Where did April Go? - Ciate Velvet Nails Review

No seriously, where did April go?  I guess with all the moving and travelling, time just flew.  I can't believe we're in May, and I'm ready to make a post about stuff I've been doing the last few weeks.

This pic on the left is just a random manicure I did.  I used Zoya's Evvie as a base, and just used striping polishes to make a weird plaid effect.  I didn't really have a plan, so it's not as cool as I'd like, but I did have fun.  What's that on my ring finger you ask?  A Totoro...no really, that's what it's supposed to be, lol.  So...what I did was striped two stripes across the nail in Black, and then one stripe in white down the nail and one stripe in silver glitter.  Now....if I had a plan, I would've alternated the black stripes with the ones going down, so that it had a cool layered effect.  Ahhh, hindsight.  LOL  I still like the Totoro though. Hahahha.  I'm sure I got it from someone's nail video, but I did these so long ago, I can't remember who's.  You know I'm usually pretty good about where I get my ideas from...so...yeah.  If you know where this came from, just leave it in the comments below. =)

NYC was so much fun!  I went there for a friend's wedding and decided to dress my nails up a little bit.  I didn't realize this pic was blurry, but it's the only one I have!!!  So here, I properly alternated the stripes so that it has a cool layered feel to it.  Here, I used Zoya's Reagan as the base.  I just used Reagan on the tips in a Chevron pattern, and then completely covered the ring finger.  Then I used a Silver Glitter Striper to make an X along the edge of the Chevron.  Then I used the White Striper to draw another X a little highter than my silver X.  I think it turned out pretty cool and fancy for a wedding. =)  YES, these stripers were new...that's why I wanted to use them for everything!!

And finally to the review!!  I'm not sure if you can see the velvet on the nails in the pic to the left.  They are really hard to take a picture of, but I can tell you that you can totally feel them on the nails.  Let's back up to the beginning.  So last month, Sephora had their 15% off coupon circulated.  Usually, this is the time I buy all sorts of stuff that I want, but didn't want to pay full price on (like tools and stuff).  I ended buying a cartridge for my Flash n Go (I know I promised a review on this too! It is coming, I swear!) and the Ciate Velvet Nails in the Berry Poncho color.  I know they look all magenta-ish in the pic, but it's the flash that makes the colors all wonky.  Anyhoo, I was very excited to get this, and I'm fairly happy with the results.

The kit costs $19 and comes with a bottle of polish, a container of crushed velvet, and a small brush.  After some trial and error, I was able to get the results show.  I think my next time trying it out, I will be able to have much better results.

Following the instructions, they don't mention a base coat, but I used one anyway. Then you are supposed to put on one coat of the polish on all the nails.  When you start applying the 2nd coat, you only want to do one nail at a time.  You apply the 2nd coat, sprinkle on some crushed velvet, and then tap it onto your nail, and use the brush to gently remove the excess.

Where I ran into problems was the "sprinkling" part.  I could not get a nice layer of crushed velvet on my nails before the polish started drying.  Instead, I took off the entire cap of the container and (more or less) poured the crushed velvet on.  This was SUPER messy...the velvet seriously got EVERYWHERE.  I don't have any recommendations at this point on how to keep this procedure neat (besides just trying to get the crushed velvet through the holes!).  I hate wasting product, but I ended up vacuuming most of the mess away.  I tried my best to recapture all the crushed velvet I could, but, like I said, it was EVERYWHERE.

And why is it that polishes dry faster when we need it to stay wetter longer?  LOL  Maybe I'm just slow.  Once I had done a few fingers, I kinda got the hang of it.  Try to gently pat the crushed velvet all over the nail.  I noticed I had less on the border of my nail bed.  And once you are done with all the nails, that's it.  You don't need to apply a top coat (that would defeat the purpose, lol).

