New French on Mom and Me!

Well, I obviously didn't keep my Halloween Nails on very long. I decided to do a different look.


I did my my mom's in a diagonal French, with glitter at the border of the tip. This is based on EricaLeung's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvpxvukYT84

Afterwards, I did my own nails, with a more involved design (hey, my mom rushed me on hers!).  This is more like an Arrow French, but it really is just two opposite diagonal Frenches.

Both looks were really easy to do.  And I really liked how they turned out!

So let's move onto...

What I Used:

NailTek

FingerPaints: Art Her-Story

FingerPaints: Artist's Sapphire

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Silver Glitter

Z Super Dry Top Coat

What I Did:

First, for my Mom's nails, I just did the diagonal French in Art Her-Story.  Let that dry, then another coat.  Then let that dry, and then the Silver Glitter along the border of the tip.  Throw on a top coat, and you're done!  Really nice and simple, yet quite elegant.  (I did add some plastic flowers on my Mom's ring fingers, but this is completely optional!)

Then, for my own nails, I basically did two coats of Art Her-Story as a diagonal French in one direction, then two coats of Artist's Sapphire in the opposite diagonal French.  (This pictured here was actually my second attempt.  I think it looks better when you start lower on the nail than just on the tips.  But that's just personal preference!)

After letting that dry (no really, I did try to dry each coat....ish....), I used the Silver Glitter polish to make a design as pictured.  Basically, I followed the diagonal French on the tip, just like 2mm from the actual border.  After that, I put on some top coat.  I thought it ended up looking pretty good (pat on the back! lol).  Maybe a little fancier than I had intended (since I'm not going anywhere special), but whatever!  They're bomb dammit!

As a product review, I'm not overly impressed with Z Super Dry Top Coat.  I bought it because I thought it was similar to Yellow Stopper.  I think it probably is a yellow-stopper type top coat, however, it doesn't glow in the black light (more like shimmers-ish).  But that's not the real problem.  It is a REALLY thin top coat.  Although it looks pretty thick...and goes on pretty thick, it dries like insanely thin.  I suppose this is a good thing if you have like tons of coats of nail polish and you don't want a top coat to add to that thickness...but in general, I like a top coat that smooths all the bumps and ridges from my nail and design.  So yeah, probably going back to the Orly Glosser for the next blog!

I Uploaded my Entry!

I have finally finished uploading my video for BeenaPop's Halloween Nail Art Contest.

I haven't actually received my pens from MigiArt yet, but hopefully when I do, I can upload another entry!

Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkC2_wnS4a4





My favorite look is the Freddy Krueger one.  I could see myself wearing that for Halloween.  You would not believe the restless sleep I got the night before I recorded the video!  I kept thinking about scary movies...it was definitely hard to sleep!

Let me just put up a list of items I used:

• Basecoat - NailTek
• Thumb (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) - FingerPaints: Artist Sapphire, Orly French Manicure: White tips, FingerPaints: Palette of Platinum, Black Nail Art Pen, Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Red Glitter
• Pointer Finger (Freddy Krueger) - Orly: Reel Him In, Black Nail Art Pen, Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Silver Glitter
• Middle Finger (Jason): Orly French Manicure: White Tips, Black Nail Art Pen
• Ring Finger (Carrie): Orly: Orange Punch, Orly: Reel Him In
• Pinky (Blair Witch Project): Orly: Liquid Vinyl, Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Red Glitter 
• Top Coat: Z Super Dry Top Coat

Admittedly it's just a really simple symbolic set of designs, but I really had fun coming up with this!

Well, anyhoo, enjoy!

Nail Whitening Pen

Omg, I know I said I'd do some before and after pics, but I totally didn't take any before.  So, I guess there's no point in taking after, because you have nothing to compare it to!  That aside, let me tell you about what I tried out.

I went to my absolute FAVORITE beauty supply store (Beauty Headquarters in Rosemead/Temple City) and asked for whatever nail whitening supplies they might have.  Their very helpful employee pointed me to this Essie White Bright Nail Pen.  Basically it's a non-bleach whitening pen that you just throw onto clean nails and can wear nail polish on top (although it says to avoid the cuticle area).

I tried it out the second I got home, and was pleasantly surprised at the results.  Remember how I said my nails were kinda turning yellow from all the non-basecoat designs I had been doing....plus the curry powder stains?  Well, I am happy to report that my nails are definitely whiter!  While my nails are still a tinge yellow, I think that after multiple applications (supposing it keeps whitening every time), they will definitely be tons lighter!  It was relatively cheap too: $4.25+ Tax.

There are no actual directions as to how often it should be used, just that one coat was enough and that you can apply more coats as necessary.  Although it uses the term "coat", it's not like nail polish.  Once it dries, you can't even tell you have anything on your nails. =)

So yay!  My nails are looking pretty long and healthy (and not yellow!), so they'll be in good shape for my contest entry!  I'm planning to enter a Halloween Nail Art Contest created by BeenaPop and MigiNailArt on YouTube.  I have already submitted my info to MigiNailArt because you can get free pens, and you are actually supposed to use these pens for the contest.  I wasn't sure if you got to chose the colors of the pens, so I'll have to see when my kit arrives.

