Simply Studded: Simple Nail Art

This is "that" mani which got scraped last time.

Such a pretty shade! Its OPI's Funky Dunkey from the Forever Shrek collection.

I love it even more when matt-ified. Mental note to self: use this polish more oten.

I had these studs with me form the born pretty store. Thought they would make a simple and sophisticated nail art look.  These are 1.5mm in dia. Here's a link for them---> Link  

They are really cool and simple to apply. Just dot a clear top coat using a tooth pick and stick them. 

Look at the quantity they send! I dont think I'll run out of these in this lifetime! 

I really liked using them and might probably get the other varieties they have in these studs..square, elliptic, hearts and neons too! they also have this box of mix shaped ones (link)

Stayed on my nails for 2 days, would have lasted a day more but I kept picking on my nails.

They sell for $5.86/bag but you get 10% discount if you use code KJ5X31

:D

*Born pretty studs were sent for review but the opinion is an honest one.

Manicures generally include shaping the nails, cuticle care, hand massage and polishing and giving a glossy finish to the nails. Professionally manicured nails look neat and very attractive. Nail art is an artistic process, which involves special care of the nails. The nails can later be decorated with designs and colors that can range from plain prints and glitter to crystal and abstracts. The nail is the canvas on which people can also use fragile dried flowers or even smiley stickers or diamantes.
A nail stylist uses various techniques in order to attain the preferred effect. Acrylic nails are stuck on the nails in order to extended them. This works best for people who do not have long nails or chipped nails. The nails can then be polished with any color and smoothened to give it a natural look. Nail art is an imaginative process and people can get their nails painted or stick different gems or water based decals.
Hand painted nail art involves painting innovative designs on the nails. Sharp brushes are used in order to paint fine dots. People apply several coats of clear nail polish. After that, they use a toothpick to make stripes or patterns. When the paint is partially dry, people fix hearts or stars on it. Airbrushing involves the use of an air gun that lets out a fine spray. Bridal nail art involves delicate patterns and designs, on a French manicure base.
There are nail art galleries that provide a selection of nail designs to choose from. Sometimes they come with easy to follow directions to aid the readers. Some web sites also offer nail art pictures, which are created by nail stylists and are put up at nail art galleries. People can also search for online sites that display such galleries.

Four Fountains Spa visit

Girls just wanna have fun! So you go shopping till you are dead tired and then end up at a spa to get "untired".

That's just what I did. Went out shopping for my little one. Had to buy a few basics and some nice clothes since he has started to outgrow some of the older ones a bit. Then between all the shopping, feeding, diaper changing, I got tired. So I walked in to the Four Fountains Spa at malad near one of the biggest malls we have here in mumbai. 

 

I was nicely greeted upon my arrival and given a menu of the various services provided by the spa. I was asked a few questions regarding my medical history and some routine things. They were kind enough to explain to me since I had recently had surgery it was not advisable to do certain kinds of massages just yet. So they suggested I take the relaxing aromatherapy massage as I would benefit from it since they saw I am a new mom lugging my kiddo around with me.

They gave me a short tour of the 6 different rooms in the spa while a room was being prepared for my spa therapy. There is a small locker in each room to keep your valuables and cell phones.

These are the different names of each room depending on the therapy you are gonna be doing.

interiors of the place

My room

Locker and the aromatherapy oils

My therapist Ms.Anjana politely explained what the therapy would be and how long it would take. After changing into disposable clothes provided by the spa my massage started. The ambience was really soothing with dimmed lights, cool temperature and soothing instrumental music playing in the background. She started by wiping my feet with a washcloth and light massage strokes starting from my back, moving on to neck, shoulders and arms. 

 

There is something about the hands of massage therapists. They feel so warm, smooth and light that they seem to take away the tiredness out of your body with each stroke. Finally she massaged by legs and flipped me over and worked her way up with torso, arms and shoulders and finished with a few flicks on my head.

After the massage was over I took a shower in the adjoining bathroom. Overall the rooms and bathroom was very well maintained and quite hygienic. And this is coming from me, someone who gets OCD-ish about taking a shower in any place that's not my home. 

