Nail Trends For 2014









All the best nail trends from Spring 2014 Fashion Week in New York. Nail and manicures for spring summer 2014 at New York Fashion Week. Here we have a small sampling of the nail art The Blonds sent down the runway for their Fall 2014 show. Although we didn't see much in the way of nail art on the runway for Spring 2014, the trend is still going strong on the street.If you are looking for cute designs to impress you boy on Valentine's Day, you are in the right place! Check out all this cute themed original nail art designs Search Engines with my blogs.

Askruk46

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Vintage Valentine Nail Art

Woohoo, more V-Day nail art! Today's mani is by far one of my all time favorites. I just love vintage-y nail art for Valentine's Day... anytime really. This mani is just so simple but still so elegant. :)


This mani was done with polishes from my Valentine's Day collection (Victorian Romance) and a little help from Born Pretty Store rose decals. I started with a base of My Own Sweet Valentine with an accent nail of Parchment & Lace. Once MOSV was dry I sponged on some Cheeks Tinted Red and a little more MOSV to really blend it together. The shimmer on this gradient was insane! I used top coat on Parchment and Lace and then used a Born Pretty Store water decal. (These decals are only $0.88 right now! Plus if you use the code BPS2014 you'll get 15% off sitewide! I say these are more than worth every penny!!!)


The decal was so easy to use. Just cut it out, dunk it into water (warm water if it's winter) for 10-15 seconds and the decal will slip right off the paper and be easy to position on your nail. I lightly wet the nail and placed the rose. I used a paper towel to blot the excess water and then gently used a finger to press the decal down, getting rid of wrinkles and bubbles until the decal dried completely. Then I topped it with more top coat and it was perfect!!


I couldn't resist trying the glitter of Love & Devotion over the gradient. It's nice, but I found I preferred the simplicity of the gradient alone.

What's your go-to nail art for Valentine's Day?

Askruk46

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Nailvengers Assemble: New Year, New Technique

Hey everyone! Before I start off I just want to say a massive thankyou to you all for voting for me in the China Glaze holiday competition, because I won!! I'm so unbelievably happy and it's all down to you, so thankyou. Anyway, today I'm super excited to share a new project with you. Me, Sammy of The Nailasaurus, Lucie of Lucy's Stash, Allie of Brit Nails and Amelia of xameliax have started a new monthly challenge group called Nailvengers Assemble. After all meeting at the Cosmo Blog Awards, we've been in constant contact, and we decided that it would be a great idea to create something like this. I'm so excited to be part of this with such an amazing group of people, and I hope you will all get involved too! We will be posting on the last day of every month with a new challenge, and you will have the whole of the next month to post your versions of the prompt. This month's challenge is 'New Year, New Technique'. If you want to get involved you can use the hashtag #nailvengers and you can like our facebook page to keep up to date with what we're doing:



So for this month's new technique I chose to do negative space nails. I've been seeing them around for a while and I've always wanted to give it a go, and I'm so glad I did. These took a bit longer than expected but I'm really happy with how they came out.  I had to take these pictures on a different camera to usual so the lighting looks a bit different, but I'll be back to my usual camera for the next post!


The base for these nails was OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls, then I used Barry M - Gold Foil to draw the shapes using a brush, and acetone and a wide brush to clean up the space. Then I used Seche Vite to top it off


What do you think? Let me know in the comments! 
Don't forget to use the hashtag #nailvengers if you give a new technique a try this month
Alice

Askruk46

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Beauty Box Swatch Vol.1

Eyeshadows Part. 3



Today I have two more eyeshadow rows to share with you from the Ulta Blockbuster Beauty Box that I picked up during a spur of the moment online shopping spree (More details here.). This set of shades includes a row of cool grey and black tones, and a row of bright nude and taupe tones. I was excited to swatch the grey shades, but was a bit surprised to have yet another row of taupe shades, since the very first row of shadows are so similar. But they are a bit more on the warm side, and brighter, so I actually prefer this row to the first one.


