July Nails and One Stroke with Keiko Venner

Over half way through the year already. It’s been a busy month as everyone is getting their nails holiday ready. I started the month attending a class in Bodmin with the amazing Keiko Venner learning One Stroke. We all learned a lot and I love the Orgasmic Paints, they are so creamy and lovely to work with Keiko is such a patient teacher and her work is out of this world. I learned a lot and now just need some spare time to practice!

The last week of the month was so hectic as I was getting prepared for my trip to Stoke On Trent for my TNG Stage 2 Course with Kirsty Meakin.

Hotels are all busy this time of year so I booked myself an Airbnb near to the training venue which was luxury! 3 bedrooms all to myself, my own patio area (which I didn’t get to use as it rained but it was useful each night while I e-filed my day’s nails off ready for new nails every morning!). I figured self catering would be the way to go as I could get my own shopping in and do my own thing rather than eat in a hotel and be stuck in a little room. The house had every amenity you could wish for and there was a huge welcome pack waiting for my arrival. Bread, fruit, cereals, croissants, fruit juice, butter, milk, pasta and rice, condiments… everything I could need. The start of a great week away… more in the previous blog. Definitely the way to stay!

6 hour return journey and Satnav brought me via Stonehenge again, it’s like a magnet. 45 minutes crawling along while people take pictures of an underwhelming bunch of rocks! Will go a different route next time!

Here are some of the nails I created in July. I’m gradually catching up… just Feb, March, April, May and June to do!

Purple gel with diamond glitter design

This design started life as a lovely Sharm effect. Dark and light purple roses blending beautifully on my colour pops. Looked fabulous! Alison was really keen so we started on the nails… as you see no roses! Total failure. The leaves would not blend, they looked terrible. This is Plan B!

One stroke flowers

These are Ann’s natural nails with an acrylic overlay. Using techniques learned from Keiko and Orgasmic paints I painted 4 nails with onestroke.

Honeymoon nails

Cat eye Caramel with gold foil swirls

Watermelon with diamond glitter and chevron design

One stroke Tulips over black gel polish burnished with blue

Pale pink wit shimmer pigment and silver chunky glitter over

Prom Nails for Chloe

Chrome pigment overlay

Practicing Paua shell for client’s party

The finished Paua shell nail.

Paua shell Nails

Emily’s designed her own necklace for her 40th birthday party and asked if I could design something to go with the paua shells she had used. I used a mixture of foil, sheer gels, handmixed gels and detailed lines to achieve this effect.

Encapsulated pink and iridescent glitter in acrylic

Sharm effect roses

French acrylic with a little 3d

Matching Pink and white toes

Pink, grey and glitter with bling

Lilac gel with french glitter

Classic colour over acrylic

A variation of plums

September Nails

Some of my September finger nail and toenail designs. Still catching up! What else to do on a rainy Dorset Sunday afternoon?

Pigment over gel polish toes with 3d petals

Acrylic extensions, aqua background with pink one stroke

Acrylic extensions with pink and gold sparkles

3d silver detail over black nails and a blingy glitter ring finger

Assymetric french with silver accents

Black, silver, chrome and Rockstar nails

Gelish Shake it til you Samba with 3d designer gel detail on fingers and toes

Gelish Tahiti Hottie with 3d designer gel detail on fingers and toes

Ink London Gel with Holgraphic pigment

Forbidden love with silver stamping

The Gel Bottle 146 and one stroke petals

Gelish with 3d silver gel and glitter on purple

Gel polish french with chrome silver swirls

Peach cobbler with onestroke and bling

Starburst with one stroke, holo pigment and gems

Starburst, Lilac with one stroke, holo pigment and gems

One stroke on french nails

Gelish Tahiti Hottie with 3d designer gel detail on all nails

Tahiti hottie with bling

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.

St Patrick’s Day Nail Art

St Patrick’s Day – Topical Nail Art!

