China Glaze Blue Sparrow and Nail Foils

Yes I'm double posting today.  lol I just did not want my only post today to be a somewhat negative review. That doesn't make for a Sunday Funday does it?  I wanted to do something super bright and fun just because.  I also haven't used this polish yet.  Well sort of.  Funny story...I know I've told you all differently but this is actually my first China Glaze polish ever (I said it was In the Lime Light), but I didn't like it once it was on the nail wheel so I took it back for an exchange.  Now here I am 2 years later searching everywhere for it.  I'm so glad I found it.

Here I have 3 coats of China Glaze Blue Sparrow which is a definite neon so it dried matte.  I'm not a big fan of blue but this is super pretty.  It's actually darker IRL so it's like a cobalt blue with neon blue micro glitter.  There also is no visible nail line IRL either.  The flash just shows it all.  

I added my essence Gel-look topcoat to really bring out the sparkle.  I noticed that each coat of Blue Sparrow dries super quick, but you should still wait a minute between coats because I did get some dragging and bald spots on my second coat.  I know this used to be part of China Glaze's core line but then I found it on clearance at Sally's for $2.99 so it may not be anymore.  

Anyway, I have been wanting to use my nail foils again from Dollar Nail Art.  I think I bought 6 or 7 of them.  They are super cool.  I did a tutorial awhile back which you can view HERE on how to apply them.  They have over 100 different designs and each one is $1.00 just like everything on their site.

This is my favorite photo btw.  Anyway,  I decided to apply the glue in random spots over my dry polish.  After it dried I just started sticking the foils on in random spots until all the glue was covered.  The designs I used are called Leopard, Ocean Mist, and Laser Optics.

You have to be careful about what top coat you apply because it can mess with the foils and wrinkle them up.  I noticed that the Laser Optics (purple) and the Leopard foils didn't react at all to the top coat, but the Ocean Mist wrinkled up.  The site says these wrinkles will smooth out but that's not the case.  It says not to use a quick dry (like Seche Vite) or super shine top coat directly over the foils so I used a gel top coat and then Seche Vite.  I really think it's just the one foil (Ocean Mist) that is reacting weirdly because I've never had an issue with this top coat combo over foils before.

I am super duper in love with this mani.  It was so easy and since I did random spots, each nail is different than the next.  I think on my other hand I'm going to try and do a pattern with using the same polish and foils.  I'll let you know how it goes.  (:

How To: Nail Foils

Welcome back lovely readers!

I am really excited about this post because it is my first nail tutorial.  It's very simple.  It's just about how to use nail foils, and I have a lot of new foils.  Here.  I'll show you.

The peach and aqua containers are not foils so get those out of your mind.  They are FLAKIES!  I will be using those in the near future, but for now...FOILS!  If you're ready for this, keep reading.

[Oh and one more thing.  I have a small disclaimer.  This is my very first time doing nail foils, but I am so excited that I ordered them that I wanted to share them with you all anyway.]

STEP 1:  Start with clean, dry nails.  If you are applying the foil to the entire nail, there is no need to pre-paint your nails. (no photo of naked nails included.)

STEP 2:  Paint a thin, even coat of nail foil adhesive (included in my order) to each nail.  It will apply milky at first and then get clear when it dries.  DO NOT touch the adhesive once it is dry and make sure it is completely dry by waiting at least 1-2 full minutes before application.

STEP 3:  Cut off a small piece of foil (enough to fit on your full nail).  I chose Red Diamond, and that little piece missing got stuck to the glue on my nail when I dropped it.  I couldn't stop it.

STEP 4:  Apply the foil directly to the nail.  Press and rub firmly to transfer the design.  It happens very quickly so there is no need to hold it down.  Just make sure you stick it where you really want it.  That's what she said!  LOL!  I've been watching The Office way too much lately.

Voila!!  Yeah they look like crap.  LOL!   Like I said this was my very first try EVER, so I tried again.

Voila!!  Much better.  And here we are at STEP 5:  Gently apply a top coat and then you're done.  Don't use a quick dry top coat like Seche Vite because it will ruin the foil.  I used Gelous for my top coat and had no problems.  The foil will wrinkle a bit, but as the top coat dries the wrinkles with smooth out.

So I'm totally in love with the nail foils, I guess because nail strips are such a hot mess for me.  These took very little time and were super easy to apply...maybe 5 minutes tops.  Oh and the best part was that it was super affordable.  I ordered all of the supplies from Dollar Nail Art.  Every individual item on the site is literally $1.00.  You can buy packs of items for a good price too.  There is one tiny downside, and that's that the minimum order amount is $25.00 and that's not including shipping.  ):  The upside to that is that you get a crap load of goodies!  (:

Told ya.

Have a great day!

D