Leopard Nail Art

Nothing screams Fall this year than animal prints.  It's literally everywhere and let's face it not all of us can afford to follow this big trend, investing in pricey purses, footwear and attire, right? This is why I'm so excited to share this trendy inexpensive nail art with you.  You can achieve the same or similar look using the polishes you have on hand.  An easy way to replicate this look is by searching online for animal print patterns or you may go through your existing wardrobe to see if you can get your hands on a pattern. Then simply follow the pattern as a guide for choosing a color scheme. 

As pictured below, are several images taken under different lighting conditions.

To create this look all I did was applied a base coat followed by two coats of golden yellow polish and allowed to thoroughly dry.   Next step I used a brown polish and placed uneven random dots.  Once that dried I drew around the dots with a black polish, again using the uneven technique just so it would look like an actual leopard.  I also added a bit of gold sparkly polish here and there just to pull the look together and to seal in the design, I  applied two coats of a topcoat.

Somehow I really love this combination of colors.   I hope this post inspires you to create your own leopard nails this Fall.

Now talk about being frugal and trendy at the same time!

I'm in Nail Art Heaven

To those of you who know me well, know that I'm a Nail Art fiend which is why I'm like a kid in a candy store whenever I go shopping for nail art supplies.  There's a vast array of supplies which can be sourced online - ebay and other nail art specialty stores but sometimes I tend to get impatient waiting on my order to arrive;  especially if I'm going to need them for an upcoming occasion.  The good thing is that most craft stores are now stocking a lot of staple items for us DIY Nail Art enthusiasts.  Even the bargain shops now stock specialty polishes with the very fine tip brush, rhinestones and much more.

Back in the day, when I ventured into DIY  nail art, I relied completely on polishes to create images such as flowers etc., but have since discovered that water based paints serves as a better option since it can be easily wiped away if you make a blunder with your design. Just using a dampen a cotton pad with water and simply wipe away.  And just like nail polishes, you  can easily combine colors too, creating customized shades.  These paints can be found in the craft section at Walmart, bargain shops and dollar stores.

And for the best part, below are the items I was able to source locally.

Out of it's package. These are ideal for adding life to your designs, making them more interesting and realistic. It came with a mini nail file, orange stick and nail glue. 

And here's the star of the show -- water based paints.  Sourced these in the craft section of my local Dollar store. Yippee!

A closer look!

And for a while I have been wanting a super fine tip brush for my intricate designs and felt very lucky to find one at (pictured below - left) Sally's Beauty.  It wasn't exactly cheap but ideal for intricate work.  I paid $7.56 with taxes.  There were some other ones that came in a set but way more expensive. The Artist Series (pictured below - right) one came in a set and was sourced at my local Dollar store. In terms of performance I prefer the  one from Sally's however, the Dollar store find will be reserved for other type of designs, like making rose petals, dots, etc.

I'd like to also add that both brushes work amazingly well with regular nail polish too which is totally awesome. 

Happy Nail Painting, friends!

Shades of brown EOTD!

It's Monday and like every other Monday it's that dreaded day when many of us have to spring out of bed in order to get to work and see the kids off to school.  It's beautiful out today plus I had an early appointment so I decided to do a quick makeup look, specifically an eye look. 

This look can be easily achieved using your favorite shades of brown eye shadows and you'll also need an eggplant color to add depth to the crease area. 

I've used all mineral eye shadows, added some brown liner to create some drama.  And finished off with jet black mascara. 

Here's a breakdown on how I achieved this look:

• Firstly applied lighter shade of brown on center of lids, darker shade on outer part and into my crease area
• Then I added a champagne color on the inner corners of lids
• And used the above mentioned eggplant color to intensify the crease - mostly the outer crease area
• For highlight I used a matte cream colored shadow
• Then I carefully went over the shadows with a blending brush
• On my lower lash line I applied a tad of the eggplant shade with cream colored eye liner on waterline 
• Mascara is applied only on top lashes

I didn't want to overdo it with mascara since it was an early morning appointment so I tried to keep the look wearable for daytime.

I think the shades of brown with that added surprise of eggplant shade really complement my brown eyes.

I hope this gives you inspiration to create a similar look using your favorite shades of brown.

