....about Seche Vite? Besides it being awesome, of course...
My all-time favorite thing about Seche Vite is that even if your polish is put on funky with uneven or bumpy brush strokes... Seche Vite makes it look so smooth and nice. Purr Purr... very happy.
I always used to read about how much people love their Seche Vite, and how great it is, and I used to think, there can't be THAT much of a difference, right? I don't have a lot of money, and everyone knows how expensive a polish addiction can be, so I go cheap whenever I can. Which is what I was doing with my top coat. But since I kept hearing how good it was, and I had a $5.00 off coupon from my Sally's Beauty Card, I decided to give it a try. Because, honestly, I probably wouldn't have spent that much on a top coat, since I didn't think it was necessary. Well, I am SO glad I did! And I will probably never use a different topcoat again. Even if it is a little more expensive, it is so worth it. Dries polish quick, looks pretty and shiny, smoothes out funky applications (which, believe me, I need!), and promotes world peace. OK, that last one might be stretching it, but, hey, you never know.
So, yeah, anyway. Pure Seche Vite love over here. Excuse me while I go purr over my nails...
My first step into rediscovering myself. hoping to one day possess the skills to such a beautiful art..
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Oh boy, oh boy!
Today I had some good fun in the sun... well, OK, in the stores and such, but still. I had a meeting in town, so on the way home I got to stop at a few shops to check on polishes. First I went to Sally's Beauty Supply. I didn't find anything exciting, but of course I couldn't leave empty handed, so I left with some Seche Vite, my very first bottle, I might add (and I am in love with it, but I'll talk about that later). Then I stopped at a few other drugstores and such, still nothing exciting per se, but again, couldn't leave empty handed. So I left with polishes I liked. I ended up with
Wow, it looks like a lot more when I actually write it out. :) Anyway, for now I am going quantity, later I will focus more on quality. I just wanted some colors to round out my stash, and then there were these shiny sparkly things and it's all a blur from there. :P
OK, so I get home, check the mail, and my package of nail art tools arrived. I was so happy. So I have been playing ever since. I got my stamper and plates, dotting tools, nail stickers, rhinestones, and striping tape. I just need my brushes, and I'm set. And yes, to answer your question about now, I am obsessed and I do go all out when I get an obsession. This is me restraining myself... I may have a serious problem. But that's OK, 'cause I'm having fun! :)
Of course I need to play with my stamping plates, and my dotting tools - the two things I was most anxious about. I painted my fingers mint sorbet, but had a bit of an accident before it dried, so then I used tickled pink instead. (And yes, I DID by Seche Vite, but ya know how it is when you get excited about things... your brain doesn't always work right). After topping Tickled Pink with Seche Vite (eh, see, I learned) I decided to try stamping. I see everyone stamping and I have been so excited to try. Now let me warn you here... remember what I said about being excited earlier, and sometimes your brain doesn't work right? Well, here is an example. So I get my stamping stuff ready... I've read and seen many tutorials... I know that not all polish will work, but still I opted to go cheap and not buy special polishes, and the stamping plates are a cheaper version also. (Sorry, even though I am obsessed, I don't have a lot of money) I also read that some stamp plates don't work as well if they are the generic type, but again, budget.... Anyway, on with the stamping. I've got my plate ready, my polish ready, my scraper ready (decided to use a credit card, instead of the metal scraper, to try to keep my plates in good condition). I've got my acetone ready... hmm... paper towel to wipe with, q-tip to clean plate and stamp in between... OK, I guess I'm ready. I decided to use black, since I am just beginning and I know black will show (and I love pink and black). I pick out my design... a pretty floral, and for my ring finger a butterfly. I figure the more practice the better. And so I begin my stamping. Now I know it's not going to be perfect, I know it takes practice to center the designs just right and all. But I'm not expecting or caring for it to turn out right, I just want to play (em, I mean practice). So, I try to use my stamp, and I can't pick up the design. So I clean it and try again. Still can't pick up the design. I try a couple more times, and still nothing. So I think, well, maybe it's the polish. So I trade my polish for a thicker one. Guess what? Still can't get the stamper to pick up the design. This is where I get frustrated and think, this is what happens when you go cheap, right? But if I didn't then I couldn't have gotten all the stuff I needed (ahem, OK, wanted). At this point, I am almost in tears, so disappointed, I am. I pick up my plate, clean it all off, clean my stamper, sit there being depressed. (yeah, along with being obsessive, I may be bi-polar). So here I am, depressed, cleaning off my supplies, including my stamping plate. Stop and look at the plate and the pretty designs, that apparently I will never get to use. And I look closer at it. And closer still... and here is where I have my Uh, Duh moment, and give you some free advice... When stamping for the first time, with a new plate, be sure to remove the protective plastic sticker that is most likely covering the plate, hence making it impossible for the polish to soak into the mold and be pick up by the stamper. Uh, Duh.
