Kell's DIY Nails

We have a rogue pumpkin vine growing in our backyard and it has these bright yellow/orange blooms all over it. So I wanted to do something like that on my nails. Icing, Watermelon is a polish I picked up on a whim. It's a soft orangey peach crelly (cross between a creme and a jelly). It took 3 coats to cover up some staining I had on my nails but still looks very squishy. Formula was very easy to apply due to the very jelly-like consistency. Even the huge brush wasn't a problem. It did dry to a very odd finish though; it had some very fine texture particles in it, almost like some neons have. A top coat is necessary. On my Middle & Thumb nails I applied 2 coats of China Glaze, White On White . I then stamped these Lilies from Bundle Monster plate BM-314 using Wet n Wild, Black Creme . Since Watermelon is on the sheer side it worked well to fill in the Lilies with a very fine tipped dotting tool ( once again using the Led Lighting technique ).  I topped all my nails with 2...

I recently participated in an online Jamberry Nails party. I got some samples to try (but still bought some full sets before trying the samples... Doh!) and I thought I would do a black and white monochrome skittle with them. Thumb: 2 coats of ManGlaze, Matte Is Murder . Index: Started with 2 coats of China Glaze, White On White . One coat of Picture Polish, Atomic . Middle: Jamberry Black and White Chevron nail strip. Ring: 2 coats of ManGlaze, Fuggen Ugly . Pinkie: Jamberry Black & White Quad nail strip. I top coated all my nails with In A Hurry (sadly, I got some bubbles). I've been watching lots of grav3yardgirl 's videos lately and I think that's where I got the inspiration to do these. She loves her black and white nails! I got these samples from my Jamberry Nails Consultant, Theresa Brown . 

Happy 1st Day of Summer, Friends! I have a pretty cool giveaway for you... and guess what?!? It's open internationally!  Sadly, there's no nail polish in this prize pack (nail polish cannot be shipped internationally) but I think you will still like it! I thought about products that would be useful for everyone and I didn't purchase any color cosmetics since everyone has different tastes. I also added in some nail art goodies. So, let's take a look at what you can win! e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Under Eye Primer : This is one of e.l.f.'s newest products; it contains Vitamins C & E, Shea, Green Tea, Aloe, and Ginko Biloba to nourish and condition the skin. It primes the under eye area to help prevent concealer from settling into fine lines and wearing off. The sheer, silky smooth texture reduces the appearances of fine lines, puffiness, and wrinkles. I have issues with dark circles and concealer never applying quite right under my eyes. When I saw this new produc...

Week 7 of the Polish Swap Society's Nail Art Challenge is Pattern!   Find a dress, pattern, painting to inspire you to create a mani to match. Please also post a photo of the inspiration. I had made a previous attempt that was a FAIL . I thought I would try a different pattern but after some thought (& time on YouTube) I wanted to try the same pattern. I've been hearing about the Led Lighting Technique for about a month. This video helped me to better understand what exactly it is. It's a stained glass effect. Why they call it Led Lighting makes no sense to me but whatevs. In case you didn't see my FAIL post my inspiration is my new Victoria's Secret Forever Sexy Convertible Halter Bikini in the Blue Paisley print. Not the easiest print to replicate but I love the colors.  I applied 2 coats of China Glaze, White On White to all my nails and let it dry completely. I stamped on the Paisley Print Image from Bundle Monster Plate BM-315 using Barielle's Tres C...

I recently made a HUGE Bear Pawlish haul; 10 polishes . I just couldn't resist the colorful holos and of course the name won me over (My pet name for my husband is Bear). It's been awhile since an indie really peaked my interest but I was stalking the website & Facebook group relentlessly. Luckily, I didn't have to battle any re-stock madness. Happy, Happy, Happy. This beautiful cobalt blue holo is called Maleficent . Have you seen the movie? I have not. I will probably wait to rent it. I heard it was excellent but I'm not a fan of Angelina Jolie so I'll wait.  But this polish is excellent. Coverage was great in 2 easy coats and dried pretty quickly. I didn't need to use an Aqua Base or anything special. I did get a brush that had a few strange strands sticking out but I simply turned the brush to avoid those. This is a little on the thick side but application was still nice & easy. The holo is not a super strong holo but is still noticeable and very pre...

