Summer Fruit Salad Mani

I apologize for keeping you all waiting for so long... here's my Summer Fruit Salad mani plus tutorial for gradient nails! (Finally!) n_n

For this mani I used:

OPI Pinking of You NL S95
Jill Stuart Star Brilliance 37
Shiseido Maquillage 21
Coffret D'Or SV-14

Below is a tutorial on how to create a gradation effect on the nails using glitter polishes. There are a couple of other methods as well (eg. using a sponge); however, I find that this technique creates the smoothest gradients and requires the least clean-up.

You will need the following polishes for gradient nails:
1) A base colour
2) A really sheer glitter polish-- the kind in which you can still see visible nail lines after 4+ coats =p
If you don't own anything like it, feel free to franken your own by adding clear nail polish to any colour.
3) A coarse glitter-- this is optional
4) A semi-sheer glitter polish

I suggest choosing polishes from the same colour familly in order to acheive smoother gradations. =)

 
1. Paint on base colour.
 
2 to 6. Using a sheer glitter polish, paint on a thin layer at the tip of your nail. Continue in small increments as you layer thin coats on top to build up on the colour. Note that the smaller the increments, the smoother the gradient will be. Repeat until you see that the tip is significantly more opaque compared to the rest of the nail and a gradient is visible.
 
7. This step is optional but you can apply coarse glitter at the tip for a more sparkly and pronounced gradient effect.
 
8. Lastly, paint entire nail with a semi-sheer glitter polish. I find that this step is the most important because it blends the different polishes together and smooths everything out. Notice that all the visible lines from the gradient have disappeared. =)

Depending on how many coats you use, gradients tend to end up really thick on the nails. They usually require a longer drying time so make sure you apply a good quick-drying top coat to speed up the process.

Here's the completed look...

Once you have the gradient done, you can glue on sliced fimo fruits and rhinestones on the nails to complete the summery design. 

That's all for today! I'm heading out to the beach now! I hope you ladies like the design! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! =D

Weekly Doggy Pic + New Blogs Feature =D

Here are some new nail polish blogs to follow for this week:

Bathroom Dancer
Beneath the sun
Cel's blog
Crystal Visions
Modern Artifice
Nailin' It!
Polish Candy
Positively Polished

Please do not hesitate to leave me a message if you would like to be featured on my site, I'd be more than happy to include you on the list. Also, if you know of any other new nail blogs that are worthy of new readers and deserve some love, feel free to email me about them as well! n_n

I ♥ BC Cherries!

Just look at this gigantic cherry I bought the other day! Seriously, I don't even care if this was genetically modified or what not. Local cherries = ♥♥♥

Then again, I'd be a lot more impressed if this was organic. Lol! XD

I used OPI Make Love for the base colour and Orly Green Apple for the leaves. I actually did a full manicure for this but I'm not sure if I like it anymore so I don't think I'll be posting it. =(

P.S. I'm almost done editing the pictures for my Summer Fruit Salad Gradient tutorial so just hang in there a bit longer, I'll be posting it tomorrow! =D

Love you all and thanks for stopping by!

Circle Lenses Review: Dueba DM23 Brown

Circle lenses seem to be quickly emerging in popularity recently. They are cosmetic lenses that enlarge the iris making the eyes appear bigger and more dolly-like. It seems like everywhere I go, I see people wearing them. =O

I personally don't wear these on a regular basis, it's only when I wanna look somewhat "different" for the day or when I run out of my normal contacts. Moreover, they make me look like I'm sixteen. Haha I'm not saying that's a bad thing by the way but still!

So I just thought I'd do a review on my favourite lenses (even though I only have three pairs...hehe! XD)

Before...

After...

Quite a difference eh? I ♥ before and after shots!
What I like most about these Dueba DM23 brown lenses is the fact that the pattern on them looks really natural. They're also very comfortable to wear and don't dry up the eyes like some lenses tend to do. n_n

So what are your thoughts on these? Do you like the look of circle lenses? Will you be trying them out or are you a big fan already? Let me know what you think! =D

banana puddin' franken =)

This franken was created back in the day to kill my lemming for Maybelline Banana Puddin'. I'm not saying I don't want it now, it's just that I know it's next to impossible to obtain that beauty. =(

Anyway, I found this recipe on the nail board; just mix equal parts of Orly Spark and any white creme to get this gorgeous pastel yellow. I also added drops of clear nail polish until I got the desired consistency. Overall, I loveee this polish. I reach for this one whenever I don't know what to wear. 

OPI What's with the Cattitude? NL B90

Just a quick swatch for today cuz it seems like we've had some nail art overload in the past few weeks. I reckon some of you may enjoy nice, simple swatches more so I'll try to alternate between the two.

