Five ways to use lip balm

As far as we know, lip balm is just that little chapstick in our handbags we use whenever we have dry or cracked lips. However, this little guy could be your best friend when you're in need! 

Here are five ways you can use lip balm to fire up your beauty routine: 

1. Dry nails?

Try rubbing over some lip balm over your cuticles to revive them. Cuticles help to keep bacteria away from your nails such as fungal infections so it's worth protecting them and keeping them in tip top shape! 

2. Cream eyeshadow

If you want your eyeshadow to last all day without re-applying it why not just mix it with your lip balm? This saves you money on expensive primers so you get a real bang for your buck. Just make sure you don't irritate your eyes with flavours like mint or citrus.

3. Blowing your nose too much?

We all get that dry spot under our noses when we have a cold and blow our noses like there's no tomorrow. Rub that miracle juice on and try not to rub the area to avoid it getting worse. Again do not use mint or citrus flavours as it may irritate the skin.  

4. Blusher

Got tinted lip balm? Add a dash to your cheeks or mix some with a red or pink shade of lipstick. The same goes for lipgloss if you have any on hand. 

5. Dry skin 

In cold weather the most common place dry skin occurs is on the knuckles of the hands and sometimes our fingers. Luckily lip balm will do the trick if you don't have any hand cream. 

Body conscious

This topic is quite a sensitive one for me because ever since I was 13 I've always been body conscious. I used to care about what other people think of me e.g. the way I look and behave. 

I thought I was ugly because I didn't look like the girls in the magazines, adverts on TV, or actresses in movies. I knew they were fake but still couldn't help comparing myself to them. Luckily for me I've never had an eating disorder before but I've even been bullied in the past because of the way I look and that is what made me feel more self conscious till this day.  

My teen years were my worst and best years in my opinion. When I hit 16 I learned how to love myself and started losing weight (in a good way) because I used to be chubby but not overweight. I still thought I could have made some minor improvements along the way. 

When I was 17 I remember being 55kg at 4"11. When I turned 18 I became 47kg at 5" and right now at 22 I'm 51kg at 5"1. I lost weight because I followed Paul Mckenna's fool proof system. Anyone can do it and if you want to know more I'll make a video explaining the system. 

The way it worked for me was that I was 13 and sitting in front of the TV when all of a sudden I saw Paul Mckenna hosting a show called "I can make you thin". I didn't believe my eyes when he went through the techniques as they were all shockingly simple! I decided to get a piece of paper and write down the techniques he was describing then slowly applied each rule one at a time. I didn't even feel like I was losing weight but it was a natural, gradual process which worked out well in the end. 

I then decided to buy his book explaining the system as a reference to go back to just in case I feel like I'm going off the rails again. Here is a link for it if you want to see where I bought mine from and I would recommend it to anyone because it's easy to follow, anyone can do it, and it has a high success rate.

My feelings about my weight have constantly been the centre of attention in my life because I sometimes feel like I look too big in photos where I can see a bit of bulge from my tummy or maybe a double chin. I always thought I didn't look right in comparison to my friends who I really thought were thinner than me when in reality, we were just about the same.

I also watched a programme where a stylist called Gok Wan looked at the way children of our generation think about their bodies and it made me feel like I wasn't the only one. I can't quite remember the name but when I do I'll post a link. What I like the most about this was that he used to have weight problems and got bullied when he was younger which made me feel like I can relate to him on a personal level. 

Another interesting programme I watched is called Super Sized vs Super Skinny where an overweight and underweight person are put together in a feeding clinic for a couple of days and swap diets. In my opinion it's quite different from a normal weight loss show where someone is given a diet after looking at their bad habits. They instead try to see the world from the other person's point of view and experience their daily life which allows them to put themselves in each other's shoes. 

Right now I'm happy to say that I'm comfortable in my own skin after years of thinking I'm not good enough for any aspect of life simply because of the way I see myself in comparison to everyone else. 

