cage

i got this fabulous hinged cage ring from Dainty Demeanor on ETSY - it is almost an exact replica {minus most of the detailing} of PAMELA LOVE's "double caged ring" - only it retails for only $25 {rather than $460}...

i have very mixed feelings about knock off jewelry - on one hand, it is fantastic that these cool pieces are accessible to just about anyone {and really, who has an extra $500 laying around to buy a trendy piece of metal??} anyway, i think that knock offs of more trendy jewelry are a lot easier to stomach - because i would be willing to splurge if it was on a genuine, CLASSIC piece that i was going to have for a lifetime - {this ring, though - not quite}.  the other side of the argument, however, is that the designers of these miniature works of art are not benefitting from the sales of these cheaply made pieces. even more so, i think that the knock offs devalue the original pieces {of something like this...im not talking ANY other sort of knock}.  there are a lot of {if's} and {but's} that i will not get into but basically the real one is fabulous and the knock off is so-so. 

i was super excited to receive this ring - until i put it on for a night out...forget about holding anything or taking pictures...the two pieces of the ring are not measured properly so that it feels like it is falling off if it is on so that your finger can bend...maybe i just have weird fingers though...

PAMELA LOVE double cage ring here {see the details...amazing}

overall - i am not really disappointed in this guy - for as inexpensive as it is i figured that it was not going to be very comfortable and at least i didn't turn my finger black {!!}

on another note {regarding my terrible nail polish job} i had quite an unfortunate experience with shellac nail polish the other day...the whole point of this "gel" nail polish {so i thought} was that it was super easy and wouldn't chip for weeks {okay, A week...} but literally two days after i got it done, one of my nails had a huge CHUNK missing! not to mention it took sooooo long...anyway - i will probably try it again {probably elsewhere} but as of now, i am sticking to my regular polish routine!!! so sorry for my little rant...thoughts??

xx

mismatch

so totally into mismatched nails these days...

sparkling zebras

skipping cheeseball xmas nails, here's a shot of my most recent manicure that had the ski lodge all abuzz today!! sparkling zebras. haha. and sorry, the dryness here is doing NOTHING for my skin/cuticles.

festive posts to come...xx!!

black and pearlyyy

check out this chanel spring 2011 hot nail color! the most anticipated color of the season is a pearly, iridescent, greenish-grey master piece!  can't wait to get my fingers in it!! x

water marbling DIY

i got a rather large response last week from my water-dipping manicure post (here) so i am posting a DIY! i am technologically challenged so i have no fancy video but i do have plenty of pictures!!

the manicure works because of the differences in polarities of the two substances (nail polish + water) and can be really cool when done properly.

you will need:

*a cup full of water (make sure you don't really care about the cup because it is going to get all gross and you probably won't want to drink out of it again) - i guess a disposable cup would work best but i'm a terrible planner so whatever.

*a bunch of nail polishes - really try everything from sparkles to mattes...everything looks different

*top coat

*tape (duct tape probably isn't the best for this but again with planning/it was all i could find when i decided to do this)

*q-tips

*nail polish remover

*isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

*newspaper/paper towels/magazine to work over (i am really trying to make an excuse to throw away this table...)

to do:

1. paint nails whatever color you like - this will serve as your background color

*i am using OPI: The Show Must Go On from the Burlesque Collection (swoon)

2. when they are dry, wrap as much of your finger tip as you can, avoiding the nail.  the easiest way is to put one piece of tape on the very tip of your finger and curl it round the edge then take another and wrap your actual finger -- it doesn't really matter except for clean up because all exposed skin is going to get polished

3. drip (large) drips of polish into the water one after the other -- you will see them spread out so just keep going until you think you have enough (again, try everything -- that's the only way you'll figure out what works for you) -- work quickly and when you are satisfied, run a de-cottoned q-tip (or toothpick) through the polishes to swirl the colors.

*for my first nail, i used OPI: You Don't Know Jaques and milani holographic "3D"

4. visualize what part of the swirl you want on your finger and DIP! (nail first, let your finger go into the water)

5. wait for the polish on the top of the water to dry and with your q-tip/toothpick dettatch the polish from your finger so when you pull it out all of the polish doesn't stick to your design

6. the polish will be dry due to the thinness of the layers in the water so you can immediatly pull off the tape to expose your finished product!

7. once the tape is removed just clean your exposed finger with nail polish remover!!

