini UV lamp for curing the gel! Essence claims that Gel
Nails At Home stay looking good for up to ten days. Unfortunately I forgot to
pick up the primer and cleanser, so I won’t be able to try this out until I
have been back into Manchester to buy some.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFI8mN1M4C_wUPnxkfZV8P9TH-LyVK3VdxCG9Hox446-kNM1HhrQ7lY01-vVpTXiA-Qh8CMPuS_DO-22j8yeW77SiBENWi3RTaeCNy6paSk-cmIpFcfFc3PkoaLSpMp-zxY4lM1JYZRRga/s1600/P1070618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFI8mN1M4C_wUPnxkfZV8P9TH-LyVK3VdxCG9Hox446-kNM1HhrQ7lY01-vVpTXiA-Qh8CMPuS_DO-22j8yeW77SiBENWi3RTaeCNy6paSk-cmIpFcfFc3PkoaLSpMp-zxY4lM1JYZRRga/s1600/P1070618.JPG" height="454" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u>Nail Art</u><br />
Essence has a really wide variety of nail art decorations, stickers, pens, jars
of embellishments (caviar beads, flocking, glitters), stamping plates, stamping
polish, nail art brushes and tools. They even have ‘design your own’ nail
stickers. They also have transfer paper in a selection of designs and transfer
liquid – I can’t wait to try these out! I'm also very excited about the
Magnetic Top Coat and pattern magnets which work over any polish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Essence also sells Express Dry
Drops and Express Dry Spray to speed up nail polish drying times. I
picked up both of these and I'll be trying them out when I do my nails tonight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
I also got a selection of makeup in the goodie bags. I will be swatching and
reviewing some of it soon alongside my usual nail art posts. <br /><br />Check out some of the Essence products coming to your local Wilko store in July! </span><br />
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</span>Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-6141860115329219832014-06-11T14:40:00.001-07:002014-06-11T14:40:46.496-07:00Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHG7-VJzyT5K1ofGs89sYjpevfL_ZLH4eSU5pw6ubiI3S-OlpXAyLGemdumhzVNLJQM8dthrGADh0yxmixUU4I0PzU6ficyppdK3sSmDwgb3KKI9MWs7DWRLf58_39YvG5o6vhPUaTe5h/s1600/P1070562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHG7-VJzyT5K1ofGs89sYjpevfL_ZLH4eSU5pw6ubiI3S-OlpXAyLGemdumhzVNLJQM8dthrGADh0yxmixUU4I0PzU6ficyppdK3sSmDwgb3KKI9MWs7DWRLf58_39YvG5o6vhPUaTe5h/s1600/P1070562.JPG" height="510" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Over at <a href="http://www.nailpolis.com/" target="_blank">Nailpolis</a> a new cupcake badge has just been launched and this inspired me to indulge my sweet tooth and make some cupcake nails. I have a major weakness for cake and I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to lick these sugary nails!<br />
<br />
For the bases I used three coats of Rimmel 60 Seconds in shade Sweet Lavender (Poundworld), which is the pinky lilac, and N.Y.C In a New York Minute in the very appropriately named shade Cupcakes And Latte (£1, Bolton Market), which is the minty green. Both of these shades scream fancy cupcake frosting to me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMVSOBBnMhOtnRq6BZuUdJvj8RlKeWEBpjBXeq94sGSWD-ViTfjTbMckOqrhm3Ke0eIzrVij-Az9pJVly3jTESbbzqOx2q8dwB5O03rL-Y_HaA-s-fA19I9HFBoqhGIsg76t1aw2oJhpu/s1600/P1070535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMVSOBBnMhOtnRq6BZuUdJvj8RlKeWEBpjBXeq94sGSWD-ViTfjTbMckOqrhm3Ke0eIzrVij-Az9pJVly3jTESbbzqOx2q8dwB5O03rL-Y_HaA-s-fA19I9HFBoqhGIsg76t1aw2oJhpu/s1600/P1070535.JPG" height="510" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />I painted the little cupcake details using a fine paintbrush and some acrylic paints for the cake cases and the frosting was done with nail polish and a dotting tool. I added some matte white caviar bead sprinkles and deep pink caviar bead 'cherries' on the frosting of each little cake. I painted the big cupcake using Sinful Colors Snow Me White and pale blue acrylic paint for the case and Rimmel Sweet Lavender, Sinful Colors Snow Me White and MUA Frozen Yoghurt for the frosting swirls. <br /><br />
I used a mix of matte pastel, gold and silver caviar beads for sprinkles and placed them onto a coat of clear nail polish (L.A.Colors Voltage) using a cocktail stick dipped in polish. I topped everything with Limited Collection Matte Top Coat (Marks and Spencer).<br />
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What do you think of these sweet treats? I don't know about you, but I'm craving cake now.Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-46384207527436075212014-06-04T12:43:00.000-07:002014-06-04T12:43:37.522-07:00I Am Cyborg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUZUnMFXke7N4GzoU0r2GkpCiXJiOWrlXvmt0L1hR7-Dgutkbxx6i6sWbEDEv_polOEv3awyXukdoLDDp7nxD-tUuEnV1QfACXy3_4Vp-YTHG6_OUhSVZiQVXctT8oTTS0o1HW4uEBPPe/s1600/P1070475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUZUnMFXke7N4GzoU0r2GkpCiXJiOWrlXvmt0L1hR7-Dgutkbxx6i6sWbEDEv_polOEv3awyXukdoLDDp7nxD-tUuEnV1QfACXy3_4Vp-YTHG6_OUhSVZiQVXctT8oTTS0o1HW4uEBPPe/s1600/P1070475.JPG" height="530" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />I have been meaning to do some electronics themed nails for ages, so yesterday I made these printed circuit board inspired false nails using genuine electronics components. I am really pleased with the way they turned out!<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasYURr0liGw1Eu8Zaie5LSdi4jHJ5esaqv19DCLSp6-xA3tV5Ah6wSo7BDP8h3seSmRgM2b0a4T9ozRTtVQ4og3YGKpXVpw8EvMyO03DQP6MWo2lumJiNqmlwaLmbb7locKd98wp3wwsf/s1600/P1070498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasYURr0liGw1Eu8Zaie5LSdi4jHJ5esaqv19DCLSp6-xA3tV5Ah6wSo7BDP8h3seSmRgM2b0a4T9ozRTtVQ4og3YGKpXVpw8EvMyO03DQP6MWo2lumJiNqmlwaLmbb7locKd98wp3wwsf/s1600/P1070498.JPG" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />I used two coats of Rimmel 60 Seconds in shade Jungle Fever (Poundworld) as the base colour as it is the closest shade I have to a PCB green. I used a brass coloured metallic Vallejo acrylic model paint and a fine brush to paint the circuits. Once everything was dry, I trimmed the wire off some assorted resistors and an LED and attached them to the nail using superglue. If you want to recreate this look but don't have a big tin of electronics components like I do, resistors and LEDs are cheap and can be bought individually from online suppliers or your local Maplin or independent hobby-radio store. The total value of all the components on these nails is probably about £1.<br />
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Tip: nail glue and cheap superglue are exactly the same stuff, cyanoacrylate, but when buying from discount shops cheap superglue is often fresher than cheap nail glue (cyanoacrylate starts to get less effective 12 months after manufacture) because they sell much more of it.<br /><br />I used L.A.Colors Top Coat on the nails after I'd glued on the
components. Using the top coat afterwards helped disguise any areas
where I'd been sloppy with the glue.<br />
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What do you think of these nails? Have you ever created nail art using unusual materials?<br />
<br />Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-60244793919192393242014-06-03T17:33:00.000-07:002014-06-03T17:33:08.373-07:00Experiment with Texture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />I'm not in love with these nails. In my imagination they were amazing, but in real life I'm feeling a bit 'meh' about them.<br />
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I used false nails with one coat of Maybelline Color Show in shade Cool Blue followed by three coats of Technic Mermaid (£1, Bodycare), my all time favourite glitter, which is a mix of medium and small turquoise holographic hex glitter. I love how holographic glitter looks with a matte finish, so I added a coat of Limited Collection Matte Top Coat (Marks & Spencer).<br />
