Opi nail apps: under review

I'm going to start out by saying I was completely ecstatic about trying these polish strips. I love the Sally and kiss ones and assumed OPI wouldnt let me down with theirs. I was definitely wrong. Unlike Sally, you have to rub these strips to warm them up. They're really thick and plasticy so they don't apply well. The ends are all wrinkly and it took me a while to file the ends off. They're supposed to be sugar skulls but the designs are so big and poorly placed that you can't tell what they are once they're on your nails. Overall, I'm really disappointed in these. I'll stick to my Sally strips from now on.
Have you guys tried any? What are your thoughts?

Neon Trees Nails

So, Neon Trees is one of my favorite bands and I'm going to see them tonight. I did a mani in honor of them haha. This is their album cover for their new single Everybody Talks.
I tried to do the head sunglasses on my thumb. It came out a bit shaky but from far away it looks great. haha. I love them though. They're pretty fun and I got to use three of my favorite glitters. =)
I used two coats of everything. I had to play with the black glitter a little to get it to go every where.

Black: China Glaze - Liquid Leather

Red Glitter: Wet N Wild - Behind Closed Doors

Black Glitter: Wet N Wild - Tangled In My Web

Multi Colored Glitter: Spoiled - Shuffle The Deck

White: OPI - Skull & Glossbones

Steven Tyler inspired nails:

So, I'm an avid fan of American Idol... as least until the top 24 when they eliminate all my favorites.
I keep noticing Steven Tyler's nails and I love them. So, I decided to give it a go. Here's his version, followed by my own attempt.

I think they would have turned out better if I had a nude polish for a base coat.

I did what I could with what I had though.

Base: OPI's Skull & Glossbones (from the Pirates line)

Silver: Revlon Chrome

Black: an Art Deco nail art brush I found at the dollar tree. haha

A few more past manis:

And my polish collection. haha I finally got something to put them in where I can find what I want.

Sorry all these are messy. I'm not a fan of cleaning up haha. I let time do that for me. I found this Cosmetic Arts lacquer at Ross for $1.50. I'm a sucker for purple polish so I grabbed it and a teal color. It takes forever for them to dry but they're gorgeous colors. The dry time could also be attributed to the top coat I used. I had a Sally top/base coat that I had gotten for free when I purchased some other polish. So, I added the glitter that I got with my first Julep package in and shook it up a bit. I love the way it looks. It's like little silver flakies. 

Wendy and I took a trip to our favorite place, Trans Design! I picked up two of the China Glaze Magnetix polishes. The middle finger is Pull Me Close and the rest are Attraction. The cool thing about these is that the CG magnet (sold separately) has three different designs on it. The mani is kind of messed up because I'm incapable of holding anything still even if its for a few seconds but they apply well and are very simple to magnetize. 

This mani is one of the Justin Bieber by Nichole polishes I decided to purchase. (Shut up, I love Biebz.) I used two coats of Not a Gold Bigger and topped it with a coat of Serena William's by OPI Spark De Triomphe. Love the combo. 

Been a while since i have updated...

Here's a few manis I've done lately. Mostly the OPI Nicki Minaj line (because I love them!) and some craptastic polish strips at the bottom.

OPI's "Did It On 'Em" - green

OPI's "Metallic 4 Life" - accent nail

OPI's "Fly"

OPI's "Save Me"

Julep's Kim with OPI's SuperBass Shatter

Julep's Hayden with Lynderella's Connect The Dots on top.

Hayden applied like crap. I had to use a ton of polish for it to cover. Connect the Dots is my new favorite polish however.

These were an awesome pattern but they strips were way too thick. I could not get them to flatten around my nails. The packaging suggested a hairdryer, which I attempted. Didn't work. They also peeled right off. I got these on of the deal sites and it was not worth the effort I spent purchasing them, even though they were free. So bascially, don't purchase any strips from FabulousNails.com.

