Festive, Glittery Manicure...

Hello, lovelies! Today I have a very random manicure. It was nearly a "playing with polish" post, but it's really just layering. Because I did not know how to share this post, it has sat in my "edited" folder for quite some time, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to be shared.

Today seems like the perfect opportunity to share a glittery manicure. This weekend my husband graduates from medical school, so there is a lot to celebrate! Cue glittery manicure...

Polishes used: Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away, China Glaze Champagne Bubbles, OPI Spark de Triomphe

More Polka Dots

Revamping a boring manicure is natural for those of us who have hoards of nail polish;) We paint our nails and enjoy the minimalism and simplicity of one color for about a day or two, then we start to get bored. Not that our current manicure isn't beautiful, it just doesn't capture our attention the way it did when it was first painted. With all the new textures, finishes, and topcoats you can add no one should ever get genuinely bored with doing their nails.

I recently painted my nails with SinfulColors Easy Going, an uber pale, pinky-peach, cream polish. Well, as it would go, I wore it for a day and then I needed to use another polish (or two) on it. In my defense, they were calling my name. If they stopped calling my name and looking so pretty, I wouldn't have to succumb to their bribery. Initially I added some polka dots as an accent nail, but it still wasn't enough. Then I spotted Barielle Buddha-Ful and realized that the flakies (which shift teal) would be perfect. See...

Awww...my opalescent nails with polka dot accents are so cute. I think they're perfect for spring.

Polishes Used: SinfulColors Easy Going, Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away, Barielle Buddha-ful

Playing with Polish--piCture pOlish mirage

Ok, so every now and then I go a little crazy playing with nail polish.  Sometimes I'm testing out nail art ideas, other times I'm playing with layering or testing out "effects."

This episode of Playing with Polish, is no different.  I recently swatched piCture pOlish mirage for Blog Fest 2012.  I fell in love with it even though I could not master its application for the life of me.  Every time I swatched on a dark color like navy or black there was balding at my tips and cuticles. Besides, it was almost as if the polish shrunk after application.   I could probably use more layers, but I didn't want my nails to look thick with polish.  I was determined to master mirage.

I decided to play with it.  I layered it over a medium teal polish.  It was stunning, see for yourself!

See?  MUCH prettier than over a SUPER dark color:)  Even the duo chrome is prettier!

I know what you're thinking "what's with the dots?" well I put them there so you could see the color that I put underneath.  Also, I was just playing around;)

Have you tried out anything lately while playing with polish???

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 6

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 6: The Big Blue
I had all intentions of creating a manicure based on Finding Nemo.  Those intentions fell to the wayside based on the amount of time I had to dedicate to this manicure.  Instead I opted for a turquoise and dark cobalt gradient slathered with glitter:) Very ocean-like yet simple.

This manicure was created by painting all nails with Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away.  Next I sponged Barielle Berry Blue on the tips followed by a generous coat of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie.  There you have it!


Take a peek at the other lovelies:

Watercolor Manicure

I recently entered the spring nail art competition by beautystat.  I chose to do a watercolor manicure to showcase some beautiful polishes and this great technique.  Take a look at my entry and what I said on the site: 

"My watercolor manicure was inspired by pastels and light, airy spring and summer fabrics.  Watercolor nails look gorgeous against the spring trends and can be done in various hues of one color or in a variety of colors. I painted all of my nails with Lumos Instant Impact Bottom Coat topped with two coats of Sally Hansen in Pure White.  I applied Lumos High Speed Top Coat and waited for the polish to dry.  I chose a series of colors that I wanted to watercolor with.  My colors of choice were: PritiNYC in California Bluebell (a dark periwinkle), Essie in Barefoot in Blue (a light periwinkle), Diamond Cosmetics in Don’t Teal My Heart Away (a medium teal), Rimmel London in Sunset Orange (a bright, orange-y coral), and China Glaze in Champagne Bubbles (a warm, yellow gold). Starting with the first polish mentioned, I placed a few small drips of polish on a nail, one nail at a time.  With a nail art (or small paint) brush that was dipped in nail polish remover, I smeared the polish around the nail.  I continued this process with each color on every nail.  When completed, I topped my nails with one last coat ofLumos High Speed Top Coat to set the polish."