Swatches under lamp.
Blackout: A solid, matte, black shade that is on the chalky side. Three swipes shown. I find this one a bit intimidating, though it would be a great contour color for a bold smokey eye. I just feel I would end up looking like a raccoon. Which, even though raccoon's are adorable -Those little paws!-, I don't want to look like one.
Galaxy: A deep grey shade with a hint of shimmer. This one is a little less scary than Blackout, since it is more of a charcoal color. Somewhat chalky, but has a much smoother application than Blackout.
Gunmetal: My favorite shade in the whole grey range, this shimmery, metallic grey applies wonderfully, and has a nice glossy finish. I think it would look great even by itself blended in with some liquid liner on top.
Lock & Key: A soft, matte, metal shade that was chalkier than I wanted, but still looks nice when blended out. Would be a great lid shade for a classic smokey eye.
Sterling: A shimmery, glossy version of Lock & Key. Very pretty, and much less chalky than its counterpart. 
Ice Queen: And finally, the shade with the best name in the bunch, a soft, light grey shade, with the tiniest hint of shimmer. Weirdly enough, it looks beyond chalky in the pan, yet applies with a glossy finish and only a small amount of chalkiness. It is very bright on my skin, but blended out, and with a light hand, it would be a great highlight color. Or it could be worn alone as just a slight wash of color on my lids.

Swatches in sunlight.
Swatches with flash.
Swatches on paper.
Swatches under lamp.
Naked: A matte, light tan, highlight shade that looks chalky in the pan, and on my skin. It also looks a lot warmer and darker in the pan than it does on my skin. That's either the shades fault, or my Casper the Ghost pale skin's fault...
Au Naturel: A warm, pretty, sun kissed peachy/tan shade with a hint of shimmer in the pan, that vanishes once it hits my skin. Sadly, like most of the light shades in this set, it was chalky. But not as bad as others I've tried. I'm looking at you, Lock & Key...
Sunburst: My favorite! An absolutely gorgeous Terracotta shade, that's matte in the pan, but leaves a nice gloss on my skin. This shadow is just so pretty, I could totally see myself wearing it in the summer time, with a nice light brown liner to keep the focus on it.
In the Buff: these nude puns are starting to get old... Anyway! This shade is a mid-tone tan shadow, with little flecks of glitter. It looks a tad dull in the pan, but on my skin it looks very gold, glossy and lovely. Very odd... Reminds me of the old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Or in this case, don't judge a shadow by it's pan...
Cafe Ole: A bright, coppery brown shade with flecks of shimmer. It reminds me of those wood chips people use to border their gardens... But it does have a nice gloss to it. It's just a bit much for me, though it would work great as a mid-shade for a brown hued eye look.
Social Climber: Weird name, but a perfect contour color. This is a warm, almost violet based, dark chocolate shade. It has a lot of shimmer, which is surprising for such a dark color. It applies nicely, but sadly looks chalky on my skin. I do like it though, since it is a lot less overpowering than a completely black contour shade.

Swatches in sunlight.
Swatches with flash.
Swatches on paper.
Overall:
While I think two rows of neutrals is a bit odd for one kit, I think this row is much brighter, with more of a copper undertone, while the first row of neutrals was much cooler, and more subtle. So it actually was nice to have a range of neutrals to choose from, so kudos to Ulta for that decision. The cool grey and black row was also nice, and I loved that there was a mix of matte and shimmer. I was surprised by just how many of the shades had a chalky residue, the last swatches didn't have so many. But while that was a disappointment, the shades themselves were really nice, and like I've mentioned before, a lot better quality than you would expect from a makeup bundle box. 
My favorites from this swatch would have to be Sunburst for sure, that shade is gorgeous, and I already plan on wearing it. Cafe Ole, which is a bit bold for me, but still beautiful swatched. I also love Gunmetal, Sterling, and Ice Queen, even if it is only for it's name.

