Gray & Gold Glitter

Found a gorgeous design on Pinterest. I couldn't find the source so I'm not sure who to credit for such a genius idea. 

I applied Loreal Eiffel For You to all my nails. 
The glitter gradient on my ring finger is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Disco Ball, Sinful Colors Paris, and Nicole O.P.I Selena Gomez Kissed At Midnight. 
Gold stripes are striping tape with top coat to seal it in. 

Loreal : Eiffel For You

New Year's

Blue and gold glitter to ring in the new year.

Pinky, ring, and thumb each have 1 coat of Sinful Colors Blue By You and 1 coat of Maybelline Color Show Brocades Beaming Blue.
On my middle finger, I applied 3 coats of Essie Blanc. Using a dotting tool, I alternated between Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pink Satin and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I. I wrote 2014 with a striping brush using Sinful Colors Blue By You.
Index finger has 1 coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I, 1 coat of Sinful Colors Paris, and 2 coats of Nicole O.P.I Selena Gomez Kissed At Midnight. 

Happy 2014!

Berry, Pink, and Brown

Couldn't wait to play with the new nail polish I bought today. 

Cover Girl Outlast Timeless Rubies is dark pink with pink and bronze glitter. Opaque in 2 coats.

Revlon Parfumerie Autumn Spice is a dark brown with bronze and copper glitter. Opaque in 2 coats. It smells like cinnamon. The scent is very strong and I can smell it without putting my fingers to my nose. 

Cover Girl Outlast Crushed Berries is a deep burgundy that is almost purple. Opaque in 2 coats.

Cover Girl Outlast : Timeless Rubies
Revlon Parfumerie : Autumn Spice
Cover Girl Outlast : Crushed Berries

Not Totoro

What was suppose to be Totoro nails ended up looking like some sort of grey animal. A cat? A seal? Maybe even an owl? 

Pinky and thumb have 2 coats of Maybelline Color Show Impeccable Greys.
Ring has 2 coats of Maybelline Color Show Impeccable Greys. Taped off and applied 2 coats of Maybelline Color Show Audacious Asphalt.
Totoro/cat/seal/owl has 3 coats of Audacious Asphalt. It's tummy has 2 coats of Essie Marshmallow. Eyes are 2 dots of Essie Blanc and topped with Essie Licorice. Whiskers and tummy fur is Essie Licorice. 

Totoro nails?

Christmas Tree

4 new polishes to play with!

Maybelline Color Show Brocades in Emerald Elegance is a gorgeous glitter emerald. 2 coats for opaque color. Really pretty and perfect for my Christmas tree nail art. 
Maybelline Color Show Brocades in Gilded Rose has gold fine glitter with larger pieces of pink glitter. 2 coats for opaque color. 
Revlon Parfumerie in Wintermint is a scented polish. After your polish is dry, it smells like mint candy. It is light green with green glitter. 2-3 coats for opaque color.
Sinful Colors in Gogo Girl is the perfect creamy red. This is my first Sinful Color nail polish and I can't believe how great their formula is. Almost opaque in 1 coat. 

Pinky and thumb has 2 coats of Sinful Colors in Gogo Girl and Maybelline Color Show in Gilded Rose for glittery tips. 
Ring has 2 coats of Sinful Colors in Gogo Girl. Christmas tree is Maybelline Color Show in Emerald Elegance, Maybelline Color Show in Gilded Rose, and Nicole O.P.I in Always A Silver Lining. 
Middle and index has 2 coats of Revlon Parfumerie In Wintermint. 2 dots of Sinful Colors Gogo Girl.  

Christmas Tree Nails

Purple Matte Glossy Tips

This is a super easy manicure. 

I applied 2 coats of Nicole O.P.I Show You Care and 1 coat of Essie Good To Go top coat. This helped my nails dry quicker. After the nails dried, I taped off the tips and applied Nicole O.P.I matte top coat. I removed the tape while nails were still wet. 

I didn't add another top coat with the matte top coat. 

Nicole O.P.I : Show You Care
Nicole O.P.I : Matte Top Coat

Mint & Gold

Picked up Mint Candy Apple from Essie and Kissed At Midnight from Nicole O.P.I Selena Gomez collection on Saturday at CVS.

I applied 2 coats of Mint Candy Apple from Essie. Then dabbed on Disco Ball from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear and Kissed At Midnight from Nicole O.P.I Selena Gomez collection to achieve a glitter gradient look. 

Mint & Gold

Blue & Silver

I bought some new polish today and could not wait to try it out. 
My Essie First Base base coat has not been doing too well with all the red polish I used recently. My nails are heavily stained. 
For this manicure, I used Orly Bonder, which is part of the new polishes I bought.
Pinky, ring, & thumb has 2 coats of Aruba Blue from Essie. 1 Coat of Essie Good to Go top coat. 1 Coat of Nicole O.P.I matte top coat. 
Pinky tips are Always A Silver Lining from Nicole O.P.I using striping brush (no top coat). 
Ring and thumb's polka dots are Always A Silver Lining from Nicole O.P.I using dotting tool (no top coat).
Middle and index has 3 coats of Always A Silver Lining from Nicole O.P.I. Taped off and applied Aruba Blue from Essie and Nicole O.P.I matte top coat. 

