OMG IT'S A PANDA NAIL-ART TUTORIAL!!! Feat. Make Up Store's Dotting Tool

What happens when one of you greatest friends of all time Hana flys in for a whirl wind trip from New York City? You hang out immediately and paint each others nails obvs! But not just any nails.....THE MOST FREAKIN' ADORABLY CUTE PANDA NAILS! The design is super dooper easy to learn and you don't need to be a nail professional to master it, keep reading for my step-by-step tutorial:

1. Give your nails a good tidy up - trim your cuticles, buff and shape your nails into a rounded tip with a nail file. Then apply a base, you could use a clear polish but I prefer a nude to really make the panda pop! I used Essie St Tropez  

2. It's time to give your panda a head, for this you are going to need a white polish for the tutorial I used Rimmel Britt Manicure in Porcelin. Using the brush carefully paint a semi circle to about half way down the nail, just like in the image above. It my take two coats to become totally opaque. Then let dry for 15mins, making sure these coats are completely dry will make the next steps easier.

3. To create the ears, eyes and nose you will need to use a dotting tool with a fine end and a large end, I love this one from Make Up Store it has the perfect sized baubles to create millions of unique and totally cute nail designs. You will need a black polish for the ears, eyes and nose I used Rimmels 60's Nail polish in Black Out, pour out a tiny amount out onto a scrap piece of paper and dip the large end of the dotting tool into the black polish. Lightly dot on the ears to the top of the white semi circle. If you are unsure of how much polish will come off the dotting tool, practice dotting on the scrap paper first.

4. Now its time for the nose......omg its so cute. Dot the center of your nails at the very tip.

5. Almost done...Told you it was easy. For the eyes do two dots in the center of the semi circle and allow them to dry. Then Tipping a teensey-weensey amount of white paint onto your scrap paper and using the small end of the dotting tool do a very tiny white dot in the middle of your black dots which are the eyes. ALLOW TO DRY....and I mean really dry, give it a good 30mins before you apply a top coat. Otherwise the design will run when you apply a topcoat and your panda will be crying. Apply your favourite topcoat and enjoy having the cutest panda nails in the world!

xxx Nella

Twitter @beautegazette

Facebook HERE!

Instagram @beautegazette

Google +  +Nella van veenendaal 

Bloglovin' HERE

TUMBLR HERE

MANICURE Monday! Orly Nail Lacquer in 'Pixie Powder'

Orly Nail Lacquer in 'Pixie Powder' $18.95 available from www.orlybeauty.com.au

Orly polishes are one of my favourites, they are so easy to apply and always give a faultless finish no matter what the colour. I decided to go with 'Pixie Powder' from Orly's new Surreal collection, which is the prettiest fine glitter mix and looks like you have dipped your nails into fairy dust. From some angles it gives a translucent gold look to your nails and in direct light it is more of a moonstone pinky-purple. It is the type of polish I would have begged my mum for when I was little, shimmering pretty glittery pinks have always been my weakness and although I don't wear them often they make me so happy when I do.

What's the reason for such ritzy glittery flashy-trashy nails? Oh I am just going to a cocktail party for Jackie Collins at The Star tonight with Theresa from www.theladida.com no big deal....UMMM YES IT IS A MAJOR DEAL!

If you don't know who Joan and Jackie Collins are, well you should get to googling because they are total icons. Hopefully I will able to wrangle a photo with Jackie which would be an incredible instagram WIN.

xxx Nella

Twitter @beautegazette

Facebook HERE!

Instagram @nellavanveenendaal

Google +  +Nella van veenendaal 

Bloglovin' HERE

TUMBLR HERE

Manicure Monday: Strange Beautiful 'Dickensian' & O.P.I 'The Living Daylights'

SAXONY x Strange Beautiful 'Dickensian' set of 3 $25.00 available from www.saxony.com.au & O.P.I 'The Living Daylights' $18.95 available from www.hairhousewarehouse.com.au

Manicure Monday is officially back! I am going to stop being lazy with my nails and I am going to post every monday with something new.....I don't know what yet but there is going to be a Manicure Monday post every Monday from now on OK. (I have written that on the Internet so now I have to do it, because there are no lies on the Internet!)

I went to the most amazingly beautiful wedding last weekend, it was a celebration for my friends Jolyon and Mitch. Sadly and shamefully they cannot get married in this country, so married earlier in the year in New York. It was a lovely day and night catching up with old friends surrounded by flowers, tearful heartfelt speeches and the most out of this world cake from Hartsyard.

My dress was emerald green with black beading so I decided on a black base with gradient glitter for my nails. Applying the glitter from the base of the nail and gradating to the tip, I have been loving applying glitter this way as it chips less and is easier to remove. When choosing what to put on your nails for an event you should always choose a colour that pops from your outfit and your compliments your skin tone, if they blend in it looks washed out, boring and not as flattering.

