There Will Be Stud

Today I have the final item from Lady Queen I received to review. It's pretty much an assortment of studs. You have a wide variety of shapes, everything from your classic squares, circles and triangles, to stars and hearts.

This is a great set, you get loads of different designs, and you also get a good amount of each. Application was easy, I just used a dotting tool and dipped it in clear polish(although I think I want one of those placement pencils for nail art because sometimes you can see the clear polish on the studs). The studs held firm and didn't give me any problems. My only issue was because I used so many studs that were clustered together, but not touching, topcoat was a bit iffy. It was hard to go over the whole thing without using a super thick coat. But that would have happened had I used any studs the way I did here.

Overall I think these are fantastic, and  can't wait to see what else I can do with these designs! If you also would like to give these a go, head on over to Lady Queen where you can grab them for $4.58 USD. And you can also add Varnished Valkyrie's 15% discount code 'LAKS15' to add some saving on top of that!

Oh and If you were wondering what the base was it's Rimmel London's Salon Pro in Yes Sir! A beautiful dusty olive polish that applies like butter(2 easy coats).

*Product sent for honest review.

Art Deco: Third Times The Charm?

So I have a cold...again. This is my THIRD cold THIS YEAR. I know exactly who I got each cold from, but at the same time I probably should be treating my body a bit better so I'm not so susceptible. I really wanted to do my A-Z challenge yesterday, but I just feel too blah to do anything fun with my nails. So here is a mani I did a few days ago using my Catrice polish I just reviewed.

Since I have been wanting to do more nail art the past few weeks, but I have been super busy, striping tape, has coming in handy. It can be quite time consuming, depending on the design, but I find that when using it for accent nails you can get away with doing more creative designs without taking forever.

I wore Catrice's Oh My Goldness for a day, but after that first day, I just knew I had to add some art deco to it. It just felt like it was calling out for it. The designs weren't hard to do, but they were a bit tricky trying to get everything even when using my non dominant hand. The rhinestones are from KKCenterHk. I think it's safe to say that I am really loving this manicure.

Squiggly Splat!

Today I have some Born Pretty Store tip guides to show you. This is another manicure that I did a while ago(My nails aren't even this shape any more!) I showed you guys the Nail Vinyl's a few weeks ago for the first time as well as yesterday, but this was actually my first experience using weirdly shaped strips. Application wise, these were really easy to use. Not only that but, they were very sturdy.

I decided to try something a bit different and splatter over them. This was a bit harder because a)All I had were coffee stir sticks to blow through b)You had to get as close to full coverage for the pattern to show up. I ended up so winded by the end of it. I was actually taking breaks between fingers, to catch my breath. I finished off the look with some studs and beads(that bled :( )

Picture from Born Pretty Store

If you would like some of these head on over here to get them for only $1.58USD! And get 10% off with out discount code EAL91!

Simple and "Understated"

So as I said before the past few weeks I had been doing a show with my sketch troupe(I don't think I mentioned that part). We do shows all the time, but this time we were doing a festival so it was kind of a big deal. When it comes to my nails on stage I take a few things into consideration. 1)What am I wearing? I need everything to look like one uniform outfit. 2) Is it distracting? This does now limit me from wearing bold colours, it just means maybe we save the bright green for another time. 3) How important is the show? If it's honestly just a small casual gig I can go all out. But bigger shows I tone it down.

This manicure I did for Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival. To me this show kind of falls in the middle. It's a big-ish show, but it feels more laid back. So I still don't want distracting nails, but I can still have some fun. My original idea was simple and understated. Long story short as you can see the nails are simple, but then. Understated they are not. That being said they didn't pose a distraction risk as they went perfectly with my dress for the night.

Black polish is Orly Liquid Vinyl, the studs are from Born Pretty Store, the gold glitter is China Glaze Gold Medallion, and I THINK the other gold polish is an unnamed Dior. I of course used striping tapes for the lines.

