Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Incoco Nail Polish Strips in "Spring Fling"


Hi! 


I had a great, relaxing week at my grandparents' house, and now it's back to my usual Miami city life. I put on these super cute floral nail polish strips from Incoco, one of my favorite nail appliques brands. Check out the photos below of the design called "Spring Fling". 






As usual, I start out with my favorite base coat (Top 2 Bottom by Orly) and finish off with Out The Door from INM; which you see me holding in the photos. This combo has been working for me for so long, and it keeps my manis together long enough while I'm in between looks. 

So, I know it's still super cold in quite a few of the states right now, and we've been in what we consider cold weather here in Miami too! LOL...  ;) ... Anyways, flowers always brighten up any mood brought on by chilly or cold temps, hence the reason for me applying these "Spring Fling" nail appliques. How do you feel about these? Are you as big of an Incoco fan as I am? See ya next time! Maybe I'll be able to pull off a Valentine's Day look before the week is over :) 

- Tiff C 


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

OMG Nail Strips "Kapowski" with pictorial

Hi!

I'm away for the week at my grandparents' house, and decided to put together a new post featuring a little how-to. The folks over at OMG Nail Strips were kind enough to send me a couple of nail strips designs to review for you guys, so here we go...

I am pretty much following the instructions that are given on the back of each pack of nail strips, with a bit of the techniques I've become accustomed to over the years on my own. This is only my second pictorial so I hope it is easy to follow along. Check out the how-to below, and the super cute design called "Kapowski".








I like to use a base coat every time I give myself a manicure, even with nail trips. As you see in step 1, I am applying my favorite (Orly top 2 bottom), and letting it dry before I continue.
 
 As far as the tools I use, I always feel that an orange stick and cuticle nippers are your best friends when applying nail strips. The orange stick helps to flatten out any wrinkles you have (as you see me doing in step 3). The instructions on the back of the package suggest trimming the nail strip down to size if needed. I love cuticle cutters like the one you see above because they allow for an easy grip and a non obstructed view to your nail while you're working with them. I like to trim them down on both sides of the nail wall after I've used an orange stick to flatten it out as best as possible (skip ahead to step 4 if this isn't needed for you). I also like to trim the free end down  bit before filing off the excess on the edge to better ensure that I won't file off too much. Make sure you're filing in a downward motion, and gently! ;)
 
Step 5 might seem  little off, but I wanted to try something that the guys from OMG used to suggest from the beginning, and that's going over the nail strip with a bit of acetone. I used to stay away from this step when I used these nail strips previously, because I was worried about wiping off some of the color. I decided to try it by using regular everyday nail polish remover (not the pure acetone type), and using a q-tip to swipe a little bit over the nail strip. It is believed that this will help the nail strip flatten out and adhere to the nail better, and from what I can see, it does help. I don't think this step is a must, as I use nail strips all the time, and never do this. I'll just say that it's completely up to you! Finish off your mani with your favorite top coat to seal everything in.
 
 



So, what do you think? I love the color combinations and this geometric pattern. I plan on keeping this on for the rest of my trip!
 
If you like what you saw today, check out OMG Nail Strips here. They are currently offering a 5 for $25 promotion with the code "5pack", and a 10 for $45 with the code "10pack". OMG Nail Strips are also on Etsy too! I recommend you check them out, as this is my second time using their product, and I really am pleased. See ya when I get back to Miami next week! :)
 
- Tiff