These pictures were taken in artificial light thanks to all the thunderstorms we've been having here lately...The polish is a lot more green than shown in the pictures.
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Nail of the Day: Trophy Wife
I recently acquired Essie's "Trophy Wife" - a shimmery green-blue polish. It looked a lot more green in the bottle than on my nails, where it looked like a rich, sparkling turquoise. This disappointed me slightly, only because I have a dozen turquoise polishes but if you don't, this colour is stunning! Bright enough for summer but rich enough for fall. Not quite green, not quite blue. It's just a beautiful colour. It's application is similar to most of my other Essie polishes (with "Fiji" being the exception), meaning it takes two or three coats until it is opaque and smooth. But if you have the patience to apply those coats, wait for each one to dry, and not accidentally mess them up before you're done - it's worth it! Essie always makes up for their formula in their colours.
These pictures were taken in artificial light thanks to all the thunderstorms we've been having here lately...The polish is a lot more green than shown in the pictures.
These pictures were taken in artificial light thanks to all the thunderstorms we've been having here lately...The polish is a lot more green than shown in the pictures.
Nail Watermarbling
It's been a huge trend in nail art for the last year or so - watermarbling. After reading tutorial after tutorial, I was hesitant to actually try the effect because it seemed so time (and polish) consuming. But, of course, I wasn't just going to sit back and watch everyone have all the fun! Over the last few months I've attempted nail marbling a couple of times but none of them have turned out well-enough for me to keep on for more than a few hours.
The general idea of watermarbling is taking a small bowl of water, dropping in several concentric drops of nail polish, swirling them around with a toothpick and dipping your fingers in. Many of the tutorials online are great at explaining step-by-step but they make it look a heck of a lot easier than it is the first few times you try... This look takes a lot of practice and experimentation to get right I think - unless you're following someone else's steps exactly - colour, pattern, and everything.
A few things I've learned from all of my attempts:
- The water in the bowl should be room-temperature/ luke warm
- I had more luck with creme finishes than with shimmers/glitters
- Paint your nails a base colour (white, nude, or a colour that you're using) before dipping them
- Use scotch tape to surround your nail before you dip them - this drastically reduces the amount of cleanup needed afterwards
- Leave the bottles open and work FAST. I find that the outer circles tend to dry before I'm done the inside circles making it really difficult to make any sort of funky pattern in them
- To save time and polish, I dip my three middle fingers into the polish at the same time (but I do my thumbs and pinkys seperately)
I have a few problems with having water bubbles under the polish making them peel off very easily - even with a layer of Seche Vite top coat. Anyone know any tricks for preventing this?
The general idea of watermarbling is taking a small bowl of water, dropping in several concentric drops of nail polish, swirling them around with a toothpick and dipping your fingers in. Many of the tutorials online are great at explaining step-by-step but they make it look a heck of a lot easier than it is the first few times you try... This look takes a lot of practice and experimentation to get right I think - unless you're following someone else's steps exactly - colour, pattern, and everything.
A few things I've learned from all of my attempts:
- The water in the bowl should be room-temperature/ luke warm
- I had more luck with creme finishes than with shimmers/glitters
- Paint your nails a base colour (white, nude, or a colour that you're using) before dipping them
- Use scotch tape to surround your nail before you dip them - this drastically reduces the amount of cleanup needed afterwards
- Leave the bottles open and work FAST. I find that the outer circles tend to dry before I'm done the inside circles making it really difficult to make any sort of funky pattern in them
- To save time and polish, I dip my three middle fingers into the polish at the same time (but I do my thumbs and pinkys seperately)
I have a few problems with having water bubbles under the polish making them peel off very easily - even with a layer of Seche Vite top coat. Anyone know any tricks for preventing this?
Tuesday 29 May 2012
IKEA is a Student's Best Friend... Unless You Need Delivery
Today's post is sort of a rant. Like many other University students, I've gone home for the summer to stay with my family. In the meantime, my roomates and I have leased a new apartment and we've spent way too much time gushing and planning out every little inch of the tiny new space. We're lucky enough that our landlord allows us to paint our place so we have all the colours picked out, we've scrubbed the whole place spotless (every apartment in Montreal comes old and dirty) and all of our furniture was picked out online. Who would've thought it would be so hard to get it sent to our new home?
A bit of relevant information to this rant: I live with two of my friends. All of us live in different towns across Ontario and we don't have a car available to us in Montreal (who needs a car there, anyway?). So we spend a lot of time online/texting/calling each other to sort out our bills/internet/furniture orders. We needed to order our stuff from IKEA (there's one about 20 minutes from our place in Montreal) and have it brought to our apartment on a day where at least one of us was there. Sounds simple, right? Wrong.
