Day 11

Today was a great day, mum came in as my client today for a pedicure. Her first one, ever! Everyone also commented on how I look like my mum, they were amazed... I actually look most like my dad though lol.

After I gave me mum a deluxe pedicure, she drove us to the beauty supply store! Holy cow, I have never seen so much nail art in one place!! I'll show you the goodies on Satuday. Everything was ridiculously cheap, cheaper than the e-tailers!

I also managed to find a flippin train case. First one I had ever found in NZ!
If you are in NZ, and want to find out about this place, send me an email at nailjuice@live.com

BECOMING A NAIL TECHNICIAN:
This morning we learned about...

• Bunions
• Fallen Arches
• Calluses
• Corns
• Arthritis

Did you know that if you have fallen arches, or 'flat foot', those bones have collapsed? Not good eh. So to prevent this,

• Wear shoes that support your heel
• Wear high heels on the odd occasion
• Don't wear jandels too often as this doesn't excercise those muscles
• If you wear flat shoes like me and the arches of your feet get sore from standing or walking... while you are wathing TV, roll a spaghetti can under your arch.
• This helps work the muscles and stretch them. Won't do anything for the bones if they are collapsed.

TODAYS GOODIES:

• OPI Earthquake!
• Train Case
• Fruit Slices (nail art)
• Holographic Hexagons (nail art)
• Purple Stars (nail art)
• Holographic green polish, holo purple polish, pink creme, minty green creme, teal creme, blue and silver glitter with little stars
  

Bikini Bottom & Square Pants

I just took these swatches for you :D Almost broke my neck trying, but here they are!

Square Pants is the pastel yellow with very subtle shimmer (similar to OPI The Violet-ter The Better), I used three coats here.

And of course Bikini Bottom is on the right, a pastel blue jelly. I used four coats here.

You know how I wasn't feeling too flash about these little gems? Yeah well, now I love 'em! :D Haha. What made me change my mind? My holy grail ridge filler of course!

Zoya's Get Even.

It's beautiful. It's white. It works so so well. But I do recommend that you use it over your normal base coat as itself tends to apply a little unevenly without it. You only need one coat of Get Even n_n

Without Get Even, Bikini Bottom applied lovely, but the polish sort of gathered at the sides of my nails, so it looked like there was less in the middle of my nail. Ugh. It was also a little difficult to make them all even (opacity wise) throughout all ten nails. Bikini Bottom also made my tips appear green. Green tips makes me think fungal.

When RBL brought these colours out last year, along with Starfish Patrick (which I'm still trying to figure out how to get) for Fall/Autumn I think? Any who, I knew I had to have them! My sister and I *love* Sponge Bob, and there were pastels made after the show?!!?! Holy flip!

I'll fully swatch these babies for you on the weekend.

Just in case anyone is wondering how I almost broke my neck lol, I stood on one of our breakfast bar chairs (they're really tall, guests often get stuck in them trying to get out of it) and had to try get as close as possible to one of the little lights on the kitchen ceiling (to make sure the colours come out correctly).

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Square Pants & Bikini Bottom

Don't they look stunning here?

I wore Bikini Bottom today and a got a few compliments on it, which I wasn't really expecting since I wasn't loving it 100%. You will get the review on that one later.

BECOMING A NAIL TECHNICIAN:
Today was day 10, still no sign of our t-shirts or student IDs. They seem really unorganised to me. It's costing me $100 a week to get there and home, with my student ID it would only be $58, so you can see why I'm a little pissed about that, eh?

Anyway, today we did another pedicure, I quite enjoy doing them lol. I really like doing the exfoliate and using the cuticle spoon (the spoon is used to cut the Pterygium).

I suppose with the exfoliate, I get enjoyment too :D and with the cuticle spoon, I can see that I'm actually making a difference. Oh I also love the painting, but I much prefer using my base coat and top coat.

