Nails for breakfast, tacks for snacks

With the end of exams comes more free time than I know what to do with, so in eager anticipation  of my upcoming holidays I've began to fill my hours by playing around with nail art. It's early days and I'm just using what I've got around the house rather than spending non-existent money on overpriced nail art pens, but here's what I've got so far...

In light of the Jubilee, these felt appropriate. Although fairly simple, these require a lot of patience and a steady hand, neither of which I have. All you'll need is: dark blue nail polish (I used Navy by Barry M), red (Raspberry by Barry M, although a brighter red would've been better), white (French White in a simple manicure pack) and a base coat. Now here's where you need to get resourceful and have a hunt around your old make up bags. I found an old liquid eyeliner, gave the brush a rinse, and simply painted the flag on as though it were a paintbrush, starting with the four red lines, and then the white once it had dried. I didn't want it to be too overcrowded, hence only two nails being painted, and although it's a bit messy (particularly on my right hand), I LOVE the boldness of nail art. And I'm sure Lizzy would too.

Next up comes galaxy nails, which I've loved for a while but have always assumed they'd be near impossible to do alone, but they were actually suprisingly easy. Once again, you'll need a base coat, dark blue, white, plus a green (mine's by KiKo), a pink/purple (I tried Barry M's Strawberry Ice Cream but it didn't come out very well, so I tried the Berry Ice Cream and it showed a lot better), and finally a glitter top coat (Barry M, Silver Glitter). In addition, to create the effect, you'll need something to dab on the colour (most websites say a cut up make up sponge, but I didn't have one so just used a folded up cotton pad and it worked for me), and a toothpick/bobby pin to apply the 'stars'. Start with the base coat and navy, and allow to dry, then brush a thin layer of white polish onto the pad and dab away. Don't worry if they're a bit messy or don't watch. Then just repeat this with the green and purple, letting it dry (shouldn't take long as it's a thin layer) in between every coat. Then stretch out your bobby pin and dip it in the white, making sure it's not in a thick blog, and scatter little dots around the remaining blue to create the stars. To finish off, add a coat of silver glitter, and if you're feeling adventurous, dry sprinkling on a bit of dazzle dust to add a shimmer. Seal with a top coat, and there you have it.