I Franken-Polished It!

Hi everyone,

For a while, I have wanted this really light pink nail polish with the texture between a gel and a cream. I searched high and low but could not find it. One was too light, the other too sheer. One was too creamy, the other looked too chalky. It was to a point that I felt like giving up. Why should I try something that doesn't exist, right?

But the thing is, I'm a DIY person. If I can't find something, I'll make it myself. Having mixed some really weird (and intriguing) colors before, I was confident that I could get the color I want by mixing nail polishes together.

I got a silver nail polish with a touch of grey just for fun. I used it once and found out it was not a good color for me. As it was the only white nail polish I could dispose, I decided to mix my obnoxiously pink nail polish with it to see what would come out.

And here's the result:

Tada! The franken-polish!

 It's not exactly what I wanted. The blue in the original white nail polish threw it off. However, what I got is a really beautiful soft lavender nail polish. I saw Britney Spears wore something similar a while ago so this is on trend.

Franken-P and his mama, Lady Obnoxiously Pink

 I mixed 4 drops of Obnoxiously Pink with the entire bottle of the original silver white with a twist. I really shook the bottle up and down. Since the two brands have different formulas, the dispersion rates are not the same. I mixed, rolled, shook, and shook some more to ensure the pink shade was mixed evenly. There's nothing worse than painting your nails with random speckles of colors coming out unmixed.

I took a risk to mix the Odessa with the Nghia O'Beauty and I'm glad it was not a disaster. I tried to do something similar by mixing a mineral-base nail polish with a regular one. As the solvents are different, the two did not mix but they created lumps: the mineral-base np covered themselves around the regular one, resulting in unpaintable bead-like structures that stick to the brush. So lesson learned: if you want to franken-polish your nail colors, please make sure they are of the same kind.

My painted fingers

I currently use this Franken-P on my toes. The shade is so beautiful and it looks so feminine on my toe nails. Strangely, I have no urge to wear dark colors lately. I have enjoyed feminine pastels. But don't worry, as soon as they get pinker and more bridal shower-ish, I would back away. I still can't wear ye ole regular pinks at all!

And life goes on...

Last Saturday marked my 31st birthday. I can no longer call myself a young-un anymore. With a job and published articles and stuff, I feel like an old and responsible adult. Unlike the other years, this year's celebration is smaller (but with lots of food!) I didn't get as many presents but it was still fun.

Last year, I promised to myself that my life was going to be better and that I would be healthier. I did a good job to keep those promises. Looking back, I am surprised at what have improved within a year. I have realized how much I have grown and I am thankful for that.

Another thing: last year, I came very close to shutting down the blog for good a couple of times. This year, so far I don't have such impulses. Life has been good and I am thankful to still have this blog and such a wonderful readership to go with it. And by the way, My Makeup Blog turned 4 on June 30th. I could not imagine MMB to go this far when I started it. I mean, look at all the supports that I have from you guys. This is fantastic!

So thank you all for your supports and love you have been pouring into me and my blog for all these years. And here are some food pictures to satiate your thirst:

Food from the central part of Vietnam
We were so busy eating that this was the only picture I had of the food that day

Me blowing the candles
Look at all the food on the table. We ate, we really, really ate!
If you don't trust me, look at my brother's tummy on the right side of the picture :)

That's all for now. Hope you are having a nice day!

Love,
Dao xoxo

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Dot, Dot, Dash

Hi everyone,

Lately, I've read a lot of awesome nail tutorials and they make me itch as I want to do something fancy for my nails. You see, besides the occasional glitter obsession, I'm kind of a one-color nail kind of girl. But with the dotting nail trend that has been blooming lately, I couldn't wait to bust out my fancy smancy dotting tool.

Fancy, I'm telling ya. On top of that, they are free. These are the pencils I collected during my trip to China last year. Before I started, I needed to calibrate my instrument (fancy way to say dotting the pencil on paper with nail polish.) Like this:

Then, I painted my nails with a base color, placed a dot of nail polish and do my first dotting to see how it goes. Sometimes, things can go really well on paper but in real life it looks like a disaster.

Well, so far so good. The dots looked round on the nails. So I went to town with it...maybe a little bit too much :)

See, told ya! This is a cornucopia of dots and colors. Please don't mind the scar on my ring finger. I had it a couple of days ago when I was playing with my brother.

I like the "designs" on these two fingers the most. They are not designs or anything. I just went wild with the color placement but they look nice here.

After the dots were dried, I placed a clear top coat and call it a day. The pencils are comfortable to use but you have to make sure to work fast before the nail polishes used to dot gets dry. Also, you can customize the diameter of your dotting tool by sharpening it to get a smaller tip or writing it a little bit to get a bigger one.

