School's Out! The end of the 'Pixar Polish Challenge'

Hello lovely readers!

I write this blog post with a heavy heart... the Pixar Polish Challenge has come to an end! :(  I can't believe 4 weeks has passed, but the time has come for the reveal of my final manicure!

Buuuuuut... before we do that, let's take some time to reflect on our journey so far...

 WEEK 1: Toy Story

 

 WEEK 2: UP 

WEEK 3: WALL.E.

So, the stroll down 'Pixar Polish Challenge' memory lane is done! However, I'd like to keep stalling for a little while longer and show you an extra Pixar manicure which I've thrown in for good measure! I did these nails months ago, when this challenge wasn't even a twinkle in my eye! However, seeming as they are Pixar themed, I thought it would be worth including them in the post. So, from way, way back, I give you...

NEMO NAILS!

I think I could do a better job now as experience grows with time, but overall I don't think they're too shabby! Perhaps I'll give them another shot when Finding Dory is released in 2015...

Right, I have stalled for long enough! Time to reveal what you all came here to see, and the sole reason for the creation of this humble challenge.

WEEK 4: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

 

 Ta-dah!! So, there it is! To go into detail (thumb to pinkie), we have: Scaring 101 class chalkboard, Monsters University school logo, Scully (complete with MU letterman jacket!), Mike Wazowski, and the Oozma Kappa fraternity logo.

Needless to say, I have now seen the film and I was not disappointed! I hope all of you go and see it too, if you haven't already- it's fantastic! 


I hope you've enjoyed reading about this challenge as much as I've enjoyed participating in it! I'll definitely have to set myself another one soon, it's been so much fun! Do you have a favourite week? Let me know!

Love,
Hannah x

The Pixar Polish Challenge Week 3: It's a (robot) love story, baby just say yes.

Greetings readers!

So, the UK is basking in a heatwave right now, and in typical British fashion, people are complaining. There is seriously no appeasing us when it comes to weather, it's either too cold or too hot, and God forbid when we have a very rare heatwave, you can rely on the media descending into panic: "500 people will die in the heatwave this weekend..." Really MET office, really??? I say we enjoy it whilst it lasts, though I'll admit the heat isn't very productive when you're at work!

Anywho, week 3 of the Pixar Polish Challenge has at least given me some respite from the sun, and I'm very pleased to show you the penultimate manicure of this humble challenge. So, readers, I present.....

WALL.E nails

What do you think? I'm pretty proud of these and I know it's going to be so hard to get rid of them :( Still, I have to remember that it's just a manicure and try not to get too emotionally involved. I'll definitely enjoy wearing them for the next few days, and have taken lots of pictures to prepare myself for when R-Day (removal day) inevitably rolls around.

Again, these took forever, but I'm very pleased with the outcome. I'd even be so bold to say that I think they're my favourite manicure to date! Woah.

So, before my nails were adorned with cute robots and suchlike, the base looked like this:

I actually really liked my nails looking like this on their own, and I reckon I'll have to sport this look minus robots in the future! To create this galaxy-esque background for WALL.E and co, I started by painting my nails black before sponging on a varitey of different purple, blue and silver hues. I also dotted on random sized white spots to create stars at the end of the manicure (they're missing in the above picture, though).

 I also took a few photos with my camera flash on, as I think the manicure looks cool and more space-like. I'm not usually a fan of using flash mode when photographing my nails, as you tend to get an unsightly glare that causes the picture to blur and obscure the finer details. For once, I don't think these shots turned out too badly!

 

So, that's week 3 done! As sad as I'll be when I say goodbye to these nails, we have almost reached the climax of this challenge! It seriously feels like I have waited a lifetime to do my Monsters University manicure, and I seriously can't wait to get started. I hope you all come back to see the grand finale!
 
Love,
Hannah x

P.S. Before you go, I have some news- my nail art is now on Instagram! I'm trying to figure out how to put a badge on my blog, but for now, you can find me here 

Feel free to follow if you want to see my nail art, but don't feel like reading long blog posts about them!

 
 

Up, Up and Away! Week 2 of the Pixar Polish Challenge.

Hey everyone!

So, it's time for the big reveal! It seems silly saying 'reveal' as I've pretty much given away the theme in the post title. However, for those of you who didn't catch on, week 2's 'Pixar Polish Challenge' is....

 

UP

 

 

 I'll admit that 'Up' isn't one of my top Pixar movies (though it is pretty good, love "Dug" the dog especially!), but I really liked the flying house and balloons and thought it would be fun to paint them on my nails. The individual balloons took ages to do, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome overall! Carl in particular was very challenging, and I don't think nail-Carl bears a great deal of resemblance to movie-Carl. The glasses improve the situation a bit, but the facial features are a bit of a letdown! 

