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days (seriously, aren't we on Playstation number 46 or something now?!), and that the humble roll of a nice has largely been  replaced by the joystick or game controller.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