Brighten Up!

Brrrr! It sure it a chilly one. To heat it up, I created a bright coral manicure with just a little twist. Half moon manicures have been everywhere on runways, red carpets, and in the media. I created a neutral moon by simply taping it off before adding a bright, orangey crelly to my tips. To finish it off I matte-ified it and added a ray of sunshine in the form of yellow, square rhinestones.

I know the edges are a touch messy, that is my own error. I need more practice with striping tape and french tip guides:)

Polishes used: Zoya Elodie and Revlon Matte Top Coat

Beat the Winter Blues

Winter is upon us, and it doesn't feel like we will be shaking it soon. I'm dying to wear lighter and brighter colors, flowy fabrics, sandals (or even flats!) and springy florals. Until then (because I'm still dressing in layers and wearing boots) I will channel my love for spring into my manicures.

 I chose some glitter, polka dots, and a favorite pastel to create this cute manicure which is the perfect balance between winter and spring.

Polishes used: Zoya Kristen, Purity, and Cosmo

Ps. Thank you for your support and patience over the past few months. My inconsistent posts have been due to horrible morning sickness and extreme exhaustion. I appreciate all of your supportive emails and well wishes as my husband and I are trying to prepare for the adjustments we will be making to our lives. We are excited to be welcoming our bundle of joy in mid July (halfway there, woot!). I will continue to make posts and be in touch, but it may be more delayed than you are used to. Thank you again, what would a girl do without you?

Zoya Magical PixieDust

Press Samples

Get ready for some gorgeous sparkle. And considering the winter we've had this year, I think we all need a little more sparkle (and sunshine) in our lives! Please meet the Zoya Magical Pixie Collection.

Zoya describes these polishes as a holographic version of their best-selling PixieDust formula. This much anticipated collection is finally shipping, despite the uncooperative weather. Take a look at these three glittery ladies...

Cosmo is a "silver crystal sparkle, textured PixieDust with mega hex iridescent particles." This brilliant silver sparkles like crazy and would make the perfect New Year's Eve manicure.

Vega can be described as "a blue opal sparkle, textured PixieDust with Mega Hex Iridescent Particles." This firework-of-a-polish reminds me of a glittery, blue Statue of Liberty (Yes I know Lady Liberty is green, but this blue polish has an oxidized copper hue to it.).

Lux, "a rose quartz sparkle textured PixieDust with mega hex iridescent particles," is a soft, blush-toned sparkler. This was the thinnest of the bunch, as seen by the visible nail line.

The Verdict:

All swatches show 2 coats. Many bloggers noted that the second coat seemed thicker than the first, I agree. Despite how hard you try to apply this as 2 thin coats, the first coat will be smooth and thin and the next will be thicker. This is most likely due to the roughness of the polish after the first coat. Other than that, it seems to have a similar base texture (although overall it is much more pronounced and rough *see photo below*) to the original PixieDust polishes. Wear time was great and drying time was not an issue, even though you have to wait until it is dry  between coats.

Angled, texture shot in sunlight. (Vega)

This is a fun twist on the texture polish trend, the colors were spot-on and I loved them all. For me, they seem like party polishes (read perfect for holidays and special occasions such as NYE). I do not normally don glitter on my nails (unless as an accent nail) so that is probably why I have such a distorted perception. If you love PixieDusts, you will love these:)

These beauties can be purchased from zoya.com for $10 each.

LOVE-ly Valentine's Day Compilation

Here is a compilation of all of my past romantic, Valentine's Day inspired manicures:

Red with Flakies                                                                            V-gap in Gold and Berry

 Pretty in Purple                                                                                          Art Deco Inspired

 White Lace (tutorial linked)                                                                       A Little Bit Of Everything

 Vampy and Glittery                                                                                        Romantic Watercolor

 Girly Kisses and Hugs                                                                                         Tribal Love

 Texture and Jewels                                                                                           Polka Dots and Hearts

Which one is your favorite? What else would you like to see?

LOVE-ly Valentine's Day Manicure #2

 This manicure combines many of my personal loves to create a Valentine's Day Manicure. Many of you know that I adore polka dots and putting them on a tone-on-tone background...squeal! I also love how much the red heart stands out on a lovely accent nail. This is one of my favorite Valentine's Day manicures created to date.

Polishes used: Zoya Jane, Purity, and Sooki

LOVE-ly Valentine's Day Manicure #1

 Valentine's Day usually evokes either romance or disdain, depending on your circumstances. The Hallmark holiday always makes me think of all things chocolate, lace, red, pink, white, purple, and sparkly. I drew on this inspiration while creating this festive manicure. I tried to create a manicure that was texturally (new word, folks!) interesting.

Polishes used: Zoya Toni and Miranda

Zoya's #NudeIn[your city] Fun

Zoya Nail Polish is known for their fun promotions and social media interactions with their pixies (nail polish fans). The Zoya Fairies are always making holidays and other events, such as NYFW, festive and delightful. This week (starting today) is no different. Zoya is doing a #NudeIn[your city] giveaway/fun.

To find out more on how you can win and participate check out the Zoya blog: http://zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com/2014/02/zoya-nail-polish-is-going-nude-in-new.html

Each day they have a fun new prize that you can win by sharing a photo of you in a Zoya neutral. (It does not necessarily have to be from the Naturel Collection according to the fairies)

Check out today's fun swag here: http://zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com/2014/02/zoya-nail-polish-is-going-nude-in-new.html

Here is my entry of #NudeInHershey wearing Zoya Normani.

You've got to love the "sweetest place on earth" <3 

If you enter, I'd love to see your picture! Feel free to message, email, or tag me and I will post all of the pictures you share with me here in one delightful post (include your name, blog, instagram, or twitter).