From Short to Long - A Hard Gel Nail Growing Journey.

I recently shared a collage of my friends nails, done by me, on my Facebook page and I thought why not share it here as well. I shall go a little more in depth than I can in a Facebook post.

Katie's Nail Journey

First Visit. Nude Gel Polish with Glitter Fade

Katie first came to me wanting a nice, pretty, natural looking set of nails as she was to be a bridesmaid in her friend wedding. She didn't want extensions at the time because she did not want to be the only bridesmaid with false nails. So we kept it simple and went for a nude gel polish with a bronze glitter fade. You can see how I did these nails here.

2nd Visit. Purple and Gold Negative Space Nails

One week later Katie came back, although the nude design was perfect for the occasion, it didn't quite match Katie's personality. She decided she wanted to try Hard Gel Extensions, so I gave her fairly short, square extensions. We kept them short so that it wasn't too hard for her to get used to them and we kept them square because that is the shape she had always had her natural nails. Again we did a fairly simple nail art design which you can watch here. I will not that the same evening I did these nails, Katie had an incident with a cheese grater and managed to grate off the corner of her right thumb nail extension, so she did return the nest day to have this fixed.

3rd Visit. Dream Catcher inspired nails.

Two weeks later (total 3 weeks since first visit) it was time for a design change, we had a couple of millimeters of new nail growth. I filed off the gel polish design and removed any lifting, there was barely any, then infilled the hard gel and changed the nail shape to more coffin, we did not file down any length, before applying a new nail design. This time she chose a dark teal green which I thought would look great with some dream catcher inspired nail art, you can see how I did this here.

4th Visit. Negative Space and Bling Nails

Another two weeks (total 5 weeks since first visit) and it was again time for a design change. I infilled the hard gel and maintained the coffin shape, we still did not file down any length. For the design this time we kept it super simple with a little bit of negative space and a fair bit of bling. If you would like to see how I did these, click here.

5th Visit. Rainbow gel polish and pigment nails.

Two more weeks later (a total of 7 weeks since initial visit) and we decided it was time for a colourful design. This time while infilling the hard gel, I filed the extension at the free edge down to her natural nail length, turning the hard gel extensions into a hard gel overlay. I then went in and applied the design with gel polish and pigments. You can see how I did this design here.






To sum this all up, in 7 weeks we were able to grow Katie's nails to a length she is happy with. We had no nail breaks barring the one that was attacked by a cheese grater and also minimal lifting. You could definitely achieve this with out adding any extension and just doing an overlay from the beginning and wait for the length to grow. But if your client wants instant length you can do it the way we did. I made this post to say that there is no need to remove extensions to reapply, I personally prefer doing infills and overlays as I feel I can get an overlay to look much more natural and you also don't have the chance of the extension tip breaking off. As much as I love doing overlays, there are certain nails that will not be suited to overlays, if a client has nails that curve too far up or down than you would like, you may need to file the natural nail short and apply extensions every couple of infills, you may find you only need to do this to a few nails and not the whole set.

For reference I use Akzentz Proformance Hard Gel and Bluesky Gel Polish.

I hope you found this nail growth story interesting, and feel free to ask any questions as I am sure I have left something important out.

Thanks for reading.

Bluesky Gel Polish Swatches | Reds and Pinks

I have decided to swatch my Bluesky Gel Polish colours because I know how hard it is picking colours online.

All swatches are with out basecoat, three coats of colour and a top coat.

Here are the reds and pinks that I currently have. I will be swatching more colours soon.

Bluesky Gel Polish 80562

This is a lovely pale dusty pink colour, with a very subtle shimmer that is only noticeable in bright light. Great pale pink for darker skin tones. Does take a few extra coats than other colours.

Bluesky Gel Polish 40511

This pink is a couple of shades darker than the first one, but it has the same rose tone to it. This colour has no shimmer and is quite opaque.

Bluesky Gel Polish 80506

This colour is a hot pink with a blue shimmer. It is a gorgeous colour, definitely a must have.

Bluesky Gel Polish 40507

This pink is very similar to the above 06 pink but this one has a pink shimmer instead of the blue.

