Polish with plumage...

Hey guys!

So, I've arrived at blog-post number 3, whoo!! I don't feel quite initiated into the blog-o-sphere just yet, but I'm getting there! 

Before sharing this week's nail-art Friday with you, I thought I'd try my hand at giving a little review of some recent polish purchases! You could say that these new purchases sort of  inspired the theme of this week's manicure, so it seems only right to shed some light on where I got my idea from! So, here's the story....

My sister Katie very kindly forwarded me an e-mail containing a 20% off coupon for NailsInc polishes. Despite frequently lusting after their gorgeous shades, they're just a tad too pricey for my liking! So, imagine my excitement when this wonderful discount coupon pinged into my inbox. One of the things I love about the brand is that not only do they sell very pretty polish colours (fun fact: the shades are all named after famous places in the boroughs of London) they also do special 'effects' polishes. Most recently, they've launched polishes with leather and denim effects, which make your fingertips look like, yep, you guessed it, leather and denim haha! I'm keen to try them one day, but wanted to use my discount on one of the other 'effects' I've been wanting to try for a while. So, readers, without further waffling, here is my review of....... 

  

Feather effects polishes!!

What do you think? Aren't they just the prettiest bottles you've ever seen??  I'm going to use these very sparingly so they can continue to look pretty for a long time! 

So anyway, these polishes are what my 20% discount was spent on, and I have to say, I loooooove 'em! They're perfect for spring/summer, and even though our summer will most likely be rainy and miserable (Sorry for the pessimism, but my low expectations will prevent disappointment), I can at least make my fingertips look like they're at a carnival in Rio!

I personally think they look better if you layer them on top of a colour which compliments the little feather strands. I've tried aqua and lemon polishes in the shots above, and blue-gray and lilac below...

Camera with flash

Flash again

Without flash

and again...

 Application is a little tricky as you get quite a lot of the strands in one coat. I also found that the polish clumps together easily and for me personally, this ruins the 'feather' look. I tried using one of my thinner nail-art brushes instead of the one in the polish lid, and I think this definitely helped to solve the problem and gave my nails a more feathery finish! I reckon it's a case of 'practice makes perfect' with this particular polish, and I'm sure they'll look better each time I have a go.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with these polishes. My one criticism would be that they feel rather scratchy when you run your finger across the nail. For example, if one were to backwards-slap someone when wearing them, I can imagine they would definitely feel it! However, being a pacifist who doesn't condone the use of violence (and not to mention the damage it would do to my maincures), it really isn't too much of an issue! Perhaps the scratchiness could be resolved by using a clear top-coat? Guess it's something for me to think about when I next use them...

So, I'll leave my little review at that! If any of you reading this have tried these polishes, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'm also highly recommending them if you're sitting on the fence (or perching on it- couldn't resist a little bird pun, sorry!)  about whether or not to purchase them. I'd say, go for it!

 Okay, review over. Seeming as feathers were featured on my left hand, I wanted to keep a level of consistency. on my right. So, to keep the bird theme running, I decided to do a manicure dedicated to my all-time favourite bird species.....

OWLS!!

I had an absol-hoot blast doing these (yep, another  bird pun...), hope you guys like them! 

I really don't know why I like owls so much but for one reason or another, I find them fascinating. Sadly, I've not been lucky enough to see one in the wild, but saw some up close when visiting a falconry centre with my dear friend Josie last year. I seriously was like a kid in Disneyland, rushing excitedly from one enclosure to the next and snapping away with a degree of such urgency that you'd have thought the owls were going to disappear right in front of me. They didn't, though, and I have a lovely photo album on my computer to preserve my magical owl experience- phew! 

Being a massive Harry Potter geek, of course had to include Hedwig in my manicure! I also decided to accessorise her (at least I think Hedwig's a girl owl in the books...) with a Gryffindor House scarf. As for my other owl choices, I took inspiration from my many owl-themed accessories I have at home, and also some owl graphics I found online. Here's a few photos of the process, and how I ended up with the finished article:

It was just another messy Friday night....

