My Nail Space…

Come in, come in.. make yourself comfy… grab a cuppa & take a seat! I think we’re due a catch up, don’t you?

So finally I grab myself a hot minute to start work on an exciting feature, My Nail Space! If you’re anything like myself then I’m sure you’ll enjoy having a good nosey about any beauty or nail related interiors… and if you’re a nail tech in search of inspiration for your own little nail bubble then Waa Hoooo – you’ve come to the right place *excited air punch*  as we’ll be regularly showcasing a new nail room for you to feast your eyes on! So whether you’re in the beginning stages of setting up your own space or simply love taking inspiration from others; this is most definitely the series for you! And what better way to start than by having a snoop around my very own work area? So let’s get started….

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***THE AREA***

Okay… so it ain’t high-end, nor will it win any interior design awards, but I BLOOMING WELL LOVE IT! I’m blessed enough to have a good sized spare room with beautiful wooden floors (easy for sweeping up mountains of glitter and nail dust) – the seaside view is super pretty too. It’s bright, airy, cosy but yet has lots of great natural light from morning to afternoon and is relatively easy to keep clean. I love everything a blank canvas to add pops of colour into with ornamental trinkets. As I’ve only moved in (less than 3 months ago) I’m still in the process of hanging pictures and deciding what wall art I’d like – yep my to-do list never stops growing, one of these days I’ll FINALLY get it finished *dramatic eye roll*

One of my absolute favourite pictures is this button frame. I used to make button bouquets when I owned my bridal suites so I’ve always got lots of super cute buttons lying around. When I rediscovered an unused Ikea frame I had stashed away I decided to get creative and make myself some fun & funky wall art. It’s totally unique to me and a great feature that adds so much colour. It was cheap & easy to make too – you really don’t have to spend a lot to make your space totally personalised to your tastes!

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***THE DESK***

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a total Ikea addict – their prices are just too darn good! And if you can’t already tell, I adore white – it’s clean, bright & goes with pretty much all my additional decor pieces. This desk was an absolute bargain… it’s the Adils Linnmon desk and costs £35! Yep, £35! Not bad eh? I also purchased an Alex 5 drawer set (£50) that sits perfectly underneath it, giving me lots of drawer space for all my nail essentials!

Unfortunately my exact chair doesn’t seem to be available any longer however if you’re looking for a similar design I’d recommend the Janinge chair (£40) or perhaps the Adde chair (£10) if you’re looking for something on a slightly smaller budget. What a bargain!

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*** THE STORAGE***

Considering I already have a stock room for Nail Sugar I’m pretty blessed in terms of storage, however, my everyday nail essentials fit neatly into both the Alexa drawer set & a little chest of drawers I’ve had since I was a baby!

I’m ridiculously sentimental with stuff like that so I bought some furniture paint and gave it a total makeover. It’s kinda shabby chic looking, but again I love it. Not only is it useful, it has such a sentimental value to it – perfect for storing all my overflow/extras in such as lint-free wipes, photographic backing paper etc.

Whereas the Alex drawers stock everything I need to reach for when I’m in the process of doing nails such as tips, forms, primers, gel polishes, acrylic etc.

My next venture is to get a gorgeous display stand for all my jars of super sparkly Nail Sugar glitter – I’m thinking more a library of bling… sounds good, right? 😉

There you have it folks, a quick tour around My Nail Space. I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below so do say a quick howdy!

As always, thanks for stopping by 🙂

Cheerio Chums…

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Ps: Don’t forget *Click Here* to pop over & join the Nail Sugar facebook group for lots of nail chatter, glitter news, inspiration and exciting giveaways!

 

 

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Doing my Own Nails: Mint Green, Grey & Chrome…

If there’s one thing us nail techs quite often find a drag it’s doing our own nails… I guess it’s kind of like a gardener not being arsed enough to keep his own lawn manicured or a hair-dresser overlooking her mass of split ends. It takes multiple cups of tea and a firm talking to in order to get me at my nail desk for some TLC of my own… not to mention the task of doing the non-dominant hand too – arrrghh! Yet on the other hand (excuse the pun) I could sit and watch YouTube videos from my fav nail gurus for hours without a single grumble – if anything, there’s something slightly therapeutic about it.

So if you’ve got a few minutes to burn and fancy seeing how I tackle bringing my own pinkies to life then why not get yourself comfy & hit the play button… if you’re feeling super generous you might even want to subscribe to keep up with my latest uploads – which you can do by *Clicking Here*

Anyways, more from me when I’ve recovered from my dose of the winter lurgies…. yes, I’m huddled up drinking copious amount of Lucozade and munching my way through vitamins to lift the aches a little quicker with any luck.

Cheerio Chums…

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Ebay Nail Dust Extractor Fan… Does It Really Work?!

