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!



How-To: Easy Citrus Nail Art

 

Hello lovelies! Today I was inspired to create an easy summer nail art look after researching key lime pie recipes (yum). The result was a fun, citrus design that I think is perfect for the upcoming season. If you want to know how I achieved this look, just keep on scrolling... 
 
 

Step 1.) Paint your ring fingers a light blue color, and then follow the chart below to create half moons on the rest of your nails.

 

Left: Position a circular sticker 1/3 to 1/4 of the way up the nail (you can use paper reinforcement rings for this as well, but any small round sticker will do). Then press down the edges to make sure that there are no gaps for the polish to seep through.

Right: Paint one thick coat of the same blue polish above the sticker. Finally, immediately remove the sticker by pulling it towards and away from the polish instead of down. This ensures that your edge will be neat.


Step 2.) Grab two different sizes of dotting tools, yellow polish and green polish, and then follow the chart below:

 Left: With a medium sized dotting tool, make three dots on the edge of the half moon. To add some variety, I decided to alternate green and yellow dots.

 

Right: Use a tiny dotting tool (or a toothpick) to make smaller dots inside the larger ones. Make yellow dots inside the green ones, and vice versa.

 

 

 Step 3.) Adapt your stickers to make a stencil for the ring fingers (pssst! I recommend doing this before you paint your nails):

 

Top: Place one sticker halfway on top of another.

 

Middle: Trace along the edge of the sticker.

 

Bottom: Carefully cut out the traced edge. 

 

 

Step 4.) Place the stencil on top of your ring finger nail so that the bottom third of the nail is exposed. Next, paint on a thick coat of either green or yellow inside the space you created before peeling off the stencil (I used green on one ring finger and yellow on the other). Depending on the opacity of your polish, you may need to carefully paint on a second coat.

 

 

Step 5.) Get out your trusty white striper and follow the chart below to paint on some citrus-y details:

 

Top Row: After your second coat of polish has dried, outline your lemon/lime slice with a white striper. This will give you an opportunity to cover up any mistakes that may have occurred during the application of the second coat.

Bottom Row: Create three slightly curved lines that run parallel to the outline of the lemon/lime. Lastly, complete the wedge sections by painting two lines extending down from the edges of each curved line. Make sure that they all meet at one point near the cuticle.


Step 6.) As always, seal in your nail art with a topcoat for the finishing touch!

Products Used:

 Delia*s "Blue Dream", Illamasqua "Milf", Sally Hansen "Mellow Yellow", Kiss Nail Art Paint in white.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you give this easy design a try (feel free to post any comments or recreations below!)

My Top 10 Favorite Beauty Products + Reviews

 

Hi guys! Once again, this week's post is beauty related. I've been trying really hard to grow my nails back out, and they seem to be responding well to the treatment that I've been putting on them, so hopefully more nail tutorials will be up in the next month. For now, I give to you my 10 FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCTS OF ALL TIME.

 

Left: Me (looking underslept) wearing some of my favorites: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Stila Petunia Convertible Color, Benefit They're Real! mascara, Mac Quite Natural Paintpot (smudged along the upper and lower lashline), and Revlon Raspberry Pie Lip Butter.

FACE:

MAC Select Moisturecover concealer in NW 15
Price: $18


Left: Mac Moisturecover in NW 15, Right: Swatched and blended out

Before I start reviewing this concealer, it's worth mentioning that I have dry skin, especially around my eyes and nose. That said, I would never in a million years recommend this product to anyone with combination or oily skin- it'll slide around like nobody's business. For my fellow dry skinned people, however, this is amazing. The texture is smooth and velvety and feels very hydrating on the skin. As far as coverage goes, the coverage isn't as full as my Bobbi Brown concealer (see below), but you can build this up easily. My only issue with this product is that it can crease quite a lot, but that's easily fixed by applying a light dusting of powder right after the concealer has had a couple minutes to sink into the skin. Overall, this is a great, buildable undereye concealer!

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Ivory
Price: $23

Yes, this is pricey. Yes, it comes in a little 1.4 g pot. But man... this concealer is actually the best concealer I've ever used. The texture is very creamy (as the name suggests) and sits very naturally on the skin, provided that you use the warmth of your fingers to help it sink in. Like the MAC concealer, I've found that applying powder afterwards is a must, but I expect that from every concealer. Bobbi Brown also has a corrector that can be used alongside the Creamy Concealer, which I also love, but don't consider to be a makeup bag staple.


Stila Convertible Color in Petunia
Price: $25

This is a product that I know has gotten a lot of hype on the internet, and I'm confident saying that it's all very well deserved. On my dry skin, the creamy texture sits really nicely on my cheeks and looks quite fresh and dewy all day. For those with an oilier skin, I would still give this product a go, but be warned that you may have to re-apply as the day goes on. Luckily, the cute mirrored compact makes touching up easy- I keep this blush in my makeup bag even if I don't plan on using it because the mirror is handy. However, try to keep this in a clean container and be extra careful to apply with clean fingers, as I've noticed that little mystery particles like to get stuck in the pan.

Upper swatch: Petunia blended out

Lower swatch: Petunia swatched straight from the pan w/o blending

 

Gorgeous, right? I'd imagine that this is a very universally flattering rosy pink, and know for a fact that it looks great on fair skintones- I'm extremely pale and this livens up my skin like no other. Finally, I know that the Convertible Colors are marketed as a 2 in 1 blush/lipstick, but I haven't tried putting this on my lips because I have many lip products that I need to use up.   