I'm Going Slightly Mad(For Gradients and Studs)

So long story short(I'll get into the longer version later), I've been sitting on this review for KkCenterhk for a couple weeks now because I had been doing a Fringe Festival. Because of that I either had no time to do nail art, and when I did I didn't bother with it because I don't like wearing nail art on stage during more important shows. Even really bright colours can be a distraction. So I am FINALLY getting around to it.

So today I have these 1.5mm circular studs from KKCenterHk. They are probably the smallest studs I currently have. I thought they were really easy to apply, but maybe it was because they were large enough to easily pick up, but just the right weight that they weren't too heavy or too light to pick up. They are listed at $2.50 USD on the website for 50. I decided to count, and there was approximately 100 in my bag. I really really loved these, and the only thing I would change is how many of them came in a pack. They are so small that it's east to go through a large portion of the studs at once. This could just be the stud hoarder in me talking.

The manicure as a whole was inspired by this manicure by Oh My Gosh! Polish. As you can see I made mine slightly different. I wish I was better with dots though. I find it so hard to get them all even. I also need to work on clean up for when I do gradients. Acrylic paint does not come off the same way polish does when using a small brush around the cuticles. Ah well you can't win them all.

If you would like this product(or anything from their site), remember to use our 10% discount code: varnishedvalkyrie.

 

Watercolour Fun! (I also got an owie)

So this past little while I've been very busy. Generally I read blogs now on the go. The one thing that sucks about that is I can't actually comment when I'm using my phone. Is that just a thing? Or is my phone silly? Anyway's not to fear I still read all your blogs, I just can't tell you how amazing you guys all are :D

This week I took a tumble. I was lifting a generator with another person and I tripped. One of my knees looks frightening now. I'll spare you the details but it's gross. When I feel 2 things went through my head 1)I'm glad these aren't my nice jeans and 2)I'm glad my nails didn't break. Priorities.

So the nails I'll be showing you today I did a few weeks ago. It's my first water colour nails! I used this tutorial by Melissa Rose. I started out with a white base, then I covered it with a matte topcoat. From there I mixed a bit of water with a bit of acrylic paint, and then gently blotted and brushed it onto my nails. One important thing is that you wait for each colour to dry(which can be a pain in the bum). The drying time was a lot less when I used less water. But also know that if you use less water your colours will be more pigmented. Which was good for me because I wanted the look to be a bit bolder. But if you want a softer look you'll need more water in your paint, and a bit more drying time. When finished I applied a layer of topcoat!

I was really pleased with how this turned out. So pleased that I'm going to show you my RIGHT HAND!!!

Left!

 Right!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

*Singing* Be a friend to the earth, cuz you know how much it is worth. It's worth more than gold. It's worth more than jewels. So help clean it up, AND DON'T BE A FOOL. Be a friend to the earth.

I kid you not that was a song my class wrote when I was maybe 8. I figured because of the title this would be one of the only times I would get to share this just missed out on the top 100, songs of the 90's you might have missed.

Anyways this post in no way apart from the song has anything to do with me being a friend to the earth. Not that I'm not her friend, I just prefer calling her my acquaintance. I mean we get along but I wouldn't call her a friend yet. Back on topic! My nails! So I had a really hard time wanting to take off the last mani. I ended up wearing them for almost a week. By the time I took remover to my fingers I had already taken off the studs the night before. When I took them off I though "You look fine", so I  kept them. Long story short the black studs in this manicure are the exact same set of studs I had used in my previous gradient and black manicure! I figured why not use them again if I'm only going to get 50. Not only that but they hold up just fine, like they have never been used before!

Do you guys reuse nail art supply's like studs? I like saving larger studs and of course stuff along the line of charms.

I've done it again! Another set of "Never want to take you off" nails!

I'm super excited with these nails, because I am super happy with how they turned out. They are amazing and they really are pure magic. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind.

