Diablo 3 Inspired Nail Art

As I said in my last entry, I decided to attempt Diablo III nail art! I liked this manicure! It has a lot of the elements of nail art that I enjoy to create and to look at: gradient, yellow, sparkles, glass flecks <3 with the added interest of crackle (yes it CAN still look good despite being out of fashion).
Here's the mani:

And here's how I did it!
Step 1: Paint the entire nail yellow! YAY! I used Pineapple Fizz by Revlon, it's sheer so I used a couple of coats, has glass flecks and smells of pineapple when dry. I actually can't think of anything better.
Step 2: Get a sponge (I used a cheap makeup sponge, any will do. You only need a little bit. Some people even use eye shadow applicators! But I don't have any of those..) and dab on an orange polish (I used Revlon Orange Fizz) to the end of the nail stopping about 2/3 of the way down and dabbing to create a seamless, melty-coloured join.
Step 3: Once that's dry get your sponge again and dab a red polish (I used Revlon Watermelon Fizz.. are you sensing a pattern here?) onto the very tip of the nail stopping 1/3 of the way down and blending with the orange to a seamless finish. 
Step 4: Add more red right at the tips if you feel it needs it
You should have something that looks like this:

This looks pretty cool on it's own, I wore this for a few days before adding the final stages lol so I feel like I got 2 very different looks out of the same idea! The Revlon polishes dried very quickly when sponged so the gradient isn't as smooth as I'd have liked.. also this reminded me of candy corn, and I've never even seen candy corn except for google images lol
Step 4: I felt that for Diablo this needed a bit more red so I dabbed a bit more on the tip and around the edges of the nail bringing it down further to look like this:

(Sorry this pic is a bit rubbish, had to use the flash because my light makes everything look yellow)

Step 5: This last thing to do was to add black crackle! (I used Barry M) This make it look like crusting lava and was reminiscent of the games cover which is mostly black with yellow, orange and red peeking through! It makes me think of fire and brimstone!

Here's one more look at the finished manicure!

I'm pleased with this design, I think it captures diablo 3 as well as being wearable! I had a fair few comments on them too! The gradient really works well under the crackle and brings new life to this well-used look! I think that crackle is a fun and easy way to jazz up any nail look. It takes hardly any time, is very easy and looks really effective! It did feel a bit like cheating as I'm used to freehand but it was a nice break and gave me the effect I wanted =) In case you were wondering, I picked up two of the Revlon polishes at boots using a couple of £3 off Revlon vouchers that I printed from the advantage card machine (I love those things!) I got the last polish in the 3 for 2 at Superdrug along with Grape Fizz (a purple) and a GOSH lipstick in Exotic =) The polishes are usually £6.49 each! 

I hope you liked this mani and that you have a go at putting crackle over a gradient to give it a new lease of life!

-Leishasaurus

Diablo III

Looooook!

 After scouring the entirety of Ipswich after work on Tuesday (release day) to no avail, I managed to find two copies in the Asda in Stowmarket where I work.So I promptly bought both! One's for my brother, I don't need two copies just for me hehe =) I'm superly excited about this game! Everyone's saying that it lives up to expectations, and my expectations are pretty high! I got it for £34.97, Game and Gamestation (owned by the same company) were trying to sell it for £45! Er, see this is why they're going out of business. Why would anyone pay £10 more for the same game? So what if they offer reward points on purchases, £10 is a huge discrepancy! 

It's installing now and the background music is amazing. It's a reworked version of the old Tristram (a town in the game) theme. There are so many layers to it! I can pick out guitars and cellos, there are also vocals in there but no lyrics, just ambient choral music. It reminds me of Opeth. Which won't help you at all because you'll have no idea who they are >.<

Just have a listen. It's Opeth mixed with the music from Firefly. Trust me on this! It's ambient, mysterious, dark and incredible. 

Ooo, I got another thing off my list too! On Tuesday during the search for D3 I came across some tart tins in Sainsbury's, a pack of 2 for £3.50. I figured I'd get a couple of packs, the quality can't be that much different to Lakeland and they had the loose bottoms so I can get the tarts out easily =) I look forward to making them next week! I'll post a recipe when I make them, I'm probably just going to make it up as I go along though!

I've decided to do a post with Diablo nail art, so look out for that very soon (possibly tonight if I can!). 

