Acid Wash Nail Manicure

As always, I've been scouring the web looking for cool and interesting nail manicure ideas to show my avid readers and I came across this on Pinterest: the acid wash manicure. It's a really cool effect, the one below is denim-themed and can be done very easily. This isn't a complicated technique like some of the others I have posted about, this is something you don't have to be too fussy with to get it to look right.

All you need to complete this look is a base nail polish color (in this case royal blue) and the color you want to be on top of the 'acid wash' look (in this case white) as well as cotton buds or q-tips and acetone/nail polish remover. The first step is to paint 2-3 coats of your base color and wait to make sure that they are dry and smooth, this requires some patience as some nail polishes do not dry as often as others. Then, after you choose a contrasting color to make the 'acid wash' effect come to life, you should apply just one layer of the top color. After letting it dry thoroughly, soak a cotton bud/q-tip in acetone (but make sure it's not dripping wet, just saturated). If your cotton bud is not saturated enough, it will just smudge and blend the two contrasting colors together, which may make for an interesting effect, but will not allow you to achieve the acid wash manicure. Swipe the cotton bud over your nails, not pressing it down but gently dragging it over so that it removes only parts of the top layer of nail polish (of the contrasting color, white in this example) and leaves your blue intact - this is one of the reasons why you want to apply at least 2 coats of your base color. Finally, as with any manicure, if you want staying power you should place a layer of topcoat to seal your design and smooth out any bumps.

You can achieve really varied looks depending on which colors you choose, remember that when you apply your topcoat, you will stop the acetone from eating through that layer. For example, in the manicure below, you can achieve this design by doing the base in a yellow and then making sure to seal it with a topcoat so that it will not wipe away when you swipe with the cotton bud. Then you want to add a layer of orange polish and a layer of gray nail polish, not sealing these down with topcoat. You can use your acetone to remove parts of the top two layers of polish. As always, seal and protect your design with a final layer of topcoat when you have finished your faux acid washing.

Various colors of nail polish manicures using the acid wash technique

Have fun with this look and happy experimenting! Please post photos of your nails on the blog if you achieve this look!

- Alex

Get the Katniss Everdeen Eyelashes!

Lead makeup artist on the set of The Hunger Games, Ve Neill, used Paperself individual lashes for Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) for the 'Girl on Fire' look during the closing ceremony of the movie. Effie Trinket (played by an unrecognizable Elizabeth Banks) also wears a variety of interesting and fascinating Paperself full-set of eyelashes. For the Katniss Everdeen look, makeup was fairly subtle, except for when she was being paraded around The Capital and her face was contoured and accentuated by a golden bronzer to make her look sun-kissed.

Effie Trinket had very complex makeup where her face was entirely made pale with powder and dusted with pink eyeshadow. Her lips were concealed around the corners and pink was used in a heart-shape to accentuate her pout. Her eyeshadow was a smattering of various colors, in the picture above it is fuschia applied generously and her brows are concealed and lightened. She has some black eyeliner on top of her eyes and then these Paperself eyelashes are applied (they can be found at Sephora or Amazon below). Even her waterline was lined with pink eyeshadow to continue the look.

You can get your very own pair of these eyelashes online by clicking on these banners at:

Check out my entry into the Springtime Cocktail Ring Contest at Crowd Jewel

Hey everyone,

I'd like to ask a huge favor that you vote for the 'Spring Cocktail Ring' Contest on the crowdjewel website here: http://www.crowdjewel.com/entry/66/

My ring is featured and I would really like to win the contest so that I can get a free consultation in which a specialist will tell me how to improve my website to gain more views! I'm so excited about the prize and I love creating jewelry, this piece was really inspired by spring so please vote =) Thanks!

Shocking Natural Cate Blanchett in Intelligent Life

Cate Blanchett did the unthinkable in the realm of Hollywood style and glamour; she went completely natural on the cover of The Economist's "The Intelligent Life" magazine (the lifestyle and culture publication). Her face all hers, her image was not retouched in post-production or overly made up. The editor of the magazine, Tim de Lisle explained the decision to represent her in this manner on his blog, saying:

When other magazines photograph actresses, they routinely and up running heavily Photoshopped images, with every last wrinkle expunged. Their skin is rendered so improbably smooth that, with the biggest stars,  you wonder why the photographer didn't just do a shoot with their waxwork...