OPI Nicki Minaj Pink Friday: I love the eraser-pinkyness of this polish. I loved its craptastic application a lot less.

So, I figured it was a good time to play with magnets!

Nails Inc. Trafalgar Square: SO.much.fun.

Newspaper Nail Art

Instead of looking through my newspaper for headlining stories on firefighters saving babies from a burning building, I looked for words to put on my nails.

Newspaper Nail Art is one of the easiest things to do. If this were a Nail Art college, this would be in our introductory class.

What you will need:

1)     Newspaper

2)     Light nail color (white, gray, light pink)

3)     Rubbing Alcohol (don’t waste vodka)

4)     Clear Top Coat

The newspaper article I used was on someone who loved baking cakes. Perfect, I love eating cakes!

Step 1: Paint one coat of your light nail color.

I used OPI’s French Quarter For Your Thoughts from their 2011 Fall Collection. Make sure this coat is completely dry before moving on! I made the mistake of thinking it was “almost” dry, proceeded to the next step, and it failed. Miserably.

Step 2: Dip nail in rubbing alcohol for 15-30 seconds.

Step 3: Quickly (!!) put your newspaper over your nail, hold for 15-30 seconds.

I found each nail did something different. Some did not hold, some I had to do longer than 15 seconds. Press your newspaper on your nail really hard, but watch it, don’t hurt yourself! Warning: the fingers you use to press the newspaper will get residue on it, but we will fix that after your nails are done.

Step 4: Repeat on all your nails.

Step 5: Let dry! 10 minutes, minimum

Newspaper ink takes a while to dry onto your light nail color. Be patient.

Step 6: Apply top coat.

If you see your nail color streaking, do not continue! Wait a few more minutes to make sure it’s dry. I cannot stress this enough.

Step 7: Once you're 100% sure your nails are dry, use nail polish remover to get rid of any newspaper ink left on your fingers and around your nails. (or wash your hands, that's how I got rid of mine) *this step isn't necessary, if you some managed to do this without making a mess of your fingers

Your end results will make headliners (see what I did there?). A few of my nails ended up streaking even though I was completely sure they were dry, but they ones that came out were gorgeous. My thumb has the word “love” backwards.

These newspaper nails have a very edgy feel to them. I used a regular top coat for them, but I might use a matte next time. I feel very Debbie Harry with these nails, I like it.

Julep Trina

Waiting for a package to be delivered seems like it takes forever, that package being nail polish seems to take an eternity. Perhaps, I’m dramatic but I could not get Julep’s Maven It-Girl package in my hands fast enough.

The only color I have tested is Trina. The color is a eggplant purple that has hints of dark red shimmer in it. The shimmer was hard to capture in a photo, but I’ll try to get a better one up of it once I go out for the day.

Julep’s Trina reminds me of their version of OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark but with a barely noticeable hint of shimmer. If you’re a fan of OPI’s LPAD, Trina would be a great addition to your collection.

The bottle suggests two coats of Trina, but two coats make it completely opaque and a little darker. One coat would do fine with a nice top coat.

For the top coat, I used Julep’s Fast Drying Topcoat. I think I put it on wrong, but it took a little over ten minutes to dry. (Though, Ashley said hers took 2 minutes). Julep responded quickly on twitter: making sure I shook the nail polish before applying and suggesting running nails under cold water for twenty minutes. Instead, I waited a while and after an hour, they were completely dry. (I will try the cold water trick and the ice cubes in a bowl one day!)

I’m sad that my Holiday glitters have been retired for now, but Julep’s Trina has made me fall back in love with dark nail polish.

Happy 2012 -- Vee's NYE Nails!

Happy 2012! What a bright year to try new fashions, nail colors, and accessories.

While waiting to ring in the New Year, I attended a few parties in the city not wearing a traditional sequence/glittery dress; instead, I wanted all the attention on my glittery nails! As JustOff7thAve.com stated, “the overlooked accessory: nail polish”.