IKEA didn't understand the whole concept of us trying to order our furniture from the Montreal store to send to our Montreal address, from Ontario. They wouldn't accept any of our Ontario phone numbers to call because they were long distance and they told us we had to go into the Montreal store to place an order - we couldn't just order online like everywhere else. Then, when we finally explained how we had a new place in Montreal and we needed it delivered there because we couldn't pick it up from the Montreal store, they finally figured it out. Yay! No, not yay. They would only deliver to our neighbourhood in the morning of weekdays.... as working students living hours away from Montreal - this wouldn't really work. I am now forced to take the day off and, along with my mother, take the train to Montreal to let the delivery men into the apartment, just to get on the train and come right back. I was really hoping to make a weekend of it... At least I won't be doing any heavy lifting.
Sorry for such a long post, I figured that maybe other students who study in a different city may have had a similar issue. It's been a frustrating day.
A bit of relevant information to this rant: I live with two of my friends. All of us live in different towns across Ontario and we don't have a car available to us in Montreal (who needs a car there, anyway?). So we spend a lot of time online/texting/calling each other to sort out our bills/internet/furniture orders. We needed to order our stuff from IKEA (there's one about 20 minutes from our place in Montreal) and have it brought to our apartment on a day where at least one of us was there. Sounds simple, right? Wrong.
IKEA didn't understand the whole concept of us trying to order our furniture from the Montreal store to send to our Montreal address, from Ontario. They wouldn't accept any of our Ontario phone numbers to call because they were long distance and they told us we had to go into the Montreal store to place an order - we couldn't just order online like everywhere else. Then, when we finally explained how we had a new place in Montreal and we needed it delivered there because we couldn't pick it up from the Montreal store, they finally figured it out. Yay! No, not yay. They would only deliver to our neighbourhood in the morning of weekdays.... as working students living hours away from Montreal - this wouldn't really work. I am now forced to take the day off and, along with my mother, take the train to Montreal to let the delivery men into the apartment, just to get on the train and come right back. I was really hoping to make a weekend of it... At least I won't be doing any heavy lifting.
Sorry for such a long post, I figured that maybe other students who study in a different city may have had a similar issue. It's been a frustrating day.
Saturday 26 May 2012
Julep's Best Pedi-Creme Ever
As part of my monthly Maven box from Julep, I got a tube of the "Best Pedi-Creme Ever" and I had a chance to try it yesterday. After viciously attacking my callused feet with a pumice stone, I applied the cream and I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised!
The cream was very, very light and smelled very fresh (a mix of mint, aloe, and cucumber-like scents) but the scent wasn't overpowering or even obtrusive - a HUGE plus for me because I'm allergic to a lot of scents. The formula felt very oily and greasy when I first put it on but it absorbed in a few minutes and I saw a noticeable difference in the skin on my feet. They were a lot smoother and more supple.
Overall, I was happy with this product (and the fact that I only paid a penny for it added to that too!). It's a really nice foot cream.
The cream was very, very light and smelled very fresh (a mix of mint, aloe, and cucumber-like scents) but the scent wasn't overpowering or even obtrusive - a HUGE plus for me because I'm allergic to a lot of scents. The formula felt very oily and greasy when I first put it on but it absorbed in a few minutes and I saw a noticeable difference in the skin on my feet. They were a lot smoother and more supple.
Overall, I was happy with this product (and the fact that I only paid a penny for it added to that too!). It's a really nice foot cream.
Friday 25 May 2012
Nail of the Day: Julep's Susie
If you read my previous post, you know that yesterday I received my Julep Maven introductory box and it contained two new polishes: Susie and Niecy. Today I tried Susie, described by Julep as a "delicious mint green creme." It turned out to be a lot more white/blue based than green and in most light almost looks like a robin's egg blue, not a mint green. It is white-based so, like most other white-based polishes, the first coat goes on very streaky. Two coats turned out to be adequate though. The brush was slightly awkward to work with. The bottle and stem are so long that a lot of polish drips down the stem as you're painting, resulting in big globs of polish that pool on your nails. The colour is really pretty but not the colour I expected.
