Like cat and mouse...

As much as ye ol welcome posts are needed to introduce a new blog, they're never the most thrilling snippets to read are they? However, I couldn't just thrust my hand in your face without introducing myself could I? "Ain't nobody got time for that!" But now we are properly acquainted it's time to show you my bloody awesome nails... If I do say so my modest self.

 My friends have been asking me how the hell I managed to do these, and as professional as a finger painter I am, you'd need super human steadiness and eyesight to manage this kind of accuracy. This is why nail stickers/decals are an absolute lifesaver. They're so much quicker than painting designs on your finger nails and they look great and last longer too. I've stocked up for the next year - my nails will never be boring again! I got these nineties throwback Tom and Jerry cartoon designs from a seller on eBay. I can't find the original link but these are pretty similar.

I started off painting a layer of Sally Hansen's Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat on my nail after buffing and filing. I've used Sally Hansen's for years after borrowing one of my Mum's bottles and have got through all of the different top coat variations but this is by far my favourite for shine and getting you through the winter months chip free. I've tried other brands but nothing else compares. I then painted a couple of gold layers with a mini Model's Own polish I received free with my naill art pen to give a comic book-esque feel and after that had dried it was time to get to work with the nail decals. I firstly decided which design would fit each nail best and cut them all out separately. After this I dabbed the back of the paper with a wet flannel to ease the design off and carefully lifted it from the paper onto my nail with tweezers. I made sure to press the design firmly down to avoid any creases and covered straight away with another layer of my Sally Hansen.

5 minutes later and you're completely done with a design that should last at least a week and gain you a flurry of nostalgic comments. Trust me when I say you don't realise how old you are until you re-watch the Tom and Jerry theme tune on YouTube and realise how vintage it now looks... Which is what I'm now off to do whilst wearing dungarees and pigtails and listening to The Spice Girls on repeat...

If you try out this design or have any handy tips on nail art or decals please leave comments below. I would love to hear some of your crazy ideas!