Anywho,that's week 2 done! Stay tuned for week 3...

Hannah x

To Infinity and Beyond! Introducing the Pixar Polish Challenge.

Hello everyone!

Once again, it has been a stupidly long time since I've blogged. However, you'll be pleased to hear my nail art has not followed the same irregular pattern, and I still do my designs every week without fail! 

So, before I explain the formalities of my self-created "Pixar Polish Challenge", it's time to once again play catch-up! Here's what's gone down these past 3 weeks or so...

Mr Men

I'm particularly proud of these ones as along with my 90's cartoon heroes nails featured in my last blog post, the lovely ladies at "Look" Magazine were once again kind enough to feature these on their Facebook page! 

 Paddington Bear

An adorable British Icon who loves duffle coats and marmalade sandwiches! I even went the extra mile and got a jar of marmalade out of the fridge to use as a prop. Yep. I am that dedicated! Or just incredibly strange.... I'll leave it up to you guys to decide!

 A tribute to Bowie

 A couple of weeks ago, I spent some quality time with my dad in London, and we visited the David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. We queued for AGES to get in (FYI, it's totally worth it) and had I known we'd have to queue for that long, I could have done this manicure whilst I was waiting! Silly me for being prepared and doing it before I left the house.... ha! 

 Right, I think we're all caught up! Time to move on to the main event of this blog post. Without further adieu, readers, I am pleased to announce my participation in my very first nail-art challenge! 

Okay, so I'll admit that it's a self-created challenge, and not an 'official' one undertaken by more seasoned nail-bloggers. However, by setting myself this challenge, I''m hoping I'll feel a bit more initiated into the nail-blogging community. I'm still a newbie after all!

So, what is my self-created challenge all about? Firstly, I must tell you that it is one so formidable that I created a (very crude) 'logo' for it....

Yep. Very crude, isn't it? Sorry to have subjected you to the above, but my challenge needs a little self-promotion! What better way to cement it with than with a logo?

Crudeness aside, how did this challenge come into being? My reasoning is this. I am a HUGE Pixar fan and have pretty much been counting down the days until Monsters University is released here in the UK. To any of my American readers, I'm very jealous at the fact the movie would have been out for almost an entire month in the US before it hits theatre's on our side of the pond! Still, I just know the wait will be worth it, and to bide my time, I have set myself this nail art challenge! Basically for the next 4 weeks or so, I'll be doing 'Pixar' themed manicures, culminating in a Monsters University theme, which my fingernails will be sporting with pride when I go and see the film. 

So, are you ready to see week 1's efforts? 

Toy Story

These took FOREVER to do- think it was around 3 and-a-half hours! Still, the way I see it is that it's 3 and-a-half hours less waiting time until I get to see MU. Time-consuming matters aside, I loved doing these and was very sad to see them go.

I didn't have much time to mourn the demise of this design, though, as I had to press on with week 2! I've just finished it, but because I'm mean (or just tired, it's late here!) I'm going to leave this blog post there and keep you in suspense!


Until next time, readers, and remember: You've got a friend in me!

Hannah x

Playing catch-up: The 90's nails mega blog-post!

 Hello everyone!

I know it has been a hideously long time since I last did a blog entry. However, I sincerely hope this MASSIVE post makes up for it! I normally blog on the weekends. but recently I have been put to work by my mum in what can only be described as a spring-cleaning spree of EPIC proportions. And guess what? It's STILL going on.... I took a stand today, though and I'm giving myself a break by blogging!
 
My bedroom has been the main target on my mum's clearing radar, as between you and me, I'm still living like a student who hoardes EVERYTHING despite graduating almost a year ago.... my bad!! It's been an interesting experience so far, and has also surprisingly been quite the roller-coaster ride of emotions. Yes. Seriously. Spring cleaning my room has actually felt like spring cleaning my life, and that does things to a person! For example, I have laughed at the old photos I have stumbled across and the clothes I used to wear. It then took a nose-dive to the point where I (almost) cried about the fact the very same clothes no longer fit me, and I am not as close to those in the photos as I used to be. It's all part of the growing up process and is all very poignant at this stage in my life as an early twenty-something. Wow. Pretty deep, eh?? If only I were writing this post atop a mountain with a wistful look in my eye and a mountain goat or two to share my life's musings with. I bet they're great listeners...

So, I think this simple clearing process has unconsciously made me yearn for the years gone by and mourn the pretty idyllic childhood I was very fortunate to have. I also believe this realisation has been reflected in my nail art,  as my chosen themes of recent weeks have all been 90s based. It gives me great pleasure to share with you just a few of the things that made my childhood great, and which I have turned into nail art. First up is.....

 Game Nails!