Please feel free to let me know if there are any particular shades that you ladies would like to see swatched. I have way too many untrieds and have no clue where to begin. I'm thinking of doing colour features every week so I can get through them more quickly. Let me know what you think! n_n

Anyway, this is OPI What's with the Cattitude? from the recent Shrek Collection.

Baby blue creme. Two coats. Amazing formula!

And here is it again with two coats of China Glaze Fairy Dust layered on top.

Summer Fruit Salad Mani Preview

Here's a preview of my upcoming Summer Fruit Salad Mani blog entry. I'll also post the long-awaited gradient tutorial as well so please stay tuned! =)

Have a fantabulous Sunday everyone!!

I ♥ Dolly Wink!

Dolly Wink is a popular eye make-up brand produced by Japanese supermodel Tsubasa Masuwaka. I read on A lil bit of eki that she recently launched a new nail polish collection as well! ♥ Thank you so much for posting about these Eki! ♥

The collection is consisted of ten cremes, four glitters, plus top and base coats. I'm super excited and can't wait to get my hands on these cuz my sister promised to pick some up for me when she visits Tokyo in September! :D

Anyway, there are some nail art ideas on the website so I decided to try one of them out! (I Google translated the tutorial just in case you were wondering about the funny English. Lol!)

I adore the design, it's a very cute and girly alternative to the traditional French manicure. n_n

And here's my take on the nails...is it just me or did the cuteness factor immediately disappear for some odd reason? Heh...o_O

I didn't want to use a pink creme for the base colour so I stuck with my favourite French mani polishes, Essie Marshmallow and Essie Mademoiselle.

And of course a step-by-step tutorial...= )

1. Paint nail with a sheer pink base.

2. Next, paint the tip with a soft white polish. Haha, this kinda looks like draped curtains, very different from the traditional French tips indeed.

3. Lastly, paint on polka dots along the French tip. Notice that the middle one is slightly bigger than the rest.

And while we're at it...

Dolly Wink is most famous for their black liquid eyeliner and their many false eyelashes sets. Their most popular set is No. 1 in Dolly Sweet, voted the favourite by five thousand Japanese girls in a recent Popteen issue. n_n

A close-up of the lashes.

And this is how they look when you have them on...

The lashes may look really heavy but they're actually not. I could barely feel that I was wearing anything when I had them on. The lashes are very well made and I totally recommend them to all of you. =)

Side note: I never really found a need to wear false eyelashes because my natural lashes are fairly long already. They don't have much volume to them but a lil mascara could fix that up. And then I started following some beauty blogs and realized the tremendous difference falsies could make. I really like how they open up your eyes and make them look so much bigger. Do you ladies like the look of false eyelashes as well? If so, which kinds are your favourite? Any brands that you prefer? I'd love to hear what you ladies think!

Love you all and thank you so much for stopping by! :D

New Blogs + Bonus Doggy Pic =)

Here are this week's new blogs:
allison*elle
A Splash of Serendipity
colors and paws
Gilded Lily
Gryffindorx3
fix me
Know Thy Nail Polish
Matilda's Manis
My Nailz
Nail Bean
Nail Narcissism
OH MY POLISH!
polish of the day. ish.
Polish Packrat
The Chain Nail

Please let me know if I have accidentally left out your blog. There were a few links that did not work, if you've sent me a message about your blog but do not see it on this list, please check the link and forward it to me again. =)

Also, if you have a newish blog and would like me to feature it on my site, please feel free to leave me a message in the comments section or drop an email to ilovenailpolish.321@gmail.com! I'll add you onto the list for next week. =D

Alritey, I'm off to school now! I'll post a new nail art entry when I'm home. Have a great day everyone! 

My blinged up Hello Kitty iPhone case + matching manicure!

This blinged up Hello Kitty iPhone case is a gift from my oldest sis. (Thanks manman!! n_n) She actually designed the pattern and had it custom made at a decoden place! Isn't it preeeeettttty?♥♥♥

Just look how lovely it sparkles in the sun!♥♥♥

Close-up of my mani.♥

For my matching Hello Kitty manicure I used (from left to right):

Essie Red Nouveau for the Konad pattern on my thumb (plate m59)
Color Club I Believe in Amour
Essie Marshmallow
China Glaze Fairy Dust
Revlon Blizzard Berry- This is a Japanese release...kinda looks like the new Revlon glitters no? However, this bottle is a lot smaller cuz it's only a 10mL.

And a step-by-step tutorial for you to recreate this design at home!

1. Paint nail with a soft white base. I used Essie Marshmallow once again...seems like I've been using it for every single one of my nail art posts lately. I'm a bit upset because I've already used up 1/3 of my bottle. I feel the need to get a back-up but Essies are soooo expensive now. ='(

2. Next, paint on a layer of China Glaze Fairy Dust or any other holographic microglitters that you have. Fairy Dust is absolutely my favourite glitter top coat! Everything turns so much more magical with this layered over!

