Pretty Cupcake!

i forgot to take pictures of this set of nails done last week~
customer is nice to send me photos via email taken with her iphone!

this is a set of couple shoot nails.. her theme was retro.. and she doesnt want any crystals.
made this pretty cupcake for her.

and i added polka dot on her base as well... and also ripple ice cream! lol!

Maximum Effects, Minimum Time

Time is money, time flies.
As we get older, we find that we always don't have enough time and wish there were 48 hours in a day. For the nail tech, time is money and who really cares about all that fancy art if it takes all day to do one nail, you can't make money in the salon. Well, we can't please everybody. Art is art, art is passion, love and it is very subjective.

To have a very good technique and the artistic ability enables the technician to differentiate themselves and create a niche where they can charge higher. However, time is of great importance to the customer as they won't want to sit in your chair all day getting a masterpiece done on their nails.

So begins my mission.... to come up with the fastest way to whip up an amazing piece of art that takes no more than 15mins to create. (after training & some practice)

Together with a great product and through research and experimentation, I've now developed the training in my workshops/classes for techs to learn and master these techniques so that they can apply it to their day to day gel painting or acrylic 3D creation in the salon. Note that if you're naturally slow, you will still find a great improvement in your designs.

See below for our workshop attendees' art after just 2 days of training :

100% painted with Gel 

Note : These art are meant to be complex for training purpose.

Pastel Rainbows

am loving this set of soft pastel colours~
very pleasant to the eyes dont you think?

zero crystals on this set of nails.

handmade ribbon and coloured it with rainbow (:

Sweet Leopard

leopard print base with cutesy nail art!

bling bling thumbs!

Roses and Bears

handpainted roses and bears~
inspired by nail max!

cute polka dot base for the cute bear~

Run For The Roses - Courtesy of NAILS Magazine

NAILS Magazine - August 2011 Issue arrived at my doorstep today and pointed to a video interview that Kim Pham & Jessica Hoel did with me while we were in Orlando. Thanks ladies! It was great catching up and I had a great time xxx
Get the story here :
Run For The Roses Interview

Aussie Tour in August 2011 - Mark Your Calendar !

Australia, we are coming to your area to showcase some great techniques you can use in your salon in both gel painting, gel & acrylic design sculpture, so mark your calendar and be sure to reserve your spot as space are limited ! Click on the poster below to get the details for registration. Thank you guys !

Top2Bottom - I LOVE IT!

I need to rave about this awesome, awesome gel top coat ! It cures in LED lamp in seconds and UV Lamp in minutes.

What's so special about Top2Bottom is that it is a soak off system, super easy application and guaranteed to deliver crystal clear High Shine

You can use it 2 layers as a nail strengthener alternative, or use it as a base and a top coat for gel polish over natural nails, traditional gel nails(both hard/soft) or acrylic nails.

 (Do not apply over regular nail polish as a topcoat, however you can use this as a basecoat prior to nail polish application to protect your nails from yellowing and to give it that nice smooth surface to polish)

Because it is pure soakable gel, you need to wipe off the final dispersion layer with a cleanser but I promise you, it will not dull like the generic ones, You will be pleased....Very pleased at the finish :)

I'm loving it because I've used this for all my recent competition work to deliver such gorgeous finish and I just have to share this info with all the nailtechs out there because I have tried so many soak-off gel topcoat and this one just blew me away ! 

I'll be back.

Sorry I have been away for a little while, I am hoping to be posting again soon. Life has just got a little busy and my blog has had to take a step back. (I have not been able to read any blogs either which I am most upset about). So hopefully I will be back soon, in the meantime I'm going to make sure I am giving myself 5 minutes to read all your lovely blogs.
Thanks for being great followers and taking the time to read my blog. x

Just Fantasy

My entry for Mythology of the East & West @ IBS Las Vegas

This has got to be one of the most rushed entry that I had to work on, it started in Singapore and completed in the USA over 10 days in between transit and work. It was also my most fulfilling piece of creation as I love the characters of mythology and especially working with different mediums and exploring new techniques to push the level a notch higher.

