Hi Everyone! As promised, here are some pics and my thoughts about putting MAC's Fluidline in my waterline.
To the left, I have a pic of how my eyes looked after I had put on eye makeup (without mascara), including the gel liner in my waterline. As suggested by JuicyStar07, I dried my waterline first, with a cotton swab. Then, using an angled brush, I applied MAC's Blacktrack into my waterline. Drying my waterline with a cotton swab felt a little funny at first, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I do agree that it helps the liner apply easier, and probably helps it stay on longer, so it's a good step to include.
This second pic is blurry, but this is after I applied a purple eyeshadow (the darker color of NARS's Jolie Poupee Eyeshadow Duo) over the Fluidline. As you can see, it softened up the lower lashline, so it wasn't a harsh black line. Plus, it's always good to set a liquid with a powder. =)
This pic to the left was taken 8 hours after application. I know my eyes look like their facing weird directions (I feel like ALL these pics make me look like I have a lazy eye or something!)....but anyhoo, you can see that most of the waterline makeup is still there.
Yes, I know, this pic to the right is blurry, but you can see that if you're looking straight at me (and not down into my waterline), the liner is holding up pretty well. =)
Hmm...not sure why my eyes are kinda pink in all the pictures. I don't remember them looking so pink that day....maybe it's just something the camera picked up.
Soo....in comparison, I must agree that gel-lining the waterline definitely lasts longer than just using a plain eyeliner. Usually, I need to reapply a regular eye liner into my waterline every 4-6 hours (if I'm not being lazy, lol). It's really annoying to have your makeup disappear (into your eyes?) after you've spent a lot of time making sure you have it they way you want. With using a gel liner, I could apply it and forget about it, knowing that it'll stay put for at least 6-8 hours. It applies really smoothly, though I want to get a softer brush. My angled brush (MAC's 208) is perfect for eyebrows and applying gel liner to my top lid, but it feels a little rough when applying to my waterline. I know MAC has a softer, albeit larger, angled brush...so I might pick one up this weekend...along with Bad Fairy (one of their 3 new nail polishes coming out for their Villainous Villains collection). I've seen some pictures and reviews on it, and it looks fantastic! And the guru's say that there's no dupe for it, so I'm definitely splurging the $12.50 for it. =) I believe I'll be heading there on Sunday, so I'll try to get it swatched that night to include with my latest nail polish haul. I can't believe I haven't done one in FOREVER....but I haven't really bought that many since I've become preggerz. However, I decided it was time to update my collection for the fall, and have bought quite a few polishes (8 so far, + Bad Fairy will make 9, lol).
I also have a quick and easy nail art tutorial that I'm putting together coming soon. My nails look pretty enough for a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding this weekend. I'm not 100% thrilled with them, because they don't look close enough to the photo I based it on....but hey, that was probably done by a professional, and I'm just a lil old amateur. =/ Still, I can't wait to show them off at tomorrow's rehearsal. =) I'll also be following a hair tutorial to get a Taylor Swift inspired look for my hair. I'll probably take a before and after pic for that, and post them as well. Lots of stuff to come, it seems like!
Anyhoo....till next time!
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
Hi Everyone! After letting my nails rest a few days, I had finally found a design I wanted to try out. This look is based on a picture I saw online...somewhere on Coolnailart.com. Unfortunately I don't have the link or the name of who posted it, but if you see it or it's yours, please msg me so I can give you the proper credit!
So...back to the look. Basically it's an arrow French, with a heart drawn in where the bottom point fits in snugly to the arrow. It's a pretty cute idea, and I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, I draw hearts with a brush like a little boy would. =/ I'm sure with more practice I'll be able to get it....maybe.
Here's the video I uploaded to YouTube (Steps are simplified):
Bluish Holographic Glitter
Gelish: PH Bond
Gelish: Foundation Gel
Gelish: Water Field
Gelish: Gossip Girl
Gelish: Top Seal
Beauty Headquarters Gel: White
How to create the look:
*Note: If you want to do this look in regular nail polish, ignore the gel-requirements like curing and such.
Step 1: Clean nails with alcohol
Step 2: Apply PH Bond
Step 3: Apply a thin coat of Foundation Gel (Base Coat)
Step 4: Cure for 30 sec
Step 5: Apply one coat of Base Color (I used Gelish: Water Field)
Step 6: Cure for 1 min
Step 7: Apply one coat of Tip Color in a French Arrow Tip (I used Gelish: Gossip Girl)
Step 8: Cure for 1 min
Step 9: Apply second coat of Tip Color
Step 10: Cure for 1 min
Step 11: Draw a Heart (I used BH Gel: White)
Step 11a: If you want to, you can add glitter using a thin brush on top of the white. (Optional)
Step 11b: If you want to, you can add rhinestones (I used blue ones on my right hand.)
