Feather Manicure

I love this manicure. Really easy and lasts for a lot longer than expected. Here's how- 

Extra Fine Glitter Manicure

So when I am at Michael's Craft Store, I am constantly keeping my eyes open for cool manicure ideas. Especially in the sales bins! I found this extra fine glitter on sale for something like, $1.79 so I figured I would give it a try. I am not sure how I feel about this one but I think it could grow on me, with a little tweaking and technique work, of course!

The application process is the exact same as the DIY Tinsel Manicure Tutorial that I posted earlier. But I still put some simple directions on the photos for reference!
Enjoy:)

Gradient Tape Manicure

Corner Striped Manicure

Easy! And classy.

Diamond Nails!

This one is simple and a half! All you do is paint a base coat, then take two pieces of tape, use the corners, and stack like them like pictured and then paint as you please in the opening of the tape.

Tips:
-Wait until your base coat is COMPLETELY dry.. or you will pull off the polish with the tape.
-Stick the tape to your skin and pull off, repeat a few more times. Do this so you remove the 100% stickiness of the tape.
-Be picky about the edge of the tape and make sure there is a good "seal" on it. No air bubbles, lifting, etc.


Then finish with a top coat!

Splatter- With a Twist!

Found this AMAZING way to splatter!!! I've used a straw and a toothbrush before.....

But then I found this tutorial that I love! But there's some things that I want to add in that would make some things clearer. 

First off, use WHATEVER colors you choose. Seriously. 

Second, the paint brush I used was a paint brush that I found at hobby lobby in a bag of random ones all mixed together. So as long as the bristles are soft and decent in length, you will be made in the shade. 

Third- with the acrylic paint to "splatter" on to your nails comes a frustration I encountered. Acrylic paint is too think alone to splatter. I read in a comment that someone said to use nail polish thinner, BAD IDEA. All you need is water mixed with the paint and then you take the brush and put it in between your thumb and middle finger, then use your pointer finger to tap it enough to cause a splatter. 

Easy as cake. Let the paint sink in for about 5-10 minutes so that you have the smooth look to it. Then use a top coat and you're done! 

MESSY! But worth it, see what I mean?

Here were the colors and polishes that I used. 

String Art Manicure with Toothpick

Just a Preview....

Cow Manicure!

Obviously, this is my favorite.... enough said.

Bright Yellow Dots

Acetone Manicure

So I am in love with this idea. And I mean IN LOVE WITH this idea. I will be doing more different variations with different colors. I got the tutorial from Nails Adored and she calls it the "Grunge Effect".

So this was my first try, and I think it came out great. I just forgot to put a top coat on and it ended up chipping the next day. I included a pretty in-depth tutorial. Keep in mind: this manicure is SO EASY! It probably takes 15 minutes from start to finish. It also helps because messing up is non-existent with this fun take on marbling.

1 & 2. I figured I don't too much with pink so I thought it would be fun to use a bunch of my pinks. The idea originally came about after seeing this picture of a breast cancer survivor. 

Her stomach says, "I had breast cancer and now I have Theo" in Portuguese.

Such a strong and amazing and brave and inspirational women. 

Swatches: Worth it!

Okay, so it has been incredibly hectic lately and please forgive me for the brief hiatus. So since I am addicted to looking at nail designs on Pintrest, and addicted to painting my own (sorry nails! I swear I'm changing!), seeing people painting nail acrylic tips so they don't paint their nails daily like I thought was a great plan. I know better now and ordered 500 clear acrylic full size tips and I think with tax and shipping, they cost $6.03 or something....? But I found them at the Born Pretty store! So worth it. Then I hot glued them to a toothpick, when you are hot gluing be careful that the nail doesn't melt. Before you stick the toothpick on the inside of nail, let it cool for a second or two before you make contact of the two. Then I took masking tape and wrapped it around the base with it's name, it's brand, and how many coats I used on the swatch. Also ended up cutting up an empty tissue box and messing around with it enough to use the other half as slot dividers. This whole thing took me about two weeks... but it was also an incredibly busy two weeks. This is an awesome weekend project and your nails will thank you!

New (to me) Polishes Happening Soon!

I ordered some new polishes from Amazon because I had a gift card there from returning textbooks. So I spent about two hours comparing and contrasting and researching and finding the dupes, it any, and found these bad boys!
So excited!!!

Will update when they arrive, you can expect a blog review about them. Yay!

OPI - It's My Year

This polish is definitely top 10 on my favorites list. It is pretty sheer after one coat but then once the second one is on you can't tell one bit. Great for water marbling too ;) I know I am probably way behind on the polish phases. Oh well! 

Whiten Nails- Hydro Peroxide and Baking Soda

Not a fan of this combo, might just b my nails though. I just found it on pintrest. The recipe is 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Make a paste and then leave on your nails for 5 minutes then wash off with warm water and soap. 

I am going to try this one that I found at Pamper & Primp's website that includes lemon juice. I have heard that really does the trick. Also going to try their teeth whitening recipes! I will post about both soon! 

Tackle Box Orginazation

K mine is super messy and not a good pic but you get the point. Sort your nail things in your tackle box and it will keep them secure and sorted. I also have another bin that is larger items like my Styrofoam cups for water marbling, my tin foil for glitter removal, etc. This is good for things like small scissors, clippers, files, buffers, qtips, sponges, etc. 

$13 at walmart! 

Essie's Knockout Pout

Seriously am in love with this color. Now I know why everyone raves about Essie nail polish, this mani was done in 10 minutes. Includes 3 coats of color and one base coat and one top coat. Seriously what I needed today! 

Key Homemade Decal

Super easy to make DIY decals. Using toothpicks, make your design on a ziplock bag and then put a top coat over the decal that will attach it to the bag, that will act as the sealer to your nails when applied. Then wait at least 3 hours for it to completely dry and carefully use tweezers to peel decal off of bag then put on your already polished nails. Apply top cat and you're made in the shade! 

Horse Shoe Homemade Decal

Mint Sorbet