March 17th is St Patrick’s day (and is also my parents’ wedding anniversay – double celebration!) and every year the Irish, or Irish at heart celebrate the day. It began as a religious feast day for the patron saint or Ireland and is now an international festival celebrating Irish culture. Across the globe there are parades, dancing, drinking and lots of green! I have seen St Patrick’s Day celebrated in the UK, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, India and Australia and almost always Guinness is involved!

Nail swatches of Shamrocks and Guinness

Last year, my client was off to Dublin and was after Shamrocks for her nails so I did a couple of swatches and couldn’t resist doing a Guinness one.

Shamrokl

This year another client is off to Dublin for St Patrick’s Day so she opted for the emerald green glitter nails with the Guinness harps on her ring fingers. This design is a combination of glitter and hand painting. I’m hoping Fran sends some pics of the nails on location with a Guinness in hand!

St Patrick’s Day nails with Guinness Logo

According to Wikipedia ‘On St Patrick’s Day it is customary to wear shamrocks and/or green clothing or accessories (the “wearing of the green”). St Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. The colour green has been associated with Ireland since at least the 1640s, when the green harp flag was used by the Irish Catholic Confederation.’

Seven things you didn’t know about the saint, the parades, and Guinness

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

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

Happy New Year from Mole End Design

Just found this in my scheduled folder… I went on holiday and it didn’t upload. This one is 18 months late! I see my New Year Resolutions failed miserably.

Now teaching courses for Jane Bryan Beauty Training, see the website for more details www.lcbta.co.uk

Happy new year 2016 flying colorful balloons Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2016 and I hope it brings all you wish for. 2015 has flown by and we’re now ready for 2016 – what will it bring? New goals, new colours, new designs…

New Year Resolutions?

I must post more regularly
Keep training and up to date with the latest trends and techniques
Make more lists!

I have a busy few days ahead, then teaching a Gel Polish Manicure Course on Wednesday. Thursday I’m off to Gatwick staying overnight ready for my holiday to Goa. I’m back to work Monday 25th January. Hoping to pick up lots of Bling and ideas while in India!

Here are the last of the 2015 designs. I bought Xmas stamping plates with snowflakes and baubles and hardly used them, everyone wanted handpainted this year! I’m looking at them seeing if I can use them in other designs throughout the year, otherwise it’s the bin!

3d snowmen over Gel Polish

Gelish with glitter and a little Xmas Tree

Gelish Caution with handpainted Snowflakes

Chunky Glitter over Deep Sea

Ombré pigments with stamping and Glitter highlights

French L&P with 3d baubles

Ice blue Glitter French

Cashmere Eyelash Extensions

Shellac with handpainted Ivy

Russet and Gold Ombré Pigments with stamping

Simple Pink and Blue Glitter Fade

Handpainted Robins with Snowflakes

Samples for 3d Snowmen

Fine line handpainting

Now… what am I going to have on my holiday nails! I’m sat here with blank nails wondering whether to go for plain, glitter, pigments, stamping, bling, 3d… all of the above! Subtle? Neon? French? My suitcase is packed so it’s just me to get ready now. See you when I get back!

Christmas Designs – Nail Art for the Festive Season

It’s that time of year again… the glitter has made a massive appearance, although it never really goes away, December is the time when I eat sleep and dream of it! I bought a selection of Christmas themed stamping plates but so far have not used them apart from a few snowflakes on myself – everyone has wanted handpainted Christmas Designs.

I’ve put together a quick selection of new Christmas designs, I’ve also swatched more foils and glitter combinations, my swatch collection is growing! Lot’s of Bling to play with 🙂 Pictures do not do these justice, so come along and see them in the flesh! A little 3d work has been introduced this year to add some variation and more acrylic shapes will be coming soon. I learned a lot on my course so I’m quietly playing with my new techniques and getting ready for 2016.

