Weekend Nails: One Piece

Just a short nail art post...

I have been working on this nail art for quite sometime now. I started last thursday (i was even updating my facebook with pictures of my progress) but i just wasn't able to finish until a little while ago. The reason?

My perfectionist side keeps on telling me to work on it until i'm satisfied but then my practical side said that i don't have to since i'm gonna take it off after taking pics (which is true!haha). I really did try to copy them exactly like in the picture but it's so dang hard, especially Luffy senchou! I'm a One Piece fan & not being able to give justice to my favorite anime is somewhat depressing for me.

Anyway, i know deep down that i'm not really cut-out for portraits ever since i tried painting eons ago. haha! So i guess this will be my first & last time making a character nail art.

I'll still be sharing my mani though.
Presenting the Strawhat Guys (uh,without Brook...hehe)

I think i was able to get Franky & Usopp at least but not the 3 guys... to think that i like Sanji the most!
(-__-")

Gomen, Luffy Senchou TT_TT

Well, there you go.
Have a great day,hunnies!
jaa ne~!
^_^

Ebalay Nail Polish in 011

I love duochrome polishes!
I especially like them in frankening with spectraflair. They make great holographic polishes.hahaha!

I'm gonna share another duochrome from Ebalay.

This time it's number 11.

I swatched this over black. Duochromes show better under a black base but you can layer them over other colors as well.

Did you see that hint of violet at the side? from Royal blue to violet! Cute,huh?

You can buy this at KKCenterhk.com.
If you want to get this shade, you can hop on over to this LINK. You can use the code BLGA124TH10 for a 10% off.

Hope you are having a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^


ps:
Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Use at your own discretion.

Weekend Nails: 3d Violets~

Another nail art tutorial~
I'm so neglecting my beauty product reviews because i'm so into nail art these days. I'll get on those later. hehe

I sported this nail art last monday, not yet the weekend but i feel like making a nail art so i just did.

Looks difficult to do?
Nah, not that difficult. Yes, it's challenging but not impossible.
I added flakies for that extra oomph! If you don't have flaky polishes then glitters would do too.

If you read my 3d nail art post, the idea is basically the same. it's just that this time, instead of a rounded shape on the petals, i did it with tiny brushstrokes. I think this looks way better than my first one,ne?

I used acrylic again for this nail art. I guess you can use nail art pen as long as you have the colors you wanted.
These are the colors that i used.... left for my flowers & right for my leaves.

I forgot to add my phtalocyanine green as the one that i used for the inner leaf color. Anyway, the color depends on you. You can follow this color or invent your own! I think pinks & reds would work well for the flower...so are yellows & oranges!

Let's get on with the tutorial:

1. Choose your base color. On my nails, i choose a dark teal polish with green flakies. On the nail wheel, it's black with Essie flakies (shine of the times).

2. Using a dotting tool with the biggest tip, make a flower. Just drag it once you put it on & you'll be able to make a petal.

3. With a detailing brush, trace the edges of the petals for a neater look.

4. Dip the tip of the brush with the lilac color & make tiny strokes on the inside of the petals.

5. Then do the same procedure with the violet too. Just do it randomly. If your acrylic is still wet, it doesn't matter. You can even mix them together for a more natural blend.

6. As for the leaf, start a line to serve as the main vein.

7. With tiny strokes, draw the half part of the leaf using the lightest color. Just do this with a light hand, you won't be able to achieve a serrated-effect with a heavy hand. 

8. Repeat the same procedure with number 7 to complete the leaf. Just use the tip of the brush.

9. Follow steps 7 & 8 this time with the green color & don't go over the edge of the whole leaf, just the inside of it.

10. Using the darker green (phtalocyanine green) deepen the color of the leaf with tiny strokes. 

11. Then add in some details like swirls & more leaves or flowers. I used a swarovski for the middle of the flower, but if you don't have rhinestones then you can just add a dot in the middle. Finish it off with a top coat!

See?

