Nail design: nude nails and a splash of colour

August 10, 2015 ~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

I saw this trend a while ago online in various fashion articles. But only recently I tried to get it with a few trial and errors! It is this way of painting each nail with colour polish only partially, so that the nude bare nail still shows up and is part of the look. I think of it as a variation of french tips, where instead of just painting the tips of the nails, you work with other parts of the nail to create negative space and interest. I think partially colouring your nails is super fresh looking, because it shows part of the bare nails, and hints at idea of being naked, natural. It gives the nail a more graphic, designed look as well!

Hello bare clean nails! If you have healthy well-shaped nails, you really can skip polish and rock those! But adding colour never hurts! — Hello bare clean nails! If you have healthy well-shaped nails, you really can skip polish sometimes. But I always feel I need a bit of polish, which is why the partial colour is great. You get a bit of both worlds.

Steps to doing a Colour on Nude Nail Manicure

Start with clean, well shaped nails. This is an obvious must when trying to achieve this half painted look because your nude nails are actually the star of the show! (I wash and moisturize my nail shaft for a day or two resting them without polish, to let it breathe and grow more healthy)
Just before painting them, wipe your nails with a tissue moistened with water, to remove excess oils that can cause the chipping of polishes.
Let your nails dry from the wiping.
First paint your nails with a transparent base coat all over the nail shaft. The base coat helps so much because naked nails don’t receive colour evenly, so it is like a foundation. Base coats also smooth out ridges in the nail, just make sure it is transparent so the nude nail shows.
Carefully paint the design in with the colour of choice. I like to do the moons of the nail, which is the bottom half closest to the cuticle. I do an arched shape. I find middle-toned polishes to work the best with this look: ie. not too dark or not too pastel.
Let the first colour coat dry, then do a second coat of colour, being careful to mirror the shape from before. (This step is optional: intricate designs are not easy to apply a second coat to)
Put on a clear top coat All over the nail shaft to seal it in. I love to use a clear matte polish as a topper just because it looks super natural on an uncoloured nail.

So this is the finished product. A nude nail accented by a burst of colour! There are endless variations of the nude nail with colour! An single coloured stripe would also look cool!

Graphically designed and painted nails that show off the natural gorgeousness of the naked nail! Try it yourself and let me know how you like it. I’ve seen different variations, you can do a vertical strip, do a star shape or even dot nude nails with a few jewels. The possibilities are practically endless. Main point to do is remember to use a base coat and top coat for best results. 🙂

Make your own dry shampoo so you can sleep-in during mornings!

May 31, 2015May 31, 2015 ~ Emmie ~ 4 Comments

Lazy is good. It’s great actually. When it comes to shampooing hair, there is nothing more healthy for your scalp and hair than skipping as many days as you can between shampoos. The reason is simple. Shampoos are harsh. They strip away natural oils, you use a lot of friction to make them lather, and your hair (unlike a pair of distressed jeans), do not look better when they are put through the washer and dryer. On the other hand, oily strands of hair do not look polished or pretty either. A solution? Dry shampoo. When I use dry shampoo, I can go a up to a week between washing with a regular shampoo. This is great in two ways: It is healthier for your hair, and also it saves you plenty of time in the morning because you don’t have to shampoo and condition in the shower, and you don’t have to restyle/shape your hair again. I dust dry shampoo in my hair roots, and it looks as if I had showered and re-curled my hair! A handy and healthy short cut to clean hair.

So this is my hair after a few days without washing. Kinda gross and oily as you can see.

The best part is it really isn’t cheating. Your hair is actually getting cleaner with the use of a dry shampoo. The reason is is that oily hair is a magnet for dust and dirt. When your hair is oily, particles of dirt stick to it, making your hair more “dirty” as each day without a wash passes. Dry shampoo works by soaking up the oil, along with any unwanted dirt, then falling out of your hair. So technically, a dry shampoo really does “shampoo” your hair and clean it. It is not a cosmetic effect, it cleans by absorbing grease and oil and it is not as “gross” as some people may think.

Doesn't my hair look a lot cleaner and better? It took two minutes with a dusting of dry shampoo. — Doesn’t my hair look a lot cleaner and better? It took two minutes with a dusting of dry shampoo.