Thursday 24 May 2012
Julep Maven: Introductory Box
As many nail-obsessed bloggers have been talking about, Julep, an up and coming nailpolish and nail & hand care company have launched a monthly subscription service called "Julep Mavens". When you register, you fill out a short quiz to determine your personal style and then for $20 a month you receive a personalized Maven box. Each one has 2 or 3 Julep nail polishes as well as beauty samples. Every month you have the option of skipping the month, trying a different style for the month, sending your box to a friend or adding on any extra polishes or products you'd like. Julep Mavens also get 20% all purchases from Julep and free shipping! A portion of proceeds also go to supporting women through the Powered by Girlfriends program.When I registered a couple of weeks ago they had a special offer allowing you to receive your first Julep box for only $0.01! I almost felt silly putting it on my credit card... Well, my first box just arrived!
When I signed up, I was told that my style was "Classic with a Twist" (pretty accurate if you ask me!) and my Maven box came with two nail polishes and a pedicure cream. They even threw in some cute toe seperators for free! Niecy is described as "A bright pink creme for sunny days" and Susie is a "delicious mint green creme."
I was a bit apprehensive to get my Julep nail polishes because I had been reading a lot of negative reviews about the bottle and the formula. I skipped my box for June because I hadn't had the chance to try the product yet but if the colours are ok, I will most definitely be renewing for July! I haven't had the chance to swatch the colours on my own nails but I swatched them on the nail wheels I use to keep track of all my colours and I was very pleasantly surprised! In 2 coats they were opaque and smooth. The colour descriptions were spot-on. The pink is bright and creamy, though I already have a bunch just like it in my collection. The mint green was very blue-based which was not evident in the pictures online but I prefer it to a pure mint green. The polishes are very nice and I love the skinny bottles, they look very chic (although they may be more problematic if I was painting my whole hand...). They retail online for $14 and I don't think they would be worth that much, though I am on a budget. In the Maven box, two polishes and a beauty product for 20$ is reasonable, in my opinion. Very excited for my next one!
When I signed up, I was told that my style was "Classic with a Twist" (pretty accurate if you ask me!) and my Maven box came with two nail polishes and a pedicure cream. They even threw in some cute toe seperators for free! Niecy is described as "A bright pink creme for sunny days" and Susie is a "delicious mint green creme."
I was a bit apprehensive to get my Julep nail polishes because I had been reading a lot of negative reviews about the bottle and the formula. I skipped my box for June because I hadn't had the chance to try the product yet but if the colours are ok, I will most definitely be renewing for July! I haven't had the chance to swatch the colours on my own nails but I swatched them on the nail wheels I use to keep track of all my colours and I was very pleasantly surprised! In 2 coats they were opaque and smooth. The colour descriptions were spot-on. The pink is bright and creamy, though I already have a bunch just like it in my collection. The mint green was very blue-based which was not evident in the pictures online but I prefer it to a pure mint green. The polishes are very nice and I love the skinny bottles, they look very chic (although they may be more problematic if I was painting my whole hand...). They retail online for $14 and I don't think they would be worth that much, though I am on a budget. In the Maven box, two polishes and a beauty product for 20$ is reasonable, in my opinion. Very excited for my next one!
Monday 21 May 2012
Nail of the Day: Just Spotted the Lizard
I, among with a couple other nail polish lovers, was disappointed in the new OPI Spiderman collection, it's no secret (Why is there no red? Seriously?!) and the only colour that appealed to me was Just Spotted the Lizard, a shifting combination of metallic gold/green/blue/orange. It applied very well, almost a one coater with the only irksome thing being how streaky it was (although that is the price of a metallic polish). In the sun it shone a light metallic green (very, very pretty!) and in the shade/artificial light it was a burnished orangey-gold colour, again, very pretty. It is said to be an exact dupe for Chanel's Peridot but without having both, I can't say for myself.
The colour was very VERY hard to capture on camera - too many bright metallic colours, always shifting around. This is the best I could do, unfortunately. It is such an interesting colour!
The colour was very VERY hard to capture on camera - too many bright metallic colours, always shifting around. This is the best I could do, unfortunately. It is such an interesting colour!
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| OPI: Just Spotted the Lizard |
Saturday 19 May 2012
Nail of the Day: Greige Gardens
If you've read my previous post, you're aware of my tragic relationship with OPI's "Parlez-Vous OPI?". Today, when I was at the drugstore, I happened by the nail polish section (as I always do) and picked up a new polish! Yay!
From the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line (I highly recommend these polishes. They're the best drug store brand), I bought "Greige Gardens". It's a smoky, purple based grey. It's darker than I had originally wanted but it's still quite an intriguing colour. My camera was unable to capture the colour in any light... The picture provided is courtesty of Sally Hansen's website.
