DIY Half Moon Manicure on a Lazy Sunday Afternoon.

I love Sunday afternoons because my creativity meter is at its fullest at this time. I had a lot of girly alone time this afternoon, so I wanted to try a half moon manicure that is oh so hot right now.

I always wanted to try this style but I lack hand eye coordination when it comes to painting my nails. So when I saw this clever tutorial that was posted on ChickAdvisor, I thought “hey, why not?”

The first step is to lay down a base colour.  This colour is for the base of the nail.  I chose a silver unnamed nail polish from FACES.

Once the base colour has dried completely, cut up a round 3-ring paper reinforcement sticker into half and place them at the base of the nail.  This acts as a guide to get that perfect half moon shape at the base.  Make sure the corners are taped down well.

FACES unnamed silver Swatch

Then, apply your next shade.  I chose OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue, which is my only and most favourite blue ever.

OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue Swatch

Once the second colour has dried completely, peel off the stickers.

Lastly, adore those hot nails.

Half Moon Manicure Swatch

Half Moon Manicure Swatch

I am so pleased with the results that I can’t stop staring at my nails now.  Pretty good for an amateur, eh?  Have you tried this trend, or will you be trying it in the near future? :)  What colour combination should I try next?

‘Tis the Season to Play with Glitter: China Glaze Party Hearty.

Here at Glitter Geek HQ, we always have glitter in our minds.  One easy way to wear glitter — if you’re not comfortable sporting it on your eyes or face — is on your nails. :)  It’s a great way to add a festive kick to your look this Holiday season.

Right now, I am wearing China Glaze Party Hearty from China Glaze’s Holiday 2010 collection.  Party Hearty is a mix of hexagonal red, smaller hexagonal green, and regular gold glitter.  It’s like a freakin’ Christmas tree on my nails.

China Glaze Party Hearty Swatch (natural daylight)

I wore two thick coats in the swatch.  For a single coat, I laid down the glitters on the nail bed by patting the brush flat on the nail, then sweep it to one side and the other to fill the nail.  It is a lot of work to get a uniform placement of the glitter, but I found that two coats worked well.

You can also wear this layered sheer over a coloured nail polish.  I’ve seen it work stunningly over white, like Vampy Varnish’s swatches here. :)

Are You Wearing Glitter on Your Nails this Season?

Essie Berry Hard: Blood Red Nails for Fall (and If You’re Crazy about Vampires).

I’m a little late getting on the True Blood bandwagon, but I am now halfway through the first season and loving it.  For some reason I am really feeling vampy, blood red for my nails for Fall, and so I my nails this week will be wearing Essie Berry Hard.

Again I am awful at doing my own nails.  The dexterity I have for putting on my makeup obviously does not translate to my nail polish application skills.  However for the first time ever, I used Essie Fill the Gap Base Coat which made a world of difference in getting a more even application.  This was 2 coats of Fill the Gap, then 2 coats of Berry Hard.

I’m not sure if Berry Hard is part of the permanent Essie line because I got it in the Color Chic set ($20) from Trade Secrets.

Essie Color Chic Set: Berry Hard, Fill the Gap, Fishnet Stockings

Essie Berry Hard Swatch (natural daylight)

Essie Berry Hard Swatch (Natural daylight)

What about you?  Are you going to wear vampy nails this Fall?