Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Pink Ribbon

Did you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month? If you didn't, you do now! Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK and it can affect both women and men. It is also the second most common cause of death by cancer, but in the last five years survival rates have significantly improved. This is largely down to research. And research involves funding. So because of that I have teamed up with Breast Cancer Campaign, in support of their Wear It Pink day. Click on the links to find out more.

Also, on a more personal note, breast cancer is something that has been all too common in my family and friends. Most of us (probably all of us really) within our lifetimes will unfortunately be hit with the news that either ourselves or someone we love has cancer and if there is anything that could better the situation, I'm more than willing to help.  

So in order to show my support I have created some simple nail art using O.P.I DS Reflection and a white nail art pen.

O.P.I DS Reflection is a stunning hot pinky coral with a gorgeous scattered holographic particles. Its also a one coater! Application was buttery smooth and it dried beautifully.

To create the ribbons I simple drew them on using a white nail art pen and on my ring finger I drew a large outline over the pink instead and filled the background in.

I decided to keep this one very simple so that it is easy to re-create, should anyone else wish to.

I hope I've inspired you to get involved in any way you can because it really is a great cause, and one that may unfortunately affect almost all of us in one way or another.

Here's a bit about Breast Cancer Campaign:

·          At Breast Cancer Campaign we are a unique community of scientists, supporters and people touched by breast cancer. Together we make Pink Science happen – our pioneering approach to breast cancer research that identifies and funds the research projects with the greatest potential to save and improve lives and, ultimately, to find a cure for breast cancer.

·          In its lifetime the charity has awarded over 360 grants with a total value of over £40 million to universities, medical schools and research institutes across the UK.

·          As of September 2013, the charity currently funds 105 projects worth £18.2 million in over 30 centers of excellence across the UK and Ireland.

·          Last year wear it pink raised a staggering £2.1million to help fund vital research and this year we hope to raise even more!

And here are some Stats and figures:

•       One woman in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime

•       It is estimated that there are 550,000 people living today in the UK that have been diagnosed with breast cancer

•       Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the UK

•       Every year around 12,000 women and 80 men die from breast cancer

•       Breast cancer is the second biggest cause of death from cancer in women

•       Five year survival rates for breast cancer have improved significantly over the last 20 years

•       Over 80 per cent of women diagnosed today will be alive in five years’ time

•       40 years ago, the five year survival rate for breast cancer was around 50 per cent

•       Research has shown that the earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater chance of survival

•       The Breast Cancer Campaign Tissue Bank, the UK’s first ever national breast cancer tissue bank is a unique collaboration with four leading research institutions to create a vital resource of breast cancer tissue for researchers across the UK and Ireland.

This will be the first in a series of posts in support of Breast Cancer Campaign and their Wear It Pink Day.

Stay Strong Sweetheart

Hey everyone, you may have noticed that I've been a bit M.I.A recently.

There's two reasons for that, the first is that I've just finished the main part of The Challenge (which I would seriously recommend to anyone if they ever get the chance to do it!) last week, and the second is that my  health isn't getting any better and I'm in quite a lot of pain right now. But that doesn't matter...

I really feel like I'm neglecting the blog, so here's a mani I did today, which has a bit of a story behind it...

The story relates back to both of the reasons why I've been a bit M.I.A.

While on The Challenge, I met some amazing people, people who I will stay friends with for a long time. And one of those people has now become one of my new best friends. And that really is something because "best friend" isn't a title I give out very easily. But the the thing is, she really is the first person I've ever met that I can relate to SO much! She's also probably the only person ever to find out so much about me in such a short space of time. And like I already said, I'm in a lot of pain right now, and for someone who one month ago didn't even know I existed, she has been so incredibly supportive, both then and now. I feel so lucky to have met her, and I doubt most people will understand why but I really do feel privileged.

You might be wondering how this remotely relates to butterfly nail art, well basically they were the reason I first really opened up to her and vice versa. So if you're reading this: Stay Strong Sweetheart <3

Oh and if you were wondering, the base polish is Claire's Speckled Nail Polish and I stamped the butterflies with Layla Ceramic Effect 30.

Hairspray Inspired Nails

So like I told you in this post here, the school play this year is Hairspray and so of course I had to do some nail art to match!

I didn't want to do anything fancy so I just recreated the original logo of the musical.

I tried to replicate the colours and letters as closely as I could. And it was actually really easy to create! All I did was paint the background colours, then using a nail art brush and polish, drew on the letters. Sealed it all in with a nice thick coat of Seche Vite and tah-dah!

Not too bad if I say so myself!

