Summer Favourites TAG!

This is something a little different to what I normally do, but I thought that I should mix my posts up a little bit and let you know what products I have been loving this summer. So this is my tag post on my favourite products I have been loving this summer, and hopefully you can all join in so we can share favourite products and new brands we have discovered!   

There are 2 sections of the tag  a questions section on all your favourite products from the summer and then a a section dedicated to blogs I have been loving over the summer, they are all really simple and just a fun way to share each others blogs and favourite products which I thought would be fun to end the summer with!

Okay so onto the first section which is 10 questions about some other products you have been loving this summer.

1) What has been your favourite glitter polish this summer?

By far my most worn glitter polish of the summer is Models Own Ibiza Mix polish which is part of the collaboration with HedKandi.  It is such a versatile glitter polish that you can put it over any colour and it looks amazing.  Not only that but it screams summer and every time I have worn it I have got so many compliments on the polish.  I have done a full post on it which you can see HERE if you want, and if not I used it in my last post which you can see HERE.

2) Have you preferred to wear brights or pastels on your nails this summer?

Personally I don't tend to wear many really bright polishes on my fingernails, which you can probably tell from my past posts.  There are a few which I consider bright but none of them are neon colours and for that reason I would have to say pastels.  I find them a lot easier to wear, and they are often more versatile to wear together or with any outfit.

3) Have you discovered a new brand of nail varnish this summer?

This summer I have discovered my love for Ciate polishes, which I discovered in about June when I got my Purple Sherbet polish in a Marie Claire Magazine.  I did a full review back when I first got it which you can see HERE if you want, and since then I have worn it throughout the whole summer.  I love Ciate polishes and I am so glad that I picked it up to try because I will definitely be purchasing some more polishes of theirs in the future.

4) What is your most disappointing product of the summer?

Most of my purchases have lived up to what I hoped they would be like, but when I tried some nail wraps back in July they personally did not live up to my expectations.  You can see my original post on them HERE but I think that I will try giving nail wraps another go because I loved the look of them, I just hated that they lasted barely any time for the amount of money that you have to pay out for them.

5) What has been you favourite blog post of yours this summer?

I have to say that my favourite blog post is actually a series of posts that I did in August as part of Makeup Savvy's 15 Day Nail Varnish challenge.  I only participated in a few days but I wish I had been able to have a go at every theme.  It was a great way to test myself coming up with a new design every day, but it was also a great way to get new inspiration from other blogs and discover new bloggers! It was such a good experience and I definitely want to try and challenge myself to do more of these in the future.

6) What's your best nail bargain of the summer?

Probably my Ciate polish in Purple Sherbet because I got it in Marie Claire which cost me about £3.50 and the nail polish would normally have been around the £9 mark, so that was a definite saving on one of my new favourite polishes.

7) Have you followed any new trends this summer?

I liked the use of an accent nail this summer because it allowed me to experiment with colours and use brighter polishes to add a pop of colour into an everyday nail design without it looking to over the top.

8) Have you tried any new colours this summer that you never thought that you would?

At the very beginning of the summer I picked up 2 Miss Sporty nail varnishes in a peachy orange colour and a canary yellow shade which I normally wouldn't have gone near.  Although I would love to say I have worn these loads, to be honest I haven't, but I love using these in nail designs with other summery colours such as in the design HERE but I haven't quite found the best ways to wear them on their own, maybe next year!

9) What has been your most worn combination of colours this summer?

This is an easy question for me to answer, I have switched between a lot of single colours so that all my nails are the same, but if I wanted to go for an alternating nail colour combination I would always go back to the same one.  Lilac and mint!  This has been by far my favourite combination to wear this summer, at the moment I am wearing the combination that I featured in my last post which you can see HERE if you wish.

10) Will any of your summer polishes be following you through to the autumn?

I tend to wear much more subtle colours in the autumn, mostly nude colours, or goldy coppery tones so I haven't worn too many of these in the summer.  One colour that I have worn in the summer is Lanesburgh Place by Nails Inc which is a golden colour which I will definitely be wearing a lot through the autumn.  I might wear some of my pastel shades but when the sun starts to disappear I find this hard to come up with a design with these colours that isn't too out of place in duller days, but maybe this can be my new challenge.

