Review: Gold Stickers

   I have another review for you all! This week it is some cute gold floral stickers. You can find them here from Born Pretty.

   I forgot to take a picture before I used them.... Sorry!

   Pros: It is super cute and goes with just about anything. It's also easy to cut out whatever portion you want (the design isn't so close that you can't cut out just a flower, like I did), as well as easy to remove from the backing, even when you cut out a small portion. 

   Cons: Overall, it sticks to your fingers very well. However, there is a tiny bit of lifting on the edges, especially if you have a more curved nail. Luckily, this can easily be fixed with a tiny dab of nail glue.

   Consensus: This is a great product! It's a super easy way to quickly add a design to your nails. If you have some nail glue handy, it ought to last as long as your polish. Even if you don't, it will still last for a few days. Plus, the sheet is big, so you can reapply as often as you want!

   I'll go into more detail about the base in my next post. Suffice to say that it is basically a pastel watercolor. I'm ready for Spring!

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

  

Review: Art Deco Studs

   I have a new review for you all! I feel like it's been ages since I've done a review. This one is for some really neat Art Deco-esque studs from Born Pretty. You can find them here.

   These are pretty large for my tiny fingers, but not too bad.

   Pros: They are a beautiful color (that's always the most important, you know). The shape of the stud is such that it fits nicely on your nail; there is a tiny bit of a gap on the edges, but nothing that would cause a major problem with getting it caught on things. Another huge plus is that it is very re-usable. The color does not come off if you soak your finger in acetone to remove the stud, which is great!

   Cons: The size is really the only con, and that's only if you have tiny nails.

   Overall this is a really great product! It looks cute, and would work really as a stand alone or with an art deco design.

   I finally bought some of the gorgeous ILNP polish. I've been eyeing them for a very long time, and I finally broke down and bought some early last month. I purchased Black Orchid and Juliette. The base for this design was Black Orchid. It's a beautiful holo that really sparkles in the sun.

   Isn't it pretty?

   Well, I'll leave you with that dazzling shade. I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Review: Striping Tape Dispenser

   So this review has been a long time coming. I've used this striping tape dispenser many times since I received it, but I just never reviewed it...

   This is a nice little product. I know there are lots of DIY versions out there, using a normal tape dispenser or something similar. Which would be nice because you could have multiple tapes out at once. I would think that the tapes would move around and maybe become entangled that way though. With this dispenser, the tape won't move around. The dispenser is also small, so it easily fits with your nail art supplies without taking up too much space, even if you have several.

   My biggest beef is that it doesn't have a serrated edge like normal tape dispensers. This being the case, you have to use scissors or clippers to cut your tape. Which isn't really a big deal.

So...
Pros: It's small. It's easy to take apart to replace the tape inside. It's easy to use.
Cons: It doesn't have a serrated edge.
Overall: I really like it and think it's worth the money.


   Most recently, I used it in making my Christmas Day design.

   I used the striping tape to make my Christmas tree. I don't have a picture of the process, but I cut off two pieces to make a triangle shape. Then I filled in the triangle with green and glitter polishes. When it was halfway dry, I pulled off the tape and added the gold stud.


   I hope you all have a fantastic week!


   You can use code AIBW10 to get 10% off on your order from Born Pretty!

Review: Gold Decals

   I've gotten super behind on my reviewing (sorry Born Pretty!). With school, it seems there's always something else to do, be it new designs, clients, orders, or just life in general. I've finally gotten around to reviewing another item, which I think might have been sitting for at least two months, if not three. Oops!

   Born Pretty sent me a few things to review a while back, and this pretty set of water decals caught my eye. The gold/bronze colors are great for fall.

   Applying the decals was super easy, as always. If you just follow the directions that come with the decals you will have no problems! I trim the decal as close to the shape of my nail as possible before wetting and applying the decal. That way there is minimal 'clean-up' trimming once the decal is applied.

   The Consensus: These water decals are great! They don't slide around too much while being applied, and the last a long time, as long as you aren't too rough on them. The pattern is so neat too!

