I've found my blue!

After a search that lasted many months for a Revlon baby blue nail polish I had seen in a magazine, I finally found it! It's called "Waterfall" and it's gorgeous! However, I had always imagined it was a creme color. It has a very subtle hint of glitter. The day I found it, I also found Sephora by OPI "Havana Dreams" which is the same beautiful blue color minus the sparkle! I've had it on for 8 days now with very little chipping! I love this color for summer and HIGHLY recommend anyone with a thing for nail polish pick up a bottle!! Pictures below.. Last picture is day 8.. The picture Where I'm holding the bottle is mire true to color than the others. (worn with seche vite base and top coat - which works miracles anyway!)

Summer favorites so far..

Hey guys! I wanted to do this quick post before I head off to the beach. This isn't really about nails, but I love how my look turned out today! I went with a shimmery neutral eye (revlon "not just nudes" creme quad) with a little pop of summer color (bare essentials "azure"). On my lips I have revlon colorstay lip liner in "rose" and finished that off with some great new all-natural lip gloss from Mad Gabs. I am in a small testing group for this local Maine company which makes lip products. They're amazing and all-natural! I'll be doing a full review after the testing period, but so far I love it! Perfect consistency and pigmentation! I have my hair in a fishtail braid - these are so cute for summer! So I'll leave you with a few pictures so you know what on earth I'm talking about!! XO Andrea

P.s. If you don't follow me on twitter then you may not have seen my tribal inspired nails! Picture below!

Goodbye Laptop!

So tomorrow is my last day of finals, and that means I have to turn in my laptop (because it's school provided thanks to the MLTI program). As I am scrambling to back up all my photos and such to the server, I am trying to edit and upload as much as I can of my tutorials that haven't been posted. As you may or may not know, uploading a YouTube video takes a good hour or so and editing can take more than that. This is truly a marathon for me!

Today was also day 3 with the Revlon Top Speed "Cupid" manicure. I swear to you they would've lasted for a week more if it weren't for a tragic accident when I was removing a clients manicure. I tried to protect them by wearing a glove but I guess my efforts did not prevail. When I took off the glove, I uncovered a totally ruined nail!

So I removed the polish.... :'( 
Being me, I promptly moved on to the next best thing - my new nail polishes! I chose "Mint Green" by CG (purchased at rite aid) and here is what that looks like:

These were featured in my quick update video.

Although I may not be making videos as often, you can still keep up with me here, and on twitter!

Test Run: Day 2 (Revlon Top Speed)

So, it's the end of day 2 with the "Cupid" nails by Revlon Top Speed (with Seche Vite base and top coat). They're fantastic! I absolutely love the color - a perfect bubble gum or barbie pink! It's showing up on camera as more of a hot pink, which it is, but not as red as it shows in the photos. Also, I've had 4 customers get this color! It's been an instant hit, and I've only had it for 2 days!

Here they are -- Day 2:

        Keep in mind that for the past 2 days I've been really busy and my nails have kept up while chasing around my 3 year old nephew, and even withstanding flame!! (Not really... haha!) I was burning my school work as a celebratory measure at the end of the year! So I was crumpling up papers, throwing things into the fire, picking things up off of tar (and I was cringing waiting for them to chip - but they didn't), vigorous typing, etc. Besides the fact that they've grown out a little, they're still in mint condition! 


I don't know if I owe it to the Seche Vite base and top coat, the Revlon nail color, or both! Either way these are both AMAZING products and I highly recommend them!

Get your daily fix!

Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/obsessedwnails

P.S. My nails today are a new color I picked up at RiteAid today, Revlon Top Speed in "Cupid"

I love the colors of their spring collection! They're amazing and I can't wait to try out some more. There is a pale blue I have had my eye on for a while now - maybe that'll be next.

(The colors in this picture are a bit off, (I'm not really orange, and it's not as 'hot') but you get the idea!)

