nails

stay golden

by Lara on August 15, 2011

I was digging through the craft box I left at my parents’ house looking for wooden stars for those silly yarn trees and I found a pair of scrapbooking scissors (also called “paper edgers”).

A long time ago, I was knitting and selling dog scarves (I am so serious) at a foo foo hair salon. I used the scissors to make fancy tags. Anyhoooow…

I’ve been seeing manis done with scotch tape cut by these fancy scissors so I took em home. Here are the results:

This was a trial and error process. I first tried the gold on TOP of the lavender but the glitter messed up the crisp edges. So, I took everything off the ring finger, put gold on the entire nail, a layer of Seche Vite top coat for a smooth surface and then did the tape and lavender. Top coat again to soften the edges.

There were little scalloped edges that got a bit lost so, I think the more intricate the design, the less likely you’ll get good results.

Just make sure your polish is completely dry before you apply the tape, press the edges down really well and pull off tape while polish is still wet.

A $2 mani!

essence colour & go in No More Drama – Wet n Wild Fast Dry in 223C The Gold & the Beautiful

Here’s another pastel and gold mani – both are teeny bottles from Sally for 99-cents each. Another $2 manicure!

I think this has been my fave manicure ever.

OH!

I popped into my local Dollar Tree for the hell of it a couple days ago and they had these LA Colors glitter sets for $1. A little polish and 2 nail glitters. I got the 3 different color sets they had. They retail for $4.

They also had the Art Deco nail art polishes. I grabbed one in silver. These retail for $2+ and way more for other brands.

So, check out your local Dollar Tree and see what you can score!

I’m also putting myself on a nail ban for a good while. I have too much stuff I haven’t even tried out yet! Time to get busy!

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adventures in Konad

by Lara on August 9, 2011

in beauty

I finally got the nail stamping plates!

So here’s the deal… it’s freakin awesome! Takes some time but so much fun! I’m an insane perfectionist who loves tedious tasks so this was right up my alley.

Like a dummy, I did a black pattern on already dark polish but I love how it turned out! I also did them in the evening so the lighting is terrible. Sorry sorry sooooorry!

So here’s my first stamped manicure and then I’ll get into the nitty gritty:

there’s a cat hair in every one of my nail posts

still not totally cleaned up either

I read and read so much about this process and found that the name brand Konad stamper was vital.

The newest model of stamper is the double ended one. I used the large red end since this was a large pattern.You get the scraper with the stamper for about $6 including shipping.

find them here at Amazon

I also read that an expired gift card works better as a scraper and now, I can agree but, that little pink one really is sufficient and you can’t not buy it w/ the stamper.

The design plates don’t need to be name brand to get a good pattern. A single Konad brand plate can cost $4+ while I got 16 off-brand plates for $18.48 (free shipping) from Born Pretty. They’re the identical designs, numbered the same. Yes, shame on me for buying faux-nad plates.

This is the design I used for my mani, the top right floral:

Here’s the plate and stamper so you can get an idea about size:

There are full nail designs, French tips, small patterns… all sorts of plates out there. If your nails are really long, you may not be able to fit a full nail pattern on your entire nail.

For stamping, choose a polish that’s opaque in one coat (I used Wet ‘n’ Wild’s black). There are Konad Special Polishes but you don’t need them. Here’s a huge list (constantly updated) of great polishes to use for stamping.

Paint your nails the base color you want and let them dry.
Lay out at least 4 layers of paper towels on a flat surface (maybe even some saran wrap underneath) and get out your polish remover, about a dozen q-tips, your stamper, scraper, and your pattern polish.
Put your plate on the paper towels and generously paint the pattern you choose with opaque polish.
Take the scraper and quickly, in one movement, scrape the excess polish off the plate, onto the paper towel.
Take your stamper and roll it, with pressure, in one movement over the design. It will pick up the polish.
Then quickly line up the pattern on the edge of your nail and roll it over your nail in one movement. (In the video below, she does it with her hand flat. I held mine close to my face to really see what I was doing.)
You will have a little bit of pattern on your skin and some left on the stamper. With your q-tips and remover, clean up the stamper and the plate – and your nail too, or save that for later.
Do it all over again for your next nail and so on.
Add a top coat, clean up your mess and you’re all done!