That's all for now, folks! I'm loving the dots so far and hopefully we can work this into a regular segment. What do you think about that?

With lots of nail love,
Dao xoxo

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How to Remove Glittery Nail Polish

Hi everyone,

Do you love glittery nail polish? I do, I do, I love it very much! It sparkles, it shines, it makes my nails look very interesting. However, there's a downside to every bling: glittery nail polish are too tough to remove! As much as I tried removing them, there would be some tiny little flecks that did not want to come off. Grr!

But don't fret. You live, you learn. After wearing and removing so many layers of glittery nail polishes later, I have come up with a fail-proof method that does not make me mad when it comes to removing glittery nail polishes. I hope this trick will save you a lot of pain in the future, too.

Here's how you do it:

1. Soak a cotton pad with nail polish remover:
No, I didn't say dab, I said soak. Really soak it in, sistah! Don't skimp on the nail polish remover at all.

2. Have some pieces of tin foil/saran wrap nearby. We're gonna need it.

3. Place the cotton pad on top of your nail, then use tin foil/saran wrap to wrap around the pad, the tighter the better. Personally, I prefer saran wrap as I can get a tight wrap.

4. Repeat to the rest of the nails and wait for 5 minutes. Or go scare the kids and cats if you want to :)

5. Remove the tin foil/saran wrap and gently wipe away the glittery nail polish. It should come out easily. After removing the nail polish on all of your fingers, wash your hands and voila, you're done!

The only downside of this method is the dryness. Your cuticles and nails are going to feel like being on fire. So, once you're done washing your hands, moisturize well and if possible, wear cotton gloves and go to bed. I guess the dryness is one of the reasons I don't wear sparkly nail polishes that often anymore. However, it's still fun to do so once in a while.

That's all for now, me lovelies! If you have any other advanced Jedi tricks on how to remove glittery nail polishes, please let me know.

Have a lovely day,
Dao xoxo

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Not Another Odessa Nail Polish!

Dear Fearless Readers,

I can hear you screaming from afar, "Enough with the Odessa nail polishes already! Stop taunting us with your Vietnamese goodies! You know we can't get it!"

Yeah girls, I know, I know. But it is so good that I would feel ashamed if I don't share. You see, this Odessa nail polish here is the best:

I think it's shade number 2 in the silver capped Odessa nail polish series.
Personally, I call it "Lady Grey"

Lady Grey is a cream nail polish with high shine. This is the second time I wear it and like the other Odessa nps, it is durable.

Close up at the nails
Please forgive my goops. It's hard to pain dark colors without leaving something around the cuticles :(

Since I take it in the shade, this nail polish looks grey. However, when the sun shines on it, I can see a hint of purple. Subtle but quite amazing if you ask me.

I'm afraid I have to cut it short today. My internet has been acting weird for the last few days. I don't want it to conk out right at the moment I press publish.

Have a lovely day, my beauties!
Dao xoxo

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A Bottle of ATP Nail Polish with the Color of My Childhood

Hi everyone,

First of all, here's the joke of the day:

"A bloke walks into a pub, and asks for a pint of Adenosine Triphosphate.
The barman says "That'll be 80p (ATP) please!"
(note: 100p = £1, and ATP is short for Adenosine Triphosphate)

As a former biochemistry student, anything that has the word ATP on it would intrigue me. As a beauty blogger, nail polishes definitely get my interest. Guess what happened when I found a bottle of nail polish made by ATP? I had to buy it!

The best part about this nail polish is the color: the soft pink looks like the color of cotton candy to me. Normally, I don't wear pink nail polishes at all. The last time I wore something like this was in high school and I had to do it in hush-hush. You see, my high school had this no nail polish on your fingernails policy (although they did tolerate a clear top coat as I never got detentions while wearing top coats at all!) So, as a rebellious genius, I decided to paint my toe nails pink and since we wore closed-toe shoes, nobody but me knew my toe nails had some rad colors. However, a few close friends knew and we kept it on the down low :)

That was such a long time ago but when I saw this cotton candy nail polish made by ATP, I had to buy it and wore the heck out of it!

 I did two coats of nail polish before applying a coat of quick drying top coat. This color probably is the hardest thing I have ever applied as it tends to streak. It's a miracle that my nails don't look bad on film. I guess there's a girly side of me that I don't let out. Ever since I wore this nail polish, I kept on smiling at this nice pink color.

Durable-wise, it is as tough as nail. Today, I wanted to crack open a can with my finger nails. The job was done and the nails were not scratched. Amazing!

