Custom designs...

I love doing all kinds of nail designs that may come into my head but what I love the most is creating designs from the heads of others :) I find it a challenge and it gives me a chance to use new techniques that I might not have tried otherwise. Here are some that I created recently for a lovely customer

"My name is Stacey and I am a polish addict"

I am super nosey when it comes to looking at everyone elses nail polish collections - I can not resist nail polish and it is like a magnet to me so I though that there may be others out there with the same 'problem' so I thought I'd share my stash ;)

So come on girls....admit it, say it out loud "my name is __________ and I am a polish addict"....we can help each other through this :)

Love Barry M polishes - great value and always a great polish. As you can see I am a big glitter fan and Barry M certainly do good glitters :) Their 'foil effect' polishes are also some the faves in my whole collection - brilliant for stamping.

 

 All of these Revlon polishes are quick drying and leave a very glossy finish - great polishes.
Got the twenty bottles with black lids as part of two gift sets from Costco for a bargain price of just £22! £22 for 20 fantastic polishes!!!!

Models Own - Models Own are another brand that I love - they also do great glitters and things that are a bit daring and different like the 'Disco Mix' glitter (Blue & Pink Glitter) - I love it soooooo much that I bought a dress to match it rather than the other way around!

 Nails Inc - Love Nails Inc polishes also and all of these have been bought as a 'freebie' with Glamour Magazine. I am looking to buy some on their own but can't find anywhere that sells them nearby :( I'll keep searching.

Avon - great value and great colours. I have found that the consistancy of these polishes is perfect for water marbling! Bonus.

 No7 - another great polish...quite expensive but normally on offer in Boots which is where I have got most of these from. (Excuse the broken lid....it is a very well used polish and has taken a lot of stick!) Very hardwearing polishes I find.

 Sally Hansen - I bought these Mini's on offer and I admit they have unfortunatly been some what lost in my collection and not used as often as they deserve. I am re-jigging my collection so I will move them to the front where they belong.

 Prime / La Femme - These are super bright neon polishes that are great for summer :) They are the summer in a bottle and can't wait for them to make another appearance once the sun comes out. The three with the black lids are crackles and I love the pink one so much - it's a crackle / glitter combo and it looks great.

 L'Oreal - Very nice polishes from L'oreal but the only thing I don't enjoy with these is that the brush is extremely thin (almost like a nail art pen) and it does make things look a bit streaky but otherwise they are super glossy and I love their colours.

 

Best of The Rest - Looks like a school photo :)
Here are my faves from the rest of my collection - it includes a CND Chrome which I love, a couple of Nubar Halos which are amazing and my stamping polishes.

So there we have around 3/4 of my nail polish collection....I am hoping to add to the 'family' soon :)

Lepoard Print....oooooh think I'm hooked

Well, gave lepoard print nails a try and now I'm officially hooked on them. So easy to do and some many colour combinations possible (almost infinate!). Love them. I have been wanting to try them for ages but like with water marbling I kept putting it off as it looked complicated and messy. Glad I tried though because I am in love with it now.
Check out some of my efforts so far....let me know what you think

How it all started for me...

I realised that I have never really said how I got into nail art so here goes. As a young girl I was not into pink, princesses, glitter, dressing up or make-up but I preferred to be out with friends kicking a rugby ball around, playing on my Sega Megadrive, playing with Ghostbuster and other not very girly things so for me to now be passionate (obsessed - some might say) with all things nails and glitter is quite a strange one.
I had always been into art and crafts and even studied Art at A Level but fell out of love with the subject due to having a teacher that didn't let us come up with our own ideas and ways of expressing ourselves so it turned into a chore rather than something I enjoyed doing. I moved away from Art and moved into Sport & Leisure where I managed to gain a degree and also became employed at one of the UK's top sporting National Governing Bodies where I worked for almost 5 years. I then left that role to work closer to home (I was commuting for 5hrs everyday....and that was if everything was running to timetable!) and took up an admin / receptionist role which was 5mins walk from home and was idea for me at that point in time. The role went from being extremely hectic working 12hrs a day to the following week having nothing at all to do and this is when my mind began to wonder and think about other things.
I began trying to grow my nails out of determination when my boyfriend (now fiance) bet me that I couldn't stop biting them....and I succeeded :) I then found that I didn't like the look of nude nails and during some of the 'down time' at work I began daydreaming about how I could make my nails look better and that is where it all began. I found myself waking up thinking of nail art and falling asleep dreaming of nail art (sad, I know!). I invested in some supplies and set to work coming up with ideas to decorate my nails (and anyone elses who sat still for too long). At first this was just a hobby but I wanted it to be come more so I gave up my job (a brave move) and moved in with my fiance to support him through a difficult time and started out on my road to hopefully becoming a Nail Queen one day. I now sell hand painted sets on Facebook, Etsy, Ebay and I am in the process exploring another couple of avenues. All in all, I am loving living the nail life so far and it can only get better.

Moving things forward....

Hi There, it's been a busy old 2013 so far - I have just launched my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/StaceysUniqueNails, updated my photos to improve the look of my facebook page and Ebay listings and I have entered a fun 31 Day Nail Art Challenge which I am enjoying a lot and I am looking forward to learning new techniques from other entrants....it's all go at the mo...

Happy New Year....let's make it the best yet!

2013 is here, hope you all had a happy and safe New Years Eve and celebrated in style. A new year, a new start and I have started using Instagram...loving it! So easy to use and looks so good (well I think so anyway). I've been making a bit more of my nail photos and would be interested to know what you think. 'Yay' or 'Nay'?

Hello 2013!!!!

Well it's almost here...2013! Where has the year gone??? It has flown by in a haze...possibly a nail polish fume inflicted haze. Been a great year and can't wait for the next one.
There's a lot of things I want to achieve (nail wise) next year including:
- Getting my pre-designed nails into some local salons
- Featuring in the press with my designs....big or small
- Learning new techniques including the use of real feathers, fine art, decals, fimo, flocking...the list is endless!
- Open up a small eBay shop selling handpainted custom nail and nail art supplies
- Do a guest blog on another bloggers blog (world record for the number of times 'blog' can be used in one sentence?!)
All that on top of personal things that I am hoping for in 2013 :D it's all pointing to a great year