Beauty School Dropouts

Thigh High Stockings Nails

2012-03-07T09:15:00.002-08:00

I love taking manicures to the next level by adding cool details on the tips. With the popularity of the Lana Del Rey manicure, I have definitely fallen in love with keeping my nails pretty simple except for some special design on the tip. It's all about taking the classic French manicure (yawn) and shaking it up with a modern and feminine twist. These two manicures remind me of thigh high stockings, so that's what I've chosen for the name. Plus, who wouldn't want to sport the spicy playfulness of thigh high stockings on their fingertips? Count me in!

The first variation of this manicure is in black, with a line of black polka dots.

For this manicure, I used Essie's Sand Tropez and Deborah Lippmann's Fade to Black.

The other version I came up with is red with scalloping - which creates a lace-y look.

For this varation, I used Deborah Lippmann's Naked and China Glaze's China Red.

Ooh la la!

Glitter Nail Polish Removal

2012-03-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

We love glitter of all types - but we especially love glitter of the nail polish variety. Glitter nail polish is awesome and always looks wicked. But, and there is a but, it is sooo annoying to take off. In my experience, removing glitter polish has always been a long affair that usually results in hand cramps. So, after experimenting with Candy Shop, I decided to try the tinfoil method. It rules! Check it out.

All you need is:

1. Nail polish remover

2. Cotton pads

3. Tin foil, cut into squares

STEP ONE: Soak pad in remover and place on the nail (I folded it for double layer action)

STEP TWO: Wrap nail in foil

STEP THREE: Wrap foil tightly around your finger tip, making sure it is secure and won't fall off

STEP FOUR: Repeat steps on all nails

STEP FIVE: Let sit for 10 minutes or so. Pose with robot-alien fingers (optional)

STEP SIX: Push down/pinch finger tip and pull off while applying pressure.

Look - it almost all came off! (and this is THREE coats of Deborah Lippmann glitter, people). Then, I just removed the leftover glitter the regular way. I am very pleased with the results of this method - 100% easier than the traditional rubbing, and rubbing, and rubbing, and rubbing-until-I-want-to-cry-way. I recommend it!

Fear removing glitter no more!

Candy Shop Review

2012-03-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

I wanted to experiment a little with Deborah Lippmann's Candy Shop because it is just too adorable and is also absolutely perfect to brighten up these dreary winter days. Plus, it's an extremely eye-catching and outrageous manicure that only requires one step!

The sheer base of this polish is a warm, bright bubblegum pink and gets darker and more vibrant as coats are layered. The actual glitter in this polish is multicoloured (silver, green, light blue, dark blue, red, orange, purple, and gold) and made up of tiny round flecks and larger hexagonal flecks. It definitely reminds me of a bag of bulk candy from a candy shop - so sweet!

One coat:

Two coats:

Three coats:

Daylight:

I love the way this polish looks on its own but was also curious to see how it would look on different base colours. These are the colours I tried out:

One coat of Candy Shop on top:

Two coats:

Daylight:

Love it! I really like how it turned out on the neon pink base. Now, as much as we looove glitter polishes, we do not love the daunting task of removing them. So, stay tuned for a post on an easy way to take off glitter manicures!

Tiny Hearts & Hello Kitty

2012-02-28T14:11:00.001-08:00

Last week, we did two really adorable private manicures. The ladies showed up with really cute, creative manicure ideas in mind and we did our best to make those dreams a reality!

Check out these adorable neon pink, teal, and purple tiny hearts on a beautiful greige background - such a perfect pattern...and the matching ring! To die for.

This one is a class French Manicure with a BSD twist on the ring finger...Hello Kitty! So cute.

Meow!

Sweet Sixteen Nail Party

2012-02-26T18:29:00.001-08:00

This weekend, we had the super fun opportunity to participate in an adorable sweet sixteen birthday party. We set up our table and supplies and gave the girls awesome nail-art while the others played charades, ate pizza, and laughed, chatted, and giggled. Check out what the girls asked for!

These nails, belonging to the birthday girl, are accented with neat sugar skulls!

A beautiful pale pink and pastel blue version of the Lana Del Rey nails:

Adorable yellow roses on a periwinkle blue background:

Matryoskha dolls on lilac - cute!

Tiny pink hearts French manicure on a beautiful nude:

The classic, always glamourous, Lana Del Rey:

Sparkly purple Fairy Nails:

A really cool metallic slate gray version of the Lana Del Rey nails:

Here we are painting away!

We also set up a birthday photo booth - here are some of the pics...

Some of the girls (and a mystery guest) showing off their manicures!

Overall, what a sweet time! We simply cannot wait to do another party like this.

Wedding Nails!

2012-02-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of doing the nails of a lovely group of ladies for a wedding...including the Bride! We had so much fun and were so happy to have been included in the Bride's wedding preparations - it was so exciting to be doing their nails the night before she was getting married.

First, we popped over to do Gillian's awesome plum and silver leopard print nails to match her dress.

Then we headed over to the hotel where the bride, her wedding party, and the rest of her family were staying. We were so happy to have the opportunity to set up shop to do the Bridal party's nails. It was neat to be included in the hustle and bustle of a wedding's eve preparations (organizing food orders for the next day, hair appointments, going over the itinerary, planning the honeymoon flights, etc). We really felt like a part of the nervous excitement!

For this manicure, we used OPI's Dating a Royal with Orly's Tiara. Love it!

A dusty blue with an adorable yellow rose on the ring finger:

A classic French manicure:

For this manicure, Chanel's Graphite was used...this polish is so awesome it doesn't even need any embellishments!

And, last but not least, the Bride's nails!

Perfect! For this manicure, we used Deborah Lippmann's Naked and Some Enchanted Evening (pink glitter) to create our fairy nails. The colour combination went with the wedding's colour scheme and is a perfect bridal manicure - understated and secretly sparkly!

What a fun time! Bridal manicures are a blast - we love to be part of the action!

Bunnies & Strawberries

2012-02-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of doing two sisters' nails last week and, sometimes, the manicures are so adorable and special that we must share them! They requested strawberry nails (an all-time favourite of ours) and bunny nails! We had never done bunny nails before so we were really excited. Plus, with the berry & bunny combination on our minds, we couldn't help think about spring ...is it here yet? Yeesh!

Here is Kristina creating some adorable neon coral strawberry nails:

We used Revlon's Coral Me Wild for the base.

Juicy!

Here I am improvising some bunny nails:

They are coming together! Such a cute seafoam green background - we used Minted by Revlon for the background.

Aw!

Pucker Up at Holt Renfrew with Deborah Lippmann

2012-02-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

We had an absolute blast at Holt Renfrew this weekend! We were there as part of Holt's Pucker Up event. We teamed up with Deborah Lippmann products to offer custom hand-painted nail art with Valentine's Day in mind. With the purchase of two Deborah Lippmann polishes, customers received a free Beauty School Dropouts manicure! (booked in advance)

We were so thrilled to have the opportunity to play with Lippmann polishes all day long - two nail addicts couldn't have had asked for more perfect a day! With access to all of the amazing glitters and polishes, the possibilities were endless!

The Lippmann spread:

Pucker Up!

One of our manicure stations:

Ready to go!

We also put out a Valentine's Day inspiration board for manicure ideas:

Check out some of the manicures we came up with!

We used Daytripper as the base and I Love the Nightlife glitter on the tips for this adorable version of our Fairy Nails.

For this pink version of fairy nails, we used Shape of My Heart as the base and the awesome gold glitter Shake Your Groove Thing:

We were so excited when the Lana del Rey manicure was requested! We used Naked as the base, My Old Flame on the tips, and Nefertiti as the gold outline.

These sultry Fairy Nails combined Lady is a Tramp as the base and Good Girls Gone Bad on the tips.

We added tiny hearts along the tips of the nails, French manicure style, using Naked as the base and Between the Sheets for the hearts - love this one!

For this heart tips manicure, we used Girls Just Want to Have Fun, a bright coral, and Amazing Grace for the tiny hearts.

We ended up calling this manicure Rain Storm (not Valentine themed but awesome nonethless!). We used Stormy Weather as the base and Today Was a Fairytale glitter on the tips.

For these fairy nails, we used Between the Sheets and Boom Boom Pow on the tips. Love it!

We kept this manicure simple - adding kisses on the ring ringers. We used Naked as the base and Between the Sheets for the kiss mark. We also added a tiny shine accent using Amazing Grace.

We used Naked again for the base on this manicure (our most popular polish of the day - it sold out!), Between the Sheets for the tiny hearts and for part of the rose. We also added accents using Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Some Enchanted Evening, and Fade to Black.

This version of the Kisses manicure has Fade to Black as the base and It's Raining Men for the kisses. Sexy!

This style also looks great with a bright fuchsia base! Here, we used Between the Sheets and Fade to Black.

For this bright red kisses manicure, we used It's Raining Men and Amazing Grace. Adorable and perfect for Valentine's Day!

And, lastly, we did a neat version of Fairy Nails using Dark Side of the Moon and Some Enchanted Evening. A perfect understated version of a Valentine's Day manicure!

Overall, we had an absolutely amazing time meeting new people and doing their nails! The team at Holt Renfrew was incredible and we can't wait to do this again - have a great Valentine's Day!

- Emilie & Kristina

Pink Friday Hearts Valentine's Day Manicure

2012-02-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is such a great excuse to surround yourself in adorable pink things and hearts. It doesn't matter if you're in a relationship/dating - just take full advantage of the theme. I can't help it! I picked up some heart shaped post-it notes yesterday and somehow can't avoid wearing something pink or red every day. This manicure is a perfect example.

I used OPI's Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj collection.

I LOVE this pink. It's an adorable chalky, light pink that goes on extremely opaque in two coats. It's a happy medium between OPI's Mod about You and Shorts Story - slightly lighter than the classic Barbie pink but so perfect and girly.

I painted on tiny white hearts French-manicure style along the tip by creating tiny little "V" shapes. Then I painted a bigger heart on the ring fingers and added loops around the edge to make it look like a doily.

Are you guys immersing yourselves in the pink and red spirit?

Our Date with CTV

2012-02-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

What an amazing day! This morning, we had the honour of teaming up with CTV Ottawa Morning Live for a chat and a couple nail art how-tos.

It was so much fun to be in the studio getting ready to go on and we had so much fun chatting with Lianne about what we do.

Getting ready to go on.

Getting our microphones!

Getting nervous/silly

Here is the clip of our first TV experience...so fun!

Step by Step Roses Manicure

After a basecoat and two coats of your desired base colour, roughly paint on two semi-circles onto the nails in your desired petal colour for the roses (you can use the regular polish brush for this step - it doesn't have to be perfect).

With a skinny green polish, paint on small triangular shaped leaves on either side of each rose.

Using a skinny black polish brush, roughly outline the roses and add a couple curved lines inside to add definition for the petals.

Outline the leaves with the same black polish.

And, voila! A perfect manicure for Valentine's Day.

Teaming up with Holt Renfrew for "Pucker Up"

2012-02-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Next Saturday (the 11th), we will be teaming up with Holt Renfrew and Deborah Lippmann to set up shop and do nails! As part of Holt's Pucker Up event, we will be at Ottawa's downtown location of Holt Renfrew from 11:00am to 5:00pm with full access to Deborah Lippmann's products - that means guaranteed awesome manicures!

Here is the lowdown:
- If you want a manicure, you must book in advance
- We are not charging for manicures! Instead, with the purchase of any two Deborah Lippmann products, you will get a free Beauty School Dropouts manicure

So, all you have to do is call Elena (613-238-2200 Ext. 2265) to book a manicure and, when you come in on Saturday, pick out two of Lippmann's amazing products! (Win-win!)

Hurry up and book your spot before they fill up!

For more information and to book a manicure, call the Deborah Lippmann counter at Holt Renfrew at 613-238-2200 Ext. 2265.

We can't wait to do your nails!

Summer Lightning Storm Manicure

2012-02-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

We were inspired.

We hemmed and hawed about how to recreate a summer storm on our nails for a while. It took a few tweaks here and there but we have finally pinpointed a process. It involves several layers of pinks and purples, lots of dabbing with a small brush, and, finally a lightening streak. A step-by-step how-to could be in the works if you guys are interested! Let us know.

And, here it is, a Beauty School Dropouts' original - Summer Lightning Storm:

Crash!

That was SO BFF!

2012-01-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

Us (the BSDs) getting ready to manicure!

The BFF shopping night was such a blast! We got to spend the evening doing what we love best (nail-arting) all the while hanging out with old and new BFFs alike. Cocktail wieners, wine, manicures, giggling, and shopping...what else could any girl ask for?

Manicuring away!

While we were chatting/shopping away at Victoire Boutique in Wellington West all evening, there was also a super fun time going on at viens avec moi - an ah-mah-zing new shop that just opened up down the street (seriously, check it out...you will not regret it!). I already have a mental list of all the things I need to go buy from there, pronto! (If I were you, I would check out their website, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter - you need to get in on their awesome style). They had a free photo booth set up; stocked with balloons, sunglasses, and hats to pose with; where you could get your photos taken by the awesome and uber talented Christopher Schlesak (check out his Twitter here). Once the night was over, we all popped over to VAM boutique to get in on the photo booth action...we can't wait to see the shots!

Pictured along with some of our supplies

Our manicure addiction was satiated on Saturday night, and we are so thankful to all the awesome ladies who came out with great manicure ideas (we also thank the ones who said "Do whatEVER you want!" Seriously?? Score!).

Check out some of the final products we came up with:

Shelbie opted for adorable white daisies on a light aqua background. So cute!

Amanda chose a silver background, glitter tips, and mustaches. What a fun combination!

The BFFs pictured together - on their way to see A Dangerous Method! (Go Jung!)

Cathia went for a metallic royal blue to match her outfit along with gold glitter on the tips

Magalie chose a deep burgundy with statement glitter tips...awesome!

BFFs showing off their finger tips!

Madison asked for a neutral base with light aqua polka dots and stripes...love this combo!

Carolynn got a beige base with light pink roses - one of our fave's!

