How-To: Liberty of London Inspired Floral Nail Art

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How-To: Elegant Lace Nail Art

Hi guys! Lately I've been in a particularly girly mood when it comes to painting my nails, which is the inspiration behind this ultra-feminine lace design. Thankfully, this nail art wasn't too difficult to achieve, despite its detailed appearance. Keep reading to find out for yourself how to recreate it!

Step 1.) Paint your nails two coats of any polish that you think is sophisticated yet girly. The base color of this design isn't too important, so feel free to leave it up to your personal preference!

Step 2.) Use a white striper to paint a thin, curved line approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the way down the nail. The easiest way to do this is to start on one side of the nail and rotate your finger while keeping the striper stationary. Stop rotating once the brush has reached the center of the nail, and then repeat this motion from the other side of the nail, joining your two lines in the middle.

 

 

Step 3.) Create a crosshatch pattern inside the curved line you just painted.

 

 Left: Paint 3-4 evenly spaced diagonal lines. It's easiest to paint the middle line first and then space the others in proportion to that middle line.

Right: Once the lines have dried, paint more diagonal lines that slant in the opposite direction. The newer your striper polish is, the smoother the lines will be. Unfortunately, my bottle is getting a bit old and gloopy! 

Step 4.) Use a large dotting tool and white polish to create a scalloped edge underneath the crosshatched section. (You'll notice that my polish has a gray tinge to it- my regular white is dried out, so I had to use a light gray >_<)

Left: Start out by placing one dot in the center of the nail. This will make it easier to arrange the other dots evenly across the curved line.

Right: Place more dots along the curved line, being careful that the edges of the dots overlap slightly onto one another, but not onto the crosshatched pattern.


Step 5.) Add some dotted details

 Left: Use a slightly smaller dotting tool to place dots of your base color inside the scallops. Try to center these dots neatly, but it's okay if they aren't totally perfect (obviously mine aren't!)

 

Right: Use a small dotting tool and white polish to place more dots underneath the scalloped edge. I think this looks best when the dots are positioned in between the dips of the scallops. 

 

 

Step 6.) Finally, wait at least 25-30 minutes before applying a topcoat. Designs like these are prone to smearing, which is why we need to allow extra drying time.

 

Products Used:

 Essie "Under Where?", Kiss Nail Art Paint in white, O.P.I "My Boyfriend Scales Walls"

 

Base and Topcoat: Orly Bonder and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

 

 

Well, that's it! Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you've found this interesting! Feel free to share any tutorial suggestions and recreations in the comments below :)

May/June 2013 Favorites + Reviews

 

Hello there! Today I have some favorites from the past 6-7 weeks to share with you, one of which is a candle- yes, I believe this means that I am now a full-on beauty blogger. Anyway, without further ado, here are my May/June favorites, complete with swatches, links, and reviews: 

 

 

1.) Tarte emphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener

$19 USD at http://www.sephora.com/emphaseyes-inner-rim-brightener-P278605?skuId=1306729

I bought this pencil a couple of weeks ago as a replacement for my Pixi Eye Bright liner. Although I could have saved $2 and bought the Pixi liner, I was interested to check out the Tarte equivalent since everyone and her dog seems to be raving about it. Obviously, the raving is well deserved since this pencil has made it into my favorites, and will probably stay there for a long time!

So you can see this liner's brightening effect for yourself, below are some pictures that I took of my makeup-free eyeball with and without emphasEYES.

 

Top image: my eye without liner, bottom image: my eye after lining the waterline with Tarte emphasEYES.

 

As far as texture and lasting power are concerned, this liner is smooth, easy to apply, and lasts on me for 5 hours without fading (however, it doesn't all come off until I take it off). In my experience, the Pixi liner tends to fade faster and awkwardly migrate closer to the lash line. Bottom line: I'm still a fan of the Pixi liner, but Tarte has won me over with excellent staying power.

 

 2.) NYX blush in Peach

$5.50 USD at http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-powder-blush/16203&cat=290&page=1#

 

Normally I'm a cream blush type of person, but this month I've really been enjoying NYX's blush in Peach. Contrary to the name, this blush is actually a lovely fresh pink color. On my fair skin, it instantly makes my face look a bit livelier and more awake. The texture of this blush is very finely milled and velvety, which makes it super-blendable- definitely high end quality for a five dollar product! Lastly, if you do decide to follow the link to cherryculture.com, don't trust their images of products- do a Google search for more accurate swatches.

 

 

3.) Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow

$26 USD at http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=ILLAMASQUA%20Cream%20Pigment%20P284204&skuId=1320944&productId=P284204&_requestid=40182

After hearing a ton of hype about this being the perfect contour shade for fair skin, I finally caved and shelled out for Illasmasqua's Hollow. I've been a big fan of Illamasqua nail polishes for awhile, and I expected the same quality from their makeup. Needless to say, I was not disappointed- the cool but not muddy color of this pigment really is ideal for contouring on paler skin tones. Additionally, Hollow is nearly undetectable because its cream texture sits very naturally on the skin- definitely worth the $26! However, I wouldn't use this as a cream eyeshadow if I were you, as it creases pretty badly.

4.) Essie nail polish in Pilates Hottie

Approximately $8 USD at drugstores, Target, Ulta, etc.

 





Essie's Pilates Hottie has been in my collection for awhile, but I've recently been wearing it a lot throughout the Spring and into the Summer. I would describe this polish as a light, subdued pink-y lilac shade with a crème finish. Additionally, Pilates Hottie is opaque in 2 coats and versatile enough to wear to the office (well, most offices).