Finally, I wanted to say thank-you to you all, I now have 30 followers and it feels great! =D

-Leishasaurus

May Wishlist

There are so many things that I'm lusting over right now! I'm such a consumer >.< here are a few of them:

1. China Glaze Luxe and Lush £6.99

2. China Glaze Harvest Moon £5.99

3. Barry M 53 £4.49

4. Diablo 3 £32.99

5. Helmer Draws £24.99

6. Skruvsta Tub Chair £99.99

7. Kitty Dress £35

8. Chamilia Flex Bangle £65

9. Pandora Silver Horse £25

10. Tarlet Tins £9.99

1. Doesn't Luxe and Lush look fab? So much glitter! I also want Snow Globe, but this one is just crying out to me.. I should probably snap it up before it sells out.. le sigh
2. Ok yes, you're right, I mostly want this one because of it's name..

<3 Harvest Moon
3. As I was perusing the Barry M display in superdrug I thought I'd have a look at the Lip Paints. I already have a fair few and I thought there weren't any more that I wanted.. but I have grown a love for all things coral/orange lately and this shiny Lip Paint couldn't be more perfect! I even went to buy this at the weekend but to my dismay the one remaining lippy had been opened! I HATE that! I'll have to try again. Hopefully the 3 for 2 will still be on.
4. I'm such a gamer lol but lately I haven't had time to play anything. Except The Sims. There's ALWAYS time for The Sims. But OMG how I want Diablo 3! I remember when we were younger my bro and I would spend HOURS on D2 after school haha so many memories! I was actually rubbish at it. I have improved since then though! I so want to play this >.<
5. I've seen these drawers on so many blogs so I googled them expecting a massive price tag.. £24.99? I think I need these. My room is just such a mess, there's stuff everywhere! (That's what happens when you cram a whole house full of stuff into one room. But that's another story.) I think I'll ask the bf's parents to take me to Lakeside, since it's v close to where they live! No doubt I'll come away with much more than a Helmer though..
6. I've wanted one of these chairs for ages! I don't care if there isn't much back support (though I will after a few hours of gaming) I just love how cute it is! Like a tub chair on wheels <3
7. I saw this dress on Forever The Ugly Duckling and *had* to ask her where it was from! From there it was a simple case of asking google lol (google knows everything) I love it but not sure it'd suit me which is why I haven't ordered yet.. They don't stock this dress in store =( 
8. Having filled my original chamilia bracelet (yup, I got addicted to buying beads) I've been looking at the different styles and I love this one! it's super cute! I'd be worried it'd slip off my (very skinny) wrists but I'm sure they're designed to be secure. I long to buy more beads lol
9. Like this horse one! CUTE!
10. These tins are the perfect size for individual tartlets, I've had an idea in mind for ages and need the tins to do it.. £9.99 for 4 isn't too bad, and they're buy one get one half price! £14.98 for 8 is even better! (Not that I need 8 >.<)


Yeah so it's fair to say that I want a few things >.> I could even fill another post with things I want haha (might do that later...) but I think the things I'll get in the near(ish) future are the Tartlet Tins (I've been DYING to make little mini roast veg pastry tarts!), Barry M 53 (if my superdrug ever stocks ones that haven't been ripped open! I mean, why, the tester is RIGHT there! Grrrrrrrr), possibly the Helmer Drawers in a vain attempt to become more organised.. urgh.. and finally I might splurge on Diablo 3.. I mean, I've only been waiting since 2008..

Does anyone want to take me shopping? With their money? =P

-Leishasaurus

Safari Nail Art

So my giraffes chipped and I had to remove them.. it was very sad, their faces looked like they were melting. Today I have replaced them, but instead of one critter (I couldn't decide) my brother suggested doing a whole safari of animals, a different one for each nail! So, without further ado, here it is!

On my left (dominant) hand:

Lion, Zebra, Leopard, Flamingo, Hippo

On my right hand:

Elephant, Giraffe, Crocodile, Monkey, Rhino

I'm not going to lie, these were tricky and they took ages but I'm really pleased with how they've turned out! I used so many colours doing these, my bed was covered in bottles haha but the main brands were Models Own, Barry M and Rimmel. I don't buy Rimmel any more though, as it's not cruelty free. Also, weirdly, I think I did better at painting my left hand than my right! 

Anyway, I feel a lot more myself now that my fingers are covered in critters =) just don't ask me to pick a favourite >.<

-Leisha

Giraffes!