Now on for the final part of my Tag, this summer I have discovered lots of new blogs which I previously hadn't been following.  So for this next part of the Tag I want you too name 10 new blogs that you have discovered this summer and let us know briefly why you have loved their blog and want to share it  with us.  No matter how big or small these blogs may be, I think that it's a great new way to share links to other blogs that some other bloggers might not have seen.

I could literally write a huge list of all the new blogs I have found over the summer but here are just are few, that are in no particular order that I have been loving for the past few months.

1) Emma from Imagination in Colour

I love Emma's reviews of products and how she tries such a variety of products and reviews them all.  She also uses such an array of products that aren't too expensive so everyone can go out and try them, and they always look so amazing on her nails that she makes me want to go out and buy all the products!  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

2) Bazzia from Polish my mind

I absolutely love just how creative Bazzia is with all her designs, and all her posts always look flawless and make me very jealous that I am not that creative with my designs.  Also her reviews are also really lovely to the read and I just have really loved her blog over the past few months.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

3) Sharon from Behind Green Eyes

Her blogs are always really informative and I find that I always end up finding out something new by reading her posts! She also has some really creative and unusual designs that always make me want to try out after i've read her blog! If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

4) The Polishatorium

Her posts are always really clear and I find that her designs are also really clearly explained and make me think that I want to try them out!  She also reviews a variety of different polishes which is always interesting because you can always learn something new about a brand you had never heard of before. If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

5) Lacqueerisa

If only I could be as creative or so skilled at nail art as Lacqueerisa is, then I would be doing a lot more exciting nail designs!  I feel so inspired whenever I see a new design on her blog because she is so amazing at creating new ideas and designs.  I have tried a few in the past after seeing her blog and even if they don't turn out as well as hers I am always excited to have found a new technique to practice.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

6) Cuti - CLUE - les

I love all her posts because her nails always look amazing whatever colour or brand she uses!  I find her posts are always really interesting and she tells you exactly what you want to know about the polish, so you know whether it is something for you, and for me most of the time it means wanting to go out and buy the polish she has featured. If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

7) Lydia from Lydia's Nails

This blog is one of my most recent discoveries and it is one that I am very glad that I found.  She is relatively new to blogging but I love her designs and can tell that she will be hugely popular in the future!  I love all her designs, because they are something that I would have never have thought of doing which is always interesting to look at.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

8) Megan from Mega Nails

I adore the way that she manages to create amazing combinations of nail polishes as she layers different ones to create really unusual designs which always look amazing, and it makes me wonder how I can combine some different colours and polishes to create completely new looks which I hadn't thought of before! If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

9) Alexis from Glitter Tips

If you have ever thought that you have exhausted the designs for your nails, then you have not seen this blog!  It amazes me that she hasn't run out of totally unique ideas for her nails by this point.  Also every design is so gorgeous that I often wonder if there is a single design that she wouldn't be able to do! If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

10) Claire from Don't Eat Leather

Last but by no means least is this lovely blogger who has a lovely beauty and fashion blog with amazing ideas and trend setting designs that I love to look at for inspiration for some of my posts or if not just to look over her amazing designs and new products that she reviews.  If you don't already follow her then you can visit her blog HERE.

As I said at the beginning these are just a few of my favourite blogs of the summer that I have discovered, the list could honestly go on and on, but this post has been long enough any way so I thought 10 would be plenty so hopefully everyone can at least discover a new blog!

Thank you for reading through this mammoth long post (I do apologise) but hopefully you have found it interesting to see what polishes I have been loving this summer and also some new blogs which have been my summer reading.  I tag absolutely everyone who has read this post to do this tag on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section below because I would love to see your blog post on your summer favourites!

Thank you for sticking with me this summer as blogging has been a new thing for me but I am really enjoying it, and hopefully there will be many more seasonal favourite posts in the future!  Also to all my subscribers, thank you so much it means the world to me that you want to follow me!

Late Summer Sparkle

Today I am making the last of the sunny weather before it turns truly into autumn weather.  This is design I did quickly, and I think that it is a perfect combination that can be worn on these last days of sun before the grey clouds begin to roll in.  

This design is using colours that I have previously mentioned on this blog a few times, but I think they are so versatile and simple to bung on your nails and they still look really pretty and put together.  The purple and the green combination is girly and feminine whilst also not being a pale baby pink, which I prefer to wear.