Day Number 9

It has only been my ninth day at my Nail Technician course, but it feels like I have been there all year... We have learned so much already:

• Deluxe Manicure (filing, buffing, cuticle work)
  
• Hand & Arm Massage
• Nail Diseases & Disorders
• Tools, Sterilization, How To Use etc.
• Chemicals and Ingredients in the products we use
• Foot & Leg massage
• Bones in our Feet, Legs, Hands & Arms
• Veins and Arteries
• Muscles
• Type of joints we have
  

And today we just started the Deluxe Pedicure. I am so exhausted! There is never a moment when we are sitting around doing nothing...

We also had a bunch of Beauty Therapy girls join our class, which is kind of annoying me because everything I just listed, has to be re-visited for them... which slows us down.

I also had a little package waiting for me today when I got home... Rescue Beauty Lounge's Square Pants and Bikini Bottom. I was so so so excited for these, and when I tried them each on a nail... I was totally underwhelmed. They were some of the best formula I have come across though... I think my day has just put me off :(

My nails are peeling horribly too, I'm guessing it's from all the extra filing and buffing that they've had... poor nails :(

What a negative post! I'm sorry guys... what's something positive about today...

• My tutor said I did a lovely job at painting
• My friend might be making a new header for NJ
• I was working on ideas for the May Competition this morning on the train
• At this moment, I am working on a TransDesign order and can't make up my mind on what to get.
  

I think I might do my nails tonight, I really miss doing them with my mum on weeknights.

MAC Peppermint Patti

I love love love Peppermint Patti. I can't believe I hadn't posted it yet!

Perfect application, perfect formula, perfect colour for me.

I used three coats here. When I was getting ready to put it on, I had prepared myself for all these streaks people were talking about... but, where were they?

The formula in Patti was fantastic, just the right thickness and opacity. So easy to control, I had close to zero clean-up needed.

Peppermint Patti has gone straight to the favourites pile. I want another ♥

UPDATE: I got another. I have worn it three times already, now four. I can't get enough of it n_n

EDIT: I forgot to tell you what a duplicate of this shade was... OPI Hey! Get In Lime. It has recently been discontinued though :(

OPI The Violet-ter, The Better

This one was a real surprise for me! I wasn't too sure about it, seeing it in peoples photos, but I knew I had to at least try it :D And the end result... I love it!

I think this one works so much better for me than OPI Por Favor. It is more purple toned.

I used just two coats here! It flowed on really smoothly. OPI was bang on with the formula for The Violet-ter the Better. Can't wait to try the other two! :D

This one was a Trade Secrets exclusive.

Essie Sag Harbor

Sag Harbor is a greyed pastel blue. I'm still trying to decide to see if I can pull it off. I know I love pastels, but this one is just... a bit muted? I think...

However! The formula was awesome. I used just two coats here! TWO!! I also had no clean-up ;)

Sag Harbor was released recently in Essie's North Fork collection, along with Greenport and Shelter Island.

NJ's Summer Springs... Coming Soon!

China Glaze Its Poppin'

One word. WOW.

I think It's Poppin' is my absolute favourite from the Kicks collection (well from what i got anyway). Poppin' is right up my alley, a beautiful hot pink packed with shimmer... or is it frosted? I can't really tell lol.

I had no clean up what so ever to do. Look at how neatly it applied! I really really wanted to wear It's Poppin' to my course for a couple of days, but wearing polish when we're doing mani's isn't that good.

I have just two coats here. Complete coverage in two. The formula from the Kicks that I got were all quite thick. Not a hard to use thick, but thick as in... you can be done in two coats and it's easy as to use.

Please enlarge the photos to see it close-up! :D

Chifie, Dally, Sakura & Chicklet... Coming Soon!

OPI At First Sight NL H34

My favourite out of the three. Sure I liked Kiss The Bride, but this one is just plain awesome.

All of the Fairytale Bride shades that I got remind me of Japanese Sweet Lolita. I am so making bows and cupcakes to put on top of these colours when we start acrylics! I found all three shades to be very sweet shades.

The formula was in line with the other two, very nice to work with. And again, they are all really versatile, wear them with as many coats as you like, they look beautiful on every one.

