Thank You!

Thank you so much for your support and voting for my nail art design.  The BeautyStat Nail Competition results are in and I was one of 3 winners!  Check out the other amazing winning designs, Danyal's is the most amazing water marbling I have EVER seen and I'm in love with Melissa's green approach. 

Thank you again.  I'm still in disbelief.  You guys are just too good to me;)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Mermaid Manicure Tutorial

I've been asked a few times about creating a tutorial for my "Mermaid Manicure." This tutorial was done with photographs, so this post is very picture heavy!  I apologize for those of you who would rather just have the word directions, but some of you may (or may not) learn from the pictures:)

This is what you will need:

-base/background color

-glitter polish or another color

-sponge applicator (like the cheap-o things you get with eye shadows & never use)

-topcoat (I guess this is optional, but it will help your mani to last longer & will smooth it out)

 Optional:
-basecoat

-remover pen for cleanup

 Step 1: Prep your nails, use your basecoat, etc. Let dry completely.






 Step 2: Paint your nails in your base color.  I used Sinful Colors Open Seas ($1.99).  Make sure you achieve the desired opacity in as few coats as possible.  I used 2 coats. Let dry completely.




Step 3:  Get your sponge applicator.  (I got mine in this kit for $1.99 for the sole purpose of destroying it with polish)  Unscrew the lid of your layering polish and scrape the polish off the brush onto your applicator.  My layering polish was Sinful Colors Nail Junkie ($1.99).







Step 4:  Lightly dab polish onto your nail (at the tip, the left or right corner, one side, or your nail bed).  As you dab polish concentrate on one part of the nail, I did the tip, and lightly fade it out before getting more polish.

Step 5: Wait between layers for polish to dry or it will become tacky and get indents in it.





  


Step 6: Continue adding layers until the desired darkness/concentration of layering polish is achieved.  Do not forget to "fade" while using your sponge applicator.

*Some people swear by sponging a thin layer on 3/4 of the nail, wait for it to dry.  Sponge polish on 1/2 the nail, wait for it to dry. Sponge on last 1/4. See illustration below*







 Step 7: Finish with your favorite topcoat.  This not only helps your manicure to last longer but it also tends to mask any minor flaws in your sponging.





Here is the illustration I created on how to sponge.  Keep in mind that you can create a gradient by using polishes of slightly different colors, just like in the picture.

Let me know what other tutorials you would like to see.  I can always give a manicure a shot, even if it doesn't turn out perfectly;)

Manicure Monday

First, I would like to thank you for getting the word out there to vote for me in BeautyStat's Competition.  I am so grateful for those of you who have blogged, tweeted, and facebooked about it:)  Now, on with the Monday Mani;)

I will be featuring the other Confetti polish from my cousin today.  This one was actually swatched a while ago, but got lost on my camera somehow.  This polish is sheer and shimmery with flecks of fine glitter in it.  Here is a picture of its opacity (or lack of) in 1, 2, and 3 coats.

My index finger had one coat, middle finger received two, while my ring and pinkie fingers were lacquered with three coats. Now here she is in her 3 coat glory.

I apologize for the bubbles, I did this too quickly while sitting in front of a fan *gasp.*  Shame on me!

Review:
Application: easy, smooth the polish is rather thick but not pasty. It was also fast drying.
Opacity: sheer coverage in three coats
Color: a glittery frosted light pink with gold, pink, and green flecks.  Sheer, great for layering.
Finish: glossy finish
Durability/Wear: long lasting (i wore it for a full week!)

Truth be told, Dreamdate grew on me as I wore her.  At first I felt like a little girl wearing Barbie shimmer polish.  But eventually I realized that she seemed like a soft shimmery neutral.  I probably will wear this one more often than originally expected. I would love to see this polish over a dark color, which I will probably dig out in the fall:)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday