Multiplication of thePolishes: How the Stash Has Grown...

So, here's the funny thing about being a beauty blogger: You accumulate a lot of stuff. I've always had a fairly well-stocked vanity, and I'm not quite at the level of having closets dedicated to my goodies, but I'm getting there fast. Case in point. My first post, the polish stash looked like this:

This was everything I had for nail supplies. Everything. All in two neat little boxes. The collection of polish alone now fills two boxes completely, and the third doesn't even come close to holding the removers, creams, decals, cotton swabs, etc. I use.

This is just the polish and a few nail-specific odds and ends. I didn't even go up to the bathroom to get the removers and magic potions. And this is after my sister raided my stash and took little pieces of the collections I wouldn't wear on a regular basis, and I gave some of the unused bottles out for stocking stuffers at Christmas. My goal is to keep everything at a manageable level so my boyfriend doesn't start refusing to come to the girl den that is my apartment. Neatly organized in three little scrapbook boxes...for now...

Julep Helena

 I'm finally getting around to wearing my new Julep polishes from the aforementioned Maven boxes, and I'm featuring Helena tonight. First, let me say this color is AMAZING. I love me some pink. This pink is hot. Fuchsia or magenta would be more accurate, I guess. Surprisingly, I think it could be pretty wearable for most people, too.

 The formula, like the other Julep polishes I've tried so far, applied smoothly. Like buttah. Flawless in two coats. I used three, just to see if it made a difference. It didn't. You're good in two. For this mani, I used a base of the Julep Nail Therapy followed by Julep's Base Coat, which seem to be a good combination. One interesting note: Helena dried on the matte side (see above photo). I don't know if it was the base coats or the polish, but I added a coat of Barielle Matte-inee, which isn't SUPER matte, but I thought might change it up. Didn't see a difference. The picture above is the most accurate representation of the color. It's almost dead on with my monitor.

 As pretty as Helena is by herself, I REALLY wanted to make her glossy, and a plain magenta mani seemed a little boring, so I busted out some more Nail Art Decals from Cina. This set is Garden Glam, which is a couple of little fairy-looking things and cute sparkly daisies.

 The bright pink flowers were a little hard to see unless in direct lighting, but I'm pretty happy overall. To get my glassy, glossy look, I used a coat of Julep's Fast Dry Topcoat, followed by the Beauty Secrets Top Coat I've been using for years. A lot of bloggers use Seche Vite and swear by it, but the big ole' bottle of Beauty Secrets is about $6 at Sally, which is a steal. It dries really quickly and is really good for sealing in nail art decals and stripes and the like. It's also free of formaldehyde and toluene, which makes me happy.

Helena dried like a sheet of glass. I've been wearing this mani for about 72 hours, and I chipped my index finger because I sometimes forget fingernails are not screwdrivers, but otherwise the wear has been fab. I was able to patch my finger, and you'd never know the difference. That's one sign of a great polish.

Ombre of Oranges!

I showed my first attempt at an Ombre manicure in an earlier post (http://diygirliestuff.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-color.html), and I mentioned that I thought it would be cool to try an Ombre featuring a creme and glitter or shimmer of some kind. Without further adieu...

Pretty, huh?

Part of my reason for blogging is to share tips and how-to's, so here's how to achieve the look:

First, here's my arsenal:

You will need: cotton balls, Q-tips, nail polish remover, base coat, a creme polish, a complimentary glitter or shimmer, top coat, a cosmetic sponge and a bowl or plate (or napkin or paper...whatever). The umbrella played no part in the manicure, but it looks summery and I found a box of them when I was looking for the little bowl pictured.

Step 1: Prep your nails. I like to do my nails after I get out of the shower so my cuticles are nice and soft. Push back cuticles, file to desired shape and if needed, buff any ridges so nails are smooth. After that, I wash my hands and allow a few minutes to dry. I then use Zoya's Remove+ polish remover to make sure all residue and oils are gone.

Step 2: Apply base coat. I've used Beauty Secrets Base Coat (available at Sally Beauty) for years. I recently purchased Zoya's Color Lock System, but I'm trying to be good and use the old before I open the new. We'll see how long that lasts.

Step 3: Apply the creme polish. You can really use whatever polish finish you want, I imagine, but I'm telling you what I did for this particular look. I used Essie's Meet Me at Sunset for this one. Let dry and apply a second coat.

