Tutorial Tuesday: Halloween Chevrons

With 3 days to go until Halloween, my first 'Tutorial Tuesday' is chevrons with a Halloween colour scheme. 

For this mani, along with my usual base of OPI's Matte Nail Envy and INM's Out The Door topcoat I used Rio Nail Art Polish in White, OPI in A Great Affair, Barry M in Block Orange, Revlon in Lime Basil (swatched here) and Rimmel in Black Cab. The colours bled quite a lot because I didn't let them fully dry before using a topcoat, so I'd suggest leaving it as long as you can before sealing your design.

Step 1: The Base. For the base, I used one coat of white and let it fully dry, so that the vinyls wouldn't pull off any of the polish later on. 

Step 2: The Vinyls. For this design, I used skinny chevrons in the She Sells Seashells chevron variety pack. There were 4 colours in my design, so I used 3 vinyls on each nail to make 4 sections and I tried to make even sections to get the best result.

Step 3: The Painting. Paint each nail with a black, purple, orange and green section. I altered the colour order on every nail to change it up a bit, as opposed to having a uniform design across my 10 nails (yes, I always do ALL 10 nails, unless it's a swatch) As you paint, remove the corresponding vinyls to get the sharpest lines possible. When I remove the vinyls, I follow the zig-zag with the tweezers to ensure a perfect pattern. 

Step 4: Clean-up and Topcoat. I clean-up around my nails with my Wilko eyeliner brush. I have both the houndstooth and chevron brushes and keep them in different parts of my house so I always have one handy. Leave your nails for as long as possible before sealing your design with the topcoat, so that your colours don't bleed like mine did. 

And you're done! This was one of the more simple Halloween designs I've done, I haven't decided on my nails for Friday yet but I will post them next week. Next week's tutorial is again Halloween themed- even though the day will have passed, you can come back to it next year! 

My first post: Revlon Parfumerie Swatches

Revlon Parfumerie Swatches-My Collection

Hello! This is my first post (finally!). Today I have the swatches of my Parfumerie collection- I won 2 of them, got one in a nail mail and the rest are from the Pound shop (bargain!) I only have just over 1/2 of the collection-I'm on the hunt for the rest. 

There is an amazing array of colours and scents, all unique in their own right. Some are more sheer so I've used them over other colours in my swatches to give you a better idea of how fabulous they really are. All of the polishes have an amazing formula, making them easy to paint with. The bottle lid doesn't make it harder to paint like I thought it would- it sort of makes it easier! 

First up, Italian Leather. This is a gorgeous greeny-grey polish with a slight shimmer from the gold micro glitters scattered throughout. It doesn't smell like leather as such- it's a sweeter sort of smell. Perfect for this time of year and definitely one for all skin colours. 

Secondly, Balsam Fir. The scent reminds me of going to a garden centre at Christmas. It is a sold colour with a gorgeous, creamy formula. This polish is perfect for doing Christmas trees/wreaths- a definite staple for this winter's nail art. 

Thirdly, African Tea Rose. This colour is a gorgeous solid hot pink, perfect for all-year-round manicures. I'm not sure how true-to-name the smell is, but I'd describe it as a floral scent. 

Next up, Ginger Melon. This one is my definite favourite. The colour is gorgeous and different to anything else I own, and the scent is amazing. I wouldn't say there is a ginger element in there, but there is a fruity-based scent to this polish. 

Next, Lime Basil. Another favourite of mine, again different to any of my other green polishes. There isn't a lime aspect in my opinion, but there is basil mixed with a sweet, almost floral fragrance. It is perfect for doing grass/flower stems etc. and is again a staple for nail art, especially in the spring/summer. 

Coming next, Wintermint. This polish is a shimmery mint green with darker mint glitters scattered throughout the formula. It has a minty smell, almost like Spearmint Polos. I'm not sure how much I will wear it, but it is a beautiful colour for this winter. 

Up next, Moonlit Woods. The name of the polish makes me think of Halloween, but the scent reminds me of incense. It is slightly metallic which adds to the idea of moonlight- a perfect all-year-round polish. 

Next, Surf Spray. This is a sheer polish, so I've swatched it (from index to ring) over nude, blue and black. My pinky shows 3 coats of the polish alone. I love it most over the blue as it looks more of a solid shimmery colour than it does over the others. It smells like one of my dad's aftershaves- fresh with a hint of juniper, perfect for spring manicures. 

Up now, Beachy. Again, this is a sheer polish so I've layered it (from index to ring) over nude, brown and black. I actually like it most over my natural nail (pinky), which is surprising because I'm not a sheer fan. The scent doesn't scream 'beach' to me, it's more a woody incense smell. It doesn't really suit my skin colour so I'm not likely to wear it much, but it  would be perfect on those with a darker skin tone. 

Next up, Spun Sugar. This a metallic silver that dries a bit quicker than the rest, despite the dent on my index. It isn't as sweet as the name suggests, it is again more of a sweet incense sort of scent. I probably won't use this polish alone again, but it will be perfect to stamp with using my MoYou London Sci-Fi Plate. 

Coming next, Powder Puff. This is again more of a sheer polish, so I've layered it over (from index to ring) over light grey, pink and black. I like the grey and natural nail (pinky) looks the most, and I am likely to wear it over the grey again. I expected a baby powder type scent, but it is more of a dainty floral scent- perfect for spring. 

Up now, Fresh Linen. This is a gorgeous creamy colour- the perfect palette cleanser. I love this more than I thought I would when I first saw the bottle, it's brighter than it looks. The scent is true-to-name and is perfect for a rainy day. 

Now for the first red, China Flower. This colour is the perfect red- it looks dark pink in the bottle but is red on. It has a sweet floral scent that isn't sickly like most of the others, I'm going on the hunt to find a perfume like this. 

The deeper red, Bordeaux. It is a gorgeous deep vampy red, great for Halloween nail art and gorgeous alone for an autumnal mani. It has a sweet incense smell that is different to anything I've smelt before, and is less prominent than some of the other polishes in the collection. 

Next up, Wild Violets. This is a very deep purple and it dries quickly because it's one of the darkest colours in the set. I didn't expect the scent on this one, it smells exactly like Parma Violets- if you like the smell, you can buy the wax melt here.

Up now, Espresso. The essential black polish but with a difference- the scent of a really strong coffee. I don't drink coffee but I do like the smell, so this one is perfect for me. I will be using this all of the time once my current black runs out, and hopefully I will find another at my local pound shop.

Last but not least, Autumn Spice. This is definitely one for the autumn- a deep brown with gold and dark/burnt orange micro glitters. It also has a autumnal scent of both cinnamon and a 'woody' base. The colour is one of my favourites, but I'm not too sure on the scent so I'm not sure how much I'll wear it, but it is definitely a gorgeous polish to have in my collection.