I made it as a finalist and I am super surprised!  I would LOVE your support/votes.  It's super easy you just have to comment on this post. You're more than welcome to vote for someone else too:) 

Thank you so much! (Mine is the watercolor manicure by Kate).

Playing with Polish--Peacock

I've had this edited for a while and I've just been waiting for the right time to publish this.  Due to my lack of posts this week (*cough* grad school *cough*), I figured the least I could do would be to show you some lovely nail art:)

Here is my peacock feather accent nail:

Polishes used: 
base color: Pro 10 Moonlight
feather nail art: Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away, Barielle Gold Digger, NOPI Turquoise Shatter, and (I think) essie Bobbing for Baubles

Thanks for checking it out:)

Irish/Gaelic Themed Nails

As many of you can see from my nail art, I have a LONG way to go:)  I have trouble coming up with new, classy nail art that I can wear.  My latest dilemma was seeing everyone's stunning St. Paddy's Day manicures & not having any great ideas of my own.  Worse yet, I don't own any true green polishes! I have a golden green (Barielle Green Opal), a teal (Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away), a seafoam green (Sinful Colors Open Seas), and a blue-toned sage green (Zoya Bevin) (AND Zoya Edyta, which I forgot about, now that would have been a lovely green to use!!!!!).

I gave it my best effort with what I had & came up with 2 lovely designs that I wore at different times this week:)  Take a peek:

I hope you enjoyed another attempt of wearable nail art from me:)  I know it's not the best, but I did my best with what I had.  Enjoy your weekend & don't forget to smile!

Monday Manicure

Wow.  I haven't done the Polish-aholics Anonymous Monday Manicure Challenge in a while.  Here's to hoping I can keep up with it!

This week the theme was "heart" manicure.  I did my best to brainstorm & prevent my manicure from looking like a Valentine.  I avoided my pinks & reds and decided to go to the opposite end, hence the tealish color palette.  The nail polishes used in this manicure were:

• Sinful Colors Open Seas
• Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away
• Revlon Plum Night
• Sally Hansen Natural White

I also decided to only include one heart & throw in some plaid nail art:)  I think I will be adding plaid to my list of wearable nail art.  I'm a huge fan:)  Here she is...

How would you incorporate a heart theme into your manicure?

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Wear teal on your tips & toes (or face & clothes) to bring awareness to Ovarian Cancer.

Use it as a conversation piece to bring awareness to this silent killer.  Many females are unaware of the warning signs and wait until it is too late before bringing it to their doctor's attention.  Please spread the word this month by wearing teal!

Learn more by visiting the Teal Toes website or facebook page.

Check out these other lovely blogs that are supporting this wonderful cause:

Paint 'em Teal!

Tomorrow Friday, September 2 paint your toes (or fingers) teal to raise awareness for ovarian cancer.

I apologize for the foot shot. (yikes!)

Why raise awareness?

• Too many women with ovarian cancer do not get diagnosed until their cancer has spread. Their survival rate is 45%.
• The survival rate improves greatly - to 93 percent - if the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage before it has spread. Only 19 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at this local stage.
• Approximately 75 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage after the cancer has spread beyond the ovary.

This information is from the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance

The symptoms of Ovarian Cancer are:

Bloating that is persistent

Eating less and feeling fuller

Abdominal pain

Trouble with your bladder

Anyone having these symptoms daily for more than a few weeks should see their gynecologist.

For more information visit: http://www.tealtoes.org/

**Disclaimer: I was not contacted by a sponsor or company to endorse this cause.  I believe that all women need to be aware of the dangers of this disease & this is a fun way to spread the word.