   For the rest of my nails, I used Finger Paints Plum Perspective.

  Have a fantastic week!

Review: Blue Rose Decals

   I received another package in the mail from Born Pretty a few weeks ago! I got a bunch of cute stuff that I can't wait to show you guys. First up: these beautiful blue rose water decals. It came in a pack of four different designs, but it was the blue one that caught my eye first.

   These were super easy to apply, like always. There was no sliding at all on these decals, so that was great! They lasted for a really long time too (for me), with no peeling. I work at JoAnn Fabrics, so I'm constantly knocking my nails around on bolts of fabric and counters. Most of my manicures only last about two or three days before they chip. These decals held up really well though and lasted for about four days or so. On any normal person that doesn't treat their nails horribly at work, I'd guess the decals could last a really long time for them.

   They were thin, so I did need to apply a base color before applying. I used my favorite cream base, Orly French Manicure Pink Nude. On my other nails I added some tiny light blue dots. They're really hard to see, but they are there! You can see them a little better in the first picture.

   I hope you all have a great week!

Review: Nail Art Pen

   I've been super slow about reviewing lately... I get too distracted!
   This week I'm reviewing the last product in my most recent goody bag from Born Pretty. (You can see all my past reviews here.) This last review is on a very neat little nail art pen.

   I've been a beach kick recently, what with my starfish and flamingo nails these past weeks. And I'm still on it! Can you tell I'm ready to go to the beach this summer? :)

   This week I drew a coral pattern on my nails with the nail art pen. The pen is fantastic! It is super easy to use and the polish flows out of it very evenly and easily. It creates very smooth lines and is very similar to using a real pen or pencil (which works great for me, since I started my drawing career with pencils instead of brushes; it was quite the transition for me!).

    In my design, I dotted the lines instead of making one smooth motion, to give the coral more of the correct texture. Don't let that deceive you though, the pen is very capable of pretty, smooth lines.

(Sorry this picture is so dark, Blogger kept darkening my image! Hopefully I can fix it later.)

   Overall, I love it! I will definitely be using it in future designs, and maybe even getting some more colors. I love how thin a line it makes!

   For my design, I started with a base of OPI That's Hula-rious. It's part of their new Hawai'i collection. ...Which I might or might not be in love with; the colors are so pretty! I hardly ever buy OPI because I'm a poor college kid, but I've already bought two from that collection...
   Anyway, after applying my base, I used the nail art pen to draw on the coral. As I mentioned earlier, I dotted the lines to give it a more coral-like texture. Then I added on a few gold caviar beads.

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Review: Rose Nail Decals

   I received another package from Born Pretty last week! Among other things I got some pretty rose water decals. I forgot to take a picture before I cut them up! I didn't use them all though, so you can kind of get an idea of what they looked like in the package:

  It came with a tiny little nail file. It was really nice to use to file the excess decal off.

   The decals applied really easily and didn't slide around as much as the last decals I reviewed. I really liked that about them, it made it a lot easier to trim off the excess!
   They lasted fairly long, but I ended up taking them off a little sooner than necessary. Two fingers on my right hand was peeling back a little 4 days into it, so I just went ahead and took them off. I don't think that's anything to do with the product though. I think it has more to do with my left hand being a less than great applicator. The decals on my left hand were un-chipped and had very little wear, if any.
   Overall I think they are a great product!

   I absolutely love the design and color on this set! It is so pretty and feminine; very delicate. One of the things I like about decals is that I can have both hands match, and they both look great! I hardly ever show you guys my left hand, and that's for a good reason. I usually paint my left hand to match, but it never looks near as nice. So it's great to have two hands that look nice instead of just one.

   I added a matte topcoat to my nails. It was a pretty design before, but I think the matte coat really made it. In my opinion, anyway!

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Review: Chameleon Polish!

