Neon Leopard-print free-hand

Fuzzy nails are hard to follow, try this:

I free-handed this leopard print using a tooth-pick. Le awesome, huh? The trick is to start by dotting the inside color of the spots, and then using the outside color to draw little "C's" around them. Then, use the darker color to put tiny spots in the blank spaces.

Fuzzy Flocked Fingernails!!!

Long time, no post, I know, I know! But I'm making up for it with this: fuzzy, flocked, fingernails!

This is kind of a big deal.

I've done a lot of searching online, and unless my google-fu has failed me, I might be one of the very people to attempt this technique, and certainly the first to provide a step-by-step tutorial.

The flocking was at it's best for about 24 hours, and really began to lose it's texture after about 48 hours, so this is not a long-wear project by any means. But, it is a relatively quick and inexpensive way to wear a totally unique, creative design.

Please share this post if possible, I would love to get the word out!

Naked Nails

Hi Everybody,

I was having a conversation with a co-worker the other day about my inability to learn the guitar. The sole reason for this failure is the fact that the quick of my nails actually extends slightly past my finger tips, causing the strings to slice between my finger and the nail. I raised my hand to so them what I meant, when I realized I had polish on. So, in the interest of full disclosure, here are my naked nails:

Horrifying isn't it?

Actually they look much better than they used to, for which I thank my Nailtien basecoat that I use religiously.

Let's talk about nail shape for a minute. I consider myself very lucky to be born with the nails I have. They have a long, oval bed, and are prominently arched. I thank God that I born with half-moon shaped nails that are flat and crooked. Perhaps I'm a nail-bed racist, or maybe my OCD has officially taken over my life, but poorly shaped nails really bother me. I even avoid other polish blogs where the author has not been gifted with the genetic code for perfect nails. The only downside to my nail shape is that I cannot pull off the "squoval" look that is so popular among soccer moms and Vietnamese nail tech...

I'm also lucky enough to have little problems growing out my nails. Being a receptionist who types for most of the day, I consider this a skill. Of course I will occasionally have a total nail blow-out...

You would think that I would have noticed breakage of this caliber, and than much blood and cussing would have followed, but the only thing that alerted me to the tears existence was that funny, squishy feeling you get right after cutting long nails short.

As you can see in the pic, I've used the tea-bag and superglue method of mending the rip. Simply empty an unused teabag, and cut out a shape just slightly smaller than your nail. Add a drop of glue top the nail, and position the tea bag paper. Cover the entire nail in another layer of superglue, and finish with a couple coats of a thick base polish.

The mend is obvious in these high-light close-up pics, but it's actually pretty seamless in day-to-day situations. Obviously a coat of polish would make it invisible. The mend should hold the broken nail until it grows out enough to cut, although you may need to replace the glue and teabag once or twice.

Chromalicious!

When I was about 16, Sally Hansen came out with a line of "chrome" polishes that looked exactly like the hubcaps on a rappers car...or at least they did in the magazine ads, targeted to impressionable teenagers like myself. What you actually got was a lumpy, streaky, grey base with some micro-glitter thrown in. If that nail polish were capable of cognitive reasoning, it would wish to be Pure Ice's "Silver Mercedes"

I kind of missed the chrome bandwagon this summer because I had convinced myself it would be just like the old stuff, and fade out quickly like the crackle fad. So I was pleasantly surprised when my nails came out looking like they had just been covered in silver leaf.

Although I have always had a love affair with Pure Ice's brushes (long and springy, with only slight fanning), this metallic color does show all of the brush strokes. A coat of MegaShine helped even it out.

I also had some issues with clean up. Like most shimmers, my hands were left with a silver sheen to them for sometime after removal. Overall, this is still a pretty small price to pay for an awesome chrome, especially considering that it is an economy line, coming in at just over two dollars in most retail stores.

Ratings:

Application: 9 out of 10. Nice full coverage, especially for a shimmer and a light color. The brush is great as always with this brand.

Color: 9 out of 10. Chrome-chrome-chromity-chrome-chrome!

Clean-up: 5 out of 10. After I took the polish off it looked like I had just preformed open heart surgery on Edward Cullen. Shimmer everywhere!

Appearance: 7 out of 10. The color makes up for most of the flaws in this category, but the score was brought down by streaky, visible brush strokes.

Tomorrow I'm stepping outside another comfort zone and doing a blackened green!

Glow in the Dark!

To continue with our Halloween escapades, I thought I would try my first glow-in-the-dark polish. This is the type that "charges" in natural or artificial light, then casts a yellow-green glow in darkness.

This is Hot Topic's store brand. It also has some holo micro-glitter in the mix.

 Pretty fugly, huh? It was waaaay too thick and clumpy, and I had to hold my nails directly under my 60watt desk lamp and snap the picture IMMEDIATELY after turning off the lights, to get even this small amount of glow. The one on the left is just the glow polish; the one on the right is with a white base. 

Tomorrow I should have some new metallic!

It's time for Halloween!

In celebration of the best holiday of the year, I present Wet n' Wild's "Black Magic" from their Fantasy Makers line!

 This is a black creme with copper-colored holo micro-glitter. (Enlarge for the full effect)

This is a great way to spice up a boring black. The glitter come out nicely in artificial light, but is at it's best in natural light. It shifts from deep red to light pink, but reflects a pleasent copper color most of the time.

Ratings:

Application: 6 out of 10. Kinda streaky. Needed a coat of Mega Shine to even things out.

Color: 7 out of 10. Not the best black glitter out there, but unique, especially from a bargian line.

Clean-up: 9 out of 10. Came off easily when compared to other micro-glitters, and left very little color stain. Again, this can't really be compared to a jelly or straight creme, but it's really great for a glitter.

Appearance: 6 out of 10. I honestly think the glitter should have been a bit bigger for a  more dramatic effect, and it could have had a glossier finish. Overall it's a nice change for the season.

Tomorrow we look at glow-in-the-darks!

Old Navy's Tip Toe

Today I offer you the good side of buying off-brand polish from major retail chains! I give you "Marine" by Old Navy's Tip Toe line:

Being named "Tip Toe", it's obvious that this product is marketed for pedicures. And despite the reputation pedicure polishes have for being chippy, I had this puppy on for 3 days without a top coat, with only minimal flaking at the tips. Impressive.

I also really love the color. Though it didn't capture well in these pics, this is a near-black navy. The high gloss finish did a great job of letting the blue only reflect at a certian angle, which gave it a unique effect.

Ratings:

Application: 7 out of 10. Nice, smooth application, with minimal pooling. The brush was a bit stiff though.

Color: 8 out of 10. Very cool near-black navy.

Clean-up: 5 out of 10. Although it came off nails easily with none-acetone remover, it left a blue tint on the dry-patches on my hands, which took much scrubbing to banish.

Appearance: 7 out of 10. I love the color, but it could use just a little more durability, and a more ergonomic bottle and better quality brush would be a bonus.


Tomorrow I start with my Halloween trends!