Christmas Plaid Konadicure

More Holiday themed manicures!  I love this color, I used Emerald city from Sally Hansen as a base.  I'd been looking for something like this for a while.  I really like Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, I like their long brushes and their highly pigmented, easy to apply formulas.  This nail polish was no exception, almost opaque in 1 coat, perfect in 2 coats.

Nail Fraud

With Flash

Nail decals are everywhere these days.  I ordered Nail Fraud a while back.  They have really cool designs and they are a bit cheaper than other appliqués out there… But there was a big mix up with my order, it took them a while to get here.  I don't really know what happened, if there was a post office issue or if Nail Fraud messed up my order… in the end, I received my decals.

Snow in the Sky

So I was online the other day, looking for a Chanel Riva dupe, and I came across several blog posts that name Hard Candy "Sky" as the ultimate winner.  It is indeed a winner, but a dupe? I don't think so.  Hard Candy was big in the nineties, specially if you were a Clueless wannabe.  And they first hit it big because of a little jewel named Sky.  Alicia Silverstone made it famous, and Hard Candy was an instant hit.  More than a decade later, Hard Candy is now available at your local Wal-Mart, and they just re-released the one that started it all.  So for it to be considered a dupe, seems unfair to me.  Yes, they are very similar (from what I see in pictures, I don't own Riva), but Sky came FIRST!

The color is beautiful and you won't be disappointed with the final result, your nails will turn heads.  But the application is a whole other thing…. Very streaky, very sheer, needs 3 coats, kind of a bitch to apply.  I wore it alone for a day, I just wanted to admire this shade on my nails.

Today I stamped a snowflake over them with Konad White Special Polish, and added a few details with silver dots and glitter (Finger Paints Easel come, easel go and Kiss Nail Art in Silver Glitter).  I used plate bm14. 

Something else that happened and made my manicure more difficult is that my top coat is half way through so it got thicker and since the bottle is half empty, it's kind of hard to get the brush completely dipped in the polish and that was very annoying.

In the end, I liked the final result. It is cute, subtle, yet Christmasy, and I need to thank my sister because it was totally her idea and I stole it due to lack of inspiration and plane ol' laziness.

The Christmas Season has officially begun!

Christmas spirit took over the minute I laid eyes on China Glaze's Party Hearty. What a GORGEOUS glitter!  I really didn't wanna mess with it, since it is so adorable and almost overwhelming.

What's new in my stash

Hey there! I just wanted to share the polishes that I've bought lately and haven't used yet. 

Konad Special Polishes in Green and Dark Purple.
They are much darker IRL

OPI in Tease-y does it and Simmer & Shimmer,
from their new Burlesque collection

SH Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet and Emerald City. SH nail art pen in White.
I wish you could see the tiny glitter on RC, it's beautiful!

Icing- Sparkle me Happy, Icing-Bedazzled, Unnamed Orange Glitter from Hot Topic,
CG Boundless Color - Amethyst Mist and NYC In a New York Color Minute - East Village 

I saved the best for last… China Glaze - Party Hearty from their Holiday 2010 collection

I would love to hear about your recent buys or favorite picks.

LiLo's "F- you" Court Manicure!!

Boy, was I excited to recreate this one! Lindsay Lohan may be lots of things, but somehow I always like what she's wearing, or how she looks. For her court date back in July, she opted for a super girly and cute, airbrushed pastel manicure with a very naughty hidden message: "fuck u" written right in the middle fingernail. How passive-agressive! Here's how I did it:

Start with clean, short nails, buff them and use a base coat (I always use OPI).

Then, apply the nail polish with a sponge. I used an old eyeshadow applicator, because i'm on a budget here! But you can get a fancy one from Konad (I want it!), or one of those foamy makeup applicators.

What I used

After sponging. We'll clean up later!

Drip 2 or 3 drops of nail polish on a flat surface (I did it on an old plastic tray somebody gave me and I never ever use), Dip your sponge in it and apply to your nail in a taping motion, just little dabs here and there. You have to leave room for at least 3 colors. Repeat this step with every polish for a multicolored effect. It's ok if you don't completely cover your nail. I think Lindsay's show a bit of natural nail down the middle.

Next, we are going to stamp our nails with the leopard print on Konad's image plate m57. I didn't want the print to be that blunt, so I used a regular nail polish instead of the Special one for a soft, almost ethereal look. You can also use a nail art pen or an art brush and do this step freehand.