However I do take interest in things that benefit my life instead of punishing myself and the same can be done for anyone looking to improve their quality of life and weight loss. Things I do are:

• Doing a type of sport which helps to boost my confidence and also become a new hobby to pursue.
• Making the way I see my progress more realistically and less harshly by remembering that you can only ever keep moving forward. Don't worry if you ever do slip up because it depends on your attitude towards it rather than what you actually did.  
• And watching motivational speakers which can be emotionally uplifting for the days I'm feeling down. 

So I hope you guys got more of an insight to one of the things I thought I would never talk about in a million years! Please be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel as I might talk about this topic in a video and I'll be seeing you guys later!  

Love Nina xXx

Temporary tattoos that look real - Jagua

A couple of months ago I went to the Pier for an evening out and I saw this place that does temporary tattoos. My first thought was that henna would be a given but then I came across something called jagua. I asked what it was and the sales assistant told me it's a type of ink that works in the same way as henna but isn't black henna as a lot of people mistake it for because there's no such thing as black henna. Jagua is a different plant altogether and the difference between them is that henna stains the skin dark brown whereas jagua turns almost black although the ink is a dark navy blue.

After a lot of thought, I bought some jagua because I liked the dark stain on my skin and seeing as I'm tanned I didn't personally find henna that appealing as it fades quick on my skin due to the lack of my desired darkness.

The place I bought my ink is from a place called jaguatattoo.co.uk and they also sell henna as well so if you want that too they're a great place to buy from. The delivery was decent as I got it within a week of purchasing. 

I bought the jagua starter kit which came with: 

• A 5ml tube of jagua ink
• A book about jagua

I like how in the begging they explain what jagua is and where it comes from just to make you more familiar with the ink. 

They also talk about the history of the tattoos which helps you get a little bit of background knowledge.

My favourite page in the book is where they talk about the symbols and meanings of the tattoos so you can make the best choice when you're deciding what to draw.   

• A sheet of paper with some designs for inspiration or ideas - There are two sides to this and my favourite is the tribal designs which you can see below. 

• Two application cones 
• A hectograph pencil (used with the transfer paper)
• And a sheet of transfer paper

I haven't tried it out just yet but come back soon for my next post and I'll be sure to tell you how it went! 

Just in case you were thinking about buying any henna or jagua here are a couple of questions you might want to take into consideration before choosing the type of ink you want to buy. 

What type of ink should I use? 

Henna is ideal for people who like a medium to dark stain on their skin and want a temporary tattoo that doesn't last more than a week. The lighter the ink looks on the skin, the faster it will fade. 

Jagua is more for the people who want a dark stain that looks like a real tattoo and lasts for up to two weeks. It's also ideal for people who want to see how a tattoo design looks  on them before committing to a real tattoo. 

How do I prepare my skin before applying any ink? 

When I last had my jagua tattoo drawn on me, I had my skin wiped with witch hazel which they told me removes any excess lint or dirt on the surface of the skin so that the ink can adhere better. 

Another thing that can be done is to exfoliate the area that you want to draw on and don't apply any moisturisers or creams before applying the ink because as it creates a barrier on the skin making it harder for the ink to stain properly . 

How can I make my tattoo last longer? 

Some may say that a plaster would work but I was advised and personally prefer to use a layer of vaseline (or any type of skin friendly petroleum jelly you can find). 

You may also use oils such as olive or coconut before coming into contact with any water such as a shower or jacuzzi. 

My new bengal cat!

So on the 8th of October 2014 I finally bought a Bengal cat. I've always been a fan of cats and I love leopard print so I decided it's the perfect cat for me. I also didn't want a cat that was too wild like the Savannah F1 or a Serval and the Bengal cat seemed more domestic.

I got her at the age of 9 weeks because the seller was nice enough to do it as a favour since we lived so far away. You'd normally buy a cat around 12 weeks when they're considered old enough to leave home. 

This was my baby's first picture as we took her in her comfy travel bed. I decided to call her Amira because I was told it means princess in Arabic. 

