Nude Party Tape Manicure

I did a really fast (and sloppy) tape mani the other day. I wanted to do some cute nude nail art and to use Cult Nails Happy Endings which I hadn't used yet. I think it turned out cute even though I had a huge chunk of glitter stuck into the polish of my index finger O_O

I thought it would look cool to have a nude that matched my skin pretty good and then add a spike of color up from the ends. I used Zoya Helen for the nude and Zoya Paloma (a jelly polish) for the triangle background. I then added Cult Nails Happy Endings to just the triangle.

It kinda looks like an updated 80s style design. :)

Review: CrowsToes Orion - Pleiades Collection

Orion is a constellation that appears just above the horizon here in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. CrowsToes nail polish is made by The Polished Crow and she discusses the Greek mythology story behind her collection here: 

http://thepolishedcrow.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post.html

NOTE: I purchased this polish myself from llarowe.com with my own money!

Bottle shots

Orion the constellation has personal meaning to me. When I was growing up in San Diego, our family would sometimes take a trip to IHOP to eat breakfast for dinner. I always got the chocolate chip pancakes! When we were out doing this one night when I was around 10, we all went outside to wait for my mom who was using the restroom after eating. I looked up in the sky and I seriously thought I had just discovered a constellation (because I had never learned it). It was Orion but I saw the main rectangular shape with the "belted waist" and I called it the Hunter Daddy constellation because my dad was a hunter (gun AND bow). I was a bit of a daddy's girl at the time. When I found out later that week that I had not made it up myself, I was devastated---until I learned that it was named the Hunter, too! I was right about something at least :)

Onto the polish! 

This is a really sparkly multichrome that goes from a green-gold to green to blue. It is not a drastic multichrome like, say, Ludurana Show but it is noticeable. I am wearing it over black in all the photos. 

Wearing a multi or duochrome over black is the best way, in my opinion, to bring out the range of color. This polish is fairly sheer and I hate wasting multichrome so one layer of Wet n Wild Black Creme and one layer of Orion means I get to wear it many more times!

This photo shows how blue it can get. Open up the image in another window to see it better!

See, I have been on the hunt for a multi or duochrome polish that has a base color of green (hunter green in this instance) and changes easily in the light. I think I have found it, which makes me so happy! No diss intended but the shots of this polish on The Polished Crow were not promising.

Open this photo in another window to see the particle sizes and the changes in color better.

The bottle does that thing that a lot of duochromes in rounded bottles do; they appear to be a MUCH more complex multi-chrome. Don't be fooled, this one only has about 3 distinct colors as far as I can tell.

I added the constellation Orion to my ring finger using Sally Hansen Gold Chrome and Petites 24k Gold

Now, I compared it to the only other two greenish duo-multi-chromes I have; Scherer Chameleon in Fandango and MISSHA HGR01

Bottle Shots

Reverse order from the above photo

Correct order

Correct order

As you can see, the MISSHA is a more dramatic multichrome but it never gets to the deep golden or forest greens of the CrowsToes. Fandango really only has two colors and it is a muddied and sort of frosty color.

How would I rate this polish on a scale of 1-10?

Uniqueness: 10

Do you see many forest green-based multi OR duochromes out there?! No, seriously, if you know any more, tell me! This is very unique to me!

Formula: 10

Like other duochromes, it has a really smooth formula and applies rather sheer. It is opaque in 3 coats but I don't like to use that much. I recommend it over a black nail polish like I recommend most other duochromes :)

Payoff: 7

I am only saying 7 BECAUSE...it is not a dramatic duochrome. That may bug some people. The other polishes in this collection seem to be a lot more dramatic. I think it is probably because of the pigment used in making a green duochrome and the type of pigment used. Maybe one day, I will get my wish of a wicked awesome, super dramatic and flashy green-based multichrome!

ORION rates a 9 for me by those standards

I really like this polish a lot!

Again, this was purchased by me (Nat) using my own money! No one knew I was going to review this polish or asked me to :)

Teal Tuesday: Tape Mani, Southwest Colors!

