SS14: Nailed!

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

With so many trends to choose from this Spring / Summer 2014, what better place to start than with #popart!  This Marilyn Monroe design is a great way to inject some art into your look.  It's a bit fiddly, but try it on just one nail and you'll achieve the wow factor!

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

Pair this brightly-coloured animal print design with equally as colourful jewellery for full impact!

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

Summer will be here soon, so get a head start with these tropical nails!  Flamingos, hummingbirds, and palm trees... Paradise!

This Week: Hearts & Stuff

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

Hearts...

The sunny weather brings out the aimless wanderer in me.  I was strolling around Warwick the other day when I noticed this heart-shaped moss on the wall.  What are the odds!  Thank goodness for camera phones!

Stuff...

My beautiful orchid is bloomin' lovely at the moment!  I love it watching the new stems as the grow and eventually start flowering.  The orchid is reborn!

My nails are pretty awesome too, with a blue and white take on the French manicure.

I went to The Birmingham Rep theatre last night to see this hilarious play!  I laughed so much!  It was about a family and it's issues: grief, success, loyalty, honesty and secrets.  Very well written and I think everybody in the audience could relate to it from their own family experiences.  It transcended cultural boundaries.  A great play!

One of my favourite painters, David Carpanini, is exhibiting at the Pump Rooms gallery in Leamington Spa at the moment.  Well worth a gander.  He was also the speaker yesterday at the weekly Friday Focus talk at the gallery.  He talked about composition in art and the beauty created by the Golden Section.  Very interesting and inspirational.

A Few of My Favourite Things...

My week in photos. Enjoy...

1. Pretty packet.  This tea packet is so pretty AND the tea inside tastes great!  Not so great if you're on a diet, because the main ingredient is cane sugar...  Naughty!

2. Eau là là!  Néroli & Orchidée by L'Occitane.  I cannot describe how amazing this is!  The scent is rich, fresh and eau so chic!  The mood-lighting is eau so necessary.  Eau you love it!

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

3. Hard as nails.  I painted these on Monday.  It's now Sunday.  Barely a chip to be seen!

4. Silliness alert!  This handset plugs into your mobile phone.  Cue the funny looks!  Such fun!

5. Birmingham UK.  Had an awesome day in Birmingham on Friday!  Lunch at Côte Brasserie, make-over at Illamasqua in Selfridges, window shopping in town followed by a refreshing beverage at Browns.  Good times!  Illamasqua make-up reviews & diy tutorials coming soon!

Über Modern Summer Nails

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

The weather is hotting up and we're all looking forward to fun times this summer!  Get a splash of summer at your finger tips with this modern twist.

1. Layer up your colours.  Starting from the cuticle first, paint a stripe of the lightest colour across each nail.  Do the same with the next colour, slightly overlapping the previous stripe of colour.  Work your way up the nail until the whole nail is covered.

2. Stamp it.  Wait for the nails to dry and then stamp each one using the Konad stamp.

3. Tidy up.  Using a corrector pen, remove any excess paint from around the edges of the nails, and then finish with a top coat.

Break the rules! Graffiti Nails

Image © Duchess Bambi 2014

Graffiti and street art inspired nails are great for you messy and frustrated nail painters out there! It's all about creating a unique piece of art on your own mini canvasses - your nails!

1. Prep your nails with a base coat.  I've chosen China Glaze Ridge Filler Base Coat because it dries really quickly and gives a very smooth finish.

2. Mix it up.  Select your colours.  I've used:

Barry M: Block Orange 301

Barry M: Spring Green 290

Bourjois - So Laque! Lime Catwalk

Bourjois - So Laque! Fuchsia Provoc'

No7 - Speed Dry: Poolside Blue

3. Have some fun! Layer up the colours to achieve the desired effect.  You can be as messy or as neat as you like.

4. Put your stamp on it.  Konad stamps are a quick and easy alternative to free-hand nail art.  Choose the design and colour, and get stamping!  White paint stands out really well against the colourful background of these graffiti nails.

5. Ta-dah!  Finish off with a top coat.  China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat is great because it looks shiny and dries quickly.  Make like Banksy and get painting!