Polka dot dreams with Cult Nails Feel Me Up

In the three months that I've even bothered to keep track of my lemmings I am already feeling like I'll never acquire them all. But! I will say this... I have always heard good things about Cult Nails and after my first visit to their webpage I knew I needed to join the Cult! 

My chance was finally here when Cult Nails had a replay of the $5 sale that was originally a promotion/thank you from them reaching five thousand Facebook fans a little while back. Congrats again! What an accomplishment and endorsement of your product, wow!! 

I saw that they were going to include colors that sold out the first time and while some of the Cult Nails colors that I've been lusting after are either discontinued or haven't made it back into stock, I still had plenty of lovelies to choose from! 

I must say that originally Feel Me Up wasn't on my list to buy. I mean, I am always in search of my perfect yellow and I've been wrong before so I figured eh, maybe another day. But then a day or two before the sale I happened to be on my Instagram scrolling through the feed when I saw MartaWarmuz's Instagram picture of her mani with Feel Me Up. I knew instantly that I needed this yellow... and that it might just be THE ONE! 

Let me just say... I was NOT disappointed with my last minute addition! The formula is amazing, it cleans up easily, dries quickly and does so with a beautiful ultra shiny gloss finish.

Now, for those of you that are yellow enthusiasts you know they are usually streaky or require 4 million coats... NOT THIS BABY!! As you can see in my photo I did three coats. Honestly, it was fine in 2, but the 2nd coat for me had a couple tiny spots of bleh and that was most likely due to my crappy painting skills. So yeah, a 2 coat opaque yellow... I'm dreaming right? Somebody smack me, quick!

While I loved, loved, loooooved this yellow, I had horrible insomnia and was convinced that maybe I should do something on it... ya know since I wasn't doing anything else. The problem with a beautiful polish is that sometimes the beauty alone makes it nearly impossible to choose something that will accompany it in such a way that they don't compete. 

L to R: Julep - Anne, piCture pOlish - Abyss, Revlon - Passionate Pink, Cult Nails - Feel Me Up
baby food jar lid palette and MASH dotting tools

I sat contemplating for at least half an hour. I pulled out nearly a dozen different polishes for at least a dozen different ideas. I just couldn't get the feeling of rightness until I looked at my dotting tools... BAM! Epiphany... random polka dots!

I hope you enjoyed my bright and cheery insomnia driven polka dot mani! 

xo,

Has insomnia driven any of you to do something crazy? I know this isn't my first time...

Holy May Polish Haul! *pic heavy*

Hey there!  I hope you all enjoyed the Memorial Day Holiday and took some time to thank a solider!  With our interview with celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees being such an exciting post for us, we decided to let it run for a few days!  She really had some awesome tips for us and hearing some of her stories about her work was super fun too!  If you didn't get a chance to read it, it can be found here!

Now onto the business at hand! There is nothing like being able to come home with some new polish and share it with E.  She gets just as excited as I do when I find something I love and the month of May was chock full of some lovely finds!  I really tried hard to keep track of all of my May polish purchases.  So, here goes my attempt at a May polish haul post!

Faint of Heart, Artificial Sweetener, Jealous Much?

Passion Fruit, Orange Punch, Bailamos

Royal Velvet, Fowl Play, Androgynie, Space Cadet

Late Night Rendezvous, Art Dealer Teal-er, Beach Bound

Vermillion $ Painting, Guggen I'm Lime

Jamin' in Jellies, Full-on Brogue, Blue Suede Shoes, Shady Ombre, Step In My Blade!

Base Coat, Top Coat

Tinsel Town, Senorita Bonita, Tantalize Me, Ghoulish Glow

Splish Splash, Surfin' For Boys

Dragon Fruit, Acid Purple

Magnetized, Attract, Electrostatic, Magnetic Field

Awesome Magnets: Star, Chevrons, Multi Lines, Bullseye 

Wooooooooohooooooo!!! My march of the Studio M army!

