How does matte top coat work, and DIY matte top coat recipe

Two tutorials in a row? What on earth is happening?? Thanks to a reader email, I’ve been looking at matte top coats and DIY-ing them recently. Before we get to the DIY part, here’s how matte top coats work – it’s pretty simple! Much like linear vs scattered holo finishes, it’s all about how smooth the surface is – in …

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Striping Tape Nail Art Tutorial for piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013!

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the last piCture pOlish Blog Fest! This year, no new shades are being launched but we’ve been asked to create a nail art tutorial featuring piCture pOlishes. I’ve used Hope, Dorothy and Ruby Blou to make an easy and bold striping tape design:  What I used: Block nails:– Striping tape (silver, from …

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Permanent Marker Nail Art Tutorial (aka I’m Nail MacGyver!)

I feel like I’ve been on fire with DIY nail things lately! Here’s my latest discovery – how to successfully use permanent marker on your nails. I’m not too shabby with a fine brush (years of weighing out micrograms in a lab will do that to you), but I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to just throw …

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OPI San Francisco creme liquid sand stripey nail art

I wasn’t too keen on the OPI San Francisco creme liquid sands, but I’ve found a way to make them work for me – nail art! As well as the blue liquid sand dotticure I did over on Polish or Perish, I did a brown striped manicure using OPI It’s All San Andreas’ Fault and B-Bloom Boston, a matching regular …

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Shampoo and Conditioner Road Test: Moroccanoil, Yuko, Dove and Aldi

I’ve always had trouble finding a good shampoo. I’ve had a nice run with conditioners, but good shampoos have always eluded me. No matter which shampoo I use, my scalp is always an itchy, oily mess by the end of the day. For two months I tried washing my hair every second day, on the advice of many people on …

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Perfume science: body chemistry and why you love the smells I hate

I hope you enjoyed my guest week! I’m back today with some hardcore beauty science, looking at the fascinatingly confusing world of perfumery. Do you love the smell of roses? It may reveal more about you than you think! People have been using perfumes for over 5000 years. But what makes one person like a scent and another hate it, …

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Guest Post: History of the Half Moon by Cassie (The Reluctant Femme)

half-moon-manicure

Cassie of The Reluctant Femme is today’s guest poster. Cassie’s blog is not your run-of-the-mill nail blog – as well as pretty nail photos, there are thought-provoking posts about feminism, media, queer identity and general geekery. And she writes like a pro – her hilarious articles on Lacquerheads of Oz are worth checking out too! Today she’s marrying nerdery to …

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