Models : Fiona Otten (Greek Goddess) and Gina Silvestro (Angel) ~ Thank you xxx

As a bonus, these "girlfriends + nailtechs" of ours were fabulous as models who brought our theme and character to life

Kentucky Derby ~ Run For the Roses @ Premiere Orlando

Nailed 4 First Places in NailPro USA Season 2011

2 First Place win at Premiere Orlando 2011

Winning pose with my team mates Milena Bogasow (Germany) 2nd Place  and Lee So Young (Korea) 3rd Place in Design Sculpture Veteran in IBS Las Vegas

 

With Fiona Otten (Netherlands)

With Viv Simmonds (Australia) and Trang Nguyen (USA)

I'm ecstatic winning 4 first places in veteran - Fantasy (Kentucky Derby & Mythology), French Twist and Design Sculpture in the US recently and to top it all, our ONS Team bagged the Nailpro Cup 2011

It was truly mission accomplished for this competition season for me and being able to catch up with all my nail friends !

Peek a Kitty^^

did this a few days ago for a birthday girl! she has pretty long nail bed, french extensions is jus perfect on her (:

paint on hello kitty features and made her 3D bows (:
not to exaggerating, simple and pretty!

Pastel Puffy Laces

cant get enough looking at pretty soft pastel colours this season!
5 different pastel colours extensions!

enjoyed doing these puffy laces and the ribbons looks like its stitched on!

In a Bunny Suit!

pretty blue extensions and hello kitty in bunny suits! (:

kawaii bunny suits in peach and yellow! this was a crazy idea from a friend of mine.. turn out so cute!

not forgetting 4D blings embellishments!

OPI - Flit A Bit NOTD

This is a bright summer NOTD today. (Shame the weather isn't playing along) This is from the OPI -  Summer Flutter collection, I got this in a mini set last year. I like getting the mini collections as you get to try more colours.
A lovely bright, nearly neon orange colour. This needed two coats and applies fairly smoothly, as it is a mini polish the brush is very small and I find that harder to apply with.
I always find this colour catches peoples eyes and is great for cheering you up on a cloudy, rainy day like today.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place foundation and Concealer.

I will never be without these two in my collection. I have oily/combination skin with quite a few blemishes and scars on my cheeks. I'm always trying out new foundation and concealers, but always come back to these.

Double Wear Foundation is a medium to full coverage foundation. It is quite a thick texture and a little goes along way. I apply this many different ways, I have used my fingers, a foundation brush, Sigma F80 and Sigma F15. I find all apply the foundation well. The best tip is to start with the smallest amount and build it up as it can look cakey.
It stays in place for 6-8 hours before I need to powder, this is a long time for my skin. I wear the colour shell which is the perfect match for my skin in the winter. It a little light in the summer but I just use bronzer to add some colour and it looks fine. The only thing I would change about this is I would put a pump on the bottle as I always tip out too much.

The Double Wear Concealer is a full coverage concealer that again stays in place for a good 6-8 hours. This has a doe foot applicator and a little goes a long way. I have the shade 01 Light which is the lightest shade in the range. This is a little dark for me in the winter months but a good match in the summer. The way I apply this is I dab a bit on the area I want it and just blend it with my finger. I use this under my eyes and on my blemishes.

If you have oily skin and like a medium/full coverage then I would definitely give this a try.

Wouldn't it be nice.

Lou Doillon Fashion Babe.

Love Always xoxo,
S.A.A.

EOTD - 18.6.11

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of days, I have been very busy with friends and also I have had my wisdom tooth taken out. 
This is just a quick EOTD today. (this is actually my make up from a few days ago, I just haven't had the chance to post it.) I am visiting my parents this weekend so might not be able to get another post up until I am back home. I have the next week off work though, so hopefully lots of blog posts to come when I am back.

On to the products -
Mac Bare study paint pot as a base,
Mac shroom all over the lid,
Mac embark in the crease and outer corner,
Urban Decay Creep (from the naked palette) to define the outer corner and along the lash line,
Makeup Forever Smokey Lash Mascara.

Bridal Nails for bff (:

earlier this year another bff if mine got married and i did a set of nails for her as part of her wedding gift (:

purple and white roses~ and i put in very small non-flat back crystals.. very very bling in real life (:

there were a few air brush french design but its kind of covered up by the nail art~

This is why i love doing bridal nails (:
I'm glad I can create the design for each and every blissful bride ~

Black polka dots

had a red version of this lovely polka dot nails. very cute in black too.

<3

4D Blings

i had limited stocks for those huge bling blings~
these are non-flat back crystals, putting it gives a more 4D feel (:

this set of nails is really shiny!

lovely 3 layer bows~