Category — Nail Art

For the next few months I’m going to talk about my budget-friendly “beauty cheats,” as I like to call them.  I love beauty.  I’m a product junkie.  I have creams cluttering my bedside table like they’re going out of style.  I buy nail polish with every grocery shop.  I LIVE for Chanel rouge.  But all of these splurges are just that – splurges.  Splurges I so cannot afford.  But there’s a bare confidence that comes from getting gussied up, from pampering away, and feeling beautiful.

So in keeping with a budget-friendly beauty spirit in the coming months, and without further ado, The Ultimate DIY At-Home Manicure + Pedicure (because I change my nail polish almost every other day and I’m not sure I’ll ever afford that many manicures):

1. I like to set up everything I need first:  polish remover, nail file, nail clippers, cuticle stick, polish corrector, clear base + top coat, and color of choice (today’s pick: the perfect shade of nude.)
2. I remove any previous polish, then cut and file all of my nails, fingers and toes, so that they look relatively even.  I also tend to keep my finger nails fairly short because I am forever typing/baking/chewing-on-my nails.
3. After filing and buffing (optional) my nails, I like to run a scrub over my hands and feet to exfoliate and remove any excess nail/skin.
4. Next up, I wash and dry my hands and feet really well, creating that clean surface to work on.
5. Paint base coat, two coats of color polish, and top coat, then let dry completely (I stress this because I totally empathize with the need to do 42 other things, including text, laundry, a quick trip to the store, etc., etc.  Just chill.  You deserve it.  And your pretty polish job deserves it too.)

What are some of your at-home beauty routines?

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I’ve oohed and ahhed before over nail armour (and a DIY crystal version, here) … Today’s nail rings are a little bit terrifying, and a lot a bit fierce.  Would it be fun rocking a gilded pointed finger for a night? Heck, yeah.  But I’m not envisioning a long term future for the glitzy battle talons.

Are you jumping on the gilded fingernail bandwagon, or are these better for show?

My two cents:  I think I would rock these crazy metal pointers (mostly because i think it’d be totally fun to wear!), just not sure how long the phase would last.

// Bijules Short Nail Ring // TOPSHOP Diamond Shape Nail Ring // ASOS Knuckle Nail Ring // GoJane Embellished Nail Ring

Images: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 //

I’m obsessed with decking out my nails.  I think nail polish is such an inexpensive pop of fashion, and the more that polish and manicures become popular, the more fabulous options the stores stock.  Two painted thumbs up!  Which brings me to this week’s home-done manicure.  Every year I scour the stores for that perfect sparkly dress for New Year’s Eve, and every year I throw my hands up and roll up to the party in a black dress, black tights, loud shoes … lexi-style.  So the manicure is my big “statement.”  Also, if you follow this little blog of mine, you’ll know that in addition to my penchant for tights, and varying shades of black, I fancy myself a rapper.  “Every time I come around this ____ (fill in the blank … this weekend = raging house party), bling bling.”  Yep, so so good at this rapping thing.

Right, the nails – I blinged them out!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Base Coat/Top Coat – Sally Hansen Advanced Hard As Nails
• Color Polish – Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Red Carpet
• Flat-back Crystals – Jolee’s Jewels Crystallized Swarovski Elements
• Q-tips
• Lotion

I like to set myself up first – I place a pile of crystals, crystal side up on the table, and I dip my q-tip into a small amount of lotion.  Crazy as it sounds, the q-tip and lotion trick will save you every time you work with small crystals or rhinestones.  Basically your q-tip (with lotion), when touched to the top of a crystal, gently adheres to the stone, making it oh-so-easy to place the crystal onto your nail.

You can use nail adhesive or glue to place the stones, but I just painted a thick coat of clear topcoat, and placed my stones one by one.  I tried lining up the stones on my nail, but ran out of space (tiny nails), and the nails where I simply scattered stones looked best.

Once I had arranged the stones where I wanted them on the nails, I waited patently (probably a whopping three minutes), for the nails to dry, and then painted a generous coat of clear polish over the nails to seal the stones.

I absolutely love the results!  And just to make the whole project a tad more affordable, next time I would probably just use small rhinestones – but you know, I had to bling it out for New Year’s.

