Sep 15, 2011 | DIY
I’ve been utterly exhausted this week since it’s Lil Tot’s first full week of school, and driving him to and picking him up from requires a total daily commitment of about 3 hours from me. Three hours in the car, every.day. This means that although I do have a block of time uninterrupted at home, I now am spending so much time behind the wheel I’ve found I’ve had to skimp on time spent elsewhere. And what’s first to go when I get busy? DIY’ing. Then updating my blog. It’s unfortunate, but I have to figure out some compromise here.
This week I managed to do a mini-DIY with my nails. Sally Hansen Chrome Nail Makeup in Pure Chrome (Sally Hansen Titanium Chrome
is similar), with Essie’ Chinchilly dotted on. Finished up with some messy splotches with Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black, and a clear topcoat (because this nail art pen’s doodles come off fast if not sealed with a topcoat). Of course you could always use Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Kitty, but I wanted a silvery manicure anyway.
Now off to pick Lil Tot up from school! Just how does one deal with school commutes when there is no bus and no public transport??
Hope everyone’s having a great week!
xoxox
Carly
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Jun 19, 2011 | DIY
How many of us have been drooling over the chic-ness of the metallic Minx manicure since it debuted a few years back?
Being someone who loves metals, I’ve been dying to get my hands on one – well, get one on my hands, really – for ages. But the $40+ pricetag (for a set of nails that barely lasts 2 weeks) has been a big deterrent.
Now, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips have been out awhile in drugstores here in the U.S. – but though there are glitters there are no true metals offered in the line.:-( So I was on the hunt for something similar – that could mimic that Minx look for less.
Enter Nail Rocks Nail Wraps (for a mere $11.55 from ASOS.com). (And with Free Shipping to the U.S. too – how about that?) With a little fiddling (and a home hairdryer) that gorgeous liquid metal manicure can be yours for a fraction of the cost. Here’s how to use them:
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Jan 16, 2011 | DIY
I spied this in the store the other day and promptly snapped up 2 to try!
I’ve bought the Nail Rocks nail sheets (that need to be set with the heat of a dryer, which I haven’t experimented with just yet), and tried out the Incoco-brand Color Enamel Strips in the past, which I enjoyed but were a bit tough to apply.
Look at all the beautiful colors and patterns the Salon Effects come in!
The Sally Hansen version of this idea takes the difficult application inherent with other brands and makes it super-easy, with an orange stick and nail file included in each set. And what I haven’t seen before with these stick-on nailpolish sheets is the amazing range of colors: Sally Hansen is offering glitter, photo-realistic effects, fun patterns, and bright colors. And they’re super-easy to use!
There are 16 sheets in a packet (and though you could probably use a single sheet for 2 nails if you were super-careful and enterprising); they’re meant to be used one sticker = one nail. You need to find stickers that approximate the shape of your nail bed, peel off the protective coat, peel off the back, snap off the paper tip (I found it easier to do the last two steps in reverse order), and place onto your nail.
You use an orange stick (included in the set) to press down the edges, and then the included nail file to crease the sticker sharply at the nail tip, and the sticker rips off.
Pros: Easy to use, fast (once you get the hang of it), brilliant colors and effects, long-lasting (I hope – the package says 10 days!), no drying time required, no need for other things to buy to do your manicure (topcoat, base coat, etc), no bumpiness to the glitter; DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free.
Cons: A little smelly (like real nailpolish), packs come vacuum-sealed so they’re kind of hard to rip into, stickers prone to ripping if you press too hard with the orange stick, difficulty in finding a shape match to your nail bed, waste of sticker part that you rip off, a little pricey.
At about $9.99 a pack they’re a little more expensive than your average nailpolish, and they’re only single-use, so once they’re done, they’re done. But the effects are amazingly bright, pure color, with a streak-free and consistent finish, and the tops are smooth without the need for a topcoat!
Right now I’m trying out the pink glitter (“Bling It On”) and the blue glitter (“Blue Ice”) is next on my list!
Already in stores like Walgreen, Target, and CVS, this product is supposed to be available throughout drugstores in the U.S. by February 2011.
What do you guys think? Something cool you’d like to try? Or a little too pricey and bothersome to mess around with?
xoxox
Carly
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