Thursday 27 June 2013

Aurora Stars


Hello there reader! Today I wanted to quickly share what I did on my nails for my mom’s birthday this week.
I was feeling like using some lavender so I went with it and came up with these babies:

SAM_4967

SAM_4968

SAM_4969

Originally I was going to do a tape mani with both these colours but once I got Aurora on my digits I just could not cover
 up that amazing colour. So I kept it simple and only did an accent finger.

SAM_4971

For this look I used Essie – Meet Me At the Altar from their newest wedding collection & I also used Zoya – Aurora. I’ve been lusting for Aurora for a while now and it really did not disappoint. Awesome coverage, great colour, and look at that holo! droolinggggg.
The stars are from Big Ruby and were super easy to apply.

SAM_4970

You may have also noticed yet another change with my blog. I’ve been wanting to do my own header for quite some time now and I finally got to it. I may change it up a bit again at some point because it’s only my first one but for now I’m happy.

So what do you think of this look? Let me know because you know I love your comments! Enjoy the rest of your Thursday.
You’ll be hearing from me again soon.

D

Monday 24 June 2013

Foxy


Hey there! Happy Monday.
Today I wanted to share with you guys what I wore over the weekend.

SAM_4963
SAM_4921

For the base colour I used China Glaze – Foxy and to do the strips I used my trusty Quo Stripper in black. Apologizes for the lack of up close bottle shots. The photos just kept coming up blurry and I was extremely unsatisfied.
SAM_4965

My favourite reaction to these babies was my mom’s. She came in my room to see what it looked
 like and all she said was “Meeeooww!”. I love that woman.SAM_4966

You may have also noticed my new watermark. I’ve been playing around with different programs and I finally found one that’s pretty decent. I wasn’t willing to purchase Adobe Photoshop because, let’s face it, as a recent university grad I’m rather short on funds. So I did a bit  of research and I found GIMP which is a free program.
 So far I’m happy, hopefully it stays that way.

That’s all for now readers. Let me know what you think in the comments!

D

Saturday 22 June 2013

Sailor Moon…?


Hey there. Happy Saturday! Hope you are keeping well. Today I’ve got a mani for you guys
that is definitely bright and cheerful. I saw this look while I was browsing the internet for ideas
and I knew right away that I wanted to try it out. Here’s my take:

SAM_4914

I decided to switch out the colours a bit because I wanted them to pop in all the sunshine that we were having. I chose to use China Glaze – Lemon Fizz and Sally Hansen Insta Dri – Pink Blink.
Then I freehanded the bows and the lines with Essie – Licorice.

SAM_4910

I had a hard time with the bows. I realized too late that they should have been smaller. I was going to fix them but then I hesitated because for some strange reason I felt like a sailor scout. This of course made me want to keep the bows big because it felt like the only way to fulfill my childhood dream of fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight. Then I thought “This NEEDS sparkle.” So I added my beloved Northern Lights Holographic Topcoat.
Because you know Serena would have added sparkle. (Venus was my favourite by the way. And I think she would have added sparkle too. So it had to be done.)

SAM_4907


SAM_4912

This isn't the most daring look I've created and the bows aren't perfect but
holy cow did this look make me happy. What do you think? Should I have made the bows smaller?
Let me know. Maybe I’ll redo this look at some point.

Well that’s all for now friends. This sailor scout is off to protect the Earth. Now where did I leave that tiara?

D

Monday 17 June 2013

Stevie&Miranda


Hello again. How is everyone? I’m doing alright. Just been keeping it mellow.
(Is that even a saying? I think I meant keeping it real but somehow that’s just not right. Oh well.)
Today I wanted to share something I did a little while ago. Have a look see!

SAM_4855 
SAM_4857

I’ve been totally digging the textured trend all year and when I finally got my hands on a few of Zoya’s Pixies I just knew Stevie and Miranda were meant for each other.
SAM_4863

It’s so hard to show how sparkly these polishes are. My camera was just not capturing it properly.
But trust me, if you want something that requires no base coat, no top coat, and basically no energy
then try out a Pixie. You won’t be disappointed.
SAM_4861

I loved how these came out. I didn’t want to overpower the awesomeness of these
beautiful Pixies by doing too much and I’m really glad I stuck to a simple technique.
But what do you all think? Let me know because I love your comments!

D

Monday 10 June 2013

7 Deadly Sins Challenge: Day 14


Hello friends!
Today I have a very special mani for you: the final manicure of the Seven Deadly Sins Challenge.
I still can’t believe it’s done. It went by so fast!

The prompt for this look was: This is YOUR time! Brag about how good you are at…

& here’s what I came up with:
SAM_4895

SAM_4898

I had a bit of a hard time deciding what technique I think I’m good at.
I ended up choosing water marbling. Most people like to make their water marble’s
have a consistent pattern, but I like to make every one unique.
Why? Well, when I look at marble slabs I see more of a consistency in the colours found
on each slab rather than the pattern. Each piece is special.
Therefore, when I water marble I like to make each digit similar but unique.