                                                       

When we got home after a long drive I took Amira's picture again as she's sleeping with the red blanket that belonged to her mum. 

On her first day, when I came back from work out of the shower and turned my hair dryer on she got scared and hid under my desk in a corner. It was so adorable I took this picture just in time.

I love how as soon as she got settled in she started following me around the house and taking short naps around the house loving the fact I'm caressing her.

I found that playing her relaxing music (such as Chinese) calms her down and allows her to unwind. This was when she first came on her second day settling in. 

On her second week, she got used to my scent so much she started jumping and sitting on my bed. She even slept with me for two nights and felt comfortable.

 She even likes pouncing as it's a natural habit cats like to do. 

 I love staring at her as she curls up into a ball in a deep sleep.  

Blanx White shock formula toothpaste

For the last two weeks I've been trying to make my teeth look whiter so I decided to use this toothpaste called Blanx white shock. This kit came with the toothpaste plus an LED light that makes your teeth whiter. 

The toothpaste is a tube that I would say lasts over two weeks maybe three. I'm almost at the end of the third week and there's still some toothpaste left in the tube so that's quite impressive!

This is how the LED light looks like. I find it fits nicely into the mouth and is comfortable to wear but please note it helps to time how long you've left it in your mouth because the instructions recommend you leave it a minimum of a minute. 

I found the blanXometer a little bit confusing to use because even when I looked in the mirror I couldn't compare my tooth shade properly.

On the side of the box there's a special tear line that you use to open the box and take the blanXometer out. Be careful when opening though in case you rip the inside up. 

I had so much faith in this product that I decided to buy a full sized tube. 

To my dismay, this toothpaste did nothing even though I followed the instructions brushing twice a day using the LED light after each brush. After two weeks of persistent use it did nothing and I lost hope. If anything I'd say it made my teeth more yellow! 

At least I've learned that if in doubt don't buy more otherwise it may cause disappointment. 

Next I'm hoping to try the boots whitening strips at some point to see whether it really works and of course the home made remedy of baking soda. 

If you know any good whitening toothpastes let me know in the comments below and I'll be sure to test those out too. I might do a video review of this toothpaste so keep an eye on my youtube channel here for more.

See you on the flip side

Nina xXx

I'm back

Ok so I know I've had a two month break since my last post but bear with me guys, I haven't abandoned you! 

I had a recent breakdown with the computer and the next thing I knew I couldn't edit any videos let alone post them which was a shame. I did however manage to save up and buy a MacBook which I for one never realised could happen due to my horrid spending habits. 

This inspired me to make a budget series so people can learn what they can and can't go without which is really useful in times of crisis. I can't say I'm the best at saving up but I am trying. In an attempt to put away my pennies I decided to dedicate some of my time to watching a show called super scrimpers which I'm not sure is available outside the UK but for those who do live here this is worth a watch. Some ideas are so simple you wouldn't have even thought of it! 

Before anything else I'll be starting off with budget nail art designs you could do at home without any fancy equipment. This will be great to know especially for people who want to start doing nail art but haven't yet bought any equipment. 

I'll be back soon with another video. Hang on tight. 

Nina xXx

What is Nail Stamping? - A beginner's guide to Nail Stamping

In my most recent posts I've featured a video by one of my favourite nail artists on youtube - janelle, better known as elleandish. 

As I was talking about nail art I also mentioned nail art which some of you may have never heard of. I'll tell you everything you need to know about nail stamping so have no fear, Nina's here! 

Briefly explaining, the way nail stamping works is if you apply some nail polish on a nail plate and swipe the excess polish off with a nail scraper and press a rubber stamp on the plate which picks up the design and press the stamp on your nail to transfer the design. This is the best way I can explain but it makes much more sense to watch a video which I'll be posting one in the next 24 hours on my channel so keep your eyes peeled here and subscribe while you're over there :) 

First thing's first, you need at least four essential tools which are: 

A nail stamper - There are two types that I know of so far which are single ended and double ended. 

I also categorise them by the type of material they're made from such as a matte rubber stamp or a shiny rubber stamp.

