I've finally gotten my life to a place where I have been able to equalize and get back to enjoyable things. I'm now living somewhere with no nail supply shop and only one Sally Beauty, but I think I'll make do.
In addition to living somewhere safe with people who wish to ensure my success in life, I now live somewhere with several amazing manicure salons. 2 days ago, I went to Pro Nails down the street from my salon. It was pretty solid. Could have had a better massage, but I'm happy about the shape and length of my nails. Even better, my technician Robin made sure to get into those pesky sharp corners.
No, I take that back. Even better, they had Nails Magazine available to read. I disagree with industry publications being available for clients to see, but I guess I'm not really your typical client. In the magazine, I saw an AWESOME advertisement.
Oh yeah... MAGNETIC GEL POLISH!!!
I'm so glad that, during my blogging hiatus, I went for the Gelish system. I know it's not as well known as OPI or Shellac, but I don't see them getting magnetic polishes. China Glaze is due to have them out soon but not in gel form. I can't wait to get them and post the results!
I've talked a few times already, I think, about how much I love the OPI Designer Series. Somehow, I missed out on China Glaze OMG (found some at the supply shop today, though) so I'm diggin' the holo sparkle of DS.
After the success of the iPod glitterizing with Spitfire, I decided to take my Divine manicure into a more permanant arena...
I didn't get a "blur-o-vision" of this one, but the holo on this is pretty amazing too! Divine sparkles with blues and silvers. Very lovely and multi-dimensional.
I used the same method as before but did both the front and back this time. On the back, the brushstrokes didn't level out all the way. I'm not sure if I should be using more or less gel, a wider brush, or thinner product. Time will tell.
Til then, here's some rad pics of the project...
Matching nails. This is just too good of a shade. I may need more bottles!
I wish this captured the many colours of the sparkle better.
I see blue, and I see silver, and I see gold, and I see....
Last week, I got my order from Premier Nail Source. I love them as a distributor so, so much. Their shipping is quick, orders are packed safely and personally, and they give you a FedEx tracking number as soon as it gets picked up - I didn't even have to ask for one!
One of the things I decided to invest in is a UV Gel system. I have had brief tutorials on using a few gels from Young Nails at trade shows, but have never used them myself so I went with an inexpensive kit that came with a lamp and sample sizes of products.
The Nouveau Nails UV Gel Starter Kit
I don't wear false nails, though, so I don't really have anyone to practice on right now. I wanted to get the hang of working with the brush and lamp, so an old habit and a new colour inspired me...
Pure Ice's Spitfire really drew my eye. Even under the crap light at the WalMart, I could see the intense sparkle (check out the blur-o-vision!!) and as soon as I saw the name, I knew I NEEDED IT!!!
(Trivia: I'm a HUGE aviation nerd and one of my favourite memories is driving down the Dan Ryan as a formation of Spitfires flew overhead on their way home from Oshkosh.)
This colour was more than just a nail laquer - it was a lifestyle and I had to properly capture it!
One of my old hobbies was to cover most everything with nail polish for a customized look. I would do my sunglasses, my electronic organizer, my Tamagochi, my cellphone (in SRO Silver! WOOT!)... If it was paintable, it got painted.
The only problem was that it chipped easily and glitters left a bumpy surface.
The solution? Gel overlay!
After covering the face of a hard plastic Belkin iPod case with Spitfire, I used 2 coats of Nouveau Nails UV Gel (each cured under the light), and was able to skip any topcoats.
The gel came out a little bumpy and would probably benefit from a buffing, but I think it's pretty great for a first attempt!
I can't wait to use the gel more - hopefully on NAILS soon!
