Nails by Asami

Hey, gang! I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will be traveling, moving, and then settling in all over again, this time to Hawaii. I super hate Pennsylvania so I'm really glad to be getting out of here. Alfredo and I have decided to break up; over the last year or so we've completely fallen out of love and even though we're still best friends, we'd rather move on than stay together comfortable but unhappy. It would be the easy thing to do to just continue living together like great roommates who aren't in love anymore, but we both deserve better than that and we're finally admitting that we're not actually all that compatible.

Nobody's heartbroken, nobody's angry, and really nobody is even all that upset, so please none of that, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it," business. It's getting old and it's putting a damper on all my excitement. Anyway, in terms of the blog, I WILL be returning to blogging, it is still a very much loved hobby of mine, but I need to ask you for another hiatus while I put my life back together. Alfredo and I have been a couple for literally our entire adult lives, so it's going to be a huge adjustment for both of us. I'll be relaunching my blog and I'm really looking forward to that, I have a ton of ideas for posts and I'll let you know as soon as it's ready to go! :-)

Much love,
Asami.

It's nice to be back! Things are a little under construction at the moment as I've been working on a redesign of my blog. Thanks for sticking with me in the meantime and feel free to address the question in the video if you're thinking of starting your own nail blog.

Sephora shared some amusing photos on Facebook today in an album titled, "The Big Reveal," displaying the contents of staff member makeup bags. I got a kick out of this for some reason; there's something so tag-like about it, so "what's in my purse" that I thought it would be a fun little thing to post myself.

(In my "What's in My Purse" video there aren't any makeup items other than a backup neutral lip balm and a tiny pot of Mineral Veil. This is because what I carry with me is constantly changing. I wear a different lip product everyday, adding it to my bag, and when my makeup bag gets full I put everything back and start all over. Items like eyeshadow or foundation I apply before I leave the house and have no reason to bring with me.)



What's shown in the photo is everything that was in my makeup bag at the time I decided to post this.

1. Badger Cuticle Care.
2. Korres Lip Butter in "Quince."
3. Nivea "A Kiss of Smoothness" Hydrating Lip Care.
4. Philosophy Candy Cane Lip Shine.
5. Buxom Lips in "Trixie."
6. Clinique Almost Lipstick in "Black Honey."
7. Eyeko London Lips in "Mayfair."
8. Kolinsky Lip Brush.
9. Eyeko Fat Balm in "Strawberry." (Swatches.)
10. Shiseido Maquillage in "PK386."
11. Maybelline Japan Water Shine Lipstick in "216."



If you have been tagged and would like to participate, simply snap a photo of your makeup bag contents, list the items and finish by tagging a few fellow bloggers of your choice. This tag is about what you're carrying with you right now, not necessarily what your favorites are.

There are a handful of nail polishes that I associate with certain holidays or events, be it because of their name like, "Happy Birthday" or simply because I wear the same nail polish every single year like, "Don't Toy with Me!" and in my mind they become fastened together.

One of these polishes for me is China Glaze "Four Leaf Clover." I consider it to be the quintessential St. Patrick's Day nail polish.



"Four Leaf Clover" could not be more perfectly named, and it's so fitting to say on St. Patrick's day whenever somebody asks you what polish you're wearing. It's bright and eye-catching enough that no one would dare pinch you for a lack of green.



Pictured is two coats.

It's such a bold, intensely pigmented kelly green that "Four Leaf Clover" is actually quite notorious in the nail blogging world for being incredibly temperamental to photograph. Because this polish contains so much vivid pigment I always double basecoat with this shade, (something I also do for all reds regardless of brand just to prevent any staining that might occur from wearing such intense color.)



Kelly green always looks beautiful with gold, especially for St. Patrick's Day, so in place of a regular topcoat I chose to use Sephora by OPI's "Only Gold for Me" sheer topper instead. I love sheer toppers and "Only Gold for Me" is one of my absolute favorites. My nails look like a generous scattering of leprechaun gold over some lush, spring grass.

What polish are you wearing for St. Patrick's day?

I was unofficially tagged by Kellie Gonzo to post a very interesting tag centered around handwriting.



If you have been tagged by me, here is what to write:

[1] Who tagged you?
[2] What is your name and the name of your blog?
[3] Write the following sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
[4] Write your favorite quote.
[5] What is your favorite book?
[6] What is your favorite television show?
[7] What are some bands or musicians you especially enjoy?
[8] Please tag some bloggers of your choice.



I have always harbored a tremendous and intense love for pens, stationary supplies, journals, daily planners, handwritten letters and the art of handwriting so this tag greatly appealed to me. Please let me know if you take this tag as I would love to see your handwriting as well!