It's challenging but not impossible. I made another video so that you'll be able to see it in real time but uploading on youtube takes forever so i just didn't bother posting it. 

Hope you'll be able to sport this look on your nails sometime now that you know how to do it.

Have a great day,ladies!

Jaa ne~!
^_^

Firmoo Giveaway Winners

Let's start this week by announcing the winners for my Firmoo giveaway.

1. Rhania Escueta Chang
2. Jam Padilla
3. Rose Samson
4. Hazel Grace Bellen
5. Charlene Lyra Bianes
6. Breena Reubee Estillore
7. Clair Ching
8. Arra Morta 
9. Jenny Austria 
10. Elle

Please contact me via email so that i could send your details over to Firmoo.

full name

address

country

post code

phone#

Model# of eyewear - link pls

Make sure you make a blog post about it too to spread the news about Firmoo.
^_^

Deadline will be on 6pm Saturday (philippine time). I'll be emailing Firmoo afterwards with or without the full list.
Congrats,hunnies!

Have a great Monday!
Jaa ne~!

My Firmoo glasses~

My Firmoo giveaway is now over.
I'll be drawing the winner later on but first i just wanna share my own Firmoo glasses. The shipping time was so fast & i was surprised that they shipped it by EMS too!

Yay for fast delivery!
Since it was shipped by EMS it was delivered straight to my house.

Look how awesome their case is?

Finally my computer glasses!

I requested for a computer glasses since i am a computer-user. I mean, i use computer more than 8hrs a day so it is a must for me!

This is the page for my  choice. They have different colors too but i choose Silver.

Don't you think it looks nice?
Sorry for the no make-up look. I don't feel like putting anything on my face. hehe

When i was perusing their website i was actually having quite a time going over everything because they look nice & they are quite affordable too! You can easily browse for a specific material/requirement that you are looking for in their website super easily.

Since i have a round face, rectangular frames suits me better. I haven't tried any rimless glasses & i have to say that i am liking them!

Do check out Firmoo for you eyeglass needs.
You might find one or two that you'll like. They also offer free glasses for new customers. How great is that?!

Stay tuned for my next post, i'll be announcing the winners!
Have a great weekend!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:

Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Buy at your own discretion.

HBC Beauty Festival

Hi,hunnies!
I just got back from Subic & what an eventful short vacation it was. haha!
My camera stopped working so i wasn't able to take glorious picture of the place & everything that had happened. Oh well, we go to Subic every year (except last year though. hehe) i hope that next year it will be better.

I'm here to share a good news that i just received my on my email from the HBC Family. They are having the Beauty Festival! Time to take advantage of it & get their products on discount!

From HBC
Aside from the discounted items and Beauty Bundles, we also have Week-ender activities (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of May) wherein customers can avail of FREE Facial service when they purchase Hortaleza, M.D. products.

The Beauty Festival runs until May 31, 2012.

If you haven't checked the review that i made about their foundation , you have to check it. Get yourself their liquid foundation because it is nice!
And also the sought-after hair remover cream!

Tell me what are the goodies that you get from their sale.
Have a great day,ladies!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Weekend Nail: Customize Framed Nail Art

In my case, i choose a butterfly design so i call my design as Framed Butterfly. An easy-to-do nail art!

This design is yours to personalized. You can basically do any kind of designs that you want! You can use decals or stamps or freehand design. The choice is endless!

Mostly i do my nails on my own now, unlike before where i have to take pics every step of the way. If you notice, whenever i post my picture tutorial i just compile them in 1 picture to make it easier & also to save space. So, you may see a different design/color on the tutorial picture compare to the finished work. It also shows how you can customized any designs that i have made on your own personal preference.

The key to make this nail art stand out more is to choose contrasting colors. Though in this case, i wasn't able to since i just decided to make do with what i have on my nails when i did it. I used my Midnight Fantasy as a base.

Gosh,i love holo polishes! haha!
Don't we all?

Click the picture for a bigger image.