Finally, you can write an offensive message of your own, or copy Lohan's infamous words.  Use a nail art pen, or a Sharpie for this step.  I skipped it, I thought it wasn't office appropiate, LOL.  Seal your design with 1 or 2 coats of your favorite top coat.

Lindsay Lohan

My version. Please excuse my crooked fingers!

I think my design looks a lot like Lindsay's, and I really like it on her, but I just don't know how to feel about it.  I'm not sure the color combination looks good with my skin tone, but still got some compliments :)

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away, Bubblegum Pink and Sun Kissed (toned done with a few drops of white).  For the white leopard print I used NYC French White Tip.

A sea of purple

This look was a little bit more complicated than what I usualy do but I will explain it step by step.

I used Sally Hansen's Deep Purple from their Xtreme Wear collection as a base.  Like most of their polishes, it was very easy to apply, smooth, and opaque in 2 coats.

We are going to apply a tape diagonally to each finger and then use our base color to paint the nail.

Then, we are going to stamp our nail with a swirly design from image plate bm19 and a Silver Foil Nail Polish (Finger Paints Easel come, easel go).  Remove the tape carefully and slowly to protect your design.

Apply silver glitter to the line that divides your design and your naked nail with a fine brush.  I used Kiss Nail Art Paint in Silver Glitter.  If you are shaky like me, you need to do this slowly so you can get a straight line.  Finish it with a nice and glossy top coat, like Seche Vite.

After removing the tape

Apply a thin line of silver glitter and voila! 

Nail Polishes that I used from start to finish!

The White Stripes

This was the easiest manicure ever.  I really wanted to take off that fall manicure attempt that I had in my nails but didn't have much time, so I went for the easiest way out.  I stamped the striped design on bm20 on my naked nails with White Konad Special Polish and topped it with 2 coats of good ol' Seche Vite. I was done in no time, and got a lot of compliments!  The only thing that gave me a hard time, was  trying to get the thumbs right, because Bundle Monster plates are TINY so if you have long nails, or fat thumbs like me, you'll have to get a little creative.  I stamped twice, tried to make it as unnoticeable as possible and I think it looks alright. My husband said it reminded him of candy canes and that I should try it over red for Christmas… Well, maybe I will.  Meanwhile I hope you like my lazy, fast and uncreative manicure as much as me. 

Fall

Sorry for the delay between posts, there's been TOO MUCH stuff going on in my life, but I am pretty sure you're not reading this blog to hear that, but to see some manicures… On with the nails!

I wanted to do a Fall or Thanksgiving inspired manicure but wasn't feeling so creative.  Also, I had just received some faux Konad image plates (Bundle Monster, 21 plates for 17 bucks) and I wanted to try them out.  

As a base, I used Sally Hansen Laquer Shine in Glossy. A-ma-zing shade!  I've had this for a long time but I forgot about it, and trust me, Im glad I found it! It has the most perfect goldish burgundy shimmer to it. Once the light hits this baby, it just comes alive. 

On top of it, I randomly stamped some leaves with Orly Luxe and White Konad Special Polish.

This is the final result.  I didn't really like it that much, I think it came out a bit matronly. 

I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving!

The final result

Sally Hansen Glossy.  Can you see the shimmer?

Metallic Zebra

I really liked how this one turned out because it was exactly what I had in mind.  You can use any color combo you wish. I've done it in the past with neons (hot pink, orange and yellow) but this time I wanted to use metallic, foil-finish nail polishes (silver, gold and bronze).  It may seem like it's a lot of work or like it's hard to do, but not at all! 

You are going to grab your silver nail polish (I used Finger Paints in Easel come, easel go) and paint about 1/3 of your nail. Then, the gold (Orly Foil FX in Luxe) and paint the next third of your nail, and finally the bronze (Cover Girl Boundless Color in Bronze Beauty) and paint the last third of your nail.  It doesn't matter if the line between the colors is not straight.  I actually like the way it looks when its a little bit uneven, or overlaps at some points.

Wait for your nails to dry, then use the zebra print in Konad's image plate m57, with Konad Special Nail Polish in Black, and stamp your nails.  You can also do the zebra stripes by hand if you don't have a Konad, You can use a nail art black polish, a nail art pen, or any black polish with a fine brush.  

