Friday, September 16, 2011

Let's Pretend It's Still Summer

It's definitely been cooling down in my part of Michigan; I had to wear a jacket this morning, which is a sure sign of fall. Despite the chill in the air, today I have a very summery look to share, thanks to nail art supplies that Born Pretty kindly sent me for review. I had a lot of fun with this, as it's a product I'd never tried on my nails before: dried flowers. Born Pretty sells these in sets of twelve colors, packaged in little screw top containers, which protect the delicate petals quite nicely. The assortment I got had a mix of small flowers and larger ones.







I wasn't too sure how using these would go. I worried they'd be too delicate and I'd rip them, or they'd stick up too much and annoy me. But I wouldn't know 'til I tried, so I got going. I wasn't sure which colors of the flowers I wanted to use, so I chose a base I thought would go with most of them, Milani Unique, a light yellow creme. Because it is light yellow, I wasn't surprised that it took four coats for full coverage. Once that was mostly dry, I started in with the flowers.





These were surprisingly easy to work with. I dabbed a bit of top coat (my standy, Sally Hansen Insta Dri) on my nail where I wanted to put the flower, then picked up the flower and put it down on the topcoat blob. I experimented with different approaches. What worked best for me with the smaller ones was wetting the flat end of an orange stick and tapping that on the top side of the flower to lift it; the larger ones I just gently pinched between my fingertips. On one finger, I placed the flower so parts of it extended past my nail edge and filed those off. Once they were in place, I put a layer of top coat over them, then poked down any sticking up bits with the sharp end of an orange stick to get them to lay flat, then added another layer of top coat.



I should have thinned my top coat before I did this, as I got some bubbles, but told myself that the bright flowers are distracting enough so you wouldn't really notice the bubbles. My macro setting saw them, though.



Once they were covered in top coat, they were smooth enough that they didn't bother me at all; I didn't notice them catching on my clothes or towels, and they lasted just fine through hand washing and even showering.

You can see these flowers on Born Pretty's site here. They cost $7.08 for one set, with quantity discounts available. Also, you can use code KARENDK31 you can get 10% off on any products from Born Pretty from now through October 31, 2011.

The dried flowers used for this entry were provided to me for free for review purposes. The content of the entry was not dictated by the provider, and I get to keep the products for my own use.

33 comments:

  1. Cute! I really like the one on your ring finger. :)

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  2. I love these flowers. They look really like you've painted them on.

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  3. I've been really liking this look. I ordered some from ebay, but they were mostly the big ones, so i haven't used them yet. Very nice!

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  4. Those look really pretty! I'll have to keep them in mind in case I ever order from Born Pretty.
    Bubbly Sally Hansen, I know thee well. What thinner do you use? I can't seem to get rid of the bubbly gloopy mess.

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  5. yah i've gotten intimated by these before i'm glad you took the plunge cause they look great on you! I love the one on your ring finger as well! thanks for sharing!

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  6. These are pretty! I'm really liking the red ones layered on your middle finger :).

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  7. It's getting cold here, too :( Sad, sad, sad!

    My favorites are the red ones you have! Reminds me of those pendants with flowers preserved in resin.

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  8. Wow, these are really lovely! Very boho-chic.

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  9. So cool! The flowers show up well on that base.

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  10. This manicure is amazing! It's really elegant!
    BTW here in Italy we have still 32-34°C during the day (30°C right now, and it's 10.46 pm)... I'm melting! :D

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  11. So cute!

    I'm so glad I don't live in Michigan anymore. I lived near the U.P. hated the weather there. I just moved in June =] lol.

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  12. Very gorgeous! Dear SO thought they are stickers. When he read that these are real he couldn't believe it.

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  13. These are so cool. I want to know who or what is able to harvest so many of these delicate flowers in bulk. Wow!

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  14. I really like the one on your ring finger :)

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  15. I've seen these at Sally's but I've never gotten them. I've always been intrigued! They're pretty, I think I'll have to try them sometimes!

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  16. Wow, that's gorgeous! I'm still not sure how I feel regarding Sally Hansen Insta Dry, it doesn't seem to prevent chipping up to 10 days on my nails. Not to mention it's not cruelty-free ):

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  17. I love this manicure! It's very "natura" ^__^ And the yellow... hm... just great as background for flowers!

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  18. I've always seen these but was like meh wouldnt use them. Now I feel different after seeing your post!! These are fabulous, especially with the yellow nails :D Beautiful nails

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  19. First, I love the title of the post! :D

    Second, these turned out fabulous!! I usually don't like texture, but this looks so cool and the topcoat did well enough.

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  20. I love then all especially over the yellow! My favorite is your middle finger I like how its the two layered over each other!(:

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  21. I just LOVE dried flowers and I would wear them all year long! I have a "kit" similar to this one!

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  22. I really love this! so beautiful!

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  23. Very cool idea! A little too girly for me- but the yellow really goes well with all the different flowers!

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  24. Cute! I love the yellow background paired with the flowers. I wish it was still summer!

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  25. I love that you put these over such a vibrant color!

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  26. I wish the weather would cool down here too. We are still having a mini heatwave X____X

    I love how you used the dried fliers. They work really well with the background colour :D

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  27. The flowers are gorgeous. I wanted to try them quite some time but I didn't know how they would look on the nails. Now I know so I will try them :)

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  28. I'm in love with dryed flowers! I hope to find some cheap ones :)

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Thank you for reading and commenting! I greatly appreciate knowing I'm not just talking to myself here. :) I'm moderating most comments now due to the spate of spammers who claim to be looking for sexy times.