1. Start with your choice of base. This time i choose a pink holo base (my own franken too). You can choose glittery bases too! I'm sure it's gonna look fab!
2. Make a wide rectangle (for long nails or square for short nails) with your choice of frame color. Choose one that is in contrast with your base color, or any color you prefer.
3. Once your rectangle (or square) is ok, then apply the color outside the shape to make a frame like in number 3.
4. Apply your design. I choose a Hello Kitty decal just because my base is pink. You can use decals, stamps, fimo or freehand design on the rectangle. Just make sure that you don't crowd your design near the frame.
5. In my case, i painted swirls on the edge of my shape. If you are not confident enough in doing swirls by hand, you can just put dots (on the edges of the frame or on the frame itself), big or small lines (vertical or horizontals), hearts, etc. Again, it's your choice. This is entirely up to you.
6. Then of course, make sure you apply top coat!

Voila!
Your very own customized nail art!

You don't need to be a professional to do this, with a nail art pen & decals, you can have professional looking nails in no time!

This is a cute nail art this Mother's Day,no?
Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!

Have a happy celebration!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Franken Tip:cleaning polish bottles

I know i promised that i am going to make a frankening tip post, but it feels like there are lots of things that i wanna say but don't seem to know where to start. I could end up creating a chaotic & confusing post if i will be putting it in just 1 entry. I decided to have a series of post so that i'll be able to explain things better & with pictures to accompany it for better understanding.

I would like to start first with bottles.

I know it's not that exciting compare to the frankening process itself but this one is important too. You might be roaring to start frankening but if you don't have bottles that you could use for your frankening so what's the point,ne? Don't throw your clear polish just so you could get the bottle. There are lots of uses for a clear polish in frankening.

This post is how I clean my bottles. Maybe there are other ways too but this is the one that worked for me. Start first by inspecting your stash. Look for polishes that you think you would likely throw out because they're either too old or had dried.

You need to have an acetone & polish thinner/solvent. Acetone to get rid of the bulk of polish & thinner for the remaining polish. Let's get on with it!

Pour a sufficient amount of acetone on the bottle then let it sit for a couple of minutes/hours (depending on how old the polish is) then shake vigorously!

If there are some patches of polishes stuck at the top part of the bottle (like mine!) then let it sit upside down for quite sometime to loosen it then shake again. Continue shaking until there's no polish on the bottle.

You can throw the acetone away if you want to, but since i have lots more bottles that needed cleaning, i just pour it on another bottle. I have lots of bottles to clean! You can use the acetone until it thickens.

Then time to whip out your polish thinner/solvent!
When you're done with the acetone, your bottle will have that cloud-ish appearance that's why we want to finish cleaning it with a solvent.

You can buy a dropper/pipette at a drugstore.
I have a lot of dropper but this is the one that i have on my table for now.

Get a small amount of it & transfer it on the bottle. Just like what you did on the first step, you shake the bottle to get rid of any remaining polish residue.

See?
Just when you think that you have taken everything out the first time, you'll be faced with these tiny globs of polishes.

Repeat the same procedure until you have removed everything! I have to do 2 or 3 more thinner cleaning for this bottle, but you get the gist, hehe

There you go!
Now you are armed & ready for the frankening addiction! haha!

Maybe i'll talk about bases for the next FT post.
^_^

Have a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Weekend Nails:Camellia Nail Art

Thank you so much for the love that you showed for my nail art.

I am so proud of my work that's why i'm really happy that you all appreciate it. So here is my tutorial for that. I did a video & also a picture tutorial to show my appreciation.

I did the video tutorial first so you might notice that there's already a flower on the picture tutorial. The video doesn't have a sound though, but i figured that you might want to see how i was able to do it in real time. This is also the nail wheel that i used for my Yummy Sweets Collection! haha

When you work with acrylic, make sure that you have a towel/cotton soaked in alcohol. It makes getting off the acrylic easier than just plain water. That's why it's better to put top coat on your base color before you start working on the designs so that you would be able to protect your base color.

Another thing to remember is that you can't use the acrylic itself, you have to dilute it with water. It will make painting a lot easier. Just add a drop or two or water.

