Storage Ideas for Your Frugal Finds!

Welcome back! Did you enjoy my tale of rhinestone and stud shopping? I hope you've found some of your own as well, and that this post will help you store them sanely!

Don't do what I did- I put them into a single box which did me NO GOOD. Instead, I needed something that will let me sort my various stones and studs by size and color. But how to do this without spending a ton of money?

First I checked the crafts department of my local big box store. I found a cute little 6-well container for only $1, but I have WAY more than 6 colors and sizes to sort. This could get expensive, fast... I decided to look around for a better deal.

Since I'm not terribly fussy about things LOOKING a certain way, I headed over to the pharmacy department where I found this adorable little medication organizer for a whole 88 cents! You do the math- 6 sections for $1 or 14 sections for 88 cents... that's a no-brainer!

Unfortunately, I have even more things to sort, so I'd still have to spend several dollars to get things sorted the way I need. I decided to take my shopping online to eBay. Wouldn't you know, I found an amazing deal?

5 of these for less than $4? Sign me up, please!

The seller mokimay had a listing for a set of 5 empty nail art wheels with 12 wells each for around $3.72 and free shipping and tracking! Considering I'd need at least 2 of the pill boxes, this seemed like a total no-brainer. I haven't received my order yet, but I know it's shipped (the next day!) and I don't foresee any problems.

So, when in doubt, hold on to your debit card and check eBay before buying. You may find the perfect solution for less than you expected!

I love getting a good deal...

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Getting Nail Art Supplies on the Cheap!

Oh my goodness, it's JUNE!! How does this happen? I know, life happens, and all we can do is hang on and try to get done what needs doing. I've been failing on that front, but maybe I'm getting back into the swing of things?

On that note, I wanted to share a tip I've been using myself lately. I don't know if you've noticed, but rhinestones can be freaking expensive! Heaven help you if you want more than one color, or more than one size, or studs or something. You do have the option of going to a store like Dollar Nail Art, but you're gonna have a $25 minimum order plus shipping costs. What if you don't want to do that, or don't have an extra $30 to spend on nail art?

Honey, have I got you covered. Don't just look for nail art supplies in the cosmetics section. I often dig through the clearance department in both big box stores like WalMart and Target, as well as clearance at hobby stores like Michael's and JoAnns. Recently, I was rewarded by finding a big selection of clothing customization kits from a brand called Next Style.

I found several iron-on rhinestone & stud designs that included multiple colors and sizes of studs and stones. At a whopping $1 each, I wasn't breaking the bank and wound up with an amazing amount of goodies for nail art!

Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking too clearly and wound up putting all the stones into a single container, with all the studs into a separate container. This didn't do me a whole lot of good, because now I've got this jar of sparklies but I can't tell how many of each one I have. What to do??

You'll have to check back for the next post to see how I solved that particular problem. I've also got some hints for storage on the cheap, so check back soon!

No one sponsored this post, unfortunately. Ah well, such is life.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Cleaning Up My Manicure- A Look At My Nail Brushes

A few posts back (or maybe more than a few, I'm not so good with time) someone asked in the comments what sort of brushes I use to clean up my manicure. In a totally separate conversation, a friend of mine mentioned that she thought I was just super-talented at painting my nails and managed not to make a total mess at it. That's so not true... so much so that I had to laugh!

See, I've had a tremor since I was in my teens. I could never be a neurosurgeon, else my patients would end up blinded, paralyzed, or missing chunks of their anatomy! As it is, I've managed to cut off part of my finger using a craft knife. (Don't worry, it was a tiny part and I barely miss it. But if you ever look closely at my left hand index finger, you'll notice it's got a slanted edge on one side. That's because I lost that part in a nasty art school incident. But I digress...)

So how do I end up with nails that look neat and skillfully-painted? Easy. I cheat. I use a technique that I first read about on Lacquerized: I use a paint brush and pure acetone to remove the polish from everywhere that should be polish-free! For the actual how-to, I really suggest you go read her description of the process. I simply cannot explain the process any better than she does, or even add anything new or fun to it. But finish reading my entry before you go, if you don't mind. :D

The question is, what sort of brush do I use? I still haven't completely decided what sort of brush to use. Mostly, I flip-flop between two main brushes. Thankfully, since I'm a painter I have an absolute ton of paintbrushes on hand. Let's look at what I've been using...

I started out using this tiny little brush. It came from a multi-pack of brushes from WalMart's craft department. (I think it was $3 or $4 for a pack of five brushes, maybe?) Although this was a very inexpensive brush, it works really well. It would also be a good brush to use for cream or gel eyeliners. What I love about this brush is that it's got such a sharp, chiseled edge. This means I can get right into the crevices on the sides of my nails where polish tends to pool, or I can turn the brush sideways to sweep off larger blobs of polish from other parts of my finger.

 The synthetic bristles hold their shape well and so far haven't seemed to be degrading from the acetone. The biggest drawback of this brush is that it simply doesn't hold much acetone, so I end up dipping back into the liquid over and over and over and over again. It gets tedious. So for preliminary cleanup (or when I'm feeling particularly lazy) I switch over to my larger cleanup brush.

 

You can see that this brush is much larger than the first one. I can sweep off much more polish with this one before needing to redip it. Unfortunately, since it holds more acetone it also tends to flood my nail with it if I'm not careful. (It's always something, isn't it? Sheesh, my diamond shoes are too tight and all this money in my purse makes my bag too heavy!) To avoid the acetone flooding into my nail creases, I simply tap the tip of the brush onto my towel before I touch it to my finger. Problem solved!

