Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Orange

Another autumn manicure, another bottle of polish:)

I never realized how many "orange" nail polishes I had. Creme, shimmer, texture, pastel, red-leaning, neon...all orange. I sat there pondering which colors to use, let alone how to make it autumnal. Then I just grabbed three and decided to play. Here is what I came up for...

Orange

I know, I wasn't THAT creative on this one. A gradient with orange, big deal. But I do like how it kind of ended up resembling candy corn (despite my distaste for the stuff).

Polishes used: Zoya Tomoko, Beatrix, Dhara

Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448817

Autumn Gold

I was sitting there staring at my polish hoping inspiration would strike. I love autumn nail polish colors. The deep, richness of the colors always appeals to me. I dug out Barielle Wool You Marry Me? a polish I chose initially for its name (not something I do very often). Its a great fall color so I painted it on my nails. After wearing it for a bit, I realized it needed something else. What pairs better with rich autumn colors that a metallic? Not much. So I chose Barielle Gold Digger. I "dry brushed" it onto the tips to achieve this effect. I'm pleased with the result. I think these colors are quite lovely together.

Polishes used: Barielle Wool You Marry Me? and Gold Digger

What colors/finishes do you like to pair together in the fall?

Beachy Nail Art

I moved to the Midwest (from the Mid Atlantic) at the beginning of the summer and went into labor the day after we moved! Needless to say, my life has been a busy whirlwind but I love it. My husband and I usually spend a week every summer at his family's beach house on the ocean. Due to finishing jobs, packing, moving over 1,200 miles, having a baby and starting a new job we never got our vacation. That is until our families surprised us and we adapted our schedule. We will be flying to the east coast at the end of this month for our beach vacation and I cannot wait! (Any tips for flying with an infant are appreciated!)

In lieu of my excitement I created a beachy manicure complete with sparkly texture, dry-brushed gradient, and some "scribbles."

Polishes used: Zoya Bar, Song, Rocky, Rebel, and Purity

Share your favorite summer manicure below. Also check out these fabulous summer manicures: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/summer-2014-nail-art-challenge/ Don't forget to vote for your favorite while you're there!

Fun fact: I was proposed to on a beach 6 years ago today!

Polar Bear in a Snowstorm

Today is the day I leave my warm, tropical hideaway and venture back to the frigid Mid Atlantic.  To commemorate this switch back to reality, I prepared a fitting manicure.  

I remember as a child taking a blank white piece of paper, and saying "Look, it's a polar bear in a snowstorm!" In that same way, I present my own manicure version of the same phenomenon.

This manicure was created using a base of Zoya Purity and then sponging glitter to form a snowy gradient.  The glitter is Barielle Star Dust, which when I first posted its swatch this summer I knew it would make the most amazing snowy manicure.

I'm really enjoying this frosty tipped manicure.  What's your favorite frosty/winter manicure?

Playing with Polish--Purple Glitter Gradient

I recently had my nails painted a deep purple (Barielle Soho at Night) and needed to either, 1.) change my polish, or 2.) update my mani with nail art to cover up the tip wear.  I chose choice 2.  I decided to go for an ever popular glitter gradient using Barielle Purple Hearts.  It was fast and simple and did the trick:)  Here's a peek...

How do you like to fix/update a manicure?

Edgy Gradient

After seeing this picture following Fall 2012 NYFW, I decided I wanted to try this beautiful gradient on my own nails using black and a brighter color.  I was however hesitant to replicate it immediately as it was spring and it didn't seem very springy to me.

For this manicure I used a base coat to prevent from discoloration or staining.  Next, I followed that with 2 coats of Sinful Colors Black on Black on all of my nails.  After that dried, I sponged Barielle Surf's Up on the tips of my nails.  It's quite simple.  I love the contrast between black and the bright color sponged on the tips.

I would love to see this with any of my favorite colors for fall: navy, cobalt, teal, rust, ochre, olive, and oxblood.

How do you change up your manicure/nail art for fall?

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:

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 4

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 4: WE LIKE IT HOT, HOT, HOT!

I thought about taking out some of my nearly neon nail polishes for this one, but decided on a glittery/jelly gradient instead.  Summer of course reminds us of the squelching heat.  I was instantly drawn to use Essie Fear or Desire so I painted all of my nails wit this beauty.  Then I sat there admiring my small polish collection, waiting for inspiration to strike.  I decided that Sinful Colors I Miss Yuo could make a beautiful gradient because of its purple jelly base and holographic glitter.  I think this turned out pretty well, even if it isn't as great of a gradient as I had hoped (another thing I need to work on).

