Readers' Corner: Applying Nail Polish the Right Way

I've been applying nail polish for decades!  That's not a joke!  So applying nail polish is like breathing for me!  *laughs*  Thanks to my wonderful readers for pulling my feet back on earth!  There are indeed some readers who are not used to applying nail polish on both hands, how dare I force you to do nail art right?  I'm sorry I haven't really thought about it and this time, I am dedicating this post for the readers who requested for tips on how to apply nail polish on your own! :)

First things first, you've forgiven me right?  Pretty please?  *BIG SMILE* :D

Okay, forgiven or not, let me proceed with my simplest Nail Polish Application Technique, after this post, I hope you get to learn something :)  To those who are already experts..what are you doing here? :P  Well, thanks for reading still and you can just enjoy my gorgeously "ugly" nails! :P

Step # 1
Make sure your polish is not dry and the consistency is just right.  Lift the brush just like photo below...

And wipe one side of the brush against the bottle,  leaving one side of the brush with nail polish.

Step # 2

Brush the "wet side" of the brush through the center of your nail from base to the tip.  Try not to touch the brush on the cuticle area, but if you did, do not panic, you can always clean it up after!

Step # 3

Continue to pick up more polish using the same technique on Step # 1, do the same stroke on the other side.

Then the last part that wasn't covered with polish.  At this point, your nails are covered with polish.  You can try to clean off excess with a tool or just leave it as it is and clean it up later.  You are done with the first coat.

Repeat the same steps when first coat gets dry!

Easy right?  But how come you're doing the right steps above but still comes up with a not so smooth polish application?  Or worst, bubbles showing up when polish gets dried?  There are several tricks and tips I'll share with you!

• Before you start using the polish, do not shake the nail polish like you hate it!  It will create bubbles, try to roll the polish between the palm of your hands to "warm" the polish instead for a smoother application.

• Always remove old polish prior to new polish application.  Make sure there are no old polish residues at all!  Especially on the cuticle area.
• Wash your hands prior to polish application, making sure your nails are free from lotions or creams.  
• Aside from protecting your nails, using a Base Coat of your choice creates a smoother surface.  Think of a face primer for the skin, base coat acts as a primer for your nails!  *ahhh, that was a smart one right?* *LOL*
• Never apply polish in front of an electric fan, it helps you dry up your polish faster --- YES, that's true, and helps your polish appear bubbly too!  If that's your thing, go ahead :P
• Each stroke should be done once, do not pile on polish while polish is still wet!  It will create uneven coats!
• Apply second coat of polish ONLY when the first coat is dry!
• If you are not ambidextrous, just like myself, and found yourself having a hard time applying nail polish using your left hand, here's a huge tip I can share, hold the brush steadily with your left hand, then move your fingernails on the right hand instead!  It's quicker that way! A photo below to show how I move my fingers instead of the brush!

• Last but not the least, there's a reason why the brush holder is made that way, it is for you to use it wisely!  Hold your nail polish brush the way I did on photo below for a steadier application.  It makes a whole lot of difference...trust me on that! :)

You hold the nail polish brush cap with both your thumb and forefinger, the forefinger prevents the brush handle from moving around while the thumb is used to control the movement of the brush.  Yes, there is a choreography in nail polish application!  *winks*

I'm sure the tips above are old and a lot of you probably knew about it since first grade!  *laughs* It's nice to be reminded at times and it's nice to feel like a teacher all over again! :)

I hope these simple, yet effective tips help the nail polish enthusiasts and soon-to-be addicts out there!

Have a lovely day!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Gives: Kustie Cucumber Body Butter and Body Scrub --- CLOSED!!!

Dear Philippine Readers:

Here's what I promised you!  A chance to win your own set of the Kustie Cucumber Body Butter and Body Scrub!  Please read instructions below on how to join...

1. Click comment and type in your name and email address.
2. Answer the question: "Why are cucumbers good for you?"
3. One entry per person, no duplicates please.
4. One winner will win his/her own Kustie Cucumber Body Butter and Body Scrub using Interactive Fruit Machine.
5. Contest ends December 24, 2010 11:59pm Local time.

Thanks to LifeStrong Marketing Inc. for supporting AMW and her readers!

Goodluck!
Keep smilin'

Stay happy!

AMW Reviews: Kustie Strawberry Body Butter and Body Scrub

Good morning gorgeous people!  How was the weekend?  Mine, felt like regular weekdays because I have been out most of the days and I've been busy with makeup gigs, events and of course, gatherings!  I hope yours is as exciting as mine, and of course, let's not forget to give thanks to God for giving us such a nice week ahead!  Christmas is coming, I am super excited!

