The Fancy, Salon Nails At Home - Tutorial & Review.

  Right about now you are probably wishing for Salon Nails, (I don't know... are you?) and hopefully, done by yourself, at home, in less that 20 minutes, and on a budget, of no more than that rusty-old $10 bill that has been in your wallet for a while. Right?
Well exciting news!
Your wish has come true! :^P

The last time I gave myself Salon Nails (which was probably in 2006) the process took sometimes more that 2 hours, it was messy, it was hard work and even with the windows open, the whole house still ended up smelling like a shoe factory!
Turns out the process has gotten way easier since then!

I was strolling through my neighborhood K-mart the other day (on my way to pick up a few shipping envelopes) and stumbled upon this box of BROADWAY NAILS - Real Life Brush-On Nail Kit. Someone shoved them on the shelf of envelopes, which is why I even noticed them.

I'm happy to say, I do not regret the purchase and i'm impressed, they were not lying when they claimed these guys were "Simple"!
If you've ever attempted to give yourself Salon Nails at home, or if you never even dared to, you should definitely give these a chance! You will be pleasantly surprised!

The thing I loved best about this set of Broadway Nails is that, if you ever got tired of them, or if you screwed up on a nail, you would not have to soak your hands in a mixture of gasoline + acid + fire to peal them off.
(JK about that mixture...i'm pretty sure it will kill you.)
To take these off, all you have to do is soak a cotton ball in Nail-polish Remover with Acetone in it, which is any ol regular Nail-polish Remover, then just rub off the fake nail.

The process is fast and easy, actually easier than trying to remove Glitter Nail-Polish.



Well, now that you are really excited about getting your manicure on, I'll go ahead and start with my tutorial. :)

**The reason I decided to make a tutorial for these Broadway Nails is because the instructions that came with the kit are tiny, not very clear and don't really have pictures. Plus I though this could also serve as, in a way, a review for the BROADWAY NAILS - Real Life Brush-On Nail Kit

Here are the contents of the box,  plus a nail-polish I picked out to finish the manicure with. (click on pictures to enlarge)
The box actually comes with 2 sets of nails. One set (of 20) french manicure and another set (of 20) plain manicure and that pink thing on the bottom of the picture is a nail filer.


So let's get started!


1) Wash your hands with soap to get rid of any lotion or oils off of your nails, then if you are hard core like me, you can file the tops of your nails a little for a better, more sturdy attachment. Normally that is not recommended because it's not so good for your nails. But nails grow and the body heals...

2) Select the perfect size tip for each nail.

Got your set of 10 picked out? Great!

NOTE: Start working on your dominant hand. 

3) Get the Brush On Gel (this is your glue) and sweep some on the inside of the fake nail tip.

4) Stick that tip on, press and hold still for about 15 seconds.

The hardest part is over!

5) Get the Brush Cleaner and sweep it across the scar where the nail tip meets your natural nail.

The Brush Cleaner will smooth out the scar some, so it is not as noticeable.

If the scar is still pretty rough you can file it a little. 

Be careful not to file down the white part (the french manicure).

6) Pop off the tabs, and file to your preferred shape/size.

7) Get the Brush On Activator, Shake it and take off the top.

You will notice that it does not have a brush.

Not to worry! There is a reason for it! 

You will partner your Activator with the Brush Cleaner for the rest of the process!

So take the Brush Cleaners brush and put it into the Activator.

8) Arrange your "potions" in this order: :)

9) Now you will coat each nail, one by one, first with Brush On Gel 

then (with the brush from the Cleaner) quickly switch to Activator and  brush it on top of the wet Gel. After using the Activator put the the brush back into the Cleaner. This will prevent the Activator from hardening on the brush.

Make sure that the Gel doesn't dry before you coat the Activator over it. 

NOTE: If the nail remains sticky for more that 5 minutes, this will be 

the indicator that you didn't do the switcheroo fast enough. 

Not a problem! Go over it again, (with Gel then Activator) but this time faster :) 

 After the nails dry, go over them again at least one more time. 

I did the Gel + Activator 3 times.
That really covers the scar and makes them shiny, smooth and sturdy.

10) Let your dominant hand dry (the nails should dry within 5 minutes)
and then get started on the second hand.

The second hand should be way easier to do now that you had practice. :)

After my nails dried I painted them with this polish...

