3D nail art and Shellac !

This Is a set of Shellac nail's that I did on myself !. I used my favorite Shellac color " wild fire "

Wild Fire is a cream classic red color , you might recognize the color from Rihannas nails in the love the way you lie music video ?

I have also added a touch of iridescent blue glitter ,

and some hand sculpted 3d acrylic flowers .

I have always loved 3d work , and for a while when Shellac and other UV colors coats first gained popularity , enhancements such as UV gels and L&P (acrylic) wear pushed to the side quite a bit,

I was so glad after testing some 3D on my own Shellac and finding it to last just as well as it would have done on a regular enhancement.

All of the liberation of natural nails and the art capabilities of extensions . It's the best of both worlds IMO .

The velvet Manicure

Introducing the latest trend in the manicure world : The Velvet manicure ! .

What is it ? and how is it done ?

Tiny colored fibers are attached to your nail's via the gel top coat or polish top coat , for an interesting effect that lays look somewhere between the matte effect and the textured look,

What does it feel like ?

If you remember playing with Fuzzy felt as a child , then this is what it feels like to me . My little girl liked to call hers "fluffy nails" .

How long does the velvet manicure last for ?  and is there any velvet manicure aftercare advice ?

It depends , if you have them done with a UV gel top coat then they are likely to last until your next maintenance appointment , with little to no wear .

If applied into a regular polish top coat then about 4 days to a week .

Of course this is a guide going by what you put your hands.

·       avoid bleach ! as they will fade dramatically! .

·      It is very tempting but try not to rub them to much with your fingers ..... you and your friends , family , lady in the local shop and possibly the postman will naturally want to feel them , but remember it won't do your manicure any good ....

·      Wear gloves to wash up and clean. I know nail technicians seem to say wear gloves all the time like it is an OCD, but the velvet manicure it will get damp! normal bathing , and cleanliness is fine but it will take its toll .

·      If you are a regular swimmer , picker or know you will be hard on your nails but you still want to try the velvet manicure why not ask your nail tech if you could buy a little bag of the velvet to use as a touch up kit. With both methods UV or polish top coat you would be able to quite easily at home top it up with a little clear regular polish top coat . By just applying some top coat, putting your finger into the bag and then rolling the velveteen on to the wet top coat , this should be the least messy way and should leave a smooth but textured finish..

So is this the  perfect manicure for the material girl ?

or every nail technicians "fuzzy in the top coat" nightmare ?

I for one am still not sure what I make of this look , But I do know it is Good fun .

 

Pinterest

This will be the world's shortest blog's but I just wanted to let you know that I am now on Pintrest ! I am still getting to grips with it but if anyone is wanting to follow me on Pinterest then please feel free to add me : by following this button (I think).

 

Why nails ?

I have always been a very visual person , I come from a family of creative people for whom self expression and artistic creativity are one and the same thing. I see designs, colours, textures, patterns and shapes everywhere I look, especially in nature and images can effect me on a very emotional level.

Hands also interest me. Through our hands we touch the world, express ourselves and create. No matter how you feel about yourself, lets face it we all have our "ugly" days where we perhaps view ourselves less positively, getting a nail treatment can perk us all up and we are able to do those things with confidence! I like the idea of body art, which I believe nail art is, being the ultimate form of artistic self expression, except unlike a tattoo we can change it to suit moods or occasions!

Then when my beautiful daughter was a baby she had an accident in which she lost the tip of one of her fingers. The miracle of modern surgery meant that her nail was saved, although it does now grow in a different way. I became interested in nail technology from a reconstructive and remedial perspective. While her injury is not particularly noticeable at first glance and she is not self conscious about it in the slightest, I know that this may be something she might become more aware of as she grows older. I wanted to learn the techniques that would enable me to make her nails as glamourous as any other young ladies if and when she wants.

As a working mum, running my own business and still attending workshops to improve my skills further, my life is very full and things can get a bit hectic, but I'm loving every minute. Being able to assist people in a practical way, helping others to feel more confident and attractive and best of all, being able to express my creativity is a real gift that I treasure. I love my life and my chosen profession. If I can pass on my enthusiasm for nail technology and nail art to others.

                    Please join me on my Nail journey.


                                             

          

                                                    

CND The look fall / winter 2011

 

Twice a year CND (creative nail design) bring out there seasons IT color along with an effect polish ,

this winter just passed their limited edition set consisted of 2 colors and one effect ,

Color 1

Mightnight Sapphire  : A dark twilight cream opaque blue

 

Color 2

Dark Amethyst  : A deep dark rich cream opaque plummy purple

 Effect 

24K  : A sheer sparkle effect of tiny rough sized gold flecks

As with all of the CND color and effects range a Color can be worn alone or with your choice of Effects over the top of it .

There have been quite a few limited edition colors and effects over the last few years but there is also a standard collection that are always available ,
made up of 15 effects and 50 colors ,

 WARNING : this might sound complicated but once you get it, like i did you will realize its very clever................

 The 15 effects are made of 3 groups

pearl

Shimmer

sparkle

They are all sheer and can be used alone or over any of the colors .

 The 50 colors come in French whites and pinks and other colors including the bright primary colors bar 3 they are all cream colors , the 3 in question are chromes ! .

Here is where it all comes together .......

 If you had all 15 effects and all 50 polishes you would have over 800 combinations of nail polish ! .

 This is fantastic news for anyone like me who ends up with a huge box full of polishes and still goes and looks at new ones when she is out ... the difference is ? Now days i don't need to buy them just figure out what combo I need to do to make it!

 Ooooops back to The subject CND the look Fall/winter 2011

How did I do them ?

First I dehydrated my nail plate , this might sound rather drastic but if you want your polish to last with a good strong adhesion this is one of the must do steps , you could do this with some acetone based polish remover on a lint free pad , just be sure the remover does not have added oils for "conditioning" so many do and it won't help in the case of polishing.

 Then I applied a layer of CND's super sticky base coat ,

Next a layer of the color with both colors 1 coat would have been enough as the dark coverage was even streak free and satisfyingly opaque ,

 After the second coats I noted that they wear already curiously glossy so much so that if my short tearm memory was any worse I could have sworn there was a top coat on them already !

I then applied a later of the 24K effect over the color on my index finger and again over my ring finger witch I had kept clear ,

 with the 3 polish bottles I had 5 combos already .....

 Lastly I applied a layer of CND super shiny .

They wear completely dry to the point that within 15 minutes of finishing I was eating my cheese sandwich without any dinks or dents to my polish job .

This would be down to 2 things
1) CND colors and Effects are 3FREE this means they are formulated without any formaldehyde, toluene or DBP. 
2) I apply them sandwiched between a good base and top coat and I apply the color in 2 thin layers. when it comes to nail color CND say "Thin to win" .

 

What was My favorite thing about this collection?

The particles in the 24K Effect are a very bright gold in color , they are very fine not like glitter , so your nails feel smooth to the touch and look shinny in the light.

What was my least favorite thing about this collection?   

I feel these colors wear over looked by the New Shellac colors that lunched in October , But I hope that some of you managed to get hold of a set?

What would you like to see next ?

 I would love to see some photos if anyone did , I thing with this 24K effect over either of the colors in a loose French would look fantastic!

Or even  a line straight up the middle of the 24K Effect.

from CND I would love to see a Silver Effect and maybe a titanium Effect to match the multi colored jewelry from the 90's . can you imagine that over a frosted white . I can! .