Apologies for my lack of blogging over the past few weeks but as the end of the school year approached, I was very busy with award ceremonies and graduations which were followed by a nice little break during which I slept a lot and just chilled out, really. Now though, I'm back to blogging with a bang and, with a long summer ahead of me, I plan to post a lot more regularly. So to kick things off, here is the second installment of my Get Creative Series, this time it's all about the nails.

Summery yellow with white cross symbol

Nail art has definitely been having a moment lately and, with nail polish matching previously unrivaled lipstick sales last year; it seems as if adorning our nails with beautiful designs is more than just a fleeting trend. What better way to express your creativity than by using your nails as a canvas and painting to your heart's content. As I said in my first nail art post, you don't have to be the next WAH NAILS artist to recreate your favourite looks. All it takes is a little bit of patience and some cute, crazy or colourful ideas. Below, I have included some useful links but first, to show you how easy and obtainable it is to get creative with your nails, here are a few basic designs I pulled off myself:

Pink and orange aztec-style

Coral with white cross symbol

Pink and blue vertical stripes (tutorial here)

Useful Links:

WAH NAILS - The iconic East London nail salon's website. Click Archive to see all of their amazing creations. 

Cute Polish Tribal Nails - Check out the other great videos on the Cute Polish channel as well!

10 Nail Posts - Blogger Lily Pebbles looks back at ten of her favourite nail posts.

The Nailasaurus - Pore enviously over this feast of nail art. Jealous is not the word. 

I hope this blog post has inspired you to get creative with your nails. It is 100% possible to have fun and experiment with a variety of looks even on a budget. By no means am I a nail art expert at all, I simply want to share with you, different ways of expressing your creativity and nail art is one of those ways. So I hope this post was worthwhile, I really enjoyed putting it together and it has encouraged me to give more complicated nail art a go! I love comments, so leave one below telling me what you think or let me know if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see more of on Life Beauty Blogger.

Enjoy the lovely weather!

xxx

Get Creative Series: Part 1 - Photography

This year, more than others, I've really broadened my creativity. I've started a blog, I've began taking photographs with a more critical eye and I've developed, even further, my taste in music. But being creative can involve a whole lot more than just the few things I have mentioned. From fashion and food, to art and even dancing, the possibilities of outlets through which you can express your creativity are endless. Over the next short while I'm going to be posting some of the ways I like to chill out/enjoy myself through creativity and I hope these ideas will also help you to awaken your artistry. The first topic in my Get Creative series of posts is the art of photography. Hope you like it!

This photo was taken with my smartphone's 5MP camera,
proving that expensive photography equipment isn't always
needed for impressive results

Start Snapping

Photography is something I only began to appreciate and take a bit more seriously in recent months. I mostly just use my smartphone (with its humble 5MP camera) or a pretty basic 10MP Fujifilm digital camera as I don't think pricey SLR cameras are always necessary when starting out. I find that using your smartphone wisely and trying out different photo editing apps can give just as promising results.

For my Instagram account (@lifebeautyblogger), I sometimes edit my photos with an app called AfterFocus and then use a softening filter like Walden, Valencia or Nashville to give a nice finishing touch. Other times, I leave  photo just the way it is, if I am already happy with the colour and lighting.

An untouched photo I took this morning

The same photo edited, as described above, for Instagram

The most important aspect to keep in mind while taking photographs is, of course, lighting. Also, consider the photograph as a whole; the background is equally as important as the subject, and clutter will only take from the picture. Lastly, always keep your eyes wide open as you never know when the perfect photo opportunity may arise (and I'm not talking about selfies!) whilst exploring a bustling street or strolling along a quiet country lane.

A recent unedited photo I took while on a boat to the Aran Islands.
This was also taken on my smartphone.