End of April Nails

Check that out, I actually posted a set of nails that I'm currently wearing instead of a "quick update" of nails I forgot to upload. Had a lot of fun with this one, and really happy with how it turned out.

Ingredients:
Seche Clear Base Coat
ORLY 40638 "Green with Envy": 2-3 coats
ORLY 40667 "Green Apple": 2-3 coats
Migi Nails Pen and brush: black for lines, blue for color blocking
Seche Vite Top Coat

Watch out if you try it yourself -- Seche Vite DOES streak the Migi Nail polish. So brush fast and get good coverage the first time!

2012 Nail recap!

Sorry for the lack of posts this year. I've been doing my nails but not posting them regularly, so here's my cheater catch-up batch of nails that I've done. Keep in mind these are over the last few months, so I'm trying my best to remember what I used but can't really guarantee my accuracy!

January 20, 2012:

Just a quick one, using striping brushes.  SEPHORA by O.P.I in "212-SEPHORA"

I didn't actually intend for this one to come out so abstract, but I got to this mid-way through and  ended up liking the random corner paint job. Sally Hansen Color Quick pen in "Pink Chrome" ($1.00 at Dollar tree!)  covered with OPI in "Ski Teal We Drop" (which I love love love)

This one is by far one of my most favorite nail sets I've ever done, because it's so busy-looking. Huge combination of different colors, including (but probably not limited to, since I'm having some trouble remembering after two months) Black undercoat, China Glaze "Cracked Medallion," Art Club black striping polish, Konad plate m64 with Konad White polish, plus some random rhinestones I had in my nailpolish box. So much fun!

My first gradient! I loved these nails, they were so pretty and they lasted a long time, too. :) Colors included:  China Glaze "718 Watermelon Rind," Orly "Green with Envy," OPI "Ski Teal We Drop," Savvy "Totally Teal" (on sale at Sally's for 1.99! Yay!) and Nicole by OPI "It's up to you." 

Migi Nails Take #1

Sorry for the lack of details. These are old designs that I never got around to posting and so I don't remember much about how many coats, drying time, application, etc. Enjoy the pictures! (P.S. the design is based on one of the designs on the back of the Migi Nail Kit box)

Orly Limelite Experiment

I really should sell konad. I must have introduced about 5 cashier ladies to the concept of nail stamping just by having my nails done. Today's nails were complimented by the nice post office lady who always has nice makeup on. I remember mailing something to my sister in a Sephora box (it wasn't makeup, I was just re-using the packaging) and she said something along the lines of "Oooo I love Sephora!!" I've told her before that her makeup is cute. She makes my sister and me want work at the post office because she's always so cute and friendly.

Yesterday I went to mail something and she goes "Ooo I like your nails. Where did you get them done?" and I told her I did them myself. Then I told her it's a stamp, and you just paint the background color and they you roll the stamp on top. She was so interested, so I told her the name "konad" (along with the spelling, because everyone who asks me about it has never heard of it) and that she should look it up. She goes "I'm excited! I'm going to look it up tonight." 

So I've converted another one. :) Like I said, I really should sell konad, that way I can just hand over a business card and have them buy from me. It's so tempting to tell them my blog address but I don't wanna seem all full of myself like "Oh, you like my nails, look at ALLLLLL my nails on my blog!?!?" or something like that. My plan is that I"ll ask her about it next time. 

What I used:

• Base coat: Avon smooth beginnings (whoops, forgot to put it in the picture!)
• Base color: Savvy Nail Lacquer in "French Sheer White" -- 2 coats
• Blue: Orly "Limelite" -- 3 coats (yes, three!)
• Stamp:
• Konad black polish + konad plate m64
• Top Coat: Seche Vite top coat

What I learned:

I really had to layer that Orly on to get it to show up. I actually experimented with putting it straight onto my nail but since it's so clear I went with the white base, which helped. Oh, and I followed the advice of Polish Hoarder Disorder who kindly answered an email I sent her about keeping the polish so clean and tidy. Slower painting and detail touch-ups... worked like a charm. :) That and I also tried painting further away from my cuticles than I normally do. 

Mermaid nails

The idea with this one was supposed to be a mermaid-under-the-sea-with-pearls deal. It didn't quite turn out as great as I had hoped but it's still cute. I like the different kinds of blues and greens I made up, and they each have their own unique shimmer too.

Sorry for the messier-than-usual. I ran out of q-tips and cotton pads so I had to do the best clean-up I could with just soap and water. :(

What I used: Unfortunately there was a lot of experimenting with layers so I don't know how many coats of each color I have on each finger. The listed colors are in order of application on each nail.

• Base coat: Avon Smooth Beginnings Base Coat
• Top coat: Seche Vite 
• Pinky: Sally Girl 812047 + Nicole by OPI "It's Up to You" + Konad white w/ plate m27
• Ring finger: Avon mirror shine "Glisten" + ORLY "Green with envy" + Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "09 Disco Ball" + Konad white w/ plate m60
• Middle finger: Zoya "Pippa" + Sally girl "Luv it" + Konad white w/ plate m79
• Index finger: Sally girl 812047 + ORLY "Green with envy" + Sally girl "Luv it" + Konad white w/ plate m79
• Thumb: Zoya "Pippa" + Sally girl "Luv it" + ORLY "Limelite" + Konad white w/ plate m79