Any nail tech will most likely agree that nasty dust particles & gritty teeth (if you’re not wearing a mask) generally comes as part of the job description when prepping a fresh new set of extensions or whittling down an old set. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve emerged from my little nail nook with a chest area resembling an icing sugar explosion from the Great British Bake Off! Apart from my recurring ‘dusty boobs’, there’s also the nail desk, lamp, shelves, floor, books, my eyelashes – EVERYTHING gets a sprinkling of the white stuff when the hum of my nail drill starts up. Needless to say, it certainly keeps Tesco’s sales up on furniture polish & my beloved Henry vacuum cleaner in a job too.

“Surely to heavens breathing in that dust is horrific for your lungs” hubby pointed out a few weeks before Christmas. ” Yep” I sighed, blattering my bosom fiercely. So after dropping a few sledgehammer sized hints, I tore open a pressie on Christmas morning to reveal the dust extractor I’d dropped into conversation (MANY times) throughout December. Of course, having spotted it on Ebay, after wincing over the price tags of the much bigger & more powerful extractors, I thought to myself that anything is better than nothing and so I was delighted to receive my very own little ‘starter’ edition that would hopefully save me a few quid on cleaning paraphernalia and most importantly, save my lungs from the nasty dust particles.

So after it sat in a box for a few weeks, I finally found the chance to relay my first impressions… Is it really any good? Or has £30 been flushed down the drain? I guess you’ll have to make yourself comfy and press play to find out…

Ps: You can *Click Here* to subscribe to the Confetti & Curves YouTube channel so you never miss an upload!

As always, whatever your thoughts I’d love to read them in the comments below, so do stop by and say a quick howdy

Cheerio Chums…

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Acrylic Unicorn Nail

Bonjour, Hello, Howdy, G’day…

How the devil are you lovely lot? I do apologise for the slight absence, as luck would have it I’ve been having a blooming headache of a time with my trusty laptop which seems to have all the symptoms of old age setting in *sigh* You know… slow to start, easily confuddled, muddling information, not remembering passwords, cripplingly slow – hmmm, actually it sounds scarily like me and I’m only 34… anyways…. I’ve spent the last few days cleaning the darn thing out before undertaking the monumental task of video editing; which is something I can only describe as wandering through an unchartered circle of hell when your laptop is as slow as mine. Needless to say after sprouting a few more grey hairs, shaking my fists vigorously in the air and clearing the kitchen of all other human life I emerged victorious! A video was born!

So this week I decided to attempt my own version of a unicorn nail… ‘A what?’ I hear you say… yes, a unicorn nail. Well, the unicorn’s horn, though mine started off looking more like a teeny Mr Whippy cone before somehow evolving into (what I can only describe) as a glitzy seashell. The thing is, the gorgeous Kirsty Meakin from Naio Nails, was the inspiration behind my attempt as her recent upload made the whole darn thing look so blooming easy. However, when you’re as awkward at acrylic nail art as I am, it simply shows what an utter dog’s dinner can be made compared to the seasoned pros. Okay, so it’s not the worst thing I’ve clamped my lamps on lately, but let’s just say 2017 is most certainly the year for me to get my practice hand out a little more than I have been. Hmm, maybe this is the beginnings of a little mini series… a first attempt kinda thing?! Something the world can chortle at as I try wholeheartedly to broaden my skill-set. Who knows.

Anyhoo if you’re waiting on the number 10 bus, sitting patiently in your local takeaway with a rumbling tummy or simply figuring out how else you can procrastinate for the next few minutes then why not press play. If you’re feeling really generous you can even *click here* to subscribe so you never miss out on any future snigger-inducing videos 😉

As always, whatever your thoughts I’d love to read them in the comments below, so do stop by and say a quick howdy

Cheerio Chums…

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Christmas Nail Art: Santa Claws

The countdown is officially on… Only 5 more sleeps (as Em’s constantly reminds me) til the man in the big red suit & fluffy white beard makes an appearance at the Confetti & Curves HQ.

Surprisingly enough, this year’s taken me longer than anticipated to find my Christmas sparkle. Maybe it’s the queues of stressed out shoppers, my lack of patience when it comes to waiting for parcels or perhaps (and most likely) it’s down to the fact I haven’t had my Christmas tipple to officially declare the festivities open. Hopefully, all that will change this evening as schools are now off for the jolly hols which means it’s ‘okay’ to pour an extra large glass of something fruity and whilst flicking trough the channels to find a cheesy Christmas film.

However, to feed my obsession with all things sparkly, I took to giving my nails a bit of a seasonal makeover. Now although I’m not usually a fan of ‘themed’ nails, I’d be a bit of a nail grinch if I didn’t at least do a little something to get my fingers feeling a little more festive… it also gave me an opportunity to test out a few of my newly acquired goodies from my Secret Santa Swap Box – if you haven’t already seen it yet then *click here* to take a peek at what was inside!

