Tuesday 10 November 2015

Pink Zebra Nail Art for NET Cancer Awareness Day

Hey y'all!

Long time, no faff, eh?  As I stated in my last post back in June, things have been pretty busy for me trying to start up my own nail technician business.  I can report that things are moving along, perhaps a little slower than I'd like, but forward motion is progress nonetheless.  I've been throwing my energies into advertisement and getting my name out there, as well as training on new techniques and treatments to add to my services list.  But, enough about me, because I haven't come out of my cave just to give you an update on what's going on inside it.  Today, I wanted to share with you a nail art look I created in response to a call for action from one of my blogger buddies and all-around neat chick, Emma from Em's Little Corner.  You see, last December, Emma's husband was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, of which she'd never heard, called Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET).  Because the symptoms of NET are similar to other conditions (and can therefore be misdiagnosed easily), the International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance has chosen the zebra ribbon to represent the cause - because when you hear hooves, you assume horses, but what if a zebra comes along?  The INCA wants to spread awareness among medical professionals and the general public to think zebra when it comes to screening illnesses.

To that end, a few of us nail blogger types are participating in a pink zebra mani linkup to help spread awareness of this overlooked condition today, which is NET Cancer Awareness Day.

Pink zebra nail art in support of NET Cancer Awareness Day.

Monday 15 June 2015

Life update and exciting news!

Hey y'all!

Today's post is just a little update for you, to let you know what's been going on around the Faffdom.  After some pretty intense encouragement from my instructor, I started testing the waters for any nail tech positions going here in my little town.  As it turns out, a spa owner was looking to bring in a nail tech, and thus began a bit of a whirlwind process.

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Gothic Black and Fuchsia Nail Art - WIDW

Hey y'all!

So uhm... it's been a while.  My bad.  I had a rough month, and to be honest, I'm not sure I still have the blogging spark that I used to have.  I'm hoping that some time off will ease that and help me get back in the groove, but at this point I'm not going to make any promises to you or to myself.  Mostly this month has been consumed with me practicing my acrylic sculpting, going to the BeautyUK show in Birmingham to pick up some goodies for said acrylic practice, earning my certificates for hard gels, gel polish, and a few other nail procedures, and trying to clear out some old stuff from the house to make a little money and make space.  I'm also considering going into practice as a mobile nail tech, unless I can find a suitable position in a nearby salon first, so I am seeing my available free time starting to shrivel up and frankly that's what kept me blogging for the past 2 years (having a lot of time on my hands).  In any event... I have a few posts to finish off this month and the first of those is this WIDW look with Sinful Shine's Royal Flush - a gothic black and fuchsia look with studs.

Gothic black and fuchsia nail art.

Saturday 25 April 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Sinful Shine Royal Flush

Hey y'all!

Today I have a quickie swatch post for you, showing off one of the polishes I picked up at half price (making it only $1) while we were on holiday in the States.  This is Sinful Shine Royal Flush.

Swatch and review of Sinful Shine Royal Flush.

Friday 24 April 2015

Doctor Crafty's Green and Orange Abstract - NCC Recreations

Hey y'all!

It's finally Friday!  This makes for exciting news for most of the us, and today I'm excited to be able to bring you my final recreation for this month's Nail Challenge Collaborative theme, celebrating 3 years of nail art goodness.  Today I've decided to recreate Doctor Crafty's Green and Orange Abstract Geometric nail art, which I thought was a really unique and colorful, fun look.

Freehand recreation of Doctor Crafty's Green and Orange Abstract geometric nail art.

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Copper Chic - WIDW

Hey y'all!

I've had very little inspo for nail art lately - mostly because I've been having some pretty bad sinus crud and that's always fun to experience, talk about, and read about, so really we're all winners here!  That said, my GP started me on a new antihistamine and a nasal steroid, so here's to hoping that my nose muscles get all ripped and hawt and appear on a nose fitness magazine cover soon... I think I lost the plot for a moment.  Ah, yes.  It's Wednesday, and that means it's time to find out What I Did (with it) - and by "it", I mean Saturday's swatch of Essie Sable Collar.  Utilizing another Essie fan favorite, my favorite new stamping plate, and a couple of studs, I created this chic copper look.

