polish swatching just got easier...

... using peel-off basecoat.

Hey,are you talking about Essence peel off basecoat? Nope!
First & foremost, Essence is not available here in the Philippines so i can't easily avail of it how much i want to. Anyway, im too poor to afford international shopping spree right now so that's out of the question.

So, what do i use if i don't have Essence?
Well, that's all thanks to Elmer's Glue. You know i was really planning to use the title "The Wonders of Elmer's" but i figured that you won't even click the title on your dashboard & read my post so i just have to change it.haha!

Going back, now you don't have to worry about using glitter polishes.. finally!

I thought i hate glitter polishes..i really do but when i rearranged my stash, i was quite surprised to find out that almost half of them are glitter polishes! Huh! So much for thinking that i hate them. It's like it just sneak up on me.

Main reason why i hate glitter polish is that it is a pain to remove. Yeah, you can do the foil method, but, come on, how many of us are actually willing to do those extra steps? I mean cutting the foil into pieces then drenching the cotton with your polish remover then wrapping it it on your nails & covering them with the foil to soak the polish off, is just a hassle for me... or am i just just too lazy? probably the latter.hahaha!

Anyway, i hate soaking my nails with polish remover because my nails are already thin to start with, it peels & chip very easily, so exposing it to acetone just makes my problematic nails worse, so it's not an option.

Not anymore!
Now i can don glitter polishes how often i want to & it's all because of Elmer's.

For ALL your needs, it says, & i think i can agree on that. lol!

It's just simple, you apply it on, wait for it to dry then apply your polish. Simple as 1-2-3!

See?
hahaha!
By the way, i only applied half of it to my nails so you can see that it dries completely transparent.

This is also handy when you go polish shopping. You just need to put glue on your nails before going out then swatch all you want! How awesome is that?!

I don't think i need to elaborate more about this one so i'll just shut up & let you try this out by yourself. Make sure you try it. Just borrow it from your little bro/sis or your kid & see the wonders of elmer's.

Here is my full glitter mani.
I did a glitter ombre effect & it was difficult because i had to stick them on one by one just to achieve a nice gradation. tsk!

I love how sparkly this is!
Once the sun hits this, you'll be blinded by the radiance of the glitters. hahaha!

Now comes the removal part...

ta dah!
Easy as pie!
Anyway, why did i say 'easy as pie'? I haven't even made any pie yet... i don't think it's going to be as easy as how i mostly see it on the videos. hehehe

Well,i guess that's it!
You need to try this out to see for yourself.
Ok, im off to do some grocery shopping. ta ta!

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

Weekend Nail:Colors of Fall~

Thanks for the birthday greetings!
I was bowled over with the greetings that i received not only on my facebook but also on my email. Thank you, ladies. I feel so loved~

I decided to do a nail art to celebrate my birthday.
So this is my birthday/fall nail art. hihihi

After a long time of not being able to do a nail art tutorial, i'll be posting one..finally!

This design from from a japanese nail art magazine that i saw.. i just can't quite remember if it's Nail Up or Nail Max though.

This is a freehand design & it's not that complicated as it looks though. Here is a step by step guide of how to do both of the designs.

Let's start with the black one first~

1. On a black base, make a line by using dots. Start in the middle so that you\ll be able to get the line straight.
2. Then draw an aztec flower using diamond shapes next to each other. Click the image to make it larger for a closer look.
3. Fill it with your desired color.
4. Then draw a dotted line at the bottom of the flower.
5. To fill in the space at the sides, you can add diamond dots like in the picture.
6. Finally, using a yellow or gold polish, add dots like in the picture, also the center of the flower.

Then on to the other design...

1. Like in the 1st design, you start it with a dotted line.
2. Draw a thin W under the line, this will serve as your guide so make sure that it looks even. Start at the middle.
3. Add the triangles on each V, making sure that it won't touch the W that you made. Be precise.
4. Draw a thick W under your first W.
5. Refer to the 2nd pic of this post for the flower. Do the same steps that you did, but this time in reverse. Start with a thick W.
6. Then the thin W.
7. Don;t forget the triangles~
8. Put wide V's at the sides so that it won't look bare.
9. Finally, put a dot at the center of the flower!

See... not that difficult!
It just takes time & practice but it's definitely something that you can do!

By the way, i already have an instagram!
Yay to that!
Add me if you want to @thiamere

Hope you all like it!
Have a happy day~
Jaa ne~!
^_^

how to:put on fake nails~

This is a post that i have been asked about really frequently.
There are times when i just feel like having really long nails & when i do,i just put in fake nails.

