My current nail care routine and a nail oath

Hi dolls

I have constantly been wearing nail polish for the last months.There were only a few days I allowed my nails to be bare and get a fair share of oxygen,which is not optimal.So I made an oath : No colored nail polish for at least 14 days,more intensive nail care routines and a proper nail strengthening treatment.


For a nail hardener to really work you have to follow a routine : Apply,leave on for 2 days,remove ,one day break and re-apply.But you shouldn't use a nail strengthener more than 2-3 weeks,you have to switch after.Especially the nail hardeners that don't have hydrating ingredients should not be used for more than 2 weeks,because you will end up with rock-hard,dry nails very prone to chipping.I use the essence Ultra Strong Nail Hardener and the Dido Nail hardener.The essence one does a fabulous job at hardening and the Dido one is very rich in nutrients and hydrating substances.

On the days I wear nothing at all on my nails I try to apply as much hand cream,balms,cuticle oils and olive oil lotion as possible.
Oriflame makes a wonderful Apricot and white tea hand and nail cream,which gets absorbed pretty fast and helps the nails to stay hydrated.The nail care products from essence are also a must-have,because they contain a lot of wonderful natural nail strengtheners and substances that help the nail to grow.

It actually doesn't need to be a hand-cream,because any body lotion or any moisturizer will make your nails and cuticles a lot happier.
For the night I have a special lotion,which is a cheap-ass moisturizer from the supermarket (60 cents) mixed 2:1 with olive oil.I apply this lotion,put on some latex gloves and sleep.This is one of the best ways to give your nails tons of nutrients and moisture.

Dolls,I am sorry I won't show you any fancy nail art on my nails,you will see some of the experimental looks I do on fake nails :D

It is quite amazing to see how much the condition of my nails has improved even after a few days.

Products listed :
Essence cuticle oil-discontinued
Essence nail care balm
Essence Ultra Strong Nail hardener -discontinued in the bottle,now available in click-pen form
Dido Nail hardener
Oriflame Apricot and white tea hand and nail cream
Supermarket brand moisturizer mixed with olive oil

Do you have any nail-holy grail-products I should know about?????



Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Elegant Glitter flower floral nail art design

Hi dolls

Did I ever tell you that I hate occasions where you have to tone down make up and nails???
I wanted something really flashy for my nails,but then this lame lame lame occasion popped up and I have to do something more plane-jane. -_- Yes.
Of course I could just paint my nails with one color and be safe and classy.....But that wouldn't be fun.So I decided to do some simple glitter flowers on a purple-blue-gray background and screw the attempt to look normal.
It's always so uncomfortable to be normal,because pretending is not my favorite thing to do.

Later I will also show you the make up I have planned for tomorrow's lame occasion :D

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Floral Poppy Flower Nail art design (one stroke attempt)

Hi dolls

It's kind of late,but I wanted to do some nail art because I have bought a brush for the 'one stroke' technique.Sadly it's not soft enough.
One stroke technique enables you to apply 2 colors in one stroke and this way you can create more realistic flowers,leafs and ombre/fade effect designs.
It was my first try,so it's not even close to the real deal,but we will eventually get there :)
The brush was only 50 cents,so it's no big deal.I will go with a softer bristle flat brush the next time.
I also need new acrylic paints! My pack of 12 colors is almost finished.
Here is my first one stroke attempt :

Huggies and good night
Cookingchinchillas

Hell's Kitchen Logo Nail Art design

Hi dolls

Since my faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavorite tv show ever is currently airing,I had to do a nail art design.
It's not the most original design I have ever done,but I certainly love the flames and the holo glitter background.

Hope you like it a little dolls!

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Rose hip berry leaf tree nail art design

Hi dolls

Today I had nothing much to do,except resting my knee and sitting around,so I had pleeeenty of time to play around with nail art,which was fun and it made the time pass by faster.The design is a tree of some sort with green leafs and berries or maybe rose hips,I really don't know what it is resembling.
And asking the chinchilla was not a big help either.....So if you have an idea what the design could be named,let me know.

Have a great day dollies

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Gradient Fade Effect Ombre Nail Art Tutorial

Hi dolls!


