Save Bottle, Rock an Ombre

Ok up-cycle lovers I'm giving the 'ok' to embrace your inner hoarder (well not really, but...)

If you hate throwing old nail polish bottles away I have a solution that may ease your inner turmoil. 

Save them, clean them out & then fill them back up with new custom colors! Hooray!

So one of my old roommates from college got married recently & for her wedding I decided to wear a slate grey tiered pleated dress, & I wanted my nails to compliment the look. I decided on the ever so popular ombré look.  

I used two different colors to achieve this look & then added some glitter polish for my lack of wedding ring bling ;)

What you need:

Essie Power Clutch w MILANI one coat glitter Silver Dazzle w Sally Hansen xtreme wear Wet Cement w Old Top Coat Bottle (empty & clean) 

First thing I did was the mixing of my colors.

I used an empty bottle of top coat to mix my first color (which for blogging purposes we will call 'Power Cement'). For this color I mixed equal parts Power Clutch & Wet Cement. I probably used 4 -6 drops of each. The reason I did this is because I wanted a lot of polish leftover to mix for the next color. 

Power Clutch w 'Power Cement' w Wet Cement 

Then I used this random piece of left over plastic packaging to mix the next color in the ombré. I mixed equal parts 'Power Cement' & Wet Cement to make the fourth & final color: 'Wet Clutch'.

Now because this color wasn't mixed in a bottle it requires that you apply it right away. (which I did,  straight on to my ring fingers) I covered it up with some cling wrap in-between coats to prevent it from drying up.

The Break Down:

Nail 1: Power Clutch

Nail 2: Wet Cement

Nail 3: 'Power Cement' (1+2)

Nail 4: 'Wet Clutch' (3+2)

Nail 5: Power Clutch & Silver Dazzle 

:)

(Disclaimer: If you are someone with a texture issue when it comes to glitter polish, be prepared to use about 2-3 coats of top coat over any MILANI one coat glitter polish. Looks great but feels like sandpaper.)

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

Flawless French

Ahh the art of a DIY french manicure. There are many different methods out there (some of them may even lead you to calling your manicurist for the next available appointment)  but this one has worked the best for me. Now I know you can use scotch tape to help you make a nice crisp line for your french, but I however like to rock the 'squoval' or round shape on my nails & sometimes a straight line tip just looks off; & I also know there is a special nail tape that has a round shape to it specifically for a french, but that can be a bit pricey. This method lets you customize the shape of your french without any tape, it is a super quick & easy way to help you conquer your DIY french difficulties (yes, even on your right hand!). 

What you need:

Sally Hansen Xtreme wear White On wEssie Mademoiselle w Essie Good to Go

Flat Paint Brush w Nail Polish Remover w Cotton Ball

Using Sally Hansen White On, paint on the tips for your french. Do Not Stress about making this perfect! If it's a little messy or the edges are not perfect, it's ok! 


(You can go a head onto the next step if your in a rush, but I would recommend that you wait about 5 minutes to let the tips dry completely first. I find that the remover becomes easier to control when the paint is dry & you won't have to worry about any runny edges.)

Now on to clean up those edges. Using the bottle of nail polish remover, fill the cap up & dip a flat tip paint brush in. (this type of brush is great for creating lines) Wipe or tap off any excess remover & then place it onto the bare part of your nail.

Using a windshield wiper motion, bring the paint brush up to the white tip. This motion will help clear up any messy edges and help you form a nice natural curve.

As you go along the flat brush will begin to gather up the excess white paint. Re-dip the flat brush in the remover & wipe the paint off with a cotton ball.

Be sure to hold your hand back & notice the thickness & shape of the other nails, you want to have a cohesive feel on you hand.

 Once you are satisfied with the shape of your tips you can add 1-2 coats of Essie Mademoiselle. I think that this is a perfect french color, it has a nice milky pink hue to it that gives a natural feel. Then finish with your favorite top coat. :)

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

VAVA VOOM

So this past weekend I attended Bassnectar's VAVA VOOM tour in Rochester, NY. As usual it was an excellent evening of friendships, tunes & dancing, if I don't say so myself. 

When I had bought my ticket a few months back I knew I wanted to do something crazy with my nails. So when I found a glow in the dark polish from OPI online, it was pretty much a done deal. 

What you need:

Essie Power Clutch w Essie Good to Go w OPI Zom-body to Love w Sally Hansen White On

small detailing paintbrush w ziplock bag w paper/pencil 

I knew I wanted my nails to say "BASS HEAD" & have the Bassnectar logo, but, because I don't trust myself to write directly on my nails, I decided to go the DIY nail sticker route. (If you would like to see more on how this is done, Click Here to a previous post where I show you how!) I decided to draw out the logo and letters on a piece of paper first then basically trace them with the paint brush and zip lock bag in between. 

