Nails of the Week

I didn't manage to take a photo before it started to chip. Oops. I've forgotten which purple I used for the plain purple fingers, but I do know I used Etude House Help My Finger Matte top coat. For the glitter nail I applied two coats if W7 polish in 123 Moonlight, the one coat of each of Satin polish 12, a Sportsgirl purple/holographic glitter polish in a skull shaped bottle and the Face of Australia Dark Side polish in Darth Vader (shown in picture). I like the combination of simple matte nails with a glitter accent nail - its simple but pretty and fancy.

Matte About Blue: Nails of the Week

So, I just love matte mixed with glitter and flakies. Regardless of the combination, it's almost always a hit with me. This week, I came across some super pretty Sinful Colors nail polish, and couldn't help but splurge. And then wasn't happy just wearing one of them.

I started with a base coat, and then used Sinful Colors Matte About Blue polish, which is pretty awesome on its own. So if you want a cute but simple and quick look, Matte About Blue over a base (no top coat) is a great way to go. It's a "Silk" matte and looks and feels really nice.

I followed Matte About Blue with a couple of coats of Pearl Harbor by Sinful Colors (show in the pictures). This is a really pretty duo-chrome glitter in a sheer base. The glitter shifts from blue to green, and is super pretty. The glitter applies thinner than I'd like, but otherwise I'm really happy with the polish.

To finish, I coated my nails with Etude House Help My Finger Matte Top Coat to make my nails matte again. I really like this matte polish - It works great and is pretty cheap. In comparison, the ELF matte top coat is the worst polish I've ever bought - I ended up just tossing it. I don't know if I just got a dodgy one, but it's not worth the risk to me to buy it again.

My Favourite Nail Art Posts of the Month from Reddit

I've decided to expand my favourite Reddit Beauty round up into multiple more specific posts - there is just so many cute manicures and makeup looks that everyone posts - all such great inspiration! So to begin with, these are my favourite nail art posts.

"Squirrel and Sparkles" by Manicurn_it

"Cherry blossoms on a French manicure gradient with a matte finish" by roflypenguingasm

Pretty Floral Nails by Stephsnails - for photos of the process or just because she's awesome, you should check out her blog!

True Blood Logo Nail Art by PiggieLuv. This is so amazingly detailed and awesome. I wish I was this talented. She also has a post about it on her blog, which you should totally check out :)

Awesome vampire fang nails by Kimberlykitty. These are such an awesome idea - especially with Halloween approaching. Kimberllykitty says "The black and white polishes are just plain Wet and Wild cream black and french white. The two middle fingers (and my thumb) have one layer of black topped with one layer of Kleancolor's Chunky Holo Scarlet. :-)"

This is another great manicure for Halloween -a dripping poison look by -Diet-Cokehead-. She says that "I used Nautilus You Say So by Different Dimension for the green and OPI's matte top coat over the black. The skull and crossbones is a nail vinyl from Lou it Yourself's Halloween set. Here's a link to her store http://louityourself.storenvy.com/ she has some really awesome designs" and also explained how she did the drips: "What I did was lay down the green color first and then top coat it and make sure it was completely dry. I then used a super fine black sharpie (this worked since I was using black as the background color) and drew out the outline for the drips. I wasn't happy with one of them so I took the sharpie off with rubbing alcohol and drew it again. Then it was just a matter of staying within the lines. I've also seen some tutorials where people use a dotting tool for the bottom of the drip and then connect the dot to the top part if that makes sense". She also has an instagram that you should check out. :)

This is a simpler but still fabulously adorable 1930s-esc manicure by atxlacquerista. Cedricsmiles also did a very similarly awesome look in red and white.

Awesomely fantastic Totoro nails by Kikidiwasabi. So well done, and so very cute. I'm a bit of a sucker for Studio Ghibli.

These super cute "Autumn Owls" are by Esperanza.

Sandwich bag galaxy nails by Panduuhh. I think they look like an exotic marbled stone. So pretty. She says: "Basically you put drops of nail polish on a sandwich baggy and fold the bag on top of the wet polish and smoosh it around a little bit to make the colors get to know each other and once its dry, you can peel it off like a sticker and apply it to your nail". She also has a tumblr full of nail art that you should check out.

"Blue sparkly mosaic mani" by DoctorCrafty. There are more pictures on her blog, which you should check out.

This cute Jupiter inspired nail art look is only one of a set of all nine planets in our solar system by PeanutMonkey. The post hyperlinked above includes all nine. She also has a blog called Pretty Girl Science (the planet series of blog posts can be found here).

This adorable floral mani is by adcherub. Her instagram is @bwlblogger.

"Fall Equinox Mani: Gradient Chevrons Inspired by Fall Leaves" by Missus_b. I love this, and also the inspired manicures by Publicidentity and Remalin. Missus_b listed the polishes she used here.

This absolutely adorable fox nail polish is by Felinewarrages. It was apparently inspired by One Nail To Rule Them All. Felinewarrages said: "I used Surprise I'm Drunk by Vapid Lacquer for the base, Rose Bowl by Cult for the fox color and flowers, bikini so teeny by Essie for the blue flowers, Alpine Snow by OPI for the white flowers, Mahima by Julep for the middle of the flowers, and last but not least is Innocent by Sinful Colors for the leaves. Topped it off with a matte coat, but a glossy top coat looks cute too!"

My Favourite Beauty Posts on Reddit this month

Makeup:

"MOTD featuring Kat Von D lipstick in Poe!" Posted by user "agirlnameddoom" to /r/MakeupAddiction Isn't the lipstick amazing? I love how it matches the star tattoos. The contour and eyes are also understated but really well done - a perfect match for such an eye-catching lipstick shade.

"I was feeling really pretty the other day!" Posted by user 'mmmdatass2144' to /r/MakeupAddiction. I love how she looks just like a Disney princess! Her eyebrows are amazing, and the look would be perfect with a subtle or baby pink or "my lips but better" shade of lipstick. The product list used can be found here. Also be sure to check out her instagram: @jack_n_pepsi

This is a "rock and roll" look submitted by user 'ellyrose-' to a contest hosted by 'earworms' in /r/RandomActsofMakeup. This is amazing and I adore the bright orange matte lipstick. There are more photos and "country" style look by 'ellyrose-' here, and of course other country and rock looks by other users in the comments. Regarding the lipstick, ellyrose- said: "I used one [eyeshadow] from my 252 Ultimate Palette (bh cosmetics) I used NYX Milk underneath and blended it out with my fingers and then put a bright orange with a flat eyeshadow brush :)"

"I've been bored with my usual routine and decided to switch it up with this sixties-ish inspired look." Posted by user 'rosaliezom' to /r/MakeupAddiction. This is apparently her first post, but gosh it is so absolutely amazingly perfect. I've been experimenting with this look myself, but haven't managed to do it so well. I really hope she posts a tutorial. There are more photos included in the post, so be sure to check them out! Also, the product list can be found here. You should also be sure to check out her tumblr: rosedoesstuff.tumblr.com

"Blue Mermaid." Posted by user 'throw_meaway_love' to /r/MakeupAddiction. There is also another look using blue eyeshadow that is also really nice, and product lists included in the post. I absolutely love this eyeshadow look, and both looks actually inspired me to experiment with blue eyeshadow. The lipstick reminds me of Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Grunge (which I love and can be found in BigW, Kmart, and Priceline in Australia). She also has her own blog: hellomyblueberries.wordpress.com

"First look with my newly acquired Anastasia Maya Mia Palette!" Posted by user 'pittpanthermua' to /r/MakeupAddiction. I love this tropical look, and everything is done so well. More photos are included in the post, and her product list can be found here. She also has her own blog: pittpanthermua.blogspot.com

Nail Art:

"Picked little chunks out of a makeup sponge. This was the result. I like it."  Posted by user 'NailArtaholic' to /r/RedditLaqueristas. So cute and creative!

"I unintentionally matched my nails to my lunch bag." Posted by user 'vinatero' to /r/RedditLaqueristas. These flowers are amazing! It's heading into spring here, so this would be the perfect look if I thought I could do it myself - unfortunately I think I need a lot more practice first. She says: "And this is not difficult to do, just paint nails white as a base, let dry, then use acrylic paints for all the detail work. Acrylic paints are so much more forgiving than regular nail polish since you can just wipe off with water if you make a mistake. Then let it all dry and topcoat. That's it" Also, be sure to check out her instagram: @vinatero.

"Trying not to spam you guys with my 31 Day Challenge manicures, but I'm so so proud of these violet watercolor wash nails!" Posted by user 'greedocity' to /r/RedditLaqueristas. She also has her own blog: www.chalkboardnails.com. Greedocity says: "I began by painting my nails white, and then I added a coat of quick dry topcoat to protect the base while I watercolored.

Using a palette made of tin foil and working one color at a time, I mixed the purples with acetone. I filled a larger nail art brush with the acetone and polish mixture, and then loosely dabbed it on to my nail. Then I filled the brush again, and used my finger to flick the bristles over my nail for the splatter effect." The polishes used are listed here.

"Did these for my friends superhero wedding! So much fun!" Posted by user 'BombDaBananas' to /r/RedditLaquaristas. These are amazing! I can only wish to be so talented. The closest I've managed was a Superman symbol (I changed the S to the first letter of my boyfriend's name) on top of cupcakes. BombDaBananas also has a blog: amazenails.com

Hair:

"Purple hair don't care." Posted by user 'abcdefy' posted to /r/FancyFollicles. I love the subtle purple ombre. Doesn't she also have perfect wings? So pretty. According to the poster, she used Manic Panic's Ultra Violet and Mystic Heather to create the look.

"i was told you guys would like my pink hair :D" Posted by user 'ohadelaide' to /r/FancyFollicles. I absolutely adore this rosy pink shade, and would love to go that colour myself at some point. The poster says: "I mix Special Effects cotton candy pink (I've tried Manic Panic, but just fades waaay too fast), with about a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio, more on the conditioner side. Leave it in there for a few hours and it comes out baby pink!" There are also more photos of the hair and wedding in the comments of the post, which I recommend checking out!

"Ultra sparkly and bright turquoise with dark red look, for when you absolutely need your eyelids to scream color at people." Posted by user 'mentlegens' to /r/MakeupAddiction. While I adore both the makeup and the hair, I chose to include it in this section because the makeup one is much more full. Also, Isn't that such an awesome purple? She says: "I've had a few old pots of mixed dye lying around for a bit and I've forgotten what I put in the one I used. They're all by La Riche Directions and I think it was probably Lagoon Blue mixed with Turquoise, and then the tiniest bit of Purple and then made pastel with a pot of White Toner. Sorry this isn't more accurate!" Also, the makeup product list can be found here and there are more pictures included in the post. She has her own blog: http://miekeup.tumblr.com/

"[FOTD]For my cake day, here's today's fresh, pinky, first-day-of-grad-school look!" Posted by user 'scikillustrator' to /r/RandomActsofMakeup. I love this pastel green! I think I'm going to try for a similar shade to this next, as my hair is currently bright green and I still have a lot of dye (and some unopened pasteliser). Her makeup is also beautifully simple, and the pink lipstick goes really well with the pastel green hair. I'm also super jealous of those wings! Her makeup product list can be found here.