Nail Art- My First Attempt at "Spun Sugar" Nails!

Hi everyone!



Today I have some new nail art to show you, and it's super fun to wear! It's almost like a cross between zebra print and fine stripes (sorry about that awful description, lol), and it's named after the culinary confection where hot sugar syrup is spun into small "threads", which is what the pattern resembles. People who are really good at this design (such as Michelle from AllLaqueredUp, her post here: http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2013/07/pinspirationail-spun-sugar-nail-art-revlon-brilliant-strength-nail-enamel.html and  Mimi from Makeupwithdrawal, her post here: http://www.makeupwithdrawal.com/2012/05/neon-sugar-spun-manicure.html ) can get the "threads" of polish really thin, but since it's only my first attempt, mine are still pretty thick. Still, for a first try, I'm very excited about the results! Here's how I did it.

First, I painted my nails a base color. In this case, for my thumb, middle, and index finger, I used Rue Beauté in color "031" (a mint-scented bright pastel lime green) and on my pointer finger and pinky, I used Claire's "Hot Stuff" (an eye-searingly hot pink). I used the opposite color on each individual nail as the "spun sugar" color. To make the spun sugar, I put several drops of a single color on a piece of cardboard. I then used a toothpick, and stirred the polish puddle for about 5 minutes, or until the polish thickens enough to still be fluid, but when you pull the toothpick out of the puddle, a string of polish comes up with it. I then pulled those strings, with the toothpick, across my individual nails (one at a time) to create the spun sugar look. I warn you, the finished product DOES have a fair amount of texture, as the thick polish does not dry flat for the most part. Below are pictures of the finished product WITHOUT topcoat and in artificial lighting.







The next photos are with topcoat, which smooths out some of the texture (though not that much) and adds an extra shine to the semi-matte neon colors I used in the design. The topcoat is, as always, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color in "Flawless"- one coat on top of the finished and fully dried design.





Sorry for the random speck of glitter on my index finger, that pesky piece wouldn't budge when I tried to remove it!

So what do you think of this innovative new nail art trend? Will you be giving it a try? If you do, leave a comment, and tell me how it works for you! I'll be trying it again in the near future, hopefully with more precise results. Stay tuned!

~Beth~

I'm Baaaccckkkk! Vacation MOTD- Love and Beauty "Peacock" and "Pink"

Hi everyone!

I'm back from the cruise! I sailed on the Carnival Pride, and boy, was it wonderful! It was nice to get away for a week and be waited on (and eat everything in sight, lol!). Unfortunately, it rained while I was in the Bahamas (thanks to tropical storm Dorian), but it did little to dampen the fun of the vacation! 

Of course, while I was away, I couldn't neglect my nails! Today I have for you a (very impromptu) MOTD, with the pictures taken in the ship's theater, called the Taj Mahal. Both of the colors I have in the pictures are from Forever 21's line, Love and Beauty, and I bought them both in NYC the week before I left, and gave them a try on the ship!

"Pink" is a a gorgeous, sheer bubblegum/cotton candy pink with a sky blue duochrome shimmer. Don't let the name fool you, it's much more in depth than a standard pink! In the bottle it is a feast for the eyes, it is spectacular! Unfortunately, on the nail, it doesn't translate the same. With 4 coats (seen in the pictures) you can still see visible nail line. I would recommend this color as a layering polish, because it's still so gorgeous!

"Peacock" is a gorgeous dark blue/turquoise shimmer, with a teal and deep purple duochrome running through this. I originally had picked out a different color to buy on my first trip to NYC, but one look at the bottle and I was sold! The color translates extremely well to the nail, and it opaque in 2-3 coats depending on how thick the layers are. I used three in the picture below because while on the ship, I tried to use extra thin coats of polish to help dry it (the ocean humidity can really do a number on wet nails). Pictures below are with no base or top coat (because I forgot to pack mine, oops!)

 

Again, sorry for the lighting/picture quality of these. It was the best I could do on the ship. But regularly scheduled posts will begin again starting tomorrow, and I've got lots of great polishes to share with you, including one I bought in the Bahamas that changes color in the sun! I'm happy to be back and blogging again, and I hope you'll continue to follow me in my nail polish shenanigans! 

~Beth~

Claire's Splatter Polish in "Paparazzi"

Hi everyone! While at the mall with a friend yesterday, we stopped by Claire's to look for some little trinkets. Of course, I made a beeline right for the nail polish rack! Lucky for me, they were having a sale, buy one get one 50% off! So I bought the mini set of the "Precious Metals" Glitter collection (review and swatches to come later) for $10, and then this polish was my 50% off purchase! It was originally $7, but I got it for $3.50. And let me tell you, I'm very happy with my purchase!

"Paparazzi" is essentially a matte glitter bomb. Small white, black, and matte pink hex glitters, medium size pink hex glitters, and large pink hex glitters, along with tiny translucent hex glitters and multiple sizes (from very thick to very thin) pink bar glitter interspersed throughout the rest. Holy perfection! You don't even really have to place the glitter on the nail (except for the large hexagonal glitters) because the glitter is so dense in the bottle! I only used two coats to clean up the sparser areas because I'm a nail perfectionist, LOL. This makes a great polkadot topcoat, very similar to the new Maybelline polkadot polishes (but this one has pink glitter, instead of the black and white in the Maybelline). Claire's also had a sky blue and white version of this, and a black and white version. After my love affair with this one, I might go back and get the others! Below are two coats of "Paparazzi" over two coats of Rue Beauté "004", with the Ulta color-enhancing top coat on top. Indoor lighting.

 

 

Claire's is having a sale right now, 50% off all cosmetics with the purchase of one cosmetic item, and if you spend $20 or more, you get $10 in Claire's cash, redeemable at the end of August. 

What do you think of this awesome polish? Gawdy or amazing? Will you be picking one up for yourself?

~Beth~