Favourite Nail Art 2020

 

We have made it to the last day of 2020.  Woohoo!  What a crazy year it has been.  It has been the longest yet quickest yet.  Here is hoping that 2021 is a lot better than this year.  Before we kiss good bye 2020 I need to wrap up the year with my favourite nail art.  So here is my top twenty nail art manis I have done.  Like with all of my favourites posts these aren't in any particular order.

2020 was the year of the matte white glitters (well it is the year that I fell in love with them that's for sure).  I couldn't resist stamping over Emily de Molly Death Stairs with Hit The Bottle Snowed In.  Image is from MoYou London Botanical 7 stamping plate.

Another MoYou London mani.  Actually there may be a few MoYou manis in this post.  Now I don't have the exact details for this mani as my Emily de Molly bottle doesn't have a label.  But the white polish is Emily de Molly Bright Retreat, the glitter is China Glaze Night And Slay and the black stamping polish is from MoYou London.

I am and will always be a huge fan of black and white nails.  They are so simple but always look so good.  For this mani I used Emily de Molly Bright Retreat, Hit The Bottle As Black As Night and Hit The Bottle To Love Or Not To Love stamping plate.

Another mani using Hit The Bottle's To Love Or Not To Love stamping plate (there is a reason why this plate was in my favourites post yesterday).  My polishes are also favourites for 2020 - Grace-full Nail Polish Christmas Bubblegum over Pink Bits.

This is the last (I think) mani I did using Hit The Bottle's To Love Or Not To Love stamping plate.  Polishes used are Picture Polish Mad Magenta, Instinct, Chillax and Totes.

The next few manis were all done using Uberchic's Just For Claws stamping plates.  For this mani I sponged on Grace-full Nail Polish Mintie, Lilac Vision and Oasis Blue and stamped using Hit The Bottle As Black As Night.

Who does not love mutilchrome anything?  They really do make for some amazing and super easy nail art.  For this mani I used Emily de Molly Fade Into Black and stamped using Colour Alike B An Orion. Image is from Uberchic Just For Claws 1-03.

Neons will forever be favourites of mine. And gradients.  I use to do gradients all the time but kinda stopped.  Well actually my sponged backgrounds took over.  Anyway, I'm pretty sure this mani is one of my all time favourites.  For my gradient I used Powder Perfect Turtle Doves, China Glaze Son Of A Peach and Bottoms Up and stamped using Hit The Bottle's As Black As Night.  Image is from Uberchic Just For Claws 1-01 stamping plate.

Am I the only one that kinda forgets about how awesome dry brushing is?  I really should do it more often.  That and nail art in general is something I need to do more often.  Anyway, for this mani I used Emily de Molly Bright Retreat for my base and dry brushed using OPI You're So Outta Lime, Pink Friday, I Just Can't Cope-acabana, Sailing & Nailing, and You're Such A Budapest.  Image is from Uberchic Just For Claws 1-01.

This was one of the accidentally manis.  You know the ones where you plan on doing one thing but end up with something entirely different?  That was definitely this mani and I have to say I love that it happened.  For my base I sponged on Pretty Serious Cosmetics Little Ducking, Poppet, Dollface, Bunny Foo-Foo, Peachie Poo and Bon Bon and stamped using Hit The Bottle As Black As Night.  Image is from Uberchic Just For Claws 1-02.

This mani was another that wasn't exactly as I had initially planned (although definitely closer to my original idea than the mani above) but I am in love with the end result.  For my gradient I used Color Club All Fun And Games, Out Of Your League and Friend Zone, and stamped using Hit The Bottle As Black As Night.  Image is from What's Up Nails Geo-Radical stamping plate.

This is one of those really basic manis that not only did I love but I also had a lot of compliments on.  It just shows you that sometimes less is more.  For my base I used Grace-full Nail Polish Blue Oasis and stamped using What's Up Nails Jay For A Day.  Image is from What's Up Nails Simple Shapes stamping plate.

Neons and dry brush - always a winning combination.  For my base I used Emily de Molly Bright Retreat and dry brushed using Orly Glowstick, Beach Cruiser and Skinny Dipping.  I stamped using Hit The Bottle's As Black As Night and Uberchic's Simply Organic stamping plate.

