Is Blogging Dead? The Answers!!!

Hi Goddesses

So, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post called Is Blogging Dead?  It was asking whether blogging was becoming an old fashioned medium in the age of click and like.



I was really reassured by some of the comments that were posted, and I just want to take the time to publicly thank everyone that did.  It's great to know so many of you like to "read" about polishes as well as look at the pretty pictures, and your answers were very clear that YES, there is still room for blogging as a medium, and the volume of information it can provide.

What I found most interesting, though, was all the comments about how hard blogging is making it for itself to be followed as a medium.   Those of us who read blogs probably seek to interact beyond a click n like, yet Blogger's own commenting system makes this difficult, and let's not get started on Disquis.



So, we the bloggers, create the blogs, and generate the traffic, but then Blogger (in the ultimate demonstration of the withdrawal method) backs out on the satisfaction end of the deal.



So, why would you do this?  It's like creating the perfect recipe, but then preventing people from buying the ingredients.  Surely platforms like Blogger should be ENCOURAGING interaction, not squashing it?



I think part of that problem stems from spambots, and the desire to curb their annoying behaviour, but shouldn't the masses still be able to participate without passwords, or god forbid, captchas?



Part of the problem may also be Google, who for years have been trying to drive people to Google+, a platform NO ONE wants to use, because it's so shit.  Maybe the blogger issues exist to "persuade" people that commenting via a Google+ page is the ultimate experience.  



Well, no, it's not, and never will be.   It's a basic and soulless Facebook wannabe, and shutting down every GOOD Google feature one by one STILL won't persuade people to jump on the G+ train.



Still, the post reminded me of a couple of things - not only that there IS room for blogs and they ARE appreciated, but that also, these different platforms exist to give us all choice, and not only that, they don't demand monogamy.


Thank you to everyone who joined in the debate xx

A Peek Inside The Nail Room

Hi Goddesses

Last weekend, I made a jokey YouTube vid HERE about the nail room and the shit tip it was lol.  Shit tip, by the way, is its natural state.  It's a messy terrain.  Well used, rather than ornamental.


Well, before I did said jokey video, it was actually semi-tidy, and I usually like to mark those occasions with photos, if only to prove it does sometimes happen.


So, I thought you might like to see what lives on my desk, how I have stuff arranged, and what tools I've accumulated.  Here goes ....

First of all, here is the panorama shot in all its glory, before we zoom in on all the shit, accoutrements.


Now, let's give you an idea of scale.  My desk is 6 feet long and probably 3 feet deep.  On a good day, you can't see wood lol.  Right in front of my is my laptop -

And beyond that are 2 nail polish racks (just underneath the window).   These house my Konads, and the polishes I want to use next / soon.   Ignore what's to the left, we'll zoom in on that in a mo.

To the RIGHT we have another polish rack.  This one houses my Color Club holos (great for stamping) as well as some exciting new purchases.   There's also a wooden organiser which houses my Cheeky Jumbo plates and my MoYou plates  (although they hadn't moved in when the photo was taken) and a few random pens and brushes.  In the brown envelope are all those amazing tape stickers I have.  

In this photo you can also see my lamp, and a jumble of polishes I've just swatched (when this was taken it was Quirk and Hairy Legs London).    You can also see one of my most essential nail art tools - 

Cotton buds!  Essential for clean-up.  Although I use a clean up brush as well, these are essential for the sort of deep or wide-rannging cleaning required after stamping or gradients.


Next up we have the view to the left of the laptop.  To my left there is always at least 1 notepad.  This has various things on it - sometimes ideas, sometimes drawn ideas, and on the day this photo was taken, the weekend's To Do List (very common lol).

Around this area, there's usually the detritus of other things I've used - tape for tape manis, cotton wool, other pads, dotting tools, brushes waiting for the miracle day they will be cleaned lol -

Just out of shot, and in the top left corner of the desk is the mother lode of holy nail art.  First of all, the mug of brushes, and some dotters (all the other dotters are in a pencil case, hiding on the window sill).

Then we have a massive box of acrylic paints, and in it sit 2 smaller boxes.  The one on the left houses tools waiting to be cleaned / recently or commonly used, extras like nail glue, and the one on the right has my stamping tools, clippers and nail file.

And then on top of THAT sits yet another box lol, of other commonly used crap - my original small acrylic tubes, mixing palettes, hole reinforcers for tape manis, Sharpie pens -

And then this is what that whole area looks like together -

Beyond that, way on the left of the room, are 2 areas of doom lol.  Firstly, there's this big box of crap.  This has other utensils in it like cotton wool, plastic bags for decals, nail wheels, orange sticks, sponges, straws - all the bigger stuff you accumulate.

And then HERE, to the left and slightly behind me, is Mount Untried.  Each of these boxes homes at least 30 polishes.

AND they're on the right too!  These tend to be my newer purchases - Lilypads, OPIs, Elevations.

So, that's the Crap Pad, the Shit Tip, my Nail Room.  Despite the chaos, it's what my heart calls home, and somehow, it soothes me.  I hope you liked the peek :)

OPI A-Piers To Be Tan - Why Do I Have Pooh On My Nails?

Hi Goddesses

I seriously debated not blogging this polish, but you tell me you like to be told what to avoid, and what to not waste your money on, sooooo -




This polish is absolutely the colour of pooh.  Thankfully it's not a scented polish, but oh man .... not nice.

Sensible comment time - this goes on darker than the bottle, so it's not as "autumnal" as it looks.

I don't like brown polishes, but even if I did, how could you not shudder whilst wearing this?  It's all so distressing :(  especially when you need to lick your fingers .....