   I received some really cool polish in the mail last week! Born Pretty sent me a bottle of their new chameleon polish. It's a holo polish that changes color in different lights. I received a blue-purple-orange color, #201, and it's so pretty!
   As always, you can use this coupon code, AIBW10, to get 10% off your order at Born Pretty!

    I've taken lots of photos for this one, so you can see it in many different lights. It essentially looks the same all the time, but different lights can create some slight changes in how it looks and changes color.
   Here it is under a yellowish light:

   You see the orange-gold color very well in the yellow light, and the purple is brighter, almost a little pink.
   Under a more blueish light:

   In the blue light, the blue really pops. You don't see the orange-gold at all, and the purple requires a lot of effort to completely "cover" the nail. It's such a pretty deep shade of blue under the blue light!
   In natural light:

   I think the purple looks prettiest (to me) in the natural light. The orange-gold has turned an interesting shade too, it's a little redder, I think.

   I think this is such a neat and pretty polish. I love how it changes colors. The whole time I was wearing it, I was constantly wiggling my fingers back and forth so I could watch the colors change!
   With this polish, you have to wear one coat of black polish to really help the color pop and look right. In the photos I had on one layer of black and two coats of the chameleon.
    There are lots of pretty colors in the collection; there are a couple that I think I'm going to need to try out soon....

   As usual, I did have to paint some sort of design on; you can't have plain polish! (Unless you're busy, of course!)

   I never quite know what to paint on shiny and holographic polishes... For some reason they kind of freak me out with designs! So for this one I went kind of simple. I glued a black rhinestone on to my middle fingers, and then painted some swirls coming out of it with some black acrylic paint.
   (This last set of pictures were taken in natural light, if you were wondering.)

   I've been working on a new design tonight! I'm trying my hand at a scene. I don't think it's too terrible for a first attempt, but then I am sometimes slightly biased....

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Flower Water Transfer Review

   I promise I haven't died, I've just been busy! Who knew being home would be busier than being at school?! ...And I probably have more distractions here at home. Which is probably the real reason for me not having posted in what feels like almost a month. I have been painting, just not posting... So I have lots of updates!

   I'm going to start with my current set, and then work my way backwards throughout the week. I have a lot of partial posts to sort through. Apparently I had some good intentions, but a short attention span!

   This week I have a review from my bag of goodies from Born Pretty. I've posted one review from the most recent trio, some pretty triangle studs. This week I have some water transfers to show you guys. They are #BLE2109.

   I really liked them, the picture was really pretty! Like the last water transfer I reviewed, they were really easy to apply. The main difference with this decal is that it was all one big picture, not 12 different little pictures, so you have to choose your favorite few spots and do your best to estimate your nail sizes.
   Like the last set, they are still a little slippery, but not as bad. I'm not sure if I did something different or if they were made slightly different. Or maybe I was prepared for it this time. Who knows!
    The only real complaint I have is about the more yellow nail. For some reason it cracked a bit:

   I'm not sure why it did that, none of the other transfers (this set or the last) showed any inclination to do so. It might have been something I did, I couldn't get this one to stay in the right spot so I might have nudged it a little too much or something once I put on my topcoat.

   Overall, I think they are great! You can use coupon code AIBW10 to get 10% off your order at Born Pretty Store!

   The polish I have on the rest of my fingers is a new polish that is quickly becoming a favorite! It's Essie Carry On, a deep purple-y red that's really pretty. I bought it a few weeks ago on impulse and I'm so glad I did! I have on three coats in the picture.

   More updates to come as I sort through everything.
 
   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Christmas Plaid and Nail Stud Review

   Expect to see a lot of winter/Christmas designs this month, I'm still super excited!
   I also have a new bag of goodies from Born Pretty! This week I have a review on some triangle nail studs. I'm really into plaids at the moment, so I paired the studs with a cute Christmas-colored plaid!

