nails – Bonita Valli

Perfectly Manicured

“Never say never” is a phrase I have increasingly found myself saying.

There are a dozen or so beauty trends I swore I’d never try, yet lo and behold, I have gone against my very own words and found myself neck deep in my bottomless pit of “Never Evers”.

At the top of my list of endless Don’ts was acrylic nails (right after false eyelashes of course) yet, for the first time, I found myself being convinced to get them done at B Natural, VI. After (not so much) convincing, I gave in for the following reasons:

The nail polish lasts a lot longer… no chipping…. (somebody shout Hellelujah)!
They are good for brittle nails which is fantastic given that I’ve always thought my nails were weak!

After a fortnight and a bit with my perfectly manicured acrylic nails, I started getting irritable. My nails weren’t breathing, I couldn’t slip anything between my nail bed and my skin like I usually do when washing my hands and worst of all, I could feel the nails coming loose around my cuticles. Eventually, like some of the best written love stories, our short lived love affair came to a dramatic end (yes, where I could, I ripped some off myself).

Below are pictures of my September fling…

Day One: Love at first sight. Like Aunty Solape (from Church) said to me, “short nails are sexy”

Two Weeks In: Garance Dore iPhone case arrives. It was a 7 month late birthday gift to Solape (colleague and friend). EVERYONE knows I constantly slack with birthday gifts, but they do come… eventually. Notice how the nails match the case? I had to take pictures. By the way, that phone case is the depiction of Solape and I at work. I’m the one with the red lips (of course).

What is your take on acrylic nails? Love them? Hate them? Do tell.

xXx

Ps: I LOVE Garance Dore. I could read her blog all day everyday.

PPs: Perfectly Manicured……. LOL

Shellac Homes (Get it….? Lol)

My love for shellac died about as quickly as my manicure lasted- 8 days! My nails grew out quicker than I’d ever realised leaving an unattractive gap between my cuticle and my manicure. Like that wasn’t bad enough, I got the highly unattractive bubbles that occur if a shellac manicure isn’t done properly (thank you Apples & Oranges!).

Everyone knows how much I detest the unkempt look and seeing as I could never make it to the salon during the week (I work crazy hours), I got to googling shellac removal at home! Here’s how it’s done:

Tools:

1. Nail buffer
2. Orange/cuticle stick
3. Nail polish remover (or as much acetone as you can possible get in a bottle)
4. Cotton pads/wool
5. Foil paper
6. Hand lotion and Tea Tree Oil

Step 1: Using the nail buffer, file down the gel layer of your shellac manicure until you achieve a matte finish (was so tempted to keep the matte look)

Step 2: Soak cotton cotton pads in nail polish remover and wrap around each nail using the foil as a seal (be careful, the nail polish starts to drip everywhere)

Step 3: Set your timer for 10 mins. I’d suggest keeping one hand free to better manage a messy situation

Step 4: Remove the foil paper. At this stage, the shellac should be cracking/peeling off. Otherwise, slip your nails back in the foil for another 5mins

Step 5: using an orange stick (or cuticle remover in my case) peel off the shellac polish and buffer down nails for a smooth finish

Step 6: wash your hands and apply hand lotion and tea tree oil. Acetone drys out the nails and skin

I was still in the mood for pampering and so decided to use my new OPI texture effect duo (colour: My Current Crush). It’s a liquid sand and so dries with a matte/glitter/sandy finish. The application only requires one base coat and two coats of the liquid sand. No top coat. Amazing!

xXx

Ps: Thank you Ilobe for my new nail polish! Thank you Solape for my Orogold nail kit!

PPs: I did mention, I love nail polish right? and I love pampering! Perfect combination.

5 Blogs 5 Days: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I’ve never been good with makeup which is ironic really, seeing as I’ve always thought of myself as a bit of an artist. No matter how hard I try, my face is the one canvas I haven’t quite mastered. Perhaps it’s because I don’t use foundation so I never achieve that flawless base. Maybe it’s because I’m no good with mascara so I never accomplish the piercing eyes… Who knows, maybe makeup is just not my thing. Regardless, I happen to love The Beauty Department below are 3 reasons why:

1. The Beauty Department encompasses all the different aspects of beauty: makeup, hair, nails (my favourite) name it…. It’s all there. Believe it or not, this blog also considers your diet as I recently noticed a post on healthy food. I guess this goes to show that beauty is not just what you slap on the outside… You’ve got to take care of your insides too.

2. The DIY approach the bloggers use which takes you through the different stages of achieving the great results is fantastic. Moreover, the site not only breaks down the steps one by one, but it provides visual backings so that you can see the progress as you pursue your desired results.

3. TBD notices the little things which are likely to grind your gears as you apply makeup. The annoying gap that appears when eyeliner is applied but fails to touch the eye waterline, the difference you achieve in using a primer as opposed to straight makeup, etc. they pay attention to detail which the average girl tends to neglect.

For these reasons amongst many others I ❤ TBD, nevertheless Inspite of everything ever written on beauty, it’s important to know that beauty is only skin deep. An ugly personality will never be masked by layers of beauty products.

xXx

Ps: I tried black up foundation a couple of weeks ago. I looked pale/ashy.