Guess who's back, back again... hopefully the absence only made your little hearts grow fonder! ;) After a brief unexpected hiatus I am finally getting to update with the final two looks of my 31 day challenge!
Today's challenge is to create a look that is inspired by a tutorial. I used this amazing fishtail tutorial from the lovely Lucy at Lucystash.com and altered the colors a bit to give this manicure a nice, bright springtime feel!
Polishes used: China Glaze - GaGa For Green and First Mate. Wet N Wild - Silvivor
I am so in love with this look! The accent nail gives it a fancy feel, but trust me it is surprisingly easy to do. If you've been debating, give it a try soon! Don't let the look fool you!
If you're wondering why this post is coming later than usual, you aren't going to believe what happened - I was abducted by aliens! They told me they came to Earth to learn the fine skill of nail art, and heard I was the lady they needed to see! Luckily, I was able to escape from their supernatural grips and return home just in time to paint their portraits for today's nail art challenge! Boy am I glad to be free!
I advise you all to be on the lookout and if any of you run in to these four characters, you'd better run! You just might be next on their list of abduction targets!
I have really been looking forward to today's nail art challenge! I recently stumbled across a really fun and colorful piece of art by Lindy Gruger Hanson that I absolutely adored. The artwork featured a ton of fun, whimsical shapes and blended gradient background colors, which makes it the perfect inspiration for nail art! After a bit of brainstorming, here is what I came up with for today's look...
Sorry for the later than usual post! I have no doubt that your fingers must be awfully tired from spending your entire Saturday eagerly refreshing this page in a frantic panic awaiting the theme of the day, but rest assured, it's finally here!
After a long, busy day that involved a trip to the vet with a sick kitty,I just barely managed to come in under the midnight deadline for today's challenge! Unfortunately, I had a brain fart and accidentally did tomorrow's challenge today. The good news is nobody cares so looks like a little switcharoo is in order! Bing bang boom, good as new!
Polishes used : KleanColor - White, China Glaze - First Mate, Wet N' Wild - Red Red. Seche Vite Topcoat
For some reason, today's nail art completely reminds me of a ton of eyeballs staring into my soul everytime I look down at my nails. I'm not sure if I love it, or if I fear it. Maybe a little bit of both?
The nude on black dotticure for day 26 of the challenge was inspired by this fun multisized circular pattern that I found online. After a good coat of Orly Liquid Vinyl, I created the dots by using a large dotting tool to alternate polish colors.
Polishes used: Orly - Liquid Vinyl, OPI - Samoan Sand. Topped with Seche Vite
What's your opinion on today's look?Creepy eyeballs or fun dots?
As soon as I saw that the challenge
of the day was inspired by fashion, I instantly had an idea of what I
was going to do! I absolutely adore this black leather and silver
studded purse that I bought last summer, and as soon as I bought it I
was inspired to create this manicure. Due to life and such, I haven't
had a chance to get around to it until now, but boy am I glad I did!
Polishes Used: Orly - Liquid Vinyl, Seche Vite Topcoat
As the theme of the day is nail art inspired by literature, I've decided to take this opportunity to honor one of America's unsung heros, the mascot of books all over the world - The Bookworm! Being a bookworm is a thankless job. His intelligence and devotion to literature is constantly overlooked, in favor of more popular mascots such as Tony the Tiger and even that creepy Burger King. Well no more, today we salute you Mister Bookworm for all you do!
To create this look, I used the following nail supplies:
10/0 detail paintbrush, Acrylic paint in Blue, Green, Cream, Red, Black and White. Finished with Seche Vite Topcoat
Since I was still feeling a little nostalgic from yesterday's Super Mario Bros nail art, I decided to continue my walk down memory lane with today's movie themed nail art challenge as well! As a child I loved watching The Smurfs TV show, and as an adult I loved watching their adventures in New York City in the movie, so they seemed like a perfect fit for the theme of the day! Let the Smurfyness begin!
To create this look, I used the following nail supplies:
10/0 detail paintbrush, Acrylic paint in Blue, Purple, Pink, Red, Yellow, Black and White, Finished with Seche Vite Topcoat
I'm definitely realizing that nail art is a serious addiction! On the upside, it's also super relaxing for me. I just wish these designs could spend longer than 24 hours on my nails!
I used the following tutorial from Leslie over at PolishArtAddiction to guide me in creating this Smurftastic nail art design:
Eligibility:In order to be eligible you must be a Google Friend Connect follower of UnitedInBeauty.com. Simply
fill out the form below to enter, you can also earn extra entries by
tweeting and sharing the giveaway on FB! Winner will be determined by
random draw and contacted via email. If no response is received within
24 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Open Internationally.
