Never Too Late For Love

Apologies for the lack in blogging this past week, work was extremely busy I didn't have a chance to upload any pictures until today. Bare with me, as I make a few posts in one day to get all caught up on my blogging !

I have been keeping busy with doing my nails, as well as becoming crafty again ! It's been a year and a bit since I started sewing, and last week I decided to start again, and it turned out to be quite successful ! I will post about that endeavour  later today.

First up, my Valentine's Day nails.
I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do on my nails for Valentine's Day. I wanted something quick and simple, but nice. I decided to use two colours, a silver and a shimmery red. The silver used was Essie's 'No Place Like Chrome' and the red used was Orly's 'Miss Conduct'. No Place Like Chrome, is, as it's name states, a silver chrome like polish, two coats are required for full coverage, and to achieve a chrome like effect. I do like this polish, but I find it temper-mental sometimes. You need to be quick at applying it, as it dries a but quickly, and can leave streaks behind if your application isn't fluid enough. I did have some misfortunes during application, one being where my boyfriend thought my nails were dry and grabbed my hand, BAD IDEA ! I had to touch up while the polish was still wet, you will probably be able to see it in the pictures. Other than that, I really do like this polish, I just find it hard to wear it on all my nails, I think it's better as an accent nail colour or when doing some nail art on your nails.
As for Orly's 'Miss Conduct', this colour is incredibly. I applied two coats, not need for a base coat colour, as the polish is already tinted with a red jelly colour infused with shimmer and glitter. The colour went on smooth and even and I had no problems trying to cover up any streaks or spots that I had missed. I don't own many Orly polishes, mainly because the only place I can find them here is at Winners when they get their nail polish shipments in - which is unfortunate because sometimes the colours they get or not the greatest. However, you can purchase Orly nail polish from www.nailpolishcanada.com . Which offers free shipping to Canadians, great site to get polishes we Canadians can't otherwise get !

You'll notice that when I did this mani, I have pictures of BOTH my hands, not many people show their "Cindrella" or dominant hand in pictures, because it never looks as good as the less dominant hand ! I did this because I did an 'opposites attract' theme for my nails. My left hand was done with No Place Like Chrome, and accented with Miss Conduct and silver striping tape. My right hand was done with Miss Conduct and accented with No Place Like Chrome and red striping tape. I was originally going to do both hands all silver with the red accent nail, but when I discovered I had red striping tape almost matching the red polish, I had to switch it up. I was pretty proud of this mani, even though it took forever to do - mainly because I have no real work station and do my nails on my bed !

Enjoy the pics !

Left hand with red accent nail and silver striping tape

Right hand with silver accent nail and red striping tape

Close up of accent nail on right hand

Close up of accent nail on left hand

Both hands together with shot of accent nails

So, in all a very simple 'Opposites Attract' Valentine's Day mani. I did enjoy this one, and so far is one of my faves for the month !

Happy blogging !
Sarah Jane :)

A Hug Here and a Kiss There

This month, I finally decided to take part in the monthly mani challenges on Instagram, #nailartfeb. So far, I have completed three, glitter, polka dots, and below, xoxo (appropriate for Valentine's coming up). I know I will not be able to complete all the challenges this month, but I like the fact that I am participating in something like this. I find that it helps me improve my polishing and nail art skills, every time I do the different 'topics'. Day (7 was XOXO. I have Salon Express stamping plates, and one of them has xo's on it, so I thought I would use that ... I was wrong ! For some reason, the stamp didn't want to work with me Friday night, so after many failed attempts to try and get a good transfer on the stamp, I scraped that idea. Instead, I went with simply writing XOX on my ring finer, which, I must add, turned out a lot better than I had anticipated ! On my middle finger I used a heart nail vinyl from Make It Stick (www.makeitstickdesign.com), she has incredibly cute nail vinyls at great prices, go check her site out ! I used three different polish colours, Essie's Tarte Deco, a no name Barielle polish, and Maybelline ColorShow's Iced Queen. All were adorned with a simple glitter of Essie's Pure Pearlfection, a great little shimmer.

