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