A Number of Nautical Nails

That was a poor attempt at alliteration, I apologise.

Anyhoo, my lovely sailor fiance is getting home today (YAY!!!) so what better time to show you these nautical manicures?

I was sent this sheet of water decals from Born Pretty Store.  There's like...I don't know, some ridiculous number of images on there.

They're set out into four sets of nails, but they are all individual decals.  And the nails on the sheet are massive as well.  So these will last you a fair while!  I so want to do a Peter Pan manicure with one of those little ships, but I just can't think how to do it...

There are about 4 or 5 of each design, and there's different sizes as well, which gives you lots of options for different nail art.

They're all nautical themed, but there's lots of different variations on the theme, so here are some of the looks I came up with.

Here I used Essie Case Study, with China Glaze Desert Sun and Kalahari Kiss sponged over the top with cling film to create a vintage look.

The decals are super easy to use.  Roughly cut out the decal you want, soak in water for 10-15 seconds, slide off and place on your nail.  While they're wet they're easy to move around, so you don't have to worry about getting it wrong!  Oh, and don't forget to peel off the protective plastic sheet before soaking them...honestly, you wouldn't believe how many times I forgot.  that's why there's a few extra bits if decal on my index finger.

For this Whites look I used Barry M Matt White and Gold Foil.  The little chains are also decals :)  There's a few chain and rope type designs in there that are great for tips!

Finally, I played with my new Nails Inc Southwark and used my old reliable (and a little bit stinky) OPI Flick Chick Cherry for this more traditional nautical manicure :)  All the white bits were done with the Barry M Nail Art Pen - I was feeling too lazy to get out the dotting tools and striping tape.

You can see these decals here.  They're $3.99 (£2.63) - a right bargain for how many manicures you'll get out of this sheet.

I can see from the stats that Born Pretty Store give me access to that over 75% of people who make a purchase from following one of my links doesn't use my discount code!  Nooo!  If you're going to make a purchase, save yourself some money ladies!  You can use my code LKL91 for 10% off any purchases from Born Pretty Store, at any time.  So go on, treat yourself :)  I think I'm going to be putting in an order for some of those ice cream colour nail polishes - how fabulous do they look??

Just wait until you see the next lot of water decals I've got from Born Pretty Store to show you...oh my giddy aunt...  (If you want a sneak preview, pop on over to Instagram @polishedart).

Birthday Manicure

Today is my boyfriend's birthday :)  He's away working at the moment, and apparently you can't post things to ships.  So instead of getting a card, he's getting a manicure dedicated to him.  I'm sure he'll appreciate it :p

My boyfriend's from Liverpool, so on my index finger there's a liver bird (a bit of a stocky liver bird with a bit of a dragon's head...).  I was going to attempt the Liverpool FC badge, but then I looked at it.  They could've gone for something a bit simpler, I mean really...

Next up is Batman Lego.  My boyfriend made me play this with him one day, and so began the lego game obsession.  Now he has to put his Call of Duty aside and play lego games with me whenever we get our hands on a new one.  The lego at the bottom is purple naturally, because purple studs are worth the most money.  And it's all about the money (as Jessie J wouldn't say).

My ring finger is evidently an anchor (hopefully), although I assume the chain's far too slack to actually be of any use.

Prepare yourselves for the beautiful image I'm about to create to explain my little finger.

My boyfriend and I met in this place called the Raz.  Anyone from Liverpool reading this will need no further explanation lol.  Upstairs in the Raz is sort of like an old man pub (but with students instead of old men...) and downstairs is like a little club.  Resembling a cave.  A very wet cave.  There's a liquid that the Raz produces, a juice if you will, that no one really knows the source of.  It's suspected that Fat Frogs (a luminous green alcopop mixture) and other spilled drinks contribute to it, almost definitely some sweat, and perhaps even some urine.  Who knows.  All we do know is that for some reason it's bright orange, it covers the floors and drips from the ceiling.  This nail is my tribute to Raz Juice.  Yum yum.