The Makeup Box

Kitty Skittle: Konad Stamp and Polish Trial and Review

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I said I don’t use Konad stamping polishes cos they’re expensive. Well I eat my words. I learnt that it’s actually quite affordable (translation: not marked up ridiculously) where I am, and if Konad special polish is cheaper than Sally Hansen and China Glaze in your country, what reason is there to NOT buy actual Konad??!

So I dropped by one afternoon and grabbed some items, and I’m loving them so far. (Check http://www.konadnailart.com/ for individual country stockists. If you’re in Singapore, Konad has a store at Causeway Point, level 2, and also ships from www.konad.com.sg.)

Final Verdict (for those who don’t want to read a long post)

If you can get them for a reasonable price in your country without having to pay shipping, get them!

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Psychedelic Nails: Introduction to “Faux-nad” XL Nail Stamping Plates)

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Overview

If you like doing your nails but haven’t heard of “Konad” or “nail stamping”, you should take a minute to google it. It’s one of the easiest ways to “cheat” and create intricate designs on your nails without visiting a salon.

Plates and stampers can be used with your own nail polishes*, and re-used for years. There are so many different looks and effects you can get into, and it really doesn’t take much time once you get familiar with it.

(If you’re already a pro at stamping and just want to look at detailed “swatches” of the designs on my plates, let me know and I’ll do a separate post. If you’re new to stamping, read on!)

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NOTD: Essie Orange It’s Obvious (and Incredibly Cute Fimo Citrus Fruit Manicure!)

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Something juicy and bright for the digits this week!

I love playing with fimo slices. They’re incredibly detailed and cute. And fruit-themed fimo slices ALWAYS put a smile on my face. You can find full uncut canes and a one-sided blade like the ones below on places like ebay, lightinthebox.com, tkbtrading.com, etc. This is the cheaper way to get fimo because you can easily get over a hundred slices per cane.

You can also purchase ready-cut fimo slices that come in jars or partitioned nail-art wheels. Those are more expensive, but you save the hassle of having to fiddle with a blade and wasting badly-cut slices.

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Weekend Nails: Grey Polka Dots!

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Felt like a little simple pattern last weekend, so I painted my nails grey (Revlon Top Speed in Hazy), then used white acrylic paint and the fatter end of a dotting tool to apply white polka dots all over. 

Much easier to use acrylic than trying to work with white nail polish. Just let dry, and then seal with a thick layer of topcoat.

Period! Try it in any color combination you like!

Mermaid “Glequin” Fish-scale Manicure: Ciate Apples and Custard polish with Blue Acrylic Paint and Aqua Hexagon Glitter

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I love, love, love the look of hexagonal glitter on the nails, and the dramatic “sequin nails” look.

But I especially like the honey-combed look where instead of dunking your entire finger in glitter, you carefully dot each piece of glitter on with a pointed object so it looks like fish scales.

Key to the look is a translucent larger sized glitter. If you choose an opaque glitter the ombre colors beneath won’t show through. If they are too small, you can’t place them on properly. You can find hex glitters from most art stores, but they don’t always stock larger sizes, so you can also search for sets like these on Lightinthebox.com ($6.99 with free international shipping!) or ebay.

WARNING: this nail look takes a LONG time to do…

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Starry, Starry Night: Navy and Silver Glitter Ombre Nails

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(For the fabulous Yina of The Velvet Dolls.)

Super simple, and pretty darned quick to do. I did this nail look for a themed dinner; it requires no ready-made glitter polish and isn’t much hassle at all. All you need is:

• A dark blue nail polish (I used L.A. Girl Dance Club)
• Repositionable glue (below) or nail foil adhesive
• A silver glitter (fine-grained)
• A soft blue eyeshadow (I used MAC Shimmermint)
• Basecoat and topcoat

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