I missed a week of blog posts! Not a good thing to do when you're just getting back into blogging. I feel horrible about it but I have a pretty good excuse for being radio silent for a week.... We had a small tornado touchdown 6 miles away from my house last Tuesday. Now thankfully everyone here is alright and there was no real damage. But it did leave me without power and several trees down in my yard. So I've been busy running a chainsaw, yes I am that kind of girl, and picking up branches, garbage and getting my yard in shape. Now that that's over with I can get back to my otherwise regularly busy life. So onto the nail polish posts!
Did you happen to see the teaser I posted to Instagram a few days ago? Well if you did happen to catch it, you may have noticed the uber textured accent nail. Not sure what I'm talking about? Shame on you for not following me on Instagram. Only kidding. For those of you who missed it, here's the picture again.
OK, now that we're all on the same page I wanted to tell you that that isn't just any regular texture. It's a super blinged out nail thanks to the new CrystalPixie from Swarovski. Tiny little gems that pack a ton of sparkle. I'll show you the full manicure a little later on in the post so be sure to stick around for that.
Today as you might have guessed my post is all about a new line of nail art products from Swarovski. "Swarovski is the premium brand for the finest crystal embellishments since 1895. It is recognized for its innovative excellence and its collaborations with top-class designers. Now you can experience the beauty of Swarovski crystals on your nails with a sparkling manicure." I was sent 4 packages of items to review. 2 Motif's containing a variety of Swarovski crystals and metallic shapes and 2 sets of CrystalPixie's in Black and White.
For my first look, I used the neutral colored Trends Motif and tried to recreate one of the looks on the packaging. My attempt was only semi-successful because I started off placing my first gem in the wrong place which threw everything off. What's the best thing to do in that situation? Go big and cover the entire nail in gems!
Today as you might have guessed my post is all about a new line of nail art products from Swarovski. "Swarovski is the premium brand for the finest crystal embellishments since 1895. It is recognized for its innovative excellence and its collaborations with top-class designers. Now you can experience the beauty of Swarovski crystals on your nails with a sparkling manicure." I was sent 4 packages of items to review. 2 Motif's containing a variety of Swarovski crystals and metallic shapes and 2 sets of CrystalPixie's in Black and White.
For my first look, I used the neutral colored Trends Motif and tried to recreate one of the looks on the packaging. My attempt was only semi-successful because I started off placing my first gem in the wrong place which threw everything off. What's the best thing to do in that situation? Go big and cover the entire nail in gems!
My base color is Song of Summer from Sinful Colors, a pistachio green shade that I think is fun for summer. Can you tell which design from the packaging I was going for? I know not very creative on my part, but I wanted to feature multiple gems on one nail and that's out of my usual comfort zone and I was feeling a bit lost.
You might notice I had a little trouble with the silver metallic squares sitting flat on my nail in some places. I have a very large C curve to my nails which caused the ones on the side to stick up but if you have a smaller C curve it shouldn't be an issue. Also placing the squares closer to the center of the nail will prevent this from happening.
There was a little trick to getting the crystals off since they kept wanting to stick to their paper backing. I found that by using my dotting tool to slide them off worked the best. Also because I opted to not top coat this manicure the gems removed easily and I am able to reuse them for another look!
The Swarovski motif kits are available in 3 styles. The Classic, the Neutrals, and the Trends collections with 3 options in each collection for a total of 9 kits to choose from. With each package containing 48 Swarovski crystals and metallic shapes. That's a lot of nail art look possibilities if you mix and match.
Now about that manicure I mentioned at the beginning of this post... turns out I was able to create a 4th of July manicure after all!
This look was perfect for the holiday because my ring finger sparkled more than the fireworks did. Sadly my pictures do not do this manicure justice. Like all sparkly things, it's was very hard to capture on film.
For this look, I used China Glaze Cranberry Splash and Drip Drop Prototype #517. The accent nail has a thin coat of Sally Hansen white on and then covered in the Cute Mood CrystalPixie. "CrystalPixie is Swarovski's newest innovation, just for nails! Be it for an everyday occasion or a special event, CrystalPixie brings unmatched Swarovski brilliance to your hands. It is easy, fun and limitless." Just a word of advice, be sure to have a container under your hand to catch the crystals as you pour them over your nail. You won't want to lose a single one after you see them sparkle.
"Swarovski crystals are at the forefront of the crystallized nail super-trend, turning nails into a canvas for self-expression, as well as a stylish accessory both on and off the catwalk." Swarovski supports ongoing education through the Crystal Culture Educational Program developed and administered by Swarovski Authorized Instructors Gina Silvestro and Viv Simmonds at www.crystalculture.co Visiting the Sparkling Nails section on YouTube.com/createyourstyletv will give you access to videos on the application of Swarovski crystal and Swarovski CrystalPixie.
To keep up with all the latest news or get inspiration ideas from Swarovski be sure to check out createyourstyle.com , pinterest.com/createyourstyle or facebook.com/createyourstyle . Want to purchase these sparkly gems for yourself? They can be found at your local Sally Beauty Supply or purchased online at Sallybeauty.com. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
