All About Water Decals | Nail Art

Looking for fun and cheap ways to accessorize your nails?  Want it fancy?  Not a good free hand painter?  Lacking nail art ideas?

Have you heard/tried water decals nail art?
Please read more below to see if you'd like to try it.

Easy Painted Flowers Nail Art | Water Decals Nail Art First Impressions

What do you think of this nail art design?
It's shaped like a heart, all my love for you my dear nail art lovers :-)

Ever wish you could paint your nails as lovely as some artist does?  Well, they can paint the Michaelangelo on their little canvasses, their nails... and my, are they ever pretty!!!  But many of us are not that talented.  Thankfully, don't despair, technology had made it so possible to mimic such gorgeous designs so that we can just stick them to our nails and have them looking fabulous in no time.   Please continue reading to see more photos and first impressions.

Fingerpaints Gel Polish Starter Kit and LED Lamp | Updated Product Review

Here's my gel nails with the Hopewell Rocks in the background.
Hopewell Rocks is located at the Fundy National Park, New Brunswick

A girl going on vacation? How about a busy mom who toggles between the home, kids and maybe even a job outside the home?  Or a modern lady that's multi-tasking between so many activities that time seems to run out so fast? Manicure, what? Ain't no time for that??? Well, you probably heard about gel polish before? An instantly dry manicure that you can wear for up to two weeks - so they claim. It is also claims to have great shine and durability - you can wash the dishes, clean, do laundry,... They say, just go about your daily life and not worry a single bit about your nails?  But then you also hear about horror stories about how it damages the nails?!?  Hmmm....

To have gel polish nails or not? 

Jamberry Nail Wraps Sample Sheets

Hello my dear friends!  Today I want to share with you photos of the Jamberry samples that I received in my nail mail recently. I included the contact information (business card info) of the kind ladies who sent me samples so that you can contact them if you are interested in Jamberry as well.

Keep Your Hands Satin Smooth by using HAND CREAMS | What is your favorite Hand Cream?

 

How do you prefer your nails?  How about your skin?

Natural, with no polish?  Or do you like experimenting with different nail polishes and nail art?  No matter what we wear on our nails, or no matter how old we are, our manicure (or natural nails) would look prettier and more crisp if the surrounding cuticle is healthy and our hands well nourished.  Not to mention, we ladies love to give each other a soft touch or a pat in the back (how about a handshake?) 

So, how do we keep our hard working hands happy and beautiful?  Please continue reading for some hand pampering tips and some hand cream reviews.

"Born Pretty Store" | Nail Art Store Review

Born Pretty Store is an online store where you can find most anything that you need for nail arts - and more (make-up, jewelries... etc, etc)!  I first came acquainted with them on Ebay a few years ago where I purchased some nail art tools and I gave them a 5 star!  It was worth it.

Not too long ago, I purchased this "nail shield" directly from their website.  Initially, I sort of regretted that.  I thought that there's no way I could get a great service now as they are not scared of the Ebay rating system...  Much to my disappointment, the nail shield that was sent to me was not at all in good condition. You can see from the photos below.

Party's Over | Julep Glitter Remover

Glitter mani is on the rise.  It has gained much popularity nowadays.  

No surprise there, I think. All girls have sparkle in them.  

Don't we just love things that shine?
There is an abundance of glitter designs that can inspire us.  

But many, myself included, shy away from it because of the removal annoyance.  

Yes, it's not that easy to remove a glitter mani.  

I wanted to try this product for a long time now.  But I waited for good sales to grab one.  

Yay me!!! When the price was right, I ordered it and now it's finally here.  

Let's see how it works, shall we?

Fingerpaints Gel Polish and LED Lamp

FINGERPAINTS Gel Nail Polish
and LED Lamp Review
sold at Sally's Beauty Supply

Starter Kit includes: Cleanser, Acetone
Full size bottles of Bonder, Basecoat, Topcoat and Cuticle Oil
The LED Lamp (sold separately) comes with AC/DC adaptor.
I used the Konad set to place some designs. 
The other 4 bottles of polish were bought separely.

        This is my first experience when it comes to gel polish.  I have heard many things about gel polish, not only wonderful things about it but also regrets. Add the salon price in the equation and there I run away saying, "I'll go home and do my own nails with regular polishes."