Madison and Carolynn showing off their manis...off to a night full of adventures!

Lynne requested this awesome sliver moon glitter manicure inspired by Style by Santina - love it!

Tanya chose the ultimate deep blue glitter mani - ooh!

The BFFs rocking their glitter manicures - shine on!

Jess got a peach and pink version of the Lana del Rey manicure - love this colour combo.

So cute, Jess!

In honor of Crispin Glover's presence in Ottawa at the Mayfair Theater this weekend, Julie requested a Crispin-inspired manicure (the first of its kind, I think). Note: rats and a middle part . Creepily awesome, Julie!

Fortunately, the creepiness doesn't take away from your cuteness! Hope you had fun at the screening :)

Bonita (the Victoire contest winner!) asked for a (tiny) Matryoshka Doll manicure - adorable!

We love it!

Veronica gave us full creative license so I went with silver and plum leopard to match her dress!

Shannon went with the Lana del Rey...this manicure is so awesome! Great choice.

The BFFs goofing off - great way to finish off the night!

Wee! That was such an awesome experience. We can't wait to see you ladies again for more manicure madness. And thank you to Victoire Boutique & viens avec moi for making all of this possible! BFFs joining forces with other BFFs to support each-other - Ottawa is the best!

Year of the Dragon Manicure

2012-01-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

On January 23rd, we entered into a new year of the Chinese Zodiac - the Dragon. This zodiac year is unique because it is the only one of the 12-year cycle of animals that is legendary. Apparently, it is also considered the luckiest year in the Chinese zodiac. Get ready everyone! (Especially those of you who were born in a year of the Dragon).
In order to do a Year of the Dragon inspired manicure, I, obviously, chose to use OPI's Red My Fortune Cookie as the base colour.

This red is our all-time favourite red. It works on every skin tone (even those annoying pinkish ones that I have) and is simply a gorgeous, bright, and warm red.

Then, I painted on these Chinese symbols in black:

These symbols mean Gong hei fat choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous" and is used to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Overall, a nice message to wear on one's nails!

I also added a fierce dragon head on the thumbnail in black and added a little gold glitter for extra flare. This is how it turned out.

It's difficult to see the dragon head because of glare, so I took some close up photos on my phone. Unfourtunately, my phone camera really messes up the overall tone of the photograph but please bear with me!

Here are some more photos of the overall manicure:

Happy New Year - Congratulations and be prosperous!

Evil Eye Manicure

2012-01-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to try this manicure for a while now. I saw this picture of Alexa Chung and saved it in my "nail folder" (filed next to my hair folder on my computer...yup) and it has been waiting to be recreated.

Pretty spooky, right? I love it. Plus, this weekend I went to a psychic convention with my friend Kat. We browsed the stalls set up by local mediums and psychics and, other than the psychics' crafty handmade signs advertising their specialities, there wasn't much to look at other than a stall of pretty amazing jewelry. This woman was selling a whole range of jewelry, including sacred geometry pendants which are quite amazing looking. In the end, I went home with an evil eye pendant for $5 that looks something like this (except it had silver eyelashes on the top lid):

I think it will look pretty neat on a thin silver chain. Apparently, evil eye jewelry protects the wearer from the evil eye and its harmful consequences (essentially, bad luck). In fact, the jewelry fights evil energies and will bring you happiness, prosperity, professional success, true love, friendship, good health, etc, etc, etc. Whoa! Prettay prettay prettay impressive.

For the manicure, I used Deborah Lippmann's Waking up in Vegas as the base (because it is my go-to neutral greige and can also be a little bit spooky if used correctly). Then, I hand-painted the white shape of the eye, outlined it in black, and added the blue iris by using the back of a paintbrush. The pupil was added with a dotting tool. This is how it turned out:

Boo! Eye am watching you.

Zooey Deschanel Golden Globes Tuxedo Manicure

2012-01-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? There were a couple wins I was super happy about - Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Jessica Lange (American Horror Story) - amazing actors and amazing shows. But what I was most excited about last night was Zooey Deschanel's tuxedo manicure! I was so glad to see adorable nail art making an appearance on the red carpet. Plus, she looked amazing (as always). That hair!... So soft and voluminous. I just want to touch it. (Is that weird? Oh well!). Also, kudos for the two nominations! Such a hilarious show.
I first spotted her manicure in a post she made on Instagram and Twitter. Check it out:

So sweet! And, not to mention, pretty cool when paired with her custom Prada gown. (One thing though...moisturize those cuticles, Zooey!)

Zooey Deschanel at the 2012 Golden Globes.

Photo: Getty Images

Ooh la la. So, obviously, I had to attempt this manicure myself. I started with a base coat, two coats of opaque white polish, and a coat of Seche Vite (see below for why I am adding a top coat here).

Since I'm a tiny bit of a perfectionist (lol), I decided to use the taping-off technique for the black nail tip instead of free hand (the free hand technique could definitely work here though if you're pressed for time or don't have any tape lying around). When using tape in a manicure, the top coat (Seche Vite) in between the steps is key to making sure polish will not get peeled off. The next step was applying the nail stickers, leaving an even strip along the tip of the nail. I used Nailene's Perfect Tips and Toes French Polish Guides.

This pack comes with straight and curved stickers for doing french manicures. For this manicure, I chose the curved stickers but here is an example of how you could use the straight stickers.

After making sure the stickers were pressed down all along the nail, I carefully painted on one coat of black polish.

Then, I gently peeled off the stickers and the nails looked like this:

I painted on the bows with a small paintbrush and added the black buttons with a dotting tool. And voila! The Beauty School Dropouts version of Zooey's red carpet manicure:

I can't wait to see what other nail art adventures Zooey embarks on!

BFFs - We want you!

2012-01-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

What would we do without our BFFs? When times get tough, you really need a good friend by your side. And when times are good, who would you rather be laughing and enjoying life with?

(A BFF photo of us from a couple years ago! Photo by Alyssa Iswolsky)

Not sure what we would do without each other. If we didn't have each other, we might never have explored nail art or perfume so fully; we might never have learned how much we secretly/not-so-secretly loved Taylor Swift; and we might never have learned the many, MANY ways you can make sangria and still have it taste OK. Not to mention all the heart-to-hearts and support. I shudder to think of what our lives might look like without each other.

In the spirit of encouraging your friends and finding more ways to spend time together, we are going to be pairing up with a bunch of other BFF businesses to do a BFF event for y'all in Ottawa on Saturday, January 28 from 5 to 8 pm at Victoire's Wellington location for a little party of sorts. We'll be joining forces with Victoire and Viens Avec Moi (an amazing new shop that opened on Wellington by two BFFs) for a really fun night. Among other things, Viens Avec Moi will be doing a photobooth at their shop and Victoire will be offering 10% off that night, and 20% off if both you and your pal buy something. So come on down with some BFFs if you wanna, or come on down and make some new ones. Win, win.

Beauty School Dropouts will be there to exercise our manicuring muscles and we want to start booking appointments for you and your BFF.

Get in touch with us via email to pencil in you and your pal for awesome hand-painted nail art manicures. Manicures will be $35 each - or $30 each if you book with your BFF.