I've been thinking about maybe branching out into makeup, and maybe starting to show some looks created using these shades. I know I am a nail blogger mostly, but it is fun to try new things. I could even do coordinating looks of makeup and nails... If that sounds like something you would like to see, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading! To read the previous posts in my Beauty Box Swatch series click here.
-xo Brittany

What eyeshadow was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

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Askruk46

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Shiro The Seven Kingdoms -kokoelman hankinnat


Kun kuulin Ilonalta, että Shiro Cosmetics julkaisee George R.R. Martinin Tulen ja jäänlaulu -kirjasarjasta inspiroituneen The Seven Kingdoms -kokoelman, päätin jo siltä seisomalta seisomalta, että jotain tulen siitä ehdottomasti itselleni hankkimaan. Olen aikaisemminkin jo blogissa joskus maininnut olevani Game of Thrones -sarjan fani ja tiesin ettei Shiro vaan voi mennä metsään tämän aiheen kanssa. :D Ilmoitinkin heti Ilonalle, että laittaa samalla minulle pari tuotetta samaan tilaukseen, kunhan tilaamisen aika tulee. :p 


Red Wedding -huulikiilto oli oikeasti vaan pakko ostaa jo vain nimensä nerokkuuden takia. :D Verenpunainen pigmenttinen sävy oli sitten jo vain plussaa, haha :D Kuvassa kiiltoa on vain sipaistu nopeasti huulille, ilman mitään pohjustuksia tai rajauksia. Ehkä vähän epätasaisuutta on huomattavissa, mutta suosittelenkin käyttämään tätä pohjustuksen kanssa. Kiilto myös tuppaa vähän kerääntymään kuiviin kohtiin, joten ihan röpelöhuulille tätä ei ehkä kannata käyttää. Itse olen tykännyt kyllä kovasti tästä, varsinkin rajauskynällä tehdyn pohjustuksen päällä. Kiilto on todellakin pigmenttistä ja, noh, kiiltävää :D Eli antaa huulille vähän sellaisen "wet lookin". Red Wedding tuntuu miellyttävältä huulilla ja ei yhtään tahmaiselta.



Kaikki kolme valitsemaani luomivärisävyä ovat ihanan shimmerisiä ja kimaltavia, vaikka se ei kuvista valitettavasti välitykään. :/ Ne myös levittyvät ja häivyttyvät nätisti. :) En poistanut purkeista muovia välipohjasinettejä, vaan tökkäsin vain neulalla niiden läpi auki kaksi reikää. Olen oppinut tekemään näin irtoluomivärien kanssa, mielestäni tuotteen annostelu on näin hallitumpaa ja jauhetta ei keräänny liikaa sirottimen ulkopuolelle.


Mother of Dragons - Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons. Tältä neidiltä eivät ainakaan tittelit lopu ihan heti kesken. :D Shiro kuvailee Mother of Dragons väriä violetiksi verenpunaisella pohjalla ja hopeisella shimmerillä. Minulla se näyttäytyy aika punaruskeana ja olen näkevinäni shimmerissä myös hiukan vaaleanvihreää. Kaunis ja moneen meikkiin sopiva sävy mielestäni, jossa hyvä pigmentti. :)

Maiden Queen - Aye, Queen you shall be. Until there comes another, younger and more beautiful... Kyseessä siis Margaery Tyrell:n turkoosi niin sanotusti. Shiro kuvailee tätä smaragdinvihreäksi aqua(turkoosi?)-shimmerillä. Olen heikkona sinivihreisiin silmämeikkeihin (ja kynsilakkoihin!), eikä tullut pettymystä tämänkään kanssa päin vastoin!

You Know Nothing - John Snuh knows nothing, except for the Lord's Kiss, and what a castle looks like. Vaaleansinisenä kimaltelevan lumenvalkoisen sävyn kantea koristaa tietenkin Jon Snow. ;) Tässä on näistä kolmesta heikoin peitto, eli joutuu vähän kerrostamaan jos ihan valkoisen sävyn haluaa tällä saavuttaa. Toisen esim. tummemman luomivärin päälle kerrostutettuna You Know Nothing:n vaaleansininen shimmer pääsee kivasti esille. :)



Shiro oli laittanut tilauksen mukaan pari erittäin reilulla kädellä täytettyä näytetepussia, mikä oli minusta tosi mukava yllätys! Kiva että pääsee testailemaan useampiakin sävyjä. ^_^ Shiroltahan voi myös itse tilata näitä näytekokoisia värejä 1$:lla per näyte. Tämä on minusta tosi asiakasystävällistä ja hienoa että sävyjä pääsee kuitenkin ihan kunnolla testailemaan, koska näistä tosiaankin riittää useaan meikkiin. Kuinkas moni sieltä ruudun takaa on kokeillut Shiro Cosmeticsin vegaanisia cruelty-free tuotteita? :)