That’s all folks!

Here’s a quick video tutorial if you like visuals.You don’t need sound. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

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dandelions

by Lara on August 3, 2011

in beauty

I finally did that dandelion manicure!

I never referred to the original pic, just went by memory… a leetle bit different.

The base is Sally Hansen’s Mint Sorbet and LA Color Art Deco Nail Art polishes in white & black for $2 a pop. They have awkward long thin brushes and I had to wipe off the excess and practice a bit first on the back of a magazine. The design is only on my left hand.

There was a neat 3-D effect and lots of texture on the flowers and you could see more layers of individual fuzzies but after I did a Seche Vite top coat, that all went away. Wish I had gone without on those fingers.

So that’s that! I’m trying to think of other things I can do with those Art Deco polishes. They’re fun!

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nail tools

by Lara on July 28, 2011

in beauty

In becoming obsessed with doing my nails and checking out new techniques online, I’ve pretty much looked at thousands of things on eBay and Amazon. Here are some things you don’t need to have gorgeous nails but still may be interested in.

FILING:

Of course we all have files. I also love a Polar Block for fine buffing. My thumbs get these weird ridges and this buffs them down and quickly smooths any rough edges. They’re at Sally’s and just about every drug store now for about $1.

CUTICLE PUSHER:

I’ve had one professional manicure in my entire life. I told the guy NO cuticle cutting so he used this tool to push back my cuticles and scrape off any stuck dead skin on my nail, leaving a perfectly smooth surface. Stainless steel ones are $1 on eBay.

PUMP DISPENSER:

I need to get one of these (also seen at that pro manicure I got). It can be dangerous business keeping an open bottle of polish remover laying around and flipping it upside down on cotton balls. With this bottle, you just press your pad/ball on top and it’s ready to go! Find them here on eBay for about $3.

DOTTING TOOLS:

Those adorable polka dot manis like this -

via

Use this tool -

Do an eBay search for “nail dotting tool” and you can get them for $1 w/ free shipping! I have no idea how toothpicks would work.

MANICURE TIP GUIDES:

Do you want a French Manicure but your hands are too shaky to get clean lines freehand? Look for “manicure tip guides“. These stickers are easily found in the nail section at most drugstores but are usually cheaper on eBay if you’re willing to wait. Make sure your base coat is completely dry before you apply these. I’ve used these tons of times with great results.

via

POINTED COTTON SWABS:

The ladies at Broke & Beautiful just wrote about these being great for cleaning up your edges. 120 for about $3. I really need to get some because (dirty little secret) I paint my thumbs last and use them to clean up my edges. It ends up a mess.

CUTICLE OIL:

There are a ton out there and you could just as easily use some almond or olive oil on your hands. I like PRO FX Apricot cuticle oil for about $5.

DECORATIVE ELEMENTS:

There are so many things you can add to your nails. Stickers, gems in every shape and color, 3-D molded shapes, fimo slices (just get them pre-cut), water decals (like temporary tattoos), striping tape, glitter dust… and all of this stuff can be found for about $1 on eBay as well.

via – click for tutorial

via

via and click here for a tutorial

KONAD:

Okay, I finally broke down and ordered some Konad tools. They’ll be here in about a week. Konad is a nail stamping system.

You put some opaque polish on a metal plate with designs etched in, scrape off the excess with a scraper (I hear an old gift card works better) and use the stamping tool to lift the design off the plate. You then roll it onto your painted and dry nail, repeating the process each nail. Time consuming? Yes. Tedious? Yes. Awesome results? Yes!

via

I’ve read that the name-brand stamper is imperative but you don’t have to use name-brand plates, scraper or the special Konad polish. Just use your most opaque polishes that give good results with one coat. Wet ‘n’ Wild’s black is a favorite!

This is the set of 16 plates I ordered.

The Konad double-ended stamper is supposed to be the best.

Here’s a tutorial.

PLUS:

You can also use scotch tape to mark off areas (pull it off as soon as you paint) and eyeshadow sponge applicators or bits of kitchen sponge to lightly pat a mist of polish on your tips for a gradient effect (pat off excess first on some paper). There’s water marbling (that I can’t succeed at to save my life) and there are paint pens, those Sally Hansen Salon Effects polish stickers in crazy designs, nail art polish with teeny weeny brushes, matte effect top coats, crackle effects, magnetic and heat sensitive nail polishes…

Am I missing anything awesome? Let me know!