Nail Polish Giveaway begins 2/11/13 and ends 3/07/13.
Here we are at day 22, and the challenge of the day is inspired by a song. Well, what better song than my ringtone - the Super Mario Bros Themesong! Nothing like a childhood flashback to get you in the spirit!
In retrospect, it was a tad ambitious of me to attempt this 2 1/2 hour design during a 31 day challenge in which it would remain on my fingers for less than 24 hours. Trust me however, when I say that it was a labor of love...
To create this look, I used the following nail supplies:
10/0 detail paintbrush, Acrylic paint in Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Black and White, Finished with Seche Vite Topcoat
While I may not have saved Princess Toadstool, I'm proud of this nail art just the same!
Today I want to bring you some swatches from the brand new Zoya Pixie Dust Collection! Once dry, every polish has a matte sparkle finish with a very textured effect. One thing I learned about myself while swatching these is that I am an EXTREMELY fickle polish lover!
Every polish I seemed to love more than the last. While each polish was on my nails, it was like no other polish in the world ever existed. I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't warn you, tread lightly with these, you may not ever want to wear another collection again!
ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?
First up is my personal favorite of the collection - Dahlia.
I know I know, I already admitted I'm fickle but I have truly deliberated and chose this as the one I love the most. I literally feel as if angels flew down from heaven with crushed black diamonds in their hands and placed them directly on my nails. The picture DOES NOT show the true sparkle of these. They are amaze-balls. Trust me, you want it.
Zoya - Dahlia
Secondly, I want to show off Godiva.
The polish is a beautiful pale cream color, and reminds me of sparkly sand from an exotic beach. The sparkle effect is not as intense with Godiva, due to the lightness of the shade. There really isn't enough contrast to let the sparkle shine through at all times, but in the right light it is definitely eye catching.
Zoya - Godiva
Next we have NYX, which is a gorgeous shade of periwinkle.
When it dried, it really reminded me of sugared candy crystals. I love that the color is so perfect for Springtime too! I found that in certain light is has more of a purple tint to it, and in other light it can look slightly more blue.
Zoya - NYX
Vespa is a soft muted green that I found just as wonderful as the rest.
I love that the color is so soft and pastel, at first glace and then the sparkle sets in like BAM!
Zoya - Vespa
The brightest color of the bunch is Chyna.
I typically don't love the look of red polish on me too much, but once this was on, it won me over. You can really see the texture of the polish in this swatch too. Once dry, it doesn't have a gritty feeling at all like I suspected it would.
Zoya - Chyna
Another favorite of mine from the group is London.
In general, I LOVE the color gray and this is no exception. London reminds me of a thick fog on a snowy day with the way the sparkle peeks through the polish. I would definitely wear this one on a daily basis, it is simply gorgeous!
Zoya - London
A few words of advice - Definitely make sure to wrap the tips of your nails with this collection. If you forget, you will find it to be very noticeable after it dries. I wrapped each nail and let the polish set for a few minutes, then lightly tapped the edges so that it was all even and patted down.
Once dry, the glitter does not fall off and it doesn't have a gritty feeling at all like I suspected it would. I actually enjoyed the feeling of running my fingers over the polish!
When
using the Pixie Dust polishes, it is recommended that you apply 2-3
coats without any base or top coat. Applying top coat will nullify the
textured finish and give you any entirely new look with a sparkly shine.
Basically, you get two polishes in one - Bonus! The collection sells for $9.00 per bottle and is available now on Zoya.com
The theme of the day is inspired by color, so I decided it was the perfect time to"think pink" and take the opportunity to create this soft pretty pink hearts mani just in time for Valentine's Day!
Polishes used: China Glaze - Laced Up & White On White. Stamping plate : Cheeky CH15
- Adventures In Water Marbling With A Side Of Rage-
Well folks, here we have it. The day you've all been waiting for and the day I've been stressing over since the beginning of this challenge. The dreaded water marble technique...
Polishes used: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Pacific Blue & Going Green, China Glaze - Happy Go Lucky
While there is most definitely a strong learning curve, once I got the hang of it I actually found it to be pretty fun. It took a little bit of trial and error, but I have to admit that overall I'm pretty pleased with the results for my first attempt! The process was quite messy, but I'm fairly certain that is partially due to me shrieking with rage face and knocking over my entire setup midway through the process. For your enjoyment, I have included this artists rendering of the events that took place today:
If you are thinking of trying this technique, be sure that your water is room temperature or slightly warmer. I found that cold water caused my polish to dry on the surface or sink to the bottom in droplets. Also, hold your brush close to the water surface when dropping, holding the brush too high above didn't work out for me at all.