I have used this combination a lot over the summer and loved the pastel shades of lilac and mint together.  The 2 colours I have used are Ciate Purple Sherbet which I have done a separate review on so if you want to find out more you can do see HERE, but if you were just wondering what the polish is like, it is a light lilac shade which is incredibly creamy, lasts a lifetime on your nails and is just generally a pleasure to apply.  

Unfortunately I got this product in a Marie Claire a few months ago so I am not sure if you can still buy it, but if you happen to see this then I would definitely recommend giving it a try as it is a new firm favourite of mine.  Also keep an eye out in Marie Claire as I recently picked up another Ciate polish that came with their magazine (review coming soon) so if you are interested in trying out a Ciate polish maybe check out Marie Claire incase they are giving away any in the near future!

For the minty green colour I have used Barry M's Mint Green which is number 304 and again a gorgeous shade which is a new firm spring/summer favourite of mine.  You can pick this up more easily in Boots, Superdrug or on the Barry M website for £2.99.  

I havent done a full review of this polish on here, but if you wanted me to do one then leave a comment below letting me know.  I can even do a comparison with another minty colour that I have used on HERE which is by NYC if you would be interested, but let me know.

This is a gorgeous colour and is a very wearable minty green colour, I say this because sometimes people ask how to wear minty colours and if they are hard to wear.  This is bright enough to be a pretty colour that is eye catching but not too over the top that you wouldn't feel comfortable wearing it!

I have added 2 coats of Models Own Ibiza Mix on top of these colours to give it a little bit of sparkle and this is perfect if you are heading to any late summer parties or even if there is a little bit of late summer sun, this polish can brighten up your day.  Again this is another favourite polishes that I have worn over the summer and I have done a review of this which if you want to know anything more about the colour and polish itself you can click HERE.  You can pick up Models Own from Boots and it retails for £5 but it is well worth the investment as the polish is gorgeous and you get so much for your money.

I hope you don't mind this summery post, I am well aware that it is the first day of September today but the late summer sun today has inspired me to go out wearing this combination.

Whats your favourite combination for this late summer sun?  Or what colour are you wearing this weekend?  Leave your answer in the comments below I would love to know.

Summer Blues...

At this time of the year I always find myself asking where has this summer gone?  With only a few days of August left before we enter into September and then into autumn and winter, I wonder why the summer has past so quickly this year, why I didn't have that many BBQs and dreading the thought of the cold, wet, darker days of the winter fast approaching.  Despite all these things autumn is actually my favourite time of the year, and I have lots of things I am looking forward to blog about, but I can't bear to part with the summer quite yet so I thought I would do a design for those of you that are hanging onto the last few days of summer.

Blue is one of my favourite colours, and in my opinion this time of year is the perfect time to wear it.  Transitioning through summer to autumn means you are likely to have a tan, well if not a tan slightly more colour than in the middle of December, and blue is a great way to make yourself look more tanned.  I have chosen 2 shade of blue for this design, a pastel blue and a sky blue, both lovely colours.

The darker of the 2 shades is this gorgeous sky blue colour that is not to vivid, or the dark but the perfect colour blue colour from Barry M called "Blueberry Ice Cream" number 306.  In my opinion the colour reminds me more of the colour of a blue smartie, so that will give you some indication of the true colour.  I have had this colour in my collection for ages now, and every time I wear it I wonder why I don't wear it more as I always get compliments on the colour.  You can pick this up quite cheaply from Superdrug in store/ Superdrug website, Boots in store/ Boots website or on the Barry M website.  I love Barry M as their nail paints come in such a range of colours, they apply beautifully and they are very cheap, £2.99 for 10ml.  It always amazes me how well this product applies, as it is q relatively thick consistency it means that it only needs 1 coat in my opinion, 2 if you are really concerned about the opacity.

For the other blue I have used Revlon's "Blue Lagoon" which is number 044, which I got last summer so although you can't get this in store you might be able to find it on the internet or on ebay somewhere.  I picked this colour up because of the light blue colour which I did not have in my collection.  What makes this unique is that it is a light blue colour with extremely finely milled glitter which doesn't even look like glitter but gives the colour a slight shiny appearance in the bottle.  This was very intriguing because I thought this would be a nice alternative to when I don't feel in the mood for a thick and chunky glitter polish.  But unfortunately the glitter is so finely milled that it is not really noticeable on the nails which is a shame but I still love the colour and it is a colour that comes out throughout spring and summer.  This polish requires a few more coats, I applied about 3 coats to create a more opaque colour.