The best part about this glitzy at-home manicure is that I can’t stop oohing and aahing over my nails.  Fancy.  Fun Fact: having your nails bedazzled makes everything you do look fancy. I shaved my legs all fancy last night, my typing = fancy, cereal pouring – fancy with a side of Special K.

Here I am fancily tweeting.  Enjoy!  (And send pictures of your own blingy mani!)

Ring: Melinda Maria Tiny Pod Ring (here) // Necklace: Low Luv by Erin Wasson Monacle Necklace c/o Shop it To Me (here, and similar here)

Visit Glitter Weddings – WEDDINGS FOR THE TYPE-A BRIDE {WITH GLITTER ON TOP}

Whenever I think about nail art, I imagine tiny bottles of spray paint, glue-on crystals, and strange dangling charms pierced through the nail (that I’m convinced can cause some serious damage.)  I’ve never been into nail attachments.  Like every girl, I love polish and bling, but I never jumped on the fake nail trend, instead keeping my nails short and sweet.

But lately the internet has been popping up with some seriously kickin’ nail “armour” and I just can’t get enough.  Like a shield for the nail, I’m not sure how these gilded press-ons stay on, but they definitely look COOL.  And if anything, maybe they’re a luxe band-aid alternative for battered (and chewed) nails?

{images here & here}

And Don’t Forget About G&P’s French Basketeer GIVEAWAY; ends Friday, October 7th at midnight (EST).

Though it’s a little disconcerting that companies are starting to release their Holiday collections during the first week of September, sparkles are forever, and therefore, I’ll let this one slide.

Meet Deborah Lippmann’s Holiday 2011 Collection …

The collection features: Do Ya Think I’m Sexy, a risqué red glitter; Glamorous Life, a rose gold hue; Good Girl Gone Bad, a glimmering cabernet hue; I Love The Nightlife, a graphite glitter; Shake Your Groove Thing, a flickering gold glitter; and Stairway To Heaven, an icicle grey glitter.

{image a la mama’s a rolling stone}

Check out Glitter & Pearls on facebook and twitter and blog lovin’!

I’ve never been very good at matchy-matchy.  I always wear navy and black, cheetah flats with floral rompers, and colored tights with everything.  So today’s mini lesson is about manis and pedis … they don’t have to match.  Promise.

Go for hues that complement each other, match your outfit instead, choose a color that corresponds with the glitter on your toes.  It’s summer – have fun.

American Apparel Polish // Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road + Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday // Butter Snog + Butter Tea With The Queen // Essie Guilty Pleasures + Essie Mint Candy Apple // OPI You Don’t Know Jacques

Check out Glitter & Pearls on facebook and twitter and blog lovin’!

new for summer from deborah lippmann: girls just want to have fun + i know what boys like

lara’s theme + across the universe + naked

Nail polish in perfect packaging – would you expect any less from bohemian retail giant, Anthropologie? And this picture perfect polish, by Megan Miller, is also environmentally friendly.

{image a la eat drink chic}

It’s nearly Spring and I am about to embark on a cruise (oh crud, I forgot to diet – giant house dresses for me), so I am dreaming in technicolor.

Chanel, the leading creator of all things right, has a Tiffany blue nail polish I die for.  From the Chanel ’11 Cruise collection, this perfect polish is still not available in stores, but you can get more info here.  {Chanel Le Vernis Nail Polish in Riva, $27, available at Chanel.}

For a sweet alternative, try:

China Glaze’s For Audrey, at $5.99, is a much more wallet friendly version of the Tiffany blue we all want.  CG’s baby blue color, inspired by the iconic Tiffany blue, is one of China Glaze’s most popular shades and a perfect pick for spring and summer.

Essie’s Turquoise and Caicos, at $8, is described as ‘A flirty and pretty tropical aqua’, and may not nail (haha – pun) the ‘Tiffany blue’ blue, but it sure looks pretty on.  (Definitely a good milky turquoise.)

And for a great Tiffany Blue Swatch venture, check out Polish Hoarder Disorder.

{image a la Rachael Passing Notes; via Chanel ’11 Cruise Collection}

{image a la Rowan Your Boat; via 30.media.tumblr}

The ingredients:  nail polishes pens and patience.