snailze

O.P.I's Hong Kong Collection!

2010-05-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

Above: Rocks! The Dim Sum plum which is actually a fuschia shade of pink is awesome! Love it to the max. And it looks really good on Asian skin. Will upload picture of my own nails later! I'm crazy for it at the moment.

Saw the colour on a friend's fingers and instantly fell in love with it but because I'm slightly tanned skin, I thought it might not suit me. But I suppose an Asian range suits asian coloured skin tones better than the European range and it was indeed gorgeous!

Another colour I saw on a friend's finger but have yet to try is Jade is the New Black which is an emerald looking colour. Glossy like the Dim Sum Plum and absolutely gorgeous too! I'll be trying that the next time I go around to change my colour.

However, not all the colours are suitable for all asian skin tones. I tried out A Good Man-darin
is Hard to Find and it was a bit too warm for me.

Love the former two colours, to the max! I'll recommened that you try it out before it runs out. When I was at the nail saloon (Madeline @ The Gardens Mid Valley), they were running out of it already so the nailist had to add thinner to the colour. Well, still thinking of buying a bottle for keeps!

Madeline Nails and Waxing Saloon

RM 20 Change of Colour (Inclusive of filing and shaping)

RM 40 Pedicure

*P.S.- Look for Sally...she's awesome with pedicures! :)

Baby's Breath...

2008-06-19T05:51:00.001-07:00

Art Pen again...but I love the effect. So graceful especially the green swirls... Love this light blue almost-there nails with white flower petals at the side and leafy greens. The diamantes add a bit of shine just at the corners of the nail...so demure!

Black Butterfly

2008-06-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

Nice contrast of colour. Green, white and black...using Art Pen to draw these as well. I really am so addicted to art pen. Compared to drawing with a brush, it's much faster and it produces a shinnier outcome! And it's faster too. But of course it's not for every art piece. Flower, petals, leaves and swirls are great when using it but not so much with the intricate painting stuff.

Pink

2008-06-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

Nail art using Art Pen instead of a brush. Again the round petals from the flowers are as per the previous blog's technique using nail polish to give a high shine. But the swirls and leaves are done using Art Pen which is the substance that is alike nail polish. So super shiny compared to when nail art is drawn with acrylic paint.

I see red!

2008-06-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

A bright piece with lots of white and some red flowers and diamantes in the center of each flower. Fully in nail polish. Does not have any acrylic paint thus the shine. Technique, using the round tips of nail polished brushes to create the extremely round petals. Dots are dotted with the dotting pen to make precise circles. Red french tips against a white background.

Double Layered 3Ds

2008-06-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

Layers of acrylic powder against each other to create this bloom. Flower petals are 2 toned with white and yellow tips. The green leaves are almost transparent. Like cherry blossoms...

Pinkalicious

2008-06-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

3D nail art with white flowers and diamante. Shockingly Sweet!

Black and White

2008-06-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

Flatter Flowers with the 3D effect by just painting the tips with 3D flowers. Sort of like a French styled nail but instead of painting the tips white this was the result. A bit Chanel!

3D Flower Art

2008-06-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

More Flowers but this piece has a softer look as the base has acrylic art flowers drawn before the 3D flowers come on board. So sunshiny and happy! I like! :)

3D Flower Art

2008-06-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

Again attempting the hard stuff. Acrylic nail art is like building flowers out of powder. Like making the flowers that you see on your birthday cakes. Here are two more attempts. Getting better but can be finer indeed.

So Chic!

2008-06-19T05:16:00.000-07:00

I love this...Don't you think it's so adorable? I *Heart*! Pastel with tiny bikinis, sling bags and shoes. It's just so girly and adorable! The nail art topped with the diamantes are just fabulous!

Oopsie Daisy..

2008-06-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Flowers are a girls best friend! So they say aside from diamonds. I love this one...the flowers in white stand out so bright against this peachy background. So flowery and beautiful. Very womanly I'd say! And one of the nicest to paint. Like daisies :)

Strawberry Delight

2008-06-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

Some food...sweet! If the base colour for the nails were white, I think the red juicy strawberries would have stood out more! So cute but so unfortunate that this picture is a bit...dull! But nonetheless, good attempt at painting fruits! :) I shall try cherry next ;)

Summer Holiday

2008-06-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

A Carribean Holiday...think Pina-Coladas and leis on the beach. Sunset and seagulls...the light touch of sea salt on your lips and hair...and the waves brush against your ankles as they tease you when they wash up to shore...