A single ended stamper only has one end and is great for beginners as you have more control of the handle and the amount of pressure you're applying to your nails. 



This is how it looks at the top and it actually came with some nail plates I bought but I had trouble using it because it didn't seem to pick up the designs oddly enough. 

This is another example of a single ended stamp which happens to look like a child's toy. I'm not really a fan of the shiny rubber stamps as I seem to have trouble with them. This also came free as a gift from an order I placed from China. 

Oddly enough the free rubber stamps above didn't seem to work for me, so most of the time I've been using my Konad rubber nail stamper which has worked wonders for me over the past few months. I highly recommend this for beginners because for some reason the stamps I received as gifts didn't work as well as the stamps I bought so make that something to keep in mind when you're thinking about the type of nail stamping tools you want to use. 

My trusty Konad double ended nail stamper has been my life saver. It picks up the designs efficiently and is very accurate. This is the small end which is useful for dark colours and small designs, you can also use it to control the accuracy of where you want to position your design on your nail: 

Here you have a big end for bigger designs. This size is commonly used for designs that take up more space on your nails and would need a large stamp to pick up the design. 

 

Finally, this double ended, shiny rubber large stamp is my most recent stamp I've been using. It's called the XL Double Sided Stamp & Scraper from MoYou London and at first I was a little bit doubtful as to whether it would stamp the designs on properly from my past experiences with shiny rubber nail stamps but to my surprise, it actually worked! 

The handle is also easy to hold and you get a good grip thanks to the indents on the side of the stamp. The Konad one also has this but is much smaller than this one. 

A nail scraper - You can get either a metal or plastic scraper and what works best is a matter of opinion although they're both fine. 

I prefer plastic scrapers more because in my opinion you can press harder against the plate to scrape more excess nail polish without the worry of damaging the nail plate. I also like how you can get a cleaner swipe the very first time you scrape the nail polish out of the way with a plastic nail scraper and best of all it won't go rusty so it saves you from buying another scraper which also saves you money in the long run. 

The picture of the one below came with my MoYou London XL Double Sided Stamp & Scraper. I have to say that the handle is quite spacious which gives you the advantage of better control when you're scraping and as a result more accuracy with less effort.  

A nail stamping plate - You can get these from various websites depending on what you want. If you're new to nail stamping I recommend buying small nail plates such as the Cheeky set of 26 nail art plates which is what I started with. Unfortunately they've discontinued selling it on Amazon but I'm just mentioning it anyway to give you an example of what you can buy if you're new to nail stamping and want to experiment with different designs without spending too much money.

Nail polish remover - This is absolutely essential because if you make a mistake you'll have to clean it up and when you're finished you need to make sure your equipment is clean for the next use. I recommend using a cheap nail polish remover to clean your equipment but a nourishing formula for removing nail polish from your nails. This ensures you're reducing if not avoiding any damage to your nails while you're painting and stamping them. 

Useful tip - Make sure the polishes you're using can withstand the pressure of the rubber stamp before attempting to use them for stamping. It saves you time and money knowing that your nail polish won't dent or smudge when you're using your stamp. OPI, Bourjois and Collection are my top personal recommendations. 

My blog - The new look

Just a moment ago I spontaneously bought this blogger template and to my surprise it looks great! 

I really took a risk here and thought that if this doesn't work out I'll have wasted money on something that doesn't even work! - I say that because at first I had absolutely no clue how to install this thing. I managed to figure it out in the end though but the problem is that I can't even use the buttons on the navigation bar arrggghh. I knew how to change their names but as far as clicking on them I have no idea. 

The nice thing about it is that it gives my blog a fresh new look and something nice to look at. Plus I really like the popular post tab on the right side. I'm not a techy person but as far as I can tell I'm just about managing to cope. 

See in my life, things just happen unexpectedly and sometimes it's a good thing but sometimes it isn't. I'm really hoping you guys like the new layout and that you wish me luck as I venture into the world of technical blogging *techy*. 