Hmm, so the manicure lasted about 4 days pretty nicely.  Then the tips started wearing thin and the velvet didn't have the same furriness as the first day.  You can still feel that there is texture on the nail, but it definitely does not feel like velvet on the 7th day.  The fact that I can still sport this manicure on the 7th day is pretty cool.  Like I said, just some wear and tear at the tips, which is natural.  I'm actually surprised the texture lasted this long, with all the times I've washed my hands or showered or washed dishes (yes, I know...I should wear gloves!).  I remember being very skeptical the first time I washed my hands after the manicure.  I was very gentle about it, and wiped my hands dry gently as well.  I was happy to note that my nails felt exactly how they did before I washed my hands.  I think I was extra gentle only the first couple of days...and then it was normal handwashing from then on.  I would treat this manicure as any other manicure...regular handwashing, but maybe a little extra gentle when dishwashing.  And no angry typing, lol.

I absolutely loved the feel of the nails.  I showed it off to everyone I could, and they felt impressed (I think?) LOL.  At first I was thinking this would be a fun going-out manicure, but the fact that it lasted a few days makes me rethink that.  I think it's a fun every day sorta manicure. =)  And I'm sure your co-workers and classmates and friends will enjoy feeling it too.  Hahahha

So, onto the break down:
Pros: Feels awesome, stays on for a few days, and relativity easy to apply.
Cons: $19 may be a little pricey, it's messy to apply, and the colors are limited (2 atm).

If you've tried this, let me know what you think!  I plan to do a small post really soon about my new haircut. =)

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought all the products mentioned in this blog with my own money.
2. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of products mentioned in this blog.
3. No one paid me to write this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Red & Silver Chevron French + Fall Nail Polish Haul!

Hi Everyone! I finally had some free time after my super busy weekend to update my blog and make a new video.

This look to the left was the design I sported for my best friend Liza's wedding this past weekend.  Her colors were Dark Red & Silver. =)  It was such a fun wedding, but seriously...my feet/ankles were super swollen with all the standing I had to do.  It's a tough life, being a bridesmaid, LOL.



Anyhoo, here's the video:

What I Used:

Seche's Recondition (Base Coat)

Orly's Bare Rose

Orly's White Tips

Art Club's Silver Glitter

Art Club's Red Glitter

Art Club's White Polish

Seche Vite (Top Coat)

Silver Rhinestones

It's a pretty simple look, based on a picture I saw on CoolNailArt.com.  It's a wonderful site to get ideas from!

Anyhoo...on to my HAUL!  Like I said in my last blog, I haven't done one in a long while....but I decided to get a bunch of polish for the fall.  There are lots of awesome new polishes, and I've always liked darker colors. =)

My new 9 Polishes:

I got two from Finger Paints (Sally's), two from China Glaze (Sally's), four from Orly (Beauty Headquarters), and one from MAC.  All in all, not a bad fall collection, right?

This is Finger Paints's "Be a Pal-ette".  I thought this was part of their Seduced by Fall collection (it was in the display), but when I checked on their website, I couldn't find it (AT ALL!).  

Basically, this is a very deep, metallic purple.  Swatched on the left is two coats.  I think two coats actually gives a nice even coverage, though it's hard to tell in the picture.

This runs about $4.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.

This next color is Finger Paints's Autumn Blaze, which is definitely part of their Seduced by Fall collection.  

This is a very deep, metallic red.  The color actually looks a lot darker in real life.  Shown on the right is two coats.  It applies beautifully and very even.

This runs about $4.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.

Next up is China Glaze's Mummy May I.  This is from their Halloween collection (obviously you can tell from the name, lol).  

This is a black polish with purple glitter.  Swatched on the left is three coats.  I needed the third coat for a full, even coverage.  Without a top coat, you can kinda see from the picture that the application leaves bumps where the glitter is.  I would recommend using a thicker top coat to smooth out the bumps.  I think I'll experiment a little to see which of my top coats will do the job. =)

This runs about $5.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.

This next color is China Glaze's Lubu Heels.  This isn't from their Halloween collection or anything.  In fact, I'm not sure if it belongs to any collection?  I just saw it on their Halloween Display and decided to pick it up, LOL.