A lot of people swear by their salon brands but I swing both ways. Drug store brands make up most of my nail polish collection - there are adorable colors and they are very affordable!

Tips for Prom Prep!

Prom is and always has been a great excuse to get pampered, dress up, look gorgeous, and most of all, have fun! My prom is coming up (next Saturday, 21 May) and I'm so excited! But what can you do before prom to look and feel your best?

1. Work out!
30 minutes a day. This sounds a bit cliché, but besides the obvious health benefits and that it will help keep you in shape, working out actually releases endorphins which make you happy and actually give your skin a beautiful glow! Commit to doing 15-20 push-ups, 15-20 sit-ups, 15-30 second bridge, 15-30 second wall sit, etc. every morning when you wake up. You'll have the benefits previously mentioned and help you wake up and start your day on a positive note!


2. Go tanning/Lay out in the sun
You know how they say black is slimming? Well I think a tan is pretty slimming too! A nice tan can make anyone feel great about themselves, not to mention make them look awesome in their dress! Go to a tanning salon and ask a professional about how long you should tan for depending on your skin tone. Tan 3-4 times in the two weeks before prom. If you're underage, don't have your parents' "okay", you've watched the Final Destination movies, or are otherwise morally opposed to tanning in a bed, you can just do it the old fashioned way! Lay out in your yard for a couple hours with a tanning oil (some have just a little spf - the one I use is Rite Aid brand dark tanning oil, spf 2). This will leave you with a nice glow for prom! Note: Keep in mind that you don't want to tan within three days of the event. Nobody wants to be a lobster for prom! Also... Make sure your tan lines work for your dress - if you go in a tanning bed, just go nude! Who's there to see you?


3. Do your nails!!!
This should have been #1 considering this is a nail blog! Ha! Well, we all know that nails are the best accessory any girl could have. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of that - especially for an event like prom! French tips are a classic prom manicure. I just posted a new tutorial for Easy & Flawless French Tips!


4. Double Sided Tape
Especially for tricky dresses, low cut necklines, etc., this is your friend. Need I say more?


5. Makeup & Hair
These things could go horribly wrong if not executed correctly. If you're good at doing makeup or if you're good at doing hair, consider if it would be worth saving the money that you would be spending on a salon visit. Curling hair is hard to do if you're not experienced. If you've mastered straightening your hair, don't do it! If you wear your hair down and straight, it'll look like it does every other day of your life! Splurge on the $40-50 up-do/style. Same goes with makeup. Your makeup needs to step up to the occasion. You're going to be in a lot of pictures, so make sure to exaggerate eyeshadow (NOT liner!) and blush so it's noticeable in the photos. Again, if you're not makeup savvy, splurge on the salon visit. $20-30 is totally worth it!

It's your day. It only comes once a year, right? You've already spent loads of money on your dress and shoes, why not make them look even better?! If you have any tips or questions, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

Good luck, and have a blast!

xoxo Andrea

A Few 'Never Before Seen' Designs!

I found a few manicure pictures on iPhoto that never quite made it to YouTube. I thought maybe you all would like to see them - so here you go! My never before seen nail designs! (with the exception of the animal prints).

  This was a manicure I tried out around Valentine's Day. It's pretty easy to do - the hardest part is making sure the hearts line up. It's cute, but I didn't love it (no pun intended!).

 I know these are certainly not 'never before seen', but here is a sampling of my animal prints. From left to right they're Cheetah/Leopard, Koi Fish, Peacock, Zebra, and Giraffe on the thumb. Tutorials for these designs can be found on my YouTube channel.

This is an Accent Dot Manicure. It's really modern and fun. 

This can be achieved with a dotting tool and a bit of patience! Have fun mixing up the color combination!

These are only a few of many designs I haven't shared yet - stay tuned for more 'never before seen' designs!

If you would like to see a tutorial for any of these, or have any suggestions, please leave me a comment and let me know!