Askruk46

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The First Times Tag


I saw this tag on Brittani Louise Taylor's Youtube channel, and while I feel the name is slightly suggestive, it is a cute tag, and perfect for this slow Wednesday afternoon. The only question that was a pain was finding out what my first ever Tweet was. I didn't realize just how much I actually Tweet! But I went through them all and found it for you! So let's get started.

First Tweet?
As I mentioned, I dug through my stockpile of tweets and actually managed to find it! Not that it is very interesting. I started my Twitter account when I was an Avon rep, so they were all shameless self promotion! My first tweet was "Shop my AVON Store!". So deep right? But while I broke ties with Avon, I got hooked on Twitter, so I kept it! And now it is the account you may know now, full of randomness,  Instagram pictures, blog updates, manicures, and retweets of contests I never win... 
(If you would like to follow me, my link's on the right... Shameless self promotion strikes again!)

First Youtube Video You've Ever Watched?
This was hard to remember! I just recently got into Youtube, and now I am obsessed. I just can't go without watching It's Grace, BLT, Pewdiepie, Swoozie, Jenna Marbles, YDAD, the list goes on and on! But I believe my first ever video was actually a Jenna Marbles video. I read about her in an article, and then decided to watch a video... And the rest is history! So frankly it's her fault I can't go a day without checking Youtube, and why I always run out of battery life after going on a Pewdiepie marathon! -Worth it!- I think it was the video where she shows what's in her purse, but I'm not sure...

First Facebook pic?
That's easy, I don't have one! I've never had a Facebook. And I'm fine with that.

Do you still talk to your first love?
Wow! this got personal quick! I am not one for sentimentality, or expressing those sort of feelings, and I really don't think I've been in love, yet, so I don't have an answer to this question...Sorry!

What was your first alcoholic drink?
I don't drink! I know, I'm so boring! I've just never had an interest in it. Though Baileys does look delicious... But I think that's just because it looks like coffee. Yum.

First job?
My first job is actually the one I have now! I work at a clothing store called Dot's, and I absolutely love it there.

First car?
It is, again, the one I have now. It is a Dodge Neon given to me by my cousin. While I didn't have to buy it, I did have to repair it! She wasn't very good at that, or cleaning it for that matter! But now it is in great shape, and clean.

First person to text you today?
I don't have texting... I'm so behind the times!

First person you thought about today?
That would be the only person I think of everyday lately, my father. Who, sadly, past away. I will miss him everyday of my life...

Who was your first grade teacher?
I have too bad a memory for this! I don't remember her name, but I know she was super nice, and made me feel better when I was nervous on my first day of school, which was also my first day at that school, because my family had just moved there, so I knew no one.

Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
I think it was to visit family when I lived in Florida, so from Florida to Massachusetts. Thrilling I know!

First best friend? Do you still talk?
I think -Again, bad memory.- my first best friend was a girl named Robin. We both shared an obsession with Polly Pockets. And no, sadly I haven't seen or heard from her since we were both small children.

First Sleep Over?
My cousin's house. And I freaked out, so my parents had to come and get me in the middle of the night... So that didn't go well!

First thing you did this morning?
Went back to sleep when I remembered it was my day off from work...

First concert ever gone to?
I've never been to one... Man, this Tag really shows what a dork I am! :p Though I would love to go see Imagine Dragons, they are one of my favorite bands, and are supposed to be amazing live.

First broken bone?
I, luckily, have never broken a bone. I did almost break one of my pinkie toes once. Dramatic, I know...

First Piercing?
My ears. What else could I get at 13? I don't think my parents would have consented to anything else. When I was in my teens I really wanted a lip piercing, but my mother almost had an aneurysm, so that was out!

First foreign country gone to?
Sadly I've never been out of the states! I may get a chance to go to Scotland in the summer though. But if I could go anywhere, I would love to go to Japan! That would be amazing.