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<br />I used strips of clear sticky tape to mask a wide stripe down the centre of each nail and used Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Laughie Laffy, the dark blue, and Sugar Fix, which is white (from Poundland and Poundworld), to create textured stripes down each side of the nail. The stripes came out a bit untidy which was disappointing.<br /><br />
Although I'm not thrilled with these nails, they have inspired me to play with contrasting textures and finishes in future nail art. What do you think?<br />
<br />Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-68347542679076561272014-05-29T18:27:00.001-07:002014-05-31T08:15:49.448-07:00The Lacquer Legion Challenge - Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love these nails! They are so happy and summery.<br />
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I used false nails again for this nail art, but my natural nails are almost back to full health after a few weeks of using nothing but cuticle oil and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth on them. I'm not sure it makes them grow any faster, but it does seem to improve the condition and prevent dryness and splitting (my main nail issues).<br />
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The prompt for this month's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thelacquerlegion" target="_blank">Lacquer Legion Challenge</a> was "Garden". I loved this prompt and had no trouble finding inspiration as my own tiny garden is currently a riot of colourful flowers and interesting creepy crawlies. <br />
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I used a few polishes for the bases of the nails. The lime green is Constance Carroll in Neon Green, which is not really a true neon and is often available in discount stores for about 50p a bottle. The froggy green is N.Y.C High Line Green, usually available in 2 for £2.49 deals in Superdrug. Unfortunately it is one of those polishes that goes gloopy and difficult to work with after being open for six months. The blue is Cool Blue from the Maybelline Color Show range (£2.99 but often available in 3 for 2 deals at Boots).<br />
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I painted grass on some of the nails using the green polishes and a striping brush, plus Jungle Fever, a forest green from the Rimmel 60 seconds range. The clouds were done using a dotting tool and Sinful Colors Snow Me White. The beetles were done using a large dotting tool and a Miss Sporty Metal Flip polish in shade Fiery Blaze, which is a purple to olivey gold duochrome polish that I love and don't wear often enough (£3 for 2 at Superdrug). I drew the details on the beetles with a fine black waterproof indian ink art pen. I don't recommend this though as it turns out it isn't very top coat proof!<br />
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I used some matte caviar beads I bought on ebay a few months ago. This is the first time I've used them and they are great. As they don't have a metallic coating there is no way the colour can fade or bleed with top coat and they remind me of sugar sprinkles on cakes. I used L.A.Colors clear polish (shade name Voltage) and placed
the caviar beads using a wooden cocktail stick dipped in a little
polish. I added a fimo butterfly from my <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/try-out-all-things.html" target="_blank">wheel of fimo butterflies</a>
from Poundland. Everything was topped with a thick coat of L.A.Colors
Top Coat and left to harden overnight (thank goodness for false nails!).<br />
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What do you think? Did you do any garden themed art for the Lacquer Legion Challenge this month?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-9910944685523919032014-05-24T08:19:00.000-07:002014-05-24T09:11:06.161-07:00Glitter! GLITTER! Mwahahahaha!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry I've been terrible at blogging over the last two weeks, I've just been so busy! Today I have some photos of the nails I wore for my in-laws ruby anniversary party last weekend. I think these are my favourite nails so far.<br />
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I took inspiration for these nails from <a href="http://www.piggieluv.com/2014/04/blue-glitter-inverse-nails.html" target="_blank">these inverse glitter nails</a> by Narmai over at <a href="http://www.piggieluv.com/" target="_blank">PiggieLuv</a>, and the dress I wore to the party, which was black with blocks of a predominantly blue and red pattern and an asymmetric collar. <br />
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I started by painting a coat of L.A.Colors Base Coat onto short square false nails, followed by one coat of N.Y.C. Water Street Blue, one of my favourite blue shades and the only polish I used for these nails that cost more than £1 (it cost £2.49 for 2 bottles at Superdrug). Once that was dry I started with the glitters. First was a coat of Jess Sea Breeze (Poundland exclusive), a mix of small square silver holographic and turquoise glitter with turquoise micro glitter. After that I used a coat of Technic Mermaid (Bodycare or <a href="http://www.lovethymakeup.com/product-technic-glitter-nail-varnish-mermaid-1964" target="_blank">lovethymakeup.com</a>), a mix of medium and small holographic turquoise hex glitter which I adore so much that I've almost used up a whole bottle in six months. I followed with a coat of Pretty Graffiti Effect polish (available in Poundland and Poundworld) in the confusingly named shade 'Blue' which is a mix of medium sized red and turquoise hex glitter and gold and red bar glitter. To finish of the mass of glitter, I used another coat of Technic Mermaid.<br />
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Once all the glitter was dry I painted the inverse design using a striping brush and Jess Midnight, my favourite super-opaque budget black polish. I forgot to photograph this polish along with the other bottles. I finished everything with a coat of L.A.Colors Top Coat.<br />
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I am loving the L.A.Colors top and base coats at the moment. The base coat really seems to extend wear and the top coat is glossy, chip resistant and applies more smoothly than my usual more expensive top coat. I took the above photo of the nails after they had been worn all night, bashed around a lot (I'm not used to having longer nails!) and then pried off while a little drunk, and the only wear they show is at the base from when I removed them. I hadn't anticipated that the Nailene adhesive nail tabs I used were going to be quite as strong and stubborn as they were! I highly recommend them if you want to wear falsies for a few days but don't want to damage your nails with glue.<br />
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I loved wearing these nails. They are so glittery and full of holographic sparkle, yet they are still quite sophisticated looking and the colours matched my dress so well. What do yo think? Have you tried any inverse nail designs?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-55161429670551665282014-05-19T09:31:00.001-07:002014-05-19T09:38:25.885-07:00Party Nails for a Lovely Lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Thursday I painted someone else's nails for the first time. My wonderful in-laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Friday and had party at a local social club. My Mother-In-Law wanted some black and white nails to match her jumpsuit so I turned up at her house armed with a box of nail supplies. I have major envy about her nails. She has the kind of super-strong natural nails that grow really fast and are totally housework proof. Why can't I have nails like that?<br />
