Happy Sunday everyone! A few weeks ago I was contacted by Daisy from the
Born Pretty Store asking if I would be interested in reviewing a product from them. After a bit of back and forth I finally settled on a set of
twelve different studs. Since I'm new to using studs, and I figured some of my readers might be as well, I'll also talk a bit about applying them and what worked for me. :)
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| Skittle manicure with studs |
But first a bit about this design! I've had a few ideas floating around in my head, which is a perfect opportunity for a skittle mani! I used
Orly Liquid Vinyl as the black base for all nails. On my index finger I used a small 2mm gold stud and did a simple damask design with
Stripe Rite polish in Gold. On my middle finger I did a stained glass heart. This one was a bit tricky and I didn't completely master it, but basically I used a striping brush to draw the outline of the heart and the lines inside the heart. Next, I filled in the rest of the nail using Liquid Vinyl and a smaller brush to get in the tight areas. Finally I filled in the heart with
OPI A Butterfly Moment,
You Only Live Twice, and
Anti-Bleak. Then I finished with
Stripe Rite in Black for the black lines in the heart.
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| Skittle manicure with studs |
For the ring finger I used gold 3mm studs. And finally, for the pinky I used a small 2mm stud and Stripe Rite polish in Gold for the lines. The design on my pinky was inspired by a design that I've seen Chelsea King (of Chelsea's Get Nailed) use several times. You can see an example
here.
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| Skittle manicure with studs |
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| Skittle manicure with studs |
About the kit: This set of studs would be perfect for someone who is new to using studs (like me) or someone who wants a bit more variety. It contains twelve different shapes and sizes, but all studs are either small or medium in size, there are no large studs. The kit contains 1, 2 and 3mm gold circles; 2 and 3mm gold squares; 3mm silver squares; 2mm black circles; gold hearts; silver stars; gold tear drops; and finally gold and silver rings. The amount of studs it contains varies by the size - for the 1mm circles there appears to be 40-50, while there is approximately two dozen of the larger 3mm squares. According to the website, there's about 300 pieces in total. I love this kit because it allows me to try different shapes and sizes, then I can go and buy larger amounts of the ones I use the most.
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| Born Pretty Store Stud Rhinestones (with OPI bottle for size comparison) |
Using studs: There are not too many ways to stick these little suckers on, but here's the technique I used. I started by dabbing a small dot of base coat where I wanted to put the stud. I read you should use nail glue, but I don't have that and wanted to use what I had on hand. I used a pair of tweezers to pick up the stud and place in the right spot. And I found that an orange stick was perfect for moving it in the right position and (gently) pressing it into the base coat so it sticks. I finished with a good coat of Seche Vite to seal them in. I've been wearing them for a day and they're still firmly attached.
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| Born Pretty Store Stud Rhinestones |
Whew! I think that's everything, but if I missed anything ask me in the comments. Sorry this such a long post, but I want to get it all in.
Again, you can find this particular stud set
here. This kit is available at the
Born Pretty Store, and if you've never ordered from them, they offer a great selection of nail art supplies at a very affordable price. They also offer free worldwide shipping with no minimum. So check them out! And don't forget to use my coupon code
MSL91 for 10% off your order. :)
*Product provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details.*
