Manicure Monday: Studded Nails with Syl and Sam

Beauty | 04 June 2012

Hello! It’s Syl and Sam here again & we’re back with another #manicuremonday post for you to follow along with. We’re so excited to be participating in the LuLu*s Blog Stud Week & we’re kicking things off with this cute and edgy manicure. This look is easy to achieve but takes a bit of patience!

Here’s the look we’re going for:

What you’ll need:

- A base colour

- A top coat

- “microbeads” (they can be purchased from eBay or Michaels Craft Store)

- a toothpick

Start with a couple coats of your base colour. We used a coral-y pink and a slightly darker pink on our accent nail. Let each coat of your nail polish dry completely.

Now you’re going to work on one nail at a time. Take your top coat & put a generous layer on only ONE finger!

Working very quickly, dip your toothpick in a tiny amount of nail polish and then touch the tip of your toothpick to a single microbead.

The microbead should easily stick right to the end of your toothpick

Take your microbead and stick it right down onto your wet topcoat. It’ll stick wherever you touch it to your nail, so place it down carefully.

Continue placing beads one at a time in an alternating pattern onto your wet top coat!

Then repeat all of the above steps, doing one nail at a time.

Let the coat of polish dry completely with the microbeads on it & then top coat with a quick dry top coat & allow that to dry before doing anything with your hands

And there you go! Cute studded nails that bring an edgy touch to the girliest of outfits! If you allow each coat to dry completely, the beads stay on quite well & mine lasted for over 5 days before any fell off.

Would you try out studded nails? Let us know what you think!

(photos by Syl & Sam)

Blogger Picks: Drug Store Beauty

Beauty | 01 June 2012

by Stephanie

“My favorite drug store buy is Garnier Surf Hair. Even though I no longer live anywhere near the ocean, I can still get that wave-toussled look. I’ll run a small amount through damp hair, throw it up in a messy bun for my drive to work, and by the time I arrive, my hair looks like I just stepped off the beach!”

“I’ve become obsessed with Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream . It’s about 13 bucks. I love it because I don’t like to (read: don’t have the time to) wear heavy foundation during the work week. This is as simple to put on as moisturizer and it gives you that “my skin naturally looks this way” glow. Bonus: It has SPF in it so I’m also protecting my skin!”

“My favorite drugstore beauty buys are definitely the Revlon lipsticks. They go on so well and they have a great selection of colors. I love the Orange Flip for summer

”

“Psssst brand Dry Shampoo! I swear by this stuff. Having red hair means I either sacrifice the brightness to wash it every other day, or using products like dry shampoo to help keep it clean, full of volume, and best of all — red! It also comes in really handy for summer days, travelings, and road trips. I always keep a can in my car.”

“My favorite drugstore item is the Revlon Just Bitten lipstains. They are awesome! Last all day and are not heavy like a lipsticks. I have like every color! The perfect way to get color on your lips for girls who hate to wear lipstick (like me!)”

What are your favorite drugstore beauty buys?

Mighty Shiny Lip Gels by Youngblood Cosmetics!

Beauty | 01 June 2012

by Sienna

Summer is the season for lip gloss. When the sun’s out and your lips start to dry, a simple gloss is an awesome way to add some kick to your kisser! The official start of summer may not be until June 20, but Youngblood Cosmetics has just released their Mighty Shiny Lip Gels to get you prepped. These hot little beauties are free from any sort of petroleum, fragrance, or mineral oil, not to mention cruelty-free!

We tried every single color here at LuLu*s, and what we love about them is that there’s absolutely no funny taste (unlike most lip glosses), and the finish is one that is shiny, and sheer (the actual tint is very subtle). If you love shimmer, Unveiled, Stripped, Revealed, and Displayed have a sprinkling of fine glitter in them, or just stick to pure shine with Bared, Exposed, or Confessed.

Manicure Monday: Caviar Nails with Syl and Sam

Beauty | 28 May 2012

by LuLu*s !

(Photo by Carrie Jade)

Hi there, we’re Sylvia and Samantha! We’re two Canadian sisters who are obsessed with fashion and all things DIY. On the internet people know us as Syl and Sam and we’ve run an online store called Lipgloss and Black for about 8 years now. We make clothes, reconstruct things, do our nails, cook & make tutorials of the things we think people will want to learn to DIY too. We grew up making the things we wanted & love to inspire others to do the same. If you’re a regular reader here, LuLu*s recently featured us in their Blogger Spotlight, and we’re so excited to now be guest blogging here with some nail tutorials!

So let’s get started with our first post… Here’s the look we’re going for:

(Photo from Ciaté)

What you’ll need:

-A base colour (we used black)

-A top coat

-”microbeads” (they can be purchased from eBay or Michaels Craft Store)

-a large bowl

We bought our microbeads from eBay & it was only a few dollars for a rainbow set! There is only enough of each colour to do one or two nails though, so we decided to do an accent nail instead of doing a full caviar manicure.

Start with a couple thin coats of your base colour. Make sure to let your nails dry completely between each coat of polish!

When your nails are dry, top coat a single nail with your clear top coat. Make sure to do only one nail at a time!

Holding your hand over your bowl, pour your microbeads over your wet nail.

If necessary, rotate your nail slightly while pouring to make sure that microbeads catch onto the entire nail! Then press them down gently with your finger to make sure they are set in the polish. Repeat with as many nails as you would like to cover

No need to topcoat or anything.

And there you go! Let your nails dry completely so that they beads set & don’t get knocked off too quickly! The Ciaté Caviar Manicure is said to last about 48 hours. It’s true that after a few days, some of the beads close to the tip of your nails do start to fall off but most of the beads have lasted almost a week now! Is a caviar manicure something you would try out? Let us know what you think or if you try it, show us how yours turns out!

(all photos by Syl & Sam unless otherwise indicated)

Haircut Crush: The Shoulder Grazer

Beauty | 25 May 2012

by Annie

Ever since Victoria Beckham tweeted this:

… I’ve been head over heels for her new cut! And with summer swiftly approaching, I know I can’t be the only one with a hankering to chop it all off. And, as a big supporter of celebrity inspiration (I totally got “the Kristin” in 2005, ie: Laguna Beach), I put together this collection of awesome, shoulder-grazing, long bobs, or “The Lob” as its coming to be known. Some are even saying it’s “the new Rachel”! That’s high praise… so print this out, hand it to your stylist, and let him/her work his/her magic!