Thunderbolt, Glitter Astral

Grape Escape, Total Wow, Blue Funk

Glitter Envy, Energy Star 

Orange Sunset, Psychedelic Scene, Neon Caution

De-Luxe-Cious, Ms. Haute

Pure Silver, Baby Pink, Marine Blue, Crushed Pearl

Number One Nemesis

Layla Hologram Effect Mercury Twilight, OutTheDoor, Northern Lights

MASH Fimo Sticks

Cheeky Rhinestone Set

Well, there you have it!  Now that I've finished the post I am sure that I have missed a few!  Maybe I should keep a drawer of the current months finds to make this process easier!  Hmmmmm... there's a thought!  LOL!

I'm loving my May haul and be sure to let me know what your favorites are.  Have you found any awesome deals or colors that you've been looking for?  Please comment below... I love hearing your thoughts!

Q & A with celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees

Kimmie Kyees
Photo by Tiffany Kyees

For those of you who follow all things nails, the name Kimmie Kyees should ring a bell. If you are hot in Hollywood, Kimmie has most likely done your nails. Some of her regular clients include Rihanna, Katy Perry, Jenna Jameson and P!nk just to name a few (her portfolio and other professional information can be found HERE).

The 2011-2012 season has been a bright one for Kimmie Kyees.  She launched two awesome products this year; Kimmie Kyees Nails by elegantTouch (available at Ulta) and her own nail wrap design collection by Minx.  Knowing Kimmie, this is only the beginning of what she has in store for the nail community!

Instagram Photo by Rihanna
Caption: Thanks to my nail bitch @KimmieKyees this heaux is major as phuck
Photo posted 23 May 2012
Manicure for American Idol Season 11 finale performance

Kimmie has been a trend setting nail artist for many years and is responsible for some of the most talked about manis world-wide! We are so lucky and grateful to have been able to chat with her about all things nails including some awesome tips and tricks!

Mani Curiously: What exactly causes bubbling in polish? Are there any tips/tricks to avoid it?
Kimmie: Old polish, too thick application or formula or sometimes just a bad top coat.

Mani Curiously: So basically just like trying on shoes, sometimes you have to put some on and walk around before you decide if they're a good fit or not?
Kimmie: yeah, pretty much!

Mani Curiously: All of us love that nice clean "bumper" around the cuticle when polishing. What's the best way to get that for those of us still working on that?
Kimmie: Practice practice practice! By placing the brush down close to the cuticle and let the bead of polish/brush spread out on it's own then continue with your downward stroke toward the nail tip that will help create that lovely clean line. Also, if you do get too close to the cuticle you can always use a "clean up brush" to remove the mess up by dipping it in polish remover and wiping the mess ups away. Another tip though is to make sure the brush isn't too wet! You don't want to take off more polish than necessary. Lastly, you can actually turn the polish brush sideways and draw the crescent moon shape along the cuticle to give you a sort of "guide".

Mani Curiously: Alright, we'd love a few of your Faves...
Fave nail trends for the summer (colors, designs etc)?
Kimmie: I am loving Zoya's Fleck Effect top coats! The mylar fleck glazes change colors beautifully from green to blue and red goes to orange! They are amazing!

Photo courtesy of Kimmie Kyees
Rihanna wearing Kimmie's Minx nails in Lustrous Lizard
on the set of Rihanna's Music Video for "Where Have You Been"

Fave timeless color that you feel is never out of style?
Kimmie: Vamp colors will forever be fashionable. OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark is a great one. I also think the sheer baby pink will always be timeless, for example Essie's Mademoiselle or Sugar Daddy

Fave "high end" polish (msrp greater than $10)?
Kimmie: NARS! They have the MOST BEAUTIFUL reds on the market! Domiva is a stunning orange red and Jungle Red and Chinatown are gorgeous blue reds! You simple can't get any better!

Fave "low end" polish (msrp less than $10)?
Kimmie: Wet n Wild is easy on the budget and so is Sally Hansen! The Salon Effects by Sally Hansen are my favorite simple nail art... Katy Perry and P!nk just love them because they are easy and dry right away!!