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I also used this as an opportunity to buy a few new polish bottles. My polish buying ban is still technically in effect, but I didn't have a bright white polish and my top coat was running dry and I couldn't let down my Mother-In-Law... yes I know, these are terrible excuses! I picked up Snow Me White from Sinful Colors in the Boots 3 for 2 sale along with some other makeup and it is brilliant. I've never used a white that is so opaque, just two thin coats and you are done. I also noticed that my local chemist has recently restocked its stand of £1 L.A.Colors polish. I managed to resist the ever-so-tempting new neons and stuck to buying what I needed - a new top coat and base coat.<br />
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The base coat seems great, it dries super fast and smooths out nail ridges perfectly. I painted MIL's nails with two coats of Snow Me White, with Jess Midnight (my favourite black polish, Poundland exclusive) on her middle fingers. I topped all the white nails with two thin coats of Technic Black Mirror, a gorgeous glitter containing medium and small matte black hex glitter and lots of tiny holographic transparent glitter. On the middle nail I stamped a white pattern using Konad Special Polish and a Cheeky stamping plate and did a black French tip (which is hard to see against the black table in the photos). Everything got topped with L.A.Colors top coat except the stamped nails which I used Konad Special Top Coat to avoid any smudging. <br />
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MIL seemed really happy with these nails and the L.A.Colors top and base coat wear really well without any chipping. Now all my female in-laws want me to do their nails too!Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-25152318805623078132014-05-15T17:03:00.003-07:002014-05-15T17:03:53.202-07:00Industrial Revolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry it's been a week since my last post. I was giving my nails a short break from polish and acetone while I try to sort out my dry nails and cuticles so there wasn't anything to blog about until today. You should be getting quite a few posts from me in the next few days though.<br />
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The museum I volunteer at has a huge building full of a variety of historical steam powered machinery and I decided to use this as my inspiration. I stole some watch parts from my husband's model building stash. He has a big tub of tiny gears so I don't think he'll miss them. I used two coats of 17 Fast Finish polish in shade Smokey Marble, which is a dark semi-metallic steel colour that looks exactly like the oily finish on the old steam engines. I picked this polish up for 50p in the January Boots clearance sale as it is one of the old 17 polishes (before they became Seventeen) and to be honest it's a pain to apply. It starts off a nice consistency but it dries much too fast, so before you've finished your first brush stroke it has become a thick, stringy gloop. <br />
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I applied the cogs over a coat od Konad Special Top Coat, then used another coat over the top. I'm afraid my trusty bottle of top coat is getting a bit low and it is now thick and bubbly so I think I'll have to invest in a new one. <br /><br />I rather like these slightly steampunk looking nails. What do you think?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-15981791850388382472014-05-08T17:05:00.000-07:002014-05-08T17:05:08.813-07:00Galaxy Nails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are the space themed nails I wore for my first shift as a volunteer at the science museum. <br />
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My poor nails have had a bad week. I ripped off the entire free edge (and a bit extra, ouch!) of the nail on my ring finger in a handbag rummaging incident and I'm still having problems with my index finger nail splitting along my old scar, so I'm keeping my nails ultra short until the most damaged areas of nail have grown out. In fact I've had to trim my nails even more since these photos were taken, so they really are nubbins now. Because I didn't have much space to work with I thought I'd keep my nail art simple. I've never attempted galaxy nails before, but they are so easy to do and I'm quite pleased with the way they came out although they photographed really badly.<br />
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I used one coat of black polish, Jess in shade Midnight, for the base followed by a coat of Jess Flash Harry, which is a holographic silver, red, blue and green glitter topper. Jess polishes are exclusive to Poundland and are currently my favourite budget polish brand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRpt-9qt40SX1O8vmNZlLIzqI4ssvNMDVyB_X9McCYiQ8JYDg4g0C1vuuzxze83tfOLJPywOkdIfyf4QrR57GdRIw9d85UwDcWr69_UjnXzwatRtXMUVicrzNvp3blCFpub2dOgvDIh4p-/s1600/bottles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRpt-9qt40SX1O8vmNZlLIzqI4ssvNMDVyB_X9McCYiQ8JYDg4g0C1vuuzxze83tfOLJPywOkdIfyf4QrR57GdRIw9d85UwDcWr69_UjnXzwatRtXMUVicrzNvp3blCFpub2dOgvDIh4p-/s1600/bottles.JPG" height="316" width="640" /></a></div>
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I dabbed on a variety of other polishes using the corner of a makeup sponge to create a nebula effect. I used some of the polishes that my <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/surprise-polish.html" target="_blank">Mother-In-Law gave me on Monday</a>, including a mystery shimmery red shade, Constance Carroll Waterfall (a pale green frost) and Avon Café Au Lait (a light shimmery bronze). I dabbed on a little more Flash Harry glitter in some areas then used used Maybelline Purple Aluminium, which although it looks blue in the bottle is actually a dark silver-flecked purple polish that I received as a Christmas gift about fifteen years ago and is still going strong, and Koh Phangan by Technic, which is a bright blue crelly, to subdue some of the areas where I had gone overboard with the glitter. I topped everything with a coat of Konad Special Top Coat.<br />
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Do you have any ideas or suggestions for nail art for very short nails?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-32658209864831575352014-05-07T03:34:00.000-07:002014-05-08T17:06:03.059-07:00Magnetism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is just a quick post featuring the last two polishes I bought before I started operation "No More Polish Until I Give Up Smoking". Poundworld was full of bottles of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in loads of shades this weekend so I picked up Malbec which is a deep plummy purple. <br />
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As I've only been interested in nail polish for less than a year, I missed out on a lot of the special effect polish trends of recent years. Instead I get to discover these former trends in pound shops for a fraction of their original price! I picked up a red Sally Hansen Magnetic polish months ago and was fascinated by the effect, so when I saw shade Purple Magnitude in Poundworld I grabbed it.<br />
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This polish is a lovely metallic lilac shade even without using the star shaped magnet in the polish cap, and when the magnet is held over wet polish it turns some areas of the polish silver and other areas a deeper purple, giving an optical effect that looks as though it has depth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqps3aXNMZNsW9Gzr0me-qZksa4oWIvmVY9L47vXHS8glKJb0j0QSwNi81vnwmzAPi0J0eOALP75sTX8iaq54XkIS5-qt44g9GZXnPs4TBA-ImBwejySN2VdwRs0pysQzY-IhGPNXAzWEb/s1600/P1070242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqps3aXNMZNsW9Gzr0me-qZksa4oWIvmVY9L47vXHS8glKJb0j0QSwNi81vnwmzAPi0J0eOALP75sTX8iaq54XkIS5-qt44g9GZXnPs4TBA-ImBwejySN2VdwRs0pysQzY-IhGPNXAzWEb/s1600/P1070242.JPG" height="524" width="640" /></a></div>
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I used false nails and three coats of Purple Magnitude, using the magnet on the final layer on the thumb, middle and little finger nails. On the index finger I used two coats of Malbec. On two of the nails I added dots followed by Konad Special Top Coat.<br />
