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.

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