Inspired Living Mani-Monday - Inspired Living SA

Charlie Nail Polish Nail Art Ideas

I recently received a DIY Nail Kit from Charlie, by Revlon, along with the challenge of creating fun DIY Nail Art. I decided to creats two different looks, one more wintry and the other with a hint of spring!

Charlie Nail Polish

The first look I created was inspired by all the gorgeous patterns on trend this winter.

Before you get started with any manicure, it is important to ensure your nails are beautifully shaped and free of any oily residue or old nail polish. To find out more about taking care of your nails, you can pop over and read my post on Manicure Basics.

Step 1

Choose your polish colours. For this look I used three of the Charlie Nail Polish shades I received – Lady In Red, Black Diamond and Montego Bay.

Step 2

Apply a protective base coat to your nails and allow it to dry before you apply any colour. Next apply 1-2 coats of Lady In Red and allow to dry completely.

Step 3

Cut thin strips of sellotape and use these to create patterns on your nails – have fun and get creative! To create this look I was inspired by striped, checked and tartan fabrics. Once you have the sellotape in place use the other two colours, Black Diamond and Montego Bay to paint over the red polish, in the areas void of sellotape. Remove the sellotape carefully, with a pair of tweezers, when you are done.

Step 4

Allow the patterns you have created to dry and then apply a top coat to seal everything in place.

The Second Look as I mentioned is spring themed – inspired by the balmy weather we experienced recently!

Step 1

Choose your polish colours. For this look I used four of the Charlie Nail Polish shades I received – Naturally Coral{not shown in the image below}, Lady In Red, Orange Glow and Montego Bay.

Step 2

Apply a protective base coat to your nails and allow it to dry before you apply any colour. Next apply 1-2 coats of Naturally Coral and allow to dry completely.

Step 3

To create the flower patterns above, use either a dotting tool or one of the cuticle sticks provided in your DIY Nail Kit. Start with a larger dot at the center of your pattern, I used Lady In Red for the large dot. Then using Orange Glow make smaller dots, around the larger dot. For the outer circle of dots I used Montego Bay.

On my thumb and pinky finger, I used the dotting tool to create a slightly more simple pattern of dots, across the nail. Using only Lady In Red and Montego Bay for this effect.

Step 4

Allow the patterns you have created to dry and then apply a top coat to seal everything in place.

I hope you have enjoyed this bit of creative nail art! If you would like to see more posts on Manicure Ideas or Nail Polish colours and trends click here.

Product details: Charlie Nail Polish RRP R49.95 and Charlie Top coat RRP R68.95

Stockists: Selected Clicks Stores, Dischem and Independent Pharmacies.

Disclosure Ranking:2

Beauty, Beauty Products, Home, Nail Polish

Essie Double Breasted Jacket {Mani-Monday}

Last week I posted about the Essie Winter Collection on our Beauty What’s Hot feature. I promised I would share one of my favourite shades from the collection, so read on!

Essie Double Breasted Jacket

The Colour ~

I definitely have a bit of a soft spot when it comes to red nail polish shades and this Essie polish, is no exception! Essie Double Breasted Jacket is, in the poetic words of the Essie creatives, a “passionate tourmaline ruby”. Instead of it being a blood red, which is more common for winter, it has a gorgeous deep pink tinge to it. It is one of those shades, which is hard not to love!

As with most of the shades from the Essie Winter Collection it is bright and sexy, rather than being dark and sultry, which is a bit more unusual for winter. It does make for a nice change and will brighten up any cold grey winters day!

The Application ~

As you may know by now, I am and always have been an Essie fan. I have loved most of the colours I have tried, with only a few exceptions and the quality of the polish is always of a high standard. Essie Double Breasted Jacket applies well and it is one of those awesome polishes, which is opaque in one coat. It dries with a glossy finish, which is great, especially if you are in a hurry and don’t have time for a top coat. However for a more professional finish, I would recommend two coats, plus a top coat.

The Verdict ~

I absolutely love Essie Double Breasted Jacket! The colour is one that I will definitely wear throughout winter and it will look as great in summer as well, which is a bonus. The polish lasted about a week, without chipping or peeling.

Have you tried Essie Double Breasted Jacket? I would love to know your thoughts if you have or if you have any other nail polish shades you are loving for winter. Please leave a comment below.

The Essie Winter Collection is available at selected Dis-Chem, Clicks and Foschini Stores, as well as selected Beauty Salons.