On a different note: 

I kept worrying a bit about what if my baby woke up and needed me coz I had left out with my mum. And she assured me that if needed they wud bring him to me but I must completely relax and not worry about him. Now that really took the  tension of my head and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Thankfully my baby behaved well and only got up after I got done.
Also hubby had a spa session at the same time since he was travelling about the country the past few weeks and needed a good spa session. He was also pleased with the service he got. He had selected an hour long swedish spa (Rs.1699/- paid by us) done by a male therapist and was quite pleased with the service.

Price wise the spa is a little pricey with an hour long massages starting at Rs.1700/- ( check prices here) but is well worth the ambience and the service. If you are a tired of your daily routine life and just need to unwind I seriously suggest a spa therapy a month would do you good. (or if u r a new mum like me..you must make time for yourself and book your self a spa).

They have multiple branches in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune and Goa. Another interesting thing for mumbai-ites is Spa on wheels where they get a spa van to come right under your house for foot therapies. Get un-tired.


P.S. My massage service was sponsored by the spa but my husband's was paid for by us. However the opinions are my own and honest.

L'oreal Color Rich Le Nail Art Stickers: Review

Hellooo!! Good morning or afternoon!

Long time no see. I finally managed to open the locked polish cabinet and as luck would have had it, my internet service was conked off for a few days. Life is seriously difficult without internet!!

Today I have on review, L'oreal Paris' Color Riche Le Nail Art Stickers.

L'oreal has recently released these 3-D nail art stickers here in India. 

Here's a small snipet from their PR on these: 

"Need a manicure but don’t have time to wait for the polish to dry? Get ready to get FashioNAILable with L’Oreal Paris Le Nail Art stickers.

Inspired from luxury fabrics, these stickers are easy to use and can stay on for upto10 days.  We have three timeless collections that create ultimate nail wardrobe ranges:

Couture- Nail stickers that are inspired from the latest catwalk trends

L’Or- The timeless black and gold nail art stickers can add a vintage feel to your look

Diamantisse - Diamonds are a girl’s best friend! These stickers aren’t just stickers, they are nail diamonds!

What makes these nail stickers so unique?

The Nail Stickers are easy to apply. You just have to select a sticker that fits your nail, apply the sticker on your nail, fold the remaining over your nail tip and file off the remaining.

What makes these stickers different from the others?

1.       Zero Application Mistakes: Since the stickers are easy to apply, chances of any mistake is nil

2.       Zero Dry Time: Since these are stickers, you do not have to wait for it to dry! It saves you of all the misery of waiting for your nail colour to dry. Isn’t that a blessing?

3.       Doesn’t require a nail colour remover: When you feel like changing your sticker, all you have to do is, peel it off. It’s that simple!

4.       Zero Nail Damage: Worried if these stickers will damage your nails? Here’s the good news. The stickers are safe to use and will not damage your nails.

  The nail stickers not only glam up your look but also give your personality a whole new definition. Truly, nails are your style canvas! It’s time to get FashioNAILable, instantly!

Give your nails a luxurious makeover. Treat them with sophistication with Le Nail Art Stickers. Match your mood and your outfit with these fun nail stickers. All it takes is few minutes of your time."

I loved the black and gold ones the most. These stickers are textured, hence the 3-D claim. Designs are nice and very wearable. you can check other designs here: Loreal's facebook Page

 These Stickers cost: Rs 299/- for a single pack for 18 stickers. Adjusting for various sizes and fits of a person's nails, you'd get one wear out of these. They are sturdy material and wont tear when you remove or apply them.

However I find the pricing a bit steep for one manicure. But yeah considering if you are someone who goes to nail spa's for ur manis, this is a cheaper option.

I have a small pic demo if you are keen to try them: coz I found it a bit tricky to apply them cleanly.

1) remove the sticker from the package. Peel by holding the end of the sticker that will go on your tips. So incase you get a crease or fold, that end is extra long and will be cut off.

2) First place the tip of the sticker carefully over the base of your nails, aligning the sides in a straight line. See pic below. 

