Watch the tutorial in HD – it’s better that way. To make up for the lack of nail posts over the past few months, I’ve apparently made nails and nail art my main focus the past few weeks. Here’s another one for you, perfect for these upcoming summer months: ocean nails, mermaid nails, beach nails, whatever you want to call it. It took me five nail polish colors and some blotting action with the makeup wedge to create this gradient, glittery beach manicure, which sounds awfully time consuming, but it really didn’t take any longer than just normally painting my nails with one color. It is more sparkly in person – very eye-catching.

Here is the photo I posted on my Instagram. This was my first time working with makeup sponge wedges, a technique that always intimidated me. If you feel the same way, don’t worry- it is easy! You really can’t go wrong with these colors together, and the glitter is really the highlight of the look. Hope you give this manicure a try!

Hello! This is my fourth time doing my own gel nails at home, and let me tell you, this stuff is amazing. Did you know that you can do your own gel nail manicure at home using your own normal nail polish and no UV light? It will make your nails look thicker and freshly polished even after two weeks. Here’s how:

You will need GELOUS Advanced Nail Gel Coat from Sally Beauty Supply, ANY nail polish color of your choice, and ANY clear top coat of your choice.

1. Apply one coat GELOUS onto clean, smooth, dry nails. Let it set for a few minutes.
2. Apply another coat GELOUS. Let set.
3. Apply one coat nail polish. Let it dry.
4. Apply another coat GELOUS. Let it set for a couple minutes.
5. Apply another coat nail polish. Let it dry.
6. Apply one layer clear top coat. Let dry. DONE.

To remove your gel nails, use acetone nail polish remover, and it’s a breeze. Enjoy your beautiful nails! Watch in HD for best quality video.

Dry shampoo has been a MUST HAVE in my daily hair care routine for the past three years. I’ve gone through countless spray cans of different brands (Psst!, Tresemme, John Frieda, Garnier, Oscar Blandi, Batiste…to name a few), spending way too much for very little product. I started to use plain old baby powder, sprinkling it directly on my roots and rubbing it in, and I found that it worked just as well or even better at giving my hair added volume and combating greasiness. I continued to do this for months until one day I was at work, and I happen to catch a glance of my hair in the mirror. It looked like I had smeared a powdered doughnut all over my head. It was even more noticeable because I had my hair up in a ponytail, a voluminous, bouncy, GRAY colored ponytail. Horrified, I vowed to figure out a way to darken the powder… and that is just what I did. Oh, and your hair will smell a little chocolatey. Yum!

THE RECIPE: Mix 3 parts cocoa powder and 1 part cornstarch and/or baby powder in a small container. I lucked out and found an old Maybelline loose face powder container, which is perfect because it sprinkles just the right amount. Depending on how dark your hair is, you may need to tweak the recipe to make it lighter or darker. To darken the mixture a little bit more, add some cinnamon to the mix. Sorry for the lack of specific measurement, but I don’t measure anything. I just go freehand! Mmmm…my hair smells like cookies.Because this container works so well, I just hold the container in my hand and sprinkle the powder directly onto my roots and rub it in with my fingers. If you don’t have a nifty container like this one, you can just take a fluffy face powder brush and dip it into the dry shampoo and dab on to your roots. Other container ideas: salt/pepper shaker, mineral powder foundation containers (like BareMinerals), powdered sugar container/shaker, empty baby powder container.

QUICK TIP: Did you know that the best way to use dry shampoo is to apply it BEFORE you actually need it? If your hair is already oily before applying it won’t work as well. Apply at your roots and rub it in right after your hair is washed and dried. It will extend the life of your style, give you volume and thickness, and it will prevent your hair from becoming oily.

Watch in HD for best quality video! If you like this post, you should check out my DIY Mineral Veil! It’s the bomb