Jessie J Black and Gold Manicure

2012-01-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the other manicure that I spotted in Jessie J's music video for Domino. Did you spot it? Here are some screen shots:

I really like this one. It's pretty fierce and I love how she pairs it with that bedazzled hat. Awesome! For my version of this manicure, I started with two coats of Essie's Licorice (my go-to black). For the gold accents, I picked up one of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail colour in Golden-I. It's a little bit more silvery gold as opposed to Jessie J's yellow gold, but I didn't have my YSL Gold that I used here.

After letting two coats of black and one coat of Seche Vite dry for about 20 minutes, I used Scotch tape to section of a thin line in the middle of the nail.

Then, after making sure there were no bubbles along the tape line on each nail, I carefully painted one coat of gold over the uncovered areas.

One word of caution - wait as long as possible to let your coats of base colour and Seche Vite dry before doing the tape step. For this manicure, even though the tape didn't pull up any black, the tape left tiny, and almost unnoticeable, ridges and valleys in the black as it was still slightly sticky under the Seche Vite.

I decided to add gold polka dots with my dotting tool (found in the painting/sculpting section of your local craft store - a toothpick would also work) instead of adding 3D decals like Jessie J's. I love the look of decals but would rather not have them all over my nails. It would be so devastating if one caught on something and ripped off - taking some of the manicure with it! Then I added one coat of Seche Vite to lock it in and, fortunately, this final coat of polish eliminated the appearance of those minuscule ridges and valleys mentioned earlier. This is what it ended up looking like:

I didn't realize until after I got started that these nails are probably supposed to be dominos (duh) but, either way, they are cute and I see a lot of variations of this manicure in Beauty School Dropouts' future!

Jessie J Multicolour Manicure

2012-01-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

I was watching Jessie J's music video for her latest song, Domino, the other day and I was happy to find out that, in this video, nails are front and centre. I spent a while trying to get a good screen shot of one of the manicures and, this is what I got.

Pretty, right? It looks like a warm base that consists of a bright yellow, a pink, and a teal-ish colour, topped off by thick and thin dark purple stripes. I thought I would attempt this complex manicure. Since I am on holiday in Florida and don't have my trusty nail box along with me (I brought some basics but not the necessary colours for this manicure), I ran out to my local Walgreens and grabbed a bunch of Sinful Colors polishes. They are only $1.99 each (I know!!!) and are sold in a ton of colours and go on the nail really well. They show up rather opaque after two coats and seem to really last. For the teal-ish blue, the most similar colour I could find was Rise and Shine.

I found a pretty perfect pink called Pink Forever.

The yellow, Unicorn, is light and buttery and I can't wait to work it into other pastel manicures.

For the dark purple stripes, I grabbed Let's Talk. This colour is a deep, grapey, metallic purple but, unfourtunately, photographs as blueish!

I decided to free-hand the manicure as opposed to using tape to make the lines sharper, but I think next time I might opt for the more precise tape or sticker method that I used here and here.

Also, I wish the polish colours I used were slightly different (specifically I wish the teal was slightly less green and more blue) but, alas, I am without my supplies so I'm working with what I have!

This is what it turned out like. Keep in mind, the purple lines in the photos with flash appear more purple-y in real life :)

Overall, it actually looks pretty cute. The pattern is inspiring - I can't wait to try it out with different colour combinations...maybe monochrome. Greys and black would be awesome, as would different shades of pink...Valentine's Day anyone? It's coming up! Thanks to Jessie J for the inspiration!

P.S. There is another manicure in the video that I'm itching to try...can you spot it? Keep your eyes peeled on the blog!

Rihanna You Da One Manicure

2012-01-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

I have loved this song since I first listened to Rihanna's Talk That Talk album - it's definitely one of the few songs on the radio that I blast whenever it comes on while I'm driving. Take a listen! (Warning: be prepared to witness a both unnecessary and excessive amount crotch-grabbing)

Other than the aforementioned aspect, the video is pretty fun to watch. I also had a feeling that her video would have some sort of awesome manicure and, sure enough, it does! Here are some screen shots if you didn't catch it:

Cool, right? I'm really loving simple, geometric manicures with sharp lines like this one. It creates a cool look without being too busy. To start off, I did a basecoat (as always) and two coats of white and then top coat (Seche Vite). Then, I ended up letting it sit overnight but half an hour to an hour would be sufficient. This way, you can be sure that the tape in the next step won't pull up the white polish (Seche Vite is key here). Otherwise, the whole manicure could be ruined by a little white section being pulled off.
Then, with regular Scotch tape, I taped off a little triangle section starting at the cuticle and ending about 3/4 of the way toward the nail tip.
This is what it looked like (kind of hard to see on the white):

Then, I painted Essie's Licorice on the section left uncovered by the tape, making sure to cover all the white polish at the cuticle.

These big tape pieces make hand movement pretty awkward so I could really only do one hand at a time. However, you could trim the pieces and it would be much easier.
I let the black polish dry for about 15 minutes, carefully peeled off the tape, added another coat of Seche Vite to lock it all in and here's how it turned out:

Other than the fact that I don't have the long claws Rihanna does, I really like the way this manicure turned out. It's very dramatic and eye catching and also has a similar elongating effect as the geometric holiday manicure I did here. What do you think? Would you rock this mani?

NYE Sparkle in the Midnight Air

2011-12-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

I finally decided on a manicure for tonight! Since I haven't settled on an outfit yet (I know...cutting it close), I opted for a manicure that could go with pretty much anything.

I used two coats of Essie's Licorice (black) as the base and added Deborah Lippmann's I Love the Nightlife as a gradient concentrated at the tips.

As expected, Lippmann did it again - created an awesome glitter. The chunks of glitter themselves are octagonal in shape and are silver with a slight blueish-purpleish tint. The glitter is in a clear base which makes it easy to apply to any base colour. I love the shape and size of these glitter pieces because, even though they are pretty glamorous and intense, the fact that they are slightly biggers makes them pretty adorable because they kindof look like polka dots on the nails.
Overall, a great glitter that helped create a black and silver manicure that will (hopefully) match whatever I end up wearing tonight.

Whether you decide to go out all night or opt for a quiet night in, have an amazing NYE and Happy New Year!

NYE Keep the Champagne Flowing Manicure

2011-12-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

With bubbly in mind, I created this mani by first using two coats of OPI's Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous as the base, which is a graphite and silver micro glitter.

Then, after creating a white background along the tips of the nails, I added one coat of Sinful Color's This is It, a sparkly yellow-gold.

I love how the champagne flows along the nails - fun! As a finishing touch, I added a tiny bit of Orly's Tiara to the champagne to create the illusion of bubbles. Still brainstorming which manicure I am going to wear tonight... oh, decisions!

NYE 2012 Let the Glitter Rain Manicure

2011-12-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

My family and I are on holiday so my little (teenaged) sister requested a special NYE manicure for tonight. I used Deborah Lippmann's Between the Sheets for the base because it is a lovely bright fuschia perfect for a lovely night out for dinner. Then, starting at the cuticle, I created a glitter gradient using Orly's Tiara. I finished it off with tiny numbers on four of the nails on each hand...bring on 2012!

