Tag Archives: Pop Beauty

Born Pretty Store Review: Mixed Metals Foil Transfer Stickers

23 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews

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Provided for review. All opinions are my own.

I have another (Born Pretty Store) review for you today but for a completely different product. I saw a Youtube video a long long time ago featuring nail foils. I could not decide whether I liked the idea or not. On one hand, it is VERY RA-friendly. On the other hand, the final nail art looks kind of messy and unintentional. I know, I know, sounds strange coming from the girl who loves abstract nail art! I do not really know how to explain it, but something about foil nail art does not look right.

I was always curious so I thought this was the perfect time to try them! BPS has a huge selection, something like 27 colors, of these (nail art) foil papers so there is something for everyone…as long as you like metallics, of course!

I hope you find this review helpful!

 

nail foils

Nail Foil #27

The above picture also links to the product’s webpage.

The foil comes in a plastic tub with a screw-off lid. The product measures about 44 inches, which I was really surprised about because I did not read the product description, as per usual. When I first saw the product I thought it was only the diameter of the jar so I was very happy when I realized how much there actually was!

 

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For this look:

 

I used 2 coats of Wet n Wild Black Creme as my base.

I used Color Club Warhol and Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot for the sugar-spun.

Application and Thoughts:

Wait until the last coat of polish is slightly dry and tacky. Gently apply the foil over the nail with the color face up. Quickly lift the foil off the nail.

I watched a couple of videos where people were able to apply the foil to the entire nail and pull it off. However, when I used this method, I also removed the polish. I had more luck applying the foil to smaller areas instead.

The foil was very easy to use. I did experience a great deal of trial and error figuring out how tacky and dry the polish had to be and ended up with bald spots. I just re-applied the nail polish and foil. The polish had to be on the drier side of tacky so this technique worked well for me.

The used spots of the paper became clear so it was easy to not re-use spots.

 

nail foil close upWhile this was a very easy and quick nail art technique parts of it were tedious. It took multiple attempts to build up the color and it was difficult to foil the edges of the nail. Regardless, it was not time-consuming so I did not mind the extra work. I think with a little practice I will not have to “re-touch” as much.

 

I recommend the foils unless you are not a fan of abstract nail art since there is no way to get a structured look with these. As I worked with these I think I realized why I did not like them at first. I do not like the look of bigger chunks. I much rather like the look of the smaller particles that mimic a flakies top coat! I guess that is personal preference, though. What do you think? Have you tried these foils? Which look do you prefer?

One jar of foil (or ~44 inches) retails for $1.50 at the Born Pretty Store website.

If you decide to place an order do not forget to apply my discount code below!

 

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Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

52-Week Pick n Mix Challenge: Three Shades of Blue

07 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by in Nail Art

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Check the sidebar for more information on this challenge.

My participation in this updated challenge has definitely been spotty. I am hoping to participate more regularly in the future, though! Every week there are two prompts. You may choose to do both over the week, only one or a combination. I generally choose one or the other but I may try my hand at a combination!

I hope you like my “three shades of blue” manicure…I thought a “Picasso-Swirl” would work perfectly for this!

3 Shades of Blue Picasso Swirl | The Rite of AgingI started with 3 coats of the long neglected Urban Outfitters Mystic as my base.

I swirled with a toothpick, Anise Neon Blue, Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot and Essie No Place Like Chrome. I first placed dots of every color on each nail. I allowed the polish drops to dry slightly before I dragged the toothpick back and forth through them. I continued to apply polish in stages until I was happy with the final result.

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

31DC2014 – September 21: Inspired by a Color

21 Sunday Sep 2014

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I got my new Mundo de Unas stamping polishes in the mail and wanted to try out the blue so I built the color palette around that one polish. That falls under “inspired by a color”, right?

I wanted to water-marble again and I was so happy I did! It looked like a true water marble! Now, if I could only get them in the same direction!

The type of polishes I use really make a difference. I know Sammy from the Nailasaurus typically uses Barry M polishes so I gave mine a try. Wow. They work so well! True marbling is not as RA-friendly as messy marbling since it requires more precision. I only did my middle and ring nails because my fingers and wrists are flared.

I hope you like it!

 

31DC2014 - September 21: Inspired by a Color | The Rite of Aging…EarlyI used 3 coats of American Apparel Parakeet as my base.

I marbled with Orly Bonder, Barry M GNP 14/Key Lime, MNP 10/Cancun, and Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot (unfortunately, Pacific Hoot got kind of eaten up when I made the rings). I sealed the designs with Seche Vite before applying a generous coat of INM Northern Lights (Silver).

I stamped with MoYou London plate 04 from the Princess collection and Mundo de Unas stamping polish 4/Blue.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Check out the other colorful manicures below!