EDITED TO ADD: (thanks for the suggestions ladies!)

Polish remover pens – so much easier than q-tips for clean ups!

Biotin vitamin supplements for healthy nails and hair

Seche Vite top coat – dries your mani in about 10-15 minutes with high gloss.

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frosty

by Lara on July 27, 2011

in beauty

Popped into Rite-Aid today. I rarely go there but they were having a great sale. I grabbed a few cheapo Wet ‘n’ Wild Polishes for 49-cents each! I was planning on my next mani being that sweet hand-painted dandelion design but I had no patience for it tonight. Maybe next time.

This looks wintery and magical – a nice foil to the filthy heat we’ve been having. I don’t have a lot of blue in my wardrobe so, I get it in on my nails.

Wild Shine in 469 – Hallucinate on top of Wild Shine in 464 – Rain Check with Seche Vite top coat. A $1 mani. Don’t mind if I do!

This is probably my favorite glitter topcoat ever now. I want to put it on everything.

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recent pins

by Lara on July 26, 2011

in beauty,decor

Here are some recent things I’ve pinned. Are you on Pinterest yet? Need an invite? Let me know.

I gotta get busy with the scotch tape – via

I really want this cat/mushroom print for my kitchen – via

I want all of this happy happy summer celebrating gear via Let’s Die Friends. You know I love her!

A HUGE INFOGRAPHIC OF SUNSCREEN INFO

Painting on sketch paper by Blue McRight cracks me up (should go in my bathroom) - via Drollgirl. Are you following her yet? You should be. She’s rad.

video tutorial on how to sew an elastic band skirt in an hour – measured to fit YOU! via

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win some lose some

by Lara on July 18, 2011

in beauty

So here’s that Zoya Pandora polish I got in the July Birchbox.

I just did my toes with NYX Juliette so I got a teeny paint brush and poured a bit in a paper cup and tried a dot gradient. My left thumb got the treatment too. It didn’t turn out like I had imagined but oh well.

And let me just say that the Zoya polish was utter crap. Even with a base and top coat I had major tip wear and chips in a day! It’s a great polish if you plan on adding something extra to your tips like what “SkyGirl” from the blog Up in the Air did with her Zoya polish and it looks great! (follow her!)

OH and LET ME TELL YOU!

I saw on a nail blog I can’t remember, some gorgeous polish colors from a brand I’d never heard of – KleanColor. The best place to purchase is a site called Beauty Joint. They’re $1.75 a bottle, come in a TON of colors… colors I’ve never seen before, and the shipping was cheap and fast!

I picked these 3 to start with:

from left: 236- Chunky Holo Black, 104- Fashionista, 130- Starry Meteor

I swatched them over that Zoya:

excuse the cat scratches

They go on really nicely. That’s 2 coats on each nail. I’m hooked!

I figured the Chunky Holo Black would look great over dark polish. So here’s my current mani. LOVE IT! It changes in the light from blue to green to orange.

base coat, 1 coat Wet ‘n’ Wild Black Creme, 2 coats KleanColor Chunky Holo Black, Seche Vite top coat

So that’s that for this week’s nails.

What color are you digging on right now?

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sugar tips

by Lara on July 13, 2011

in beauty

I attempted one of those glitter tip manis.

in order of application

I’m loving this mani and it was super easy too, just a lil time consuming. Turn on a movie and take your time.

I have really weak nails and 1 coat of this base makes them super strong.
1 coat cream polish
With barely any on the brush when applying the metallic polish, just kinda tap and streak up your nail in peaks and valleys. I went a bit higher than I wanted. Oh well.
The glitter went a bit higher and I added another thick coat of glitter just on the tippy tips.
Then a top coat (or not). You can apply Seche Vite when your nails are still kinda wet and they dry in about 10 minutes!

Any color variation would work with this – a cream base, a light metallic and a glitter.

Oh! Broke and Beautiful is doing a July nail challenge! Paint those nails ladies and submit your link! You could win a package of nail goodies!

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