Thursday, September 30, 2010

Glitterama!

I have been thinking about a glitter mani for a while now. I love them. I really do... I just hate how hard they are to remove and the mess it makes. But, they are worth it once in a while.
Random top coat I received for Christmas a bazillion years ago. (glitter made it turn pink...)
Wet n Wild in Kaleidoscope
Malibu Girl in Pink Sparkle
Loose Bon Bon glitter
Loose glitter tower from Claire's
Blurry glitter pic :)
90's pj pants... I know.. I know...
but then!! I received a package in the mail from my recent swap which included the ever-loved Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure. I had to try it out. So on it went!!

It looks like a very subtle change, but in person, it made a really big difference. So there. This is going to take days to remove... as well as a lot of cotton balls...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

sometimes it just doesn't work...


Browsing on Fuck Yeah Nail Art always inspires me. I found a cute mani with houndstooth (which I am a big fan of) so I pulled out my Fauxnad and happily discovered that I did indeed have a houndstooth pattern. woo! 
so what happened?? I was having a bad night I suppose because it would not work! the stamper wouldn't line up. The polish kept smudging. The nail art bullions kept sliding around... I did my best to clean things up, and from a distance, these puppies looked pretty good. But a closer look reveals the sloppiness. Oh well. Sometimes it just doesn't work.

I ended up wearing these for only a day :( 
Sally Hansen in White on
Sally Hansen in Black out
Sinful colors in Gogo Girl
Black nail art bullions from Bundle Monster

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Picture Day

Changed my nails for my senior pictures. Our school colors are purple and gold, so I decided to show a little love for my college and came up with this gradient
Also took some pictures along the way for anyone who does not know how to make a gradient. It's a HOW TO with pictures!
 
Start off with 2-4 shades of a color. Here I chose purple
Apply lightest color to whole nail (after base coat has dried)
using a make-up sponge, apply a darker color to a little over half of the nail with a dabbing motion
like this!
do the same thing with all your colors. From lightest to darkest
 
you could leave them like this or you could...
add a glittery topcoat!

Here are some more pictures of the finished product



Gimp nail is gimp :(
 China Glaze in Agent lavender
Sally Hansen insta-dri in Lively Lilac
Color Club in Pucci-licious
Wet n Wild Fantasy Makers in Vampish Red
Sinful Colors in All About You


I hope you enjoyed :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

8ty8 Beauty- Budget friendly!


I am a China Glaze-holic. I love their formula. I love their colors. They are simply amazing. And also the reason I got into nail art (because of their water marbling video on their website). Unfortunately, I am a poor college student and their product isn't always the most affordable.
That will no longer be an issue however, since I found the AMAZING 8ty8 online store! For $2.68 a bottle, this make China Glaze cheaper than most drugstore brands. Yes, yes.. shipping costs are a hassle, but eh... Buy lots at once and the saving will definitely make up for the shipping costs.
My experience with 8ty8 beauty was great. Their website is minimalistic and easy to navigate. Lots! of nail polish brands like Color Club, Orly, Art Club, Seche Vite, and of course, China glaze. They also have rhinestones, decals, and accessories for a really good price. Shipping was $8 for me, which I see as fair. 
Here is my loot!

Tadah! All of this stuff, with shipping, cost me $30
For Audrey, Agent Lavender, Peachy Keen, Secret Peri-wink-le
CC- Pucci-licious, Orly- Mint Mojito
3-D Stickers ($1)
Double ended nail tools

the other ends...

In conclusion, I recommend this store for polish more than tools and accessories.
If you want to know more, just ask me :)

Sunday, September 19, 2010

For Audrey

I finally purchased For Audrey! and yes, it is amazing. I got mine from 8ty8beauty for less than $3. I have been crushing on this color for quite a while now but couldn't seem to find it in store anywhere. So I resorted to the internet. While there I also picked up a few more polishes (because they are so cheap!!) as well as a couple nail art brushes. The brushes aren't the best, but they will do... This is what I did with my new colors
Broke my middle fingernail hence the gimpness...
China Glaze in For Audrey
Color Club in Pucci-liscious
Stripe rite in White
Art Deco in Silver Glitter
Rhinestones from Bundle Monster and Sally's BS

