Finger Paints - Avante Garde Green and Art You Wondering?

Finger Paints - Avante Garde Green and Art You Wondering?

*Although not shown, I start every manicure with my Sinful Colors base coat.  It works really well for me, and protects my nails from staining.  This can be found at your local Walgreens for $2.50.  For the top coat, I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails.

I made my first trip to Sally Beauty Supply today.  Y'all, I've decided that I should just be poor forever.  I must've spent a good 30-45 minutes mulling over the different color choices.  With some prodding from my mom, I picked two of the polishes I'll be using for today's manicure.  The Finger Paints brand is not one I had heard of prior to this store visit.  For $5 a bottle, I was hoping it would be worth it's price.

Avante Garde Green

Pros: With the right amount, the color is a rich emerald color - one that is hard to come by in the stores. 

Cons: The color didn't distribute evenly at all, and left my nails with different streaks. 

Art You Wondering?

Pros: The glitter distributes evenly over the nail, unlike other glitters.  After a few coats, the glitter could probably be used as a color, by itself.

Cons: None - this is a great polish.

After three coats of 'Avante Garde Green'

Three coats of 'Avante Garde Green' and one coat of 'Art You Wondering?'

Final Verdict: The final product can come out looking nice and bright.  However, many people don't have the time to apply a base coat, then 3-4 layers of the actual color, then 1 layer of sparkles and finally, a layer of top coat.  I would probably purchase this product again if it was on sale, but I doubt I would pay the full $5.









Three Colors and a Glitter

Three colors and a glitter

Purple Gradient

*While not shown, I start every manicure with my Sinful Colors base coat (found at Walgreens for $2.50).  For this manicure, I used a Sally Hansen Hard as Nails top coat ($1.50 at Dollar General)

For the 'base' color, I went with a very light shade of purple.  I can't read the name off of the bottle, but it was purchased at Dollar Tree in a 2-for-1 combo pack.

Pros: It comes with a nice brush, albeit thin, that makes application quick and easy.

Cons: The polish is really sheer, so you'd need many (3-4, maybe more) layers to get the full effect of the color.

Using the end of an eyeshadow application (the kind that typically comes with a new eyeshadow), I applied a thin layer of NYC In a New York Color Minute (in "Prince Street" - $1 at Walmart) from the tip of my nails to about 3/4 of the way down.

Don't worry if it's not perfect.  That can be fixed later by the glitter layer.

After the second layer has had a chance to dry a bit, you apply the next color.  The third layer should be the darkest of the nail polishes.  I choose a deep, rich purple; Wet 'n Wild's Wild Shine (in "Eggplant Frost" - paid $1 on amazon.com). 

Pros: It has a metalic-y (and that's the technical term, lol) sheen to it that sets it apart from other dark purples.  One or two coats would be enough.  The color goes on smoothly, and with a consistency that is not too thick and not to thin. 
Cons: I have nothing bad to say about this polish.

Again, don't worry if it's not perfect.

To finish off the look, I added a glitter layer for the little extra 'oomph'.  This step is also to help blend the three colors together and make the differences not-so-obvious.  I used my current favorite, Sally Hansen's Gem Crush (in "Bejeweled" - paid $5 at Walgreens).

No two gradient manicures will look the same; That's half the fun. 

Final Verdict: For less than $10, you get a manicure that is both pretty and unique to the person wearing it.  It's my newest favorite design. 



Kleancolor Nail Lacquer - Neon Orange ((AND)) L.A. Colors Art Deco

Kleancolor Nail Lacquer in Neon Orange ((and)) L.A. Colors Art Deco

"Tiger Stripes"

Found this Nail Art design on YouTube, courtesy of macNC40.  Check out their tutorial here

*While not shown, I always start (and finish) my manicures with Sinful Colors base and top coats.  You can find these at most 'big-box' stores or drugstores for around $2.50 a piece

I choose Kleancolor's Neon Orange for the base color.  I'm not sure how much this cost, as it was a birthday gift from a friend, but I would assume you could find this at your local drugstore.

