Simple Polka Dot Mani;

hey :)

I hope you had a great weekend -- for those of you who had a 3 day weekend like I did, I hope it was fun & relaxing~

Here is a mani I did 3 weeks back.


2 coats of Sally Hansen's Butterscotch, 2 coats of China Glaze's Mimosa's Before Mani's, and 2 coats of Orly's Pure Porcelain. Just wanted to mention that MBM looks darker in this picture than it really does irl, not sure why ...

A simple yet sufficient mani :)

Have a good one!,
<3KATRINA

Recent Manis

ok, well, not too recent. the following manis were done some time between yesterday & 2 weeks ago :P


this is Joe Fresh's Powder Blue & Sally Hansen’s White On.


for this mani, the pink is Etude House’s PK010, the silver glitter is Studio M’s Sex Symbol, the white is Sally Hansen’s White On, and then black acrylic paint.


i used China Glaze's Secret Peri-Wink-Le for the tips & the pink is Essie's Beach Party.


Nina Ultra Pro's Black, Wet n Wild's The Gold & The Beautiful, & that dark, burnt copper-ish color is Pure Ice's Magic.

as you can tell, i was in a polka dot mood. haha k, thats all the manis i have to share for now!

im excited for tomorrow because im going on another outing with Rachel! :) we're gunna have lots of fun!

have a great one!,
<3KATRINA

Hauls & Polish Hunting with Rachel

hi!

so i spent my Tuesday morning & early-afternoon on a polish hunt with Rachel of Rachel's Marie's Nails :) we stopped by 3 different stores, bought lots of polishes, chatted about ourselves & polishes [of course!], and got bubble teas to drink. :)

here's my haul from Tuesday;

omg. i went a LITTLE bit overboard, right?! haha sorry for a sucky picture. i edited this picture for tumblr & i went a little wonky with the editing. haha T______T

from l-r: CND Asphalt, China Glaze Virtual Violet, Zoya Roxy, [at the top] Essie Mesmerized & Topless & Barefoot, OPI Russian Navy Suede & Black Shatter, [at the bottom] China Glaze Custom Kicks, Fly, Laced Up, Oh How Street It Is, Techno Teal, CND Toughen Up basecoat, Silver Sparkling, Gold Sparkling, & China Glaze Sea Spray. not to mention, i got a Nail Tek glass file.

oh, and thats not it. Rachel even gave me a little present! how sweet right?! :)

Lemony Flutter cuticle creme, Sally Hansen Nail Prisms in Diamond & Purple Diamond, Revlon Banana Blaze, & Cover Girl's Nail Slicks in Mystic Peacock.

*sigh. Tuesday was so fun. :)

now here's my haul from last week...

OPI Yogo-Ta Get This Blue! & I Vant To Be A-Lone Star, Studio M Vintage Couture & Tru Passion, Orly Country Club Khaki, Essie California Coral, & Milani Totally Cool.

and finally, here's my haul from Saturday..

the new Sinful Colors polishes!! :)

from l-r: Why Not, Hazard, Unicorn, Nirvana, & Savage. Savage is supposed to be a teal-ish color but my picture sucks :X

WHEPH! i seriously need to go on a No Buy.

i have to go study now..so i'll leave it at this. i'll be back with a mani post soon.
p.s. do you prefer this bigger size of pictures? hmm...

have a good one!,
<3KATRINA

Mani Catch Up

hello, hello! its time to play catch up on manis again! :P

alright, first, from 2 weeks ago, i bring you...

3 coats of Color Club's Wild And Willing. the polish looks so much prettier in the bottle. its a copper/pink/burnt orange duochrome.


here's a picture in the shade; the duochrome-ness is more visible. the stamps are from Born Pretty Store's m14 & Konad's m69. on the middle finger, i layered one coat of Sinful Colors' Pearl Harbor. its barely noticeable though.


3 coats of Orly's famous Space Cadet. is there anyone else who doesnt love Space Cadet? cause really, i DO NOT like it. *shrugs.


shade picture; more visible duochrome-ness again. stamps are used from the same plates as i mentioned before. and the middle finger is, also, layered in one coat of SC Pearl Harbor.