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What do you think of magnetic nail polishes?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-19581990056275324602014-05-06T12:01:00.000-07:002014-05-08T17:05:35.775-07:00Surprise Polish!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQ1IRNgLWP4Y_G3-gRE2yucAAQwTJgqTq5Wdp5OuhDdHLh3zxfHLgO3W-kOprXpgQRMCcexvAFOeLmEojk7MXL9lLn7u2XAaBlWWc0I3Wfa1mYfUp_rneXtxmxgIQ_4RjrM-nfHpp_sR1/s1600/nails2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQ1IRNgLWP4Y_G3-gRE2yucAAQwTJgqTq5Wdp5OuhDdHLh3zxfHLgO3W-kOprXpgQRMCcexvAFOeLmEojk7MXL9lLn7u2XAaBlWWc0I3Wfa1mYfUp_rneXtxmxgIQ_4RjrM-nfHpp_sR1/s1600/nails2.JPG" height="560" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today I have a whole load of surprise polish to show you!<br />
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Most weekends Mr. Pound Store Manicure visits a local Sunday market with his parents. It's a combination of a flea market and some regular stalls and there are always a few people selling discount cosmetics. Last weekend I sent him off with a two pound coin and instructions to buy a surprise polish or two for me if any caught his eye. I'm not quite sure what I expected, but the results of this experiment were rather hit and miss!<br />
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The hit is a rich dark browny-burgundy with a lovely shimmer to it. It is from the Rimmel Underground Play Fast range, which I believe was made for the U.S. market and was never sold in the U.K., and was discontinued about five years ago. The shade is called Rave and I really like it. It applies well, dries fast and is work-appropriate without being boring. It's probably not a polish I would have picked up for myself because it is far too sensible, but I think I will get quite a lot of wear out of it.<br />
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I used this polish on some false nails and used a dotting tool with Filthy Gorgeous in shade Breeze, because who wants plain nails?<br />
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The other polish he picked up is a truly ghastly miss. Mr Pound Store Manicure is usually very good at knowing my taste so I really don't know what he was thinking with this one! It's a Maybelline Express Finish polish in shade Lemon, which is a pale yellow with a frost finish. I'm not a fan of yellow and I rarely wear it because it does not suit my pale skin at all. I also hate frost finish polishes. Not only is this polish really streaky to apply, but it just will not dry! Maybe it's because it is quite an old polish, but I have another Maybelline Express Finish polish that is about twelve years old and that still dries quickly so I don't know why this shade doesn't. Even if it did dry properly I don't think I would ever wear this polish. Yuck!<br />
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Yesterday I received an even bigger nail polish surprise. My wonderful Mother-In-Law decided to donate all her old polish to me as she no longer paints her nails. Once I'd thrown away the few polishes that had dried out I was left with 25 hardly used bottles of polish. Most of them are Avon polishes or small ColourWorks bottles that look like they came as part of gift sets, but there was also a No. 7, a L'Oreal and quite a few mystery polishes without any labels at all. I swatched all of them this afternoon and there are some really nice shades.<br />
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The most exciting thing about the selection of polishes is that I don't own anything similar to most of the shades. My Mother-In-Law has always had a more feminine style than me so her polish collection was full of pinks, reds and nudes with shimmer and pearl finishes - much more girly than the shades I buy. My favourites of the lot are a metallic golden-bronze Avon shade, appropriately called Fabulous, that looks really luxe and L'Oreal Ruby Noir, which is a dark shimmery red-purple. I'm sure that many of these polishes will get used whenever I need my nails to look more subdued and grown-up as they are almost all work-appropriate shades.<br />
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I am so grateful to my Mother-In-Law for all this polish, particularly as I have just started a temporary self-imposed ban on polish buying. I have just started trying to give up smoking so I am bribing myself with the promise of lots of polish if and when I succeed. I have put together a little goody-box containing five new drool-worthy polishes which Mr. Pound Store Polish has hidden and is only allowed to give back to me once I have been smoke free for two weeks. Once I make it to a month as a non-smoker, I have promised myself that I can use the money that I'll have saved by not buying tobacco to buy all of the <a href="http://www.makeuprevolutionstore.com/" target="_blank">Makeup Revolution</a> nail polish collections in one glorious splurge. If the promise of a parcel containing 50 bottles of polish doesn't get me to quit, I don't know what will!<br />
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Have you tried any of the Makeup Revolution polishes yet?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-86923989249527182962014-04-29T13:04:00.000-07:002014-04-29T13:04:16.151-07:00Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick post for some quick and simple nails. I've been training to be a volunteer at a science museum and today was my final training day before I am let loose on the visitors. I've decided I'll wear science and engineering themed nails whenever I'm volunteering so I thought I'd start that tradition today. A while ago I used some Born Pretty loyalty points to buy <a href="http://www.bornprettystore.com/letters-nail-stamp-template-p-4873.html" target="_blank">this QA9 stamping plate</a> featuring letters and numbers (it only ended up costing me three pence!) so I went with a mathematical theme.<br />
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I used two coats of Maybelline Color Show in shade Cool Blue (usually available in 3 for 2 deals at Boots) for the background and stamped the nails using blue Konad Special Polish. On my ring fingers I used two coats of Party Time Blue by N.Y.C., which is a deep blue jelly with red, blue and holographic silver glitter, over one coat of Cool Blue. I finished the nails with Limited Collection Matte Top Coat (Marks & Spencer).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIIjPXiuYD3XT_ezhc_Ec69MA0EYcXjnFLUjLMMFYL4IsoyNkKniZDFIAm3gcZnQf2Ug9u-e3v8SuBfKD7s822VxjjuC6X-q9iAlBldpKWWEOASRbVslZyfpJxICuO9IjX4Jod87aWCv4/s1600/bottles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIIjPXiuYD3XT_ezhc_Ec69MA0EYcXjnFLUjLMMFYL4IsoyNkKniZDFIAm3gcZnQf2Ug9u-e3v8SuBfKD7s822VxjjuC6X-q9iAlBldpKWWEOASRbVslZyfpJxICuO9IjX4Jod87aWCv4/s1600/bottles.JPG" height="504" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />I also have a 10% discount code for <a href="http://www.bornprettystore.com/" target="_blank">Born Pretty</a> to share with you. If enough people use this code I will be sent some nail art goodies to review, so next time you are buying nail art supplies please take advantage of the discount by entering this code when you check out: <span style="background-color: window; font-family: ''; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">PUNDX31</span>Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-43493459448588824722014-04-28T03:19:00.000-07:002014-04-28T16:46:08.970-07:00The Lacquer Legion Challenge - Bollywood Glam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The prompt for this April's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thelacquerlegion" target="_blank">Lacquer Legion Challenge</a> is "GLAM".<br />