I used a navy blue base & a blue base. You can choose different color combinations too.
Black base & gold will look mighty good too! The choice is entirely yours to make.

Click the picture to see it better.

1. Using a detailing brush, put a tiny circle to start your flower.
2. Add 5 tiny curves facing the flowers to act as petals.
3. Then add random lines on the inside of the petals.
4. Repeat the process of adding more petals, around the flower that you had just made.
5. Just like in number 3, add random lines going to the inside of the petals to add definition.
6. Add a leaf or two.
7. Add in more details on like like swirls or buds. Make sure you finish it with top coat.

Time to admire your new nail art!
I used my cheap brush in making this, you can see on the video that i used it.

Tell me if you are able to do this nail art,hunnies!
I would love to see your nail art too.
^_^

Have a happy weekend!
Jaa ne~!
^_~

My Zalora Wishlist~

Y'all know that i am not into fashion.
I'm into cosmetics & nails but not really into clothes & accessories. But that doesn't mean that i do not appreciate beautiful things. One of the main reason i guess why i'm not that into fashion is that being a plus-size lady, my choice is limited.

Oh, i know that now we have a lot of shops/brands that cater to plus-size woman. But for some reason i find that the products that they offer are just not into my taste. I'm more into casual style yet the ones that i mostly see  if not too elegant, they would have too casual it looks drab already.

When i saw Zalora's ad, i was mighty curious with it. I checked out their website & goodness gracious! They have big sizes especially on their shoe selection!
*faints*
Finally! A website that doesn't discriminate on big people! (LOL!just joking)

Zalora got you covered from head to toe! I know that Zalora offers a lot of products from clothing to home & living but the things that really caught my attention are their shoes & accessories.

I'll tell you my wishlist after spending countless of hours browsing their site.

Let's start from the head going to the feet selection.
Starting from the eyes...

ELLE SHADES

I always make sure that i protect my eyes no matter what i do.
I use computer 80% of the time that's why i just had to use computer glasses. I also got my eye lubricant so when i feel that my eyes are dry & itchy i can put on the lost moisture. when going out, i make sure that i never forget my shades. I always make sure that one of the thing i check is if it has UV protection.

This shade not only looks stylish but it offers 100% UV Protection!
Rectangular frames suit my round face better than rounded ones. It gives my face an edgier look.

Then for my ears.
Yes, it's a must for me!

BREO DE JANEIRO HEADPHONES 

"Music makes the people come together".... as what Madonna says. (you'll know what generation i came from if you can guess what song this is instantly!haha). Plus, music makes me feel good. So music is an essential part of me. You will see me walking on the mall, or anywhere i go, with a headset/earphone on my ears 80% of the time. So this is a must for me.

Look at that cute yet sturdy design. It just looks so comfortable!
I can already picture myself with this headphone on my ears for a long time. haha!

Then a bag to make sure that i have all my stuff in.

 LASSIG GOLD LABEL SHOULDER BAG

This is when it got a bit tough. I choose my bag not for the style or color, but i actually choose my bag based on its materials. I rarely buy bags. II can't even remember the lats time i bought one just because looking for the perfect bag is very hard. 

The first thing that i look for is a wide strap. 

I'm not talking about those 1-inch wide (is that even wide?lol!) i'm talking about something that's at least 2-inches wide! Why? I put a lot of things on my bag & lugging them for a long time takes a toll on my shoulder. I have to have a sling bag that has a wide strap to make sure that doesn't put a strain on it. If you're like me, make sure that one of the factor in your bag buying is this. I don't see a point in buying a pretty bag that you won't even use just because you're not comfortable in using it,ne?

Next, is it roomy enough for my stuff?

Again, i carry a lot of things so i have to make sure that it is big. Then, finally, the materials it's made of.

Those are the things that i consider.

Bag-buying is not something that you can just do half-heartedly. You have to not only consider the style or price, but other things as well.

Finally, the shoes!

