Heya,
Just quick pictures, uploading via my phone
Yesterday Code was simple yet elegant
Heya,
so I look normal again xD
Heya!
So I was able to try my new camera and tbh it takes too many details haha.
It even captures my white hair, can it like, not do that lmao?
And for some reason my face looks really weird...not, idk, real?
I see what I see in the mirror but the picture is so distorted or smth
Heya!
So finally my new phone arrived and I took a contract from somewhere else now.
When I tried to take my old phone number with my dad it turned out, that he accidentally prolonged my contract in april for another two years.
It's always this damn company, I made the right call to leave.
He is paying the bills now, so that I can finally switch to my own contract.
Unfortunately I have to remember a new phone number now.
But the good part is that maybe some people can't reach me anymore xD
I picked the xiaomi 17T pro now.
Edit: So it seems like the video works now (I hope), so posted now.
Heyaa!
So lately no Tutorial.
I figured since I already have the box on my layout with nail tutorials, I should have like...maybe some tutorials there?
So here is everything I know about prepping and how I do it.
Honestly prepping takes me way longer than the usual designs and it's important to make nails last and look clean.
1. Tools
So basically I don't use much.
I have a 80 grid file to shape my nails the fastest, a nail clipper, a cuticle cleaner/pusher and two bits.
I don't believe in having too many bits tbh, especially for the cuticle area.
I have some just in case but these are sufficient.
When using bits, the angle how you use them matter a lot and especially if you do your own, sometimes you just can't get the angle right and the risk of having a fire ring is high.
Also these are way better because you can just get rid of them after use and put a new one on top and they stay sharp.
Tip: Stay away from cheap drill machines. I used to have one as a portable for doing my mums nails. I cannot explain why but they work so much worse. I hated working with them. Just get a proper machine from a nail shop somewhere. It also doesn't have to be the most expensive.
I actually have two grids.
So basically the grid number tells you how harsh something is.
The higher the number, the more gentle. The lower the number, the more coarse it is.
I usually use the 180 for all kinds of shaping, getting rid of product etc.
The 80 are only when I have chunks of product I need to get rid of.
I don't use these on my natural nails, or close to them!
I have a smaller bit for that with a higher grid number (I believe it was 240).
These are the products from left to right:
rubber base transparent, nail oil, dehydrator, bond (primer), top coat, cuticle remover.
In the back are micellar wipes and in the front my gel.
Instead of wipes you can use a cleaner with dry wipes, usually for nails (don't use cotton, as it will stick to the nails).
This is what I use to put on my nails.
It's basically solid gel. I used to use the ones from born pretty but they are so damn small and over time they don't work as good anymore and from lynis the bottle is just so big.
Why use press-ons? They save you so much time. Especially when you plan on doing heavy designs. They are also more flexible. If you tend to bump in things or if nothing ever sticks on your nails, this might be a good thing to try. The con is that something like "fill ins" don't really exist. The nails are already shaped, when they grow out, the balance changes and also it doesn't look right and well, if you try shaping it, you just file a hole in the tip. So everytime, you need to take off the nail and apply new ones for each set.
Why solid? Because it is so much easier to apply. Also I use the same product for applying my big gems. The stuff just sticks and goes nowhere.
At this point a little reminder of a nail set from last year:
Do you see the CHUNKS of gems on them?
They last, and I mean oh boy do they last.
The possibility of losing my finger before losing the gems is higher.
I actually had to get a specific clipper, just to be able to CUT them off my nails when taking off.
I also still have another bottle of builder base gel from born pretty.
I like using this because of its thick textures, it doesn't run quickly in the cuticle area and gives me time to use it.
a super thin brush for applying
And the starting point!
When I tell you, I hate hate hate having short nails and the past weeks I would constantly rip and pull on areas and even tore of just the layer of gel I had.
I usually never had mattes, so I wanted to try but matte short nails in a nude color is like, so ugly ngl.
Never doing that again.
Also I just started again with the habit of using nail oil.
Trust me, it is so damn important to use your oil, even if it's just for the night.
It made a big difference but for now everything looks dry and damaged.
2. Getting rid of product
So I use the 180 grid to file off the product as thin as possible and then use my gel remover.
I accidentally didn't take a picture of it but you will find loads of them on AliEx.
They all basically work the same.
I prefer using a gel remover over acetone, because it doesn't dry out my skin, it works faster and I have free hands. I cut removing time at least to half with it.
If I filed off enough product before using the remover, after applying there will be bubbles and you can simply scratch it off. If the layer was still thick, like i.e. on the thumb it's always too thick, you have to apply it another round after scratching.
You can use this remover tool you see in the back or a cuticle pusher but make sure you are not too rough on your natural nails.
If there is a little bit product left, I leave it for the next grid round to take it off.