Recently, I got an email from Lance of LifeStrong Marketing Inc., to give their products a test!  I am usually uneasy to try on Body Scrubs as I try to pry away from drying out my skin furthermore!  After reading the product details, I've decided to give these a try for our lovely readers out there who may find these useful!  And of course, there's a special surprise after this review for one of our readers to try the set as well (in different variant).  Scroll down to read more about my experience on FDA approved, 100% Natural body  products! 

Kustie Strawberry Body Butter and

Kustie Strawberry Body Scrub

A closer look on the Kustie Body Butter in Strawberry

Kustie Strawberry Body Butter says ---

The creamy strawberry butter is rich in natural ingredients that nourishes and moisturizes the skin.

AMW says ---

Pros

• Sealed with freshness when newly purchased.

• Smells super good!  Best smelling strawberry scented body butter to date (in my opinion)
• Moisturizing enough that lasts the whole day!
• Does not feel heavy or oily on skin.
• Gets absorbed to the skin easily.
• Inexpensive for a good body butter.
• Skin looks healthy after prolong usage.

Cons

• The packaging makes it a bit difficult to carry around during travel.
• Unhygienic as you need to dip your fingers to get some products.  A bit difficult for girls with long fingernails like myself!

Tips

• Use a spatula to get product instead of dipping your fingers for hygiene purpose.
• Best used after a warm shower while skin is still damp.
• Re-apply on dry areas like your knees, elbows or heels during night time before you go to sleep.
• Wear socks at night if you choose to apply this on your feet.
• For better results, use both day and night after taking a shower.
• Great to be given as gift because the "presentation" of the product looks nice.

Will I repurchase?
Yes. 

To whom do I recommend this to?
Anyone who loves body butter!  This does not feel heavy on skin so it works to all skin types.  For strawberry scent lovers!

Where to purchase and how much?

Kustie Body Butter 200ml for Php299.00 (approx $7.00) available at Watsons Malls, SM Beauty Department Store, Ever Gotesco Department Stores and other major retail outlets.

Light pinkish color of the Kustie Strawberry Body Butter

reminded me of a whipped cream.

Texture is just right and easy to apply all over the body

Now let's proceed to their bestselling product, 

the Kustie Strawberry Body Scrub

Kustie Strawberry Body Scrub says ---

Strawberry body scrub is has natural seed granules that effectively exfoliate aging skin cells.  It has strawberry amino acids that moisturizes and smoothens skin.

AMW says ---

Pros

• Very nice packaging.  Sealed for freshness once purchased.
• Does smoothen out my skin after shower.
• Skin feels moisturized after shower even without following up with a lotion or body butter.
• Skin does not dry out!
• The strawberry seeds feels luxurious onto skin, imagine having your own expensive scrubs at the comfort of your own bathroom.
• The seeds does not feel painful against your skin.
• Inexpensive for a good body scrub.

Cons

• The scent!  Has a weird plastic-y strawberry scent. 
• Packaging, unhygienic as you need to dip your fingers again and again during shower.

Tips

• Use a spatula to prevent water from getting in the Body Scrub when you take a shower.
• A bit runny in texture so be careful not to waste the product while taking a shower.
• Gently rub the product in a circular motion against your skin, never be in a hurry when using this product to prevent from rubbing too hard.
• If you feel it dries up your skin a bit, then follow up with a "creamy soap" or "liquid soap".  
• Do this once a week or once every 2 weeks as needed.
• Follow with your choice of lotion or body butter after you get out of the bath.

Will I repurchase?
Yes!  As this is one of the few body scrubs that does not dry out my skin.

To whom do I recommend this to?
Oily, Normal or Dry skin individuals who like to have a nice, luxurious scrub at the comfort of their own home once a week or once every 2 weeks.

Where to purchase and how much?

Kustie Body Scrub 200ml for Php349.00 (approx $ 8.10), 450 ml for Php599.00(approx $14.00) available at Watsons Malls, SM Beauty Department Store, Ever Gotesco Department Stores and other major retail outlets.

Overall, I am quite impressed with the products!  I love the fact that they are 100% made of natural ingredients and of course, they are FDA approved and the price isn't expensive so it gives people the chance to try on good products at a not so rocket-sky high price!  I love the Kustie Body Butter a lot and the Kustie Body Scrub could be a cult favorite of mine, I guess the downside is just the scent!  The strawberry scent itself is wonderful, but my nose just can't understand the "plastic" or "chemical' smell!  Could be from the packaging or some of the ingredients included I won't be able to understand.

