My First Attempt At Nail Art

I have never really had a go at nail art before. The places that do it near to where I live look really dated, and whilst you can see the amount of work and skill that is required I have never really appreciated it much before. That was until I discovered the world of nail blogging and found some very talented artists! There is one lady from Washington USA called Ami Vega who I contacted via Twitter (@AmiVNails) and she is amazing. Not only is she really skilled but she has some really modern, cool designs so she sort of inspired me to give it a try. To see more examples of her work visit her website at http://elsalonsito.com/

Now please remember that the pictures below are of my very first attempt and I was just playing around really. I didn't really have a plan of what I was going to paint, so some look really amateurish (i.e. the strawberry which looks a bit like an aubergine/eggplant to the Americans).

Ladybug, Hot Pink Leopard, Big Love 

Monet Style Flowers

Matte Moustache for Movember

Dabs of Colour

Accidental Sperm and Egg Fertility Nails - started off as black dots which ran, but hey I went with it!

Matte Black with Silver French Tip and Matte Glitter in a Peach Base.

Leopard Print in Various Colours and Pink with Coral Glitter Streaks.

Eye Eye, Glitter Bug, Half Nail Dots and Sash Dots.

Matte Strawberry (or Eggplant/Aubergine) and Modern Dots.

GIVEAWAY TARGET REACHED!!!!

We've managed to not only reach, but exceed the target of 20 followers!!!! I did promise 1 in 20 odds on the draw so only the first 20 followers will be entered into this particular draw, however everyone will be entered into the next Giveaway which will take place when I reach 40 followers. The prizes will keep getting better as the number of followers increases, so make sure that you keep checking back to Wonderlustnails.


The draw will take place on Saturday and all names will be written on to paper and picked out of a hat, bowl or similar basin-shaped object by my glamorous 'birthday girl' assistant who is going to be 8 years old on Saturday. Comical pictures will be included and the winner will be announced on Saturday evening (bear in mind that I'm in the UK!). I will then message the lucky one privately with my email address so that you can send me your address details. There is absolutely no cost involved whatsoever and I will post the package out as quickly as I can.


Thank you so much for taking part and supporting my newbie nail blog. I really appreciate you taking the time to look at my site, and if you would like me to support you by looking at your own blogs then just ask. Chances are I have looked already, but I am always happy to help.


GOOD LUCK


L xxx

Adele Does the Louboutin Manicure at the Grammys

You may have seen that I recently featured a black and red OPI Louboutin Manicure on my blog (if you didn't see it then go and take a look).

I'm loving how Adele rocked the Louboutin Manicure at the Grammys, but instead of using the black on the top of the nails, she used a gorgeous silver glittery polish. 

Comprehensive Guide On How To Spot A Fake OPI Polish

I have decided to sell a couple of OPI nail polishes through eBay just to see how they do, and I was surprised to find out how many fakes there are out there, so cue my next post.

I have done quite a lot of research on this as I wanted to be as comprehensive as possible, so here are the many ways to spot a fake:

The Front Of The Bottle

Letter "L" of "mL" is upper case and "Fl" is lower case. The font of the number "5" is also very important.

The base of the bottle should also be smooth and even. This is often the quickest way of spotting a fake, as OPI is all about quality, especially on their packaging.

The Back Of The Bottle

Apart from the clear printing of all the information, the order of the 4 lines is also a clear indication of a fake. If the order of the lines is different to the one's shown in the genuine picture below, or the safety icons or font is small then stay well clear.

Embossed Logo on Brush

The real OPI brush has an embossed logo on the top of the brush. It is quite hard to see it and I couldn't get a very decent picture. My advice is to push the paint downwards against the bottle head repeatedly. Because the logo is embossed, you can feel the rough texture.

The Brush Itself

As you can see from the picture above, the brushes are thick, with many bristles and flatten down to produce great coverage. Many copies will have a thinner brush and the poor quality is clear.

Inside The Cap

The inside of the cap isn't smooth it has gear-like ridges all around.

Code Numbers

Original OPI has some code number at the top of each bottle. It is quite hard to see it, but it is there if you take a look properly at the bottle.

There is also a more visible code number at the bottom of each bottle, and this is printed in black.

Double Layered Sticker On The Base

You can see the same code on the sticker at the bottom of the bottle and this is also where you will find the colour code. Make sure the color code matches the name of the color. You will have to refer to the OPI website for the correct code.

There is a "peel here" sign on the sticker and there should be no way of sticking that sticker back on. If you can then be wary! When you have peeled off the sticker, you will see a list of ingredients. 

Ribbed Bottle Base 

OPI bottles have a finely ribbed base. Many fakes can be spotted as there is either no ribbed base or the ribbed texture is chunkier.

Steel Balls

If you put the bottle on it's side and let it rest for a minute, you can see there are two little steel balls in the bottle. If there is only one or none then it's probably a fake. I gave up on trying to take a picture of this as I couldn't get the focus right, however it is very clear to see then when you have an authentic bottle.

Mini Bottles

The usual rules don't always apply to the mini bottles, so there are a few differences to consider.

