Sponge Craze

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, Texture & Prints, textured nails are currently in. Though I love the tweed and plaid, I have been really obsessed with sponging. It’s a great alternative to marble and is effortlessly cool. Not to mention, it is fairly easy to achieve. All you need is a good textured sponge, and the right amount of paint.

I recently decided to cut all my nails down short and start from scratch. I had ripped 3 nails, so I decided to start over. My claws are now short, so I decided to do them all black and sponged on pink & grey on my left hand; and sponged green & grey on my right hand.

Natural nail gel overlay with CalGel (color #04). I used Eriko glitter & holograms for the gold nails, and I also used gold studs. The pink, grey, & green sponging is done using acrylic paint.

I just had the pleasure of meeting a new client the other day. She and I have very similar personalities in terms of independence, strength, and boldness. We also shared similar taste in nail designs. She is edgy and cool, and though she might like girly designs, seems to have a hard time pulling it off.
She came in the other night and decided to use neutral colors: black, white, and gold. We did natural nail gel overlays for both her pedicure and her manicure.

I used Trump Gel (M001 & M901), black & white acrylic paint for the sponging. We used some gold Eriko glitter and holograms, and we used square and round gold studs. We got a bit more funky with the toes.

We used the same color gel for her hands, but instead of the half black/half white nail, we decided to do only a couple black nails and the rest white. Since gel enhancements last for a while, we decided to go with a deep French instead of the whole nail one color, so the new growth won’t be too noticeable. On her right hand ring finger, I made a cross using square gold studs. And on the right hand pointer finger, I placed 3 stones to build 3D stones (grey & clear).

I had so much fun working on this gel pedicure and gel manicure new sets! This look is so perfect for the season coming forth. Plus it’s edgy, cool, and chic.
Try out your sponging with all sorts of color combos for a fun and effortlessly cool look.

Thanks for visiting, and remember to keep your claws modish!

Xoxo,
Stacia

Quench the skin’s thirst

Quick post before I hit the hay.

Ever wonder what you can do to improve the strength & quality of your nails? How to remedy your hands’ dry skin? How to soften your cuticle area?

The answer is very simple: cuticle oil. Yep! You heard me, cuticle oil.

Now, I know what you are thinking: “Does it really work?”
The answer is, yes. But you need to choose the right one.
To decipher if the cuticle oil is legit or not, take a look at the ingredients. One of the first ingredients should be mineral oil. In case you don’t know, the first is what there is the most of. Therefore, if your first ingredient is mineral oil, then you can bet that it is a fairly good one. Essential oils make great ingredients for cuticle oil, as well.

“I don’t like my hands feeling sticky and/or getting oil on everything I touch.” Well, the best and most effective time to apply cuticle oil is at night right before you go to bed. You won’t be touching anything or using your hands, so you don’t need to worry about it.
And, unlike lotion, cuticle oil shouldn’t leave a sticky residue. If you are rubbing it in thoroughly, it should soak in and have no residue. If anything, you can lightly wipe some off with a towel.
This is also a great time to apply lotion to your feet. Cracked heels, or callus feet can be treated with nightly application of lotion. Since you will be going to bed, you won’t be too bothered by the lotion feel on your feet.

The droplet forms are my favorite because they are the most sanitary. You don’t want to touch the skin with the droplet, though. Because that can cause skin particles and possible any nail disease to touch the droplet, which then is placed in oil— a moist, warm place for bacteria to thrive in.
Just place a small drop on each or every other nail, and rub into each nail, all around the cuticles, and entire finger. Then, you can rub your hands together, and wipe off and apply any excess oil onto any other dry area of skin. I usually put it on my elbows. You can also apply this to your toes. Feet often get neglected, so give it some love.

If you are consistent with your nightly application of cuticle oil you should see some improvement in your skin’s condition, and even in your nails.

Most drugstores will carry cuticle oil. But be sure you look at the ingredients, since many are cheap imitation forms filled only with alcohol and fragrance.
Your best bet may be to find a salon. Otherwise, you can search online for some brand name products.

One of my favorite brand is: Lechat . They come in several different scents and leave your hands feeling soft. They don’t feel sticky after application, but rather fairly dry to the touch. I like the pomegranate scent; the lavender is very calming; the lemongrass is fresh; red apple is sweet; tea tree is strong, but I don’t mind it, and it is good for fighting fungus; and cucumber melon is very refreshing.

Pretty nail designs and polished fingers are great, but quenching your skin’s thirst is also very important! No matter how beautiful your nail design is, it can lose its attractiveness when the skin around it is dry, peeling, and cracked.

Thanks for visiting, and remember to keep your claws modish!

Xoxo,
Stacia

**PC: My friend, MJ

Halloweeeen

It’s October! And the request for Halloween nails are coming through.

Some people are looking to go all out on the Halloween theme. Others are looking for something a little more subtle.

Here are just a few of the Halloween themed nails I have done so far since I’ve been back to the salon.

This pedicure was done with polish and acrylic paint. The wiggly eyes are a bit bigger than the ones we normally use. Dracula, mummy, frankenstine, ghost, black widow, dripping blood, black cat, and jack-o-lantern.

This is a natural nail overlay gel set done with Trump Gel. The art is hand painted with acrylic paint. Paws prints, leopard print, cat’s face & day’s butt.