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I just couldn't feel inspired by this prompt to begin with. I am a very un-glam person and I'm not very interested in things that most people would consider glamorous. <br />
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In the end I found inspiration on my doorstep. One of the things I love most about living in the area I do is that there is a large Pakistani and Indian population which makes the place seem rather exotic to me, partly because I grew up in a tiny rural village. In my neighbourhood there are many shops selling beautiful imported fabrics, stores specialising in Asian designer fashions and jewellers selling stunning gem-set gold jewellery. It is a goldmine of inspiration for nail art.<br />
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On special occasions many of the local women wear brightly coloured and intricately embroidered clothes, often featuring stunning beadwork and rhinestones, usually worn with an amazing bejewelled pair of shoes and impeccable makeup. If these ladies aren't glam, I don't know who is! This post should really be called "Daubhill Glam", but I doubt anyone reading this would have a clue where Daubhill is or what it has to do with red, rhinestone encrusted nails.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP55uLRJJIdiBvBx7lLr8WyQwEotIlSBWH9x5fQXNERTb99k91GMZZDRIFSboRjcPfvf1f5yV6U-Y0N3f-9bTq7nA_x7W5VQbk8gzgO2paEWdpZnfEgb2g4ApTaZXFWkoc3JT6xB95Ff_J/s1600/bolly13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP55uLRJJIdiBvBx7lLr8WyQwEotIlSBWH9x5fQXNERTb99k91GMZZDRIFSboRjcPfvf1f5yV6U-Y0N3f-9bTq7nA_x7W5VQbk8gzgO2paEWdpZnfEgb2g4ApTaZXFWkoc3JT6xB95Ff_J/s1600/bolly13.JPG" height="444" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZuCknAqL63ZgnbYijUu1xhbKLNePw2OCaBm5svNJaMWVowumPQ4ZlssRpU1x9GI3aqe8XGD9p2TBpV6gRy5ahSDzN6-aEGSU3j3oh_FD814yEICYaiue2G6S2nKppd2T3gFvv6a-idcG/s1600/bolly14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZuCknAqL63ZgnbYijUu1xhbKLNePw2OCaBm5svNJaMWVowumPQ4ZlssRpU1x9GI3aqe8XGD9p2TBpV6gRy5ahSDzN6-aEGSU3j3oh_FD814yEICYaiue2G6S2nKppd2T3gFvv6a-idcG/s1600/bolly14.JPG" height="522" width="640" /></a></div>
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As I have recently cut my nails very short I decided to use some long oval false nails for this nail art so I'd have more room for sparkly stuff. I used Jess polish in shade Hot Date (Poundland), a shimmery red, for the base colour. I used a gold <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/primark-nail-art-pens.html" target="_blank">P.S. Love nail art pen</a> (Primark) to draw a semicircle at the base of the nails and stuck red and silver rhinestones (from the <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/primark-nail-art-pens.html" target="_blank">Nail Art Get Creative</a> set) and gold caviar beads (Poundland) to it while it was still tacky. I drew a paisley shape using the gold nail art pen and used a cocktail stick to place caviar beads individually around the edge then stuck down more rhinestones in the centre using blobs of gold polish. I finished everything with a coat of Konad Special Top Coat. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX3ISpPWutndvin6hYAS3e9AgeTDIlmhyGlPV7rFJV7XZeOM9DpDQKAzKsm-BoIIAVKTT-B9xoqfUQt1FUNKjh0Pxt8qV8n8IjodbAcFqtyOMVgONvVWSEjWm8siU9UQcQDiz-8cZQhHV/s1600/bolly6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX3ISpPWutndvin6hYAS3e9AgeTDIlmhyGlPV7rFJV7XZeOM9DpDQKAzKsm-BoIIAVKTT-B9xoqfUQt1FUNKjh0Pxt8qV8n8IjodbAcFqtyOMVgONvVWSEjWm8siU9UQcQDiz-8cZQhHV/s1600/bolly6.JPG" height="584" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8loYOJb0hnt7YLUhniH_tUg9YjQWqjE-3TfyBPCouyRaa7ANsiKocVctu4oyJ0v-_5d1-nDlG6a9S6WSrRgqf22jlb0SeYkTc_cEaW-cYXx5Y9TapD88BXllBmwnF9P1I8FUUflYoODRd/s1600/bolly5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8loYOJb0hnt7YLUhniH_tUg9YjQWqjE-3TfyBPCouyRaa7ANsiKocVctu4oyJ0v-_5d1-nDlG6a9S6WSrRgqf22jlb0SeYkTc_cEaW-cYXx5Y9TapD88BXllBmwnF9P1I8FUUflYoODRd/s1600/bolly5.JPG" height="564" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am a bit annoyed that after all my work the top coat took the gold colour off some of the caviar and left it silver, but I am still quite pleased with these nails even though I don't think I can really pull this look off. The red and gold together make me think of bridal outfits in Bollywood films. I only kept these on long enough to take the photos because the length was driving me crazy. I have no idea how anyone copes with having long nails. I'd end up losing an eye!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgtDsBY-D9fnblwOzkEBOAUK8-RjF8i2p8MftjVPNT5TKZd2lJTJKSpIrNUpwfS4j6hhEa52713IySgriaarEhGtaOtWkr5bTzqDxrpia6ES0d0L8lHMpo5ZuUAcJzvGXCZUlgRnq5D0h/s1600/bolly9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJgtDsBY-D9fnblwOzkEBOAUK8-RjF8i2p8MftjVPNT5TKZd2lJTJKSpIrNUpwfS4j6hhEa52713IySgriaarEhGtaOtWkr5bTzqDxrpia6ES0d0L8lHMpo5ZuUAcJzvGXCZUlgRnq5D0h/s1600/bolly9.JPG" height="518" width="640" /></a></div>
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What do you think? Did you do any glam nail art for the Lacquer Legion Challenge this month?<br />
<br />Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-6236409336549215932014-04-24T18:40:00.000-07:002014-04-24T18:40:17.065-07:00More Beaded Nail Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOybNcT27hWoJ82iPzdIMUhV22rf3W_Z-UsaEfGgy-CvNMqI_q1aFphvSENmT337HL2UFho1HcYZZ2HCK1DtSqxc-dcc32Ly0FkQnh6EaTwF5FGJZnUUTsfqhPPAILZuyXJuiB_cjNEb2L/s1600/wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOybNcT27hWoJ82iPzdIMUhV22rf3W_Z-UsaEfGgy-CvNMqI_q1aFphvSENmT337HL2UFho1HcYZZ2HCK1DtSqxc-dcc32Ly0FkQnh6EaTwF5FGJZnUUTsfqhPPAILZuyXJuiB_cjNEb2L/s1600/wheel.jpg" height="598" width="640" /></a></div>
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I made a wheel of beaded nail art designs using the same technique I used for my <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/tribal-beads.html" target="_blank">tribal beaded nails</a>. <br />
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<br />My damaged index fingernail split yesterday so I've had to cut my nails very short again, so at the moment there isn't much room for elaborate beaded nail art (or much else) on my natural nails. Luckily I have some false nails so I might use those for my next few posts.Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-47399585362488347132014-04-23T10:26:00.001-07:002014-04-23T10:26:59.382-07:00Primark Nail Art Pens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnr2rtAoqT4Z_192AaCaQAIhgukwldzLNJIBYXo6jSHhMVv6i2C8FawqmL_1SpOfakZdTQ3XJfVMD2V6JjXHf49muqLxbom3sq_xNXUATHklOzTGBNjZT2J6-DvOhz3wtjhDp-evvC0iq/s1600/packs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnr2rtAoqT4Z_192AaCaQAIhgukwldzLNJIBYXo6jSHhMVv6i2C8FawqmL_1SpOfakZdTQ3XJfVMD2V6JjXHf49muqLxbom3sq_xNXUATHklOzTGBNjZT2J6-DvOhz3wtjhDp-evvC0iq/s1600/packs.JPG" height="542" width="640" /></a></div>
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On Monday I braved the bank holiday crowds and headed to Primark to pick up some nail art pens. I'd read some good reviews of the P.S. Love nail art pens so I had to try them for myself. <br />
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There are two types of nail art pen available in Primark. The P.S. Love sets which cost £2 for a pack of three and are available in a Silver/Gold/Turquoise pack, which I bought, and a Black/White/Pink pack, which had all sold out in my local store. Primark also has some packs containing two slightly smaller nail art pens with a tube of matching rhinestones attached to the base of each one, also for £2. These nail art pens are not P.S. Love and are labelled Nail Art Get Creative. They were only available in a White/Red pack (other colours may be available). I'd not read any reviews of these pens but I thought I'd give them a try.<br />
