Freehand Seahorse Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you had a fantastic weekend filled with sunshine. I sure enjoyed mine, I was due a little work break. I enjoyed taking my niece and nephew to the park, frolicking in the sun. I finally had some time to sit down and paint – I think painting is one of those things that relaxes me so it felt good to have a little time out from everything else.

Did you watch the royal wedding?! Oh my god.. I am such a sucker. As soon as Meghan was out of the car I welled up at the sight of her dress. I don't think I'll ever get married myself and that's fine but I still love to see the dresses and the loving looks the bride and groom exchange. What a softie, huh?

Anyway, lets move on to some nail art, I could chatter about all sorts all day long otherwise!

Today's nail art is inspired by the current theme over at Tiny Canvas which is seahorses, you may remember this design I did a while ago.. I wanted to do something better.

I can't participate in all the challenges any more due to work – and the fact that the themes are now voted by the members which means I don't know what theme it will be in advance. You guys know how organised I am and how I like to plan my posts. Having a theme and having to do it in three days if I am working is just too much pressure. Still. I got this one done! 

  

 

Freehand Jungle And Panther Nail Art Design

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? Did you get to enjoy the long weekend? If that's a yes I guess you are still chilling in the spring sun right now. I'm working this bank holiday Monday (today..) but there's been a bit of a buzz at work since we've been having a sale. Some days have revolved around pricing up, ticketing in preparation, re-ticketing products, taking tickets off products. By the end of the day all the tickets are coming off so I wont be dreaming and breathing price tickets!

Today's nail art is...er.. certainly not one of my faves but I wanted to take part in the Tiny Canvas challenge, I am not longer an admin in the group but I still enjoy the challenges. This theme prompt was 'Jungle' so I attempted to paint a panther lounging on a log.

I just didn't win this paint off at all!

Freehand Zen Garden Nails With Lotus Flowers

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing on this fabulous Friday?Are you glad that the week is drawing to an end? I'm working today and tomorrow but I am quite happy about that, I like where I'm working even if it is only temporary. I guess I forgot to mention that going back has been really nice – I was greeted with hugs and happy faces, it was almost like I hadn't been gone for two months.

Today's nail art is encouraging you to have some lovely and relaxing vibes with a freehand zen garden. I had big hopes for this nail art but the end result.. hrrm. Not quite what I was picturing. I seem to be going through one of those awkward unsatisfied phases again. Yay..

Freehand Purple Monochrome Island Nails

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you had a fantastic weekend, did you get any snow or do anything fun? I had a long weekend off, it was surprising how tiring those two full days back at work where! I did a little painting, tidying, organising. Nothing exciting but having Saturday through to Wednesday off is giving me time to get my posts in order and catch up on things I wont be able to do during the end of the week.

Today's nail art is inspired by the challenge over on Tiny Canvas where the theme is currently monochrome. I decided to paint an entire scene only with purple paint. I love painting monochrome however I had absolutely no idea what to paint.. somehow I ended up with a little church on an island which I can't help but think looks a little creepy..

Bertie McBurtlebutton & Ms Blueberry-Baebae Go Water Skiing. Freehand Nail Art

All polish Pals!

How are you all doing today, is your week going well? I feel like I blink past Monday and Tuesday, before I know it we're at hump day. That said its great news if you are looking forward to the weekend and already counting down the days.

Today I have a follow up nail art – have you met Bertie Mcburtlebutton and Ms Blueberry-Baebae Bouffant? They are a couple I've featured in my nail art before. So far they've gone on two dates and poor Bertie has so far failed to impress his lady friend – gotta love a trier.

So far they went on a boating lake in which Ms Bluberry-Baebae had to eat the Marmite and cherry sandwiches he'd packed.. yum. On their second date he took her for a walk around his stately garden.. How much can go wrong there? Well he fell in the pond for a start.

Date one - The Boating Lake.

Date two -  Berties Garden Stroll.

For some reason I guess he thought taking her water skiing would be a fantastic idea for a date. They won't get to talk much so there's little risk of him saying something embarrassing.. He can show off his epic water skiing skills... Maybe not.

