Happy New Year

This is my last post for 2012 . . . and what a year it has been!


A couple of personal highlights include starting this here blog-a-rooney, the birth of my beautiful niece, Ada, and a recent trip home to New Zealand.


What does 2013 hold? Who knows! But what I do know is that my poor wee nubbins have been thrashed these last six months trying out various polishes, and now it's time to give them a rest for a couple of weeks. But before I do, I want to show you a stamping style I was playing around with yesterday - Zebra stripes!

I must admit, I haven't stamped a lot because I have found it difficult to find polishes thick enough and colour combo's that work. That said, I'm really into animal prints on nails at the moment (I love anything to do with Africa/animals), and I think this turned out pretty well. Unfortunately, the black polish just wouldn't remove itself from the skin around my nails so it looks a bit messy, but that's black for you!

 

 

Staying with the animal theme, I've recently done tiger stripes (below), Leopard/Cheetah spots, Peacock Feathers, even paws!

 

 

 

 

But now it's time to grow some strong nails and so I thought I'd try out 1000 Hour 3D Nail Wraps (purchased from my local Priceline store).

 

 

 

 

They were really easy to apply - you basically just peel them from the sheet, stick the rounded end down at your cuticle and smooth them over. You then cut the excess off with scissors and then neaten them by using a nail clipper so they accurately match your nail tips.

 

And as you can see, I've continued with the animal print theme with sparkly cow print fingers (well, that's what I'm going with anyway)! I also have some Sally Hansen giraffe nail strips to try out at some stage in the future and they also have a snake print which I might pick up if the price comes down. Are there any other animal prints I could try? Suggestions please!


Finally, I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year for 2013. I hope it's a good one for you, and if not, I hope you get through it as best you can!

NN

Christmas done/Going dotty

Well, the world didn't end, and another Christmas has gone for another year.  Phew!  I hope Santa was able to leave something nice for you!


Time now to concentrate on relaxing, post Christmas sales, and New Years Eve . . . With that in mind, I guess it's now time to start creating "party" nails.  Woo hoo!  Glitters and bright, shiny, sparkly colours (I'm so tacky!).  Oooooh, I mustn't forget my glow in the dark polishes . . .


Strangely, I discovered my dotting tool on Christmas Eve.  I've had it for a couple of months with the intent of creating I'm not sure what, but I just hadn't gotten around to using it.  As you can see from the pics below, I went a little overboard . . .

For the above pic, I used Kleancolor - Black and the following Ulta3 flouro-like colours for the dots - Purple Pumps (purple), Jelly (green), Tahiti (orange), Citrus (yellow) and Fruit Tingle (pink).

For the mani above, I used Kleancolor - Black, with Sally Hansen Nail Prisms - Diamond.

For this creation, I used Sally Hansen Nail Prisms - Diamond as the background, with Kleancolor - Black, and Ulta3 in Purple Pumps and Jelly for the dots!


If you don't have a dotting tool, you can pretty much use anything that has a small, round end - the pin heads of sewing pins are ideal because they come in so many sizes, and you can push the sharp end into the end of an eraser pencil so it's easier to hold whilst you're placing the dots.  Go ahead!  Try it for yourself.  You'll get addicted too!


NN

Bold and Bluetiful

Amidst all of the Christmas nail art I've been painting, there are a couple of other colours that I'm really loving at the moment.

Above:  Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue, with Sinful Colors - Hottie over top

I know that Pacific Blue has been out for a while, but I can't stop looking at it!  It would have to be in my Top 10 favourites.  And the other day, I discovered that Priceline had a stand full of Sinful Colors, so of course, I had to get a couple.  This pairing is a match made in nail heaven!  Loves it!

Above:  Australis - Blue Tiger


Staying with the cornflour blue theme, recently Australis bought out some new colours - Blue Tiger being one.  I've been checking it out for a while, wondering how close it actually was to Pacific Blue.


Here's how close:

Pacific Blue:  On little and middle fingers
Blue Tiger:  On ring and index fingers


Honestly, the only difference I can spot between these two are the finishes - Pacific Blue has more of a shiny finish, whilst Blue Tiger is more matte.


They're both so pretty - I just can't decide.  OK, I'll wear 'em both.


NN

Aztec style

Technically, what I am about to show you isn't Aztec style, but it kind of looks like it!

I used Essence - LOL as the base colour, and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in black, white, red and silver for the details.


I like LOL as a background colour for nail art - it seems to bring everything else out, and being near-neon is right on trend.


NN

My absence & Christmas Styles #6, 7 & 8

Hi there!  Apologies for my absence - I've been a wee bit busy this past month or so and just haven't had enough time to scratch myself!


