Be Mine - 2014

VDay 2014 mani #2

Pink ombre manicure using (from L to R) Orly Soul Mate, Finger Paints Louvre This Pink, China Glaze Go Go Pink, and Zoya Purity; All topped with Finger Paints Kiss By The Tree.

Happy New Year - 2014

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you all have a safe and happy transition into 2014. Below is the manicure I will be wearing to ring in the new year :)

I am wearing black slacks with a red top and a silver clutch, so red with black and silver glitter just seemed like the right way to go!

This is two coats of Sephora X Flashy, with China Glaze Razzle Me Dazzle Me dabbed onto the tips, sealed with Sephora X Top Coat.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 30: Inspired By A Tutorial

The tutorial I have chosen as my inspiration is this Glitter Gradient Tutorial By Lucy's Stash

I began with a base coat and two coats of Nicka K Ripe Apple, and added China Glaze Twinkle Lights for the gradient. I covered that with one coat of Gelous gel top coat, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 26: Inspired By A Pattern

Pink Plaid Pajama Pants

This manicure began with a layer of Sephora X base coat, three thin coats of China Glaze Go-Go Pink, and Sephora X top coat. 

Next, I used Bondi Fuschia-istic and Mash-50 stamping plate to create the plaid pattern. Lastly, I added a coat of Seche Vite to seal the design.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 22: Inspired By A Song

Baby, it's cold outside!

For this manicure, I chose a design with grey skies, autumn leaves, and swirling breeze. 

I began with a base coat and two coats of Zoya Carey for the base color. Next, I painted the nail tips with China Glaze Starboard to represent grass. I sealed this with a layer of Zoya Armor top coat, and let it dry overnight.

The next day, I added the stamping. The swirling wind is Zoya Purity + Shany plate SH03, the trees are Konad black stamping polish + Bundle Monster plate BM-409, and the house is Konad black + BM-224.

To create the leaves, I used a tiny dotting tool and alternated dotting Bondi Chasing The Sun, Brick Road, and Horny Mistress. The yellow lights on the house were made with the same tiny dotting tool + Bondi Brick Road.

Lastly, I sealed the manicure with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 18: Half Moons

Half Moons.....literally.

This design began with a base coat, and one coat of China Glaze First Mate. Next, I used Zoya Purity to create half-moon shapes on my nail tips. Over the moons, I painted two thin coats of China Glaze Ghoulish Glow glow-in-the-dark polish (the moons really glow!). I covered everything with one coat of Orly Shine On Crazy Diamond, holographic glitter polish. I finished with a coat of Zoya Armor top coat, and let the polish dry overnight.

The next day, I used Sinful Colors Cool Grey and Red Angel stamping plate RA-113 to create the moon crater effect, and Konad white stamping polish with Bundle Monster plate BM14 for the stars. Finally, I sealed everything with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 12: Stripes

The 12th task in the 30 Mani Marathon is Stripes.

Here I have a 'Jelly Stampwich'! Base coat (Nail Tek Foundation 1), two coats of China Glaze Aqua Baby, Konad special white stamping polish + Bundle Monster plate BM-423 for the stripes, three coats of China Glaze Isle See You Later, and 1 coat of Seche Vite. :D

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 7: Black & White

The 7th task in the 30 Mani Marathon is Black & White.

To represent Black & White, I began with two coats of Orly Au Champagne, and added stripes of Bondi City Slicker and Zoya Raven. To that, I added white hexagonal glitter pieces from China Glaze Whirled Away, and sealed the manicure with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 4: Green Nails

The 4th task in the 30 Mani Marathon is Green Nails.

To represent Green Nails, I chose to create Melty Chocolate Mint Chip Waffle Cones! I began with a base coat, two coats of a chocolate brown Color Club that isn't labeled, and a coat of Dreams Nail Lacquer top coat. I used China Glaze Below Deck, and Bundle Monster plate BM-315 to create the waffle cone design. I topped that with a layer of Hard Candy Matte top coat to give the 'cones' a dull look that would contrast with the 'ice cream' drips.

Next, I used a large size dotting tool and China Glaze Re-fresh Mint to create the mint green drips, and added a thin layer of Dreams top coat to the mint green only. Then, I used a flat nail art brush to dab small amounts of Lush Lacquer Salt n Peppa over the green to create the 'chips' or 'sprinkles'. Finally, I added a layer of Gelous Advanced Gel top coat to the green drips only.