It's 1am in the morning so I'm gonna shoot off to bed now guys. Sweet dreams! 

Love Nina xXx

How to make purple nail polish

It all started when I was in the mood for purple nail polish but knew I had to stop spending (as I am a shop-o-holic). I really thought there was no hope until it dawned on me that if I managed to make purple using the colours from the Ciate Nail Lab, I could just as easily create my own shade of purple using the nail polishes I already have. 

When I realised that mixing blue and red made purple, I looked for all the red and blue shades I had that weren't Ciate just to see how it would turn out. I also threw in a bit of gold and silver for extra dimension and to see what it would turn out like.

I decided to make a video about four easy shades of purple you can make using four shades of nail polish. As you go along you can add more or less of the colours depending on the final effect you'd like. You can see more of what I did in the video below: 




For example if you wanted to make a dark purple you would need a dark blue as it's the most dominant colour which will affect how your final shade of purple will look like when you've finished mixing the colours together. If you wanted a mid-toned purple you would need a lighter shade of blue and to make it even lighter you can add some white nail polish or maybe a light pink possibly cream coloured polish to lighten the colour up. 

You can also play around with the shades of red you're using but I wouldn't know how it would turn out because I only had one shade of red on hand unfortunately. If you want to try mixing your nail polishes together you can always try and make your own shade altering the type of red you're using and why not leave a comment below and let me know what happened? 

Thank you so much for reading. I hope this post was helpful and that you have more knowledge of how to mix your own nail polish colours to create different shades of purple. 

Happy mixing! 

Nina xXx

How to make your nails stronger

So lately I've been considering having a hand model for me to film a nail tutorial video. I asked my good friend Laura whether she'd be up for it and I was also thinking about the preparation of this video. I was thinking it would be a good idea to strengthen her nails beforehand so I asked her to soak her nails in Olive oil for at least ten minutes everyday for a week. 

This seemed like a decent and almost effortless suggestion until I decided to also make her an oil chart as a reminder of her progress so far. I posted it on my social media so that people can also take part in this mini challenge and let me know whether they felt a difference. Hell, even I'm doing this challenge at the moment! It's so easy to do and you don't even have to use olive oil, it can be any non-harmful or non-toxic oil you wish to use. 

I've heard a lot of buzz about how olive really helps to repair your nails but I'm not actually sure whether it really works so to de-bunk this myth I'm going to have to find out for myself. 

If you want to take part in this mini challenge too all you have to do is print or save my chart for my mini olive oil challenge and just let me know how it's working out for you in the comments below. 

I wish you the best of luck and if you want to see more of me don't forget to come on over to my youtube channel and subscribe while you're there. 

Lots of love

Nina xXx 

Pinterest for your business

Lately I've been really addicted to Pinterest. The moment I downloaded the app I fell in love with it! 

I never knew that you can also make money from it and actually showcase your business on it! *shocked face* 

If you've never heard of Pinterest before it's a website and app where you have a virtual pinning board to pin whatever kind of pictures, videos or links that you like and share them on your profile. It's becoming popular fast and apparently it's the fourth largest website after facebook and twitter. 

It's highly addictive and I just can't get enough. You see so many interesting things such as tutorials, ideas, inspiration and best of all an easy place to shop. 

I'm thinking about opening a shop of my very own and my main aim is to engage with more people and let them know that my brand exists. I love seeing comments about any suggestions, thoughts, feelings or questions people may have and I think Pinterest would be an amazing platform to do so. 

I'm also a huge fan of Melanie Duncan and I find her YouTube videos are helpful too. She really opened up the world of Pinterest to me and made me see it as more than just a picture sharing website. 

I'm currently taking her online course called the Power of Pinning which you can see here. It's an online course for aspiring business owners who want to use Pinterest as a platform to reach more clients. I just bought it last night and I have to say that it looks great so far. The content is well organised into modules and I'm liking it so far because: 

• It's easy to navigate and find what you want
• You can access it even when you're not on your computer through your phone or tablet
• The video lessons are short and concise
• The language is easy to understand

Below is a print screen of what I see on my computer and I love the clean layout of the site. 

