Hello lovelies,

So I'm finally back with nail post and review! I did these nails back in July when I received then brand new nail art book Nail It! by Sophie Harris-Greenslade aka The Illustrated Nail (featured in past monthly favourites). I picked a design from the book called Ditsy and I recreated it following the step by step tutorial in the book to show you that they are totally achievable!

This Ditsy design is pretty simple and easy to do yet it looks like a complicated pattern. I've painted it using Nails Supreme nail art pens (available here) and dotting tools over five new(ish) Models Own polishes. These pretty brights are the new additions to their Polish for Tans collection (which was bit more relevant in July I guess ;). I've used Beach Hut, Turquoise Sea, Sarong Wrap, Cocktail Hour and Malibu Pink shades. Some of theme have a neon element to them and they beautifuly glow under UV light.

And... as the title of this post suggests, I also want to take a closer look at the Nail It! book. Firstly, here are few pictures to give you a taste of what's inside:

This book contains 100 nail art tutorials and nail care and nail art advice sorted into topical sections.There are simple and intricate designs included and each has picture and worded step-by-step instructions so everyone can find something for them. I like how everything is clearly explained and to me even just the picture steps are enough to understand how to re-create the design. I've seen some of the designs before for example in the Scratch Magazine where Sophie is a regular columnist but I suspect this won't be the case with most people. Besides, here are all the pretty designs in one place, in one book. It might also be worth mentioning that Nail It! is a sturdy hard-back book and it's a nice quality.
 

The nail art themes covered are Picure It, Spots & Dots, French Tips & Half-Moons, Geometrics, Embellished Designs, Creative Effects, Holidays & Travel, Florals, Classic Prints and Catwalk Looks. What a range! You can find anything from Christmas and Halloween designs to flowers and abstract patterns. And most are in that wonderfuly 'illustration' style so distinctive for Sophie's work. Some might find it too cartoony but I just love it and appreciate the art and work that went into it. 

I'm a huge fan of Sophie's work and I honestly think that so far this is the best nail art book I've had the pleasure of reading and it is totally worth the money! Nail It! is currently available on Amazon UK for £13.48 and newly on Amazon US.

I always love to hear your thoughts and feedback so leave a comment ;) Lucie x

*Post contains PR samples

*PR sample

Hello lovelies,

Today's post is about stamping and a massive Pueen Fireworks Festival stamping plate! I have been testing it for quite a while and now I'm ready to share my experience with you.

Pueen Fireworks Festival stamping plate is a buffet-style plate so there are many more design combinations you can create other than just each separate image.

The first time I've properly tried this plate on nails was over my Azature Pink and White Diamond manicure. I thought a simple zebra pattern would beautifully highlight the glitter base colours. I've used Creative Stamper and Konad Black stamping polish. The plate worked nicely and the zebra pattern transferred very well and almost perfectly. The pattern on the plate is quite large so I got away with using half of the pattern on one nail therefore making the stamping and cleaning much faster.

The Fireworks Festival plate is covered in a blue foil to protect it and it also comes in a light blue cardboard cover to protect the plate in transit.

"This plate measures 7"x9.5" (18x24cm) with sanded edges and backing for easy, comfortable handling and a protective nylon screen. The plate is made from high grade stainless steel and backing to prevent scratching during storage."

I really struggle with photographing stamping plate patterns because I always end up with camera/lamp/mine reflection. I have tried to capture all images on the plate for you and I've also test-stamped some of the image parts using the Creative stamper:

I love different patterns and floral patterns and there are plenty on this plate. Sometimes I don't like buffet-style plate when the pattern areas are so small that they don't cover whole nail but luckily, I haven't had that problem here. Overall, I'm very happy with this plate, it doesn't have any badly etched areas or mistakes and it stamps nicely.

If you would like to buy the Fireworks Festival or any other plate, you can do so at the Pueen website here.

Have a lovely day! Lucie x

*PR sample