Fine china DIY water decals

See, I said I'd be back! With some glorious home made water decal stickers. It's very fine china / porcelain-esque. I'm so fond of this colour combo!

I used Revlon's 335 Spirit as the base white. Then the water decal was applied to each individual nail, topped off with a topcoat. The absolute most important step, don't forget the TOPCOAT!

As this was my first time printing my own water decals, I had foolishly bought the clear version so I had to paint a base colour. Regardless, the blue has turned out so vibrant!

Slightly different lighting but this is actually bit more true to colour in real life. This photo is actually taken a whole week after application. It looks as good as new! No lifting, scratches, chipping, nothing. I'll definitely be doing a lot more DIY water decal stickers because it's just so damn easy.

The lazy chevron

Hey there! I feel really shameful that it's been almost a year since my last post (again). Hope you're all well and dandy.

As you can tell from my extensive hibernation, I'm incredibly lazy. I've recently started doing my nail the super lazy way of painting them on a zip-lock bag first as a sticker. And as a mad chevron pattern fanatic, I just had to give this a go.

It turned out pretty well, minus the bubbles from the worst top coat ever. I regret buying this top coat so much that I don't even want to do a bad review for it. So just putting this out there, do NOT ever purchase the Sally Hansen Gel Shine 3D Top Coat. Worst. Top coat. Ever. Period.

Rant over, pretty nail art time!

I used Zoya in Anne as the base (my favourite namesake polish), and Revlon in Fuchsia Fever for the pre-painted pink chevron stripes, and a pair of pinking scissors.

Can you believe that I'm posing with my 1kg dumbbell weights. I've officially lost it.

Take care, y'all!

Muted pink

I love matte. Sometimes it is just too garish to wear colours that are practically neon.

Base colour: Revlon Fuchsia Fever. Top coat: Essie Matte About You.

I am definitely "matte" about matte. Ever so punny.

Brushes of sparkling dusk

I'm back! I haven't abandoned you nor forgotten about you. I've just been frustratingly busy with uni work. Its either that or UHU glue. Those stringy buggers are my manicures' worst enemies! Model building with balsa wood (and other weird and wonderful things) have completely destroyed my nails. Heck, I've been painting my nails, very frequently, I might add. The only problem was that I never seemed to have time to catch them before they are destroyed by UHU glue, again. There had been so many photos that I wish I had taken so I'd actually have things to showcase on this blog.

I know that wasn't a very proper apology (it was actually me trying to save my own backside), so here's a huge big SORRY..
Now that's out of the way, let's move onto the more exciting things.

A few days ago, dear Kimberly showed me this link:
So being me, I naturally accepted the challenge. But why have plain ol' black when purple is the new black? Or so I keep telling myself. This is what I've managed to scrape together.
The iridescent base is 2 coats of Zoya's Angella. Dry strokes of Revlon's Primal Purple is used for the tip. Glitter in the form of OPI's Teenage Dream is added on top of the purple because glitter is my comfort food. Well not technically edible but you understand what I mean.
I still owe you quite a few more entries so stay tuned in the next couple of days when I'll be spam posting to make up for my absence.

The golden age

Since I have over a week until Physics, I'm left with quite a few hours to do nothing. I made these nails for the darling Samantha. Thank you for being my first customer. She had requested them to be Steam Punk inspired. Although these were kind of out of my comfort zone to create, I have to admit that I did have lots of fun making them.

It was a spontaneous process. I didn't have any plans and just whacked things down without really thinking. It was a good way to get over the awful Maths exam, I guess. I love how the little gears look together with the pointed, chrome rhinestones. I also took apart one of my old watches for the clock handles. The aggression was soothing. The acrylic stars that I was making came to good use. I just couldn't resist adding one oversized, statement piece. The fan reminds me so much of Sam.

I used a white base coat. Then a coat of a copper bronze franken that I've made using Revlon's Copperglaze Platinum. 4 coats of OPI Glizterland followed. China Glaze Medallion was added to the thumbs for that extra bit of sparkle dazzle. Nail glue was used to stick down the fan and stars. Topcoat took care of the rest. I think I've used a quarter of a bottle of topcoat for this because I'm a paranoid nut, scared of the rhinestones coming off. Enough of my rambling, check it out for yourself. Caution: lots photos ahead.

All these were completed last night. Oh it was a glorious night spent in front of the television. I've missed my TV so much.

