Mint Manis for Talia Joy

Savina - Royalty with accent in Princess Lacquer - Reign with China Glaze - For Audrey and Savina - Royalty over, and a baby blue bow.

Words become poor when we are talking about loss of a human being, and Talia was such a huge inspiration for so many people. First time I heard about Talia Joy was on Ellen's Show, she was so energetic and full of life. My grandmother call those kind of people for angels:

Angels shine on us with their light and bless us with their presence for a while, until they have to go back to heaven.

"Finding Dory" is soon hitting the cinemas around the world, and I for one will be sending out a thought to all the lives that Talia touched and to the people she left behind.

For those of you who didn't know much about Talia she was a 13 year old girl that was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Around the time she was diagnosed she was introduced to makeup. She soon after started a YouTube channel that hit 1,000,000 subscribers. She made beauty videos, vlogs, and cancer updates. She passed away July 16, 2013 after battling cancer for over 6 years. She was a true fighter, a beautiful girl and always reminded us that a little fishy told her to "just keep swimming".

After her death there was a lot of petitions to have Pixar make a separate movie about Dory and dedicate it to Talia.

"You can't change yesterday, you can't predict tomorrow. Live now and don't take it for granted!"
Talia Joy on Twitter

Check out the awesome girls that participated in #anglesfortalia. @dmcastellano @savannanailsit @sittingpolishpretty @taylornails @ice.hard.nails @nails_by_courtney.s @nail.dazed @insomniaccatnails @polishedcalla @ladytheresa28 @missusfroggy @lovelacquernola @nextstagenails @nails_by_kale @lala_lacquer @stormysway79 @theworldofcos @bexdennis23 @ttluvsnails @nailsonparade @fyreblossomnails @mimi35c @sarahs.nail.endeavors @secretarysnailart @nailcraftaddict @melanie.minerva @nailartbylara @nailsbybuttercup @bethcruzan @sezies_nails @nailsby.lily @liberosnails @nails.in.arizona @lacquer_vault @paygebee @glacewing

A photo posted by Dina Ramse (@secretarysnailart) on Jul 16, 2016 at 5:50am PDT

There is are also a hashtag circulating for this from when this was originally done back in 2013, which is #MintManisForTaliaJoy, so be sure to check out the other social media sites too - there have literally been thousands of Mint Mani postings, and more to come.

For anyone posting anything about Talia, her family has asked that you use the hashtag #TaliasLegacy as well.

If you want to see the first mani that I did in honor of Talia Joy, follow this link. 

Opulent Essences - Taste The Rainbow Collection - Strawberry

Opulent Essences - Strawberry has been quite the hit on Instagram. Sharon & Zoe, the girls behind Opulent Essences, even  shared a little video that I had compressed from the Live Swatch that I did over at my YouTube Channel 

A video posted by Dina Ramse (@secretarysnailart) on Mar 28, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT

I have therefor decided to do a nail art using Opulent Essences - Strawberry first.

Opulent Essences - Strawberry

Whenever I get my hands on a new polish, the first thing I always wonder about is whether or not they stamp. That's why I grabbed Opulent Essences - Lemon and Bundlemonster - ChitChatNails - BMXL202 and BM-219 and tested this theory.

I did not stop to think about what I was stamping on top, I think I should have done that, because I would have realized that stamping neon over neon might not be the smartest idea. Never the less, I did. So that you don't have to.

Opulent Essences - Strawberry  with stamping done using Opulent Essences - Lemon and Bundlemonster ChitChatNails - BMXL202 and BM-219 as accent. 

It was incredibly hard to capture on camera, with the neon stamping on top, to the naked eye, it looked really cool. I decided to change things up a little, to get a nail art look I would be happy with.
I grabbed Barry M - Superdrugs Limited Edition - Yellow and went back over the Opulent Essences - Lemon. I repainted the accent nail and placed some golden studs instead.

Opulent Essences - Strawberry with stamping done using Opulent Essences - Lemon and Barry M - Superdrugs Limited Edition over with Bundlemonster ChitChatNails - BMXL202 and golden studs for accent. 