Midnight Rendevous

2008-06-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

A dark piece with a snow wolf. A silent night in the middle of a cold winter...winds howling and wolves a-calling...stars light up the skies with their sparkling and twinkling dance.

Animal Kingdom

2008-06-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

It's a forest out there with these two tough ones. Nice piece of art but not really for all. Sunset in the African Desert...Love the orangy sky and silhouttes of the girrafes. For the wild at heart on a holiday to the Sahara.

3D Flower Art

2008-06-19T04:44:00.000-07:00

I hate doing 3D art with acrylic. I find it the toughest and good thing most Malaysians don't like 3D flowers like the Japs. Most guy friends say they look like you've got an alien growing on your finger nails. What do guys know, huh?

Attempted blue flowers with white diamantes. Tips are sealed with black shimmering flakes although they can't be seen in this picture.

Swirls

2008-06-19T04:40:00.000-07:00

This gotta be the most fun thing I've learnt at nail class. You get to do these swirls in the water, dip your nails in and voila, you get artsy looking swirls of paint on your nails. On fake nails, they are nice but on real nails, keep in mind that your fingers gonna be getting them as well.

Ring-a-ring-a-roses

2008-05-09T04:05:00.000-07:00

Finally got back into the momentum of practicing my nail art. I know I'm not the best, so I'm not sure if I'm embarassing myself by putting up my horrible art. Afterall, nobody's interested in nail art in Malaysia anyway. Hardly anyone appreciates this tedious work. But yar, I enjoy it to bits. Instead of painting on my murals, I prefer using minute and fine tip brushes to make out these little paintings.

So, here are some on roses. After months of drawing flowers, I decided to try my hands on these romantically prefer floral species. The petals are harder to draw and thus require a tad more control with the brush strokes. But they are gorgeous.

Above: Vampy red nails with "Chanel" roses on the sides. So simple and elegant! And red is so daring! I like!

Above: Sweet pink shaded nails with french white tips plues roses on the sides. Perfect for a bride. Wedding bells...

Above: Another attempt at roses...love the pale almost transparent baby blue shade on this. Got it from MAC. You can even see a bit of my blue tac on that I've stuck on the bottom. But lovely! So demure!

O.P.I Designer Series

2008-02-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with the new O.P.I designer series and their diamond dust. Love, love, love! This is by far my favourite coour. Dusty pink with a slight goldish shimmer. The diamond dust really shimmers and the nail polish last about 2 weeks without chipping. The base coat and top coat for this series also adds to the shine and lustre.

Must have!

Nail Decals

2007-10-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

I recently got a request from a close friend to help her and her mum do their nails for her brother's wedding. Yuppers. Sure will do.

Anyways, the bride found out and wanted to have hers and both her sister's too. So I've got my hands full during that weekend.

Anyways, cause of that, I got to experimenting on some nail decals for fast application purposes- considering I'll be doing so many mani and pedis. Time constrain.

They turned out very nice!!!

Above: Perfect for the bride and bridesmaid. Just simple white with rose decals and white diamantes. RM40 extra for this baby.

Above: Sakuras in the middle of the nail with a small diamante by it's side. For a glamorous night out. RM 24 for the additional touch.

Above: This really cute assemble is my favourite. Lace and ribbons are such girly favourites! Totally love the shocking pink that is sure to sent eyes glaring at your nails. Another RM18 for the kawaii you.

Above: This detailed stickers are a sure eye catcher. Little white dots surrounded with gold dots. Fine and intricate. Just RM10 for the finer things in life.

Above: Simple flowers on the corner of your nails for that simple you. Easy to match and not too much for the day. RM 10 for blooming petals to brighten your day.

Above: Classy and simple, just a drop of diamante at the corner of your nails for a small touch of something. Add on RM 10.

Diamond Nail Polish

2007-08-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

Bronzie Nails

2007-08-10T04:13:00.000-07:00

Pedicures can last forever. So to have pretty nails that last at least two weeks is worth the money and the pampering. However, I get it for free! Cause I D.I.Y.