So after that everything else was great. Of course, it came out looking sloppy and uneven, and I also had to play with my dotting tool, so it ended up with stamps and dots... but I had fun and am back to my happy place. :)
By the way, there will probably not be pics of this mani, since it was just messing around... I may get a few pics of the nails I like, but no full mani. I am going to go admire my pretty stamps and dots now, and maybe later put up some pics. (or maybe not, I don't know yet). ;)
- Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - Wet Cement
- Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - Lacey Lilac
- Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - Mint Sorbet
- Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - Pumpkin Spice
- Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - Rockstar Pink
- Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - In The Spotlight
- Sally Hansen - Hard as Nails - Ice Queen
- Sinful Colors - What's Your Name
- Sinful Colors - Mercury Rising
- Sinful Colors - Dream On
- Wet 'n' Wild - Eggplant Frost
- Wet 'n' Wild - Tickled Pink
- Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
Wow, it looks like a lot more when I actually write it out. :) Anyway, for now I am going quantity, later I will focus more on quality. I just wanted some colors to round out my stash, and then there were these shiny sparkly things and it's all a blur from there. :P
OK, so I get home, check the mail, and my package of nail art tools arrived. I was so happy. So I have been playing ever since. I got my stamper and plates, dotting tools, nail stickers, rhinestones, and striping tape. I just need my brushes, and I'm set. And yes, to answer your question about now, I am obsessed and I do go all out when I get an obsession. This is me restraining myself... I may have a serious problem. But that's OK, 'cause I'm having fun! :)
Of course I need to play with my stamping plates, and my dotting tools - the two things I was most anxious about. I painted my fingers mint sorbet, but had a bit of an accident before it dried, so then I used tickled pink instead. (And yes, I DID by Seche Vite, but ya know how it is when you get excited about things... your brain doesn't always work right). After topping Tickled Pink with Seche Vite (eh, see, I learned) I decided to try stamping. I see everyone stamping and I have been so excited to try. Now let me warn you here... remember what I said about being excited earlier, and sometimes your brain doesn't work right? Well, here is an example. So I get my stamping stuff ready... I've read and seen many tutorials... I know that not all polish will work, but still I opted to go cheap and not buy special polishes, and the stamping plates are a cheaper version also. (Sorry, even though I am obsessed, I don't have a lot of money) I also read that some stamp plates don't work as well if they are the generic type, but again, budget.... Anyway, on with the stamping. I've got my plate ready, my polish ready, my scraper ready (decided to use a credit card, instead of the metal scraper, to try to keep my plates in good condition). I've got my acetone ready... hmm... paper towel to wipe with, q-tip to clean plate and stamp in between... OK, I guess I'm ready. I decided to use black, since I am just beginning and I know black will show (and I love pink and black). I pick out my design... a pretty floral, and for my ring finger a butterfly. I figure the more practice the better. And so I begin my stamping. Now I know it's not going to be perfect, I know it takes practice to center the designs just right and all. But I'm not expecting or caring for it to turn out right, I just want to play (em, I mean practice). So, I try to use my stamp, and I can't pick up the design. So I clean it and try again. Still can't pick up the design. I try a couple more times, and still nothing. So I think, well, maybe it's the polish. So I trade my polish for a thicker one. Guess what? Still can't get the stamper to pick up the design. This is where I get frustrated and think, this is what happens when you go cheap, right? But if I didn't then I couldn't have gotten all the stuff I needed (ahem, OK, wanted). At this point, I am almost in tears, so disappointed, I am. I pick up my plate, clean it all off, clean my stamper, sit there being depressed. (yeah, along with being obsessive, I may be bi-polar). So here I am, depressed, cleaning off my supplies, including my stamping plate. Stop and look at the plate and the pretty designs, that apparently I will never get to use. And I look closer at it. And closer still... and here is where I have my Uh, Duh moment, and give you some free advice... When stamping for the first time, with a new plate, be sure to remove the protective plastic sticker that is most likely covering the plate, hence making it impossible for the polish to soak into the mold and be pick up by the stamper. Uh, Duh.
