(A bit late) Assorted Christmas manis!

Just wanted to share a few manis I did over the 2012 Christmas season:

I LOVE themed manicures and I've already decided what I want to do for my 2013 Christmas nails!

xx

Layering polishes

Sometimes to get the colour you desire you need to play around and layer a few. This is what I did to achieve the following pictures using OPI Black Onyx, OPI My Private Jet (new version) and China Glaze Fairy Dust. The coveted original OPI My Private Jet is a holographic charcoal, but the newer one is more of a charcoal micro glitter. So in an attempt to make it more like the original, here is what I did:

One coat of OPI Black Onyx to create a strong solid base:

Two coats on OPI My Private Jet:

The topped off with two thin coats of China Glaze Fairy Dust:

Whilst it looks beautiful it doesn't quite have the linear holo the original My Private Jet has, as seen here:

Source: Candy Coated Tips

BUT I can live without it, because I'll take a bit of sparkle over holographic polish anyday :)

xx

Jelly Sandwich Tutorial, and how I learned to love Glitter again

I have a love/hate relationship with glitter polish. Love the look of it on, hate the removal. I would scrub my nails FOREVER to get every last scrap off, or use the foil method and completely dry out my hands. Hence, I wore glitter very rarely, or only on one finger. All of this has changed after the discovery of using PCA craft glue as a base coat, and PEELING THE GLITTER OFF IN ONE PIECE AND UNDER 5 SECONDS. (Yes, all capitals was necessary. This is life changing.)

So here I give you a step by step tutorial of how to make a jelly sandwich manicure. All you need is an amazing glitter nail polish, and either one jelly nail polish (semi sheer), or a jelly and any other colour to use as your base colour.

I did a thick coat of PVA glue painted on with a nail art brush, and then waited about 10 minutes to dry, or until it had gone completely clear.

Then I did three coats of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu which is a gorgeous squishy milky white jelly. 

Next I did two coats of OPI Rainbow Connection, aka the best rainbow glitter polish EVER.

Then to top it off I did one thin layer of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu and finished with a thick coat of Seche Vite fast dry top coat.

Isn't it gorgeous? It reminds me of a jawbreaker...

The best thing about the jelly sandwich manicure is that you can be so creative with colour combinations; pretty much anything goes!!

Now onto the fun stuff... the home made peel off base coat. Pretty much, when you're ready to change your manicure instead of using remover just get an orange stick, or anything with a flat surface and pry up the underside of your nail polish starting from your cuticle bed. Then with a bit of pushing the nail polish towards the tip it should peel off all in one piece. Easy! 

Expect to see a lot more glitter here...

xx

Polka Dot Tutorial

This is probably one of the easiest manicures to do, and can have such a big impact, so let's get started!

First you'll need to get all of your tools together to make the process much easier. Chose a base coat colour (I used OPI Alpine Snow), and then one or more colours to make the dots in a contrasting colour. I can't remember all the colours I used I'm sorry, but I chose to use six colours to make a statement. I decided to use different sized dotting tools (you can also use a tooth pick or end of a bobby pin) so the dots were different sizes, but again, the choice is yours.

Simply paint your nails all in one colour, wait for this to dry, and then dot on the colours you want wherever you want on the nail. I chose to put the dots all over, but I've seen many pictures of people who have put the dots either down one side of the nail, or in a gradient pattern. Wait 10-15 minutes to make sure it's totally dry and the put a thick layer of top coat to protect the design. Ta da!

Next time I do a polka dot manicure I'm planning a baby pink or grey base with a variety of shades of pink dots. I can't wait!

xx

My first manicure!

Some people may be surprised to hear I've never had a manicure. Never! I've always thought 'why bother doing something I could do myself' and thus never shelled out for the luxury of getting a manicure. I decided this must change as I was turning 24 and getting a professional manicure was something I just needed (as a woman) to have done. So I booked an appointment at Trophy Wife Nail Art and got busy deciding what design to get. I chose Trophy Wife because I HATE fake acrylic talons and would never under any circumstances sink as low as getting them, and I wanted to have a really fun creative design that would be too detailed for me to do myself. And that's how I decided on a checkered pastel nail.

I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten on these, they're so amazing! I may one day attempt to recreate this look myself, but until then I will always have this photo :)

Follow me on Instagram for heaps more nail photos at astrid88_n

xx

Gradient Manicure Tutorial

One of the most popular manicure trends at the moment is the gradient manicure. This look is much easier to achieve than it you'd think, so here's how to do it!

Firstly, choose all the colours you want to use. You can use just two, or as many as you want. I chose to use Kit High Roller as an accent on my ring finger and Kit Phase In on all the others. You'll also need to have a make up sponge, or household sponge at the ready cut into a small piece so you can sponge the colour on to your nail. The best type of sponge I have found to use is a foundation sponge because the surface is the most even. 

Kit Nail Polish available at www.kitcosmetics.com.au

Now, paint your nails all one colour and allow for this to dry. This works best if it's the lightest colour as the others will show up better on top. I used China Glaze Sweet Hook; a gorgeous lavandar creme. Then when this is dry the fun part begins.

I find the best way to do this is to paint your sponge directly with the polish brushes as you'll get an even distribution of colour on the sponge as well as having more control of where the colour goes. Start with your base colour (the colour you've already got on your nails) at the bottom of the sponge, and then paint the other colour/s at the top. Then you sponge directly and gently on the nail. You may need to do this a few times to get the desired opacity of colour, or you can just do it once to make it more subtle. 

After you're happy with the coverage, you can either put on your top coat, or I chose to add a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust (the best glitter holo top coat) to make my nails a bit more magical. 

xx

Snow Leopard Manicure

Leopard print. Classic and always in style. And surprisingly easy to recreate on the nail. This time I used OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls for the base, OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts as the spots and OPI Black Onyx. Can you tell I love OPI yet?

To recreate this look all you need is three colours, a toothpick and a good top coat. Firstly, paint your base colour and wait a few minutes until it's touch dry. Then use the tip of the other colour to make a few splotches all over the nail, you can get creative with this and either do a couple or a lot depending on the look you want to achieve. Then using the toothpick and the final colour outline the splotches, and to make a few more spots to fill in the gaps. I usually look at either a photo of a leopard or some clothing with leopard print design on it for inspiration. Easy!

xx