The combination of the light blue and the sky blue I think are summery enough to last you through the last few full days of sunshine but also won't look out of place at the beginning of the autumnal season.

Let me know if you like to wear blue nails this time of year? Or what is your favourite colour to wear on your nails when the weather is becoming a bit more autumnal?

If you give this type of 2 toned blue nail design let me know, you can tweet me a picture me twitter name is @colourfulnails1, I would love to see you designs.

Versatile Blogger Award

This is another post similar to the previous one as I have been lucky enough to have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by the lovely Laqueerisa who has an amazing blog which if you haven't seen before you can check out HERE.  This is such an amazing achievement that I felt like I should do the questions, so sorry if you are were expecting a nail polish review or design, the next post will be nail related, promise.

I will quickly explain what all this is about if you have no idea what the Versatile Blogger Award is all about.  There are a few basic rules that come with the award which are:

1) Nominate 12 bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.

2) Let them know you have nominated them.

3) Share 7 random facts about yourself.

4) Thank the blogger who nominated you by linking there blog.

5) Add versatile blogger award to your post.

Okay so my 7 random facts are...
1) I am like a magpie (but for nail varnish) when I enter Superdrug or Boots I just head straight to the nail varnish section no matter what I have come in for.
2) I wish I had the guts to pull off more neon or bright coloured nail varnish as it always looks good on other people.
3) Whenever there is a 3 for 2 sale on any nail varnish, I go crazy and come out with way more nail varnish than anyone needs.
4) I am a sucker for nice packaging on a nail product, I am drawn to that product despite the brand or price.
5) I love it when magazines come with free nail varnishes because it means I can try out new brands I have either never heard of, or are sometimes more expensive than I would normally spend.
6) I love reading nail blogs!  Reviews, nail art or product reviews I'm a sucker for anything nail related!
7)
That was surprisingly harder than I though because I had to think of different facts to those in my Liebster Award post which if you haven't seen yet you can HERE.

Okay and now on for my nominees, this was a quite hard because I have recently just nominated 11 nail bloggers with under 200 subscribers (which you can see HERE if you haven't already) and so because I have already done this really recently I didn't want to repeat the same people again.  Here are a few of my other favourite recently new nail bloggers but I hope you don't mind if this isn't the grand total of 12 (although if you add the 11 from before and the 6 from now there are 17 bloggers that I have mentioned.)  Go and check them out as they are all amazing blogs and well worth the recognition.

Meganails

Polish my mind

Aztec Mess

Classic Style

Lydia's Nails

Beckawoo

Thank you again to Laqueerisa who nominated me for this award, it been overwhelming that I've only been blogging for just over 2 months and I have received 2 awards! Thank you also to my subscribers, it's so nice to know that people are reading what I'm writing and find my post interesting! Basically one big thank you to you all, it means the world to me that you stopped by to read this!

Liebster Blog Award

Today's post is slightly different to my typical nail related posts as I have been lucky enough to have been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Megan from Meganails who has a lovely blog about all things to do with nails so if you haven't already you should definitely check out her blog HERE if you love everything to do with nails then you will definitely love her blog...I know I do!

If you are wondering what the Liebster Award is I will try and give a bit of a summary and the rules which might make it a bit clearer if you are unsure.  The Liebster Award is an award that can be given to a blogger who has under 200 subscribers, if nominated by another blogger.  There are also a few basic rules of this award:

1) Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.

2) They must also answer the 11 questions that the "tagger" has set them.

3) They must then choose 11 blogger to give the award to.

4) Then you must make up 11 new questions to ask your nominated bloggers.

5) Then you must let the bloggers nominated know on their blog.

(There are no tag backs)

Hopefully that is all a bit clearer now and we can get onto the rest of the tag.