I have big feet. Looking for a pair of shoes that would cradle my feet & give it that snug fit is like looking for a needle on a haystack! That's how difficult it is. I may not be much into clothes but i want to make sure my feet is well-taken care of. I walk on hours all over the mall looking for a good pair.

That's why when i go to certain shops first thing that i would ask the sales associates is "Do have a size 11?" (yeah, i know!it's big!what can i do? im a big lady!haha) & if they said "wala po" then i won't bother looking at their goods because i'll just end up turning pea-green with envy. 

So, here comes, Zalora, with a great selection for us, ladies!

Here are my choices:

For comfort, this would be the one!

 TWINKY FLATS

Doesn't this shoe just spells C-O-M-F-O-R-T?

Who says that you have to sacrifice comfort over style? This one looks chic enough for work & a casual stroll in the mall.

I'm all for comfort so this one is calling my name!

Then, the last thing on my list...

& this one is really just a wish! haha

 ALBERTO WEDGE

Doesn't this wedge sandal looks simply dee-vine?!
I can't don stilletos but i can get away with wedges. This one looks so chic & elegant. I think it looks great in whatever kind of get-up that you will be putting on!

I'm not stylish but i appreciate beautiful things & these things amongst all the other things that i have seen on their website are beautiful!

What do you think about my choices?
Do you have an experience like mine? haha!
Do you have specific factors you consider when you buy things?
Care to share?

Have a great day,ladies!
Jaa ne~

http://www.zalora.com.ph/

note:
this is my contest entry for the Nuffnang contest. 

franken polish:jawbreaker (NOT!)

I made this one just a few minutes ago & this is a late addition to my Yummy Sweets collection. You can check out the rest of this collection HERE.

I thought that the ecru one is my favorite of all, but i just had to change it to this!
This one is really pretty!
It's a white matte with a sweet dose of multicolored round glitters with a few touches of hexagons too!
I'm glad that this turned out really really well!
^_^

*edit*
Well, i was informed by my nail art groups that there's another polish called jawbreaker. I guess i'll just have to change the name then.

On a sad note, i broke my masterpiece!
waaaahhhhh!
TT_TT

I told myself that i would be keeping this intact but accidents do happen sometimes.
*sniff*

I just have to do better the next nail art,ne?
Gambarimasu!

Have a nice day!
jaa ne~!
^_^

franken polishes:sweet collection

w00t! w00t!
I'm on a blog roll! That is, nail blogging roll. hehe

I've been so into nail stuff so you might have noticed a lot of nail related posts. I'm going crazy excited these days, i guess it's because the only thing that cheered me when i was sick last week was my nails so i'm giving them apt attention now. haha

Anyway, thanks,ladies for all the compliments about my latest nail art. I'm so happy that you all like it. It makes me feel very motivated to try do another one. I'm actually challenging myself to do another difficult freehand design after a week. I hope that i'll be able to do it though. XD

So, this post would be about my franken polishes.
I made 4 new polishes that i don't have any names yet. However, i will be sticking with dessert or sweets just because i think these colors do remind me of food.

I'll start with my favorite of all~

It's an ecru jelly with a generous serving of multicolored round & hexagon glitters.
I'm leaning towards the use of latte, cappuccino or milk tea for this one.

Inspired by Revlon's Whimsical.
Baby blue jelly topped with multicolored round & hexagon glitters. The difference with the 1st is that this one got more of holographic glitters compare to colored ones.

I'm thinking of Frosted Cupcake for this one.
Baby pink jelly with a dash of purple & silver round glitters. It also has holographic flitters together with a few sprinkling of star glitters too. The thing that made this unique is that this is a matte finish! haha!

Then last but definitely not the least.
Bright yellow jelly concocted with a healthy dose of multicolored glitters. A friend said that it has that butter-y goodness on it! Yum!

So, what do you think about my yummy sweet collection?
Name suggestions are highly appreciated!

Have a happy day,girls!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

my best nail art as of yet!walang kokontra!

hahaha!
No one could contradict my statement that this is my best mani as of yet simply because it is the best one so far! If the picture doesn't justify it, the effort that i took in making each & every painstaking detail of it would.

