Woe is me and leopard print mani

Hi guys!!


Today, a tale of great sorrow: from long nails to short nails. Yeah, I wanted to keep my nails as long as possible, to see just how long I could get them to grow. Here's what they looked like about 2 weeks ago:

 The pointer and middle fingers have patches on them, and it was about time I redo them. You can clearly see the tear in the middle finger, eh?

There's a patch on the thumb, which you can see.

And so after redoing the patches and watching them grow for just a little bit more, some other nails tore and I just thought it'd be better to cut them short and let them grow again. I just hope it won't take too much time!! Here's what they look now:

I just took a picture of my right hand, because I had already started to put on the base font for my leopard print mani, seen below. I tried to cut them so short that there wouldn't be any more tears, but there are still 5 of them with a tear, and 1 that I just put on the gel resin on it to make it a little stronger. It was thinner where a patch used to be.


Here's the leopard prints mani:

And here's what I used:

- Seche Clear base coat
- Borghese Biscotti Beige
- Nail Star Two-Way Pen & Brush in brown
- Seche Vite top coat
- Kiss Nail Artist Fine Art Pen in black (missing on the picture)


So for a few more weeks, you'll get a few posts from the vault. I'm not really sure how inspired I'll be by my new nubbins. They're at their shortest since maybe August last year, when I first started "nail arting".


Alright! So thanks for coming by!


GabZ ♥

French manis from the vault

Hi guys!

Today, I will present 2 French manicures that I did before Christmas.

This one was taken on August '10, when I had just basically started. I was still testing the Mavala product at this point. Here it is:

What I used:

- Mavala Nail Shield
- Sally Hansen Diamond Strenght
- Sally Hansen New Length Ceramic White Tips
- Nicole Top Coat Plus
- Rhinestones

Then here's another French manicure I did in November '10. I had made it to go to a hockey game, and the Oceanics' color is blue. Here it is:

I used:
- 4 Nail Star Nail Art Pen and Brush in blue
- L.A. Colors Art Deco Silver Glitter
- No sure what I used for base and top coats, though..

And here's another one I made in December '10. Here it is:

My aunt gave me this Rimmel purple polish, but I really have no idea what the name of the color is. It was really hard to work with, as it was really goopy. And I used L.A. Colors Nail Art Silver Glitter to outline the slant.

And here's my attempt at reproducing Tartofraise's corset design:

It was my first attempt at freehanding something with a very thin brush. I liked it! It was made in December as well. I did it for another hockey game, on a weekend getaway, and remembered to take a pic after I came back. I used:
- Rimmel Base Coat Top Coat
- 4 Nail Star Nail Art Pen and Brush in navy and white
- Aldo's Hit The Pavement Perfecto

As always, please forgive the extra dry cuticle. I'm working on it!

Thanks for coming by! Feel free to leave a comment below, eh!

GabZ ♥

Sally Hauls

Hi!


So as I was saying in my previous post, I went to the new Sally Beauty Supplies that opened last month in my town. Super exciting, the people working there are really nice and knowledgeable, a very enjoyable shopping experience.

Here's what I came home with:

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

.: Hemp with Argan Oil Body Moisturizer. I was a bit skeptical at first, wasn't sure if it was gonna smell like hemp a whole lot, but turns out to smell simply divine! It's not an overpowering smell, and the smell stays on for about 3 or 4 hours. Almost 24 hours later, my skin still feels hydrated. (best impulse buy I've done in a long time!)
.: Cotton Gloves. I wanted to try these for a while now, putting a thick coat of body butter or heavy hand cream before slipping these on for the night. I tried them last night, and it really works! I had rashes due to cold weather on top of both my hands, and it's gone. Also, not sure if this is related, but one of my nails had a white spot on it, and it's a lot less noticeable now.

.: Pure Acetone. I was almost running out of it anyway, and it was on sale for $1.99. 
.: Nail Polish Thinner. One of my polishes is.. I don't know.. Too thick? Not sure if it's the problem for sure, but I'm gonna try thinning it. It's my last hope.
.: Cuticle scissors. Not that I cut my cuticles, but I'm hoping it'll be easier to cut the little silk patches for repair.

.: Bubble White. This stuff really works!! I wear 2 coats of base coat, to prevent yellowing, and I'm super paranoid when it comes to this topic. I usually brush my nails with baking soda every time I change my manicure, but if it's getting out of hand, I use this Bubble White product. I leave it on for about 10 minutes, and the yellow hue is gone.

.: Orly Des Fleurs. I was curious to try a pink base for a French manicure. I think it'll be too pink, from the small swatch I did. But we'll see.
.: Orly White Tips. My white from Sally Hansen is getting just too thick, and this one seem good enough to replace it.
These are my very first Orly polishes!

.: China Glaze Broken Hearted. Originally, I wasn't a fan of crackle polish. Until I had it on my nails! I tried this one over my existing (chipping) mani, and it looked great. I did a few tests with the brush stroke, to find out which way it cracks better. This goes on my nails next, that's for sure.
.: China Glaze Crushed Candy. This looks amazing too, it's unbelievable. 
.: China Glaze Liquid Leather. My only other black (from Aldo) is a little on the thin side, and has a beautiful shimmer in it. I just thought I needed a simple black.