3. Make surface rough and clean cuticles
I use my cuticle remover (the bottle you can see in step 1) to soften the cuticle area.
Then I cut off my nails to make application cleaner and have the design last longer until it grows out, while the cuticle remover soaks in.
I use the tool to gently scratch off skin from the nail and then use the pusher side to gently push it back.
I then use the small bit, which also makes me easier to work around the nail close to the skin, and roughen up the whole surface. And here is the key-word: rough it up.
Most use a buffer but the buffer just polishes the surface and we need a texture on the surface where product can grip. So yes, to some degree you have to destroy the surface.
Either you have healthy nails, or you have false nails that stay on...
You don't need to file so much away, only your flesh stays on but you get the point.
That's also why my small bits are the lowest grid possible.
It gets the work done, without filing the natural nail too thin.
The possibility of damage is a lot lower, but the angle matters as well.
It needs practice.
Also filing the cutted edge.
I use my micellar wipe to make everything clean.
That way I can see better where to cut with my cuticle cutter and it also keeps the hands moisturized.
When the skin is dry, it looks like you have to cut off a lot of skin around the cuticle area and on the sidewalls but that's a doublesided sword. The more you cut off, the more you damage it.
Some of the dry skin you see on the sidewalls is actually damaged nails that I try to fix for weeks right now. It has gotten better but it needs to completely heal I guess. So currently I try to find the middle between cutting off dead skin that bothers me but also leaving room for it to actually grow out.
Now look, the micellar wipes contain oils and usually you should have the nail surface free from all products but so far I didn't have any problem adding this product to the routine.
It actually makes it so much easier to clean up.
If however you notice that retention goes down, stick to the regular cleaner.
4. Thin layer of gel (rubber gel)
So after that I use my dehydrator to make the area on the nail clean.
Afterwards I use a bond. I used to use a primer but sometimes felt like they are too harsh on my nails and the bond sticks just as good.
I use the rubber base from lynis, because the brush makes it like so damn easy to apply on top.
Why doing a base coat? For better retention. Product sticks to product and a thin layer sticks better to your nails than a chunk of product. So having a thin layer on top of your natural nails before using any big product will make retention go up.
It's the best of both worlds you could say.
5. Applying full cover tips
For this design I chose a medium length to get used to nails again, it has been a couple months.
I pick up the product right out of the can with the nail.
So how much do you need to get out? it depends on the size of your nail bed.
Experience will make you figure that one out.
When choosing a size, make sure sidewall to sidewall fit and DON'T PUSH DOWN WHILE MATCHING, it should already fit when it's loose, when it doubt take the bigger size.
You need some space between your nail and the tip for the product to be.
If you push down when looking for the size, there is no room for the product, so in the end it will be too small.
And this is how I apply.
I leave the cuticle area open to later blend it better.
Also some of my cuticles are straight, other are more round and I am more flexible applying the tips that way.
I also have a quick video on how I apply.
So basically you start from the edge and then slowly press down forwards to avoid bubble and let the product spread evenly. I then check if it's straight and correct the position a little.
Do you need to file the surface of the nail tip before you apply a gel coat etc.? Yes and no, personally I do not have a problem applying product on top of the cover tips. If however it happens for you, that the layer strips off, you might want to add it to the routine.
6.Shaping and preparing cuticle area
So lately I am in love with oval nails.
Squares aren't really my thing but stilettos are like, damn.
So this is actually a great inbetween for me.
And no, I don't want almond.
After shaping I clean up the edges with my buffer and use the 180 grid again to carefully get rid of the edges around the cuticle area.
So I cleaned up and then for some reason used my dehydrator again (which I usually don't do but felt like I had to?) and the tips gave this discoloraion then, lmao.
So yea, never doing that again...it's fine though.
7. Layer of Rubber gel and finish!
Heya,
So yup I did nails again.
Now I can't play the piano anymore, but you know what?
I did not play that often anyway...so I believe what could work for me is that whenever I take off the last set, I leave it natural for like 1-2 days to play again before adding a new design.
That way I have the best of both worlds. I got my nails and I can play the piano every few weeks, like I used to. Fun fact, with this length I can technically play as well, it sounds like crap but it works just for me lmao.
I actually did a nail tutorial this time but the video just does not want to upload.
In the worst case I have to upload without the video.
The design is super duper simple but because I don't know which gems to use and whatever and I need to fill my mind with inspo again, plus I need to restock a few things.
Code of monday
blouse...Shein
skirt...C&A
tights and shoes...Shein
basic basic but looks great.
I also worked on my wig again and will try make it work for this week.
I also technically received a haul, but I guess I will send both back.
I have been dying to get my hands on one of the things of this brand but seems like I picked the wrong design.