Bluesky Gel Polish A45

This is a true red with no shimmer.

Bluesky Gel Polish 80545

This polish has a sheer purple base with red glitter. Perfect colour for Christmas. Can be hard to get an even coverage of glitter, I definitely recommend three coats with this one.

Here they are all together.

No Flash

Flash

If you would like to see these polishes being swatched, check out my video below.

Nail Art Basics | Chevron/Zig Zag Design | Gel Nail Polish

Hand Painted Chevron/Zig Zag Design

If you want to know how I hand paint chevrons, check out my newest video.

If you have any requests for nail art videos please leave them in a comment.

3 Ways to use Glitter with Gel Nail Polish

3 types of Gl Polish Glitter Nails

All of these techniques can be varied by using different polish colours and glitter colours. You can choose to use the same colour polish and glitter or use a different coloured polish and glitter. This looks especially good with method 1 using your manicure colour as the base polish and adding a gold or silver on top. Also with method 2 a black base and silver glitter look nice together. I think I also need to add that the photos do these nails no justice, it is so difficult to get a good shot of glitter.

Sheer Gel Polish Glitter Nail

1. Sheer Glitter Nail
For this method start by applying your basecoat and two coats of colour polish curing between layers, if your colour is not opaque apply more layers. On a palette place a drop of top or base coat and add loose glitter of your desired colour and mix together. Then apply this mixture to the nail, I like to use a dabbing method as it gives more even coverage. Then cure the glitter layer. You can stop here and apply top coat or you can add another layer of the glitter mixture if you want more glitter. Once you have applied your final top coat check to make sure there are no rough areas, if there are then buff the nail and apply another layer of top coat.

Medium Coverage Gel Polish Glitter Nail

2. Medium Coverage Glitter Nail
For this method you want to start the same way as the first method, apply your basecoat and 2 colour coats curing between layers. Get your glitter on a fluffy brush and press the glitter into the sticky inhibition layer. Then cure in your lamp. Now gently dust off ant loose glitter and apply a top coat. Remove the sticky layer and buff the nail before applying a final top coat.

Full Coverage Gel Polish Glitter Nail

3. Full Coverage Glitter Nail
For this method apply your base coat and one coat of colour polish and cure between layers. Next add a second coat of colour but before curing pour on your glitter until it covers the whole nail, shake off any excess and cure in you lamp. Now brush off any loose glitter, apply a top coat and cure. Next remove the sticky layer and buff the nail before applying a final top coat.








Gel Polish Glitter Nails are so easy to do and add such a great accent to any manicure. The colour combinations are endless. I hope these steps made sense, if anyone would like me to elaborate or make a video tutorial please let me know.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation Review

I think the best way to start off a foundation review is to tell you a little bit about my skin type. I have combination skin, I get quite oily in my T-Zone, my cheeks are fairly normal and I also have dry patches on my nose and chin. I am also quite prone to breakouts from new products as well as hormones.

I picked up the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity 1 while I was away on holiday in the UK. I had heard great thigs about the longevity of the regular Double Wear foundation but I wanted something lighter and more natural looking for everyday wear. I was colour matched at Selfridges in London, I first though I would be the lightest colour, which is intensity 0.5, but this was a very yellow based colour and did not match me well. Intensity 1 has more of a pink undertone which I generally am not too keen on but this colour matched me well in store. After wearing the foundation a few times, although the colour matches my face very well, I wish there had been a more neutral colour between Intensity 0.5 and Intensity 1 to match my body a little better because my body has a slightly warmer colouring than my face. But this problem is easily fixed with a little bit of bronzer.

In the pictures below, the first picture is my bare face with no products. The second picture is with only the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation on and the third photo is with a full face of make up.

Before and After Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Intensity 1

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light claims to wear for 15 hours, I have not worn the foundation for 15 hours but I have for a full 12 hour day and it hold up very well. I have no issues with the foundation breaking up or rubbing off. I sometimes lose some foundation from around my nose but this is only if I have been frequently blowing my nose.