Click here for all the 30 Mani Marathon details, list of tasks, and timeline.

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 2: Orange Nails

The second task in the 30 Mani Marathon is orange nails.

To represent Orange Nails, I began with two coats of China Glaze Sun of a Peach, one coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment (a golden holographic micro glitter that can be seen in the sun, but not so much in the picture), and a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Then, I chose Finger Paints Cordur-Orange and Bundle Monster plate BM-308 to stamp the orange slices design on each nail. Lastly, I sealed the design with another coat of Seche Vite.

It's not too late to join in on the 30 Mani Marathon, check here for all the details!

30 Mani Marathon - Manicure 1: Red Nails

Today is the first day of the 30 Manicure marathon, and it kicks off with Red Nails!

To represent Red Nails, I have used two coats of China Glaze Ruby Pumps. I'm sad that the incredible 3D sparkling glitter does not pick up in photos, it truly is a fantastic red polish!

It's not too late to join in on the 30 Mani Marathon, check here for all the details!

Taffy Sandwich

Today's manicure uses the jelly sandwich technique, sandwiching glitter polish between layers of jelly polish.

After beginning with a base coat, I added 3 or 4 layers of China Glaze Heat Index, a neon pink jelly polish. To that, I applied two coats of Hard Candy Pink Taffy, a silver/pink/black glitter polish in a pink base. 

Then I applied one layer of Heat Index over the glitter, and finished with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Products Used:

One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

Four coats China Glaze Heat Index

Two coats Hard Candy Pink Taffy

One coat China Glaze Heat Index

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Funky Pippa - Are You Drunk?

Today I wanted to do a look using an unconventional color combination. Something fun and funky and out of the box. This is what I came up with!

This manicure began with Zoya Anchor base coat. Next I added two lovely coats of Zoya Pippa, and then a layer of Zoya Armor top coat. I then let the polish dry and cure overnight.

The next day, I dabbed some China Glaze Scattered & Tattered onto a piece of cosmetic wedge sponge, and dabbed that to the tips of my nails, creating glitter tips.

I finished the look with two coats of Gelous gel top coat, and one layer of Seche Vite.

Products Used:

One coat Zoya Anchor Base Coat

Two coats Zoya Pippa

One coat Zoya Armor Top Coat

China Glaze Scattered & Tattered Glitter 

Two coats Gelous Advanced Gel Top Coat

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Independence Day 2013 - Star Spangled

Happy Independence Day!

I love doing festive holiday manicures, especially for July 4th! *Bonus footage of last year's July 4th designs are at the bottom of the post.*

This year's 4th of July manicure began with one coat of white polish, Zoya Purity. When the white was fully dry, I created red, white, and blue stripes on each nail. With the pictorial below, I have attempted to show how I created the stripes using french tip guide stickers, Zoya America, and China Glaze Starboard.

After giving the stripes a while to dry completely, I then dabbed Lush Lacquer Snap Crackle Pop onto a piece of cosmetic wedge sponge, and gently dabbed that to the tips of each nail. Over that, I have applied two coats of Gelous gel top coat to smooth out the glitter, and one coat of Zoya Armor top coat to finish.

Below is a before/after of each step from base color to glitter tips!

Products Used:

One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

One coat Zoya Purity

Stripes of Zoya America & China Glaze Starboard

Glitter Tips of Lush Lacquer Snap Crackle Pop

Two coats Gelous Advanced Gel Top Coat

One coat Zoya Armor Top Coat

*Bonus Footage*

July 4th 2012 Designs

Teal & Purple Leopard

Today's manicure is a mix of colorful gradients and leopard stamping. To begin, I applied one coat of Zoya Purity, a nice white polish. I like to begin colorful gradients with a white base, this gives the gradient polish something to *grab* on to, and makes the colors more vibrant. Taking a small piece of cosmetic wedge sponge, I then dabbed China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle diagonally across the nail, and Chine Glaze That's Shore Bright on either side, repeating this process until I reached the desired gradient effect. I then added a coat of Seche Vite top coat to seal the gradient. Adding top coat to a gradient also smooths and helps blend out the faded color effect.

To that, I used Bundle Monster stamping plate BM-221 and Konad special white stamping polish to create the leopard spots. I sealed the stamps with another later of Seche Vite.

