OPI Pure 18K Top Coat with Snowflake Nail Art + Tutorial!

Hello everyone!  And, Merry Christmas!

I've been obsessed with OPI Pure lately, the 18K White Gold & Silver top coat (I posted a little glimpse of it here).  I think I even like it more than the gold leaf top coats that were so popular this past year, and I absolutely loved those ones.  I think with this version, the white gold looks amazing over every single color, whereas with the gold, I feel like some colors suit it much better than others.

I don't have the OPI gold version (The Man With the Golden Gun), but compared to several of the other gold leaf top coats that I have, the formula of Pure is just perfection.  It has the perfect amount of clear base to white gold & silver, and it's just a dream to apply.  There are also lots of varying sizes of flakes, so you get really great coverage on the nail in just one coat.

I was looking forward to trying it over black, and the look is so chic and pretty, just as I imagined.

As you can see (or may have already seen on Instagram the other day), I added a snowflake on my ring finger, and I am very happy with how it turned out!  While I was googling photos of actual snowflakes, I came across one I thought was really cool, so I decided to try something similar with white polish, but of course I had to amp it up a little by adding some holo!

CND Blackjack (the best!), Nars Ecume, Square Hue Times Square, OPI Pure, and a size10/0 brush (from Michael’s)

Here’s a closeup that I posted on Instagram the other day:

I also filmed a tutorial of my snowflake, so I hope you all enjoy it.  Please let me know if you have any other questions or requests, and feel free to tag me @kgrdnr in your photos on Instagram if you try it! :)

I hope you all have an amazing holiday, and thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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Red & Black Lumberjack Plaid Tutorial

Hello everyone!

I created some red & black plaid nails last week and got quite a few requests for a tutorial on Instagram.  I did actually film the original ones, but I decided to scrap the video because the lighting was off.  Instead, I created a photo tutorial (or pictorial) for you all.

If you missed my original post for these nails then you can view it here!

So, onto the tutorial!

 

1. This tutorial is very simple; it only requires a black polish and your color of choice.  You must use a jelly or sheer polish for your color for the best effect though!  I chose red, and for this tutorial I used Essie Garnet.  The black is Orly Liquid Vinyl.

2. Apply one coat of your base.  It doesn't matter if it's a bit uneven or streaky because we will be adding a few layers.  Tip: At this point, you could also tape off your cuticles if you are using a red or color you know will stain your cuticles.  You don't want to spend ages cleaning up after, I made that mistake the first time! :P

3. Paint vertical lines in black.  I painted two, but depending on the size of plaid you want, you may want more.  I just used the polish brush from the bottles, but if you are more comfortable you could use a striper or even tape to create perfect lines.

4. Create a grid by painting horizontal lines in black.  You may need more or less depending on the length of your nails or size of plaid like the previous step.

5. Now, using your red (or other) jelly, paint vertical lines overlapping some of the black.  I painted one down the center, and one on either side of the black vertical lines.

6. Then, paint horizontal lines the same way as the previous step.  I did four red horizontal lines, so I ended up leaving the little 6 black opaque squares you can see in the photo.

7. Clean up around your cuticles with some remover and a cotton swab or brush dipped in acetone (I used both.)

8. Add top coat and your plaid nails are complete! 

I hope you all enjoyed this quick tutorial, and let me know if you have any other questions.

You can always share your recreations with me by tagging me (@kgrdnr) in your photo on Instagram, or showing me on Twitter or Facebook (yes, I am now on Facebook!).

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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Red & Black Lumberjack Plaid Nails

Hello!

I've been wearing some simple plaid nails these past few days.  I love the classic "lumberjack" red & black plaid, and I had an idea to create them a few weeks ago.  My first attempt was kind of a fail, but I decided to give them another go, and I'm really happy with them this time!

I only used two polishes for this design, and no nail art brushes or tape, so these were very quick to do.  The black is one of my favourites (a-England Camelot), which is super opaque, but what made this plaid work so well is the use of a red jelly (I used Essie Fishnet Stockings).

To create the plaid, I started with just one coat of red.  This design is all about layering, so the base doesn't have to be perfect.  Using the black I made a grid (two vertical lines, three horizontal), then with another layer of red I painted vertical and horizontal lines overlapping some of the black areas so they would appear faded, just like you would see on a plaid shirt.