Friday, September 17, 2010

A 9-years old's Dream

I did these for my little sister for back to school. She loves leopard print and bright colors. It's not really something I would wear, but all of her friends loved it and she was happy. Isn't that what matters? ^_^
Sally Hansen Insta-dri in Lickety Split Lime
New York Colors in Purple Pizzazz Frost
New York Colors in Pink Promenade Creme
Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Black

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Closet Nails

Dress.Stripes. Floral. It must be made for me.
The Dress

Left Hand






Right Hand
 
OPI in Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees (Suede)
Rimmel in Posh Pink
Sally Hansen in Mellow Yellow
Sally Hansen in Brisk Blue
Sinful Colors in GoGo Girl
Stripe Rite in White
Kiss Nail Art pain in green

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Roses


This is something Ive wanted to try out for a while now. It was my first time making roses, I think they turned out alright, but there are some that I dont really care for. I'll keep practicing
Left Hand

Right Hand
Sally Hansen xtreme wear in Black Out
Sally Hansen insta-dri in Brisk Blue
(Roses)
Rimmel in Posh Pink
Sally Hansen xtreme wear in White Out
Naturistic (unnamed) golden shimmery green
Blue and Black Rhinestones

Word of Advice, the Insta-Dri collection is very pigmented. Yes, this is great. One coat coverage. But, it also tends to stain my nails every time I use it. Even with a basecoat. The staining also seems to be worse for brisk blue. I still really like the color though, so I will continue using it :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Shiny French Mani

I got the idea for this manicure from Linda165 on Youtube (you can view her tutorial Here)
Sally Hansen xtreme wear in celeb city
China glaze in turned up turquoise (neon)
Art deco in black
green rhinestones from Sally's

Monday, September 6, 2010

New stuff!

So I decided to try this Konad thing that all these blogs are talking about. Only issue is that it's expensive. For me to try something out, I'm not willing to spend as much money as this little system was, so I searched around some more and found Bundle Monster on Amazon. I got 21 design plates for around $17. While there, I also discovered that they sold rhinestones and other nail accessories so I order a set of 10 wheels for $17 as well. All in all, very good deal.

I think it turned out pretty good. Especially considering that I used generic plates and regular nail polish (while Konad recommends their special polishes for stamping). I might go ahead and order more plates now that I know how it works.


Sally Hansen xtreme wear in Wet Cement
Sally Hansen insta-dri in Mint Sprint

Thursday, September 2, 2010

2 types of Sponging






This was created by using an eyeshadow sponge applicator

Sinful colors in Pink
China Glaze in Japanese Koi (neon)
China Glaze in Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Black 

Then I did this manicure on my friend using a make-up sponge for a fading effect 

 Sally Hansen xtreme wear in Mellow Yellow
New York Colors in 112A
Sinful Colors in Gogo Girl
Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Black




Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Matte nails



I heard about matte nail polish sometime around last November, and from the moment I discovered it, I wanted it. It took me a while to locate some in my area, but a quick trip to Ulta supplied me with OPI You Dont Know Jacques (taupey brown) in matte and Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees (dark grey) and Lincoln Park After Dark (dark purple) in suede.

So matte and suede both dry to a matte finish, but the suede colors have small flecks of silver in them as well. What I really like about these polishes is how quickly it dries! its amazing!!! the color coverage is also impeccable. Especially the suede colors. One coat and you're done. The Jacques is better with 2 coats.

After a few days of wearing the matte colors, I noticed that some shine had appeared. Nothing too dramatic, just a little buffed appearance. So I decided to pair it off with with a shiny black liner so that even after it became buffed, you could still tell a difference.

Brown- OPI - You don't know Jacques
Black- Art Deco liner in Black


Also, here are some more fruits! I did these for a friend, she also took the picture. Hence the better quality. But, success!! My arty friend showed me how to take better focused pictures with my camera so that shouldn't be an issue anymore.


First hand- orange, watermelon, pineapple, kiwi, and peach
Second hand- plum, strawberry, lemon, grapes, and lime

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Glitterama!