I'm still alive

I haven't blogged in quite a while. Yes, I'm still painting my nails during this time. Even though the HSC is a (the word that rhymes with itch), the nail polish fumes are keeping me sane. You should've seen me during the last week of the holidays without nail polish. I'd like to thank the two Shirleys for putting up with my insanity during that agonizing period. I'd also like to thank Vivien for the lovely post, I hope you're painting your nails while you're reading this. This is beginning to sound like one of those award speeches so I am going to stop before I throw up in my mouth.

After the Belonging Paper, I painted my nails. I've reworked the Ruffian moon and made it look more like the "real" thing, whatever that may be. I used 3 coats of Colour Club Worth the Risque as base. This is a holographic nail polish that turns into disco balls in the sun. I love it. Although I failed to capture it because my home only sees the sun during the morning (I'm usually asleep during that time). This will all change when I move in a month's time! I'll be sure to take a photo the next time that I wear it.

After the base colour had dried, I used manicure guides on my middle and ring fingers but free handed the rest with Revlon Black Lingerie, then Essie's Matte About You finishing topcoat. I like the free hand effect better. I'm sure you'd agree.

I don't know if it is Essie's matte topcoat's fault for my own fault for not leaving the black to dry completely before whacking on the topcoat, the matte seems to work better with China Glaze Matte Magic. I should do a comparison later.

Go paint your nails. If my left hand was coordinated enough to free hand a Ruffian moon, then you should have no problem painting both hands.

It's coming...

Yes, you know what I mean: the much dreaded HSC is coming in 2 days. My procrastination level has reached 99 and is ready to transcend to the ultimate epic. I also haven't blogged in a week. I honestly had nothing to blog about.

Remember my promise not to touch my nails until the HSC? Well I couldn't resist. I mean, there was a massive chip! What else am I suppose to do? Just leave it? I don't think so. The gold mani did last over a week, thanks to Revlon's topcoat. I discovered the chip after I washed the dishes (with gloves). I was pretty "grr" about it. But it gave my an excuse to paint my nails again, I guess. All's well ends well.

Other than the great big chip on the index finger of my left hand, my nails were pretty much perfect. Very faint tip wear was visible but that was probably one of the longest lasting manis ever. Look, I even circled the chip for you. What really scared me was how much my nails have grown in just 1 week. Look at the massive gap between the polish and my cuticles! I think I owe it all to Lush's Lemony Flutter. I feel a review coming soon.

The glitter wasn't as difficult to remove as I had imagined. I got to drool over Channing Tatum's hotness on TV while I scrubbed my nails. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Then I finally got the chance to paint my nails.

I used OPI Happy Anniversary. It is extremely sheer with a frosty-foil finish. The finish I feel is very similar to OPI Glitzerland, just more frosty. However, it took my 5 coats for a relatively opaque result. I would pile on more but I didn't want to suffocate my nails. I then added 3 coats of Essie Silver Bullion, a silver glitter topcoat. So altogether, I had 9 layers of nail polish on each nail (including basecoat and topcoat). I forgot to take a picture of OPI Happy Anniversary on its own but the result is pretty much the same as what I'm about to show you.

I like how dreamy this photo looks. Matches the end result which is very dreamy yet sparkly. It is hard to describe. It kind of reminds me of the Snow Queen. So clean and pristine but with a magical twist. Here's another photo of the same thing but with better details.

The glitters really come through. And a close up for good luck.

My index finger is looking very ugly at the moment. I guess I'll just have to wait for it to grow until it looks normal again. I think I might call this "Winter Wonderland" just to be cliche.

I heart polka dots

You may have noticed that I now have a Wishlist column on the left hand side. If I could have all the nail polish in the world, I would. But since I am poor and trying to be realistic, I've only noted the ones that I desperately want. It is still a rather long list.

Now onto a much brighter note. I painted my nails today hooray! I know that I haven't blogged in a while, busy with school (just an excuse for being lazy, actually) and everything else that's happening in my life. Mind you, they're not all that terrific.

Today I used OPI Mod About You. It is a pale pink that has a hint of lilac in some angles. I absolutely adore this colour. But the application was a nightmare. It was gloggy and thick and streaky. In fact, I think it grew more troublesome as it got to the bottom. I'm halfway through the bottle already although I've only used it no more than 8 times (unless I've been sleep walking). I can explain why. Because application is such a nightmare, I need to use at least 5 coats to achieve a perfectly smooth finish without any streaks. You cannot get a more opaque polish than this. If you over look the fact that this polish is the ultimate devil child (even more evil than OPI Alpine Snow Matte), this is a wonderfully girly colour even though it makes my fingers look darker than usual.

