Death Cab for Cutie Nail Art

I've just come back from a week's holiday in Greece, so I haven't been blogging. I had such a good time, I didn't want to come home! But return I did, and it's just as well because last night I saw Death Cab for Cutie, one of my favourite bands, live in London. I saw them live earlier this year too, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to see them again. I wanted to do something special to celebrate, so I decided to decorate my nails with the design of their latest album cover, Codes & Keys.

Fortunately, as you can see it's a very easy design to replicate. I started with a base coat and then did two coats of Nails Inc Cadogan Square, which is a soft camel shade. It's really pretty and was the closest match I could find to the colour on the album cover. I then used Models Own Nail Art Pen in black to freehand the hashtags on my thumbs and ring fingers, and sealed with a top coat.

I applied the top coat before the black was entirely dry so it smudged a bit on my thumb, but apart from that I'm pleased with how it turned out. My brother (who I went to the concert with) was rather derisive and said no one would notice it, but that's not really the point, is it?

Frontcover Finger Print

I was in my local Boots the other day and stumbled across Frontcover Finger Print, a pretty boxed collection of seven metallic nail polishes, plus a buffer and a nail file. The colours looked intriguing, so I bought it as an early Christmas to myself. I'd just like to say how happy I am that I did!

The polishes come in a box with a magazine-style cover. When you open the flap you can see the polishes on one side, and some advice about applying nail polish on the other. It also gives you some ideas for being more creative with your polishes, such as a funky French and whatnot, which is great for people who perhaps normally just do a standard manicure but want to branch out.

No matter how cool the packaging is, what really counts are the nail polishes themselves. There are seven colours, including a glittery gold top coat that can also be worn alone.

Cadet Blue, Beetroot, Cupric, Palevioletred, Sloe Berry, Moonrock & Gold Glitter Top Coat

Cadet Blue, Beetroot, Cupric & Palevioletred

Sloe Berry, Moonrock & Gold Glitter Top

The colours are simply stunning. My photos don't do them justice. I used two coats for the swatches, except for Gold Glitter Top Coat, which was three. The standouts for me are Cadet Blue (a bright blue shimmer), Sloe Berry (a vivid purple shimmer), and Moonrock (this one is difficult to define, but it's kind of a lilac/gold duochrome shimmer). I also tried one coat of Gold Glitter Top Coat over them all:

Cadet Blue, Beetroot, Cupric, Palevioletred, Sloe Berry, Moonrock & Gold Glitter Top Coat

The formula on these was very good, I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't used them on my nails yet but I imagine with a decent top coat they should last a good few days. My only complaint is that because the bottles of polish are quite small, the brushes are really short and it makes them a little difficult to wield.

Best of all about this set is the price - it's £14, which translates as only £2 per nail polish. For such lovely and unusual colours, I think that's a bit of a bargain. It's perfect as a Christmas present - to yourself or someone else! I really can't recommend it enough.