Tag Archives: China Glaze

Nail Art: Green Fiend Nails

Green Fiend Nail Art China Glaze Cirque du Soleil Collection SwatchesHope that my readers south of the border had a great Thanksgiving. Haha, and I’m sure that many have been Black Friday shopping since the stroke of midnight.

Several years ago, I was in the States and experienced my first Black Friday. The deals were insane, but so were the crowds! (Good luck to those who are rubbing elbows with others to snag a deal. Just remember to be courteous!)

Today’s Green Fiend Nails were spontaneous. Go with the flow. Throw caution to the wind.

You see, a friend let me borrow 3 polishes from the brand-spankin’ new China Glaze Cirque du Soleil Collection – Running in Circles (glittery green), DEF Defying (snot green), and Creative Fantasy (purple)! I was so excited because green and purple are my favourite colours!

Sometimes I’m indecisive. I couldn’t decide which one to wear first. (Plus I don’t like to keep others’ polish with me for too long. Wearing each individually would take too long. Lacquers get homesick, I think. Although…if they met the numerous greens in my Helmer, I think they might make some friends, and it would escalate into something more – a relationship with long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners!) 😉

It hit me – why did I have to choose just one? This isn’t The Highlander! The more, the merrier, they say. The more greens, the “Mary-er”, I say!

The nail art you see was me trying to wear all the colours at once and still make it look somewhat cohesive and less like a mad person. 😉 (A little madness is good.)

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Nail Art Tutorial: Jack Skellington Nails (Nightmare Before Christmas Nails)

Jack Skellington Nails Nail ArtAre you a fan of Tim Burton or of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Then you might like these Jack Skellington Nails!

When I sat down to paint this, I didn’t have much time, so a nail-art design that was fast and that didn’t use too many colours was imperative.

I’m so happy to share this look with you because it’s perfect if you’re just painting your nails tonight and need something easy. This is also a design that doesn’t require too much concentration. It’s okay if the lines aren’t really straight and even. It all goes together.

I want to wish you all a very HAPPY HALLOWE’EN! Please be safe no matter what you decide to do, and HAVE FUN! 🙂

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Nail Art Tutorial: Sheep Nails (I Did This Look on a MAN!)

Sheep-Nails-Nail-Art-TutorialYou’ll remember that I blogged about painting my guy friends’ nails before. Well, ever since then, I’ve been itching to do it again. And I did! 😉

The Sheep Nail Art you see was the result of a very fun painting session!

I actually had this design in my head for quite some time and had wanted to do it on my own nails, but I was just too busy.

(In addition to having a full-time job, I’m also a professional freelance writer on the side. Haha, it feels like I’m always working! But when I have spare time, I squeeze in socializing with friends, daily blogging, and knitting.)

So when I was chilling with this guy, I was thrilled when he agreed to not only let me paint a sheep nail design on him, but also publish it on Swatch And Learn. Also, he wanted to confirm that he could remove it immediately after. (Haha, no, nail polish isn’t permanent!) So, just a few seconds after this little sheep was born, it was axed. Poor baby!

Keep reading this blog post because I show you step-by-step with written instructions and fun photos of this man’s thumb nail to help you recreate the look (or to help you convince the guys in your life to not take themselves too seriously). 😉

P.S. Funny thing is that he actually pointed out that I got some of the blue polish on his skin. And then he also mentioned that the sheep was missing its ear. Hahaha! Sorry that your first nail-art experience wasn’t perfect, Mr. Brawny Man! 😛 I’ll do better next time. Because…oh yeahhhh, there’ll be a next time…and another time after that…and another….Hehehehe! Practice makes perfect, right? Right! (He’s actually a professional artist, so that’s why he was very observant of my nail-painting flaws. Haha, he’s not a jerk.)

P.P.S. I would make a terrible nail technician. The entire time, I was smiling and giggling! I just couldn’t keep quiet no matter how hard I tried.

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China Glaze Blue Sparrow Swatches & Review (Revisited)

China-Glaze-Blue-Sparrow-Swatches-ReviewChina Glaze Blue Sparrow is my absolute favourite blue nail polish. Ever. In my collection of 600+ bottles of lacquer, that’s saying a lot. And it’s not even hard to find or expensive. Beauty comes at every price point.

So even though I’ve previously reviewed this polish on here back in the day, I decided that it needed to be revisited so that I could show you more photos. My previous post in November 2010 didn’t do it any justice.

This is a polish that is what I like to call the Ugly Duckling. You see, without a top coat, it looks dry like clay or sand, and the texture is lumpy. (All the other nail polishes poked fun at it and called it names.) But then this ‘blue sparrow’ grew up and became a looker. You slick on some top coat, and WOWZA!

I dare you to not to stare at your nails throughout the day! (I couldn’t, so I walked into poles, people, and poodles…Okay, maybe not, but I felt like I should with this on…hehe!)

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Nail Art Tutorial: The Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster Nails

The-Bride-of-Frankenstein-Nails-Nail-Art-TutorialEver since I saw this photo on Pinterest, I knew I had to try my hand at The Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster Nails!

Hers turned out better, but I still really enjoyed wearing my version of the Hallowe’en nail-art design because it has an underground comic-book feel.

I don’t think that my version immediately makes you think of the Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster. That’s why yesterday, when I posted a photo of it on Instagram and Twitter, I asked you what you thought they were.

Okay, some people did see the Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster (YAY!), but I also got other guesses: samurai and a rocker dude. Haha! After they mentioned it, I could see both! Oh, the power of suggestion!

And when my co-workers at lunch were looking at my nails, one thought that they were scary masks, and another thought they were a character from a horror film. Both agreed that the design was suitable for Hallowe’en.

Soooo…even if I missed the mark on them being ole Frankie’s better half, at least the seasonal vibe was there. 😉

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Nail Art Tutorial: Pirate Nails

Pirate-Nails-Nail-Art-TutorialArr, swashbucklers and ye landlubbers alike may get a kick out of these Pirate Nails! (No bottle o’ rum is necessary, which makes them suitable for all ages.) 😉

Last year I created many different Hallowe’en nail-art tutorials (soon I’ll do a ’round-up’ type of post in case you find it helpful to see all the ideas in one place).

This year, my schedule has been so packed, I wasn’t able to do Hallowe’en nail art, which seriously bums me out!

But I wasn’t going to let October 31st roll by without at least one new festive design!

Hehe, it’s been a little while since I had ‘eyeballs’ on my nails…and y’know what? I sorely missed them. (I like looking at nails and having them look back. We can…see eye to eye! *Groans*)

Hope that you’ll try out this design. I purposely tried to do a design that didn’t use too many colours so that it’s a look that more people will be able to attempt, regardless if you have a huge lacquer collection or not.

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China Glaze Purr-fect Plum Swatches & Review

China-Glaze-Purr-fect-Plum-Swatches-ReviewHow’s the weather where you are? In the last little while, the temperature has taken quite a dip.

It’s beginning to feel like fall, and I’m excited because that means no humidity, which also spells no frizzy hair! (Woo hoo!)

When I think of autumn, the first colours that come to mind are reds, oranges, and bronzes. However, during this time of year, I really like rich grape tones and deep plums.

China Glaze Purr-fect Plum is from the On Safari Collection, and it’s a great fall shade! It looks more reddish and burgundy than my pictures would suggest, but in certain lighting, it can look a bit purplish.

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