Ok final post of the day I promise! I just wanted to show you my nails =)

Check out my instagram prowess! Also, GIRAFFES!! 
I used Models Own Beth's Blue as the background colour and my nail art pens for the rest. The brown colour is Barry M Mushroom =)

I managed to stab the ring-finger giraffe in the face with some black.. it looks like he's crying.. they're starting to chip now which makes me sad..

-Leishasaurus

Liebster Award

So the lovely Carol from Laquerised gave me an award! My very first award! It's probably because I have so few followers (judging by the terms) lol but I like to think that it's because my blog is amazing ^.^

Here it is, in all its pink glory!

So I have to do a few things now:

     1.Put the link to who gave you the award
      2. Put the award in your post
      3. Choose 5 blogs with under 200 followers and give them the award
      4. Let them know that you have awarded them

Ok!

1. Is easy, I can do that! Please click HERE to go to Carol's blog, she's lovely!

2. I did that already (yay me!)

3. Ah. This will be harder lol right, here goes..

Hollie at Incense & Peppermints

Caryn from Carynxox

Lucy from Lucy' s Nails

The lovely Gretal Rabbit

Alex Blogs and Mogs

I want these bloggers to know that I picked them because I love their blogs and that deserve lots more followers than they already have! I can't believe Alex only has 3 followers! We need to change that. Lucy has some really cute nail designs too! Please check out these blogs if you get a chance =)

I'm starting on number 4 now! 

Thanks again Carol!

-Leishasaurus

Right then!

Ok. I think we all know that it's got beyond the point of apology, so I'll just state the obvious and say that I haven't been blogging recently (read: for 6 months) due to many things, new job, attempting to change my computers graphics card only for it to result in the horrifying blue screen of death, etc. But it's fixed now (had to change the slave and master drives around but I don't want to bore you with that). Even better, I have recently (this week) acquired a laptop, albeit a second hand one, which makes things a lot easier (as in, I can watch TV and type at the same time. Win.). So here I am. 

I guess after not having a pc for a couple of months I didn't have that urge to rush back into blogging. It seemed like a massive effort and there are so many people that do it much better than me. My brother instilled a two month nail polish buying ban on me between February and April due to the fact that I finally bought myself Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air (totally worth every penny!!) in his presence. Men just don't understand that £16 for a nail varnish isn't excessive. Ok maybe it is a little bit, but this was a Lippmann! A LIPPMANN! Seriously, you girls will get the importance of this purchase. But Geo just told me off, said that it was a ridiculous amount to spend on 15ml and that I couldn't buy any more for 2 months. I considered telling him where to go, but I thought that 2 months would give me lots of time to save up for a massive splurge in late April! This didn't happened. My money has been absorbed into the overdraft left over from my degree. Joy. I managed it though, which I wasn't sure I would. It was touch and go whilst there were Leighton Denny polishes that came free with a magazine (I forget which one) but I held fast. So I'm pretty impressed with myself  =) I have a London trip planned with Gemx in June, which I'm already majorly excited about, so I'll treat myself then! Happiness =)

Anyway I was thinking about totally revamping this blog, changing the name, changing what I talk about etc.. I do still love nail polish, but I only really do my nails properly once or twice a week now because I simply don't have time to spend ages decorating them. My mum's asthmatic so I can't paint them near her, I have to sit up in my room and tbh I get a bit lonely up there (except when Willow-cat is about but she doesn't like the smell of polish either). I'm wondering whether to create another blog for my non-nail related ramblings or whether to keep it all in one place. At the moment I'm thinking all in one place because two blogs seems like hard work and this one might get neglected. I feel that my blog is "just another nail blog" at the moment so I'm going to inject some of my personality into it. Therefore there might be random posts that have nothing to do with nails whatsoever. If you don't want to read them then please just skip them, I won't be offended, in fact I won't even know! But this blog is for me and I'm going to fill it with lots of Leisha-type things! Obviously I hope that you'll like them too but if not that's ok =)

It's good to be back, by the way! I've missed you guys!

And one of you was adorably sweet enough to leave me an award even though I hadn't posted for half a year! Thank-you for that, the email popped up in my inbox and got me excited to post again so really, thank-you! I'll do a separate post for that! Anyway, I'm going to post the nails that I'm wearing today separately too, I think this post is long enough!

Hello again everybody!
-Leishasaurus