Peeping Toms

So this weekend was a weekend full of Yesterdog, Adult Grilled Cheese sandwiches from Marie Catrib's, eggrolls, a brilliant haircut, and lots of other miscellaneous awesomeness. (like seeing friends and family) I didn't actually go home because it was Easter, I went home because it was my good friend Adam's wedding! :) It was also a great opportunity for my man friend to (finally) meet my parents! (not to worry, he survived) Even though going home wasn't to celebrate Easter, I still decided to celebrate Easter on my fingernails, using the iconic yellow marshmallow treats we all manage to gag down during the Easter holidays... Peeps!

Fun game with Peeps that I learned this weekend- Peeps jousting- take 2 Peeps, stick a toothpick in the chest of each one, microwave them, and whoever gets poked first from expanding loses. lol

Anyway.

I used Orly Lemonade as a base, then mixed with CND Bicycle Yellow, and later AAmerican Apparel Raccoon to shade. American Apparel Raccoon was also used for the eyes, and Pure Ice French Kiss was used for the Peeps logo. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

The ONE Acrylic 3D Workshop SINGAPORE - 16 & 17 May, 2011

Back by popular demand after previous workshop themed "Precious Moments", we will bring you another exciting class creating the characters from "Strawberry Shortcake & Friends" this coming May!

PRECIOUS MOMENTS

Five rules to speed up the growth of nails

1. To keep your nails firm, do not rasp their sides, which support the ends of the horn plates. When nails grow  till the edges of the fingers, you should give a square or semi-oval form to your nails' plates. The longer the nails, the weaker they are, so regularly rasp all of the smallest burrs and roughness from the nail plate. 

2. The blood delivers nutrients to the formation of nails area, thereby accelerating their growth, so people with poor blood circulation have nails grow very slowly. Improve blood circulation, regularly massaging the skin around the cuticles. Heat also accelerates blood circulation, so in the summer - nails may grow faster.

3. Long nails will stay longer if you cover them with varnish. Start with a base layer suitable for your type of nails, then apply the polish. Contrary to popular belief, some modern varnishes strengthen nails, and do not weaken them. Doing household chores, wear rubber gloves and never use your nails as a scraper. 

4. Like the hair, the nails grow faster in summer. In the winter and during the changing seasons nail growth slows down and increases the probability of dehydration and breakage. When going outside, wear gloves and make weekly heating oil bath for nails. To do this, heat a little some olive oil and dip in for five-minutes your fingers,  then wipe them with clapping movements. 

5. Means that accelerate nail growth, promise a rapid increase in their length. Such means are different, they contain ingredients that should accelerate growth and increase the length of the nails. Some tools promise to increase nails' growth by 30%, and they usually contain a mixture of proteins, minerals and vitamins. 

Carpet Nails

For some reason, I get inspired by carpet designs a lot. There are some fabulous rug/carpet patterns (especially in Vegas!), and carpet patterns work really well as nail art. (at least I think so). Today's nail art is inspired by a rug pattern that I saw online!

I used American Apparel Trenchcoat as a base, with American Apparel California Trooper, American Apparel Cocoa, and Orly Pink Chocolate for the flowers. For the center of the flowers, I used American Apparel Raccoon, then outlined the flowers very loosely with American Apparel Cotton. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Robot Love

I'm a sucker for a deal, I've made no secret of that. The dollar section at Target is the death of me, but on occasion, I do find some useful stuff! Today's nail design is based off a little robot notepad that I bought- there were socks to match the notepad too, but they were kid's socks, so I didn't get them. (I may have small feet, but not THAT small! lol) I love the little robot guy- he's super cute on the notepad, and I did my best to recreate the cuteness. :-D I got to use a cool new polish as the base for this design- Deborah Lippmann's Yellow Brick Road, which is a yellow jelly that comes out April 15! I wish that I had prettier nail lines, because I think this polish rocks, and my funky nails don't do it justice!

I used Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road as a base, with China Glaze Hey Sailor! for the red, Orly Gumdrop for the robot, mixed with Orly Sapphire Silk to shade as well as for the arms. For the grey, I used Orly Mirror Mirror, for the eyes, I used American Apparel Cotton, with American Apparel Hassid for the pupil and for his smile. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Beep! Boop! Boop! Beep!

Disclosure: Some of the products used in today's post were sent to me by the manufacturer for review.

Fem-animal

I love zebra-print nail patterns. They're simple, fun, and usually fairly fast. For today's nail art, I wanted to do a slightly different twist on it, so I added a 'frame' of hot pink to the edge of the nail. I also did accent nail in polka dots, which breaks up the abundance of zebra pattern. Plus, as an added bonus, I used Color Club Raspberry Rush from the new Color Club Wicked Sweet collection, so they smell delicious! (even through top coat!)

