Love Letter Nails

Look! A watermark!! ...Please ignore the black nail polish on my palm...

Hello, ladies and gents! Today is a GREAT day! For nails, anyways! Today I'm going to show you pic-by-pic how to get the newspaper look on your nails! (It's super easy!)

When I started doing these, I couldn't remember how exactly I was supposed to go about doing them. I thought I'd read somewhere that I was supposed to soak the nail for like 5 minutes in the alcohol and then press the newspaper onto my nail. That dissolved my nail polish. So I thought it's gotta be like doing a temporary tattoo, and attempted it that way. It worked!!!

First, paint your nail white (or light grey, if you want it to look like a real newspaper). Let it dry COMPLETELY.

Cut your newspaper down to just larger than your nail. I used the smallest type I could find in my newspaper.

Soak a cotton ball in alcohol, place the newspaper on your nail in the direction you want it, and place the cotton ball over the newspaper. Let it rest for about half a minute.

Gently peel off, and voila! Newspaper print on your nails!  Let it dry for a minute and then GENTLY add a topcoat. I used a very subtle glitter topcoat by Pure ICE.

To finish, I took some stamps (like, the type you use for stationery) I found at Walmart for $1 and stamped L O V and E. (On my right hand, I messed up and stamped it backwards... I was trying to get it to match my left hand which I'd stamped first >.<). Then on my thumbs I drew a heart and outlined it in black to make it stand out a little, added a matte topcoat, and enjoy!

It's been two days, and I'm STILL wearing this mani. I absolutely love it, and it was so simple to do! I hope you like it as much as I do!

Watermarbling Madness

So out of sheer boredom I started practicing my watermarbling technique. In the name of Science, I tested and labeled all of my different colors into one or two of three categories (This took several sittings...). Green means "I can marble really well!" Yellow means "I'm OKAY at it. Use if desperate," and Red means "I cannot marble. Don't even TRY!" Green and yellow puts it in the middle between okay and good/great. A lot of the brands surprised me, I thought the cheaper ones wouldn't do it as well, but the majority of the LAC's did pretty well :)

Here's the pics from last night's adventure:

Some turned out really well! And others.... Not so much.  :/ I honestly have no clue as to how I got that rainbow splatter one :'(

Now that I live in Iowa, I figure I'll need to know how to do Cyclone and Hawkeye nails. This one turned out pretty well, despite the black not working with me very well.

This was my first attempt at Cyclone and Hawkeye nails. The black REALLY wasn't working with me here (I had it labeled as yellow, but added red to that rating), and I don't think these turned out terribly well. For practice, however, they're just more experience.

This one was my first REALLY successful nails. In fact, I'm quite proud of it.

So that was my evening. These are cheap, blank, fake nails my sister gave me when she moved out of our house. You can find them for about $5-$10 at Walmart. I just use a small dab of thick white nail polish to keep it attached to my stick.


My nails right now are blank. I'm going to do a fall-themed watermarble when I get home (I'm currently at the library... internet is internet, even if it's slower than a tortoise on a tricycle.)

Hiatus

I'm going to be taking a forced break from blogging. I don't have internet access or a babysitter so I can go to McDonald's or something.
I have a job interview on Saturday, and if I get the job I'll have to adjust to my new schedule. I'm really hoping they let me keep doing my nails!
I'm going to be keeping an eye on my comments, so feel free to keep sharing and commenting! <3

Mani Marathon

I have done 8 manicures this weekend, and it isn't even Sunday yet! I am unable to post them at the moment, due to a total lack of internet. I'm updating you from my phone, and the app isn't great at formatting pics. I COULD just lump them here... Ah hell, here's a picture dump. Enjoy!

(Two manis are not pictured, one was crap and the other hadn't been photographed yet.)

Dotting, Watermarbling, and Stamping

Day 8 without my nail polish and care kit. I'm cracking, my nails are chipping, and my cuticles are peeling :( Only three more days...

Here's a mix of watermarbling, dotting, and stamping! I loved this mani!  I have a problem with my white covering the other colors, though. I'm not sure why it happens, maybe it's because I'm waiting too long between drips? IDK.