So after that everything else was great. Of course, it came out looking sloppy and uneven, and I also had to play with my dotting tool, so it ended up with stamps and dots... but I had fun and am back to my happy place. :)
By the way, there will probably not be pics of this mani, since it was just messing around... I may get a few pics of the nails I like, but no full mani. I am going to go admire my pretty stamps and dots now, and maybe later put up some pics. (or maybe not, I don't know yet). ;)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
My Latest Mani
I've had this on for a couple days, just haven't been posted. So here it is:
It's actually a bright pink, true color's closest to the finger pics, thumb pic area bit washed out. I don't have the best camera, and my skills at photography pretty much suck, but there it is. A few days after I did this, I added Northern Lights Holo Effect Top Coat, which made it so pretty and shimmery... so but I have to have sparkles! No pics of that, sorry! Anyway, I will probably be changing it soon, and try not to be too lazy about posting it.
It's actually a bright pink, true color's closest to the finger pics, thumb pic area bit washed out. I don't have the best camera, and my skills at photography pretty much suck, but there it is. A few days after I did this, I added Northern Lights Holo Effect Top Coat, which made it so pretty and shimmery... so but I have to have sparkles! No pics of that, sorry! Anyway, I will probably be changing it soon, and try not to be too lazy about posting it.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom Giveaway
I love the name of her blog! Anyway, she is an amazing person, and has a great giveaway for us:
Sunday, July 24, 2011
DeuceBeauties Blog Sale
DeuceBeauties is having a blog sale, newly added items and reduced prices. Go see: DeuceBeauties Huge Blog Sale
Deuce Beauties is having ANOTHER Giveaway
That's right, another awesome one. AND don't forget to check out her blog sale, link is on the sidebar.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
I'm a Winner!
No, I'm not suffering from a huge ego.
I was lucky enough to win the Nicole by OPI Texture Coat giveaway from Addicted to All things Pretty
They arrived yesterday and of course I had to go play with them immediately! This is what I won:
I wanted to go all neon and bright, but my husband requested vampy and dark. And since he's been a sweetheart about my new found obsession with polish, I figured I owed it to him. So I went with his suggested Black over red, and even though it is dark, I really like how it turned out. Reminds me of True Blood, lol. K here it is:
So anyway, still lacking in cleanup skills, among other things. But I still like it.
Can't wait to go Neon! : P
I was lucky enough to win the Nicole by OPI Texture Coat giveaway from Addicted to All things Pretty
They arrived yesterday and of course I had to go play with them immediately! This is what I won:
I wanted to go all neon and bright, but my husband requested vampy and dark. And since he's been a sweetheart about my new found obsession with polish, I figured I owed it to him. So I went with his suggested Black over red, and even though it is dark, I really like how it turned out. Reminds me of True Blood, lol. K here it is:
So anyway, still lacking in cleanup skills, among other things. But I still like it.
Can't wait to go Neon! : P
Friday, July 22, 2011
Crackle, Crackle
This is the second crackle I did with my China Glaze Oxidized Aqua. It looks really similar to my first.The first was done with LA COLOR Electrified which is a pink with silver undertones. This second one was supposed to be purple, but it turned out to have silvery undertones, also, and looks alot like the first. It was a Rimmel ploish, but not sure of the name. Here it is:
This is compared to my first crackle:
I definitely like the first one better, but I love pink what can I say. Once I get more colors in my stash, I will be able to get better, more diverse colors.
This is compared to my first crackle:
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| First Crackle with LA Colors Electrified |
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| Second Crackle with Rimmel unknown name |
DeuceBeauties Blog Sale
DeuceBeauties is having a blog sale, newly added items and reduced prices. Go see:
Monday, July 18, 2011
First Trip to Sally's
Ok, so I actually went to a beauty supply store, and man, was it hard to behave in there. I really love polish... I mean really. I wanted to buy so much stuff, but I restrained myself and just left with the supplies I needed and only a couple polishes I didn't need. I bought Northern Lights Holo Effect Top Coat and China Glaze Metals in Oxidized Aqua. Really pretty stuff. I still had my nails done in the LA Electrified and then I topped it with the Northern Lights. So pretty. Too bad I didn't get pics. :(
And of course, since this is the first crackle I have, I just had to try it out. So I used it over the Electrified that I already had on. I really loved the mani before I put crackle on, it was sooo pretty, and it killed me to top it with the crackle, but I was too excited to let that stop me. The crackle looks pretty, too, but I think the sparkle of Electrified and the top coat kinda take away from the beautiful color of the Aqua crackel. So I am going to take a real quick pic, adn then change it using a more flattering base color. :)
My cleanup is still a bit messy, and I am hoping with practice and better supplies, I will improve on that aspect of my manicures. I just got some acetone, which I've read is the best for cleanup, so that should help. I don't have a good cleanup brush yet, I just use q-tips and cotton balls, which is usually a pain, but I do have some more supplies on the way. Can't wait to get those toys and play with them, lol. And of course, I will put my sad attempts and whatever progress (or lack of) that I make. : P
OK, so here are the pics I have of my current mani, and as soon as I get my new one on, I will post those pics too. Might not be until tomorrow, though, unless I can't wait, hehe.