This is a black polish with red glitter.  Swatched is three coats.  It pretty much applied the same as Mummy May I, and it looks really similar, except the subtle glitter color difference.  It also need a thicker top coat to smooth out the glitter bumps.  MissChevious (on YT) as come up with an awesome Halloween nail design, and she uses Eyeko's Vampira as her base color.  I would say this China Glaze dupe comes pretty close, and I'll be trying out her look in the next couple days. =)  Will definitely post pics!

This runs about $5.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.

Next we have Orly's Winter Wonderland from their 2010 Holiday Collection.  (I suppose this is more a winter look than a fall look....)

This is a very translucent polish, with very fine silver glitter.  Pictured on the left is just one coat.  I'm sorry it's a little blurrier than I'd like. =/  But you can still see that one coat would add a nice amount of sparkle to your nails, if you're looking for something along those lines.  I'll post pics of what it looks like on normal nails, with probably three coats (depending on coverage) whenever I get the chance to put it on.  It might go on my mom first, LOL.  She's already sporting one of my new polishes...but I keep forgetting to take a pic of it!

This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters.  At Sally's, Orly's regular polish is around $5.99, but not sure if this one is considered part of the premiums.

This next polish is Orly's Glitz and Glamour.  This is also from their 2010 Holiday Collection.  I think this color's wearable from fall through winter, just because it's golden. =) LOL

This is a gold metallic polish.  Strangely enough, I didn't have one in my collection, so I decided to pick up this polish (I have a silver one, though...).  Swatched on the right is 2 coats.  I did it when it was kinda dark, so I didn't notice that the coverage was still uneven.  I think a third coat would've tidied things up.  When I have it on regular nails, I'll try to remember to take a pic to update. =)

This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters.  At Sally's, Orly's regular polish is around $5.99, but not sure if this one is considered part of the premiums.

Next we have Orly's Out of This World.  This is from their new Cosmic FX collection.

This is a deep purple polish with very fine purple & gold glitter.  It's had to see the gold flecks in the picture on the nail, but you can kinda see it on the bottle.

I suppose that it's a little disappointing that it looks super cool in the bottle, yet doesn't have the same wow factor on the nail. =/

This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters.  At Sally's, this polish is $8.99.

Here is another polish from the same collection: Orly's Lunar Eclipse.  

This is a blue polish that has very fine blue and purple glitter.  There are two coats on the swatch.  I think a third would even out the tone, but still, I can't see the purple on the nail.  Perhaps another disappointing polish?

This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters.  At Sally's, this polish is $8.99.

And last, but not least, we have MAC's Bad Fairy, from their Villainous Villains collection.  I wanted to get Formidable too, but it's sold out like EVERYWHERE!

This is a pink-ish polish, with very fine pink and gold glitter.  This swatch has two coats and it doesn't look too even, but I assure you, on normal nails, two coats looks perfect.  (This is what my mom is sporting atm!)  The picture does not do it justice...it really does show the two-toned glitter very nicely. =)

I was told that the other two polishes in the collection have Orly dupes....but I think I'd rather have the MAC version if the Orly ones aren't cutting it....

This runs about $13.00 at MAC.

Not a bad collection, right?  I will be trying these out within the next few months, so I'll try to take updated pics and whatnot.  

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.

Gelish French Heart Manicure

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):



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-K29b1oAfo

What I Used:


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.

Gelish Polish Review

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!)

Update: I posted a new video/blog on the application of Gelish: http://miniteababy.blogspot.com/2011/05/gelish-manicure-review-on-6g-led-lamp.html

Btw, happy birthday to my loving Hubby!

Peace!

**UPDATE: Check out my review on Gelish Magneto!

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.

Summer Flower French Mani

Hey Everyone!  I know this post might be a shock to some of you, considering how often I've been blogging recently.  I can't promise regular updates, but I'll try my best.

