NOTD: Chanel Manicure #2

This is the second Chanel manicure I did using the same decal stickers I got from eBay :) I like this one much better!!!

• Again I did black with gold french tips.
• But on the other nails I used a dotting tool to create pearl necklaces in various colors.
• Finally, I added the decals plus some rhinestones to the mix!

I have to mention... one of my nails broke :( and I was pretty devastated from having to shorten them all, but I hope they grow out fast. They actually haven't been this short in a few months now and it feels so weird! I think the acetone I'm currently using is really helping to strengthen my nails. {and my OPI ridge filler too} My nails used to be extremely thin and weak... and now they aren't! Is that normal? lol

Which is your favorite Chanel Manicure? :)

Products Used:
Chanel- Black Satin | Avon- Illusion, French Tip White, Black Licorice, Golden Vision | Ebay decals {via seller sunny**bbs no longer available} | rhinestones.

NOTD: Cupcakes

After seeing so many cupcake manicures on Pinterest, I made my attempt... They're too adorable to resist!

•  after painting every other nail pink, I painted the bottom 1/3 of the other nails the same color.
• I then added vertical light pink stripes to the 1/3 portion.
• With white polish I painted 3 scallops using the nail polish brush.
• Then, I carefully rounded out the top using the same nail polish brush making sure not to go all the way to the cuticle.
• I added small sprinkles with my finest dotting tool. {a pin will work, but be careful}
• Finally I topped of the cupcake with a sparkly top coat and a pink rhinestone.
• For the other nails I free-handed silver hearts {added dots} and stripes.

My first cupcake didn't come out very round!

Sparkly cupcakes, yum!

I have to mention that my nails gave me a huge craving for cupcakes which, I am proud to say I satisfied! lol

Do you want cupcakes now??? :)

Products Used:
Avon: Viva Pink, French Tip White, Romance & Noir Emerald {for the dots} |
CM Nail Art: Heavenly Pink | Black Poppy: {unnamed} Metallic Silver | China Glaze: Fairy Dust.

NOTD: China Glaze- Pool Party

I have to admit, getting rid of my baseball manicure made me sad. Luckily there are more of those mani's to come since we are only half-way through the season!

Today's nail polish was not what I was expecting. In photographs the color looks more pink than it does in real-life. I currently have neon orange nails :'( I should have used a white polish as my base coat to make the pink color stand out more {lesson learned}. Does anyone else have this problem with neon pinks, have you found one that works well on its own???

As with other neon polishes the application is a hassle- use a steady light hand when applying and wait a few minuted to avoid pulling off previous coats. And of course when dry, the polish is matte and uneven so a top coat is a must to fix these problems. Another thing to be aware of when removing the polish is that it does stain my skin more than usual.

I'm liking using thumbs as the accent nail.

{note: I had a difficult time adjusting the contrast in these pictures because of the darn polish color. I wish this was the actual color!}

I used a dotting tool to create large flowers, then I applied a top coat and pressed rhinestones into the polish to make sure they stayed in place for the length of my mani.

This is what the color looks like in real life and compared to the color in the bottle- big difference huh?

Products mentioned:  China Glaze- Pool Party, Avon- French Tip White, CM Nail Art Heavenly Pink.

NOTD: Mixing Patterns

Today I decided to mix patterns! :) 

The sun came out just in time for me to take more pictures!

Polka Dots, Stripes, Flowers, Glitter... how can you go wrong?!

I am loving this jelly glitter polish, but the sparkle doesn't show up in regular pictures, so I took a fuzzy  one.

My Method: 

•  I used my handy double sided dotting tool for the flowers, make 4 dots close enough together so the edges overlap a little, then dot a darker color in the center.

• For the stripes I used the CM Nail Art polish, and made steady strokes vertically down my nail. You can go over each stripe a few times to get the desired thickness and opacity.  I actually like the brush in this polish over the nail art brushes I bought on eBay because those unfortunately frayed out when I cleaned tried to clean them :(

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! What other types of manicures would you like to see?

Wow, I just realized all my polishes are water inspired!

Products mentioned:
Essie- Absolutely Shore. China Glaze- Atlantis. Avon- Aqua Fantasy. CM Nail Art- White. 
Dotting tools- blueskynailsupply.

NOTD: 4th of July!

It is July, and I jumped on the bandwagon and gave myself a 4th of July mani! It was fun creating different designs on each nail especially the star, which proved to be quite easy with my CM nail art polish.

After each nail had 2 coats of color, I used glitter for the middle finger, a dotting tool to create the dots, and the CM nail art to freehand the lines and the star.

•  I made the star by using this method, then filling it in: 

• The Red is one of the best formulas I've tried, glossy and very opaque even after one coat.
• The White is also one of the best I've tried, not thick at all, and after 2 coats it is mostly even and streak-free. {Good job Avon!}
•  The Blue is actually a shimmer polish, but the finish is nice and even, not thick at all.

The holographic glitter has various sized silver particles. So pretty!!

Products mentioned: 


L to R: Seche Vite Top Coat, OPI Ridge Filler, CM Nail Art White, Avon: French Tip White, Illusion, China Glaze Techno, Avon: Splendid Blue, Real Red. Dotting tools via blueskynailssupply.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!!!

NOTD + Tool Haul

I recently purchased some nail tools from Ebay! I'm so excited to use them...

1. The dotting tools work great! they are well made and I do recommend these, shipping was extremely fast too!
2. The nail art brushes seem to work well too, but be careful to not get acetone on the handles since the paint does rub off easily. {UPDATE: I don't recommend the brushes, I have a hard time cleaning them and keeping the hairs from fraying.}

Here are some pictures of mani's done with the dotting tools!

My manicures last a good 4 days without any chipping and minor wear to the tips, the key is to use a good base and top coat! (my experience has shown that Essie and Avon polishes last the longest.. updates to come.)

My friend let me do her nails too! Thanks!

After applying about 2 coats on each finger of the desired color, I took the fattest dotting tool and dipped it in some polish and made sure the dots had a good amount of space between them. I recommend re-dipping the tool after each dot, this created uniform dots every time.  

After about 3 minutes, I applied a top coat. Waiting ensures that your dots don't bleed into your base color. Clean up any stray polish with a Q-tip or a brush and acetone.

Products mentioned:

Dotting tools: Ebay via- blueskynailssupply ($2.50). Nail Art Tools: Ebay via- d.linux. ($5.29)

Polish: China Glaze-For Audrey, Avon-French Tip white, Chanel- April, Seche Vite-top coat, OPI- base coat.

The Past Nails: Part 2

As promised, here are more pictures of past manicures, enjoy!

Chevron+Pink+Glitter

Strawberry Lemonade

 Glitter Gradient

 White+Ring

Kate Spade 

Barbie Pink

Enjoy!