Handpainted Baubles on Gelish Is It An Illusion

Gelish Christmas Designs

3d Baubles

Plaid Designs

Blue Ice Effects

3d Poinsettia

Introducing Cashmere Ellipse Lashes

Cashmere Ellipse or Flat Lashes

New to Mole End Design – Cashmere Ellipse Lashes. Super soft and with a natural feel and look. These lashes are elliptical rather than the traditional round lash extensions, giving a better contact area for adhesive, longer lasting lashes and a full look without overloading the natural lashes. Lashes stay healthy.

Cashmere Ellipse Lashes are a revolutionary premium lash product designed to meet the ultimate challenge of eyelash extensions – lush, full volume lash line without the heaviness. Combining advanced polymer technology and the latest moulding techniques, the new design of Cashmere Lashes® has competely changed the form of traditional eyelash extensions and the way extensions bond with the natural lash. The volume of extensions on each eye can be doubled by adding less weight to natural lashes.

These elliptical lashes can be mixed with super fine lashes for a fluffy natural look or used alone for a full on glamourous look without the weight of thick lash extensions. They have the look of a much thicker lashline without the weight.

All the good lash artists know the simple truth that heavy eyelash extensions can really damage a client’s natural eyelashes. If a natural lash has been ripped out too many times, it can never grow back! How can you, then, achieve the effect of greater volume without the risk of losing your natural eyelashes?A brand new type of eyelash extension has been introduced to solve precisely this problem. Combining advanced polymer technology with the latest moulding techniques, new CASHMERE LASH® product has completely revolutionised the thinking behind the structure of the traditional eyelash extension.

The design’s improvements include:

A fraction of the weight of normal eyelash extensions.
Retains its curl for twice as long.
Feels much softer than 0.07mm lashes.
Radiant shine.
Comfortable to wear, less irritated feel to eyelids.

It is such a pleasure to work with this new revolutionary product – clients will immediately notice the difference. By adding the minimum amount of weight to the natural lash, clients are barely able to notice a difference in how the extended lashes feel, with the product being so easy to care for and soft to the touch that it feels just like their own.

Introducing Ink London

INTRODUCING INK LONDON!

INK London has arrived and I couldn’t be more excited about it! I have been using Ink London products for over 6 months and I cannot fault it – long lasting results, excellent range of colours, quality of products and first class customer service.

Here are some of the main reasons why I’ve chosen to bring INK London into my range:
⭐ All products sourced within the EU and produced in the UK
⭐ No animal testing
⭐ Hypoallergenic & Halal friendly
⭐ Free from 1350+ banned chemicals and solvents within the UK and EU
⭐ Professional only product
As there are a few different products in the INK London range, I will also give you a run through of their main features too!

INK London iLac is a hybrid gel polish meaning you have the longevity of a gel but the kindness of a normal polish.
⭐ No buffing of the natural nail
⭐ 102 colours in the range
⭐ 14-21 day wear
⭐ Under 10 minute removal

INK London xLac is a one step system for all you busy ladies who who don’t have time for a luxury service. This is perfect for those ladies who want a mani/pedi on their lunch break or just need a bit of colour in their life for a short period of time. This is the perfect system for nurses, carers, chefs and other careers.
⭐ No buffing of the natural nail
⭐ 21 colours in the range
⭐ 7 -10 day wear
⭐ 4 minute removal
⭐ Perfect for pedicures

INK London Acrylink is a liquid and powder acrylic system which can be used for enhancements for those of you who want longer nails or as an overlay to keep your natural nails strong. Acrylink has the most beautiful colour powders in the range with more in the pipeline. As the powders are very fine in consistency, you won’t even feel like you have anything more than gel polish on your nails. Acrylink is so lightweight in comparison to other brands you may have experienced.

INK London iJel is a hard gel which can be used for enhancements for those of you who want longer nails or as an overlay to keep your natural nails strong. iJel have 7 beautiful colours to choose from with many more in the pipeline. This product is also super lightweight.
So that’s everything you need to know about INK London, so what are you waiting for?!
Book an appointment, sit back, relax and let me transform your hands and feet!

Some of the Ink Manicures so far