LOVE-ly Manicure #5

A little less traditional  approach to the Valentine's Day manicure today. No pink, red, or hearts today! It's all black and lace today! You can take this as an "anti-Valentine's Day" or as a darker, more sultry manicure.

I might add a rhinestone or stud next time. What do you think?
Polishes used: Zoya Willa, Imogen, and Purity

Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Gold

Two more weeks are left in autumn! Autumn is definitely my favorite season and what better way to celebrate the end of autumn than with some rich metallics. This week's color fits the bill and is more autumnal to me than the last couple manicure challenge colors. Here is this week's challenge in...

Gold

Just a good, classic, glitter gradient. I should have sponged the last layer of Brooklyn to avoid brush strokes and also mattified it. Then this would have been stunning. (I used a leaf ornament instead of a snowflake this time too!)

Polishes used: Zoya Brooklyn and Bar

Take a look at the other gilded manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448841

Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Black

Technically it is still autumn...but as soon as Thanksgiving is over I go into Christmas mode. It makes focusing on fall for the remainder of this nail art challenge a tad difficult, as seen with my silver manicure. Without further ado this week's manicure for...

Black

Just some skittles in black polishes:) Simple and fun. (Sorry about the snowflake ornament, I couldn't help it!)

Polishes used: Zoya Dahlia, Willa, Imogen, and Dovima

Take a look at the other black manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448838

Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Brown

More autumn nail art, in a very appropriate autumn color...

Brown

I must admit that I got in a little over my head with this one. As I sat there staring at my browns, I couldn't decide what to do. I created a brown tribal print last November, if I did leaves they'd look dead, I was searching for any fall inspiration that might be brown. Then I somehow landed on turkey feathers. Strange, I know. So this was my attempt at a brown turkey feather manicure.

Polishes used: Zoya Louise, Nyssa, Godiva, and Jacqueline

Take a look at the other fabulous brown manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448833

Autumn Nail Art Challenge--Blue

This week's Autumn Nail Art Challenge ended up forming in a very similar manner as last week's green manicure. I took out all of my blues, played around with different combinations and then just decided to go crazy with a bunch of colors. Say 'hello' to this week's manicure for the Autumn Nail Art Challenge...

Blue

 Polishes used: Zoya Rocky, Rebel, Mosheen, Liberty, Song, Remy, Ryan

Not super autumnal, but still beautiful in its own right. :)



Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448823

 

Feel free to join in at any time!

Autunn Nail Art Challenge--Green

In the autumn most things are changing color and taking on more vibrant hues. That being said, green is not very high on my list of autumnal colors. Trying to be inspired, I took out nearly every green polish I owned, put a few away, and used the rest. Here is the result for...

Green

I think it kind of looks like leaves. Due to the leaf-like nature of this manicure, I decided to see how the leaves would look on trees...

Not sure which I prefer. It was fun to experiment and play with my greens:)

Polishes used: Zoya Neely, Vespa, Bevin, Evvie, Chita, Veruschka, Suvi, Hunter, Edyta
Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448820

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 Nail Art Challenge--Red

I was invited to join the "Blogger Bragger Autumn Nail Art Challenge" (via a facebook group). I enjoy participating in challenges as they encourage me to think outside of the box while providing some sort of inspiration or theme for a manicure. This is perfect timing as I have been in a bit of a nail art rut lately. The challenges are once a week for the next twelve weeks. They all have an autumn theme and incorporate one particular polish color. This week the challenge is...

RED

I love red polish. I know that many people do not. I was excited to try to incorporate some of my favorite red polishes into one cohesive nail look. I decided to hand paint a maple leaf to add an element of fall into the look.

Polishes used: Zoya Oswin, Jacqueline, Livingston, Pepper, Edyta

I also love looking at all of the great work that comes out of challenges. Take a look at the other fabulous autumn manicures:
http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=448814 

Feel free to join the group on facebook and join the challenge!

We're Not in Kansas Anymore...

Yesterday's post inspired me to try my hand at some nail art. I mentioned that Oswin reminded me of Dorothy's ruby slippers so I decided to channel that into a Dorothy manicure. I almost tried to choose something about each character and showcase that in each nail, but I quickly realized I had bitten off more than I could chew. Truth be told, this was my third attempt at this manicure! I was pretty pleased with the result. This might make a great Halloween manicure if you're going as Dorothy...or just drench your tips in Oswin:)

Polishes used: Zoya Oswin, Darcy, Purity, Rocky, and Song

What have you been inspired by lately?

Zoya Ultra PixieDust

Press Samples

Zoya has brought us a variety of textured polishes under the guise of PixieDust. First was the original sparkly texture, then came the Magical PixieDusts with hexagonal hologram glitters. Now we have Ultra PixieDusts which have Mega Hex particles thrown into the original PixieDust formula. The Ultra PixieDusts which are "a gradient of red, wine and plum hues" will have you filling your glass of red wine and watching sappy romantic comedies.

Oswin is a "true red textured PixieDust with crimson Mega Hex particles." Of the bunch, this polish has the most matte finish. This dark, ruby red polish reminds me of Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. I can see this being a gorgeous pedicure, especially if you want to channel your inner Dorothy or have dreams of visiting Kansas. 

Arianna, a "blue-toned red wine textured PixieDust with Mega Hex particles," has a brighter base than Oswin. She is a more raspberry red, and like Oswin has tone-on-tone matching glitters that float within its base.

Noir is described as a "deep, vampy plum textured PixieDust with red Mega Hex particles." This dark plum is the only one of the collection without tone-on-tone glitter. Her glitter takes on more of a raspberry hue (although I would not be surprised if all three really contain the same glitter).


With topcoat (1 coat, same order as above)...

The Verdict:
For the optimal effect you MUST follow Zoya's directions on PixieDust application as seen here: http://youtu.be/Sm5ZTEtYZmI. These applied with ease in 3 thin coats. They do take longer to apply as they need to dry completely between coats. I loved them with a topcoat as well. If you're into the textured trend, I highly recommend these glamorous, romantic red hues. They are the best red textures I have seen. The nail art/design opportunities with these gradient hues are endless!

ZOYA IS THE HEALTHY COLOR OF FASHION!

$10 (US) Available on Zoya.com and at finer salons and spas. 

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!

The Luck O' the Irish...

Many of you have exciting and festive weekends planned. Being pregnant means that this is not a "fun" day to celebrate. I am instead going to do other fun things and channel the inner Irish in me through my lovely manicure. I must confess that this is not a holiday or celebration that I normally get really into. I normally create more subtle St. Patrick's Day manicures, as seen here and here. This year I enjoyed taking it to the next level (and it's better than solid green).

What do you think? What does your St. Patrick's Day manicure look like (festive or unfestive)? Feel free to leave links below:)

Polishes used: Zoya Edyta and Tomoko with rhinestone accents.

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?

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