I definitely might have to cut down changing my polish...my poor hubby thinks all the fumes I'm breathing is bad for me (and it probably is), so I'll be a good little wife and actually listen to him for once. =)

Anyhoo, so here's the look I have on my nails right now.  I based this on a picture I saw on the internet, but unfortunately I have no idea who's picture it belongs to. =(

The video:

I really just chose the colors based on what nail polish I just bought.  I thought it'd make a cheerful summer look. =)  I didn't add any of those gold balls on my right hand...but I really liked the way it looked on my left hand.  They just add that extra little bit of bling, lol.

I'm not too happy about the petals on my thumbnail because they are pointed funny...but that was my first attempt.  Next time, I'll be able to draw my petals much better!

Well, I hope you liked this look!  I'll probably have another post up within the next few days...I have an update on the Del Sol nail polish (Superhero).  And after that, we'll have to see...I accidentally got my camera's memory stick stuck in a place I can't get to. =(  I'll have to have a professional take a look at it...hopefully soon.

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.

Smart Nails Templates Review & a Look At Del Sol Nail Polish

Wow, I feel like I've been gone forever!  I kept procrastinating my Smart Nail's video because I didn't have a good place to video it.  I finally did upload it today, and I just wanted to do a quick review on my blog.

This picture to the left is my final look.  I hate how YouTube really messes with the quality of my pictures and video.  I shoot everything in HD, but they certainly don't look HD when published on YT!!!

Anyhoo, that's why I also have a blog, right?  Actually no...I have a blog to just talk and vent, and all that good stuff that I don't bother doing on YT, lol.  So yeah....back to the review.

Here's my video of actually using the product:


You can see what came in the mail in the video (sorry, I don't have pics!).  In the video, I'm using the Smart Nails Template N001 (French Manicure).  It was super easy to use on BOTH hands.  You basically put on a base color, stuck the template to your skin (I used it on the back of my hand) a couple times, and then placed the template on the nail.  After a couple coats of nail polish, you remove the template carefully (so you can reuse it), and store away.  The instructions are on the back of the template packaging.

In addition to what I have on the video, I also tested it using my left hand (working on my right).  I reused the SAME templates I had used on my left hand.  Unfortunately, I skipped the step of sticking it to the back of my hand first...so it did mess up my base color a little.  However, a coat of Seche Vite (Top Coat) fixed that right up.  I had figured I wouldn't need to do it again since I had already used these templates, but apparently that is not the case! LOL  I have never gotten such perfectly straight lines using my left hand before (including other template/tape methods), so I was really happy with it.

Pros:
-Easy to use with even your non-dominant hand!
-Reuseable (if you're careful!)
-Good Quality Templates
-Reasonably Priced (Approx $3 for each package of 10 templates + shipping)
-Fast Shipping (About a week from Romania)
-Friendly Customer Service!

Cons:
-A little hard to remove the template from backing -- must be extremely careful if wearing nail polish already!
-Not sure how many times you can re-use (will get back to you on this later!)
-Easy to warp template if not careful

All in all, I would definitely recommend this product to anyone!  It is simple to use, and does exactly what it is intended for!  I haven't tried out my other template yet, but I know it will turn out adorable (I got the cat template...thought it might be cute for Halloween, lol).

Next, we have the Del Sol nail polish that I used in the video.  Here's the two shots of it (one in the shade and one in the sun.)

So basically my mom got this nail polish for me from her Alaskan Cruise (isn't she lucky! LOL).  She got me four bottles, but I've only tried out 3 so far.  I don't have a shot of the 3rd one yet (although it's by far my most fave out of the set!).  This nail polish came from a store where they sold everything that changes color in the sun.

In this picture, I'm wearing Daydreamer as my base color and Super Hero as my tip color.  Daydream has this opalescent sheen in the shadows, but in the sun, it's supposed to be a vivid purple.  Unfortunately, I only used one coat in this picture, and you couldn't see the purple too much in the sun. =(  I think you can kinda see the darker purple glitter start to stand out a little...

Super Hero starts off as a light, metallic blue in the shade.  In the sun, it's supposed to be a soft lavender color.  You can kinda see the difference...right?