Many people recommend using cuticle oil, vaseline or tape around the skin to minimize on cleanup time. But being the rebel that I am, I threw caution to the wind and hit this water marble raw dog. I didn't choose the thug life, thug life chose me.
Give water marble a try, it can really create some brilliant designs!
Check out this great picture tutorial from fellow blogger PolishandPearls.com and let me know if you try this yourself!
One of the best things about this ongoing challenge is all the new things that I am learning! I have always been a fan of Galaxy nails, but I honestly had noidea that they were so easy!
Polishes used: Orly - Liquid Vinyl & Sweet Peacock, China Glaze - Laced Up, White On White, Fairy Dust &Techno, OPI - I Have A Herring Problem
This was spectacularly easy to create! The only additional tools I used to create this look were a makeup wedge and a small dotting tool.
While I was working on this design, one of the things that I learned is that you will definitely have better luck with wet makeup wedge than with a dry one. If the sponge is too dry, you may end up with tiny sponge pieces on your nails, which are a pain to pick off!
The first step is to paint the nails with one coat of black polish. Once dry, I used the wet makeup wedge to begin sponging on a very tiny amount of the blue polish in random areas.
There is no need to wait for the blue polish to dry, just go ahead and sponge on a tiny amount of lighter blue/gray polish over the first. You want to keep a light hand with this, or you will cover your original splotches.
Now it's time to add the pink. You want barely any polish at all on your wet sponge for this, it's only meant to give your galaxy a hint of pink.
Once all the polish is dry, it's time to add the sparkle. This is where the magic really happens, and each nail begins to look like a real galaxy! I used a very thin layer of fairy dust and was amazed at how good it looked. I also hand placed the glitter from Techo in random areas to look like bright stars in the night sky. I finished off by using my smallest dotting tool dipped in white polish to add one or two randomly placed VERY tiny dots to each nail, which gave a bit more dimension to the finished look.
Topped off with a nice coat of Seche Vite, I've got a super shiny galaxy on each nail!
Today I want to spread the love and share with you a few great blogs that are currently hosting giveaways! If there is one thing most people know about me, it's that absolutely love entering contests and giveaways online. There are some great items up for grabs, so you definitely do not want to miss out on these!
First in the round up is Haute Lacquer's Second Blogiversary Giveaway! In honor of 2 years in the blogosphere, Haute Lacquer has teamed up with the wonderful Shimmer Polish to offer 5 great shades to one lucky winner! The giveaway Ends Feb 22, 2013 and is open to US and Canada.
Next we haveAmy Loves... Maybelline Giveaway! One lucky reader is going to win an awesome Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Set, which includes foundation, concealer, and setting powder in the shade of their choice. The giveaway Ends March 1st, 2013 and is open Internationally.
Finally, be sure to head on over to Nailtopia's Spectacular Giveaway and check out the 2 great nail polish prize packs that you could win!As an added bonus, I even spotted one of my favorite polishes, China Glaze - It's a Trap-Eze in one of the prize packs. I know someone is going to be very happy when this contest ends! The giveaway Ends March 8, 2013 and is open to US and Canada.
There we have it, our contest/giveway roundup for the week of Feb 2 - Feb 9!
The half moon manicure has been increasing in popularity lately, so I'm happy to hop aboard the love train! I went for a high contrast look by using a medium shade of gray and a bright gold glitter for this design.
Polishes used: China Glaze - Recycle & I'm Not Lion
The great thing about this design is that you can use reinforcement labels as a guide to create the perfect half circle on the nail base.
After the base coat of polish is dry (in this case the glitter polish) place one of the stickers so that the outside round edge forms the guide for the half circle.
Paint over the sticker, and remove while still tacky/wet for a nice clean line. Tada!
Today I come to you with a heavy heart, and a slightly lighter hand. You may notice that my nails are looking a little bit nubbier than usual today... (If you noticed this, kudos to you... You may just be my biggest fan!) Let's just say I had an unfortunate grocery unloading accident that is much, much too painful and gory to talk about. I will spare you the details, and only say that many delicious cookies, and a few nail tips perished as a result... A moment of silence please...
Polishes used: WetNWild - Silvivor & Essie - Set In Stones
On the bright side, this silver glitter gradient helped me forget my sorrows!
If you have never attempted a glitter gradient, let me tell you that it is a lot easier than you think!
After a quick swipe of clear base coat, I started by painting just the tips of my nails with Silvivor, then used the brush to drag a small amount of the polish down towards the base of the nail.
When dry, I applied Essie's Set In Stones and used the same dragging technique to pull the polish towards the nail base, creating the gradient effect.