The foundation also claims to control oil and resist smudging. I definitely agree with this statement. I often have problems with other foundations rubbing off onto the collars of black jackets but this foundation has not done so. As for oil control it does the job well. With a non oil controlling foundation my face will be shiny with oil within an hour or two, with this foundation I don't even need to powder and I am left oil free for at least 6 hours and even then I do not look greasy but my skin has a healthy glow and is no longer matte.

This foundation does not feel heavy on the skin but I feel as though you can tell you are wearing foundation from the look of it. This may be just because it has such a matte finish that it does not look skin like. This is not a problem for me because I like to be able to add shine in the areas I want it.

Applying the foundation is fairly easy, I choose to use a Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply mine because I don't like using my fingers. If you are having trouble blending this foundation, try applying it with your fingers because the warmth of your hands helps it to blend seamlessly into all areas of your face. I do find if I am not careful when applying, the foundation can exaggerate some of my larger pores around my nose. Also once the foundation sets it can grab on to dry patches, for me this was only an issue when I had a healing spot that meant flaky skin.

With Flash

I do find the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation is not the best with flash photography, most likely because it has an SPF of 10. It doesn't look too bad in this flash photo but I have had worse photos also. I find that you can counter the flashback look by useing bronzer and blush to give your face shape and leave the centre of your face bright. I wouldn't recommend this photo for occassions with flash photography but I also wouldn't avoid flash photos if I was wearing it. That doesn't really make sense but I'm trying to say the flash back is not that bad but if you knew there were to be a lot of flash photos, maybe avoid this foundation.









On the rest of my face, I used some Maybelline Fit Me concealer in the colour 15 Fair under my eyes and Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in the shade 1C Light on my blemishes. I used Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent to set under my eyes and on my lids. I used Rimmel Natural Bronzer in 022 Sun Bronze around the perimeter of my face and under my cheekbones, I also put a little bit of the same bronzer into the crease of my eye. I used the Top Shop Cheek and Eye Duo in Bitten Cherry on my cheeks. I used Jordana Eyeliner in 20 Taupe to fill in my eyebrows,  Nutrimetics Defining Waterproof Eye Pencil in Charcoal in my tightline and Rimmel Wonder'full mascara with Argan Oil in Extreme Black on my lashes. On my lips I used Nutrimetics Perfecting Lip Pencil in Nude and Collection Work the Colour Lip Butter in Vintage Rose. Finally I finished with a dusting of Nars Albatross on my cheek bones, brow bones and nose.

Overall I would recommend this foundation to anyone that has oily skin and struggles to keep their make-up looking good all day. This foundation lasts all day for me without powder, if its really hot or I know its going to be a long day I will powder for extra protection. It does not break me out which is wonderful. Its not ridiculously expensive at $69 although I would recommend trying a sample before committing to spend that much money. It feels weightless to wear and is easy to forget that it is on at all. This foundation is not full coverage but you can build the coverage by adding a second layer, although i fell like this is when it starts to look less natural on the skin. I prefer to do one layer and then pin point conceal the areas that are still showing through.

I feel like this review was all over the place, if I missed anything or you have any questions, please comment below.

Dove Summer Glow Review

I had been feeling a little bit pale recently so I decided it was time for a bit of false tan. I've never been in to tanning so I was a little bit nervous to go straight into a proper tanning lotion or mousse. I thought I would start off with a tanning moisturiser because, to me, it seemed a little more foolproof and I could definitely do with the extra moisture.

I have in used the Dove Summer Glow moisturiser in the past but I used the one for light skin and I found that the effect was quite subtle and I felt as though I had washed it off before I could build up the colour to my desired darkness. This time I decided to grab the one for medium to dark skin and hoped for the best.

Dove Summer Glow Before and After
Bikini top is from Bravissimo

The bottle says it is best applied after a shower, so I did. I didn't exfoliate because I'm lazy, I was a
little bit worried that because of this the tan might cling to my dry patches but luckily I didn't have this problem. I did shave my legs and underarms in the shower and I didn't get any stinging when apply the Dove Summer Glow. I found it a little difficult to get out of the bottle especially whem having to squeeze it with my left hand. It would definitely be easier if there was a pump, and I do feel as though as I use more of the moisturiser it is going to be very difficult to get the last of the product out of the bottle.