This was my second time going to Sally's. The first time, about a month ago, here's what I had bought:

.: Supernail Swiss Silk patches. Works wonders. As soon as you put on the gel, it's completely transparent. And it's tough too.
.: Finger Paint Hue Left Me A  Message? This is my very first FP polish! Though it's a subtle color, it looks really good on my nails. I did one mani with it, that should appear over the next few weeks.
.: China Glaze Grape Juice. My very first CG polish! The shimmers in it look so good! It's a bit on the sheer side, but build up very nicely. I also did a mani with it, to be seen within a few weeks.
.: Wonder Bond Brush-on Gel Glue. This works better than just regular brush-on glue or just any nail glue I've encountered. I pair it with the silk patches, and it stays on for at least 3 changes in manicures. It's very tough on its own too, and doesn't take much time to dry (1-2 min tops).
.: Missing from the picture: 2 individual packets of Bubble White. I wanted to try it first before buying the bigger container.

Also, soon to come on my nails:

So there you have it! My most recent haul. I was tempted to buy more, though, because I saw a new Finger Paint collection, with giant flower rings on some bottles, and a few other China Glaze and Orly polishes that I wanted, but it'll have to wait another time.


Thanks for coming by today! Feel free to leave comments, questions, reactions, etc!


GabZ ♥

Champagne purple squiggles

Hi!


Here's a mani I before Christmas, but just forgot to post it. I wasn't sure I was gonna like that color on my nails, 'cause it's much more pale than what I usually wear, but it turned out well in the end.

Here's what I used:
- Sally Hansen 4-in-1 treatment (1 coat)
- Borghese Luna Pearl
- Nail art pen from eBay in purple
- rhinestones

*********
This post was suppose to be posted last week, via scheduled posts, but I guess it failed to go through!  So sorry about that! 


Oh! And I went to Sally Beauty Supply this morning, and got nice little haul there. Stay tuned for more, either tomorrow or Monday! :D


Cheers,


GabZ ♥

Valentine's Day

Hi!


Sorry I've been kinda MIA. I've had a cold from hell, and didn't feel like doing much. I'm feeling much better now, and did my nails to celebrate the holiday of love. 

Here's what I used:

- Rimmel Base Coat Top Coat Plus
- Nailene French Manicure
- Sally Hansen New Lengths Ceramics - #02 White Tips
- L.A. Color Art Deco  Red
- L.A. Color Art Deco Rose
- Seche Vite Top Coat
- dotting tool


What did you do on Valentine's Day? Was it just an ordinary day, or did you do something special? My grandma and my aunt brought me a heart shaped balloon, which was totally unexpected. And my Hun bought me Chinese food, and we watched an old James Bond movie. *sigh* Ah! Love! :D


I don't really like French manicures done with this white. For some reason, it always makes my nails look like they're fake. There's a Sally Beauty Supplies that just opened up in town, and I'm due for a visit. I'm probably gonna buy a new white, and a few other colors. I went once for a quick dip, but I need to go back and really look at all the stuff they have. 


Thanks for coming by! (And hello to my 20th follower!! :D)


GabZ ♥

Piggy Paint Polish mani

Hi!


I'm such a ditz when it comes to catching up, it's unbelievable. Back in January, I won maRyya's (Konad Addict) giveaway sponsored by Piggy Paint Polishes.  I was so incredibly surprised, 'cause I never really win anything, yet so glad at the same time 'cause I really wanted to try these cute polishes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


I ordered Girls Rock! and two 3D nail art stickers packs, that arrived I'd say within a week or so. Their staff is very friendly and efficient. I had a problem with my code (for something that was my fault), and they fixed it right away, within 24 hours. Super impressed with their service. Here are pictures of my loot:

Of course, I was super excited to try out these products as soon as I got them. Here's 2 coats of Girls Rock!, with 3D stickers.

The polish applies really well, but you can't really pass many times on the same spot. The above picture has 2 coats. It's a bitch to remove, though! I use 100% acetone to remove my polish, normally, but this one just.. I don't know how to explain it, it just.. Rolled? Like you know when you receive a sample in the mail and it's attached to the letter or coupon with some sort of sticky gummy thingy? Well the polish turns into that sticky gummy thingy like substance. Maybe it's different if you use no acetone or just acetone based remover, but with pure acetone, it's not easily removed. 


Nevertheless, the polish stayed for 4 days on my nails without problem. Only one of my nail chipped, the others just had a little normal tip wear. When it chipped, though, my base coat was still on my nail, so only the polish chips. I'll definitely try this polish again.


I like the 3D stickers I tried. I would've liked to put stars on all the nails, but there were not enough of the same size/color, so I had to accent only a few nails. 

So here it i! :D Do you like it? Do you own any Piggy Paint polishes yourself? What are your thoughts?


Thanks for coming by!


GabZ ♥

Christmas mani

Yes, you read right, it's a Christmas mani! I had first lost my battery charger before New Year's Eve, so my camera wouldn't turn on to take the pictures out, and then I lost my USB cable. I now have bought a new charger (about a week or so ago), and I've found my cable this morning!!


Here's what I was sporting on my nails for the event (sorry for the incredibly dry cuticles):

For this mani, I used:
- 1 coat of Rimmel Base Coat
- 1 coat of Joe Fig
- 1 coat of Apple Bottoms Red Delicious
- water decals from Viva La Nail
- 2 coats of Seche Vite


Now that I have like a month worth of manis to share, I'm hoping to post a little more often. No promises, though, 'cause I'm super tired lately, but will try my best!


Oh, and hey to my new followers!


Take care,


GabZ ♥