SAM_4883(2)

I did a base of Essie – Aruba Blue instead of the typical white base because
I wanted this look to scream blue. Then I did the water marbling with Essie – Blanc,
China Glaze – Sunday Funday, & Essie – Aruba Blue.

SAM_4900

I’m sad this challenge is over, but I’m glad I got to be a part of it!
Make sure to check out the other ladies final looks and
to send some support their way. Until next time!

D

Friday 7 June 2013

7 Deadly Sins Challenge: Day 13


Hey there.
How is everyone? I’m doing alright. Just happy it’s Friday. I’ve been cleaning the house today and I needed a break, so I wanted to share what I did for the 13th day of the Seven Deadly Sins Challenge. (This is the final sin people! I only have one more look after this.) The prompt for this look was: “Recreate your own work to make it even better.”  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for this one but I ended up choosing this look that I did wayyyy back in December. I really loved what I did and I thought the photos did it justice, but looking back I have to say I’m very angry with myself for not using my actual camera sooner. In any case, here’s the recreated look:

SAM_4870

SAM_4873

I wanted to stick with the same polishes that I used the first time I did this look, so I once again used China Glaze – Midtown Magic as my base. Then I used my midlength brush and added Color Club – Cloud Nine.

SAM_4865

I was going to just use Topshop – Razzmatazz like last time but I recently bought
Essie – Set in Stones and I figured it was the perfect time to use it.
So I used Set in Stones first and then I added Razzmatazz to give it more sparkle.

SAM_4875

SAM_4872

I’m really glad I chose to recreate this look.
I loved the finished look when I did it the first time and I loved it now too.
I just kept telling the boyfriend: “Look! So sparkly! I love it.”
I think I might end up recreating some of my older looks just because this turned out so nicely. 
Well that’s all for now friends. I’ll see you on the flip side.

D

Thursday 6 June 2013

7 Deadly Sins Challenge: Day 12


Hello everyone!
Today I’ve got day 12 of the Seven Deadly Sins Challenge.
Today’s prompt was: “Let the "Green Monster" guide you to some enviable nails.”
For this look I decided to replicate another challengers manicure again.
I used this look by Spektor’s Nails as my inspiration.

SAM_4851
SAM_4852

I used Nubar – Sour Apple as my base colour. I’ve never used Nubar products before and I was really pleased. Great colour payoff and an awesom formula. I then used OPI – Sprung to do the saran wrap effect.
SAM_4846
Finally I topped it all off with my brand new OPI Matte Top Coat.
I’m so happy I decided to keep it matte like Spektor’s Nails. It really added something special to the design.

SAM_4845
I love the final effect. It reminded me of apples dipped in caramel.
Or! An apple pie with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. 

SAM_4841

Saran wrap manicures are so much fun.
My brains already spinning from the possible colour combinations I could do.
But what do you think? Sound off below.
Remember to check out the other ladies!

D

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Graduation


Hello again!
Today I wanted to share a special mani with you guys. A little over a week ago I graduated from university! It was a big day for me so I needed a manicure that made me feel fabulous. I didn’t know whether to keep it simple or not but I decided to just go for it. Such an occasion deserved some hutzpah. Here’s how it turned out:

SAM_4825

SAM_4826

I decided right away that glitter had to be involved. I used 3 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure – Golden Rule as my base and then I stamped onto it with Essie – Licorice. Then I added Northern Lights Holographic Top Coat.
SAM_4835

SAM_4833
So what do you think?  I loved them. They made me feel special.
And! They went perfectly with both my dress and the outfit I wore to a late night concert.

Well that’s it for now. Next up: Deadly Sins Challenge Day 12.

D

Sunday 2 June 2013

7 Deadly Sins Challenge: Day 11


Hey everyone!Today I have another Deadly Sins post to share. We’ve reached day 11 & this week’s sin is Envy. The prompt was: “Who would you like to be? Let us know recreating another challenger's work.” So I scanned through all of the photos that have been posted and settled on 2 manicures I wanted to re-do. The first, which you’ll see in this post, is this manicure by In Jeeb We Trust. (sad news bear: Rainbo Nails also did galaxy nails but I can’t link her as she has no blog). I’ve done galaxy nails previously but I did them before I had a blog so it’s been a very long time since I attempted this technique. Here’s what I came up with:

SAM_4838


SAM_4839

I’m really happy with how they turned out. I’m a sucker for lots of colour so this was definitely a fun venture. I used lots of different colours to create this look but I’ll just mention that the base is Beyond by Color Club. I also added Northern Lights Holographic Silver Top Coat as a finishing touch. I’m obsessed with this top coat.  If you’d like to know the name of any of the other polishes just leave a comment and I’ll let you know. 
SAM_4836


SAM_4837

That’s it for today. I’m off now to enjoy some sibling time.
I’m going to stuff my face with donuts, fried chicken, and tea. It’s going to be marvelous.

D

& c
heck out the other ladies designs that are linked below!