How I use my own homemade dry shampoo is simple. On day 3 or 4 I dust in a thin amount of dry powder into the roots to mid shafts of my hair all over. I actually use a blush brush and dip it into the bowl of dry shampoo and then brush it all over. I like using a blush brush because there is more control, but you can also use a shaker type container to shake it in. Then once applied shake and massage your head and hair so it can do it’s magic. Then simply comb gently. Thou’st ready to go out now!

Simple recipe for home made dry shampoo:

1 part cornstarch (absorbs oil like crazy)

1 part arrowroot flour (absorbs oil, but is softer in the hair)

1/3 part cocoa powder ( this ingredient is optional for those with darker hair)

Mix and blend all three powders until consistency is smooth and uniform. I like to add jasmine and rose oil drops to make the shampoo smell amazing!

I keep my dry shampoo in a tin and dust it into my hair with a blush brush. So easy, and fast too!

Spring make-up trends from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar: Less is more

April 15, 2015 ~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

There is no greater fashion authority than Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, at least that is what I feel. These giants are the leaders of the industry and always know what will look high-fashion, and what will look pedestrian. Their knowledge includes hair and make-up. However, I still get annoyed an any fashion authority because of how trends come in and out at a snap of the finger. Or seeing trends that seem to mirror the things us girls were doing all along, but all of a sudden, it is accepted as stylish! Read this spring’s Vogue and Bazaar articles and you will know exactly what I mean.

Trend 1: Bare faced, no make-up, fresh and clean.

This is a really really hard look to pull off! That is why this trend is annoying. Most girls are not blessed with perfect, glowy, dewy faces. Believe it or not, this look actually takes work. My suggestion to get this? Use a heavy moisturizer, then thinly sponge on bb cream or foundation. Use face powder sparingly. This is how I used to do my make-up for errands day or groceries. Turns out it is now high fashion…who knew? I think bare faced and no make-up looks best with clean flawless skin, and undone, unruly hair.

See how this look is done. It is unpolished in the face, so the hair has to match this to pull off this undone look.

Trend 2: Air dried, slightly wavy hair bordering on bedhead…

This is a trend I’ve been rocking all along and feeling quite bad about its lazy look until now, that is. Apparently, because Vogue and other sources say so, it is stylish now. This look is one of my favourites in that it is effortless, and celebrates how hair looks naturally (aka kinda weird). No curling irons, hair spray or straighteners necessary. My tips for getting this look? After washing and conditioning hair, let it air dry until almost dry. Then twist it up into one or several buns. Let it dry some more. Undo, and then blow dry the rest of the moisture out on low heat. You should be left with barely there waves. Finish with a moisturizing pomade on the midshaft and ends of hair. Effortless and a bit messy.

See how the hair is a bit frizzy like it was air dried? Also there is a barely there wave. Super cool and effortless is the feeling. — See how the hair is a bit frizzy like it was air dried? Also there is a barely-there wave. Super cool and effortless is the goal.

Trend 3: Liquid liner, thin and barely there

This one ties into trend 1 of having a minimal make-up look. What will spoil any “no make-up look” fast would be overly thick liquid lined eyes. Even if you’re a natural beaut, the graphic nature of boldly lined eyes makes a make-up look stylized, planned and over done. Get away with wearing bold liquid liner while still looking “au naturale” by thinly, and I mean thinly painting on the lines as close to the lashes as possible. This way your eyes still pop, but it still looks as if you’re wearing little to no make-up. A nice addition to this would be to skip lining the lower lid liner but to use a light to medium eye shadow to line the bottom lid softly instead!

I love the make-up on the top eyelid. So defined but delicate in the thinness of the black liner. Bottom liner is a bit harsh, though. Soften with barely there shadow. — I love the make-up on the top eyelid. So defined but delicate in the thinness of the black liner. Bottom liner is a bit harsh, though. Soften it by lining it with eye shadow instead.

In Summary:

Clean and fresh faced is in for this spring. This is a hard look to rock, because too little make-up and a girl can end up looking slovenly, too much and the effect of being effortlessly pretty is gone. What to do? Take care of your skin, moisturize, and use your make-up sparingly. This has been what I have been doing casually for a while now and it seems as if the fashion industry this spring is ironically jumping on this bandwagon of common sense.

This is my take on the spring trends. I try to keep it minimal with lighter eye shadows and soft thin eye definition. A nude lip pulls this all together.

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