Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Nail Patch Walk-through



I'm kind of in a pinch for time lately, with all my school work and such. So I thought I'd take the easy way out and do a repeat nail job, and what quicker repeat can there be than the nail patches from Sephora that I raved about, huh?

And as a treat: a little walk through, because I felt like it. :)

BEFORE:
My french tips from last week have seen better days.


Removed nail polish with Onyx Acetone and a cotton ball.


Plain nails are ready for shaping!


Decided to go without corners this week. I've been doing square tips for a few weeks now and my nails could use a break from getting caught on everything. This is a nail file from my sister , who bought it from Body Shop a little while back. I really like nail files. :)



I treat my cuticles with Sephora by OPI cuticle oil. I don't really know how to do my nails the professional way, and the last time I tried to push my cuticles back I ended up damaging them. You can still see a little dimple on my right thumbnail tip from way back then... it's on its way to being grown out and filed off.



Reviewing the (very easy to follow) directions on the nail patches, so I don't mess up.


Open up the air-tight package.


The package comes with two sheets of 8 nail patches. Chances are you'll find the right size somewhere in there.


Found my sizes! Tore them off and put away the extras so I don't get confused later.


Carefully remove the white plastic on top.


Peel off the nail patch.


Applying the nail patch to my thumb. They're adhesive, but strong enough so that if you mess up, you can reposition the sticker and it won't rip or tear.


Tucking in the excess nail patch. The extra stuff tears off nicely.


Next finger!


Make sure you rub it on really well.


No problem and super easy. :)


See! Easy!


Ta-DAH! All done. :)

Yay Nail Patches!


Friday, January 15, 2010

French Manicure



French Manicure, because I had a bottle of Revlon polish that I got from Big Lots a while ago, and wanted to see if it would make a good pink. :)

I like them. They're a little tame for what I'm used to, but it's nice to have something simple/elegant/normal.

What I used:
  • Base Coat: Avon Nail Experts Smooth Beginnings Base Coat -- 1 coat
  • Tips: Petites French White #417 -- 2 coats as needed
  • Color: Revlon Post Trauma Nail Treatment Step 3 -- 2 coats, applied over the nail and tip
  • Top Coat: Avon Nail Experts UV Gloss Guard: Top Coat -- 2 coats
  • Drying Agent: Drip Dry by OPI -- 2 drops on each nail

Bad Matte.


These nails hold the record of having the shortest wear span. You know the China Glaze Matte Top Coat I mentioned in my last haul? Not so good, even on top of non-top-coat nail polish. Booooo. They were pretty for the whole 24 hours I had them on, but they also chipped intensely within those 24 hours. Unacceptable, so they had to go. I wasn't a big fan of the matte look anyway... the non-shine was kind of freaking me out. And this week I'm rockin' some plain frenchies as the replacement.

What I used
  • Base coat as usual
  • Red: Wet n Wild 414A-- 2 coats
  • Stickers: ??? Leftovers from sticker sheets I have in my box.
  • Top coat: China Glaze Matte Magic -- 2 coats. Thumbs down.