The formula was perfect on this polish, creamy and smooth. Opaque in two coats and dries with a smooth, shiny finish. The colour was lovely, slightly unexpected but not too dull grey or too blatantly purple. The perfect amount of colour while remaining neutral.
From the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line (I highly recommend these polishes. They're the best drug store brand), I bought "Greige Gardens". It's a smoky, purple based grey. It's darker than I had originally wanted but it's still quite an intriguing colour. My camera was unable to capture the colour in any light... The picture provided is courtesty of Sally Hansen's website.
The formula was perfect on this polish, creamy and smooth. Opaque in two coats and dries with a smooth, shiny finish. The colour was lovely, slightly unexpected but not too dull grey or too blatantly purple. The perfect amount of colour while remaining neutral.
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Greige Gardens
Thursday 17 May 2012
Discontinued Polishes
Sigh. I hate that word, especially when it goes hand in hand with a nail polish that I desperately want. I've never been a huge fan of purple polish. Why? No idea. I love purple clothing, purple shoes, I own more purple makeup than I reasonably could ever wear but there are very few purple polishes that I like wearing. Lilacs, purpley-pinks, and really dark, vampy purple are fine but royal purple... not a huge fan on my nails.
There is this one purple polish, however, that I've been trying to get my hands on for the better part of the year now. Parlez-Vous OPI? from the France Collection. It's a lovely dusty purple that I tried for the first time at my godsisters house and have been pining for ever since. But, alas, it is nowhere to be found :( Why do I always want what I can't have? It is selling on eBay but for more than 50$ and that's a bit steep for a student right now. Boo :(.
Why do they always discontinue the most beautiful colours? If anyone knows any good dupes for it, let me know!
There is this one purple polish, however, that I've been trying to get my hands on for the better part of the year now. Parlez-Vous OPI? from the France Collection. It's a lovely dusty purple that I tried for the first time at my godsisters house and have been pining for ever since. But, alas, it is nowhere to be found :( Why do I always want what I can't have? It is selling on eBay but for more than 50$ and that's a bit steep for a student right now. Boo :(.
Why do they always discontinue the most beautiful colours? If anyone knows any good dupes for it, let me know!
Tuesday 15 May 2012
Little White Dress
Summer is finally here! Well, not exactly, but school is done for the year and I'm finally able to catch up on all those missed hours of sleep, spend time doing things I love, and getting my wardrobe ready for the warm days to come! The number one item on my wishlist? The perfect little white dress.
Now, if I had known how hard it would be to find a dress to fit my vision, I wouldn't have even bothered to leave my house. Or maybe I should lower my expectations.... Nah. Designers just need to learn to read my mind! I should be upfront with you, the reason I find it hard to find dresses (besides me being picky) is that my body is sort of a strange shape. Not that I don't love my body, I really do! It's just a tad disproportionate. I have a tiny waist compared to my hips and bust and it makes it very difficult to fit. *Sigh*
Well, as I said before, it's finally summer for me and so I am taking this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone - updating my wardrobe and doing something I love! I've decided to sew my own dress. I picked a pattern from McCall's Generation Next collection (shown below). Tomorrow, I start my project. Wish me luck!
Now, if I had known how hard it would be to find a dress to fit my vision, I wouldn't have even bothered to leave my house. Or maybe I should lower my expectations.... Nah. Designers just need to learn to read my mind! I should be upfront with you, the reason I find it hard to find dresses (besides me being picky) is that my body is sort of a strange shape. Not that I don't love my body, I really do! It's just a tad disproportionate. I have a tiny waist compared to my hips and bust and it makes it very difficult to fit. *Sigh*
Well, as I said before, it's finally summer for me and so I am taking this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone - updating my wardrobe and doing something I love! I've decided to sew my own dress. I picked a pattern from McCall's Generation Next collection (shown below). Tomorrow, I start my project. Wish me luck!
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| M6561 |
Confessions of a Nail-Biter
Yes, it's true. My worst habit come to light- I am a recovering nail-biter. Ever since I remember, my nails have been chewed, raggedy bits. I don't know how I started or exactly why I did it (nerves, stress, boredom) but I know that my nails were disgusting. And if you ever look up all the gross stuff that is actually under your nails... ew! I had to stop.
It was around the time when I started high school that I became much more beauty and fashion aware. Aware enough to know that an awkward thirteen year old with braces and ruined nail beds wasn't exactly the stylish fashionista I wanted to be. I tried everything to stop - gloves, sitting on my hands, using that nasty tasting formula to try and deter myself from chewing my nails. If you're a nail-biter and you're reading this, I would love to tell you that one of these methods worked amazingly well and it will break your habit in a snap, but I can't. Nothing worked for me. I just kept on picking and chewing, biting away.