Products Used:

One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

One coat Zoya Purity

Diagonal Gradient of China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle & China Glaze That's Shore Bright

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Bundle Monster Stamping plate BM-221

Konad White Special Stamping Polish

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Shattered

Today's manicure begins with base coat, two coats of Sinful Shine Royal Flush, and one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

To that, I used Bundle Monster stamping plate 208 and Konad special white stamping polish to add the cracked design.

I wanted some sparkle, so I added a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

You'll notice that in the before after pic, it looks like two different polishes...bizarre! The top pic was taken in afternoon sunlight, the bottom pic was taken at sunset. It's interesting how different kinds of sunlight can change the appearance of the polish in pics so drastically. The funniest part, is that neither pic looks exactly like the polish color. Purpley-pinks are so hard to capture accurately. Oh well!

Products Used:

One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

Two coats Sinful Shine Royal Flush

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Bundle Monster Plate 208

Konad Special White Stamping Polish

One coat China Glaze Fairy Dust

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Sparkling Garbage Bubbles

I've been wearing Sparkling Garbage For Audrey for a few days, and today I decided to add some bubble stamps on top.

I used Konad special white stamping polish and stamping plate Mash-43 to create the bubbles, and sealed the design with one coat of Diamond Dry top coat.

Below is a collage of all three steps that create this manicure. China Glaze For Audrey on the left, For Audrey + Orly Sparkling Garbage in the middle, and For Audrey + Sparkling Garbage + Bubble stamps on the right.

Products Used for the Bubbles:

Konad Special White Stamping Polish

Mash Stamping Plate Mash-43

One coat Diamond Dry Top Coat Brilliance

Sparkling Garbage For Audrey

I'm a big fan of blue-green and holographic polishes. So when I walked past an Orly display the other day and spotted Sparkling Garbage, a lovely teal holo glitter, there was no question that it would be the newest addition to my collection.

Since Sparkling Garbage isn't quite opaque on its own, I chose to begin this manicure with two coats of China Glaze For Audrey.

Over that, I layered two coats of Orly Sparkling Garbage, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Polishes like these are infuriating to photograph, they never reveal their true beauty in pictures. Sparkling Garbage is densely packed with very fine holographic glitter that sparkles and shines in any light, and is especially breathtaking in direct sunlight. I tried and tried to capture the amazing holographic nature of this polish, just trust me that it is 100x more stunning in person! Below I have added a shot taken indoors with flash that shows a bit of what I'm attempting to describe. 

Products Used:

One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

Two coats China Glaze For Audrey

Two coats Orly Sparkling Garbage

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Camouflage

Today's manicure started with a base coat, two layers of China Glaze Kalahari Kiss, and a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Using the Mash-38 stamping plate, I stamped the camo design first with Sinful Colors Exotic Green, and then again with China Glaze Below Deck, so that the two stamps offset and overlapped each other on the nail.

You could do this with any colors and it would look great. Shades of blue, pink, or purple would make a cute camo too! I followed the stamps with another coat of Seche Vite to seal the design.

Products Used:

One coat Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat

Two coats China Glaze Kalahari Kiss

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

Mash-38 Stamping Plate

Stamps in Sinful Colors Exotic green and China Glaze Below Deck

One coat Seche Vite Top Coat

French Sequins...

...aka Fail Dots.

This is the second of two 'failed' manicures I attempted last night. Even though I'm not totally happy with this, there are things I do like about it, so I wanted to share it anyway. I'll explain some of why it is a fail for me, along with a bonus picture of the manicure I started with, and then redid in favor of this blue tip design.

I picked this Hard Candy Celebrate Sequins up at Walmart a few nights ago, and had visions of a french tip design with a sparkly holographic base. So after my base coat dried, I applied a coat of Celebrate Sequins to the whole nail. I then used french nail tip design guards to section off the french tip, and added a nice coat of China Glaze First Mate to the tips of the nails, immediately removing the tip guards after painting. I was happy with the way it looked with just the glitter and blue, but I felt the need to add something to break it up a bit...and this is where I failed.

I am not one to do free hand nail art, and I don't have a lot of experience with dotting, I like to stick to glitter and stamping for the most part. The dots are too big, erratically spaced, and smudged due to my lack of patience before adding top coat. Sigh. I should have left it at just the glitter and blue tips, lesson learned!

Below is the manicure I did first, which doesn't look too bad in the photo. The fail here came from the pink I chose for the tips, Orly Fabulous Flamingo. It took three coats to get the color opaque, and by then the tips were just too thick for my liking. I do think I did a better job on the dots here, though.