Valentines Nail Tutorial - "Roses Are Red"

PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
Sally Hansen's Salon Nail Lacquer in - Made You Blush
Milani Nail Lacquer in - Feisty Flames
Finger Paints in - Sculpted Scarlet 
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - White
L.A. Colors in - Baby Pink
Apple Barrel Craft Paints
Royal Gold Art Brush # RG 250
Dotting Tool
Dotting Tool


 

Valentines Nail Tutorial - "Ribbons Of Love "

PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
N.Y.C. in a New York Color Minute in - Mulberry Street
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - Hot Pink
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - Baby Pink
Art Club Nail Art Hologram Hearts in Red & Pink
Orange Stick

Valentines Nail Tutorial - "Opposites Attract"

 This is the first in my Valentine Nail art series & also my contest entry for configure1973's Valentine Nail Art Contest





PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
Milani Nail Lacquer in - Feisty Flames
Color Club Nail Lacquer in - Pink Flame
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - White
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - Hot Pink
So Easy Stripe Rite in - Silver Metallic
Hurricane Nail Art Polish in - Red
Hurricane Nail Art Polish in - Silver Glitter

"Summer Fun" Tutorial

 Contest Entry #1 for 3TanjaJ3's Nail Art Season Themed Contest






PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
Sally Hansen's Insta-Dry in - Beige Blast
Sally Hansen's Salon Lacquer in - Orange You Cute?
Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in - Sun Kissed
Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in - Mellow Yellow
Pure ICE in - Wild Thing
May6ix Nail Lacquer in - Sky Blue
Sinful Colors in - Snow Me White
Hurricane Nail Art Polish in - Silver Glitter
Dotting Tool
Sequins in Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue
1mm Clear Round Rhinestones

" Autumn Leaves " Tutorial

 Contest Entry #2 for 3TanjaJ3's Nail Art Season's Themed Contest






PRODUCTS USED:
Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
Small Pored Sponge Wedge
Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in - Mellow Yellow
Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in - Sun Kissed
N.Y.C. Glossies in - Candy Apple
Finger Paints Nail Color in - Sculpted Scarlet
Sinful Colors in - Show me the Way
KISS Brush On Nail Paint in - Dark Brown

Some Franken Dupes...

How many times have you seen a new polish collection come out, or perhaps it's just one polish in particular and you think to yourself, I gotta have that! Then you see the price, and all your dreams are shattered. Still, we hang onto the dream that one day, we can own such amazing colors. ( Ok, so maybe that's just me, lol )

Oh sure, it's nice to be able to splurge on the more expensive brands, but the truth is, alot of us don't have the kind of money to drop on nail polish. I know, that's crazy talk, but sometimes you have to put the polish down and buy groceries instead. LOL! Yeah, budgets suck.....but hey, when my wallet is tight, that's when I have come up with some of the most creative and ingenius ideas.

I have been eyeing a few polishes lately, you know the ones. when you see them, you get all warm & fuzzy inside. Don't deny it, we've all been there.

Unless you've been living under a rock, anyone who loves nail polishes, knows MAC's Peppermint Patty. This color has been such a hit, that many MAC counters have sold out of this minty gem.  So, I started thinking....I'm creative, I have the no-how to mix colors.AH-HA! I'll make a Franken! Hmmm, but which colors to match to make just the right color. Trial and error, I could not get this color right. Then, one day, I literally stumbled onto a YouTube video telling the exact colors to match to get this color.  So I immediately ran-sacked my polish draw, pulled out the colors she mentioned and got to mixing.  The end result brought tears to my eyes and I swear I heard angels sing when I painted my first nail. EUREKA!!!

But wait.....there's more! Hilary aka HilsHeavenScents(see video above) truly inspired me to try and duplicate some more colors. So I tried a couple more.

This is what I came up with.

     This is a dupe for Essie's  - Sag Harbor

 I took just a plain white polish, the bottle was 3/4 ful.

the one I used is from Avalon. Then I took a basic black (I used NYX polish in black) and poured about 20 drops into the white. Then to give it just the slightest blue tint, I poured about 7 drops of a sky blue polish (I used May6ix polish in Sky Blue) Simply placed the lid back onto the bottle and gave it a thorough shake. VOILA! there you go.

This is a dupe for MAC's - Coconut Ice

This is a new polish from MAC's Lilyland collection. I simply fell in love with it. It's so perfect for spring, I just knew I had to own it. Again, taking a basic white(I used Brucci polish in Snow White) with the bottle about halfway full.

Next, I took an orange polish ( I used Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed) and poured about 25 drops into the white. Followed by a nice cream pink (I used Essie polish in Forget Me Nots) and poured about 8 drops into the white. Closed the lid, shaked the bottle well and now I've got Coconut Ice. I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to doing a tutorial with this color.

 

 This is a dupe for MAC's - Peppermint Patty

(the Seche Clear was just an empty bottle I had)

Following the directions in HilsHeavenScents video, I mixed China Glaze's For Audrey & In The Lime Light with a plain white and this is the result. Pure minty heaven! I can't thank her enough for not only showing me how to make this color, but for also inspiring me to try some stuff out on my own.

This is with indoor lighting

This is with natural lighting

My camera isn't the best with colors & lighting, all the colors in person are slightly lighter.

So now it's your turn to try something new! Have fun, mix it up, you never know what you'll come out with!!