And once you open one of the modules you'll see a video and a sidebar on the left with the rest of the videos from that module. Again, I'm a big fan of the layout so here's a print screen from my computer: 

Also in the bonus section here you can see a Pinterest and Facebook report which I haven't read yet but I'll let you know how it's going so keep an eye out for a future post about this course.

So that's all I got for you guys today so please wish me luck on this course and if you're an aspiring business owner who wants to get more exposure or interaction with your business feel free to hop on over to Melanie Duncan's website here and buy the power of pinning. 

I'd also love to hear how you're getting on with it so please comment below or contact me on my social media if you have any thoughts, feelings or questions about this course and I shall see you next post! 

My social media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MlleNinaBeauty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MlleNinaBeauty
Tumblr: http://mlleninabeauty.tumblr.com/
Instagam: http://instagram.com/mlleninabeauty

Pinterest: gb.pinterest.com/mlleninabeauty/

Nina xXx

Nail Art On A Budget

If you've been following me on my social media you can tell that I'm a huge fan of nail art. 

There's just something about it that makes you look more fashionable and really compliments an outfit. 

The problem is that some people think nail art is too complicated and therefore don't bother with it. 

But in this video I'll be teaching you how you can get professional looking nail art without the salon price tag. 

Before we start 

To benefit from your nail polish you have to consider what your needs are first. A couple of things to think about before making any decisions are:

How often do you paint your nails? Every day/week/month? 

If you're painting your nails every day you don't need to waste money on a long lasting formula as it would be pointless unless you're thinking about keeping your nail polish on for at least a couple of days. 

Painting your nails weekly or monthly is a different case so you would want that staying power if you were planning on keeping your nail polish on for more a week or more. 

Gel nail polishes would be great if you were thinking about keeping your nail polish on for up to three weeks. You would need to consider buying a UV lamp and buying gel formulas to support your needs if you chose to do this. This considerably cuts the cost of paying to get gel nail polish done in a salon especially if you'll be doing it regularly. Also think about things like replacing the bulbs in your UV lamp so that you can maintain it and the particular types of nail polishes you'll have to buy to use your lamp with.

How much are you willing to spend? 

One of the most important questions is how much are you prepared to spend on a nail polish? 

This is because if you're after quality nail polish that will last you long, the price is important because it's mostly the more expensive nail polishes that last the longest. Although this isn't the case sometimes just be aware of what formulas work for you when you know how often you'll be doing your nails. 

The pricier nail polishes typically have smoother formulas. I've found that my OPI nail polishes aren't too runny and glide on beautifully. Whereas my nail polishes from the pound store are quite thin, runny and dent easily even when fully dried. Not a good look. 

You can even buy drugstore nail polishes depending on what brand it is but it's a matter of trial and error. Take mental notes of what kind of nail polishes suit your needs best.

Tip: Make sure you use a good base and top coat. The base coat protects your nails from becoming discoloured, weak, and dry from the harsh nail polishes and the top coat prevents the nail polish from chipping, makes it last longer and gives a glossy finish. 

Tip 2: If you have weak nails or are worried about getting damaged nails use a repairing or strengthening formula as a base coat. You can even use it as a top coat if you want. This also helps to save you money from buying a normal base and top coat.  

How do you want your nail polish to look like?

• Do you simply want a bit of colour to your nails instead of having them bland? 

In this case you are colour orientated and you don't want anything complicated just a few coats of nail polish. 

• Do you like having designs on your nails? 

If so, you are an artistic person who likes creative designs and need a nail polish that is strong enough to withstand nail stamps or can be layered easily. You have two options:

• If you're good at drawing designs or are willing to take the time to draw on your nails you can use nail art brushes such as this set here which I bought recently: 

You can even use dotting/marbling tools such as these ones in the picture below. 

As you can see the marbling tools have different tip sizes as some look bigger than the other. This gives you more flexibility when drawing on your nails (as shown in the video below). 