The sunset over the harbour before the Groom and Groom arrived on a love boat!

xxx Nella

Twitter @beautegazette

Facebook HERE!

Instagram @nellavanveenendaal

Google +  +Nella van veenendaal 

Bloglovin' HERE

TUMBLR HERE

NAIL ROCK BY ZOE POCOCK

 Wahhh fan girl moment having my nails done by Nail Rock's Zoe Pocock!

I was invited to the Nail Rock Event hosted by Priceline yesterday where Zoe Pocock the creator of Nail Rock was giving manicures... how could I refuse? Nail Rock's are a lacquered sticker which seals to the nail and lasts like a polish would, and come in an amazing range of colours and designs. Zoe is in town for MBFWA (Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia) to collaborate with labels Camilla and Marc, Romance Was Born, We are Handsome & Ellery designing nails to coordinate with the collections. Whilst filing and applying my amazing Nail Rock's Zoe and I chatted she told me that the collaborations she was doing with the Australian designers will be released later in the year as collectors box sets, which is very exciting for nail addicts like me.

Zoe had a mix of new season designs and I picked the Quail Jade which is so gorgeous...slight metallic shine with navy and back marbling.

Nail Rock products are now available from Priceline www.priceline.com.au 

Now my nails are sorted for Fashion Week I just need to pick out some matching outfits!

Keep reading because there will be a Nail Rock giveaway coming up on Beauté Gazette in the next week.

xxx Nella

Twitter @beautegazette

Facebook HERE!

Instagram @nellavanveenendaal

Google +  +Nella van veenendaal 

Bloglovin' HERE

Ciaté Sequined Manicure : DIY Disco Ball Nails!

Ciaté Sequined Manicre Set $36.00 available from www.meccacosmetica.com.au

Ciaté is a UK based nail polish brand which first caught my attention (and every other girl on Pinterest) with their original 'Caviar Manicure' basically non-edible sprinkles on your nails - it was silly and really expensive....obviously sprinkles edible or not aren't going to last long on your nails unless you are the Queen of Sheba who doesn't wash the dishes or brush your own hair.

The Sequined Manicure looked slightly more wearable and practical...only slightly. The application was simple enough....I am give it a maximum wear time of 2 days at most. The finished result is quite pretty although the colours of the glitter pieces are a bit blah; red, blue, green and silver - where's the pink and gold Ciaté? If a girl wants glitter all over her nails obviously she wants the prettiest girliest glitter ever!

This is total marketing genius on Ciaté's part, and if you feel like you need this in your life like I do....I also own over 50 different lipsticks and way over 200 bottles of nail polish so what difference does a Sequined Manicure kit make. Can you re-create this look with a bottle of Clear topcoat of any brand and a little pot of glitter from the craft store? Ummmmmmmmm Duh babe!

1. Paint 1 coat of the 'Sequin Glitter Grip' allow to dry, then paint a second coat on. 'Sequin Glitter Grip' is essentially a very thick and sticky top or base coat.

2. Whist the second coat of 'Sequin Glitter Grip' is still sticky dip your nail into the pot of glitter. 

3. Pat the glitter into place on your nail and brush the excess glitter (and there will be excess glitter EVERYWHERE!) off your fingers/hands/all over your body away with the itty-bitty tiny brush.

So that is essentially all the instructions Ciaté give you, I however added a topcoat because otherwise the glitter would have lasted all of about 7 minutes.

Ciaté Sequined Manicure Kit + Kester Black 'Buttercup' + Revlon Colour Stay Topcoat

www.ciate.co.uk

Want more babbling about nails? Follow @beautegazette on twitter!

xxx Nella

NUDE NAILS 5 -WAYS! Featuring Model Co's Nude Attitude.

The perfect nude base Model Co's 'Nude Attitude' $14.95 Available from www.modelco.com.au

HALF-MOON:

A really cute update to a classic design, if you want some subtle work acceptable nail art then half-moons are the way to go. You can match any colour you like back to a nude base, try fluros for a real statement.

GEO-NAIL ART:

Not into cutsie girlie nail art? Try some non conventional geo-patterns instead the variation of patterns is endless so you can have no nail the same. I like mixing a metallic into the pattern to give a bit of depth and shimmer. 

BRIGHT TIPS:

THAT image of Nude nails with bright tips has been re-pinned about 750649200 times and then some. But I still love it! Start with your nude base and then pick 5 different brights for the tips, paint on like a regular french tip.

GLITTER BASE:

My favourite new way to apply glitter polish, pour a little bit of glitter polish onto some scrap paper and using a tooth pick dab the glitter into place covering the base completely then becoming more sparse further up the nail.

