Hi everyone, I made a purchase yesterday of something that I think will help to improve my picture taking abilities. I decided to buy a light box. It had crossed my mind that I could try and build my own but considering my lack of DIY skills and the time it would take to make it, it was much easier just to buy one instead. I picked up this one from Amazon: Light Box
So its a pretty basic model I'd say but I'm only looking to take pictures of nails and related items so I think it fits my needs perfectly. Even handier that it comes in its own carry case too.
So here is an overall view of it with the 2 lights switched on. The carry case it comes in acts as the support to help it stand up also (its the black part at the back).
I've used the white background but it does come with 3 other options; red, black and blue. I think for me personally I'm going to mostly use white and occasionally black. I like that you get the options though.
Here is one of the two lamps provided. They are lightweight but stand up securely on the retractable legs. There is 3 pockets on the front of the carry case to hold the two lamps and a tripod (for your own camera). This really is a portable friendly set up.
I took a couple test shots, one with my macro lens and one without, to see what sort of results I was getting.
Firstly I'm so excited I no longer have to try and deal with the reflection of light that comes from the lamp I had been using for photos. I did notice I had to be careful of the angle I was at for taking this shot as you could see my phones reflection in the tip colour!
Here's the second shot. A nice clean picture in my opinion. I can see the benefits in this shot from using the box. I don't think it was really set up for doing macroshots thanks to the shadow cast by me/my phone trying to get up close, however, it is better than dealing with the round reflection cast from my current light. I can't wait to use this more in the future for all my photos and I hope you'll agree it was a great purchase!
With the end of the month comes an exciting package; August edition from Nailboxuk! You will have seen my previous posts on opening these items and I'm happy to share the next one with you now.
Now this was an exciting box for me because of the inclusion of CND Vinylux top coat and colour. I've never tried this brand so I love when I get something new to try out! There was also a small packet of Lovehearts included (which for some reason I managed not to photograph!!). This months nail item was an elegant Touch toenail clippers.
So lets talk first about the polish I was most excited to try; Wisteria Haze by CND Vinylux. This product is called a weekly polish. It claims to be, as the name suggests, a week long wearable polish thats remains chip free for 7+ days. It is also a two step system, they say no base coat is required. Simply apply your choosen colour then apply topcoat. For the picture I've done two layers of colour, though one coat was actually pretty opaque, and then used their topcoat to finish. Application was nice and smooth, the colour is vibrant and I have no complaints about it. I did only swatch the polish so can't comment on how the wear on it is, but overall I have no issues with wear on any of my polishes that I use.
Next up we have a classic China Glaze colour; Flip Flop Fantasy. I already own this shade but I'm happy to have another as my bottle is have used and I love the colour! It actually has a bit of a matte look to it when it dries but I used a glossy topcoat over it. Once again this is 2 coats of colour. I adore China Glaze as a brand and own LOADS of their polishes and I even went with them for my gel polish range.
Last colour we have is by NailsInc; Seven Dials (gel effect). This is a gorgeous creamy yellow. The application is brilliant on all of the Nailsinc polishes I've tried thanks to the shape of the brush; it has rounded bristles which help to give a crisp finish by the cuticle.
Until I had tried these boxes from Nailboxuk, I had never owned Vinylux, Nailsinc or even Essie. I love that I can pay £15 a month to get items I know for a fact I will love and I'm yet to be disappointed! The next plus side is getting shades I would not normally buy myself. For example I would not have thought to pick a colour such as Seven Dials but when I swatched it I fell in love with it and can't wait to use it for a future nail art design. If you would like to find out more about Nailboxuk, check out the link here: Nailboxuk Link Thanks for reading! Lyn
Hi everyone, Sorry it's been such a while since my last post but I've been really busy! I'm glad that the item I'm about to talk about arrived on my day off where I had the time to open and swatch everything. Today I'm going to talk about Coloristiq. I found them via social media and they are a UK based company. They actually do a nail polish rental service which I had never heard of! If you would like to find out more about this, click the link here: Coloristiq Explained
I personally wasn't interested in the rental side of this company (I love my polish too much to have to give it back :D ) but they do a monthly manicure themed box that took my interest. You don't have to subscribe to this, you just buy the box if you like the look of it. They even let you know exactly what you'll find inside along with the price should you have bought each item individually. You pay £15 for a box.
Here is the Summer Getaway box that I choose to buy. It was actually on sale as it is the box from July so there was only a limited number of these left. I want to take the time to tell you how much I LOVED the way this came packaged. It arrived in a large cardboard box that held the smaller polka dot one you see in the picture which was securely held in place by shredded black paper. Once you open up the smaller box, your polish is safely wrapped inside more shredded paper and held neatly together with tissue paper. Such a great touch!
The leaflet with the box has details of the items included on the back and the centre fold contains a nail art idea using your months polish. A fantastic idea for people new to nail art to copy an easy design.
For the first colour we have Sally Hansen Lemon Zest. This colour is gorgeous! It was opaque with just 1 coat but I did two plus topcoat for this picture. You can see from the macro shot that it has a subtle glitter through it. I can't wait to use this polish.
Next we have an Essie mini Full Steam Ahead. Now I am a sucker for any purple polish and this one is no exception! I didn't realise until I applied it that it actually has flecks of silver glitter through it. Application was nice and smooth and this is two coats and top coat.