Shifting polishes really make for an excellent base for a simple mani.  I said this in the original post but I do wish that I took more pictures of this one to show the different colours in it.  Polishes used are Emily de Molly Save Your Boredom and Hit The Bottle As Black As Night.  Image is from Uberchic Business Chic stamping plate.

I know I didn't give a great review of these What's Up Stickers (I still stand by what I said - they just don't work on my curved nails) but I do love this mani.  It didn't last long on my nails because the stickers came off but it will be forever in photos.  

Another simple but fun mani to wear.  For this mani I used Color Club Modern Pink, Emily de Molly Bright Retreat, China Glaze I'd Melt For You and A-England Merlin.  Image is from What's Up Nails Simple Shapes.

This next mani was a fun mani to wear.  For my base I sponged on Color Club's Tic Tac Toe, Players Gonna Play, Schoolyard Crush, Extra Credit and All Dolled Up.  I stamped using Hit The Bottle's As Black As Night and Moyra's Love Love stamping plate.

 

Have I mentioned that I love multichrome manis?  They really do make for some great nail art.  For my base I used Emily de Molly LE130 and stamped using Hit The Bottle's As Black As Night.  Image is from What's Up Nails Geometric Trance stamping plate.

This next mani was one of those manis where I had quite a few ideas but then fell on this one and I love it.  Polishes used are Color Club East Austin and Hit The Bottles Snowed In and As Black As Night.  Image is from What's Up Nails Geometric Trance. 

And the last mani that makes up my top twenty is one that I did using MoYou London's Trend Hunter 2.  Polishes used are Emily de Molly Element Of Strange and MoYou London's  Black Knight stamping polish.

That brings us to the end of today's post and the end of all blogs posts for 2020 from me.  Thank you all for sticking with me this year (and all previous years).  I hope that you have enjoyed the posts.  Have a safe new year.  See you in 2021!

 

 

Favourite Stamping Products 2020

 

I can't believe that we are two days away from the new year - and that this is the second last blog post from me for this year.  What a crazy, crazy year it has been.  Anyway, before I start rambling...let's talk about all things stamping.  I think previously I have put stamping plates and stamping polishes in different posts but I don't really have a lot to share this year (this year I have done hardly any nail art - especially when you compare it to previous yet) so I am putting all things stamping into today's post.

 

STAMPING PLATES

For no other reason than because I can I am going to kick this post off with the stamping plates.  Stamping plates are my go to when it comes to nail art.  They are easy to use (once you know the technique - there is definitely a little bit of a learning curve) and always give great results.

Hit The Bottle To Love Or Not To Love 

This plate was love at first sight for me.  As soon as Michelle shared pictures of it I knew I had to have it.  I did purchase it but Michelle kindly refunded it and told me to use it as a press sample.  But that doesn't change my opinion at all on this plate (or any other products - every review I do is 100% honest).  I am head over heels with this plate.  You can find my swatches and review of this plate here. 

Image from Hit The Bottle

MoYou London Trend Hunter 02

I don't really own many images in this kind of style but I love them.  I think they make for great accent nails as well as on their own.  You can see my swatches and review here.

 

Image from MoYou London

Moyra Love Love 

I am a little on the fence about including this plate in today's post.  As you know I am not really a fan of the individual images (I am all about the full nail images) and given this plate is half full sized and have single images I thought I shouldn't include it.  But ultimately I am such a big fan of the full images that I thought I should include it.  You can see my swatches and review in this post here.

 

 

Image from Moyra

Uberchic Beauty Business Chic 01

Oh Uberchic!  How I love you and your plates.  Like previous years, today's post is full of Uberchic plates - and to think I haven't tried any of their new plates in quite a few months.  Anyway, the Business Chic plate has amazing images on it.  They are simple in their design but look amazing on the nails!  You can find my swatches and reviews here.

 

Image from Uberchic Beauty

Uberchic Beauty Just For Claws Collection

As someone who sometimes has longer nails (and I know they aren't super long in comparison to some people's nails) I love that Uberchic have done a collection for longer nails.  Plus the images are awesome!  You can see my swatches and review for these plates here.