Nail Art Hauling

So you all probably know that I like nail art right? Well, its true I do. But I realised that all the nail art I do is generally painted or stamped! So I thought I should invest in some 'other' things to use for nail art and this is what I ended up with:

Some nail art glitter:

 Some nail art studs and gems:

Some nail art brushes:

And some more stamping plates:

And here's a quick look I created using some gold square studs:

I used Barry M Black Multi Glitter as a base, which in the bottle is a black creme with loads of scattered holo glitter, but on the nail it just looks like a black creme. I then just added a layer of topcoat and placed the studs on. Easy!

I bought all the NPW stuff from River Island/Topshop/New Look and the GALS stamping plates from Amazon.

MUA Fur Effect Nails

Furry nails. Sounds weird right? Well thats exactly what I thought when I first heard of them, but after seeing them on various blogs I just knew I needed to try them out!

Problem was, I'm not really allowed to shop online because I'm too young so getting hold of some flocking powder was near on impossible! Thankfully MUA are pretty good at catching onto nail art trends and they definitely caught onto the velvet nails one!

A few weeks ago, i think, MUA released this:

It is a littleish pot of flocking powder and comes in five different colours. I got four of them, and the one I am showing you is Fluffy Bobbin. Weird name I think but oh well. For only £2 you get quite a bit of product!

So, when you open it you see what is shown in the photo above, but with a sticky cover on top of the sifter. After taking this off, you're supposed to be able to tip some product out. However, this doesn't happen. I realized this was because the holes were blocked. To resolve this problem I just stuck a pin into the holes and hey presto I had access to the powder!

There are instructions at the bottom of the pot and well, there's not much I can say... They're pretty simple and tell you what to do.

As you can see, the powder is a very dark blue, verging on purple. However, in the photos it looks a bit lighter which isn't really the case in real life. Application was really easy. All you need to do if paint your nails in a similar colour and while it is still wet, roll your nail around in the powder. I waited a few seconds and then patted it down a bit to 'secure' it. This probably isn't necessary but oh well... After minute or so, lightly brush away the excess powder on you skin and blow! Tah dah! Furry Nails!

Your probably wondering how long this lasts, I know I was. Well the photo below is what my nails looked like after I had washed my hand 3 seperate times! Hardly and difference! The really cool thing is that the 'fur' dries in a matter of seconds, so no soggy nails!

I love these! They look so unusual and cool and actually look pretty good too! I will using this a lot more, i can tell.

What do you think about furry nails? Would, or have you, tried them?

31 Days of Nail Art Challenge - Day 8 - Metallic

Metallic.

A finish I don't tend to wear much. Why? Because it often looks brushstrokey and also, I don't much like the frosted/pearly look that can sometimes come off of metallics.

So, instead of a plain metallic I chose... Barry M Chameleon Blue!

I originally bought this for when I was a away from home so I could change my nails without much effort.

Its a nice enough colour on its own, not my favourite though. It's a sort of silver toned blue colour.
It was opaque in one coat but I did two because it it showed just about every single ridge on my nails.

I wasn't feeling particularly creative so I just did dots...

The colour I do like from this polish is the one it changes into! Its a gorgeous plum/maroon/burgandy colour and I think that looks more flattering on my skin tone than the blue did. Excuse the mess, the topcoat outside of the painted area sort of changed colour too and i was too lazy to clean it up :/

The funny thing is, in real life I did NOT see this much variation in colour! Its as if the amount, and thickness, of topcoat dictate the outcome of the 'topcoat' colour... Hmm, interesting.

I guess in the future I will wear topcoat anyway so I'm happy that I prefer the 'topcoat' colour.

Christmas Nails

Merry Christmas everyone!

I seriously cannot believe the year is almost over! And because I've been so busy it doesn't even feel like Christmas is here.

Anyway, I was so stuck with what to do because there is so much choice! But I eventually decided to do something different on each nail.

This is what I created:

Thumb: Fairy Lights

Index Finger: Snowman

Middle Finger: Christmas Tree

Ring Finger: Rudolph

Pinky: Candy Cane

I hope you all have a fabulous day on Tuesday, whatever you are doing. x

Birthday Nails

So it's my 16th birthday tomorrow...

Aha, well since it's on a Tuesday it was a bit awkward doing anything big then so I had a party yesterday. It was just family and friends but it was great just being with the people that are important to me :)

I might do a post tomorrow with more about it but for now here's the nails:

I used a base of Color Club Blushing Rose (I think, It has no name.. :/ ) which is a pastel pink creme, and then drew the little things on freehand.

Thumb: 16

Index finger: Candle

Middle finger: Cupcake

Ring finger: Balloon

Pinky: Confetti

This has got to be the quickest nail art I have EVER done! Seriously, I did this in less than an hour!

I felt a bit sad taking these off :(

Snowy Glitter Gradient

Like I said in my last post, I had a glitter gradient on my nails on Sunday.

This is a better picture of them.

I had MUA Shade 1 with a Color Club (don't know the name) glitter gradient over it and white snowflakes stamped on my accent nail.

I love love LOVE the gradient! It looks so magical!

Click on the photos for a MUCH better look.