So there you have it!

Fast, flawless and easy!
Can you tell these are fake? I still can't!

I am very impressed with this kit! And I still have another set of the plain tips left over when these wear out. :)


Thanks for stopping by!
I hope this was helpful!

<3

Smokey Cat Eyes Tutorial

Hello lovelies! :)

Today I have an eye makeup tutorial for you. I've gotten a lot of compliments on this particular eye makeup and had lots of ladies ask me to make a tutorial.



Well, here it is! Finally! :)

Keep in mind, I have skipped the boring part, so you don't have to watch me apply foundation and concealer to my face and eyes. So lets just get to the fun part!

You will need a brush and two shades.
One, a Pearly White (or any kind of Shimmery White) and a dark shade. I have done this with gray, charcoal black, dark blue, purple, brown, and now this Dark Plum shade, so pick your favorite dark shade and go with it.

Before you get started here is what we will be trying to achieve with the dark shade.

We want the shape of the shadow to be exactly like this, with the inner corner of the eye having the biggest arch and the outer corner having the "cat eye" sharp corner.


Here is how that is done. 


With your dark shade first, start at the inner corner of your eye, make a high arch and pull the shadow down from there to the outer corned of the eye. Go a little past the outer corner and stop.

Then turn your brush at an angle and at the very outer corner of your eye, sweep up and away to connect your lines and make the sharp corner of your "cat eye" like this.

Now, start filling in the rest of the eye lid but make sure to leave the area right above your lash line bare like the middle picture bellow. Next, sweep some shadow on the bottom lid, right under the lashes. Go light on the bottom lid. You only need a hint of color there.

Now, you will get your contrasting shade (pearly white/shimmery white) and sweep it across your lash line, from corner to corner, and carefully blend it into the darker shade so the transition is subtle.

Next you need a Q-tip, (or a sponge, or you can even use your finger) you will blend the eye shadow on the edges all around the eye (top and bottom lid).

After blending the eye shadow you will get your pearl white/shimmery white shade again and make a few finishing sweeps with it.

Sweep some on the brow bone (neatly, blend it into the dark shade). Then, sweep some right under your "cat eye" corner.

And last, you will curl your lashes and apply mascara.

And you're done!

It's that fast and easy! :)

Let me know what you think and if you have tried this.

Pinterest it ladies!! 

I LOVE love love it when I see my tutorials circulating the Pinterest! 

So super excited every time! :)

Leave me your thoughts, comments and questions too. I always enjoy hearing from you guys.

Also, click "Follow this site" on the right side and get my updates as soon as they are up.

love and sweets!

New Hair Tutorial!

Hello all ladies!
If your hair length is past your shoulder then today's posting is for you!

I love feeling "brand new" and how I achieve that feeling is by changing something about my self. I am not daring enough to do something drastic like, get a tattoo or shave my head (shout out to Britt) but little, subtle changes do the trick for me. I crave a change almost on a weekly basis. I know, i'm getting out of hand!

I feel brand new when I change up my hair or change how I do my makeup.
About a month ago or so I was sitting in front of my mirror picking at my hair and came up with this interesting hairstyle which I though needs to be shared because it's so trendy and unique!!

To recreate this hair, first of all keep in mind, I have a buzzed, left sideburn, (that's as far as I will ever go with a buzzer) so when you do this hairstyle, your left side will have a little more hair that will cover more of your cheek and ear.
I always ware my hair wavy, mostly because it makes me feel like I have thicker, fuller hair, which i LOVE. So you might want to curl your hair before you proceed with this style.
However, you do not need to curl your hair for this style.

Here is a video tutorial.

Click HERE to watch it in Youtube.


Loves, if you are not following me yet, you might want to start following!
I might be doing a little sumfin special, in the near future, for those who followers me. ;)
So follow me!
Click "Join this site" on the right sidebar of my page!
P.S. You don't have to have a Blogspot account to follow!

French-Braid By Your Self!

Do you remember when your mom used to do your hair for school? I sure do!!
Mostly because of that subtle pain at the hair follicles do to how tight my hair was braided. Haha!

No matter how much effort my mom put into making that braid perfect and snug, by the time i would be on my way home from school, it would be barely hanging on by the last strand of hair.

