• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To MakeupMakeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
    • Advertising & Media
  • Categories
    • Product Reviews
    • Makeup
    • Skincare & Fragrance
    • Style & Fashion
    • Hair
    • Nails
    • Tips & Tutorials
    • Just for Fun
  • Brands
  • Store

Nails

7 Steps to a Perfect DIY Manicure

May 1st, 2012 by Karen 53 Comments

SammyAbout the Author
This guest post was written by Sammy of The Naulasaurus. You can also find Sammy on Twitter, Facebook and Etsy.

How to do a salon perfect manicure

I’ve been blogging about all things nail-related for more than two years now, and most of the questions I get from readers go back to basics. How do you get the polish so smooth? How do you get it so neat around your cuticles? What’s the secret?

I must’ve painted my nails more than a thousand times in my life, so I suppose if there is a secret, it’s just practice, practice, practice!

To get you started on the practicing, here are the seven steps I take to get a perfect DIY manicure!

Step 1:

Start by washing your hands and giving your nails a good scrubbing with a nail brush. Make sure you completely remove the remnants of your previous manicure.

One trick I use to remove stubborn old polish stuck around my cuticles is to use an old toothbrush dipped in polish remover to scrub it away.

Pushing back your cuticles with a cuticle pusher makes it easier to smoothly paint on your polish without making a mess, and here’s a good bargain on a set from E.L.F.

Salon perfect manicure: step 1

Step 2:

With a glass nail file, smooth away any snags around your nails, and sculpt them to your favourite shape. Glass nail files are my favourite kind. They work mush faster than other files, and they’re better for your nails.

Salon perfect manicure: step 2

Step 3:

Apply a base coat to protect your nails, keep them strong, and make your mani last longer.

Salon perfect manicure: step 3

My all-time favourite base coat is OPI Nail Envy, and before I discovered it, my nails were weak!

I couldn’t grow them out at all because they’d snap and peel all the time, but I’ve been using Nail Envy under every manicure for years now, and my nails are practically diamond hard! It’s a must for anyone whose nails peel or break easily.
[Continue reading…]

There are 53 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Makeup Tips/How To, Nails Keywords: guest post

Chevron Nails Are Trending Up For Summer, and They’re Easier Than They Look

April 26th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

SammyAbout the Author
This guest post was written by Sammy of The Naulasaurus. You can also find Sammy on Twitter, Facebook and Etsy.

Chevron nails

Chevron nails, sometimes called the reverse French mani, are trending up for summer. They’re funky and unusual, and way easier to do yourself than they look. Believe it or not, all a girl needs for these is a little know-how, some nail polish and a bit of scotch tape.

Supplies

You’ll need…

  1. Scotch tape, and if you don’t have any on hand, you can use masking tape or sellotape instead.
  2. Two Summery colours of your choice. Today I’ve chosen NYC Lexington Yellow and Rimmel Urban Princess.
  3. A clear top coat.

Chevron nails: step 1

Step 1:

Paint on your base colour, and wait for it to dry completely. You could even use a fast drying top coat like Seche Vite to speed up the process. Make sure this is the lighter colour of the two because we’ll be painting the other colour over the top.

Chevron nails: step 2

Step 2:

Use your scotch tape to mark off a triangle at the base of your nail. Be warned! If your base coat isn’t 100 percent dry, the tape will definitely ruin the whole mani.

I learned this the hard way when I first started using tape in my manicures. My impatience led to a lot of frustration when I kept pulling off my polish with the tape before it was dry.

You can stick the tape to the back of your hand before you use it on your nails to remove some of the stickiness if you think it will mess with your base colour.

