Quick Tip: Getting buff ;)

Always always always buff your nails, whether you're painting them or not.

Even if you choose to leave your nails bare, buffing leaves them looking and feeling so healthy. It also provides a much smoother surface to apply polish to, giving you a better finish overall.

You can buy a buffing block for only a few dollars from most chemists, and it makes the hugest difference. Buffing leaves your nail smooth, so shiny people wont believe you're not wearing polish, it promotes circulation and helps combat peeling and discolouration, both of which are very common nail issues.

The nail on the right side of the picture has been buffed, you can see ridges on the other nail, and its obviously not as shiny.

Keeping it short.

My health hasn't been great lately, what with tonsillitis on and off for several months now, and it's really taking it's toll on my nails. They're brittle, dull and peeling at the tips, and while I've tried several different strengthening/anti-peeling treatments, nothing's really working. So yesterday, when my longest nail tore almost to the quick, I decided it'd be easier to just cut them all down and be done with it. It was pretty devastating for me, I love having long nails. 

 

So, as reconciliation, I decided to bling them up as much as possible! :D

 

I couldn't pick a colour, so I went with 3; a super shiny silver from BYS, a soft gold from L'Oréal, and a Models Inc black. I went with an extended french kind of look, painting roughly 2/3rds of each nail a different colour. I didnt worry about getting a nice curve to the line just yet, because I figured I can fix that up with a nail art brush later.

 

For a really stand out effect over the black polish, I used gold and silver leaf for the first time. I've had these little pots forever, but I was never quite sure how to use it. Do I pick it up with tweezers, or...? After some Googling, I found a technique I liked the look of, and set to work. You just need a fluffy makeup brush, and touch it lightly to the leaf. The brush will pick up a small amount (you don't wanna slap half the pot on at once, build it up), and dab it gently onto damp nails (not wet, you'll get dents in your polish and polish in your brush). It was really easy, and I love how it looks. The leaf sits really flat on the nail, I can hardly feel it. I've used a foil before, it was a plasticky laser etched one, and it was all spiky and impossible to glue down. A day after applying it I had fluff from my jumper all caught in my manicure, it was awful. The gold leaf is the complete opposite of that, it sits so smoothly.

 



Quick tip: Keep one brush for each colour unless you want them mixed on your nail

 



After fixing up the shape.

After I'd finished decorating the black nails with my leaf, I painted the rest  silver or gold at random, then stuck some super chunky rhinestones and some silver glitter over them (still sticking with the black, gold, and silver theme). For the finishing touch, I used a striping brush to round off the line at the bottom of my nails to give it a curve. Of course, a top coat to hold everything in place and make it extra glossy, and voila!

The end result is glittery, chunky, bedazzled and maybe just shiny enough to cheer me up about having short nails. ;)

First post!

So, my first post! How exciting!

 

This post will be a review of an OPI polish.  Its called 'Just Spotted The Lizard', and it's gorgeous. It's a multi-chromatic polish, which means it changes colour depending on the angle you look at it from. The main colour is gold, but it changes to green and then blue as well. It really is a beautiful colour. I bought it from a wholesale beauty outlet, so it only cost me $10.95 AU, instead of almost $20, which it was at the chemist.

It's a wonderfully easy polish to work with; one coat is probably enough (but I always use two). It's so opaque and pigmented. The bottle has a great thick brush, which makes application really easy, and it's relatively quick drying, too.

 

My only issue with this polish is the longevity of it (or lack thereof). I've used OPI polishes before, and I had the same issue then; with a base coat, 2 coats of colour and a top coat, most polishes last 5-7 days on my nails. Ive been wearing this one for 3 days, and it's already chipped around the edges, which is pretty disappointing given how gorgeous (and expensive, at full price) it is.

 

The Verdict - 6/10
Overall, I like it, but I dont think I'd buy it again. The price/lack of staying power is just too much of a drawback for me.. However I'm sure if you've got a bigger budget than me (and do your nails more than once a week), you'll absolutely love it.

I used it for a fun french mani/pedi, inspired by this tumblr post!