 3) now as shown press the sticker in sequence as shown, slightly tugging at the sides/ends to make sure there are no creases and folds in the centre and sides.

4) You can cut off the excess with a scissor or file it down as shown on the package. just be gentle when filing and do it in one direction from top to down. and you're DONE!! 

Ta-daaaa! 

I managed to place most stickers nicely except the pointer finger which got a bit creased at the tip and side.

Overall they r a bit pricey and tricky to apply. While id o like the textured feel, they didnt last me long. One shower and I had the ends starting to loosen up. I'd recommend these if you dont have the time to do a fancy mani and are really keen to spice up your nails for an evening.

Till I see you next! xx

Happy New Year!! Shiny Disco ball Nail Art

I know I have been a bit off and what not..Just wanna assure you I am very much here and this blog still means a lot to me.

A couple of things have made my life a bit busy..and the tragedy is when I had the time after I came back from a small break in end of december one of my vanity cabinets' lock got stuck. this one contains most of my polishes :-/ so now I am mostly polish-less exception of few stray bottles.

Coming back! this mani is the last one I had before the cabinet got locked.

I received this pack of glitter from Born Pretty Store for review. After seeing the glequins manis put up by Nailasaurus I couldnt resist having a shiny disco ball mani :D

This pack of 12 Born pretty glitter pot is for $6.45 : you can see it here: link

The pot size is almost like those of the body shop lip balms and is packed with glitters. Make sure you close the windows and fan before you open this or you are bound to get it over you if u r even a teeny bit sloppy. 

The colours are gorgeous and I so wanted to use all in a day. Sequins are almost 2mm in length and in hex shape. helps cover your nails quickly.

This code will get you a 10% discount from BP store: KJ5X31 

Base: Catrice : Genie in a Bottle

Lovely dull gold to green duochrome given to me by my Blogger pal the lovely Caroline from GoodLackNail. She got a huge stash by the way of utterly gorgeous shades which I have a hard hard time finding..incl 2 HTF HOLOS!! :D Thanks again Caroline!!!

After the base I proceeded to turn the accent into a shiny disco ball. It was pretty easy.

Take a toothpick dip the tip into fevicol or similar PVA glue. Light touch a glequin with the tip and place on your nail. Took me 8 mins to do the whole nail. 

Hope u liked this. And Wish you all very happy new year! (yes....soo belated)

Stay tuned for an exciting giveaway as soon as I crack the lock on the cabinet.

Darling Diva's Release the Kraken V2: Swatches!

I cant tell you how excited I am to write this post!!!

A couple of weeks ago I saw this polish on a blog and I fell head over heels in laaauuu!! (love)!

I kept looking and searchin for this polish and landed up on this etsy page here: 

Darling Diva Polish: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DarlingDivaPolish 

We got talking and the lovely creator of this polish Carrie sent me a pretty package!

Today I am reviewing one of my fav polishes ever!

Presenting.... Release the Kraken V2!!

Now Kraken is the name of the legendary sea-monster-giant-octopus more famously seen in Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. And this Kraken looks adorable!!

$8 for 15ml (Most of Darling Diva's polishes retail for $8-12)

They reached me in India in 15 days flat!! I was very impressed!

White Jelly base filled with a bazillion colored glitters in various hex and square sizes

There are also some translucent hexes which shine very pretty!

Applied smoothly and took me 3 coats to make opaque. There is no white undercoat in these pics.

The polish is slightly thick but I believe it helps suspend the glitter better. There was zero fishing involved in painting my nails. The polish bottle is generously filled with glitter.

Cant describe how much excitement this polish has caused for me! :)

No chipping, no tearing for 3-4 days.

Stamped an accent in bold polka with Konad Red using RA 103

(jus an interesting tidbit: The red polish I was posing with above: slipped out and fell 12 storeys down!!! Fortunatley it didnt hurt anyone as if fell in some hedges and unfortunately I couldnt find it..so someone probably got lucky :D )

Dont you wanna try some Kraken for yourself???

*Polish sent for review. But opinions are my own and honest