Sneaky Sneek-e

Essie Sleek Stick Applique in Sneek-e

I'm always looking for ways to save time on a manicure, so when I found these Sleek Stick Appliques at my local Dollar Tree, I picked up a couple of sets to test them out. I was shocked to see them on sale for $1, seeing as they retail everywhere else for $9.99, but I love a good bargain!

They come in a pack of 18, so it's pretty easy to find a size match for every nail. It also includes a rough emery board-like file. 

The directions say to peel the sticker from its backing, smooth onto the nail, and file the excess from the tip. It was easy enough. But it was pretty difficult to peel the thin sticker from the plastic sheet. I found it better to use my tweezers instead of my fingers.

Once on the nail, the stickers were easy to stretch and smooth out. I was careful not to get the sticker on my cuticle, because it was tough to file down the excess once it was stuck. 

I experienced some wrinkling around my tips, due to my rounded nails, but it was minimal. Once I got the hang of filing down the edges, the wrinkling decreased. I was scared of peeling, so I wrapped my tips with Seche Vite. I didn't want to put top coat over the whole nail, because I was afraid of warping the sticker.

Even though I sealed my edges, the peeling with these appliques was gnarly! They barely lasted 3 days! I was so disappointed, but it could have been worse...

My tip is to put a base coat of nail polish under the sticker, for both aesthetic and practical purposes; the top coat will likely seal the tips better, and if the sticker does peel, you won't be left will a bare nail.

So here's the final verdict: I love the designs of the stickers, and if I can find them again at Dollar Tree, I'll purchase more. They are not worth $9.99 at all. They would be great for a night out or special occasion, but are not built for long-lasting wear.

Bright and Sparkly V-Gaps

China Glaze Nude and Icicle, Essie Devil's Advocate, Color Club Technicolor Doll

The v-gap style has become a favorite of mine, mainly because it's easy, and I can hide imperfections easily with a cute little border along the edges. It helps to have a striper brush to do this, but with a steady hand, I think it can be done with the polish brush. Here's what I do: I make a small line in the middle of my nail, from where the tip of the "V" is, to the tip of the nail. I then connect that small line to points halfway up my nail on either side. Fill in the section, and you're done! Don't forget to wrap the tips!

Plum, silver and pink is a winning combination in my book, and this mani is proof why.

I've Got a Bag on My Hands

Full list of polishes below!

For my second style-inspired manicure (see the first here), I decided to put my purse on my nails!

I was really looking forward to this manicure because there are so many designs to choose from! I ended up choosing just five for my right hand, and diving right in!

I realize I've got a bit of work to do on my steadying my hand, but I'm unbelievably proud of the way it came out! I love the bright colors of the purse, and I think the designs translated seamlessly into a mix & match mani. (Which you all know I love!)

There isn't much else to say! If you have questions, feel free to contact me on my Tumblr page! Enjoy the photos!

List of polishes:

China Glaze Nude

Revlon Empower

Nicole by OPI Candid Cameron

China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle

Wet 'N Wild Candylicious

Sally Hansen Sun Kissed

LA Colors Circuits

Read All About It

Base: China Glaze That's Shore Bright

Polishes: China Glaze Nude, Too Yacht to Handle (Please ignore those struggling cuticles)

I did it! I finally had a couple of successful attempts at newspaper nails, and I want to share the results. For both manis, I used pages from The Bowdoin Orient. After letting my base completely dry (topcoat optional), I cut small square shapes (about 15), and dipped them in rubbing alcohol. Holding the newspaper square with tweezers, I pressed it onto my nail and held it for 20 seconds. When removing the newspaper, be sure to peel it off (do NOT wipe, otherwise the ink will smear). Seal it in immediately with a thick top coat, and repeat!

Because newspaper is so thin, I found it worked best to find text that did not have much type or ink on the back side of the page. I made that mistake, and the ink from a cartoon bled through the words I was attempting to transfer.

I love how these manis came out, but it's clear I need more practice in orienting the words. I'm glad the effect remains the same even when the words are backward!

Just Plain Sophisticated

Essie Devil's Advocate, China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle, and China Glaze Icicle

As you all know, I'm such a fan of manicures that look like they took forever, but they really didn't. That's exactly what this is! If you have a couple colors of polish, some Scotch tape lying around, and a dotting tool (or make your own, if you don't have one), you can recreate your own version of this manicure within a half hour.

Instead of using a nude polish as a base, as I did in this tape mani, I just put on a couple layers of base coat (I use OPI Matte Nail Envy), and let it dry completely before proceeding. Granted, this might not be the best option if you have staining from a previous manicure. If you do have staining, I would suggest buffing your clean dry nails just a little bit to see if you can buff away the surface stains. Too much buffing will weaken your nails, and if the stains do not readily come out, just swipe on a thin coat of a nude polish (for this look), or your favorite creme.

Once the base coat dried, I taped off the bottom half of my nails on a diagonal, and painted Devil's Advocate on my tips, enough for opacity. I recommend putting the tape on your hand before putting it on the nails, because Scotch tape will readily rip up your base coat! I loved the look with the plain plum tips, but I tested out the dots on my left hand, and loved it even more! The dots can also function to help cover up a crooked tape line, or other tiny mistakes. It's a win-win! I finished with a coat of Seche Vite, and boom! Done!

I hope you enjoy these nails! For more manicures that don't make my main blog, in addition to mani updates right after I complete them, follow me on Instagram @donithax!

Simple, Yet Jazzy Tape Mani

China Glaze Nude and That's Shore Bright!, Essie Devil's Advocate

I think it's safe to say that I love these nails! I am such a fan of the color combination; I feel like any base color besides nude would be a bit overwhelming. I used scotch tape to get clean lines (and I pressed the tape strips on my hand a few times before applying to the nail, so that it did not pull up the base) with That's Shore Bright, and was initially going to leave them just two-tone.

But I got the bright idea to add some dots where the colors meet, and I'm glad I did! I feel like they really tie everything together, and make the mani that much more sophisticated!

I just kinda went for it...

China Glaze Nude with Sally Hansen Blue Me Away!, Revlon Empower  and Essie Devil's Advocate

Yesterday, I worked on a lab report until I couldn't see straight, so I decided to take a break and do my nails (slash watch the Amazing Race season finale). All I knew was that I wanted to use the nude from China Glaze that my friend recently gave me. I then picked three contrasting colors and did whatever came to mind with a small nail art brush and my trusty dotting tools.

I like how they turned out: a bit modern, yet abstract.

in indirect sunlight

I can never resist a full hand of dots, so behold my left hand: 

They Matched My Dress, Too!

I decided to paint my nails extra-special for the Junior-Senior Ball in December! I took a cue from my dress, and painted them a nude base (Wet 'N Wild Sugar Coat), and added designs with a black striper. I love a good mix and match mani!