Review | Born Pretty Store Flower Water Decals

It's no secret that I love using water decals on my nails to give an original touch to a manicure. Consequently it was only natural that I chose this sheet of floral decals from Born Pretty Store for my next manicure.

 

 

There are a total of four varieties to choose from for this particular decal but you can find a multitude of other nail art decals on the website.

 

Since the design is continuous, I decided to go for something different and opted to use the decal on half of each fingernail. What I did was simply remove the protective film and cut the decal to the size I wanted. Next, working one nail at a time, I submerged the individual pieces in room temperature water for 10 seconds before taking them out again and positioning on dry, polished nails.

 

The decals give you approximately one minute to work with them before they dry so you have plenty of time to get them to where you want them to. Always blot excess water with a tissue and when completely dry, seal with a top coat to protect your design and ensure maximum wear. For this design, I also added some striping tape before the top coat for a more polished look.

The decals remained intact until I came to take them off after 5 days of wear and they never shrinked with top coat or anything.

 

What do you think of this design ladies? Are you fans of water decals? Get your flower nail water decals for just $1.43 and you can always get 10% off with the code EBABK31!

** From the 10th till 31st of August, nail art decorations in wheels from Born Pretty Store are all at 30% off! ** 

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NOTW | English Roses



With Valentine's Day coming up next week, I thought of sharing my first proposition for nail art ideas. I had this English Rose foil in my stash that I never used and thought it would be an original kind of nail art for Valentine's Day instead of the usual heart designs. Read on to learn how to apply nail foils and create an effortless and elegant masterpiece at your fingertips!

 

 

1. Prep nails with a base coat and follow with two coats of an opaque white nail polish. I have used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 300 White On and allowed approximately 5 minutes drying time between coats.

 

2. Leave the last coat to dry completely for at least 15 minutes, then working one nail at a time, apply a thin coat of foil adhesive and allow it to go tacky. This will take around 5 minutes per nail.

 

3. Cut a piece of foil a little larger than your nail and making sure it is the correct side down, apply it with gentle pressure on the nail. You may choose to use a q-tip for this step to ensure the design is transferred in whole.

 

4. Repeat for the rest of the nails and secure with a top coat.

NOTW | Spring Blooms

The weather this week kept me in a spring mood and I opted for a floral manicure again. This time I tried the two accent nails look and I used three base colours.  Follow the simple steps to a little garden on your finger tips!

1. Prep nails with a base coat and leave to dry completely.

 

2. As base colours, I used Wjcon Nail Lacquer N.702 for the thumbs and index fingers, Essence Tip Painter for the middle and ring fingers and Essence Colour & Go 128 Let's Get Lost (mixed in a 1:2 ratio with the white nail polish) for the pinky fingers. Leave to dry thoroughly.

 

3. For the flowers, use a medium sized dotting tool to create 5 petalled flowers or 3 petalled flowers in the corners of the nails. Drag the centres of each petal toward the centre of the flower with a small dotting tool. For the flowers, I used China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Wjcon Nail Lacquer N.702 and Essence Colour & Go 128 Let's Get Lost.

 

4. Apply a dot of silver foil polish in the centre of each flower and leave to dry. Here, I used Orly Dazzle.

 

5. Seal everything with a top coat and you're done!

Review: Born Pretty Store Dried Flowers

I have been wanting to try dried flowers on nails for ages so when Born Pretty Store offered me to try any of their products, I jumped at the chance to try out their dried flowers.

You get 12 different flowers (which they randomly select themselves) for $7.08 and free shipping which I think is a reasonable price.  The flowers come in individual plastic pots neatly wrapped in packs of 6 in a re-sealable plastic bag as shown in the picture.  Moreover, you can use the containers to put other nail supplies in them such as rhinestones when you are done with the flowers.

Some flowers may look too big to use but you can always cut them with a pair of manicure scissors to fit your nails which is exactly what I did in the pedicure photos that follow.

First, let's look at all the flowers I got:

You get a small amount of each type so may want to consider buying them in bulk especially if you are a nail technician or you plan to use multiple flowers to create a nail art design in the same manicure. Usually, you get 2 of each of the branched flowers (the tiny ones) and 5 pieces of each of the individual ones. I do like the selection though as it contained a nice balance of the smaller and multiple branched flowers and the individual, bigger ones, all in different colours.  Here are some more detailed pictures to give you an idea of the size of the flowers.  You can also tell from these pictures that the flowers are real ones.

