Thursday, May 31, 2012

My New Obsession: Holographic!

Hello Everyone!
I hope you are having a lovely week.  I am officially done with high school, and I am so excited!  Not only does this mean that I am heading off to college soon, but it also means that I will have more time to blog over the summer!  I can't wait to get more cute nail looks out to y'all.  Anyway, today's post is about a super cool new nail polish I got at Ulta the other day.  It is a really cool holographic.  One thing I have noticed is that good holos are really hard to find, and when you do find them they are really expensive.  Layla Holographic Effects, however, is available at Ulta for $15.  I know that may sound like a lot, but compared to polishes that you have to order online, that's not bad. The color I got is called Mercury Twilight.  I also bought the little buffer thing that they tell you to buy.  It was only like $2, so i didn't mind.  Anyway, I did a little experiment to determine whether you really need that little buffer thing.

So for this little experiment I used a different technique on each finger.  On my index finger I just buffed my nail with the little buffer thing and applied the polish.  On my middle finger I used the buffer and a base coat.  On my ring finger I used nothing; no base coat or buffing.  On my pinky I used just a base coat.  And finally, on my thumb I used just the buffer, applied the polish, and used a top coat.  All fingers have two coats of polish.  I think, based on the pictures, it's pretty obvious that just using the little buffer thing and not applying a top coat worked best.  All the other methods were clumpy, streaky, and not worth trying.  If you decide to get this polish from Ulta, definitely get the buffer.

So here's what the polish looks like in the sunlight.  It is absolutely AMAZING!  I love the fact that it is a silver, but there are also lots of other colors embedded in it.  There are two downsides though.  1. Because using a topcoat will take away from the holo, it chips pretty quickly.  This was a little disappointing, but it isn't bad enough to make me not use it.  2. I kept getting really distracted by the fact that my nails kept changing color.  This isnt a huge deal, but it's something to keep in mind.  Overall I really like these, and I plan to buy other colors.  I hope y'all enjoyed this post, and have a terrific Thursday!
~ Mary Elizabeth


Sunday, May 20, 2012

First Try: Vintage Roses

Hey there!
Today I am starting a a new sort of series called first try.  This will be a series that will be kind of ongoing, and it will be posts demonstrating the first time I try a style or design.  Today's design is roses.  I saw this on a YouTube video and had to try it! Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k0MWWVuZ2s&feature=related


For the base I used OPI Steady as She Rose.  The two colors I used in the roses are OPI Alpine Snow (white) and OPI Dim Sum Plum (pink).  I used my dotting tools to create the flowers according to the video.  Obviously I didn't do everything in the video, but I love how these flowers turned out! I hope y'all liked this quick post, and I hope you have a fabulous week!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Update 5/16/12

Hey everybody!
I just wanted to update you guys on whats going on in my life, plus explain why I haven't posted much lately.  The past two weeks have been AP tests, and I have taken two: AP Literature and AP Music Theory.  Both were tough, but I think I did well.  Personally, I am just trying to get to graduation, which is in two weeks! This makes me nervous, but I am also very excited to be finishing high school.  Also, my birthday was May 1, and I had a wonderful time with my friends and family.  I will add some pictures at the end of my festivities.  Anyway, my family and I went to Red Lobster, which is a tradition of mine.  Then this past weekend I went to Disney with some of my best friends, which was an absolute blast!  The next week or two will be pretty crazy with a band concert tomorrow (super exciting!), a chorus concert (which I have a duet in), and finals.  After that, I will hopefully get back in the swing of doing regular blog posts.  I also plan to get a job this summer, but I think I can still get a post in at least twice a week if not more.  I hope you are having a wonderful week, and i hope to be posting some actual nail posts soon!
Here are some pics from my birthday festivities:
me and my friends Cailah and Bella about to watch the fireworks

me & Cailah

me and my friend Shane (who is kicking my horse in the face) on the carousel

Bella (top left), Cailah (bottom left), Shane (next to Bella), Erik (next to Shane), and me (hidden in the back)
God bless!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Pink Wednesday: Frosty French

Hey everybody!
So today is Wednesday, and you know what that means: Pink time!  Today's post is another funky french, only this time it is a little more subtle than the last one.  These types of designs are growing on me :)

I started with OPI Pedal Faster, Suzi as a base color.  Then I used OPI Japanese Rose Garden for the french tips.  For the ring fingers I just dragged the brush diagonally across my nail to change up the design a little.  Then I used my kiss silver glitter to clean up the mistakes.  Then I finished up with Seche Vite top coat.  I hoped y'all liked this post, and have a fantastic rest of your week!  Also good luck to those of you who are AP testing this week and next!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

My First Gradient

Hello Lovelies!
First off, I just want to apologize for being a little MIA.  I have been trying to post from my phone lately, but for some reason they're just not going through.  I will try to post the looks that I like the best from those attempts later this week.  Anyway, today's post is about a new technique I tried: sponge gradient.  I have wanted to try this for a while, but I didn't have the materials I needed.  Now that I do, expect lots more of these types of posts!

I hope you can see the colors ok! First, for the base color, I used OPI Midnight in Moscow.  Then I used a makeup sponge and OPI Glitzerland for the gradient.  I did this by applying a little blob of polish on the tip of the sponge.  Then I lightly dabbed the polish on the tip of my nails and worked my way up.  Some people blot the polish before on a sheet of paper or something before putting it on their nails, but the sponges I use absorb some of the polish, so I don't feel the need to do that.  I think this turned out pretty well.  I like the colors I chose, even though they are not really summer colors.  I hope you enjoyed this post, and I would love it if y'all would put a comment below of any designs you think I should try.  Also, let me know what colors you think would look good with this technique.  I hope y'all have a whimsical Wednesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth