OPI Vodka and Caviar

Hi Goddesses  

I realised recently that I use this polish A LOT and yet I've never done a swatch of it, sooooo ...... ta-DAH!

This is OPI Vodka and Caviar, a perfect bright red jelly.  This is RED as opposed to ruby red, cherry red, burgundy red or orange red.  It's RED, pure and simple.

This is similar to Zoya Sooki and Sally Hansen Right Said Fred but just glides on soooooo smoothly .... seriously, it's a dream of a polish.

I usually wear this polish when my nails are short - there's something about red on freshly cut nails that just works.  Super hot!

Short and sweet, this post, just like me.

Enjoy xx  :)

Spring Challenge Day 1 - Valentines!!!

Hi Goddesses

Good Morning !!  Wow, I am NEVER that cheerful in the morning.  That must mean 2 things - did you write this last night Crumpet ?  Yup.  And is today a special day ?  Sure is!

Today sees the start of The Purple Crumpet Fairy Spring Challenge.  38 manis over 2 months, all spring and Easter themed, with break days, cos boy do you need it with a Challenge!  If you want to join us, just click here, you're welcome to do as many or as few of the challenges as you want.  Please just make sure you credit us.

Sooooo, the first Challenge is an easy one - today is the day of love, so let us begin with what is hopefully the last time we have to see gay girlie hearts for 12 months !!

This is 2 coats of OPI Vodka and Caviar, a lovely bright tomato red, stamped using my much lusted after new Essence plate (thank you me-Jewli) and Barry M Special Effects in Silver and OPI Black Onyx.

I really like the simplicity of this, and I've always loved that this heart stamp is doubled, a bit like a scribble.  

Bright, cheerful and pretty, EXACTLY like me in the morning .... NOT.

Enjoy and I'll see you tomorrow for Day 2 xxxx :)

Day 26 - Letting It All Hang Out - We're Shattered!

PURPLE CRUMPET FAIRY CHALLENGE – The 31 Days of Christmas

Day 26 – Letting It All Hang Out

Hi Goddesses

Day 26 is about having an easy mani, a no effort, lounging around on the sofa and feeling like a beached whale mani, and this couldn’t be simpler.

I’d had this idea for a while, but kept it for Christmas.

I want to show you this in 2 stages, because I really do feel the initial stage is worthy of its own praise. 

This is 4 fingers of OPI Vodka and Caviar, the perfect red, and an accent nail of CG Cheers To You silver.  I just love the simplicity of this, love it. I also love (and I can’t believe I am about to say this) the clash of the matte silver with the glossy red – somehow the matteness makes it even better!  How is that possible!

So this for me was a real winner, but it wasn’t the look I was after.  I wanted to shatter them, so used my OPI Red Shatter on the silver nail (I had forgotten how jellyish the OPI was) and my CG Platinum Pieces on the red nails (I had forgotten how sheer this was).

Love!

I haven’t used my silver shatter that much, and lay the blame at OPI’s door for linking it so closely to the Pirates pastels.  Personally, I think  OPI got it wrong, and silver shatter should only be used over strong, bold colours that can take it, but still fight for their own beauty.

Put silver shatter on a pastel and in my eyes it looks naff, put it on a dark or a bright colour and, for me, you get WOW.

Because I am a dumbass, I had a little bit of trouble, especially when I used the red, so remember preciouses, if you haven’t used your shatter for ages, give it a BLOODY good shake.  The red sort of separated with a very thin liquid on the top, so I had to do it twice.

Ho hum, Crumpet continually lives and learns – have a fab chillaxing day xxx

Enjoy xx J

J

Top Tip – if you’re ever unsure what a nail colour looks like, go to Google images, which will give you plenty of contrasts and compares.

Hallowe'en Week - Bloooooooood Water Marble

Nails I Love

HALLOWE’EN WEEK – Blood Water Marble

Hi Goddesses

So, I’ve become a little obsessed with water marbling of late, and am getting in the habit of doing one every Sunday night so it becomes My Monday Marble Mani lol – mmmm that sounds good lol – and I hit on this idea for Hallowe’en, but would have probably thought of it eventually anyway, with red being one of my favourite colours.

I am finding lately that I no longer count sheep, and that my favourite falling asleep (or actually NOT falling asleep) trick is to think of colours that would work well together for marbling or other art.  Shheeeesh – something’s a little loose in this head!

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t as easy as you’d think – I found it very hard to find a lighter red that didn’t go pink in the water.  You should have seen my first bullseye!  There was pink and purple and every shade in between, lol but bugger me, there wasn’t any red!

Eventually I settled on OPI Vodka and Caviar, as it just behaved better than the others, Color Club Red-ical Gypsy for the vampy red and OPI Boris & Natasha (one of my very favourites) for the burgundy red / dried blood.

As I said, I really love water marbling.  I think it’s something about not knowing what I’m going to end up with – it mystifies me how Colette can get every nail looking pretty much the same.  How does she do that ??  Who knows, but I find water marbles more beautiful than anything else, they really hypnotise me.

As is often the case, it’s the index and middle finger on the left hand that I love the most.  This is the 2^nd set of nails that I do, so I assume it’s better cos I learn from what didn’t work out on the thumb!  As always, there was one particularly gorgeous pattern that ended up on the tape – gggrrr, Must Place Nail Better!

Really loved wearing this.  Maybe it doesn’t look that much like blood after all, but it sure was pretty J

Enjoy xxx J

J

Top Tip – if you’re ever unsure what a nail colour looks like, go to Google images, which will give you plenty of contrasts and compares.

Autumn Water Marble

Nail Fun

AUTUMN WATER MARBLE

Hi Goddesses

Ooh what a busy week!  Hope you’re well, whatever you’re doing.

Today I have photos of the water marble I’ve worn for the last 2 days and which I have absolutely loved the pants off!  I am so in love with this mani.  I’m also quite proud of myself because this is only my 3^rd ever attempt at a water marble (the first was my birthday purple one, and the 2^nd was a disaster!)

Beth wasn’t around at the weekend, so I had to do this All By Myself!  Gasp lol.  My original idea was to do a Muppets marble as those were the colours I had spent the weekend swatching.  I really wanted to use Animal-istic, Meep Meep Meep, and Pepe’s Purple Passion, but they just would not have it!  I think the flecking made them too heavy to spread out or something, so I had to revert to Plan B.

My amazing substitutes were CG Life Preserver (a perfect burnt orange), OPI Vodka & Caviar for the red, and OPI Catherine the Grape – a browny purple.  I had already put on a base coat of Animal-istic.

It’s not so much my water marbling talent that I am in awe of as the mix of these colour.  There’s something about the clash of them that is just Bang On and So Right.  The Life Preserver deserves a special award for outstanding contribution – just look at how wow it looks.  Catherine the Grape was the perfect contrast polish and may favourite nails are the ones where those 2 colours dominate.

Against them, Vodka & Caviar didn’t have a chance, poor love, but I do like the way I could see Animal-istic’s sparkle through the red – a magical added benefit.

The nails I am most proud of?  Left thumb, left index and middle (the first 3 that I did) and the right middle, where I managed to create an amazing swirly thing. 

Now, here’s the thing I still can’t get right – the plonking!  Or, to give it its more technical term, the placing of the nail EXACTLY where you want it in the bullseye.  Look at those awesome patterns that landed on the tape!!  I would have wet myself with delight if I had gotten them onto the nail!!

Oh an bubbles …  ggrrrr bubbles are my WM curse L

Oh and finally …. The photos.  Due to autumn closing in, my only current access to direct light is when I am in the car, so YES, these pictures were taken on my journey to and from work.  Mostly, when I was stuck in traffic and not moving, but there is the occasional action shot thrown in for good measure!

Lol – hope you enjoyed J