Circle, Circle, Dot! Dot!

 I have a little surprise for you guys.. The same design in two different color schemes. Why? Well why not?  It is an amazing design that is super fun, and little quirky and yet can be so elegant and modern.

The toes you see here in green are one of my friends toes. Her only requirement to me painting them this time was that they had to be lime green. I think the color scheme for this one is a lot of fun, and I am super pleased with it. I had originally planned on keeping the design with the pink dots full, however after testing the pinky toe we decided having them partially filled in with the blue gave it a little more edginess. 

The colors I used in this design were; Limestone by Sally Hansen,  Gaga for Green by China Glaze, Guava by Revlon and Violet by ACO.  Different size dotting tools were also used.

After creating this lovely design for her, we started talking about color schemes this could work with, and I just knew I had to try a more modern look with it. And this is what it turned out to be.  For this one, I altered the design slightly by having the mini circles in both colors. I think I prefer it that way! What are your thoughts on it? Do you prefer the first design on the toes, or the one on the hands.

For this design I do have to give credit where it belongs. I absolutely love Linda165's designs, and she makes some super easy and pretty tutorials to follow. After watching this video, I loved the look of it, but wanted to add my own spin on it.

In this design, the colors I used are; Wet Cement by Sally Hansen, Hook and Line by China Glaze, Friar Friar Pants on Fire by OPI, Tuxedo by ACO.

P.S. I just received my ring today from Ebay, SO HAPPY!!! (does the happy dance), its big and chunky and really cool looking! So this top picture was really all about showing off my new ring :)

Don't forget to check out my other designs. Click Here to find them.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nails

Swatches

Life Preserver

China Glaze

I was looking for a burnt orange a few weeks ago and found this one from the Knotty Nauticals of the Anchors Away Spring 2011 Collection. Wow that was a mouthful. This collection had two subcategories, Knotty Nauticals and Sand & Sea.

The formula for this polish was great, compared to some of the other China Glaze polishes I have, it applied smoothly and evenly and with only 2 coats for full opacity. The polish is a creme in orange teetering on coral.

These pictures came out nice, although they really didn't capture the coral look of the orange, They seem way to harsh and Halloween looking here. Although the color in person can easily be a spring or fall as it is very muted. 

Head back to the swatch page; Click Here :)

Swatches

Turned Up Turquoise (Neon)

China Glaze

Seeing this bottle on the counter, I was extremely excited to buy it. There is a slight shimmery look to it that just screamed BEAUTIFUL!  Summer was just around the corner and I needed something with a pop of color. 

 After trying it on, I was a little disappointing by the consistency of the bottle, again, as my other china glaze, this one was a little clumpy and required quite a few touch ups. It only took 2 coats for full opacity, but 3 to make it look smooth and nice.  

My second disappointing moment, which lasted all but 2 minutes, was that it turned out to have a matte finish. I have nothing against matte nail polishes, but not only was this one matte it also lost its shimmer that you see in the bottle. I loved that shimmer :( I have now come to expect that any China Glaze bottle with neon on it dries matte. But with a top coat it gained a little bit of its shimmer back. 

On the bright side, this color is amazing, its vibrant and was definitely a topic of conversation with people I encountered.  Plus, the color looks very nice as the background to Mr.Candiipants's Koi fish. 


Head back to the swatch page; Click Here :)

Swatches

Samoan Sand

OPI

I got this after work one day while I was searching for a beige that would go with my skin tone. I love OPI for that reason, they don't have the brightest and flashiest colors, but they do have a crazy range of tones in beige, browns, and reds. 

After testing it out, I finally found my tone. This one!! I will continue to buy beige's, as I love them and its always nice to find one that goes well with someone else's skin tone. 

 This first picture of the swatch (Above) is only two coats of polish and with inside lighting.

 This top picture was taken with outside lighting, the bottom one again with inside lighting. Both these swatches have three coats of polish, which gave me full opacity.

The quality of the nail polish is okay, a little too runny at times, although it did go on smoothly with very minor problems.  It does dry with a slight shine and very smooth to the touch. My only problem with OPI's collections are their prices. I know there are many other polishes out there that are much more expansive, however I still find that 10$ for a polish is a little too much for me. When there are tons out there with good consistencies under 5$.  Although I guess I can't complain since the world's most expansive nail polish, found here, is worth the cost of a house.. No thank you! Although I will dream of it at night like all the other polish addicts out there.