So I came up with this idea when I got these 8mmx3mm black diamond studs from KKCenterHk. First I painted my nails white and then did a gradient(Purple, pink, orange, yellow). That alone wold have been pretty, but as I was feeling daring I added the studs, AND black lines(and on some of the fingers triangle to fill in some awkward space at the bottom). They turned out perfectly.

I applied the studs like I normally do, by dipping a dotting tool in a bit of clear polish and sticking them on my nail. Even though these studs were larger than normal studs I have used in the past they were just as easy to pick up. My one mistake was sticking them on with nail glue that you had to brush on. I did this because they were larger and I really wanted them to stay on, but when the glue dried it became a bit visible. Next time I will either use glue that you can put on in tiny droplets or just clear polish. On the first night I had these on I actually used gloves in the shower, because I was finger detangling my hair. While I did have two coats of top coat on I was still scared they would snag in my hair and pull off. That being said I don't think I had anything to worry about.  Here I am 4 days and 3 showers later and they are still going strong! ETA: Right before I posted this I actually picked the studs off. They are in good enough shape that I can wear them again.

The studs retail for $4.26USD and I think they are great for anyone who loves nail studs. And if you would like a discount our code is 'varnishedvalkyrie', but I'm not sure if it has been extended yet. It should be soon if it does not work right away.

 You can kind of see the glue in the photos, on the middle and ring fingers. The light is reflecting off a bump the glue created in between the black lines.

 There are around 50 in a package.

 This is how I detangled my hair in the shower the first night I had these nails on. Rubber gloves that I taped around my wrists.

*Product sent for honest review

SCIENCE! And the tale of a review that almost never was.

So today I have these fun nail art hex studs from Born Pretty Store.  This review is almost 10 days in the making.  It all began when I chose the studs.  I'm not one of those people who can buy something and think "I don't know what I'll use this for or with, but I'll find a way".  Nope, I need to know that I have at least some sort of idea of what I can use it for.  That's when I though CHEMICAL STRUCTURES!  A unique and fun idea. 

Fast forward to receiving the hexes.

I ended up doing this manicure 3 different times.  The first time after I places the hexes, I added all the other stuff with a roller ball pen.  BUT I was in a bit of a rush so I gave up, took off my polish, added new polish and just placed a stud at the base of each nail.  The second time I ended up screwing up the writing, so again I gave up.  Finally on my third and final attempt I actually couldn't find the hexes.  Now since this was a review my options were 1) Find the hexes. 2) Go in the garbage and fish out old hexes I had already used(I knew they were still in the cotton balls) or 3) Buy more.  Now I didn't want to buy more just because it takes quite a while to arrive here, so since at that point I couldn't find them I decided it was garbage hunting for me.  I managed to find 4 studs and still in their tin foil cocoon, as I dove back in something caught my eyes.  The studs.  I don't know how they got in the garbage but, I am glad that I decided to go rummaging through there, or they would have been gone for good!

Anyways!  Like I said the nails are chemical structures (L-R) Dopamine, Asprin, Tetracene, and Toluene.  I was going to do all nail related things but, they were either too complex, or didn't use any hexes.  Application of these was simple, but if you are someone who uses toothpicks to pick up studs you may have some problems as these aren't huge bu any means, but they are slightly heavier and larger than most of my small studs at 3mm, and therefore harder to pick up with a toothpick(I generally pick up studs with a dotting tool dipped in a bit of clear polish).  They lay flat on my nail and stayed put till I decided to take them off.

If you would like a pack of these they come in both gold and silver and retail for $4.99 USD at The Born Pretty Store.  According to their website there is approximately 150 pcs per pack.  You can also add our discount code for an extra 10% off!  Yay!

 

*Product sent for honest review

I don't know how I feel about you... I think I just fell out of like.

So just a quick post because I've been a bad blogger this year :P

1)  I don't think I have mentioned it here(or I may have just mentioned it in passing), but we have an Instagram now.  So everyone should go and follow us over there because that's the cool thing to do.  Everyone's doing it.