A chic copper nail art over Essie Sable Collar.

Monday 20 April 2015

Yichen UV Soak-Off Gel Polish Set

Hey y'all!

In the effort to expand my nail horizons, as it were, I've been experimenting with gel polish recently.  To that end, I found a set of UV soak-off gel polishes on eBay recently, and thought I'd give you a little swatch and review of my experience with them.  This polish set contained four solid color gel polishes plus a base primer and a top gel, and I paid about £20 for the set.  I was initially a bit concerned that the listing didn't say what brand the product was, so it was only upon receipt that I discovered the brand is Yichen, which I've seen in listings for acrylics monomers and polymers in the past.

Swatch and review of Yichen UV Soak-Off Gel Polish Set.

Saturday 18 April 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Essie Sable Collar

Hey y'all!

Today's polish swatch isn't current.  It isn't even seasonal.  It's just beautiful and it was one I thought I'd missed out on but was so pleased to find in a discount bin last month, so I eagerly snapped it up.  May I present the oh-so-lovely Essie Sable Collar.

Swatch and review of Essie Sable Collar.

Friday 17 April 2015

A Girl and Her Polish's Soft Neon Gradient - NCC Recreations

Hey y'all!

It's finally Friday, and that of course brings the next round of Nail Challenge Collaborative posts!  This month we're celebrating 3 years of NCC nail art by recreating past NCC looks.  For my third, I've elected to recreate A Girl and Her Polish's Soft Neon Gradient, a gorgeous look on which I think I missed the mark.

A recreation of A Girl And Her Polish's Soft Neon Gradient nail art.

Wednesday 15 April 2015

Sparkly Purple Negative Space Zebra Nail Art - WIDW

Hey y'all!

Welcome back to What I Did (with it) Wednesday!  We're officially mid-way through April now, and time doesn't seem to be slowing down for ANY reason!  On Saturday I showed you my swatch of Red Carpet Manicure's Diamond gel polish, a holographic glitter top coat that I applied over bare nails.  Today I'm back to show you the nail art that I've created over it, using two additional new (to me) products, because I couldn't wait to play with them!

Purple zebra print negative space stamping nail art over holographic glitter base.

Monday 13 April 2015

Ron from Chamber of Secrets - Magical Monday

Hey y'all!

Here we are again on the second Monday of the month, and that mean it's Magical Monday!  This month Cat and I are tackling our favorite characters from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  Since last month, Cat's "Flying Impala" nail art turned into more of a "Ron Weasley" look, and Ron was scheduled to be our next major character, I decided to go ahead and play catch up with her to do my own Ron look, focusing on his journey in the second story.

Ginger hair nail art base with freehand heart, broken wand, and spiders to represent Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Saturday 11 April 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Red Carpet Diamond

Hey y'all!

I told you yesterday that I would have a different kind of Swatch It today, and that's because this is my first-ever swatch of a gel polish on the blog!  Since getting my basic nail qualifications last autumn, I've been experimenting a lot with different enhancement and polishing systems, and I'm finally at a point where I'm ready to start showing and telling a bit more about my experiences on the blog, and hopefully soon on my YouTube channel.  After dipping my toes in the gel polish pool with doing acrygel overlays, I've been slowly collecting a few colors here and there, and this beauty was one of my special treats to myself from our trip to Texas last month - a Red Carpet Manicure Power of the Gem collection from my birth month - Diamond.

Swatch and review of Red Carpet Manicure Diamond gel polish glitter top coat.

Friday 10 April 2015

Geeky Owl's New Year Confetti - NCC Recreations

Hey y'all!

Happy Friday!  It has been a bit of a hectic week around here, so I've not had a whole lot to say, but I'm really excited that today I get to show you another recreation to celebrate the third anniversary of the Nail Challenge Collaborative.  I feel like although I've only just joined the NCC myself, I've been a fan of so many of these ladies for a long time, and that certainly includes the artist I'm recreating today.  Here is my version of Geeky Owl's New Year Confetti nail art.