PERFECTLY POLISHED:

Nude nails are super posh, give yourself a beautiful manicure making sure to push back cuticles to elongate your nails, apply your nude and top with a super glossy top coat. Nude's never go out of fashion and will always be eternally chic!

What is your favourite nude polish? Let me know in the comments below.

xxx Nella

Beauté Gazette LOVES The Balm's Hot Ticket Nail Polish

The Balm's Hot Ticket Nail Polish $15.00 each Available at The Balm from David Jones.

www.thebalm.com

The Balm is an American brand which I have heard a little bit about from youtubers and blogs, Michelle Phan is a FAN of the eye shadow palettes but I didn't know much more about the brand. 

When testing the water with a new brand some girls pick up lipstick as their barometer, some are foundation devotees so try that out first - I always start with nail polish. This is the product I test out to see if I should buy more than one product from a brand or whether to stop right there and have a very quick pain free break-up.

I tried 2 colours from The Balm's Hot Ticket Nail Polish collection, Coral Reef-ined : a white-based coral which leans more peach with pink undertones and Magenta Disposition : a deep blue based pink which is a true magenta and doesn't stain red - also boom boom cheesy names like every other company. The Balm offers a pretty standard selection of brights with a couple of metallics and glitters but nothing crazy compared to other brands. When having a look at the consistency on the brush of Magenta Disposition on the brush before painting a friends nails it looked really thick, I applied it as I normally would and  I was absolutely AMAZED! It was completely opaque in ONE coat and it was absolutely perfect in application no streaking or clumping or drying off the brush towards the tip of the nail, the brush allowed the polish to sit neatly at the base of the nail and not run into the cuticle bed. I was totally loosing my shit by the time I finished her first hand declaring it was a 'NAIL POLISH REVOLUTION'. By the time I had finished both hands and with a careful inspection I could not get over how great the colour was and how easy it was to apply.

I expected Coral Reef-ined to fail in comparison because it is rare that all colours apply the in the same way from the one brand especially if the colour is white based which tends to streak and clot on the nail. WRONG. Coral Reef-ined was also amazing, same beautifully perfect application. 

The Balm's Hot Ticket Nail Polish are a force to be reckoned with in the nail game and are going to be my go to Pedi colours for summer! I am also now excited as to what else to try from The Balm..... I'm thinking I might pick up the liquid Eyeliner 'Shwing' which looks like it could concur my fear of un-even winged eyeliner.

Has anyone tried any other products from The Balm and been totally blown away?

www.thebalm.com

Nails Inc. 'Bag a Bachelor' + Cleo Magazine

Were you as excited as I was that there was a FREE Nails Inc. polish with this months Cleo? Too be honest the cover really didn't grab me Mila Kunis looks like a boyfriend stealing sour puss and I have no interest in the 500+ Guys revealing their deepest, darkest secrets which is what Cleo is telling us this month - lets face it I bought the magazine purely for the nail polish.

The UK based Nails Inc. is a brand previously not available in Australia and according to the website they are launching in Australia soon. They retail for £11.00 which converts to around $16.00 of FREE if you feel like buying Cleo this month FYI Cleo retails for $7.95.

'Bag a Bachelor' is a white based baby pink, which I was hoping would be comparable to OPI's 'Mod About You' sadly it is not at all comparable in anyway at all. This colour (I am going to assume it is just this colour because I have not tried any other Nails Inc polishes - and I will try a few more when I can get my hands on them) dries so slowly, it requires 3 coats to achieve an even coverage. Which is so frustrating because I so desperately wanted to love this polish and probably bough 2 more copies to have the 2 other colours available. 

Check out Nails Inc. HERE. 

Just Another Manicure Monday : Pastels and Glitter Hearts

Revlon Top Speed - Cloud 710 $4.95 + Pa Premier Lame Grande AA07 $5.00

Welcome to 'Just Another Manicure Monday'! Cringy but what the hey, its given me an excuse to actually HAVE to paint my nails every Monday without fail.

Revlon's Cloud is an absolute chameleon of a colour - it has an extremely opaque white cast base and the colour notes aren't a lilac or a pastel blue but a perfect combination of the both. I love it underneath glitters on its own its great on your toes but looks pretty flat on your nails. There are these stores called 'Gloss' which are scattered around Sydney CDB all the Revlon polishes are $4.95!!!!!! Pa polishes are everywhere in Japan like everywhere, I got about 25 when I was there and still haven't tried half of them. But in case you haven't bought $199 Jetstar sale flights to Narita recently I found a Japanese nail polish hot spot on the top floor of Market City in Chinatown at the bargain store, they have a small range of Pa Polish.

What does this manicure say to the world? I'm pretty sure it wont get you a boyfriend, but you will feel super cute and as long as you don't wear head to toe pastels I think this is a kind of acceptable manicure for a 28 year old? Whatever, I love it!