OPI Nail Apps

I read many, many, MANY different reviews on other peoples opinion on nail applications and decided to give it a try to see for myself. There were three things in particular that I was looking for: 1) How long does it take to put on? 2) Is it easy to apply? and 3) How long does it last?

So what changed my mind? The different styles you can choose from. I went with a grayish black, snake skin looking design by OPI. These were purchased at my local salon for about $10.00.

Below is the final result. It took me approximately 2 hours to apply (with the help of my hubby). I do have to say though that I think it would have been faster if I had just read the directions instead of feeling like this was a no brainer. Basically, you detach a nail app that is big enough to cover whatever nail you're trying to color, peel back the under side paper and adhere to the nail, and also remove the top plastic layer before using a nail file and in a downwards motion, file off the remainding nail app. So I did not relize there was a plastic film on the top and was attempting to file the nail app with the plastic film on top before.....Alas! my hubby comes along and informs me that there is a clear plastic that needs to be peeled off. Hehehehe.

 

 

 

 

Overall I liked the outcome. I think this is a great alternative to painting nails. I was able to do both my hands and toes. The picture above was taken after two weeks of application and if you look closely, you can see just a little receding at the very tips of my nails. But still, no biggy and I'm sure these could have stayed on longer than. Removal was easy too; I used my regular nail polish Cutex remover with no problems. Great product and worth the money in my opinion!

Nail Tattoos Transfer

I saw these at Walmart and had to pick them up. They are suppose to resemble the newspaper transfer technique. Prior to, my attempts with the newspaper technique weren't so successful. Very messy in my opinion and takes lots of patience. When done right, they are worth it though but in my experience, it was difficult to transfer the entire piece and not to mention, I disliked the fact that the words were backwards. With these nail tattoo transfers, it's a little easier to apply, the words appear straight, and the process is fairly quick using just water.

 

Included are two .34 oz nail polishes and thirty sheets of transfer paper in three different designs: zigzag, words, and road maps.

 

I initially wanted to do a simple design but of course it turned out into a project. I opted out of using the nail polish that came with the set and used two coats of Loreal's 'Walk on the Beach' instead. I decided to put the word transfers on my ring finger only and my intention was to make it look like a page out of an old book but then as I sponged on the brown, I thought it looked to plain and boring so I added random, irregular pink blots to represent flowers. To top it all off, I finished it with a coat of China Glazes Matte Magic to give it a dull look.   

 

 

Overall I liked the transfers and thought it was a great alternative to the newspaper technique. It was inexpensive and not to mention one single sheet is enough to cover 4 of my nails!

 

Major Stainage = UGHHHH!!!

There is nothing worse than stained nails...ugh! Berry Sweet by OPI Nicole just lost some major points tonight which is quite a disappointment considering I absolutely LOVE the shade and was super excited to have it newly added to my collection. But unfortunately, I dislike the "leftovers".

 

 

This pic doesn't show it THAT much but it's pretty bad...I'd say  the worse yet for me. Now the dilemma is..should I paint over it or wait till it comes off? I had a manicure in mind that I was inspired to do from another nail enthusiast but it's a light toned gradient using glitter that is to go on only my tips which means that my bottom half of my nail will be exposed! So, so disappointing...LOL!!!

 

I wonder if anyone else has this problem from time to time and what others do to help prevent this from happening and how to get rid of it? I'm all for quick fixes so if your reading this and have any suggestions or tips, please help!!! That is all..

 

 

 

 

 

Starting off with Red and Gold

This year surely went by quickly...

Christmas is almost here!

 

 

 

 

This is Berry Sweet by OPI Nicole. A beautiful red tone that I can't wait to use again. Just picked it up yesterday and I am very happy to add it to my collection.

This is simply Gold by OPI Nicole.



Keep Calm...

I saw this on my facebook and had to share. To all fellow nails fanatics like me, I hope you can relate!!! FYI, I did not come up with this and am unsure of where it came from but it makes me think, "Why didn't I come up with this before?"

 

 



Rewind

 

It's been awhile since my last post..sheesh things have been so busy. I've accumulated a whole bunch of photos on my cell that I need to get rid of.  Amazing!  Every time I think I've got a hold on uploading my pics, I fail to keep it up! Nail photos are seriously dominating my cell photo gallery!!  So this post will be of manicures that I've done since my previous post.

 

This first set of pics, I used Panda-Monium-Pink by OPI. A fairly old polish that I have but always love as a go to neutral, everyday, manicure. The only problem I have with this polish is that it tends to go on streaky. I believe I used three coats on this one.

 

 

This pic below was taken a few days after. I ended up adding a stamp to just my thumbs to make it different. My only treat this month was on a set of plates from bundle monster. I got it for about $18.00..a pretty good price for 20 plates! In the mid of my workout session, I couldn't help but chuckle at how cute my nails looked sticking out all painted pretty in my gloves..haha!!!  Kickass with a touch of femininity!!

 

 I hadn't done zebra in awhile and felt in the mood. It came out quite nice up until I added the top coat and it totally smeared. Utter disappointment! Ugh!!

 

I love the top coat...it's by China Glaze and the shine that it produces is by far the best out of all the other top coat brands I have. So, I didn't quite give up on it and decided to use it again on this next manicure below.

I'm not sure if it's visible, but the same top coat SMEARED my manicure AGAIN!!!!

 

The plate I used for the stamp was another one by bundle monsters. Besides the slight smearidge (I made that word up, I got a lot of compliments on this one.

 

Below, I used two coats of Pink Me Up! by Loreal and for the top layer, I used Crystal by NYX. I love Loreal and the colors they offer. The price of the polish is between $5 - $6 which is not that bad and I like the brushes and how nicely it paints on.

 

The glitter in this polish is iridescent and sparkles blue, green, and gold. This pics are once again from my cell so it's sooo hard to see detail. It's a pretty glitter color though I like it.

After a day or two, I ended up adding spiders to it (I think this was on Halloween day). 

 

The last manicure, I used a coat of L.A. Colors (name not provided on bottle) then I painted just my tips with Metallic Red by Nabi. I then added some dots with my dotting tool to just my thumbs and pinky nails.

 

I thought it looked to dull so I added a top coat which totally altered the entire color. In the picture below, I only painted my pinky to give an idea of what I'm talking about. Can you see the difference?

 

I think with or without a top coat looks good. I just hadn't expected it to look so shiny.

 

Look at that shine!! Wow!! It reminds me of a candy apple or glass Christmas ornament. Pic below was taken today after about a week of having this manicure on. My tips are chipping but for the most part of it, the shine is still there!

 

 

Well that wraps things up for me! Thanks for reading!!

P.S. Does anyone have a favorite top coat that they'd like to recommend??

 

 

 

Wailoa Park

Taking a break from nails and spending time with my family.

This has been a long weekend for us and unfortunately went by to quickly.