Streaking on leg

I had some streaking on my legs, I think this was because I used too much product and did not rub it in well enough. I found that on my more pale areas any streaking was more obvious and the tan also looked less natural. I did get some staining on my hands and nails, I would suggest making sure to wash your hands thoroughly after application especially under the nails.

I applied a small amount of the moisturiser to my face and I didn't have any problems with breaking out from the product. I found this quite surprising because my face breaks out almost every time I use a new product.

The colour is a little more orange toned than I would like although I feel it would look more natural on a medium to dark skin tone as the product is made for. Personally I would apply this moisturiser to my full body once a week, possible twice a week to my legs and more pale areas if I was going to be in a bikini. The moisturiser did a great job at blurring my tan lines which I love.

Dove Summer Glow Medium to Dark Skin

The moisturiser smells quite pleasant when applying but I did find that once it had dried it did have that fake tan smell. It also dried to quite a sticky finish, I applied it at night and by the morning it was no longer sticky but did smell of fake tan. I would not recommend applying this moisturiser to your whole body in the morning and then going out to work, because it has a fake tan smell and it feels as though you have something that needs to be washed off on the skin. It may be ok if you were just applying to your legs. I would suggest applying at night and washing off in the morning.

When I showered the next day I used a moisturising body wash to wash myself and dried myself with a white towel to see if any colour came off. There was a little bit of colour transfer to the towel but not a lot. The tan stayed on my skin well after the shower. The Dove Summer Glow moisturiser left my skin feeling soft and moisturised after I washed off the sticky layer.

Overall I am very pleased with this product, It gave me an instant glow because I am a light skin tone and used the medium to dark moisturiser. If you wanted a more gradual tan I would recommend getting the correct colour for your skintone. This is definitely a great product to have.

Links:
Dove Summer Glow
Bravissimo Bikini

Manicure Monday - Anchor Gel Nail Polish Manicure

Anchor Nails - Gel Polish Manicure

Today's nails were inspired by a picture that my client brought in with her, but I can't remember where the photo was from. If you know where this design originated, let me know so I can give credit to the right person.

For this manicure I mixed up a pale blue gel polish colour by mixing a royal blue with a white.

For the ring finger I painted a few coats of white gel polish until the colour was opaque, then I free hand painted the horizontal stripes one at a time curing after each stripe. I chose to cure the stripes individually so that I could get cleaner lines. Although this method is much more time consuming I find that I get better results than when I do all of the stripes at once. The stripe got thinner as they got closer to the cuticle.

For the anchor I free hand painted the stick with cross and the curved bottom and then cured before adding the triangles and a small dot for the top. Finally I added another smaller dot in white to make the whole where the anchor would attach to a chain. The design was then finished with a top coat.

For the thumb we did an opaque silver glitter nail.

I hope you like this manicure, if anyone would like me to recreate this manicure in a step by step video just let me know.

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Day 27 - Throwback Thursday

I was trying to get a lipstick swatch post done today but it takes forever to apply, take photos and edit 26 lipsticks. So it may be awhile until I finish that post but I am determined to get it done.

I don't know what else I can post about and I don't have any pictures to post. So I guess I'll see if I can find any old photos and do a throwback Thursday post.

Here we go.

Here I am in 2007 in an outfit I made out of milk bottle tops for a school project. I actually made it into the local paper with this creation.













This is 2007 or 2008, maybe even 2006 and it was my profile picture for the longest time. My face is so round and I hadn't started filling in my brows yet. I felt so fancy just wearing lip gloss or "borrowing" some of my mums tinted moisturiser.

This is November 2008 when I was living in Dunedin. I never get picture with my boyfriend anymore.

This is me at about 2? Still in England and posing in my mums boots with my sister in the background.

This my boyfriend and I at my first school ball in 2007. It was the first time I had my make up done by a professional.

Here I am in 2007 just after dyeing my hair dark. I wanted a chocolate brown, but it came out a little darker.







This was actually quite fun to look back at. Maybe I can do some more Throwback Thursday posts in the future.