This lastest brown colour comes from one of the many bottles of M.A.C Nail Lacquers that I got lately. I like the texture of the nail lacquer cause it's very watery- easy to apply but then a bit to diluted like I mentioned in my previous blogging. And as you can probably see from the second picture, bubbles. Not sure why, although I didn't shake the bottle this time round. But the bubbles formed like they did on the pink nails that I did for Alena the last round using M.A.C as well. Must either be something that I'm doing that's not right, or just the nail polish itself.

I drew white coloured flowers cause they always stand out and added a bit of swirl with bronze and white diamantes. Well, it'll probably cost:

RM 45 Pedicure

RM 16 Nail Art- White Flowers

RM 20 20 pcs of Diamante

Total = RM 75

Black is in!

2007-07-30T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm predicting that Black's going to be the next 'in' colour after this season's silver... But to me I think it never really went out of style. I totally love this O.P.I black nail polish! Pair your beautifully lacquered nails with black crystal jewelries...check out www.szeaccessories.blogspot.com.

2007-07-24T02:32:00.000-07:00

This was the most recently painted nail art. I thought I'd try my hand at using the brush again. I tried doing the Indie thing with flowers and colourful lines. Quite a fun piece with a catchy look. It would most probably cost RM 80-100 for this painting.

MACing my dreams come true

2007-07-19T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm always the one with the least nail varnish colours in class cause I cannot bear to fork out RM 58 for a bottle of O.P.I. Thus I always find excuses not to do nail art.

But GUESS WHAT? I got a whole new range of lovely M.A.C nail varnishes lately from the Estee Lauder Staff Sale! I totally love them! What's cool about them is the rubber cap that allows easy grip while opening especially when there is a layer of dried nail polish on the brim of the bottle. I tried to get as many colours as I could but this is all I managed to get. My dear friend, Stephanie helped me pick them.

Besides that, the bottles have a smaller diameter so it's easy to hold for people like me with small palms.

In terms of application, I didn't quiet like the fact that it's very diluted. Usually colour application should only be 2 layers but for M.A.C. sometimes, it takes up to 3-4 layers to avoid transparency. But then again, I just bought it to practice my colour application skills and (hopefully I have time) to practice my nail art!!!

Above: An array of colours. Squeels! I'm so excited! Ok who's turn to have a mani this round?

Well, maybe I should start saving for some O.P.I... after all, I don't have white, black, brown, nude, beige, green, purple....hmmm....hahahhaha I've still got a long way to go.

Alena in Pink

2007-07-15T04:34:00.000-07:00

Latest do was for Alena (She's a pianist thus the short nails). Got this new MAC nail polish that I got from the Estee Lauder warehouse sale so I tried it on her. I also put a little pink square diamonte at the corners of her nails just to add a bit of sparkle to the otherwise plain and sweet look. Sweet! This would have cost:-

Total RM 45

Basic Manicure RM 35

Pink Diamante RM 1/each

2007-07-09T01:51:00.000-07:00

Dior Flower Nail Art

You know how Dior's always making a statement in the fashion industry, gosh they even have a signature rose. Anyway, I attempted to draw that signature rose onto nails and well, it can be better.

These handpainted black roses are painted on using, acrylic nail art paint. I used a bright red for the base but they turn out looking pinkish in this picture.

It would cost:-

RM 35 (Basic Manicure)

RM 3 (Per nail art)

2007-07-09T01:41:00.000-07:00

Christmas Quilt Nails

Ok, less diamonds and more of real "painted" art. I'm not that great with the brush but I love painting. It gives such a great sense of calm. But Sea Yen my boyfriend hates the smell of Acrylic Nail Paint.

Anyway, it really feels like Christmas everytime we see Green and Red quilts. But this one was an attempt with lines. Woa! Not simple at all. I'll try LV Nails one of these days and maybe Gucci Nails.

This would cost
RM 35 (Basic Manicure)
RM 5 (Per nail art)

2007-07-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

FAKE Nails

Yes I love BLUE!

I've loved blue since I was born.
I cannot love another colour. Boo Hooo...
I seriously do not know why.
I simply do. I just love BLUE!!

Ok, this is new! FAKE NAILS. Yes, acrylic to an extend is fake but they are like real cause they are stuck and shaped with powder to permanantly look like your real nails have...well...extended over night.

But FAKE NAILS are really fake. They are glue on using either cosmetic glue or double sided tape. Well, my experience using double sided tape was such a FLOP! Needless to say, I lost two of my fake nails..Sniff Sniff!