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The lids and nibs of the pens are identical for the two types of nail art pen, consisting of a unscrewable striping brush section and above that a push-fit lid covering a thin metal nib. The pen tubes are squeezy, so be careful not to squeeze them as you remove the pen lids (which are tight fitting) otherwise you'll squirt polish everywhere. It is also important that when you are removing and replacing the lids you keep them directly in line with the nib to avoid bending the thin metal. You use the pens by gently squeezing the tube as you draw. The harder you squeeze, the thicker and blobbier the line you draw will be. There is no need to press the nib onto the surface of your nail as you would with a marker pen (you'd probably damage them that way), just gently touch the surface with the nib. As you can see in the photo below there is a little imperfection in the plastic moulding near the nib on some of the pens, but this doesn't affect the way they work at all.<br /><br />
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The P.S. Love nail art pens are really excellent, just as the reviews I'd read claimed. The turquoise polish is totally opaque even over black, and the gold and silver are almost as opaque. The P.S. Love pens have exactly the right consistency to draw neat, thin lines and are a pleasure to use. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but by applying just a tiny
bit of pressure you can draw lines almost as thin as a fineliner pen.<br />
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The Nail Art Get Creative pens contain slightly less polish and the formula is not nearly as good as the P.S. Love pens. The polish is very thin and runny which means it is harder to control the flow and the nibs splutter regularly, spraying flecks of polish and creating bubbles. Because the formula is so thin it also dissolves your base polish slightly which can muddy the colour of your lines. The white pen is significantly better than the red pen, and although it is difficult to use it is quite opaque over black. The red pen is not opaque at all and will only be useful over bases that are lighter than it, and it is so runny that it is almost impossible to draw neatly or do any detailed work with it. I imagine I will get some use out of the white pen (albeit while swearing at how difficult to use it is), but I probably won't be using the red pen again. I might try refilling the tube of the red pen with a more opaque polish from my collection to see how that works. At least these pens came with lots of sparkly red and iridescent silver rhinestones I suppose!<br /><br />The picture below shows the lines that the different pens draw. I'm afraid it's not the neatest nail art but I was still getting used to squeezing the pen as I was drawing.<br />
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So, my verdict is buy the P.S. Love nail art pens! They are fantastic and a very low price for the quality you get. I know I'll be picking up the Black/White/Pink set when they get more in stock. I wouldn't bother with the Nail Art Get Creative pens, they will only disappoint.Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-55668060393280264092014-04-22T07:41:00.000-07:002014-04-22T08:21:07.527-07:00The Weekly Haul - Ooooh, All The Pretty Colours!I've acquired quite a few new polishes in the last week. I'm not sure when I last managed to stick to my £2 weekly polish budget. Oops! As I have so much to show you this week, I've swatched everything on fake nails instead of my own fingernails. The pound shops are full of lovely polishes at the moment, so empty out your penny jar and treat yourself!<br />
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The most exciting purchases I made in the last week were three more Sally Hansen Sugar Coat polishes from Poundworld. If you love textured polishes, get to your nearest Poundworld as soon as you can! They are currently selling some unusual Sugar Coat shades I haven't seen in a pound store before, including some shimmery and glittery ones. I picked up Candy Corn which is a bright orange, Red Velvet which is a deep pinky-red raspberry shade with a shimmery finish, and Royal Icing, my favourite, which is a gorgeous cool pastel blue with holographic micro glitter. It is so sparkly and icy looking and I know that Royal Icing is going to be great for wintery nail art! Swatches are two coats of polish, as recommended on the bottles. Red Velvet and Royal Icing are both less opaque than most of the Sugar Coat shades so you might actually need to use three coats.<br />
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Candy Corn:<br />
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Red Velvet: <br />
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Royal Icing:<br />
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Both Poundland and Poundworld are also selling a lot of Rimmel 60 Seconds polishes in a wide range of shades at the moment. I picked up Jungle Fever, a forest green, from Poundworld and Captain Khaki, a dark khaki-brown from Poundland. I always find that the Rimmel 60 Seconds polishes need two coats for full opacity (even though they claim to be one-coaters on the bottle), but they do dry quickly and I love the wide, flat Rimmel brushes because they are so easy to use. Swatches are two coats.<br />
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Poundland is currently full of bottles of polish by a brand I'd never heard of called Filthy Gorgeous. After a quick google I discovered that the polishes were launched a few years ago by a company that ran Debenhams in-store beauty salons. Apparently they are professional quality polishes and were sold in Debenhams for £9 a bottle. I'm assuming the company is no longer trading as their website has vanished, their social media accounts fell silent about a year ago and there is no longer any mention of them on the Debenhams website. I picked up Breeze, a light grey shade, and it does feel like a quality polish. It's a two-coater that applies very smoothly and comes in a cute round bottle with a lace design and plectrum charm on the cap. They have other shades available too and at £1 they are a bargain. Swatch is two coats.<br />
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I also picked up a new Jess shade. Bolton Poundland has finally got a few of the shimmery and iridescent shades in stock, although they have flown off the shelves and there were only one or two bottles left by the time I found them. I picked up Hot Date, a shimmery rich red. It's less opaque than the Jess cremes and is really stinky, unlike the cremes. It really is the smelliest polish I own, but it applies smoothly and dries quickly to a lovely finish. I do hope they get another delivery of Jess polishes soon because I keep seeing such gorgeous shades swatched online and they never seem to get any of them at my local Poundland. Swatch is three coats on the left, two coats on the right.<br />
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I spent my Easter Sunday afternoon swatching and labelling all
the polishes in my collection on plastic nail wheels and discovered that I own just over three and a
half wheels worth of polish, which is 74 shades. It seems like such a measly amount of polish when I compare it to most nail bloggers. This can only mean that I
need more polish! Bwahahaha!<br />
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How many bottles of polish do you own?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-50577493801439681242014-04-19T19:33:00.000-07:002014-04-19T19:33:33.468-07:00Earthy Earth Day Nails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the nail art I created for the Earth Day challenge on <a href="http://www.nailpolis.com/" target="_blank">Nailpolis</a>. It was supposed to be leaves and vines in a style inspired by Aboriginal Australian art. I quite like the nails but they didn't turn out quite the way I'd planned and I don't think they scream Earth Day. Oh well.<br />