     Then why now? Well, my ever wonderful mother, and sister-in-law gave me this lovely set as a gift! (There's my Disclaimer, winkie, winkie ;) Having my own set and being able to do it at home made all the difference in the world.  Yes, I got to try gel nail polish finally.  And how do I feel about it?  Let's get down to business, mohohaha...

     This kind of gel polish applies like regular polish.  Yay!  That makes it super easy.  And with the Konad Stamping Set, it became even more enjoyable.  But you will need the LED lamp in order to cure/dry it.  UV Lamps work too.  Here's a brief list of pros and cons I enjoyed or encountered with my first experience with gel polish, specifically, the Fingerpaints brand sold exclusively at Sally's.

Here are some of the designs I did with my girlfriends using FingerPaints
gel polish and Konad Stamping Nailart set.

PROS:
     1.  Since it applies like regular polish, it is super easy to use.
     2.  It does last for a long time without chipping!  So you can enjoy your hard-worked nailart longer.
The gel is very durable. (Super-PRO)  My only thing was, my nail growth was very visible, a blank space between my polish and my cuticles which is in my opinion very unsightly. (hmm isn't that a con? winks... that could only be avoided if the nail does not grow... so it's not a con, lol)
     3.  Cheaper than most gel polishes in the market.
     4.  I can't get over how there's no more waiting for it to dry!  Zero dry time. No smudges and chips! (You do need to cure each layer with the LED lamp for 30 seconds, but that's it.  A total of 8 minutes to cure all fingers! You can instantly enjoy your nails or work with your hands.  How do you like that compared to almost an hour dry time with regular polish?)
     5.  If you have dry nails, the gel polish really stays put beautifully.  (If you have oily nails like those of little girls, the gel polish will peel off prematurely.  But that's ok, just do it again with a different color and design, hahaha)

Here's a comparison of the freshly painted gel polish nails
and at the end of the 7th day (1st week)
It's in perfect shape!  No chip nor signs of wear.
Just the visible growth of the nail bed.
Constant use of the cuticle oil maintained my fingers health.

CONS:
     1.  If you have oily (healthy nails) the gel polish does not stick very well. You may be able to just peel it off after a few days.  (Some would consider that as an advantage given the next con :)
     2.  It is a royal pain to remove it.  The very advantage you have of being able to wear your gel manicure for 2 weeks is your very own nemesis during removal.  It is recommended to soak your nails in Acetone for 15 minutes or more to remove the gel "without damage."  So get your favorite show on TV since this will force you to relax (PRO)
     3. Following the removal instructions will preserve your nails.  The Acetone is harsh and it can leave your nails dry and brittle.  So you need to give your nails a break from gel polish now and then to recover.  Apply plenty of moisturizers or the cuticle oil that came with the set.  And drink lots of water to keep your nails flexible and healthy.

     Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the gel polish.  I did my laundry, dishes, cleaned the house, cleaned my yard... just to test its durability.... and woa!!! The nails are in perfect shape! I look forward to using it when going on vacations or when I foresee a very very busy 2 weeks ahead. I would totally wear it on a very special weekend when you want to have fancy nails and don't want to worry about its upkeep.  To enjoy such would be worth the trouble of removing it after :)  Wohooo!

I removed my gel polish after 1 week out.
Yes it was early, I just wanted to try out the process of removal.
My nails were in good shape even after soaking in Acetone for
15 minutes.  See how shiny it is here?  Buffed it good and applied cuticle oil.

  More tips:  Use lint free cotton pads or paper towel to cleanse nails.  Lint can ruin your manicure and contaminate your polish. If you have more tips and suggestions, kindly leave a comment below.  Have a great and beautiful day everyone!
Make sure you apply the polish only on the nail bed and nothing on the skin.  If there are any booboos, cleanse first before curing.  Excess polish cured on the skin or cuticles will cause lifting and peeling.


All the designs you see here I did with my girlfriends with this same set.  Some of them just peeled off the gel polish after 10 days without damage :) Cool huh?

If you have any questions or suggestions, kindly leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  Ciao bellas!

To watch my haul please follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRq3OqixP9U


Disclaimer:  The products discussed in this article are private purchases and  not company-gratuities.