 

5.) Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

$6 USD at drugstores, grocery stores, etc.

 

 

If I had to choose a #1 favorite for May/June, this cuticle cream would have to be it. Honestly, I can't think of one drawback- it's inexpensive, lasts a long time, smells delicious, and really moisturizes the cuticles. I've been applying this twice a day to my nail beds, and within 2 weeks noticed that my cuticles were smoother and that my nails were beginning to get stronger. As far as the scent goes, it smells like pure, freshly squeezed lemon juice- no artificial tinge to the scent at all. Definitely give it a try!

 

6.) Niven Morgan Floral Amber Velveting Body Lotion

$28 USD at http://www.nivenmorgan.com/collections/gold/products/gold-body-lotion

 

 

I received this body lotion as a gift a few weeks ago and quickly fell in love. It. Smells. Wonderful. I would describe the scent as sophisticated, with floral notes balanced with sandalwood and musk (I hate that word... musk... it sounds rather unattractive, doesn't it?). Anyway, I love how warm and luxurious the scent is. As far as the lotion itself, I am a very happy camper- as the name suggests, the texture is very velvety and light, but still moisturizes nicely. Lastly, my favorite part about this lotion is that the scent lingers for quite awhile- even after the lotion has absorbed into the skin, the scent remains, so lately I've been using this as a moisturizing perfume.

 

7.) Paddywax Lavender + Thyme Artisan Soy Wax Candle

$12 USD at Urban Outfitters and at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=26198358&parentid=SUGGESTIVE+SEARCH+RESULTS  

 



 

I picked this candle up on a whim at Urban Outfitters last month, even though I have never been much of a candle fan (I'm extremely picky about scents). However, once I got it home and lit the wick, I was pleasantly surprised by the subtleness of its aroma. The lavender and thyme scent is very relaxing, and is perfect to have burning on lazy afternoons. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that the aroma traveled very well, and would recommend this candle only for use inside smaller rooms. According to online reviews, many people complained that the scent wasn't strong enough, which is interesting because I actually really enjoy its subtlety. Bottom line: if you enjoy strong scents, skip it; if you have a sensitive nose and prefer lighter scents, give this candle a try!

 

 

Welp, that concludes my May/June 2013 favorites! I hope you've found these recommendations helpful, and have a lovely day!

How to Adapt Nail Art for Short Nails

Hello lovely readers! Instead of a typical tutorial, I thought that today I could share some techniques on how to adapt nail art designs for shorter nails. Frequently, nail art is displayed on either medium length or long nails, which leads those with shorter nails to question how to recreate the design. Personally, I think that with a little creativity 99.9% of designs can be adapted, which I've been figuring out in the process of re-growing my nails. So without further ado, here are some basic tips that can be applied to most designs:

1.) Use smaller tools

 

Left: On longer nails. Right: Adapted to short nails by using a smaller dotting tool, including only two flowers, and shortening the stems.

 

If fitting a design onto shorter nails means having to cram it on or cut some of it off, try using smaller tools to shrink the design so that it doesn’t look crammed onto smaller nails.

Left: On longer nails. Right: Adapted to short nails by using a smaller dotting tool to stipple on the white heart and feet. 

For example, if a design calls for a medium dotting tool, see if using a small dotting tool would be more proportionate to your nail size. I usually only shrink designs if they aren’t patterns, which leads me to tip number two…

 2.)  When recreating patterns, simply include less of the pattern

 

 

 Left: On longer nails. Right: Adapted to short by including 2 rows of dots instead of 3.

What I mean by this is that if someone with long nails can fit 4 rows of a pattern, folks with shorter nails may only be able to fit 2-3. Usually, sacrificing a row or two of pattern doesn’t affect the integrity of the design- fewer rows also means that you probably won’t have to use smaller brushes/dotting tools.

 

3.) Be extra neat when painting near the cuticles 

Left: Unflattering gap. Right: Polish is applied closer to the cuticle and the nail looks instantly longer (excuse the air bubbles).

 

It’s common knowledge that you aren’t supposed to paint your cuticles, but leaving a significant gap between your cuticles and the beginning of your polish can make short nails appear even shorter. Try to get as close as possible to the cuticle when painting your nails- if you accidentally get polish on the cuticle, just use a Q-tip and polish remover to wipe it away. For an even more precise line, dip a small paintbrush/ nail art brush into polish remover and gently shape the edge of the polish.



4.) For ombre or gradient looks, paint thinner stripes of  color onto your sponge

 



Left: Longer nails are able to fit thicker blocks of color. Right: More colors can be fit onto short nails if the stripes of color are thinner.

 

Although fitting 2-3 colored ombre designs onto shorter nails isn’t too difficult to figure out, squeezing an entire rainbow onto tiny nails can be tricky. If your nails are very short, or if the width of your nails is larger than their length, try sponging your gradient going vertically instead of horizontally across the nail. You may be able to fit on more colors this way. Since my nails are longer than they are wide, I just stuck with decreasing the thickness of each block of color.

 

Lastly, all of the designs (except for the penguins) I've shown are from my previous tutorials which I'll link here:

 

Retro Wallpaper Nail Art: http://holygrailnails.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-easy-retro-wallpaper-nails.html

Tulip Nail Art: http://holygrailnails.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-easy-spring-tulip-nails.html

Stained Glass Nail Art: http://holygrailnails.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-easy-stained-glass-nail-art.html

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!