3. Lastly, apply a Hello Kitty nail sticker at the tip of your nail and then bling up the design with some pink and or clear rhinestones! =D

No worries if you don't know where to get the nail stickers cuz...

The famous Hello Kitty fauxnad plate A02 can be used as a great alternative! I used China Glaze Admire for the stamp, it's a medium metallic pink that works wonderfully with Konads! Actually, all of the Romantiques work great with Konads..I believe they're all one-coaters and are very opaque. : )

For the rest of the fingers...I painted them with a light pink creme and then layered a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust on top of it. I finished the design off with two coats of Revlon Blizzard Berry which is a hex glitter in a pink jelly base. This is just to add extra sparkles to the mani, feel free to omit this step if you want.

I hope you ladies like the design! Now tell me...who else is a fellow Hello Kitty fanatic? :D

Thanks for dropping by everyone! xoxo

My First Make-up Post!

Usually I wear only very natural-looking colours on my lips, they were getting a lil boring so I decided to venture out of my lil box and try more interesting shades. I remember reading about some amazing reviews on the YSL Rouge Volupté line so I decided to give it a try. I picked up #19 Frivolous Pink from the collection and also ended up getting a lip gloss at the counter as well cause the baby pink was too pretty to pass haha.

Here's a picture of just the lipstick...

The lipstick is very pigmented and it glides on like a dream. The formula is very rich and creamy, and a little goes a long way. Oh, and I loveeeee the packaging! It's super classy and it even has a lil mirror on the top of the cap for touch ups! =)

And here's a picture with the lip gloss too...

Pure Sorbet is a baby pink lip gloss with no shimmer. I love how it's really creamy and has an incredibly glossy shine to it. Both the lipstick and the gloss is scented with a sweet mango fragrance.

P. S. I've recently discovered the wonders of make-up and I've been buying a lot of eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, lip glosses, blushes, and the list just goes on forever! I'm hoping to do occasional make-up related posts to share my new passion with you guys. My blog will remain focussed on nails so no worries to those of you who voted "no" to make-up posts on the poll that I did a while back.

Love you all and thank you so much for stopping by! :D

Nautical Themed Nail Art III

It's the time of the year for nautical manis again!

For this design I used (from left to right): Essie Marshmallow, China Glaze Dorothy Who? OPI Dating a Royal, OPI Alpine Snow

Design for index and ring...

1. Paint your nail with a soft white base. I used Essie Marshmallow, it's my favourite white polish because it's not too stark on the nails. The application may not be the best but it's definitely worth the hassle. =)

2. Using a striping brush, paint two horizontal stripes across your nail. Paint one with a blue glitter and the other with a dark blue creme for a more interesting contrast.

Design for middle finger...

1. Paint your nail with a blue glitter polish. I used China Glaze Dorothy Who? for this design. It's a very pretty royal blue jelly with silver glitter. I used three coats for maximum coverage.

2. With either white polish or acrylic paint, draw an anchor on the bottom right hand corner of your nail. Here's a tutorial on how to draw anchors in case you're interested!

This is a very simple nail art design that only requires a few steps! Definitely try this out if you want to embrace the nautical trend but don't want to spend lots of time painting your nails! n_n

Have a wonderful day everyone and thanks for reading!

Liz Lisa Mani♥

I had some free time yesterday so I worked on some nail art that I've been wanting to try for the longest time! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Liz Lisa, it's a super girly Japanese clothing brand. Ribbons, lace, bows, and floral prints...the picture from their website below pretty much sums it all up. I got slightly obsessed with the brand after following some fashion blogs...their designs are just too cute to not fall in love!♥ Lol!

For this mani I used: OPI Alpine Snow, China Glaze Something Sweet, Misa Be My Lover, Chanel Riviera, OPI Damone Roberts 1968, Gold Glitter
And here's how to recreate the mani!

Design for middle and ring fingers...

1. Paint nails with a baby pink base.
2. This step may look really complicated but it's not as hard as it looks! The roses are essential in this mani, they really add to the sweet and cuteness factor!
Using a dotting tool and hot pink polish, paint on a circular dot. Next, paint three slightly curved lines around it. With a striping brush and green polish, paint some leaves below the flower and you're done! Repeat two more times so that you have three roses down the middle of your nail.
3. Glue on some pearls on the sides to form a "lattice" pattern.

Design for index and pinky..

1. Paint nails with baby pink base.
2. Using a darker pink, paint on a diagonal section covering slightly less than half of your nail.
3. With white polish and a striping brush, paint some vertical stripes over the dark pink.
4. Lastly, line the diagonal with gold glitter and paint on some more roses to finish the design!
That's all for today! I hope you ladies like the design! Thanks for visiting my blog! xoxo