Recreation of Geeky Owl's New Year's Confetti nail art.

Wednesday 8 April 2015

Purple and Gold Vortex Nail Art - WIDW

Hey y'all!

It's hump day again, and that of course means it's time for What I Did (with it) Wednesday!  This week I created nail art from a swatch of Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Witches Get Stitches.  I decided the plummy purple needed a bit of gold and some stamping, so I turned to my semi-recently-acquired chrome finish polishes for help to create this look.

Gold and purple plum nail art stamped vortex.

Monday 6 April 2015

Neon Leopard birthday nail art

Hey y'all!

As you may have read, Saturday was my birthday, and of course I had to give myself a pretty manicure to celebrate, right?  After a lot of hemming and hawing, I finally decided on this bright, sparkly, and fun neon leopard print with black diamond crystals and silver glitter accent.

Birthday nail art of neon leopard print and black diamond swarovski crystal accents.

Saturday 4 April 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Octopus Party Witches Get Stitches

Hey y'all!

First off... happy birthday to me!  I am turning 39 for the very first time this year (because I will not be going through the door marked "40"), so that's pretty momentous.   I'll be giving you a recap of the birthday festivities on Monday, but today is all about the swatching.  Last fall, I bought several of Octopus Party Nail Lacquer's Halloween line, and I've already swatched all the full-size bottles I bought, but I also grabbed some minis because I wasn't sure if I would love them or not.  Unfortunately they've been sitting in my untrieds for 6 months now, so I figured it was time to show a little love.  The first one I have to show you is Witches Get Stitches.

Swatch and review of Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Witches Get Stitches.

Friday 3 April 2015

FingerFood's Daisies - NCC Recreations

Hey y'all!

Happy Friday!  Today we kick off my second month in the Nail Challenge Collaborative, which happens to be celebrating its third anniversary this month!  In honor of 3 years of talented nail artists doing monthly themes, we've decided to use this month's theme to recreate some of our favorite NCC looks from days gone by.  Today I'm recreating a really sweet look done by a former NCC member and an all-around really cool chick, so here's my version of FingerFood's Sugar-Coated Daisies.

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Teal and Plum Dot Flowers - WIDW

Hey y'all!

Happy April to you!  The first three months of 2015 have absolutely steamrolled me, and I can hardly believe it's already springtime, and more importantly, birthday time for me. :)  Today's What I Did Wednesday plays on that spring theme, and I've used Monday's swatch of Plush to create some drop-dot flowers in this colorful and playful look.

What I Did Wednesday plum drop dot flowers nail art over teal textured swatch with yellow rhinestone accents.

Monday 30 March 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Sally Hansen Velvet Texture Plush

Hey y'all!

Since I overrode Saturday's normal Swatch It with my haul, I figured a mani Monday was in order to actually do a swatch post for ya.  As you'll have seen in the Texas Polish Haul, I picked up a couple more of the Sally Hansen Velvet Texture polishes from the States which weren't released in the UK.  The first of these I would like to show you is Plush.

Swatch and review of Sally Hansen Velvet Texture Plush.

Saturday 28 March 2015

Texas Polish Haul

Oh.  Hi y'all!

I apologize for the delay in today's post.  Apparently the last few days have fallen into a black hole where the only things that exist are hot water bottles, Midol, and Downton Abbey on the DVR.  Don't judge me.  However, I promised you a haul post from my Texas trip, so I dragged my lazy fat butt up the stairs and set to work taking pics of all the pretty things that I'd already managed to put away but it's okay because it's for you and you're like family.  F'realsies.

Friday 27 March 2015

Beachy Gradient Colorblocking Nail Art - NCC Inspired By Fashion

Hey y'all!

Friday's finally here, and it's the last Friday of the month, so that's insane.  Thankfully it's also my chance to present my final look for this month's NCC theme: Inspired by Fashion, where I got to play with a neutral palette and a beachy-themed gradient with some colorblocking.

Neutral blue and white gradient colorblocking nail art inspired by fashion.

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Loose Glitter Gradient - What I Did Wednesday

Hey y'all!