I am super happy with how this look ended up. The golden studs give this a bit of an edge, and I think it pairs excellent with the stamping image. 

Ard As Nails - White Cliff Bay

Today I have for you another polish from the Bookouture Girls Collection that was recently launched over at Soap Dodger. Ard As Nails - White Cliff Bay.

Ard As Nails is a 5-free, cruelty free, EU Approved Indie nail polish brand here in the UK.

For this look I first applied 2 coats of Ard As Nails - White Cliff Bay, before grabbing my stamping plate Pet'la - Ceres and Peripera - PO19. I also used, as you can see in the video my Clear Jelly Stamper that I purchased last month from Nail-Artisan UK. 

Ard As Nails - White Cliff Bay

Pet'la - Ceres is filled with stamping images from Crop Circles, and while you may not be a huge fan of the phenomena itself, this is a very pretty stamping plate with a lot of circular images. I think they translate very well to nail art.
The rhinestones that I used for this look was from a bag I had gotten at a Poundland couple of years ago. They are not meant for nail art, but it's not like that stops me from using them for that.
Last time I checked you can still get them from their arts and crafts section.

Ard As Nails - White Cliff Bay Nail Art

Which version did you like the most? With of without rhinestones, let me know in the comments below.
There is only one polish left in the Bookouture Girls Collection from Ard As Nails. I should have the post ready for you all on Friday, so be on the lookout for that.

Speedy Wired Nail

This design was invented by NailYourIdeas and is called Wired Nails.

For this manicure I used two new polishes that came out to the Speedy line from Barry M.
Barry M - Speedy - Supersonic and Barry M - Speedy - Turbo Charged.

First I started with a sandwish bag and applied two coats of Barry M - Speedy - Supersonic, and took a dotting tool and started making lines in the polish. You have to work quick here.

When you are happy with the look, let it dry before topcoating it.
Two coats of polish was enough for all my nails.

I applied one coat of Barry M - Speedy - Turbo Charged to all my nails except middle finger where I used Barry M - Speedy - Supersonic, and added the decals over.
One the middle finger I added a 3D bow for extra pow. 

Barry M - Speedy - Supersonic and Barry M - Speedy - Turbo Charged

What do you think?

Barely China

This post contains an affiliate link.

Sometimes you just have to step out of your comfort zone and do something new. I was feeling the mood today, and wanted to give this Color Club - Barely There a try. I received it in my April - Glossy Box.
I have been subscribing for a while now, and it's great for trying out new makeup items.
I am the kind of person that has no idea in the makeup isle, I tend to stick to things I already know works for me, and I am terrified trying out new stuff. Be it new colours or just a new texture.
I even have a problem with them changing the design on my BB cream. That was not a good day.
So when I get these little boxes, and they come with instructions and all, in to my own home, I feel more at ease. I have had some hits and misses, but I have also found some really great things.

Favorite so far: Coconut/Argan oil for my hair. I have been growing my hair for a while, and I am just getting past my hips now, and when I had it measured it was 80 cm / 31 inches / 2.6 feet.

But ya'all didn't get here to hear about my hair. Let's talk nails.

Color Club - Barely There

This is shown with 3 coats, and was a bit tricky to use, and to be honest it didn't wow me over or anything. I am trying to find a go-to-nude polish, and I can say for sure, this will not be it.
I wanted to give it a proper go, and wear it for a couple of days, so I grabbed my BornPrettyStore water transfers in "Traditional Chinese Painting Beauty Aspara Flat Peach Pattern (# 6076) that I purchased a while (and by a while, I mean last year), ago, and slapped them on.

To Jazz it up a little, I went with my Moyou London - Scholar Plate - 02 and my trusted stamping polish Wet N Wild - Black Creme and a black stud from a nail art wheel from Claire's.

BornPrettyStore - Traditional Chinese Painting Beauty over Color Club - Barely There. Stamping in Wet N Wild - Black Creme from Moyou London - Scholar Plate 02, and a black stud.

The water transfer was really easy to use, and I could slide them on my nails to correct the positioning after I placed them on my nails, which was great.

