Try all the nails!

As I mentioned in my update earlier today, while I've been absent from this blog I've still been playing around with my nails quite a lot (especially when exam revision was getting too much...). Unfortunately I didn't get around to taking high quality photos of them, however as I'm a bit of an instagram addict I have plenty of photos on my phone of which to show you! So here's a little run down of what I've been up to :)

1. Pastel Gradient

 Featured: Limecrime 'Parfait Day', Rimmel Lycra Pro 

'Peppermint', and Models Own 'Mermaid Tears'

Unofficial Studio Ghibli Day... Totoro Nail Art Tutorial!

Guess who's back... 

Back again...

CharBop's back...

Tell a friend...

After some HELLISH exams I am back with a vengeance for a summer of nails, beauty reviews, and general musings! I'm going to start of this new spate of posts with something I'm loving at the moment - nail art. And this time, its a tutorial!

My best friends and I spent yesterday having a girly day of Studio Ghibli movies, nail art, facials, and oriental food. Inspired by this I decided to do nail art based on Studio Ghibli's signature movie - My Neighbour Totoro. (If you haven't heard of or seen it I suggest you google it ASAP.)

 

Charbop signing off... but one request before I go!

Hey guys!

As you may have gathered from recent blog posts, I begin my 4th year exams in less than a week and as such I'm going to have to go on blog hiatus until after they finish on June 13th :( Hopefully I've left you plenty to check out so have a look at some of my nail art tips, beauty reviews, and other general musings while I'm gone! 

In the meantime I need your help...

It's so hot I'm melting! Dripping nail art...

Inspired by the sweltering recent (and probably brief) appearance of British summer, the end of my hospital placements for the year, and the arrival of my new dotting tools, I decided to make my last nail art (and thus my last blog post) before exams melt before your very eyes!

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

To Boldly Go.... Galaxy Nail Art Part 2

So yesterday I decided to try out galaxy inspired nail art and gave you guys some tips on how to create the look as best you can...

As the day went on and the sunlight began to fade I noticed the shading becoming less and less noticeable, and by the end of the day when I was just in artificial light you couldn't even see the detail any more :(

I thought I could just deal with it but when I woke up this morning I just wasn't happy with the results and decided to follow my own advice from yesterday to redo my nails properly! Quite aptly watching Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country, I went ahead and did my nails again, this time using lighter and more shimmer shades, as well as adding large glitter "stars".

Here are the results...

To infinity and beyond! Galaxy nail art...

Yeah so I said I wasn't going to be doing any more nail art until after my exams... but it's just too tempting! It's Spring Bank holiday so I have until Thursday before I'm on a hospital ward again, and I thought what better way to spend a revision break than painting my nails? Et voila - galaxy nails!

Now with added sparkle...

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

Ombre nails... another success!

It's been almost 2 weeks since my first success with water marbling and it lasted beautifully for a full week without chipping! Unfortunately I was back on the wards for placement on Tuesday so I had to reluctantly remove it. However, I have until Tuesday to enjoy my nails again so last night I thought, riding on the success of my last nail art adventure, that I'd give ombre nails a go!

I've tried ombre nails before with zero success. This attempt was tricky but once I got the hang of it I managed to make it work! Like last time I want to give you some tips based on what I learnt from my experiences, so you can get it right first time without the hassle!

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

Lippy Review - Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in 'Crush'

Welcome to number 2 of my series on purple shades! I was going to to MAC's 'Hang Up' as promised in my review of Limecrime's 'Poisonberry' but I got a bit too excited about today's product.... so here it is! Its quite a mouthful but today I will be reviewing...

Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in 'Crush'

Water marbling... My first triumph!

I AM CHARBOP, MASTER OF NAILS, CONQUEROR OF WATER MARBLING!

Ahem... But seriously after numerous failed (and very messy) attempts, when I finally got it right I felt like master of the universe! 

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who's looked at all the beautifully crafted marble-art nails on Blogger and Youtube and thought "that doesn't look so hard", only to be horribly surprised by how badly it can go wrong. I'm sure I'm also not the only one who has been massively disheartened when it  did go wrong and written water marbling off as one of those things only doable by artistic gods.

However...

With a little bit of patience and a few tips I picked up along the way I finally cracked it! Now there's already a load of tutorials out there so I'm not going to add to them, but what I will do is show you the results of my attempt followed by the tips that helped me succeed :)

I Spy... Pastel!

Sorry this is so late! Been insanely busy.

I've never been the girliest of girls but there's one thing I'm without question incredibly girly about and that is style! 

I don't believe in following trends because not all trends work on everyone and frankly why should we have to waste that much money every season just because some fashion haus somewhere tells us we have to change? BUT that doesn't mean I can't enjoy what wanders down the catwalk and into the highstreet. I believe that the most important way to approach fashion is to enjoy what you love and what works for you. And on that note I'm going to tell you about one of my favourite looks of the moment - pastel!

My bank account is weeping...

Student loans are here again and any student reading this knows what that means... SHOPPING TRIP!!!!

And of course what better way to burn a hole in your pocket than being exploited by the high-street who know full well your bank account has just been replenished!

Intrigued? Find out more... :)

Nail Polish Review - Models Own 'Grape Juice'

I realise it's not been very long since I last reviewed a nail polish, but as I'm back in clinical practice from Tuesday I won't be able to wear nail polish except on weekends, also I'm going out tomorrow evening, so I'm making the most of it while I can!

I present to you...

Models Own - 'Grape Juice'

Lippy Review - Lip Smacker 'Disney Princess Collection'

Well I found these in Claire's yesterday and, well, before I knew I was typing in my pin number.... seriously it's like I was in a trance O_o

But anyway whilst I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with 8 lip balms at least it gives me something to show you guys! So behold... here's my review of Lip Smacker's 'Disney Princess' collection!

Nail Polish Review - Essie 'Muchi Muchi'

Today I'm going to be looking at...

'Muchi Muchi' by Essie

Essie have been going since 1981 and have established a solid reputation for quality - being favoured by Queen Elizabeth herself! Their maHOOsive range of colours just can't be found anywhere else and that alone is enough to make me drool over their shelves...

Last week I lost my Essie virginity after making the most of Boots' current 3 for 2 make-up offer. I've been looking for the perfect pastel pink for ages and after trying shades from Topshop, Limecrime, and Model's Own that just did not compliment my skin tone I finally found a friend in 'Muchi Muchi'!

Lippy review - 'Poisonberry' by Limecrime

So I'm going to start my lipstick reviews with my favourite colour - purple!! I've always loved purple everything but purple lipstick is something I've only dared to try in the last year... and I haven't done it by halves. In 12 months I've gone from owning a grand total of zero purple shades to owning at least 5 (seriously they're all over the place I've lost track lol)! As a very fair-skinned girl I've always been a bit hesitant with dark colours but when I finally found my perfect red shade a few years ago (which I will be reviewing at a later date) I realised it didn't hurt to try and was inspired to be a bit more daring with my shades. Now I have LOADS of deep shades which I absolutely adore and have had numerous compliments on.

With a grunge and goth inspired fashion scene it's currently really easy to find a wide range of deep and sexy lipstick shades with reds, purples, and browns the top choice for the trend. I challenge you lovely ladies out there (and gents if you so wish ^_^) to challenge youself to try something new you wouldn't usually go for. You never know you may be as surprised as I was!

Anyway enough chat, onto the review!

Today I'll be reviewing 'Poisonberry' from Limecrime's Alchemy collection.