Trying out Nail Tattoos/Transfers/Decals/whatever you want to call them

I hadn't thought about using nail tattoos or stickers since I was a child, but found myself doing just that the other night. So I hopped on over to eBay and started searching for nail art stickers. Something I could layer over my polish to look like I'd spent ages making my nails look pretty. This then led me to look at nail wraps, and then nail tattoos. I came across these for £1.99, and thought I'd give them a go. The printing quality could be better, but I only bought them to have a play around with. The instructions say to paint your nail with a white base coat (the white on the design is actually clear and you're just seeing the white of the paper behind), cut the transfer to size, place in water for 30 seconds, slide the transfer off the paper, and place onto your nail. Then hold it onto your nail with a cotton pad and then apply a top coat. However, you don't need to slide the transfer off and place it onto your nail. You can just put the whole thing straight onto your nail with the paper facing up, wet and press with a tissue or cotton pad, and then remove the paper (like you would with a fake tattoo). This saves you a step. How did I get on? It was more tricky than I thought it'd be, especially cutting the transfers to size. You can tidy and shape polish after applying, but you can't with these. I also had trouble keeping the design in place before applying a top coat. I do like the result, though! I'd love to try nail art stickers next, especially white designs. At least they don't cover your entire nail, so you don't have to worry about the shape around your cuticles.

Do you like nail art tattoos/transfers/decals/stickers/wraps? The ones above have made me realise that I don't own a light blue! I have sky blues, but no pastel varieties. Madness. Also, if you're wondering what nail polishes I'm wearing on the other nails, they're Grapefruit, Blueberry, and Greenberry from the Barry M Gelly range.

Barry M Limited Edition Yellow

Barry M has recently brought out some Limited Edition shades, with a pink and green exclusive to Superdrug, and a (different) pink and yellow exclusive to Boots. They all have patterned lids and are priced at £3.99. Of course, I just had to get the yellow! On its own, it takes 2-3 coats (some nails only took 3, though, because of my application), and with a white base coat, 1-2 coats. I'm wearing Barry M's Matt White underneath this manicure, and even though it means I'm wearing just as many coats, it made the application of the yellow a lot easier. It should hopefully help with any staining, too! On my ring finger, I used Barry M's Nail Art Pens in Black and White to do an aztec design. No where near perfect, but if you don't look closely, it looks pretty cool! To seal this, I used Barry M's All in One Basecoat, Topcoat & Nail Hardener. It's all about Barry M this week!

Have you picked up any of the Limited Edition Barry M shades?

Barry M Nail Art Pens

It took them long enough, but Barry M finally brought out nail art pens! At £4.99 each, they're cheaper than the likes of Models Own (and better). I decided to go for the white and pink varieties, but I'm now thinking I need the black and silver versions in my life, too. You only get 3ml of product, which disappointed me at first, but I still think these pens will go a long way. The nib is like a felt tip pen, but plastic. I'm not a fan of the nail art pens that have the metal nib because I find they drag, and you constantly have to squeeze them, which brings me on to my next point. With these, you push the nib down a few times to pump the product, and that's it. You don't need to constantly squeeze it, or worry about squeezing too hard and making a big mess. The actual formula is also great. It's 'watery' but still opaque, meaning it dries flat and quickly. If you make a mistake, it's easy to correct while the product is still wet. I just got a damp cotton bud and wiped it away, leaving a clean nail. The Models Own pens don't do this, but leave a big smudgy mess (on me, at least). Once dry, the designs stay put, but I'd recommend using a top coat to prolong the life of them. As you can see in the first photo, the black Models Own pen I used for the bunny's eyes didn't agree with the top coat, and smudged (even after having hours to dry). The designs above aren't the best, but that's down to me, not the pens! As you can probably guess, I'm a fan of these so far. I'm just hoping they'll last and won't dry out. Oh, and the cornflower blue base is Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Blueberry (one of my favourites!).

Have you tried these yet? If not, do you want to?

Models Own Silver and Gold Nail Art Pens

I've been waiting for Models Own to bring out a silver nail art pen for ages! I'm so glad they finally are. Along with a silver, they'll also be releasing a gold. I won these, along with some nail polishes and accessories, from the Models Own Facebook giveaway, so I don't know when they'll be hitting stores, but it should be soon. I did swatch them, but the swatches were so messy, I couldn't bring myself to upload the photo! All you need to know is that they're as opaque as the other nail art pens Models Own offer and I'm very pleased with them. I can't wait to paint my nails a dusky blue and French tip them with the silver. I also can't wait to use the gold for Christmas manicures!

Nails Of The Week!

Another nail post! Sorry I've done so many this month, I'll try and cut them back, I promise. This week I've used Models Own Nude Beige and a nail tattoo from Born Pretty Store (Review can be found here).

I'm going to be super busy revising for exams over the next month so posts will be limited. I'm stressing out big time and don't think I can get the grades to get into Uni! I wish I revised more for AS so I wouldn't need to retake exams.

Enjoy your Sunday evening :)

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Nail tattoos

I like the idea of nail tattoos - nail art for the lazy :P

The nail tattoos I'm reviewing today are from Born Pretty Store and you can buy them here for $4.73, which is around £2.88.

I'm not too keen on the patterns in this pack and only like three designs; leopard (Top row, second column), giraffe (Second row, third column) and zebra print (Third row, second column). The Louis Vuitton designs are extremely tacky.

The instructions. Notice a few spelling mistakes?

These are extremely easy to use and you just apply them like you would with a fake tattoo.

I tried out the zebra design with the polish I have been wearing this week (Barry M's Coral):

Because I couldn't be bothered to change my polish, the design looks more like tiger print!

I cannot wait to try the other two designs I like and will most likely wear a nude base polish.

I will probably only wear the tattoos on my ring finger and maybe my thumb. This is because I want the tattoos to last and if I put a design on all of my fingers, I will use an entire square (They're not that big).

I love the idea of nail tattoos but I'm not a huge fan on the selection of designs with this particular pack. That being said, this pack is only a few pounds are there is free shipping with Born Pretty Store :)

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Nail art brushes and rhinestones.

I used and washed these brushes yesterday and just have to show you them!

These are from eBay. I paid £1.03 and I'm more than happy! I wouldn't mind paying a lot more. The straight ones are great for eyeliner but my favourite two are on the far right. The dotting tool is great for creating dots (Duh!) and the small brush is perfect for details.

The seller I bought these from has not re-listed them but there are tons of sellers selling them for around £2.

Next:

I bought these rhinestones for 99p and again, a lot of sellers sell them. The rhinestones are 1.5mm in diameter, I'm thinking of ordering some bigger ones. These are very tricky to apply but practise makes perfect! Don't be fooled by photos, the wheel is a lot small than you think. It fits in the palm of my hand and is the size of a cotton wool pad, which isn't a problem, just thought I'd let you know :)

I want to get some fine glitter now, I think it would look gorgeous along the tips of your nails.

Nail art for a few pounds!

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