BOOOM! Hunger Games

It's hard to believe that it's been so long since I nerded out all over the midnight showing of the Hunger Games but yeah...it has.  More than four months since I attempted to walk in basically what amounts to hooker boots with a giant blue flower on my head and wearing things that were definitely not eyelashes on my eyelashes.  AND IT WAS AWESOME 

Unfortunately because of my aversion to pink I wasn't able to use some great hot pink Forever 21 nail polish from my lovely sister Steph (Thanks Steph!), but the blue theme worked out just as well especially considering Effie ended up wearing a similar outfit in the movie.

Nails wise, unfortunately (or fortunately) I got a manicure and forgot to check what shade I got, but here it is.

As an Effie Trinket for one night I feel qualified in saying...May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor! (Now that I think about it that would be a great nail polish color!)

One Nail to Rule Them All

One Ring to Rule Them All, One Ring to Bi

So, lest you think this blog is getting too girly and beauty involved, I felt compelled to add one of my nerdier creations.  Unfortunately I cannot claim this brilliant idea as my own.  That honor goes to billybrine.tumblr.com and I could only hope to copy the great idea.

This design was done on my left hand only (I wasn't up to writing Elvish script with my left hand) so I ended up including only the first half or so of the inscription.

I used a base gold coat of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 310 Gilty Pleasures and actually traced out the design with pencil then normal pen.  Probably not the best method but I sealed in the pen with my new Milani Black Sketch Nail Art Brush so it actually lasted for about a week.

If you're nerdy and not afraid to show some LOTR love this is a beautiful concept for you.  It requires a steady hand and if you want to be more precise, Elvish script is actually lovely closer together.  My favorite of my nails is the index finger.  It definitely shows a better flow of the letters.

All hail JRR Tolkien for his brilliant series and here's to the Hobbit movie (hopefully I'll figure out a new design for that premiere!)  Speaking of movie premieres, a certain movie (Starvation Monopoly?  Peckish Backgammon?  Oh I'm so clever) is coming out soon and I will definitely be doing something for that midnight premiere....I'm hunting for some pink hair right now...

Chanukah in Florida (aka PRESENTS!)

Just got back from Chanukah in Florida.   My sister was back from college and we got to see our grandparents in addition to some great 80 degree weather.  Plenty of time for nail related activities in between swimming and lounging.  I got my sister to try some Mermaid To Order and she likes it! Success.

So this year for Chanukah my family is doing a mixture of philanthropic and consumerist gifts.  For four nights we each contribute a charity (mine was Kiva.org, go check it out!) and for the other four PRESENTS!!!!  My wish list was practically all nail stuff:  Deborah Lippman Bad Romance, Seche Vite top coat, a real nail rack so I don't keep everything in a shoe box...

I ended up with a great haul of nail related products (which I then hauled back home on the plane).

I received a Sephora by OPI top coat, a beautiful makeup case from Sephora, a nail polish wall mounted rack, and...drumroll please...a 2011 Holiday Collection Sephora by OPI color Chestnuts About You!  I saw the color when it first came out at my local Sephora but all that was left was the tester and I wasn't that desperate yet.  Three Sephoras and a month later I was nearly prepared to go for whatever was left but the Aventura Mall came through and my parents were nice enough to get me the full size color.  Here it is on the left in the bottle and on the bottom left on my nails.


I got it on the second night and ended up wearing it for the whole vacation, kept in place by my new top coat.  It's crazy how much my old nearly out OPI top coat had turned into a  gloppy mess; the contrast was very clear.  Review of the color:  In this picture it looks quite similar to the Already Famous mini but the tone on this is much warmer, with a more of a pink wash.  It is subtly golden pink with lovely shimmer and just one coat is enough for a solid color.  I'm really happy with it and it would work for throughout the year, not just the holiday season.



Just a peek at my other gift, which I am using to hold my nail polish until the nail rack arrives from Amazon.  It's a great big makeup train case covered in a diamond shaped quilted pattern in a shiny black from Sephora.  It has two layers of racks and large under space.  I'm in love...


Well that's it for the Holiday Haul, I'll get back to the Wonderland minis after I finish studying for exams (which I should be doing right now....oops.)

Icy Graphic Nails (Winter Concert)

Soooo, after a great weekend full of sparkling red and silver, I decided to do something I haven't tried for a while...PATTERNS.  I love them and with the last week before school ended for break I had to use my copious free time in some useful manner.

This look is a take on something I believe I saw in a last year's Seventeen magazine with my personal twist.  What's great is that each time you do this look it changes.   It can look super sharp or artistic depending on the line thickness and straightness (is that a word?), and the colors add different effects.  I decided for the encore of our concert, to be performed in front of the school, I would go for a wintry palette to reflect the (hopefully) forthcoming snow.

Directions:

1.  Prep the nail by cutting, filing, buffing and applying a pre-manicure coat.

2.  Cover the nail in two coats of a base color, preferably light.  I chose the light blue Natural Environ-mint.  It ended up being a little streaky even with two coats so I added a more sea greenish Bonita color (the brand is Bonita, there is no shade listed).  That color didn't appear but it did tidy up the base more.

