The New Black - Typography nail kit

Hi ladies I hope you don't mind but this is a scheduled post as I'm currently on holiday. Today I want to share with you a brand that is newly available from the recently relaunched Mise Beauty online store.

The New Black is a brand that has been on my radar since I saw their collaboration with Madeline Poole whom I big fan of. Being a newish American brand I thought I'd never get to try their mini kits which contain everything you need to create on-trend designs such as ombre, abstract, studded, funky French and even newspaper nails which I'll be showing you now.

The Typography Set contains a natural base colour (available in nude, grey, white), 10 printed paper sheets in two designs, transfer solution and a bottle of clear top coat. The words printed are very Valentine's appropriate containing words such as Love, Cherish, Happy, and Wish. An important detail to note is that the words are printed in reverse which means the writing will be the correct way round on your nails!

The following mani was a result of several attempts. Despite being supplied with very clear instructions and a video link to watch a demo I had a lot of difficulty getting the text to print on my nails. I have a feeling it was made more difficult by my curved nail beds rather than the products themselves.

Here is what I did:

1. Painted nails with base colour and allowed it to completely dry. This is really important as a fully dry base is less likely to be ruined during the transfer process.
2. Cut a piece of the printed paper roughly the size of the nail.
3. Applied a generous coating of transfer solution to a dried nail, then quickly placed the paper on top in a rolling motion from one side of nail. Then being really carefully not to move the paper I dabbed on some more transfer solution on to the paper to fully saturate it. I gently pressed down then carely removed the paper. (in the instructions it recommends holding the paper in place with a cotton ball for 30 secs after placing it on the nail but I found this caused the paper to move and double print)
4. Allowed solution to dry before adding topcoat.

The whole process sounds easy but it does take a little practice. The results once you do it is very eye-catching and worth all the effort so don't give up if it doesn't work the first time.

The real sell for kits is the convenience of having everything you need for a mani to hand, none of the waiting for this to arrive from one website or having to get this from there will appeal more to those starting out in nail art. I'm a huge fan of kits but rarely buy them as I already own a lot of nail art bits 'n' pieces but this is a welcomed addition.

My only real gripe is the size of the bottles you get. 4ml lasts a while but I actually really like the nude polish and the quality of it so want more of it!

For other sets and polishes from brands such as NCLA, Sheswai and RGB check out www.misebeauty.com.

This Typography set is available from Mise Beauty for £19.95.

The product(s) in this post were sent to me by the brand or their PR for consideration.

Chinese New Year Nails

Here's a super quick post to show you my Chinese New Year nails. This year I opted for a very simple look, traditional red with gold snake print because for those of you who don't know it's the year of the snake!

I want to wish all those who celebrate or want to join in with celebrations a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

恭喜發財, 新年快樂!

Sally Hansen - Jaded, Peachy Keen and Pennies For Heaven

Sally Hansen is a brand that everyone is familiar with. For me it's always been a brand synonymous with great nail care products rather than colour polishes. So when I was offered the chance to try out some of their latest offerings I said yes! Today I want to show you three polishes from the Complete Salon Manicure line, two of which are new shades that will be available in stores nationwide from March 2013.

First up one of the new colours. Jaded is a bit of a hybrid. In the bottle it looks like a solid blue leaning on green creme but on the actual nail it's a cross between a creme and a jelly. After two coats the nail line is still a little visible but after 3 coats it's pretty much gone. I have a real soft spot for these shades so needless to say I love this polish. My only real gripe is that it took a little while to dry after all the coats but once it did it remained bright and was very glossy.

Peachy Keen is the perfect nude shade, however, the streakiness of the formula lets this polish down a little. It's also quite sheer and requires 3 coats for good opacity. Despite this I still like it, it's ideal when you fancy a palate cleanser or need a work appropriate mani. Peachy Keen is available in stores now.

I couldn't resist combining these two shade to create a manicure I have been meaning to try for ages. I first saw this design on Madeline Poole's instagram. I think she used NCLA nail wraps but I may be wrong.

How about matt?

Do you want a tutorial on this look? Let me know.

Another new colour available soon is Pennies for Heaven. This is a bronze foil and a one coat wonder. It applies like a dream with no streaking and dries super quick. For the stampers amongst you, if you're looking for a bronze to stamp with I would highly recommend you get this as it stamps perfectly.

Overall I'm quite pleased with these polishes. Colour and shine-wise they are perfect, however,  the wide brush that comes with these polishes is not fav of mine but that's because I have little nails (the brush is the same wide as my little finger nail!). The range which boast '7 salon benefits in 1 bottle': base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, salon-inspired colour, top coat, chip resistanc and gel shine will definitely appeal to those in a bit of hurry. 

Have you tried these polishes before? What do you think?

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes is available from selected Superdrug and Boots stores. 14.7ml RRP £6.99

*Products sent to me for my honest review.

Shimmer Polish - Carol and Kelly

Today I have for you swatches of the gorgeous Carol and Kelly by Shimmer Polish. Shimmer Polish is definitely the go to indie brand for blingy glitters and it's not hard to see why. There is a glitter for every mood or occasion. Most of the polishes are dense enough so that they can be worn alone after a few coats or they can be worn as toppers over a base coat of your choice.

For Carol I decided on a taupe base, Barry M's Mushroom. The Predominately gold glitter goes really well with Mushroom and it's not a combo I would have usually picked. As usual this polish applied like a dream and dried very quickly.

Barry M - Mushroom, 1 coat of Carol and 1 Coat of SV

Next up is Kelly a lovely grass green and goldy green glitter. There is some very fine gold and green shimmer mixed in too that really comes out over a dark base. I find green glitter can look a bit christmasy so I opted for a black base which helps to avoid this Christmas look in most situations. Black is my default base colour when i can't think of a good combo!

How lovely is this? Again applied like a dream and a real winner in my books.

China Glaze - Liquid Leather, 1 coat of Kelly and a coat of SV

Another lovely couple of polishes wouldn't you agree? Is this how you would wear these glitter? Shimmer Polish can be purchased from here.

 *Polish sent for review