Showing posts with label Bliss Kiss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bliss Kiss. Show all posts

Thursday, December 21, 2017

6:00 AM

Holo Powder Snowflakes


     I hope you're not getting tired of my Holiday nail art looks yet because I have a few more to share with you before the big day. Today's look might be a bit familiar to you since I've recently used the technique. Anyone remember my stamping with holo powder post? Well in that post I mentioned a nail art look that I had in mind and now I'm finally able to share it with you. 

     I have to be honest here and let you know that I didn't think through each step thoroughly before starting this manicure and it's not exactly what I had in mind so you will probably see this technique again as I work the kinks out. On the other hand, I do like the way this turned out and I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve to try out now so I guess you could say it's a win-win! 

     I call this manicure Holo Powder snowflakes because well, that's just what it is. Snowflakes stamped onto my nails and holo powder burnished over them. Yeah I know, I'm not very creative when naming my manicures or blog posts. It's one of the things I'm working on. 
     

     To create this look I started with a base of Sinful Colors Black on Black and waited for it to dry. After that, I applied my G-Force X from Super Chic Lacquer (my secret weapon when it comes to regular polish and holo pigments) to my nails and Simply peel from Bliss Kiss to protect my cuticles.



     I stamped with Hit the Bottle As Black as Night and the snowflakes are from image plate UR Beautiful-16. I've had this plate for awhile but it's only been used recently and frequently, to be honest. I got the opportunity to go to a lock-in for a local girl scout troop and paint nails. At least half of the girls picked this plate to use. It was kinda cute and a lot of fun. But after 4 hours of painting nails, I have a new found admiration for nail techs. 


      I know it's not easy to see in each photo but I used 3 colors of holo powders in this look. I wanted to use 4 but found out I don't have a green in my stash. I'll have to remedy that soon. Each powder is from Born Pretty Store and are item number's 33256 (Silver Holographic), 39224-2 (gold holographic) and, 39324-8 (Red Holographic). I randomly burnished each color onto my nails trying not to create a pattern. I was hoping that the powders would blend just a bit better to create more of a gradient look but the gold wanted to cover up the red so any hope of a gradient was quickly dismissed. I'll have to see if I can find a different way to get a gradient effect with the powders, or if you have any tips or ideas feel free to share. Also if you'd like to pick up any powders for yourself used code LAUNX31 to get 10% off your purchase from Born Pretty Store.


     I hope you enjoyed today's nail art look. Let me know what you think in the comments. As Always thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

10:21 AM

The 12 Days of X-mas mani's day 6: Decorations


     We are officially halfway through the 12 Days of X-mas Mani's challenge and today's theme is Decorations.


     I am a day behind on the challenge and needed to do something quick. Originally I had the idea to do a different design on each nail and really challenge myself with my free hand art but my life had other plans for me.

     I decided to go with a simple stamped manicure that was slightly nontraditional in color. I used Zoya Storm as my base. A black based polish with a strong scattered holo. Gorgeous on its own but also a great base for nail art. I then used Maybelline Bold gold with Bundle Monster plate BM-SE1. The effect is a subtle stamped image with lots of sparkles. I topped the whole thing off with Simply Quick top coat from nailcarehq.com.


     This manicure was hard to capture with my camera. The holo in storm kept wanting to overpower the image and made my camera freak out. I wish I could have gotten a better picture because this manicure really is pretty in real life.


     The macro shot captured the depth of this mani. I like how the gold plays well with the holo making it look like the decorations have formed like constellations in a night sky. Not too shabby for a quickly thrown together last minute idea!

     So what did the other talented ladies do for this days challenge? Check out the links below for their creations and thanks for stopping by.






Friday, June 14, 2013

8:19 PM

Simply Smooth

   
      Today I'd like to do a quick little review of Simply Smooth base coat from Ana over at Simple Nail Art Tips.  For the last year, I have noticed the ridges in my nails have been getting worse and worse. Sometimes I could still see them through my polish. Not exactly what you want when you're photographing your nails and posting them online. I have been looking at ridge filling base coats for a while but hadn't pulled the trigger. Then Ana announced that she was selling one and I did a little happy dance.  I know a lot of you have heard me gush over her cuticle oil Pure. I just love that stuff! It's so amazing and shows results right away. Knowing the quality of the oil I knew I had to give the base and top coat a try. (the top coat will be a future post) Ordering is quick and easy and the price can't be beat, only $4.99!  You can pick up a bottle for yourself at NailCareHQ Ana's sister site. While you're there you should also pick up the Simply Quick top coat and the pure oil. Trust me, you won't regret it.

     So on to the review. Simply Smooth applies smoothly and easily.  It's a little thinner than the base coat I have been using and I ended up flooding my cuticle on the first nail. But that was an easy fix, you really don't need much on the brush when applying it on the nail. I took a picture of my naked nail to show the ridges. They seem so much more predominant than what I could capture.




