Nail Art with Andrea Fulerton Stripe & Sparkle in Patti

This is the look I've created with Andrea Fulerton's Stripe & Sparkle in Patti that I posted about previously here (please excuse the red around the cuticles - the previous polish I had on stained a bit). With me not being particularly ambidextrous, I've done a simpleish wavy line design which I could replicate as well on my right hand. That's the thing I tend to forget when attempting nail art - I can do something good on my left hand but it can look a bit pants on my right hand.

I have used OPI's You Don't Know Jacques as a base colour which in real life looks a bit darker then the pic so the contrast between the YDKJ and the black is not as strong.
This is quite a fun product to use as I quite like sprinkling the glitter over the polish as it's a cute pepper-style sprinkler.

Close-up

The holographic glitter reflects red, green & blue in the light

Overall this is a great product and I am very tempted to buy more colours but I am on a bit of a nail polish low/no-buy at the moment. I think I may break it with this range;)

Anti-Crease Combo for Oily Eyelids

I have very oily eyelids and find it hard to make my eyeshadow last all day. Usually by lunchtime it has creased or faded - this doesn't bother me so much when I've used a single colour on my eye, I just use my finger and blend again but when I've made an effort with different colours and blending, it can be a bit frustrating when the look doesn't last the whole day.

In the past I have used Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion but even though it works ok (sometimes even UDPP is no match for my eyelids), it's not something I find pleasant to use as it makes my eyelids feel dry and I can't blend eyeshadow as well. Personally I don't like how eyeshadow can sometimes look over this - slightly drier as well.

Through a bit of trial and error, I've found some products that work well for me which are:

E.L.F Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

Bloom Eye Paint in Chocolate

E.L.F Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
A standard lipgloss style package with a sponge tip applicator - so nothing fancy here but I like the basic style with the matt plastic lid. The texture of E.L.F Mineral Eyeshadow Primer feels smooth, blends well (I just use my finger) and even though dries to a matt finish, it doesn't make my eyelids feel dry.

Applicator:

The colour is a pale flesh sort of colour with a slight peach tone. My face has quite strong yellow-tones, but my eye area is darker then my face, and I find that peach/apricot tones are much better suited to my eye area as they don't look ashy like yellow tones do.
I guess this doesn't matter too much as eyeshadow is going on top, but it's something that I prefer over UDPP.

Bloom Eye Paint in Chocolate

On the face of it, it seems to be a dupe for a MAC Paint, but comparing it to MAC, the packaging is the only similar thing about it.
This is a lovely creamy texture that allows enough time to blend well and dries to a matt finish that doesn't look dry or chalky. Chocolate is a mid-brown/beige with a slight golden tone that stops it from looking completely flat. This colour is very close to the natural colour of my lids so I like using this to even out the lids and give a subtle hint of beige/golden tone.


Both products are long-lasting, and if your eye area wasn't particularly oily I think it would be fine to use one or the other but I like using the E.L.F primer first, then putting the Bloom eye paint on top, then using whatever eyeshadow over that.

Top - Bloom Eye Paint Chocolate, Bottom E.L.F Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

It does seem like a bit of a faff using two base products rather then one, but as the products are quite quick and pleasant to use, and make my eyeshadow last all day I don't care.



The E.L.F. primer is a bargain at £3.50, and the Bloom Eye Paint I bought from Superdrug for £5 (I bought this on offer as the full price I think is £10).

A Little Nail Art: Models Own Grace Green & Andrea Fulerton Nail Tattoo

Models Own Grace Green - I really like this green, it's just murky enough without going too grey and the formula on this one is better then some of my other Models Own polishes as it flows well making application much easier.

I missed out Chanel's Khaki Vert but after seeing it on counter I prefer the Model's Own and even though they are not the same this makes a nice alternative. When I popped into Topshop later I saw they have a khaki green colour called Utilitarian which also looks like a lovely shade as well (which I am very tempted by).

This is two coats with Andrea Fulerton nail tattoo applied on top then Gloss Up Overcoat applied as a topcoat to seal everything.

The nail tattoo is quite straightforward to apply - it is self adhesive and there is a little allowance in that you can peel it off if you misplace it a bit. I used a craft knife to lift the tattoo from the card as they are rather small designs.


Here is a close up:

Both pics are after 2 days wear so there is very slight tip wear and a tiny bit of the chain design has come off on one nail but overall I am pleased with how well this has lasted (2 days is good for my nails).

The Andrea Fulerton Gloss Up Overcoat is a nice consistency - not too thick and applies well.
But this is no Seche Vite as it doesn't dry fast and is not as glossy. I will try with some other polishes to see what the wear is like across other brand polish.