Jubilee Nails

For an easy way to navigate around my blog I have create a compilation of all the photos of Jubilee designs that I created so that if you like the design you can click on the matching number to the design that you like and you will be taken to that design...now thats what I call magic!

1. Simple Red, White and Blue

2. A Glittery Twist

3. Union Jack accent nail

4. Union Jack Nails

5. Diamond Crackle

6. A British Manicure

7. Patriotic Spots

8. A Spot of Jubilee Colour

9. A Spot of Jubilee Colour

Have a wonderful Jubilee bank holiday and let me know if you try out any of my designs!

Jubilee Nails - A spot of colour

For my final post of the Jubilee bank holiday I have decided to go for something that isn't the traditional designs that I have mostly shown before, instead this is something a little different but still with the red, white and blue theme.


For this I used the same colours as I used in the first design which can be found HERE but you can use whichever colours you already have or that take your fancy.  I simply painted my nails a white colour all over, before adding the colour detailing on top.


You can obviously use more technical tools such as dotters along with many others but what I used, which is just as good and much much cheaper...a hair grip, curvy grip or bobby pin whatever you want to call it.  I got a pack of 50 for £1 at Poundland and they are in my eyes just as effective.  Just dip the curvy grip into the nail polish, and the more you use the bigger the dots that you create, simple.


For the first part of this design I chose to use alternating colours of blue and red dots on the design, which you can leave as a final design, but I then decided to add to this design by also using the opposite colour to the one that I had already applied to the nails to create more of a busy design what incorporated red, white and blue into all nails.

I think that these nails are very easy to complete and are something that you could even wear after the Jubilee celebrations because they aren't as obviously Jubilee related, unlike some of the designs that have Union Jacks on.

Jubilee Nails - Patriotic spots

When I created my previous design, a twist on the traditional French manicure which you can find HERE, I decided that I actually wanted to develop this idea to make it more unusual than the first design.  So after creating the design which you can see from the previous post I had a white tip design, which I then decided to decorate into another design.  I wanted to keep the design of red, white and blue for the obvious patriotic theme that I have tried to show in all of my designs.  I wanted to create an interesting design in the small space that I had left on the tips of my fingers and so I decided to create a dot pattern.

These patterns can often be over thought and seen as too difficult to even attempt but I think this is actually much easier than people expect, so you can make people think you have amazing skill, when in reality it doesn't take much.  


You can obviously use more technical tools such as dotters along with many others but what I used, which is just as good and much much cheaper...a hair grip, curvy grip or bobby pin whatever you want to call it.  I got a pack of 50 for £1 at Poundland and they are in my eyes just as effective.  Just dip the curvy grip into the nail polish, and the more you use the bigger the dots that you create, simple.  


I personally chose to use contrasting colours to the base of nail colour, but you could also use 2  or more colours on the nail tip for different designs and ideas.  Overall I think that these nails are very interesting designs that incorporate very simple and quick techniques to make a nail design that looks like it takes a lot more time and effort.

Jubilee Nails - British Manicure

For this design I created a unique take on a French Manicure design, which looks a lot harder to achieve than it actually is.  To see what colours I used as part of the design click HERE to see the original post I did about Jubilee colours.


For this I simply painted my nails alternating blue and red colours, I deliberately left out the white nail because I wanted to use the white for the tip of the nail, but you could easily have a white nail and use alternating red, white and blue tips for another design idea.

After painting my nails a block colour I then used a white colour to create a French tip, however recreating the perfect French tip can be a tricky manoeuvre especially to get 10 nails looking vaguely similar.  So I changed the design slightly and made the white tip slightly diagonal as to create an interest to the nail as well as making it easier for myself as they could be slightly different and also allowed for error!


I think that these nails are very simple but overall look pretty and are a nice alternative to French manicure or a block nail colour of red, white and blue.  Of course if you have a steady hand or have a tip for getting the perfect French tip then you can also use this for the nails instead of the diagonal design.  Also this diagonal tip can also be transferred into any other design throughout the year, as well as adding this to a nail that has begun to chip and wear throughout the days as a quick touch up tip.