*for this manicure i did a separate color combination for almost every nail -- here are some more photos and TIPS at the end!!

much more successful color combo: Essie Playa Del Platinum + OPI: You Don't Know Jaques

much more controlled swirling 

voila!

finisheeeed!

hand 1 (note my ring and index finger are not marbled)

thumbs up!

hand 2 (all marbled)

TIPS...:

*work quickly

*don't use "quick dry" polish

*solid color polish leaves the cleanest swirls and a sparkle will kind of get mixed up in everything

*try EVERYTHING

*all different nails are fun - and creative -- so just do, do, do!!

happy friday!! xx

chipper

much to my boyfriends chagrin i have become a nail polish fiend.  this is my most recent mani that i changed so many times i forget exactly what the original color was!  the three nails that aren't french tipped were created using "water dipping" or whatever the nail people call it -- its actually SO easy and the results are cool and unique.  love love.  happy saturday!!!  x

psssychadelic

sorry for the nail-art-diarrhea but these are the coolest little things!! available at SEPORA, my next pair will be leopard. ahh! x

sparklicious

a little sparkle to ease the gloom :) i am absolutely loving the new OPI sparklessss!

you don't know jaçues: OPI sparklicious: OPI

ZULU

i got my hands on my very own bottle of ZULU today!!! after the postman tried to deliver it on tuesday (they said no one was home - this is NOT TRUE. i have beef with the us-figgin-postalservice) i finally went to the post office to sign for the little package (really? for nail polish...grr) and immediately came home and got to work.


i LOVE this color -- it is the perfect gummy green sort of swampy looking without being overtly GREEN. it has no shimmer (majorrrrr plus) and looks black unless you look real close. it's perfection. thank god i snagged this guy on ebay (although i paid retail x2...) because these bottles are flying off the shelves like hotcakes! the woman i spoke with at the santa monica sephora actually LAUGHED when i asked if they had any left and the nars website is a dead end too. 


i am not going to do swatches bc honestly i haven't perfected painting perfectly and i have to get ready for a chem lab...but here is a little treat!!

image courtesy of the amazing blog all lacquered up, make sure to check out all her other swatches!!

suede city

nail fix - revlon suede collection EMERALD CITY.  matte suede, w/ topcoat & w/ flash.  LOVING.

obsessing over green this season.  such a versatile color!

dark side of fall

okay, i'll admit it, i've become kind of a nail polish junkie.  as i said before (here), my fascination with enamel coated nails is primarily due to my best friends in college, but now that i have discovered these gems, Lacquer Laine and Vampy Varnish, my hobby has turned almost obsessive.  as my wonderful boyfriend pointed out, i have painted my nails more this week (4x) than i have washed my hair (2x).  whatever, i just want to try out every polish that looks interesting!! 


anyway, i took some pictures.  these are two colors in the Essie fall 2010 collection.  the first color is Little Brown Dress.  the color in the bottle is quite dark and honestly when the two polishes i ordered came in the mail at first i couldn't tell the difference.  anyway, this is a dark dark brown that looks chocolate-y in the sun and blackish indoors.  i think it would be absolutely perfect for cloudy days in november.  i tried to get the brown to show through as much as i could!

pictured first just outside in the sun and then outside with the flash.  after wearing this color for about 30 hours it started to get too dark so i (tried to) spice it up with some Essie "Matte About You" - i have always loved the reverse moon manicure -- so i attempted to recreated it free-hand.  i am actually really embarassed to post this picture but whatever im in to the imperfect so oh well! (suggestions on how to actually do this would be LOVED)

the second color i tried out was Velvet Voyeur.  it is a very dark purple that indoors has a lot of depth and outdoors resembles one of those dark purple grapes (don't ask me where that came from).  it is a pretty shade that again, will look lovely once the southern california sun goes away!  i am going to go out and find a glitter polish to put over it for now though.  enjoy! 

pictured first outside and then inside with no flash -- you can see the purple now!!  all in all, i think i am going to have to stick with my bright colors (and khakis, DUH) for now but come those wintery days i will be more than happy to pull these out! xo

khak-a-laq

this post is inspired by some of my closest friends and their passion for nail art that apparently has rubbed off tremendously on myself!  i would like to draw everyone's attention to the FANTASTIC nudes coming from the best polish producers for this upcoming fall.  these calming colors (very much matte) will look awesome with all the neutral fabrics we've seen on the runways for late 2010 - early 2011.  scoop these guys up before they disappear!! 

les khakis de chanel - created especially for NYC's fashion's night out, these colors are camo-cool and i cannot wait to get my fingers on each color! (from left, khaki brun, khaki vert, khaki rose)

chanel: paradoxal - the new rage in chanel colors, this mystic purple/brown shimmer is sure to be sold out within a day so snatch yours up asap!

OPI: you don't know jacques - actually THE color i am sporting right now this little guy will take you straight from summer to fall! it's pretty, brownish indoors and lavender in the sun = LOVE.

essie: merino cool - a lovely shade of dirty little sheep (merinos?) this guy's a little more slate colored and perfect for those gloomy gloomy days of fall.

essie: sew psyched - greeeeeeen! i have to admit the first time i saw green nail polish on a friend of mine - i was not a fan - but then i went to the aforementioned friend's house where she had multi shades of green and have since been smitten (mind you this was last thursday haha) 

essie: velvet voyeyr - fall always calls for a dark mysterious not-quite-black color...and this is IT for this year. the light will pick up the purple shades while inside they will turn into a neat little black!

xo

images from various and makeupandbeauty, all polish available on amazon.com