My First Franken!

Hello gorgeous! I felt like a mad scientist today, I found myself searching through pictures of my #1 most coveted polish Essie "Starry Starry Night", if you don't know this is a VHTF (very hard to find) polish as it is a discontinued color. It can be found on ebay for $67- click here if you can afford that!

I can't so I decided to franken my first polish, if you don't know what that means... in nail polish addict language it means to create your own custom polish. This was pretty fun and very satisfying to see my new polish transform before my eyes. Below are the different polishes I used to try to recreate Essie SSN (starry starry night). Honestly it's not an exact dupe at all, my franken is much more opaque than SSN which is a blue jelly base. However I am totally impressed with my first franken attempt and love how it came out. I played around a lot to get it to the color I wanted. Also what isn't shown here is I added a royal blue eye shadow and added a nail polish thinner.

 

from left to right:

China Glaze- Dorothy Who?

Out The Door Top Coat

Orly- Liquid Vinyl

Essie- Bobbing for baubles

Spoiled- Silver Glitter

Jesse's Girl- Girl's Night Out

Not shown here: 

Seche Vite (I used this as well as I didn't have enough Out The Door)

Blue Pigment (I used Calypso Minerals which is no longer available) 

check out this site for a bunch of fab. color pigments!

 

My first test of the color... it's much more grey than I wanted, if I were to recreate this polish again I would skip using Essie Bobbing for Baubles... the color is a slate blue so it has a lot of grey tones. This was when I decided to add my royal blue pigment, this really changed the consistency a lot and the color totally popped. (To add the pigment I made a funnel out of paper and poured the color in. I added a nail polish thinner as it thickened up pretty quickly with the powder.

 

I am in lust with this color! Do you love? I am pretty impressed with my first franken!

This picture was taken with the flash on... 

You want more pictures?! Well sure!

These pictures were done with no flash.

 

So what do ya'll think? It's not an exact dupe of Essie Starry Starry Night but it's pretty close. Click here to check out some swatches of SSN. 

I've decided to name this polish "preguntale a las estrellas" which means "ask the stars".

I highly suggest doing some franken polish! It is super fun!

Check out this site for more info on creating your own custom nail polishes!

Giveaway: Essie Grow Stronger Nail Treatment

We have one bottle of Essie Grow Stronger Nail Treatment for a lucky Glossy Gurl winner!

Essie Grow Stronger is one of my favorite base coats! This is a rafflecopter giveaway! Super simple entry. Read my review of Essie Grow Stronger here.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

How To: Puzzle Piece Nail Art

So I spent my day hanging out with my favorite fellow fashion blogger Sassy Fashionista and we had a nail painting party! Here is a quick and easy nail design that looks fabulous and very professional.

Here is a picture of the end result:

What You Need:

Tape

2 colors

Optional:

Base Coat

Glitter

Top Coat

Items I Used:

Base Coat: OPI Ridge Filler

Pink: Jessica Harlequin

Grey: Zoya "Kelly"

Glitter: Essie "Set in Stone"

Top Coat: Seche Vite

Okay so let's get started!

Step 1: Apply Base Coat

Step 2: Apply the lighter of the two colors to the entire nail (I applied pink first)

(I applied Seche Vite between each layer)

Jessica Harlequin

Step 3: Put strips of tape on hand (remove and re-stick a few times to reduce stickiness)

Step 4: Apply tape to the DRIED nail in whatever desired shape you want (because I was going for the "puzzle piece" look I applied each nail with a different shape)

IMPORTANT: Make sure the tape is stuck down with no air bubbles so color does not spread

Step 5: Apply the second color to the nail 

Step 6: While the polish is still wet remove the tape (one side at a time) quickly to keep lines straight and defined

Viola! Super gorgeous nails.

I didn't want both hands to match perfectly so I applied different shapes to different nails on the other hand.

Sassy Fashionista suggested I add some sparkle so I added Essie Luxeffects "Set in Stone" to the grey. Which really added pop to the nail!

Glitter is optional but HIGHLY recommended! Apply your top coat and make sure you let these beautiful designs dry.

Salon Inspired French Tips

I'm so sorry for the lapse in posting! As I am sure you all know the holidays are a fun but stressful time. I was busy with family! I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season!

Here is my quick how to on creating a salon inspired manicure.

I love going to the nail salon it's super pampering and relaxing but it's pricey and this Glossy Gurl just can't afford that on a regular basis. For this look I used:

Scotch Tape

Essie- Grow Stronger

Essie- Bobbing for Baubles

Out The Door Top Coat

For this look begin by filing and buffing natural nails. Feel free to pamper you! Use olive oil on your cuticles to soften and moisturize, grab a warm towel to dry your hands, light a candle.

Apply a base coat

Now put pieces of tape on your hand, this seems weird but it helps remove some of the sticky from the tape which helps protect the base coat.

Now apply tape to the nail (be sure base coat is completely dry) I apply tape so it's raised in the back (not flat to the nail) I try to put as little tape on my nail as possible. This helps protect your base coat and assists in creating a curved shape rather than a straight one.

After applying tape use your tip color, which could be anything. I happen to be obsessed with the color Essie Bobbing for Baubles right now I think it's the perfect blue for New Years! (Add a silver line below the blue for the total New Years Eve look)

Now wait for the polish to dry and add a super shiny top coat!

Now apply a cuticle cream I used Burts Bees, it's a great light scent and super moisturizing.

Check out my review on Essie- Grow Stronger base coat here

Review: Essie grow stronger nail treatment

"Ouch I broke a nail" is a totally cliche saying used to mock women everywhere but let's be real... Nail breakage totally hurts! I had acrylic nails for over a year so when they were removed my nails were frail, ridged and painful. Not only did my real nails break they were literally peeling and were super painful.

I saw this product  while scoping out Essie nail polish the other day in my local CVS (best selection of Essie I have seen thus far). My nails already feel a lot better, they have some strength again and the pain I was feeling has greatly reduced. You can wear this as a basecoat or an actual polish... It has a pale pink tint to it which is the perfect french manicure color.

I'm really excited for this product it claims to help nails grow which I can't yet comment on because I'm a nail biter. A big part of why I bite though is because my nails were so weak they were just tearing anyway. Glad to announce since I have been using this and gotten some muscle back to my nail I HAVEN'T BITTEN! That is major for this glossy girl... So go check it out and let me know what you all think!

 

Check out Essie's other nail care products here.

What's Hot: The perfect red polish

All red polish is not created equal... finding the perfect red polish was not easy but I found it in Essie's "Forever Yummy" formerly called "Forever Young". This polish is the perfect blood red. It's a creme polish that applies smoothly and adds instant sex appeal to any outfit and every woman. I keep looking at my nails and it instantly adds a blast of esteem to my day, I feel like something to lust after with my bright red nails. Vixens, bombshells and divas wear red, well today you can be all of those with this perfect red polish. Be bold, be brave, try something new and find your inner sex kitten.

Think all red is the same? You're mistaken Essie can prove it... check out there website here.