Saturday, November 8, 2014

This weeks creations! Roses and polka dots, summery stripes and houndstooth pattern

Hello friends!

Just a quick post today. I did 3 looks this past week, so I thought I would share them with you here. I did some stamping on one look, but for the other 2 looks, I have been working on my hand painting skills. So here they are.

My first look is the most recent. I did this one today. For this look I used one of the new holiday colors from the OPI Gwen Holiday collection. It is called, "In a Holidaze". (Keep checking back, because I have the whole collection, and will be swatching them all for you soon!)

I hand painted the roses with the same color and outlined in black acrylic. The green leaves are also green acrylic. Then I used a dotting tool to create the polka dots. The white base is OPI "Alpine Snow".


This next picture is very summery since the weather here has been in the 80's. I used China Glaze colors for this look called, "Too Yacht to Handle"(Teal), "Bottoms Up"(Pink) and "Are You Jelly"(Purple). The glitter accent is by Sally Hansen and is "Big Glitter". I hand painted the little stripes with all the colors above (minus the glitter). Then I added neon pink studs. 


Then, I added a bow later. Here is the shot with the purple box. :)
Also, this picture was taken outside. 



And lastly, my stamped design. I used OPI "Coca Cola Red" and "My Favorite Ornament"(Glitter). Added some gold studs and some black stamping with a houndstooth pattern, and viola. I really liked this look. 




Hoped you all liked seeing last weeks creations! Let me know if you have any questions! 

Have a wonderful week!!

Love, 
Shanna

Sunday, November 2, 2014

PurJoi Nail Studio Swatches and Nail Art

Hello my lovely friends!

I had the pleasure of swatching 3 colors of the new ONE-STEP Gel by PurJoi Nail Studio. I was super excited to try out this product because, well duh, its one step! No base or top coat is required! 
Awesome right!? 

It's also 3 free which means it's free of Formaldehyde, DBP, and Tolueneno and it's made here in the USA. The owner Joi is actually based here in the Bay Area! :-) 

Here are the 3 colors I swatched:



Start by cleaning you nails, filing to the shape you like, and using a fine grit file to lightly buff your nail and remove any shine.

Then use alcohol or a bonder to clean and dehydrate the nail before application.

Pick your color and start painting!

This formula is a great consistency. It isn't too thin or too thick. You get full coverage in 2-3 coats (I got it in 2 coats for all 3 colors, but added one more coat for strength.) This one-step gel does need to be cured under a UV/LED lamp for 60 seconds each coat. It drys shiny with no tackiness.

The color below is called Fairy Dust. The top picture is taken outside in the sunlight because the pictures in my light box were not doing it justice (2nd picture). It is a mauve pink and has plenty of glitter to make is shine in the light. I really like this color! Application was good, but I had a tiny bit of shrink back at the tips (but this happens with most gel polishes). Otherwise, it's brilliant!






The next color I swatched is called "Spring Break" and is a fun and bright green color. 
I really liked this color as well.  This first picture is a outdoor shot. 


And this 2nd picture is in my light box with some hand painted nail art using the 3rd gel color I will be showing you called, "Precious Moments". I didn't use a top coat which is why it has a textured look. But this was my first time doing nail art with gel and it turned out okay. Haha. 


The last color I swatched, as mentioned above is called, "Precious Moments". It is the perfect pink and I can see myself using this one often for the base of some cute nail art to come.


The color was so bright and fun, that it reminded me of flamingos.
So....I went tropical with my nail art. 



I just want to mention again, I used 3 coats in all the pictures above even though you really only need two. But if you have nails like me (thin and brittle) and need a little extra strength, use 3 coats. 

Also - PurJoi does offer a  High Gloss Clear top coat which I may need to try in the future. Even though these polishes dry glossy, I am in love with UBER glossy, and these just don't give that high shine alone. 

I found removal to be normal with any other gel polishes I have used. They soak off in 10-15 minutes. (Glitter can take up to 20 minutes) For my removal process, I first file the gel polish enough to remove the shine. Then I use a cotton ball soaked in pure acetone and wrap my nails in foil. I pull off the foil and check the polish at 10 minutes. If it doesn't come off easily, I soak an additional 3-5. 

You can go to www.PurJoiNailStudio.com to buy your polish. The price is $17.99 per bottle.  
And they ship internationally.

If you can wait until November 11th, you can get 30% off your entire order for 1 day only in honor  of Joi's Birthday! 

I hope you enjoyed seeing these swatches! I really love this product and hope to get more colors in the future to show you. PurJoi Nail Studio just launched, so I'm sure in future there will be tons more colors to choose from, though there is currently already 50! 
Go check out the website and take a looksy!

Have a great day friends! And thank you so much for reading!

Shanna