Every time i ended up with very bad nail stains due to dark colored polishes i always cut my nails really short. I make sure i let my nails take a break in between because nothing irks me the most when i happen to glance at my nails (which is very often!) & they are badly stained. I just hate that yellow tinged so much that's why i just apply nail polish every weekend.

Anyways, going back to the real topic...
My nails are already growing healthy & pink that i can even do french tip mani the time when i was still doing the BFF Challenge. I decided to file it down months ago because i don't like the oval shape, i want the usual square/squoval shape.

Unfortunately i chipped the side of my pointer finger nail so i decided to just clip it all because of annoyance.

Sad,no?
Since i was still doing the challenge back then i decided to just use fake nails. I have been using fake nails every now & then. I'll show you examples of my designs on tips & the links to that post.

 Customize Frame Nail Art

It's hard for me to clean the sides because they would mostly still have some remaining glue & when polish touches the glue, removing it is a real challenge so i just let it stay on & wait until the glue peels off.

 Camellia Nail Art

I am using a different shape of tips here, still from Saizen, compare to the ones i usually use. I like the curved tips better than the straight one like in this picture.

 Nail Patch

Cath Kidston Nails

I think they don't look like fake nails at all,no?
So, what tips do i use to achieve this natural-looking fake nails?

I love this tips from Saizen!
This one is curved & since the natural shape of my nails are a bit curved so it's perfect! They also have other tips but i mostly buy the clear ones so i get to see during application if there are air pockets or not. The other clear tips are straight, it's still ok to use but i am more comfortable with the curved ones. I have tried a lot of nail tips but i always go back to this because this fit my nails best! I almost do not need to file it anymore. Since this is from Saizen, a box of 50 tips cost P88 each.

Each set of tips have different shapes, i think the most important thing to consider is not the shape but the fit of it on your nails. You can easily alter the shape of it by filing but you can't alter the fit. It would also be the factor on how you can make the tips last on your nails. It is easy to avoid any air bubble if it has a good fit.

Now, let's get to the application part.
If you notice the box, they are divided into sections because each tips have different sizes, from 0 to 9.
You just need to choose what numbers fit each nails... like so.

This one really fits my thumb, it was just hard for me to hold it & take picture at the same time. hehe

Next is, the filing part.
File the curved edge (the one that will sit on the base of the nail) if there's a need to.

I mostly file the ones that i use for my middle fingernail. You'll see how uneven it looks like on my first picture.

Now this is the most important thing to consider before you apply the glue.
Put the tip on your nail & take note of the distance (if there is any) of your nails to the tips. You would have to make up the distance by applying a thick glob of glue.

In my case, im using a watery glue so what i do is put a drop or two on the tip & wait until it is 80% dry. It would make the bed of the tip a bit thicker so that i make up for the space in between my nail & tip.

Once it's almost dry then that's the time that i would be applying it on my nails. I would also apply glue on my nails.

Now, how i apply my tips had worked for me ever since.
I have read that some people prefer to slide it from the tip going to the base to prevent any air pockets, but since my glue is watery i can't do or else it would just accumulate on the base. What i do is i lightly put the base of the tip, waiting for the almost-dry glue to touch the glue on the nail. I don't apply any pressure at all because it will just end up forming bubbles.

Look at how the middle of tip looks whitish, it's because it still got air inside, but the side is already clear. I gently work my way towards the edge so that i would be able to avoid bubbles. By the way, the dark smudge in the pic is just a dirt on my camera, not my nail.

Keep on holding the tip so that no air would enter inside while the glue is still wet. Again, no pressure... just keep it in place to avoid it from moving.

Wait until it dries.

You can file it down if it's too long for you.

The most important thing when you apply fake nails would just be to make sure that there are no air pockets.
It would affect how long it would be able to stay on your nails & also prevent any fungal infection.

Oh, another thing, when you decide to put on fake nails, make sure that you clip your nails short because applying it with nails still long will not only make application harder but also increases the risk of breaking your real nails once the tip started breaking down. Save yourself from pain, just cut it short & you'll do fine.

Saizen tips are not durable but i like using it just because i only want them for a short time. I;m really scared sh*t of fungal infection so the longest time that i let tips stay on my nails would be for a week at most.

If you just want to have long nails instantly then nail tips would be your best bet. It's easy & fast!
If you have tried other brands of tips or glue that you love, please share it.
^_^

I know that i have not covered everything when it comes to nail tips application so if you got any questions feel free to leave a comment & i'll get back to you asap.

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