The second mini Essie polish is The More The Merrier. A pretty lime green that will compliment Lemon Zest very well. Once again I did two coats and top coat.
Lastly we have Nicole by OPI Diva Into The Pool. I done two coats but it was still a little sheer which you can see slightly towards the bottom of my nail and the tip line was also slightly visible. Three coats would give a complete opaque finish depending on the look you were going for.
You might have noticed I'm missing a swatch of the red polish Nails Inc Gatwick. Unfortunately the one I received was faulty and I'm waiting for a reply from Coloristiq about it. I'm posting this on the day I got the package which is a Saturday so I'm not expecting a reply until Monday. The Nails Inc polish in the box is the Soho Silk Colour Enhancing Base Coat. It went on smooth to leave a creamy looking base and when I applied the colour on top, application was easy. I used this under each of the swatch colours. So what are my overall thoughts on Coloristiq manicure box? To get straight to the point, I love it! I would definitely order another one (hurry up payday!!) and I'd recommend them to other UK nail addicts. My video review shall be up soon so be sure to subscribe to me on Youtube under the name Nala Nails. To find out more about purchasing your own box, have a look here: Manicure Box Information
Edit: Coloristiq got back in touch with me promptly Monday morning apologizing about my faulty polish and offered a refund. Wonderful customer service and I've now ordered the August manicure box! Thanks for reading. Until next time! Lyn
Hey :) I want to talk about my nails this post. Some of you may not realise that my nails are natural, yes really! I get asked ALL the time if they are acrylics or people assume that they are and end up being shocked when I tell them otherwise.
Here are my nails in all their naked glory! Yes they are slightly yellow but no it doesn't bother me. I constantly have nail polish on. The longest it is off is only a matter of hours. Some people choose to grow their nails with the add of an acrylic or gel overlay for strength. I am lucky to have naturally strong nails and I'm very careful in how I use my hands to avoid damage. Of course accidents do happen and my most common way to damage my nails is to catch/hit it so that it forms a small tear in the nail half way down. When this happens I use an acrylic overlay to repair the damage and allow it to grow out. If you wish to see a video of me doing this please see here:
I used to have nails that peeled and would only get so long until they would break. The only thing I can think of that helped to change all this is that I just kept on putting on nail polish. I LOVE china glaze and use it the most and it does have hardeners in it. The other thing I do is I never cut my nails, I only file them. I can't say I've done anything else in particular, my diet certainly isn't amazing thats for sure!
I recently filmed my weekly nail care routine to share on youtube. I don't have a complex routine, its actually very simple. I try to apply a cuticle oil/butter everyday, twice if I remember to. You can get handy cuticle pens that fit into your pocket/handbag for on the go.
Here is the video I filmed to see the steps I do each week.
If you are trying to grow your nails this is advice I'd give:
Treat your nails as jewels, not tools
Cuticle oil 2x a day
Try a strengthening treatment (follow the instructions given, most are only to be used for a couple days)
Try wearing nail polish all the time. As I said China Glaze has hardener in it.
Use non acetone polish remover. Acetone is very drying to the skin/nail.
When filing your nails file in one direction only to avoid splitting the layers of the nail.
You can always do an acrylic/gel overlay for strength if your nails just aren't strong enough on their own. If you aren't qualified in this just find a local nail tech to perform this service for you.
Hello readers. In a previous blog I introduced you all to the company Nailboxuk, who are a monthly subscription service in the UK. I recently got my July box and was amazed at it's content! So glad I decided to subscribe to this!
Look at these goodies! OPI, China Glaze and Barry M polish, a full size MoYou stamping plate and an Elegant Touch cuticle eliminator. All this for £15! I love getting nail mail and this box surpassed my expectations. All the polishes are full size too. Usually when you work out how much item is worth individually its at least £30 worth of goods. Can't wait for next months!
Here is a swatch of Barry M Need For Speed. This is 2 coats and then Seche Vite topcoat. It is a fast dry polish and a lovely shade of purple. Being honest, I'd love any purple as it's my favourite colour! The application was smooth and it was nearly opaque in one coat.
OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazillian. Again this is two coats and then Seche Vite. A beautiful pastel shade. Both shades compliment each other well and led to me creating the next design.
Here it is! I actually used cling film to create this marble effect! Keep an eye out for it appearing on my youtube channel soon. The little flower around the cuticle was a nice finishing touch. If you wish to see my review video you can check it out here;
Here is one of the two lamps provided. They are lightweight but stand up securely on the retractable legs. There is 3 pockets on the front of the carry case to hold the two lamps and a tripod (for your own camera). This really is a portable friendly set up.
Firstly I'm so excited I no longer have to try and deal with the reflection of light that comes from the lamp I had been using for photos. I did notice I had to be careful of the angle I was at for taking this shot as you could see my phones reflection in the tip colour! 
Here's the second shot. A nice clean picture in my opinion. I can see the benefits in this shot from using the box. I don't think it was really set up for doing macroshots thanks to the shadow cast by me/my phone trying to get up close, however, it is better than dealing with the round reflection cast from my current light. I can't wait to use this more in the future for all my photos and I hope you'll agree it was a great purchase!