I can say, in real life, the pictures pretty much are spot on.  The changes are minimal.  I have my mom wearing 3 coats of Daydreamer, so I will have to see what it looks like in the sun (I just did them last night!).  She told me today it really turned purple, so I'm excited to check it out tomorrow.

I've worn this look for about a week, with minimal chipping.  I think if I had refreshed the top coat (like I normally do...), the polish would have lasted a little longer.  I'll be taking off this look to do a couple swatches, and then trying out a summer Kiwi fruit design (courtesy of Linda165 on YT).

Hope this was informative and helpful!  Till next time~

Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). -- Exception, the Del Sol Nail Polishes were a gift from my Mom. =)
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.

My Return to YouTube!

Finally...finally...FINALLY!!!  I've finally posted a video.  Finally.  I haven't posted one since....January.  Isn't that terrible?  I got so caught up in the wedding, then the whole morning sickness fiasco, and then just plain being lazy.  But now, I've got my butt in gear, and I have officially uploaded a video with not one, but TWO designs!  Go me!

Here's the Video:


I have a quick explanation of where I've been, and then two nail designs.  I included a picture of my mushroom nails (from the previous blog), but that was just for fun.

Here's the two looks I created:

Aka JcBelle's Wedding Look #1.  Both of these looks are created from my friend's wedding colors.  Our bridesmaid dresses are a deep wine color.  I'm still playing around w/ the look....

I used: Zoya's Irene; Orly's Vixen; Nail Star's Red Glitter, Green Glitter, and Gold; and Seche Vite's Recondition & Top Coat.

Aka JcBelle's Wedding Look #2.  This time I skipped the "wine" color because I wasn't liking it with the green.  One of her other colors is Chartreuse, which I adore.  The closest I came to it was Precision's Limon. =)

Here, I used: China Glaze's Watermelon Rind, Nail Star's Gold, Precisions's Limon, and Seche Vite's Recondition & Top Coat.

The Watermelon Rind and Limon, I specifically bought for the wedding.  Everything else I've bought a while back.  It felt nice buying new polishes again, even if I don't really have a spot for them, lol.  Maybe I should invest in another rack?  And maybe I should actually hang it on the wall this time.  I have a nice spot behind the door, tee-hee.

At Sally's Beauty Supply, they have a coupon where if you buy two China Glaze polishes, you get a Seche Vite Perfect Nail item for free (a $9.99 value, lol...don't I sound like a comercial?).  I decided to try it out.  So far, I can say I'm really enjoying the Recondition.  I haven't noticed a difference in my nail yet, but it's only been a day.  What I do notice is that the Seche Vite top coat seems to work really well with this as a base coat.  I noticed it completely dried a lot quicker and I can't wait to see if there are any changes in the strength of my nails.  My nails are pretty close to 100% of what they used to be.  Which I am completely thankful for since my friend's wedding is NEXT week.  =)

I also went to Ulta for the first time.  There's one in Pasadena (which I had NEVER knew about, shame on me!), and I was really happy I decided to stop in.  I would describe it as a Sephora that carries not only high end brands, but also drug-store brands.  They had an impressive nail polish variety, although I didn't really buy anything except for Sally Hansen's Color Quick Fast Dry Nail Color Pens.  They were Buy 2 Get 1 Free (a $7.50 value?), so I decided to give it a try.  I bought Coral Pink & Black Cherry, then decided to go with a Nail Art Pen in white as my freebie.

I thought having your nail polish in a pen would give you better control in application...enough to do designs with.  Unfortunately, this was not the case.  The brush is actually still pretty big, so instead of doing French tips as my original plan, I ended up doing the whole nail.  On the plus side, doing the whole nail was actually pretty quick.  Here's a picture of the Coral Pink on my mom.  I added some purple flowers to dress it up a little.  She didn't like it...said I didn't make them look nice.  Wtf?  Just ignore the last 45 min I spent on your nails!  LOL

After I was done with her nails, she had me do my aunt's nails.  This time she insisted that I make them look nice.  Whatever that means!  I asked her what design I should do, and she said to just make them look like mine (this was when I was sporting the mushroom nails look, lol).  I decided to forgo the mushrooms, and stick to a double French Manicure.  I think they turned out alright....if a little plain and boring.