If you are thinking about purchasing from BornPrettyStore they offer free shipping worldwide, and if you use my code (RAMG10) you get 10% off your order. Clicking on the image below will take you straight to their site.

Until next time girls! Happy polishing!

Arabesque Nails

I received this product of my choosing, free of charge for my honest, non-bias review from the Born Pretty Store.

I needed something that would match my outfit, but still be interesting enough to talk about. Just in case anyone were to take a glance at my nails.
After all, it was a classical concert, and there would be wine and chatter.

I had just received some stamping plates from Born Pretty Store, and I had been eyeing BP L002 for a while. This would be the perfect opportunity.

Since I would be wearing a cream coloured dress, I decided to stay on the neutral side of my nail polish collection. After carefully considering every shade, I chose W7 - Buff as my base colour.

BP-L002 from BornPrettyStore

This is the part of the plate that I decided to use. There was something about those neat lines, that was dragging me towards it. Almost like a tentacle, almost like a sweet lace pattern. I did spend quite some time with this plate in order to find "the perfect" section for my manicure. I have a notebook where I sometimes do test stamps in, and I filled a full page. Crazy right?

BP-L002 from BornPrettyStore, filled in and on the stamping heads

For the stamping I used Barry M - Coconut and Barry M - Vanilla. I thought those two shades would be perfect together with W7 - Buff for this look. It is not often I wear shades like this, so why not wear them all together.  The dots are done using Barry M - Coconut.

After they had dried enough, I could proceed to getting them on my nails. Making it look something like this.

BP-L002 from BornPrettyStore decal ready to go on the nail

I wanted the design to mirror the other finger, I find this a lot easier when using the decal method, and it worked very well for this look. I finished it all with two rhinestones in a soft purple, on the index and little finger. 

BP-L002 from BornPrettyStore with rhinestones 

BP-L002 from BornPrettyStore with rhinestones 

I really like how this look came together, specially with the rhinestones and the mirror-image stamping in the middle.

If you want to get hold of this plate, it is sold for 5.99 USD, BornPrettyStore offers free shipping worldwide, and if you use my code (RAMG10) you get 10% off your order.

The plate was easy to work with, and the etching was very good, and I had no problems picking up the images with my Konad or my Moyou London stamper.

As you can see from the image, it comes with a backing piece, so no dangers of cuts here. It also comes with the protective blue film, which you are expecting to find on plates now a days.

I received this product of my choosing, free of charge for my honest, non-bias review from the Born Pretty Store.

That one time ... Watermarvel

I think it is important to report the "not so successful" attempts every now and then.
Specially when you can identify what went wrong in the process.

So this attempt started the same way as all the other:
Polish goes in water, spreads, drag needle over, dry over night.
Yet, it turned out quite different.

IsaDora - 179 - Winter Rose
W7 - 140 - Buff
ESSIE - Little Brown Dress

close up few minutes after it was made

15 h later, it looks like this

I could still make a nice manicure out of it, so it wasn't completely ruined, but it baffled me that it turned out so differently. As I hadn't had any failed attempts at all using this technique I wanted to find out what went wrong.
I asked the girls at Polish-aholics Anonymous on Facebook, and the suggestions ranged from water contamination, to temperature drops, and even air contamination. One suggested it might simply be the polishes I choose.

So I went to the scientific method, and worked on eliminating one and one of these theories.
By using the same polishes in the same order with new water, and with a lid, the problem still occurred. So it could not be air- or water contamination. Though, this was a very good bet.
As I had used the same water all week, there was a possibility that water contamination could be a factor. I would lift the decal out of the water, and make a new one right away, so the water was never changed. However this had not, and continued not to be the problem, so it had to be something else.

I then decided to use the same polishes but to swap out one of them. As I am not the biggest fan of IsaDora - Winter Rose, that was the polish I decided to swap out. This attempt had no errors and can be found following this link:

Vintage Wood - A watermarble adventure

I was twisting and turning on the decal. It wasn't much to work with, and it had gaps here and there. Some of it simply crumbled away when I took it out of the water.

 It's not my best work, hehe, but I made it, kinda, work.

