MoYou London Nail art challenge: Ice cream

Thou the nail art challenge just ended here is my post that I participated with. So the challenge was ice cream themed and it was hosted on INSTAGRAM by MoYou London. I threw my hat in the ring with this little citrus number. Thou it is an epic fail because it just does not want to look cool on the photo. 

I created a 3 colored linear gradient and stamped small citrus fruits over it but it is just not visible enough. Thou I still like how it all turned out - I know it is not a winning look because the IG talent is crazy good - but it's something cute to post anyways :)

For this mani I used Essence Love is in the air, Misslyn Mojito and Catrice Bring me peach for the gradients. I stamped the 1st layer with MoYou London Tropical 8 and Mundo de Unas Yellow. The 2nd layer is Essence stamp me!black and MoYou London Princess 11. Over it all I added some fimo slices from Bornpretty store :)

xoxo
gin

TNCC Superheroes: Gambit (X-man)

This time I decided to go more abstract with my Superhero mani. I was 1st introduced to the X-men when I was watching the cartoon on TV as a kid. And my all time favorite was Gambit. I had a big teen fan girl crush on him - I think the accent got me. Thou I never understood why was pink part of his color scheme. 

Then the movies came out and he was nowhere to be seen. He made a small cameo in one of the many Wolverine movies - but finally some good news! They are making a Gambit only movie! HURRAY! <3

This is the Gambit I saw in the cartoon as a kid and here you can see most of my inspiration for the mani.

I wanted to make a more abstract mani, therefore I decided to make my nails black and nude the way he wears his gloves. Then to coat the tips with purple glitters since his powers comes from the glow in his hands. And over it all I added a bunch of card suit designs and 3D studs since most of the time he throws cards around - I can't imagine his card budget each month ;)

For this mani I used Wet n Wild Darkest hour and Catrice Nude & rude as base. The glitters are placed from LA Girl Sputter, Golden rose Carnival no. 8 and Essence Million dollar baby. The studs are from Bornpretty store but over them I stamped with China glaze Don't make me wine and Perfet chrome pink while using MoYou London Games 2 plate. 

Here you can see part of his cameo in the movie <3

xoxo
gin

Pick N Mix challenge: Scales

This mani was in my head for quite some time and now I finally did it! OMG I love it! I just can't get enough of making stamping decals! <3 And it turns out this is a perfect summer mani - YAAASSS everything is on point today :)

Some cute koi gif so you can see my inspiration a bit :)

source: tumblr

The base for decals is Essence Wild white ways and on the accent finger it's Barry M Guava. The scales and the koi are colored in with Essence Black to the roots and Love's recipe, also OPI Where did Suzy's man-go?. The decals are made with hehe 005 and A48 stamping plates and Essence Stamp me! black polish.

And another cool koi gif - that reminds me of the coolest koi ever Tui and La from Avatar the last Airbender <3

source: tumblr

Do you guys ever feel if your nails are on point life isn't so lame after all? ;)

xoxo
gin

Ličila.si review featuring nail GEEK & Konad stamping plate

I got this amazing package from the Slovenian make up web store licila.si I love their page since most of the products they sell are not available anywhere else. They are also the supplier of Make up Revolution products. As you saw in a haul post a while back I already own a bunch of their lipsticks and loving them. 

But today I got a Make up Revolution nail polish to review and they added a Konad stamping plate. Both of the products were amazing and below you can see what I did with them. 

This is what I got - Konad image plate no.5 and Nail geek Scandal nail polish. 

Here you can see the patterns on the plate - they are mostly sports themed. 

The Nail geek Scandal polish is a dark red jelly that was easy to apply and it was opaque in one coat. Thou I added another coat for good measure. Also the brush is thin and perfect so the application is very easy. Then I used the abstract lines on the Konad plate to make a crazy chaotic pattern. There is a reason why everyone knows this brand. The plate is perfectly etched and the patterns are easy to work with. I was very happy with it since I don't own many Konad products.

