Category Archives: Style

Beauty, DIY, Fashion, Nail Art, Nail Art Tutorial, Nail Polish Swatch, Nails, Nails How To, Style

Inside Shine and Sheen’s Urban Safari Kit

Trending brand alert! Shine and Sheen’s nail art kits are here and are packed with nail essentials every polish lover should have.

Offered in four different styles, the nail art kits ($30) come with three polishes and a top coat, two striper polishes, nail art tools like a file, cuticle stick or dotting pen, a nail art wheel and an array of nail decals. Not to mention, each package comes with an extensive how-to guide loaded with major nailspiration!

Here’s a look inside Shine and Sheen’s Urban Safari kit and bonus summer-ready looks you can execute with the products.

Kick off your summer on a wild side with these tribal nail stickers.

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Check out this video and find out how to easily apply the decals.

Add a pop of color to an animal print mani for a bold statement.

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If you’re in the mood to play, you can mix and match the goodies found inside the kit for a abstract and chic look.

zebra-mani

What do you think of the Safari Kit? Let me know in the comments below! 

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Beauty, DIY, Fashion, Nail Art, Nail Art Tutorial, Nail Polish Swatch, Nails, Nails How To, Style

Tips to Apply White Polish

A good white polish is a rare commodity. Aside finding one that doesn’t streak, qualities of a great white polish also include a highly pigmented formula so that multiple coats aren’t required.

I’m happy to report, Pure Ice’s Super Star! ($1.97) is not only extremely affordable, its creamy formula only requires two coats for a desired opacity.

A few helpful tips for applying a white polish:

1. Start off in the area right under the cuticle. White polish can be very unforgiving if there’s a messy application.

2. Wait for each coat to completely dry to avoid streaking.

3. Smooth off the entire look with a top coat that will help blend the polish. I use Sec ‘n Dry by Orly ($7.50).

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What do you think of this polish? Let me know in the comments below! 

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Swatch of Essie’s Love Every Minute

This ultra feminine manicure is a swatch of Love Every Minute by Essie.  The polish applies a bit streaky, but I reached a desired opacity after three coats. I recommend a good top coat to smooth out the finish. essie-love-every-minute What do you think of this look? Let me know in the comments below. 

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Color Changing Nail Polish

A little thermal energy can transform your entire manicure. In a blink of an eye watch these nails change. Yeah, science!

This is Papaya to Mango, a thermal nail polish I got from Simply Spoiled Beauty. The nail polish changes color by playing with differnt temperatures.

The polish has a smooth, matte-like finish and has a quick dry time. I’m wearing two thin layers of it with no top coat. The unintentional ombre effect you get while the polish is on idle is definitely a bonus.

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Here’s a look at the Purple to Pink transition.

You don’t always need water to see the magic happen, the polish also changes with body temperature. I’m wearing two coats of Purple to Pink and paired with a high shine top coat.

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What do you think about color changing polish? Let me know in the comments below. 

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Bob Marley Inspired Nails

Bob Marley is worshipped by millions and after watching the documentary, Marley, I finally understand why. While finding out his story and discovering the beliefs of the Rastafarian movement, it was clear that Marley is a legacy of peace.  In honor of the late reggae singer, I created this manicure to show One Love.

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What do you think of this look? Let me know in the comments below!

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Nails of the Day: Negative Space Glitter Manicure

Glitter and negative space designs are two of my favorite things. I figured it’s time I combined the two again. Here are today’s nails of the day:

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I layered two coats of Essie’s Dive Bar ($8.50) on my nails and used a Q-tip dipped in polish remover to create a negative space line on the mysterious black blue nails. I filled in the negative space with Elf Cosmetics’ Midnight Mystery ($2) and applied three coats of the glitter polish on the accent.

What do you think of this look? Let me know in the comments below! 

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Plunging V Chevron Nail Art Tutorial

Happy Mani Monday! I’m kicking off the week with a pop of color and a simple design.

If you want to do the same, you’ll need to first pick two awesome nail polishes. I used Essie’s The Girls Are Out ($8.50) and NYC  Nail Polish Skyline Blue ($1). You’ll also need some striping tape, scissors and don’t forget your favorite base and top coat.

Here’s how to create an easy-to-do deep V chevron manicure:

1. Use the scissors to cut out at least 20 small pieces of striping tape.

2. Prep your nails with a base coat and let it dry.  Apply two coats of one polish (I used pink) on the accent nail and paint  the rest of the nails another color (I used blue).

3. Once the base color is completely dried and  hardened, apply two pieces of tape to create an inverted pyramid shape starting from the cuticle.

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4. Paint inside the triangle using the opposite color of the base polish. Quickly and carefully remove the tape while the polish is still wet. When the design is dry, seal it on with a layer of top coat.

deep-v-chevron-manicure

What do you think of this look? Let me know in the comments below!

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Beauty, DIY, Essie, Fashion, Nail Art, Nail Art Tutorial, Nail Polish Swatch, Nails, Nails How To, Style

Gridz Nails Inspired by Synthmode

A buddy of mine, Marco Barcena, recently launched Synthmode– a digital portal to all things tech, visual and audio production related.

Among the cool features on the site is the Gridz gallery filled with minimalist abstract art pieces. Naturally, when I saw a couple of the designs I was inclined to replicate a look on my nails.

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Grid-05 as seen on Synthmode.com.

To recreate a design inspired by a Grid I used a Essie’s Blanc ($8.50) as a base color and black striper polish to execute the dynamic shapes.

gridz-nails

What do you think of this look? Let me know in the comments below!

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