Bella's Minty Leopard

Hi everyone! I've been away for a few days and feel like I've missed so much. I've had a quick glance at my blog roll and you girls have posted up so many great things, I'll need to catch up on everything this week.

Since I haven't even had time to do my nails since I got back, here is a leopard mani I did a few days before I went on holiday.

I used OPI Alpine Snow as a base, stamped with BM221 and used scotch tape to add Essence Bella to half the nail. I really like how it turned out but I must say that waiting for all the layers to dry before applying the tape was a pain!

Electric Beat & Shredded Silver Micro Glitter

I know you guys have probably seen a million and one swatches of China Glaze Electric Beat but as CG is one of my favourite brands of polish (and quite pricey in the UK), I just couldn't pass up a post on it.

Electric Beat is the only polish I got from the Electropop collection. Although I loved nearly all the shades in that collection, this one was my favourite. I've got a couple of cornflower blues similar to this but this one is just so fresh and interesting. In the swatches I saw, it looked quite bright but irl it's not so much.  It's a dusty blue, muted looking compared to the rest of the collection. The formula is quite thick but applies well, two coats is all you need for opacity.

I don't have GC Techno which was re-launched for the Electropop collection so I had a look through my stash and came across this limited edition Barry M Silver Glitter which I bought a couple of months back.


I can only assume this glitter is limited edition because I haven't seen it since and it's not like their regular silver glitter. It's not hex or round, it's literally tiny irregular shredded pieces. To be honest, I only picked it up after glancing at the lid which is holographic, so for some reason I thought the glitter was holo too. Obviously there isn't anything holo about it but I still like the irregularity of the glitter pieces.

Fruit Loop & My Valentine Glitter

*This is s scheduled post, I am currently on holiday*

This is my latest Superdrug purchase (along with a couple more bottles...oops!). Fruit Loop by Collection 200 Hot Looks. Other than Barry M, I've been trying to stay clear of drugstore brands lately because I always either get a dodgy bottle or the formulas are so poor that they all need 4 coats which I can't deal with and always end up disappointed. However, sometimes I can't help it because they have really cute and fresh colours!

I assume Fruit Loop is part of their Spring/ Summer collection and it's a pastel peach which would look absolutely stunning with a tan. I nearly gave up after the first coat because it was so streaky but it eventually evened out after three coats.

I didn't really know what I wanted to do with this mani so I just started stamping and adding random things! Lol! I stamped with Konad m36 and sponged Kleancolor My Valentine onto the tips (I must do another mani with this glitter because it's so gorgeous!).

butter LONDON - Henley Regatta

I've had this polish - butter LONDON Henley Regatta - sitting in my untrieds since before Christmas. The hubby got me this as a little surprise along with British Racing Green which I am also yet to try! Since my Leighton Denny Undercurrent mani was intact, no chips or tip wear, I thought it would be a good base for Henley Regatta.

HR is a blue and green micro glitter suspended in a clear base. It will only become opaque on it's own with 3 coats, the pictures below are 2 coats over LD Undercurrent. It's super-in-your-face-shine-and-sparkle :) However, I really like the subtle sparkle that one coat gives over both dark and light polishes!

Undercurrent - Leighton Denny

Today's polish is another Leighton Denny gem called Undercurrent. It's a deep, dark forest green creme and the formula is amazing as I've come to expect from Leighton Denny polishes. It's fully opaque in one coat and it actually looks much lighter with just one coat. This swatch is two coats which darkens it up a little.

It's not super shiny which I actually like (this swatch has no top coat). It's a very vampy and interesting winter colour if you are looking for something that isn't dark purple, burgundy or deep red. It doesn't look black indoors but very close. This colour reminds me of NARS Zulu although this is a creme and not a jelly like Zulu.

I know what you're thinking. "Did it stain?". I've used it on my toes before, for about a week and it didn't stain so I don't expect it to stain my nails either!

Holo Snakeskin

This was my first time using nail wraps. I spotted these somewhat holographic snakeskin ones and thought they would be a good place to start!

I've used nail foils before but the ones in rolls. The kind you have to use a base coat and top coat with, wait for them to dry, and transfer the foil onto the nail from the plastic backing. These wrap/ foil stickers weren't a pleasant experience. I must have bought the wrong ones (got these on Ebay for £2.99 so not the best quality) because I have seen other people applying these before and they don't seem to have any trouble with them. In fact, that is the whole point of wearing these! I've got a set of Nail Rock wraps which cost £5.99 so I'm going to give those a go as well to see how they compare.