To make the mani even more chaotic I added some rhinestones - and I love how these turned out <3

So to all my Slovenian readers or any swap buddies from around the world visit the amazing page Ličila.si and get your own amazing nail polish and make up products from some of the most popular brands out there. And for all you ladies who will visit the official Slovenian Make up Revolution web store I have a 17% OFF code BLOG17 :)

xoxo
gin

TUTORIAL: Sandy beach nail art

Everybody is posting their amazing summer beach manis and I decided to give it a go as well, just to find out they are very easy to make. The key is to have some time to draw on the waves or the perfect stamp that mimics that water pattern. Also since I don't own any seashell or other sea specific 3D nail decortions I decided to add just some pearls and gold particles that remind me of a hidden treasure. 

Below you can see the tutorial and maybe you can join the lets go the beach bandwagon :)

For this mani you require a sandy polish and I choose Zoya Godiva, that I think is the definition of a sandy shore. Then you require at least 2 blue polishes, the brighter they are the better but the last polish must be dark since the sea gets darker as it turns deeper. I choose Essence Goofy-blue and Catrice Pool party at night. But there where the sea meets the shore I created a thin line of foam with Essence wild white ways. For the gradient you will need a make up sponge. For the stamps I used are Essence Stamp me! white and m70 stamping plate (it's a konad dupe). Also I choose 2 3D rhinestones but feel free to use anything you like :)

Step 1: Create the gradient with the polishes you choose. Make sure the white line for the foam is the thinnest - maybe apply it on the sponge with an nail art brush. Make sure the light blues and the sand colors are the dominant stripes on the sponge. It took me 3 coats to achieve the look.
Step 2: Stamp the water lines or free hand draw them. I used a stamp but made sure that the stamp doesn't reach the sand part of the nail.
Step 3: Apply the 3D rhinestones, make sure you use a top coat or a gel top coat to seal them all in and don't lose them. I applied them in the sea part of the nail as if there is a treasure under the water. But you can also apply them in the sand part of the nail.

Here is a finished result and I love it! And it was so easy to make - if you don't like neons this is a great look for you.

This post as created for the lovely page Glam-express which is a great spot for all beauty bloggers to swap their work :)

xoxo
gin

Pick N Mix challenge: Glitter

I found this Yes Love polish a while back and it looks like Fantasy fire the glitter version I just had to take it home with me. And OFC this polish acts just like the original fantasy fire - it's sheer, magical and a bi**h to take an accurate photo of :)

I used a black base and added some stamps to make it even more magical - I mean just the bottle on the picture looks like a nail bloggers dream :)

For the base of the mani I used Essence stamp me black. Over it I added a couple of layers of Yes Love G25-6. The stamping plate I used is MoYou London Gothic 9. I created the stamping polish gradient with Kiko Lavender, Gold and Rose peonia. 

Isn't this beauty a glitter reincarnation of Fantasy fire? :)

xoxo
gin

TNCC Superheroes: Batman

The last time I tried to do a Batman mani it was not a big success. But this time I did it! I love how they turned out - these nails got everything I love - gradients, stamps, glitter and bats. And all in black, gray and yellow Original recipe Batman colors. 

I got inspired by the old movies - I love the ones made in the 90ies a lot more then the recent dark knight ones. Since the recent ones are all so serious, dark and gloomy - there is no joy left in them. Yes fine the special effects are cool but I liked the old ones better because of the villains and the vibrant designs :)

For this mani I used China glaze Yellow polka dot bikini for all the neon yellow bases. The grays I used are Zoya Godiva, Essence Moonless night, S-he stylezone no. 333. The glitters are Claire's Digi pop. The stamps are made with Essence stamp me! black, CA-34 and MoYou London Gothic 5 stamping plates. I added the water decal from Bornpretty store named C061.

