#GettingArtyForAnxiety

Here's something a little different today;

For many years I suffered with anxiety & depression, I am happily open & honest about this because it's helped make me the stronger, wiser & happier person I am today. So for todays post I'm taking part in 'getting artsy for anxiety' a collaboration with molly at Lyons Notes and some other fab bloggers, who together hope to raise awareness & get people talking about anxiety & mental health.

We're each posting a nail art to reflect our personalities, I opted for a wise owl design symbolising that through everything I've been through in my life I have become a lot wiser, and may I add its a rather cute pink owl to show my girlie side :p

 Here is a step by step tutorial of my nail design if your fancy giving it a go. 

''People in general tend to have this misconception that mental illnesses, whether it be anxiety, depression, schizophrenia etc. are all something to be embarassed about, something to sweep under the bed and to try and ignore. However, you're not alone, 1 in 4 people will suffer from mental illness in a year. Mental illnesses, when left to manifest will strip a person of their personalities, and leave you feeling as if you're a shell of your former self. This is why it's important to raise awareness of mental health, to let people know they're not alone and always have someone to talk to. #GettingArtyForAnxiety is a way of expressing your own personalities, and to raise awareness for mental illness whether you're a sufferer yourself, or a family member."




if you'd like to get involved please pop over to Molly's blog; where many more bloggers are taking part & will be posting over the next few weeks.

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Barry M High Shine Gel Effect Nail Paint Lychee & Nail Art

As I mentioned in my may favourites I have been loving the Barry M High Shine Gel Effect Nail Paint in the shade Lychee.  

At first I wasn't to fussed about the new line of gel effect polishes, I thought you could get the same effect by using a top coat. To be honest I still think that, but the shade drew me in. Lychee is a Beautiful beige nude. I am impressed with its easy application, most light shades can turn out streaky but this went on smoothly & only needed two coats. This is probably to do with its rather thick consistency, which in a way is great for colour pay off but on the other hand not great for the longevity of the polish, on me this polish lasts 2-3 days max before it starts to peel off. As I am always changing my polish this doesn't bother me to much. 



One tip I do have for making the polish last is applying a coat of glitter over the top!

Barry M High Shine Gel Effect Nail Paint come in 18 shade & cost £3.99 





Teddy Bear nail art using Barry M High Shine Gel Effect Nail Paint Lychee




1. Paint all fingers with Lychee, leaving the ring finger to paint white.


2. Using the shade Lychee again, using the polish brush paint a semicircle at the tip of the nail. This will be the bears head.
 Using the same polish & a dotting tool make to small dots (ears) at the top of the bears head. Wait for polish to dry.


3. Next take a white polish & with the polish brush make a smaller semicircle inside the brown semicircle.


4. Dip the dotting tool into the white polish & make two dots in the ears & above the white semicircle, for eyes.


5. Make two brown dots inside the bears eyes.


6.Take a dark brown polish & dip in the dotting tool, use this as the bears nose making a dot for the bears nose press down & drag down.



Wait to dry & apply a top coat :)

If you don't have a dotting tool you can use the end of a hair clip/bobby pin.

Polishes I used Barry M - Lychee, Mushroom & matt white.

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Manicure Monday with Sinful Colors | Nail Art

After much anticipation Sinful colors nail polish has arrived in the U.K!! Sinful Colors has been popular in the U.S.A for years now, with a range of 70 shades in every finish - creams, pearls, glitter, shimmer and matte, all for the affordable price of just £1.99. Now being stocked In Boots.

I am bit of a nail polish snob, preferring to use O.P.I, china glaze & Essie.With the hype around Sinful Colors & the price of just £1.99 I just had to see what these polishes were like for myself. 








Here are the colours I picked up -

Frenzy, Easy Going, Soul Mate.

'Easy Going' - which Is a very light baby pink. With this shade I used 3 light coats. Even with my years of nail polish snobbery I have never come across such an opaque light pink shade.  

'Soul Mate' - A coral peach shade. Two coats gave perfect coverage.

'Frenzy' - Purple, pink & blue glitter. One coat is sheer so could be used over a solid colour polish, for extra sparkle. Two coats was nearly opaque & three coats was just as it looks in the bottle. 

For the purpose of testing these polishes out I didn't wear any base or top coat & these polishes lasted three days until they started to chip. 

Personally I really love these polishes. Opaque, long lasting, wide variety of colours and finishes for £1.99, amazing. 

Easy Going & Soul Mate

Here is another easy D.I.Y nail design. Love Hearts. Using two of the sinful color polishes.

1. Using a doting tool or the end of a bobby pin, dot two small hearts next to each other.

2.Place another small dot underneath. Making a triangle shape of three dots.

3. Again using the dotting tool join the dots together to make a little heart.

4. Apply a top coat & cuticle oil if desired.   

I hope you like this nail art design.

Have you tried sinful colors yet?

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Manicure Monday - Spring Leopard

This colourful leopard pattern is one of my fave D.I.Y nail art designs, it's so easy to do. With a mix of pastel colours it's a great look for spring.

1. Apply a base coat.

2.Apply two coats of white polish. 

3. Place random blobs of your chosen 4 spring coloured polish on the nails.

4.Take a black nail art pen, paint the leopard design around the colourful blobs of polish. If you don't have a nail art pen you can use a thin art brush or eyeliner brush dipped in black polish, it will achieve the same look.

5. Wait for the polish to completely dry then apply top coat & cuticle oil if desired. Your spring leopard print nails are now complete. 

Polishes I used;
Barry M - Mint green & Turquoise
China Glaze - Electric Pineapple & White On White
O.P.I - Lucky Lucky Lavender

I hope you like this nail art design. 

If you like this type of post & would like me to post some more nail art ideas let me know.

I'm a big fan of nail art, are you?

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