I thought they looked very elegant and I liked the golden detail but it is cut very low and that makes my legs look super fat for some reason lmao.
Also Zalando suggested the bigger size which I already thought was weird but just yknow trusted and now when wearing I can tell it is a bit too big.
I rather have them fit super snug, because after it gets used to your feet it will widen naturally, so the bigger size might fit O.K now but probably will end up too big.
It's so sad because the shoes themselves are really not bad?
Also they are of real leather, outside and inside.
A new standard I have set for myself.
Because I tend to wear the same shoes over and over again and I rather have a few designs I love and after a few years can fix by bringing them to a shoemaker, than have quadrillion shoes that I dislike wearing and out of those quadrillion have one favourite that break quite fast, is not reparable (or not worth it) and then I have to search for a similiar kind.
I also ordered a shirt.
Although I stopped giving myself the label "gyaru" long time ago, I still had these posts in my drafts and I do find they are interesting topics I had picked a while ago and also good points to yap about.
Maybe that's what I currently need: Yapping about things I used to enjoy...maybe to start enjoying them again?
So I just posted the other post that apparently I had finished a while ago and idk why I did not post it.
The topic of today will be more specific, therefore might be short but not less of importance.
This is a topic that maybe more baby gals will relate to than it may seem at first.
It's a topic of loneliness in its core and one that seem contradicting at first for a gyaru.
Like how does someone picture a gal? A big town girlie that likes to have fun, has her circle..
So when you like gyaru and live in a small town with no-one around with the same interests, it can feel lonely at times. I used to replace these with online contacts.
It does help within a certain degree but it cannot replace reallife friendships.
And when the community, as I used to know it, would break down and people would seperate. It felt like it tore gyaru itself down as well.
Now it feels like gyaru lives again but with different people and different communities, somewhere out of my "realm". That's what growing up does to you, I guess.
And you know, maybe it was never about being that picture-perfect gal and more the essence of it.
Sometimes I would find random profiles of girls from japan that are clearly gal or have the spirit of it and I had no idea where they lived but they just lived life I guess.
They had friends, just not gal friends. They had a life, just not how someone would picture it.
And it might sound weird but that's how it should be.
A life being lived. Not a story being told in a perfect way.
Being the only gyaru is just about that.
To be just you.
Another one of those "social media messed this up for us" kind of points and I really feel like an old person having to say it like that.
Stop thinking of how things should be like and enjoy the things you already have.
Put down your phone, your magazine and whatever tells you that you should be a certain way and spend time with your friends, your real friends.
Your family.
Be you.
xoxo rinmero
Edit: had this in the draft and wanted to finish just to realise, I already finished it long ago.
So just hit the post button now.
Long long time ago...
there was a time, where a girl was a gal.
And this gal made a series of yapping posts about the knowledge she gained over the years of being a gal.
Now, this girl is not a gal anymore and the series ended up in drafts..
One day she picked up the titles and realized, but wait...
This can still apply to me in some sense...if I just leave out the word gal?
So she started yapping again...
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lmao Hello Darlings..
yes, a little continuation of the almighty yapping.
This whole "aesthetic" thing is not just limited to gyaru style.
It practically exists in all scenes and corners of fashion.
Literally people advance and value cohesion at some point, so they create moodboards and visual representation of what they want.
It certainly can help, I do it too and yet there is a little danger of this practice.
It is ending up limiting yourself and creating a fake persona, a picture you mold yourself into.
I believe there is a difference in picking up same aesthetic stuff because you like it, and picking stuff up because you believe "this will fit in".
We are not moodboards, we have plenty of moods and different occasions.
Not every style fits every occasion or every mood, so we need to allow ourself to be broad.
Social media takes a huge part of this dilemma, without it we are not limited to one page.
So I ask myself, is it that bad if I am not coherent in total? I wear different styles every now and then, depending on my mood. I still wear clothes that are practically not my color palette. I only make the one outfit cohesive, not myself as a whole. I allow myself to change and grow.
I personally held Sakurina as THE idol and role model when it comes to this issue.
Rina did EVERYTHING, from girly to gothic to glamour.
It's almost like she was her own doll to dress up. Her outfits were bomb and also creative. She managed to do it on budget too and not use too many expensive brands.
Like when there was a page everyone shared their favourite makeups etc. Hers would always be the "cheapest" in total.
We lost that skill totally, we are not creative enough to have a broad horizon or create looks without brand.
I try to take clothes from different sections to avoid this.
To not go over limit with my budget, I got myself a ton of AliEx or Shein, but I like to look at Lolita shops, local stores, metal shops or even (yes) xxx-stores. You would be surprised how much you could actually find in that section. Especially when doing Rokku.
Another example would be the gals, that also wore lolita. They did not tell themselves, I am gal, I cannot wear lolita.