Definitely looking forward to tonight... but still deciding what to wear and, most importantly, how to accessorize my finger tips!

Midnight Kiss NYE Manicure

2011-12-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

For this New Year's Eve inspired manicure, I used China Glaze's Icicle for the base. I love this micro-glitter metallic polish and also used it here. Then, I added hand-painted kiss marks with Deborah Lippmann's beautiful Between the Sheets which is a vibrant, dark fuschia.

Then I added some white glossy light reflections and voila! How is your NYE outfit planning going? The fun thing about this manicure is that you can tweak the base and lip mark polish colours to more closely match your outfit (I know I am at fault of overplanning...can't help it!). Happy NYE planning!

Thanks for the article, Snobriety.ca!

2011-12-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! While you are all daydreaming of New Year's Eve plans, why don't you check out a recent article by Snobriety where we dish on the local art and fashion scene in our hometown and talk about our inspiration to get into hand-painted nailart. While you're there, snoop around the rest of their site which focuses on the creative Canadian world. Don't forget to check out our local friends we mention in the article who are making a name for themselves in the Canadian fashion world - Victoire Boutique, Sessie Dress, and Raised by Wolves.

Check back soon for more party manicures :)

Champagne Bubbles New Year's Eve Manicure

2011-12-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and I hope you all ate too much and relaxed too much because New Year's Eve is around the corner and we have to prep for parties! With that in mind, I have been brainstorming some New Year's Eve manicures and here is the first one - champagne bubbles!

This one is understated and beautiful. It's soft, neutral, feminine and delicate with a tad of sparkly glitter to bring it up to new year's eve party level. I used two coats of Deborah Lippmann's Naked as the base.

Usually, I don't like most pinky-beige polishes on me because they can cause the "lobster hand effect" (certain polishes accent the red tones in my skin and my fingers can look straight up creepy - of course, this completely depends on one's skin tone). However, I was surprised to find out that I absolutely love how Naked looks. It kindof creates a mannequin hand...in a good way. It's very flattering as the colour elongates the fingers and the nail beds.

For the champagne bubbles, I used Deborah Lippmann's Stairway to Heaven.

I love this glitter. I used it to make a gradient concentrated on the tip of the nail to create the illusion of champagne bubbles rising in a glass. It is in a creamy gel base which is perfect for this manicure because it can easily be made into a gradient on the Naked base without leaving any obvious lines. The chunks of glitter in this polish are square and octagonal and iridescent and change from warm coppers and pinks to watery blues and teals. It's really adorable and I can't wait to try it on different bases. Here are some more pics of the manicure:

More Holiday Manicures!

2011-12-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

This week, I had the pleasure of getting together with some old friends Maddie and Sophie to get down to some serious holiday nail business. Plus, it was so great to be able to catch up and chat during the manicures. Sophie wanted something wintery and cute and opted for a full snowflake manicure similar to the one I did a little while ago. We used the awesome Sapphire (Designer series) by OPI and then I added some hand-painted white snowflakes. It ended up looking adorable! (This holographic polish is so difficult to photograph! You've gotta see it in person to experience its beauty).

Maddie asked for something feminine but also holiday-inspired so I gift-wrapped her nails! We chose the OPI Designer..de Better from the Muppet line (that I used and reviewed here) for the base and, of course, my favourite red - OPI's Red My Fortune Cookie for the accents and the bow.

This one really looked great. Perfect for this time of year! Good choices, ladies!

Last night, I had a girlie Christmas party to go to so I decided to do a last minute manicure before I stepped out (the best accessory). I thought I would try the Born to Die manicure in different colours. This time, I decided to use a colour as the background instead of leaving the nails bare, so I thought I would use something neutral. I opted for OPI's Barefoot in Barcelona as the base.

For the tips, I chose China Glaze's Icicle and the same Nicole by OPI gold glitter (Twist of Fate) that I used for the original Born to Die manicure.

This is how it turned out:

I like this colour combo - still fancy and party-ready like the original, but slightly less eye-popping. Anyway, must go - gotta get back to wrapping!

Happy Holidays :)

First Day of Hanukkah Holiday Manicure

2011-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Hanukkah! This evening marks the first day of Hanukkah and I was drawn to creating a beautiful sparkly Hanukkah inspired manicure.
I used an absolutely breathtaking shimmery royal blue as the base; China Glaze's Frostbite (clearly seasonally appropriate).

This polish has such a beautiful deep colour, is extremely easy to apply, and looks marvelous with only two coats. Plus, the slightly metallic-shimmery appearance hides any nail imperfections and looks pro even without a super steady hand.
Then, I hand-painted the white candles, black wick, and yellow and white flames. And, of course, added the gold and silver sparkle accents (because I can never resist adding a touch - or a serious amount - of glitter). With the silver Star of David on the thumb nails, two hands of four candles on each makes eight! (Thinking ahead!).

Lana Del Rey's Born to Die Manicure

2011-12-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

I watched Lana Del Rey's newly released video for Born to Die and was totally inspired. Check it out.

First of all, I am pretty obsessed with her intense voice and whole shtick (see more videos further down in this post). Second of all, the nails! I knew I had to try them as soon as I saw this video. Here are some shots from the video of her nails:

Aren't they awesome? OK - so I don't have the super long and square fake nails thing going on but I decided to try my own version of this look anyway. Plus, the bright red and thin line of gold glitter are perfect holiday party colours. So, since I knew that my bare nails would be showing, I gave them a good buff to make sure there were no discolourations. Then, I painted one coat of China Glaze's Strong Adhesion Base Coat.

This has been my go-to base coat for a while now. It dries quickly (important) and seems to really help my manicures last longer. It gave my nails a nice subtle shininess that would accent the red and gold tips perfectly. Then, I hand-painted the rounded "V" shape onto the tips of my nails and added thin lines of gold glitter with a skinny brush. As expected, I used my favourite red, OPI's Red My Fortune Cookie.

For the gold glitter accents, I used Nicole by OPI's Twist of Fate.

This is how it turned out:

I really love how these turned out! Like the geometric christmas tree nails I posted yesterday, this manicure really elongates the nails. Plus, I'm pretty sure these nails could really work a holiday party.

And, as promised, more Lana Del Rey.

Enjoy!

Geometric Christmas Tree Holiday Manicure

2011-12-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

Usually, when I'm thinking up ideas for cute themed manicures, I try to avoid just painting a tiny picture of something onto the nail. Instead, I like to come up with creative ways to work something into the shape of the nail so that it comes together as a whole instead of being made up of separate parts (like this and this and this). However, I do paint images onto the nails sometimes, like here and here, because it can also look really adorable.
So, when I wanted to do a manicure with something resembling a Christmas Tree, I decided to give it a geometric feel. I used Nailene's Perfect Tips and Toes French Polish Guides to create the Christmas Tree Shape on the nail.

After a base coat, I painted one coat of Yves Saint Laurent's Gold polish. Only one coat was needed - this is a very beautiful and buttery polish. At this point, I used one coat of Seche Vite and let the nails dry for 30 minutes so that the stickers wouldn't peel the polish off.

