NOTD - Blue & White China Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

Now you know how much I adore my afternoon teas, the numerous reviews on here would be a dead giveaway...One of my favourite parts of a good tea, other than the food of course, is the pretty crockery used to partake. Call me crazy (many do) but I do feel a cup of tea tastes better when sipped from a pretty cup & saucer ;) I adore intricately patterned teacups & have a somewhat odd addiction you might say of accumulating said crockery, a habit that drives my mother bonkers as I guess it ruins the aesthetic of her neatly ordered cupboards with my random finds. There is a point of me talking about this topic by the way & that point leads naturally to my other addiction...nail art!

Many times I've found myself inspired to create nail art using some of the designs I've come across on my teacup & saucer adventures.

A pattern in particular that I simply LOVE & is often associated with delicate china-wear is the pretty blue & white oriental patterned crockery that is often used. Classic, vintage & so so pretty I was naturally inspired to create something similar on my nails so that's what I did!

I can't believe its taken me so long to use the combination of blue & white in nail art as it is gorgeous! So eye catching, I will definitely be attempting this again, especially as I wasn't entirely happy with the finished pattern but hey ho, I rolled with it anyway!

For my white base I've used two coats of Models Own HyperGel in White Light, such a perfect formula that gives a clean, glossy & opaque finish.

Then for the blue I've used an old favourite, Barry M Blue Grape, from the Gelly Hi Shine range, a beautiful vibrant royal blue gelly that instantly uplifts my mood whenever I use it. FYI this is currently on sale online for £1.99, I truly hope this isn't because its about to be discontinued as its so gorgeous, so go grab it as you NEED this polish in your collection!

Using Blue Grape & a nail art brush I went in & just free handed an oriental vine like pattern from memory, using curved lines & swirls, trying to embody that patterned china look.

I wasn't entirely satisfied with the finished design, the brush I used being still a tad too thick to create a delicate pattern, but you get the general idea.

I did this look before I purchased my Ju Bilej brushes which I think will be much better at doing more intricate designs so I'll definitely be revisiting this type of look using those! For a final bit of extra detail I added on a a few dotted flowers on each nail using a dotting tool