Juicy Couture Nails!

Hey Everyone!  I just entered a contest thrown by Skyecolispeedo's Juicy Couture Inspired Nail Art Contest.  I had lots of fun making it, but I'm not sure how practical the look is.  I mean..it's only been 24 hours and I've lost about 4 rhinestones!  (I've replaced them of course, but still...!)

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfFjpZx5cbc

The video:



Unfortunately I didn't have time to make a live video instead of a slideshow...the placement of the rhinestones might have been something worth recording, but oh well.  Hopefully next time!

My Left hand is the main hand....I am not talented enough to do much with my left hand (onto my right hand), so I kept it simple.
Well...I think they're cute, but I'm biased like that, LOL.

On a side note, I got my 88 palettes from Coastal Scents yesterday!  Soooo excited to try them out...

The top palette is the Ultra-Shimmer palette, and the bottom one is their regular one...mostly matte colors, but a few shimmers.

If you look closely you can see the difference...my mom thought they were the same palette at first, lol.

I wanted the matte one because I hardly have any matte shadows...and the I wanted the shimmer palette because I love wearing shimmer.  They were about $19 each, plus tax and shipping.

They arrived in PERFECT condition...(as you can see, lol), with no broken shadows.  That's one of my biggest fears of ordering eye shadows online!

I still want to do some makeup tutorials, but am feeling a little camera-shy.  I mean come on!  I don't even speak on camera!  I let my text titles do the talking for me!  LOL...

So yeah...I doubt I'll be doing any swatches, unless someone makes a request.  Ooh, that reminds me!  I got my first video request on YouTube!  Someone has asked me to do a video on how I take care of my nails to get them so long...not that I thin mine are particularly long...have you seen Love4Nails's nails???  They're frickin long and sooo healthy looking!  LOL  But yeah, I do have a regiment that I do...and I think it's working out pretty nicely.  I haven't broken another nail since I stopped using Tough Cookie. *Knocks on wood!*  Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze that in this weekend somehow.  Maybe I should bring my camera to Vegas, hahahha.  I'll probably be chilling in the hotel room for a good amount of the evening anyway...

Don't think I'll be gambling, but cross your fingers for me to get all the electronic goodies I want from the big end of the year point shopping thing @ Ceasar's Palace.  I only want 3 things (that I know of!): an iPod Nano with video camera, a new digital camera (mine's breaking =*( ), and a Tiffany's charm bracelet.  I'm not being greedy, am I? LOL

Edit:  I totally forgot about the new FTC laws...so here's my 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 video.
3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Polymer Clay Slices

Another recent purchase I just received in the mail yesterday were a couple polymer clay slices.  They are totally the rage in nail art right now, and of course I had to get into the action!

I bought two from Japan, and about 50 from Hong Kong (it was like $7 including shipping...couldn't resist!).  The ones from Japan arrived...the ones from HK will probably arrive...around Thanksgiving.  Damn that ship time for HK/China!

So here are the two canes I got:  a pink rose and a grey cat.  I used the rose ones on my mom.  They are really thick and uneven because I had a hard time slicing them.  But I've been practicing on some canes I made myself (silly cheesy stuff), and I think I'm getting the hang of it.

I put the cat slices on myself.  My brother had cut them for me, so they are a lot thinner.  They look almost like stickers.  When apply thin slices, they bend easily and are simple to mold to the shape of your nail.

I'm not sure what the point of having clay slices over stickers would be, but I have to say I'll be using these for awhile.  They are pretty sturdy, and probably don't fall apart as easily as a sticker would.

I've also ordered some pre-cut ones, and I know those will be thicker than I've been slicing right now.  I'll try them out and if I think they're too thick, I'll probably use them to decorate stuff instead.  I guess I'll have to wait and see!

What I Used:

NailTek (Basecoat)

essie: Watermelon

Seche Vite (Topcoat)

1.5mm Rhinestones

Cat Clay Cane

Rose Clay Cane

What I Did:

1.  Cut the cane into thin slices.  For my personal preference, the thinner the better!

2.  Basecoat

3.  Watermelon - I put two coats on my mom, but I only used one coat on myself.

4.  While Watermelon was still wet, I put the slices of the polymer on.

5.  I put a drop of Seche Vite wherever I wanted the rhinestone, and added a rhinestone.

6.  Top coat over everything.

7.  I tested out the essie Quick-e drops, and was very impressed.  Since I was going out, I didn't want to stress test them, but I think I will in the future.  I want to know how fast it really dries (it says seconds on the box, but I gave it closer to the minute mark), and if it really dries all layers like it says it does.  I've seen some drops that only dry the top layer, and stuff still smudges really easily.