Then, I used the Nailene stickers that were meant for toes (they are straight unlike the guides designed for fingernails) to section off a triangle on the nail.

Then, I painted OPI's Jade is the New Black as the trees.

To finish it off, I carefully peeled of the stickers and added another coat of Seche Vite. I really like the way this one turned out - it's both geometric and modern and the shape of the "trees" also elongates the nails. Plus, the gold and green are great holiday colours and look super luxurious together.

Weekend of Manicures

2011-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

The holiday parties are definitely happening! This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting with and doing the nails of Tara and Yasmen. They both wanted manicures well-suited for holiday parties and we went with glitter!...how could we not?!
Tara chose Deborah Lippmann's Single Ladies, a beautiful deep red with a blue undertone.

We paired it with Lippmann's classic glitter, Happy Birthday, and ended up with a gorgeous, decadent and sparkly holiday manicure.

Yasmen went for something a little more understated and chose OPI's Suzi Skis in the Pyrenese as the base. This is definitely one of my new favourites (even though it is not that new!). I have fallen in love with it all over again after using it for my penguin manicure- it's great for a dark manicure if you want to avoid the harshness of a full-on black polish.
We topped it off with a glitter gradient on the tips using my go-to silver glitter, Orly's Tiara.

It turned out looking like a lovely snowy night sky - a great holiday manicure that could be paired with pretty much any outfit and jewelry.

I was also lucky enough to spend some time with a gorgeous birthday girl this weekend and give her a manicure as well! We decided to do her nails before her party so she could truly embrace the party girl vibe in a matchy-matchy manicure. Jess chose leopard print to match her dress and we picked out the colours accordingly. We went with a shimmery light silver, OPI's Birthday Babe (how fitting)!), and used Sally Hansen's Insta Dri in Rapid red for the spots. This is how it turned out!

And, of course, a full shot of the girl and her dress to get the full picture:

In my books, a weekend is always a blast if it involves a ton of manicures - so bring it on, holidays!

Penguins and Holographic Snowflakes Winter Manicure

2011-12-09T10:42:00.001-08:00

This one is so much fun! I used OPI's Designer Series Sapphire as the base on some of the nails - this polish is stunning! It's a grey holographic that shimmers so beautifully. In daylight, it's mesmerizing to look at; rainbows and sparkles as far as the eye can see. This polish is absolutely a special one.

For the other base, I used OPI's Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees. This polish is a very dark greyish creme that goes on slightly sheer. It also has the most microscopic shimmer in it that is impossible to photograph and almost impossible to notice without staring up close. This is what they both looked like, with two coats and a top coat, flash and no flash, before the nail art: (ignore how weird my skin looks in these shots!)

I added the snowflakes with a skinny brush and the penguin bodies with a regular nailpolish brush with the same white polish (Pure Ice). Then, I added the eyes, dots, beak, and feet with a small brush.

And voila - a cute wintery manicure.

Holly Holiday Manicure

2011-12-07T12:48:00.001-08:00

How festive! I used a polish from the Muppet collection for the base, "Designer.. De Better".

I absolutely love this one. It's a metallic polish with a foil-like appearance thats has tiny coppery specks mixed into a warm silver tone. It applies very easily and is opaque after two coats. Plus, the metallic speck appearance hides any nail imperfections. Overall, a great silvery-coppery metallic and perfect for holidays because it would look amazing paired with either gold or silver jewelry.

For the holly, I used OPI's Jade is the New Black for the leaves and Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in Rapid Red for the berries. I added the black, white, and green accents using a skinny brush.

Gingerbread, Icing, and Gumdrops Holiday Manicure

2011-12-06T15:59:00.001-08:00

The first holiday manicure! This one is a twist on the French manicure inspired by adorable little gingerbread houses. The tips emulate the piped icing along the edges of a gingerbread house along with cute tiny multicoloured gumdrops. I used Revlon's Totally Toffee as the base which is a great warm brown that actually looked lovely on its own before the nail art was added.

I also added some sparkly accents with gold near the cuticles and a tiny bit of silver along the icing line. I mean, it IS the Holidays, right!

Weekend of Manicures

2011-12-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

Leopard print definitely took over me for some reason this weekend. I know that we are technically in the holiday season but I guess I am just trying to squeeze in some crazy non-holiday party nails before its too late. I will, without a doubt, commit to some holiday manicures this week.

On Friday I was drawn to one of my favourite colours, China Glaze's Secret Periwinkle.

I decided to do leopard with a neutral background so, of course, I used my go-to greige; Deborah Lippmann's Waking up in Vegas.
For the black accents on the leopard print, I used the handy Sally Hansen nail pen. These pens are great for dotting when you aren't aiming for a flawless dot - absolutely perfect for leopard print.
This is how it turned out:

Friday night, my friends Tess and Callie asked if I had time to pop over and do some manicures and, of course, I can never turn down a manicure. Tess opted for a simple but eye-catching mani. We went for a simple base of Essie's Licorice to really showcase the glitter topcoat - Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday.

Described as a "party in a bottle," this glitter is truly one of the most special I have ever seen. It just becomes more awesome with every coat - something you definitely have to try for yourself. You won't be able to keep your eyes off your nails!
This is how Tess' nails ended up:

Callie spotted (pun intended) my leopard print nails and customized the colours for herself. She replaced the periwinkle with an adorable peach that Kristina got me in Scotland! It's made by Nail Paints by Barry M and is called Peach Melba.

This is how Callie's turned out - such a lovely colour combination!

Friday night was really chilly but these manicures definitely gave Tess and Callie a reason to brave the elements. If you got it, flaunt it!

On Saturday, I decided to wear this adorable light pink blouse decorated with pearls from Forever 21 and couldn't help crafting a semi-matching manicure. For the base, I used an ah-mah-zing pink by OPI called Mod About You. It's the perfect light, chalky, opaque pink. I love it.
On some of the nails, I did a hot pink leopard with Nina Ultra Pro's Punki Pink. This pink is a serious bright neon - really eye catching and super glowy.

On the rest of the nails, I used this great chunky glitter called Disco Ball that was also from Forever 21.

I definitely see this one being a part of some holiday manicures...

This is how it turned out:

This is definitely a party girl manicure. See what I said about leopard print taking over my weekend? It's just too much fun!

Next up - holiday manicures!

Heavy Metal Pink Zebra

2011-11-30T07:22:00.000-08:00

Last night before heading out, I decided to give myself a quick manicure and decided on zebra. These days, in my world of nail experimentation, one solid colour manicure looks unfinished to me...losing touch with reality? Maybe.

I used two coats of OPI's Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous as the base and a skinny pink brush for the accents.

I picked this one up at Shoppers and, for the price ($2.99), it went on quite well without clumping or being too runny. Plus, they carry a dozen or so different colours and glitter so one could really go wild.

And, of course, I finished the manicure off with our favourite top coat; Seche Vite.

A different pic:

Well, today is the last day of November and, in my eyes, the "Holiday Season" officially starts up tomorrow. And we all know what that means - holiday nail art! So, keep a lookout for the next few posts we make because they are going to involve all things sparkly, twinkly, and cozy-cute (is that a thing?).