One thing to be careful with: acetone is a really potent solvent. It removes nail polish, right? Well, it will also remove the paint from your paintbrushes, so be very careful not to dip your brush too far into your acetone. If you aren't careful, you'll end up with paintbrush paint all over your fingers. It's not a pretty look, trust me!

I have one more brush that I use for nail art, and it's one I customized myself. I may have mentioned this before, but I am VERY frugal. (Frugal sounds so much nicer than cheap or poor.) I wanted to have a fine brush that was long enough to make straight lines easier to paint and fine enough to make those lines thin. I had several liner brushes, but they were all entirely too large. So, one day I pulled out my scissors and gave my brush a haircut.

Now the brush does exactly what I wanted it to do, even if it is ugly as can be. One day I may end up with actual nail art brushes, but until then these do the job nicely. I'm even getting faster with cleaning up my polish... when I first started this technique, I'd spend a good hour going over the various parts of my nails and still not have a very good result. Now I get a pretty nice result after around half an hour (unless I'm wearing red- red is EVIL to clean up!), and I know people who manage to do their cleanup in around 10 minutes!

So, do you think you'll try this method? I honestly cannot say enough good things about it. How do you currently clean up your edges?

Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique- Everything You Need For A Fun Manicure At Home!

I'm strongly tempted to call this week, "Why Don't I Live In The UK Week" because of all the fantastic UK products I've been finding out about! Living in the US definitely has its advantages, but I'm just not finding goodies like these over here! If you're wondering what I'm babbling about this time, don't worry. You aren't alone...

I've just been struck with a severe case of blabbosity by the insane cuteness of the Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique line. I saw a tweet by @AndreaFulerton stating that her new Nail Boutique was live on Superdrug.com, and I was curious. She's a celebrity nail technician with a heck of a resume, if you're wondering, and she has created quite a collection! This collection is clearly made by people who love nail art, for people who love nail art!

Let's take the polishes, for example. The Superdrug description says it best:

A treasure trove of colour. Be spoilt for choice with 24 professional finish Nail Colours that have a unique resin system formula that flexes with your nail and is easy to apply in just one coat. Keep your options open with the Trio Colour Layering System – a double ended varnish bottle of two colours that can be worn alone or layered creating a 3rd colour or effect, or try the re-worked French Manicure Sets with ultra slender brushes for effortless tip application or the experimental Flip Flop French with its especially angled brush and French tip stickers to make the French tip application easy. And finally, Peel Off Varnish is fast and fun with four shades to choose from.

Not only are there lots of choices, she's also got a range of colors that is wonderful for a new line. She didn't stick to safe pinks and reds. She's got a rainbow of colors that combine with her layering polishes to make an overwhelmingly exciting range! I so want to get my hands on these!

Then there are the nail art goodies, and you know that's what has me giddy! Stripe and Sparkles has a nail polish with a thin striper brush on one end and a glitter shaker on the other end. The Glitter Puff Dust and Overcoat comes with two colors of glitter in squeeze bottles plus their own topcoat. Then there are the crystal gemstones and nail tattoos. Finally, there are the finishing topcoats, from a simple quick-drying glossy topcoat to various special effects options. There's also something that I think might work as a "gradient liquid," although I'd have to test it to be sure.

And as if that's not enough, there's more. (I know, I know, I sound like I'm doing a cheesy infomercial. But wait, there's more... you also get this slicer/dicer/shredder/spooler/dishwasher attachment FOR FREE!!! What can I say, I think I need a nap... but back to the goodies!)

Where was I? Yes... there's also a line of tools that looks fabulous.  Files, buffers, cuticle pushers and trimmers, varnish remover, cuticle oil... Honestly, I'm wishing I could hop on a plane and go buy the entire line!

So do me a favor, lovely readers of mine. If you happen to be out and about and nab some of these luscious goodies, take pictures. Tease me with photos of all the wonderful things you can do with these, and maybe I can get some vicarious joy through you! ♥♥

Simple Storage for Tiny Nail Art Supplies

Let's be honest- if you're into doing nail art at home, you've probably got a bunch of supplies that you're not quite sure how to store. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of conversations all over the web about how people store their nail art items, brushes and polishes, striping tape and rhinestones. Many  people use a carousel or a rhinestone case to store their rhinestones and other tiny decorative items. The problem is that these can be hard to find locally, and expensive to buy online once you pay for shipping.

I ran into this problem with my order from Viva la Nails. They have so many fun things for your nails, but they come packaged in tiny bags. This is great, because it's a low cost way to package the items, and those low prices get passed on to you when you buy. However, trying to use the items from their little baggies is a pain in the butt! What to do, what to do...

Well, I found a cheap solution that works like a dream. I was shopping in Walgreens yesterday when I saw it- a medicine organizer! Most of the time these are fairly expensive, but Walgreens has simple translucent seven-compartment pill organizers for $0.99! I think it's perfect for the job because the compartments close securely, are transparent, and are the perfect size. I don't have to worry about them popping open and spilling tiny bits everywhere, and I was even able to label the back with where they came from!

To label the back, I cut the label away from one of the small bags and used clear tape to affix it to the back of the pill organizer. This way, I don't have to rely on memory to know where the goodies came from! I can easily open one compartment, use a picker to grab a single rhinestone or whatever, without having to worry about things sticking to the adhesive strip on the baggie or spilling it everywhere. I love my little organizer, and it's totally worth the $0.99 I paid for it!

What about you? How do you store your tiny bits for nail art? Leave me a comment, I love learning new ways to do things!

Nail art supplies were provided by Viva la Nails for evaluation.
See my disclosure statement for more information.