Pick N Mix Week 15 - Dotting Tools / Pink & Aqua

I'm really fond of odd colour combinations. Orange and blue, purple and green (Hulk smash), and pink and aqua.

Alas, my aqua turned out a little more green that I wanted.

Pick N Mix Nails Catch up post!

Apologies for my absence, the holidays are always super busy in the Painted Claws household.

Instead of doing a series of posts for my catch up manis for the 52 week challenge, I'm putting them together in one giant post!

Pick N Mix Week 5 - 80s / 3 dark colours

I was a bit torn this week, but as winter is coming (or so says Ned Stark...) I opted for 80s - dark colours will get used enough in the next couple of months anyway. They can wait.

Neons, on the other hand, can not.

Here be Dragons...

Having this weekend off polish making has actually given me time to paint my nails, and thus there will actually be some posts in the next week or so!

These nails were actually what I wore to work last week - quickly thrown together on sunday night before bed, with the colours being picked by Mr Painted Claws.

Base is Nails Inc New York Noir - since I got this as a freebie in Glamour magazine a month or two ago this has been my absolute best black polish. Its actually a little devastating that I've only got two bottles as its so much better than the other black polishes I've used. The only one I've found that comes close is Sinful Colors Black on Black.

The edge highlights are A England Dragon on my pointer, middle and pinky and Models Own Bronze Rage on my ring finger.

I love tape mani's, they're so easy to do!

What does everyone think? Like the colour combo?

Nub Club - Tree in the Snow

I'm trying to pack the nub nail art in before Christmas, and this was something I was intending to do on my larger nails before my de-clawing.

Little Christmas tree!

Apologies, and some Winter Sparkle

My apologies for the almost three week silence here on Kitty's Painted Claws - Winter hasn't been awesome so far as I've been super run down. I have, however,  managed to get a few mani's done in between bouts of coughing my lungs up or other things and I nearly exploded with glee when I got my first MoYou London Festive plate for stamping.

As you saw in the last post, I bought myself quite a few MoYou London stamping plates recently and I totally couldn't resist picking up one of the new Festive collection - specifically plate 02, the one with all the snowflakes. I'd put up a link directly to the plate but... its sold out. As it has been pretty much since it was released - it's been that popular.

In which I manage to stamp properly...

Quick one for you all tonight - I think I've managed to "get" stamping.

With thanks to my brand spanking new MoYou London stamping plates, I present...

... neat stamping! I'm so proud of myself.

Hallowe'en 2013 - Things that go BUMP in the Night...

What better to go bump in the night than...

Frankenstein's Monster!

Swatched - Nails Inc Emerald Street

As you may or may not know, Pantone voted Emerald Green as 2013's Colour of the Year. I was over the moon at this because I love green, but I've been searching for the perfect green for months now.

I came across Emerald Street in a blog sale last week and I knew I had to have it.

Pokemon Challenge Gen II, Round 11 - Rock

Carrying on on the theme of "Pokemon I love that aren't quite a full picnic", I present to you....

SUDOWOODO.

Green on Green Half Moons

I picked up Orly's Lucky Duck and OPI's Live and Let Die in a blog sale last week and I totally couldn't resist using them.

Lucky Duck (the half moons) is an amazing bold green creme, with great colour. I looooooove this colour. Three coats for full opacity but you could probably get away with two careful coats - I have to admit I'm not entirely the most delicate when doing my nails. Thank god for acetone and a clean up brush!

The rest of the nail is done in Live and Let Die, one of the OPI Bond collection. A dark, glittery, foresty green, this polish is a one coater and dries in fairly reasonable time too. The glittery shimmer in this just lights up when the light catches it, it takes the polish from normal but pretty to amazing.

The half moons were done with paper hole reinforcement stickers, bargain from WHSmith. I love halfmoon manis, they look so classy and awesome.

Whats your thoughts on the green on green?

An InLinkz Link-up

ER31DC Week 28 - Inspired by a Flag

There was absolutely zero hesitation for this one (for once!) as this is my now yearly holiday destination and home country of Mr Painted Claws' mother - Portugal!

ER31DC Week 27 - Inspired by an Artwork

OMG I'm so late with these! I've had these done and photgraphed for about a fortnight to be honest, and for some reason I'd absolutely convinced myself that I'd post them (when I clearly have not!)

Inspired by the artwork of Andy Warhol, or more specifically this print of Marilyn Monroe.

I was never good at appreciating art, I'm not gonna lie.

Models Own Velvet Goth Collection - Absinthe & Valerian

Models Own released one of their new autumn collections quite recently and I managed to beat the rush and grab two of the shades from my local Boots (buy one get one half price too!).

I'm terribly predictable and despite my self-imposed ban on new polish I managed to pick myself up the blue (Valerian) and the green (Absinthe) out of the 5 colour set. The ones I'm missing, Sardonyx, Amethyst and Obsidian - Red, Purple and Black respectively - are a definite temptation after seeing how these two beauties came out.

Beware... this post is pic heavy!

Swatched - Tara's Talons Becca's Polish

I am so in love with this polish its not even funny.

Rachael (of Racho's Nail Love) commissioned Tara (delightful maker of indie polish brand Tara's Talons) to make me a customer polish for my birthday at the end of August. I knew Rach was up to something as she kept asking me what I'd put in a polish if I could make one for myself, but I really didn't expect the end result to be this fantastic.

The polish base is a slightly jelly grass green, and is loaded with gold and green hexes that just float on the nail and give such awesome depth.

Pokemon Challenge Gen II, Round 6 - Grass

Round 6 already! I was a little torn for this round, but I've already done my favourite grass pokemon for the first generation challenge - oddish. So I went hunting for something cute, and came out with...

Jumpluff!

Review - Nelly Polish - Looe

*** Sample Provided for Review ***

My first review sample! Thanks so much to Hilary of Nelly Polish for sending me this and another bottle (Mena) to have a nice play with.

I have to admit that I've photographed Mena twice and the light just would not behave, so sadly I've only got Looe to show you today.

Swatched - Sinful Colors Kissy

I love teal. And blue. And green. I'm not sure if you've noticed.

When Sinful Colors launched over here I was like a kid in a candy shop - damn good polishes for only £1.99? Get in my shopping basket!

Then I spotted Kissy ... 

Fun With Glitter

As I was playing nice and trying to figure out what base colour & glitter combo to use for my 31 day challenge nails on saturday, I stumbled upon two polishes that I've never really used.

OPI's Thanks A Windmillion is a new purchase from the joy that is Fragrance Direct (OPIs for £3.99? How could I resist!) and is a beautiful pale sage green, wonderfully classy looking and pretty.
Orly's Halo is a super sparkly and super packed gold and silver glitter in a clear base that can easily be used as a full coverage polish - see this post for swatches of it and the other two polishes I got in the trio a few months back.
With one of these polishes being new and the other being a glitter, neither had really been used for anything yet, so I decided to stick 'em together and see what happened - classy, muted green with super bling gold-and-silver.

Long and the short of it - I think its amazing.

ER31DC Week 16 - Tribal Print

I managed to get the last of the new BarryM summer Gellies last weekend, so I figured what better way to break all five of them in then in a tribal print?