Posts Tagged ‘nail art’

31
Oct
2010

When you hang out a lot with a food blogger who’s obsessed with sweets, you naturally get influenced by his obsessions. Thankfully though, as a beauty blogger, my obsession with all things sweet didnt come in the form of food. When I get fixated on something, I really go all out. My current obsession revolves around nails. So for sure I had to do up a set of Halloween nails in light of this spooky holiday. And when two obsessions combine, it didnt come as any surprise when I looked to the candy of Halloween for inspiration for some Halloween nail designs.

Halloween Nails

Even though we dont exactly celebrate Halloween here in Singapore and you might not get to dress up in your sluttiest scariest going around trick-or-treating, you could always try out some Halloween nail designs just to invoke the spirit of all things ghoulish. I tried my hand (literally) at dressing up my nails with some Halloween nail art and now have to try to resist eating my nails since they’re candy inspired. Hahaha.

It’s quite a no brainer how-to get these Halloween nails. Even if zombies ate your brains, you’d still be able to do it. Haha. Simply paint stripes across your nails using the brightest nail polishes you can find. After which, all you have to do it slather several coats of glitter nail polish over and you’re done. While you wait for your nails to dry, make sure your lawn is well protected so zombies cant get to you and ruin your gorgeous Halloween nail art. Hahaha. If you’re a big fan of Plants vz Zombies, yes, you’ll realise I have been playing the game too much. Hahaha.

Have a Happy Halloween! Boo!

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19
Oct
2010

After getting my glitter OPI nail polish from the Burlesque Glitter collection, I had to decide what to do with the nail polish. Naturally, I couldn’t let all that crazy glitter go to waste. What was the best way to showcase these obscenely glittery nail polishes? Well, after seeing several glitter gradient nails including Ling’s, I decided to do the same. The entire procedure is rather simple yet the results are absolutely fantastic. Because good things must be shared, here are the steps to my glitter gradient nail tutorial.

What you need for this nail tutorial:
- base coat
- a nude/pale pink nail polish
- fine holographic glitter nail polish
- black nail polish
- top coat

Lastly, the star of the show: OPI Burlesque Glitter Collection nail polish.

OPI Nail Polish Burlesque Collection

You can choose to use whatever colour glitter you want for the tips but I picked Simmer and Shimmer for this look cause I was inspired by Adam Lambert’s awesome blue glitter when I saw him at the F1 Rocks concert. The glittery blue eyeshadow and blue glitter in his hair was nothing but eye-catching. It was a glitter explosion yall! So, we’re gonna invoke some of that glamness onto our nails with the Simmer and Shimmer OPI nail polish.

Nail Tutorial: Glitter Gradient

1) After applying your base coat and the pale pink nail polish to all your nails, dab the black nail polish onto the tips of your nails. You dont have to be neat about this step because in the next step, you’ll cover the black nail polish with glitter. At the end, you’ll realise black polish on the edges help to intensify the glitter gradient nail.

Nail Tutorial: Glitter Gradient

2) Now comes the fun part. Starting from the middle of your nail, spread a thin layer of glitter all the way to the nail tip. Be as light handed as you can for this first layer and dont be afraid if the polish looks thin. The next couple of layers will sufficiently make up for the lack of sparkly.

Nail Tutorial: Glitter Gradient

3) Once the first layer is slightly dry, paint your second coat, focusing the Simmer and Shimmer glitter on the part of the nail with the black nail polish. Sweep a third layer of OPI nail polish just at the nail tips to really pack the glitter at the ends. What I really like about glitter gradient nails is the fact that you never have to be neat! Hahaha!

Nail Tutorial: Glitter Gradient

4) To fully complete the glam glitter experience, apply a layer of fine holographic glitter generously over the entire nail. I used a $2 Daiso glitter nail polish before painting a shiny top coat to seal everything in. Once you’re done with these steps, draw up your darkest eyeliner and say hello to Glambertness!

Sounds simple enough? Ready, get set, glam up your nails!

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30
May
2010

Inspired by Violet’s nail art post last month, I went out and got myself them cute little fruit slices and decided to try my hand at nail art too. For this week’s Sneaker Sunday post, inspired by the new Sex and the City 2 movie and my upcoming trip to that particular city, the theme for my nail art is, have you guessed it already, if you said New York, you are right! It’s The Big Apple.

The apples used here aren’t really THAT big, but that was totally irrelevant. Lol. Here’s my nail art design inspired by the City that Never Sleeps: New York and it’s dazzling bright lights.

1) After applying your base coat and cuticle oil, paint 2 coats of your reddest red nail polish on all your toes. I used Revlon’s nail polish in 680 Revlon Red.

2) When the 2 coats are sufficiently dry, slather on a generous amount of clear top coat. This will act as the glue for all your nail decorations. While the top coat is still wet, carefully place the juicy apple slice in your desired position.