1) I love nail varnish (which should come as no surprise) and like figuring out new designs and colour combinations when ever I can.
2) I don't see why people feel the need to bite their nails (never have, never will).
3) When my nail varnish begins to chip, I can only let it to a certain extent, there is always a point where I have to remove it before it becomes to bad.
4) I prefer to use nail varnish removing liquid when taking off my nail varnish.
5) Whenever I use red nail varnish I tend to go outside the edge of my nail, more than any other colour nail varnish.
6) I go through nail varnish phases where I will love a certain colour and wear it non stop until I find one to replace it.
7) I have those polishes that you have no idea why you brought them, never use them, that just sit at the back of my cupboard, but I can't bear to throw away, because one day I might use it.
8) I can paint my nails easily but find it quite tricky to paint other peoples.
9) I have certain nail varnishes which I find hard to wear on my finger nails but love to wear on my toes.
10) If one of my nails break, I try to make the rest of my nails a similar shape to try and hide the fact that one of them has broken.
11) I am quite impatient when waiting for my nails to try and always end up ruining at least one nail by smudging it before its dry.

And now for the questions that Meganails set as part of the tag...

Why did you start blogging?
I came across blogs by accident and loved reading reviews and tips from beauty bloggers.  I started reading fashion and beauty ones and then fell into the world of nail varnish blogging.  I loved that other people liked nail varnish as much as I did, so I felt that I would give it a go, nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say.

What is your goal in blogging?
To tell anyone that is as interested in nail varnish and nail products as I am, about products and designs that I have been trying out recently.

Long or short nails?
Not too long and not too short somewhere in between.

What is your favourite brand of nail varnish?
This is a tricky one...I don't think I could actually choose because I like trying out a lot of products from lots of brands so its hard to decide (I'm just like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to nail varnish...there are just too many to choose one).

If you could only wear one polish for the whole year, what would it be?
Another tricky question! I change my favourite polishes so often, especially depending on the season so I guess it would have to be one that can be worn for every occasion (a lime green might look perfect in summer but in the middle of december may not be the most fitting) so I guess I would have to go for Lanesbough Place because it is a fairly neutral gold colour that could be dressed up or down depending on the season or event.

What basecoat and top coat do you use?
Again this varies a lot because when I finish one I tend to try a new product until I think I have found the prefect one.

What is the maximum amount you would spend on one polish?
In my opinion this would depend on the colour of the polish because if it was a one of a kind product that was totally unique then I would be prepared to pay more than if it was a polish that I would only where once in a blue moon and just sit at the back of my cupboard.  I have spent £15 in the past so I guess up to that amount, probably not much more, and as I said it would definitely depend on the product itself.

What was your best polish bargain?
My Sally Hansen polish in "Orange you Cute" which I picked up from Poundland.

What is your most expensive nail polish in your collection?
I think it was the Crown Court Limited Edition Nails Inc Polish with the jewelled cap which I got about 2 years ago which I think cost around £15.

What is your biggest Lemming?
I'm not sure on this one either...these questions are so tricky!


When did you get into nail polish?
I guess when I was younger I was never really into makeup as much as some of my friends and so I found nail varnish and whilst they would change their makeup look for their outfit I would change my nail varnish.  Over time I enjoyed experimenting with nail varnish and look where I have ended up...with a blog all about nails!

Okay so now onto the lovely ladies that I would love to nominate for the Leibster Award.  It was really hard to choose but I love all these blogs so please go and check them out if you don't already follow them...

Imagination in Colour

Glitter Tips

Behind Green Eyes

Lacqueerisa

Nailed Daily

One Nail To Rule Them All

The Polishatorium

Try My Hand

Don't Eat Leather

Cuti-CLUE-les

Java Beauty Connoisseur

And my questions to you are..
1) What nail polish are you wear at the moment?
2) If you could only wear one colour nail varnish for the rest of your life what would it be?
3) What colour do you have most of in your collection?
4) As Autumn is fast approaching, what is your favourite nail colour for autumn?
5) Why did you decide to start blogging?
6) If you could only use one brand of nail products for the rest of your life, what brand would you pick?
7) Would you rather leave the house with messy hair or messy nails?
8) What is your go to favourite colour for everyday?
9) What is your most special polish and why?
10) What is the one polish in your collection that you hardly ever wear, but could never throw away?
11) What nail varnishes are currently top of your wish list?

I can't tag everyone but if you would like to have a go at these questions feel free to answer them on your blog and leave the link in the comments below.  I would love to know your answer to my questions.

Thank you again to Megan for nominating me, its an honour to be nominated and thank you to all of you for subscribing, it means the world to me!

