Newspapers and party lights

I'm back!! Finally!! Sorry it took me so long, I've been on what can only be described as a month-long coursework bender. Not pleasant, but I've never been so productive in my life. Now I'm free, it's motivated me to spend my summer doing productive things with my summer, unleash my "creative" (read: crazy) streak now I'm free, rather than spend my time consuming consuming consuming. Or gazing into the nothingness of my facebook newsfeed.
Sooo, the moment I was free, instead of sleeping (which is what I *should* have been doing, definitely), I went to the Arts and Crafts shop, where a friend had to talk me out of buying the whole place, and then Boots, which is also an Arts and Crafts shop of sorts, and went wild for a couple of days. I made a bunch of stuff, mostly some origami jewellery for my etsy store (preview coming soon!), but also a bit of nail art:

Newspaper nails

Nail art tip#4: I saw this effect on Pinterest a while back and wanted to try. It's actually really easy. Once your colour base coat has dried COMPLETELY, tear off a strip of newspaper the size of your nail and dip it in alcohol. 70 dregree medical stuff is good, but anything above 40% will do. Me? I use vodka.

Dab off any excess liquid and then cover your nail with the newspaper. Apply pressure for about 20 seconds. Tadaa.

Do apply a top coat though, or the print will rub off when you wash your hands.

For the textured effect you can see in the pictures, I used Barry M's Textured Nail Effect in turquoise.

Party Lights nails

I bought a couple of nail art sticks in Primark - you know, the ones riiight next to the tills? I'm such a sucker for those cheap marketing tactics. Anyway, I wanted to try them straight off, so here goes:

They're not great, but I was being experimental, and I think they could work well for a party or a club night.

Ingredients...

Sakura Cherry Blossoms Nails

I made these last spring for a hanami picnic outing. For those of you who don't know, hanami is the japanese traditional custom of going out to appreciate blooming flowers. Most viewings take place in spring, when the sakura (cherry blossoms) are pretty much EVERYWHERE.

Here in London we don't have as many, but Regents Park is a nice location for a bit of picnicin' and flower viewin'... Naturally, we spent so much time making the food that by the time we got to the park, the weather had turned a bit... gloomy. Welcome to London, baby.

My flatmate gave me this for the occasion (ok, this is the wiki picture, but mine was blurry and crap).
Sakuramochi is a type of Japanese confectionery composed of sweet rice paste stuffed with red bean paste, wrapped in an edible sakura leaf. Believe it or not, it tastes amazing.

Anyway, on with the nail art!

I think the thumb, which I did last, turned out nicer than the rest; I should have made the branches thinner on the other nails. 

I used:

- Purple background: Pro.Beauty #54
- Pink background: Top Beauty #25
- Gold background: Pro.Beauty #60
- Black branches: Rimmel London 800 Black Out
- Cherry blossoms: Natural Collection #11

Nail art tip #3: When it comes to nail art, it doesn't matter how cheap or low-quality a polish is. In fact, the cheaper the better, so you can buy more, experiment freely and pour as much as you like on a palette. As long as you finish with a solid clear top coat (I find Sally Hansen does the trick quite nicely), anything goes.

Dice Nails

For those of you in a hurry, this is a quick and easy way of dressing up your nails.

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:
- White (pearl): OPI A48
- Red: Ciate Paint Pots 013
- Black: Rimmel London 800 (Black Out)

Again, I find the use of a broken comb tooth much easier to use for dotting, as it has a wider surface and plastic doesn't absorb the polish as fast as wood.

Enjoy!

Playing Card Nails

Welcome to the first edition of the Nail Art Bank feature! In these self-satisfied nail art posts I'll be posting ideas, tips and tutorials, and talking about inspiration for potential future projects. First stop: playing card nails~

I love the aesthetic and atmosphere of the 'haunted/spectral circus' you find in a lot of things these days. The Night Circus had me hooked from the very first page (to be fair, it's not often that a novel addresses you, yes YOU, directly), and Alice Cooper's Last Man On Earth is one hell of a catchy song. I've been known to dabble in magic and burlesque myself, and the former was the main inspiration for these playing card nails.

