Kell's DIY Nails

The Polish Swap Society Facebook Group is having an 8-week Nail Art Challenge and I decided to join in. Week 1 is Party Animal Theme. Basically you choose an animal of your choice. I decided to do my 2 Dogs and my Cat!  I used 2 different tutorials and adapted them to fit my vision: Cat: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QsRnVDhY5bo Dogs: http://www.nuthinbutanailthing.com/2013/08/dog-nail-art-tutorial.html I practiced fine tuning my idea on some swatch sticks. Translating the colors of my dogs was the hardest part. My tuxedo cat was easy-peasy. I started with a base color of  Essence Nail Art Twins in Bella . These are HTF and I recently got lucky and got them from a stash sale. My main reason for choosing this color is that it is easily a one coater and it would dry quickly so I could start the nail art. I also knew I would be using the glitter in Edward on a few of my nails. (No, I am not a Twilight fan; I just love the color of this set) Thumb: My cat...

For the last two weeks of tax season I went with another gel mani so as to make my nails as hassle-free as possible.  Sunlight Limeade is a really shimmery lime green that leans on the sheer side. My photo above shows 3 coats but the great thing about Shellac is dry time is not an issue. I initially tried mixing it with Cream Puff, an opaque white cream, but I didn't like the result so I ended up just doing Limeade on its own. The formula is really thin and easy to work with. When I mixed it with Cream Puff the consistency was a bit too thick for my liking. I'm wondering if there's a way to thin Shellac; I'll have to research that. Sunlight This held up incredibly well and my nails grew super long while wearing this; I wore it longer than 14 days too. The only down side to Shellac is the removal. Keeping pure acetone on your fingers for an extended amount of time really drys them out. I always have to do some super intense moisturizing after removal. Shade

Happy Easter everyone! Today I am wearing some very cute and sweet nails. They aren't really 'Eastery' because I don't have any bunnies or eggs to put on my nails but they are still fitting. Icing's Deliciously Scrumptious reminds me a lot of Illamasqua's Scarce (from the Imperfect Collection) but this one is more of a cool toned pink and Scarce is a nudeish pink. The base color of Deliciously Scrumptious is a perfect soft pink; it's what I had hoped OPI's Sparrow Me The Drama would be but that one was very disappointing. I used 2 coats of Deliciously Scrumptious to get it perfectly opaque. The formula is great but the brush is a little annoying; it's just too wide and bushy. Sadly, it doesn't look like this one is available anymore but maybe you can find it on eBay or in a stash sale. I added a coat of Gelous to get a nice hard gel coat. After it dried completely I added a bow nail tattoo to my middle nail (I just love using my middle nail a...

This is a great collection from Barielle; they're almost all your typical pastels but with a little something different. For example Sour Apple isn't just a typical grass green or mint green, its a bright lime green. Lilac Jelly Bean isn't just a pale lilac, it's a murky lilac that also does double duty as an edgy neutral. Then there is Blue Cotton Candy ; a blue green packed with irridescent micro glitter. I even like Orange Parfait (which is an orangey coral) and Banana Drop (a pale yellow). You can see swatches of these here . One lucky winner will get the Sweet Treats Collection , Nail Rebuilding Protein , and No-Chip Speed Dry Top Coat . A $55.00 Value! Giveaway is open to residents of the United States and must be 18 years of age or older. Due to shipping restrictions I cannot ship Internationally. However, I do have something in the works for my international ladies so don't give up hope just yet! Fill out the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter. ...

Hey, Hey, Hey!! I'm back from my tax season hiatus! This was one weird tax season, let me tell you... And I'm glad it's over. I didn't do so hot this year; I was literally 100 returns down from last year. Very disappointing and I won't be seeing a very nice commission check which makes me sad.  But, here's something that made me happy: My nails in Zoya's Hudson & Monet. I wore this in the begining of April to celebrate the approach of Spring.  These are part of Zoya's New Spring Collection this year called Awaken . Hudson is a soft shimmering purple. It's a bit on the sheer side but the formula is nice and easy to work with. My photo shows 2 coats but 3 would give more opaque coverage.  On my accent nail I applied 1 thin coat of Monet which is irridescent hex glitter in a clear base. The suspension base is very thick but this way you are not fishing for glitter. I like the amount and dispersement on my nail but I know that those who like heavy ...

Pardon me as I whip this out... I'm tired and I have a Sweet Red Wine chilling in the fridge that's calling my name. Illamasqua's Nudge was originally released in Spring of 2010; it was called a mint green but it leans more aqua than mint. I don't have anything that leans this far blue. It's also got more white in its base than anything else I own. It's bright and cheeky. Wet n Wild's I Need a Refresh-Mint , Barielle's Money Talks , and China Glaze's For Audrey are all greener and significantly darker. The formula wasn't my favorite sadly. The consistency was a bit thick, streaky, and drying time was quite long. I managed to get away with 2 coats but some may find they need 3. You can see in my photos I experienced some bubbling as well. I think the color is unique but with the formula not up to par I won't be reaching for this again. (Nudge is no longer available through Illamasqua but you could probably find it on eBay or a Stash Sale) For...