5000 Followers Rafflecopter Giveaway

Hey Everyone :)

I have just reached 5000 followers on my nailart page on instagram, how awesome is that!! Thank you so much to each and everyone of you that has followed and supported me on my nailart journey so far!

To thank you all I have decided to host an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! There will be an awesome prize (I'm still putting it together) but so far it includes some fun glitters and flakes from Ruby Robyn Cosmetics and bunch of different polishes from brands like Essence and L.A Girl and sinful colours.

You can gain 8 easy entries to the giveaway through rafflecopter (click the link below), the giveaway will start on Friday 12 September and will end on Saturday 11 October. The winner will be chosen and announced here and on Instagram on Sunday 12 October.

Rules:

1) If you have an Instagram account and you repost the giveaway photo then you MUST be following me for that entry to count!
2) Do Not follow to unfollow once the giveaway is over. If you unfollow then you will be blocked from all future giveaways!
3) You must be 18 or older or have parental consent
4) No drama allowed!! This is a fun giveaway. If you start drama you will be blocked
5) Your account on Instagram must be public otherwise I can't see your entry

Thank you all again and GOOD LUCK!! :)

Ash xxx

Rafflecopter giveaway link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/541c45510

Ms Sparkle Indie Polish Swatches and Review

Hello Everyone

Today's post is a review and swatches of two beautiful polishes from Ms Sparkle which is an indie brand from the Netherlands.

The lovely Simone owns this awesome indie brand and she sent me It's A Girl! and It's A Boy! to review and swatch for her. Simone is one of the busiest women I know! She is a youth worker plus she's studying to get a teachers degree, she's a graffiti artists (so cool!), makes awesome polishes and on top of that she's a mom to two beautiful kids! Despite being so busy, she always has time to chat and is one of the sweetest, most friendly people I have met on Instagram.

Simone's polishes are all 5-free and vegan which are both important to me. She does ship internationally so you can get your dose of her beauties where ever you are in the world. She has tons of beautiful polishes for sale as well as glitter mixes and nail art accessories like bows, roses and stars. She also makes custom polishes so if you cant find what you want in her store, chat to her and she'll make it up for you. You can visit her Etsy store here to purchase her awesome products.

First off these polishes arrived in such pretty packaging! I love when products are packaged nicely, it makes receiving them and opening them so much more exciting and it also shows that the maker takes pride in their work and cares enough to take the time to wrap their products nicely.

Now for the swatches!!

It's A Girl!

It's A Girl! is a pretty pastel pink polish. It has iridescent micro glitters as well as hot pink hex glitters, large pastel pink hex glitters, heart glitters in two different shades of pink and pretty gold flakes. I got full coverage in three coats but you can always add a fourth coat for good measure. I love this polish because it can be worn on it's own and looks beautiful, but it's thin enough that you could wear it over another polish, as a glitter topper, to create a different effect. I took swatches in natural light, sunlight and then a macro in the sun plus bottle shots. I applied three coats plus a top coat.

Swatch in natural lighting.

Swatch in the sun light.

Macro shot. Look at all that beautiful shimmer and sparkle! This polish is so pretty and girly, I really loved wearing it.

It's A Boy!

It's A Boy! is a lovely pastel blue polish. Like It's A Girl! it also has a pearl effect with tons of shimmer. This polish contains tiny blue glitters, large metallic blue hex glitters, smaller pastel white hex glitters, pearl white hearts and pretty holographic silver flakes. This polish was also opaque in just 3 coats and could also be used as a glitter topper by applying just one coat over another polish. Again I did a swatch in natural light, sunlight and a macro in the sun plus bottle shots. I applied 3 coats plus a top coat for the swatches.

Swatch in natural light.

 

Swatch in the sun.

 

Macro in the sunlight. You can see the holo flakes near my cuticle and on top of the pearl heart. This polish is so pretty and sparkly!

 

 

 

Both these polishes have a great consistency, they aren't thick at all and they went on very smoothly. The brush is a standard brush and allows for easy application. Both polishes are full of glitters and they are suspended well throughout the polish so I didn't have to fish for glitters at all. I love these polishes and I highly recommend them. Simone has also recently released some awesome polishes that are perfect for Halloween so visit her store and check them out.

 

Simone is also on facebook, tumblr and instagram  so go give her a follow! Visit her Etsy store and get yourself some of her beautiful polishes, you wont be disappointed!!