The base is a lovely dark blue with bold blue glowy bits in it. They glowed so much when my nails caught the light and even showed through the glitter and stamping.

I'm DEFINITELY doing this mani again with other colours because it is truly gorgeous!

31 Days of Nail Art Challenge - Day 5 - Blue

Blue.

A colour I like very much but much like green, a colour I never used to wear!

But that has completely changed! I own a lot of blue polishes now.

This is probably one of my favourite blues, Barry M Denim. It genuinely does look like denim on my nails! I'll do a proper swatch post for it soon but for now, here's a quick pic.

On top of that I put Kleancolor Chunky Holo Bluebell (duochromatic micro glitter) and Look Nail Pop Pearl Effect (blue flakies), all sealed in with a coat of Seche Vite.

Before I started I didn't actually know if this combination.would even work, but now that its on my nails I can safely say it did!

Random underwater shot...

I love how it changes completely in different angles.

And under very bright light you can still see the Barry M Denim!

Ah I'm a sucker for magical toppers!


And don't forget to check out what Stephanie and Wendy have created this week!

31 Days of Nail Art Challenge - Day 4 - Green

Green.

Again, like orange, a colour I never used to wear very much...

Buuut... Now I love it! I actually have so many green polishes now but they're all so different!

My entry for yellow was really simple so I thought I should put a bit more of an effort in, so I chose....

Magnetic polish!

This is Barry M Magnetic Green Sparkle over H+M Envy Me.

I decided to layer it over a darker polish as the formula for the latest Barry M Magnetics are quite thin and so it was just easier to do less layers of polish. Also, looking at these photos, I think the dark base adds a bit of depth to the overall look too.

And there's holographic glitter in the too!

Magnetic polish is such a cheap and easy way to make your nails look more interesting!

And don't forget to check out what Stephanie and Wendy have created this week!

31 Days of Nail Art Challenge - Day 3 - Yellow

Yellow.

Hmm... A colour that I'm still not totally happy wearing. You can tell its a colour I tend to avoid because I only have 3 (not including gold or glitter) yellow polishes!

Haha, maybe we'll learn to get along sometime in the future.

But for today, I thought simple would be better so here is Kleancolor 24 Carat over Collection 2000 lemon soda.

Ironically I actually quite like this!

Ah I can never win can I...

And don't forget to check out what Stephanie and Wendy have created this week!

Diwali

Happy Diwali!!!

May you have a wonderful day and prosperous new year!

One thing I wish for every time is that it was a bigger deal then it actually is... I mean today for instance, only my friends actually knew it was Diwali. I don't mean to complain because I'm the first to admit I'm not religious but... Oh I dunno... It just seems like Christmas is the only thing properly celebrated in this country. Oh well...

Anyway, we didn't even do much at home this year..

But thats not to say we did nothing.

I did a rangoli and my mum did mehndi:

My Rangoli

My mum did my mehndi (henna)

And we lit candles everyday:

Floating candles

And of course, I did my nails :)

This is Barry M Gold Foil stamped over Bourjois 1Seconde shade 9. I did this in about 5 minutes so excuse the messiness.

So whatever you did today, I hope you had a fabulous time. x

31 Days of Nail Art Challenge - Day 2 - Orange

Orange.

A colour that I once used to avoid. Mainly because I was scared of looking like I had mendi nails. I don't know... I just don't like having henna on my nails.

Buuut... I'm so over that now! I've learned that you can successfully wear orange and actually enjoy it! Haha.

So here is Rimmel Tangy Tangerine with some flakies and stamping over it:

Hmm, I dunno... To be honest I'm not a fan of them. I didn't even plan anything, just sort of started and went with it.

That said, that picture does it no justice at all. The flakies are so much more glowy and sparkly in real life. In the photo they just look dull and grey. :(

This was the best photo I could get of them:

And don't forget to check out what Stephanie and Wendy have created this week!

Rememberance Day nails

Quick post today as I have to go school today and need to leave in about 20 miuntes...

Since tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday I though I would do a themed mani.

Soo.. Here are my poppy nails!

Okay so they aren't the best but hey ho they'll do.

And remember the two minute silence at 11.00am tomorrow!

31 Days of Nail Art Challenge - Day 1 - Red

Red.

A colour that i used to hate simply because it was the only colour that I used to wear on my nails. It was only because that was all my mum had, she wasn't big on cosmetics (still isn't), and I think it may be an Asian/Indian thing but red was the only 'suitable' nail colour.

Oh well, we have kissed and made up now and I've started appreciating it again.

Sooo... What have got on for red nails??

China Glaze Ruby Pumps!
Ah I love this polish!

And because today is Guy Fawkes Night I went for a themed mani.

Fireworks!

Although I think this looks more Christmassy to be honest...

These are the polishes i used:

And don't forget to check out what Stephanie and Wendy have created this week!