I have been thinking about a glitter mani for a while now. I love them. I really do... I just hate how hard they are to remove and the mess it makes. But, they are worth it once in a while.
Random top coat I received for Christmas a bazillion years ago. (glitter made it turn pink...)
Wet n Wild in Kaleidoscope
Malibu Girl in Pink Sparkle
Loose Bon Bon glitter
Loose glitter tower from Claire's
Blurry glitter pic :)
90's pj pants... I know.. I know...
but then!! I received a package in the mail from my recent swap which included the ever-loved Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure. I had to try it out. So on it went!!

It looks like a very subtle change, but in person, it made a really big difference. So there. This is going to take days to remove... as well as a lot of cotton balls...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

sometimes it just doesn't work...


Browsing on Fuck Yeah Nail Art always inspires me. I found a cute mani with houndstooth (which I am a big fan of) so I pulled out my Fauxnad and happily discovered that I did indeed have a houndstooth pattern. woo! 
so what happened?? I was having a bad night I suppose because it would not work! the stamper wouldn't line up. The polish kept smudging. The nail art bullions kept sliding around... I did my best to clean things up, and from a distance, these puppies looked pretty good. But a closer look reveals the sloppiness. Oh well. Sometimes it just doesn't work.

I ended up wearing these for only a day :( 
Sally Hansen in White on
Sally Hansen in Black out
Sinful colors in Gogo Girl
Black nail art bullions from Bundle Monster

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Picture Day

Changed my nails for my senior pictures. Our school colors are purple and gold, so I decided to show a little love for my college and came up with this gradient
Also took some pictures along the way for anyone who does not know how to make a gradient. It's a HOW TO with pictures!
 
Start off with 2-4 shades of a color. Here I chose purple
Apply lightest color to whole nail (after base coat has dried)
using a make-up sponge, apply a darker color to a little over half of the nail with a dabbing motion
like this!
do the same thing with all your colors. From lightest to darkest
 
you could leave them like this or you could...
add a glittery topcoat!

Here are some more pictures of the finished product



Gimp nail is gimp :(
 China Glaze in Agent lavender
Sally Hansen insta-dri in Lively Lilac
Color Club in Pucci-licious
Wet n Wild Fantasy Makers in Vampish Red
Sinful Colors in All About You


I hope you enjoyed :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

8ty8 Beauty- Budget friendly!


I am a China Glaze-holic. I love their formula. I love their colors. They are simply amazing. And also the reason I got into nail art (because of their water marbling video on their website). Unfortunately, I am a poor college student and their product isn't always the most affordable.
That will no longer be an issue however, since I found the AMAZING 8ty8 online store! For $2.68 a bottle, this make China Glaze cheaper than most drugstore brands. Yes, yes.. shipping costs are a hassle, but eh... Buy lots at once and the saving will definitely make up for the shipping costs.
My experience with 8ty8 beauty was great. Their website is minimalistic and easy to navigate. Lots! of nail polish brands like Color Club, Orly, Art Club, Seche Vite, and of course, China glaze. They also have rhinestones, decals, and accessories for a really good price. Shipping was $8 for me, which I see as fair. 
Here is my loot!

Tadah! All of this stuff, with shipping, cost me $30
For Audrey, Agent Lavender, Peachy Keen, Secret Peri-wink-le
CC- Pucci-licious, Orly- Mint Mojito
3-D Stickers ($1)
Double ended nail tools

the other ends...

In conclusion, I recommend this store for polish more than tools and accessories.
If you want to know more, just ask me :)

Sunday, September 19, 2010

For Audrey

I finally purchased For Audrey! and yes, it is amazing. I got mine from 8ty8beauty for less than $3. I have been crushing on this color for quite a while now but couldn't seem to find it in store anywhere. So I resorted to the internet. While there I also picked up a few more polishes (because they are so cheap!!) as well as a couple nail art brushes. The brushes aren't the best, but they will do... This is what I did with my new colors
Broke my middle fingernail hence the gimpness...
China Glaze in For Audrey
Color Club in Pucci-liscious
Stripe rite in White
Art Deco in Silver Glitter
Rhinestones from Bundle Monster and Sally's BS

