i love nail polish. . .turns one!

Yes, yes, I know this post is a few days late but better late than never right? =p

My blog turned one on the 24th and there was no better nail polish I could possibly wear than the gorgeous Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday! I layered two coats of it on top of Chanel Riviera, a very lovely hot pink, from their summer collection.

I can't believe it's been a year already since I started blogging. There are so many people who I would like to thank for making this possible...my family, my friends, my fellow bloggers, my readers...thank you to all of you for being so supportive in the past year! Your love and support means the world to me and I truly appreciate all the things that you guys did for me and my blog! I love you all and I really hope I'll be able to share my passion with you guys in the many more years to come! Thank you so much everyone! xoxo

I ♥ Strawberries!

I saw some fresh local strawberries at the market yesterday and was inspired to create this manicure. ^-^

I loveee local strawberries! Even though they're not that large in size, they're incredibly sweet and juicy! ♥ They're always handpicked when they're ripe to ensure that they're bursting with flavour. :D

For this manicure, I used OPI Monsooner Or Later, American Apparel Butter, and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Spring Green.

Only three simple steps to recreate this design at home! What's more? It takes less than five minutes!

1. Paint on the base colour. I chose a bright orange-red for this mani but you can also use other shades of red or even pink. =)

2. With a striping brush and green polish, paint on the leaves along the free edge of your nail. Think of it as just a zigzag line or inverted triangles.

3. Lastly, using a dotting tool and pale yellow polish (white will work as well), paint on the seeds. I purposely didn't make them perfectly circular to better portray the appearance of real seeds. So just drag your dotting tool down a little to elongate the dot.

P.S. If you would like to avoid this design from being tacky or too over-the-top, don't wear it on all your nails. Try to have only 1 to 2 strawberries per hand, preferably on your thumb, index, or ring fingers.

And while we're at it....strawberry flavoured Caramel Corn! This is a limited edition seasonal flavour which means it's not available all year round! So get it while you can because it's LOVE!!

(Okay sis, you can finally eat it now! I ♥ you! =p)

Lace Nails ♥

I've been wanting to attempt these lace nails for the longest time! And omg! I think I'm in love! Lace makes everything so delicate and feminine...♥

This design was a lot of work and very time consuming but I ADORE how it looks!

I was just trying this design out and didn't know whether it'll actually work so I didn't take pictures of the various procedures, but I'll definitely come up with a tutorial on this soon. ^-^

Anna Sui 107

I just knewww I had to get this after seeing it in a magazine back in April. I believe 107 is part of a limited collection released for Summer 2010. It's a light, watery blue very similar in colour to RBL Bikini Bottom with various kinds of glitter dispersed all over. =)

This polish is incredibly sheer. I eventually lost count of how many coats I used when applying it. Maybe it's because I was trying to cover up my terribly stained nails but I'll definitely use this for layering instead next time.

Close-up of the silver, opalescent, and square glitter!

OPI Jade is the New Black NL H45

I really really wanted to like this colour but....I don't! ='(
I think it's because my nails are too long for this shade, I'll have to try this again when I have nubbins. o_O

The application is awesome for Jade is the New Black! No clean-up was necessary, thanks to OPI's pro-wide brushes!! I used two coats for the swatch. =)

Essie The Resort Collection

We finally had a few hours of sunshine in Vancouver the other day so I took advantage of it and quickly ran outside to swatch a few polishes for you guys! =)

I got the Essie Resort minis because I kinda figured I already own enough nail polish to last me three lifetimes and I'd never be able to use up the full size bottles anyway. Lol!

Splash of Grenadine

Lapis of Luxury

Turquoise & Caicos

Playa Del Platinum

I loveee this new collection from Essie and is incredibly impressed with the all the colours. The formulas on these are very similar in texture, they are very thin and applies like butter. =) The first coat goes on sheer, the second coat evens everything out, and the third coat makes it opaque. There is also a squishy, jelly-like consistency to these too! ♥

A Year in Review

I was looking at some of my older swatches the other day and I noticed how the shape of my nails has changed tremendously throughout this past year. From rounded tips, to squoval, to square; it almost feels like my nails have gone through a major transformation.

I just wanted to show you all what perfect nail care can do to your nails! I'm not a reformed nail biter or anything but I never actually paid attention to my nails until I started this addicting hobby. I'm really happy with the shape and length of them now and I never imagined they would ever look like this. People often ask me whether they're fake (I usually take this as a compliment until they start doubting me. Lol!) and are really surprised when I tell them they're not. I just thought I'd let you all know that anything is possible and hard work really pays off so don't give up!! =)

Here are some things that I do differently now compared to when I first started:

1. I use a glass file.

I really like glass files because they prevent my nails from peeling. Also, they hardly get dull and can be easily cleaned or sterilized with rubbing alcohol.

2. I moisturize a lot.

My favourite cuticle care products include CND Solar Oil, Burt's Bees Lemon Butter, Lush Lemony Flutter, and CND Cuticle Eraser.

3. I avoid soaking my nails in water. This is very important to keeping the length and preventing breakage. Therefore, always remember to wear gloves to clean with and have polish on when you shower.

Here are just some of the tips to have healthier nails. I can post a more detailed guide if you ladies are interested. Also, please visit the MUA Nail Board for more expert advice! =D

Thanks for reading!