But yeah, as you can see, one coat of essie gave really great coverage.  The 2nd coat was just to make it more solid.  I definitely want to go back and buy more essie polishes.  Unfortunately, Beauty HQ doesn't have that big of a selection, but I think I know a few colors I want to buy.  In general. most of the stuff there are older colors, which is why they could sell them at such a discount (probably!).  I'll probably look online/YouTube for some ideas for colors. =)

Small Haul...

So I'm going to show a really quick Haul....

I ran to Beauty Headquarters again today because I really wanted to pick up some drying drops.  Of course while I was there, I couldn't resist a few other buys.

I got the essie quick-e drying drops.  I haven't tested them yet, but I will definitely do a review of it once I get the chance.  I'm pretty sure I'll be using them later today on either me or my mom...lol.

The next thing I got was the essie man-e-cure top coat.  Basically, it's a top coat that's got a natural matte finish.  I thought this would be pretty cool to try because I've really enjoyed wearing matte polish, and I hate going without a top coat (stuff just chips waaaay to easily!).

And the last thing I bought today (sorry this went from right to left, lol), are more rhinestones.  The last time I went, I found out where they keep all their rhinestones, and after I found out how much they were, I totally regretted buying them from anywhere else!  This set...I believe about 1200 pieces, was only $2!!!!  TWO FRICKIN DOLLARS!!!  In the past I've paid $5 for a small kit, $3 for like 20 stones, and I think $3-$4 on ebay for sets like this one.  GRRRRR!  Lol.  But yeah, I wanted to get this shape..it's like an oval with pointy corners, because I saw a tutorial with a penguin using these.  I will post that video + my attempt later.  LOL

Now on to what arrived from eBay:

Check this out!  I got this from eBay....and it was about $32 including shipping.  It's 48 bottles of nail polish, and there are two ways to use it.  The first way is to twist open and use like a regular nail art brush (the thin brush).  The second way is to pop off the top and use it like a pen.  I actually like these better than the Migi ones because they go on better, and they're like tons cheaper.  The Migi ones are about $4 each...and these were what...70 cents each?  On eBay you can find smaller sets too...like 12 pens for $8 or whatever.  I just got this set because it was decently priced and it came with tons of colors.

I have to admit they kinda scrimped on the purples, but there are tons of red, blue, and green lol.

As you can see in the pictures, some of the pens had leaked.  I took a picture of the 5 or 6 that leaked and sent it to the seller.  I'm not sure what they want me to do, but I'll keep you posted.  I guess it's inevitable that some might leak when they're coming from Hong Kong.

Here's a picture of me testing the pens.  I'll have to get used to them...they're pretty sensitive.  As you can see, I'm already practicing my penguin, hehehe.

I'll figure out what design I want to do for real after my nap!

As an update, I still have one more simple design post and one color swatch post left.  After that I want to do at least one or two posts on FrankenPolish-ing.  I just squeezed this one in here because I was super excited at all the stuff I got, lol.

So yeah...till next time!

Short Look @ Orly:Dazzle!

One of my new purchases is this gorgeous silver polish by Orly.  I used it in my last blog for the ornament.  I tested it on my mom and I think it's a really cool polish.

First of all, it goes one super smooth.  With one coat on a basecoat, you get a pretty decent amount of polish.  On my mom's nails, I used two, and I think it just makes the color stand out more.

I haven't noticed any cons at the moment, but I didn't check to see how easily it chips.  And I can't check now, because I already have a different design on my mom, lol.

It has a very foil-like appearance.  And it's also very shiny!  I think my mom really liked how shiny it was.  It's definitely a BIG change from the matte polish, hahahhahah.

I did this very simple design because a) my mom insisted that she have design (man, have I spoiled her!), and b) I didn't want the design to over power the Dazzle.  My mom was also very insistent that I put a rhinestone...so there you have it.  My design, LOL.