Hmm, how would I have spruced this up for myself?  More glitter! LOL!  Kk, maybe not glitter...but rhinestones or something...or flowers.  I have no clue why flowers are my go-to....

I've marked a BeenaPop video as a favorite so I can come back to it sometime this week.  I think I'm going to try a variation of it with the wedding colors...so theoretically I'll have another shot of it.  (Not going to make it into a video when there's already one out there...?)

Anyhoo, much love till next time!

Disclaimer-
1. I bought all the products show or talked about in this blog.
2. No one is paying me or compensating me for this blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

1Up Mushroom Nails

Hi everyone!  My my my...time seems to fly.  Can you believe I'm at 19 weeks already?!?  Almost half way!!  And I'm sure the news you've all been waiting for....the baby is a boy!  What were we hoping for, you might ask?  Hmm...either or would have been fine.  I mean...each has their own benefits...and since we didn't plan the pregnancy, it's not like we were shooting for a particular sex.  And, for the record, this is going to be our one and only!  So we'll take whatever is thrown at us! =)

Anyhoo, I've been dying to do some nail art for the longest time.  It's been a few months since the wedding and my nails have almost completely grown out from the horrible jinx the nail salon put on me! Maybe in the next couple weeks, the last week part will have grown out, and I'll be back to my former glory.  Hurray!

Here's a pic of my current nails.  (Sorry it's not as sharp as other pics...this was taken on my BB.)  I just did this earlier today!  I got this design from one of the guru's on YouTube.  Her name is cutepolish and here's a link to her video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3FgpqzBf8I .

Obviously, I don't need to go into specifics.  But the only change I did make was that I put on a green glitter polish on top of the lime green, just to add that extra sparkle.  I call this version the "1Up Mushroom Nails".  The other version...not sure what mushroom is red and white.  The one that makes Mario bigger is actually red and yellow.  Oops...is that my inner geekiness coming out?  Well, the fact that I actually know what design these nails are from, coupled with the fact that I am now sporting them...yeah...I admit it, I'm a geek, lol.  Onna otaku ftw!

As a quick update, I *hope* to have a video out tomorrow or the next day.  I am going to be a bridesmaid in one of my friend's wedding, and I have an idea for how I want to do my nails for her big day!  So I figured I'd just make a video.  I won't be doing them on my own nails till next week sometime, but in the meantime, I plan to do them on my fake fingers, tee-hee.  So.....hopefully back tomorrow or Tuesday.  <3 Laterz everyone!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought everything product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Omg, it's been awhile!

I'm soooo sorry I haven't been posting/uploading the last couple weeks.  I've just been super busy with everything!  Hopefully I can start posting once a week again once this whole wedding thing is done!

Last Sunday we took engagement pictures.  This look to the left is what I decided to do with my nails for them.  I thought a classic French Manicure was what I was going to do...but then I thought it looked a little....to simple for me.  So I spruced it up w/ an elegant black stripe and some glitter.  I ended up breaking a nail about....an hour before the shoot, but luckily I found the nail and was able to glue it back on.  And then an hour AFTER the shoot, I broke it again and I couldn't find it after that.  THANK goodness I had the nail for the pictures...I was seriously having a heart attack!

Here's a shot of my makeup.  Yes, I'm wearing a Lakers jersey, but that's not the main outfit for our engagement pictures, don't worry!  LOL!  I got my makeup done at M*A*C.  I told Tatianna that I wanted a fresh, dewy finish, with natural eyes.  It's really tough to see the eye makeup in this picture, but I can attest that it was done perfectly.  I don't know why my nose looks ginormous in this picture (cuz seriously, I have a cute little nose! hehe), but the rest of my makeup is fun and fresh.  The only thing that I had concerns about was that I don't usually wear a color this dark...I always go one shade lighter.  I think it's an asian thing, lol.  I also got some cute falsies that look natural.  Well, at least I hope they look natural.  LOL