Tropical Oasis Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you had an amazing week, did anything interesting happen in your world?

Yesterday it snowed so much, I've seen snow, I've played in snow as a child but only ever a few inches. If you are not from the UK you may not be aware of 'The Beast From The East' – basically most of the UK is under a amber/red alert because of the snow and winds from Storm Emma... Mind you, I've been wrapped up nice and warm. I might make a snow man today.. ya know.. time to kill. 

How is your weather at the moment where you are?

Also.. news on the job front: There is none. I have no idea what to think.. I guess there's still time to call, maybe the weather has changed things or maybe right now I have already been scribbled off the list as unsuitable for the role. I just don't like not knowing!

 

Lets set the scene for today's nail art... 

You've been walking through the desert for what feels like hours.. You're tired, hot and bothered and just about ready to give up.. but wait! What's that?! Could it be?! Just over in the distance..it looks like an oasis! Aren't you thankful you have your swimming costume/bikini on under your clothes now! But wait.. Is it too good to be true? Is this a beautiful tranquil oasis..or simply a mirage?

Freehand Viking Ship

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing? Can you believe we're at the last weekend of February? Honestly.. where does the time go?!

Today I am bringing back my short nubby nails since these were painted last year. My sister came up with the idea of a Viking ship design. I loved the idea but once again feel like my execution wasn't on point.. Mind you, I am always pretty harsh on my designs aren't I?!

Freehand Lake House Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing? I hope you had a nice relaxing weekend and feel refreshed and ready for a new week? I didn't really do much, I didn't really paint anything either, most of it was spent job hunting and organising things...

Which reminds me I really need to take stock of my nail polish collection – would that be something you'd be interested in seeing? I'd like to cataloge them all so I know exactly what I have, its also a good chance to de-clutter and throw away any ancient and dead polishes that are beyond saving!

Today's nail art is one I have mixed feelings about. I'd say my head was about 60% focused on this design, I think I got a little lazy and uninspired half way through.. opps. I think it shows in the swan terribly!

Frog Prince

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing? I hope this week is going well for you so far, has anything exciting been going on in your world?

Today's nail art is a design I did at the end of last year, I personally didn't like it too much but when I wore it into my then job I had so many lovely comments that I decided to share it anyway, I think I joked that I'd found a new boyfriend – the frog prince! I know, I know...

Freehand Rainbow Forest Nails

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you had an awesome weekend? Did you do anything fun?

I attended my four year old nephews 4^th birthday party. It was...noisy. 10X 4 year olds makes for quite an afternoon but everyone had a fun time and I enjoyed seeing him running around with all his little friends.

In other news I am still job hunting – not much to say there but I actually really miss working. I enjoyed the buzz and meeting customers, hopefully something will come up soon. In the mean time I am working hard on blog posts and trying to get my two month ahead routine back on track.

For my US readers, just a heads up there's an awesome giveaway going on over at Barielle where you can win $600+ worth in nail polish.

Right. Shall we have a slice of nail art now? These were created sometime last year, hence my small stubby nails. I initially wasn't going to post these but once again I decided to just go with it and see what you guys thought.

Freehand Surfing Polar Bear Nails

Allo polish Pals!

How are you doing today? I hope your week is going well so far.

Two more days of work before I get a day off. Phew. That said I am still really enjoying work. I've had a couple 'off' days where everything has gone wrong but I try not to dwell on those. I'm going to be working Christmas Eve and Boxing day, I've never had to work on Boxing day but I can imagine it is going to be hectic!

Today I've another cutie for you!

Freehand Crocodile Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing, I hope your week has been awesome and your weekend will be even better!

I've had a pretty full week but that's great because it means I am learning the ropes quicker so to speak. Tomorrow I plan on doing very little, haha! I've had no time to paint (until today, wahoo!) We had our black Friday sale yesterday and it was busier than I had imagined. I feel like I am settling in well now, I make a few hiccups on the til when I am given vouchers but I am getting there – and enjoying it for the most part!

Today's nail art is one I had been excited to share with you as I thought it turned out pretty cute. It is back on my old nail shape (it's sort of frustrating me to keep seeing it) but we'll focus on the nail art!