 I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, but there's always room for improvement- I am my own worst critic after all!

 That's it for this week, kids! Until we meet again...

Hannah x

....and she's back for round 2.

Hello! :D

 If this is your first visit, a big hearty welcome to my nail-art blog! If this is your second visit, thanks for returning and welcome back! Alternatively, you may have wound up on this page without meaning to, and I’m sorry this page you unwittingly stumbled across is not what you were expecting.  I can see why people may wind up here by accident, and I believe the explanation lies in my choice of blog domain. So, to any unintentional readers out there, let me give you my theory as to why you ended up here. May as well make your visit worthwhile, eh? You’re free to go about your business afterwards and never fall into the clutches of my blog again (unless bizarrely, you actually enjoyed it, which is fine by me too!)

You see, blog domains have to be individually unique, and I literally tried testing about 10 names prior to the one I ended up with. Turns out that 1) All of my other (equally uninventive) ideas were already taken, 2) a lot of other people called Hannah have nail art blogs, and  3) apparently us nail-blogging Hannah's are all on the same extremely creative  wavelength when it comes to thinking of a snappy blog domain.

Anywho, my personal blog, ‘thatgirllikesnails’ is a somewhat mediocre and obvious choice for a blog about nail art, but as mentioned above, my choices were limited.  Also, the inception of this blog happened very late at night, so I probably wasn’t at my creative peak. Excuses, excuses……

So! I believe the reason why you ended up here is this: You simply confused ‘thatgirllkesnails’ for thatgirllikesnails

Did I hit the nail on the head?? Are you, unintentional reader, a lover of snails??

 

If you were looking for a blog about snails, then I’m sorry to tell you (if it isn’t already blindingly obvious), that this, regrettably, isn’t one of them.  However. Fear not, snail lovers! All is not lost.  The internet is a big place, so don’t give up hope. Infact, because I'm such a giver, I will do you the kindness of helping you get to where you need to be. So, in the spirit of going that extra mile, I shall share with you this link to a really great snail blog I just found:

http://thesnog.blogspot.co.uk/

No really, you're welcome! Farewell, snail enthusiasts, and I wish you luck in your mollusk-related endeavors.

Moving on......

So, this past Thursday was national sibling day! I’m very lucky to get on with my siblings and actually like having them around. For those of you unfamiliar with the Brownlee kids’ arrangement, it goes like this. First, we have the triplets comprised of myself, Tom and Jess. Then, joining team Brownlee's roster is Katie, the wildcard thwarted into our family's life when we were almost 6. The best thing about having more girls in the house than boys? I get to raid their nail polish collections! Luckily, the Brownlee chicas are fully supportive of my hobby and don’t mind me borrowing them. Still, I definitely feel like I owe them, and I'm thinking they can have dibs on my organs or something. What’s a kidney between siblings, eh? 

My graduation photo with the Brownlee kids, July 2012

In other sibling-related news, this week has been pretty exciting for my sister Jess and I.  Our travel plans to the land of Oz (not the kind with the scary flying monkeys and optimistic singing midgets) were finalized! Our departure and return dates are locked down, flights are booked, and the official confirmation details of our trip itinerary are sitting comfortably in my e-mail inbox.

So, this travel update brings me onto the main event of the blog, and the whole reason why you came here in the first place! My nail art theme of the week is……  

                                                                  AUSTRALIA!!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!

Yes, we were geeks and bought a guidebook....Our bumbags/'fanny-packs' are also pending.

Ta-dah! If you're wondering what the design is made up of (though I'm hoping the shots are clear), here's the pinkie to thumb lowdown...

Aboriginal art
Koala
Kangaroo
Sea turtle
Australian flag

Hope you guys like it! Feel free to hit the comments section, it'll be nice to hear what you think :)

I'll admit that on the surface, doing this design a whole 4 months before we actually depart for Oz seems a tad premature. I do have my reasons, though! When I did the design on Friday, I wanted to celebrate the fact that our trip was officially a done deal by the lovely folks at Deva Travel this week. In addition, we have a 3 day stopover in Singapore before we touch down in 'roo-land, and I really can't see a manicure surviving two long haul flights, lugging around a massive suitcase and the general hoo-ha that comes with the traveling territory. So you see, my rationale behind my choice of nail art this week is rational!