   You might already know, but I'm not a big 3D nail art wearer. I like how it looks, but the 3D-ness of it kills me! I'm always knocking or catching them on something and they rarely last for more than a a couple days.
   These studs though are something I can get along with! They're a whole lot flatter so they don't get in the way and they don't catch on things near as much. I do have to put on two layers of my top coat so that the corners are fully covered and smoothed over (so they don't catch on things), but that's no big deal! They were pretty easy to apply too, so that's always great.
   Overall, I really liked them! They look nice and are a great way to spice up your nails.

   To make the plaid, I started with a red base, Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet. Next I used my white striper to lay down a lighter base for my green stripes (to help the color pop). The green I used was a mix of Studio M On the Field and a little bit of Revlon Parfumerie Balsam Fir. Next I used my black striper to add double lines over top the green, then I added some gold glitter lines with Finger Paints Wrapped In Ribbon.

   I have some new sets in my shop! I've put this design up, as well as my brown plaid design from a couple weeks ago. I'll probably add some color options for it eventually.
   You can find them here:
          Brown Plaid
          Christmas Plaid

   I have finals Wednesday and Thursday next week, so I might or might not get another design painted before then. I have a bunch of orders to paint too, so we'll see...

   I hope you all have a great weekend!

   You can use coupon code AIBW10 to get 10% off your order at Born Pretty!

Review: Rhinestones

   We're to review number three! My last two posts have been some reviews from an awesome bag of goodies from Born Pretty, a stamping plate and some water decals. This review is on some pretty opalescent rhinestones.
 

   I bought this gorgeous orange glitter from OPI, A Woman's Prauge-ative, and I just had to use it! Not only does it look nice with the rhinestones, but it's also just plain pretty. I think I'm in love...

   Pros: I really like how these rhinestones looked. They aren't faceted like most, which gives them a different look. They were fairly easy to apply too, so that's always great!
   Cons: The only beef I really have with these are how far out they come from my nail. I felt like they poked out more than other rhinestones I have used, but that could be because they are a little larger than what I have used previously. If you have small fingers like me, 3mm is almost too big a rhinestone. It fits great on my thumb and middle finger, but my nails are too small and too curved for it to fit on my other fingers.

   Overall, I like them a lot! They're pretty and work great as an accent on my fingers.

   To make this design I started with a grey base, China Glaze Pelican Grey. Then I painted the basic design in white, since I wanted a white outline. I used my white Stripe Rite striper. Then I filled in the middle of the white with OPI A Woman's Prauge-ative, leaving a white outline. You can go over the white again if you need to even the outline out.

   Next I added the white flounces and dots, then the rhinestones. I finished it off with a couple coats of my top coat, to help seal in the rhinestone. The extra coats might be unnecessary, but it makes me feel better! I'm so rough on my nails, the extra coats make me feel like the rhinestones will last longer.

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

   You can use this coupon code, AIBW10, to get 10% off your purchase at Born Pretty.

Review: Water Decals

   Last week I reviewed a stamping plate from Born Pretty. I have a couple goodies left that they sent me and I'm excited to show them to you! The first item I have for you guys are these cute water transfers.

   They are really cute and I love the design! Purple is one of my favorite colors, and if you've been following my blog, you know I love flowers. For the most part they were really easy to use. I trimmed them to where they were a little bit longer then my nail, so allow for error on my part. Then I placed them on my nail, dried it per instructions, trimmed the excess, and then applied my topcoat.

   Pros: They are a whole lot quicker and easier than actually painting a design like this. And they're cute!

   Cons: Before they dry, they are super slippery and a little hard to keep in place. They are still a little slippery after you dry them, but once the top coat is applied that isn't an issue anymore. It kind of threw me off at first, but you get used to it. There also was some slight wrinkling at the tips, but I almost forgot to blog about about it because all evidence of that disappeared once I applied my top coat!

    ....A few days later: After three days of wear they still look great! There's the smallest bit of chipping on one nail where it lifted and then snagged. I haven't tried to be nicer than usual to my nails, so they're really holding up great.

   Overall I really liked them. It's an easy way to get really cute manicure!

   I hope you guys have a great week!