  I LOVED board games as a kid, and still do! We definitely played our fair share of them in my university house, and my family still gets together every so often to play. It's kind of sad that video games are such big business these days (seriously, aren't we on Playstation number 46 or something now?!), and that the humble roll of a nice has largely been  replaced by the joystick or game controller. Don't get me wrong, video games can bring people together in the same way as board games. I just find it bizarre that you can play board games virtually now instead of sitting round a table to play the real thing.Still, times are a changin' and I guess I can't stop it. Anyway, this game manicure showcases a few of the great, (and definitely non-virtual) games I played as a youngster. We have 'Twister' on my pinkie, a Hungry Hungry hippo on my ring finger, a scrabble title on my middle finger ('H' for 'Hannah' of course!), a domino on my index, and Mr Monopoly on my thumb.

  A friend asked me how I made the Scrabble tile look like actual plastic, so here's the scoop! I used a mattifying top coat over the cream base to try and achieve a plastic-y finish. As for the rest of my nails, I used a dotting tool and a gel pen for some of the finer details, and of course nail-art brushes when adding in the colour.

Okay, game nails shared! Next up is.....

90s cartoon heroes!

   90s cartoons were the best. End of story. I know I'm biased towards this generation for obvious reasons, but I fully believe I speak the truth! Growing up, I was lucky enough to have Sky TV at home (I think it's the 'cable' equivalent to any of my American readers) so I got to watch a lot of US animated shows on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

   I'm hoping you'll all recognise who's who, but just incase you don't, my 90s cast of characters are comprised of the following: Thumb to pinkie, we have: Chuckie from 'Rugrats', Pikachu from 'Pokemon', Johnny Bravo, Bubbles the Powerpuff Girl and an Animaniac!

If these nails have made you feel nostalgic, and if you fancy taking a trip down memory lane, I have links to all of the theme tunes below: Click, and enjoy!

Rugrats 
Pokemon
Johnny Bravo
 Powerpuff Girls 
Animaniacs 

I loved doing these nails so much, and can't believe that LOOK Magazine (a UK weekly fashion magazine which I am an avid reader of) shared them on their Facebook page!! I was really pleased with the 'likes' they got, and some lovely comments too. It's always nice when my hobby is appreciated, and by people who I've never met before! It kind of restores your faith in human-kind when strangers are nice, especially when we have so many grizzly things going on in the news at the moment.

So, because I loved these nails so much and got a pretty amazing reaction for them,  I decided to keep the kids TV theme running for the next couple of nail-arts. Introducing.....

Moomin Nails!

 Quite simply, 'The Moomins' are adorable. I'm still not entirely sure what they are, even after all these years I've been following them! I'd say they resemble hippos the most, but I'm probably wrong. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, "The Moomins" were created by Tove Jasson- a Swedish / Finnish writer and illustrator. They first emerged in books and comic strips, and later became animated in a cartoon series and movies. Oh, and the theme-tune is super catchy! *DISCLAIMER* Watch at your own risk. If you don't want a song to be stuck in your head for days, you should bypass this viewing.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiZ0eBFTH6k

 So, if you didn't know who the Moomins were until now, I hope you've enjoyed being acquainted with them! They're pretty darn popular- there's even a Moomin themepark in their native Finland, and also a Moomin-themed cafe in Japan! I'd love to visit both someday, but I'll add them to my travel 'bucket list' for now.

My final 90s TV nails for this blog post is dedicated to two plasticine pals who go by the names of 'Wallace and Gromit'. I'm not sure how well known they are outside of the UK, so apologies to my international readers if you're unfamiliar with them! They look a little something like this:

These guys are pretty timeless, and you can always rely on them being on the TV during Bank Holidays and over the Christmas period. I can never resist tuning in whenever they're scheduled to make a TV appearance! I love the animation and admire the months it takes just to make a few seconds of film. I thought I was patient doing nail art, but I have nothing on the guys and gals at Aardman studios! They're a seriously dedicated bunch.

Are you still with me? We're on the last manicure now, I promise! Thanks for sticking with me, I'm almost at the finish!

Though admittedly I watched a lot of it, my childhood wasn't simply defined by TV. When I wasn't busy getting square-eyes, or choosing my favourite Pokemon of the week, I also liked to get creative by making things! So, readers, I present to you, last but not least....

 Lego Nails!

 Ah those humble plastic bricks! Endless fun and infinite possibilities... Kids these days even have Spongebob and Harry Potter themed Lego play-sets! 2 syllables: Jea. Lous. Generally, I don't believe millennium kids have as wholesome a childhood as 90s kids (too much technology in my opinion, but that's not an appropriate debate for a nail-art blog), but at least they have fared well in the Lego stakes!