Michael Jackson Inspired Nails

PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double life Base & Top Coat
N.Y.C Nail Glossies in - Candy Apple
Brucci Nail Color in - Snow White
L.A.Colors Art Deco in - Black
1mm Round Clear Rhinestones
Small Head Dotting Tool
Migi Nail Art Pens in - Black & White

" Windows " Tutorial

 PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in - Orange You Cute?
Claire's Nail Polish in - Mean Green
Sinful Colors in - Cream Pink
Finger Paints Nail Color in - Lavender Highlight
L.A.Colors Art Deco in - White
Hurricane Nail Art Polish in - Black
Hurricane Nail Art Polish in - Silver Glitter

Neon Mosaic Contest Entry

My contest entry for KKnailz95 neon themed contest




PRODUCTS USED:

Kleancolor  in - Mango
Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in - Mellow Yellow
ABSOLUTE nail color in - Neon Green
Sally Hansen's Insta-Dry in - Brisk Blue
Milani Nail Art in - Pink Pop
Claire' Nail Polish in - Purple Neon
Hurrican Nail Art Polish in - Black

Doctor Who - The End Of An Era....

SIGH...this is painful to talk about this subject. Doctor Who, infamous science fiction show dating back to the early 60's has come to a very disappointing end. End of the show you ask? No, no....though I am mourning it as that.

I'll give you a brief recap for those that aren't familiar with this brilliant show. Enter The Doctor....nope, no other name, just....The Doctor. He is a Time Lord from the planet Galafrey. After the time war, he is the last of his kind. He aimlessly travels the universe in his space ship, conveniently disguised as a blue police box. It's much larger on the inside you see. Partial to humans, and us humans seemingly always in need of help, The Doctor frequently takes on a human partner and they travel the galaxies together, having countless adventures & saving the world, one planet at a time. When The Doctor becomes gravely injured, rather than die, he simply re-generates into a new version of himself. Hence....a new actor to pay this character.

Enter, David Tennant, brilliantly talented & stunningly handsome Scottish actor. He is the 10th Doctor and has playing this role since 2005. Many, many people have said he is THE best Doctor to date. I happen to agree. I have watched this show on and off since I'm a child, and no one has captivated me as David Tennant does.

David Tennant has decided to move on, and leave Doctor Who. I am utterly heart-broken to say the least. Last week, on New Year's "Doctor Who - The End Of Time" aired in the UK on BBC.  For some reason, these show have not yet aired here in the US, but thanks to You Tube, I was able to watch it. I cried my eyes out. The episode was amazing and to see The Doctor say his goodbyes and lastly, re-generate was completely gut-wrenching.

Though the show carries on with newcomer, Matt Smith, personally, it will most difficult to watch.You have HUGE shoes to fill Matt, and you will have to fight for admiration amongst us 10th Doctor fans. David brought the show and this character to new levels that I don't think anyone will ever come close to replicating again.

Goodbye 10th Doctor, will miss you beyond words can ever express.

On the bright side, we can look forward to new David Tennant projects.....and that, makes me smile. If you are not familiar with his work, I HIGHLY recommend you do a search on him.....for he is one of THE best actors of this generation, worldwide.

Barbie Loves Mac Inspired Nails

Barbie Loves Mac 

PRODUCTS USED:

Sally Hansen's Double Life Base & Top Coat
KleanColor Nail Lacquer in - Barbie Pink
RIMMEL Vinal Shine in - Pulsating
KelanColor Nail Lacquer in - Black
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - Bright Pink
L.A. Colors Art Deco in - Baby Pink
Hurricane Nail Art Polish in - Black
Dotting Tools ( small & medium head )

REVIEW: Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure Collection

Sally Hansen has come out with a new collection.  Complete Salon Manicure. It claims to have all 5 steps, in one simple bottle.

Base Coat

Strenghtener

Growth Treatment

Color

Top Coat

Sounds too good to be true?? Well let's take a better look.

So here's a brochure I picked up from my local Walgreen's, there are 28 colors total in the new line. Retailing for on average for $7.99, these seem like a pretty good deal. I think the color selection is great. Polish formula is very similar to the Insta-Dry collection. something else that is the same; the flat tapered brush.

Many people are intimidated by this brush, and all I can say is, don't be. The large flat brush covers more nail space, equaling a quicker paint job and the tapered tip ensures you getting around the nail bed with ease.They go on easily and most with only a single coat.  Now, most of the time, i wear artificial nails, so it's difficult to test the durability of polishes, since they wear differently on real nails. So I had my gf try them out on her natural nails and for her to tell me her thoughts at the end of the week.. On her left hand, she wore 2 coats of polish and nothing else, on her right hand she wore 2 coats in addition to a top coat (Seche Vite). After 5 days of wear, her right hand was still in pretty good shape with only some very minor chipping. On the left hand, however, she had severe chipping and some peeling.

Would I re-buy these? Personally, yes. I'm loving the colors and the polish is great on artificial nails. But natural nail girls beware.....touch-ups will be in your future when using these polishes!

Here are 3 of the colors I picked up from Target.

"Gilty Pleasures"

This is a really unique burnished gold

"Thinking Of Blue"

A classic navy and a great dupe for China Glaze's "Bermuda Breakaway"

 

"Commander In Chic"

This is the fall "it" color. A great dusty gray-brown with a hint of lavender. It comes close to the infamous "Metro Chic" by O.P.I. by Sephora

So, while Sally Hansen makes a great claim on these polishes and they have a great color selection, the wear & tear on these polishes aren't great. My recommendation to you is if you pick up any of these polishes, wear a good base & top coat.  I give then 3 stars out of 5.