If you like multiple looks, allow yourself to. Sometimes having multiple aesthetics, is your aesthetic.
It also might just take time and experience over the years. You will notice the difference between "I think this looks cool" and "I like to wear this". Sometimes both gradually overlap a bit.
Have you ever worn an outfit that looked amazing the mirror but you didn't dear to go out with it, or you kept fixing the skirt, something poke into your skin and hurt you?
Then you probably forced yourself into an outfit that had the sole purpose of being aesthetically pleasing.
There are a few things to ask yourself to avoid this:
-Do I genuinely like this or feel like it "fits"?
-Do I feel comfortable wearing this?
-Do I need it?
-Do I know where to wear it and how to match it?
-Why do I want to get it?
-Would I still get it, if it was more expensive?
It might help thinking rationally of clothes instead of impulsive buying stuff you don't truly want, just to mold yourself into a look.
xoxo rinmero
Heya!
So this is going to be more of a yapper post.
So as you might know, I had planned to be a nail artist in my own home.
And although the journey had been quite short, I learnt a few things about myself.
Unfortunately, this won't be a success story, more like a lil self-reflection post.
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The past few weeks I could have started already.
I made a few nails in order to collect pictures or think about how to present myself on social media or what next steps to take.
And that's when progress got really really slow.
I know I was quite busy but also, was I really?
It felt more like making excuses of why I don't have the time to work on it.
At first I thought that maybe I am hesitant because I am afraid but then again, why be afraid?
I have nothing to lose, I could start right away and stop right away.
I talked with a few girls and gently tried advertise myself to them but the interest was literally zero.
Most of the time it wasn't really the designs or the skill sets, it was the money.
Many of them want to get their nails done but it's expensive.
They would even show some artists around and their prices and what they do and honestly I was surprised because I didn't know there where so many nail artists around.
Worst of it all was, they clearly had a great skill set and even cheaper prices.
Honestly, I knew about the competition and I knew it wouldn't be easy but it made me reflect it more.
Like, do I really want this for example.
I thought about this for many hours and honestly, I don't think it's being afraid, or the competition, I just don't wanna do this.
The hesitation is based on "I don't wanna do this", that's it.
I did not wanna do this in the first place and thought about doing press-ons instead and now I believe that both aren't really my thing.
Also compared to the work you put in, being a nailist is just being paid really bad.
I wanted to do this in the hope I could make maybe a hundred or a bit more in the month but now with my new job I make even more than that.
Instead, the other days I feel like resting or doing something less exhausting than sitting 3+ hours in a chair doing a nail set.
I have no passion for this anymore, at least not like I used to.
Obviously I still love beauty and all of that but not in the same way.
So yes, I am going to quit that plan but it probably won't be the last thing I will try.
Also, If I ever change my mind, everythings ready.
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What do I love about my current job?
Autonomy, Planning, Selling...
I am still creative but I don't MAKE the furniture and that's probably what bothered me about the nail idea. I don't want to DO the nails, I just want to sell them?
I am also not done learning in my current role.
I still fear every month "what if I don't hit my targets? What if I can't?".
And now I got new colleagues, some that are quite good actually..."competition".
And, since January I am constantly in the top rankings of the salesmen, which puts a bit more pressure on me. It feels like "I have to be great this month again, this is my reputation. I can't let anyone pass me".
Honestly, this is how it feels to play on the field, so basically to me it means in my head "If you can't handle it on the small field, how do you want to handle it on the big field?".
So that's my next plan actually - just doing my job and learning with it.
Idk why I keep pressuring myself. I saw a post about the average age of female business owners and compared it with the german women. The average age is between 35-38 years old.
BUT that's just the founders, doesn't mean they are guaranteed success.
Of the "successful" or "quickly growing" businesses the age is average 45.
45!! I am 27...I am a baby compared to that.
So yea, I won't stop and I know I say I try to do it calm and easy and without stress but I know myself, as soon I have the next big thing in my head it will be the same.
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Knowing myself also was quite a big topic in my head the past few weeks.
I realized, now that I let things evolve just naturally, it sometimes seems like I am returning to childhood.
Like for example the clothes I would pick, naturally, before I felt like I had to choose an aesthetic.
Or also things that interest me.
And maybe that's why I struggle with finding my career.
In all my dreams and ambitions, I never dreamed of a career.
All I knew was that I will be successful as an adult.
How and with doing what was never determined.
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Do you sometimes believe that children know what they are going to be, before they truly know it and before they are being told what to be?
Like a pattern, that resurfaces over and over again, that tells you "this way, this is you"?.
I have been busy this year building a part of myself and I feel like for the next 3 months, I choose to just live and exist for a while again before heading to my next direction.
To the next thing that shouts which way to go.
xoxo rinmero