Summer Nail Challenge - Day 10

I'm back after a few technical glitches and today is Day 10 of Makeup Savvy's Nail Challenge and todays theme is gradient nails, if you don't know what I am talking about then you can see more info on, or if you want to get involved yourself you can find all the information HERE.  I also did the challenge on day 6 and 7 so if you want to see my glitter nail post then you can HERE or if you want to see my neon nails you can HERE.

This was quite a tricky theme for me because I did not want to do a design using glitter because I recently did a summery glitter design, and I am not to good with the gradual change of colour from dark to light on a single nail.  But at the same time I wanted to challenge myself and not just stick to a plain colour on a nail.  So whilst reading through some blogs last night I found this gorgeous design that Lacqueerisa created, it added some texture to her nails and the design was very eye catching, so I decided that I would have a go myself but using a light colour underneath a brighter shade, and when the design was completed I hoped it would give a different sort of gradient of colour.

10 nail polishes later this is the design I created and whilst it did not go quite to plan I think that it is a different technique that after a few goes will probably be a lot better, but in the mean time this has challenged me to try a new design I probably otherwise wouldn't have done, so its a learning curve.  If you want to see what inspired me to do this design, and how the design should look then you can see the lovely Lacqueerisa's design HERE.



So instead of giving you little reviews of the colours I have used for each nail I'm just going to explain how I did this design, as otherwise this would be a very long post.  Although, I have already done reviews for some of the polishes which I will link, but if you want to know anything about the colours I used then leave a comment below and I can always do some reviews if requested.

Okay so here we go... First of all I chose the base colours for my design which I wanted to be slightly lighter shades so that I could create the gradient effect that todays theme required.  I also tried to do a a gradient effect going along the nails starting with yellow and white right down to blues on my little finger.  To start with I painted my thumb a white colour to then be topped with yellow as I didn't have 2 shades of yellow, but actually in the end I quite liked the colour difference between the yellow and white.  This white was a basic white colour that I got in a Primark manicure set a couple of years ago.  



On my index finger I then used in colour 452 which is a peachy orange colour by Miss Sporty which is very pretty and summery colour that I have been wearing a lot this summer.  On my middle finger I have used this baby pink colour by 17 which is called Cupcake which I think is the perfect name for this extremely girly colour.  On my ring finger I have used this gorgeous light purple colour called Purple Sherbet from Ciaté which I have done a full review on which you can see HERE if you wish.  Finally on my little finger I have used this light blue colour from Barry M called Blueberry Ice Cream number 306.

After letting these colours dry I then chose colours that were similar but a shade or two darker so this would create the gradient effect that was required for todays theme.  For my thumb I chose this bright yellow colour by Miss Sporty number 453 which I also used in my neon nail challenge on day 6 and a few other reviews and designs.  On my index finger I used this bright neon orange from Miss Sporty number 303 which I also used on my neon themed nails on day 6.  On my middle finger I used this bright pink colour from 17 which again I used in my neon nails so if you want to know anything else about these 3 polishes you can see more on my Neon Nails post HERE.  




On my ring finger I used this bright purple colour from Barry M, suitably called Bright Purple number 303.  And finally on my little finger I have used another Miss Sporty polish in the colour 060 which is such a beautiful colour and has been a firm favourite of mine both last year and this year for summer, so I may be doing a review of this soon, so keep your eyes peeled.




Once I had painted my nails I waited for a few seconds so the polish begun to set on my nails before using a cocktail stick to create the textured pattern on the nails.  I ran the cocktail stick across my nails scratching some of the product away revealing the colour underneath.  This may have not worked perfectly on all the nails but I think that you can see some of the lighter colours coming through from underneath and so I think it does qualify as gradient I just wish it had worked as well as I thought it would.

Overall I am pleased that I have tried this design out and it is something that after a bit of practice will be something to do, that will be extremely eye catching and that people will ask how you have created the design so look out for some more designs from me using this technique as I love it!

If you have entered todays challenge feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments section below, or feel free to email or tweet your photos to me, all information on how to contact me can be found on the right side of my blog.  If you haven't entered today feel free to head on over to Makeup Savvy's page to see tomorrows category HERE and see if you are up for the challenge on Day 11.

Summer Nail Challenge - Day 7

Today is Day 7 of Makeup Savvy's Nail Challenge and todays theme is neon nails, if you don't know what I am talking about then you can see more info on, or if you want to get involved yourself you can find all the information HERE.  I also did the challenge yesterday so if you want to see my glitter nail post then you can HERE.

