Christmas Tree Nail Art

So I decided to do some simple but pretty christmas trees. 

To start use a gold or nude like base colour

(I used Revlon's Gold Coin)

To make the trees I used tape to make triangles but you could also use a paint brush. 

Make sure to apply the tape when the base is completely dry.

Then paint the triangles green. 

(I used Icing's Electric Emerald)

 Remove the tape when the green is still wet.

Now time to add some lights to your tree. Grab a glitter or sparkly polish and paint it on the tree.

Now time for the star on the tree. If you have a small decal or gem you can use that or you can just use a small paint dot at the top of the triangle.

Now you're done don't forget to finish with a top coat to protect your design.

Have fun :)

DIY Hand Scrub

So this Christmas I found what I should get for all the girls in my life. I saw a make your own hand scrub video on youtube by cutepolish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6phnnzno8m4. It inspired me to make some.

So I tried what she made (sugar [exfoliant], olive oil [moisturizer], lemon juice [skin brightener]) but it smelt like greek salad dressing...lol if you don't mind the smell it works well (ie. good for your feet :) ). So I did some research and found coconut oil works. So I bought some essential oils (rosewood bergamont, orange, lavender), coconut oil and some 3/4 cup jars from a local Fields.

Mixing that with sugar worked really well, but I started to notice my hands were a bit dry after using it. So after some more research I found that coconut oil dries the skin a bit... *sigh* and I thought I was done.

So back to the internet...I found that vitamin E oil works as a moisturizer. Vitamin E oil is so weird (and expensive). Its really thick, goopy and a bit sticky. My theory is that it forms a layer on our skin and just traps all the moister from escaping.

So I added this oil to the mixture and after trying it I found that it worked well.

So I decided to go farther and just make it a mini hand spa present :) I had quite a few polishes I had bought that I either didn't like, or I had bought as a present. So I added a polish (for each specific person) and then I went to the Bath and Body Works in my mall and got each one a mini hand lotion.

Muse: Rosewood, Bergamont

Lavender

Orange

So I bought 3 different scents. Each one smelt amazing, personally the orange is the best scent

So depending on which of the 3 scents I used I used a different colour (so I knew which was which)

So then I needed something to scoop it out with. I had a natural hand scrub I had bought from a naturists store and it had this little wooden spoon. I flirted briefly with the idea of getting my dad to help me cut some small bricks of wood and then helping me get started chiseling out the shape.

Luckily my mom is smarter than me and suggested I buy some little serving spoons from Value Village, I went in and found some souvenir spoons instead which I prefer. Since I could try and personalize it to whoever was getting it, like for my grandmother I gave her the spoon with a tiny needlework flower done on the handle and for my best friend one from Ireland since she and one of her friends is sorta trying to plan to go.

So I made 9 separate same yet at the same time individualized mini hand spas
-Best friend 1
-Best friend 2
-Girl Guide Secret Santa
-Work Secret Santa
-Mom
-Honorary Aunt 1
-Grandmother
-Friend
-Honorary Aunt 2

I am very pleased with how this worked out. One told me that their "old lady looking hands are starting to look healthy". That made my day :)

Now if only all my presents could be this awesome...

Lol I really wanted to add some coloring to make it look fun but I didn't want to risk dying peoples hands...