I loved using three different polish colours on my nails, they remind of the little candy hearts you get at Valentine's Day that have the horribly cheesy sayings on them ! I guess you could say this is where I got my inspiration from for doing this mani. I just love how simple it is, nothing crazy or over the top at all.

Just a quick close up of the heart nail vinyl and of the XOX on my ring finer.

All the nails in one shot.

I am finding that now that I'm becoming more active on Instagram, and especially since starting this blog, I have gotten better at painting my nails, as well as the clean up around my fingers. I am starting to polish my nails better, and concentrating on what I am doing, instead of rushing through everything, and having it smudge and smear two hours later. Nails are like a work of art, and you must be proud to show them off ! I am now learning to do this, and it gives me great pride, to post them here in my blog, as well as on Instagram. It makes me feel great to have people look at my pictures of nails, and say "Yeah, those are pretty well done. Good job!". I only hope to get better over time, and be able to do some great work in the near future !

Happy blogging
Sarah Jane :)

Let's Talk Top Coats Shall We ?

As someone who is in one way or another addicted to doing her nails, and admiring her nail polish collection, chips to nail polish are a death sentence ! Working in the child care industry means I am constantly washing my hands, whether from cleaning toys, children or dishes, this results in nicely done manicures lasting all of two days once the weekend is over. Fed up, I ventured into my local Sally's Beauty Supply store to see if I could get any help and insight into what kind of top coat I could start using that would help prevent my polish from chipping too early. Now, if you've never been into a Sally's Beauty Supply store, you will not know that there are numerous different top coats and base coats. Being someone who has just gotten into doing her nails, you automatically go for the one's that are most expensive - this is not always the case. I have OPI and China Glaze top coats, that have cost me upwards of almost $10 a bottle. I have a bottle of Seche Vite quick dry top coat, that also ran me almost $10. I have used all of these, and unfortunately after a very careful weekend keeping my nails perfectly intact, I go to work and BAM ! I come home, and two or three have started peeling. This week, I was feeling discouraged, so I went into Sally's and talked to an associate, I simply asked her if there was a top coat that would last more than three or four days before starting to chip/peel. She recommended Seche Vite Ultra-V - a UV activated top coat, that as she says is suppose to make manicures last longer than the normal top coat. It ran around the same amount as the others, so I bought it and tried it out. So far so good. I will be posting pics in my next post with the manicure that I did on Friday, using the Seche Ultra-V top coat. I must note, that I did have to do a slight touch up, only because I was installing a car seat in my car, and well, those things are brutal to put in !

Happy blogging
Sarah Jane :)

Super Bowl Nails

Been meaning to post this since Monday, but have been super busy.
So, a big congrats to the Seattle Seahawks for winning the Super Bowl - first ever I believe (I'm not really a football fan, lol).
Below are some pictures of the mani I did on my sisters nails in support of her favourite team.

I really enjoyed doing my sister's nails. This was the first time I've done something this 'detailed' on someone else's nails. I was quite impressed with myself, and it is A LOT easier to do someone else's nails !
They got great compliments from our friends - that made me pretty happy :) Always a good thing when people compliment your work, even if it's something simple like a few stripes :)

Happy blogging
Sarah Jane :)

Review, Review, Review !

Happy Super Bowl Sunday fellow bloggers ! Tomorrow on the blog I will be posting pictures of the mani I am doing on my sister today, in support of her fave team, the Seattle Seahawks.

Now, onto my first ever review on the nail polish I used for my Friday night mani. Polishes used were: A base of OPI's "Alpine Snow", top colour was LA Colors "Lightning", thumb was stamped with Salon Express plate number 18 and colour used was Quo by Orly's "Magnetic Attraction". Pinky and pointer were accented with Nicole by OPI "Stars at Night", and middle finger heart was done with a mix of China Glaze "Nova" and Essie "Beyond Cozy". Studs on ring finger were from Sally Hansen's new nail art collection.