The one week where the theme was consistent on both hands... *shocked face*

 So, there we have it! I have come to the end of my 90s nails blog spectacular! Fellow 90s kids (or to anyone else reading who is interested in 90s culture), did you have fun? I know I did when I did every one of these manicures, and I definitely plan for my nails to revisit the 90s again soon!
Signing off with a lovely gooey feeling of nostalgia,

Hannah x

My one month blog-i-versary with a side of Seuss!

Hello readers!

Gadzooks!! How have we arrived at the month of May already?! I can't quite get my head around the fact a year ago I was taking my final year university exams and getting ready to graduate! Needless to say, quite a lot has changed for me since leaving the safe and familiar bubble of Lancaster University,  but two things in particular are worth mentioning:
1) I didn't have a job
2) I didn't have a blog! 

Woah. Now wasn't that some world-class rhyming?? Ha! I jest, I jest.  I actually think  Dr Seuss (my personal literary hero and the subject of this week's manicure) would be turning in his grave.... I sincerely hope my nails are a better tribute to him than my appalling rhyming efforts!

So, before I reveal my Seuss-themed fingers, I have 2 (very minor) achievements I'd like to share with you! Firstly, this post marks my one-month blog-i-versary, yay!! *pause for cake and party streamers* A big thank you to those of you who have been reading, from both near and far. I checked out my blog-stats recently, and it looks like I have some Russian, German, French, American and South Korean readers to date, which is pretty darn cool! So, Привет, Hallo, Bonjour, Hello and Ann-Yeoung to all of you, and I hope you've enjoyed reading so far! Also, I apologise if some of these international translations of 'hello' are wrong. There is a very good chance that Google gave me tons of results when I searched for them, and I'm not sure if I chose the right ones.... I'm hoping I haven't strayed too far, though!
 
Moving onto my second 'achievemment'. For this one, I feel I should put some snaps in my very own metaphorical Elle Woods 'snap cup' (10 Hannah points if you correctly guessed my movie reference!) So here it is.... My nails are all the same length!! This NEVER happens, but after waiting for some of my fallen comrades to grow, and a careful filing procedure, I finally got there! I really hope it lasts as it makes doing nail-art so much easier, but life has a funny way of throwing curve-balls at you! Guess I'll have to see what happens...

Okay, celebrations over. Time to get this blog post properly underway! So, as the blog header states, and as my earlier (and rather hideous)  attempts at rhyming would hint at, this week's manicure has a Dr Seuss theme! I LOVED his stories as a child, and I'm lucky to own a lot of his books. Even at the age of 22, they still have pride and place on my book-shelf! However, this isn't the first time my favourite childhood stories have been the subject of my manicures. Behold, the ghosts of nail art past....

"Out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar." (Eric Carle, 1969)

Nail art BB (Before Blogging!)

These Hungry Caterpillar nails were one of my earliest attempts at nail-art and I hadn't even dreamed of becoming a blogger at that stage! They're actually one of my favourite designs so far, even though I did them quite a while ago! I love how Eric Carle's illustrations look like they've been created from crepe paper. This may be the case, I just haven't researched his unique illustration style enough and I'm only speculating! Speaking of unique illustrations, Dr Seuss's drawings (besides his brilliant rhyming style of course) are what I love most about his books. Fun fact: You won't ever find a straight line in any of his illustrations- something which he made a point of avoiding when he put pen to paper. I think it's supposed to keep with the topsy-turvy nature of his stories, and I think it's awesome his drawings conform to that style too!

So, before I gush any more about all that is Seuss,  I present to you, dear readers...

DR SEUSS NAILS!!

(Thumb to pinkie) The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, Thing 2, Sam I am, Green eggs and Ham

So, what do you think? If you're not familiar with his books then I guess this manicure won't make much sense to you! I chose to focus on two of his most popular stories, "The Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham". I  also felt that the primary colours featured in both books would translate well into a manicure. 

Technique wise, I started out with a white base and added a matte top coat. What happened next is quite the revelation! Brace yourselves, readers. It's a big deal and will forever change how I do many of my nail designs....

So, since my last blog post, and after accidentally stumbling across this method in other blogs, I have discovered this: The humble gel pen is an AMAZING nail art tool! I honestly don't think I've really used them since Primary School (anyone remember the scented ones? Pure nostalgia!) and I'm very glad to have reacquainted myself with them! Seriously, being able to draw directly onto my nails instead of using a tiny brush is very exciting! Yep. I don't get out much....

So anyway, I went out and bought some last week, and I can't wait to use them in my future manicures! I'll still be using brushes when adding colour onto my nails, but get pens are great for adding finer details and outlines. I must stress that a topcoat is essential though, otherwise your design will immediately wash away! *sad face*.

Hope you liked my Seuss nails, and to any fellow nail-artists reading this, I strongly suggest you try gel pens. You won't regret it!
 Until next time, folks!

Hannah x