Being my predictable, teetotal self, instead of reaching for a bottle of *insert alcoholic beverage here* to celebrate with, my first reaction was of course to reach for a bottle of polish! 17 bottles to be precise..... that's how many colours were used to create this weeks manicure! Behold....

The scene of the crime....

My desk post-nail art completion! My desk, to quote a famous MTV property show, is 'where the magic happens', and by magic, I of course mean nail art! As you can see, it gets pretty messy and intense (again, talking about nail art here, you cheeky scoundrels!) and I did debate whether or not  I should share this intimate photographic evidence with you. However, to borrow what some might view as a majorly under-used phrase by a certain coach on The Voice UK, I'm just being 'real' with you guys.Phew! I feel so much better for airing my dirty laundry.

So, it is with a clear conscience and clear desk (not a polish bottle in sight now!) that I feel ready to tell you a little bit about how this design came into being. Because I'm getting more confident in my nail-art abilities, I no longer shy away from using the proper tools for the job.I will also admit that I probably get too much of a rush from using my special brushes with teeny-tiny bristles. They're just so good! *doe-eyed look of adoration*.

Anyway, as always I started with a solid base colour to provide a backdrop for each individual nail design. I then put my brushes with teeny-tiny bristles through their paces to paint each design onto my nails. It's a long process, and waiting for each part of a design to dry before you can add in more detail can be pretty testing on my patience. I also can't really do anything to amuse myself during the drying stage for fear of smudging. If that happened, a rage of Incredible-Hulk sized proportions would ensue! So, multiply this process by five fingers, and you get the idea of how long each nail-art Friday takes!

A couple of extra tools were also used in the creation of this week's design. Sadly, even the teeniest of bristles don't work on the finer details! I used a trusty cocktail stick and a dotting tool (basically a plastic tube with a ball-bearing attached to the end) to create the aboriginal art on my pinkie, the facial details on the koala and pretty much the whole of the sea turtle.

So, I think that's pretty much all you need to know! Next week, I shall try to remember to do a sequence of photos so you can see how I end up with the finished article. You'll love it if you're a stickler for detail! :-P

Have a good week guys!

Hannah x


 

I'm New Here!

Welcome to my first EVER blog post! Are you glad to see me?? I hope so and I'm very happy to be here!

You may find yourself asking why this blog came into being, and I shall indulge your curiosities right now. If it's not clear from the very subtle title and blog header, it's a blog about...... *drum roll please.....* NAIL-ART!!  *pause for applause*

For those of you who know me, you'll have noticed that my latest hobby has been to paint random things on my fingernails. I thought it would be a phase and would tire of it quickly, especially given my super-human ability to get bored really easily and generally not see things through to their full conclusion. However, this is a very rare occasion where this didn't happen, and I have fallen for this activity hook, line and sinker. 

 If you've been following my nail-posts on Facebook, you‘ll know that ‘nail-art Friday’ has become a bit of a personal institution of mine! Why Fridays? Basically, I don’t have time to do anything too crazy on my nails during my working week, and truthfully, I’m too sleepy to motivate myself to do so. Alas! Nail art Friday was born!  It’s a nice little creative outlet to round of my 9-5 and kick-start the weekend!  What can I say?  Some people choose the pub on a Friday night. I choose polish! 

 Basically, the purpose of my blog is to go into a little bit more detail about how I created my chosen design of the week, and why I chose to do that design in general. If you've ever found yourself wondering 'How does she do it?' I hope to shed some light on this for you!

But first, prospective readers, before we set our blog engines to ‘go!’ I shall first park up, apply the handbrake and begin with this cautionary tale....