Head back to the swatch page; Click Here :)                                                                        

Swatches

TUXEDO

Aco

Aco is a brand I bought one day in Ardene's after trying them out, I loved the formula of their brand, plus their bottles have 17 ml of nail polish in them!! Woot!!! The price of these aren't bad, if I am not mistaken, I think its 2 for 6$.

To be perfectly honest, I am not sure why I bought this one, I already own a black and it works perfectly well, oh well, I guess a nail polish addict still needs another one..

I am glad I got this one, it is extremely glossy and very reflective, as you can see an image of my pink camera on them. And yes, that is the color without a top coat.

All of my pictures were taken with 2 coats of Tuxedo, I love a polish that doesnt require 10 coats. :) The formula is very nice and liquid. The only downfall to this color/brand is the smell, it has a very strong nail polish smell.

This last picture I posted because I wanted to show off the new ring I got off eBay! It's such a cute red fox, I will definitely have to do a nail design with it in mind.

Head back to the swatch page; Click Here :)

Crab Apple Flowers

Original design was created by chickabiddy (click the name to see the original post). I believe the credit for the design idea is hers. Sorry if I am mistaken. The picture of these nails in this post however are mine.

I did these nails after going back through my likes on Tumblr. Found her picture with this design and immediately fell in love with it all over again. So I knew that it was time for me to have these nails. Plus I needed a change from the bright and colorful nails I had been sporting recently.  This first picture was taken inside. 

I know, I know this picture is not me actually outside, but it was too lazy to step outside to take a proper one. Sorry guys!

Okay, well here is an actual picture from outside, I had to go get groceries so I decided to take the picture while I was out. for a different lighting. 

Please don't mind the pinky finger, I moved the gem before it was fully dry :*( and again, since I am lazy, I didn't feel like starting over. So I just endured it for the next couple days. Hope you liked these nails! Let me know if you guys want to see anything specific.

Materials Used;
Base Coat; Calcium Nail Hardener by Revlon
Top Coat; Quick Dry Top Coat by Revlon
Orange Gems, from ebay

Nail Polish colors;
Samoan Sand by OPI
White On  by Sally Hansen
Black Satin by Rimmel


Don't forget to check out my other designs. Click Here to find them.

Swatches

PINK VOLTAGE (NEON)

China Glaze

 This is a matte nail polish found within the Wow Factor Collection. It takes about 2 coats for full opacity. It is very bright and at times I would almost believe it glows at night, unfortunately it doesn't. How I wish it did!!! It is definitely perfect for the summer!

The formula was a little disappointing. I found it to be quite chunky at times, requiring some touch ups. I have found this in a few other matte china glazes out there. Anyone else have that problem?

Head back to the swatch page; Click Here :)

Bow Tutorial

Faster Growing Nails

clickclickphotographyislife said: my nails don’t grow very fast do you know if that maximum growth stuff works?

Some people I know swear by that stuff, however I never found it useful. My nails always peeled and broke which meant very short nails. However, I have started doing this little routine and my nails are now growing so fast I file them almost every week.

There are many factors to increase the speed your nails will grow. Following my How To for nail care will help for multiple reasons. (Buffing, Nutrients, Cuticle care, and Massaging.)

Buffing your nails removes uneven ridges which makes your nail stronger, removes yellow stains and keeps your nails healthier.

Your diet helps so have lots of Vitamins, iron, and calcium.  Adding a calcium base coat, such as Revlon Calcium Gel Nail Hardener helps. Not only will it provide nutrients for your nail, it also makes them harder and less susceptible to breaking allowing them to grow longer.

Pushing your cuticles back can also help new growth, using a cuticle remover will help soften the cuticle and allow for them to be gently pushed back. Make sure however you never cut the cuticle as this can lead to infection and more serious problems. Also cuticle remover is quite harsh so make sure to do this no more than twice weekly. (I use it once a week)

Taking time to do manicures can also help with nail growth. :) YAY!! So manicure all the time!!!!  Giving your hands a little massage with some oil or lotion helps with circulation, which in turn helps growth. (Make sure to do this well before you paint the nails or after they are dry, as lotion or oil on the nail will not allow the polish to hold. Night time is good for this step as the lotions have time to be absorbed by the nail and cuticles.

 Finally, don’t forget to use cuticle oil and massage it into your fingers. These give your cuticles proper nutrients and also keeps them moisturized as nail polish remover is extremely harsh for your hands. If you have bad cuticles use multiple times a day, afterwards, once a day is usually sufficient. (Unless you are using harsh chemicals, use more often.)

Hope this helped!

Nail Care Tutorial