Rainbow Ombre Effect

You might (or might not!) be happy to hear that I have handed in all of my MA work, except my dissertation. Therefore I will have a little more time to blog in the evenings as I plan to spend 9-5pm researching and writing my dissertation until it is due in September. So, without further ado, on to today's post!

The picture above shows my first attempt at rainbow gradient nails. Yes, my 'ring finger' nail broke right down the other day as I caught it whilst going to reach for uni books on my shelf! Tore the thing off, which hurt badly. As a result, this nail is tiny to compare with the rest. I don't have fake nails to put on it and I'd rather not risk wrecking my natural nails. Here is a brief run through the steps I took to achieve this look, in case you want to replicate it!

1. Apply a base coat to protect your nails.
2. Place a make up sponge in a bowl of water whilst you carry out step three. An optional step would be to put tape around your nails to avoid having to use a cotton bud / Q-Tip to remove the excess polish on your fingers at the end.
3. Apply a white polish to act as a base. I tried it without this step but my natural nail just showed through, so it is an essential step to get the colours looking opaque.
4. Wait for your white base to dry. Now your sponge should have soaked up a good amount of water. We carry out this step as otherwise the sponge will merely suck up your polish and waste it! Squeeze it out and paint the colours of your choice directly onto the sponge in lines. Don't worry about blending them as the sponge will naturally do this for you! Just stripe them on, leaving no gaps.
5. Then use the sponge to essentially 'stamp' the colour onto your nails. You might not get an even finish the first time, so leave the first layer to dry. Then simply repeat the process - don't panic about it spoiling the gradient, if anything it actually helps to blend the colours if they aren't placed over each other exactly.
6. Once you're happy with the opacity of the colours, apply your favourite top coat and you're done! If you didn't put tape on your nails, now is the time to take a cotton bud / Q-Tip and remove any polish that strayed onto your fingers. 

Enjoy! I applied this to my nails, then decided to try and replicate the look on my eyes. This is how it came out:

These are a few of my whimsical things

I am sat here in a turban with my hair damp from the shower whilst I type this. I have no outfit post again for you today, sorry to those who like them. I haven't bought any new clothing in a long while as I have no money to do so (damn Masters!), hence why I've been slightly uninspired as far as new outfits for the blog go.

Anyway, I do have a rather vast collection of girly, whimsical and vintage pieces that I thought you might like to see; that's what this post will therefore be about. I love looking at pretty things on blogs, much more so than reading product reviews at the moment as I can't afford to buy anything new anyway. I like to get inspiration from other bloggers so that I can make the most of the items I already own, and learn how to wear them in a way I might not have previously thought of. On to the shiny things then!

This is a vintage 1940s Rhodium plated Shamrock with a 

Pearl set in the middle and Marcasite stones surrounding.

I am part Irish and I thought this was a great way to 

recognise that fact. So sparkly and shiny in real life! 

This is a bit of an odd one. I bought it at the RHS 

Flower Show in Cardiff last year. It isn't vintage

but I just loved the design. Pretty, pastel blue and 

featuring an embossed design of historical nature.

This teapot and tea cup charm necklace is not vintage

but handmade. I bought it in a gallery here on

Anglesey. It is so sweet! I love it. Tea, anyone?

I cannot express how important this ring is to me.

The green stone in the middle is in fact Irish

Connemara marble and it was bought by my grandfather

as a gift to my mother on her 18th birthday. She gave it

to me when I was just about to finish university. I only

wear it on special occasions.

Have you got any beautiful vintage jewellery that means a lot to you personally? I'd like to see some of your blog posts along these lines. I love pieces that tell a story.

Nicole x