2)  This man.  All I did was use some white and then I used the saran wrap technique and blotted on Essence Ultimate Pink and Milani Dude blue.  I finally ended with a square neon pink stud from The Born Pretty Store.  I don't know if I like it.  I liked it when I originally finished it, but I kinda just fell out of like.  There's nothing wrong with it, I just had a really short like affair.

What do you think about this mani?  Are you in like with it?

*The colour of the pink stud was REALLY hard to capture in some of these.  In real life it is probably closer to the second picture.

Also if you would like to buy these studs you can get them here. And you can also use our 10% Born Pretty Discount code EAL91.

*Some products were sent for review.

An Enthralling Surprise

SUP VALKYRIES

Today I have a simple little mix for you, made with stamps and striping tape. My base colour is Revlon Enthrall, my accent colour is Maybelline Bold Gold - which stamps wonderfully, so I would recommend it if stamping is your jam!

Revlon, I have talked some serious sh*t in the past, and now I gotta take it back. You're redeeming yourself with Enthrall. Look at that sparkle! I hope Kas will swatch this polish for you, it's absolutely gorgeous and my (lack of) photo skills can't do it justice!

 In some lights, this polish just looks brown, in others it glows a beautiful olive green with green and red/gold glitter. It's a real chameleon and I'm so glad I bought it! I can see myself reaching for this colour a lot.

Left to right: Born Pretty plate M57, stud, BP plate RuiZ04, stripes.

Has a brand you thought you hated ever surprised you?

hey look a post from Robyn

HEY FRIENDS

Since Fingers posted this super cute dotticure, I've had this colour combo rolling around in my head. Dots are definitely not my forte, but I love me some stripes!

My base colour is OPI French Quarter for Your Thoughts, a light, creamy grey. I love this colour so much, I think it's the only polish I've worn 3 times within a month!

 

With striping tape and OPI Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window*, I made some diagonal stripes along half of each nail. The tip is Essie Go Overboard, with a gold stud for shazam. I think it looks very military.

How much do you love striping tape!?

*The worst polish name ever. Everyone gets their own gross mental image with this one. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, SUZI.

How does one dress up Chanel Malice?

By doing as little as possible to it.

First of all I wore these out for a "classy" night of drinking.  A "classy" night where I ended up forgetting my wallet at home.  But I'm lucky my friends gave me some moneyz, and since my birthday was a few days before I got birthday drinks!  Yay!

I only needed 2 coats of this, blackened, glow from within red.  Then I just added some gold square studs from the Born Pretty Store.  Enough to add a little something but not enough to take away from the polish.  Out of all the polishes I own this is one of my all time favourites!  I actually have a few colours that are similar to it but I love blackened reds.  Red polish is as a whole is just sexy as hell.

Sadly if you would like a bottle of this it was limited edition.  Maybe I'll show you some alternatives one day!

Ps. Sorry my pics aren't the best.  But I was in a rush to take them.  One of the reasons I forgot my wallet actually.

Pps. Just under 24hours left to enter our giveaway!

Ppps.  I was going to say this in the comments of the Dalek post but I figure most people wouldn't see this but THANK YOU FOR THE BIRTHDAY WISHES!

Incoco Temptress and other things that are going on finger nail wise.

So today I have the last set of nail polish appliqués that I was sent to review from Incoco.  I decided that this time I didn't want to do a whole manicure with this.  And for the record I don't think I've ever done this before.  I find it hard to do multiple different nails and have it all be cohesive.   But I think I pulled it off!

Anyways Temptress is a black nail appliqué with random purple lines.  Normally I would find the appliqués that fit my nails best.  But this time since I wasn't doing a full mani I used the 2 largest sizes and cut them down to fit my nails.  Once that was done application was easy.  I finished off with China Glaze Angel Wings on my ring finger and H&M Plum on my pinky and thumb along with some studs from the Born Pretty Store.