Becoming A Nail Technician

Hey guys! I hope you are enjoying the new polishes so far :)

I thought I would just let you know how this course is going for me. It has given me great confidence. I dunno where it came from... I always used to wish the teacher didn't pick me to read or answer a question at school, but on my course, i'm dying to answer!

I have talked to all my class mates and made friends with them, with no problem. And we all seem to get along really well!

I really like this environment. My tutor is so nice, she always finds us a way to learn something we are having trouble one, like the bones in our arms and legs for example lol. I don't think I want to leave or go to university.

All of us are Kinesetic learners, so we need pictures, bright colours, drawings, models, demonstrations and then we need to do it ourselves several times before we learn it. We also get to do a lot of colouring in! I know it all sort of sounds like kid stuff to do, but boy, it works hehe. If only high school had been like this, I would have passed with flying colours lol

I strongly recommend doing a course like this :) If you enjoy it, of course!

Today:
- I bought a second Peppermint Patti. I've worn it three times already, that's a first.
- I learned all of the bones in our feet and leg. Femur, Tibia, Fibula, Tarsels, Meta-tarsels, Phalanges.
- I learned that we have a type of joint in our body where the bones glide over each other, unlike pivoting and the ol' ball in socket.
- I got another sticker on my chart of units that we have to pass.
- I finally mastered the hand and arm massage!


TYPING WHAT I LEARNT THAT DAY HELPS ME REMEMBER :D I CAN'T REALLY STUDY, I JUST SWITCH OFF COMPLETELY, SO THIS HELPS ME GREATLY!

OPI I Pink I Love You NL H32

First of all I didn't really like this one compared to the other two on my nails. But then... I wore it on a full hand and I fell in love with it.

It reminds me of candy floss and ribbons. So cute.

I used three coats here and the formula was lovely. Not a problem with it. You could wear these Fairytale Brides as one, two, three or however many you like! They are very versatile ♥.

I was craving to try some sheers on recently because the hideous yellow nails weren't there to ruin the colour! :D

OPI Isn't It Romantic? NL H35

Yay I finally swatched everything I said I would hehe, a rarity for me. First up out of OPI's Fairytale Bridal collection; Isn't It Romantic?

I certainly don't get a romantic vibe of this one. More of a sweet or cute one.

I used three coats here. It is a gorgeous cherry blossom pink with a faint green iridescence. It reminds me a lot of OPI's Honeymoon Sweet, but I am pretty sure that Honeymoon is a lot sheerer.

The formula was quite nice. I really liked how it wasn't streaky/runny/crappy.

Move over Kiss On The Chic, I have a new favourite sheer pink!

A couple of displays

A Rare Sight!

I finally feel proud to post my nails nakey :D

I really like them at this length ♥ They don't curl, they are just perfect.

They have been buffed here, as a couple of girls have practiced manicures on me n_n

Look at the awesome job they did on the shaping!

Nail Art!

This was a design that Aleesha did on me on friday. We got to do nail art at the end of the day :D

She was very clear that she wanted me to keep this on... but... IT DIDN'T DRY (3 hours later) I had to scrape it off D: I had to pull the little beads off!

We usually get to play with the nail art stuff when we have just finished a manicure on someone and have some time to spare.

Yay! I have Wednesday off, so I will make up some swatches of these beauties:

Essie Greenport
Essie Sag Harbor
Essie Shelter Island
Essie Ruby Slippers
China Glaze Custom Kicks
China Glaze Its Poppin'
China Glaze Sky High Tops
OPI At First Sight
OPI I Pink I Love You
OPI Isn't It Romantic?

Orly Mint Mojito

I'm on the fence about this one.

It is much more apple green than I thought it was. I mean compared to Peppermint Patti, it didn't look one shade of mint.

I used two coats here, could have easily used another.

Application was awesome. This is the thing that puts me off Orly polishes. I had a not so good experience with them last year and haven't tried them since now!

It was very smooth. It was ok to control, not difficult but a little runny.

Storage!

A reader, MrsKiwiYeti asked me how I stored all my stuff! (and yes, I am a kiwi ;) MrsKiwiYeti)

This is what my awesome parents got me for my birthday, probably not on the top of every 18 year olds list, but it was on mine! :D It was $150 from Freedom. And the little container with the cotton pads in it was $9. The only place that me and mum had ever seen one.