Throughout the night, random strangers were grabbing my hands in awe of how the colors captured the light and their attention. After each lady told me how they wish they could pull off glitter nail polish but could not due to their nail length, I sounded like a broken record: “Anyone can pull it off, it’s the holidays, it’s winter; the only time of the year where you won’t feel like a kindergarten girl for putting pink glitter on your nails!”

Though, I always feel like a five year old girl—but only due to my love for unicorns, pink, and watching Aladdin on repeat—anyone needs to at least try glitter on your nails, regardless of length or age.

For my NYE nails, I did not want to put too many layers of glitter on. I decided to use a few base colors to prevent my glitter nail polish from not drying correctly. Experimenting with glitters can be a pain yet also yield great results.

• Base Color: OPI – French Quarter For Your Thoughts (fyi: my favorite fall color plus the only color straight males actually compliment)
• Top Glitter: Funky Fingers – Sand And Stilettos

• Base Color: Orly – Gumdrop
• Top Glitter: OPI – Gone Gonzo!

• Base Color: OPI – Sparrow Me The Drama
• Top Glitter: OPI – Teenage Dream (yes, from Katy Perry’s 2011 collection and yes, I’m now singing the song in my head)

Nail Style 1: I wanted to do tips of the blue OPI’s Gone Gonzo on Funky Fingers’ Sand And Stilettos. They turned on better than I expected. The blue radiated on top of the silver sparkle. NYE Fail: I didn’t let them dry completely before doing things around the house; thus, smudging off. NO!
Tip: Do a layer, let it dry, then come back an hour later… it’ll save the hassle of having to re-do it.

Nail Style 2: Since I love pink glitter and Katy Perry’s song, using OPI’s Teenage Dream was a given. However, it was lighter than my other colors and didn’t have the “pop” effect I was hoping for. When I put dots of Gone Gonzo on top, it looked ah-may-zing. It seemed I put gems on it. A great combination, but looked like I was going to a baby shower with the blue-pink combination.

Nail Style 3: I simply used Orly’s Gumdrop with OPI’s Gone Gonzo! on top. If you have not noticed, this is my favorite color from the Muppet collection! The aqua blue with the hexagon silver sparkles give a perfection combination. It does not have a base color in the nail polish, it’s clear. This means, it takes more layers to fully cover your nail without noticing your natural nail. Orly’s Gumdrop solved that issue with one coat beneath Gone Gonzo!

I’m glad it’s only January! I don’t like the cold, but being able to use these winter collections make it seem a little better. Try a few glitter colors, don’t be shy. They are harder to take off, but believe me… it’s worth it! 

Current Mani:

I picked up 3 packs of Sally Hansen effects yesterday and the Zebra stripes were one of them. I love them but thought a full hand would be a little much so I just put them on my ring fingers and used Fly on the others. Fly is such a gorgeous color. It's more teal than blue in person.

Wendy's Chanukah nails!

Polishes Used:

• China Glaze - White on White
• GOSH - Holographic
• OPI - DS Glamour.

10 things under $10 we want for the holidays:

Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, or another holiday, we wanna show you the top ten things under 10 bucks that we wish would be gifted into our lives this season.

1. EOS lip balm: It makes your lips feel super smooth and (as Wendy pointed out) it very easy to find in your purse. Nothing else in there is shaped like EOS lip balm. It comes in several different flavors including Sweet Mint and Tangerine. You can buy the singles at most Drug Stores, Ulta, and Target. They're only $3 for one for $7 for a pack of three. Lipsticks and other chapsticks are always a good buy as well. You can get NYC's Hydrating Lipstick in Blossom for only $1.97 at Wal-Mart.