I had a really hard time deciding what kind of nail art I should do with my swatch of Nail Pattern Boldness Allons-Y because it is just so beautiful, I didn't want to cover it up or take away from that sparkly goodness!  Ultimately while looking through my supplies I decided the only thing to do over glitter was add MOAR GLITTAH!

Loose glitter gradient nail art outlined with rhinestones and polish.

Monday 23 March 2015

Texas Recap!

Hey y'all!

A few of you will already know this, but Mr. Faff and I spent the last couple of weeks back in Austin, visiting my family and friends.  We returned Saturday morning, retrieved Isis, and spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and catching up on sleep, and of course, I put a little time aside to write up this post for you!

Texas Trip Recap

Saturday 21 March 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Nail Pattern Boldness Allons-Y

Hey y'all!

Funny story... I am obviously not as organized as I should be.  I was rifling through my box of untried indie polishes to find a pretty one to showcase today, and I selected a polish, swatched it, photographed it, and put it away as I usually do.  It wasn't until I actually started editing the photos that I realized, I've already swatched this polish!  OOPS!  However, I think my swatches of Nail Pattern Boldness Allons-Y today look a bit different than they did back in May, so I'm gonna run with it.  Also, I have a macro shot this time, so... there's that. 

Swatch and review of Nail Pattern Boldness Allons-Y.

Friday 20 March 2015

Funky White Negative Space Nail Art - NCC Inspired By Fashion

Hey y'all!

Friday is here again, and that means it's time to delve back into some nail art as inspired by fashion for the Nail Challenge Collaborative.  This week I'm presenting some more funky, abstract nails with a hint of negative space, pulled once again from a look in the pages of a fashion magazine.

Funky white negative space nail art look inspired by fashion for the Nail Challenge Collaborative.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Aquatic Houndstooth - WIDW

Hey y'all!

Hope you're all recovering from green beer-fueled benders last night, because of course that means the luck o' the Irish is with you!  Today's What I Did Wednesday features the swatch of OPI Get Your Number that I swatched on Saturday, with some stamped gradient nail art on top.

Gradient stamped houndstooth print over blue textured glitter base nail art.

Monday 16 March 2015

Guest post from Catriona at BGPolish

Hey y'all!

Happy Mani Monday!  Today I'm turning over the reins to one of my best blogger buddies, Cat.  I've talked about Cat before - she's certainly no stranger to this blog, but she's definitely been a godsend to me during the days here when I was grateful to have someone to talk to because all my American girls were either asleep or at work.  She's also a talented young nail blogger in her own rights, so I'm super pleased to have her guest posting here today.

Take it away, Cat!

Saturday 14 March 2015

Hey, Swatch It! OPI Get Your Number

Hey y'all!

Happy Saturday!  Today I've got a beautiful OPI textured polish for you that behaves quite unlike any of the other Liquid Sands in my collection.  Get Your Number is a deep blue jelly filled with all sorts of little glitter goodies to fill out the texture. 

Swatch and review of OPI Get Your Number.

Friday 13 March 2015

Green and Gold Plunging V Nail Art - NCC Inspired By Fashion

Hey y'all!

It occurred to me a few days ago that I had managed to schedule the entire month of March with posts but neglected to do any St. Patrick's Day looks, a grievous error which I hastened to rectify.  Today of course is NCC Friday, and I decided that I could do a really great green and gold look utilizing a current fashion trend.

St. Patrick's Day nail art of green and gold plunging V designs, inspired by fashion for the Nail Challenge Collaborative.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Firey Striping - WIDW

Hey y'all!

I'm back with another What I Did (With It) Wednesday!  Today I'll show you the nail art I created with my swatch of Finger Paints Surreal Sunset - this black and matte striped design that is full of fire!

Striped matte and glossy nail art with firey duochrome shimmer base.

Monday 9 March 2015

Magical Mondays - Hermione!

Hey y'all!

It's that time of the month again!  No, not THAT time, the time when I team up with bloggy buddy Cat from BGPolish to honor Harry Potter in nail art!  This month we've chosen to give some love to the brightest witch of her age, Miss Hermione Granger.