3.  Then begin applying random geometric lines.  I used the Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Blue which I DO NOT RECOMMEND.  It takes a lot of pressure to release the color and it then ruins the pattern you want to apply.  I suggest pushing it out onto a plastic container where it won't dry fast (I used an empty contact container) and dipping a skewer.  If you have a better fine lined pen, by all means use it.

4.  Apply a fill color in non-touching spaces.  As a finishing touch to make it more wintry I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Pedal to the Medal to fill in a couple spots.  It really makes a difference.

5.  Make sure to wait a while to dry and then apply a top coat.  Voila!

Snaps for my first tutorial!  It's really eye catching and I got a lot of comments.

I'm thinking of doing an experimental nail day where I paint each of my nails a different style and do a tutorial for each?  Whoever is reading out there, lemme know what you think!

Short Review of the Natural Environ-mint color from the Sephora by OPI Collection - similar to How Cute Is That and the other pastel colors, Natural Environ-mint get's very streaky and requires more than just two coats.  But the color is quite adorable and with a mixture of formulas with the Bonita blue it's great.

Coming up - Vacation in Florida nails!

Party Christmas Nails!

Partayyyyyyy!  This past weekend was my first Sadie Hawkin's dance (pictured below, I'm the weird girl wearing the one shoulder black and red dress) , and our yearly holiday concert (link to my a cappellla group performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9xo7EUPT4o&feature=plcp&context=C265beUDOEgsToPDskL_ANWLrl7CzfvPgQfMrFFD)!  Lots of holiday themed stuff to do and I wanted to make sure my nails reflected it.   I invited my friend Natalie (red shirt, black shrug on the right) over on Friday to start the weekend and we got to some serious painting.

First order of business was choosing the perfect Christmas red.  My favorite red has long been the gorgeous, deep Bogotá Blackberry from OPI, but it was a little dark for the cheery Christmas season.  But the OPI minis came through.  Really the only red in the collection, Fiercely Fabulous, proved perfect for our needs.  I have plenty of full sized silvers but in the interests of experimentation I tried out the Sephora by OPI Bring On The Snowflakes (even a great name for the holiday season).  I was even happier with this silver than the red!  It is now officially my favorite.  Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture right after the painting but here it is a week later, after the wear and tear of finals.

Not a lot of chipping actually, and all the damages were surface chips that preserved uniform color, nothing deep to the nail.  I haven't really talked about the durability of this line yet but so far they have proven themselves in two week increments to be fairly steady.  I would freshen up every five days or so but the scratches are shallow and a good top coat (which I am sadly lacking right now, having run out of my OPI) should prevent them.  I paint my nails too often to testify to their prolonged use but I'll do a trial at some point.

Now about the nails!  I chose alternating silver and red simple nails because the theme was holiday "rave" and I thought a little glitter would add something nice but I didn't want any fancy designs that I could ruin as soon as I got them on after two hours of smearing and redoing.  Start with the silver:  Bring On The Snowflakes is a very solid shimmery silver, not possible to use as a over coat AT ALL.  But since that was exactly what I wanted it worked great.  The shimmer is quite bright and reflective even with minimal light so it definitely makes the look more noticeable.

The red (Fiercely Fabulous) looked a little deeper than I wanted in the bottle, closer to the Blackberry, but when it came on it was perfectly shiny and matched up with the reflective silver very well.  The pigmentation is lovely, a very bright and lively red that could work for both a dance/party or a day full of holiday spirit!

Coming up (this announcement isn't very reliable as I change my mind often, but I'm excited for this,  Icy Graphic Nails!)

Inaugural

Hey there interwebs! I enjoy painting my nails (or poisoning us all with formaldehyde as my brother would say), reading, and baking cupcakes. So, in the common interests of humanity I have decided to post my experiences and opinions with the products I buy, read, and create. So voila! To formally christen the cupcakenailnerd I present my series on...

Sephora by OPI's The Glimmer Wonderland Eighteen Piece Mini Nail Colour Set!

I passed by this lovely collection while attempting to buy something for less than 25$ in Sephora with a birthday giftcard. Don't get excited, it retails for 48$ but for the price you get a lot of colors and quite a bit of polish too. Apparently an 81$ value and it includes some great colors.

Starting us off I tried out Already Famous, probably because the name reminded me of a favorite movie (Almost Famous, check it out!). It appeared from the bottle to be a nearly taupe base with silvery microglitter. Though it wasn't as matte as I hoped it is probably my favorite polish so far.

This is the first time I wore it. I've actually worn it twice since, mostly because my brother has placed a limit on my polishings to a weekly basis and I want to make each time worth it. No worries, I get around that ban easily enough (love you Alex!)

Because of the poor picture quality it may be difficult to see; the finished product is more pearly than taupe but the fine shimmer is lovely and it really only takes two coats to get a solid and pretty color.



Overall this is great for both casual day wear and something a little more fun. I have yet to try it as a top coat sometime but I hope it will be useful that way too.

Next Post:  Some holiday spirit coming right up...