Hopefully the kit arrives before the deadline, but I'm sure they've been bombarded with requests for all the contests that are going on (I just found another one for X-Mas , lol), so I'm trying to prepare a look without their pens for this week, and then if the pens come in, to make another entry (max of 3!).

I bought a bunch of other stuff from Beauty Headquarters, so I'm already thinking about changing my mom's nails, LOL.  I'm sure she won't mind...although she might mind what I have in mind for her, hahahaha.  I was thinking about doing the spiderweb/rhinestone spider on her nails (originally by EasyNails).  Lol, as I was typing this, my mom came in and suggested black widows.  AWESOME!  (Don't I have a cool mom?!?)

So yup, I'll keep you updated!

Golden Diagonal/Arrow Manicure

Hey Everyone!

I did my mother's nails the other day, and they didn't really turn out the way I wanted them to.  I didn't have the right nail polish, I think.  So in the end, they look a little messier than I'd like, but oh well!  I'll probably redo them really soon!

The original look I was going for is pictured here to the right.  It's a nice simple diagonal/arrow manicure using white and gold.  This picture was sent in by Elaine Lemay from QC, Canada, to a nail design website I explored.

That website is: http://www.nailsmag.com and they have tons of designs, and even some "how-to's" on their site.  I looked through them trying to get some ideas, but most are complicated or pretty difficult (aka meant for experts!).  I think these designs were posted more of an advertisement for these nail artists, but they were really fun to check out.

What I Used:

NailTek

Orly French Manicure: Softest White

Aphrodite: 102

China Glaze: Cleopatra

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Red Glitter

What I Did:

Like I said above, this turned out really messy, but I can tell you where I went wrong!

First, I did a basecoat with NailTek.  Personally, I believe NailTek works great...I can see the difference it made on my own nails.  They are definitely stronger and they aren't peeling(?).

Next, I used the Softest White and did a diagonal French at the tip (2 coats).

Third, I tried to use just the Cleopatra for the diagonal from the opposite side, but it was too sheer.  I searched far and wide from my tiny nail polish collection, and came across the Aphrodite 102.  I'm fairly certain you can't find this outside of Myanmar, but any gold polish should do.  I did a diagonal French from the other side (also 2 coats).

Fourth, I tried the Cleopatra only over the gold part (I should've stuck to that!!!), and thought it still was too sheer, so I put it on top of everything.  Big mistake!  The gold and the white just kind of run into each other.  I tried to fix that by using my red glitter thin brush to outline the white and gold, but as you can tell, it looks a little funny.

So the overall effect I was going for did not turn out right.  The original look is definitely classier.  I intend to look for a better gold polish when I head out to the beauty supply store!

I probably will try to get another black polish and do some type of cute design using black for Halloween as well.  I've seen some pretty cute cat ones. =)  EasyNails did a spiderweb design that seemed pretty cool too, with a cute black rhinestone spider.  Decisions decisions!!!

Update on Glitter French

Hi everyone -- Bachelorette was a success!

My nails currently are unpolished (*gasp*).  I've been waiting to go to the beauty store so I can grab some whitening fizzies.  I guess all those designs I did without a basecoat have kinda taken a toll.  Plus, I made some curry and some of the curry powder made my nails a little yellow too (which didn't wash off as easily as I thought!).  So my nails are looking a little yellow and before I continued putting on more polish, I decided to try whitening them first!  As soon as I do, I'll have before (ick!) and after pictures with a review. =)  (ETA Tomorrow, after the cable guy leaves!)

As a quick update for the Glitter French Mani I did in my previous post, I wanted to add some comments and observations.

First, I originally had a hard time having the sprinkles stay on....I think I lost at least 10 stars!

Second, the glitter part of the French was pretty rough and definitely not smooth (something my mom also commented on!).

So to fix this problem, I just kept adding a layer of topcoat until it was all nice and smooth.  Well, the sprinkles part wasn't THAT smooth, but they stayed on better.  I did about 3 top coats after the initial one, so 4 total.  I think it helps a lot, even if the entire ensemble feels a little on the thicker side.  I think this also helps with chipping because the rough edges would chip easier than the smooth edges.

So yup...just some thoughts on that!

Planning to do a blog about my mom's nails (just did them a couple days ago, but haven't had time to upload the pics yet!) next. =)

Glitter French Mani Redo

Alright, I am definitely happier with the new glitter!

So, as you can tell I changed a few things.  First off, used a different glitter.  Changed the placement of the sprinkles, and added a blackish stripe.

I also took the time to do my toenails.  They don't match per se, but I really wanted to use my new blue polish.