Follow Essie on Facebook to keep up to date with new collections and product launches.

Disclosure Ranking: 2

Beauty, Nail Polish

Essence Nail Polish {Mani-Monday}

Essence Nail Polish

I recently featured the The Nudes Essence Nail Polish, from the I Love Trends Collection, which you can find out more about here. Today on Mani-Monday, I thought I would feature a shade from The Pastels Essence Nail Polish range, which is also from the I Love Trends Collection. I have also used the Essence Nail Art Pastel Ombré Top Coat, in this feature.

The Essence Nail Polish shade I chose, for this look is called I’m So Fluffy, which is a peachy colour. I thought I would try something a bit different for Mani Monday this week, as lots of my features recently have been darker autumn/winter shades.

The Essence The Pastels range, is available in eight shades, seven of which have a matt finish and the eighth a glitter effect. I’m so Fluffy has a matt finish and I would recommend at least two coats, if not three to get the full effect of the polish.

To try something different, I decided to use the Essence Nail Art Pastel Ombré Top Coat, which lightens the colour of your nail polish, with each application. The image above I have one coat of the Essence Nail Art Pastel Ombré Top Coat and the image below I have two coats.

The effect is not dramatic but it does result in a much softer, milky finish. Essence does recommend that you use darker nail polish, with the Essence Nail Art Pastel Ombré Top Coat, to get more of a dramatic effect.

What do you think of this look?

RRP: Essence I love Trends The Pastels Collection Pure Soul R34.95, Essence Nail Art Pastel Ombré Top Coat R38.95.

Beauty, Beauty Products, Nail Polish

Wedding Manicure Ideas { Mani-Monday}

Wedding Manicure Ideas

When I got married {all those years ago}, the only real option for a Wedding Manicure was a classic French Manicure. With the introduction of nail art, a Wedding Manicure has become far more exciting.

A classic french manicure is still gorgeous but I love that there are now other fabulous Wedding Manicure alternatives!

I decided to create a Wedding Manicure look, using Worth The Wait from the Essie Bridal Collection, available in September 2015 and Tuck In My Tux, from the Winter Collection, available July 2015.

Worth The Wait is a light coral kissed pink. To achieve this look you can use any similar light pink shade, such as Adore-a-ball or Sugar Daddy. Apply two coats of this shade as a base. Once this has dried, apply Tuck In My Tux or a white polish such as Essie Marshmallow, with a dotting tool near the end of your nail. Once the dots have dried, apply a top coat – Essie Good to Go is my favourite and you are “good to go”!

I will be creating a few more Wedding Manicure looks over the next few weeks, so keep a look out for those.

What do you think of this look? What type of Wedding Manicure did you have or are you thinking of having? Please leave a comment below.

Essie Nail Polish is available at selected Dis-Chem, Clicks and Foschini Stores, as well as selected Beauty Salons. RRP 125.

Follow Essie on Facebook to keep up to date with new collections and product launches.

Disclosure Ranking:2

Beauty, Beauty Products, Nail Polish

Essie Fall in Line { Mani-Monday }

Today’s Mani-Monday features Essie Fall in Line, from the Essie Fall Collection. I have also featured Partner in Crime and Dress to Kilt , which are from the same collection.

Essie Fall in Line

First Impressions ~

Essie Fall in Line is a creamy jade green shade – almost a military green. It is not a colour I would usually wear, as I prefer brighter greens like Trophy Wife. I like trying different colours so I thought I would give it a bash!

Application ~

I find most of the Essie creme polishes are thicker in consistency, which can be a bit more difficult to apply. Essie Fall in Line is thick but I still found it easy to apply. I used two coats of polish and the Essie top coat Good to Go but you could easily get away with one coat.

My Verdict ~

Although initially skeptical I really like the colour. It has a deeper finish than I expected and a lovely glossy shine, even without the top coat. Essie Fall in Line definitely gets a thumbs up from me. It ticks all the boxes – applies well, lovely glossy finish and a great colour. You are likely to see it on my nails often during Autumn and Winter.

Feedback ~

What are your thoughts about this colour – yay or nay? Please leave a comment below with your feedback. Thanks 🙂

The Essie Fall Collection is available at selected Dis-Chem, Clicks and Foschini Stores, as well as selected Beauty Salons. RRP 125.

Follow Essie on Facebook to keep up to date with new collections and product launches.