Jubilee Nails - Union Jack accent nail

If you do not feel brave enough to for the full Union Jack nails then here is a less bold alternative.  If you haven't seen the previous design using these nails you can see it HERE.

I used the same nails so if you want to find out about where I got these from then you can look at the previous post HERE.  I have also used the same base blue and red colours that I used in my basic jubilee nails post which you can also see HERE and for the low down on the glitter polishes that I used then feast your eyes on this post HERE.

Okay so now we are all down with those things, here is my other alternative nail design that I have created using a Union Jack nail design as an accent nail.  As I am sure you know, accent nails are currently very popular whether it is just another colour to the rest of your nails or a totally different design as I have used they are a great way to add a pop of extra detail or colour to your nails.  I have used a false nail but you can easily use a nail transfer, wrap or if your'e feeling particularly skilful you could always paint your own Union Jack design.


I think that this is a nice design that can worn by most people to add a little more interest to the nails instead of simply having plain red, white and blue, but by including a flag.  Also you only have to use 2 of the nails in that case and you still have lots left to reuse and maybe pack in a bag in case some come a little loose.  Also if you have decided to paint your own Union Jack design you only have to paint 2 flags instead of 10 which will be a lot less time consuming and less pressure to get them all the same!

Jubilee Nails - Union Jacks

Quite a while ago I saw these Union Jack nails  in Savers for about 60-70p and thought that I just had to pick them up, as they were an offer just too good to pass by.  I'm not sure if you can still pick these up anywhere else but I know that there are probably a few nail wraps or stickers or something that will give the same impression.  Also if you were feeling really creative and you have a steady hand, you could also paint a Union Jack design onto your nails.
Unlike most false nails or stick on nails that require glue to apply them, these were really simple to use.  They came with sticky adhesive patches that you simply stick onto your nails and then press the nail design on top to secure.  The patches were also really easy to adjust to the size of your nail by simply using scissors to cut off any excess from the surrounding nail.  These nails came with a squared off nails design which can be seen in the photo, but the pack also comes with a small nail file so you could always file these to the desired shape and size.


These were surprisingly simple to apply and there was non of the mess or sticky patches left that you normally get from the nail glue which makes them easy to apply in a rush.  You can also easily peel the nail off the adhesive patch after you have finished and keep them at the back of your cupboard for another time where you are feeling a bit patriotic or there is another royal celebration.


I think that for the price these nails are really good, and extremely relevant if you want to get into the patriotic mood this weekend.  They aren't necessarily something that I would wear everyday but for a special occasion, like this bank holiday, I think that you can go full out on the design for a very eye catching design that will get peoples heads turning.

Jubilee Nails - Diamond Crackle

To celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee here is another nail idea that you can try out over this bank holiday weekend.  I started with the same base colours as I did in the first nail design, so if you haven't seen that post yet you can look at it by clicking HERE.


After creating the base for my design using an alternating red and blue design I decided that I wanted to create a different design on the nails to the other designs where I did full block nail colours.  You can use any crackle polish for this design and nearly every brand of nail varnish has their own version with a variety of colours, as well as matt and glitter ones.


I have chosen to use MUA's Nail Quake in a grey/silver colour called "Shattered Ice" which I think is a very interesting combination.  I chose this silver tone to link back to the Diamond Jubilee, but you could also use a white crackle so that your nails have the red, white and blue theme of the union jack.  


I applied this polish relatively thickly to create an overall silver appearance so that the blue and red only peek through the gaps in the polish, so this idea might be better for you if you wanted a more subtle nail design rather than the brighter blue and red designs that you can see HERE and HERE.


The application of the polish was very easy and creates a very unusual effect that no matter how many times you use this polish you can never not be amazed by this type of nail varnish as it magically disappears from your nails.  If you haven't tried this kind of crackling polish then you can pick this MUA one up at superdrug, on the superdrug website or on the MUA website for £2.99.

