Hey, Hey I Wanna Be A Rockstar!

So as it's Halloween..I had 553354564 million people knocking at the door wanting sweets which meant painting nails was difficult! I did do a really cute floral pattern but it got smudged in the door opening and sweet giver-out-ing! So I decided on a simple but fun mani using the rockstar ring finger.

I decided to chuck a blurry photo in there as it picked up the different colours nicely!

USED: Models Own Hed Kandi Hedonist and Barry M Silver Cascade finished with Out the Door Top Coat.

I <3 Models Own. It actually becoming my new obsession. I just can't seem to get enough of it! All their polishes are a nice thick consistency and apply to the nail really nicely, giving a nice smooth, glass like finish - which I LOVE.

Do you use Models Own? What's your fav?

G Is For..

My 'can't paint my nails for a week' rule went out the window - especially as it's Wednesday which means it's the ABC Challenge over at Llama Nails!

I had a few ideas for G but decided to go with something I love...GAMING!

I was pretty happy with the results. I just based it on the button of an Xbox controller. I love my Xbox so made sense I should put it on to my nails! :)


What do you think to gaming nails?

Hey lazy!!

So it's been 7 days since I've even posted - sorrrrry guys!

I had my nails done on the weekend because they were horrible! Whenever I get my nails done I try my hardest not to paint them for at least a week. So at the moment I'm just rocking the au naturale white tips! But it won't last long so I'll have something new to post soon!

In the mean time - have you entered my first giveaway?! Up for grabs is the gorgeous 'Pencils & Polish' set from Frontcover.

The ONLY mandatory thing you need to do is follow this blog via GFC. Once I have hit 50 followers, I will draw the prize. The winner will be checked before announced to make sure they are a follower! This competition, as mentioned previously, is only open to the UK this time round.

Only thing left to do is wish you good luck! And don't forget, spread the word, every girl needs a self-pampering set!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  

F Is For..

Really?! Wednesday already?! Well that only means one thing.. Llama Nails 'ABC Challenge' time! So my choice this time was a bit of a cop out on my part! I've been crazy busy every evening this week so haven't had a chance to sit down and give my nails love! Luckily, I had a mani I could use which I have already posted about - Fishbraid. Here's a picture for anyone who may have missed it..

Luckily I absolutely love it so I didn't mind sharing it as my 'F' choice - I did plan on doing Frankenstein as it's so close to Halloween but I went out my a meal with my family and didn't get back til' late! Excuses, excuses! 

Anyway - hopefully I'll be a bit more creative next time (and less lazy!). Until then, here's some hilarious nail photos I found that describe me to the ground!

Ohhhh you know it made you smile! :)

E Is For...

Hi guys,

It's that time again! The next installment for the Llama Nails 'ABC of Nails' Challenge.

I found E quite hard one to think up. It's was a tough choice between the one I chose Eruption, Eeyore and Earth. Anyway, with some input from the creative brains at work, I decided on...

ELMO!

It didn't turn out as brilliant as hoped but I still kinda like it! :)

What do you think? Any ideas for 'F'?! 

ALSO! My 'giveaway at 50 followers' is still running! I've changed it slightly, so the only mandatory line is to follow the blog! :) Enter below using Rafflecopter..


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here Fishy, Fishy!

I've seen Fish Braid nails a few times before but never really sat down and given it a go. Well that all changed tonight! It's not as difficult as I first thought and I actually really enjoyed doing it! :)

If anyone is interested in a step by step tutorial on this design then let me know and I'll be sure to get one up!

I used China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy (my fav at the mo!) for my base colour. I then created the fish braid using Barry M Silver Foil and Models Own Dream Stream. Finished with a coat of 'Out the Door' Top Coat and I was done!

I smudged one nail (boo!) so me being the perfectionist I am took it all off and started again! I absolutely love the colours together. I think this design will stay for the whole weekend - a big thing for me! I'm lucky if I keep the same design a day!

Have you tried fish braids? What colours did you use that worked well?

Radioactive Monster Polka Dots

I really wanted to do my nails but had a complete mind blank with what pattern to do, so I went for good ole' polka dots - always a winner!

I went for some colours that were nice and bright and ones that would clash! I'm loving clashing colours at the moment so why not!

The only place I could capture the extreme brightness was against a white background! The were almost too much to look at - I LOVED IT!

I used Charlotte Russe 'Neon Pop' in Mint Green (another holiday bargain) with China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy for the polka dots. Coated in 'Out the Door' Top coat and voila! My radioactive nails.

What do you think? Do you like the clash or is it a bit too much for you?

D Is For...

I was just browsing the other day when I stumbled across Llama Nails.

It's a cool little nail community on Facebook where everyone gathers to share and show off their different nails. At the moment, they have an awesome group challenge going called 'The ABC of Nails..'. So basically, every week is a new letter of the alphabet so you then use that letter as inspiration for nail art. Then every Wednesday, everyone goes on the group and shares their pictures!

 I've joined a little late so I've started on 'D'. I chose to do dinosaur!

