Sparkly Mint & Gold French Mani

Happy Saturday, all! No TGIF shenanigans for me last night, just worked on some video and pictorial tutorial editing for StyleByCat's blog and YouTube (filming has been exciting, I recently upgraded my camera!). Anyhoo, I needed a break from having my eyes glued to the screen and opted for a DIY mani. Check it out!

Ok, so, I'm no nail art master or anything. (there are some pretty ridiculously talented DIY manicurists out there, holy moly!) However, I thought I did a fairly decent job. *patting myself on the back* My favorite color combo of all time (uh, at the moment, anyway) is mint, gold, and white. I whipped this up in my head and hoped to execute it in real life…turned out nicer than I thought it would!

Ok, so here's the cast:

• Essie nail polish in Mint Candy Apple
• Ulta nail polish in Diva
• Nubar nail art pens in White and Gold

These Nubar nail art pens are pretty darn cool! I learned about them through my sis. When you twist off the top, you get a fine brush that's great for striping. When you pull off the cap (which can be darned difficult…I suggest you get an assistant to help you if your nails aren't dry) you get a fine, squeezy tip that's good for doing dots and things.

To achieve this look, I began by applying a base coat. Next, I applied 2 coats of Mint Candy Apple. Next, I brushed on Diva. Using the brush end of my nail art pens, I painted on white tips and then accented them with a gold stripe. I finished by topping with a coat of Seche Vite.

In retrospect, I think I should have applied the glitter polish right before the Seche Vite, as glitter acts as a sort of polish armor and probably would preserve my tidy little tips more efficiently. That's ok, next time!

Heehee, I can't stop staring at my nails! I can't wait to try out more manis with these cool nail art pens! Anyways, thanks for reading and have a fantastic weekend!

Hugs,
Cat

Mermaid Nails

Happy new year!

Goodbye 2013, hello 2014! Hope you all rang in the new year fun and safely! :D I wish I had some epic revelation to share with you regarding my 2013…but the only thing that comes to mind at the moment is that I learned that my favorite hues tend toward mint/teal shades. (surprise surprise)

Anyhoo, celebrated today by coating my tips in a shimmery aqua-mint color duo called Sun Shower for Revlon's Sun Candy collection:

I started with a base coat, applied one coat of the creamy color, one coat of the glitter, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite. The cream coat is a little bit on the thickish side and applies slightly unevenly, but the glitter coat covers any imperfections for a visually perfect finish.

Previously, I also got a chance to try out Drops Of Jade from Maybelline's Color Show Polka Dots collection:

For this look, I applied a base coat, one coat of Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, one coat of Drops of Jade, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite. I really loved how I was able to get substantial bits of black and white hexagonal confetti bits in a variety of sizes. Easy to apply and made for a super-cool effect.

And finally, Mint Candy Apple by Essie. Yeah, it's a pretty popular shade and I'm sure I've posted about it before, but I thought it looked really cool paired with my new Kate Spade stripe wallet. Just a gratuitous shot of a rockin' color scheme:

Something about mint, gold, and white…one of my all-time-favorite color combinations!

Happy Wednesday, all! And cheers to a bright 2014! Thanks for reading. :D

Hugs,
Cat

Seche Vite, where have you been all my life?

So, after hearing so many amazing things about Seche Vite, the highly touted miracle top coat, I finally got around to purchasing a bottle from my local CVS.  Generally, I'm more of a makeup maven than nail aficionado, so I figured that a top coat was a top coat, right?  Well, I learned soon enough that not all top coats were created equal.

I had a little time last Sunday afternoon, so I decided to give myself a proper DIY manicure, complete with a base coat and 2 coats of polish, topped off with Seche Vite.  I was so impressed that I was fawning over my own nails for at least an hour.  I'm pretty sure husband and sister got sick of hearing about how, smooth, glass-like, and shiny my nails were.  I was also ready to use my hands again after just 15 minutes of drying time.  See, another reason why I'm so lazy with my nails is because they require at least an hour to dry somewhat properly and I'm so impatient.  I get all squirmy and fidgety sitting there with nothing to do.  Even with the TV on, I hate sitting still.  I need my hands, darn it!  Seche Vite (true to it's English translation: "quick dry") cuts my squirming and fidgeting to a fraction of the time.  Yay!

I used it over Mint Candy Apple by Essie.  I wish you could see how glossy they look, I just can't seem to get the lighting right.  (much respect to those amazing nail bloggers out there!)  And the best part is, they looked perfectly the same when I woke up this morning, no scratches, no smudges, all shine!  I can't imagine using anything else now!  For those of you out there that haven't tried this stuff yet, go get yourself a bottle! :D

Hugs,
Cat