I hope you like it! Thanks for looking.

Leopard Manicure

I used my Konad m57 plate for this manicure.  The thing with Konad is that you don't need to get to creative to have a cool looking manicure so, usually I just use a base color, stamp, and that's it.  For this mani I switched it up a little bit.

First, I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud as a base.  It looks really bright here, but the picture is really not doing it justice.  Lavender Cloud is the lightest lavender possible, so it does not look completely white, it has a purplish or pinkish tone, which is very beautiful.

Then, I stamped my nail with the Leopard Print from Konad's m57 plate. I grabbed my dotter tool, and filled out the leopard's spots with China Glaze's For Audry, one of my favorite nail polishes EVER, It's the closest possible color to a "Tiffany blue".

And finally, I used Sally Hansen's Disco Ball  as a top coat. This is a clear polish with rainbow iridescent glitter, that I usually think it looks childish, but I'm really digging it today.  Now, I'm going to remind you guys again: when using Konads, it is SUPER important that you apply your top coat in as little brush strokes as possible, 2 or 3 tops, because you may drag your design and ruin your manicure.  I got carried away with my beautiful glittery top coat, and I dragged my nail polish a little bit here and there, but since it's a Sunday and I'm feeling way too relaxed I didn't make a big fuzz about it.  I'll probably have a fresh mani in a couple of days anyway!  

I really like how this one came out, I love the color combination and the iridescent glitter gives it a nice little kick.  

Blurry shot, so you can see the colors of the glitter top coat (Disco Ball)

I read the news today, oh boy

It's been a few days since my last manicure, and I do apologize for the delay.  This time I'm going to try a newspaper print manicure.  This one didn't came out as I wanted, I should have used a lighter shade of grey or an off-white, it just looked different in my head.  But I ran out of nail polish remover, so I'm stuck with it. Anyways, if you decide to recreate this look, I strongly recommend that you use a lighter base color (like Sally Hansen's Lavender Cloud).

I used Sally Hansen's "Wet Cement" from their Xtreme Wear polishes.  I absolutely adore this color, it's a very rich and well pigmented creme.  I used 2 coats.

For the newspaper print, we are going to use some kind of alcohol: rubbing, drinking, the one you have in your home already (for me, it was vodka), and pour a little bit into a small container.  It should be enough to dip your nails in it.  Cut squares of newspaper big enough to cover your whole nail, and set them aside.  Dip your fingernail in the alcohol, and then grab a square of newspaper and press it against your nail.  Try not to move the newspaper because you will get a smudged print.  You need to leave the paper long enough to get a good print, but if you leave it too long the newspaper will stick to your nail.  Use a top coat to protect your mani and to give it a glossy finish.

If there's anything that you guys would like me to try out, please let me know!



Here's what I used for the newspaper print



My new addiction

I need to share something... I got this at Sephora about 3 weeks ago, it's a cuticle oil pen with eucalyptus. I just threw it in my handbag and I use it whenever I remember to, and let me tell you: what a difference it makes! It's helped me so much, my cuticles are not that dry anymore, and the main reason is: I use it all the time! Since it comes in such a convenient and portable presentation, it's always handy! And the smell is great! I believe they also have one that smells like lavender, but I haven't tried that one out.  Do you  guys use cuticle oil?  I could REALLY use your answers because my cuticles are very dry from all the nail polish remover I use.  Which one works for you? 

Beyonce inspired mani

I found this look online, and I wanted to recreate it.  It is very easy, like every look I try out, LOL. It's inspired by one of Beyonce's tour looks, and also, she's been known for wearing metallic nails (she's a big Minx fan). I think this would be great for a night out, the color combination seems very club-like to me.  Of course, like always, you can switch the colors and add a little something to make it your own! Lets start...

First I used 2 coats of "Easel come, easel go!" from Finger Paints as a base.

Then, I used "Black expressionism", also from Finger Paints, to draw a vertical line right down the middle of the nail.  Since it was my first time, I took my time and did this very slowly to go as straight as possible.  I found this look alone very cool, and I will probably wear my nails just like that soon.

Now, the fun part.  Grab your base polish again, and dab off as much nail polish as you can from the brush, it needs to be almost dry.  Then, apply some random brushstrokes to your black stripe here and there.  Finish off with your favorite top coat to make it last, and you are done!  Neat, uh?