So recently, I've also tried to avoid putting top coat over the rhinestones, because it makes it dull(er).  Unfortunately, with this method, the rhinestones fall off so easily.  I highly recommend putting top coat over the whole nail, rhinestones included, so that they have longer wear.  I was told that if you want rhinestones that actually stay shiny with a top coat over it, you need to use actual crystals.  I know Michaels is having a sale on their Jolie's Swarvoski Crystals (like 30% off + a coupon), but I don't think I want to spend that extra money on temporary one use stuff like this ($5 for 20 stones), when I can just buy like 1200 for $3.  Maybe I can splurge for my wedding LOL!

Matte Nail Polish

One of the things I bought at Beauty Headquarters was this O*P*I Matte finish polish.  I had just watched a review of matte polishes from EricaLeung13 on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t80KBSsZaEY  (if you want to check it out).  She uses Zoya in the video, but they don't sell Zoya at Beauty Headquarters (at least I didn't notice it...).  This O*P*I just happened to catch my eye because there's a big sticker on it that says "Matte" LOL.

I tested it on my mom's nails, although she was not thrilled with having a matte finish.  The color in the picture looks more brown than it does in real life.  It's definitely more purple.  I added a design to it, just to give it something extra, versus just keeping a plain matte polish.  I think the added sparkle gives it a good contrast from the matte finish.

What I Used:

NailTek (Base Coat)

O*P*I: Lincoln Park After Dark - Matte

Orly French Manicure: White Tips

Orly Glosser

Dotting Tool

Circle Rhinestones (1.5mm)

Heart Rhinestones

What I Did:

Step 1: Base Coat.  I used NailTek because this base coat is a little more matte than other basecoats.  I think the Orly Tough Cookie is a tiny bit shiner.  The bottle of O*P*I actually said to not use a base coat or a top coat, but since I was using such a dark color, I wanted a base coat to protect my mom's nails from staining.

Step 2:  Two coats of Lincoln Park After Dark.  The first coat was kind of messy and streaky.  However, it dried pretty quickly and after the second coat, I had a nice even finish.  My mom looked at her nails and was like...um, I don't like matte that much.  I think it does take a little bit of getting used to.  However, I thinnk my mom has a harder problem with it, because she's all about the shiny (haven't you noticed her bling? LOL).

Step 3: Using White Tips and the Dotter, I made 5 dots in the shape of a circle on each nail.  I kind of put the flower on different spots of the nail on each finger.

Step 4: I put a light pink circle rhinestone in the center of each flower, and a bright pink heart rhinestone on the opposite side of the flower.  I used the Glosser to stick the rhinestones on, but I tried to put on as little as possible because I didn't want the rest of the nail to be shiny.  I think the rhinestones might fall off easier, but oh well.  It's a sacrifice I had to make.  I'll keep you guys updated on the status of the rhinestones.

No top coat, so I could keep the nail as matte as possible.  As I said before, I think the added rhinestones is set off perfectly with the matte background.

I actually redid my mom's toes as well.  I didn't use the matte polish because toes go through a lot of wear and tear, and a matte polish would not last AT ALL.  So instead I used a purple glittery polish I got from Hot Topic and did the same design with the flower and the heart rhinestone.

Yes, I know her toes are dry!!!  She doesn't take care of them as much as she should.  And I think she's on her feet a lot during the day.

So that completes this look!

Star Nails

So yeah...I had two nails that were broken, and I was in denial for a little bit.  But now, I've cut all my nails so that the breaks aren't as obvious.  I used this technique by tartofraises1 on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FybQEXlCL8Y .  It's in French, but I think there are English subtitles, and you can just do what she does anyway.  It's not rocket science, LOL.  Anyhoo, it was an excellent way to cut down my nails a tiny bit, and I think it worked better than just cutting my nails dry.


Then I decided to follow on of her other videos on YouTube, and did this Star nail design: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS_CHr9Uu6M.  I didn't do a French manicure, and I tried out the glitter, but I didn't have the right kind...so yeah.  I ended up with one thumb looking funky, but the rest of my nails looking pretty decent (with the exception of my ring finger on my right hand, but you won't see that anyway! hehe).  I took pics of each step, but didn't take any "final" look pics, so we'll just jump into the directions (each step will show you what I used as well...I might take a pic of my polishes separately later and add it, but I can't right now).


What I Used and Did:

Step 1.  Base Coat.  I used the Orly Tough Cookie.  I've only used it twice, but I think my nails feel pretty decently strong.  Plus, since I trimmed them, my nails aren't curling under as much.  However, this could be because of many contributing factors.  BUT, bottom line, I need to drink more water!  I know...but I hate water!!! LOL


Step 2:  Two coats of China Glaze: Innocence.