*side note; eww. i hate my nails that long T__T


here is my first Ruffian mani from some time last week..

2 coats of Zoya's Trixie & 2 coats of Sally Hansen's Black Out & one coat of China Glaze's Matte Magic. - - - this picture was taken after 2 days of work..so you can see all the scratches & fuglies on my nails =/


another mani from some time last week,

3 coats of China Glaze's Mrs. Claus. omg, so cute! i loooove this one~!


and today, i am wearing some fake nails;






i found these Broadway Fashion Diva fake nails at Walgreens for $3.19 so i bought em. i love the chrome / metallic / mirror look but i HATE it on my nails. they make my nails look so wide :( well, after this post, im probably gunna take em off anyway :P

dont forget, my Woo Hoo Giveaway ends this upcoming Sunday! so feel free to enter if you havent yet!

hmm - i think this is it for now. hope you had a great weekend & have a great start to your week!

<3KATRINA

Massive Greens + Award

as promised, i did a green mani for October since it is Depression Awareness Month as well as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.


not really digging this mani. but it definitely fulfills the green. my sister got an awesome new lamp so i took pictures under it. my skintone looks different in each picture - so please excuse that.


left hand, from left to right, here's a list of the polishes i used: Essie Sew Psyched with white hearts; Joe Fresh Mint with the lace design off image plate m57; OPI Jade is the New Black; Avon Jade, & Sally Hansen Going Green with green glitters on top.


please excuse my awkward hand. my right hand is still a little camera shy :P from left to right: Catrice Sold Out For Ever with white stamping from plate m57; OPI Who The Shrek Are You with glitters on top; Joe Fresh Mint with zebra print off plate m57; Essie Sew Psyched; & China Glaze Four Leaf Clover.


here's a picture of my most recent purchase;

Orly’s Space Cadet & OPI’s Show It And Glow It!~ i only spent $8.45 for the two. hehehe ^^

finally, Becky, over at Beck's Make Up Corner, gave me an award. thanks ♥


i cannot read/understand Spanish but thank goodness for Google Translate...it told me that the award is for "I Love Your Blog" .. hopefully Google Translate translated it correctly :P

1. Why did you create the blog?
- because i needed an outlet for my nail stuff :P

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
- loooots of nail blogs & a few make up & fashion blogs.

3. Do you have a favourite make-up brand?
- i dont wear much make up at all. the most is eyeliner & mascara; but i just use my sisters stuff; haha. so i dont have a favorite brand.

4. And a favourite clothing brand?
- im not all about brand. more about comfort. i like F21 & Charlotte Russe clothes as well as Target clothes :P

5. What make-up products is essential for you?
- i..dont wear make up.

6. What’s your favourite colour?
- pink & lavender~

7. What’s your favourite perfume?
- i dont wear perfume..

8. What’s the film you liked the most?
- cant think of any off the top of my head right now...

9. What countries would you like to go?
- South Korea~ thats where! haha. honestly speaking though, i would looove to go anywhere!

Now I have to give it to 10 bloggers;
- Annkiins.
- Katherine.
- Arie.
- Akuma Kanji.
- Brittany.
- Rins.
- Jackie.
- Ivana.
- Samantha.
- 'Chelle.

this is it for now, hope your week has been going well~
<3KATRINA

Extravagant Zebra Mani

wow. laaaame title. ha.

for another short post, i have a mani that i did last night..


two coats of the gorgeous OPI DS Extravagance. two coats of Sally Hansen White On, free-handed zebra pattern, and silver glitter polish.

pretty simple mani. i shortened my nails down - a lot! and i like em short..but my nails look wide O__o

this is it for now..

till next time!,
<3KATRINA

Hauls, Swaps, & Blues

today has been a great day for me; this morning, i went to the school bookstore to sell my books since my online English class ended & i ended up dropping my History class - long story. i made $58 extra bucks. ^^ i headed to my Politics class to find out that class was canceled for the day. heck-freakin-yes!! i then raced over to the new Ulta that opened by my house & bought a few polishes. plus i went over to my favorite nail supply store - Skyline - and bought some more polishes. and now im eating a delicious bowl of curry while typing this :)

i havent had any major hauls recently but i've done a few swaps so i wanted to share those. starting with swaps..