Image from Uberchic Beauty

Uberchic Beauty Simply Organic

One of the things that I love about this plate is how simple but how cool the images are.  The look amazing stamped alone and with a little something happening underneath the image (like a gradient etc).  You can see my swatches and review here.

Image from Uberchic Beauty

What's Up Nails Geometric Trance

Geometric prints are some of my all time favourite images to have on my nails so this plate is right up my alley.  I just love all of the designs.  You can find my swatches and review here.

 

Image from What's Up Nails

What's Up Nails Geo-Radical

Another geometric plate but this one has a little bit more of a simple look in the designs and I am here for it!  You can find my swatches and review here.

 

Image from Whats Up Nails

STAMPING POLISHES

Another staple in my collection but oddly enough I tend to grab for black stamping polishes more than anything else. Mainly because it's easier to match up with base colours.  But that doesn't stop me from loving the other stamping polishes out there.  And bonus points for those stamping polishes that double as regular polishes as well.

Hit The Bottle Electro Candypop

I love the colour of this one!  Sadly it's one of those colours that don't photograph accurately.  You can find my review here.

Hit The Bottle I Am Woman, Hear Me Pour
Aside from being a gorgeous colour, I love that this one doubles as a regular polish too.  Plus it also dries to a matte finish which I also love.  You can find my swatch and review post here.

Hit The Bottle Stonewashed & Windswept

This is a gorgeous colour too that again doubles as a stamping polish.  You can find my original blog post here.

MoYou London Stamping Polishes 

This year I had the opportunity to play with MoYou London's stamping polishes and I am extremely impressed.  They offer a great range of colours and they stamp beautifully.  You can find all the swatches I did here.

Moyra Foil Stamping Polishes
This wasn't the first year I tried Moyra's Foil Stamping Polishes but I did receive some new ones this year and I love them!  I do still have a learning curve with the foils but that will come with time and practice.  You can see my post here.

What's Up Nails Stamping Polishes

And last but certainly not least - the What's Up Stamping Polishes.  They have a huuuuuuge range of colours and finishes.  You can find that post here. 

This post was longer than I initially thought it would be.  Oops.  Seeing all these things again makes me want to stamp my nails again.  Now just to work out what I want to use first...

 

 

Favourite Indie Polishes 2020

I think when it comes to favourites posts my end of year indie favourites is always the hardest to write.  I love my indies and the indie makers kill it year after year.  2020 was definitely quieter but it's still incredibly difficult to decide.  Like previous years I have skipped over any polishes that are included in my collection favourites (because that's how I can cheat my way through this) and have managed to narrow my favourites down to 23 polishes - but  three of those are included in the collection favourites BUT definitely needed to be listed separately as well.  Have I mentioned I really struggle with favourites? Right, let's dig into them shall we?  Like always these are in no particular order.

EMILY DE MOLLY

When it comes to this brand you just know that you are guaranteed amazing polishes.  The colours, the finishes and formulas are always fantastic.  I can honestly say that there is maybe a handful of Emily de Molly polishes that I have tried in eight years that I haven't liked and that is just because they aren't my personal style.  So it's safe to say that narrowing down favourites from Emily de Molly is incredibly hard. 

Blur The Line

This polish was only recently released this month but it is definitely a favourite.  It was one of those polishes that as soon as I got it out of the box I was totally in love with it.  On the nails it didn't disappoint either.  You can find more swatches of this polish here.

Coolth

I'm pretty sure that this was the polish that set the ball rolling for my love of the whole coloured base with matte white glitters.  It's simple but it is awesome!  You can find more swatches of this polish here.

 

Death Stairs

Another matte white glitter in a coloured base love for me.  I was so happy that Hayley made a purple version (because we all know I am a sucker for purple polishes).  You can find more swatches of this polish here.

 

Edge Of Your Seat

This polish was released back in January this year and I wrote one thing only in my notes - AMAZING!  I still stand by this statement.  You can see more swatches in this post here.