But now I'm back and have some more Christmas styles to show you . . .


Candy Canes:

I think this one is my favourite design (as well as candy canes being my favourite festive lolly)!  I used OPI - Did you ear about Van Gogh as the base, and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in red, white and black to draw the candy canes.


Christmas Coloured Braids:

Using the Fishtail Braids idea from Lucy's Stash blog, I created a festive braid using Revlon - Silver Screen as the base, Orly - Scarlet and Sally Hansen - Emerald City as the alternate colours.  I'm a fan of this one too, and it's sooo easy to do!


Santa Hats:

I used OPI - Did you ear about Van Gogh as the base, Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in white and red to draw the details, and then Ulta3 - Red Glitter to add the sparkle to the hat.


Right, with that done, whilst I was away, I visited Auckland and attended their "Christmas in the Park" event.  I enjoy going home every year or so and catching up with music performers in the New Zealand scene.  There was one performer I was particularly impressed by, so I'm going to share her with you - Jamie McDell!  She did a little number right at the beginning of the show which got stuck in my head the whole time I was in Auckland.  I have this need to compare her to a famous country-pop female artist out there at the moment, but I think she's much better and more natural.  Go Kiwi!


Anyway - here's her song, Life in Sunshine, particularly relevant to all those in the Southern Hemisphere who are having summery Christmases!


NN

Christmas Styles #3, 4, & 5

Hey kids!  As promised, here's some more ideas for Christmas nail art.

Candy cane stripes:

I used Ulta3 - Lily White as the base, with Ulta3 - Red Glitter as the larger stripe and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Red for the smaller stripes.


Alternate red & green:

Just a very simple idea to get with the festive vibe.  I used Orly - Scarlet and Sally Hansen - Emerald City.


Red & Green & Silver Snowflakes:

And to build on the idea above, I added Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Silver on top and drew snowflakes.  Unfortunately, the nail art pens can sometimes be a bit tricky to operate - that, coupled with the fact that my nails probably weren't properly dry made the snowflakes a bit "gluggy".  Never mind - I'm sure you get the idea!

NN

Christmas nail art #1 & #2

10 days until . . . December!!!  Sorry, but I'm getting on the Christmas nail art bandwagon early so I can show you some styles to try for yourself before the big day.


First up - Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree . . .

I used Essence - Flame Fatal as the red background, Sally Hansen - Emerald City as the tree colour and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in silver for the tree baubles.


Next, Mr Snowman . . .

 

 

I used Essence - I Love Bad Boys as the blue background, and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in White, Black and Red for the details. I then thought that there was something missing and added . . .

 

 

 

. . . a scarf!  Okay, I probably could have also given my snowmen hats, but my nails are super short at the moment due to nail polish crimes, so there wasn't any room for the hats.

 

 

NN

Mauve and Mint Gradient

Finally, after much deliberation, I attempted a gradient mani using the easiest method of painting the colours onto a make-up wedge and sponging these directly onto the nails.  Here are the results:


Without flash

With flash

I used:  Savvy - Grapetini and Mint Julep for the two colours, because I love purple and green together.


I then used Savvy - White Russian as the topcoat, as it has pearl-like reflective elements of both colours of those colours.  It really helped to complete the gradient mani.


I admit, I was apprehensive about doing this mani, but it's a heap easier to do than say, a marble mani, and I think the first time results aren't too bad at all.


NN

A leopard doesn't change its spots

A bit of fun nail art to bring out your animal instincts . . . leopard spots!


With flash:

Natural light:

Using this tutorial from The Beauty Department, I was able to create these wicked nails using Essence - Grey-t to be here as the base colour, Revlon - Gold Coin as the middle spots and Essence - Black is Back as the outline of the gold spots.


When I initially tried this one, I used a beige base colour thinking it would look more natural, but it just didn't work very well, and so I switched to the grey which seems to help the gold spots stand out more.


Work appropriate?  A big, fat NO.  But they're so cool that I may not be able to resist . . .


NN

Cling to me

I've been getting funky with my nails lately.  I seem to be getting a bit more adventurous with the nail art, and I'm okay with that.  Can't get better at it without practice, right?  And with so many tutorials out there, how can you go wrong?  Besides, it provides me with endless hours of entertainment, and a chance to have an "arty" outlet.


The next technique I would like to show you is my version of using cling/glad/saran wrap to sponge polish onto your nails.


My efforts turned out as follows:

I used Ulta3 - Lily White as the base, along with Essence - Let's Get Lost (blue) and Better Late than Never.