Day 26 - Eyebrow Tinting

It has been quite awhile since I last tinted my eyebrows and I have been spending quite a lot of day make up free recently, so I thought I would tint my brows and show you some photos.

I am aware that that the before photo is blurry but I didn't notice until now and obviously I can't retake it now.

In the first photo is my naked face and natural brows, in the second I have the tint mixture on my brows, in the third photo I have just removed the tint and in the fourth photo I waxed my brows and I applied mascara to show how it looks.

I know my brows my look a little dark but the colour fades in the first couple of days because at first the skin under the hair is also tinted but as you wash your face, the tint comes off your skin and the brows look less dramatic. For this reason I always go a little darker than I think I should but you can experiment and see what works best for you.

If you would like to read how to tint your brows read on.

You want to start by cleansing your brows to remove any oil that will prevent the tint from sticking. I just wipe them with toner.

Next, using a cotton bud and some vaseline, mark off the areas you don't want tinted. Basically outline your brows with vaseline.

You now want to mix up your tinting solution following the directions that come with your product.

Now apply the tint to your brows making sure to rub in both directions so that you get down to the root of the hair.

Next clean up your lines using a cotton bud to wipe off any tinting mixture that is not where you want it.

Now let it develop on your brows for 2 - 3 minutes, then remove with a damp cotton pad. If your brows are not dark enough reapply for another 2 minutes or until desired colour is achieved. I left mine on for about 6-7 minutes. If it is your first time it is better to have to apply a few times than leave it on too long and your brows go too dark. Remember you can always darken but you can not lighten.

Make sure all tint is removed and you are done. You can now go on and shape your brows how you would like.

Day 25 - Nutrimetics Hair Serum Review

Nutrimetics Essentials Hair Serum with Ginger and Virgin Coconut Oil 40 ml for $22.

I would just like to be fair to this product and mention that my hair is extremely dry at the moment because I spent a lot of time in chlorinated water over the weekend, so it is soaking up moisture like crazy.

I will do a little comparison between this and the only other hair serum I've used the Dove Nutri Oil Serum which I reviewed here and before and after photos here.

This serum is a little bit thicker and more gel like. It also is a little bit heavier on my hair and I feel I have to use less to get rid of frizz. I also notice that it takes awhile to absorb in unlike the Dove which is almost instantly absorbed. If I apply a little too much of the serum, it will absorb over night and leave my hair silky the next day.

This serum has a much stronger smell than the Dove which has barely any scent. This serum smells very strongly of Ginger which I guess is because it is one of the main ingredients. You can smell it on your hair.

I think that I prefer this Serum slightly more over the Dove because it is slightly heavier and for my dry hair I feel it does more to repair my hair than the Dove does. I do still like the Dove and if you have already quite good hair and just a few flyaways to tame I would definitely recommend the Dove over this Serum.

If I know I am going to wash my hair the next day or in the evening I will apply a generous amount of the Serum to the length of my hair and braid it, then leave it in throughout the day or overnight. Then when I wash my hair it is nice and healthy.

Because I find this product does absorb into your hair, you don't get a build up of product. On second day hair I will sometimes add an additional pump to smooth any frizz that has appeared over night.

The first photo is my hair air dried overnight and brushed through, the second photo is my hair with two pumps of the serum which is normally enough for my hair but today my hair was so dry I used a third pump which is my hair in the last picture.

Excuse my really bad roots but I am trying to grow out my natural colour.

Day 17 - Nutrimetics Dramatic Lash Mascara Review

I finally managed to take some photos of something to post about. Yay me!

I am reviewing the Nutrimetics Dramatic Lash Mascara, I have it in Black.

When I first got the mascara I was surprised by how big the tube was, it looks like a jumbo mascara compared to my others.

The brush is also quite large and spiky. It definitely hurts if you poke yourself in the eye with the brush, I suggest not to do this.

The formula is quite wet at first and then dries up a little after the first few uses. This is not a bad thing though, I feel as though you get more dramatic lashes when the formula thickens up a little bit.

This mascara adds thickness, length and also a little bit of curl on my lashes. You can see this in the before and after pictures on the right.