 

Here We Go Again

This is one of the polishes that technically speaking I shouldn't have in this post because I added the April Releases in my collection favourites but it is sooooo amazing that it really needs to be in this post too.  It's one of those polishes that I grab out time and time again from my drawers and drool each and every time.  It's definitely one of my favourite Emily de Molly polishes ever!  You can find more swatches (as well as the other polishes released in April) here.

 

It's Tradition

I don't really know what I can say about this but I love it!  I told you I was loving the whole coloured bases with matte white glitters.  You can see more swatches here.

 

One Look

Another one from Emily de Molly's December release.  I mean look at that colour!  The formula is also amazing as well.  You can find more swatches here.

 

Open Work

This is another one of those polishes that I have included in my favourite collections BUT again it's one of those polishes that also has to be included in this post too.  Like with Here We Go Again, this is one of those polishes that I pull out of my drawers constantly and love each and every time.  It's true love.  You can find more swatches of this beauty here.

 

Past, Present, Future

Again, another polish that was included in my collection favourites but also needs to be in here.  I promise this is the last one of those polishes.  It's honestly so amazing and once that I have worn quite a few times since its release in March.  You can find more swatches here.

 

Romancer

Oh aurora shimmer you steal my heart yet again.  This polish was released back in January and it's one that I think everyone should own.  You can find more swatches of this polish here.

Something Special

This polish is perfectly named.  There is definitely something special about it.  It's super pretty, and girly....oh and those flakies.  I'm in love!  Again, this was another polish that was released this month.  You can check out that post here.

 

The Devils Side

The last but certainly not least Emily de Molly polish to make my favourites list is The Devils Side.  I loooooove everything about this polish - the base colour, the formula and those flakies!  It's perfection!  You can find more swatches in this post here.

 

GRACE-FULL NAIL POLISH

Is it a favourites post without Grace-full Nail Polish in it?  I think not.  Grace-full have had such a great year with their polishes and would probably take out the best collection of 2020 with their Fluro Pastel Collection.  Seriously love ALL of their polishes - but I won't be including them here today.  

 

A Peach For A Princess

It still makes me laugh that Theresa says she hates pink because for someone who hates pink she makes AMAZING pink polishes.  Like this one!  So in love.  You can find more swatches here. 

 

Autumn Prism

For some strange reason this polish was part of the Autumnal Pruglies Collection.  This polish is far from ugly in my opinion.  It's gorgeous.  You can find more swatches of this stunner here.

 

Beauty Of The Sea

This is me in a polish....well not really.  But this is definitely a polish that screams TRACY to me!  Seriously head over heels in love.  You can find more swatches here.

 

Boozy Smurf

This is one of those magical polishes that I don't think pictures quite do it justice.  It's stunning in person.  You can see my swatches here.

 

Char-med

There has been a lot of amazing polishes that have come from the Polish Pick Up and this is one of those polishes.  This one is super shifty and just straight up gorgeous.  You can find more swatches here.

 

Eve Magic

This is a polish that was released as one of the last collections for Grace-full this year and it was instant love for me.  It's a gorgeous colour and those flakies are to die for!  You can find more swatches here.

 

Mystery Girl 

We have a stunning base colour, aurora shimmer, flakies and holo so what is there not to love?  Nothing.  It is perfection!  You can find more swatches in this post.

Point Break

This has to be the only topper that I have in today's post and I am not mad about it.  It's gorgeous and I definitely need to break it back out again so that I can try it over different base colours.  You can find more swatches here.

 

 

Super Bros 2

One of the many polishes that have the perfect mermaid vibe about them.  I love this polish both by itself and with nail art.  Stunning!  You can find more swatches here.

 

 

War Of The Roses

I know reds aren't normally my cup of tea but this one is awesome.  The flakes really take it to the next level and the formula is great.  You can find more swatches here.

 

Warui

The last but certainly not least polish from my favourite indies of 2020.  What a polish to wrap this blog up on too.  How gorgeous is this polish?  I love it because it's purple, it has aurora shimmer and flakes!  You can find more swatches here (but I don't think my swatches do this polish the true justice it deserves).

 

That wraps up my 2020 Indie Favourites.  I am beyond excited to see what these indie girls bring us next year.  I sense it's going to be an amazing year!