Excuse my dry skin :( - Anyone got any tips for those little buggers? I love the winter but I HATE what it does to my hands!!

Anyway, what do you think to my little dinosaur? And what do you think I should do next week for 'E'?

Models Own Summersale

Models Own were running a huge 50% off summersale on all their products! Being a nail polish addict, I couldn't resist placing a little..ahem..order! Unfortunately the sale ended yesterday (boo!) but I hope that some of you were lucky enough to get in on the action!

So, what did I buy you ask? Let's have a look..

Beetle Juice Collection - Indian Ocean &  Disco Mix - Glitter - Both £5

    

True Blue &  Tropical - Coral Reef - Both £5

 Hed Kandi Collection - Hedonist & Ibiza Mix - Both £5

  Luis Lemon - £5

 Beetle Juice Mini Collection - £8

 Pink Nail Art Pen - £6

 

Blue Nail Art Pen - £6

Prices shown are the original prices as I was lucky enough to get all that half price! 

What do you think to my new polishes? What did you buy?

 xoxo

Countdown to 50 Followers GIVEAWAY!

Some of you may have seen yesterdays post regarding my first ever blog give away!

The giveaway will run until Tales of Nails hits 50 followers. Rafflecopter doesn't seem to make it clear so the rules of entry are as follows;

1. Follow Tales of Nails on Facebook
2. Follow Tales of Nails on Twitter/Tweet about the competition - this can be done directly through the Rafflecopter app
3. You MUST follow this blog!
4. Leave a comment on your favourite post or even leave a suggestion of what you'd like to see!

Following the blog is absolutely mandatory and is the whole idea of the giveaway so this will be checked before any prize is issued. Fans of Facebook and followers on Twitter and any comments left will also be checked before the winner is annouced.

Don't forget to share the love! I'm sure your friends and fellow bloggers would love a chance to win too!

Good luck!
XOXO

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cath Kidston Inspired Floral and Polka Dot Nails

Cath Kidston has become massively popular over the last few months with her vintage looking florals and patterns. It was only a matter of time before someone moved these designs to nails. So this post is my attempt at a floral pattern on two fingers, and polka dot on the rest.

 

The colours used in this design are (from L to R) Bourjois Beige Glamour, Miss Sporty Red, Models Own Jade Stone, Nina Ultra Pro Manicure White and E.L.F Black. 

Firstly, I started with two coats of Models Own Jade Stone. I love this colour so much, I can't put my finger on it because I'm more of a bright pink kinda girl, but there's just something about it! I then used Bourjois Beige Glamour on my ring finger and thumb. I had a small amount of polish the brush and roughly dotted between 4 and 5 'blobs' on the nail, all spread out. I then used my dotting tool with a small amount of Miss Sporty Red on the end, and used this to outline either side of each dot. The beauty of this design is it doesn't need to be done neatly! I then needed to add leaves. Because I don't have a darker green polish, I used two parts of Models Own Jade Stone mixed with one part of E.L.F Black. Then, using my dotting tool again, I just blobbed two stretched dots either side.

 

Now you could continue this on all nails if you'd like but as it's quite a bold print, I chose to do 2 nails and rest in polka dots. 

Using your dotting tool and white polish, make a series of dots over the remaining nails. These can be as perfect or random as you like! Et voila, done! :)

I absolutely love this design. It stands out, looks girly and has had lots of comments already! 

To finish the design, I applied one coat of 'Out of Door' top coat not only protect the pattern, but to give it a nice glossy finish.

xoxo

Oh Hey There Giraffe

I'd seen someone that had done this before but couldn't for the life of me remember where!

It's quite a fiddly design and takes a steady hand but looks awesome when it's done!

 

Colours used were Barry M Cyan Blue, Rimmel Sunshine mixed with French White, Bourjois Beige Glamour and Maybelline Black. 

If I'm completely honest, I was in such a flap because my nails just weren't going right. This was about the 5th design I'd tried. So at the time, I didn't think it looked that good, but now I wish I'd got more photos (and better ones!!!) so I think this is a design I'll revisit. 

What other animals would work well on nails?!

Pretty in Pink with Glitter Gradient

I have a load of new polishes which I've had for ages but never actually used so I've made it my mission to change that!

Today's nails are created using Rimmel Fancy Fuschia, Barry M Silver Glitter Limited Edition and Barry M Hologram 118.

I started off with a single coat of Fancy Fuschia before applying a second, thicker coat. I love Rimmel nail polishes because not only are the brushes nice and far and cover all the nail, but they always seem to dry with a nice smooth finish!

Once the second coat had dried, I then used Barry M Silver Glitter around the bottom of my nails, going about half way up. I wanted this to look like sprinkled glitter so tried not to make it even or matching on each nail. I then used a cocktail stick on with the Barry M Hologram 118 and picked out individual gems to scatter over the glitter to give it a bit more 'oomph!'

I then sealed it with a top coat out 'Out the Door' which is the best top coat I have ever, ever, EVER used!

I love this design. I feel all magical and princess like! Amazing how a simple design can work so well, ey?!