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I used Rimmel 60 Seconds in shade Captain Khaki for the base. Poundland have a lot of Rimmel polishes in stock at the moment so I picked this shade up on Friday when I realised I didn't own any earth-tone polishes to use for my Earth Day nails.<br />
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I used a dotting tool and NYC High Line Green, Maybelline Pow Green, MUA All Nude and Technic Canary to do the designs. I used Limited Collection Matte Top Coat to finish them off.<br />
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I think the most surprising thing about this nail art is that I now own a dark khaki-brown nail polish. Yuck! <br />
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What's the ugliest shade of nail polish you own?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-23068595938393183392014-04-18T13:27:00.001-07:002014-04-18T18:35:07.870-07:00Tribal Beads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am loving all the African and Aztec inspired clothes and accessories in the shops at the moment, particularly the beaded jewellery and bags. I wondered if I could use seed beads to do some tribal nail art so I got out my craft supplies and began to experiment. I am happy with how well it worked. It's really easy to do so I even managed to make my right hand look the same as my left.<br />
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To create beaded nails like this you will need a polish for your base colour, a fast drying top coat, a slower drying clear polish, a cocktail stick or toothpick, a pin and a whole lot of glass seed beads. I used size 11 beads (the most common size) and it is important to remember that with seed beads the higher the number, the smaller the bead. Packs of assorted size 11 seed beads are available from craft shops or ebay, but can often be found cheaper from pound shops, discount book shops (like The Works) or market haberdashery stalls.<br />
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I started with two coats of Jess polish in shade All That Jazz (Poundland exclusive) for the base. I applied the beads one nail at a time, first applying a coat of clear L.A.Colors polish (£1 from my local pharmacy) and then placing the beads one by one onto the wet polish using a cocktail stick dipped in clear polish. You don't want to push the cocktail stick through the hole of the bead as this makes sticking the bead to the nail difficult, you just want to pick up the beads by gently touching them with the tacky tip of the stick. When you've created the desired pattern, press the beads gently with a finger to firmly stick them in place. <br />
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Once you've stuck beads to all your nails, apply a thick coat of the fast drying topcoat totally covering the whole nail and the beads. I used Konad Special Top Coat. Air bubbles will form inbetween the beads and in the holes so quickly take a pin and pop as many as you can before the top coat starts to dry. Repeat this for every nail and once the top coat is dry the beads will be stuck fast.<br />
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I was worried that I'd lose beads during the day, but after 24 hours of wear including a lot of shopping and handbag rummaging, all the beads were still in place. I did keep getting my nails caught in my hair and snagging my clothes on them though, so they aren't the most practical nail embellishments. I'm going to look for some even smaller size 15 seed beads because I think they would be easier to wear.<br />
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I'm pleased with the way my beaded nail experiment worked out. I even got a compliment on these nails from a shop assistant while I was buying my weekly nail polish haul today! <br />
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What do you think of the idea of using seed beads for nail art? Is it something you would try?<br />
<br />Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-3814503695998983472014-04-17T07:26:00.000-07:002014-04-17T07:26:02.523-07:00Going Dotty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I treated myself to a set of dotting tools from Born Pretty and here is my first attempt at using them. At first it was a little tricky to find the right amount of polish to use with the dotting tools, but once I got going these nails were so simple to do that I even managed to do my right hand to match.<br />
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I used two coats of an unnamed turquoise-leaning peppermint coloured P.S. polish from the box of four polishes I picked up from Primark last week for £2. This polish is an almost identical shade to Pool Party from the Technic Pretty Pastels range but the P.S. polish is an opaque two-coater unlike the sheer Technic polish. It has a smooth, easy to apply formula and dries to a glossy finish but it is really stinky which is something I've found with all the P.S. polishes I've tried.<br />
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I used Rimmel Lycra Pro in shade Blue Vogue (Poundworld) and MUA All Nude (£1, Superdrug) to do the dots and finished it all with Konad Special Top Coat.<br />
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Even though the dots aren't neat and perfectly placed, I've really enjoyed wearing these nails. They just look so happy! They remind me of a t-shirt I owned in the 90s that had a big blue and turquoise tie-dyed circle on the front.<br />
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What do you think? Have you tried any nail art using dotting tools?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-5515593802125839072014-04-14T11:58:00.001-07:002014-04-14T17:38:29.799-07:00Blossom and Sparkle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />I started these nails without a plan, I just knew I wanted to try out some of my new goodies, but I actually like the way they turned out. They are feminine without being too girly. Please excuse the white stuff around my nails, it's not dry skin, it's hand cream I hadn't let soak in enough, honest! <br />
I picked up another box of four little P.S. polishes from Primark for £2 at the weekend (this time the blues and greens assortment) and I was really attracted to the light cornflower blue shade that came in the set. Once I had it on my nails I wasn't as fond of it. It is a lovely shade and a smooth, one-coat formula, but it just didn't sit well with my skin tone and made my hands look even colder and paler than they usually do. I decided to warm the colour up a little using the <a href="http://www.thenailasaurus.com/2013/10/nimbus-nail-art-tutorial.html" target="_blank">nimbus technique</a> with MUA All Nude (creamy white) and a warm purple P.S. polish from the <a href="http://poundstoremanicure.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/ps-pop-art-skittles.html" target="_blank">purple and neon set</a>. It's the first time I've used this technique and it is so simple it's almost impossible to mess up.<br />
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Last week I also bought a new Technic glitter jelly for £1 from Bodycare. It's called Amelia's Army and is an indigo purple jelly base with lots of dark purple microglitter and medium sized magenta hex glitter. I used this on my thumb and ring fingers and I can't stop looking at it! The jelly base is very sheer but the glitter is densely packed so four thin coats (which is what I am wearing in the photos) will give almost total glitter coverage. It applies smoothly and the glitter lies flat and has a delicate sparkle, and it dries fast for a glitter polish too. Ooooh it's pretty!<br />
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For the stamping I used White Konad Special Polish and tried out a new Born Pretty <a href="http://www.bornprettystore.com/lotus-pattern-nail-stamp-template-p-1080.html" target="_blank">stamping plate M66</a> (bought on offer at $0.99). The plate worked well but the stamping wasn't as crisp and opaque as previous Born Pretty plates I've used, and I suspect this plate isn't as deeply etched as the others. All my nails were finished with a coat of Konad Special Top Coat.<br />