Fave easy nail art technique or product?
Kimmie: Milani has great nail art polishes you can buy at the drug store. They have a thin brush inside that's great for making lines, french tips and moons! I clean the brush off with polish remover and use it in all different shades of polish!!

Mani Curiously: Tips on how to avoid shrinkage with the quick dry top coats?
Kimmie: Make sure to use the top coat in a thin layer and be quick

Photo courtesy of Kimmie Kyees
Fergie of Black Eyed Peas
on the Music Video set of "Imma Be"

Mani Curiously: What's your mani must haves?
Kimmie: Curette is a cuticle tool with a small half circle on each end. It's great for cleaning under the nail and pushing back the cuticles. It can easily be found at Sally Beauty Supply.

Mani Curiously: Filing vs. Clipping?
Kimmie: I normally don't clip fingernails unless the nails need to be dramatically shortened. If you do clip them, clip one side then the other and then the center. When you try and clip the whole nail you can cause fractures on the side walls and affect the overall strength and health of your nails.

Mani Curiously: Cuticle care... Any tips for making the most frustrating nail issue bearable?
Kimmie: Use your nail file! When the cuticles get hard and frayed on the sides using your nail file to buff them down with a nail file helps smooth them out easily. It's the same concept as using a foot file on rough skin. Also, push your cuticles back right after a shower.

Mani Curiously: Tips for nail biters, ex-acrylic users, those growing out their nails and anyone else that might be trying to "better" their nail situation?
Kimmie: Pushing your cuticles back. The stimulation will promote nail growth. Using a nail strengthener like OPI's Envy is great. Lastly, always use cuticle oil. It keeps the skin in good condition!

Photo courtesy of Kimmie Kyees
Ke$ha on the set of an ad for Baby G by Casio Watches

Mani Curiously: Nail shapes... Which one do you like best and why?
Kimmie: I am really loving the oval, pointy nail. I never thought I would be but it has grown on me!

Mani Curiously: How about a quick and easy nail art trick?
Kimmie: Magnetic polish is the easiest nail art and it looks amazing. Also, crackle is a simple way to get a neat look. Try polishing the crackle from left to right across the nail and it will shatter in a more "animal" looking pattern!

Mani Curiously: Ok, how about your fave way to show your creativity through polish with your clients?
Kimmie: My clients are entertainers so I have the opportunity to do things that they will only wear for a short period of time. So that really allows me a lot of leeway. For example the flower nails I just made for Katy Perry. They looked amazing but wouldn't have been the easiest nails to "live" with! It's also fun to make press on nails and use nail glue tabs to press them on, wear them for the night then take them off! So super easy!

Instagram Photo by KimmieKyees
Caption: Katy Perry's full bloom fingernails!!! I love how they turned out :)
Photo posted 7 May 2012
Nails featured in

Photo by Getty Images & Katy Perry's Twitter 

We would really like to thank Kimmie Kyees for her time and allowing us to pick her brain!  We will definitely be using these tips and tricks in the future. We wish Kimmie continued success in all of her future endeavors and we can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

To connect with Kimmie Kyees via social media:
Facebook Fan Page - Kimmie Kyees Nails
Instagram - KimmieKyees
Twitter - KimmieKyees

Please leave your comments below and I am sure that if any of you have questions that we didn't get to in this interview we might be able to get Kimmie to answer a few more!


and      


Dom has known Kimmie since high school and is so proud of her longtime friend for what the force she's become by believing in herself and pursuing her dream. What an awesome career she's had and it's only getting better!  (More nostalgia can be seen HERE!)

SeXXXy Time with Dollish Polish... Porn-tastic Nail Mail

Warning... material might be offensive to some readers... viewer discretion is advised!  LOL

I am so excited to be able to do this post today!  I got my first indie nail mail!  I got my first indie nail mail!  Nanny Nanny Boo Boo!  (singing like an annoying child)

I have had my eye on several of the indie polish brands for a while but just couldn't pull the trigger.  E has been a huge proponent of the indie brands for a long time and has been strongly suggesting that I purchase some.  So, I have been teetering on the ledge and E finally pushed me over last week!