I won't be seeing the pictures for a bit, but I'm totally excited to see how the rest turned out!!!  Here's a random shot of my hair....I hope it didn't randomly part like that in the middle for the shots!  I decided against wearing my long extensions because I had a look in mind where my hair was about the perfect length.  Unfortunately I didn't take into account how short my bangs were.  So the stylist had to adjust the front...and while it looked nice in the end, it wasn't exactly what I wanted.  However, my hubby-to-be was totally awesome and said that my hair looked very Rihanna-ish.  That made me feel so much better!  Plus I got so many compliments on my hair (and makeup) while getting my makeup done.  I was like..I wish I could take credit, lol.

When I get some free time, I do have one quick & easy nail design, plus I totally should do some swatches!  A new beauty supply store opened up near me, so I totally will have to check it out!!! =)

Disclaimer:
1. I bought everything product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free).
2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this blog.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Another Diagonal Fancy French Manicure

My Black French started chipping (my left hand is NOT as smooth as my right hand, so the extra globs at the tips chipped away), and instead of fixing it, I decided it was time for a new look.

I had this wedding to go to, so I thought I'd do another fancy french.  I just did this random design...and it doesn't look as good as I could've made it, but I stuck with it anyway.  Besides, I'll be changing them again later this week because I have my bachlorette this coming weekend in Vegas!

At the time I painted my nails, I thought I was going to wear a black dress....but unfortunately that dress was out of the question when I tried it on (these weird creases would definitely turn out bad in photos).  In the end I decided to wear this yellow dress.  If I had know I was going to wear a yellow dress, I would've chose gold or something!

What I Used:

Stripe Rite: Neon Pink

Precision Nail Art Striping Brush: All That Glitter

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Silver Glitter

Orly: Reel Him In

Orly French Manicure: Softest White

Orly Glosser

Flower 3-D Art Wheel (Used the White)

What I Did:

I did a diagonal french in the Reel Him In (2 coats) and let that dry for about 5 minutes or so.  Then I did the same line design in the previous blog "Mani/Pedi" in the All That Glitter polish.  I used the Neon Pink polish in the same design, on the outside of the All That Glitter.  Then I used the Silver Glitter polish to draw a line in the middle of the All That Glitter lines.

You could leave it at that and have another nice diagonal French Manicure.  However, I kinda added stuff to it because I wanted it fancier for the wedding.

On all the nails besides the thumbs, I drew these two lines starting from one said of the nail...in the middle of the clear area.  I drew one line going upwards and one going downwards using the Silver Glitter.

Between the tip and the Silver Glitter polish, I used a dotting tool (or an old ball-point pen would work) to make three dots using the Softest White polish.

On the thumb I did the same silver lines, but I also added a 3D Flower Art.  Then I drew some dots using Softest White along the bottom of the silver glitter, making them smaller as I came away from the flower.

I put a coat of the Glosser over everything.

And yup, some fancy nails perfect for a wedding.  I thought they turned out pretty decent, but it's prolly not one I'm going to use again in the near future.  I think there are plenty of better designs out there in GoogleLand or YouTubeLand. =)

Same Fancy French on Mom

Here's the same look as the last one.

Sorry all my pictures are so blurry.  It's been hard trying to get a clear picture up close.  I might have to take a farther one, then crop and resize or something.  But these were all done in the past, so hopefully when I have a new look to share, the pictures will be in better quality.  Sad that the pics of what I used is like perfectly clear...that's not the important part!!!

What I Used (From Left to Right):

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Silver Glitter

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: White

Sephora by O*P*I: Mermaid

Orly Glosser

What I Did:

Basically I did the "diagonal french tip" (or so it's called on YouTube, lol) with Mermaid (2 coats).  Then did the same design as my last blog using the white thin tip polish, with the silver glitter polish on the outside.  There's nothing in the middle.   After it dried, I put on a top coat.

Nice and simple.  Just a slight variation to the previous blog. =)