Pure Ice Nail Polish Review and Contest Giveaway Details
FTC Disclosure: These products were provided by a pr firm for review.
This weekend my sister Jolevette and I decided that instead of paining Easter eggs, we should paint our nails with polishes from Pure Ice, a line of cutting-edge nail enamels free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP. We love the trendy shade options available, and at $1.97 each, Pure Ice polishes are an affordable option for salon-quality polishes and gorgeous hues, without breaking the bank.
Now through April 19th, Pure Ice will be hosting a giveaway (details below), where fans will have the opportunity to submit their best spring-inspired manicure for a chance to win 20 bottles of the brand’s polishes. Inspired by this idea, we created our best spring nail look using After Hours, an electrifying pink shade, with a high-shine finish.
Pure Ice in After Hours. Nail design by Jolevette.
Interested in entering the contest? See below for details. xoxo
Green Nail Design for St. Patrick’s Day
Jamberry nail wraps are a fun way to spice up your style with innovative and creative designs. With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, we decided to test out one of the green and white designs as an ode to the holiday.
Final nail look using Jamberry nail designs
Here’s how to add some spunk to your nails:
1. Clear nails of all polish with nail polish remover; buff and smooth with a nail file. The Jamberry instructions suggest that you again clean your nails with nail polish remover, but you can skip this part. As long as your nails are dry and oil free, you should be fine.
2. Find your nail size. Instead of going in the order the nail wraps are on the sheet, size your nails up individually under the plastic to find the closest fit. Not all packages come with the same sizes. Some packages come with round and square nail beds.
Tools you need to get the job done
3. Once your size is selected, heat with a blow dryer for 10-15 seconds. It should become warm and flexible.
4. Place sticker on nail and firmly smooth over entire nail.
5. Cut sticker to your nail length and file to your nail shape.
6. Heat again with blow dryer and press firmly to seal.
7. Done! Now you are ready for the parade!
If you don’t file properly, you will have sharp edges, as seen here.
Although we thought our nails came out looking amazing and received tons of compliments, there is a slight learning curve that comes with using the nail wraps. Here are some helpful notes:
1-Make sure you really smooth the sticker at the tip of the nail. Failure to do this will lift the sticker off the nail.
2-It is tiring to do the first hand, but after the first 5 fingers, it becomes easy to do, so don’t give up!
3-By day two, the top nail film started coming off the sticker. Therefore, it’s our opinion that these nails are more suited for one-time events such as weddings, dates or fun events like the one featured for this posting: St. Patricks’ Day!
Note: we received the nail wrap used for this article in a gift bag at the Duane Street Bloggers Lounge in February 2013
Post by Delia and Jolevette
Halloween Nail Art From Illamasqua
My favorite time of year is coming up in a few short days- Halloween! This blog was founded on that spooktacular holiday two years ago, and what better way to get in the spirit than to make sure that our nails are painted with creative Halloween designs.
British beauty brand Illamasqua’s US Nail Art Ambassador Fleury Rose came up with three DIY nail art designs, featuring Illamasqua’s highly pigmented, long-wearing Nail Varnishes. Below are the step-by-step instructions on how you can get the looks.
Evil Eye
Illamasqua products used: Nail Varnish in Scorn, Scorch and Serenity (top coat optional)
Tools needed- Dotting tool, tooth pick
1. After applying base coat, paint nails with two coats of Scorn black matte polish. Allow nails to dry for 3-5 minutes
2. Pour out a small amount of scorch onto tin foil. Dip the large end of a dotting tool into white polish and dot onto nail. Repeat step 3 times on each nail. (Pro tip: if polish gets stringy, pour a fresh puddle of Scorn onto foil and continue process.) Allow white dots to dry 3-5 minutes.
3. Pour a small puddle of Serenity onto foil. With the small end of a dotting tool dip into rubber blue polish and dot in the very center of each white circle. Repeat on each nail. Allow to dry 3-5 minutes
4. Dip the point of a tooth pick into Scorn and gently dot a tiny black point into the center of each eye.
5. After drying add optional top coat for a shiny finish, or stay matte.
Vampire’s Kiss
Illamasqua products used: Nail Varnish in Aorta and Boosh, Precision ink in Scribe
Tools needed- small brush
1. After applying Base coat, paint nails with two coats of Aorta and let dry 3-5 minutes
2. Dip small brush in Boosh, and paint a tiny triangle at the top of the nail. This will create the bow of the lips.
3. Next, paint an oval shape in the center of the red nail to create the opening of the mouth.
4. Allow to dry for 5 minutes (Pro tip: Allowing polish to dry before drawing on nail is very important, or you may smudge the whole thing and ruin your design!)
5. Draw on fangs and lip highlight with Precision ink in Scribe. Precision ink can be layered over its-self to create desired opacity of white.
6. Allow precision ink to dry 3-5 minutes and apply Top Coat.
Witching Hour
Illamasqua products used: Nail Varnish in Phallic, DWS, Scorch and Blow
Tools needed- Small brush, disposable makeup sponge
1. After applying Base Coat, Apply one thick coat of Phallic. (Pro tip: Do not worry about getting this layer completely even, it will add dimension to the sky we are creating!) 2. Allow this layer to dry 3-5 minutes. Dip the small brush in Blow and create a tiny crescent moon. Next dot on very tiny stars with the tip of the brush.
3. Allow to dry at least 5 minutes.
4. Pour out a small puddle of Scorch, then a small puddle of DWS next to it so they are touching.
5. Dip the corner of your makeup sponge into the polish so you get a little of each color on the sponge. Gently dab on clouds.
6. Allow to dry 3-5 minutes, and apply Top Coat.