Last night at Victoire - so much fun!

2011-11-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Our second date with Victoire was THE BEST! We were so excited to be fully booked and could not wait to spend our evening chatting and finding out which manicures were chosen by old and new friends alike!

We also had a lot of requests of styles seen on our blog, which really made our day. Regine said it best when she pointed out that all the different nail art options really do speak to people differently. One of the best parts was definitely customizing the colours and styles for each manicure depending on what the ladies wanted - we love to hear your awesome ideas!

We put out the best glitters on display because glitter is obviously a priority!

Here we are doing some serious work (a.k.a. having too much fun).

Here are just some of the manicures we did last night - check 'em out!

The "While You Were on Facebook" manicure on neon orange and pink gradient

Red roses on a neutral background

Purple and gold leopard

Super gold nautical

Pink fairy nails

Strawberry nails

Plum roses on a pink background

Sparkly side of the moon

Gold diagonals on peach

Sparkly blizzard nails

Neon coral zebra

Sparkly apples

Regine getting...

...an all-seeing eyes manicure!

Thanks so much for all those who booked spots with us last night! We can't wait for the next one and will let you all know as soon as a date is chosen.

Thanks again - we had so much fun!

- Emilie & Kristina

The secret to a perfect manicure.

2011-11-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

The secret to a really flawlessly executed manicure is a great topcoat. Ok, well, this isn't the only "secret" there is and I suppose for a lot of people who are obsessed with nails, it's no secret at all, but for us, it's a major make-or-break step. If you're not accustomed to doing a home manicure with a topcoat, I beg you to reconsider and get one ASAP. You will see a huge difference in the appearance of your mani, as well as the longevity.

We are devotees of Seche Vite. Haven't heard of it? Well, GET WISE! You need it.

No exaggeration, Seche Vite will change the way you do your nails and how much you end up liking your manicure. This is THE topcoat. It actually dries your polish within seconds. We don't know what we'd do if we didn't have this topcoat at the ready (other than maybe wait for each coat of nail polish to dry which is obviously asking too much).

You apply it to WET polish and it is designed to "penetrate through nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate for a much more durable finish" (according the Seche website). What I take away from that is that it's both science and magic. Anyway, it dries the polish super quick and provides a very shiny and durable finish over polish. For our purposes, it's necessary to have a fast drying topcoat when doing designs on the nail or else they can wear off very quickly.

There are a couple downsides to Seche Vite that we have noticed. It does occasionally 'pull' the edges of a manicure and it gets kind of gloopy quickly (when exposed to air frequently). However, the pros outweigh the cons. We have probably bought it a zillion times. Can't live without it.

In Canada, you can score Seche Vite at Sally Beauty Supply stores and occasionally at Winners.

This product is a MUST-HAVE. Really.

Beauty School Dropouts at Victoire - Fully Booked!

2011-11-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce that our manicure night next Sunday at Victoire is fully booked! We can't wait to mani all night long! And, for those of you who would still like to nail-art-it-up in the future, we will let you know when the next manicure soiree is :)

So keep your eyes and ears peeled!

- Emilie & Kristina

Crispy Red Apple Mani

2011-11-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

For the cutesy mani I used the Forever 21 Glitter I mentioned here as the base. I chose this one because I wanted the background to be neutral-ish so as to not take away from the bright red apples without being beige or grey. I thought tiny sparkles was the way to go. For the red apple I used Essie's Fishnet Stockings which I also used here. It is definitely a great colour for a ripe red apple.

With winter fast approaching, I am trying to embrace the last moments of fall and this delicious fall mani is a big help!

Super Bright Tiger Nail

2011-11-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, first of all, these polishes are impossible to photograph. I tried in different light conditions, with and without flash, and on different cameras. Neons are tough!

I used two coats of white by Pure Ice (from Walmart) for the base. This polish is actually quite decent and provides great opaque coverage considering it only cost $1.97!

For the brights, I used Colo(u)r Club's neon pink and China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy.

This is one of our all-time favourite polishes. It is such a perfect neon coral colour. A very bright and orangey pink - it was pretty much a repeat pedicure colour all summer. When I use this one for a mani, I get stopped by people asking me what polish I'm wearing. It's such a crazy colour! We love it. (So, in the images above, try to imaging that the orangey colour near the cuticles is brighter and has more of a pinkish tint to it.)

So, after creating a colour gradient on the nail with the coral near the cuticle and the bright pink on the tip, I added the black details with that good old skinny polish that I mentioned here and here.

I realize that these are summery colours but, hey, November is dark, gloomy, and the sun only graces us with its presence for like...20 minutes a day so I could use a little day-brightening. This bright mani has been brightening my day already :)

A Second Date with Victoire

2011-11-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

After getting to participate in Victoire Boutique’s Talk to the Hand event last week (as a part of Apt613’s SupportLocal month), we are delighted to announce that the lovely ladies of Victoire have invited us back for more… And soon too! We had so much fun at this event and got to meet so many cool chicks. We're over the moon that Victoire is graciously hosting a night just for Beauty School Dropouts to do manicures!

On Sunday November 27^th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm at Victoire (246 Dalhousie St), we will be buffing, polishing and beautifying nails once again.

We had an overwhelming volume of takers last time so this time around, we will be taking appointments in order to make sure everyone who wants a sweet manicure gets their turn. Manicures will range from $20 to $25, depending on the complexity of the design you choose. We have a huge selection of colours and designs for you to choose from. You KNOW you wanna start December off right with a marvelous manicure.

(Look at Bette Davis below doing her nails all by herself... Totally staged! And not as fun.)

We will be starting to book appointments for the event over the next week. Get in touch with Emilie and I via email! We’ll book a time just for you so you know when to swing by. Or you can just come to Victoire earlier and pick up some holiday gifts for your friends (*cough* yourself). This is gonna be super fun and we can't wait!

Be sure to check out our Facebook page to stay up to date on events and new manis we do. Oh, and we are on Twitter now too. WEEE!

- Kristina

Soft Polka Dot Mani

2011-11-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

This is a very simple mani that I gave to my friend Tess. She wanted something soft and simple so we settled on polka dots. For the base, we used two coats of Essie's Turquoise and Caicos.

This is such a soft and lovely colour that I tend to use it a lot. As for the little polka dots, I used my go-to greige; Deborah Lippmann's Waking Up in Vegas.

In the end, Tess couldn't resist some little decals I had kicking around so we added those and took this mani to the next level. The mani ended up looking pretty adorable and understated - managing to be an all over pattern while remaning soft and avoiding flashiness.

Roses and Polka Dot Mani

2011-11-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's official! I absolutely love doing rose manicures. They are super easy to do and end up looking adorable and feminine. I have tried this mani before on my little sister using pastels and a bright pale blue as the background. It ended up looking really cute and bright but I wanted to give this mani a little bit of a mature twist. So, for this one, I used OPI's Barefoot in Barcelona as the base because I was looking for something pretty and soft but a little more neutral. This way, the roses would pop and remain the focus of the mani.