I'd like to think that it was because i was a "tomboy" then.

Growing up as a Russian school girl, I had to maintain a tradition of braids and bows.

And at that time, to every Russian girl, her braids were her pride! 

At some point the traditional bows even became a competition 

of who can have the biggest, "larger than life", bow on their head.

I, too, partook in that tradition, though my bows never reached the heights 

of the most popular girls in class and my braids never reached the lengths either.

(this is my 2nd grade class and i'm in the very center of the first row with the smallest bow)

I remember dreaming and even obsessing about long hair then, 

measuring my braid almost on a daily basis. 

The goal was to grow it out to where it would finally reach my waist.

Still working on that goal to this day... :-\

I guess it's time to admit that i didn't get that luscious, "hair-growth-gene".

Nevertheless! I work with what i have! And so can you!

Here is my new hair inspiration for you!

It is a Messy Side-French-Braid.

It's easier to braid than a normal French Braid, because it is usually 

on the back on your head and requires a team of people to get it on there. 

This one is simpler and trendier!!! Win win!

And here is a video tutorial to help you do it your self.

Note: I did curl my hair prior to getting started but that is not required. 

The trick is to keep the braid loose versus tight.

Enjoy!! 

And show it off!!

~inna~

Henna Tattoo How-To.

Hello there!

Thanks for stopping by to see my creativity for the day! :)

Today i decided to give my self a henna tattoo.

I have done some before, with henna powder, by mixing it my self and painting it on with a teeny paint brush. This time around, a nice Indian man at the register of our International Market (at the Farmers Market here in Nashville, TN) told me about an easier way! This one is a "Henna Cone"!

It is a premixed, ready to paint henna in an easy to use and mess-free cone.

If you are not as lucky to live conveniently close to an Indian/International store 

that carries henna cones, then i found you a place where you can get it for a really good price

>Henna Cones - Amazon<. 

(I got mine for a little under $3. Nice!)

Also, there is no way you will use up the whole cone at one time... 

unless you are doing your whole body and you are a larger person.

Here is a closer shot of the cone just so you can see it better. 

(For an even closer view click on the picture.)

Well, lets get started then! 

(Make sure that the part of the body you will tattoo is free of lotion or other oily products.)

Here are the things you will need:

Paper-towel, scissors, a wet paper-towel and of course the cone!

Carefully snip the very tip of the cone. 

MAKE SURE that you snip as little as possible and test to see if it will come out. 

You do not want it to have a large exit hole!

You want to be able to make delicate lines, therefore cut as little off the tip as you can and squeeze. (The mixture is thin and should come out easy with light pressure.)

Now, if you have doodled swirls all your life like i have,

then the design of the tattoo should come pretty easy. 

But if this might be a challenge for you 

then i found you a place where you can get some > stencils <

Also if you are totally not up for doing it your self 

i found you a solution as well >instant-henna-tattoos<.

 You're welcome! :o]

Note: To correct a mess-up,  roll your wet paper-towel to have a pointy tip 

and wipe immediately because the color stains real fast!

Mine was coming along nicely at first.

Right about here is where i realized that i have used up all the swirls possible 

and started to panic a little. haha!

But i always figure out a way to keep going, so i made another swirl 

and a dot and another swirl and another and before you knew it i was all done!

When you come to your stopping point you will need to let the henna dry completely. 

Note: Do not use the hair dryer to help it dry faster 

as this will take away from the natural development of the color do to moisture in the henna.

While your henna is drying you can seal your cone so it doesn't dry out.

That way you can use it again and again.

You can either tape the tip shut or you can use a sewing-pin to seal it.

(shove the whole thing into the exit hole)

After the henna is completely dry and flaky-looking, you will wrap your tattooed body part 

with plastic-wrap to protect it from snagging or flaking off.

(You are wrapping it because you will need to let the henna stay on for a few hours.)

Some people choose to let henna stay on over night for a better darker color.

I however don't have the patience to wait that long 

so i held mine on for 3 hours and it was enough for me! :)

You can either chip/rub the dry henna off (i heard that it is better for preserving the color) or wash it off, as i did.

Note: the color will continue to darken even after the henna is completely washed off.

Well, I hope you really enjoy showing off your fancy tattoo!

I know i will!!

:)

Thanks for stopping by!! 

~inna~