Chevron nails: step 3

Step 3:

One nail at a time, paint the second colour over the nail and tape, and immediately go to step 4…

Chevron nails: step 4
[Continue reading…]

There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Nails Keywords: guest post

The Spicy New Limited Edition Thakoon for NARS Nail Collection for Summer 2012

April 13th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

thakoon for nars

Good morning and happy Friday, friend. How about we start this particular Friday the 13th with something historically lucky and wonderful? Like a rainbow. 🙂

The six new 3-free polishes (formulated without toluene, formaldehyde and DBP) in the limited edition Thakoon for NARS Nail Collection ($18 each) represent the line’s first collaboration with a fashion designer in the nail category. The bright new shades, all inspired by spices, arrive online at narscosmetics.com May 1.

In these pics I’m wearing one coat of azalea pink Anardana, mandarin red Lal Mirchi and purple orchid Ratin Jot; two coats of cyan Koliary; and three coats of the bright yellow Amchoor and powder blue Kutki.

Such bright and pretty colors… From the look of these swatches and my initial reactions, I’d say NARS hit this one out of the park.

Let me know what you think!

Thakoon for NARS nail polish
From the left: Anardana, Lal Mirchi and Amchoor

thakoon for nars
Kutki, Koliary and Ratin Jot

nars anardana
Anardana
[Continue reading…]

There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Nails, NARS Keywords: nars

Me Encanta la Becca Balearic Love Nail Colours

April 12th, 2012 by Karen 8 Comments

becca balearic love nail colour

Looks good on Saturday

Greetings from (now) sunny Novato! — home of the most intense hailstorm I’ve experienced in years.

No joke. Last night around 3 in the morning, I awoke to the most frightening sound! A roar of thunder that shook my world to its foundation (and must have terrified Tabs), and then a deafening tick-tack-tack sound from what I quickly realized was hail pelting the house.

It wasn’t raining when I went to bed last night, but the storm must have blown in from the ocean some time after midnight. El Hub said he was awake for a little while before the thunderous boom that jolted me awake, laying there with his eyes closed. He saw the flash of lightning through his closed eyelids, and then the counting, 1-2-3, before the big boom. Three miles from the heart of the storm.

SCARY!

Anywho, the weather looks pretty good now, both here and in the Balearic Islands (in case you were wondering). Partly cloudy and mid-sixties? I’ll take that, and to go with it, swatches of the three Nail Colours from the new Becca Balearic Love collection, $15 each. 🙂

The first thing I noticed about these polishes — I mean, after the colors — is how thick they are. Two coats deliver full coverage.

I really like the wide brush! It just sweeps over the nail, covering such a large area that I only need about three swipes per layer.

I’m still testing for wear time, but so far so good. Here are some swatches to whet your appetite.

Becca Wine Red
Wine Red

Becca Sandy Nude
Sandy Nude
[Continue reading…]

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Becca, Nails Keywords: becca

Nails Are Making Waves With the Zoya Beach & Surf Collection

April 11th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

zoya beach & surf

What I wouldn’t give to be somewhere with a warm ocean right now… And baby waves! Because I can’t remember the last time I went surfing.

Soon… Soon, I say, but until then, the Zoya Beach & Surf collection will just have to do.

Available now in stores and online, Beach and Surf are actually two different sub-collections of six full-size polishes each. Twelve shades total, all new for summer, for $8 each.

There are also two $48 kits available — one called the Beach Surf Collection Sampler, with Regan, Lara, Shelby, Arizona, Tracie and Wednesday; and the other called the Surf Collection Sampler, with Rory, Carly, Kimber, Myrta, Meg and Zuza.

I’ve been wearing Kimber on my toes for going on 10 days now, and it still looks pretty great! Very shiny, and I hardly see any chips (just a couple at the edges of a few toenails). Not bad at all. For the record, I’m also wearing it with a base and top coat.

Like all Zoya polishes, these are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP (phthalates). Oh, and also camphor.

The Zoya Beach Collection: Surf’s Up!

zoya shelby 1
Shelby

zoya arizona 2
Arizona

zoya tracie 3
Tracie
[Continue reading…]

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Nails, Zoya Keywords: zoya

Nails Are Taking a Bright Turn at Urban Decay With the Urban Decay Summer 2012 Nail Kit

April 10th, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

Urban decay summer 2012 nail kit box

Just a quick hi and some swatches of the Urban Decay summer 2012 nail kit to hopefully brighten your Tuesday.