Today's theme is Neon which I think is a perfect theme for the summery months because I always think that those girls who can rock a neon nail look on holiday or just during the summer months in general, always looks amazing.  But I have been a little resistant to try this out because I am always afraid of them looking to over the top, but I have tried this design as a way to try and break myself into the bright coloured nail trend for this summer and future summers to come.

I tried to stay away from the typical highlighter shades of orange, yellow, pink and green as I wanted to try out some other colours and show that neon nails can be worn, even if you are slightly afraid of the fluorescent colours that are traditional worn as neon.  Instead of using one neon shade I have opted for a few different colours and shades because I think this adds an extra bit of interest to the nails.  Also the design sort of combats the bright colour (well in my mind anyway) because the pattern is a bit more eye-catching than the bright colours themselves, if you see where I'm coming from, as you notice the pattern and multiple colours rather than simply being overwhelmed by one neon colour.

On my thumb I have used this bright pink shade from the 17 vintage collection which I got ages ago, but I love this colour because it is such an unusual shade of pink.  Not the traditional neon or bubblegum pink put a softer bright pink which I haven't found anywhere else.  This is a very girly colour but I think it is also a very good alternative if you are not into the pastel pinks that are in at the moment because it is a nice compromise between a pastel and a neon.  This applied very well and within 2 coats was completely opaque, so that is a definite bonus in my books.

On my index finger I have used this bright orange colour, which is probably the brightest colour that is in this design, and in my collection.  It is from the Miss Sporty Clubbing Colours range number 303 which can be found in Boots and Superdrug.  I Miss Sporty polishes because they have such good pigmentation and last a really long time on the nails, and the best part, they are extremely affordable as they are only £1.99 and for that price you get 7ml of product.  This also applied amazingly as it dries really quickly and only required 2 coats, after being nearly opaque enough to leave it after 1 coat!

My middle finger is a bright corally pinky orange colour, which I don't think is being show up true to colour in the photo as it is even brighter in real life.  This is colour is by Nails Inc and is called Copacabana, but unfortunately I don't think this is still available to buy because it was part of a deal in Boots last summer where you brought 2 products and got this free.  In my opinion it is the perfect summer shade, being a bright coral I would have thought this would only look nice on tanned skin, but in fact it looks gorgeous on any skin tone and I think this is something really nice about this product.  This required 2-3 coats as it is a slightly thinner product, but again it dried relatively quickly meaning it was not too much of a problem.

My ring finger is in this bright canary yellow colour, which is another Miss Sporty Clubbing Colours Nail varnish number 453.  This is a bright yellow, but not the kind of highlighter neon yellow which I like because it is much more wearable than that fluorescent yellow colour.  When I first bought this I was worried about when and wear I would be able to wear this but actually I was pleasantly surprised when I wore this a couple of weeks ago and got lot of complements about the shade of yellow and how unusual it was, so maybe check this out if you are interested in a new yellow nail varnish.  Again the application on this was really quick and easy and only required 2 coats at the max as this product is very opaque.  But I would warn you that it applies a slightly stronger colour than in the bottle so not be afraid if this happens when you first apply the product.

Finally on my little finger I have used the Sally Hansen nail varnish in colour Orange you Cute number 450 which is a bright pink, but this is a slightly red pink so it is not your typical pink colour.  This means it is slightly brighter than your average pink but not too over the top, instead it is just a really nice colour that is the perfect summer shade.  I have to admit that when I bought this Sally Hansen was not really readily available where I live, but I now know that they have started to stock this in Superdrug when I last went in.  But this nail varnish was actually brought in Poundland, for £1! It is such an unusual colour and an absolute bargain, so when you are next in your nearest pound land keep your eyes open for any nail varnish.  This applied well too and only required 2 coats to get this opacity.

Today's challenge has been a bit more of a challenge for me than maybe a few others as I don't often wear these kind of neon colours but this combination has really inspired me to wear more bright colours this summer without feeling worried of looking over the top.

If you have entered todays challenge feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments section below, or feel free to email or tweet your photos to me, all information on how to contact me can be found on the right side of my blog.  If you haven't entered today feel free to head on over to Makeup Savvy's page to see tomorrows category HERE and see if you are up for the challenge on Day 8.