Nail art tribute to Hermione Granger, brains, books, vinewood and dragon heartstring wand, otter Patronus, and time turner.

Saturday 7 March 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Finger Paints Surreal Sunset

Hey y'all!

Happy Saturday!  Today's Swatch It features a brand that I fall more in love with every time I try on a new polish from them.  This is Finger Paints Surreal Sunset, a fabulous color-shifting shimmer from last year that reminds me of a Texas sunset, for sure!

Swatch and review of Finger Paints Surreal Sunset.

Friday 6 March 2015

Black and Gold Negative Space - NCC Inspired By Fashion

Hey y'all!

Well I promised you an announcement today, so here it is.  As of this month, I am now a member of the Nail Challenge Collaborative, a group a incredibly talented nail artist bloggers who do 4 monthly nail art looks based on a chosen theme.  This means that from now on, Fridays will become NCC nail art looks, except in the case of months with more than 4 Fridays which will have other things (possibly Foodie Fridays?) posted as well.  I'm incredibly honored and excited to be joining this group, and I will of course have inlinkz to all the other ladies' looks down at the bottom of any NCC post.

This month, we're tackling Fashion as our theme, so here's my first look this month which was Inspired by Fashion.

Black and gold 3D negative space nail art inspired by fashion for the Nail Challenge Collaborative.

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Purple Chrome and Black Nail Art: What I Did Wednesday

Hey y'all!

Good morning, fabulous faffers!  Today I'd like to start a new segment here at Fixin To Faff, wherein I show you the nail art I create with a swatch AFTER I've shared it on Hey, Swatch It Saturdays.  Today's inagural "What I Did (With It)" Wednesday will showcase how I transformed my last swatch from the Models Own Colour Chromes, Chrome Mauve.  With it, I created this purple chrome and black nail art look.

Nail art featuring stamping, glitter, texture, and rhinestones over chrome polish in purple and black tones.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Texpat Cooking Files: Breakfast Tacos!

Hey y'all!

As luck would have it, I'm guest posting today over at MyDreamality!  Want to know how I keep my breakfast Texan even while I'm 5,000 miles from home?  Check out my recipe for breakfast tacos and the video tutorial I made!


Hope you're all having a great start to the week and the month.  I'll see ya tomorrow!


Monday 2 March 2015

Guest Post by Yaya of MyDreamality.com

Hey y'all!

Today I have the privilege of introducing you to the only other British Tex-pat I know.  I came across My Dreamality (actually, at the time she was the Expat Frugalista, but rebrands happen as we grow and change) by odd but fortuitous coincidence in the world of beauty bloggers, and quickly fell in love with her adventurous spirit and love of beautiful things.  It's now my pleasure to introduce you to my beautiful blogger friend, Yaya.


Saturday 28 February 2015

Hey, Swatch It! Models Own Colour Chrome Collex, pt 2

Hey y'all!

Happy Saturday!  Today I'm back with the second half of my swatch-a-thon with the Models Own Colour Chrome collection, this time showcasing the green, blue, and purple end of the color spectrum.  To see the first half, check yesterday's post where I showed the silver, pinks, and golds.

Friday 27 February 2015

#dressgate #thedress - What color are my nails?

Hey y'all!

When I woke up this morning, almost the very first thing I saw in my social media feed was referencing some huge debacle that the internet had while I was sleeping, about the color of #thedress and the two camps who saw it differently.  Over the course of the day, the rest of the UK picked up the debate and I decided I couldn't let it go without commemorating #dressgate with some nailart.

Nail art based on the dressgate thedress what color is this dress debate that rocked the internet.

Hey, Swatch It! Models Own Colour Chrome Collex, pt 1

Hey y'all!

As promised, I'm back today with part one of the 10-shade Models Own Colour Chrome collection.  I picked these babies up in the 50% off sale during the launch of the collection, and have decided to break this review into two posts because dear-dot-can-you-imagine a 10-piece review from me?

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Please stand by...

Hey y'all!