I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the zebra stripes, then framed the nail in Color Club Raspberry Rush. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat

Funky Floral

Lately I have been swatching new collections like my life depends on it, and hope to get a couple of them posted asap. Some greaaaat new colors this spring/summer. It's funny, there are some that I expected to love, yet don't, and some I expected to dislike, but love. Goes to show that you never can tell. I'm working hard to be a more frequent poster again, even devoting some of my lunch hours. (my only time of respite from the daily grind, as it were) Even today, I'm typing this over a steak taco salad with corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, and of course, guacamole from Chipotle. Not really my first choice of lunch, but it's the only place near work where I can order and pay online. (I forgot my wallet at home this morning) Still tasty, but the corn salsa is burning my face off. Anyway, I digress.

I always love when I find cool patterns out in 'the wild', so to speak. When I say in 'the wild', I refer to when I'm out doing other things, whether it be grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or out running office supply errands for work. In this case, the pattern I loved was actually the pattern covering a spiral notebook or planner, I can't remember off the top of my head. I loved the bold pops of color that took the white and black flowers to another, more mod level, and we all know how much this blogger loves her mod. Also, who can resist clean, bright colors that pop off the nail? Not me, that's for sure. For this design, I even got to use one of the new Mod Mattes from Zoya, Phoebe, which looks amazing with top coat.

I used Zoya Phoebe as a base, with American Apparel Cotton for the flowers, American Apparel Hassid for the center dots applied with a dotting tool, then American Apparel Manila, Finger Paints Heavenly Hydrangeas, China Glaze Electric Pineapple, and Zoya Jancyn for the center colors. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche vite top coat. Doesn't Phoebe glow? Love it.

Where is your favorite place for inspiration?

The ONE Gel Hands-On Workshop @ PREMIERE SHOW Orlando, FL in June!

Organizer : Premiere Show & Odyssey Nail Systems
Where     : Room 207C PREMIERE ORLANDO
When      : 4 June, 2011 (Saturday)
Time       : 12noon - 2pm

This is an incredible hands-on step by step class that will teach you Catherine Wong's special techniques in using The ONE gel paint showcasing its maximum potential so that you can offer this artistic techniques in your business and in the competition arena. You will not want to miss out on the limited edition full color gel painting step by step handbook that will be given out to the first 20 enrolments for this class.


(Note : Designs for each class is exclusive and will not be repeated)

For more information and registration information visit :
Premiere Orlando USA

Go to Education/Events - Nails - Page 49

Stuck on Me

Did you know that Barry Manilow wrote the Band-Aid jungle? Today's nails were the product of a suggestion by one of my coworkers, Erik, who noticed that I had a bandaid on one of my nails (it's my quick broken nail temporary fix until I can fix it for real), and thought it'd be a fun nail idea. So, today's nails are my interpretation of the strip of fabric with a beloved jingle, Band-Aids!!

I used Zoya Helen as a base, with Urban Outfitters Nude 3 to highlight, and Zoya Helen and Zoya Dea to shade and for the dots. (as the perforated holes in the plastic type of bandages) Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche vite top coat.

Are you stuck on band-aids?

Hoover DAMN!

So today when I set out to do my nails for the blog, I really wanted to do something totally unique and awesome, especially since I haven't been posting as much lately due to lack of time. I decided to paint one of Las Vegas's finest landmarks- the Hoover Dam! It may not sound thrilling, but the structure and it's artistic shapes, lines and design really spoke to me. I drove out there, because really, does a picture really show it all? Not even close. I wanted to get every detail, from the immense concrete wall barricading the billions of gallons of electricity producing water, to the wires, the steel, the rushing water... I think this design is one of my favorites, I spent a ton of time getting it precisely how I saw it with my own two eyes...

...too bad it was dark out.

;) Happy April Fool's Day!!

XO

-Melissa

NailQueen Workshop Series - Season 2 (2011)

NailQueen Workshop Series -  Season 2 (2011)
- Handpainting (Realism & fantasy)
- Design Fantasy (Avatar Theme - Princess Neytiri)
- Mixed Media (Leopard Theme)

This private class achieved a lot in the sense that the work had a lot of detail in it and they managed to complete 3 projects in 3 days. While majority of the attendees are already in the advanced level, we are thrilled to see some newbies stepping into the design arena and managed to catch up with the pros. All thanks to their trainer Sheila, who prepared them well with strong foundation before joining my workshop.

Handpainting (Realism & fantasy)

Free hand painting techniques on nails

Design Fantasy (Avatar Theme - Princess Neytiri) & Mixed Media (Leopard Theme)

Design Fantasy is a 4D art, free standing object which can be viewed from all 360degree

This form of nail art is applied to Fantasy competitions where the model is required to be in costume and make up, wearing the nails to match the whole look/theme. 

Mixed media nail art covers all the different mediums of professional nail products and some embellishments used to create the design and effects. This form of nail art is widely used in nail competitions, fashion and design work.

the fine artists behind the awesome work!