Overall I really like Incoco's nail polish appliqués.  They are thin, flexible and you can stretch them without distortion.  I also really like the fact that they are nail polish, they aver very natural looking(as far as polish goes...if that makes sense).  And I love the idea of having a bunch of these and using them for things like vacations or accent nails. 

If you would like to get your hands on some of these head on over to Incoco's website.  They retail for $8.99USD each.

*Product sent for honest review

I'm just running in circles...

So as you guys know, The Born Pretty Store sent us some lovely things to review recently, and today I'm showing you my pick!

I got the 1.5mm silver circle studs, and I am SO pleased with them.  They were easy to use, they stuck well and don't fall off easily, and look really, really nice on.  I wore these to work at my yoga studio and had about 20 people ask where I got them done.  I've had them on for two days now and they're showing no signs of falling off.  They also don't catch when I have my hands in my long hair, which - to me at least - is pretty freaking great.

I decided to put them over a dark purple base because I wanted a colour that worked with my skin and still let the studs show, so here are these awesome studs over two coats of NARS Koh Lanta.

Do you guys love this easy nail art as much as I do? I'm already planning to wear them again.  These are just so nice and fun.  You can pick them up from Born Pretty Store, you get a lot of them so it's well worth it.  

Remember to use our discount code EAL91 for a 10% discount.  Not only that but shipping is always free!

*Product was sent for honest review

Auditio-nails

So I have an audition today!  Hopefully I wont bomb it.  Anyways here are the nails I have on.  I just wanted something that had a bit of oomph to it, but wasn't wicked distracting.

I used Zoya Julieanne and  2mm gold square studs from the Born Pretty Store.

ETA: Audition was eh.  I didn't bomb it but it was improv based, and my improv is hella rusty and I could feel it.  Oh well, another time :)

Merry Bling-mas? Stud-mas? - My Foray into Born Pretty and Nail Studs

I'm excited to be showing you guys some 2mm gold square studs I was sent from the Born Pretty Store!

First these come in a small resealable bag with a few hundred studs.  Maybe I have weak child like fingers (How does one measure finger strength?) but I could not for the life of me open the bag.  I had to get someone else to open it. The next time I openedd it  I just cut the top off and put it in another bag.  This probably means I need to spend more time clicking away on Tumblr.  That sounds about right.

Now I fell in love with these 2mm studs over the 4mm studs (which they also sell) because you can do so much with them.  Like the larger studs you can do the simple designs. But if you want you can also do something a bit more detailed because you can fit more on your nails. And also they aren't so small that you don't know what they are!

Keeping with the holiday spirit I painted my nails Fright Night Claw Polish VooDoo, and China Glaze Glittering Garland.  Then I studified it(That's a word now).  On my thumb I did a tuque because Christmas = Winter... Et je suis Canadienne.  And on my ring finger I did a Christmas tree!  I kept the rest simple by just adding a single stud to each finger.  I didn't want it to be overwhelming. In addition I used some random clear rhinestones and microbeads.  I finished with two coats of top coat(SH Insta-dri then SV).  Mainly because I have a fear that things stuck to my nails will fall of in the shower.  And I was happy because the top coat didn't make the studs look odd, or twice their size :)

I love, love, love how this turned out!  These studs will for sure be part of my NYE mani!

Again you can buy this over at the Born Pretty Store for crazy sweet prices, and free shipping.  And you can use our coupon code if you order, for 10% off!

 AND on top of that since it is Christmas there are having even more discounts that you can use on top of that! Huzzah!

-Site wide 20%-50% off from Dec. 23rd-25th
-All orders over $20 will get a Christmas stamping Plate from Dec. 15th-25th
-All orders over $30 will get a $5 coupon feedback from Dec. 15th-25th
-And  big prize for the biggest purchase from Dec. 23rd-25th

This product was sent for honest review.