A picture of the mani done Friday night. Glitters were added the next day.

Shot of the mani with the glitter.

Alright, so to begin, but looking at the colour of 'Lightning', you notice that it is a very bright neon pink. In order to capture the true colour of neon polishes, you first need to add a base of white, in my case, I used 'Alpine Snow'. By adding a base of white, it will make the top colour really pop, and show it's true nature. Brush strokes with the white must be done very well, or the streakiness will show when you put on your top colour.

Review of LA Colors "Lightning"

I am a HUGE fan of pinks, especially neon/bright pinks. I got this colour from Giant Tiger for a whopping $1.25 - can't go wrong. This was the first LA Colors nail polish that I have ever used, so I was not familiar with the formula or application. I like the finished product on my nails, and the way it looked, but I wasn't a fan of the application process. I found the formula to be a little be thin, although there were no streaks during application. I am sure if I hadn't have put on the base of white colour, I would have had to put on one or two more coats to get my desired colour. It is an extremely bright colour, and pictures do not do this colour justice. It is a great summer colour, whether you wear it on an accent nail, or on all your nails. It certainly does brighten up your fingers! I've had the polish on now for three days, and the colour is just as vibrant now, as it was when I put it on Friday night. Although I found the colour the go on a little thin, I would more than likely use this colour again in future projects. 

Review of Salon Express Stamping Plate #18 and Quo by Orly "Magnetic Attraction"

This was the first time I was somewhat successful at using a stamping plate. Getting the desired position and application is actually very tricky - hence why there are spots that do not have polish on them ! I actually liked doing the stamping technique, and I think the colour I chose went well with the pink. Magnetic Attraction is actually a magnetic polish - but because I do not like the effect they give, I through the magnet out ! I just enjoy this colour all on it's own !
I will definitely use stamping plates for future manis, it is a quick and easy nail art technique for those of us just beginning, and for those who are not that talented at free-handing images on our nails ! 

Review of Sally Hansen's Nail Art Studs

Excuse the fact that they are crooked ! I am just getting into using 3D nail art on my nails, so I am still getting the hang of how to properly glue on tiny studs ! These black studs came in a package with a vile of silver and gold studs as well, and were $4.99 at Target Canada. I like them, especially on the neon pink of Lightning. They are a simple little accent that makes any accent nail pop. I glued them down with nail glue - which was not included in the package, but a picking up tool was included. A small dab of clear nail polish on the tip of the tool to pick it up and a small dab of nail glue on the desired location is all it takes. Press down for a few seconds, and let dry, seal it off with a top coat. The studs will move around a bit if not 100% dry, so make sure they are dry before you go onto something else. The studs on my Cinderella hand got mangled because I was too impatient to let everything dry !

Glitter added to the manicure

I am trying to complete a challenge of sorts on Instagram for nail art done in the month of February. The first challenge was Glitter, so to cheat a little :) I added some glitter to my mani. The heart was a mix of Beyond Cozy and Nova, both amazing silver glitter polishes. Pinky and pointer were adorned with Stars at Night. I find that the more I look at Stars at Night on my nails, the more it looks like someone's hairy legs ! This is the first bar glitter I've used, so I still need to refine my application of this type of glitter.

Nails in natural light

Manicure in natural light. As a mentioned above, the camera does not do this colour justice, it is just something you have to see in person !

Happy blogging !
Sarah Jane :)

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due ...

Just a quick post before I start really posting pictures of my nails and crafts. With the internet being a beacon for finding new designs and ideas, it is imperative, that, whoever and wherever you get your designs and ideas from, you give credit where credit is due. We watermark our pictures because they belong to us, you wouldn't want someone stealing your ideas, would you ? It is a common courtesy to give respect to others work.

With that being said, all posts going forth that contain an image, either of my nail designs, craft projects or makeup pictures, will be watermarked with the name 'sarahjane84_'. Should you feel the need to want to use my photos in a post on a blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or any other social media, PLEASE DO NOT erase my watermark. If you share or use one of my photo's please let me know beforehand, by leaving a comment on the post that includes the picture.