For this one, I used:

- White (pearl) base: OPI - A48: Fit for a Queensland
- Red: Ciate Paint Pots - 013: Dangerous Affair
- Black: Rimmel London - 800: Black Out


Nail Art Tip #1: Toothpicks are a popular tool in nail art, but they're not ideal as they're too sharp to have any real painting surface. I find a broken comb tooth, or even the corner of a card (oh the irony), do a much better job as makeshift paintbrushes for intricate nail art. 

Nail Art Tip #2: Always add a layer of clear polish/top coat after you're done to ensure the detailing doesn't rub off, BUT wait an hour or so first to make sure it's completely dry. Smudging your work after so much effort = not cool.

Five Overlooked Beauty Buys that I can't live without...

Because sometimes mainstream just won't cut it.

1. Lipstick Lock, by Rimmel

This thing is absolutely amazing. One coat, applied like nail polish, and your lips will stay a fatal shade of whatever-colour-you-chose for the entire day, surviving torrential weather, sloppy meals and even sloppier kisses. As I am rather prone to all three, it is essential that I carry this miracle bottle everywhere, and I recommend anyone who wears lipstick does the same. Granted, the smell will make you feel like you've just done a shot of sambucca, but believe me, it's all for the best.

2. Blotting paper

Shiny nose? Need a quick mid-date re-powdering, but you don't carry a powder puff as this is no longer the 60s? Fear not, the fairies have heard you! 

After discovering these in Japan a few years back - they're all over convenience stores - I was disappointed and mildly horrified to find that nobody on this side of the planet manufactured these. Thankfully that gap in the market was promptly filled. Blotting paper not only absorbs any oil that may dare show its face on your skin, but it allows you to dab off excess foundation if you've overdone it - and this without ruining your makeup. I personally use DHC's, but Clean&Clear also make it.

3. Superdrug's B Prepared primer

I'll admit it, I didn't have much faith in Superdrug's Own brand B when it launched. But they had a deal on makeup kits, and I'm a sucker for those things. Verdict? It's restored my faith in humanity drugstore brands. This thing is as natural as they get, with no perfume or alcohol, and it will leave your skin feeling more silky smooth than Zohan's head. I don't normally use primer, as my skin is mixed and they tend to be either too oily or not enough so. I did lead a little inquiry and ask regular makeup primer users to test this one, however, and they were all just as impressed as I was. Conclusion: Best. 10 pounds. Ever. Spent.

4. Klorane Dry Shampoo

I've decided to include this one on the list after seeing Cosmo forum thread on which dry shampoo brand was the best. I was surprised to see most people voted Batiste as their favourite. I honestly don't get it - Batiste smells nice, sure, and its different colours mean you can be lazy about brushing the powder out of your hair. But results-wise? It isn't much of a shampoo, and your hair looks refreshed, at most.

This baby, on the other hand, is enough to replace a hair wash completely. Its talcum-powder-like texture absorbs the sebum completely, leaving you with voluminous, freshened up hair. Oh, and it's not an aerosol, yay!

5. Fragranced Body Lotion

This one's a bit less specific. I have a skin that absorbs products quicker than a sponge, and that means the strongest of fragrances barely lasts on me. So for heavy-duty occasions, I choose to wear perfumed body lotion instead. Too nauseatingly strong for casual day wear, sure, but it's actually perfect for parties, nights out - hell, even the gym (ha! as if I went).

Aaaaaand finally, because I couldn't resist - the one product that definitely deserves its hype... *drumroll*...

MAC studio sculpt foundation! You've all heard it, and it's all true. Solid coverage, matte but luminous, not cakey or too powdery... Paired with the B primer mentioned earlier, it works wonders.