For it's price, it's worth to give these 2 products a test!  Very luxurious indeed!   You can click photo below to enlarge to see their other product offerings and variants.

Here's a good news to Philippine readers, one reader will get the chance to win the Kustie Cucumber Body Butter and Body Scrub!  Kindly wait for instructions on my next post!  I do apologize that this is only open to local readers due to shipment restrictions!

Thanks LifeStrong Marketing Inc. for giving me the chance to test these products, and thanks for agreeing to give a set to my loyal AMW readers!

Have you seen this brand around?  Oh, I've been around Watson's over the weekend and I've seen so many new stuffs around!!! So many things to try!!!

Have a great week ahead!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

(Note from Author: Product was sent by company for review purposes.  The writer did not receive any kind or form of payment for positive reviews.  The review has been done base on personal experiences.  Please purchase at your own discretion.)

Nail Art Tutorial: "Confetti" Nails

Hi everyone!  I have bombarded you all with yummy dishes on my Saturday Weekend Food Tripping posts!  Well, to stop you from craving...I will show you my fingernails instead because it tastes nothing but nails!  *laughs*

I've been super busy for the past days but that does not stop me from changing my nail art!  My last nail art has been there for 2 weeks and I can't seem to bear looking at "chipped" nail polish!  I only have less than 30 minutes to do my nails so I've done the simplest one and here's the final outcome!

I call this Confetti Nails because it does look like Confetti!  Let's party because Christmas is coming up soon!!!

Step 1:

Apply your favorite base coat, let dry and apply 2 coats of your favorite base color.  In this tutorial, I've used ELF Polish in Berry Pink. 

Step 2:

White polish is semi-wet, create "snow-like" effect and "texture" with sponge method.  I used a sponge and applied ELF Polish in White

Gently dab the white polish on top of the base color creating a bit of texture as the base color is not completely dry!

Step 3:

Using Barry M Polish in Once Upon A Time, dab on the "confetti looking" sparkles on the white gradient polish area.  If you don't have a similar polish like this, here's a D.I.Y. tip for you...

• purchase your choice of clear polish
• purchase silver dusts or any sparkles with designs and pour it on your clear polish, gently shake it to create your own unique glittery polish
• if the sparkles you purchased are too big to pour inside a tiny polish bottle, you can apply a coat of clear polish, while wet, pour in sparkles of your choice on top of your nails.  Do not worry about the mess as you can tidy it up later on.

Step 4:

Apply clear coat on top.  I am using a top coat from Elianto.

Voila!  Easy nail art I created in less than 30 minutes!  There's no right or wrong as it'll end up looking festive!  Give it a try yourself before the year ends! 

Now chant with me:
"I can do it!"
"I can do it!"
"I can do it!"

Now move that butt and start doing your nail art and tell me how it went!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Winners: "Give and You May Receive" Contest!

Dear AMW Readers:

First of all, I am very sorry for announcing the winners of the "Give and You May Receive" contest so late!  I don't have any excuse but I am just swamped with work!  Not that I'm complaining, being swamped with work is good because that keeps me going!  It makes me grow and learn so much more!  Would you believe that up to this very moment, I get to learn so much and my brain is nothing but a sponge!  It just kept on absorbing new information and I am very happy with it!

Anyways, I want to thank everyone who joined my recent contest!  It was a fun one and I hope the "Doing Random Acts of Kindness" won't end!  Sometimes, we need to just take a breather, stop from all the things we are doing and just look back on how lucky we are to even log on the computer and read blogs!  

I want to thank everyone who joined in the contest and shared the good deeds they have done!  I want to give something to everyone but you would understand that it is quite hard right? :)  But I promise more contests coming up soon! 

Here are the list of winners, all names and email addresses of joiners have been listed to MS Word, from the list, I have attached the entries at Interactive Fruit Machine and clicked on the fruit machine for winners!  Fruit machine has been clicked once only for each prize! 

Prize #1

Purederm Products

CONGRATULATIONS TO ---

LISA

Prize #2

Revlon Customs Creation 020 Light

CONGRATULATIONS TO ---

Cymbelly Marzan

Prize #3

Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV SPF40 PA++

CONGRATULATIONS TO ---

 Bachuchay

Congratulations to the winners!  Kindly email me ntiu1027 (at) gmail (dot) com.  To the rest, you are all winners for doing good deeds to the people around you.  Please, let's not stop the love!  

More contests soon!!!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!