For the logo I put down a layer of top coat first, then I painted the design. This way it would be easier to peel away from the ziplock bag.

For the glow in the dark polish to really glow you want to put down a base coat of white polish. This will help prevent the glow polish from looking streaky as well as keep the total layers of polish to a minimum. When I first got the polish I tried it on my natural nails without a base & it took me 4 layers of polish to get the same effect. 

So I started with one coat of Sally Hansen White On. 

Once that dried I put on 2 coats of OPI Zom-body to Love.

It comes out almost like slime & has a gritty texture when It dries, so be sure to even out the amount of polish you load on your brush.

Let your nails dry in the sunlight & test them in the dark. If you want more vibrant nails add more layers. I was satisfied with 2 coats. 

(For the record this is as far as I got before the concert the final product is what I'm rocking today. So make sure you give yourself enough time ;0) 

Next thing you're going to want to do is carefully peel the stickers away from the ziplock & place them on your nails & seal with top coat. (If you find that the stickers are reluctant to stay in place just lick your nail first, then lay the sticker down & you should be fine)

& there you have it, my nail tribute to Lorin. :)

For more on Bassnectar visit http://www.bassnectar.net/ :)

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

Mermaid Nails

Oh yes klava superfans, the day has come that I get to show you (& the rest of the blogosphere) how to get my version of Mermaid Nails inspired by cupcakes and cashmere.

  Now because I don't own Martha Stewart's loose glitter set (shocker I know, but it's way over priced) I decided to improvise & use a glitter polish. (much more affordable) I also decided to amp it up a bit & make every nail sparkly & fabulous. 

What you need:

 Funky Fingers Flashing Lights w Essie turquoise & caicos w Sally Hansen Insta-Dri w small detailing paint brush

Start with two coats of Essie's turquoise & caicos

next paint a line of Funky Fingers Flashing Lights across the edge of your nail, just like you would a french. Don't stress about the line being super perfect, it will blur in the next steps.

Apply a small amount of polish to your paint brush. (Remember not to dip the paint brush in polish bottle, just dab on a little bit using the polish brush.) 'Less is more.'

Using the paint brush in a rocking motion back & forth; gently graze the brush from the tip of your nail & rock back once you get about 3/4  to 1/2 of the way down. You may have to reload your paint brush with polish per nail. 

You don't want the lines to be perfectly even, try to vary their lengths & go for an uneven/asymmetrical feel. You can later go in a dot in some smaller pieces of glitter using a semi dry brush (Just wipe of the excess polish and blow on it for a second).

When your satisfied with your nails apply 2 coats of top coat to seal the deal. 

& voilà, mermaid nails that even Ariel herself wouldn't mind rocking.  ;)

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

Cheshire Cheetah

Here is a purple spin on a cheetah print nail. I felt like Katy Perry fell down the rabbit hole with this nail look. ;) Enjoy.

What you need:

Funky Fingers Cheshire w Sally Hansen Insta-Dri w Essie to buy or not to buy wFunky Fingers Paparazzi wVery small detailing paintbrush

Start with two coats of Essie to buy or not to buy

I don't know what is "not to buy" about this polish it's spectacular. From afar it appears to be a nice lilac purple, but once you get up close and personal you can see that there tiny specks of magenta and blue glitter in the polish. Hard to catch on camera but amazing to the naked eye!

On my accent nails I  just added a few random dots of Funky Fingers Paparazzi, Make sure you leave some space in between.

Using Funky Fingers Cheshire, take your paintbrush and with very little polish begin dotting some 'C' shapes around the Paparazzi dots.

 You can make them look like (parenthesis) or just do one C shape per dot. Mix it up. You can also make random dots to fill in any space that looks empty. 

(tip, don't load the paint brush with lots of polish, less is more, using a stippling technique to control the shape and size of the C's) 

Finally top it off with your favorite quick dry top coat & voilà! The Cheshire cheetah.

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

"Crack is Wack!"

In the late words of Whitney Houston, "crack is wack." & while I have to agree with Whit on that one, I can't deny that this crackle nail polish is wack-tastic. 


What you need:

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri w  Funky Fingers Teal Scales w  Sally Hansen Brisk Blue

Start with a base coat of Sally Hansen Brisk Blue

Next add a thin layer of Funky Fingers Teal Scales.

 I wanted to get a close up to show you how awesome this polish is when you catch it in the right light. this glitter crackle looks great over, any blues greens, purples or neutrals.

Let your crackle dry and separate and add the final layer of top coat. 

on pinterest? repin Here!

Thanks to my nail model salval!