Finished with a thick coat of Seche Vite, we have today's glitter challenge complete!
The tribe has spoken! Today I present to you my first and only attempt at tribal print! Not too shabby if I do say so myself! I was inspired by this picture to create this bright colored and cheery tribal look for today's challenge.
Polishes used: OPI - Fly, Samoan Sand & Planks A Lot / China Glaze - White on White / Orly - Liquid Vinyl
I've always been very intimidated by the thought of tribal nails, but now that I have conquered them, I will definitely be doing them more often! Honestly, all it takes is a bit of time, a tiny brush, and a creative mind.
I have found that it works best to have a picture to use for inspiration. Once you start getting creative, it's easy to get off track! The great thing about tribal patterns is the huge amount of variations. There are so many options and you can really let your creativity flow!
I am so glad that I finally got a chance to swatch the brand new Spring 2013 collection from Model City! These polishes look amazing in the bottle, but I had no idea just how amazing they were until I got them on my fingers. The holographic effects are amazing, and the pastels are perfect for Spring! For full opacity, I used 3 coats of each polish and then finished with a Seche Vite topcoat.
{Pretty In Pink}
{You Blue Me Away}
{I Lilac What You Did There}
{Orange You Just Peachy}
{Anti Establish Mint}
Model City polishes are available in two sizes. Mini ($4.00) and Full ($8.00) and can be purchased via Esty.Keep up with latest Model City news on Facebook, and on their official blog.
The theme of the day is delicate print, which in my opinionleaves quite a bit of room for interpretation. I decided to interpret it by putting my stamping plates to good use for this white on lavender floral print. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the exception of my weird looking pinky. Let's pretend that didn't happen.
Polishes used: OPI - Planks A Lot & China Glaze - White on White. Stamping Plate - Mash32
Today's challenge sounds easy enough, just a few little flowers, right? Wrong. As usual, I managed to find a way to turn this into a fail. I though this would be the perfect opportunity to try out my new real dried flowers that I purchased from Ebay. Turns out, not so much...
Polishes used: Orly - Snowcone, China Glaze - Gaga For Green, Holly Day & Lemon Fizz
After a quick coat of Orly Snowcone, I used my smallest nail art brushes to start painting on the blades of grass in two different shades of green. Once dry, it was time to add the decorative flowers.
As you can see, I quickly nixed the idea of working with the real flowers after they completely fell apart on my fingernails, leaving me with nothing but flower dust and a horrid memory of what had just happened.
I had no choice but to grab my brushes again and go back to work. I'm no artist, so my flowers look a bit reminiscent of my kindergarten art projects, but they are on there none the less so I'm calling it goal. Day 14, all done!
The theme of the day is animal print! In case you've been in hibernation for the Winter, let me be the first to tell you that animal print is all the rage right now and from what I've seen on the popular human behavior documentarycalled "Jerseylicious", I've also learned that for some it's not just a love, it's an addiction. It seems like everywhere I turn, there's animal print staring back at me.Leopards and cheetahs and zebras, oh my! As usual, Idecided to go a bit outside the box and stray away from the commondesigns, so I busted out my trusty nail art brushes andfree-handed these giraffe print nails today!
Polishes used: China Glaze - Lemon Fizz & Over the Taupe
For these, I started out with a simple base of Lemon Fizz. Once dry, I used my smallest nail art brush to start working on the outlines of each of the brown areas. I then used a dotting tool to dab in the brown polish and fill in the spots. Some of the spots needed a second coat and others seemed a little thick, but a nice coat of Seche Vite smoothed everything out nicely!
The theme of the day is stripes, and while painting, I totally fell in love with this navy and white striped manicure with glittery heart accent nail. I seem to recall seeing a few different variations on this design before, but I am not exactly sure where it originated.
Polishes Used: China Glaze - First Mate, White on White, and Ruby Pumps
In my attempts to simplify the process, it turns out I more than likely ended up making it way more difficult than it had to be. Thanks to my shaky hands, I had to figure out a way to get straight lines, which can be difficult for even the steadiest of digits to freehand. After a little brainstorming, I decided to paint a piece of Scotch tape with white nail polish and cut it into strips of the desired width, then place the stripes directly on the nails. When it came time to add the heart, I of course had to think of a way to make that more time consuming as well, because everyone knows if it's one thing I have plenty of, it's time. After laboriously adding the stripes, I couldn't bear the thought of a shaky hand sending it all to hell in a handbasket, so I used a dotting tool to paint the heart on Scotch tape as well, then cut around the design with a pair of nail scissors and put my home made decal in place.
There you have it, after a bunch of unnecessary steps, I'm all finished with day 12!
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