First movie you remember seeing?
I don't remember the name, but I remember it was either a bad Disney movie, or a bad Disney knock-off, and it scared me so much! I don't know why, but the "bad" characters creeped me out so badly that I couldn't even finish the movie.

First Detention?
One, I am shy and a total nerd, so no rebel behavior here. And two, I was home schooled since the second grade. So I sadly have no Breakfast Club-like awesome detention story to tell...

First Roommate?
My first roommate was in art school at The Art Institute of Boston. She was nice, and we got along pretty well, but she was always with the most annoying, mean, pretentious girl ever! And would act differently around her, So we didn't really become best friends or anything.

First sport involved in?
Ha! Not this pale, frail, butterfingers! While I liked soccer from afar, I was never one for sports. The whole "sunlight" and "outdoors" thing just wasn't for me. I was more interested in books. And still am...

First thing you do when you get home?
I change into my pj's, get a cup of coffee, and either write on this blog, take blog pictures, read, or watch a movie. -Such a party girl!- Yesterday's activity after work was drinking a cup of coffee, and watching Breakfast at Tiffany's. 

Thanks for reading! To check out other Tags I've done click here
-xo Brittany

I tag anyone and everyone who would like to do this Tag. If you do leave me a link in the comments!

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Askruk46

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Valentine's Day Rope Scarf GIVEAWAY!!

This is non-nail related, but it's a giveaway!! I mentioned on my Facebook page that I had found a scarf tutorial on YouTube, that obsession took over and that I was suddenly overflowing with scarves. I made a mention of maybe hosting a giveaway (or 2) but never expected such excitement! So here's the giveaway!!


This is a very simple infinity rope scarf that I wrapped and tied for easy on and easy off. It's as simple as slipping it over your head and 'fluffing' the front to get it to lay just the way you want. I had no trouble getting it on and off this way; however, if you're worried about this, it is an infinity scarf and carefully cutting the tie holding it together will let the scarf unwind so you can wrap it on yourself.


Giveaway Starts: 12:00 AM EST 29th January 
Giveaway Ends: 12:00 AM EST 3rd February 

Winner will have 24 hours to reply to the winning email. If winner doesn't claim their prize by replying a new winner will be chosen. 

Giveaway is open internationally. However, before entering be sure your country accepts the shipment of clothing. It will also be up to the winner to pay any taxes and fees their country may impose on such shipments.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Askruk46

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Tutorial Tuesday: Glitter Aztec Nail Art

Hey everyone! Today I have another tutorial tuesday that you'll have to head over to Divine Caroline for. After posting the nails I did at Pastille nail bar (which you can see here) I was a few times to do a tutorial for them, so here you go! Don't forget to check out the full tutorial here


What do you think? Let me know in the comments
Alice

Askruk46

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Laced Up Corsets - Valentine's Day Nail Art

Valentine's Day is closing in quickly and I figured it was time to start posting some of my Valentine's Day nail art. First up - corset nails. :)


I've always wanted a corset (and the confidence to actually wear it). I guess having them on my nails is the next best thing.


I started with a base of Spellbound Nails Cheeks Tinted Red and drew a quick line down the middle with Spellbound Nails I'm All Aflutter. If I had thought this through I would have started with a base of I'm All Aflutter and taped off the middle for neater lines but the end result wasn't horrible. The laces of the corset actually helped disguise the imperfect lines so I call it a win!


A close up look of the corsets. I used Spellbound Nails Steel Wool for the metal and some unaltered white base for the laces.

Overall, this is not a hard mani at all! And if you don't feel up to doing all 10 nails as corsets these work perfectly as accent nails as well. :)

Until next time,
♥ Ashley ♥

Askruk46

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Dotticure Guest Post from Lucy's Stash!

Hey everyone! I've been revising all day so it's nice to have a break for a bit, although if you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I may have got distracted from revision earlier and painted my nails, but unfortunately I don't have my lightbox at the moment so I can't take a proper picture! My last exam is tomorrow and I am so so excited to be free for 2 weeks, but until I can am properly finished, and until my lightbox returns on friday, the lovely Lucy from Lucy's Stash has kindly done a guest post for me, and I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do! I was lucky enough to share a hotel room with Lucy before/after the Cosmo blog awards and she's such a lovely person, and amazing at nail art, so I'm honoured to have her here today!