Tonight I FINALLY created a successful tape mani! YAY!

I will tell you how I did it. 

First up, supplies. I used striping tape but you can use scotch tape. Just make sure you make it less sticky by pressing it on and off your skin a few times. 

I also used dotting tools. I got these supplies on ebay for a reasonable price. I did buy from a US seller to get it quicker. 

I used a nail wheel first to test out my design and see if I liked it. Selecting colors can be hard. I kinda wish I had chosen a darker turquoise or teal but I like how bright this is. And I really wanted to use PI Coral Reef!! It is really pretty. I think I will design a mani to use a similar PI polish called In The Mood which is periwinkle. 

So anyhow, I started with a base of Pure Ice Coral Reef, a lovely shimmery foily coral color. 

Notice that I got a little out of the line here. That was okay though because I covered it up with the next layer. If you plan ahead, you can just really lightly coat the areas you will be placing another polish on top of so it lays smoother once you are done. I thought of this halfway through, lol.

After it dried (all the way, you have to wait!), I placed the striping tape where I wanted it and filled in the area of choice with Sinful Colors Open Seas (an OPI Mermaid's Tears dupe). I put the lighter color down first because I wanted it to be an accent and not to distract from the main color, Barielle Do Unto Others which I added once Open Seas was dry.

As you can see, I then added contrasting dots. When you use your dotting tool, make sure to keep it straight up and down from your nail (at a 90 degree (right) angle from your nail bed). This helps to make a more perfect dot. I added more polish to the dotter after every other dot. I am not great at it yet, but I will get there!

The polishes! I have big hands, I know, I know. :))

Two sets of nail art

Two practice nail art sets!

Design 1: Winter to Spring

This design needs some work! I need to draw the tree branches first and I may paint this one on a baggie!

Design 2: Cute Berries and a Cherry

Needs more contrast! And some cleaner lines...

Plastic Baggie Technique for Nail Art

Are you bad at painting your dominant hand? I am. That is why I found the plastic baggie technique to be very helpful!

This technique requires:
1 plastic sandwich baggie (they stay more flat than saran wrap)
Nail art brushes (I use modified paint brushes)
Nail polish
Creativity!

First, you need to decide how detailed your nail art will be. If there are a lot of thin areas or detail, I suggest laying down a coat of clear nail polish on your baggie before you begin. You only have to coat the area that you will be painting on.

It is not easy to see the clear under the design in this photo but it is there! Here, I am working on a paisley design. 

Next, you just paint until you are done. There is one caveat though! You should let them dry for a long time (overnight, preferably) so that they are not as apt to bleed when you put them on your nail. 

For individual designs: Carefully peel off the design (I usually move the plastic rather than moving the design) and place it on a wet, or for best results, tacky nail. Typically, this means that you've put on some clear top coat. GENTLY press the design until all the edges are down. I work from the inside out, to get rid of any bubbles that might form!

Here is my example of a design where I pressed each one individually onto the nail. The base is Essie Jelly Apple and Hello Kitty Sparkle Red. I pressed the bears, honey, and salmon on one at a time, sealed them, and then QUICKLY covered each nail in quick dry top coat (I use NYC Grand Central Station). 

With a more complex design, it is easier to peel up a small part and cut off the design, placing it on the nail and trimming the corners off by either using acetone and a clean-up brush OR by using an orange stick and quickly pressing the outline of the nail and then cutting with cuticle nippers. I prefer using the acetone method. You can also easily cut the design to the shape of your nail to avoid any trimming. 

Sorry for the poor quality! Working on a light box.

This is my finished paisley design. 

I put the design over a base of China Glaze Turned up Turquoise

I had to do two cleanups on this mani, but it was worth it. This is a REALLY fun way to do nail art because you can make both hands look the same! This has always been my problem with nail art.

I hope this helped you or inspired you to do some sandwich baggie nail art!! Please let me know if you have done this before :))