Nail Heaven

It was only a matter of time before my nail polish collection grew out of it's shelf home. Luckily, my Dad is D.I.Y man of the century so he made me an amazing nail polish stand! I originally started with a small stand but again, I soon outgrew it so another was made, but this time it was an XL version! I had so many comments on it via my FaceBook and instagram (@keeleyjadex) that he has started selling them on eBay so if anyone is interested in purchasing one, he charges £8.99 for a smaller stand which holds up to 39 bottles. The larger stand is £14.50 + £6.50 postage and can hold up to 60 bottles! You can buy through eBay. Click here for the smaller stand and here for the larger stand! If you don't have eBay but are interested in buying one then drop me an email on talesofnails@hotmail.com.

I keep pestering him for another as my addiction to polish means I run out of room quickly!

What do you think? Like it?!
xoxo

Water Marbling

I've been watching this new craze of Water Marbling unfold and finally had an evening free to give it a go!

Water Marbling basically does what it says on the tin! You use different nail varnish in water to create a marble effect on your nails. Now it's unique because you will never get one nail looking the same as the others which I personally love!

So, to water marble, you will need the following;
1. Time - it takes a while so make sure you have a good few hours spare
2. Patience - it's frustrating because it doesn't always go right so make sure you give it a few attempts before you even think about giving up!
3. A selection of nail polish - I found higher quality polish worked better
4. An old bowl or cup
5. Cocktail sticks, and lots of them
6. Scotch tape
7. Nail varnish remover and pads

So firstly you will need to paint your nails white. Apply one thin coat, let it dry then apply another thin coat. I done this as sometimes the marbling can come out quite thin so it gives it a bit more opacity. I used Ultra Pro (from Sallys) in French White but any white polish is fine!

Once that's dry, use your scotch tape to border the outside of the nail being careful not to cover any of the nail. This will keep the rest of your fingers from getting covered in polish! Go along the side of your nail, around the back and back down the other side. Then use another piece across the bottom of your nail.

You can now start your mixing! Fill your cup/bowl with ROOM TEMPERATURE water. This is important as if it's too hot/cold, then the polish won't spread like it should. With your first colour, apply a drop of the polish in to the centre of the bowl. This should go all watery and spread out quite a lot. Then take your second colour and do the same in the middle of the first colour. Continue to do this with as many colours as you like. I used three so once I'd gone through the cycle once, I started again with the first colour until I felt I had enough rings.

I originally decided (from left to right) on Avon Nailwear Pro in Creamsicle, Models Own in Dream Stream, Rimmel Pro in Urban Princess , Models Own in Jade Stone and Rimmel Lasting Finish in Sunshine. Some of these didn't really work how I wanted so I also used (but didn't photograph) China Glaze in Stella, China Glaze in Midtown Magic, Avon Nailwear in Aqua Fantasy, Barry M in Cyan Blue and Barry M in Pink Flamingo. The ones I didn't photograph actually worked the best!

It should look something like..

You will now need to take a cocktail stick and carefully draw a pattern in the polish that you like. Be creative! This nail art isn't meant to look perfect so if you mess up a bit..who cares?! No one is going to know! Piece of advice - the edge of the 'blob' will now be quite dry so if you get too close to the edge, you will pick the whole of the patch up on your stick. Try to swirl it from the middle!

Once you've got a pattern you're happy with, you literally put your nail in to the water face down and hold it under the water for about 10 seconds. This will help it to dry. After 10 seconds, take your cocktail stick and swirl around the excess polish. It should lift all the extra away from your nail. Carefully lift your nail out of the water and admire your work of art! I actually ran out of time so couldn't do a full set but here's what I did do..

Don't mind the mess - I didn't clean up round the nail because I was so excited to photograph! All you'd need to do is run a pad around the nail with some nail varnish remover!

Like I said, it is a time consuming task but a fun one! And it does create a bit of mess..

For an excellent YouTube tutorial, click here! Shows all the above in a video, just incase I didn't explain anything too well!

Have you tried water marbling? If so, how did you find it and do you have tips for the next time I try?
xoxo

OK I Lied..

..Just one more archive post. I found a few on my phone that are actually too pretty to not include. Plus I figured out a nicer way to watermark my pictures so wanted to show that off too haha.

First up, acrylic done by moi (thanks for letting me practice on you, Mum!) Base colour used is Barry M Bright Purple with (surprise, surprise) Barry M Silver Foil as the stamp polish (I just love it!) and then a bit of unnamed silver glitter within the stars. Stars are on a Bundle Monster plate..

Next up (thanks to my Mum for being my guinea pig..again!). Barry M Bright Purple (her fav!) with Barry M Silver Foil and a Bundle Monster plate..

And finally is just my au natural (well..natural style, nails are false!) design. Typical french manicure with a cute little flower design because I can't do plain!

I just can't do white tips for very long! It lasts a week at a push before I can't fight the urge to paint them! Don't know how I will manage on holiday as my boyfriend has told me I have to do the same design as above and keep it for the WHOLE 2 weeks..ermmm.. Think I might have to sneak some polish in my hand luggage and paint them in secret!
xoxo