Monthly Mani Favs

The One with the April Monthly Mani Favs

9:00:00 AM

Good morning polished world!  And happy end of the month!!!  Can you believe that April is already over?  Where is this year going?  The weather here  has been so weird that to me it does not seem like it's the end of April.  It feels more like Fall.  Maybe May will feel like May and not September.  We shall see.

So, as you know a few months ago I decided to do these round up posts where I look back on my favorite manicures of the month and share them with you lovelies.  Maybe at the end of the year I'll collage all them together and do a year round up?  Or pick my favorite from each month?  Ooo I'm liking this idea, I'll have to start planning that, because let's face it, December will be here before we know it!

Let's take a look at my favorite manicures this month!  I didn't post as many because I began blogging on a different schedule, but I might be going back to posting more because I have a lot of manicures to share.


  1. The One with OPI My Twin Mimmy - Love this daisy manicure I did using My Twin Mimmy from the OPI Hello Kitty collection.  Originally when I saw the Hello Kitty display, I wasn't going to get the yellow but I decided to since I really don't have many shades like this in my stash.  I am so happy that I purchased this polish because it's a perfect 2 coater, which I think is hard to find in a yellow!  I love how it looks with this design!
  2. The One with Round 23 of Bestie Twin Nails with Fashion Footing - I love how cute these little happy clouds are!  This month for our BTN feature, Amanda and I decided on this cute design since April brings the happy sunny days after the cold, grey winter months!  I used my favorite blue for the base, Color Club Factory Girl.  HB Beauty Bar shared this photo on their Instagram so that was a huge moment for me, making it one of my favorites.
  3. The Time We Did a Last Minute Collab (Bestie Twin Nails with 25 Sweet Pea) - That's right, two Bestie Twin Nail features in one month, but with two separate bloggers!  Sarah messaged me one night asking if I wanted to collaborate with her last minute (literally the night before posting) and of course I said yes.  I love her work and it had been a year since our last collab.  We did a tribal design using two of our favorite China Glaze polishes - Too Yacht to Handle and That's Shore Bright!  Love how this turned out!
  4. The One with the Negative Space Daisies - I really wasn't sure how I was going to like this design while I was doing it.  I've done other negative space things in the past, but nothing so empty, if that makes sense.  I really, really, REALLY love the negative space look and need to try more manicures like this!  

Now let's take a look at my favorite manicures by other bloggers!!!

  1. Rainbow Smoke by BadGirlNails - I'm really obsessed with the look of this manicure. I think it's such a neat effect and something that I don't think I'd ever be able to re-create.  Maybe I'll try, but I highly doubt that I'll be able to do so!
  2. Bestie Twin Nails Clouds by FashionFooting - I really loved this round of BTN with Amanda so much, so obviously I picked her manicure to be one of my favorites this month.  I love Zoya Rocky, I need to remember to use that more often.
  3. Blue Floral Nails by JudyRox - I love everything about this manicure.  The blue, the simplicity of the design, the fact that it's floral.  I really need to re-create this one ASAP.
  4. Adorable Spring Floral by 25 SweetPea - Yup, Sarah made the list again this month.  Ever since I started this feature she's made it on the list, and that's because she keeps coming up with these AWESOME manicures!  Look at this awesome floral she created!  I really, really, REALLY need to recreate this one.  the color scheme is perfect!
What do you think?  Fan of any of these manicures?  Would you ever recreate them?

I really hope that you guys are enjoying this feature!!!  I know I am!

Until next time, <3.

Color Club

The One with the Puzzle Piece Manicure for The Nail Art Squad

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today??  It's cold here again.  It was in the 70s last week and now it's in the 50s.  The weather is just so odd right now.  I want it to be 70 all day every day.  Although as I write this post right now it's raining outside and it's cold and I'm super cozy so it's not all that bad.

Anyways, today I am posting alongside some girls from The Nail Art Squad.  This month we decided to do puzzle piece manicures since April is Autism Awareness Month.  While I know the official colors are blue, red, and yellow, I wanted to do something a little different.  So I went with my neon pastels.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Orly - Mirror Ball
  • Orly - Liquid Vinyl
  • Color Club - Feathered Hair Out to There
  • Color Club - Diggin' the Dancing Queen
  • Color Club - Meet Me at the Rink
  • Color Club - Til the Record Stops
Can I tell you how I'm the happiest person since I purchased the Color Club Pastel Neon Poptastic Polishes?  They were on my wishlist FOREVER then I found them on HB Beauty Bar for what I considered a good price so I took the dive and bought them all.  One decision I do not regret.  Look how freaking pretty they for those puzzle pieces!!



I really have to think that Diggin' the Dancing Queen is one of my favorites.  This one is the pastel neon purple polish which I am holding in this previous picture.  I'm a sucker for a pretty purple polish, and this one is beautiful.  I haven't swatched it yet on my own nails, but when I did on my nail art wheel it took two coats.

What do you think?  Fan of this design?  Fan of these polishes?

Below are the other designs The Nail Art Squad members did for this collaboration!  Of course, mine are the only ones without the proper colors.  oh well!



Until next time, <3.

ILNP

The One with the Abstract Nail Art Inspired by CoffeeAndNailPolish

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world, and happy Saturday!!  Yes, Saturday is finally upon us!  Cannot be happier.  Excuse me as I sleep all day and lounge all night.  Last night I had a nail fail, so I assume I'll be painting sometime during the day as well.  Maybe.  Who knows.  I have quite the back log of manicures again so I could go maybe a whole weekend without painting and still have enough manicures to last me about two weeks at the rate I'm posting.

