First Giveaway!

I am excited to announce my first giveaway! I've been wanting to do a giveaway for a while now, but what better time to do it than Christmas time!

The prize for the lucky winner will be two Julep nail polishes, Melanie and Harley, along with the Acetone Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover and a Julep Tote Bag. This is a $47 value! None of the items have been opened.

Here is a picture of what the nail polish will look like (taken from Julep's Pinterest Page).

http://pinterest.com/pin/19984792067233273/


Giveaway Rules:
Must be a US resident.
********I just noticed the option to "like" my facebook page did not add successfully. Please go here and like it. It is one of the requirements to be eligible for the giveaway.***** a Rafflecopter giveaway

Penguin Nails Tutorial

Penguins are super cute! I have a penguin mug that gave me the inspiration for this nail art design.

What you will need:

1) toothpick
2) one base color of your choosing
3) black, orange and white nail polish
4) paper plate
5) small nail art brush

These are the polishes I used:

From left to right: Revlon-270 Cherries in the snow, Wet n Wild- French White Creme, Revlon- 430 Whimsical, Julep- Natasha.

Step 1:
Paint your nails with your base color. I chose Revlon-Whimsical because it reminded me of winter. It's a very light, clear blue with pretty glitter like snow.

Step 2:
With your white polish draw three very close together streaks from the bottom up.

Step 3: With your nail art brush outline the white polish with black.

Step 4:
Drop a drop of your black nail polish onto your paper plate and dip the tip of your toothpick in. Then dot on eyes. Do the same with your orange nail polish and make a triangular nose.

Step 5:
Add arms and hair to your penguin with your toothpick or nail art brush.

Step 6:
Follow the previous steps and finish the rest of your nails. Have fun with it! Give your penguins different personalities by making them tall, short, round, have different hair or add bows.

Here is my final result:

Galaxy Nail Tutorial

Lately, galaxy nails have been popping up everywhere. They are becoming very popular and one of my followers on Facebook requested a tutorial. Here it is! :)

What you will need:
- plastic bag
- tooth pick or very thin brush
- cotton ball or Q-tip
- nail polish remover
- nail polish
----- black
----- white
---- - at least 2 shimmer colors

Now, let's get started!

Step 1: Paint your nails all black.I chose a solid black color, but you can choose a shimmer or matte one.
Milani- Black Magic

Step 2:
Have your shimmer nail polish ready to go. Open all the bottles so you can quickly place a drop of nail polish on your nail.

From left to right:
Revlon-Midnight Affair, Revlon-Black with Envy, Sally Hansen-French White Tip, Rimmel-Rags to Riches, Love & Beauty (Forever 21)- could not find name but it is a purple with gold shimmer

Step 3:
Place generous drops of your selected shimmer polish on your nail, randomly. Here, I used the white, but I saw that the darker colors took over so I did not use it on the rest. I suggest using brighter colors than the ones I choose for a brighter effect.

Step 4:
Grab your plastic bag and lightly tap your nail to combine all the colors. Do this quickly because the drops of shimmer polish will begin to settle and the colors will stick to bag instead of your nail!

Step 5:
Continue to place random drops of nail polish on the rest of your nails and lightly tapping them with the plastic bag. Here is the result:

Step 6:
Place a drop of your white nail polish on the plastic bag. Quickly, grab your toothpick, dab it in the drop of polish and make random small dots on your nails.

Step 7:
Dip a Q-tip in nail polish remover and clean the surroundings of your nail. Finish with a top coat!

I hope this was helpful!!

Removing Glitter Polish

Glitter polish is very popular because it can easily be elegant and lively. The worst thing about glitter polish is removing it. It is sometimes painful and takes a very long time. My go-to nail polish remover is Equate. It is affordable and it does a nice job removing regular polish. Glitter polish is a bit too strong for this remover though. I found a different brand that works amazingly fast!Onyx Professional really works wonders. Although it works great to remove the glitter it does leave your hands feeling very dry. To get rid of this dry feeling on my hands I wash my hands and apply cuticle oil around my nail. I hope this makes it easier for you guys!

This is how I used my glitter polish:

As you can see with the Equate remover only the regular polish was successfully removed.

This is how the ONYX Professional bottle looks like. You can find it at your local HEB store.

With just one use of the ONYX remover I was able to remove glitter from 2 and a half nails!! Quicker and more effective!

Since it does make your hands dry, this is what I use to restore the skin around my nails to a smooth feel.

Paw Print Nails

Today I chose a coral color for my nails. I think this color is perfect for summer. It's light and fun. The nail polish is from Forever 21 called Coral/Pink. At first I was hesitant about buying nail polish from a clothing store, but so far every nail polish that I have bought from there has worked great! I really like the quality.

This is what the bottle looks like:


What it looks like on my nails:


The paw print design:
I alternated between gray and white colors for the paws.

Julep

Julep nail polish is quickly becoming my go-to nail polish. I really love this brand! I have many great things to say about it. First, it is long-lasting! It does not chip off your nail quickly. Second, when removing it with nail polish remover it does not leave any stain on your nail. Third, this brand is "trend-setting [and]toxin-free" . If that were not enough, it ships quickly and for a great price!

Some cons about this brand is that separately each nail polish is priced at $14. However, if you open an account you can become a Julep Maven and take advantage of the Maven Box package. To do this, take a short quiz to determine your status as American Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell or Classic with A Twist. Each box has different nail colors that suit each profile. Once you're a Julep Maven you get to enjoy their Maven Boxes at $19.99(free shipping for Julep Mavens :)), which typically includes two nail polishes and two extra items. The extra items could be a mani or pedi cream or anything they offer at their website.

This is what I got in my box last month:

I'm so excited for July's Maven Box because not only does it include lip gloss, but a free nail polish!!!!! This is what I will be ordering for my July Maven Box:



If you want to see more of Julep here is the link to the website:

http://julep.com/?r=19850416 Here are some of the designs I've made with Julep colors:

Water Marble

One of my favorite, yet messy, designs is water marble. It gives each nail a unique design.

What you need:

1) small bowl (can be disposable)
2) toothpick
3) 2+ nail polish, of which one must be white
4) nail polish remover
5) Q-tip

Step 1:
Paint your nails with a white nail polish of your choice. I chose French White Creme from Wet n Wild

***Only use a white base if you chose light colors. The white brightens the colors. Otherwise, you can paint the base with any of the dark solid colors you are going to use .

Step 2:
Choose one or more colors of your choice. I chose Opi-ElePhantastic Pink and Opi- Do you Lilac it?.

Step 3:
Fill your small bowl three-fourths full with cool water. As you can see, I've used this plenty of times before.

Step 4:
Drop a drop of one of the colors you chose. Let it expand in the water then alternate between the other colors you chose. You do not need to fill your entire bowl, but do at least six rings.

Step 5:
Shape your rings with a toothpick. Insert the tip of your toothpick between the last and second to last ring and move in towards the center. Do not start from the last because the last ring usually settles before the rest. Do this from different sides of the ring until you are satisfied with the design.

Step 6:
Dip in your finger, but do not pull it out! With your other hand grab a Q-tip and remove the excess nail polish. Once it is all removed from the water, pull out your finger and ta-da! You have your first water marble nail!

Step 7: Remove the excess nail polish from around your nail. You can also place tape around your nail to avoid this step. Repeat step 5 and 6 for the rest of your fingers. Then place a top coat and done!

Here is the final result:

This was not my best watermarble design. I was a bit rushed and did not want to try several time because I do not like to waste nail polish. Follow the steps and take your time and you will get a great design.

Here are some pictures of other water marble designs I've done.