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.

Everyday Make Up Look - Mini Reviews

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in Ivory - Before and After

I filmed a little GRWM video on this make up look and I though for my blog I would do some mini reviews of the products I used.

Starting with the foundation I used Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in Ivory. This foundation has more of a dewy finish than the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation. It also has less coverage and this colour is quite yellow, but because it isn't full coverage it doesn't end up looking too yellow on my skin. I like the finish that this gives to my skin but it doesn't last very well with my oily skin. It is definitely a foundation that needs powder.

Under my eyes I used the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in fair. This concealer is ok. The colour isn't perfect for me, it is quite pink toned and light so if I use too much I look a little crazy. I also find it settles into the creases under my eyes.

I used Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in 1C light to conceal my many blemishes. I really like this concealer, it covers well, lasts really long on my skin. If I'm being lazy and don't want to wear foundation I will use this alone. The colour matches my skin really well.

For powder I used the Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in Translucent. I picked this powder up while I was in the UK. I haven't really used it long enough to have a clear opinion on it but it does the job. I can't say it has wowed me but it also hasn't disappointed.

I used the Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze to bronze up my skin. This is really great pale girl bronzer, its not too pigmented so you can build up the colour instead of going in too strong. Its also a great colour, not too orange and according to the packaging it is waterproof. It also has quite a perfumed smell which I can't say I'm too fond of and I was a little worried the fragrance might break me out, so far it has not. I also used this as eyeshadow in my crease.

On my cheeks I used the Top Shop Cheek and Eye Duo in Bitten Cherry. This is very pigmented and dark. After watching back the video and looking at the pictures I think this is too dark for my pale skin on an everyday look. It would be great for a dark vampy look. I also think I applied it too low down on my cheeks, so that doesn't help. It is a really great colour and I can see it being a lovely eyeshadow.

I used Nars Albatross for my highlight and also as an eyeshadow. I love this product, it is so beautiful. I do think it is possibly a little too much for everyday on my fair skin because it has a very gold reflect and I think something more champagne or peach looks more natural on my skin for everyday. I absolutely love this as an eyeshadow as well.

On my brows I used the Jordana Eyeliner in Taupe. I have used this a long time, it gives a great natural looking brow that is not too warm toned. Also can't go wrong with the price.

For eyeliner I used the Nutrimetics Defining Waterproof Eyeliner in Mahogany. I don't love this product but its not bad. I like that is retractable so I don't have to worry about sharpening, it doesn't smudge or transfer throughout the day. Its not a bad eyeliner but I just don't love it for some reason.

I used a sample of the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Extreme Black. This is an ok mascara. Defiinitely looks better when I curl my lashes, but most mascaras do. It added length and thickness and doesn't smudge through out the day. Overall a good mascara but I don't think its really any better tan a lot of cheaper mascaras I have used.

Finally on my lips I used the Rimmel Provocalips in I'll Call You. The colour is a great muted hot pink, very wearable everyday. The product is good too. Easy to apply, lasts well. It does end up peeling off at the end of the day and does wear off a little in the inner rim from eating. I like to carry a tinted lip balm product with me so if it starts to wear off in the inner rim or is getting a bit dry, I can apply the balm. The tinted colour of a balm helps to blend the apocalips colour with your nude lip colour so it isn't such a stark difference.

Overall most of these products I would recommend. I can't really bash any of the products I used in this GRWM. My favourite product would probably be the Nar Albatross, because it is so pretty and shimmery I could stare at it all day. My least favourite product is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer just because I think the colour I have is a little off on me and it does crease a little.

Here is the video if you would like to watch.

Nail Art Practise

I had a bit of spare time and decided to try a new nail art design. I recreated a design by All Nails Everything. I  used  Gel Nail Polish colours but you could absolutely use regular nail polish for this design. Here is how I recreated the design.

Step by Step Nail Design

Step 1: After applying your basecoat apply a couple of coats of white polish until opaque.

Step 2: Fill in the top corners near the cuticle with black polish as pictured. For this I used a small detailing brush.

Step 3: Paint in five lines roughly then thicken them to be more like elongated triangles as pictured. I used the same detailing brush for this step. These do not have to be perfect, we can fix any mistakes in the next step. My black lines are thicker than the original design, if you want finer lines you can do so. This step could also be done by taping off the areas you want left white but I do not like this method because it can be quite fiddly and does not always give crisp lines.

Step 4: Now go in with your detailing brush and white polish to perfect the lines and make sure the black triangles come to a point at the top of the nail.

Step 5: Time for a second coat on all the black areas. If you make any mistakes or you are not happy with your lines keep switching between the black and white polishes perfecting your lines, making sure to cure the colours between each layer. If I had been doing this design on a real nail I would have continued perfecting my lines because as you can see they are not perfect.

Step 6: Apply a colour of your choice, I chose this coral/ peach shade, in a V shaped french covering the ends of your black triangles. Repeat this step until the colour is opaque.

Step 7: Attach a nail stud to the top of the nail in the white area, I used a gold square stud because I have no triangle studs like the original design. I used clear top coat to attach the stud.