I used the small blue ones in a pedicure last week and this is what they looked like:

To use these dried flowers, all you have to do is apply the base colour of your choice and leave to dry as usual, then apply some clear polish where you want to put your flower, and lay the flower down on the nail gently.  I like to use a pair of nail art tweezers for this.  To make the flower flat on the nail, simply press the petals down gently with a dotting so they won't stick out.  Finally, apply some top-coat to seal them in for longer.

I found the smaller flowers really fragile so be careful when handling them and always try and get them by the stem instead of the petals to avoid them falling off.  However, with some clear top coat, they stayed in place for a whole week and they are still there!  If you use them with gel, they will last much longer since gel is a thicker medium so they should last until the next refill.  Also, I haven't had any problems with the top coat not reacting well with the flowers and ruining them.

I think this is all I have to say about these dried flowers and if you want to get some for yourself, just click here and remember to use the code below for 10% off your order!

EDIT: I have removed the flowers on the 21st of August and I can now say that they are very easy to remove; you just need to rub in some more polish remover and they're gone! 

NOTD: Flowers and Dragonflies

Good morning my lovelies :) This week's nail tutorial features the nails I wore to the wedding I had last Wednesday.  I chose a glittery pink base and did the design on my ring fingers to keep it simple. 

1. Prep your nails by applying a base coat and proceed with applying two coats of a shimmery pink nail polish on each nail.  Make sure to allow enough drying time between coats.  I used Rimmel 60 Seconds in 400 Starlet.

2. On the nails you are going to do the design, choose a slightly darker yet sheer nail polish and put on a very thin coat. I did this on my ring fingers with China Glaze Awakening.

3. For the design, stamp or draw a half flower at the side of the nail with black nail polish and place a little baby pink coloured pearl in the centre.

4. The dragonfly is very easy to do: with a medium sized dotting tool, put a drop of peach nail polish for the head and subsequently place another three drops of the same nail polish with a small dotting tool for the body.  I used China Glaze Sunset Sail.  With a detailing brush, paint the wings in black nail polish.

5. When dry, seal with a top coat and you're done!

NOTW: Flowery Sea Spray

Good morning my lovelies :) I hope you all had a great weekend :) Here's the manicure I have been wearing this week:

I actually created this manicure with my bf in mind as it was his birthday last Thursday.  I used China Glaze Sea Spray polish which he bought me himself as well as turquoise, dark blue and orange which are his favourite colours. I did flowers as they are his favourite nail design. It is a very easy design to re-create so let's get started :)

1. Prep nails with a clear base coat and when dry, apply two coats of our choice of polish on the ring fingers and do a French tip on the other fingernails. I used China Glaze Sea Spray.

2. On the nails with the French tip, dot turquoise medium-sized dots with a dotting tool all along the border where the tip colour meets the rest of the nail. I used Inglot Nail Enamel no.309 When dry, apply top coat.

3. For the ring finger design, dot four dots in the shape of a flower with a large dotting tool and follow with orange nail polish dots in the centre of each one with a medium sized dotting tool. While still wet, drag the dots towards the centre starting at the centre of the same dots.  For the middle of the flower, place four golden-orange steel beads while the nail polish is still wet. I used e.l.f. Dark Navy and a La Femme orange nail polish for the flower. The steel beads, I bought them from ebay.

4. Using the same turquoise colour and a small dotting tool, draw a small 5-petalled flower at the opposing corner of the nail and place a golden-orange steel bead in the middle.

5. When dry, top coat and you're done!

NOTW: Gingham and Flowers

This week's nail tutorial looks complicated when in fact, it is very easy to do!! I incorporated a three-petalled flower on my ring fingers and a gingham pattern on all the tips of my nails.  Here's what it looks like:

Like it? Read on for a step-by-step how to!

1. Start with a coat of clear base coat and leave to dry.

2. Apply two coats of a pink nail polish to the tips of all the nails, making sure you allow enough drying time between the applications.  I used an Italian pink by Eugene Perma.

3. Next, to start working on the gingham pattern, you will need a white striper polish and a gold one and proceed to make the lines as in the picture sequence shown below.  I used Golden Rose Paris Nail Lacquer no. 41 as my gold polish

4. For the flower, use a detailing brush to paint three little petals. I used Oil of Olay Nail Lacquer in 678 Bronze Reflection.

5. When the flower dries, it is time to add the details. Start by dotting a few dots in the centre of the flower where the petals join with the same gold polish you used for the gingham pattern.  Subsequently, proceed by making two lines coming from between the petals, one on each side of the middle petal with the white striper polish.  Finally, add a few dots with the pink nail polish near these white lines.

6. Seal your design with a coat of clear glossy top coat and you're done!