#31DC2014 – September 9: Rainbow

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

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For someone who loves neons, colors and brights it is a surprise I have so much trouble with rainbow prompts. As you know, I am not a fan of the traditional rainbow scheme but it is the only inspiration that comes to mind. Many people did lovely sugar-spins and gradients and everything else I could think of so I was at a loss. Of course, it isn’t a problem to do the same thing as other people and it is bound to happen during a daily challenge but who wants to look at the same thing multiple times?

I was literally sitting on the floor at 8pm staring at my nail polishes and other art tools and my brain shut off. I had no idea what to do. I turned around and put away my new shoelaces which had just come in from Converse when it hit me. Inspiration from my shoelaces (You’ll see what I mean below!) Not exactly “rainbow” but it will do for being totally stuck on a prompt for two days!

I hope you like it! Apologies on the sub-par photograph. I could not get my camera to focus on both the shoelace and nails, I tried to choose one that sort of showed both. In retrospect, I should have chosen the nails over the laces. Oh well, lessons for next time!

 

DSCF0848_fotor-001I used 2 coat of Wet n Wild Black Creme.

I dotted with Color Club Poptastic, Wham! Pow!, Almost Famous, Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot and Revlon Gel Envy High Stakes. I was thrilled to find I had the exact nail polish matches for each color on the laces. The teal photographed bright on the laces but please take my word for it, they are matches!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Check out the other rainbow manicures below!

#31DC2014 – Day 5: Blue Nails

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Nail Art

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I can’t wait until tomorrow to post this! I was on a roll today and knocked out two manicures…Have you ever done a manicure and it came out EXACTLY the way you hoped? This manicure was exactly that.

I saw it, I did it, I loved it!

I cannot stop looking at my nails.

This is my second attempt at gradient stamping and I am so thrilled with how they mix in the middle. The blue and white look so cool together! Eep! I’m really digging today’s design! I was inspired by one of my first nail arts (Smile Like You Mean It, linked here) but if I do say so myself, I have gotten better at cleanup and sponge gradients!

 

I hope you like it as much as I do!

#31DC2014 September 5: Blue Nails | The Rite of Aging...EarlyI used 3 coats of Milani Power Periwinkle as my base. I do not know why but it did not reach full opacity until the third coat, even with thicker application.

For the gradient, I used a makeup sponge, (from cuticle to tip) Milani Power Periwinkle, Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot, and Urban Outfitters Blue Velvet.

I sealed the gradient with INM Out the Door top coat. I don’t particularly like this top coat because it smears my nail art but it is perfect for blurring gradients.

I stamped with Milani Peacock (I am running out and can’t find it anywhere…this is one of my favorite blues!!), butter London Cotton Buds and Bundle Monster plate BM-304.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Check out the other blue manicures below!

The Crumpet’s SIMPLES Challenge – Week 10: Watercolor Base

29 Friday Aug 2014

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I am so behind on all the challenges due to my unstable symptoms. I better whip myself into shape because the 31-Day Challenge starts on MONDAY! I did every single prompt on the right day last year. Let us hope I continue the streak this year!

Below is my watercolor base for the SIMPLES challenge this week. It also serves as my blue base for the MoYou London contest on Instagram. I know there are a range of opinions on the company right now but I like contests and I really like their plates. I just won’t “push the company forward” in my blog posts! Less work for me, right?

 

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I included the picture I uploaded to Instagram. I used Milani Black Swift to stamp on my left hand and Konad Special Polish Black on my right. Reasons below!

DSCF0690_fotorI used 2 coats of Sephora Formula X Thrilling as my base. I was not feeling stark white because of my swollen fingers. White makes my nails look shorter and exacerbates swelling in photographs. Maybe that is just me?

I “water-colored” with Milani Power Periwinkle, Pop Beauty Pacific Hoot, and Anise Neons Make Waves.

I stamped with MoYou London plate 09 (Suki Collection) and Milani Black Swift. I switched to my Konad polish for the left hand because there was a lot of clean up on the stamper and Milani dried too quickly. I loved stamping with my Milani polish but I was not working quickly enough to get a crisp image.

I topped everything with Seche Vite.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

The Crumpet’s Tri-Polish-Tuesday Challenge – August #2: Blue, Yellow, Red

13 Wednesday Aug 2014

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I did this manicure yesterday but by the time I took and edited the pictures it was 11:30 and I was too tired to write a corresponding post.

I wanted something quick and relatively RA-easy so I went with a simple dotticure. Unfortunately, as the Orencia fades, my fingers are getting more and more shaky and weak. Yay for non-uniform dots! #RAfriendlynailart.

I toyed with using the same polishes as last week since I like primary colors together but then I decided to go neon…of course.

It was not until way after finishing this manicure I got that nagging feeling telling me I had done this manicure before. Thankfully, I haven’t but I did do something similar for another TPT back in April! (linked here) I am not happy with that nail art and think today’s came out much better!

I hope you think so too!

 

DSCF0525_fotorI used 3 coats of American Apparel Neon Yellow as my base.

I dotted with American Apparel  Neon Red and Pop Beauty  Pacific Hoot.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

Check out the other tri-polish manicures below!