Step 12: Cure for 2 min
Step 13: Apply Top Seal (Top Coat)
Step 14: Cure for 2 min
Step 15: Clean of tacky layer with alcohol
And voila! You have a French Heart Manicure! This pic to the left is my right hand. You can see that my left hand is totally incapable of drawing a good heart, but I tried to camouflage it with rhinestones.
Now, this look takes a lot of patience...I think I spent almost 2 hours....but I was super slow! I'm sure if I had to do it again, I could do it in a lot less time. The part that took really long was drawing those damn hearts, lol. I bought a brush (shown in the pic above), but I realize now that I should've bought a thinner brush that could draw thin lines easier. But I guess it's cool. It was my first time using that kind of gel for nail art....I think it's really hard, but the gel is kinda forgiving. I plan to try out flowers next...I've seen a video that makes it look easy. =)
In this pic to the right, You can see that the glitter part got a little messy on my thumb. I fixed this by putting a layer of top seal after the French tip, but before the white hearts. This step is optional, but I just wanted to test it to see if it worked...which it did. =)
On my middle and pinky finger, I was able to brush off the excess glitter, whereas on my thumb the glitter stuck to my tacky layer. I should've put glitter on my right hand because it looks like the glitter camouflages the poorly shaped hearts a lot better than the rhinestones, lol.
All in all, I'm actually pretty happy with how my nails turned out. Obviously, my next try will look a lot better...but how often do I really re-do a look? Well, once in a blue moon...like with 3TanjaJ3's look that I've repeated like 3 times already, lol. I may try this out with regular nail polish....which I haven't worn in over a month, lol. =) This Gelish nail polish is just more convenient to wear because of the no-chipping and stuff, even if I don't last the whole 2 weeks before WANTING to change my polish, lol.
I've actually tried out using a gel-liner on my waterline and have taken some pics...I'll post that blog up sometime next week. =)
Till next time!
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
Hey everyone! So my nails are currently nakkid (*gasp*) as I'm giving them a few days break before my next Gelish manicure. My last one (the red French tipped one) lasted about 10 days. Not bad! I could've made them last longer, but I was getting tired of them, so I figured I'd give my nails a break, and then figure out my next mani. =) I'm probably going to do another french manicure of some sort, but haven't decided on colors (I only have 4!) or type. I'll post pics when I finish them up!
In the meantime, I decided to make a post (even though there's a million of them out there) on fixing a dried up gel liner. My friend and I were in Sephora a few days ago. She was looking for some serum, and I was looking for a gel liner to replace the ones that dried up (I had 4! =( ). I had finally decided on a brand, when my friend came to see how I was doing. When I explained why I was getting a gel liner, she was like..."why don't you just add water? Everyone does that! Just google it!" (or something like that, lol). I had never thought of doing that, so I decided to go home without buying an replacements and look it up.
As you can see from the pic above, my gel liner was REALLY dried out. I didn't take pics of the other 3, but they were in a similar condition. After watching a few videos on YouTube, and reading a few blogs, I decided that I wanted to use contact solution. I know some people think that contact solution doesn't work as well as eye drops, but whatever. =P I decided on contact solution because it's obviously safe for your eyes AND it's supposed to be moisturizing (to some extent...yes, on this score, eye drops would be better....but I didn't have any on me at that exact moment!!). Anyhoo, so here's the solution I used. It's AMO's Complete Moisture Easy Rub Formula. It's a relatively new bottle...I would really hesitate at using expired contact solution. (Expired eye drops are okay though.)
Next, I took some hand sanitizer (for this, I would recommend a non-scented one because you don't want any irritants). I cleaned a new waxing stick with this, to kill all bacteria. Since you're working with stuff that goes near your eyes, you want to be extremely careful as to your tools and cleanliness.
I then put in a few drops of the contact solution into my gel liner, then started mixing it.
I actually mixed this for a good amount of time because I wanted the consistency to be even. Don't worry if you used too much contact solution...I'm pretty sure I put in too much too!
After I felt like I had gotten a pretty good even consistency, I used the stick to clean up the sides and push everything down to the bottom of the container.
What I ended up with is to the left. As you can see, the excess contact solution was at the top.
This was easily remedied by getting a q-tip and slowly patting out all the excess fluids.
It seemed to work out pretty nicely. However, when I tested the gel liner, the line was pretty watery. So I decided to heat it up and let it cool, in hopes that it would lock in the moisture.