The glue isn't a problem, they stick very well, however they were extremely difficult to smooth down onto the nail bed. No matter which way I applied them and with the utmost care, they would always leave air bubbles and not smooth down around the nail edges and side walls. Filing off the excess was also really difficult and I didn't manage to do it without roughing up the edges.

Glittery Tips On A Bed Of Roses

Orly Artificial Sweetener is such a pretty and soft colour which means I probably shouldn't have added anything to it but I couldn't help it. As the colour reminds me very much of roses, I thought that would be a good place to start.

I stamped with BM14 and Konad White Polish. The french tips are China Glaze Polarized from the Prismatic Chrome Glitters collection (I'm not ready to give up on this polish yet)! This glitter is so dense that it makes a perfect one coater for tape manis and french tips!

Orly Artificial Sweetener

Today I have a very special and pretty pink to show you. This is Orly Artificial Sweetener from their Cool Romance Spring 2012 collection. Although I liked all colours in that collection, this pink stood out the most.

Artificial Sweetener is a light dusty pink packed with shimmer which is very subtle and gorgeous. I really like the formula on this one as well, it's slightly thick but in a good "buttery" way, not in the "clumpy" way! Two coats is all you need for full opacity.

I'm not sure if this is the best shade of pink for my skin tone but I'm in love with how soft it is yet I wouldn't compare it to any other baby pinks I have! It's definitely a nice addition to my stash.

Pyjama Leopard

Since I've been in bed all day, in my pink and gray leopard onesie pyjamas (it's a Bank Holiday in the UK today), I decided that my most comfortable item of clothing deserved it's own mani! Lol!

It didn't turn out how I expected, in fact, it's one of the worst leopard manis I've done but this is pretty much all I could ask for after doing a mani in bed on a piece of cardboard!

I still like the colours! In theory, a pink and gray leopard sounded cute :)

Nfu Oh 62

The weather here is horrible today! Cloudy and dull as anything, the sun came out for literally a matter of minutes! So I need a holo to liven up my mood a little! It's a nightmare trying to swatch holos here because the sun disappears just as quickly as it appears and it's always hit and miss! :(

This is Nfu Oh 62. The neutral beige/ pinkish one of the Nfu Oh holo bunch. Nfu 64 is still my favourite because the pinkish/ purple tone is much brighter and more prominent but 62 is a very special polish in my stash! I still want to get my hands on the other holos from this collection but haven't yet been able to find them at "reasonable" prices.

I have to admit, application was tricky and in fact unpleasant! It could have been because I was trying to rush so I could capture pictures of it in the sun but also because I was applying it without Aqua Base coat. That usually makes no difference whatsoever with my other holos which apply like butter but this formula caused me some patchiness problems on a couple of the nails. I guess it was worth it because I love this linear holo effect.

Razzle Dazzle - Glistening Raspberry Gems on My Nails!

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle! This is my only DL polish and it's a mini which I got with the December GlossyBox if I recall correctly. DL's are really expensive in the UK so when I'm willing to spend quite a bit on polish, I usually go for some OPI's or Essie's.

The reason they are so expensive is most probably because they do have some amazing shades and glitters. For my bank account's sake, I should really keep the purchase of these to a minimum but after trying this one, I don't think that will be possible! Lol!

Razzle Dazzle is a lovely blackened berry jelly, packed with red and magenta glitter. I absolutely love this polish, I couldn't stop staring at it! The colour has so much depth, it's so dramatic and the glitter is like an explosion of raspberry gems!

Two thick coats provides opaque coverage but next time I'll probably layer it over a berry creme so I don't run out of this beauty too fast! It dries quite gritty which I love but for you girls that don't like gritty finishes, it's nothing a coat of SV can't fix.

Oh my...look at all this beautiful juicy sparkle:

Some Old Flowers...

I was clearing up some of my computer folders and came across this design dated 27th October 2011! I have no idea why I haven't posted these before. Probably because they were done in October and I was waiting for Spring to post them and then completely forgot about them!

It was quite a while ago but I'm pretty sure I used Sammy's You Tube tutorial on how to create quick and easy flowers. I've recently done another set similar to this which turned out much better so I guess my nail art skills have improved slightly in the last five months! However, I still wanted to post these because I really like how all these colours go together.

I used OPI Fiercely Fiona as a base colour and the following polishes for the flowers: Barry M Black, Miss Sporty Pop Fiction and Orly Glitz & Glamour.