5 coats of OPI Mod About You

This photo is true to colour because I had to add a 25% Magenta filter because once again, my camera refuses to capture the actual colour. I really need a DSLR. These point and shoot cameras are absolutely ridiculous.

Since my parents are out shopping somewhere for the new house, I had more time to kill. So I decided to polka dot my nails. I love polka dots. Although I am hating the fact that they are the current 'in' thing and just about every store has something that's polka dotted, no matter no ugly it may look. The colour of the rest of these photos are not true to life.

I used a dotting/marbling tool to make the polka dots in Revlon Black Lingerie. The scalloped tips are drawn free-hand, same as the hearts. But then for my right hand, I thought: "Why not make a template?" That was my stroke of genius. Since I could use masking tapes for striping guides and reinforcement stickers as tip guides, why not make pattern templates too.

I folded the masking tape in half and cut the shape of a semi-heart then unfolded the tape. Like with any other guides, I had to press down firmly to prevent bleeding. I'd have to say that it was a success (surprisingly as most of my creations don't turn out the way I imagined them to be).

The left thumb is my free-handed heart while the right is the heart from the masking tape template. It is actually quite funny because they look identifical even though I had no idea what I was cutting. I guess it's fate! Bet you couldn't tell the difference anyway. But if I had free-handed the right hand, the hearts wouldn't look like hearts. I can't control my left hand.

Maybe I should try cutting a masking tape guide next time in the shape of a cat. Til then, toodles (or was it doodles, don't remember).

Guilty pleasures

Attention: Any hint of arrogance present in this entry automatically translates to pride and pleasure.

Now that's out of the way. I am proud of my nail polish collection. Like any proud parent, I would like to see my babies grow and expand. Hopefully I would eventually reach the 1000+ mark. Sooner than later, I hope. There are so many more colours, finishes and textures that are still waiting patiently for me to discover them. I guess this is the purpose of this blog. To help you to discover something wonderfully new, whether it be an idea, a colour, or another way to procrastinate during the vital HSC period. I do feel rather sentimental today.

I really need a nail polish stand. A place to display my nail polish for easy access. Currently, they occupy one shelf on my downstairs bookshelf because that is the only place where the sun cannot get to. Sunlight + nail polish = bad. So don't ever store your nail polish where the sun can get to it. My other nail art supplies are stored in random shoe boxes under my coffee table. I hate it. I want a cupboard didicated to nails. Space is always an issue.

I think I current have 70-ish bottles of nail polish. I remember counting but not the number. It is a pretty pathetic number, I do have to admit. But a girl only has so much money to spend. I arranged them according to brand. I like the look like matching bottles. Since I have no life, I'll name every single one for you.

OPI:
Top row from left to right: Girls Just Want to Play, Dim Sim Plum, Chapel of Love, Mod about You, Happy Anniversary, Alpine Snow (Matte), Funny Bunny, Banana Bandana, Glitzerland, Bling Dynasty, You Don't Know Jacques, My Private Jet
Bottom row from left to right: Jade is the New Black, What's with the Cattitude?, Ski Teal we Drop, Yoga-ta get this Blue, Brand New Skates, Sheer your Toys

China Glaze: Lubu Heels, Doll's House, Light as Air, Strong Adhesive Basecoat, Matte Magic Topcoat, Ghoulish Glow Topcoat, Medallion, Sun Worshipper, Four Leaf Clover

Essie: Matte About You Topcoat, Haute as Hello, Pound Cake, Playa Del Platinum, Silver Bullions, Mint Candy Apple, Mesmerize

Revlon: Quick Dry Topcoat, Black Lingerie, Primal Purple, Fuchsia Fever, Franken (used to be Cherry Crush), Franken Squeaky (used to be Grape Shimmer), Franken (used to be Copperglaze Platinum)

Zoya: Ivanka, Gilda, Savita, Get Even Basecoat

Nubar: Sour Candy, 2010 (G188), Pasadena Purple

Milani: Key Lime Shine, Blue for my Baby

Colour Club: Worth the Risque (yes I bought 2 bottles, they were on special)

OPI mini: Tattoo You Want Candy?, I Love Mummy, Witch Arm?, Glow-ink the Dark

Orly: Fantasea

Bloom Seoul, Sally Hansen Nail Hardener, Kami Nail Foil Adhesive

Here are the under $5 nail polishes that I don't feel safe using anymore because they are packed with chemical goodness. So I use them extensively on fake nails. The colours are still wonderful though.