Jubilee Nails - A glittery twist

For this next design I have simply developed the first of my Jubilee designs so if you haven't seen that post yet then you can click HERE.  I have used the same base colours as previously but this time I have added a slight glittery touch to the nails to make design slightly different and a bit more fun than a simple red, white and blue pattern.




                                     On top of my Rimmel "Rapid Ruby" base I have added a coat of Barry M's polish number 150 which doesn't have a name but I would call it ruby slipper or something along those lines as the bottle is purely red glitter and reminds me of Dorothy's shoes.  This polish is amazing and unlike many glitter polishes that normally tend to have hardly any polish and you have to do about a million coats to get a vaguely opaque colour, this probably could have been done with a couple of coats.  I only used 1 coat though as I already had the red base underneath.  This adds a subtle touch of glitter and sparkle to your Jubilee design and is perfect if you are going to be going to any parties or even if you are just sitting in the garden having a BBQ with family and friends as the glitter will catch the light.


On top of the white polish I decided to use a clear polish with finely milled multi-coloured glitter, but from far away this looks relatively silver and just gives a sparkly touch to your nails and for this I used MaxFactors "Sheer Glitter" polish number 866.  I have to admit that I have had this polish for years and you can probably tell from the old bottle shape, but it is such a gorgeous polish that I still have it and still love to use it.  Although I doubt you can still get this exact shade there are bound to be many other glittery polishes out there so you can take your pick on the exact shade for your Jubilee nail designs.

Over the blue polish I chose to use NYC's polish "Lights, camera, glitter" number 105 which is a glittery polish that has finely milled silver glitter throughout with larger glitter pieces of blue.  This polish is amazing and so amazing, especially over a darker blue, or any other dark polish, because you can see how much silver glitter there is as well as the larger, more obvious chunks of blue.  Although I wouldn't want to use this completely on its own because I think that it would take a fair amount of coats to create an opaque finish, over another colour I think this polish is amazing.

Red glitter- Barry M 150, White glitter- MaxFactor- "Sheer Glitter" 866, Blue glitter- NYC "Lights, Camera, Glitter" 105

This simple addition of a glitter polish over the top of the basic red, white and blue design, makes this design more jazzy and good if you want to have a slight glittery appearance that is perfect for this time of year and the jubilee celebration.

Jubilee Nails - Simple Red, White & Blue

As we are gearing up for the Jubilee weekend I have decided to create a serious of blog posts linked to jubilee nail designs that can hopefully inspired you to get a little patriotic and bring out the red, white and blue.

First I started with just a basic nail design using red, white and blue to reflect the colours in the Union Jack.  This is a simple design that can be done in a rush before that jubilee party you are off to with just a couple of coats of red, white and blue and you're ready to go!

     The red that I used for this deign is a Rimmel London polish in "Rapid Ruby" number 320 and is a deeper red than most of the other reds that I have, which I thought was more true to the colours of the Union Jack.  This polish was really opaque and after one coat was pretty much perfect to go, but I used 2 just to make sure it was completely opaque, this would also make it super quick to apply if you are in a rush and no one needs to know that you didn't spend hours creating the perfect opaque red!

The blue that I used is Mavala's "Deep Blue" number 269 and is a gorgeous deep blue as the name suggests, but it has a beautiful green and turquoise shimmer through it.  Although this shimmer isn't essentially seen in the Union Jack I think that this shimmer adds a little something to the nails, and it is not obvious unless it catches the light.  You could also use a plain navy colour as this would link back into the union jack theme, but I love this Mavala one as it has such a creamy formulation which applies like a dream onto the nails.

The white that I used here was a basic white that I got in a Primark french manicure set for christmas a couple of years ago, and whilst it may not be the best quality, for these designs it is perfect.  The consistency of this polish is quite thick and gloopy but in regards to creating a white nail that is relatively opaque and a true white colour then this one does the job.

So here is my basic Jubilee nail design that I will build upon in future posts and show how you can either just use this simple design, or use this as a base to build on and create a more interesting and unique design.

Red- Rimmel London "Rapid Ruby" 320, Blue- Mavala "Deep Blue" 269, White- Primark