Last but not least, this is one of the few times my toe nails match my finger nails. This rarely happens as I always use two different colors on my hands and feet. However, this cotton candy color seems to be a good fit for both hands and feet.

So yup, I got a cotton candy nail polish from ATP and it makes me happy. It also reminds me of the mischievousness I accomplished in my childhood. I guess that's a score!

How about you? What do you think of this cotton candy color? Have you tried any similar color before?

With love,
Dao xoxo

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Nghia O'Beauty S019 and that Obnoxiously Pink Nail Polish from Odessa

Hi everyone,

I guess I'm one of those people who prefer having a pedicure over a manicure. Most of the time, my fingers are not painted while my toes endure some really interesting colors (but mostly, I prefer red.) Recently, the moon and stars synced up or something because I finally had painted fingers and toes.

The products I used are from Kem Nghia shop, a place where they sell the legendary Nghia cuticle nippers. Both are utterly cheap and after wearing them for a week, I was very happy with the results.

(L-R): Nghia O'Beauty in S019 and a nameless Odessa nail polish which I call "Obnoxiously Pink"

 First stop, let's take a look at the fingers, shall we?

The picture does not do justice to this nail polish at all. While it does look like milk with a couple drops of coffee in the picture, in real life this nail polish has a touch of pink in it. It looks almost like Revlon Pink Suede, y'know, the one Angelina Jolie used to wear. I had Pink Suede before and could not make it work at all. It was too gunky and did not spread evenly. I was so frustrated that I had to return Pink Suede.

However, Nghia O'Beauty S019 works like a charm. Not only does it spread out beautifully, it also requires only one coat. Like the S030 that I reviewed before, this one does not chip during the week that I wore it. By the end, there was some minor tip wear but that was about it.

The price? Less than a dollar! Which makes me want to stop by that shop more frequently to get more nail polishes for me :D

Secondly, the toes:

While Nghia O'Beauty is the house brand of Kem Nghia, Odessa is a product from ATP cosmetics with ingredients imported from France. It is a bit cheaper than Nghia O'Beauty but not so much for me to jump ship. I have two bottles of Odessa and the texture is the same: they are cream nail polishes that can make OPI creams run for their money.

Seriously, this cream nail polish is that good. It is shiny, easy to apply, and most importantly, it lasts and lasts. I applied two coats since the first coat looked really opaque and the shine was almost blinding. The brush is wide and thick that leaves streak-free coats after layering. Usually, I do not like creams because of the streaks. The first layer may look fine but when I put the second layer on, streaks are all over my nails. And this happened when I used OPI creams, no less!

But the only set back I have with Odessa is its drying power. I guess since it is a cream, it does not set as fast as the other one. The trick for not messing it up is to wait for the first coat to dry before applying the second one, then wait for it to dry before applying the top coat. In one of my trials, I was impatient and applied my top coat so fast. Fifteen minutes later, I opened a book and got marks all over my nails!

Last look at my toes and fingers du semaine :D

While I love both colors, the obnoxiously pink nail polish is the one that makes me smile a lot. It is a cheeky nail color. When I wear peep-toe shoes, that hint of pink is a nice surprise for those who manage to take a look at my feet.

Therefore, the tip of the day is: for those of you who work in conservative environment, wear nude colors on your fingers while reserve the bright and cheerful ones for your toes. When you take off your shoes, those bright colors will make you smile.

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Hands and Feet

Hi everyone,

This is a preview of what's coming up tomorrow. Yup, an obnoxiously bright pink nail polish on my toes and some Angelina Jolie-inspired greige for the manicure. I've been wearing these colors for a week and so far, I'm impressed!

Now, I've gotta go kick some butt with Shaun T. Gotta grove with Hip-hop Abs, yo!

Have a lovely day!
Dao xoxo

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Guest Blogger: Hot Nail Trends For 2012

Hi everybody,


Today, My Makeup Blog has an honor to welcome guess blogger Aleya. She writes the blog for LI Beauty School which is a beauty school college and Hair Design Institute which is a hair and makeup school with locations throughout New York and Florida. I hope you will enjoy her post. Take it away, Aleya!


The New Year is right around the corner but the nail trends that are going to be in style in the coming year are already being worn by women of all ages. The good news is that there’s something for everyone. The bad news is that there’s going to be so much to choose from you won’t know where to begin.

REDS

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Whether it’s a true red or a dark wine shade, red is in the forefront of nail polish colors this season. Although it’s gorgeous and sophisticated on its own, you can make it even more personal by doing a red French mani or applying some fun nail art to it.