Damn Batman is an 75 year old grandpapa by now ;)

xoxo
gin

Jurassic world nails

I grew up on crack that is Jurassic park and dinosaurs - ahh to be a 90ies kid again :) And today my BF got us tickets to the premiere of the new Jurassic world movie! It was amazing!!! If you plan to see it I recommend the 3D version :)

Who cares what I wore what matters is what I wore on my nails! I was so excited to do some dinosaur inspired nails that aren't to obvious and a bit more 'realistic' and I think I nailed it! They turned out quite Jurassic if I might say so myself :)

For these nails I used Wet n Wild Darkest hour as base. Over it I stamped with Mundo de Unas green, Kiko Emerald and China glaze Agro. The plates I used are BM418, QA4 and HWH05. Also I added some splattered rhinestones from Born pretty store.

In case you are still thinking about seeing the movie here is a trailer to get you going :)

RAWR!!!!
xoxo
gin

Pick N Mix challenge: Pink and lilac

I wanted to make a glitter gradient with 2 polishes filled with lilac and pink glitters. But somehow they turned out way to similar on the nail and way to hard to take a decent photo of. So to not make this a totally fail mani I stamped over with some cool plates I got and they turned OK at the end :)

To make the glitter gradient I used OPI Polka.com and China glaze Be merry, be bright. The stamps are made with Star gazer no.232 and MoYou London Gothic 9.

I hope you like it :)
xoxo
gin

TUTORIAL: Glitter placement nail art

I love glitter polishes, but I love them even more when I can control when the glitters end up. They then become a lot more complimentary to the mani while the possibilities are endless. I wanted to show you guys how easy glitter placement nail art is - don't forget you can pair it with anything - but for the purpose of this tutorial I did a very simple design :)

For this mani you will need a base polish I used China glaze What a pansy. Some type of glitter polish - I used Silly lily polish Toxic rave. A black polish with a thin brush I used L.A. Colors Art deco black. You will also need a make up sponge, a top coat polish and a brush - I recommend a flat one with a straight edge.

First lets look at China glaze What a pansy because it is such a pretty polish <3 

This is a close up of the basic process involved in this nail art. You apply the chosen glitter polish to the make up sponge and wait until most of the polish is absorbed. Then use the brush to scrape it off and apply it on the nail any place you like. You can do that with a bunch of particles or single out just one. 

Step 1: Apply base polish. 

Step 2: Create the border lines. Don't worry if they are not perfect since you will have to redo them again later.

Step 3: Apply the glitters. Once more don't worry if they go over the inner line of the border polish.

Step 4: Redo the border lines. Go over the glitters so they look even more trapped in the nail look. But this time be very precise and make sure they are even. 

Step 5: Apply a generous coat of top coat so the nail is smooth because some glitters dry in a textured surface. 

Here is the finished look and I love how it turned out. Now you know the basic and you can use this technique with any type of nail art and your glitter polishes get a whole new life :)

This post was made for the lovely ladies at Glam-express <3

xoxo
gin

LoL mani: Elise the Spider queen

Ladies I do not like spiders - they are one of those few things on this planet that make me go EIKK! But I try to get over it when I play Elise in LoL. Thou the gross factor is still very high since during the game she transforms into a giant spider with a bunch of small ones running around.

I adore her color scheme, you just can't go wrong with a black and red combination :) Check the pictures below so you can understand the inspiration behind these nails.

Elise the Spider queen

Here you can see her in both her forms - the details are amazing and her shoes are so on point *did I just made a funny?* 

For the gradient I used OPI Coca-cola red, Essence Do you speak love?, Wet n Wild Darkest hour. The stamps are made with  Color club Harp on it, Essence stamp me! black and white, Mundo de Unas Red, Kleancolor Metallic red, BM13, HD01, MoYou Back to the 20's 1, CA-34, pueen 45 and HD04. Also I added a small black rhinestone from Bornpretty store. 

Another amazing Elise picture that was part of the pre-release teasers. The colors are once more amazing and look at the cool detail in the shadow. 

Some of my favorite Elise quote during the game:
'' Pull the strings, watch them dance. ''

xoxo
gin