2. Nail Polish: Polish is universal. Girls who don't wear makeup paint their nails. (I know I'm one of those girls). There's a polish for everyone. Your nails can be super colorful with bright greens, blues, yellows, or the classic red like your mom probably wears. Creative nails are in. Buy your daughter, mother, sister, friends, and grandma some great polish. You can get the Sinful Color line at Target or Walgreens for only $2 a bottle! They have a great range of colors. Or if you're looking to spend a little more, try China Glaze or OPI (found at Sally Beauty Supply or Ulta). I'm crazy about their shatters/crackles and glitter polishes. You can also get some great art pens for decent prices. I found some awesome Art Deco (by LA Colors) pens at Dollar Tree!

3. Nail Polish Strips: While we're on the subject of nails. Nail strips! They come in so many different colors and patterns. There are several different brands including Sally Hansen, Butter London, and Incoco. I've only tried the Sally ones. They seem to be the lowest price at around $10. I had the skull and cross bones for Halloween and absolutely loved them. Be sure to put a top coat on and around them to make sure they seal on there well. 

4. Tights/Leggings: This is a perfect gift for women of all ages, shapes, and sizes. It's winter, it's cold, and we all want to keep our legs warm under those cute dresses we bought for all the holiday parties. Much like polish and nail strips, they come in so many cute colors and patterns! Personally, I want some Zebra print ones in my stocking but I dont think I could pull them off. haha. Target has a wide variety for $5 each. 

5. Dry Shampoo: Its the greatest thing since... uhh... regular shampoo was invented. You can get small sized ones to keep in your purse. So, when you go to the gym or are out in the summer heat, you can still look so fresh and so clean clean afterwards. I've used the Tresemme kind and it works well. My friend Erin suggests the Suave brand. It only costs about $3. 

6. Facial Scrub or masks: I personally love L'Oreal's 360 Facial Scrub. Another good option is St. Ives Apricot Scrub, whichever makes your face feel like a baby's bottom (after a good bath with some baby lotion on it). 

7. Lotions: What girl doesn't love lotion? Victoria's Secret is having a half-off sale right now. Their holiday scents Snowy Violet and Apple Blossom smell delicious. I also enjoy Bath & Body Works' Into the Wild. It's been my favorite since it came out. Their new scents Charmed Life and Be Enchanted are perfect too. 

8. Gift Cards: They're may seem a bit last minute or thoughtless but if you get her one for a place she really enjoys then it makes a difference. Or get them a gift card for a restaurant that you both love so you two (or more) can have a girls night out. If you're shopping for me, I want Visa gift cards. haha

9. Hair treatments: No one wants frizzy gross hair during the holidays. Treat yourself or your friends to Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Treatment. My friend Courtney loves this product. She also swears by John Frieda's Frizz Ease Finishing Creme.  These two range from $3-6 at your local drug store. 

10. Vitamins: Okay this is the more boring choice BUT everyone needs to take some daily vitamins. AND! They make gummy vitamins for adults now! They're even in fun fruit shapes. Although, I will miss my Disney Princess shaped vitamins, these will have to do. Stay healthy for the holidays and throughout the year with One-A-Day Vitacraves!  

Xmas Nails =)

Simple nails for Christmas

• Sinful Colors - HD Nails 926
• OPI - Spark De Triomphe
• Top Coat: Color Club 0-60 Speedy

I love this color green but I had to use four coats for it to be this bright and opaque. I put one coat on my ring finger to give the glitter a green tint. I love the Spark De Triomphe though! I had to use three coats of it for it to cover well. 

Owl nails!

So my new favorite website is Cutoutandkeep.net. They have really cute manicure ideas on there and other fun crafty things. I saw a tutorial for Owl nails and I love owls so I thought I'd give them a try.

Those are the finished product. Took about an hour to do them.

I used dotters to do everything.

Here's the tutorial I used.

Base coat: OPI Planks A Lot

Details: China Glaze First Mate

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

Sinful Colors Pull Over

OPI He's My Boo

OPI I Only Date Werewolves

Top Coat: Color Club 0-60 Speedy