It’s raining here today, and the forecast calls for more rain this week, so brightness is certainly something I’m hungry for.

I’m wearing two coats in each of the swatches below. Still not sure about pricing, but I’m assuming the kit will cost about as much as last year’s, probably around $28.

urban decay woodstock nail swatch
Woodstock

urban decay showboat nail swatch
Showboat
[Continue reading…]

There are 25 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Nails, Urban Decay Keywords: urban decay

Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics Is Having a Blast With Nails

April 5th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics

How saucy is this line!? I’m getting a big kick out of Canada’s own Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics. They’re an indie nail polish line bristling with fun colors and personality.

My typographical side adores the bottles, which are decorated with each polish’s name in different type styles and fonts, and I’m happy to report that I haven’t seen one that uses Comic Sans (I can hear you sighing with relief, LOL!).

And I love the creativity. Some of them have names as eye-catching as their colors (NOTE: some are very naughty), and all of them have quirky color stories on the website, like this one here for the shade called Nail Me.

“If there was ever a time that I wanted to be nailed by a hot guy on the spot it was this moment while vacationing in Honolulu.

Having read, and looked at many, many model magazines while waiting at the grocery check out, I became familiar with a lot if not all of the hot men within the covers.

One morning after I got my Starbucks, and treat from the ABC store on the corner, I casually crossed the road and made my way towards the beach. A nice fresh breeze of ocean air and Plumeria was filling my nose and lungs. Feeling much like one should in paradise, I was in a trance…”

— cheekymonkeycosmetics.com

Yowza! You are a cheeky monkey! 🙂

Some of the names are cracking me up! — even though I probably won’t be gifting a bottle of Brazen Hussy or Hot Slut anytime soon.

There are currently 50 shades listed online at $14 apiece, all of them with a three-free formula made without formaldehyde, toluene or DBP.

I’ve tried five of the colors so far — BFF (a creamy pinkish coral), Free Love (a creamy bright orange), Vixen (a creamy purple), Get Wet (a creamy baby blue) and Man Chaser (a shimmery pink) — and I’m wearing two coats for all but one of these, Get Wet, which required a third coat to wipe out the streaks.

cheeky monkey cosmetics get wet
Get Wet

cheeky monkey cosmetics bff
BFF

cheeky monkey cosmetics free love
Free Love
[Continue reading…]

There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Nails, Product Reviews

It’s Always Summer Somewhere With Tom Ford Beauty Spring 2012

March 31st, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

tom ford beauty spring 2012

Well, hello bronze. Things are certainly looking sun-kissed and smoldering over at Tom Ford Beauty this spring, and I, for one, am lurving it. 🙂

“I have always loved the look of tanned, glowing skin, whether it is achieved with bronzing powder or with a natural tan.”

— Tom Ford

A few noms…

tom ford gold dust ultra shine lip gloss
Clockwise from the gold pot on the left: Cream Color for Eyes in Guilt ($35), Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold Dust ($45) and Cream Color for Eyes in Illicit ($35)

tom ford illicit cream color for eyes
Cream Color for Eyes in Illicit

tom ford guilt cream color for eyes
Cream Color for Eyes in Guilt
[Continue reading…]

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Makeup, Nails, Tom Ford Beauty Keywords: tom ford beauty

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 27
  • Go to page 28
  • Go to page 29
  • Go to page 30
  • Go to page 31
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 56
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

Recent Posts

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 878

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 894

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 893

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 892

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 891

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Featured Posts

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 771

Lady Unicorn

Weird Things I Like to Do

brows fill out beforehand

Before You Pluck or Wax Your Brows, You Must Do This

current bare skin status

What’s One Thing That Drastically Changed Your Skin for the Better?

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.