Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is here again! Lots of hearts and flowers on the nails. Have you any plans for tomorrow?

I’ve taken a day off as I have the house to myself so it’s going to be a play day, this time I need to get ahead so probably do some Easter themed nails, Spring nails… summer… I can’t wait!

Valentine Nails with hearts and foil detail

Red and Black ombré Valentine Nails with hearts

I took part in an online course yesterday via Periscope with Dega Mosane in which she showed various One Stroke, Zhostovo and Foil techniques. That’s on the agenda tomorrow too. I have a set of lashes to do later this afternoon then no more clients til Wednesday so lots of time to get messy and get all my pretties out! Pics to follow.

I’m also working on my new site www.lcbta.co.uk which was launched last week. You will find nail and beauty training courses here which I am adding to all of the time. I’m off to Plymouth on Friday for advanced training in various techniques and skills, more details to come! I also have a new Facebook page linked to that site. Come along and have a look.

Flying Visit, more Onestroke and a New Table!

Frantic February!

In between nails, brows and lashes I’ve been housesitting again as well as practicing more OneStroke designs and having new furniture built for my studio. I’ve been looking after some beautiful Labradors and a lovely cat, and with the help of my colleague, have been able to run back and forth between appointments!

Spring seems to be on it’s way and lots of nails and even a few toes have been gelled this month! Glitter is still being requested, I suppose as an antidote to the awful weather! Lash Lift is again proving very popular and the Cashmere Eyelash Extensions are so soft and light, clients don’t know they’re wearing them!

French with one stroke butterflies

Ink London i67 with Onestroke

L&P scuplted enhancements over badly bitten nails – clients own pic!

Having made prototype nail desks a few year ago, my husband has been busy again – I now have a custom made L shaped nail desk covered in glass with chrome legs. Pics to come once it’s finally finished. He’s working on conduits for wires and cables to keep me tidy and stop my chair rolling over them and pulling my gel lamps off. Another coat of paint and I’m good to go! My studio is looking sleek – as sleek as it can get in a rural 17th century thatched cottage! New windows and doors are also in the pipeline. This will all give me more room for Nail Classes… still in progress!

I’ve just received some BrillBird Designer Gel and have been having a play with that, no images yet but I can’t wait to use it. It’s lovely and really finishes off some of my designs. There are so many fabulous products out there to embellish nails, we’re really spoiled for choice! I can’t make it to Pro Beauty next weekend so I will have to have a play online and order some treats! I have my eye on a few new ideas…

Onestroke Sample Sheet

I printed blank black nail shapes onto a plain piece of paper then matte laminated it to have a working surface similar to buffed nails. I still haven’t got round to doing them on tips yet though a few clients have had some onestroke this month. As a bonus, it’s a handy way for clients to be able to choose what’s available.

I finally finished the sheet of Onestroke samples.

Gelish My Forbidden Love with stamping

Mermaid glitter ans stamping

Gelish Shake it til you Samba with bling and holographic glitter

Black Gel Polish with pink glitter lunulas

Blue Pink Glitter Ombré

French with lace stamping

French with Handpainted Fine Lines

Ink i55 with one stroke

One Stroke Painting Designs

This month is all about One Stroke Designs!

It’s been a while since I’ve added to the blog! I’ve been on holiday but I’m back in the swing now. I had a manic week last week catching up and I now have a little breather. I’m putting together some One stroke samples, tips and nail designs for my upcoming class. I will be holding courses teaching this technique, among others in the very near future. One Stroke or Onestroke? I can’t decide!

Double loading the paintbrush for Onestroke

Close up of a double loaded Onestroke brush

Onestroke is always popular and such an easy technique to master. The paint brush is double or triple loaded with paint and applied to your surface creating simple leaves and shapes. It is these basic shapes which can be used for all designs. Simple basic shapes can produce the following designs quickly and easily.

Simple flowers
Layered flowers
Closed leaves
Roses
Lilies
Butterflies
Foliage
Grasses

Would you like to learn this technique? I will take you through the basics of proper brush loading, brush care and of course the strokes that you need to complete each design. More details to follow.

One stroke samples painted onto a printed sheet. These are Level 1 Onestroke.

A little one stroke flower can add the finishing touches to a manicure. Add in some fine linework and you can create stunning designs with a little practice. Some of the pictures below are from a couple of years ago, I will be adding the new designs and practice sheets as I finish them. I’m finding it very therapeutic!

One Stroke Painting has been around for many years. Donna Dewberry is a great resource for ideas and tips. See Painters Online for Basic Techniques of One-Stroke Flower Petal Painting Donna Dewberry tips

Practice sheets for Onestroke designs

I practice on many surfaces before committing to nail tips or real nails. Matte laminated sheets are ideal to paint on as the paint grips really well, just like a prepared surface. Parchment paper is another good surface. I prepared some print outs so I can design to basic nail shapes in order to fit the designs in.

One stroke pansies painted on parchment paper

One stroke Poppies painted on parchment

One stroke blue flowers