this one is super overdue and this was also my first swap. toward the end of August, i posted about how much i wanted Catrice polishes & if anyone was willing to swap with me... an awesome reader - Hannah, from Germany, emailed me & we put a swap together. i got this package last month yet i havent posted til now. here are my first 5 Catrice polishes; I Scream Peach!, I Sea You!, Sold Out For Ever, Plum Play With Me, & From Dusk To Dawn.


this was a recent swap with Smita over at My Nailz. i expressed a LOT of interest in Joe Fresh, GOSH, & Etude House polishes. she was able to get me some bottles of each, so we swapped. Joe Fresh Mint, Powder Blue, & Butter. GOSH Silver & Ocean. Etude House WH004 & BL501. NYC Nail Color Pink Paradise, Sally Hansen Shocking Pink, and Ardene Matte About Blue.


the sweet Tiffani from Yardsticks 4 Lunatics also responded to my Catrice post and was willing to send me these babies, which just came in yesterday :) Catrice Clay-ton, My Hero, Lucky in Lilac, Hot Or Not, & Be My Millionaire. LA Colors Moody Red.

a BIGGG thank you to the ladies who swapped with me <33333
onto hauls, i only have a few since i was on my No Buy.


this was from last week. OPI "Sheer" Your Toys! & Brand New Skates!. China Glaze Atlantis - which i got for $1.99 @ Sallys!! and Studio M Get The Blues.


this was from over the weekend when my sister, cousins, & i went to an outlet mall - Birch Run. there was an Avon store there & i FLIPPED OUT cause i was so excited! i was going to order these 3 from my friend who does Avon but i never got around to it..but its ok, i finally have them :) Avon Urban Grey, Vintage Blue, & Jade.


this haul was from today. i finally picked up OPI Lincoln Park After Dark. and also Tickle My France-y, Tease-y Does It, Extra-Va-Vaganza!, & DS Extravagance. Essie Beach Party & Sew Psyched. Essence Sweet As Candy.


wheph! that took a LOT out of me! =X sad to say, i think i've only tried 3 polishes out of all of those posted above. i probably wont do swatches because i hate swatching. major props to all of you ladies who do swatches because i just cant stand swatching. its a dreadful thought so i avoid it.

onto todays mani, its just something simple.


i've got the blues - just kidding =P i used two coats of each polish: Sally Hansen White On, Avon Vintage Blue, China Glaze Bahamian Escape, OPI Ogre-The-Top Blue, & Studio M Get The Blues. i freakin love Get The Blues!


my cousins Homecoming was two weekends ago & i did her nails. shes all about simplicity so she just wanted a regular french tip mani but i was able to convince her to add glitter lines & rhinestones.


wow! this post was longer than i expected! i'll end it here!

have a great one!,
<3KATRINA

Giraffe Mani Tutorial

Happy Saturday! its a freeeeeezing cold day with rain today...for me at least.

today, i have a tutorial to share. i recently received an email from Cyntia who asked about my giraffe mani [that i posted back in March] and for a tutorial. its quite simple and i was definitely glad to make a tutorial. btw, when my computer died on me, i lost my video editing program so i'll only be doing picture tutorials for a while.. =/

here's what we're aiming for..



ask requested, here are a picture of the materials i used.
a regular paint brush, nail dotting tool, Poshe's basecoat, China Glaze's For Audrey & Happy Go Lucky, Revlon's Hot For Chocolate, Sally Hansen's Black Out, and China Glaze's topcoat.


step 1: apply basecoat & base color.


step 2: take your dotting tool + dip it into your brown polish and create dots.


step 3: repeat step 2 but make smaller dots to fill in the empty spaces. make sure you dont do too many dots.

apply topcoat once the nail is dried & youre done with this part of the mani. onto the next part...



step 1: apply basecoat & base color.


step 2: using the regular paint brush, create a small circle for the head of the giraffe.


step 3: draw a line straight down for the neck.


step 4: to make the body of the giraffe, just make a half-circle at the bottom of the nail.


step 5: back to the dotting tool, use your black polish to make two eyes and two small dots for the nose. then use your brown polish to make the giraffe spots.


