Manicure Mania, Pt. IV: French Tip, Blown to Bits

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The reality of DIY nail art is that sometimes... sometimes... things don't work out. I've attempted works of art that seemed like a genius idea in theory — only to find that, in practice, good ideas don't always equal great nails. For example, I thought this gorgeous Illamasqua nail polish that my friend Alison gave me, Kink, would look awesome with feathers on it.

Feather FAIL.

When I heard that MAC was offering new & improved, on-trend press-on nails (!) I raced to my compy to see what they'd dreamed up. And I saw this:

What beauty! I loved it! So crisp and clean! I thought a pale lavender would suit my wardrobe better, so I grabbed Revlon's Lily and my ol' faithful, Sally Hansen Black Heart, then I set to work.

First, two coats of Revlon Lily. Next, I used french tip tape and gave myself black tips. Easy enough. Then I used ring enforcers to create a black half moon at the cuticle. And here's where I went wrong. Partly an issue of impatience, and partly due to the fact that I was really sick with a sinus infection and in a stage of delirium, the half moons were a mess.

I felt too ill to start again and, so help me GAH, I was not going to let my nails go naked. There was only one product I could turn to; only one polish that could cover oh, so many sins: SHATTER.

My favorite crackle polish is by OPI, who calls it "shatter." If you apply a thin coat, you get tiny little cracks. Apply a thick coat for great, big dramatic fissures.

I thought this mani was dead for sure but, like a phoenix, it rose triumphantly from the ashes of carelessness to emerge as the shiny, eye-catching mani I knew it could be.

shattercracklepop, Francesca

My Funny Valentine

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I waited too long to post this back when Valentine's happened eons ago. I should have shown this to you the week before so that you could have had time to pick out supplies if this inspired you. But I couldn't get my act together — sorry! So now I'm posting one month after... which, to my crazy mind, seemed better than a day or two late. :D

I had been hunting for Revlon's Facets of Fuchsia for a couple weeks with Valentine's Day ideas in mind. It was HTF at first, and what started as mere annoyance began to turn to dread. Was it gone?!

Nope! Turns out it was such a huge success that Revlon's added Facets of Fuchsia to its regular lineup, with a small twist; it is now called "Scandalous." [Side note: Revlon added "Starry Pink" to the lineup, too, now known as "Popular."]

I bought some heart-shaped glitter at my beauty supply store and my plan was complete. Check it out!

I bought some holographic gold star glitter, too... so keep your eyes peeled for that to make its debut one of these days!

xxo, and happybelatedvalentine'sday, GLOSS

OPI — Cuckoo For This Color

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I have a confession to make. I spent an inordinate amount of money on nail polish this weekend.  The worst part of it all?.....I went into the weekend with this nail polish splurge in mind!  I just couldn't help myself.  $50 and 7 bottles later, I think I actually did pretty good in my price per bottle ratio, but that is neither here nor there.  I am obsessed and it is out of control!

The good news is I got some beautiful new colors!  One of which I am currently wearing and loving!  It it OPI's Cuckoo For This Color:

Honestly, the name of this polish kind of annoys me, just because it is unnecessarily long and I really don't see the witty connection that OPI titles often have.  But yes, I would agree, this color is fabulous and I am crazy for it!

Actually, the color is a lot like Revlon's Matte Suede in Emerald City, which I posted a week back:

(Revlon's Matte Suede in Emerald City)

The only difference is Revlon's Matte Suede in Emerald City is, obviously, matte and has a slightly yellower tinge to it.  OPI's Cuckoo For This Color is glossy and has a slightly bluer tinge.  Both are equally fabulous!

XOXO, Varnish

Sloppy Ombre

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The tutorial was inspired by another tutorial from Refinery29.com, I created a sloppy ombre nail with an accent glitter ring finger (seen above)!  In the original tutorial from Refinery29, they mix the colors so that there is a gradual change from black to blue.  However, in my tutorial, rather than blending and mixing, I use a sponge to create a kind of sloppy change from black to blue.  Try either of these ideas, for some fun with your nails! Here are the steps to create the Sloppy Ombre:

The items that you need include, a base coat and top coat, fine blue glitter, black nail polish, bright blue nail polish, and a sponge.  Also, I recommend working on one hand at a time, as the polish can be quite thick and may drip some until it dries.  1.  Place one hand over a piece of paper (to catch any loose glitter).  Coat your ring finger of this hand with a base coat. Then quickly cover this with blue glitter, while the base coat is still wet.  Let dry completely and then cover all of your nails, including the glitter one, in a base coat.  This will seal in the glitter, as well as prep your other nails.

2.  While you let the base coat dry, clean up any loose glitter from your hands and the paper beneath your hand, to make sure that you do not get any on the polish.  You can use a flat make-up brush and some nail polish remover to clean up any glitter that may be sticking your your fingers3.  Then prep your black and blue nail polish by opening each bottle and having them ready to use and close by.  You will use both colors on one nail before moving onto the next.

4.  One finger at a time, cover the upper portion of your nails with black.  I used Wet n' Wild's Black Creme.

5.  Then, on the same finger, and while the black polish is still wet, cover the lower portion of your nails in blue.  I used OPI's No Room For the Blues.

6.  Take a sponge and dab the two colors together.  Remember that this is called the "Sloppy Ombre," so it does not have to be perfect.  Just have fun with it!

7. Repeat step 4-6 on the remaining fingers. Let dry completely.

8. Cover all nails with a thick top coat.

XOXO, Varnish