It's a holi-holiday

So this will be a mega post of all of my ideas for my perfect holiday nails.  This is my entry to the Travel Supermarket Beauty and the Beach 2 competition.  So follow me on a journey AROUND THE WOOOOOOOORRRRRLLLLLD

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Just to explain the premise behind these nails, I am not really one for beach holidays.  I'm as pale as they come and don't tan, I go from alabaster to raspberry in approximately 15 minutes with SPF applied so I'm much more likely to be city hopping around Europe but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate what the beach has to offer, I just wish I could tan and enjoy it myself LOL

FIRST STOP: DUBLIN

 Barry M Mint Green, H&M Green, O.P.I The Man with the Golden Gun

Only 100 miles away from me, Dublin is a city that I love to visit.  There is plenty to see, such as O'Connell Street, the GPO, St. Stephen's Green, Bewleys on Grafton Street, Brown Thomas (Ohemgee their cosmetics hall!) as well as many more cultural highlights.  I went on one of the open top tours of Dublin and it was fantastic as it brings you to all the major sights of the city but don't be silly like me and stay upstairs when its freezing BAD IDEA.

Method: I did a base coat of the Mint Green, let it dry then used a file page protector to mask off the half moon then layered on the green.  Peeling the hole protector off as soon as possible, let the darker green dry then apply the gold topcoat.  Seal in with Seche Vite.

I used the green and gold as its a colour combination that can be immediately associated with Dublin and the Republic in general but without being too obnoxious and obvious.  

SECOND STOP: PARIS

Sinful Colors Snow Me White, Models Own Nail Art Pen Blue, Inglot Nail Art Pen Red and Barry M Nail Art Pen Black

I've always wanted to go to Paris and this is probably the closest I will get for a long time LOL  Again, I chose a colour scheme that reflects the national colours of the country.  

Since red, white and blue are such common colours in world flags, I had to come up with another way of presenting my nails as Parisienne without being too obvious but then, is writing AMOUR (LOVE) PARIS (PARIS obvs) being conspicuous?  I don't think so!  (BTW, I know it's not really the correct grammar but its what I could fit on my nails LOL)
Method: Base coat of white, let it dry then using Barry M's Nail Art Pen, start the lettering.  Use a drip top coat to seal in then create the bordering with striper brushes.  Once dry, seal in with Seche Vite.

With the lettering, I googled the font for Paris' Metro and tried to replicate that.  With the bordering of the nails, I of course encountered some difficulty as per usual but strangely, my right hand, which was done by my non-dominant hand looks better in my opinion.  I liked the overall look of this manicure but it does take a bit of time.

THIRD STOP: STOCKHOLM

Barry M Retro Blue, Avon Suddenly Sunny and Barry M Nail Art Pen Black

Right well, I'm going to tell you a little sob story.  Cast your mind back to April 2010.  Can you remember anything about that particular time?  I can.  I was in first year of uni and during my Easter break, I was going to go to Stockholm with my friend Sinead.  I wake up on the day we are supposed to go down to Dublin Airport and see on the news an item about a mysterious ash cloud.  Fast forward a few hours later and I'm in a queue at the Ryanair counter trying to find out if I can get a refund on my flight since everything was cancelled.  I still haven't gotten to Stockholm and this still breaks my heart a little bit.  I have an affinity for all things Swedish; music, film, flat-pack furniture chains and the men (the Skarsgards anyone?) so when I first found out about this competition, I knew I had to do some Stockholm nails. 

Method: Paint alternately with your blue and yellow polish.  Once dry, paint irregular spots of the alternative colour on each nail, once dry, use the nail art pen to create the leopard print around the coloured spots and fill in blank areas with the leopard print shapes.

I was originally going to do Dala horse based nails but I couldn't find a detailed enough picture to use as a reference for the detailing on my nails so I thought I would pull out my classic leopard print nails with alternating blue and yellow fingers, the colours of the Swedish flag.  Both of these polishes have a bit of a shimmer to them which makes them look extra jazzy although the yellow took 3 coats to get slightly opaque and at that it was still a bit streaky.  This is probably my favourite manicure out of the set 

FOURTH STOP: IBIZA

Barry M Gold Foil, Barry M Pink Flamingo and Inglot 202

Right, I know that I said that I'm not a beach girl but my parents go to Ibiza nearly every year on holiday and my mummy kept asking about doing them so here they are!  I wanted to do something glitzy, glamourous and fun.  I was originally going to do the gradient with the gold and a coral but the colour I picked wasn't very pigmented so I switched it out for this pink from Barry M.
Method: Paint your nail in your chosen base colour (gold), let it dry.  Once touch dry, apply pink nail polish on a make up sponge, dabbing off the excess.  Sponge onto nail until about half way or two thirds down.   Keep repeating as you move up the nail, creating a graduated colour effect and the tip of the nail is opaque with pink polish.  Once dry, apply glitter top coat and seal with Seche Vite.
You can't really see in the photograph but its a gorgeous topcoat effect and the sparkles are very iridescent.  I can see this manicure fitting in on the beach of San Antonio Bay as well as in Pacha LOL

FIFTH AND FINAL STOP: THE JUNGLE

Sinful Colours Snow Me White, O.P.I Greenwich Village, O.P.I Don't Talk Bach to Me, H&M Green and Barry M Nail Art Pen Black

So yes, this isn't strictly a location based nail but I've been wanting to do these nails for a wee while and I thought they would fit in to this post.  They are based on the print from this jumpsuit from Topshop which I really want but alas can't afford, or rather, justify buying.  The closest I'll be getting to it will be these nails!
Method: Paint nail with base colour (white).  Once dry, using a striper brush, paint leave shapes in different shades of green on your nail.  Once these are dry, outline the leaves using a black nail art pen.  Again, once dry, seal with a layer of Seche Vite top coat.

GENERAL HOLIDAY NAIL TIPS

• Do them a day or two before you leave.  This means it gives them a day or so to set and fully dry so no chance of smudging during security checks, pack before you do them though!
• TOP COAT TOP COAT TOP COAT!  I cannot reiterate this enough.  Invest in a good top coat like Seche Vite and your manicure will automatically last a few more days more than having it without.  Check with your airline whether you are allowed to bring nail polish with you and if you are, bring top coat.  Apply every other day or even every day if you feel up to it and this should keep your nails looking fresh!
• If you are a fan of nail art and cannot go without changing your nails every couple of days, do some research into nail artists in the cities you are visiting and perhaps treat yourself to a holiday mani! 
• HAVE FUN!  Push the boat out with some elaborate nails or keep it simple with a block colour, as long as you're pleased :D
• With my location-specific nails, the colours can be switched to those of the country you are visiting and that can automatically make your nails themed :)

Woahzers this is a long post!  Congrats to all who have made it this far down the page, I salute you.  As mentioned before, this is my entry to Travel Supermarket's Beauty and the Beach 2 and I'd appreciate any feedback on my post and I thank you for your time :D

As part of the competition, I've to tag 5 bloggers to enter as well (if they haven't done so already) -  One Nail to Rule Them All, Little-Nails, Lisa's Nails, Galorious and 10 Blank Canvases

If you are so inclined, I've included a cheeky Nominate Me button for Cosmopolitan's Blog Awards so if you fancy it, nominate me for Best New Beauty Blog.  If you like what you see, follow me by signing up to email updates, Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' so you will know straight away when I update.  If you think others would like my blog, share it with them too SHARE THE LOVE

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