I think I went overboard with the glitter on my toenails, but whatever!  Not many people are going to see them anyway

The design doesn't really match my nails either (I usually try to match somewhat), but I'm not unhappy with how they turned out.  (Yes, I used double-negatives, lol.)  Oh, and please ignore those ugly sandal marks on my feet.  They won't go away!

What I Used:

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Black

Art Club Nail Art Lacquer: Silver Glitter

Precision Nail Art Striping Brush: All That Glitter

Precision Nail Art Striping Brush: Taste That Rainbow

American Classic: Yellow Stopper

China Glaze: Glacier

Orly French Manicure: Bare Rose

Fuchsia Glitter

NailTek

Finger Paints: Artist's Sapphire

Orly Glosser

Nail Art Sprinkles: Black Hologram Stars

Nail Brush/Dotting Tool

Eye Shadow Brush

What I Did:

As always, I started with my toes.  Gawd, a closeup looks horrible!  It's all dry and stuff!  Trust me, after I took the picture, I put some cuticle oil on it, so it's looking semi healthier.  I was just a little lazy to take another pic, lol.

Anyhoo, so I put on a basecoat (for once!): NailTek.  It's supposed to help strengthen your nails.  =) Then I put on 2 coats of the Artist's Sapphire.  Isn't it an awesome color?  Now you can see why I couldn't wait to try it!  it turned out beautifully!

Then I let that sit for about 2 minutes, and then used the All that Glitter to draw the two outside lines.  I used the dotter to to make the dots in the design, and then added a stripe of Silver Glitter polish in the middle.  

I put a coat of Glacier on all the nails (you could skip this step...I just wanted to see how it'd look, lol).  And then after about 3 minutes, I put on the Glosser.  Viola, a very interesting pedicure.  Maybe too much glitter, but I love it anyway!

Next, I started on my nails.  I tried using the Artist's Sapphire on the tips and putting the Fucshia glitter over that, but it looked better w/ the Bare Rose (or clear polish if you want =) ).  So I put the Bare Rose on the tips, threw some glitter on it, and brushed off the excess.  Then I put a coat of Bare Rose on the entire nail.

I used the black thin brush polish to make a line on the border of the tips, and then used the Taste That Rainbow over the black to make it glittery.

Then I took the Bare Rose and put some below the black stripe, where I was planning to put my sprinkles.  I placed one big star, and two little ones.  Kk, you might think me ghetto, but I actually cleaned and reused mine from yesterday.  I mean come on...I only wore them for one day, and I didn't want to waste them!  So I did what I could.  I think a couple broke, but still...I used the others. =)

This is where I wanted to place the stars yesterday, but it didn't look right with the M*A*C glitter.  I think it's because the glitter was more subtle and finer chunks.  This new glitter was really close to the one midnightsundark used in her video.  After I was done, I used the Yellow Stopper top coat.

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out this time.  They definitely are keepers!  Hopefully with practice, my left hand will get better at it (my right hand looks a little...messy, lol).

Another Glitter French Manicure

Well, I liked the way the glitter French manicure turned out on my mom, so I decided to give myself one too. =)  Unfortunately, I don't think the glitter I used was meant for nails.  I think I'll have to go back to that beauty supply store to get a bottle of the pink stuff.  If I have time to redo my nails before Vegas, I will, but otherwise I think they look decent enough.

I was trying to get my nails to look more like the ones in this video by midnightsundark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ixhly8PPdg

As you can see, her glitter is way more sparkly than mine.  She doesn't specify where she got her glitter from, but I think if I use the same one as the one I used on my mom's, it should turn out pretty similar.

What I Used:

Orly French Manicure: Bare Rose

M*A*C Reflects Glitter: Very Pink

American Classics: Yellow Stopper (Top Coat)

Nail Art Sprinkles: Black Hologram Stars

Nail Brush/Dotting Tool

Eye Shadow Brush

What I Did:

Basically I did the same thing as the last post (and the video) where I put the Bare Rose on just the tops, and then put the M*A*C glitter over that and brushed away the excess.  Then I put a coat of the Bare Rose all over the nail.

While That was still wet, I put on an open star, then three little stars on just the tip.  Originally, I had planned to do that beneath the tip, but it just looked funny.  Maybe if my tips were more glittery, it would look better.

After letting that dry for about 2-3 minutes, I put on the Yellow Stopper top coat.  I decided to use this top coat instead of the Glosser I normally used because this top coat glows in the black (uv) light.  And since I'm planning to party hard in Vegas this weekend, glowy nails would be pretty awesome.  Normally, the Yellow Stopper is a great top coat for regular white tip French manicures because it stops the white from looking yellow (hence the name, Yellow Stopper, lol).

So to sum up....The M*A*C glitter looks great on the face, but not so much on the nails.  I mean they're pretty and all, but I REALLY wanted it to sparkle like the video.  If I redo my nails, I'll definitely post some pics. =)