 

 

EYES

 

Arbonne eye shadow in Vanilla

Price: $19 

 

Basically my go-to all over lid shade. Since I'm so fair, I find that this light matte vanilla color neutralizes any discoloration on my eyelids and brightens up the entire eye area without looking like I'm wearing much makeup at all. It's also my opinion that everyone should have a matte cream color in their makeup collection- this one just happens to be smooth, luxurious, and awesome. The only downside to this shadow is that Arbonne is a bit hard to find- you have to either find an Arbonne consultant or order online (like Avon). However, it's a great brand for those of you who try to use only vegan products.

 

Benefit They're Real! mascara

Price: Mini: $10, Full-sized: $23



 

Okay, so I've never been a proponent of high-end mascaras- I never really saw the point of spending 20 + bucks on something that you're meant to throw out after 3-6 months. However, I received a sample size of Benefit's They're Real! mascara in February as my Sephora birthday gift and have been loving it ever since. The brush has rubber bristles of varying sizes and a cluster of bristles that form a dome on top. My only problem with the brush is that the top dome attracts clumps of mascara, but that's easily fixed by wiping some of the product off before application. The consistency of the mascara is nice as well- not too wet but not too dry.

Overall, this mascara is a triple threat: it builds great volume, excellent length, and doesn't smear throughout the day. I may even go and purchase the full sized tube...

Pixi Eye Bright Liner
Price: $17 at Target


 

For the past 8 months or so, this has been the one product that I use without fail every time I wear makeup. This flesh toned eyeliner is meant to be worn on the lower waterline in order to cancel out redness and brighten up the eyes, and it seriously works. The formulation of this liner is smooth and easy to apply (no tugging involved), and in my experience lasts for an average of 4-5 hours without fading.  

Left: Twisted up, Right: Swatched.

 

As you can see from the swatch, the color of the liner is a nice bright flesh tone. On the waterline it looks very natural, and very subtley makes you look wide awake.

 

 

MAC Paint Pot in Quite Natural

Price: $18.50



 

Ahhh nostalgia- the Quite Natural Paint Pot was my first purchase from MAC, and I remember debating whether or not to buy it after seeing Sam from pixiwoo (one of my favorite YouTube channels) use it in a makeup tutorial. Well, I obviously did, and thus began my love of MAC. Stories aside, this is a lovely warm midtone brown cream eyeshadow that can be worn as a base for powder shadows or on its own (the staying power is amazing!).

 



Left: My well loved pot of Quite Natural, Right: Swatched and blended out (excuse my veiny forearm).

 

A lot of people complain that these are a bit difficult to blend, but I find that as long as you use your ring finger instead of a brush (the warmth of your finger will make the consistency creamier), the product blends nicely across the eyelid. One caviat is that you do have to work quickly- these shadows set quite fast, so I recommend applying and blending one eye at a time. As you can see from the picture above, my Quite Natural has started to separate from the edges of the jar, which I kind of expected- I went through a phase where I used this EVERY DAY for 5 months, and that much exposure to air can dry out the product. However, popping this in the microwave for 5 seconds before application (remember to remove the plastic cap!) revives the consistency.  

 

 

LIPS

 

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie 

Price: $7.50 at drugstores, but these are frequently on BOGO 50% off sales 

Left: Raspberry Pie in the bullet, Right: Swatched

 

This is a relatively new purchase for me, but in the 6 weeks that I've had Raspberry Pie, it's beyond a shadow of a doubt been my go-to bright lip color (well, as bright as I feel comfortable going). I love that this shade isn't neon bright, but is still vivid enough to look modern and Spring-y. Also, I'd imagine that saturated, midtone berry shades like this would flatter most or even all skin tones. Lastly, Raspberry Pie is as creamy and moisturizing as the other Lip Butters, despite the opacity of the color. 

 

Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

Price: $9 at drugstores

 

Yes, another Revlon lip product- in my opinion, Revlon is by far the best drugstore brand when it comes to lips. Anyway, I feel like everyone needs a good your-lips-but-better product in their makeup bag, and this is mine. My lips are naturally very pigmented, so this rosy color is perfect for emphasizing their natural color while adding subtle definition and shine. The Just Bitten Balm Stains are very moisturizing, but they tend to be on the sheer side, so don't expect killer color payoff from these. As far as their staining properties go, I do find that these leave behind a nice stain after they've had time to sink into the lips. Thankfully, the stain is consistent across the lips and doesn't concentrate towards the edges like an awkward ring of lipliner.

 

Left: Twisted up a bit in the tube, Right: Swatched

Smith's Rosebud Salve

Price: $6 in the Sephora checkout line

 



 

Everyone needs a good lip balm that moisturizes, smells nice, and feels comfortable on the lips. This little tin of lip elixir checks all of those boxes and looks pretty on your countertop/bedside table.

 

 

Despite appearing pink in the tin, little to no tint appears on the lips when applied, just fyi. Personally, that's a bonus as far as I'm concerned because a lack of tint makes using this balm ideal for a pre-lipstick base. Once my tin is finished, I intend to splurge on the Dior Creme de Rose, but for now, Smith's Rosebud Salve is my go-to lip balm.

 

Aaaand that concludes my top 10 beauty products of all time! I hope you've found this helpful, and feel free to leave a comment telling me which products you love (I'm always curious to hear other peoples' opinions!)

 

Thanks for reading!