SPRING NAILS

Spring is finally here!

My favourite season is spring! Not too hot, not too cold. Just right :)

I also love all the colours that come with spring, and love using those colours on my nails. There are so many cool nail designs you could do in the spring. Well, you could do them whenever you want but they just fit better in the spring. Match your nails with the season!

You could do so much with the nice light greens, yellows, blues, and purples!

I found this cute floral design on http://paulinaspassions.tumblr.com/

I think it’s perfect. The colours she used scream spring and the floral pattern is absolutely gorgeous! I think I’m going to try something like this as soon as I get some time off of doing school work!

paulinaspassions.tumblr.com/ also did this awesome pattern! I’ve always wanted to try this Arizona Iced Tea design. I’ve seen other people do it too and I just love it! Those colours are stunning, perfect for spring! When I master my design skills, I’m definitely going to try this one!

This simple polka dot design is super cute and works for spring too! It’s something that doesn’t take much time to so and is super cute. You just have to use the right colours! I think this person used the perfect colours and made it look awesome! This one was found on http://yournailgirl.tumblr.com/

You can even play around with different spring colours and make your own unique design! Even something as simple as this could work :) Found on: http://www.babble.com/home/25-fun-and-flirty-spring-nails/

Match Your Polish With Your Skin Tone

How to match your nail polish with your skin tone:

Sometimes I notice that when I try on new colours, some could be a little bit off at times. So I wondered: are you supposed to match your nail polish with your skin tone? So what did I do? Went on a little research mission and found out YEAH, matching your nail polish with your skin tone is like matching your clothes.

I learned this rule: Pale with pale and dark with dark.

Do I like this rule? No, because I’m really pale and I sometimes like to paint my nails black. Can I do this? Yes, however, I must make sure my nails are trimmed so they aren’t fang like. A rule from allwomenstalk.com. Plus, dark polishes can make your skin look paler. If that’s something you don’t want, maybe you should stay away from dark shades! Also, if you’re pale, you want to avoid yellows and go more toward blue based nail polishes.

The darker your skin tone, the more choices you have. Apparently this is true because darker women can pull off most nail colours. Pale colours give good contrast, bright colours look exotic and dark colours look classy. BUT, if you’re dark skin toned, you still need to match the colours with your complexion. If you have a warm complexion, go for warm shades and for a cool complexion, look for cool shades.

To see what complexion you are just look at your veins. If they’re blueish, your complexion is cool. And if they’re green, your complexion is warm.

If you’re somewhere between pale and dark and you want to look more tan, try metallic shades! Good shades for you would be purples and browns and gold.

At the end of the day, you can do whatever you want but if you want to have Claws with Class, follow these rules. 

http://www.makeup.com/nude-nail-polish

Easiest Nail Art

Sharpies!!

Sometimes plain nails get boring. If you’re like me and you just can’t do designs with actual nail polish or those nail art brushes… what can you think of that come in a whole lot of colours, are permanent and  people use to doodle? SHARPIES.

I know right? I never thought of that either until I saw it somewhere and I was like ohhhh yeah! You can doodle on your nails with Sharpies! You can even paint your nails with sharpies if you wanted.

How will it stay on?

First you would clean up your nails , wash your hands with warm water and push back those cuticles.

Use base coat to paint your nails before you paint them with a Sharpie. This is a key step because it’s not a good idea to put permanent marker right on your naked nail. You want to protect it with base coat.

Then once it’s dry, get creative with your sharpies! You don’t have to wait a long time for those to dry! How awesome is that!?

Once you like the look, slowly go over it with a top coat so it doesn't wash off and voila!!

OR you could just use the Sharpies for little designs after you've painted your nails with a colour of nail polish. They're super cool because if you make a mistake, you could just simply use some rubbing alcohol on that spot to remove the mistake. Pretty awesome for someone like me who can never decide if they like their design. I can just wipe it off without having to restart the whole nail! Rubbing alcohol doesn’t remove my base nail polish, I love it!!

Also, you could even go crazy with those thin sharpies, or the metallic ones. So cool!

Here’s some images I found on google of designs you could try:

There are so many different kinds of Sharpies and so many different colours.

This is a simple and cute design that I thought looked really nice!

Found on: http://www.blognailedit.co/

Who knew a French set could be done with a Sharpie:

Found on: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fourdotsdesigns/8624593109/

You can get really doddley! 

Found on: http://www.thefashionspot.com/beauty/534345-7-easy-diy-nail-art-ideas-beginners/

 Also simple and cute! 

Found on: http://www.lush-fab-glam.com/2013/11/mani-monday-sharpie-your-way-to.html

I thought this was creative

Found this on: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/150237337540818192/

My Favourite Nail Polishes

Nothing like a good bottle of nail polish

What do you look for in nail polish? I look for a good polish that’s not too expensive, long-lasting. One that doesn’t chip, and that can dry quickly.

One of my favourite brands is China Glaze. I find that they have an awesome selection of colours and their nail polish has all the elements I’m looking for! Two coats of China Glaze nail polish will last weeks! Plus, it’s affordable. About $10 per bottle, think about it though, you pay $20 at the nail salon for colour on your nails. Where do I get mine? Sally’s, sometimes Winners.