3) To mimic the bright lights of the City, I used red and silver crystals and mini gold balls alongside the apple slice. Randomly cluster them together next to the apple while the top coat is still wet and push them firmly down against your nail.

4) Do up both toes. The design for both toes dont have to be identical. To finish, paint 2 layers of top coat over the decorations to hold them securely in place. Let dry completely.

The result is a dazzling mix of bright sparkly jewels against the vibrant red backdrop of your nail. Feel free to add more apples or bling to your nails to really feel the energy of the City. In the meantime, while waiting for your toes to dry, why not head on over to Violet’s and she’ll have tips for you on what types of sneakers to wear this lazy Sunday..

What’s in store for your summer holidays? My trip is just 2 weeks away! I’m sooooo excited.

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1
Feb
2010

To add to your Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows collection, OPI has nail polishes that honour all things Alice.

The new collection invites you to Wonderland with 4 beautiful colours.

Off With Her Red! – A brilliant tomato red
Absolutely Alice – Sparkly blue that obviously matches Alice signature blue dress
Mad as a Hatter – Grey/black with mad loads of multi-coloured glitter
Thanks So Muchness! – Metallic berry red with an undertone of pink

I can definitely see myself wearing Mad as a hatter for some mad partying, and the two reds for the upcoming Valentine’s/Chinese New Year holiday. Unfortunately, I dont think these are out in our local stores yet. I just got wind that some stores are already carrying these, Sephora being one of it! Yay!

Which of the 4 featured colours do you like best?

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13
Jan
2010

I’ve never had to bother with fake nails. Being absolutely clumsy it was either I cut them short, grew them out or get gel/acrylic extensions. But if you’re always busy working with your hands, what happens when you need a temporary permanent situation?

Fake nails to the rescue!

I only used them a couple of days before the actual Coronation while other girls sported extensions the whole time. Turns out they’re actually pretty easy to use!

What you need
- a fake nail kit (you can easily purchase them from a local drugstore)

The nail kit usually comes with an emery board, cuticle stick and nail glue. Otherwise, you will need to purchase them separately.

How to
1. Remove any trace of nail polish on your natural nails using cotton balls and nail polish remover. Wash your hands and dry thoroughly.

2. Apply hand-cream and allow it to soak into your skin.

3. Before applying the artificial nails, select the most appropriate sized one by matching the artificial nail to your natural one. The artificial nails should cover your natural nail and not be smaller than your actual nail.

4. Push your cuticle back to expose as much of your natural nail as possible.

5. File your nail surface using the emery board until it is smooth. This allows the glue to spread evenly and provides a better adhesive when you apply the artificial nail.

6. Spread an even layer of glue to your thumb and apply the fake nail starting from the edge nearest the cuticle. Apply gentle pressure and hold the fake nail down for 5 to 10 seconds before releasing.

7. Repeat Step 6 for the rest of the fingers.

8. Once you are done, viola, stretch your hands out and enjoy your handiwork! You can also choose to file any rough edges down or even shape the nails to any shape or length you want.

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8
Sep
2009

With the advent of gel nails, talons have gotten longer and designs more elaborate. Gel nails are probably the hardest of all the nail extensions available, but I honestly cannot fathom how some people live in them.

I think the question on most people’s minds is: how on earth do you pick your nose?!?!!

I don’t have an answer to that but do have a method of imitating a gel nail manicure for a fraction of the price. One set from the manicurist’s, on the average, costs anywhere from $70 to $150. Depending on the design, prices might sky rocket beyond the said price range.

Surprised by my friend’s set that wasn’t exaggeratedly long, I decided to embark on replicating a set of my own, at the same time, putting my enhanced creative skills to work; all thanks to the increased oestrogen levels during pre-ovulation (days 8 – 14 of the cycle).

Psssst! Increased oestrogen levels during this period gives you better looking hair, heightened verbal fluency skills and increased memory! I think the heightened verbal fluency must have helped me during my QnA segment last Saturday! Wahahaha! Perfect timing.

Things you need for your DIY:
- clear base coat
- 2 of your favourite glitter nail polishes

I chose a gold glitter polish from The Face Shop and some random cheapo blue glitter polish that costs $1.
- top coat

To fully recreate the effect of gel nails, it would be best if your nails were a leeeetle long say about 0.5cm long, but that’s not a definite requirement.

The How-to:
1) Apply base coat to clean nails.

2) Starting from the edge of the nail, apply the first coloured glitter until the middle of the nail. The glitter goes on thick near the tips and slowly decreases in intensity. Use a dabbing method to achieve desired effect. The best part about using glitter is you dont have to be neat about it!

3) Following that, when the first coat is almost dry, apply the second colour only to the tips of your nails. Again dabbing it on until desired intensity.

4) Finally, paint on the top coat and wait for your nails to dry fully!

The result

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