If we’re going to take this blog-trip together, you should know this. My nail designs definitely DO NOT reside comfortably inside the parameters of classiness and sophistication. Nor do they suggest I’m an early-twenty-something fresh out of education and have the world as my oyster. Indeed, any concepts generally associated with ‘being a grown-up’ (for the purposes of this blog anyway) are strictly off limits- they are my personal ‘Voldermorts’, if you will (hey, any excuse for a Harry Potter reference, right??)

So, being the big kid that I am, you can expect to see lots of ‘themed’ manis. We’re talking cartoon characters, very cute animals, food, books and anything which is generally considered a bit ‘kitsch’.

There. I said it. Feels good! *breathes sigh of relief*.  I’m sorry if you find this revelation disappointing. You know where the red cross in the corner of your internet browser is if you choose to abandon ship here. If not, I just told you. It’s in the corner….. *rolls eyes in exasperation*

However! If you decided to stay on this page and are still intrigued by my first humble blog post, a big thanks to you, and welcome aboard! I think we’re finally ready to check our blind spots, release the handbrake and tentatively proceed down the road of my blog. Buckle up, kids!

Seeming as you’ve made it this far, perhaps it’s time to get a little personal!  Here’s some stuff you might like to know. I guess this section is aimed at readers who don’t already know me! Sorry to any of my existing acquaintances who are reading this, nothing new or juicy here! 

Hannah facts:

• I’m a lefty (or ‘devil child’ - a label which my little sister has lovingly bestowed upon me, despite numerous protests….). Katie, if you’re reading this, for the last time....I am NOT the spawn of Satan!!)    
• I’m a triplet. The middle one if you want me to go into specifics… Do I suffer from middle child syndrome, you may ask? I guess technically I did until my little sister was born and threw the whole ‘middle child ‘thing off balance. She’s a blessing, though, I swear!! Not painting a very good picture of her, am I? :/
• Just call me shutter bug! I’m a little obsessive about taking photos of anything and everything whenever I go somewhere new. 
• Weird jewellery, like nail art is my other 'thing'.  I'm not talking about wearing severed Barbie heads around my neck or anything like that (believe me, these things DO exist....), but my taste in accessories is definitely on the quirky side! A string of pearls with a Jammy Dodger in the centre and a monkey with a xylophone for a body are just some of the weird and wonderful things you can find in my jewellery box. Also, expect to see some of it in the nail photos I will be posting. They make fun props!

But perhaps the biggest question of all, and the whole reason why this little blog came into being....

Why nail art?
 

Like many nail-artists out there, I adopted this super-fun past-time to stop me from biting my nails down to my knuckles. So far, it's worked! But....... breaking my habit has come at a price, and I confess ,dear readers, to this: I have become one of THOSE girls who exclaims "I broke a nail!!" (feelings of impending doom and all) when this unfortunate misadventure occurs. This tragedy is particularly chronic for us nail artists because we have to wait weeks for the fallen comrade to grow out again. Painting anything elaborate on a short nail is pretty much impossible, and is something I try my utmost hardest to prevent.

So, that's basically all you need to know for now! I may open up more if you stick with me for longer......don't want to reveal too much!

Despite being a blog about manicure-related musings, I  may occasionally throw a
spHannah in the works (see what I did there??) and talk about anything else that takes my fancy.  Can't risk this blog from becoming 'too vanilla' now, can I??  Don't get me wrong, vanilla is fine. Vanilla is good. It's just that sometimes you might find yourself craving some hot fudge sauce or sprinkles to adorn that ice cream cone or bowl (I'm a cone fan myself, just throwing that out there...). Even better is that AMAZING raspberry ripple sauce that is hard to come by unless you're lucky enough to have a Mr Whippy van permanently parked on your driveway. What I'm saying is that I may add some 'extra toppings' to my creamy blend of blog (that's the last ice-cream metaphor, I promise), so keep a weather eye out!

On that note, I think it's about time I brought blog-post numero uno to a close! So, how'd I do?? If you stuck it out till the end, then congrats and I admire your stamina! I also hope you'll stop by again!

Until next time, folks! 
Hannah x