(Reverse) Glitter Gradient Nails Tutorial

There are a lot of (reverse) gradient tutorials out there, and I'm sure a lot of you have gotten it down to an artform. But not all, and so I thought that WC should have its own tutorial as well!

This was also something I used to do a lot, but then I got really tired of that extra hassle of removing the glitter, even if it's quicker with the foil method, which I'll explain after. Regardless, it's a forever favorite and it's extremely fast and easy (literally, I did this one in about 5 minutes), and fool proof because if you happen to mess up, you can just cover your entire nail with glitter and no one would ever know your original intent.

Holy giant fingers, batman.

A Guide to Poshmark

This is the first chapter of more posts to come on the ways I've been attempting to declutter and simplify the amount of material goods in my life. For those unfamiliar, Poshmark is an incredibly addicting platform for selling, trading, and buying new and recycled fashion. The site/app (only available for Iphone & United States as of right now) is still up and coming and has quite a bit of kinks to work out, but it's personally been my favorite method to sell clothing items that have been sitting untouched in my closet for years. Poshmark has a comprehensive FAQ onsite, but I hope this unofficial guide serves as a useful tool to beginners and those interested!

Basic Information:

• To sell, you must have an iphone, but potential buyers can freely use the online website! 
• There is a 20% selling cost fee. (IE - you'll earn $8 dollars from a sold listing of $10)
• A prepaid shipping label up to 2 pounds is sent directly to your email when an item is sold.
• Funds will NOT be released to the seller until the buyer receives and confirms that it is as described.
• Paypal and offline transactions are not condoned because it takes Poshmark customer support out of the picture and leaves more opportunities for scammers to take advantage of users without consequences.
• Shipping is a standard $6.99, but $4.99 on orders over $25.

Getting started - Selling/Buying

• Download the free app and connect with either facebook or email!
• To sell, click "Sell", snap a photo (or two or three) and fill out all appropriate information to provide the most thorough and detailed listings possible.
• To search and potentially buy, enter key words (specific brands/sizes) using the search icon on the "Feed" page of the app and search bar onsite. You can filter according to your needs!
• If a sold item is more than the prepaid 2 pounds (such as heavy jackets or shoes), you can upgrade the shipping label by 1 lb increases straight from the app, but will have to pay for the additional shipping costs (deducted from final earnings). This will generate a new label that will be sent directly to your email.
• If a buyer wants to buy multiple listings (known as "bundling") to avoid high shipping costs, create a new listing with negotiated price as well as their username in the title. 

This Charming Nail

I wanted to wait for the weekend to post about Hex, but when the Bolt bus showed up an hour late with no wifi or outlets I had little choice. 

I hope I can get a short interview with the owners of Hex Nail Jewelry (www.hexnailjewelry.com) soon. These two sisters out of LA seem really cool and are very talented.  Also, they are women of color!  What more can I ask for?

Here are a couple samples of their work from their website: 

 Oh Shit No 2

 Cut Out Heart

Took a lot of will power not to buy 10 of the Cadillac charms. Maybe on my next purchase.

Black & Leopard: The Graduation Cap Edition

If you read my personal blog, you'll know that I'm graduating from college this weekend. My college happens to have zero restrictions on how you decorate your graduation cap, and I've known ever since I was a freshman that I wanted to have some wild and crazy design on mine. However, I am not, I repeat -- NOT a crafty girl by any means. I'm the girl who has the fun DIY board on Pinterest yet never attempts to make a single thing that I've pinned. I switched from being a fashion merchandising major to a communication major mainly because I couldn't handle being in the school of the arts. 

I stumbled upon this awesome tutorial from Wilker Do's on how to bling out your graduation cap using rhinestones. I freehanded pretty much the entire thing, minus the "2013" at the bottom. It's pretty easy to wing a leopard print. 

Gradient MAC lip tutorial

I mentioned how much I like to watch makeup tutorials, but in reality I rarely ever try to mimic them. HOWEVER, there is a makeup artist who has been my secret obsession for a couple of months. At first I did not want to write about her because I love all her looks and just want to copy them all haha. But she is so talented and drop dead gorgeous that I needed to share her with the world.

I started following Lora Arellano on Instagram (@loreleicakes) a couple of months ago and have been hooked ever since. She has so many AMAZING makeup looks, several which I don't have the skills to mimic.

I mean, seriously, of course I am obsessed with her.

WHAT IS THIS WIZARDRY??

My true brow inspiration 

Today, I am going to show you my rendition of this look:
Her:

Me:

Gradient lip tutorial

 I used lighting that washed me out in hopes of showing off the color more. It is still a work in progress!

Easy Peasy Flower Nail Art Tutorial

I normally tend to gravitate towards muted colors and Maximillian Strasse-her from the 2013 Essie Spring Collection was no exception. I have a few other similar colors (Mermaid Tears & Thanks A Windmillion by OPI), but this one has greyish undertones that sets it apart. I'm not the biggest Essie fan (fiercely loyal to OPI), but this is quickly becoming a spring favorite. In honor of Spring/Summer (Sacramento is 90 DEGREES tomorrow), I wanted to share a little tutorial for simple flowers that are easily customizable. And although dated and often tacky, I'm still a sucker for cutsey accent nails for those days where I just need a little something more and can't be bothered with glitter.

No Brand White Nail Polish // Essie Maximillian Strasse-her // OPI - Glitzerland // 

Nail Tek Intensive Therapy Top & Base Coat // No Brand Nail Dot Pen 

You can find the nail dotting tool shown above in most beauty supply stores, but this deal on Amazon is hard to beat at 95 cents (a set of 5 & double ended). It takes a bit of time getting used to, but I find them super helpful because they create much more precise and uniform patterns. Once you get some practice in, you'll be able to do flowers, polka dots, etc in no time at all.  Of course, you can always cleanly cut the top of a toothpick and that will work just fine as well. Oh and bobbypins, can't forget how useful bobbypins are when it comes to nail art. 

1. Start with base coat and 2 coats of nail polish in your choice of color. 

2. Dab the nail art tool (small end of the two sides) in preferred flower nail color to coat the entirety of the ball point of the tool. I usually dab the tool on the brush of the polish. I seem to get more even results/reduce waste this way. 

3. Start creating uniform flowers clockwise (5 dots!) at the center of the nail (or whichever point you'd like).

4. Repeat Step 3 as many times as needed, depending on how many flowers you'd like.

5. After wiping down the tool to prevent clumping, dab the tool in preferred color that will be the eye of the flower and dot each center accordingly. Finish off with base coat after a few minutes of drying time. 

I hope this tutorial serves as an easy approach to simple nail art! I wanted to make it as quick and painless as possible while allowing options for customization through size and colors of the flowers. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to explain further and if you've attempted this, we'd love to see your results!