Pastel Crackle Nails & A Blog Makeover!

Hello there!

So if you haven't noticed already, i've made a few changes to the blog! It's a little more to my taste now, but i still have a few little tweaks to make here and there. I've added links to the left for my Facebook page, Pinterest and Instagram links. My Instagram account is mainly devoted to my nails but you'll find a few snaps of my life included in there as well! I've also added a Popular Posts feature to the right hand side. I'm sure i'll end up changing it again sometime in the future but for now i'm happy.. I'd love to know what you think!

Now on to the nails. After seeing this beautiful manicure by Nail Polish Wars it really inspired me to use a crackle polish, something i've only ever done once before! I started with a blue base and sponged on a lilac and light blue polish over the top. I then used a white crackle polish for the middle and ring finger, then finished them with a little gold stud. I free handed the pattern on my index and pinkie with a nail pen, and topped it all off with a matte top coat!

For this look i used:

Avon Wet & Wild - Roaring Blue

Claire's Accessories - Lilac & Light Blue (both un named)

Claire's Accessories - White Crackle

Barry M - White Nail Art Pen

Born Pretty - Matte Top Coat

I've really been enjoying darker manicures at the moment so this was a nice change for me! 

Hopefully you've noticed the changes to my photos now? I'm trialing the softer corners and i've also changed my watermark which has made my life so much easier.. no more typing out Pause For Polish on every photo!

I'd love to know your views on what i've posted today, whether it's on the blog/photo changes or the mani!

See you soon! 

Becky x

Guess who's back, back again.

Hi there people!

So i'm finally back with some nail art for you after an unscheduled break from blogging. Before i jump to the photo's and tell you about polish used etc. i just want to talk a little bit about why i'm not posting so frequently. If this doesn't interest you then feel free to scroll down, i'll never know!

It was after reading this post written by Debbie from The Crumpet regarding 'blogger burnout' that i thought i'd take the opportunity to write about why i've been so absent lately. I know a lot of it has been to do with work, i've been doing 8 days on and 1 day off at the moment. It's tiring and it doesn't leave a lot of time and motivation for doing my nails. Not to mention they are all insanely short and breaking all the time due to the frequent use of hand sanitizer (I pierce ears and have to apply it twice for each piercing, bad times). 

But also mentioned is that a lot of women in the nail art (or any creative) community suffer with depression. This can mean a lot of things to different people, and everyone is affected by it in different ways. I'd probably say it started for me when i was a young teenager, and unfortunately i do still get bouts of it now. Sometimes it can just be a day or two of feeling a little low, and sometimes i can spend weeks being withdrawn and honestly just a little numb. It's times like this when all creativity and inspiration goes away completely, and it takes all the motivation in the world just to get out of bed. 

Unfortunately recently i've felt this way. I'm highly critical of everything i do, and even with my nails i judge myself far too fiercely. I started this as a new creative hobby that i found fun and interesting. It has infact replaced another hobby of mine which was cake decorating, as i'm unable to do it after moving back home. So that's what i'd like to focus on, getting some fun and life back in to my nail art and blog. My posts might still be a little all over the place, but that's better to me than withdrawing completely!

I'm sure that this is something i'll talk about in the future but for now i'm going to show you the nail art i wore yesterday for work as they were nice and fun! We decided to dress up in 80's gear as our store recently got all of our neon tutu's and legwarmers back in :) 

To create this look i used:

Sinful Colors - Black on Black

Claire's Accessories - Confetti

Chit Chat - Purple Glitter

Sinful Colors - 24/7

Seche Vite - Top Coat

Dotting tool & Striping tape

Oooh and i forgot to mention i got a new camera for christmas, this is my first attempt with it! Still got some fine tuning to do but i've noticed a big difference in quality already :) 

Want a close up of Confetti? Course you do! It's a newbie at Claire's Accessories and only costs £3, you're welcome ;)

And uh, just for entertainment purposes.. This is me, in 80's glory. Again, you're welcome.

If anyone has any questions or would like to talk about anything i mentioned today then feel free to drop me a comment or add me on facebook. Oh and as a side note if you'd like to check out the cakes i used to make i have a facebook page for that as well called Bubba's Bakery.

Hope this post didn't bore you or scare you all off! Much love to everyone who reads this,

Becky x

33 Day Challenge: Chevron

Hello!

First off i'd like to apologize for yesterdays shamble of a post. Secondly, i bring you the 33DC chevron manicure! Hopefully you'll like it enough to forgive me posting it a day late :P

To create this look i used a base coat of Sinful Colors - Snow Me White and for the purple gradient i used an un-named lilac from Claire's Accessories and Miss Sporty - Clubbing Colours purple (couldn't find a name either!). For the chevrons i used my trusty Barry M White Nail Art Pen because it's super easy and quick! On to the pics..

 

Well there we are, hope you like it! The aim was to have the chevron as a gradient in to white and i think it worked quite well :) 

See you guys tomorrow, Becky x

Yesterday Seems So Far Away..

Hello!

Okay so i might have gotten a little too involved with watching Face Off last night, and i might have forgotten to post yesterdays manicure.. just a little bit. So instead i'll be saving the Sinful Color swatches for tomorrow and sharing the mani with you today! 

For this look i used two coats of MUA - Frozen Yogurt for the purple nails, and one coat of Sinful Colors - Snow Me White for the thumb and ring finger. For the chevron print i used Barry M's black nail art pen and free handed the design. Then to spruce up the purple nails i used Seventeen - Off The Wall Black Graffiti Effect and made the gradient using a cotton bud. I sealed it all off with a matte polish by ELF. For some reason this reminds me of the 80's, which wasn't exactly what i was going for when i started this mani but i'm definitely happy with the results! The only thing i could grumble about is the black line work because for me, the black Barry M pen always seems to crack. I never have an issue with the white pen though.. anyone else have this problem?

Anyway.. It's time for the piccys!

Before I leave you i'm going to show you my 'accidental' nail polish haul from today. Technically, it wasn't supposed to be this big, but you know how things go.. One turns in to two and then suddenly you have thirteen new polishes staring you in the face. My bad. But there is one saving grace.. Only one of these cost me more than £1. Oh yeah, you read that right, just one. And even then the most expensive was only £2. I know how to bargain shop :P 

So here are my new babies, ready to be swatched and loved!

See you tomorrow! Becky x