Friday, September 17, 2010

A 9-years old's Dream

I did these for my little sister for back to school. She loves leopard print and bright colors. It's not really something I would wear, but all of her friends loved it and she was happy. Isn't that what matters? ^_^
Sally Hansen Insta-dri in Lickety Split Lime
New York Colors in Purple Pizzazz Frost
New York Colors in Pink Promenade Creme
Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Black

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Closet Nails

Dress.Stripes. Floral. It must be made for me.
The Dress

Left Hand






Right Hand
 
OPI in Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees (Suede)
Rimmel in Posh Pink
Sally Hansen in Mellow Yellow
Sally Hansen in Brisk Blue
Sinful Colors in GoGo Girl
Stripe Rite in White
Kiss Nail Art pain in green

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Roses


This is something Ive wanted to try out for a while now. It was my first time making roses, I think they turned out alright, but there are some that I dont really care for. I'll keep practicing
Left Hand

Right Hand
Sally Hansen xtreme wear in Black Out
Sally Hansen insta-dri in Brisk Blue
(Roses)
Rimmel in Posh Pink
Sally Hansen xtreme wear in White Out
Naturistic (unnamed) golden shimmery green
Blue and Black Rhinestones

Word of Advice, the Insta-Dri collection is very pigmented. Yes, this is great. One coat coverage. But, it also tends to stain my nails every time I use it. Even with a basecoat. The staining also seems to be worse for brisk blue. I still really like the color though, so I will continue using it :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Shiny French Mani

I got the idea for this manicure from Linda165 on Youtube (you can view her tutorial Here)
Sally Hansen xtreme wear in celeb city
China glaze in turned up turquoise (neon)
Art deco in black
green rhinestones from Sally's

Monday, September 6, 2010

New stuff!

So I decided to try this Konad thing that all these blogs are talking about. Only issue is that it's expensive. For me to try something out, I'm not willing to spend as much money as this little system was, so I searched around some more and found Bundle Monster on Amazon. I got 21 design plates for around $17. While there, I also discovered that they sold rhinestones and other nail accessories so I order a set of 10 wheels for $17 as well. All in all, very good deal.

I think it turned out pretty good. Especially considering that I used generic plates and regular nail polish (while Konad recommends their special polishes for stamping). I might go ahead and order more plates now that I know how it works.


Sally Hansen xtreme wear in Wet Cement
Sally Hansen insta-dri in Mint Sprint

Thursday, September 2, 2010

2 types of Sponging






This was created by using an eyeshadow sponge applicator

Sinful colors in Pink
China Glaze in Japanese Koi (neon)
China Glaze in Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Black 

Then I did this manicure on my friend using a make-up sponge for a fading effect 

 Sally Hansen xtreme wear in Mellow Yellow
New York Colors in 112A
Sinful Colors in Gogo Girl
Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Black




Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Matte nails



I heard about matte nail polish sometime around last November, and from the moment I discovered it, I wanted it. It took me a while to locate some in my area, but a quick trip to Ulta supplied me with OPI You Dont Know Jacques (taupey brown) in matte and Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees (dark grey) and Lincoln Park After Dark (dark purple) in suede.

So matte and suede both dry to a matte finish, but the suede colors have small flecks of silver in them as well. What I really like about these polishes is how quickly it dries! its amazing!!! the color coverage is also impeccable. Especially the suede colors. One coat and you're done. The Jacques is better with 2 coats.

After a few days of wearing the matte colors, I noticed that some shine had appeared. Nothing too dramatic, just a little buffed appearance. So I decided to pair it off with with a shiny black liner so that even after it became buffed, you could still tell a difference.

Brown- OPI - You don't know Jacques
Black- Art Deco liner in Black


Also, here are some more fruits! I did these for a friend, she also took the picture. Hence the better quality. But, success!! My arty friend showed me how to take better focused pictures with my camera so that shouldn't be an issue anymore.


First hand- orange, watermelon, pineapple, kiwi, and peach
Second hand- plum, strawberry, lemon, grapes, and lime