Walking into spiderwebs

This is what my sister requested today.  To be fair, she did her own nails, and used her own polish (Cloud 9, by Sinful Colors, and Lavender Cloud by Sally Hansen CSM) and she came up with the design, or saw it somewhere, and then I did the designs on her nails, so she deserves most of the credit.  

I used my Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black Creme to trace the spider webs and the spider in the index finger, then a dotter to do the spider's eyes, first with the Lavender Cloud, then Stilleto Red by Rimmel. Finish up with a coat of Seche Vite top coat, and voila!  A spooky manicure for Halloween.

See the detail on the spider's eyes?

Anyways, have a happy halloween you guys!

Vamp

This is what i'm wearing as a "Halloween Mani", it is not as out there as an Orange-Black combination, or as jack-o-lantern patterns, but I think of it as a bloody, vampy, more sophisticated version of a halloween mani.  I started out with blood red nails as a base (Remember I was wearing those Incoco decals?) but you can wear any color that you like, maybe a shimmery orange.  Then, for the crescent moons, I used a nail art pen from Sally Hansen in Black Creme.  Nail pens are very easy to use and you can create so many looks with them, the possibilities are endless! So basically you just draw a half circle in the upper area of your nail and fill it out with the black pen (or you can use some other nail polish brush, it's up to you).  Sorry about the small pics,  I couldn't find my camera so I had to use my phone.

I wore the crescent moon mani for a day, then I decided to add some dots to make it more fun, and this is the end result.

Very simple, but I got so many compliments at work! I hope you guys like it.  I think it looks great by itself, I added dots, but you can add maybe a cool decal, or a rhinestone, or you can invert the colors in one of the nails, use different colors, do a little something different so you can make it your own. 

Electric Zebra!

This look was inspired by my friend Rosy McMichael's latest youtube video, who had to create an "Electric Zoo" makeup look for a contest.  She has other great tutorials in her channel, you need to check it out.  You can see her videos HERE.

Now, I used my toes because my hands are still busy with the Incoco experiment thing, but PLEASE focus on the nails and not my actual feet (I don't really like the way my bones stick out from the sides and I'm not even going to address my scars...let's just say I'm a bit clumsy)

Anyways, I used Sinful Color's Neon Melon as a base.  The best way to describe this color is "highlighter yellow". It even applies like a highlighter! You are going to need 3 or 4 coats because it's very thin, but it dries fast, so it's not such a hassle.  Also, the color is very vibrant, so it is wort it.  Like most neons, it has a semi-matte finish, but if you don't like it you can use a topcoat over it and that should solve your problem. This is how the nail polish looks after 4 coats, very streaky!

Now, the good part: adding the zebra design!  This time, i'm going to use my Konad.  For those of you who don't know, Konad is a nail stamping system that is very popular and inexpensive. You can get it on ebay.  Konad also sells "special nail polish" to use with the stamping thingy and I must confess that I didn't believe this polish was really special at first, but then, when I actually started using it I realized that it makes it so much easier! If you're gonna go and buy the Konad, I highly recommend that you buy the special nail polish as well.  You can also use your own nail polish but not all of them work with it.  You need to experiment with them.

So this is how Konad works: You get an metal disc (image plate) of your choice, that contains about 5 different nail designs; once you choose your design, you brush a little nail polish in it, then you scrape the excess off.  Then, with a special stamp, you pick up the design and stamp it in your nail.  Sounds easy? That's because it is.  You just need a little bit of practice to learn how to do this fast, because you need to act before the nail polish dries.

After stamping in your nail, this is how it looks, VERY messy! Don't worry, we'll clean that later, when all the nails are done and everything is dry.  See how messy mine look?

Now, this is the final result.  Very simple, but I think the base color is already making a statement, and truth be told, I'm a bit lazy today :)

I used an OPI base coat , Sinful Colors Neon Melon as a base, Konad Special Nail Polish in Black for the zebra design, and Seche Vite as a top coat.  When using Konad you absolutely canNOT skip this part.  You need a good top coat that doesn't drag the nail polish, and you need to apply it with as few brush strokes as possible to protect the design.  Seche Vite always does the trick for me, I adore it!

That is all for today, I'll try to post very often, and if there's anything that you guys wanna see let me know! I can always use a little inspiration...