I can't wait to take another trip to Bankstown. I really want to expand my Essie and Orly collections so they can grow to compete with OPI for my love. I would also love to get my hands on more Zoya but Ebay is currently the only 'affordable' way of getting them. They still cost on average $12 a bottle when the exchange rate is high. I'll shut up now. Thank you for reading. I'm off to make a wishlist.

Introducing her Majesty the Queen

I have a valid reason for having a sore throat. I blame nail polish fumes. I sat in from of my TV, laboriously working on this set of nails for 5 hours straight on Saturday night. I need a life. I could be having a life right now. But mothers. They are all out to ruin our lives. Stop reading about my life. Your life is probably a lot more interesting.

This is my Red Queen inspired set of nails. I've decided to name it "Red Off the Queen's Heart". There's a pun in there but I'd be surprised if anyone could actually understand my logic. Personally, Thoughtless Alice was a lot more fun to create. I found myself straying back to the cutesy polka dots and bows although I've tried my best to make this one look more sophisticated. You know, with the roses and lace. I've used some random white polish, Revlon Black Lingerie, OPI Girls just want to have fun and a truck load of top coat. I'm sorry that I keep using the same nail polishes but I am honestly not a black and red person. I much rather, wait for it, Essie Sag Harbor! That's right, I'm still squinting at the AU$6.55 + $4.36 on Ebay. Enough rambling, photo time!

Now wasn't that fun? Let's not do it again. It was such a pain to upload with crappy upstairs internet. I'd like to sell this one too. My bank account is still empty. Should I make a Mad Hatter set? Or how about a White Queen set?

Channelling Chanel

As you may already know, I painted my nails last night. I've had this concept in my mind for a couple of days and finally materialised it last night. I'm quite happy with the way that they turned out.

This is inspired by Chanel's Noir et or Paris-Shanghai Collection released a couple of months back. The whole gold and black thing is absolutely gorgeous, in my opinion anyway. So I'm here to brainwash you. I bought OPI Bling Dynasty a while ago and was always dying to try it out. I got my chance last night!

It'd be a good idea to show you my inspiration first.

Image imported from www.musingsofamuse.com

See her nails? I particularly like the black tip but not the round, pointed shape. So I've revamped the design! With 2 coats of the gorgeous Bling Dynasty and its perfect application plus coverage. Bling Dynasty was released part of OPI's Hong Kong Collection. It is quite a unique gold. Reminds me of those antique gold jewellery that belongs to some ancient civilisation. Its a good thing. There's also a vintage vibe to it. I then added a black tip in Revlon Black Lingerie because it is a true black.

2 coats of OPI Bling Dynasty, Revlon Black Lingerie tips

Awesome tips, no? Ignore the smudge on my ring finger. It is definitely not a good idea to feed your cat when your nails are still wet. But because I was lazy and cut on time, I used a manicure tip guide. The guides can be found on Ebay for next to nothing. They are so simple and effective. However, I do recommend sticking the guides onto your hands a couple of times to remove most of its stickiness as it is the excess stickiness that will ruin your manicure. This is what I call beauty on a budget, pat on the back for me.

I think the design of the tips would also make awesome looking strawberries. Green tips with pink or red base and golden bullions for seeds. Now that's an idea.

Flakies

I kind of don't have the inspiration to paint my nails right now after scrubbing for 2 full hours trying to get China Glaze Doll's House off. No joke. Down side of ultimate bling-ness, I guess. My nails hurt from scratching. Maybe I'll paint my nails tomorrow because I have an idea right now.

So in the meanwhile, I thought I'd share with you something that I wore a while back. Nubar G188 over black. The black is Revlon Black Lingerie. It is a pure black with no fancy glitters or shimmers. Nubar G188 is a topcoat. Iridescent. Before your mind stray to Gwen Harwood, focus your eyes on the photo below.

2 coats of Black Lingerie, 2 coats of G188

I love it! So much. G188 has iridescent flakies floating in a clear base. Similar to Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure and Nfu Oh's something because I keep forgetting the number. G188 was released as a special 2010 polish by Nubar and I stumbled upon this in my quest to find a dupe for China Glaze Fortune Teller, a polish released part of their 2009 Halloween collection, if my memory serves me right. You should look it up. You'll fall in love with it too.

In my opinion, it looks even better than Fortune Teller and is also more versatile as G188 is a topcoat. It can be layered over any colour and reflect different colours depending on the base colour. I won't try to explain it because you'll just give me a weird look. I'll save myself the embarrassment.