Step 3:  Draw Stars using Orly: Reel Him In.  I put a couple drops of Reel Him In on a palette and used a thin nail brush (that I got from Sally's Beauty Supply) to draw the stars.  I drew one big one and a piece of one little one on each finger.  Admittedly this was pretty tough on my right hand, because I am definitely not ambidextrous.  I just went really slowly and used small strokes.

Step 4:  I used China Glaze: Glacier on just the stars.  I didn't do it completely covering the star, but just a drop on the center.  Then I used a dotter to drag out the polish onto the limbs of the star.


Step 5: I used Orly Glosser as a Top Coat, and before it was dry, I put a Silver Rhinestone in the middle of every big star.  I also put a purple rhinestone on the two small stars that were actually complete (one on my left thumb and one on my right pointer finger).


And there you have it!


In the video, tartofraises1 puts glitter around the edge of the star, but when I tried, my glitter was definitely too small.  When I went to the beauty supply store today, I actually found the correct kind of glitter..it's more chunkier.  So I bought two bottles to try out.  I also bought one bottle of the crushed shells to try out as well.  I saw a video using them, and I thought it was pretty cool.  Stay tuned for my next look!

Watermelon Nails!

Hey everyone!  I got this new green nail polish from China Glaze, and was inspired to do a Watermelon look.  As you can see, it's not like one of those looks that truly resembles a watermelon...more like a fancier version.

It was definitely a fun look to do...although it took me forever!

I uploaded the instructional video to YouTube already:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EfDbBMQgS8

But I'll give a quick run through of the steps here too.

What I Used:

China Glaze: Pink Voltage (Neon)

Orly: Tough Cookie (Base Coat)

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: White

Orly Glosser

China Glaze: Turned Up Turquoise (Neon)

China Glaze: Glacier

Orly French Manicure: White Tips

Sephora by O*P*I: Mermaid

What I Did:

Step 1: Base Coat

Step 2: Two coats of Pink Voltage

Step 3: One coat of White Tips in a Deep Diagonal French

Step 4: Two coats of Turned Up Turquoise in a Shallow Diagonal French.

Step 5: One coat of the Thin Brush White over the white part.  The reason I did two coats this way was so that the turquoise would have a white base (instead of getting mixed in with the pink), yet won't have too many layers.

Step 6: Using Mermaid, I did these stripes in the turquoise.  Basically it's so it looks like the Watermelon's outside. =)

Step 7: I put Glacier over the white part (just so it'll have some sparkle to it.  I didn't want this layer to be the only one that was plain!

Step 8: I put on a top coat, then Rhinestones.  I put another layer of top coat on after that, but I don't like how this dulls out the rhinestones.  Also, Black Rhinestones would be more Watermelon-like, but I don't have any right now...some coming in the mail soon!  So I chose this nice bright green color.

And there you have it!  Watermelon-inspired nails.  As a side note, if anyone knows how to keep the rhinestones looking nice shiny, please let me know!  Thanks!

Double Diagonal French Manicure

So I went to this store in Pasadena called "Style 7", because I heard they sold rhinestones for really cheap.  To my surprise, they were extremely cheap...but Style 7 isn't a nail/beauty supply place.  So (IMO) you better get it while it lasts!

So this look is kind of based on MadelleTV's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBHiFq9tFc8&feature=channel

It's pretty much the lazy version of it.  She does all these cute lines and dots....I just did rhinestones.  Well, I knew I wanted rhinestones, because I was dying to use the ones I just bought, LOL.

What I Used:

Orly: Tough Cookie Base Coat

Orly Glosser

FingerPaints: Palette of Platinum

China Glaze: Glacier

Nina Ultra Pro: Purple-Xing
Palette of Rhinestones

What I Did:

First, I put on one coat of Tough Cookie (yes, it's new!!).  Next, I used the Platinum and put on two coats in a really deep diagonal French.  Third, I put two coats of Purple-Xing in a more shallow diagonal French.  Then, I put on a coat of Glacier over the Platinum, just to give an extra sparkle.  To dress it up a little, I put some Glosser down along the border of the Platinum and put on some purple rhinestones.

Overall, I think the nails turned out really nice.  It was definitely a fun design to do...putting on rhinestones is very....soothing.  LOL!  I'm planning on changing my own nails soon and maybe in a few weeks, I'll be able to fully review Tough Cookie. =)