An Autumn OOTD!

Yesterday, (Sunday) was such a lovely Fall day here in Toronto.  It felt more on the warm side with a bit of cool breeze.  It was just perfect for one of my favorite Fall looks as pictured below.  The full poses aren't the greatest quality but I still wanted you to see how I paired my outfit.

Animal print is a huge trend for Fall 2011.  Don't believe me? Just visit your closest magazine stand and take a look at the fasion issues. You'll see exactly what I'm talking about.  I'm not known to always follow trends but animal prints happen to be a favorite of mine.  So much so that I sport it all year long.  In an upcoming post I will share with you my collection of animal print fashion items.

The skirt in pictured below is one my creations. One that I've  had for ages. Yes, it's dated but can you tell? Sure, you can't! Notice how bright and summery it is, yet it's perfect for this current trend?  I have also added the belt for some added detailing plus it cinches in my waist nicely. On colder days I plan on pairing it with a dark chocolate or black pair of leggins and boots.  That's bound to provide adequate warmth on such days.

The white top is just a regular sleeve-less tank paired with a suede-like cardigan.  The cardigan is quite dated too and haven't had much wearing.  I love the detailing on the latter. All around the hem line and up the front are done in a blanket stitch.  Love it!




<<<-----------Some of my favorite accessories!

Makeup is pretty simple with peachy lips and outfit is accessorized with my wrist watch, stretchy bracelet and my butterfly cocktail ring.

I hope you enjoy this post, girls! :) 

First FOTD in celebration of Autumn!

Although I'm a tropical gal by birth and love the hot Summer days, I have also grown to love and appreciate Autumn as well.  What I love the most is the colors of this beautiful season and the fact that I get an opportunity to pull out all my gorgeous mineral eye shadows, creating various eye looks.  I'm also having fun pairing different outfits in celebration of Fall but I'll save that for another post.

Here's one makeup look I came up with today using only three colors.  On the outer two third's of my lids I used a  grey shade, then a champagne-like shade on the remaining part including highlight area and did the same for the lower lash line as well. In the crease I dardened it with a matte navy shade & lined only upper lash line with a navy liner. Added mascara and done. 

For foundation, I'm wearing my own mineral foundation.  Mineral foundation is still my #1 choice for foundations but I'm NOT a huge fan of the ashiness as seen in these photos which is due to the TD & Zinc. Just thought I'd mention the latter for those of you not familiar with mineral formulations.

WARNING! Photo Overload!

Eyes pictured below:

Full Face look as follows:

I thought I'd throw on my animal print scarf since that's a huge trend for Autumn 2011.  I wear this all year long anyways....lol More looks to come soon.

Until next time, Happy Fall!

I have short nails! Yes I do!

Even though I loved my long nails so much, a few weeks ago, I was forced to trim them short. Reason being, my life became way too hectic for polishing and doing nail art. So, I thought it was best for making this temporary change.  They also got a break from the constant use of nail polish which is a good thing in my opinion.  As many of you know, my nails and hair grow pretty fast so I'm not worried one bit.  I'm attaching a photo for you to see how it looks. 

What are your thoughts? Do I rock the short nails look?

A Summer Steal!

Summer is almost over but I still wanted to share with you one of my favorite footwear purchases.  When it comes to footwear I'm all about comfort so I was very pleased when I found this cute pair of sandals.  I have to say, my newest shoe store obsession is with myspringshoes.com The neat thing about this site is the fact that online orders are shipped free of charge. How cool is that, huh? As you can see from the images below, the style resembles the poplular gladiator look with a zippered back. For some reason, I find this style is perfect on me. I think it complements the shape of my legs very well.

At under $30, I say these were a steal.  My boys were encouraging me to get them in the beige color as well. I swear, my boys are so cute.  They always have a say in what I wear....LOL

So, what's that one item you've purhcased and loved this Summer. Please do share. I'd love to know.

Stay beautiful!

Keeping in touch!

Hello friends,

This is my new blog home to content not pertaining to Green Living & Health. Such topics can be found on my other blog here and you may also fan me on Facebook for more insight.

Here I will be focusing on mostly revved up postings of fashion, makeup, DIY and tid bits of my daily life. 

Stay tuned! More to follow.

Cheers!