Freehand Mythical Creature - Red Dragon Nail Art.

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I sure hope your week has had a better start than mine, Sunday morning..BAM. I woke up with the worst head cold. I had no warning at all, no build up.

As as result its affected my painting and I've been so unamused with any of my creations yet I am putting pressure on myself to complete press sample posts before I go away for a few days (I'll still be posting, when do I miss posting?!) As this post becomes live I am struggling with myself to achieve at least two of three miles in the morning. I gotta fight this off, I miss my pattern.

So.. today's nail art is another one I'm not 100% I'm happy with. Our current theme on Tiny Canvas is 'Mythical creatures' – I did do a Kelpie which is like a sea horse/water horse but I couldn't bring myself to post it (I've still got it, he may make an appearance at a later date) so instead I've decided to share my dragon with you.

Freehand Loch Ness Monster Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you've had a fantastic week, cheers to the weekend ahead!

Today I have another freehand design for you. I've wanted to do this idea for quite sometime but I couldn't quite work out how I wanted it to look. My idea was to feature the mighty, magical and often debated Loch Ness monster.

I decided not to really follow any references (or theories, rather) and to paint my Nessie as I would like to imagine her, I'm saying 'her' because I really think mine looks rather feminine. I've also painted her to look quite kind and friendly!

Glossy version.

Summertime Swimming Pool & Rubber Ring Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? Hows the weather where you are? Its been so erratic here in my part of England. Sunshine followed by unpredicted down pours! I just wanna sit in the garden under the parasol but its not looking likely!

Today's nail art is actually an idea I've had for years. However I never tried it. I just didn't think I could do it..I didn't really believe I could get it to look exactly how I wanted. For some reason, this time it was finally time to do instead of just thinking about it and putting it off.

And I'm glad I did. I honestly wish I was one of these girls though, so chiiiill.

I started this manicure off with my trusty OPI Nail Envy and once dry I began with two coats of a beautiful shimmery blue from Boulevard De Beaut to give my swimming pool a little sparkle. I then used my Pro-FX top coat to create a nice smooth base to paint on top of. Next I used my acrylics to create these two besties..or sisters?? Both! I finish it all off with another lick of top coat and finally applied my matte top coat to see how it would look.

I'm glad I finally went ahead with this design, sometimes its good to wait until you feel confident enough but its also terrible to let lack of confidence hold you back! I'm totally envious of them though, they look so content and chilled!

What do you think of my pool sisters? Have you created any manicures you were scared to attempt?

Have a fantastic day, guys. Thank you so much for stopping by. I'll catch you again on Monday for some more nail art fun :)

Love,
Ithi

Mixed Nail Art Decoration/Rhinestone Manicure Wheel - BeautyBigBang.com Review

*This post contains an item(s) that was sent for reviewing purposes however I will as always give my full and honest opinion.

Allo polish Pals,

How are you all doing today? I hope you are looking forward to a fun-filled weekend?

Today is a big one for me, this afternoon I'll be off to Mr Bravo's Nephew's 2^nd birthday and in the evening I am off to Amsterdam to see a band called the Toppers, they do a mixture of tribute songs in both Dutch and English – they usually have themes and this time it is a wild west theme! 

I am going with my sister-in-law (I call her that even though Mr Bravo and I are not married) who took me to my first Toppers concert back in December, it was so fun!

Today though I have another review for you of a Beautybigbang.com product. This is a 'Mixed glitters/rhinestones manicure nail art decoration wheel' and it contains come of the cutest nail embellishments I have EVER seen! 

I added some little sequins to the center of the flowers.

I also want to start by saying that I have been so impressed with BeautyBigBang.com's delivery, from confirmation email to arrival it was probably no more than a week or so, with all the experience I have of nail suppliers this is pretty darn good!

This wheel comes PACKED, no joking, PACKED full of super cute studs, there are some very adorable little things going on in this wheel.

After photographing the few selected studs I took out I struggled insanely to get these back in the wheel because there was so many left in there.

There are so many different types of studs from thin hollowed hearts to big chunky bows, a minion and even a super cute giraffe. There are also circular studs, flowers and Hello Kitty's, I have come up with at least 4 or 5 designs in my head using some of these. These are a great way to get inspiration for manicures!

