Matte About Beet

Heya frugies,

Trying to get the most out of gorgeous jewel tones this wintery season before it becomes off-trend, I revisited a Joe Fresh polish in Beet and Essie's Matte About You top coat to create this:

This easy peasy manicure was accomplished using two coats of Joe Fresh polish in Beet, a deep reddish-purple colour, then mattified using one of the best matte top coats on the market, Essie's Matte About You. Not only does this matte top coat mattify the pigmented polish underneath, but it gives my nail an unbelievable satin-textured finish!

If you've been curious to try a matte manicure, I say go for it! It's so much fun!

I'd love to see your matte creations. Leave me a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by,

yvrfrugalista

Frosted Ombre Nails

Heya frugies,

If you follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter, then you might have noticed that I've shared 3 new manicures without updating my blog here. Many apologies.

Without further ado, here's my subtle froster ombre nails:

No special tools (e.g. sponges, fan brushes, etc.) were used in the making of this manicure. I started with 2 coats of e.l.f. polish in Innocent. Then to achieve the frosted ombre look, I simply used an ancient bottle of Earth Colour (the now-defunct cosmetics arm of clothing label Esprit) in Golden Sand to paint on the ombre by concentrating on the tips of my nails then working the brush half way down my nail.

Viola, simple, yet different.

Do you have different ways of doing ombre nails? If so, share them with me in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by,

yvrfrugalista

New Year, New Me?

Heya frugies,

Welp,... the world evidently didn't come to an apocalyptic end on 12/21/2012! But I think something did happen. Some theorists believe that 12/21/2012 marked the turning of a new universal leaf, that we've entered a new era of spiritual enlightenment, and that it's the coming of "a new." Since 12/21/2012 I can vouch for my observation of strange behaviours from individuals that I would have never expected in a million years, myself included, which may explain why I came to give myself this manicure:

Not normally one for cutesy designs, I sat down to experiment with one of my new French tip nail image plates and arrived at this Hello Kitty-inspired manicure! Whodathunkit?

But if you are one for uber cute nail designs, this look can be yours! Use two coats of Joe Fresh polish in Petal (a pale pink shade) as a base colour. Then using Konad special polish in White and fauxnad nail plate M49, crown each nail with a polka dotted French tip. For the finishing touch, use e.l.f. polish in Medium Red to add a bow from plate QA5.

Have you experienced an inexplicable shift in consciousness or the world around you? Have you done something lately that surprises even you? Tell me about it!

Thanks for stopping by,
yvrfrugalista

Bye bye, 2012

Heya frugies,

Last post of 2012! Just quickly wanted to show you some glittery and girly New Year's Eve appropriate nails.

This adorable heart-shaped bottle of pink glittery polish came by way of a very thoughtful friend from whom visited Hong Kong-based cosmetics chain Sasa. To really get this polish to pack a punch, I used one base coat of e.l.f. polish in Lilac that came as a three-piece set called Vacation Trio. (The other two in the trio are a shade called Mint and another shade called Purple Punk.)

Now I'm ready to dance the night away to ring in the new year! What are you doing this New Year's Eve?

Thanks for stopping by,
yvrfrugalista

Merry Christmas

Heya frugies,

You know when you've been doing too much gift wrapping when your manicure is inspired by wrapping paper!

Without further ado, this manicure was made possible by deeply pigmented polishes by Joe Fresh and e.l.f. Each nail has 2 coats of Joe Fresh polish in Sun Kissed, a neutral gold colour that flatters every skin tone. From left to right:

• Bundle Monster BM321 pine tree in Joe Fresh Hunter Green
• Bundle Monster BM318 oblong ornament in e.l.f. Dark Red
• Bundle Monster BM316 wrapped gift in Joe Fresh Hunter Green
• Bundle Monster BM320 round ornament in e.l.f. Dark Red
• Bundle Monster BM318 snowman in Joe Fresh Hunter Green

Using the smaller end of the double-ended Konad stamper, this patterned manicure was surprisingly easy to do! Never did I think I would graduate from the full-nail designs. :-)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thanks for stopping by,

yvrfrugalista

And Snow It Did!

Heya frugies,

Exciting day! Joe Fresh shared my holiday nails on Twitter and Instagram! This is a truly exciting development for little ol' me as I do not assume any endorsed affiliation with the brands mentioned here on my blog. To be recognized by a leading, Canadian, fashion brand like Joe Fresh for my creativity is really an honour.

As Murphy's Law would dictate, as soon as I post that Vancouver doesn't usually get snow until January, a cold front blew in and we were blanketed by a few centimetres of snow. What does one do when one is handed snow? Make snowmen, of course (LOL)!

I used two coats of e.l.f. polish in Teal Blue as the base colour; a teal that has more of a green undertone than blue. Then, using Konad special polish in White and Bundle Monster image plate BM318, I stamped on one snowman per nail. To fill in the blank space on my thumb, I used the small snowflake design on BM319.

Normally I'm not one for cartoonish designs but I think this one turned out very cute! What do you think? Share with me your thoughts on your favourite nail stamping designs in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by,
yvrfrugalista

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Heya frugies,

In Vancouver, we don't normally see snow until January. But as of late, two out of three days, we've been seeing wet snow. Holiday colours and seasonal weather has prompted my inspiration for a festive manicure.

Two coats of e.l.f. polish in Medium Red served as my base colour. (Unfortunately, I don't believe this colour is available anymore. But I do recommend you give e.l.f. polishes a try if you haven't already because their formula is absolutely lovely. At $2 a bottle, it won't break the bank!) Then using Konad special polish in White, I stamped on the snowflake pattern found on Bundle Monster's BM323 image plate.

This nail design reminds me of nordic and fair isle sweaters! I may have to repeat this design using a different coloured base to emote a colder weather pattern. ;-) Hope you stay tuned!

What does this manicure remind you of, if anything? I'd love to see your holiday inspired manicures too! Leave comments and/or links to your blog below.

Thanks for stopping by,
yvrfrugalista