You know those polishes that look bland or uninteresting in the bottle, but for some reason or another you get a hold of one, and once you try it on you end up surprising yourself by absolutely loving it?

Adorée "Malibu Beach" is definitely one of those polishes for me, and I'm sure this has happened to every nail blogger at some point. I considered it a "boring" polish and only put it on to swatch, but as soon as I had it on my fingertips I couldn't help but love its simple and clean effect. I have absolutely no idea why, as I don't usually wear a lot of nude polishes, but I'm so infatuated with "Malibu Beach" and I feel like you guys are going to think I'm crazy for it.



I don't know! I can't explain it! It's totally "mannequin hands," so work appropriate, so plain and understated but I just love it. I just do.

"Malibu Beach" is truly a jelly version of Eyeko "Nude Polish" and I think we all know how I feel about jellies. (i.e. wholly insatiable craving.)

Adorée polishes are available from Esther's Nail Center for $6. Thank you very much to Thresa for sending me "Malibu Beach" to swatch; I will definitely be wearing this one often.



Peach polishes are normally a questionable color for me but because "Malibu Beach" is so deeply muted it ends up working well with my skintone. I know it's not the most exiting color in the world, and honestly it still looks dull to me in the bottle, and I can't believe I'm even saying this myself, but out of all the Adorée polishes I own this one is totally my favorite.

This is officially my new "palette cleanser" for when I'm feeling completely oversaturated by bright, bold or glitter-heavy shades.

I've been very concerned with conditioning my lashes this past year and it's nice to show off their length with a fresh new mascara!



Eyeko "Big Eyes" Mascara is packaged in a squeezable tube as opposed to a solid tube, which is nice because it allows you to mix up the product a bit and fully coat the brush. As your mascara ages, it's nice to be able to access every last bit of the product with packaging like this. (When it comes to eyeshadow primer, I actually prefer Too Faced "Eyeshadow Insurance" to Urban Decay "Primer Potion" for this exact same reason.)

I would like to say thank you very much to Sophie for providing me with this mascara so I could give it a try. I love testing out new things, especially makeup.



Here is a close-up so you can get a good look at the texture and color of "Big Eyes."



The formula contains vitamin B to help prevent dryness and lash breakage, which in turn promotes growth.



After wearing this mascara for the past fourteen hours I think the best thing about it is that I had absolutely no issues with flaking or smudging. It definitely holds up very well.



The wand is small, which I like, as large wands make it difficult for me to reach tiny corner lashes or lower lashes.



Here are my lashes after having applied Eyeko "Big Eyes."

I love the staying power of "Big Eyes" most, and the fact that it does not smudge. I do consider combing through with a lash comb necessary however, in order to separate clumps. It is a very deep black which I am fond of, and I like the inclusion of vitamin B. All in all, as long as you have a lash comb, it's a mascara very much worth wearing and it's lengthening abilities are quite significant!

I’m sharing swatches of the two Eyeko Fat Balms I own today. They were recently reformulated to include SPF 15 and a few new colors were unveiled so I purchased two several weeks ago. I’m a huge lip product junkie so when a brand comes out with a new lipstick, tinted lip balm or lipgloss I’m immediately interested!



I bought Strawberry and Cherry.

These are $10 each and are namesake-scented. I tend to like tinted lip balms more than lipsticks as they are more moisturizing.



Here are the Fat Balms on bare skin. I love Strawberry the most; it’s a lovely color tint that looks really natural on and it also happens to be their best seller.

Cherry ended up being surprisingly pigmented, so if you’re timid about getting into bold red lipstick it would be a great product to start you off in that direction.



(My bare lips with no added color for comparison.)



Strawberry, my favorite!



Cherry, very pigmented for a lip balm! It's sort of an "almost lipstick."

Eyeko has two different three-for-two sets of Fat Balms here and here, so if you wanted three different colors you could save $10. (I would have gone that route but unfortunately the two I wanted the most were in opposite sets.)



Do you like tinted lip balms too?

Dill pickle, really! Don't you just love that?



Adorée "Dill Pickle" is a light yellow-toned green with a slight chrome finish. Pictured is four coats as this polish is quite sheer. You could certainly wear this polish translucent at one coat if you prefer, but I generally favor building polishes up to full opacity.

Adorée polishes are available from Esther's Nail Center for $6. Thank you very much to Thresa for sending me "Dill Pickle" to swatch.



Do you own any polishes that have especially unusual names like "Dill Pickle?"