What do you think of these plaid nails?  I really enjoyed wearing them, especially in this weather.  They looked so nice with a big knit sweater and boots!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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Incoco Halloween 2013 Fright Night Collection: Spooktacular Nail Appliques Review

press sample

Incoco's Fright Night Collection for Halloween 2013 consists of four adorable Halloween designs.  Two of them are a gorgeous combination of orange and black glitter (Fright Night and After Dark), and the remaining two glow in the dark (Bone Rattling and Spooktacular)!  I was so excited opening this package, and I have taken quite a few photos, so I'm sure you will see why!

Bone Rattling, Spooktacular, After Dark, and Fright Night

They glow extremely bright!  I held them under a light for a few seconds before taking this photo, and that is all that was needed!

The first set I decided to try was Spooktacular.  The little ghosts have the most adorable smiley faces; so precious!  They were easy to apply (like previous Incoco appliqués I've tried), and the ghosts are also the perfect size so you get a good amount of them on each nail.

The Spooktacular design still looks amazing in its normal state, but of course, the glow just makes these appliqués incredible:

Incoco appliqués are so much fun, especially for special occasions, and this collection is indeed Spooktacular!  I cannot wait to try the other three designs.  I won't lie, I would probably wear these whether it is Halloween or not, but I will definitely be wearing another set on Halloween night!


The Fright Night Collection will be available on October 2nd at www.incoco.com.  Incoco Nail Polish Appliqués retail for $8.99.

press sample

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 12: Stripes

Day 12 of the #31DC2013 was Stripes.  I'm super behind still as you can tell, but I'm not going to let that stop me.  I will try to complete them all!

For this design, I didn't want to go with typical stripes, so these are very loosely based on the theme, but I am so happy with them!

I used two coats of Dior Destin, a very strange sort of mocha pearly taupe color, as my base.  It just makes me want to put on a comfy sweater because it's one of those colors that I would associate with fall.  It's a really lovely neutral.  Then, I used Color Club Beyond (a black holo) and created a simple tape design on my nails, starting with a big triangle in the center of my nails, and some thinner "stripes" surrounding it.  

 Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 10: Gradient Nails

Gradient Nails was the theme for Day 10 of the #31DC2013.

I'd probably wear some variation of gradient nails everyday if I could.  They are so easy and always look pretty, especially with a bit of glitter.

This time I went with a super fast and simple gradient using China Glaze Blue Sparrow and a-England Camelot.  These nails were a pain to photograph, so I'm not very happy with the photos, but I figured I would post them anyways.  This gradient had so much depth in person because of the jelliness of Blue Sparrow, and I loved wearing them.

Thank you for reading!


Kristin

Turquoise Stone Nails + Tutorial!

These turquoise stone nails have been quite a trend lately.  I had seen a couple people try this technique, and was inspired, but I wanted to put my own style on it.

Here is my finished look:

Now, here is the tutorial to get this look:

I tried to make the steps as clear as possible, but as always, if you have any questions please let me know.  And, feel free to send me your results, I would love to see them! :)

1. Gather your supplies and prep your nails. I used CND Stickey, Essie Where's My Chauffeur?, CND Blackjack and Gold Chrome, a piece of plastic wrap (bunched into a ball), a few toothpicks, Scotch tape, hairspray, a paper towel, a cup of luke warm (tap) water, and a piece of paper.

2. Paint two coats of your base colour. In this case, to make them look like turquoise stones, I chose the Essie's Where's My Chauffeur?. Make sure your base colour is completely dry, or use a quick dry top coat before moving to the next step.

3. Tape off your cuticle and sides of your fingers with some scotch tape.

4. Work quickly with the next few steps! Place a few drops of gold polish on a piece of paper. Dip the plastic wrap into the polish, and dab it a few times on the paper before applying it to your nails.

5. Immediately "sponge" the gold polish on your nails in a few random spots. I did this very lightly, to make it look like subtle veins of gold.

6. With a cup of luke warm water, place one drop of black polish into the water. I only used one drop of polish so the black would be quite light and veiny. As it is spreading, spray some hairspray on it. This is the most difficult part, as you may have to repeat this step a few times to get it to look right.

7. I wanted the "veins" to be quite spread out on the nail. If the spots are too close together in the water, you will have too much black on the nail, so if it does not look right in the water, just take a toothpick to remove the polish and try again.

8. Quickly dip your finger into the water, positioned where you want it, and use a toothpick to grab the leftover polish on the surface of the water before removing your nail.

9. Remove the tape. Wait a while before applying top coat so you do not smudge the black lines. Finally, finish with a top coat.

Have fun! :)

Kristin