Galaxy Nails #1

I’ve long wanted to try out galaxy nails especially after watching The Avengers, where there were scenes in outer space and it looked über-cool. I was scratching my head as to which colors to use – all those that I’ve seen online use a black base, sponged creme colors, and a compulsory holographic top coat (i.e. ChG Fairy Dust).

So I decided to go in a different direction. Instead of black I used a smoky blue-grey, and rather than using creme colors, I used only shimmers and/or glitters.

I think my camera hates ChG Fairy Dust – it always freaks out like this the first time I try to take a photo! But here you can see how awesome ChG FD is.

Taken under my table lamp, I love how it turned out on my thumb nail – it closely resembles a nebula, and I don’t know what it is with me lately, I like seeing pictures of stars and galaxies. This is my current wallpaper:

Credits to my favorite high quality wallpaper site: InterfaceLIFT

Obviously, these were taken in the sunlight. Finally! (IKR.) Although I couldn’t take any direct sunlight shots, it was really bright this afternoon so this will have to do!

Colors I used in chronological order:

• Base: OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees
• Sponged color 1: OPI Movin’ Out (duochrome purple shimmer! <3)
• Sponged color 2: OPI Catch Me in Your Net (more green than it was blue on nails)
• Sponged color 3: OPI Diva of Geneva (similar to Movin’ Out, but more opaque)
• Sponged color 4: NYX Enchanted Forest (very green glitter with gold bits)
• Holographic coat: ChG Fairy Dust

With the combination of colors, my first attempt at galaxy nails was more purple and green than anything else. And I probably should have left out some parts of the nail un-sponged so it’s more realistic looking. Anyway, when I look at my nails now, it reminds me of the Orly Cosmic FX Collection! I bought the entire collection, but got bored with it and sold it.

I prefer my own customized galaxy nails

tranquil

My ideal vacation getaway would be on a white sandy beach with crystal clear waters and my own beach hut where I could just chill out all day. Seeing that my last class in college ended a couple weeks ago, there really is no better time to enjoy a holiday than now! Hanging out with old friends, barbecuing seafood by the beach, and reminiscing over (nonalcoholic) drinks after.

Anyway, today’s manicure is inspired by the colors of ocean waters.

I did a sponged gradient manicure again! I purposely made it look a little grainy (cos of you know, the sand.) and just LOVED how it turned out!

Colors used were (from the base of the nail up): Ogre-the-Top Blue, Fly, and Mermaid’s Tears, with Alpine Snow as the white base.

Taken under my table lamp, with my phone camera. Not bad eh? I know it’s a faux pas, but until I get an SD card USB adapter, this will have to do for now!

Imagine you’re at the beach, take a breath, and soak it in. I feel one with the seas.

sapphire in the snow

And I’m back.

April has been emotionally draining for me, but as with everything that happens in life, it goes on. Today’s post is dedicated to my grandma.

A sapphire in the snow, she was.

Base is OPI Sapphire in the Snow, splattered with OPI Alpine Snow, and loose pieces of holographic bar glitter sprinkled on the white, to make it sparkle like glistening snow.

Taken under my table lamp, Sapphire in the Snow is a dark blue-purple (i.e. blurple), and is one of the nicest blurples I own. It’s also been discontinued – I remember because I had to pay a little more when I bought it a couple years ago. It dries to a smooth creme finish, and looks like a dark purple from afar.

It’s been raining hard and often so I wasn’t able to do any sunlight shots. I wonder if the effect would’ve been better if I’d used white as the base and sapphire in the snow as the splatter instead?

Update: 29 Apr ’12

Thanks for visiting my blog! I’ve received emails enquiring about my ‘absence’ since early this month, and well, I haven’t been posting lately as my family has been coping with the demise of my grandmother – a strong, entrepreneurial, capable, and admirable woman who almost lived to see a century pass. She was 98. Travel well, grandma.

I’ll resume posting soon!

Sail Away

Named after a David Gray song, this manicure is really special. I didn’t quite know how to  start this post. But I do like how this sponge gradient manicure turned out, and am officially a fan!

The gradient effect is more natural on my four fingers than the thumb. Feels like we’re all drifting off to gray, doesn’t it?

How I did it:

1. Apply 2 coats of OPI Alpine Snow as the base
2. Using a fine cosmetic sponge, apply the lightest/brightest color on the sponge, and dab it on your nails! The color I used here was ChG Aquadelic
3. For the second layer, use the same method with a similar color. I used ChG Sea Spray, a gray-toned blue.
4. For the third layer, I used Orly Mirror Mirror, a slate gray and the perfect color to transition from the 2nd color.
5. TIP: for a more natural gradient effect, apply a top coat while the polish is still wet, so the little dabs of polish will be smoothed over & blend into each other, creating a more seamless look.

Love this look! It pops at the cuticles (ChG Aquadelic is really bright over white) and then fades to neutral tones. I can totally see this look on a surfing campaign! Don’t you?

An Ode to Paddle Pop

“Paddle Pop, YAY!

Paddle Pop, WOO!

It’s Super Duper Yummy!”

This old school jingle reminds me of a simpler time, when ice cream cost only 60 cents. Or as my father would proclaim during his time, ONLY 10 cents!

I was having a bit of fun with acetone and cheap brushes, and attempted to create that ‘water color’ effect on my nails – what I mean by that is to have light layers of colors overlap each other so you get an effortless (and neat!) mix on your tips!

It has a rather 60′s psychedelic look to it but I’ll just call it my Paddle Pop manicure! Instead of a white base (which is the most often used color for water color manicures) I went for a nude base, so it barely covers the nail line but is opaque enough to be a flesh-toned canvas to start with.

This is with morning sunlight, and I’m really loving how the colors blend into each other. The components were:

• Nude base: Essie Not Just a Pretty Face (1 thick coat)
• Pink: Zoya Layla
• Orange: OPI In My Back Pocket
• Yellow: Zoya Creamy
• Blue: ChG Aquadelic
• Top coat: Seche Vite (2 thick coats)

And here’s the super close up shot:

Excuse the bubbling! On the right side of the nail you can see how the yellow blended with the blue to create green. How awesome is that!

And here’s the sunlight shot. This has to be one of my favourite manicures ever. And by favourite I do mean favourite. I’ve been staring at my nails all day. A friend commented that it looked like I dipped my nails into water colors!

This method is definitely more fun & less messy than sponging for sure! I’ll probably be experimenting with other colors using the acetone brush dabbing method. For short, it’s the water color technique. Try it yourself and see what you get!

First Try: Tribal Design!

I was just browsing through Tumblr blogs and was kind of jealous at how some girls can create straight, thick, precise lines in nail art because I’ve personally tried nail art brushes and I always get thick goops of polish ruining the whole look.

Then I had an epiphany that these girls may just be using black markers and not black polish?

So I tried it:

Okay granted, I should have waited till the ink dried to apply the top coat, but it turned out pretty good! Looks nice from afar  I would suggest to use a Konad top coat that doesn’t drag polish too.

Yellow is 2 coats of Zoya Creamy, an undoubtedly sunny yellow that is not neon, but just a really bright and cheery color. Pink is Zoya Layla, a near neon color that dried semi-matte and is a pretty cool toned color. I’ll always lean towards cool tones.