Beauty for the Economically Challenged

Okay so yeah I took the first picture at work again…guilty.

I got this idea from a great nail blog called nailside, if you don’t know it already, check it out!

So this looks pretty hard, but believe me, if I can do it, it’s really not hard. It takes a while because you have to wait for each layer to dry, so it is time consuming, but it’s not super complicated. Here’s how you do it:

• Pick three colors
• Apply a clear base coat
• Paint your first color onto the entire nail. Wait to dry.
• To start the ‘cloud’ effect, use your second color. There does need to be some excess on the brush, but you don’t want too much or it will never dry. Put the tip of the brush on your nail, and wait for the polish to run down to create the roundness of a cloud. Then draw the brush up in one smooth stroke.
• Repeat two more times, making each stroke a bit shorter than the last, so that it’s graduated, which you can see on my nails. Wait for that color to dry.
• Do the same thing with the third color, and wait to dry.
• Apply a topcoat so that your fierce nails will last a while! ;)

This does take some practice (I only gave you a picture of my second hand for a reason!), but be patient and you’ll get it. My caffeine addiction causes me to have the shakiest hands ever, so if mine can look this good, yours can too! 

The most important thing is getting the right amount of polish on the brush. You don’t want the whole brush to have a thick layer all over it, but you want enough so that it will form a round spot on the nail. Like I said, with practice, you’ll figure it out!

Good luck, and show me how you do!

xox

Noelle Alysse

I have triumphed over the ‘cafe au lait’ nail!

Much thanks to my friend from school, Gina, at ginadoesnails.tumblr.com for the awesome newsprint nail tutorial!

I’m much happier now! Yay!

xox

Noelle Alysse

PS-this is the EASIEST thing to do on your nails ever so head over to Gina’s blog or ask me if you want to know how!

When I was a junior in high school, my very very best friend and I heard of a mani/pedi special at a spa near our school.This was my first (and only, thus far) manicure. When I was asked to choose my color, I chose what appeared to me to be a nude color with a pink hue.
As soon as the woman began painting it onto my nails, though, I realized that it was orange. Not slight orange, either. It was orange. I chalked it up to the lighting in the salon.

Fast forward to today around 3:00pm, and I’m standing in Wal-Mart marveling over a clearance bin full of Essie nail polishes. I chose three colors: Mamba, It’s Genius, and Buy Me a Cameo; but I was most excited to try Mamba-what I thought was a nude color with a bit of pink. Sound familiar? Yeah.
Well now here I am, typing, and forced to stare at my newly-painted nails.
Lucky enough, they aren’t as orange as my manicure from junior year, but I can’t help but notice a very orange-y quality to my supposed-to-be nude pink nails.
Essie’s website describes this color as “a shimmering cafe au lait”, but I swear on my eyeballs that there is a hint of orange.
Worst of all, the ‘cafe au lait’ really doesn’t suit my skin tone, and I am one unhappy girl. Why can’t I identify a nude pink polish? Blah. Maybe I’ll put a glittery gradient over it to make myself feel better…but for all I know, what I think is silver glitter could be bronze.

It looks like you can’t get a good idea of the color from the picture, but that’s exactly what it looks like in person too. Not cute.

Please excuse my hair, I had the entire day off so I just let it air dry.
Please excuse my lack of makeup, I had the entire day off so I spent most of it reading. :p
Please excuse my American Apparel Unisex V-Neck, I got it for $4 at a thrift store.
hehehe.

xox

Noelle Alysse