I did tiny black polka dots in the background to create more of a pattern and I think it turned out looking really pretty with the roses on top. For the two-tone roses, I used Essie's Fishnet Stockings and Revlon's Coral Me Wild.

I can't seem to find a good photo of Coral Me Wild but I highly recommend it. It is the perfect bright orangey-pink without being a matte neon (but almost neon - so much fun!). I used my go-to leaf colour (OPI's Jade is the New Black) and finished off with accents using the black skinny brush polish I mentioned here.

I really like how this look turned out and I can't wait to experiment with different coloured roses!

Silver Leopard Print Nails

2011-11-09T11:32:00.001-08:00

This one is a twist on the classic leopard print. I tried this mani twice, using a different silver glitter for each try. The first time, I used a holographic-type silver glitter called Disco Nights I picked up at Forever21.

I used Gosh's Miss Grey for the spots

and Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen in Black for the details.

This is how the mani turned out:

The forever 21 holographic mani looks really special in daylight because it reflects so many different colours. I used three coats for the base here and it looked great the next day outside.
I also tried this mani with one of my favourite silver glitters that I mentioned here.

I also really loved the way this one turned out. The Orly glittler polish is very metallic and shiny and goes on really great too.
I can't wait to try leopard print in different colours...so many possibilities!

Juicy Strawberry Nails

2011-11-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Ok - I know it's not technically summer anymore BUT I can't stay away from this adorable summery mani. Plus, it is actually quite beautiful and sunny outside today in Ottawa so I will take what I can get. These strawberries are really easy to do and end up looking absolutely darling. In fact, they were quite popular this weekend at Talk to the Hand at Victoire Boutique.
For the red base, I used Sally Hansen's Insta Dry in Rapid Red.

I used this polish because it is quite opaque with only one coat and, knowing I would be adding details on top, I usually prefer to avoid multiple base coats.
For the seeds and leaves, I used a yellow by Color Club and Jade is the New Black by OPI.

And here is a pic of the manicure with a flash (these little berries are difficult to photograph!).

Talk to Hand - Grrreat Success!

2011-11-06T09:59:00.001-08:00

What an amazing Saturday evening! This event was such a success and we are so happy that we got to meet all the wonderful ladies who came out. We all enjoyed some cozy crafting, scrumptious treats, and fun manicures.

As for Kristina and I, we manicured non-stop and loved every minute of it! It was so much fun to see which nail art designs were chosen - we were so happy by the fact that it was all across the board. Plus, chatting with new friends while nail-arting was an awesome added bonus.

We are blown away by all the ladies who came out and wanted a Beauty School Dropout manicure - too bad we couldn't keep going all night! We can't wait to do this again.
We are currently in the works of planning a regular Beauty School Dropouts X Victoire event so keep your eyes and ears pealed - we want to do your nails!

- Emilie & Kristina

Support Ottawa, Support Local

2011-11-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

November is the Support Local month in Ottawa and we are so excited to be a part of it! The idea is to spread the word of what is unique in local businesses and to appreciate what Ottawa has to offer (for more info about the Support Local month, check out Apartment613).

Talk to the Hand
Victoire Boutique is hosting the Talk to the Hand event this Saturday and we can't wait to celebrate all-things-girlie! Auntie Loo's Treats, Ottawa's first 100% vegan bakery, will be serving their scrumptious vegan cupcakes and Heidi's Home Ec will be helping everyone get crafty with sassy cross-stitching.
And, last but not least, we will also be there to go wild with nail art! All you need to bring are your dainty fingers and, with several nail designs to choose from, we can give you all the glitter, cuteness, and eye-catching nail art you could ask for.
And as if these fun activities weren't enough, the shop will also be giving away a free Victoire tote bag showcasing the old City of Ottawa crest with every purchase!

So come on out to Victoire's downtown location (246 Dalhousie Street) from 6:00-9:00pm this Saturday and join us for some serious girl time.

See you there!
- Emilie & Kristina

Graveyard Hallowe'en Nails

2011-10-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the 3rd night of Halloween parties so I decided to switch up my spooky manicure!

Once again, I used Deborah Lippmann as the background colour for 3 of the nails and the tombstone on the ring finger. For the neon orange thumb, I used a bright orange by Colour Club (it doesn't seem to have a name). I picked it up in a pack of brights at Winners (great find!).

Then, I used Essie's Licorice and a tiny paint brush to paint the graveyard silhouettes and the skeleton hand on the thumb.

Lastly, I added a couple strokes of grass to the tombstone with OPI's Jade is the New Black.

And it's complete! Off to another Hallowe'en party....mwah ha ha!

Bloody Hallowe'en Nails

2011-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween, I am going as one of the Grady twins from The Shining with my friend Jess. The costume involves some serious creepiness and blood so I decided to try out some spooky, drippy bloody nails to push it to the next level.

For these nails, I used Deborah Lippmann's Waking up in Vegas as the base colour. This polish is a-ma-zing. If applied properly, only a single coat is required! Plus, Lippmann polishes have the longest lasting wear I have ever encountered. Overall - a solid laquer!

I painted the bloody drips using a tiny craft paintbrush and OPI's Quarter of a Cent-Cherry - the perfect blood red! (The photograph above shows the red slightly darker than it truly is)

The nails completed the costume perfectly - we scared ourselves every time we looked in the mirror!

Spooky Hallowe'en Skulls

2011-10-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

I did this mani on my sister the other night. It turned out pretty adorable despite it's spookiness! For this one, I used two coats of white on top of a base coat and then used a special black polish to add the details.

This polish, by Witchcraft, comes in several different colours and is available at Shoppers Drug Mart. It has a very skinny and long brush that is pretty versatile for adding details to your nails and is a nice alternative to a toothpick or small paint brush. It has been very handy having this polish in white and black to pain images onto the nails or just for adding outlines and accents.
I finished this mani off with a top coat and then hid under my covers. Boo!

Fairy Nails

2011-10-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

I really love how this mani turned out! It's sweet and special without being too flashy. For this mani, I used one of my favourite nail colours out there; OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender. I know the name denotes a purple-y colour, but I find it can actually come off as the perfect pale, chalky pink. Perhaps this depends on your skin tone (I tend to be pinkish myself) but, either way, it is a beautiful colour and also looks great as a pedi. Actually, I searched for this specific type of pink for a long time before stumbling across this one. I never thought to try it because of it's name - do not judge a polish by it's name, folks!

After a base coat and two coats of Lucky, I dabbed on a silver glitter on the tips and created a gradient toward the cuticle; getting sparser as I went (soon, we will have a detailed How-To post on this). The silver glitter I used is a great one that I highly recommend, Tiara by Orly.

In fact, I actually tried another mani with this silver and, with 3 coats, the sparkliness could knock your socks off (post to follow)!

Then, I finished it off with our favourite top coat (post to follow!) and voila! Fairy nails!

Thanks for checking in, see you soon!

-Emilie

Welcome!

2011-10-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to our blog! We are Emilie and Kristina of Beauty School Dropouts and are so excited to show you what tickles our fancy in the world of beauty. Please enjoy our posts to follow which will fill you in on our adventures into the realm of nail art with posts about products, how-tos, and inspirations.

See you soon!