We're having technical difficulties.  Okay, more like time difficulties.  On the bright side, I'm getting the entire Models Own Colour Chrome collection swatched for you, and will have it posted in two parts Friday and Saturday, so in the meantime...










Monday 23 February 2015

Multichrome Black Lace nail art

Hey y'all!

On Saturday's swatch I showed you a beautiful multichrome shifting polish.  While multichromes are certainly beautiful on their own, after a couple of days, even they can begin to feel a bit "blah."  Today I'd like to show you how a little bit of creative stamping can up your mani game and extend the life of a mani for at least a couple more days.

Lace stamped nail art over multi chrome color shifting polish.

Saturday 21 February 2015

Hey, Swatch It! ILNP Peace (H)

Hey y'all!

Happy Saturday!  For today's Swatch It, I have another gorgeous Ultrachrome polish from ILNP, made extra special by the addition of a bit of holo sparkle!  This is the holographic version of Peace.

Swatch and review of the holographic holo version of ILNP Peace.

Friday 20 February 2015

Following PINstuctions: Bacon Pancakes!

Hey y'all!

It's been a while since I did my last Pinterest challenge, where I follow the PINstructions to see if I can replicate the results as claimed.  This past Tuesday was celebrated as Pancake Day here in the UK, and I had the idea to test a pin that I've been drooling over for a long time: bacon pancakes.

Following PINstuctions series to make bacon pancakes for Pancake Day.

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Marbling with Permanent Marker (Sharpie) Nail Art

Hey y'all!

Happy Ash Wednesday?  Since today's holiday didn't really inspire me to do any nail art, I thought I'd look forward to tomorrow, which is the start of the Chinese New Year.  This is the year of the sheep or goat, and that didn't really inspire me much either, but I wanted to try a new technique that has been making the rounds of the nail artist community recently, which is the hot new trend of using alcohol-soluble inks for nail art.  You can purchase the inks in bottles at craft stores, or more economically you can look in your office supplies and find permanent felt-tip markers, most commonly known under the brand name of Sharpie.  What I ended up with didn't really look very Chinese New Year, but it still looks pretty cool.

Permanent marker Sharpie marble nail art design.

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Guest Post for Roz's Nail-Scapades

Hey y'all!

I'm guest posting over at Roz's Nail-Scapades!  Head on over there to check out the full color version of this look!



Monday 16 February 2015

Chrome stamping over glitter bling nail art

Hey y'all!

Once again, another holiday has completely snuck up on me, and for no good reason other than I've just been in my own little world, but that's okay.  Last year I was quite surprised to discover that Mardi Gras isn't a "thing" as we 'murkins know it in the UK, but they call it "Pancake Day" and the premise is pretty much the same.  I got my ingredients together over the weekend, and tomorrow I'll be griddling up some fluffy pancakes for dinner, because yum!  While today's nail art isn't exactly traditional for Mardi Gras, I think the festive flair and spectacular blingyness make it totally appropriate for living it up on Fat Tuesday tomorrow.

Festive colored chrome stamping over glitter base.

Saturday 14 February 2015

Hey, Swatch It! OPI DS Reflection

Hey y'all!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Wow, it feels like it's been forever since I've done a Swatch It Saturday for you!  I'm happily back today with a gorgeous holo from the OPI Designer Series, Reflection, and I think it's a perfect color for today's Hallmark holiday.  Check it out.

Swatch of OPI DS Reflection.

Friday 13 February 2015

Obligatory Pink Hearts Valentine's Day Stamped Nail Art

Hey y'all!

I'm not sure how Valentine's Day manages to sneak up on me every year.  I imagine it has a lot to do with not being a big celebrator of V-Day, and also a deeply ingrained dislike of all things pink and "girly" but I felt a bit obligated to at least give y'all one cutesy VD look that's super fast and easy (so you still have time to replicate it for tomorrow).

A textured pink and coral stamped Valentine's Day nail art of full-nail heart images.

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Striped Coral Accent Nail Art

Hey y'all!