Again, forgive my horrible pics, I have about the same experience taking pics as I do painting nails. >.<
And of course, since this is the first crackle I have, I just had to try it out. So I used it over the Electrified that I already had on. I really loved the mani before I put crackle on, it was sooo pretty, and it killed me to top it with the crackle, but I was too excited to let that stop me. The crackle looks pretty, too, but I think the sparkle of Electrified and the top coat kinda take away from the beautiful color of the Aqua crackel. So I am going to take a real quick pic, adn then change it using a more flattering base color. :)
My cleanup is still a bit messy, and I am hoping with practice and better supplies, I will improve on that aspect of my manicures. I just got some acetone, which I've read is the best for cleanup, so that should help. I don't have a good cleanup brush yet, I just use q-tips and cotton balls, which is usually a pain, but I do have some more supplies on the way. Can't wait to get those toys and play with them, lol. And of course, I will put my sad attempts and whatever progress (or lack of) that I make. : P
OK, so here are the pics I have of my current mani, and as soon as I get my new one on, I will post those pics too. Might not be until tomorrow, though, unless I can't wait, hehe.
Again, forgive my horrible pics, I have about the same experience taking pics as I do painting nails. >.<
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| Left Hand |
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| Left Thumb |
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| Right Hand |
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| Right Thumb |
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Electrified...
I love it!! I just did me nails, I was planning on doing a pretty pink with silver glitter tips, or something like that. But I got the base color on, which was LA Colors Electrified, and I couldn't mess with perfection. (At least for now)
It's a beautiful color... pink with a silver undertone and wow. I'm in love (for now, lol). I know, I'm probably too easily impressed, but since I can't afford much of anything, I get so excited when I find a jewel. I would get pics, but I am being lazy, so maybe I will get them later. Besides, I'm pretty sure the camera would fail at catching it right. Since I suck at taking pics. : P
Anyway, just wanted to share my happiness!
It's a beautiful color... pink with a silver undertone and wow. I'm in love (for now, lol). I know, I'm probably too easily impressed, but since I can't afford much of anything, I get so excited when I find a jewel. I would get pics, but I am being lazy, so maybe I will get them later. Besides, I'm pretty sure the camera would fail at catching it right. Since I suck at taking pics. : P
Anyway, just wanted to share my happiness!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
My First Freehand Splatter Nails
So this is the non-straw blowing method of splattering, where you use a dotting tool -or if you're like me and don't have that, then a toothpick- and spread it out to look like splatters. It went OK. As I have mentioned previously, I have no experience, no training and everything I have learned, I learned off the internet. In other words, I see pics and decide I like it, so I do it... despite my lacking the skills to do it. : P
Anyway, back to the mani. I used Beauty By Kayla Shevonne's splatter method (using a toothpick...eh, or really I used a kebab stick...it was all I had, lol). I was going to do the full rainbow like in the Rainbow Splatter Tutorial but after doing just a few splatters I decided all those colors wouldn't fit. I guess my splatters were too big, but it's OK, I actually like how they turned out.
I only use my natural nails, and haven't picked up any skills in shaping/cuticle care, etc... Also, I only have dollar store polish for now until I start honing my skills, and cleanup? What's that?! In other words, I always rush to take pics of my manis and forget to do clean-up first, or just don't do that good cause I'm in a rush to take pics, so those of you who are offended by sloppy work... look away...