I was looking on Facebook and saw that Dollish Polish was coming out with a new Dolly Does Polish Collection complete with a parental control warning!  Now, I realize that you might not know me well enough yet to know the parental warning was enough to really pique my interest.  When I opened up the link to check out the new line I almost fell out of my chair laughing.  The names of these colors are ridiculously amazing!

Photo Credit:  dollishpolish.bigcartel.com

*shock and awe falls over the crowd*  LOL!  If you are still reading, way to go, you have made it through the hard part!  Now on with the story...

Dolly posted this little tease on her Facebook page and announced a release date for the collection.  Of course I was ready to finally buy and had to wait a day or two before I could. Dolly generally sells out of her polish as soon as she releases it so I was really kind of worried that I would miss out!  I was of course also concerned that life would get in the way of me retaining the release date/time information, but I knew that E would know exactly when to log on and buy! 

Of course, I was out and about the day the line released and it had completely slipped my mind!  Not to worry, E saves the day yet again!  She called me excited to share that the collection had dropped and ask me what I bought and I panicked!  Crap bag!  I seriously thought I missed it!  It's times like these that having a great friend with similar interests really pays off.  E BOUGHT THE ONES I WANTED FOR ME!  Awe... she loves me!  

So here is what I ended up with... 

Dining At The Pink Taco, A Bad Case of the Blue Balls, Baby Gravy

Dollish Polish... "Dolly Does Polish" Collection

Well folks, thats it!  My first indie nail mail of adult themed polish!  LOVE IT!  Can't wait to swatch these!

Tell me what you think.  Do you love these as much as I do?  What is your favorite color or color name?

Half Moon *attempt* mani

I've seen this particular effect a lot lately and while I've always had mixed feelings about it I figured eh why not try it! It might grow on me right? Well I had somewhere to be and I wanted to go with something cute on my nails. So I figured I'd give the half moon a shot...

   
            Items you'll need:

• Two (or more) polish shades
• reinforcement dots ($1 a pack at Wally's)
• Base/Top coats of course
• Q-tips/brush and polish remover for clean up

Sally Hansen - Lacey Lilac

Step 1: paint your nails in the color you'd like the lower part up against your nail base. Mine was Sally Hansen - Lacey Lilac. A really beautiful color IRL that did not translate in my photos, sorry. Apply top coat and let dry like normal.

Step 2: Once your nails are dry, stick the reinforcement tabs on where you'd like to block the second polish from going. The less of the tab on your nail the more shallow your "moon" will be. 

**Important** If you're familiar with the tape mani you know that I advise to first stick the tape on your palm to remove a little bit of the stickiness. In THIS particular mani- the half moon mani- do NOT stick the reinforcement tabs on anything but your nails. If you do you'll find that they don't stick and you end up with blurred lines or blobs of paint where you don't want blobs of paint. 

NARS - Koliary

Step 3: Take your second color and paint the rest of your exposed nail. Being slow and methodical be sure to check that the reinforcement tabs are indeed still crisply stuck to your nail and in the edges. If you look at my thumb you can see where there is a blob/non crisp line? Yeah... that's what happens when the tab isn't stuck securely to your nail lol.

Step 4: remove tabs while polish is still wet and polish with top coat... enjoy!

Honestly, my jury is still out on this mani. I had some application issues and just generally felt like I looked silly. I loved these two colors together though. Let me know what you think!!

xo,

Tape Mani Tutorial

Hey lovelies!! So I posted a pic of my notd (nail of the day) about a week or so ago on Instagram [enjeliq] and received a comment on my picture asking if I had thought of doing a tutorial. I honestly had thought about it after I had already finished one hand, but because I was rushing made a couple booboos. You know the type- bump your nail = dent, rush the second coat of paint = not as crisp a line, too much remover on the clean up brush = take extra paint off that you'd rather stay... so yeah... I was not happy. At heart I am a perfectionist and initially my thoughts were oh well, I'll do a tutorial on a mani that turns out better than this. However, when I sent Dom a pic showing her my notd she asked the same thing. At this point I only had the undies for the blue done, so basically the perfect starting point to take some in progress shots... so thank you to the unknowingly combined efforts of a lovely Instagram follower and Dom for this tutorial!