In the little survey that I had done a few weeks ago a lot of you wanted to see a fade-effect,gradient,ombre (however you want to call it).
When I did the steampunk/Goth cross nail art with the 110 rhinestones,I totally forgot to take pictures of the gradient effect.*slaps herself*


Fade effect nail art is pretty easy,and it can be done with a lot of colors and nail polish types.And if you have a badly pigmented nail polish/holo top coat you can use it now.
You need:
1 background color
3 or 4 colors from the same color family
1 make up sponge
topcoat 
tissue
cotton swaps 
polish remover

Apply your background color and let it fully dry

You should have 3-4 colors from the same family.The polish with the worst pigmentation will be number 1

Apply a thin coat of number 1 to the edge of a make up sponge

Apply a thin coat of number 1 by lightly dabbing the sponge's edge onto your nail.The red dots show you how deep you can blend the polish.*Dry 5 min*

Now use the clean edge of the sponge and apply number 2 on your nails.You want to avoid creating harsh lines

Number 3.....

Number 4 the darkest color on the very tip,blend well.

Clean up the mess with a cotton swap and some polish remover and add 2 coats of quick dry topcoat.

Some sponges sometimes crumble and leave 1-2 spongy crumbs on your nail.Remove them with a pair of tweezers or a toothpick.


Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Gothic Steam punk Nail art Rhinestone cross

Hi dolls

Tomorrow it's the anniversary of a very special person's death,I am not able to go to the memory celebration,so I thought I would remember that special person my way.She was very religious,but she never said anything bad to me,she never judged or preached.
This person will always keep a special place in my heart,because she was the one who embraced that weird German Gothic Girl and she was very eager to teach me the Greek language.<3

I think a extravagant cross would be something she would enjoy.
Applying 110 rhinestones was quite a meditation process,but I put treasured memories into each rhinestone.
Before I get all emotional and mess up my make up,I should post the picture.

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Devil and Angel Nail Art Design

Hi dolls

Today's Nail art is inspired by the 69 Eyes.They sing about devils and angels,the eternal struggle of good and evil.
I was really happy to remove the leo-print nails,because I am not a fan of animal prints,but hey they looked okay.
The golden lovie polish that I used for a background really has become my favorite out of the bunch,because it is so pigmented and applies so effortless.

I loooove lazy days by the way: sleeping in till 11,eating a nice lunch and enjoying the comfort of your own home.


What do you like to do on lazy days???(Well apart from being lazy XD)

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Quick Leopard print nails

Hi dollies

Once again I was in need for a quick nail art and it had to be purple toned,because I am invited to a purple themed event.I told the host,that I will ignore the purple dress code,but nails and make up will be as purple as a Goth can bare.She wasn't happy,but hey I don't change my ways for anybody.

In 2 days I will do a proper nail art :)
{Edit: The leoprint was a bit too boring,so I added flat rhinestones.]
Huggies dolls

Cookingchinchillas

70's Flower Power Hippie Nails +a rant

Hi dolls

When I am in a bad mood,glitter always cheers me up.Well more the mess loose glitter creates.
There is nothing more beautiful than little glitter particles flying through the air.
My mood wasn't that bad ,but I was quite bummed when I woke up to a different living room.Mother in law make-over.She draped red and gold synthetic fabric over every chair and sofa possible.If she knew how to open the chinchilla cage,she would have continued there....
Since it was morning,I didn't waste my energy on throwing a fit,I just said :"Whatever" -Telos panton in Greek.
I don't need to explain you that I ripped off the red mess the minute she left.
To get my mind back into a happy state,I created a huge glitter mess with my favorite duochrome fine green glitter.
Here is the result :)
Quick flowers on a dark dark blue background with flowers consisting of nothing more than dots.After the last nail art that took forever,I wasn't interested in spending hours on nail art again.

Huggies+ Gliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittter for you all

Cookingchinchillas

Island Beach Nail Art design

Hi dolls

Here is today's nail art design,which was inspired by the beach.Only base coat,background color and top coat are done with nail polish.I painted the rest with acrylic paints.It was quite a test for my patience.Especially the palm tree drove me mad for obvious reasons.
I will try to keep this design as long as possible,because it would be a pity to remove 3 hours of work with a cotton ball.