Pros: It goes on smoothly and with an even consistancy.  It seems to dry rather quickly once on the nails, though I'd probably wait 5-10 minutes between coats to be safe.

Cons: It will require 2-4 coats to achieve the best color result.

For the stripes, I used L.A. Colors Nail Deco in Black.  This can be found many places, but I purchased it from Dollar General for $1 per bottle (I bought 5 that day. What can I say? lol)

Pros: The thin brush makes doing nail art much easier than it previously had been.  It is available in a wide variety of solid colors and in glitters.

Cons: The polish likes to drip to the bottom of the brush, making thin lines rather difficult.

Final Verdict: The pros of these polishes greatly outweighed in the cons, making this an easy to do manicure for the low price of around $8.  I have done this many times since finding the tutorial, and would continue to do so.  :)









Sally Hansen - Hard as Nails Extreme Wear - Blue Me Away **and** Sally Hansen - Gem Crush - Bling-tastic

The longer you follow this blog, the more you will learn about my 'obsession' with Sally Hansen nail polishes.  They're cheap, and one of the most available polishes in my area.  I'll use them the most, even if that's the only reasons.

I love blue, so I chose to do a bright blue nail with some sparkle flair.

*while not shown, I start (and finish) every nail manicure with my Sinful Colors base & top coats. 

Out of my blues, I chose Blue Me Away, part of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails - Extreme Wear line. 

Pros: It is a 'fatter' angeled brush, making for an quick, yet easy, application.  The color is such that you could really get by with using only one coat.

Cons: Not really a con, but the color is rather bright for some people.

I liked it, but felt it could use a little oomph.  For the sparkle, I used Sally Hansen's Gem Crush in Bling-tastic.

Pros: It has both little sparkles and the bigger, almost flake-sized sparkles.  One application is typically enough, though most will prefer two.

Cons: There is a possibility that one nail may end up with all little sparkles, and none of the bigger, leaving your nails looking uneven.  Another issue, at least with my bottle, the consistency tends to get 'goopy', as if the polish is drying up.  I kept the lid on tightly when not in use and this still happened.  I'm waiting on a response from the Sally Hansen people on why that is.

You can't see it very well in this picture (Me, my camera, and this sparkle nail polish went a few rounds.  As you can see, my camera and I lost), but it is actually a nice mixture of the blues. 

Final Verdict: (roughly) $3 for the bottom layer and almost $7 for the Gem Crush (both from a local Walgreens).  I would do a combination of these colors again, but not if I had an important, professional event to attend.

NYC - Long Wearing Nail Enamel - Big Money Frost

I've had this color in my 'arsenal' for awhile now, but never got around to using it.  I think I got it for free at Wal-Mart (it was $1 to begin with, but I had a coupon).

Base coat & top coat were both by Sinful Colors.  (paid $2.50 for each at a local Walgreens)

Pros: The brush allows for easy application; it's one of the thinner brushes, but it doesn't 'clump' like others tend to.  In terms of color, what you see is what you get.  It was very cheap, $1 without coupon.

Cons: Polish is a bit thin, so it does like to run - but is remedied by quick application.  To get full effect of the color, you'll need to apply 2-3 coats. 

This shade is with two coats, and probably would've worked better with one more.  Still, the 'minty' green color would work for any occasion - work, school, or home.

Hello :)

^That's me.  My name is Debi and I live in the midde of nowhere, Illinois.  I was born and raised here, and would like to think that I have a knack for mixing my smart-alec attitude with the small town values I was raised with. 

I am a nail polish addict.  It started with my first bottle, a pinky purple color by Revlon that had belonged to my mom.  We still share our  nail polish to this day, however she keeps her mellow favorites while I rock bright yellows and pinks. 

I am not a professional nail artist, nor do I have any plans to become one.  I've taught myself different techniques, from trial and error and through other people's experiences.  I do this for fun, and to show my creativity (or lack thereof).  My opinions are my own, and as of this moment, I am not getting paid for any of this. 

I hope you all enjoy this blog as much as I enjoy creating it.