Hi everyone,

I’m so excited to be guest posting for Alice! Not only she is a freaking Cosmo Blog Award winner but I’ve also had a chance to hang out with her in person she is such a lovely person.

I have prepared a dotticure for you that I hope you’ll think is very intricate but to tell you the truth, it’s dead simple to do. Just start with two big dots on the opposite side of the nail and then create small dots around it in opposite colour. Then continue on both circles alternating the colours until they ‘meet’. Continue creating the dot circles in alternating colours until you fill the whole nail. Once you’re done let the design dry for few minutes and topcoat it.





  
For this manicure I have used two coats of SpaRitual Breathless (light pink jelly) for the base and then Imaginarium (neon pink shimmer) and Crystal Waters (turquoise blue shimmer) for the dots.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this manicure and feel free to stop by Lucy’s Stash and check out more nail art and tutorials! Love, Lucie x

You can also find Lucy on Facebook and Twitter

Askruk46

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Revlon by Marchesa 24k Brocade Review

In Bloglovin' news, I emailed them about the issue I mentioned in my last post, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a very prompt email from them, letting me know that they are having technical issues with followers, but are sorting it out, and are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Normally companies take FOREVER to respond, if they do at all, so it was nice to get a response in such a short amount of time! This is why I like Bloglovin'. So if you're having issues too, know they are working on it.

In nail news, today I have a design for you, though not of my own creation. During my most recent trip to Ulta I picked up a package of Revlon by Marchesa Nail Appliques in pattern 24k Brocade. I was so excited to find them, -Since I couldn't find them anywhere before then.-, and was even more excited to share them with you. Though my high expectations did falter a bit...


Even though it was a very hard decision, and I would have much rather walked out of Ulta with every single pattern, - Though my wallet wouldn't have appreciated it!- I chose 24k Brocade, a teal base with metallic gold damask detailing.



Like most nail applique sets, this one comes with 18 appliques of varying sizes. This set also comes with a weird little spatula thing that I didn't get the point of, and a terrible mini file.
After sizing my nails, I gently buffed them, then cleaned them with some rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt and oil. -Nail polish remover can leave residue.- After that I began the annoying process of applying the appliques.  I first applied them just past my cuticle, then tried to gently smooth them onto the rest of my nails. Then I used the tiny file to buff the remaining applique from my free-edges.
Based on the promises listed on the box, I was hoping for an easy application. Wrong... No matter how gently, or slowly, I applied them, I could not get the appliques to lay flat! They just continued to pucker and bend around the surface of my nails. They also would not stay where I put them! within minutes there was lifting and curling around my cuticles and free-edges.
The box states that these appliques have "UV cured technology that's made to last." I don't know what that means, but I do know that within the very first day of wearing them I already had a chip, and two other nails already had rips and tears!
But I have to admit I am still a sucker for the pattern, and at a distance my nails looked gorgeous.






Sorry, I got a bit picture happy.
I have short, curved nails, so maybe these are better suited for people with long, flat, square nails. Either way, I was disappointed with the application process. Though I was thrilled with the pattern and color. But sadly that cannot make up for the poor application and staying power.
On a more pleasant note, I will say that the pattern itself was very vibrant and pretty, and I did receive many compliments on it. And while the applique itself did chip and split, the pattern never faded.

I still have extra pieces left, so I may try to get my money's worth and use them in some fashion, maybe as an accent nail in a design or something.
I have not given up on nail appliques! I have heard of plenty that have received great reviews from other bloggers, Including the Sally Hansen line. So I may have to give them a try. Though I think I will have to take a pass on the rest of this collection. As a total perfectionist, not being able to get them to lay flat and smooth just makes me crazy, no matter how nice the pattern may be!

Thanks for reading! To check out other reviews I've done click here, and to check out designs I've done myself click here.
-xo Brittany

Have you tried this line of nail appliques? What did you think? Would you recommend the line from Sally Hansen? Let me know in the comments!

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Askruk46

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