OPI have lots of mini bottle collections, and these mini bottles don't have the sticker on the bottom of the bottle. There is however a colour code printed on the base. They also don't have the steel balls like the standard sized bottles, but they do have the OPI logo stamped into the brush arm.

Cap Seals

Not all OPI polish comes with a cap seal so if it doesn't have one then it certainly doesn't indicate that it's a fake or that it has been used. The bottles that have this seal on indicate that it has a pro-wide brush as opposed to the standard brush (which is still fabulous by the way!).

Don't Get Fooled By Good Fakes

Good fakes seem to have an embossed logo on the brush, codes printed on the top and bottom of the bottle, however the name of the colour is often incorrect and/or the code doesn't match to the name. Often the sticker looks totally wrong too.

If buying from eBay then be careful to use sellers that specify that their OPI products are genuine. Excellent feedback is not an indication that they sell genuine OPI

Summary


Essentially there are many ways to spot a fake, and using these warning signs will reduce the likeliness of buying a fake, however OPI claim that the only true way to tell a fake is to test the contents of product.


I hope that you have found this post useful and if you have any other methods for spotting a fake then please feel free to post below.

OPI I Vant To Be A-lone Star In Many Guises

I'm loving OPIs I Vant To Be Alone Star, so much that I tried it with my Rimmel Matte Top Coat and also with Save Me from the Nicki Minaj collection. 


The matte finish looked amazing, especially with the shimmer of the blue on it's own. The end result looked like silk without being too over the top and would be perfect for both the daytime and the evening.

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star and Rimmel Matte Finish

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star and OPI Save Me from the Nicki Minaj Collection

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star on it's own

OPI I Vant To Be Alone Star with Rimmel Matte Finish Top Coat

L xxx

FIRST GIVEAWAY

I have decided to add interest to my blog by offering an OPI giveaway as soon as 20 members have subscribed to my Wonderlust Nails blog. I have added details of the giveaway on the new 'Giveaway' page, so please take a look. You have a 1 in 20 chance of winning, which aren't bad odds, so tell your friends!!!


If you would like to enter then leave a comment at the end of this blog, along with your GFC Name and email address.

Lobster Rocks

I'm loving OPI 'I Mainely Eat Lobster' and I really like coral shades, especially in the summer when I have a tan. This is slightly more on the red than the orange side, and it has a nice bit of shimmer too which would look fab when the sun is shining. Unfortunately is raining non stop and it's cold here at the moment (good old English weather) but I can't wait to try it out on my holiday to Florida this year.

L xxx

Louboutin Manicure

In my last post I hinted that I have just purchased some new OPI nail polish and had plans for The Thrill of Brazil and Lady in Black, well here it is...the Louboutin.

As you can imagine it was really easy to do, just OPI Lady in Black on the front of the nail and OPI Thrill of Brazil on the underside. Two coast were applied to each side to increase the depth of colour, and I found that  the black on the front showed through on the underside, so a third coat may be require to deepen the red underneath but this depends on the quality of the polish that you choose to use.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to do it on my own nails as I'm a recovering biteaholic, but I'm getting there. I can't remember where I first saw this idea (probably on another blog) but I did a bit of research into getting the right red and I think that the result looks great. Let me know what you think!

L xxx

Oh My OPI

I'm so excited, have just been to the wholesalers and bought 4 new OPI nail polishes:  I Vant To Be Alone Star, I Eat Mainely Lobster, The Thrill of Brazil and Lady in Black. I have waited all week to get these and I have some fun plans this evening for the last two, and I will hopefully upload the results by tomorrow.


I also had a delivery of OPI Swiss Blue Antibacterial Hand Soap and OPI Swiss Hand Guard Antiseptic Handwash Gel, which I will use tomorrow when I do my friend's french gel overlays. I have tried other brands, but I find that they dry the skin out and smell like vodka and these are not only moisturising, but they smell nice too.


L xxx

Oooh, Silky Matte Nails

YSL 'duo terriblement noir'

Before I learnt to appreciate nail fashion, I never really got matte nail finishes. I was never interested in trying it out as I thought that it made the nails look chalky, gritty and cheap. Then over Christmas I was shopping at the Yves Saint Laurent counter at John Lewis in Exeter and I saw a POS board for this stunning 'duo terriblement noir' set.

This black on black matte/glossy french manicure looked really high fashion, and I thought, if YSL are doing it then it can't be that bad, so I decided to give matte varnish the benefit of the doubt.

As it has been a long January, I decided not to go straight out and buy the YSL version, just in case I didn't like it afterall, so on my lunch break last week I went into Boots and opted for the cheaper Rimmel Pro Matte Top Coat for around £5. I also cheated on my beloved OPI (again because January has been a long old month) and picked up Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Black Cab. The results I have to say, were brilliant, and soooooo smooth. There is no denying that there is nothing like a bit of luxury, and ultimately you get what you pay for, but not only am I now converted to the matte finish, but am convinced that if you are running low on cash, then you can still cheat the nail couture look at a fraction of the cost!

I will upload my pictures of the Rimmel finish soon, so watch this space!

L xxx