It has changed a little now as this photo was taken a little while ago.

Top Shelf:
- Treatments
- Top coats/base coats
- Remover/remover pads/earbuds
- Minis
- Untrieds
- Konad stuff (not pictured)
- Nail Art stuff (not pictured)

Middle Shelf:
- OPI polishes
- Special OPI's

Bottom Shelf:
- China Glaze
- Zoya
- Essie
- Misa
- Color Club
- Claire's
- Polishes up for swap
- All other random polishes

I layer each shelf with the anti-slip mat, helps them stop jiggling around and falling over :D The trolley fits everything I own with even extra space. I love love love it!!

Claire's Yei

Now this Yei is a really interesting colour. It's neon. It's holographic. It's a minty blue. It has purple iridescence.

Now the purple shimmer is non-existent in these photos as the sun decided to run away on me.

The bottle picture and the last photo, are the most accurate colour of Yei.

The application was really nice :) It does dry matte because of the neon and a little bumpy from the holographic, so top coat is necessary! I used three coats here.

I wasn't too sure about Yei on, but looking at these photos makes me love it to pieces!

Color Club Pure Energy

I apologise for the photos, there isn't too much sunlight before my course starts, but I did manage to find a little bit :)

This is three coats of Pure Energy. The application was awesome, went on smoothly, a little sheer but the colour builds up well. I got a lot of compliments on it n_n

Pure Energy is from Color Club's latest collection, Electro Candy. Pure Energy is a beautiful bright blue, with frosted green shimmer. It reminds me of the ocean, it is also very calming to look at.

One lady that commented on it said that it's a shame that it's Autumn now so I won't be wearing it all that much... L.O.L. lady.

Edit: It is Formaldehyde free! Big 3 Free~!

Purples Turn?

Hey guys~! I am really sorry about not posting as much, this course (as much as I love it) really takes it out of me and the sun is gone before I have time to take photos, that's if I'm wearing polish at all.

Yesterday I discovered you cannot wear polish and remove your clients without ruining yours successfully lol.

Things I learnt yesterday:
- Hand and Arm massage (boy does this feel good!)
- Warts, Verrucae and Vulgaris (can't work on clients with them)

Things I learnt today:
- The girls in my class are amazed at how often I changed my nails
- How to buff correctly
- How to file
- How to do a full manicure, massage and exfoliation too :D

Oh today I got a manicure done :D It was really nice, Paige done a great job! Even removed 85% of my yellow stains! Plus I had a huge tear on my thumb this morning and she was able to file that down and fix it right up.

The girls asked that I bring some polish in tomorrow. They loved the colours that I had been wearing; Purple Panic, Mesmerize and Peppermint Patti. Little do they know how many I have... lol.

OMG! Our first field trip will be.... to a BEAUTY SUPPLY STORE!! They have train cases, everything you could possibly ever need for nail art! Glitter, hearts, beads, balls, fruit slices. I am in heaven guys. Heaven.

Yesterday on my lunch break, my boyfriend and I walked into Mac's counter to see if Peppermint Patti had come in yet. Mac was suppose to ring me when it came in. Well, I found it there and plenty of them. Boyfriend thought I was crazy getting all excited shaking my hands around trying to contain my excitement lol, but moral of the story; don't rely on Mac to ring you.

The lovelies I had waiting for me when I came home:
Color Club Sexy Siren
Color Club Electronica
Claire's Meg Peg
Claire's Yei
OPI The Violetter The Better

I just checked and 8ty8 only sent half of my order... What the hell?

(First polish pictured is Rihana)

Zoya Lael


















Zoya Sloane


















Misa Sunkissed


















MAC Varicose Violet


















Essie Sexy Divide


















China Glaze LOL













OPI Amethyst


















OPI Black Cherry Chutney













OPI Done Out In Deco


















OPI Eiffel For This Color


















OPI It's Now or Never


















OPI Lilac I Care


















OPI Purple With A Purpose


















OPI Yokohama Twilight