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What polishes have you been buying this week? Have you picked up any bargains?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-25660447753542746862014-04-13T10:37:00.001-07:002014-04-14T05:32:58.215-07:00Confessions of a Nail Blogger Tag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="http://galorious.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/confessions-of-nail-blogger-tag.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvqugoLjp0whagiSHaKBP76xEAFR35r0dcHRcsxCk81BHjWhHwxlX82ahR7_IZkxH6OaKT5h-QcO4FVptgPV8fFs5nnl5YCTNQW6bHQBjBDIgHJSCFM-tLJxYu-L_3SQpUOF1EDGEniUQ/s1600/confessions.png" height="316" width="320" /></div>
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This is a tag started by the fabulous <a href="http://galorious.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/confessions-of-nail-blogger-tag.html" target="_blank">Galorious</a> (the graphic above is hers too). Go and check out her <a href="http://galorious.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">nail art blog</a> if you haven't already. <br />
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I too am a bit of a naughty nail blogger so I thought I'd spend my lazy Sunday afternoon drinking tea and confessing my sins!<br />
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<b>1. I peel off my nail polish in the bath.</b><br />
I try to resist the urge because I know it's terrible for my nails and they are much more damaged than they would be if I just used nail polish remover, but I find it strangely satisfying, especially if I manage to peel it off in one piece. It also makes removal of glitter nail polish so much quicker!<br />
It drives my husband mad though, because the flakes of polish and glitter stick to the bath when I'm finished and they are a pain to clean off.<br />
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<b>2. My right and left hands rarely match.</b><br />
I am terrible at painting with my left hand, so even painting the nails on my right hand a single colour leaves me with polish all around my nails that I have to soak off in warm water (if I try to remove it with acetone and a brush or a cotton bud I'll only make things worse). If I'm just doing some simple stamping or I'm going somewhere special then I will do both hands the same, but the rest of the time my right hand gets neglected and just gets painted a single shade, possibly with a bit of glitter. I do get some funny looks when I pop to the shops with the nails on my left hand covered in tiny fimo butterflies or freehand fish or owls and on my right hand I'm just wearing a pretty shade of blue or green.<br />
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<b>3. I'm terrible at remembering to apply hand cream and cuticle oil.</b><br />
I try to stick to a regular hand care routine, but I'm rubbish at it. I'll forget to apply any cream or oil for a day or two, and then feel bad about it (usually when I go to change my nail polish and realise that my cuticles look terrible) so I try to make up for it by using so much cream and oil throughout the day that I end up with greasy hands that leave oily handprints everywhere. <br /><b><br />4. My nails are a mess without polish.</b><br />
For years I never wore polish and my nails looked healthy, even though I took no care of them. Now, after eight months of applying and peeling off my nail polish at least twice a week they are a damaged, flaky, yellow-stained mess. I know it's my own fault. I know that I should invest in a better basecoat and stop peeling off the polish and use more cuticle oil, but instead I disguise the yellowing and damage by painting them bright colours... and the cycle continues....<br />
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I tag any other nail bloggers who feel like confessing their bad nail care secrets!Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6567661130010185068.post-79775321877013794002014-04-12T10:46:00.002-07:002014-04-13T08:16:21.334-07:00Don't Count Your Chickens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did this nail art for the Easter nail art competition at <a href="http://www.nailpolis.com/" target="_blank">Nailpolis</a>. I didn't want to go too obvious and paint chicks and bunnies on my nails so I decided to do pastel patterned nails. <br />
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To start I used Technic Pretty Pastels polishes in Pool Party (middle finger), Mr Blue Sky (little finger) and Canary (thumb and ring finger). Technic polishes are available for £1 each from Bodycare or for £1.25 from <a href="http://lovethymakeup.com/" target="_blank">lovethymakeup.com</a>. On my index finger I used Rimmel 60 Seconds shade Sweet Lavender (Poundworld).<br />
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On my thumb, middle and little fingers I used two coats of the pastel polish followed by a coat of Technic Black Mirror, a gorgeous glitter polish with medium and small matte black hex glitter and lots of tiny transparent holographic hex glitter that sparkles in a rainbow of colours. I added another coat of the Technic Pretty Pastels, which have a quite sheer crelly-ish formula, then finished with a second coat of Black Mirror. This gives a speckled effect that is a little bit like the Models Own Speckled Egg collection with added sparkle. On my ring and index fingers I used the pastel shades alone without the glitter.<br />
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I painted the black and white patterns using acrylic model paints. The triangle pattern was loosely inspired by the idea of broken eggshells and the pattern on my index and ring finger is based on stylised chicken feathers found in Mexican folk art.<br />
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I topped everything with <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/matte-top-coat-8ml/p/p22285034" target="_blank">Limited Collection Matte Top Coat</a> from Marks & Spencer. I bought this yesterday using some cashback I earned through <a href="http://topcashback.co.uk/" target="_blank">Topcashback</a> on my Christmas shopping and had forgotten all about until now. You get a little extra money if you request your cashback in M&S vouchers and I'd been wanting to try this top coat for ages. I love the look of matte nails and although the P.S. Matte Top Coat I bought from Primark does the job for less money, it is very thick and gloopy and tends to soften all your previous layers of varnish and takes hours to redry. If the varnish underneath is more than two coats thick, your nails can remain dentable for a whole day!<br />
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This Limited Collection Matte Top Coat is not a disappointment. It applies thinly, evenly and smoothly and it dries quickly to a tough, completely matte finish. Now I can wear matte nails without having to spend a whole evening not using my hands while they dry. Even though it usually costs £3.50, I think that is a very reasonable price for the quality. The other widely available matte top coats from Essie and O.P.I. are £8-£12 a bottle, and although the Limited Collection top coat is smaller at only 8ml, it still works out better value per millilitre. The smaller bottle means it is less likely to get gloopy towards the bottom too.<br />
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I love the effect that matte top coat over holographic glitter gives, and I think these nails feel cute and Eastery, but grown-up too. Well, as grown-up as glittery pastel Easter-themed nails can be!<br />
Do you have any Easter nail art planned?Pound Store Manicurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06253608282817459989noreply@blogger.com3