Step 4: Place a few drops of your second shade on a plate, bowl, napkin, or whatever you want to use for "dipping." I used Zoya's Tanzy and a dipping bowl I'm sure was intended for something other than nail polish. It came with my fancy chopsticks. Using a cosmetic sponge, dip the corner in your polish and, using short light strokes, dab onto the tips of your nails. Allow a few seconds to dry, then repeat. This time, though, dab a little further up on the nail to blend, but don't go all the way to the cuticle. Don't worry if it's not smooth. That's what your top coat is for.

Step 5: Apply a shiny top coat. I used Beauty Secrets Top Coat, which dries pretty quickly and leaves nails really shiny. Beauty Secrets is also a good deal at about $5-6 for a huge bottle.

Please don't judge my cuticles. The looked okay until I zoomed in...

Step 6: This one is kind of optional. Use your polish remover and a Q-tip to clean excess polish from cuticles. Honestly, I don't do this often. I wait for the polish to set completely and use a hand scrub to get the excess from my hands. I generally take polish from my nail if I use the Q-tip method and the scrub does great things for the rest of my hands, too. I'm currently using a homemade scrub of white granulated sugar with olive oil and honey. I'll find the recipe I used and post it another day.

There you have it. My secret is out. I also found this video from another blog that gives some great instruction for a glittery Ombre using a similar technique. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P35Ye0lsFU8&feature=player_embedded

Not only is the Ombre a cool look and a way to add an interesting twist to your existing polishes, but it's also an easy way to camouflage chips and tip wear and extend the life of your manicure. Now, go to it!

First Post!

Hello? Anyone out there?

So, this is my first post as a beauty blogger. Neat, right? As you can see in the "About Me" portion of the page, I started this blog to share ideas and offer help to anyone who likes the idea of doing their own hair, makeup and nails but doesn't know what to buy or how to get the look. I also love to shop, so I plan to post ideas for fun and affordable clothing, accessories and, obviously, shoes.


Where do I get ideas, you ask? How do I learn how to do the things I do? I watch the pros. I've always been good at putting together colors and patterns. I watch Project Runway, America's Next Top Model and What Not To Wear. I read Cosmo, Lucky, Glamour and Vogue, though not religiously. I check out other beauty blogs and venture to beauty supply stores. The usual places. I think the biggest key to anything is experimenting to find out what works.

I have always had a few challenges that caused me to have to find my own way. I have pale skin. Very pale. Not the pretty peaches and cream or porcelain a la Nicole Kidman or Alexis Bledel. Too many gingers in my family for that. I got strong pink undertones and freckles, giving me skin that burns and burns but never truly tans and looks pasty if I don't get a little sun. Foundation rarely matches. My hair isn't straight, but it isn't quite curly, so wash and go is never going to be an option without serious chemical treatment. I've gotten good at working with it, thankfully.

Now, enough about me. Let's get to the goods. That's why you're here, right?

Nails have been my most recent obsession. They're easy to experiment with and don't leave you with lasting effects like bad haircuts.

My stash. And my cat's feet. More on him later.

I cleaned out a bunch of old polish not long ago, and this is what remains. I naturally gravitate to pinks and purples, but I'm branching out.

I'm currently rocking a mani/pedi featuring Zoya's Caitlin.

Zoya describes Caitlin as "Smoky purple-tinged medium gray with smooth, opaque creme finish. Sultry, mysterious and impossibly chic, a shade that will have everyone intrigued."

I LOVE the color. Bright enough to be fun and interesting, but the grey base keeps it neutral enough to go with the week's wardrobe. The formula applies smoothly and Zoya's brushes are great. The brush is pretty compact, so it's easy to maneuver. The finish is awesome - You really don't NEED a topcoat. I use Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat and Top Coat (available at Sally Beauty Supply). I did my nails Monday night, and I'm still chip-free on Thursday.

I only recently discovered Zoya polishes, and I'm highly impressed so far. As a bargain shopper at heart, I balked a bit at the $8 per bottle price tag, but a 4-5 day manicure with no chips makes the price well worth it.

Taken in natural sunlight.

Look how shiny!

The flower was drawn with Art Club by Color Club Freesia Spirit and the center of the flower is Crystal Glitter.

Matching Pedi

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them to see more detail. Just don't look too closely at my toes...Is it just me, or to close-ups of your feet make you look like you are in desperate need of a foot scrub and moisturizer?