It took me four more years to stop. In that time, I got my braces off, my hair grew out, and I'd accumulated a ton more make-up knowledge. The only thing standing between me and the version of me I wanted to be were those gross little stubs on the ends of my fingers. So when I moved away to go to university, I finally figured out a way to get myself to stop biting - and hence, the birth of my nail polish collection!
I rewarded myself whenever I could stop myself from chewing my nails. And once I let myself look at all the beautiful colours out there, I wanted them. All of them. And so I stopped biting, and started painting instead. So many beautiful colours! And to maintain my new found nails, I keep them painted. Everyday. And sometimes I do go back, I'll be honest about that. In the midst of finals or when I'm stuck in a 3-hour lecture, sometimes I have urges to bite them again. But then all my lovely shades of polish wouldn't have the perfect canvases that they deserve, and that would just be tragic! :(
And now, I'm happy to share with you all the things I've learned! All the colours I've accumulated, and basically everything else I think is worth sharing :)
-Siobhan
It was around the time when I started high school that I became much more beauty and fashion aware. Aware enough to know that an awkward thirteen year old with braces and ruined nail beds wasn't exactly the stylish fashionista I wanted to be. I tried everything to stop - gloves, sitting on my hands, using that nasty tasting formula to try and deter myself from chewing my nails. If you're a nail-biter and you're reading this, I would love to tell you that one of these methods worked amazingly well and it will break your habit in a snap, but I can't. Nothing worked for me. I just kept on picking and chewing, biting away.
It took me four more years to stop. In that time, I got my braces off, my hair grew out, and I'd accumulated a ton more make-up knowledge. The only thing standing between me and the version of me I wanted to be were those gross little stubs on the ends of my fingers. So when I moved away to go to university, I finally figured out a way to get myself to stop biting - and hence, the birth of my nail polish collection!
I rewarded myself whenever I could stop myself from chewing my nails. And once I let myself look at all the beautiful colours out there, I wanted them. All of them. And so I stopped biting, and started painting instead. So many beautiful colours! And to maintain my new found nails, I keep them painted. Everyday. And sometimes I do go back, I'll be honest about that. In the midst of finals or when I'm stuck in a 3-hour lecture, sometimes I have urges to bite them again. But then all my lovely shades of polish wouldn't have the perfect canvases that they deserve, and that would just be tragic! :(
And now, I'm happy to share with you all the things I've learned! All the colours I've accumulated, and basically everything else I think is worth sharing :)
-Siobhan
Monday 14 May 2012
Hello!
Welcome to my new blog, Studying in Stilettos!
My goal on this blog is to talk about, inform, inspire, and generally just post about all things girly - from the point of a student. Having high-fashion tastes on a ramen-noodle budget isn't always easy, especially when you're knee-deep in schoolwork and living in the tiniest of student apartments.
So, who am I? Well, I am an architecture student in Montreal, Canada. Moving to Canada's cosmopolitan centre from small-town Ontario was quite a step but this city has yet to disappoint. My friends have crowned me the Queen of Girly Girls. I can never be unhappy when baking in my kitchen, shoes are never too tall for me, and my favourite way to spend a friday night is with a crazy girls-night-in (ideas to follow!).
I am a huge (HUGE) nail polish addict and there is always one more polish that I "need". Nail art has become my hobby between studying, sleeping, and socializing and I guarantee a ton of polish swatches, reviews, tutorials, and anything else anyone wants to see.
Frilly and fabulous things to come!
-Siobhan
My goal on this blog is to talk about, inform, inspire, and generally just post about all things girly - from the point of a student. Having high-fashion tastes on a ramen-noodle budget isn't always easy, especially when you're knee-deep in schoolwork and living in the tiniest of student apartments.
So, who am I? Well, I am an architecture student in Montreal, Canada. Moving to Canada's cosmopolitan centre from small-town Ontario was quite a step but this city has yet to disappoint. My friends have crowned me the Queen of Girly Girls. I can never be unhappy when baking in my kitchen, shoes are never too tall for me, and my favourite way to spend a friday night is with a crazy girls-night-in (ideas to follow!).
I am a huge (HUGE) nail polish addict and there is always one more polish that I "need". Nail art has become my hobby between studying, sleeping, and socializing and I guarantee a ton of polish swatches, reviews, tutorials, and anything else anyone wants to see.
Frilly and fabulous things to come!
-Siobhan
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