Once this mascara is dry my lashes are still flexible and the mascara does not flake when you touch them. I also do not notice any of the mascara transfer to my lid throughout the day like I often find with other mascaras.

I apply two coats to my lashes, one to each eye and then go back to apply another coat. You can add more if you want even more dramatic lashes. I don't think my lashes look clumpy but you can judge that for yourself in the photos.

I also think it has quite a good price, especially when you can get it on sale. It is on sale now until the end of February. I have had mine for about three months, I should probably be replacing it soon, but it still works perfectly well.

I sometimes find it a little difficult to remove this mascara with my Simple Eye Make Up Remover but once I wet my face it does come off a lot easier. I don't have to scrub at my eyes to remove the mascara once it is wet.

You can find it in the Nutrimetics February Special E-Brochure on the third page and in the 2014 E-Catalogue on page 11. Regular price is $33, current sale price is $22.90.

What is your favourite mascara?

Day 15 - I'm stuck!

I'm running out of ideas to post about. Someone give me some ideas please.

 So here are two sets of Christmas I did a while ago. I am posting these at the completely wrong time of year but I'm not going to go into how I did them. Maybe closer to Christmas I will do another post on these designs.

Both of these designs were inspired by photos of peoples work, the Santa hat was a pin I saw floating around Pinterest for a long time.



The Christmas tree was inspired by a set of nails with triangles and all nails and they had used a dotting tool for the baubles and a star shaped stud for the topper.
I can't find the photos that inspired these designs as it was a little while ago, just letting everyone know I am not taking any credit for coming up with the design. I just recreated them in my own way.

Please, if you have any ideas for posts for the rest of February please let me know in the comments section.

Day 13 - 50 Facts About Me Tag

Here are 50 facts you probably don't know about me.

1. My favourite colour is orange, note the orange top and orange lipstick in the photo of me. I also quite like yellow.

2. I was born in this house.

3. I am so painfully shy and socially awkward, I give the impression that I hate people.

4. I am addicted to YouTube, I watch at least an hour worth of videos, generally a lot more.

5. I have only had one boyfriend, we have been together 7 years and 6 months.

6. I have never had a proper full time job.

7. I have two accents, one for my family and one for the rest of the country.

8. My middle name is Elizabeth.

9. I don't drive, not because I'm scared of driving, I've just never felt the need to learn.

10. I have only lived in three different cities.

11. I have one brother and one sister.

12. I have never been to a wedding.

13. I have not played a team sport since primary school.

14. I have no tattoos.

15. I have had three cats, but I only have one at the moment. This is Tilly.

16. I am the middle child.

17. I run my own business.

18. I haven't cut my hair in over a year.

19. I have three piercings in my left ear and two in my right.

20. I hate waxing my own legs.

21. I always seem to end up liking most of Miley Cyrus's songs. I am currently always listening to Adore You.

22. I had a curry for lunch today. I go to this restaurant at least once a week.

23. I have never had my own passport.

24. I have my nose pierced.

25. I have studied at the University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic and Wintec.

26. I worked at Mc Donalds for one year, it was delicious.

27. I love Dr Pepper.

28. I hate washing my hair.

29. I have very blonde eyebrows and eyelashes.

30. I had braces. Check out the before and afters.

31. I have my belly button pierced.

32. I worked at New World for about two years.

33. I met my boyfriend working at New World.

34. I like playing Rock Band.

35. I lack motivation and I am a master procrastinator.

36. I have never bought a new phone.

37. I love Walkers Cheese and Onion Crisps.

38. My favourite food is mashed potato and gravy.

39. I haven't left the country since I was 13.

40. I am terrible at making decisions.

41. I don't drink coffee.

42. My eyes are blue.

43. I didn't get my first pet until I was 18, not counting goldfish.

44. I used to be terrible at painting nails.

45. I was born in 1990.

46. I have both regular brown freckles as well as white freckles.

47. I love looking at old photos.

48. I am scared of dogs.

49. I am a Libra.

50. I always break technology.

That was so difficult. I started struggling to think of things at 10. Hope this was interesting.