OTT Pink

Picture from Pinterest

I know it's not Wednesday anymore, but I was so busy with all the other posts that needed to go out. So it's a day late. It's also Mean Girls 10 year anniversary, at the end of this post, you will find Inlinkz with load of links to other girls that also wore pink on Wednesday. Be sure to check em out.

Today I decided to go completely OTT (over the top).

Credit: Fanpop

I used the new Barry M - Silk - Blossom.
If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I don't usually do this kind of stuff, but I decided to give it a try.
Nothing wrong in trying.

I started out with a french tip using Sinful Color - Snow Me White, and did some lines on my index finger. Over that I added Barry M - Blossom. I was wondering how it would look over the white, to soften the look of the intense white tips. I forgot to take a before picture of this step. This is with one coat of Barry M - Blossom.

Then I went in to add some rhinestones. Part of me really like this, and part of my find it really gross. So hopefully you will all be in between.

Rhinestone wheel from The Works for £ 1.99,-

What do you think?

Let me know in the comment section below. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Christmas/New Year Haul

I have gotten my hands on a couple of new polishes and nail art items lately. This post is dedicated to those new darlings.  This time I have been to the 99 p store, Poundland, The Works and H&M. 

I have noticed that The Works sometimes has great rhinestone sets, as well as flocking powder. Great for nail art.  

From the 99 p store I picked up the Shatter collection from OPI.

OPI Silver Shatter
OPI Black Shatter
OPI Shatter the Scales
OPI Super bass Shatter
OPI Red Shatter
OPI Gold Shatter

Gold/White glitter from H&M NOK 29,-

From Poundland. Allura Diamante Nail Charms. Purple bows, white snowflakes, Christmas stockings and Christmas tree.

From Poundland, Revlon Chroma Chameleon Collection.

Revlon Chroma Chameleon - Pink Quartz
Revlon Chroma Chameleon - Gold
Revlon Chroma Chameleon - Cobalt

I know there is a green and a purple as well in this collection. Will have to keep my eyes out for them, and see if they are at any of the other Poundlands in town.

Nail Wraps. Got these two for £1.99 ea.

£ 1.99,- set of three (0,3 - 0,4 - 0,5) different sized rhinestones in four colours, from The Works.

Holy Motherboard

I have to admit I am a bit late with this post, I'm playing catch-up on these challenges. The girls over at Llama Nails on FB have this Nerd Challenge going, and it looks really cool.
Previously on this challenge we have had "Inspired by Math", "Inspired by Space", "Inspired by Science Fiction" and "Inspired by Litterature", now its time for "Inspired by Technology".

I love computers, that's just how it is. So when this challenge arrived I knew what I wanted to do. A post I did last year was a programmers -manicure with HTML codes, and this time I'm going deeper, and taking a look at the Motherboard. Interesting enough, I'm holding my first motherboard in the HTML -code manicure.

For this manicure I used black and white acrylic paint, a liner brush, a script liner brush and a dotting tool. I used China Glaze - Unpredictable as my base color. At the end I added a metal circle and a nail art sticker ( for the serial number)

Mini Birthday Haul

I have been on a mini haul for some new nail stuff for my upcoming birthday. Didn't buy much, just a few things.

I have restocked on Lemony Flutter from Lush, and a new pot of Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.
My local Boots has gotten a Sinful Colors rack and I picked up these four beauties.

Kissy, Courtney Orange, Pink Forever, Exotic Green.

I have been wanting studs for a while, and I found some at my local Claire's. 

They had a wheel with some black, silver and golden studs. I can't wait to try these out! 

Finally I get myself some studs.

I feel like getting a Grunge-outfit and get all dressed up.

I wandered in a Bodycare shop and found this wheel with different heart fimos. There where also some bows in there. Happy me! I want to get hold of more bows for nailart. if you got a tips on where to buy them, etc on Ebay, send me a link down below.

I also found some nail art stack pots at New Look, they where £1.99 (2.50 euro). 

I'm looking forward to my birthday. I'm gonna be a quarter of a century soon. Eek! It's a bit scary, but I'll get over it. From now on, I'm definitely no longer a child.  The big 25. Wish me luck.