Blue & Silver

Snowflakes... again

The best time to practice nail art is right before you remove your old polish. In this case, I liked it so much I decided to keep it for a little while longer. 
I recently purchased a pack of Winstonia brushes (available at Amazon) and what a difference! 
For colors and info please check my previous post. 

Snowflakes nail art

Candy Cane

Another festive mani! 

Here I applied 2 coats of Berry Sweet from Nicole O.P.I for my pinky, middle, and index fingers.

For my ring finger and thumb I applied 2 coats of Mer-Maid For Each Other from Nicole O.P.I. 

Candy Cane is made with dotting tool using Blanc from Essie. Striped with Berry Sweet from Nicole O.P.I.

candy cane nails

Messy Snowflakes Cute Penguin

December is here! Get ready for lots of winter themed nails this month.

I really messed up these snowflakes. I thought I could finish it nicely before my littlest one woke up from his nap. Right after I finished my cute penguins, the little guy woke up. Lesson learned - no nail art until the boys go to bed at night.
My penguins have 1 base coat of Licorice from Essie. 2 coats of Blanc from Essie for it's tummy. Dotting tool to make the beak and feet using Sunkissed from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear.
2 coats of Bikini So Teeny from Essie and 1 coat of Disco Ball from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear for my snowflake's backdrop. Blanc from Essie to make my messy snowflakes.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear : Sunkissed
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear : Disco Ball
Essie : Licorice
Essie : Bikini So Teeny
Essie : Blanc

Navy & Gold

In my last entry I talked about my disappointment with As Gold As It Gets from Essie Luxeffects. I used it over a gold polish thinking the gold glitter would enhance my gold base. So wrong. 

This time I used 2 coats of As Gold As It Gets from Essie Luxeffects over 2 coats of After School Boy Blazer from Essie. It's a subtle shimmer that is quite different from the usual gold glitter polishes. 

In the sunlight

Leopard Nails

Leopard print is so easy to do. 
For my pinky & thumb I used 3 coats of Dressed To Kill by Maybelline Color Show. It looks black but it's actually a red black. Reminds me of Wicked by Essie.
Ring finger has 1 coat of Golden-I by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear & 2 coats of As Gold As It Gets by Essie. I expected a ton of glitter from As Gold As It Gets, but it's hardly noticeable. Quite disappointing. 
Index and middle fingers have 2 coats of Mega-watt Mauve by Cover Girl Outlast. Leopard print is Golden-I by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear & Licorice by Essie. Here is a simple tutorial. 

Leopard Nails

Fall Scalloped Nails

My fall scalloped nails remind of a Reese's peanut butter cups. Tutorial here (skip to 1:35).

I have been looking for a brown polish. For some reason, most places don't sell brown polishes. I was so happy to have found Pumping Gas by Spoiled. This is a cheap brand of nail polish I found at CVS. Unfortunately I am disappointed with it. The brush is very big, making it hard to control. This color in particular is extremely sheer. I am hesitant to buy this brand again.  

For this design, I used 3 coats of Pumping Gas by Spoiled. 2 coats of Mellow Yellow & Sun Kissed by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. 

It's making me crave some chocolate right now

Blues

Picked up 2 new polishes at CVS this weekend. 
I have been looking for a sapphire blue and Aruba Blue by Essie is perfect. 2 coats were enough but I think a 3rd coat would have made it even more opaque. 
This was my first time trying a textured polish. I bought Blue-Berry Sweet On You by Nicole O.P.I from the Gumdrops collection. It feels a little like sandpaper. 2 coats and NO top coat. Top coat will ruin the formula. It went on smoothly and was so easy to apply.
My husband said he really likes Aruba Blue by Essie. 

Essie : Aruba Blue

Polka Dots & Vintage Rose

Polka dots & vintage rose for my sister's nails. Here is a video for the roses I found on YouTube. The polka dots were just randomly placed. 
Ring finger has 2 coats of Am I Making Myself Claire? by Nicole O.P.I. Roses are Megawatt Mauve by Cover Girl Outlast and Madison Ave-Hue & Naughty Nautical by Essie. 
2 coats of Bikini So Teeny by Essie for the rest of her nails. Polka dots are Megawatt Mauve by Cover Girl Outlast and Blanc by Essie. 

Polka Dot & Vintage Roses

Little Mermaid Nails

One of my favorite Disney princess movies is The Little Mermaid. I have been wanting to try this nail art for some time now. Originally I planned to do it during the re-release of the DVD in October. But I got caught up with all the Halloween stuff. I followed this tutorial on YouTube. 
2 coats of Berry Sweet by Nicole O.P.I on my pinky. 
The base coat for my ring and thumb fingers are Bikini So Teeny by Essie. Starfish is a polish I took from my sister from The Face Shop & Mellow Yellow by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. 
The base coat for my middle finger is Sand Tropez by Essie. Ariel's bikini top is Deep Purple by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear & Laven-dure by Cover Girl Outlast. Her bottom is Naughty Nautical by Essie. 
Pointer finger has 2 coats of Naughty Nautical by Essie and 1 coat of Disco Ball by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear.   