This is NOT always an easy or quick nail art technique, so please do not stop trying if it doesn't turn out as lovely as you'd like. It has taken me at least 10 times doing tape manis to get anywhere close to having them turn out nice. I started when I saw a picture on this blog that came up from a random nail art type Google search. I honestly didn't need to read a tutorial once I saw the tape. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head! Through trial and error I've come up with the way that *I* do my tape manis. That doesn't mean that you won't come up with your own version too, but I hope that this is a starting point of sorts for you too. Just please don't stop trying!! This is seriously an endless tool of awesomeness!! Harness the power!! :D

Top pic L to R: Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away!, Color Club - Sky High, Nicole by OPI - Save the 1st Dance,
Seche Vite Scotch Tape, X-Acto craft Scissors

What you'll need:

• Tape (Scotch tape/satin finish/giftwrap tape is my personal fave)
• Scissors or Craft/Scrapbooking shape scissors (just remember the larger the scissors the harder it'll be to do tiny cuts and nails are only so big)
• Nail polish remover
• Qtips or brush for clean up
• Papertowel or some other surface to get dirty/protect your work table
• Base/Top coats
• Nail polish color(s)
• and, last but not least, AN IDEA!! :)

Step 1: Rip off a strip of tape. I am a more is more type of person in this particular area... so I usually rip off a strip about 2 or 3 inches.

Now, if you're using craft scissors like I did this time, you'll need to lay the tape to where it is half hanging out/off of the side like in the photo. You need the tape to still have "structural integrity" once you take it off the scissors so if you cut too much into the middle and there isn't enough left it'll just rip into pieces. I hope this makes sense... trial and error people ;)

Step 1a: Once you've cut your tape in the desired design place it on your palm once. This helps to make the tape just a SMIDGE less sticky and will help in the removal process later. (I colored the edge of the tape with a sharpie to show you the edge of what I cut- this is not a necessary step- was purely for visual)

Step 2: For this mani I wanted to use some really shiny/metallic colors and on a recent purchase I picked up Sky High from Color Club's Take Wing collection. While it is absolutely beautiful it is a bit sheer and I didn't honestly have time to wait for 3 or so layers to dry before doing my tape mani. So I used Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away! as undies (1 coat) and then slapped the Sky High (1 coat) on top. These two were perfect together and it was oodles faster!

Step 2a: TOP COAT! lol this is very important... if you have time, apply your regular top coat. If not, apply a fast dry top coat, I personally like Seche Vite. ***IMPORTANT*** your top coat has to be dry before you lay down any tape... so seriously let it dry, give it a couple mins or you'll regret it and there is no do cover up other than complete re-do.

Step 3: Apply your tape in the manor of which you'd like the other color/effect to be on your nail. Remember, the tape is just a guide to give you a crisp edge to your design. I wanted mine to be on the side or angled on my nail. 

Step 3a: Paint the exposed area with your color/effect. If it appears thin and not opaque enough do a second layer immediately.

Final Step *Not Pictured* REMOVE! :D Remove the tape while the paint/effect is still wet! If it dries too much you'll run the risk of the underneath part (that is still damp) not being crisp and the top layer that is slightly drier pulling away with the tape. The result (I've totally done this) is a weird and ugly smear that is not fixable other than starting over from scratch. 

And ta-da! You're done! Again, this isn't one of my fave tape manis but it is a fun effect. My faves are the shredded look. You can view photos of other tape manis in our Facebook page HERE! Don't forget to send us some pictures of your tape manis!! We love seeing your manis too! Oh, and be sure to like our Facebook page to keep in the loop of all our happenings and to see lots more pictures!

Good luck and happy taping!