Remember that you can also follow me on Instagram @the_beauty_bag and while you're at it, follow the blog and you'll see the latest Beauty Bag posts before everyone else! :)

Ash xxx

Neon Stud and Bow Ombré Mani

Hello Everyone :)

Today's tutorial will show you how to create a fun mani using some neon studs and rhinestones as well as an ombré effect. This is a fun way to add a touch of girlyness (is that even a word?!) and some fun colour to your nails so let's get started!

What you need: Base coat, top coat, 3 polishes, neon studs, small pink rhinestones, chevron and nail vinyls, make-up sponge, nail glue, foil, earbud/q-tip, polish remover.

Start off as always by applying your base coat. Next paint your ring fingernails a mint colour and your other nails white. Apply two coats of both colours and allow them to dry thoroughly. The mint colour I used was Essence Cosmetics Colour & Go polish #146 That's What I Mint! and the white is a  Sinful Colors polish called Snow Me White.

Next place one of your chevron vinyls over on your ring fingernail. Before you do this make sure that your base colour is completely dry so you don't end up pulling bits off when you remove the vinyl. I like to use tweezers to put my vinyls onto my nails as I feel I have better control with the placement. The vinyls I used are Chevron vinyls from Nail Vinyls which is owned by the lovely Linda, you can follow her on Instagram here.

Paint your third colour below your vinyl, I chose to use a purple. Quickly pull the vinyl off while the polish is still wet. I use my tweezers to do this too as it makes removing the vinyls easier, prevents smudging and stops you from getting polish all over your fingers! The purple polish I used is A Grape Fit! from O.P.I.

Next get your pink rhinestones ready and place a drop of nail glue on some tin foil. Using tweezers or any other tool you feel comfortable with, pick up a rhinestone, dip the backing into the glue and stick it on your nail, just below the point of your chevron. Repeat with the other stones and place a row of two stones on either side of your first stone, and then a row of 3 next to your row of 2 to create your rhinestone bow.

To create the ombre on your other nails you are going to need your make-up sponge. Paint a stripe of your white polish on the sponge and then a stripe of your mint polish below.

Now sponge the polish onto your nail, add more polish to your sponge when needed, until you are happy with your ombre effect. Your end result should look like the picture below.

Creating an ombre effect can get quite messy, as you can see. You can put tape around your nail to make clean up easier but I don't. I dip an earbud/q-tip into some polish remover and remove the polish from my fingers and close to my cuticles, I then use a brush to carefully remove the bit that is left on my cuticles.

Now you are going to add your neon studs. Place another drop of glue onto some tinfoil and using the same method that we used for the rhinestones, add your studs in a row down the center of your nails. The neon studs I used are from Painted Polish which is owned by the awesome Lexi and you can follow her on Instagram here. When you are happy with the studs, apply your topcoat, I used my favourite Gloss It top coat from Krafty Gurl Designs, and you're done!

Remember that you can follow me on Instagram @the_beauty_bag and if you recreate any of the mani's posted on the blog, hashtag them with #lookbeautybag so I can see them :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I can't wait to see your recreations:)

Ash xxx

Holographic Chevron and Zig Zag Mani

Hello Everyone :)

Today's tutorial will show you how to create a fun mani using some really pretty holographic polishes. I'm addicted to holo polish at the moment, I just want to buy them all, so I had a lot of fun creating this mani. This mani is really easy and the perfect summer mani to catch everyone's eye so let's get started!

What you need: Base coat, top coat, 4 holographic polishes, neon pink studs, chevron and zig zag nail vinyls, nail glue.

Start off  by applying your clear base and allowing it to dry completely. Next paint on two coats of your two base colours. The soft pink I used is called Looking for Prince Charming and the deep magenta is called Wyld Pixie, both are indie polishes from the awesome brand Liquid Sky Lacquer.

Once your base colours are completely dry you're going to stick your nail vinyls on. On my ring fingernail I used two Thick Zig Zag vinyls down the length of my nail, spaced evenly apart, and on my other nails I used two V Design vinyls spaced evenly apart. Both sets of vinyls are from Nailstickrs.

Now paint over your chevron vinyls with your third holo colour. Do this one nail at a time so that you can remove the vinyls as soon as you have applied the polish. The purple holo polish I used is called Kings & Queens by one of my favourite brands, I Love Nail Polish.

Next using your fourth and final holo polish, paint over your ring finger nail and immediately remove the vinyls. I used a beautiful silver holo polish from Catrice Cosmetics. This polish was from their limited edition Luxury Lacquers collection and it's called Holo Manolo. If you want to get a stunning silver holo polish then I suggest Mega from I Love Nail Polish.