I was in the mood to wear something simple and delicate recently, something with a touch of doily-like detailing but still very classic.



I ended up applying a traditional white French manicure with an added suggestion of white lace to make the transition from nude to white less severe.

Begin by applying your white tips in whatever method you prefer; (my personal favorite are Nailene's Perfect Tips French manicure guideline stickers.) Next, simply draw on your half-loops with a nail art pen or acrylic craft paint, (I used Delta Ceramcoat,) and a tiny paintbrush. This is a continuous "m" motion that touches the line where your tips begin. It is fast and easy once you get started.

Using a dotting tool or makeshift dotting tool such as an unbent paperclip, dip into your acrylic craft paint or white nail polish and add a line of dots above your lace detailing.

Finish with the French manicure topper of your choice, (I used Zoya "Jane,") and a coat of topcoat to protect your design.



From a distance this design appears to be very detailed but application is actually quite simple. Consider using black instead of white for a "black lace" look if you prefer.

The best thing about subtle nail art like this is that white French manicures are always work appropriate, even if you have added a bit of delicate embellishment.

Thank you very much to Jacqueline of Liquid Palisade for providing me with the bottle I used in this tutorial. Liquid Palisade costs $22 and can be purchased directly from their website.

I read the first Harry Potter book when I was eleven years old, which means Harry Potter has been a significant part of my life for the last twelve years. Fortunately this last film is being split into two because of the length of the book so I won't have to get all post-Potter depression about the end of an era for another six months or so.



Hedwig, the Harry Potter logo, a wand casting a spell and a lightning bolt.

I initially had different plans for the owl nail, but I decided to simplify him to make this Harry Potter nail art as approachable as possible. (If you follow me on Twitter then you know what I mean.) This ended up working to my advantage as simplified, I was able to apply one on my opposite hand for a more cohesive manicure.



On my other hand is another wand, Hedwig again for balance, and a symbol that you'll recognize if you're familiar with the Deathly Hallows.



Are you excited for the movie?

I love Sanrio and water decals!

Kristine from Polished Love Affair sent me the cutest Hello Kitty water decals recently! As soon as they arrived I took off the polish I had on so I could wear a cute Hello Kitty manicure instead. Thank you so much, Kristine! I love them!



I love water decals so much more than regular nail stickers, because they never have a raised or visible edge. They're almost like temporary tattoos for your nails! Some nail stickers can bubble up or refuse to conform to especially rounded nails, but water decals never have that problem.

If you have never tried water decals before and aren't sure how to apply them, I do have a Water Decal Tutorial posted that will give you an idea of how they work.



Kristine also sent me this super cute Hello Kitty nail polish along with the stickers, oh my gosh! I didn't even know they made Hello Kitty nail polish! I just had to use it at the same time as the water decals!



These are the water decals I used; I saved a lot for later too.



I thought the red hearts might not show up very well over the red polish, so I added one of my favorite sheer toppers, Zoya's "Vegas Freeze" to give the background a bit of shimmer to set it apart from the red hearts. It worked out great and if you don't have any sheer toppers yet, this is one of my favorites.

Have you tried water decals before? If so, do you prefer them to nail stickers like I do?

I wanted to share some swatches of two topcoats I've really been loving lately, Sephora by OPI's "Only Gold for Me" and "Flurry Up!"



I'm a tremendous fan of what I like to call "sheer toppers" for interesting French manicures or just to spice up plain cremes. When I get a sheer topper like this I always feel like my nail polish collection is instantly larger because of all the new combinations I can make.

When "Only Gold for Me" came out I kept obsessively checking my Sephora but it was always sold out! I asked for it so many times and eventually ended up just ordering it off their website. While I was ordering I saw they had just released a silver version, "Flurry Up!" so I got that one too.



I think these two topcoats look good over anything, even mattified. (A touch of "Flurry Up!" over Lippmann's "Lady Sings the Blues," mattified.)



Here is "Flurry Up!" over Orly "Snowcone."



This is "Only Gold for Me" over Zoya "Erika." (This shot shows just how much larger the hexagonal pieces are than standard glitter, which both polishes also contain.)



If you were really feeling Deborah Lippmann's "Some Enchanted Evening" either of these would be a great alternative because the hexagonal pieces are the same but these are much cheaper than Lippmann polishes. Plus silver and gold will go with more background colors than pink.

These are billed as topcoats so you don't need to put an additional topcoat over, they dry smooth to the touch so I just wear them as is. I spot ordinary sheer glitters all the time but these large hexagonal pieces stand out much more than standard glitter. They're large metallic embellishments and I really love them both. What do you think of these?