Personally, I think this looks more effective than splatter nails, and it's a heck of a lot less messy.  Oh, and a handy tip I learned was that to aid with clean-up, you can use Vaseline instead of sellotape to cover the skin around your nails.  You could also use Vaseline when marbling - how excellent is that?!  Gotta give that a try!


NN

May the odds be ever in your favour

Earlier this year, The Hunger Games was released in cinemas.  I won't drop any spoilers for those of you who haven't yet seen it, but ever since I've been dying to try to replicate Effie Trinket's (one of the characters) nails.


My first attempt is below.

I used Bourjois - Fuchsia Hype and then sponged on Revlon - Gold Coin.  Love this look, but a bit glitzy for work.


Then I got an idea that, with Christmas on the doorstep, I could start doing some Christmas themed nails, and so "Effie Trinket - Christmas Style" was born.

I used China Glaze - Frostbite (how appropriate!) and then sponged on Revlon - Silver Dollar over top.

NN

Spatter nails, take 2

Just a quick one - my second attempt at splatter nails:


With flash:

Without flash:

NN

Peacock feathers

My first attempt at peacock feathers.

I started with The Face Shop - BL602 (a shimmery turquoise) as the base colour.  Then used a Sally Hansen Black Nail Art Pen to draw the feather design.

Next, I painted a gold oval shape in the middle of the feather on each nail, using Revlon - Gold Coin.

I then painted a turquoise circle on top of the gold oval, using Jordana's Boy Oh Boy.

Lastly, I painted a tiny navy blob on top of the turquoise circle, using Ulta3 - Hollywood.

And there you have it - very basic peacock nails!


NN

Marbling: attempts #1 & #2

On this blog I aim to show you not just the cool stuff, but also the attempts and fails I have with my various nail art adventures.


Yesterday, after many months of procrastination, I finally tried out marbling.


Here are a few pics (**warning**:  they're not pretty):

Things I learned:


1.  It's fun!
2.  It's VERY messy - even if you tape your fingers up.
3.  It's time consuming.
4.  Not all polishes work well, so you have to experiment.
5.  The water must be at room temperature - too hot or too cold and it won't work.
6.  You have to work quick to make a pattern once the polishes are in the water.
7.  It's VERY messy (oh yeah, said that already!).


I am grateful to know that even the nail art queens note that this marbling technique takes practice.  So that's what I will do!  I even have a couple more ideas of colour combos, so stay tuned.


NN

Essence Colour & Go - new bottle & brush + gel colours

Priceline has just brought out a range of Essence Colour and Go polishes in their new bottles with new easier application brushes.  Most of the colours are similar to the ones released earlier this year, with a few new ones which caught my eye:


In the bottle - L-R: Date in the moonlight, Oh my glitter, I love bad boys, Grey-t to be here

On digits - in the same order as above

There's something that I adore about Essence polishes - the key to working out how each polish will look on your fingers is by studying the bottle's lid.  As you can see from the first pic above, each bottle's lid has a slight shimmery glitter running though it, and this holds true right down to when you paint your nails.  I love that! 


How many times have you bought a polish thinking it looked *AWESOME* in the bottle, and then once you were finished painting, felt disappointed because it promised so much, but delivered so little?  For me - A LOT! Not so with Essence - WYSIWYG.


NN

Just Spotted the Lizard & Comparison

Last week at my local Cosmo Cosmetics store (stores at Met Centre/Wynyard & George Street (just up from the new Topshop store)), I found a Chanel Peridot dupe often talked about on the interwebs - OPI's Just Spotted the Lizard (JStL).


Cosmo's prices are great - they have a smallish selection of OPI polishes for about $14ea, and whilst previously I've never seen any colours I was particularly keen on, when I saw JStL, I knew it had to join my collection.


Here it is:

 

 

Now watch as it flashes it's duo chrome brilliance . . .

 

 



Gold and green/teal - it's so purty.


I then thought it might be a good idea to do a comparison with another Peridot dupe I have - Missha's HGR01:

Misha - HGR01 on index and ring fingers, JStL on middle and pinky fingers

Bottles side by side:  HGR01, left, JStL, right


Verdict:  JStL seems to carry on where HGR01 finishes, and has much more gold flash than HGR01.  That said, HGR01 seems to have much more of a blue flash compared with JStL (which has no blue elements at all).  I think JStL is a closer dupe of Peridot, but neither has both the gold and blue combo that Peridot possesses.  Close, though, and pretty enough on their own merits!  At the very least, a cheaper alternative to the ultra expensive Peridot.


NN

Wicked!

Just one more post of Halloween nails, ok?

I used Savvy - Black Cat, with Sally Hansen Black and White Nail Art Pens and Essence - Gel Top Coat (as the Nail Art Pens require a top coat or else they will wash off your finger-tips!)


NN