However I decided that I'd try something a little different so I picked out some of the 3D flowers and decided to incorporate them into a freehand design. I used two coats of Barry M's 'Eat My Dust' and once dry I used my brush to sweep over various shades of acrylic blue paint. I then added a coat of Zoya's Maisie to add some stunning flakes. I added the lily pads with green acrylic paint and added my Pro-FX top coat.

I knew I'd LOVE the flakies with a matte top coat so I went ahead and added a thin coat. With a splodge of top coat I sat the flowers on top of the lily pads.

Do you like my water lily nail art? What do you think of this wide variation of nail art decorations?

Have a beautiful day, my friends. Thank you so much for stopping by! I'll catch you again on Monday!

Love,

Ithi

Freehand Boat Nail Art - Bertie Mcburtlebutton & Ms Blueberry-Baebae Bouffant

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing? I hope you are polishing (tehehe) a good week.
This one's not been great..But there is a little happiness coming over the weekend which I think is really needed in our house right now.

Today I'd like to introduce you to my good friends, Bertie McBurtlebutton and Miss Blueberrybae-Bae Bouffant. They've been courting (that's dating for you young 'un's) for only a short while.

Bertie figured if he is going to impress such a lady as Bluebae-bae he better up his game. That afternoon he took her for a picnic at the local park, he hand fed her Marmite and cherry sandwiches (ew?!) and they sipped on lumpy chicken stock cubes from thermal flasks. Classy. Miss Blueberrybae-bae didn't seem all that impressed. As the afternoon rolled into the evening she was happy she could relax and take in the beautiful scenery as Bertie very awkwardly and sweatily rowed in a circles on the lake for a good hour before suggesting he walk her home.

I don't have much to tell you about this manicure, really! I began with my Mezmris Nail Lacquer base, 'Armor Up' and applied two thin coats of Barry M's 'White' nail polish. Once that was dry I added a coat of my Pro-FX top coat and again allowed to dry. I then moved onto my acrylics, creating a gradient using my bamboo brush and created my finer details with my Pure Color brushes in #9 and #10 (If you are into freehand you have to invest in these! Not really..but I adore them!)

I hope you like this one guys! I am wondering how this is going to go. Miss Blueberrybae-bae is quite the lady and a hard one to please at that. What do you think Bertie should do next to try and impress her? He's really rather fond of her already!

Thank you for visiting, don't forget to come say hi in the comments!

Have a beautiful day, I'll catch you again on Tuesday!

Love

Ithi

Freehand Gentle Water Dragon & Duck Friends!

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you are doing awesome!

Thank you to everyone who left such kind and lovely messages for my blogiversary! If its possible to be spoilt rotten with words that exactly what happened over the weekend. You guys are just the best!

Today I have a completely random nail art design, I wanted to create some kind of mythical creature. I didn't really have much in the way of planning when I began this but I am kinda happy with how it turned out.

This is Samson, the friendly water dragon. He guards the magical lake that leads you to the castle, only those he approves of may take the boat to the other side. He's not lonely though, He's got Brian and Bean the ducks for friends.

For this manicure I began with a smooth and healthy coat of Mezmris Nail Lacquer's 'Armor Up' base coat and once dry – pretty much immediately, may I add – I moved on with two coats of Barry M's 'White'. I then applied a thin coat of Pro-FX top coat to create a barrier between my white and my acrylics.. just because. I then used my old tatty Bamboo brush (0.99 from BPS about 2-3 years ago...how it still works magic I do not know.) to create my sky gradient using acrylic paints. I finished everything else using my finer detailing brushes and completed with Mezmris Nail Lacquer's 'Armor' top coat for a beautiful glossy finish. I also did a matte version to because old habits die hard.

I kinda like how this came out, I think it has quite a relaxing feel to it, don't you?

What do you think of my water dragon? Have you ever created a gradient with acrylic paint before?

Have yourself a beautiful day! I'll be back on Thursday with more more nail art fun :)

Love

Ithi

Freehand Tree Inspired Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing today? I hope you are doing well!