I took some boiling water, and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then I put the water into these little cups and stuck each gel liner into one.
Then I let this sit until the water was cool (about 10 minutes or so).
And the final result looked like this. Now when I tested it again, it still wasn't the exactly right...if you drew a line with a brush, it was still really easy to wipe off (not how a gel liner is supposed to be!).
So I decided to let this sit overnight (closed, not open!), and test it again in the morning.
To my surprise, in the morning, the gel liner was exactly how it was supposed to be! I'm sorry I don't have pics on the testing I did, but I think you'll see what I'm talking about if you try this.
Anyhoo, soooo the whole reason I even wanted to get my gel liners back was because I watched a YouTube video where someone used a gel liner on her waterline. Now, I normally use a regular pencil (or a kohl pencil sometimes) on my waterline, but I find that it doesn't stay very well. The girl (JuicyStar07) said that she dries her waterline with a cotton swab first, then applies a gel liner. She also suggests patting on a powder shadow to set the liner. Verrrry interesting...I wouldn't have thought to do that myself (except the powder part, lol)! So...I haven't actually tried this just yet...but I will! And I'll have to post back on how it went. I'm actually a little hesitant on the part where you dry your waterline with a cotton swab. I'm scared of fluff getting in my eyes...it's just those little strands that are so hard to get out, you know? Well, whatever. I'll have to buck up and try it, lol. Be a real (wo)man.
*Yawn* Time for bed! Till next time!
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
Hi everyone! I know I said I was going to post a blog sooner, but unfortunately, my mother (the DOCTOR) has expressed a deep desire for me to STOP w/ my nails! Can you believe that? Of course you can...I can only imagine how all the fumes and whatnot can affect the poor little dear inside me. So, as a compromise, I've cut down...and I've dealt with the whole chipping thing with having her (yes, HER, lol) invest in a new gel polish system. I couldn't afford it without her, and I'm blessed she still spoils me! =)
This pic here is me sporting a cute French Mani, courtesy of babsita84's Faded French Hologram Manicure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnj3evqlXGQ . I think they turned out really cute, but it was quite tedious to do. You are supposed to put each hologram glitter on one at a time...as you can see, I got lazy and did a few at a time, and so my fade looks a little funny. =( Oh wellz! I still like them! And of course, I chose my Lakers Colors: Purple & Gold! =) Can't wait for the season to start!
Now, on to the Gelish Polish Review! Before actually buying a soak-off gel polish system, I did some research before choosing which brand I wanted to go with. There are many reviews of the big 3: CND's Shellac, OPI's Axxium, and Harmony's Gelish. The main reason I decided to go with Gelish over the others is the price. My manicurist friend told me that you get more bang for your buck with Gelish. LOL So yup, I brought my mom with me, and she seemed to like what she saw, so she bought me the whole system (as an investment, of course!).
*Update At ShearUp.com, there is a Gelish Starter Kit for $119.99! (Much cheaper than the $200 my mom spent to buy all the stuff I needed, lol.)
Now, this does seem a little pricey....but, you need to look at it from the other side as well. A typical gel polish manicure here, in the LA area, runs you about $30. I know on the east coast, they run closer to $60. So, if I do at least 5 manis/pedis with this set, I will have made it worth its investment. I've already done that, actually...mani/pedi on mom, mani/pedi on me (plus an extra French mani now!), and a mani/pedi on my mom's friend. That's 7 total...which is about $210. Not bad for owning it for 2 weeks, eh?
To the right is how my nails looked right after I was finished with them. The system is pretty simple.
Step 1: File/Shape your nails, push cuticles back.
Step 2: Clean nails with alcohol (on a lint-free wipe).
Step 3: Apply PH Bond.
Step 4: Apply Foundation Gel.
Step 5: Cure for 30 seconds.
Step 6: Apply 1 coat of color polish. (In my pic, my first coat was Gossip Girl.)
Step 7: Cure for 1 minute.
Step 8: Apply 2nd coat of color polish. (In my pic, my second coat was Water Field.)
Step 8: Cure for 1 minute.
Step 9: Apply Top Seal.
Step 10: Cure for 2 minutes.
Step 11: Remove tacky layer with alcohol (on a lint-free wipe).
And you're done! All in all it took about 30 minutes to do one manicure. Not too shabby!
Since it was my first try, I didn't do a great job...I got too close to the cuticles, and my top coat was too thick. My second time around, I kept all my coats thin, and the mani looks MUCH better!
This pic to the left is from the 2nd day. They look exactly how they did the day before. I wish you could see how shiny my nails are...it was almost as shiny as glass. The gels have a beautiful finish.