For this one, I used a bit of a mix with expensive crystals (Swarovski) and normal B gred crystals that look just as nice. Nail polish was O.P.I Designer series. I'm in love with their diamond dust that makes the nail polish shimmer and sparkle.

Btw, I took off my acrylics already. So, these ones you see here are so temporary. Well, like Victoria Beckam so proudly exclaimed "the only thing about me that is fake, are my nails!".

It would cost roughly:-
RM 60 (A set of fake nails with crystals)
RM 20 (To stick them on)

2007-07-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

My Purple Royal Feet

Another one of my diamante craze. I used purple for this one. See the huge diamond stud in the middle of my thumbs, surrounded with tear drop purple spikes.
This would cost:-
RM 45 (Basic Foot Pedicure)
RM 1 (Per small diamante)
RM 3 (Per big diamante)

2007-07-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

Blue Diamante Extensions

Another Acrylic Nail Extension (Did I tell you that they can last for 9 months if you keep going back to the Saloon to get an infill every two weeks?). I used the latest O.P.I Designer Series which has diamond dust in it. It's fantastic. And then put Diamantes (Swarovski Crystals) in shades of blue, baby blue and white into an arty fatsy pattern.

I did this for Sea Yen's birthday party in conjuction with the BLUE theme. View HERE to see the paty do.

This would cost:-

RM 160 (Acrylic Nail Extensions)
RM 1 (Per Diamond)

2007-07-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

Dusty Pink

I have a craze for diamantes. Not only do the SHINE and SPARKLE, they catch a lot of attention. I also love the way light just bounces of each diamond (in my case Swarovski crystals). For these nails, I did an acrylic extensions (Cause I can't seem to grow longer than usual nails) and put little white Swarovski crystals along the cuticle edge closest to the skin. And the look was SIMPLY STUNNING and BEAUTIFUL!

This would cost:-

RM 160 (Acrylic Nail Extension with normal tips)

RM 1 (Per Diamond)

2007-07-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Nail Decals

I did a free manicure for Jeanine, (Marketing Communications Exe from FJ Benjamin) using only decals (stickers) which till today is my favourite way of putting art onto nail. Cause yes...it's also the FASTEST way that is. Here, I've used an Estee Lauder nail polish in a purplish colour and stuck little rubbery pop-up flowers onto her nails. Simple and nice! Perfect for meeting the clients and getting one or two Ooh Ahhss from colleagues.

This would cost:-

RM 35 (Basic Manicure)

RM 2 (Per finger for each nail art)

RM 10 (Nail stickers)

2007-07-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

Bridal Nail Art

Acrylic nail extensions with 3D Flower Nail art (in white powder with with french tips). I did this in Shen Zhen China while testing their skills at the most complicated thing. Well, this whole process took about 3 hours...from 9pm until almost 12 midnight at one of the malls while on holiday there.

It's amazing, cause the mall has 4 level/stories of just pure manicure saloons, beauty saloons (makeup, hair, eyelash extensions and eyebrow tinting...)

Anyway, this cost me a fraction of what we usually pay here in Malaysia which came up to RM70. But of course, the quality of the handy work was nothing compared to what we get here. So, you really get what you pay for. However, just for the fun of it, it was a pretty nice wear.

Albeit all the guys asking "what's growing on your fingers?!"...I also had a lot of suprise looks from many people who almost never ever seen 3D nail art on acrylic nail extensions before.

In Malaysia, a cheap do would cost:-

RM 160 (just for acrylic nail extensions)
RM 20 (for french tips)
RM 2 (per nail for the 3D nail art)

Nail Art

2007-05-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

After endless classes of manicures and pedicure, I finally went on to nail art. Here are some amaturish designs that I've attempted. It's progressive, starting with flowers and then to animals (which I have been to affraid to start with), then to 3D art (flowers formed using acrylic and they pop out).

My very first one is this sweet pink nails with small flowers and white French tips. Perfect for a wedding. Must work on the petals though They are still not proportionate. Pardon the quality of the photos. Will take clearer ones for the next round.

Lots and lots of flowers...

Then I did other flowers...fat ones on purple French tips.

Somemore flowers, with leaves ... this was tough...see the intricate leaves.

Trying to do the cutesie ribbons...
Then I went on to do 3D nail art... First attempt at the flowers using red acrylic powder.
Lastest attempt at 3D nail art with rhinestones...