I decided that I'd break my 'every other day posting' pattern yesterday because I've been having horrific laptop trouble. While I had enough posts backed up I decided the blog would have a bank holiday off too. I'm officially back on Windows 7 and it seems ok now.. and the internet seems to hold up! Wahoo. So I used the day basically running endless tests and trying to figure out what was wrong. I also changed the blog design a little – its not quite finished so please excuse how mix-match some of it all looks currently! It's a work in progress!

Today's manicure came from nowhere, again. I wanted to take part in another challenge on Tiny Canvas (only the nicest nail community online) and the prompt for this one was 'tree's'. I was so blank until...

Ps. You guys probably think I have some weird obsession with tree's considering my last two posts.. Baha!

Not feeling the glossy version, how about you?

I decided to really play with the basics and textures of tree's as well as painting them. I thought painting a wooden texture would be a nice little touch. This is almost like looking over a fence, I think...well wood comes from trees!

For this manicure I began with Mezmris Nail Lacquer base coat and a second it was dry! I applied two smooth coats of Barry M's 'White' and allowed to dry. I then added a thing coat of Pro-FX's top coat, just because I am fussy and like a paint/polish barrier! I then used my fave brushes and acrylic paints to freehand my scenery. I finished it all off with Mezmris Nail Lacquer's top coat and eventually added Wet 'N' Wilds matte top coat.. because that's just what I do!

I am quite happy with this manicure. I wish my reflections were a little better but hey, I do my best! I think it looks better matte for sure, what do you think? Do you like this tree inspired nail art?

If you liked this nail art please share this post using one of the buttons below.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Come visit again on Thursday for some more nail fun.

Have a beautiful day!

Love

Ithi

The Lotus Tree Created With Mezmris Nail Lacquer Products - Freehand Nail Art

Allo polish Pals!

I hope you are all having a super Saturday so far! I'm odd to celebrate my Dutch niece's 9th birthday. The weathe here has been crazy at 32 degrees, can only imagine how it's going to be in the car!

MY GIVEAWAY has ENDED!  Over 5.k people entered!! I will be announcing the winner during the day/evening (such as life.. I'm out on the day it ends, ha. ¬_¬ ) 

You may have seen a small picture of this if you follow me on Instagram – I've mentioned Mezmris Nail Lacquer previously and I used this nail art to test both of the base coat, top coat and blue polish out. I figured as a freehand artist.. Any top coat has to live up to a smudge-free job, Who would want to spent 3-4 hours painting tiny things only to smudge it all.. the horror!

If you normally read what products I used in each manicure then you'll know I've been a fan of OPI's 'Nail Envy' for sometime however since I found Mezmris Nail Lacquer I am obsessed..

My nails are loving the base coat for the health benefits and vitamins it contains, its incredibly fast drying which is just what I need when I think of starting a big piece of nail art ~ Then there's the top coat.. It provides such a wonderful high gloss finish with no shrinkage and absolutely no smudging to my freehand designs. I actually feel like the colours of my acrylic paint really come to life after application. I am more than happy with these and would certainly purchase when I run low!

For this manicure I began with Mezmris Nail Lacquer's base coat and with it being dry in a millisecond I moved onto my blank canvas, which was Mezmris Nail Lacquer's Blue, I applied two effortlessly smooth coats. I then used Mezmris Nail Lacquer's top coat to create a paint-to-polish barrier (Cos I'm just weird, ok?! Don't let them touch! - why?! who knows?! Maybe there will be weird unforseen consequences...) I then used a whole bunch of acrylic paints and my fave brushes to create my moody Lotus/tree scenery.

I finished it all off with Mezmris's top coat again. I loved how shiny it was! - Its kinda crazy how using metallic paints can look really lustre and almost silky at times :D Only the last picture was matte, because you know I like a matte picture.. Lets not break a tradition. I'm a creature of habit.

Have you heard of Mezmris Nail Lacquer before? What do you think of my fantasy style scenery?

If you liked this nail art please take a moment of your time to share using the buttons below.

Have yourselves a beautiful day, I'll be back on Wednesday for some more nail art fun.

Love

Ithi