Models Own recently had a 50% off sale to coincide with the launch of their new Colour Chrome collection, which I purchased (swatches coming soon!) along with a few other bits and bobs while I was at it.  Among those bits were two of the Diamond Luxe collection shades, Carat Coral and Oval Plum.  Since I'd been longing for a bit of warmer weather (and maybe an impending trip back to Texas), I decided to brighten up my nails with the coral shade, and then added a bit of nail art as an accent.

Models Own Diamond Luxe Carat Coral swatch with striping tape and rhinestone nail art accent.

Monday 9 February 2015

Magical Mondays - Ford Anglia meets Whomping Willow

Hey y'all!

Ahhh... it's nice to feel myself returning to a "normal" posting schedule.  I'm going to be reverting back to the M-W-F nail art schedule, with Swatch It on Saturdays - a schedule I haven't been on since November, before the 31DC and the 12DOC challenges that consumed the past two months!  Also, my goal is to get a tutorial up on YouTube every 2 weeks for now, until I get faster with filming and editing videos (it takes forEVER!).  Today, though, the focus is all about my monthly collab with Cat of Belle Glamour, and our mutual love for all things Harry Potter.  This month we decided to pay tribute to one of our favorite scenes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - when Ron and Harry fly Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia right into the Whomping Willow in their effort to get to Hogwarts on time!

Ron and Harry fly Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia right into the Whomping Willow

Saturday 7 February 2015

Achievements: Unlocked!

Hey y'all!

I'm SO excited to announce that in the past two weeks, FixinToFaff has over 1,000 Facebook subscribers, and over 500 IG followers!  I felt it was cause for a celebration, and I've been holding onto some goodies for just such an event, so let's talk about GIVEAWAYS!

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Hand Care You'll Love: Sunny's Body Products

Hey y'all!

Being a nail blogger basically means people are going to be scrutinizing your fingers, and as such, we probably put more effort into making them look nice than the average person.  We all have stashes of potions and epoxys to keep our cuticles moisturized and our skin smooth and glowing, and every blogger has her (or his) own array of swear-by products but we're always on the look-out for that magical balm that will work, feel good, and smell great.  Because I knew I was going to be doing a number on my hands with that month-long challenge I just wrapped up, I decided ahead of time to invest in some new stuff to try to help my hands in shape during all those polish changes.  Thank goodness I found Sunny's Body Products!

Review of Sunny's Body Products sampler pack with cuticle oil, miracle balm, hand butter, and sugar scrub.

Saturday 31 January 2015

31DC-D31 - Your Signature Style

Hey y'all!

OHPRAISEDOT I can't believe I finished a 31-Day Challenge!  I am truly astonished that I managed to keep up with it, ON TIME no less, and managed to get every prompt done in time for a 10 AM posting the following morning, despite not getting that head-start I intended back in December.  Needless to say, the month of January has flown by and here we are on the final prompt, My Signature Style.  I was a bit confuddled by this one as I really don't consider myself to have developed a signature style as of yet, but there were aspects that I knew I would need to incorporate.  With a little inspiration from my kitchen apron, I was able to develop this look.

Signature style nail art black and white damask with black half moons and bright green detail, topped with a bow and a crystal.

Friday 30 January 2015

31DC-D30 - Something You've Never Tried Before

Hey y'all!

Ahh... the penultimate day of this month-long challenge, and it's a Friday to boot!  I'm glad to see this week come to a close, and frankly, the month as well.  Today's prompt challenged us to do "Something You've Never Tried Before" and I decided it was a perfect time to try leadlight stamping (as well as clear some jellies out of my untried box).

Leadlight stamped paisley pattern nail art.

Thursday 29 January 2015

31DC-D29 - Blue Base

Hey y'all!

Well, I finally saw the dentist yesterday, and prognosis: root canal.  Fun!  All I can say is that I'm happy that I'm not in the overwhelming pain that I've suffered the past 5 days waiting for that appointment!  Now we can return to regular broadcasting... whatever that means around here.  Today's prompt for the 31DC is Blue Base, so I decided to play around with another abstract technique to create this look.

Blue base marbled smoky nail art, evolving from glossy to matte to stamped with dinosaurs.