Second choice: OPI. I love their nail polish. They also have a good selection of colours and some great top coats. Same benefits as China Glaze I would say. Also purchased at the same places, for around the same price.

 Another fav, Essie! I love their top coats, nail strengtheners and treatments. They also have my favourite cuticle oil (Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil), I’ve been using it since I can remember. I love it! Their nail poilish is really good too, they also have a wide colour selection. I find that sometimes the nail polish can be too thin though and I find myself putting on coat after coat to get the right colour.

One of the less expensive nail polishes that I like is the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails ones. They’re cheap, ship kinda quicker but they have nice bold colours.

Why Acrylic Nails Suck

If you get fake nails a lot, read this:

When you’re getting acrylic or gel nails, they use a machine to make your nails thinner. It’s like they’re sanding your nails. Think about it, that can’t be good. Plus, after they sand your nails down, they put a bunch of chemicals on them!

Recently, I got an acrylic set and two weeks later I went back, got them taken off and new ones back on. I’m not kidding when I say that my nails hurt after I got them done the second time… well, not my nails but you know what I mean.

After that, I thought about it, and the process and promised myself that I would never get fake nails again. Hopefully that promise lasts a while. Fake nails can just look so good <3 BUT SO CAN YOUR REAL NAILS. Just work super hard on growing them out :)

Also, I read that when you get acrylic or gel nails, sometimes there can be a bubble between the fake nail and your real one. Or even a crack in the fake nail can let moisture get in there. This can then cause infection because when you wash your hands, the water gets in there and has no way of coming out. So that part of your nail is always staying wet. This can cause redness, swelling and pus. Eew, think about your nail molding. Gross.

Also, all those chemicals can’t be good for your skin and natural nails. When you go to the salon to get acrylic or gel nails, most of the Nailists will wear a mask because they don’t want to be inhaling the chemicals. And those chemicals are going directly on your nail and touching your skin! Imagine if you had any cuts. Not the end of the world but kind of? 

After getting them removed. Now what?

Why you should get a pedicure

Yay to pedicures!

Let’s take a moment to talk about pedicures. I personally never ever get a professional pedicure because I absolutely hate everything about feet. The idea of someone touching my feet scares me. But, maybe I should force myself to a few times and then get used to it?

Apparently, pedicures are so amazing to do! Who knew?

First of all, they make your feet look nice. When you’re toes are all done up and stuff. Not that MY feet are ugly, but feet are just ugly in general. If you get a pedicure, it will help to make them look less ugly. They’ll still be pretty ugly though.

Fact number 2: pedicures help with calluses and corns. Notice sometimes in the winter how the skin on your heals is dry and hard? Well, those are built up layers of dry skin. It can crack and hurt a lot! But, if you get regular pedicures, it won’t even happen!!

www.awhitepondparadise.com taught me that pedicures also nurture healthier skin and joints! Since pedicures always start with a foot soak, it helps circulation in your lower leg because your skin is being softened. Pain and swelling in your feet is caused by sitting for long periods of time or walking all day. The increased circulation will help to lessen pain! Cool!!

Foot massage. Not only does it feel good, but it also helps relieve stress. Getting a pedicure will help relieve stress. When tight muscles are loosened, and swelling is reduced, there will be increased blood flow. Due to this, there will be increased blood flow which will bring oxygen to your feet and legs. YAY!

Pedicures are awesome apparently.

Thanks a White Pond Paradise! J

Nail Tips and Tricks

Here's some tricks and tips that will seriously save your life! they saved mine!!

1. Did you know that dipping your nails in ice water dries them? Now you know ;)
2. Have an old angled eyebrow brush? Well, they can be used for easy clean up! Just dip it into some nail polish remover and use it to clean up the mess around your cuticles.
3. How else can you keep your cuticles clean? Just brush on some school glue before painting your nails. Let it dry and don’t worry about making a mess! It peels right off!
4. Put a pin into an old eraser to make your own dotter for dotted nails.
5. Use hole-punch reinforcements for French manicures. They make the perfect curve.
6. Are you worried about painting designs directly on your nails? Don't worry, you can simply paint any design you want on some plastic wrap and let it dry. Paint your nail with a clear coat, peel your design off the plastic wrap and put it on your nail like a sticker. I think you can take it from here.
7. Glitter nail polish can be easy to remove! Try this: cut a square of tin foil that can fit around your finger. Get a cotton ball and dip it in nail polish remover. Place that cotton ball on your nail and wrap it with the tin foil. Leave it on for about 5 minutes. When you remove it, the glitter will come off with it!
8. If you don't want to deal with that in the first place, use school glue as your base coat for glitter nails. This way, you can just peel it off whenever you want!
9. You don't have to use glitter nail polish to get glitter nails. You can also paint your nails with a clear coat (or whatever colour you'd like) then dip them into glitter or even glittery eye-shadow to get the same look, maybe even better!
10. How to remove gel nails without having to go to the nail salon or ripping them off? Use the same as getting glitter off your nails!!
11. This is a cool one: put your bottle of nail polish in the fridge for about 15 minutes before you paint your nails with it for a smooth and bubble-free finish!
12. And this is a random one that works: did you know that toothpaste can be used as a stain remover? If you're nails are stained or discoloured, just put some toothpaste on them, cover them with plastic wrap. Leave them on for 5-10 minutes. Then use an old tooth brush to brush those stains away! 