I can't take credit for the originality of this because this is actually the original work of Misuzu Taga from Nail Up!'s Vol.44. I have a lot of respect for japanese nail artist & Taga-san is one of my most favorite nail artist! Thank you to my onee-san for sending me a copy of it! This nail art is for you!

Look at the original design compare to my work.

Argh!
I really wanted to be able to make more petals & make it smaller but it's almost impossible for me to do so. As what i ranted on my facebook, i never realize that too much concentration could result in high blood pressure, muscle cramping, light-headedness,etc in just a matter of an hour!

But it's all worth it just because when i finally finished it, it looks amazing! Again, not really comparable with Taga-san's work but i did my best. Here is a close-up look of how messy everything looks.

Now, no one would dare make an assumption that this is a decal because you'll see the brush strokes & uneven color. I said that i would slap anyone who insisted that this is a nail sticker. haha!

I'm not a violent person by nature, mind you. I don't even watch boxing just because i consider it a violent activity.haha! But there was a time when someone told me how nice my "nail sticker" looks like when i was shopping before & i got really annoyed. Here is our conversation:

lady: Wow! Ang ganda naman ng nail art mo! (your nail art looks pretty)
me: Thank you po!
lady: Sticker to no? San mo binili? (this is sticker,no?where did you buy it?)
me: Hindi, ginawa ko. (no, i made it)
lady: Kaya nga, dinikit mo,diba? (yeah, you stick it on,right?)
me: Hindi, ako ang nagpinta sa kuko ko. (no, i am the one who painted it on my nails)
lady: Weh! Mukhang stickers lang o! (oh? it looks like stickers)
me: *getting annoyed already* Hindi nga, ako nga ang nagpinta. Ganito lang yan o... (No, i really did paint it. It's just like this)... *explains how to*
lady: Oo nga no! Ang galing! Posible pala yun! (yeah!that's great!that's possible!)
me: O,diba, kayang gawin sa kamay lang. (see? it's possible to do it by hand.)
lady: Pero muka pa ding sticker ha. (but it still looks like sticker)

What the?!
Can you blame me? LOL!

I started this yesterday evening & i stopped halfway just because i am already too drained. This was how it looked like halfway done. I decided to change my pinkie design this morning because i think it doesn't look good.

I woke up really early just to finish this work.
I'm mighty proud of how this looks like!

So please, walang kokontra, maganda talaga ang nail art ko!hahaha (So please, don't contradict because my nail art looks beautiful!)
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!

By the way, i used my cheap brush for this work. See?
The price is not the factor how you should judge a product.

Hope you are having a great day, ladies!
jaa ne~!
^_^

guess how cheap my fave nail art brush is!

I said before that i use artist brush in making my nail arts.
I still get a lot of questions on my email every now & then about what brushes i use & how much they are. I prefer artist brushes i guess because i started out as a painter before i fully got into nail arts. So every time i drop by the mall i always make sure i check out an art store for some inspiration & supplies too.

Anyway, enough about my painting woes..lol!
I bought these brushes at National Bookstore. This is my current favorite detailing brush.

How much is this?
Feast your eyes! Ay mali, wallet pala! (wrong,i mean your wallet) hahaha

I have been using this for a couple of months now. I bought a couple of them & every time i go to National Bookstore it always finds a way on my basket.

It has different sizes, make sure you get #1.

This is how it looks like.

It looks a bit stiff because this is a new one but you see how it has a nice tip for making really tiny details on a small canvas.

See?
I have 5 of them!

I think i'll stop buying them na. I've had enough to last me a lifetime. hahaha!
This will last a long time compare to other brushes just because this doesn't have a metal ferrule.

So, if you are hesitant in spending money for a set brush or you are just starting & would want to practice more, then this is perfect,ne?

Make sure you get this one & start practicing on your nail art!

Have a great day,ladies!
Jaa ne~!
^_~