Drool Britannia - ALL The UK Indies

Hi Goddesses

For a long, long time, being an indie maker was a no-go if you lived in the UK.  The price of materials was prohibitive, and my dreams of being the next Nikole / Dolly / Amanda had to go on hold.


Recently though, there has been an utter EXPLOSION of UK indies, and I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the ladies who are changing the UK polish world.    This may not be all of them - there's a new talented lady popping up every week lol - but this should give you a good overview of who and what is out there.  Each lady has been hyperlinked to her Facebook page.  In no particular order -


Quirk - Kerrie

I started Quirk to embrace my love of polish and pop culture. My polishes are all inspired by things that I really admire, be it Books, Music ,TV, Movies or even just a quote that has stuck in my head. I wanted to create a  brand of polish that embraces the Quirky side of life yet still remains of the highest quality. I have always been a really creative person and starting my own brand was the next step for me.  

My first collection is called “Blame It On The Boom Boom” and is inspired by an American rock band called Black Stone Cherry. There is a polish called “Peace Is Free” within that collection which is proving to be a big hit with the fans. Honestly I can’t pick one polish above the others as my all time favourite though, maybe once a few more collections have come out I could choose! 

My plans for the future are to keep expanding and strengthening my brand. I have lots of fun collections planned for the future as well as a hand and nail care line. I also have some other exciting things in the works but it would ruin the fun of it if I told you it all straight away wouldn’t it? 

You can check out my review of Quirk polishes HERE.


Nail Lacquer UK - AJ



 I never actually started the brand... it just pretty much grew from my love towards nail polish, nail art and the constant need to do something new and exciting and to share it all with others. I still see myself more as a blogger than indie polish maker, it was initially meant to be just a small part of my blog where readers can buy my polishes but somehow it grew fast and within 2 short months I have sold over 100 polishes. Getting good reviews have been extremely encouraging and the negative feedback have been helpful to grow as a polish maker. 

 Most of my best selling polishes have circle glitter in, I think it is "in" these days hence the popularity... Also, people tend to love the cute charms I add to my polishes. Some of the charms are handmade by me (the small cake slices for example). I see more circle glitter polishes coming in the next few months and with the Christmas approaching fast there will be lots of red, green and golden polishes available in my shop. I also have a soft spot for pastels so that is something you'll be spoiled with. 

My plan is to offer unique and one of a kind nail polishes with adorable charms and great customer service for as long as there are people who love and support hand made nail polish.

Pocket Money Polishes - Charlie

I started the brand after a lot of encouragement from a friend (and indie maker) when I really wanted to make my own glitter topper. It grew from a 4 bottle collection into a new collection every month, singles and greatest hits – my theme has become music with every polish being named after and inspired by a song. 

My favourite polish… well… not really a favourite but the very first one would be Starry Starry Night but my best-selling polish is I Want Candy closely followed by Ice Ice Baby (as seen in nail art by SoYouBeauty) 

Keep making different toppers, maybe expand into colours. As long as it’s fun and my customers are happy then I intend to keep going. Always lots of new glitters out there and many many combos to explore. We will be having another US pop up store after the success of our way in September.

Magic Goose - Emma

Having blogged about nails since 2011 it felt to me like the High Street nail polishes just weren't exciting me any more. As soon as a trend comes along every brand will follow suit. Whereas with handmade polishes there is a lot more individuality; a bit of something for everyone. It's long been a dream of mine to create my own polish, and when I finally realised that I too could do it, I didn't waste any time in creating Magic Goose!

My best-selling polish so far is Electra, a glitter topcoat with purple and holo lilac hexes and turquoise holo stars. It's also my personal favourite, it makes me think of fireworks :) 

Hairy Legs London - Sanita

I started the brand because I have always been into vintage polishes, especially vintage glitters! I still am, but I think it's nice to be able to replicate some of those HTFs or create something that looks as cool as one of those oldies. Which brings me to the second point - I love to create and play with colours. I get inspired by the most random things (trolls, trainers, songs and all sorts of odd bits), and after that I try to translate them into nail polish! :)



Best selling definitely is Tainted Love, and I don't have a favourite per se. I do have to say I'm quite proud of Rainbow Troll because it really does look like its hair!!!


Future plans - Total world domination through nail polish :D In all seriousness though, I really hope to be doing this as long as people like my stuff, or I ran out of ideas! I'd love to be able to turn the attention of British muggles to our small but growing indie scene   :)

You can check out my review of Hairy Legs London HERE.


So, who's tickled your fancy?  What polishes would you like to see?  Do you think the UK can handle an indie scene as big as the US?  I'd love to know your thoughts xx

#33DC Day 15 - Animals

Hi Goddesses

Here I am again, fashionably late to my own challenge!  I really have no excuse to offer other than total laziness.  I just could not get my mojo together yesterday as far as editing and writing were concerned - I guess that means a bit of a catch up day today then!

Today's post features OPI Flashbulb Fuchsia which I was sent for review by a UK etailer called Chemist Direct.  I hadn't heard of them before, but they have lots of good stuff at reasonable prices.

Flashbulb Fuchsia may just be my favourite pink polish EVER.  I really was not prepared for how awesomely sparkly it is - it's just amazing.  I've used it loads since it arrived - it just seems to have an extra little bit of magic to it.

Now, you may be sat there thinking "what on earth hoohah animal is THAT".  Well .... it's this design, a butterfly wing from MoYou Pro Collection 04.  I admit, it doesn't look much like a butterfly wing on my nail, but I liked how abstract it looked, plus I was pretty sure no one else would have a mani like this for the challenge!

I hope you have a great weekend lined up - I might get a little YouTube action lined up for you :)