Well, first of all hello.
For as long as I can remember I have always been a fan of makeup. Stealing my mother's lipstick. Done it. Making a mess with powder in the bathroom. Check. Pretended to go to a party with all that make up on. Yes. It didn't help that my mother used to send me to kindergarten with lipstick on (only for special occasions and always very sheer). I had a definite moment with nail polish in grade six, though. It was sort of love at first brush and the story goes something like this...
The monthly magazine, that I could afford at the tender age of 12 with my then-non-existent pocket money, featured an article about simple nail art and included a cut-out section of tiny little pictures and letters to stick on your nails. It showed techniques like using sticky tape to create geometric shapes and how to get simple stencils like love hearts, stars, etc. I was in awe, I wanted to do all of it, immediately!!! My sister tried the sticky tape technique while I stuck the tiny letters spelling my name (lucky both my first and middle names have five letters each) on my hands. I stuck them with a very cheap, clear polish and I enjoyed them for my weekend.
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| The one that enlightened me, just think 1998 version |
When I got to school the following Monday, I got so many compliments, even from the boys!!! I'm sure it was my charming personality that went so well with my fashion forward nails that caused such an impact, however, from that moment on, I learnt a little effort could bring on big rewards when trying to create something pretty (for myself mostly).
For the next 13 years, I experienced with lots of colours, textures, glitters, qualities but it was mostly only one colour/texture at the time.
The last five months, due to the fact that I can enjoy the post-paid internet and great quantities of it, I have been enjoying the wonders of the many nail art blogs on the web. It is incredibly to see all the designs and translations of trends that women (and I'm sure there are men too, I just haven't found them) have come up with. Also, the variety of nail polishes that exist on the market has left me wanting them all!! Too bad my budget is limited (or is that good?).
So thanks Tasha for coming up with this awesome idea of creating your own nail art blog and thank you further for inviting me to write on it. This is giving a reason to create pretty things at least once a week and test (what I thought was limited) creativity.
SO... After all that banter, here's my first nail creation.
The first step for this design was for me to learn to paint my nails properly. I used to paint them with heaps of strokes and whatever was left on my skin, I would scratch off after I had a shower. It looked good but I probably wasted a lot of water trying to get my skin soft enough to just scratch it off. I have learnt three strokes will only paint your nail, not your skin, and will also give you a more even coverage with less coats.
After a week of trying (and finally succeeding!) to paint my nails within the lines, I started with two coats of Bloom in Adriana, a bright pink with very fine blue shimmer and a suede finish. It is super quick to dry, so after five minutes I applied L.A. Girl Rock Star in Supernova. This one took a little longer to dry and left it for half a day before applying the next coat. When the glitter finally dried (to the no smudge point), I put sticky tape to
on half my nail to apply essence Colour & Go in Hard To Resist. Finished it with Cutex Top Coat and done.
This look reminded a bit of the title card of Saved By The Bell (remember that show?) but after looking it up in wonderful Google, it looked nothing like I had recalled. I'll just say it reminds me of the 80's. The hairy glitter is very 80's, isn't it?
On one last note, I discover the glitter nail polish though this post. It looks amazing in the photo and was so happy to know that I could get it at Groove Chermside for $2.50. I could not believe my luck! It looks really good when the light hits it at a good angle but it takes too long to dry and more than two coats are needed to get a good coverage of it. I guess if you have the time, patience and drying drops, this is a perfect.
I think this first post has pretty much covered everything . A bit of personal information, the actual nail "art" (I'm not sure I should call it that yet) and even a small review.
Looking forward to sharing lots of designs, pretty colours, glitters, tips and all things nails with you.
Till next time.
I think this first post has pretty much covered everything . A bit of personal information, the actual nail "art" (I'm not sure I should call it that yet) and even a small review.
Looking forward to sharing lots of designs, pretty colours, glitters, tips and all things nails with you.
Till next time.
