R&R Lacquers SMASH!

R&R Lacquers SMASH!

This was one of those polishes I knew I *had to have* the moment I saw it! I love the combination of just about any pink/red/purple with green. Yes, this polish does remind me of one of my favourite indies, HARE Asteroid Turf ...

... but the glitters are bigger, and darker, and matte (big bonus for me, I have an obsession with matte glitter!) and the base is much more complex, with shimmer, tiny gold-green flakies and small square lavender glitters. So I have another favourite indie now!

Here is Smash in the bottle:

Onto my nails, I used two coats of R&R Lacquers Smash over a single coat of Illasmasqua Smash (same name, same green! but probably unnecessary, as R&R Smash covers really well, much better than I was anticipating). I used a thickish coat of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite quick drying topcoat and the finish was glassy smooth. 

R&R Lacquers SMASH!

I think the jelliness of the base is just about perfect to give depth to the glitters in the first layer without obscuring them completely - the magenta glitter in the top coat are much brighter.

R&R Lacquers SMASH!

The accent nail is a reworked left over from my last mani (Barry M Lychee dots on Nails Inc St Martins Lane); I removed two dots using a cotton bud dipped in acetone to create the 'negative dots' - loving the texture of this and added a smaller green dot (Illamasqua Smash) to the remaining dots. All credit to Stef at Fairly Charming for this negative dot effect - I've been meaning to try this out since I saw her 'cheese mani'!

This next picture is in artificial light and although the green base is brighter than irl, the lighting shows up the glitters and flakies nicely...

R&R Lacquers SMASH! (artificial light)

And finally, here's a nail macro (natural light) to show the complexity of Smash:

R&R Lacquers SMASH!

I purchased R&R Lacquers Smash from R&R Lacquers Etsy shop. Everything else used in this post is from my collection and purchased by me. I just realised, all the colours in this mani are UK brands :)

An InLinkz Link-up

NOTD - Nails Inc St Martins Lane with Barry M Lychee Dots ...

Nails Inc St Martins Lane with Barry M Lychee Dots

If you only ever do nail art once - do some big dots with Barry M Lychee! This is becoming a nail art standby for me - so easy and I love the effect.

Nails Inc St Martins Lane with Barry M Lychee Dots

My base colour, Nails Inc St Martins Lane is a red-leaning magenta which is quite sheer and almost 'glows' in full sun. In the shade and in indoor lighting it looks quite a bit darker, but is still a beautiful and quite unusual shade. This is three coats.

Nails Inc St Martins Lane with Barry M Lychee Dots

Models Own Speckled Eggs - MAGPIE

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

Models Own Speckled Eggs are a set of pretty pastel cremes packed with black glitter in various sizes. Yes, they are very like the Illamasqua I'mPerfection speckled polishes which were a limited edition released at the beginning of last year - some of the colours are similar, some are different.... the biggest difference is the price! I only bought one of the Illa speckles but I will get around to doing a comparison sometime. For now though, here is what I think is probably my favourite Models Own Speckled Egg - Magpie. That might change as I try others, but for the moment I'm very taken by this shade. It's a gorgeous turquoise shade.

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

Application needs a bit of care, the formula is a bit thick and gloppy; I used three thin coats for this mani, with a layer of Seche Vite between the second and third coats and then another coat of SV at the end. The polish also seemed to be a bit on the slow side to dry, although to me this is pretty much irrelevant as I always use Seche Vite. I like the effect enough to completely  forgive the slightly tricky formula.

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

I purchased Models Own Magpie from my local Superdrug. Models Own polishes are £5, currently 3 for 2 - so working out at £3.33 these are a bargain compared to the £14.50 Illamasqua speckles (although most of the Illa ones are gone now anyway).

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

Finally, I added a matte topcoat for the last day I wore this mani - when matte this really does look like a birds egg!

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie (with matte topcoat)

Flash Nails Sticks and Stones over Barry M Rose Hip

Flash Nails Sticks and Stones over Barry M Rose Hip

I think Flash Nails is going to be a brand to watch over the next few months! This is Sticks and Stones, a glitter topper in a clear base with mixed shapes of matte black, white and various shades of pink. I'm a great fan of black and white glitter specifically, and matte glitters generally (I'm hardly ever attracted to the super-sparkly glitters these days), so this one is right up my street!

I ordered a couple of polishes from Nicola when she first opened up shop a few weeks ago (here's my post about the lovely Jagged) and she very kindly included a mini of Sticks and Stones as an extra!

Flash Nails Sticks and Stones over Barry M Rose Hip

My base for this mani is Barry M Gelly Polish in Rose Hip - one of the new pastel Spring Gelly shades. There have been a few reviews of this polish already; I like it, but like any very pale shade it needs a bit of care and patience with the application. I used three coats here, and topped with Seche Vite to even it out fully before I applied the glitter. I used just one coat of Sticks and Stones in this mani as I wanted to keep the glitter looking quite sparse - Sticks and Stones is very easy to apply, even from the mini bottle.

Flash Nails Sticks and Stones over Barry M Rose Hip

I purchased Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Rosehip at my local Tesco; Flash Nails Sticks and Stones was a sample sent along with a couple of polishes I purchased from the Flash Nails Etsy shop. I like the Flash Nails polishes so much I placed another order last night :)

EDIT
I added a stamped pattern to this mani today using American Apparel Hassid and MoYou Artist Collection plate 03.......

Jelly Sandwich with Quirk Peace Is Free

A sort of jelly sandwich today. The base is American Apparel Manilla, with a generous coat of Quirk Peace Is Free (lots of lovely glitters in this one). Then I decided I wanted to make the glitter a bit more 'matte' looking so I added a thin coat of Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in Polar Bare. Polar Bare is a sheer, jellyish white.

Polar Bare turned the mustardy yellow of Manilla into a more orange toned peach sort of a shade - not at all what I was expecting but I do like it! Finished with Seche Vite Quick Drying Topcoat.

I purchased Quirk Peace is Free from the Quirk website; the Sally Hansen and American Apparel polishes were a gift from a polish friend in the USA.

Mentality 12K Gold

Mentality 12K Gold

I like gold leaf nail art a lot, although I always use torn up bits of real gold leaf to get a more dramatic look (as in this mani here). I've been around for silver or white gold leaf for ages, so when I spotted Mentality's 12K Gold topcoat, which is white gold leaf,  I couldn't wait to try it. I've bought a few Mentality polishes recently (mattes and microglitters), and I've been really impressed with the colours and formula. And the price is also extremely reasonable!

Mentality 12K Gold

I used just one coat of Mentality 12K Gold over Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane for this mani. 12K Gold is incredibly easy to use, no need to fish around for the gold leaf in the bottle. One coat of Seche Vite to finish this off, and I had a subtle and elegant design that I've been wearing for the last four days. I think 12K Gold would look fab over a dark plum or navy base, or over a bright colour. I'll be sure to be trying other combinations soon!

Mentality 12K Gold

I purchased Mentality 12K Gold from Sally Magpies. Mentality have their own website and shop, it's just so much easier to buy from Sally in the UK!