Thrifty Nails

Holding down a blog and working full time with a 2 hour commute each day is pretty tough. I've not been very good at it hence the inactivity here for a while. I haven't been car booting much either and have only sewed once in the last month! (I put a nice turn up on some new work trousers!)


So today, I will bring you a bit of a different kind of thriftiness.... how to get pretty nails on the cheap! For those who know me personally, you will be aware that I like bright nail colours and crazy patterns and transfers. I like this way of customisation, especially when you are faced with a plain uniform or outfit. I don't like paying a fortune for someone to do it for me, especially when there are some fab things you can do yourself at home.


Marbled Nails:

I found this amazing nail art 'how to' over at Modern Salon (http://bit.ly/ads0hd) and tried it at home myself. Its so easy! Yes you make a right old mess and have to spend a while removing the excess nail varnish from around the nail bed but it looks amazing! I would reccommend using 1 dark, 1 medium and 1 light colour, as you want to be able to see the contrast when you mix them. I would also suggest changing the water in your cup every 2-3 nails as it gets a bit murky and the nail varnish doesn't swirl as well.


Leopard Print Nails:


I can't remember which blog I took inspiration from first as there are so many tutorials out there but here's my little guide to easy leopard print nails. You will need, a base colour, lighter 'spot' colour, black liquid eyeliner and a clear topcoat.

1) Do your base first - mine looks a bit messy as I did it in a rush!

2) Add some dots in a contrasting colour (as haphazard as you like)

3) With your black eyeliner (I like H&Ms cheapy stuff as it has a firm nib like a felt pen) add black strokes around the dots (2 or 3 squiggles and dots) and add a couple in between the dots too

4) Add a clear top coat after a couple of minutes and ta dah! fierce leopard print nails!

Enjoy!