step 6: dont forget to dot the tips of the things on top of his head. [edit:] WHOOPS! i forgot to mention to draw two little lines at the sides of his head for the ears. please refer to this picture for the ears.

wait for the nail to dry and apply topcoat.

now you're done! and i apologize for the blurriness of some pictures..

i hope this helped! if you have a tutorial request, please feel free to send me an email :)

have a great weekend!,
<3KATRINA

Hey, Mister!

honestly, thats such a lame title! -ahaha.

hello, hello! i apologize for my week disappearance! schools been kicking my ass and i cant seem to catch up o__O all the studying i do isnt really paying off. including today, back to last week, i've been packed with school work. i had two exams, three quizzes, an essay, and trying to memorize everything - - but it didnt really work out =( i didnt have time for my nails all week last week nor did i have inspiration. but today is a different story; i treated myself to a little polishing & i, literally, just finished this mani =P


this kinda explains my lame post title; each time i look at my nails, i think "HEY, MISTER!" ...for some odd reason =P i used Sally Hansen White On & Black Out. the half-moons took FOREVER & even with the help of paper reinforcements, i didnt like how they turned out..so i basically free-handed them. i also free-handed the little tuxedo which didnt take as long as i expected.

im freakin exhausted so im going to end it here.

be back soon,
<3KATRINA

Prince Charming Teddy

i just finished this mani and i cant wait to share it!



i havent done any legit free-handed nail art in a while & so this teddy bear was kinda my test to see if i've failed or not. it turned out much better than i expected..and i actually LOVE it!! so i guess i havent failed completely - yet ;P haha

two coats of Orly's Prince Charming; gorgeous milk-chocolate brown. for my pointer & ring finger, i used two coats of Sally Hansen's White On and then i layered two thin coats of Sally Hansen's Beige Blast over. i used Prince Charming & Beige Blast to make the dots & PC was also used to make Teddy.

have a good one,
<3KATRINA

Catching Up on Manis

woohoo! its Friday! i hope your week has been well! the weekend is JUST around the corner! -not that im doing anything fun over the weekend..just working. hopefully your weekend will be better than mine =P

time to catch you up on some manis of mine.


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.* 2 coats of OPI's My Private Jet. this one isnt the original-way-more-awesome holo one. this is the non-original-less-awesome holo one. =P and then i added some stars stickers.


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.* you can see more of the holo on my thumb. i had highhhh hopes for this one. its a beautiful polish, but i prefer Color Club's Revvvolution :)


here, i have 3 coats of Orly's Retro Red from their Plastix collection. besides for the bad picture, you can see finger indents & smudges on my nails. i painted my nails at midnight - like usual - and i didnt apply topcoat so that it can keep its satin-ish finish...and then i woke up with fugly nails =/ application of the polish was alright..and just to say, the picture shows the polish as RED..but when its on my nails, it looks more pink. weird, right?


next i have 3 coats of Essie's Van D'Go, which is the adorable peach-ish color, and 3 coats of Wet n Wild's Tropicalia. i sure do love my stripes & roses! haha

my nails had layers & then two of my nails chipped..so i had to chop off my nails. so now i have little nubbins for nails =P


my first mani with short nails. something simple. 3 coats of Revlon's Silver & 3 coats of Sally Hansen's Black Out. and then my free-handed leopard print.


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.* this is 2 coats of Studio M's Magic Attraction. [Studio M is a brand from Meijer] this is an awesome, silver packed glitter polish with red-burgundy glitter and its also an awesome holo !!


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.* here's a picture in bad lighting but you can see the holo-awesomeness! this polish is closely following Revvvolution as my favorite holos! :)


again, all of those picturs were taken with my phone's camera. i usually take pictures of my nails when im on break at work - the lighting is so much better in my car! haha

- - - - - - -

also, please check out Alison's blog! :)

- - - - - - -

i also want to mention that i start a new semester of college on Monday!!! so soon! ALREADY!! it hasnt hit me yet...but i guess i better get over it & realize its SO soon already! i realllllly want to do good this semester...so i gotta make sure i focus. hopefully i'll still be blogging like usual. - - are you going back to school this semester? when do you start?

have a great weekend!,
<3KATRINA