 
The nails are actually a very short acrylic sculpt, as this year I’ll be hosting dins for all the family so I needed a length that won’t cause any mishaps with the turkey *rolls eyes* The gel polish colour I opted for is a vivid red by Saint Nails. Their range is fantastic for longevity when painting over acrylic, it’s also a great price point for nails techs looking to build their range of gel colours without breaking the bank!

For a fun, but simple Christmas inspired design I couldn’t wait to test drive my fancy schmancy Born Pretty BP01 plate. I just love the cute little snowflakes, that look really eye catching against the bright red gel!

For a fun feature nail I opted for a simple little Santa hat! The red and white go perfectly with the above snowflake design, not to mention the fact it’s fun and super easy to do! I opted for Saint Nails gel polish over my acrylic overlays, however, this would be easily achievable with standard polish – just be sure to allow the layers drying time before top coating to help avoid any smudging!

So there we have it gals, I’m all ready for Christmas with my festive themed nails… I’m pretty sure they’d get Mrs Claus seal of approval too!

Are you a fan of themed nails? Have you treated your tips to a seasonal makeover? Whatever your thoughts I’d love to read them in the comments below so do stop by and say a quick howdy 🙂

Cheerio Chums…

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USPICY 48W UV/LED Nail Lamp: Unboxing & Review…

 

Regardless of whether you’re a well-seasoned pro, start-up nail tech or simply obsessed with a glossy gel polish; there’ll be one thing that’s top of your equipment ‘must have’ list – a fabulous nail lamp. But what to choose when there’s so much choice out there? Does affordability mean cutting quality or does sticking with the salon established names mean you’re paying over the odds? Does it have to be LED or UV? Is there room for an entire hand, and what about toes too? Is it able to travel well if you’re out on the road a lot? So many questions, and that’s just the tip of the Iceberg! *sigh*

Digging a little deeper into what (most) nail techs want from a lamp, and it’s no surprise to find out that my needs are exactly that as a majority of nail artists out there – a reliable, spacious, easy to use lamp that can cope with a wide range of gel products without taking up half of my desk and draining my bank account! Doesn’t seem an overly ambitious ask, right? However, over the last 9 months alone I’ve blazed my way through 3 lamps – all of which have turned out have more cons than pro’s when it comes to assessing my needs.

But could my curing woes be a thing of the past?

Cue the USpicy nail lamp… a 48W, sassy little lamp that fits neatly on my desk, looks smart and seems to tick all my shopping list requirements. In fact, it even has a bonus item of coming complete with its own little USB light which is perfect for any mobile nail tech, or notoriously badly lit area!

So this week’s upload is taking a peek at this fabulous little lamp that could just be the answer to our curing prayers… an affordable lamp that actually does the job! Grab a cuppa, nestle down, press play & find out for yourself…

Ps:  You can *Click Here* to check it out on Amazon UK for yourself!

Cheerio Chums…

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See You Soon…

The time has come. Just one more sleep…

Only one more night of shut eye before we set sail for England (Birkenhead to be exact) and road trip ourselves down to South Wales. Our bags are packed, we’re ready to go. The final wedding of 2016 draws oh-so-near as my gorgeous step-daughter Hayley prepares for her trip down the aisle. I can’t believe the little girl I first met back in the summer of 2004 is now all grown up and getting ready to marry the groom of her dreams! It’s her fairytale day – and my does she deserve it!!

(Hayley on her bridal shower)

Hayley (and Jessica – my eldest step-daughter) lost their mum, Sian, to breast cancer just a few years before I met their dad; my hubby Steve. It’s almost impossible for me to fathom just how raw it must feel when you’re a little girl, losing one of the most important and cherished people in your life. But they have coped astoundingly well, in fact, they’re two of the bravest girls I know. They’re also two of the most accepting and beautifully natured in their own extra special ways, and I’m beyond blessed to have been so warmly welcomed into the family all those years ago.

Of course, the little thread that bound us even closer together was the arrival of my daughter Emma – their little sis. Em’s hasn’t slept a wink these past few nights with excitement for the trip… and the all important task of being one of her big sister’s bridesmaids! Seeing my three girls together again will be incredible. I’m not even going to speculate the sheer amount of emotional selfies I’ll return home with ❤

(My 3 gorgeous girls… Jessica, Emma & Hayley)

So to keep today’s post short & sweet, it’s just to say I’ll be taking this week to spend time with my girls, catch up with family I haven’t seen in years, help with wedding planning and of course celebrate with the occasional strawberry daiquiri… you should all know by how vulnerable my weakness for vibrant coloured cocktails is!

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead, whatever you’re up to – I’ll be back early next week to resume normal blogging service!

Cheerio Chums…

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