Little Mermaid Nails

Purple Sponging

In my attempt to do purple gradient nails, I ended up with something that looks like a mix between tie dye and who-knows-what. The only saving grace is that the colors are so lovely together. At least the heart on my ring finger is adorable. I followed her gradient tutorial. My nails remind me exactly of my 7 year old's purple tie dye shirt he wore for his Kindergarten ceremony. 
For my base color, I used Am I Making Myself Claire? by Nicole O.P.I. I sponged on Deep Purple by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. The heart was a tape cut out using It Starts With Me by Nicole O.P.I. 

Coincidence?

Minnie Mouse Nails

Oh my goodness! I am so excited to show you these super cute Minnie Mouse nails I did tonight. I saw some on Instagram and thought it would be easy to try and do it myself. I used this video from youtube. 
On my ring finger I painted 2 coats of Berry Sweet by Nicole O.P.I. Minnie's head is Licorice by Essie. Her bow is Madison Ave-Hue & Blanc by Essie. 
The rest of my fingers are 3 coats of Selena by Nicole O.P.I. from the Selena Gomez Collection. White polka dots are Blanc by Essie. 

Minnie Mouse Nails

Nail Fail

I almost didn't post this. But you know what? Sometimes I fail and that's ok. 

My base color (After School Boy Blazer by Essie) was way too dark. This was only 1 coat. I should have realized it but I held onto the hope that the red (Red Carpet by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear) would show through. Wrong! It didn't. So here is what I did: I applied 1 coat of blue. Used a dotting tool to make some red blotches. Then I added the white flowers (Blanc by Essie). 

I added more red in my attempt to fix it.
Much better, right?

Half Moon Nails

The polishes I used for my half moon nails are Mer-Maid For Each Other by Nicole O.P.I & Mint Mojito by Cover Girl Outlast. I applied 1 coat of Mer-Maid for Each Other and waited for it to dry. Then I placed a paper reinforcement and applied a coat of Mint Mojito. Peel off the reinforcement while polish is still wet. Here is a step-by-step picture tutorial. 

Half Moon Nails

Jack O' Lantern, Spider, and Web, Oh My!

One last Halloween manicure before October ends. Spider & web nail art inspired by Miss Ladyfinger. Orange base is Sun Kissed by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. Jack O' Lantern and spider is Licorice by Essie using striper brush and dotting tool. Web is Blanc & Licorice by Essie using striper brush. 

Essie : Blanc
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear : Sun Kissed
Essie : Licorice
Dotting Tool
Striper brush

Galaxy Nails

Here is a step-by-step guide for Galaxy nails. For my base coat I used Licorice by Essie. For the nebula I used Bikini So Teeny by Essie, Gunmetal & Deep Purple by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, and Mer-Maid For Each Other by Nicole O.P.I. I used a dotting tool to make stars with Blanc by Essie. The glitter is Disco Ball by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. 

Galaxy Nails

Let Them Have (Cup) Cake!

Happy birthday to all the October babies! This cupcake nail art was inspired by this video. Base coat is Cover Girl Outlast in Laven-dure. Stripes are Essie in Madison Ave-Hue & Naughty Nautical. Cupcake frosting is Essie in Blanc. Sprinkles are Essie in Bikini So Teeny & Watermelon. 

Cupcake Nails

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Here is a pretty manicure. I used Cover Girl Outlast in Constant Candy for my base coat. The pink glitter gradient is A Cut Above from Essie. A dotting tool was used to create the pink ribbon with Madison Ave-Hue from Essie. 

Pink glitter gradient
Pink ribbon

Bloody Ghouls

I had some time today and wanted to do a Halloween themed nail design. The inspiration came from this YouTube video. For the dripping blood I used Blanc from Essie and Berry Sweet from Nicole O.P.I. The ghouls were Licorice from Essie and Blanc from Essie. This was a simple and easy design.  

Bloody Ghouls

Paint and Dash

I picked up 3 Nicole O.P.I polishes this weekend at Target. This one is called Am I Making Myself Claire? It's from the Modern Family collection. Nicole polish brushes are flat and thick so it makes applying very easy. I prefer the Nicole line to the regular O.P.I. 

Since I was in a rush to leave I only applied 1 coat. 

Next time I might do 2 coats but I was

in a rush today.

Marc Jacob's Daisy Nails

I recently found this easy Marc Jacob's Daisy inspired nail art video on YouTube. Here is my attempt. Base coat is Mademoiselle from Essie. Gold details is Golden-I from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. White daisies is Blanc from Essie. 

My daisies were too big
Next time I will make them smaller