I've got the latest collection from Barielle for you today; The Keys Collection. A warm, sun-filled, tropical collection. Perfect for your paradise vacation! Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Hawaiian Sunset, Topless In St. Tropez, Panama Piña Colada Miami Heat, Paradise In The Tropics, Barefoot In Bermuda Let's start with my favorites: Hawaiian Sunset - A vibrant saturated orange with gold shimmer. 2 coats to opacity; great formula. Gonna love wearing this one! It's no secret I love orange and I've been waiting for Barielle to give me a polish like this. Fire Me Up is slightly deeper and lacks shimmer. Topless In St. Tropez - A pretty coral that leans more pink with a very soft silver shimmer. Another great formula that was opaque in 2 coats. I also love corals so this is another I will love wearing. It's a pinker version of Blossom . Panama Piña Colada - A creamy, soft yellow creme. Swatches show 2 coats but I did them on the thick side because yellows have a typi...

I recently found out The Body Shop discontinued one of my favorite lipsticks: The ColourGlide Lipstick in Rose Pink (07). It's a great 'My Lips But Better' color that I reach for over & over.  The Body Shop introduced a new line to replace the ColourGlide line; Colour Crush Lipsticks . I thought I would try out a few of the new lipsticks and see if I could find a close match for Rose Pink. ColourGlide Shine Lip Color in Iced Violet (05) Colour Crush Lipstick in Coral Blush (110), Red Hot Raspberry (201), & Coral Kiss (315) Lip Liner in Beech (02) Lip Line Fixer Some ColourGlide Lipsticks are still available on the website (although I don't know for how long) and I picked up one from the ColourGlide Shine Collection which is Iced Violet (05). This is a gorgeous soft plum (cool toned) with gold shimmer. So pretty and unique in my lipstick collection. You can wear it sheer or build it up. It's very glossy and applies smoothly. It's definitely not long wea...

Due to circumstances outside of our control the Polish Swap Society's Nail Art Challenge will experience a bit of a delay. The last two challenges will be done every two weeks. That turned out to be a good thing because I had an idea to try a new stamping technique as seen here but it turned out not so great!  I was lucky enough to get a new Victoria's Secret Swimsuit  (in zither Blue Paisley print) and I loved the pattern so much I wanted to try to replicate it for the challenge. Using Bundle Monster Plate BM-315, the paisley print image, I stamped Barielle's Tres Chic onto my stamper and let it dry. Tres Chic is a very dark navy blue with a touch of purple to it. It's a cream and very opaque. I filled in parts of the image using my smallest dotting tool with Barielle's Peach Popsicle which is peachy coral cream and Illamasqua's Cameo which is a periwinkle blue cream. I then allowed this plenty of time to dry on the stamper. I painted my nail stick with on...

I'm back with Week 6 of the Polish Swap Society Nail Art Challenge! This weeks theme is:  I AM SO SPACED OUT! Pastel Galaxy nails sound fun for spring/summer right? Using this tutorial, create a set of galaxy nails! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZGHOIsMmxA I just got Spellbound Nails , Visions of Sugar Plums in a swap with a fellow member of the Polish Swap Society and I thought it would make for a great base color for this challenge. It's a very pretty dusty purple jelly with what looks to be small and medium matte white hexagons. It also has either matte white or silver stars; I'm not 100% sure because the base actually covers them and makes them look light purple. The formula was pretty thick so I applied each coat nice and slow to get even coverage. I used 2 medium coats but luckily it didn't take too long to dry and it was pretty opaque after 2 coats. I did have to fish to get the stars out but it wasn't too difficult. Lots of shaking and turning the bottle...