If you are happy with your mani like this then clean up your cuticles and apply your top coat and you're done :) I wanted to add a little neon to all the sparkle so I applied 3 dots of nail glue down the center of my ring finger and I applied 3 neon pink studs to my nail. I bought a mix of these neon studs from Painted Polish. Now apply your clear top coat and you are done!! :)

Sun Shot

Macro shot of my accent nail so you can see all the sparkle!!

You obviously don't have to only use holographic polishes for this mani, you can use what ever colours you like, be creative! I chose to use all holos because I was in the mood for something sparkly :)



Remember that you can follow me on Instagram @the_beauty_bag and if you recreate any of the mani's posted on the blog, hashtag them with #lookbeautybag so I can see them :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I can't wait to see your recreations:)

Ash xxx

Instagram Links:

Nailstickrs : @nailstickrs
Painted Polish: @paintedpolishbylexi
Liquid Sky Lacquer: @whimsicalcolor
I Love Nail Polish: @ilnpbrand

Chevron and Zig Zag Mani

Hello Everyone :)

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway on Instagram hosted by Nailstickrs two weeks ago. I won a set of their Criss Cross stickers and they sent me a bunch of their awesome nail vinyls too so I just had to make a quick tutorial for you guys the vinyls. Nailstickrs have a giveaway every week on Instagram so go follow them and enter and give yourself chance to win some of their awesome stickers! You can visit their online shop here. Their vinyls are so easy to use, their shipping is super quick and their prices are very reasonable so do yourself a favour and check them out and see their other fun designs!
I will post the links to everyone's Instagram at the end.

Okay, onto the tutorial :)

What you need: Base coat, top coat, 5 colours (2 for base colours and 3 for your chevron and zig zag colours) chevron and zig zag nail vinyls, tweezers.

Start off with painting on your clear base coat, once that's dry you're going to paint on your two base colours. The mint colour I used is Essence Cosmetics number 146 That's What I Mint and the sparkly, holographic silver glitter polish is one of my favourite polishes at the moment, it's from Painted Polish and it is called Drunk On Holo.

 

Once your base colours are completely dry, you can create your designs with your nail vinyls. Your base colours must be 100% dry otherwise you will peel it off and ruin your mani when you peel the vinyls off. Apply 2 of your chevron vinyls to your index, middle and pinky finger nails, spacing them evenly apart. Next apply 3 of your zig zag vinyls to your ring finger nail, again spacing them evenly. I like to use tweezers to position the vinyls on my nail as I feel it gives me more control. You can find the chevron vinyls here, they call them their "V Design" and their zig zag vinyls here.

 

 

Now you're going to paint on your chevron and zig zags. I find when you're using more than one colour it's best to start at the top and work your way down, removing the vinyls as you go. In this mani, for example, I painted the blue on the top, then the holo purple in the middle and then removed the first vinyl, then I painted the blue on the bottom and removed the second vinyl. Doing it like this allows for less drying time which means that you are less likely to have your wet polish lifted up when you remove the vinyls. When doing one colour, like I did on my ring finger, simply paint your entire nail and quickly remove the vinyls. I like to use my tweezers to remove the vinyls as it is easier to pick up the edges and it also stops you from getting the wet polish all over your fingers.

 

The blue polish that I used is Essence Cosmetics number 173 Over The Rainbow and the holographic magenta polish in the middle is Wyld Pixie from Liquid Sky Lacquer. The Purple on my ring finger is O.P.I a Grape Fit

 

Once you have completed all your nails and removed all your vinyls, allow the polish to dry completely and then paint on your top coat. I used my favourite top coat from Krafty Gurl Designs, her Gloss It Top Coat,.

 

Allow your top coat to dry and you are done!

 

Remember that you can follow me on Instagram @the_beauty_bag and if you recreate any of the mani's posted on the blog, hashtag them with #lookbeautybag so I can see them :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I can't wait to see your recreations:)

 

Ash xxx

Instagram Links:

Nailstickrs : @nailstickrs
Painted Polish: @paintedpolishbylexi
Essence Cosmetics: @essence_cosmetics
Liquid Sky Lacquer: @whimsicalcolor
Krafty Gurl Designs: @kraftygurldesigns

 

Sun Shot

Distressed Saran Wrap Mani

Hello Everyone :)

Today's tutorial is for a super easy distressed mani using Saran Wrap or Cling Wrap as we call it here in South Africa :) this mani is very quick and creates a great effect so let's get started!