Cate Blanchett, by contrast, appears on our cover in her working clothes, with the odd line on her face and faint bags under her eyes. She looks like what she is - a woman of 42, spending her days in an office, her evenings on stage and the rest of her time looking after three young children. 

It's ridiculous that this has become news today because this is what every celebrity should show the world: their natural beauty. Cate Blanchett is a stunning woman, with or without makeup, and she is so versatile and talented that it really shouldn't even matter how beautiful she is. She resembles an actual person and it is refreshing that magazines are starting to get back to what it is that makes us attracted to celebrities in the first place: their humanity. I'm a huge fan of her work and her courage should be rewarded by other celebrities following this trend in kind. It is absolutely frightening and sick that we show plasticized faces on the covers of billboards, ads and on TV and then wonder why our children develop complexes because of the way they look.

What is most incredible to learn from Mr. Lisle's blog entry is that Cate Blanchett turned her back on Hollywood to run her own theatre company. In more ways than just appearance, she has escaped the clutches of the vapid consumerism that drives Hollywood where stars have be come mannequins who stand for nothing other than to promote jewelry, clothing and perfumes.

What do you think of the "Intelligent Life" magazine cover?

Lace Nail Manicures for Sale!

Since I have been noticing a lot of interest in my posts about lace nail manicures, I've decided to devise a way to get them out to people who want to achieve this look but are incapable of doing it themselves. I found that the easiest way is to create the lace nails on "Nailene So Natural Nails, Real French, 24 ct."   and letting everyone choose their base nail color (although I prefer them on french nails) and lace color. After taking custom orders, it will take about a week to manufacture them (since the fabric and nails have to be bought each time and then they have to be manually crafted with the lace appliques). They do look fabulous and I encourage you to try it by yourself if you feel like you can do it!

This is the posting:
http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Lace-Embellished-Artificial-Nails-Custom-Made-to-Order/63927311

Here are photos of some I did for a quick test-run:

You can find other items for sale at:
http://www.bonanza.com/booths/lethalglam/

New Jewelry Retail Website

Hi guys, sorry I've been MIA for a few days now, but it's been for good reason: I've been working extremely hard on this website http://www.bonanza.com/booths/LethalGlam where I'm looking forward to selling my creations! Sometimes I just can't help it and I design jewelry, all types too - bracelets, earrings, and necklaces in various styles, so I decided to try and turn that into a business. I hope everyone enjoys it and here's a quick sneak peek at some of the pieces up for sale:

The shop is definitely at a lower price point and it sticks to the motto I live by where you shouldn't need to have lots of money to look fabulous! I'll be putting up new pieces all the time, there's currently 79 lots up for sale so please check it out. I'll also take commissions for what you'd like to see or custom pieces!

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/LethalGlam

How To Make An Old Sweater Look New

Do you have sweaters that you love but they just pill and create those unpleasant little flakes of fabric that stick together in little balls all under your armpits and sides, or wherever your clothes get the most wear and tear? Well, I've found a simple solution for you and it requires only a razor! That's right, a razor! Make sure you've washed your sweater (frequent washes can also cause the fabric pilling too). You can use a sweater stone or an electric fabric shaver which can be found on Amazon and I've linked below, but the simplest method to use is just a simple clean razor, preferably with not too many sharp blades but around 3 blades is fine.

You'll want to lay your sweater down on a flat surface such as a table and make sure you do one section at a time. You don't want to dig your razor into the sweater but rather gently stroke the fabric the way you would shave your face or legs. This will remove the pilling fabric and make your sweater look like new, regardless of how many pieces of lint-like fabric are on it. Shaving your sweater will not make holes in it, nor will it ruin your sweater in any way, you can do this safely at home. As long as you have a gentle touch and patience, you can go through this with sweaters, sweaterdresses, or anything knitted as well. Happy de-pilling, everyone!

If your sweater looks like this there is a simple solution to have it looking brand new again! Use a razor!