31 Day Challenge - Day 18: Half Moons

- Gray on Gold Half Moon Manicure -

I am loving today's look! 

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!

31 Day Challenge - Day 17: Glitter

- Silver Glitter Gradient -

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! 

31 Day Challenge - Day 16: Tribal Print

- Bright and Cheery Tribal Print Madness-

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!

Indie Alert - Model City Spring 2013 Collection

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.