This is a semi-Halloween nail set. She wanted something for Halloween, but can wear after. A natural nail gel overlay using Trump Gel. Purple and silver deep French with black Eriko Nails hologram. I hand painted the paw prints and cat face with acrylic paint.

Halloween is just around the corner, stay safe and keep your claws ghoulishly modish!

Xoxox,
Stacia

Texture & Prints

So…I’m back from my short hiatus. As I was perusing the newest nail magazines from Japan, and some of the cool nail apps for iPhone (“Girls Pic” & “Nail Book”) and I have found that the current nail trends for fall and going into winter are prints and textures. Textures which resemble fall and winter clothing fashion and prints (tweed, plaid, check, houndstooth, and paisley). Even some not-so-fall/winter textures like acid wash and sponging are very in.

With that being said, I have decided to do my toes navy with light blue sponging texture with gold, and my hands tweed. I actually cut my toe nails down. And my finger nails are my natural nails.

Both of these designs are fairly easy to do. The key to sponging is using the right colors together, and finding a sponge with the right texture. For more texture, you will want to use a sponge with more holes. It’s best to do light and dark colors. A good contrast if you want it to stand out. Different shade of the same color if you’re looking for something more subtle.

Here is my pedicure design. I smudged it a bit before it got dry. I didn’t notice until it was too late. I used all O.P.I. polishes.

For tweed, you need to pick a color scheme. Lay down your base color. Use three colors of paint for your tweed lines. Draw short thin lines vertically along the entire nail– first with one color, then the second, then the third. Then do the same lines going horizontally. Depending on how textured you want the tweed to look, you either increase or lessen the lines.

Natural nail gel overlay. Tweed deep French with some 3D stones. Gold Eriko holograms. Pink and grey theme (mix #05 & #06 and mix #01 & #04). CalGel

Take a look at your fall/winter closet for some nail inspirations.

Thanks for visiting and remember to keep your claws modish!
Xoxo,
Stacia

Liebster Blog Award

Several weeks back, PolishAlcoholic nominated me for a Liebster Blog Award! Thank you so much! I have been real busy with my exam studies, so I haven’t worked on it. But the exam is over and I am finally back to blogging. My first post back…is the long overdue award feedback.

Liebster is a German word for “most favourite” or “dearest”, and the award is for new bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules are:
1) Post eleven facts about yourself
2) Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for people you’ve nominated
3) Choose eleven people to give this award to (with fewer than 200 followers) and link them in your post
4) Go to their page and tell them
5) Remember, no tag backs

First, 11 things about me:
1. I am a liger (born year of the tiger and also a Leo).
2. I love old school mystery novels; such as Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan O’Doyle novels.
3. Addicted to coffee– I shake when I don’t have any.
4. I work best at night; sloth in the day.
5. English is my second language– Japanese is my first.
6. Between my bf and me, we have 8 cats and 2 dogs.
7. I have a serious panda obsession.
8. I have never seen snow (born and raised in Hawaii).
9. I absolutely LOVE cheese!
10. I never wear silver jewelry unless it has gold or rose gold with it somehow.
11. I am a fanatic for ramen. I can eat a bowl even after eating a full meal.

11 questions from PolishAlcoholic:
1. If you could choose any job you want, regardless of your diplomas and experience, what would that be and why? // Judge. Many things came to thought at first. But, I really do want to be an attorney, and ultimately be a judge. Hopefully, I will be closer to this very soon.
2. What is your favorite beauty brand? // M.A.C.
3. If you receive one million cash, how would you spend it? // Pay off my car, my CC bills, and buy myself a house. Oh, and a nice handbag. Ha! Invest/save the rest.
4. Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter and why? // Fall. It’s pretty much year round spring and summer here in Hawaii. I mean, it gets pretty cold and rainy at times, but we don’t have a fall and our winters aren’t really much. I want to wear “fall clothing” and see the leaves change. I would say winter, but I figure it might be too cold.
5. What is your absolutely favorite food? // This is tough…but I will have to say anything with cheese. Lots of cheese.
6. If you had the option to change a part of your body what would you change and why? // My uneven feet. My left foot is a half size larger than my right. It makes shoe shopping very difficult.
7. Red or white wine? // Most definitely red. The drier the better.
8. If you could make a wish, what would that be and why? //
9. What is the one thing that you cannot leave behind when you’re going away? // My makeup train case. I can’t go anywhere without my face.
10. What beauty product is the #1 on your wishlist? // Tria Laser Hair Remover
11. What is your biggest fear? // Failing.

My 11 questions for the nominees:
1. Coffee or tea?
2. Rice or pasta?
3. White or brown rice?
4. Manicure or pedicure?
5. Pool or beach?
6. Theatre or DVD?
7. Horror movies or comedies?
8. Cat or dog?
9. Books or movies?
10. O.P.I., Chinaglaze, or Zoya?
11. Android or iPhone (or other)?

And here are my 11 nominees:
1. Thirst For Color
2. T.G.I.L.F.
3. Love Joo Kim
4.All Dolled Up
5. Work / Play / Polish
6.Bambilashes
7. The Classy It Girl
8.Pretty Pretty Nails And Things
9.Wicked Nails
10. Kiyomi Nails
11. Blog of a nail-art-aholic

Thank you for the nomination! This was so much fun!