Happy blogging :)
Sarah Jane

Glam Bags for a Glam YOU !

For the average 20 - 30 something year old woman, the beauty products that we want are usually way too expensive or cannot be found in Canada - I find the latter a lot more common, now that I've gotten into doing my nails more. We see these pins on Pinterests, posts on Instagram, and read blogs all over the internet raving about this great new foundation or mascara, or the latest nail polish colour, but wait ! for us Canadian's, it's sometimes almost impossible to get these products.

Along comes ipsy.com - a beauty site, that offers products geared towards who YOU are. Free to sign up, you simply fill out your profile, answer some questions, and their beauty experts match products  based on your answer. Now here's the best part - with a simple payment of $10 a month (for us Canadian's I believe the total comes to about $16, including shipping), you will get a Glam Bag sent to your house with beauty products that have been selected for you !

Now, before you stop reading here and think that the products are just castoffs from overstock or are products that no other store wanted, they are not. Some products, you will get a 'trial size' version, probably because the product would cost a lot more than your monthly subscriptions of $10 to send. 

Each Glam bag comes with four or five beauty products or tools, and a different makeup bag each month. So, aside from being overwhelmed by makeup bags, it's all in all a great monthly deal.

 December's Glam Bag included POP party eyeshadow, Julie G textured nail polish, Lip Liner, Bombshell Blush Stick, and a makeup brush

 

January's Glam Bag included: Dry Conditioner, Facial Wipes, Face Brightener Serum, Lip Chap and a creamy eyeshadow pen.

Again, coming to the point, that every month it is something new and different. Another great aspect of Ipsy, is that once you have registered, you are given your own personal link to your account. Through this link, you are able to see your past Glam Bags, what may be offered for the next months, as well as tracking points you receive. Every time you rate your Glam bag, share it on social media, or someone signs up with Ipsy through your link, you gain points. These points then allow you to purchase additional beauty products not included in your Glam Bags. 

All in all, Ipsy is a great way for young women to try products they normally wouldn't use. The best part is that when you get your girlfriends involved, there is a chance they will receive a Glam Bag different from your own. If you aren't a fan of something in your bag and vice versa, swapping opportunities are always available !

  To join Ipsy, or to just peruse their site for more information, please click on the link below:

http://www.ipsy.com/r/20zt  

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you enjoyed, and please, if you want something catered towards YOU - sign up for Ipsy.

Adventures in Blogger Land !

Holy ! Well, I think this blog was somewhat long overdue. I have been creeping my fellow instagramers blogs, and those on Pinterest, and FINALLY decided that I wanted to try this out for size.
My current obsession right now is all things nails. After joining Instagram almost a year ago, I couldn't help but be intrigued but the many talented ladies out there who love to do their nails. Whether it is just with plain polish, or decals or 3D art, I was amazed. I took it upon myself to start to teach myself to take better care of my nails, and whenever I had the chance, to paint them and keep them looking pretty! Now, with my growing pile of nail polish (178 to be exact), I am slowly but surely learning how to use 3d nail designs, stamping, and nail vinyls to make my digits look awesome!
My other hobby at the moment, which I haven't gotten around to doing in a long while, is sewing. I am by no means any good at it ! But I am learning and trying my best. I don't have a sewing machine, so I sew by hand, which can take a while, and doesn't come out looking the greatest, or straightest! But like the nail art, I am learning !
My plan for this blog is to keep my followers up to date with nail polish products I use, makeup products, as well as any crafts I am able to finish. I will most definitely be posting pictures with my blogs. I find this will allow my readers and followers to have a visual of what I am talking about.
I hope you will all join me on this fun adventure that I am about to embark on, and I apologize if things may not go 100% smooth when I post. This is my first blog and I am still in the learning process!
If you would like to follow my on Instagram or Pinterest please feel free ! My user names are as follows:
Instagram: @salu_34
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/salu34
I look forward to our journey together!
Sarah Jane :)