This pic to the right is from Day 3. You can kinda see the shine a little better from this angle, but the picture doesn't do it justice! The nails still look perfect...no chipping, no wear & tear at the tip.
Because I went too close to the cuticle, some of the polish lifted a little toward that end. You can't tell in the pictures, but you can feel it...especially when running your fingers through you hair! LOL So that was my bad...other people have reported that they stay in perfect condition for 10-14 days, even longer.
This next picture to the left is from Day 5. They look like I just got them done! You can kinda see that my nails are growing out a little, but besides that, they look great.
At this point, I was kinda getting annoyed with the length of the nails...This was the longest I've kept them in awhile, and they just started to bug me. I didn't do anything about it at this point, because I wanted to keep taking pics...hehehe.
Sorry this picture is blurry! Sometimes you look at the little tiny screen on your camera and it looks perfect...but when you look at it on your big monitor...it's blurry as hell. Oh wellz...
This is from the last day I kept my manicure: Day 7. At this point, I really wanted to cut my nails to a more manageable length. From inspecting my nails, I could tell that the manicure would last at least a few days more, but I was also bored with the color. I mean it's pretty....but to wear for an extended period? I would need something more my style, like... a French manicure! LOL So that's why I removed them (soaking in acetone for 10 minutes then removing with an orange stick is the proper method), and began a new manicure!
Here is a pic of my mom's manicure. This is two coats of June Bride. I think my application was a little flawed because in the pic, the color looks darker on the tips. But this was back when I was still figuring it out, so don't judge! LOL She has also removed her polish, but she didn't want to get a new manicure yet...she broke two nails yesterday while cooking, and she doesn't know what she wants to do yet, lol. She said her nails grow fast and I think she wants to wait for them to be a little longer before doing another Gelish manicure. Two weeks is a pretty long commitment....
So this is my current manicure...my right hand. I used Water Field as my base, and Good Gossip as my French Tip color. Then I added some big bling in Teal & AB. I was basically doing this to test if rhinestones stay better with the gel system. Unfortunately, these rhinestones were too big...the top seal is too thin to have a rigid hold on the rhinestones. I think I should use regular clear gel to secure them...
Here is my left hand...with light pink & AB rhinestones. I think the teal stands out a lot better, but the pink does have a nice soft look. These two pics were taken right after I finished my manicure.
Unfortunately, I lost a few rhinestones already...replaced them, and have lost one again. This is definitely a pain in the butt....the lost rhinestones leave a ridge, so my nails aren't smooth. =( Bleh!
And also unfortunately, the camera is not picking up the gorgeous gel shine and all the sparkles! LOL But, as you can see from the pics, I don't look like I'm wearing anything but regular nail polish! My coats are very thin and even, and I stayed the proper distance from my cuticles. My top seal is a little thick on the nails that have the rhinestones, but I'll have to figure out a better way to apply those next time. I think my mom wants some bling in her next mani, lol.
I did post a quick video on YouTube showing all the pics above. It was just a slideshow, but here's the link anyway!
It's hard for me to compare Gelish to other brands...I've heard that Shellac actually applies thinner (perhaps easier?), but have you seen the bottles? They're smaller than the Gelish ones! Both are about the same price, but the Gelish Polish comes with .5 floz while the Shellac only comes with .25 floz. Crazy! You get double the product for the same price! I don't know if you'll necessarily use 1/2 as much Shellac just because the product applies thinner, but I don't feel like my coats of Gelish are THAT thick anyway. The Axxium system doesn't come in a nail polish-like bottle (which Gelish & Shellac do). The Axxium gels come in a pot, which you need a separate brush to apply. Each pot runs around the same price as Gelish and Shellac, but it only comes with .14 oz (not sure how that converts to floz). I believe the Axxium system applies the thickest of the three.
I'm really happy with the Gelish system...which seems to have more color choices than the other two. I don't think I'll be trying Shellac, but the OPI colors do interest me (I absolutely adore "I'm not Really a Waitress"!). I'm quite tempted to try it out...but I don't think that'll happen in the *near* future. Will keep you updated if I do test it out! Maybe I'll ask my manicurist friend if I can mooch of her, tee-hee!
Anyhoo, will have to wait and see when my next post is! It'll prolly be a little sporadic until a few months after the baby is born, but I'll try to post stuff when I can! =)
Update: ShearUp.com is offering my readers 10% off if you use the promo code: PRINCESSTEA
(Please note that I don't get anything if you use this promo code. This is completely for your benefit!)
Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). -- Exception, my mom bought me the Gelish Polish System. =)
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.
