OMG, girls! It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Do you know what you are going to do, what to wear and what kind of nail art you are going to put yet? Ok, ok don’t stress! If you don’t have any inspiration for your nails, just continue reading and get some inspiration from my Valentine’s Day Bow Mani. It is very easy to do, it won’t take too long to master (it’s done in a few steps), and I’m sure your date will love it! Ok, lets get started, shall we?

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I opted for a red nail polish, so make sure you have a red nail polish in front of you, a base and top coat, a red glittery nail polish and some bow stickers. These are the steps:

1. Apply a base coat and let it dry. You always have to apply a base coat before applying any other nail polishes on your nails. Don’t forget to protect your nails girls! Apply a red nail polish on all nails and let it dry. I’m using the China Glaze #1018 Winter berry nail polish in this tutorial.
2. Apply a red glittery nail polish on 1/2 of your nails (see pictures in this blogpost). Let this dry and go further with the next step. I’m using the China Glaze #1019 Ring in the red.
3. Apply a cute golden bow sticker on each nail and press it with a toothpick a little bit. You can also draw bows on your nails with a toothpick or dotting pen if you don’t have bow stickers. Apply a top coat and let it dry.

Voila! Now you are finished and ready for Valentine’s Day!

The post A Valentine’s Day Bow Mani appeared first on Kouturekiss - Your One Stop Everything Beauty Spot - kouturekiss.com.

Want a sweet “love” themed manicure for Valentines Day? Here’s how to get one at home in just five easy steps. You will need a base coat, a top coat, a pink glitter polish, a red polish, a sharpie marker and an eyeliner brush.

1. Prep your nails with your favorite base coat or nail hardener. I used a sticky base coat to help keep the polish from chipping, longer.
2. Choose a nail to use as an accent nail and paint it with your pink glitter polish.
3. Once the pink glitter is dry, use your sharpie marker to plot out a heart in the center of the nail. If you do not have a steady enough hand to draw the lines don’t worry! Just make little dots to make the shape of a heart. You are going to paint over the lines anyway. I suggest using a light color so that it is easier to cover with the red polish.
4. Use your small eyeliner brush to fill in the space AROUND the heart with the red polish, leaving the pink glitter inside the heart uncovered to create a cool, cut out effect! The small eyeliner brush makes this easy, and you can use a few coats of polish if you need to get it smoother.
5. Now just paint the rest of your nails with the red color and top everything off with your favorite top coat, and you will have a really cool, DIY Valentines manicure!

The post A Valentine’s Day Love Mani appeared first on Kouturekiss - Your One Stop Everything Beauty Spot - kouturekiss.com.

1. Use acetone and a cotton pad to remove any old nail polish that may still be on your nails. Cotton pads are perfect because they don’t fall apart as you rub, and still get the polish off quickly and completely! And, by using 100% acetone to remove the polish, you will help sweep away any oils that could cause premature chipping.
2. Time to file! Use a nail file to gently shape your nails the way you like them. I like the “Squoval” shape, because it is modern and square, and the rounded edges help prevent the nails from breaking. It is important to do this step before you get the nails wet, because wet nails are weaker and we don’t want them to snag while we file!
3. Now it’s time to remove the cuticles. It can be difficult to cut your own, and many times you can wind up making them worse than before, so instead it’s a good idea to use a cuticle remover gel. The Sally Hansen one I use can be found at most drugstores, and is pretty inexpensive. Just apply the gel around your cuticles and let it sit for about three minutes and work its magic.
4. Once the three minutes are up, use a damp, spare toothbrush (not the one your use for your teeth!) and scrub the gel off of your cuticles. It is a good idea to do this step over the sink, so you don’t get little speckles of cuticle gel everywhere. The scrubbing motion will exfoliate away the cuticle skin that was softened by the gel. When you are done scrubbing them all give them a quick rinse in the sink. This step also acts as a massage for your cuticles, which encourages nail growth… sweet!
5. Next use a buffer to smooth the surface of all of your nails. This step helps create a nice surface for your polish, and will also get rid of any peeling that could make your nails chip and break.
6. Apply a hardening base coat. This will protect your nails from the elements and if you choose to apply a color it will help it last longer too.
7. Once the hardener has dried apply a cuticle oil all around your cuticles. This will keep them soft, and is also great for keeping your nails healthy and flexible.
8. For the last step, use your fingers to gently massage the cuticle oil into each nail. This will ensure that it has absorbed all the way, and just like scrubbing them, the massage encourages healthy growth!

Now your nails are happy and healthy like you just got them done at a salon! You can leave them natural and beautiful just as they are, or apply your favorite color for a perfect manicure. It’s up to you, but either way, your nails will look healthy and great!

The post Mani-Ready! How to Exfoliate, Buff and File Pre Manicure, Salon Style! appeared first on Kouturekiss - Your One Stop Everything Beauty Spot - kouturekiss.com.

Christmas is coming and with Christmas comes joy and happy manicures! Be honest, even though it’s November; you can already hear the Jingly bells ringing! You should totally treat yourself on yummy candy cane nails!

1. Apply a coat of red nail polish. Let it dry well. If necessary apply another coat and let this try well too.
2. Paint white, diagonal stripes on top of the red. Use a nail polish with a striper brush. This makes it easy to draw the stripes! Some nail polishes are sold with a striper brush, instead of a normal brush, but you can also buy an individual striper brush. They’re not that expensive and really useful with nail art! If you want them to be perfect, you can use tape. But it’s okay if it’s not perfect! To keep it fun, skip the thumb and the ring finger.
3. Usually a mani has one accent nail, but today we’re doing two! Start with the thumb: paint a normal diagonal strip and right next to it a thin one. On my nails I have three (thin and thick) stripes.
4. Then it’s time for your ring finger. With a striper brush (you can use the one you used before if you clean it with nail polish remover) you draw diagonal stripes with a silver nail polish. Just as thick as the stripes you drew on the other nails.
5. With the striper brush draw a thin white line on one side of the silver line on your ring finger. You’ll get this funny, almost 3D effect! Seal your pretty mani with a top coat and you’re done! To make it more Christmas-y, you can apply a top coat with fine glitters.

Tip: if you made a booboo, clean your striper brush, dip it in the red nail polish and go over the mistake you made. Andddd, it’s gone!

The post Candy Cane Mani appeared first on Kouturekiss - Your One Stop Everything Beauty Spot - kouturekiss.com.