By the way, there's a suggestion to all you who know what the hell you're doing -unlike me- maybe someone could start a "basics" tutorial on cuticle care, etc... You know, anything you think would be common knowledge to everyone, but it's not to clueless people like me. :)
But there I go rambling again... On to the pics:
These are pics of my mani when I realized all those colors wouldn't fit the way I was doing them... so yeah, just pink and purple here:
And then after I added the next and evidently the last color:
Green
All in all, I think it turned out alright. Maybe with practice it will get better, but for now I'm happy and that's what counts. : P
Anyway, back to the mani. I used Beauty By Kayla Shevonne's splatter method (using a toothpick...eh, or really I used a kebab stick...it was all I had, lol). I was going to do the full rainbow like in the Rainbow Splatter Tutorial but after doing just a few splatters I decided all those colors wouldn't fit. I guess my splatters were too big, but it's OK, I actually like how they turned out.
I only use my natural nails, and haven't picked up any skills in shaping/cuticle care, etc... Also, I only have dollar store polish for now until I start honing my skills, and cleanup? What's that?! In other words, I always rush to take pics of my manis and forget to do clean-up first, or just don't do that good cause I'm in a rush to take pics, so those of you who are offended by sloppy work... look away...
By the way, there's a suggestion to all you who know what the hell you're doing -unlike me- maybe someone could start a "basics" tutorial on cuticle care, etc... You know, anything you think would be common knowledge to everyone, but it's not to clueless people like me. :)
But there I go rambling again... On to the pics:
These are pics of my mani when I realized all those colors wouldn't fit the way I was doing them... so yeah, just pink and purple here:
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| Left Hand |
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| Left Thumb |
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| Right Hand |
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| Right Thumb |
And then after I added the next and evidently the last color:
Green
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| Left Thumb |
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| Left Hand |
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| Right Thumb |
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| Right Hand |
All in all, I think it turned out alright. Maybe with practice it will get better, but for now I'm happy and that's what counts. : P
Dashica Beauty's Giveaway
Dashica Beauty is having a giveaway for nail stamp plates. You have a chance at winning every month. Each giveaway ends the 14th of the month, so the current round will be ending soon, but there will be another after that ends 8-14, and so on. Go here to check it out:
Goodluck!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Elle's Makeup Blog "I'm Back" Giveway
Sign up for Elle's I'm Back Giveaway and you can
WIN URBAN DECAY'S NAKED PALETTE
Saturday, July 9, 2011
1st Attempt at Marble Mani
OK, so as I've said before, all you dang nail polish artists always make everything look easy... And so, my next attempt was marbling. I've watched so many tutorials, read other tutorials... seen pic... so I decided to try. I picked two purples and a white. Right now all I have is LA Colors, because I need to practice without spending a lot of money. SO the colors I used were: Energy Source (white), Nuclear Purple (light purple), and Fiji Purple (darker but bright purple). I started with my left hand, and then went to my right. The very first finger I did, my left thumb, was completely different from my others, and the closest to the design I wanted, but still somehow not right. So the right hand is somewhat light with bigger designs, and then as I started to get on a roll, my left hand got a little more intricate. Still nothing like I wanted, but OK for a first try and I was able to figure out through 10 fingers the ins and outs of marbling. Besides not getting the designs quite right, I ended up with a lot of little bubbles/blisters. And I still have some cleanup to do, but I probably won't bother, since I am going to be scrappin' this mani for a different one real soon. It is a sloppy attempt, but I'll still post it, so later when I am a super duper awesome nail artist, I can look back and cringe. :P
I don't have a pic of my left thumb, cause I messed it up before taking a pic. :o
So anyway, this is the sad attempt at marbling, I will try again, of course, after all how will I get better right? But I haven't decided if I will attempt these again tomorrow with different colors, or if I will try a different technique and come back to marbling another time... we shall see how I feel tomorrow. :P
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| Left Hand |
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| Right Hand |
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| Left Hand Fingers |
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| Right Hand Fingers |
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| Right Hand Thumb |
I don't have a pic of my left thumb, cause I messed it up before taking a pic. :o
So anyway, this is the sad attempt at marbling, I will try again, of course, after all how will I get better right? But I haven't decided if I will attempt these again tomorrow with different colors, or if I will try a different technique and come back to marbling another time... we shall see how I feel tomorrow. :P
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Princess Poly 50 Followers Giveaway
Hurry this closes today:
A Message from Princess Poly:
Hi Dolls! I want to thank all of you for following my blog and for your support. It really means A LOT to me!! I recently reached 50 followers. This is going to be my first giveaway.
A Message from Princess Poly:
Hi Dolls! I want to thank all of you for following my blog and for your support. It really means A LOT to me!! I recently reached 50 followers. This is going to be my first giveaway.
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