NUDES

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Take inspiration from the seventies and paint your nails in a sultry nude tone. There are dozens of shades to choose from that are more conventional. But if you want to give your color a kick try a metallic nude or add sparkles to your polish.

 METALLICS

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Gold, silver, copper and chrome aren’t the only metallic colors were seeing in the streets. Just about any color can be found in a metallic version so go ahead and get creative with your look. Midnight navy in metallic, bordeaux and turquoise are some of my favorites. Get out there and try a few metallic polishes to see which ones you love.

GLITZY 

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I don’t know a single girl who doesn’t love sparkly polish and this season you can find more variety than ever before. These polishes are surprisingly easy to apply and remove and have the same lifespan as your average polish. They’re also pleasantly uplifting and great to wear for festive occasions such as the holidays and New Years.

MOON MANICURES

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Otherwise known as reverse French manicures this design has been around for a few seasons now and shows no sign of slowing down. Basically you have to draw the moon shape at the top of the nail bed instead of at the tip. Don’t forget to use two colors that pop such as red and purple to really nail down the look. It’s edgy, it’s fun and it’s worth trying out at least once.

LONG AND ROUND

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Many women prefer to file their nails down in a square shape but if you’re up to a change try letting your nails grow super long. Once that’s done make them round and add some polish. It’s a look that’s gaining in popularity amongst celebrities such as Adele and Rhianna and it won’t be too long before you start seeing more and more women trying it out in everyday life.

So now all you have to do is decide which one you want to try out first and where you want to go from there. Don’t be afraid to try new things as you may be surprised by what you end up loving. Have fun and stay beautiful.

Thank you, Aleya, for the wonderful post! Readers, what do you think? What nail trend tickers your fancy? Let me know in the comment section, ok?

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Post-Christmas Loot

Hi everyone,

Boxing Day was yesterday and I had my intention to blog. When I sat down and revved up my blogging engine (aka Blogger), poof went le internet. For a whole day, we didn't have internet. It was rough, y'all!

Anyways, I've been shopping my heart out lately because (a) it's the holiday season and (b) I need some stuff, mostly shoes. Finding a pair of size 8 shoes in Vietnam is harder than finding gold. I went to many, many shops and tried on hundred pairs of shoes to get only two. Same thing with clothes, although I have better luck with them now that I'm slimming down a little bit.

Talking about losing weight, I had 2 wisdom teeth taken out earlier this month and seriously, for the month of December, all I have been eating was soup and lots of it. Needless to say, my stomach has shrunk and now, a lot of clothes I bought earlier during the year are looser. I'm determined to exercise again to keep the weight off for good and I do believe combining exercise and diet is a good way to go.

Anyways, here are what I got:

I bought this pair a while back (since July, I think) but I never got a chance to showcase it. Lovely shoes with 3 different leather textures (regular, faux croc, and suede.) Haven't even worn them outside yet.

My cutie pair of flats!
This is a habit I gained since my lab days. Beside sneakers, which are neither cute nor dressy, flats are the most comfortable type of shoes I was allowed to wear in the lab since I can only wear close-toe shoes with no heels.
I tried on about a dozen pairs of shoes before finding this one. Literally praised the Lord for getting me to them!

Close-up at the bows

Next stop: Crocs! The most comfortable pair of shoes ever! The heels are so cushy that I feel like walking on marshmallows!

Got this pair for mi madre. She likes it, I think :)

Two nail polishes from Odessa, an eyelash curler from The Face Shop, and 3W Clinic eyeliner (reviewed here.)
This loot was purchased before Christmas, btw

After getting my Odessa nail polishes, I've come to realize OPI is the greatest rip off ever! I mean, at $9 USD a bottle, the OPI is no better than the Odessa. Maybe the color selection is wider but quality-wise, the Odessa is just as good as the OPI. And you know how much the former costs? 60 cents. No kidding whatsoever!

Right now, I'm wearing the hot pink color on my toes and it makes me smile. That obnoxious neon pink nail polish is cheesy as hell but it's also a good mood booster. You can't take yourself too serious when you wear hot pink, right?

Our Buche de Noel from Givral. You can't say you have cake until you try their butter cream toppings (yup, the white, fluffy stuff around the cake.) It's light, fluffy, and not intensely sweet. I wish to have another bite.

Last but not least, meee!

This is how I looked on Christmas Eve.
The ultra-sharp winged liner was done using the 3W liner. Gosh, I can't love it enough!

No foundation and sweating through the pores!
I do look different at various angles :D

I enjoyed my Christmas very much. It's amazing how much has changed since last year. It's been so long since I had Christmas in my own home that I almost forgot how it felt. Now, I can say that it felt good.

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