These types of tools are used for creating dots,marbles and lines to create different looks like flowers, stripes, lines and much more. You can make the designs as simple or as complicated as you want. Here are some examples of what you can do:

Above is a basic design which you can adopt if you're a beginner wanting to experiment with the dotting tools. 

OR 

• If you're not good at drawing like me or don't have time to paint designs on your nails but still want to have intricate designs, you can use nail stamps. They're a life saver and save you so much time and effort. To learn more about nail stamping watch this video below: 

As an example: 

• I personally get bored of having the same nail polish on for more than a week so I know that I'll be painting my nails once a week or twice if it chips. However, I also want my nail polish to stay in place for as long as it can in case I don't manage to do it again if I don't have time so in this case I'll need it to last long. 

• Most of the time I do nail stamping because I love intricate designs but I'm not actually good at drawing the designs on myself so the nail polish needs to be strong enough to handle the pressure of the nail stamp. 

• I don't want to damage my nails in the process either and want them to be strong. What I need is: 
• A nail strengthener (which can also be used as a base coat) to protect my nails and prevent chipping or dry and brittle nails. 
• Good quality top coat to make my nail polish last longer. 

Recommended websites 

If you're stuck or wondering what some good websites are to buy nail polishes from here are a few I've used and my thoughts on them: 

Note: I live in the UK so make sure you find a store that delivers to your country before making a purchase.

Ciate - http://www.ciate.co.uk/

In my last blog post which you can see here I reviewed the Ciate Nail Lab and Mini Paint Palette. I thought their nail polishes were a bit runny and thin but made a good background colour for my nail stamping. They last up to a week which is great and you can build the colours up.

OPI - http://www.opiuk.com/

My number one choice. I have an addiction and attachment with this brand because their colour range is wide, their formulas aren't too thin and perfect for nail stamping, they dry quick and last for a week. Most of my nail polishes are OPI and I can't find any other brand that beats them. 

Marks and Spencer - http://www.marksandspencer.com/quick-dry-nail-polish-8ml/p/p22132489

This seems a bit unexpected seeing as people mainly shop there for clothes but one day I saw one of their Limited collection nail polishes for sale and bought one not knowing what to expect. I was impressed at how good it was and loved it! Lasted for a week and works great with my nail stamps. The shade I bought isn't on their list because it was a while ago but it's worth the purchase. 

Collection  

This is available in your local drug store and I tried the 60 seconds hot looks nail polish which looks like this: 

This lasts for a week too and isn't all that expensive either. A great buy for a nail explorer such as myself and anyone else who doesn't want to spend a fortune. 

I bought mine from Superdrug and I'll be using this in a future video of mine on my Youtube channel so be sure to keep an eye out and subscribe if you haven't already! 

I post every week and I appreciate every single one of you *big hug* 

Bourjois

Widely available again in any drug store and lasts a week. I particularly love the metallic colours especially when I'm using my nail stamp for stars or flowers and would recommend the gold and silver colours. 

Nina Ultra Pro 

I've only got one shade of this which is in Orange Flame. This is a neon orange colour which I think works well against a navy blue or black when I'm using my nail stamps. 

Nail plates

MoYou London 

I first saw these on Janelle's channel on YouTube and it was one of their mermaid plates from their fairy tale collection (which I can't seem to find for some reason) but I bought the Explorer Plate in number 17 because I had my eyes set on plate number 2 but wanted more variety to choose from. 

I'm seriously thinking about buying more plates so I'll have to do a future blog post about this because these plates are too good to miss out on! They're £5 each but don't let that put you off because you have a variety of designs to choose from and they make use of the space on their XL plates which I really want to try. I'm such a huge fan after my first purchase and their delivery service is excellent too! 

So that's all for this blog post I hope I've helped you debunk any myths you've heard about how expensive or difficult nail art can be. 

If you have any questions or thoughts please feel free to comment below and I'll be sure to read them :) 

Nina xXx