Here's some random pictures of my nails to spice up this post ;)

Nail Care is FUN!

Please take care of your nails!

Nail care is so very  important. I learned this the hard way. When I first started doing nail art, I would never use base coat or even clean up my cuticles because I thought these things were a waste of time. HOWEVER, I learned that these are very important things to do to keep my nails healthy.

After some time of painting my nails, I noticed that they would start to get discoloured. I learned that it was because I would pile on nail polish without taking care of my nails. So, what did I do? I started with giving myself manicures at least one a week.

Here’s the recipe and what to do..

• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 teaspoon of natural honey
• 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon.

Mix these together and soak your nails for about 10-15 mins!

After this, wash your hands and apply cuticle oil (Essie Apricot is my Fav but you can use whichever one you like). You want to push back your cuticles and any dirt off your nails with a cuticle pusher then use a pair of cuticle nippers to get rid of all that dead skin (you’ll see it!). After this, you should wait for your nails to dry then buff and file them to make them nice and smooth. AND before I forget, don’t forget to moisturize!

If you’re planning on painting your nails after this, please make sure to use base coat! I never thought it was that important but a base coat will protect your nails and not let them get discoloured. My favourite base coat is “all in one” by essie because it protects, helps strengthen, smoothens and shines your nails!

 Another quick little tip:

 If you find that your nails are very discoloured try this soak:

• ½ cup of hot water
• 1 table spoon of baking soda
• 1 table spoon of hydrogen peroxide 

Mix together and soak for up to 10 mins (I would only do about 8). Do the same steps as the other soak. I STRESS not to do this one that often because this mixture isn’t that good for your skin but you can do it once in a blue moon if (and only if) you’re dispraise!

Products I've talked about in this blog: 

 Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil   

                                                                       


Essie All-in-One Base Coat

Cuticle Pusher



Nail Buffer


Cuticle Nippers














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Winter Nails :)

Burr! Baby it's cold outside!

With all the snow finally on the ground, it feels like winter is really here! My little brother was in the backyard with his friend and they actually built a snowman! What does this have anything to do with nails? It inspired me to do winter themed nails! What comes to mind when you think of winter? Well, for me, it’s snow and snowmen, penguins and coldness. But when I was thinking what to do for my nail art design, I thought to use blue and white, to draw snowflakes and maybe a little snowman on a nail or two.

First, I started searching for nail art tutorials on snowflakes. I noticed that a lot of them had a gradient base going which I really liked! I found a really cool snowflake design on YouTube by Simple Nail Art Designs, you should totally check it out! Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIDU0T7k0R8

I tried it out but instead of doing the gradient design for the base, I just decided to make my base a nice royal blue. Then I got my white nail polish and a thin brush to paint on the snowflakes. It took a couple tries, but I finally got it! I just did a simple design with big snowflakes on my thumbs and middle fingers and little white dots on the rest (made some dots bigger and some smaller to make it look like snow). Here’s a photo, let me know what you think J

I wanted to paint a snowman and a penguin but I felt like it was a little too much for this design. I’ll definitely try it with another design though. 

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My First Blog Post!!

Hello Nail Art lovers!

What a typical girl blog right? But hey, here’s my story... My love for fancy nails and nail art began when I went for my first manicure ever which was back when I had my high school prom. Yeah, that late! I only did a French manicure just like everyone else but I loved not having to look at my regular short and stubby nails. Then I came to college and I started noticing all these girls who had their nails done all the time, I thought to myself “damn, I'd love for my nails to look that fab”. I started noticing people with some crazy nail art and wanted to see if I would be able to pull it off. 

One of my friends in my program at the time loved nail art too which is probably what got me more into it. So I bought myself a whole bunch of nail polish. At first, some cheap nail polish I found on sale in shoppers because I thought it didn't matter what brand you got or how expensive it was. Though, I learned that it really does matter! If you're a first time nail polish shopper, I advise that you spend a little bit more on a bottle if you want it to last a lot longer! If you think it’s unnecessary to spend $12 on a bottle of nail polish like I first did, you should look for coupons or get the good ones when they're on sale. Trust me. 

Anyways, I started reading nail art blogs and watching all these YouTube tutorials on cool nail art designs. I came across this one design called “newspaper nails” which looked really interesting and I wondered: “how the hell do you do that?!” I really wanted to learn how to do them so I searched it up and figured it out. Turned out, it wasn't even that difficult! The first time I tried it, I couldn't really get my nails look that nice but I kept trying until they were close to perfect. I was pretty impressed and proud of myself because the process took more time than you’d think! Other people also started noticing my newspaper nails and commenting on how cool they thought they looked so I started getting more into nail art from then on. 

My first manicure ever!

My first attempt at "Newspaper Nails"