     Notice the horizontal ridges? I can actually feel them when I run my finger across the nail.  Those are the worst but I have a few vertical ones that are less evident. And now for the after shot


Simply Smooth Base Coat

     I have a nice smooth surface for polish application. As you can see the base coat is not completely clear. I thought that would bother me at first. I was worried it would affect the color of some of my lighter polishes. I was worried for nothing. The slight color of the base coat doesn't have any effect on the color of polish.


    So far I have used Simply Smooth for 2 manicures. The first one was under a bright fuschia color and I had no staining, chipping or peeling after 4 days of wear. I plan on wearing my current mani until it chips and will update this post with my finding.


*The products listed in this post were purchased by me. All photos and opinions are my own*


Thursday, January 31, 2013

8:42 PM

Get Naked Challenge results


     So as some of you may have read, I participated in a 3-day challenge using Pure cuticle oil from Simple Nail Art Tips.  Well, the results are in! But before we get to that, I have a few things you need to read.

     Ana Seidel of www.SimpleNailArtTips.com and www.NailCareHQ.com   has created a nut-free cuticle oil that I fell in love with after just a few applications. I have the "crisp" scented one and it is wonderful. Nothing too strong but also no medicine smell like other cuticle treatments I've tried. If you're interested in purchasing some for yourself you can do so here at PureNailOil.com.
The Initial Hydration Treatment was the Challenge that Ana put out for people to try. This is a 3-day treatment that requires you to have naked nails the entire time. These are the instructions that came with my refill order.

"Your nails will absorb the oil like a sponge so you will be reapplying frequently. It is best to use the oil bottle for this treatment. Otherwise, you will use up the pen in one day."
1. Remove all nail polish.
2. Brush oil all over your nail, cuticle, sidewalls and under your free edge of the nail.
3. Periodically through the next hour or two, rub the surface oil into your nails. Each time you do this your nails will feel less oily.
4. When you feel the oil has been absorbed and your nails aren't oily, reapply.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the first three days. When you get to the point that it takes your nails 4 hours or more to absorb the oil, you can move to the basic daily application.

     I want to remind you of what my nails looked like before I started the treatment.


     As you can see they were in terrible condition. Very dry and screaming for some TLC. The cold Minnesota winter has taken its toll on my hands this year. It would probably help if I wore gloves but I feel clumsy in them, and I'm stubborn.


     I have to tell you that I was a naughty lacquerista and didn't follow the instructions. I really couldn't with the job that I have. I was informed by my boss that since I mix paint and stock food for most of my shift,  he didn't want to run the risk of the oil getting into the paint or touching the food.

*side note* While the oil smells absolutely delicious it does not taste that way.
I may have found this out the hard way..... twice.

     So what I did was an application right away in the morning while I was getting everyone ready for school. On a break at work I would apply a small amount just around the cuticles that I could rub in quickly. About a half an hour before bed I would do another application rub it in slightly and then let it soak in for 30 minutes before crawling into bed.



     Unfortunately I had 2 nails break on Monday so I had to trim my nails down to nubbins during the challenge but the results are still clearly visible. The skin around my nails is softer, and not as ragged. My cuticles look better all around and the dry patches on my nails are gone. Even the natural nail coloring is better. I wish I was able to do the full treatment, I'm sure my nails would be in even better shape than this! My plan right now is to keep up the treatment schedule I have been using for the rest of the week and then resume my normal polishing. I am so grateful that Ana sent me a pen to try before this was available for sale. I really think this is a great product and know that once you try it, you will never want to use another cuticle treatment again.

     And now, just because I can, I'm going to leave you with a comparison picture of day 1 and day 3 so you can really see the difference for yourself.


Sunday, January 27, 2013

7:41 PM

The Lets Get Naked Challenge


     Now-now-now don't let the title fool you, I'm not trying to promote everyone stripping down to their birthday suits and strutting around. What I am doing is having naked nails for 3 days while I use Pure Cuticle oil from Simple Nail Art Tips. This stuff is seriously amazing. I first got a chance to try it last summer when Ana was nice enough to send me a sample before it was available for sale. I would apply it once a night while I caught up on my TV shows and before long I saw a huge difference in my nails and the skin around. What I didn't realize at that time was that I was hardly using any oil at all when I was applying it. That got me thinking.... if it could do such an amazing job the way I was using it, then it must do miracles when applied correctly. And then Ana offered up this challenge which can be found here.
   With the extremely cold weather, we've had here lately and the amount of swatching I've done my nails are in need of some serious TLC so I'm going to do the challenge. Here is a picture of my nails before starting the 3-day hydration treatment.

   As you can see these are in some pretty rough shape. I have peeling on my middle finger and they are very very dry. Even the skin around my nails is beaten up. I can't wait to see what they look like after I'm done with this challenge and I will post a picture of the results for you all to see.

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