Step 8: Remove the tacky layer and add striping tape in a V shape where the coral/peach shade overlaps the rest of the nail.

Step 9:Apply top coat over the striping tape to help it stay on longer.

Step 10: Top coat the entire nail and you are done.

I hope to try out some of the other designs in the original manicure soon.

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

Christmas Mosaic Nails

 I found it really hard to decide what I wanted on my nails this Christmas. I wasn't feeling the literal approach (Santa hats, reindeer, snowmen etc.) I had just done a lovely set of white and gold Christmas nails on my friend and they were gorgeous but I didn't want to copy.

I had also just taken part in the Neiru fine lines workshop and was wanting to try out some new techniques. I decided to try out mosaic nails but make them Christmas themed by using red, green and gold.

Mosaic Nails are relatively easy to do and can be adjusted to suit your abilities. If you find it difficult just make your lines thicker, if you find it easy aim for the thinnest lines possible. I did do this design with gel nail polish but I am sure it could also be done with regular polish or acrylic paint.

Christmas Mosaic Nails

I will give a brief rundown of how to do mosaic nails but if you want a more in depth look at how i did my Christmas nails check out the video below.

I started with base coat then applied a nude pink colour as my base so I would have to do less coats when filling in my shapes. Next I took a fine liner brush and painted lines on my nail, some straight, some curved. Intersecting at different points. It's up to you the shapes you want to create and also how many shapes you want on you nail. Make sure not to make the shapes too small otherwise it is harder to colour them in.

After the white outline is set its really just colouring in. Like I said I chose red, green and gold for Christmas but you can use whatever you like. I counted the shapes and tried to divide the colours evenly but I also didn't want any touching shapes to be the same colour. When filling in the shapes you can correct any of the white lines that are too thick.

After the shapes have been coloured in, you may need more than one coat, I traced over the white lines perfecting them as much as possible. Then topcoat and the design is complete.

Uninspired and Overwhelmed

WARNING: I feel a rambly post coming on.

I don't know where or how to start this post, I guess I want to start by saying this is not a pity post. I know that barely anyone sees my posts and I'm not writing this so you can feel sorry for me. I need to write somethings down and get them out of my head and for me posting things online helps me feel more accountable for myself. As though putting things on the internet means I have to follow through with any commitments I have made otherwise the entire internet will be disappointed with me.

I already feel on the verge of tears and I don't even know what this post is about. I may be having a quarter life crisis. I think the biggest thing going on for me right now is that I'm not where I though I'd be at 24. All through my teen years, possibly even younger I have had this idea that I would have a home a husband and children by the age of 25. I always thought my mum was crazy for having her first child at 27, I though that was so old. Yet here I sit at 24 with none of the things I had planned for myself.

Maybe I should just look at the positives, I'm lucky enough to have a part time job as well as run my own small business from home doing something that I love, I have a roof over my head, meals to eat every day and a loving family, so why can't that be enough.

I'm stuck in a cycle of wanting to follow my dreams and being realistic. I would love to continue the way I am now, my business steadily growing. I have been open 21 months and have gained almost 250 Facebook likes which is great but realistically it is not enough for me to survive on. I already made the decision to take on a part time retail job so that I have a constant income but now I am faced with deciding to continue as I am, hoping that my business will take off and it will be a full time career or letting it go and finding a full time job.

A full time job would limit the amount of time I can put into my business and if I were to find a job in the beauty industry that I am qualified for, it would be a conflict of interest to continue my own beauty business.

Perhaps if I had some idea of what to do with my business to help it grow but I find myself uninspired and unsure.  Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. I love the smile on peoples faces when they are really happy with their treatments. I have so many ideas of what I want to do, I want to get into airbrushed makeup, tanning and I would love a complete new gel polish system complete with fancy LED light. But these things all cost money that I do not have. I have to keep my business gaining money not losing it. Was I naive in thinking I could start my business without getting a personal loan? Is a loan what I need to grow my business or would I just end up in the exact same situation with a huge loan?

Sometimes I feel as though there is so much that I want to do, I just don't know where to start so I choose to do nothing. I know that this is going to get me nowhere but I don't no what to do.

Am I stupid for posting this? Is someone going to find this and look down on me?

I wish I could wake up tomorrow and have everything exactly the way I had planned.

Enough of the pity party, a few things I am proud of this year.

I found a job in retail and I have really enjoyed learning new things and growing as a person. It really has helped me with my people skills.

I reached the year anniversary of my beauty business and through it have met so many wonderful people. I feel as though I have grown as a nail artist and I am now able to do designs I previously thought impossible. This is mainly thanks to my clients bringing in pictures of beautiful designs that I push myself to recreate.

I have also made an effort to be more health conscious, I made a YouTube video about this. As of today I have lost 4 kg. Mainly thanks to reducing my fizzy drink intake but I have also enjoyed exercising for the first time in my life. I definitely wouldn't say I have mastered the art of regular exercise but I try and I have recently have been enjoying boxing for fitness.

I think this post is getting a bit long so I will finish up. If you have made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read and I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.