Other HOT manicures:

Smokey Nail

Thunder is an older Revlon polish and I love the weird grey/purple/taupe/gunmetal color a lot...I just wish it was less frosty and more metallic/foil.  I posted a (not-so-great) swatch of Revlon Thunder before (it was one of my first posts).

A while back I came upon the most wondrous realization that polishes that are frosty are streak-free when they are sponged (duh!).  Like so...

Yup, that's it.  My smokey-nail manicure created with the lovely, mysterious Revlon Thunder:)

Are there any frosty/streaky polishes that you have used in alternative ways?

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Monday Manicure

This week's Monday Manicure theme is:

Creative Layering

This is one of the themes that is more open to interpretation.  All of the manicures I saw were different & gorgeous in their own right.  There were gradients, sponging, stamping, crackles, glitters, fun layering polishes, and some layering of more sheer and jelly polishes. Everyone did a phenomenal job.

Looking at the submissions always stuns me and has me in complete awe of the others in the Polish-aholics Anonymous fb group.  And as usual I was stumped on what to submit.  I sat there staring at my polishes for a while creating layering combos in my head.  I finally decided to give the "syrup" manicure a try.  This is not exactly CREATIVE layering, but it sure is layering:)

***Sorry I'm so boring guys:-\ I'll eventually get bolder with my color choices & manicures. I just don't like the look of having nail art & bright colors on all of my fingernails yet. It just isn't me & overwhelms my small fingers and nails. I have VERY small fingers, like I can't wear gorgeous statement rings because even the adjustable ones are usually too big.

FUN FACT: my wedding band & engagement ring are a whopping size 3.75 and they slip on and off quite easily***

Let me know if you've ever tried a creative layering manicure.  Feel free to leave the link so I can check it out.  I love looking at manicures & getting new ideas:)

Mermaid Manicure Tutorial

I've been asked a few times about creating a tutorial for my "Mermaid Manicure." This tutorial was done with photographs, so this post is very picture heavy!  I apologize for those of you who would rather just have the word directions, but some of you may (or may not) learn from the pictures:)

This is what you will need:

-base/background color

-glitter polish or another color

-sponge applicator (like the cheap-o things you get with eye shadows & never use)

-topcoat (I guess this is optional, but it will help your mani to last longer & will smooth it out)

 Optional:
-basecoat

-remover pen for cleanup

 Step 1: Prep your nails, use your basecoat, etc. Let dry completely.






 Step 2: Paint your nails in your base color.  I used Sinful Colors Open Seas ($1.99).  Make sure you achieve the desired opacity in as few coats as possible.  I used 2 coats. Let dry completely.




Step 3:  Get your sponge applicator.  (I got mine in this kit for $1.99 for the sole purpose of destroying it with polish)  Unscrew the lid of your layering polish and scrape the polish off the brush onto your applicator.  My layering polish was Sinful Colors Nail Junkie ($1.99).







Step 4:  Lightly dab polish onto your nail (at the tip, the left or right corner, one side, or your nail bed).  As you dab polish concentrate on one part of the nail, I did the tip, and lightly fade it out before getting more polish.

Step 5: Wait between layers for polish to dry or it will become tacky and get indents in it.





  


Step 6: Continue adding layers until the desired darkness/concentration of layering polish is achieved.  Do not forget to "fade" while using your sponge applicator.

*Some people swear by sponging a thin layer on 3/4 of the nail, wait for it to dry.  Sponge polish on 1/2 the nail, wait for it to dry. Sponge on last 1/4. See illustration below*







 Step 7: Finish with your favorite topcoat.  This not only helps your manicure to last longer but it also tends to mask any minor flaws in your sponging.





Here is the illustration I created on how to sponge.  Keep in mind that you can create a gradient by using polishes of slightly different colors, just like in the picture.

Let me know what other tutorials you would like to see.  I can always give a manicure a shot, even if it doesn't turn out perfectly;)

Mermaid Manicure

Yesterday's Sinful Colors Open Seas manicure was beautiful.  I really love the sea foam green.  I'm normally a "boring" polish kind of gal.  I prefer to use red, light pinks, or nudes on my fingernails.  I don't know why, but other colors make me feel like I have funny looking hands!

Alas, I decided to be bold and try something I would not normally do.  I added Sinful Colors Nail Junkie to my Open Seas mani.  I sponged it on with a cheap sponge tip applicator (the lame ones you get with eyeshadows-I never use them so this was a wonderful way to use and not waste!).

I don't know if there really is such thing as a "mermaid manicure."  If there is, I apologize for stealing the name. I decided on the name because it reminds me of something mermaids would wear, especially the colors:)

I guess I forgot to clean her up before taking her picture.  I apologize for the stray glitter everywhere:)

Here is the tutorial for this manicure.