What you need: Base coat, top coat, piece of Saran/Cling wrap, 6 different polish colours, zig zag vinyls, tweezers.

Start of by painting your nails with your clear base coat. Once that is dry paint your nails with your base colours and allow those to dry completely. The metallic blue polish is Essence Cosmetics number 173 Over The Rainbow and the white polish is Tip Top Nail Chic number 901 Cream Puff.

Now place a couple of blobs of your other colours straight onto your nail and while they are still wet, dab them with your Saran Wrap. Continue doing this until you are happy with the look and allow the polish to dry before you move onto the next step. The mint colour I used is Essence Cosmetics number 146 That's What I Mint!

 

To create the "distressed" look, dry brush some gold polish onto your nails. To do this whipe as much polish off the brush as you can, then wipe the brush on some paper to get any excess polish off, once you're happy that the bush is "dry" enough, wipe the brush on your nails until you are happy with the amount of gold on your nails. The gold polish I used is L'Oreal Golden.

Place two zig zag vinyls on your accent nail, spaced evenly apart. I used to tweezers to do this as I find it easier. I used Thick Zig Zag nail vinyls from Nailstickrs.

Repeat the same steps as above with your Saran Wrap. While the polish is still wet, pull your vinyls off. Don't let the polish dry before you remove them as you risk pulling the top polish off with the vinyls. I use my tweezers to remove them too as it's easier to pick up the end of the vinyl and also stops the wet polish getting all over your fingers. The pink polish I used is Essence Cosmetics number 106 Free Hugs and the purple polish is O.P.I a Grape Fit!

Once you have removed your vinyls, remove all the excess polish from around your cuticles using nail polish remover or acetone and a brush or earbud/q-tip. Apply your top coat, allow to dry and you're done :)

Remember that you can follow me on Instagram @the_beauty_bag and if you recreate any of the mani's posted on the blog, hashtag them with #lookbeautybag so I can see them :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I can't wait to see your recreations:)

 

Ash xxx

Vintage Inspired Nails

 

 

 

 

Hello Everyone :) 

Today's tutorial will show you how to create pretty, feminine vintage inspired nails with stripes and vintage roses. This mani is very simple, easy and pretty quick to do so lets get started :)

What you need: Base coat, top coat, white polish, mint polish, pink polish, red polish, green polish, small dotting tool or fine nailart brush, striping tape.


Start off by applying your clear polish base and allow it to dry. Paint your index and pinky nails with the white polish and paint your middle and ring nails with the mint polish. I used two coats of Tip Top Nail Chic number 901 and two coats of Essence Cosmetics number 146 "That's What I Mint".
Allow your base colours to dry completely, especially your two white nails.

To create your roses start off by applying  a few blobs of pink polish on your nails. The pink I used was Essence Cosmetics number 106 "Free Hugs".

 

 

Next, using your dotting tool or nailart brush, place a few swirls of red polish on top of the pink. The red polish I used is Catrice Cosmetics number 18 "Bloody Mary To Go".

 

 

Now use your dotting tool or brush and do the same thing with the white polish. I used the same white polish that I used for my base colour. The white and red swirls on your roses are to create shodows on highlights, helping to make your roses look more realistic.

 

 

Now that your roses are done, you're going to create your leaves, again using a dotting tool or fine nailart brush and your green polish. I chose to use a dark green polish from Sinful Colors called "Rise and Shine".

 

 

Next you're going to do your striped nails. You can use a striper brush to paint on your stripes if you have one, but I use striping tape because I have shaky hands and I personally find it easier. Make sure your base colour is completely dry before you put your tape on otherwise you'll end up pulling it off when you remove the tape. Stick your striping tape vertically down your nails. You can make your stripes as wide or as narrow as you want.

 

Now using a soft pink polish paint over the tape. I mixed my pink and white polishes to create a lighter shade of pink for my stripes. Pull your striping tape off while your pink polish is still wet. If you leave it on until your polish is dry then you could end up pulling some of the pink polish off with the tape. I suggest doing one nail at a time so the pink polish doesn't have much time to start drying before you pull the tape off. Once your stripes and roses are dry, apply your top coat and you're done! I used my favourite high gloss top coat from Krafty Gurl Designs called "Gloss It" which is only $6 and worth every penny!

 

Don't forget that you can follow me on Instagram @the_beauty_bag and if you recreate any of the mani's posted on the blog, hashtag them with #lookbeautybag so I can see them :)

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and I can't wait to see your recreations:)

 

Ash xxx