No clue why I forgot to clean that pinkie... 

You can see on the ring finger what I mean by the white covering the blue. See how the blue's off-color?

This was my favorite nail of the bunch. It turned out great :)

The tutorial for this mani is here. Indigonova1 has some great designs, and I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of my own takes from her. In this one, instead of using a dotting tool for the flowers, I used a stamp. I'm still working on my precision, which has improved since this mani.

I used Sinful Colors for the white and a Pure Ice for the blue.

Dotted Gradient

This post is gonna be short, they're old nails and I'm tired lol 

This has been one of my favorite manis to date. I just wish it was better quality. The ONE stamp I have with dots is very thin and doesn't fit over my nail. It's the set you can find in Walmart, it was what I started with.

I didn't clean this one very well. It was done before I started cleaning my nails instead of waiting for it to peel off in the shower.

I decided to do the accent on my thumb 'cause it's so much bigger. I kinda liked it, though I really love doing the accent on my ring finger now.

You can see where the stamp didn't cover the entire nail on my middle finger.

I love how this looks, going from purple to white with the dots. It's a fairly easy mani, especially if you have a stamp. Just do the dots, then sponge the white at the tips :) The flower was done with a toothpick. Let down a drop and drag to form a petal.

Target

Today's post is about saving money at my personal favorite store: Target.

"Why Target," you ask. "Why not Walmart?"
Three reasons: Target is the same price (and sometimes cheaper), it's more organized, and the people (both customers and employees) are a bit higher class and not as scary/creepy/gross.

"Target is NOT cheaper than Walmart!" you gasp.
Why, my dear ma'am (or sir, I don't judge!) you must not know about the amazingness that is the Target RedCard.

"You mean that credit card the cashiers always harass me about? I don't want any more credit cards- they're trouble! You aren't helping me save money, you're a scam!"

First of all, there aren't yet ads on my blog, so I'm not taking any money for this and therefore I'm not a scam. Secondly, the RedCard is not- I repeat, NOT- a credit card. It is a DEBIT card, which means it is directly linked to your bank account. You don't get a bill, it's removed from your account directly. It's exactly as if you're using your bank card, but more Target-ey, which means that you're saving money using it.
When you use the RedCard, you're automatically saving 5%- which makes it as cheap-and in some instances cheaper- than Walmart (with a bit higher-quality products), and when shopping online you get free shipping!

[Edit: The Target RedCard USED to be a credit card, but it is now offered as a debit. If you want the credit card, it is still available, but they aren't trying to get people to sign up for it anymore like they used to.]

Add on top of that: coupons. On Target's website, you can print out Target-exclusive coupons that you can combine with manufacturer's coupons to double up savings.

AND THERE'S STILL MORE! If you send 5 prescriptions to the Target pharmacy you get a 5% discount that lasts for 24 hours once you use it the first time. Forget something the first time you go? Go again within 24 hours and still receive the 5% off :)

Certain items will earn you a gift card- usually between $5 and $10. I generally like this deal. The items are usually discounted, and they're items I would generally buy in bulk anyways, like diapers and "feminine hygiene products".

I have bought $1.99 NYC nail polish for under a $.50 with all these discounts and coupons and such. HOW DO YOU BEAT THAT?

So anyways, I've found a few coupons on the Target website: $.50 off a N.Y.C. cosmetic item, $1 off L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Polish, $1 off L'Oreal cosmetic item, and $1 off a Revlon Nail Art kit.

Click here for the Target Beauty Coupons.

As a side note, I'd ask that you please, please, PLEASE always be kind and respectful to your cashier. If a coupon doesn't go through or a discount doesn't work, if you smile and joke about it or something, the cashier is more likely to let the coupon slide (by slide I mean they might give it to you anyways) next time (or this time if they're having a good day). If you're a bitch (excuse my language), you aren't going to get what you want- now or later. Couponers have a bad rep because they like to fight for coupons-which exhausts the cashier and often the management. They'll remember you and you're going to be less and less welcome at their store.

Anyways, good luck with your search and enjoy your newfound discounts! ♥