Hope you like it dollies <3
I should probably add a daylight picture tomorrow!

Huggies +Love
Cookingchinchillas


Edit : Here is the outdoor picture :)

Chinchilla Nail art design

Hi dolls

Our chinchilla thinks he is a superstar,no question.Over the last past days he was demanding to have his portrait painted by an artist.But that's a little too much.So I promised him I would paint 10 portraits of him on my nails.
Thank god he agreed,because he would have taken revenge by chewing furniture or humping my 'good' shoes.

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Black Bird Nail Art Design

Hi dolls

Black Birds are one of my favorite birds,because through out my childhood I saw them everyday in our Garden being funny and singing their characteristic song.
So when I dreamed about a black bird last night I couldn't get them out of my mind.Dedicating a nail art to them is the least I could do to remember those cute fellows.
No,and I don't just like them because they are black >_>  They are comedians !

Since the stupid picture upload is doing weird things again,click on the thumbnail to enlarge




What animal should I do next????


Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Crazy Abstract Swirls Nail Art Design

Hello Dolls!

I needed a fancy nail art QUICKLY and it had to be totally unique..
In my lizard nail design I used 2 thick layers of white with green on top to create that three dimensional effect.
The background is pearl white with a blue fade effect and blue/silver glitter.
The essence better than gel nails top sealer is really great for drying multiple layers of polish very quickly.I applied one coat after each step and my nails were try to the touch 20 minutes later.
And another 10 minutes later they were completely dry.

Hope you like it dolls!

I'm treating myself with a mini bottle of champagne,because today I just felt like sipping (cheap) champagne from a fancy glass and listen to Lacrimas Profundere.


Good night dolls <3
Have a great day tomorrow

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Ice cream cone nail art design

Hi dollies

Since it is so hot outside,I thought I would do a really summery nail art.The background is done with normal nail polish and the ice cream cones were done with acrylic paint mixed with rubbing alcohol.And because I haven't used any rhinestones lately I thought a rhinestone would be cute as a cherry.
What do you think dolls?Any ideas for the next nail art??

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Yet another swirl nail art design.

Hi dolls

Usually I don't do french manicure on myself,even if I have a really formal event coming up.But this weekend with all the work I said to myself:"Whatever,use a fun holo-glitter polish and you are good to go"
Then last night the big french manicure depression started and I had to transform it asap with some swirls.

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Cute Mushroom Daisy Nail Art Design

Hi dolls


I got a few new detailing brushes from the craft store.Great Bargain: 5 brushes for 2 Euros.And the fine brushes are so great for nail art,because they are synthetic.
The background is normal nail polish and the grass,mushrooms and daisies are done with acrylic paints.
I dip my brush in rubbing alcohol instead of water.This makes the acrylic paint adhere to the nail polish surface better.
Here is the design:

It was a little time consuming,but thankfully acrylic paints dry ultra fast.
Now I shall add top sealer and be a couch-potato-chinchilla ......Good night dolls,have a fabulous day!
<3
Cookingchinchillas

Gosh Flakie Nail Laquer 546 Rainbow

Hi dolls,

I know I had previously shown this polish but back then I just used it over an existing manicure.
So here is the polish with a black base.
It took me 35 failed photos to show off the effect.
This is the only polish I wear without nail art.

Huggies
CookingChins

Easy flower Nail Art Design

Hi dolls

First of all :"Wow!" I wasn't expecting that soo many people participate in the give away.I was refreshing the google doc page over and over and couldn't believe my eyes.This really made my day!
Thank you so much for participating!


Yesterday's manicure was something quick and easy.
The golden Lovie Nail polish has become my new favorite because it is so pigmented,long lasting,quick drying and fabulous.

The design consists of squiggly lines and a few dots,that's all.It took me like 10 minutes.

Huggies
Cookingchinchillas

Ladybug Nail Art

Hi dolls

So it was Natalie's idea to do Ladybug-nail art and of course I loved the idea,because ladybugs are so darn cute.

Here is the design :) Hi Naaat!

Tomorrow I will start the give away *Yuuuupie!*

Huggies and lots of Love