Hi guys! Welcome to Belle and Arielle* Nail Art Blog. Arielle and I are two best friends who have a serious passion for/addiction to nail art. We will be sharing our own manicures, reviewing products, etc. We are doing this out of our love for nail art, and nothing more. We hope that we can help to inspire others, as well as help to feed their nail art addiction. If you would ever like to send us something for review, email me at charissahemmer@yahoo.com and we would be happy to do it :)
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Subscription Review: Nail Art Society September 2013 Box
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Product Review: PISTOL Polish September Duo
"Hi PISTOL,
Even though our back-to-school days are a distant memory, September still reminds us of fresh starts, exciting challenges and new adventures; that’s why it is PISTOL polish HQ’s favorite month!
And… well… we were just TOO STOKED for fall and couldn’t help ourselves… your September Duo has shipped early and is already on it’s way to you! Sorry we’re not sorry."
I was THRILLED when I saw this. I got this email on Tuesday. Today is Thursday , and my pistol box was sitting in my mail box, waiting for me for me to open it.
So, without further ado:
This is the box that it came in. So cute!!
This is probably the cutest tape I've ever seen...
I also got a sweet little welcome note, which I didn't take a picture of because I know you really want to see the polishes and not just the packaging!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
National nails (patriotic nails)
I wanted to do a simple design for labor day. and lookef through my stamping plates. simple stars on the blue nails, and it was suposed to be a flag on our middle finger, but it didn't work out.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Walk like an Egyptian
Monday, August 26, 2013
Welcome and First Post
So I'm just going to jump in with my first post. This is my manicure that I have on right now:
I was inspired by the fact that it is almost fall, and I couldn't be more excited for my favorite season (please excuse the lack of clean-up on the accent nail). I wanted to do an accent nail, but I didn't want to do black, because it's not THAT close to halloween yet, and I also didn't want to do just plain white, so this is what I came up with.
And here is the arsenal of things I used to achieve this look:
From left to right:
1. Start with one coat of ORLY Bonder. Many beauty bloggers recommend this, and for good reason. It really helps the nail polish to stick to the nail to help prevent chipping/peeling. A few downsides of this product are that it does not protect against nail staining and/or breakage. However, for me it does what it's supposed to do, which is why it is an essential piece of my mani arsenal.
2. Apply one coat of Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat. This is pretty thick because it is supposed to make your nails like a gel, without having to expose them to UV light.
3. Apply two (thin) coats of Clubbin til Sunrise by OPI
4. Apply another coat of Gelous
5. Apply one coat of Northern Lights Top Coat by Out the Door. This was for the glitter. OTD top coats dry in 45 seconds. This top coat is made with fine glitters that tend to fall to the bottom, so you need to shake up the bottle. It creates a gorgeous sparkle effect that looks rediculous in the sun. Since this IS a top coat, you can stop here. But...
6. Apply one coat of Essie No Chips Ahead Top Coat. I work in a bakery-cafe, and I always have my hands in water and am cleaning/peeling/scraping things. Therefore, I really need nail products that prevent chipping as best as possible. I' ve accepted the fact that I cannot wear a manicure for more than a week, and this is the best combination of products that I have come across so far. It lasts almost a week without chipping, with minor touch-ups on tips needed to maintain the look. I did this on thursday night, and it's still going strong. *Warning: This is NOT a fast-drying top coat.
For accent nail:
Instead of step 3, apply two coats of My Boyfriend Scales walls by OPI. I waited about 10 minutes for it to dry (I don't have patience), but I suggest waiting at least 10-30 minutes if you're going to stamp. This is because, even if the nail is dry, you can still bend/smudge/smoosh the polish when you go to stamp, and then you have to start all over again. I may or may not have put on a coat of Seche Vite just on the accent nail to help the drying process.
The polish i used to stamp with is just called Black by Kleancolor. I used these polishes to stamp because, in my experience, these aren't really good quality polishes (they chip within a day) and they're kind of thick (which is good for stamping)
The plate I used is Mash 38. The only stamping plates I have are Mash and Bundle Monster. I got BM first and I thought I was an idiot because it took me like a half hour to get one stamp on my nail. After I got the Mash plates, it only took my one try. I feel that the Mash plates are better quality and the designs are etched a little deeper than BM. But that's just my experience.
Finally, I used a Konad brand stamper and scraper. A lot of people use an old credit card instead of a scraper, but mine works fine, so I just use that. Finish with steps 4-6.
I hope you enjoyed the first post! If you have any questions about products/pricing, or if you like what you see, please leave a comment!
xoxo,
Belle <3
*not our real names.