Anyways, today I am sharing with you a manicure inspired by Shannon from Coffee and Nail Polish.  Last month in my round up post, I highlighted her purple abstract manicure as being one of my favorites by other bloggers in the month of April.  I put it on my list to recreate and a week or so ago I got around to doing so.  Instead of using purple, I used a holo mint polish which is absolutely gorgeous.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • ILNP - Music Box
  • Sally Hansen - I <3 Nail Art Stripers in Black and White
Yes, you read that right, I used actual stripers.  I didn't cheat and use acrylics.  Not going to lie, I was SO nervous to use my stripers because if you mess up using one of these, there's no dabbing with water and removing the design.  Nope, you mess up the whole nail has to come off or you have to figure out how to fix it some how.  Luckily,  I don't think I messed any of my nailis up.  Maybe a little when I added the top coat and some blurred, but other than that, I really think I did a good job using polish stripers!

These stripers are really easy to use and that's probably why I didn't mess up at all.  A long while ago, I posted about them and how they have a shorter brush compared to most.  I feel like I have more control when the brushes are short versus when they're just as long as the polish bottle.



ILNP Music Box is drop dead gorgeous.  Two coats and you have a beautiful mint polish with a subtle holo effect.  I'm so hpapy I purchased this polish back when I went on my ILNP shopping spree.  If you are a lover of mints, then you NEED to have this shade!!

What do you think?  Lover of the abstract look?  Think it's something you'd try to recreate?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Until next time, <3.

Bestie Twin Nails

The Time We Did a Random Last Minute Collab (Bestie Twin Nails with 25 Sweet Pea!)

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!!!  It's Wednesday, meaning we are halfway through this busy week!  So much to do and so little time!!!  There is always time though for a last minute collaboration, and that is what I'm bringing to you all today!

Sarah from 25 Sweet Peas sent me a text yesterday asking if I wanted to by any chance participate in a last minute collab, and of course I said yes.  Since it has been over a year since we last did Bestie Twin Nails, it was about time we collaborated again!  Next time, I think we might have to do a mani swap.

Today's design is a random tribal design using some of our favorite China Glaze colors; Too Yacht to Handle and That's Shore Bright!  Let's take a look!!




Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Too Yacht to Handle
  • China Glaze - That's Shore Bright
  • China Glaze - Bring on the Bubbly
  • Finger Paints - Wrapped in Ribbon
  • Orly - Liquid Vinyl

Oh how I love this color combination!  Too Yacht to Handle and That's Shore Bright are two of my all time favorite polishes, and together they compliment each other so well!  I remember when they first came out, I searched everywhere for them but was unable to find them.  After giving up, I found them on HB Beauty Bar and purchased both of them and was such a happy camper....until they started to run out.  Thankfully China Glaze decided to make these polishes part of their core line and I'm able to stock up at Sally Beauty whenever my little heart desires.  Speaking of which, my bottle of Too Yacht to Handle is running low again.


I love this whole manicure, especially with the gold nail.  I'm a huge fan of silver so I really wasn't sure if I was going to like the gold but I went with it anyways.  I'm so happy I did because I don't think silver would have looked as good with this manicure.  I need to come out of my comfort zone more often and use gold more.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Something you'd do??

Don't forget to check out Sarah's post!  She created this awesome graphic for us today.  I'm jealous of her skills.  She's also the one who created mine and Fashion Footing's BTN graphic!  Still enthralled with that one and forever in Sarah's debt.


Sarah's is better than mine!  I need to figure out how to do relaxed looking bottle shots like her!  It's like I'm gripping the bottle for dear life.  Oh well!  Still working on my technique!

Until next time, <3.

Dot Mani

The One with OPI Rich Girls and Po-Boys

12:30:00 PM


Good afternoon polished world!  I'm sorry I forgot to have this post published in the morning.  Last week was crazy busy.  It was one of those weeks where it felt like Monday every single day.  I have a feeling this week will be the same.  I'm going to attempt to pre-publish my posts so this doesn't happen again.

Today I am bringing you a simple dry brush manicure I did a few weeks ago using OPI Rich Girls and Po-Boys from the New Orleans collection!  Cannot begin to tell you how much I love this color.  I really should go out and grab a back up.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:

  • OPI - Rich Girls and Po Boys
  • OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls
  • ILNP - Missed Call
Two coats and full gorgeous blue coverage of Rich Girls and Po-Boys.  I really don't know how else to explain this polish other than gorgeous.  I think the photos speak for themselves.

Missed Call speaks for itself also.  A black holo polish?  Yes please.  Two coats on this one as well.  The holo effect is so strong that it's mesmerizing!  Even inside it's amazing!



I love doing dry brush designs.  I think I need to do more of them.  Especially when they're accented with the polka dots.  Just a fun kitchen sink manicure!

What do you think?  Fan of this  OPI?  Own Missed Calls?

Alright, heading off for my busy day!  Until next time, <3.

Bestie Twin Nails

The One with Round 23 of Bestie Twin Nails with Fashion Footing

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today!?  It looks like Spring weather might be appearing here this weekend.  I'm crossing my fingers the meteorlogist is correct.  Not going to lie, the rest of this week and weekend are super busy for me, so I doubt that I'll be able to fully enjoy the weather.

Today is Round 23 of Bestie Twin Nails with Fashion Footing!  Can you believe we have gone almost two years doing this feature!?  I still feel like I began blogging.  Such a weird feeling!


I'm so happy to be sharing with you are new graphic for our feature!  This was created by the wonderful Sarah of 25_SweetPea!  Thank you so much Sarah, I cannot begin to tell you how much we love this!  It's only fitting two that after two years of doing a feature we have a graphic.

This month, Amanda picked out this happy cloud design for us to re-create.  Since April showers bring May flowers, it's only fitting that we do a cloud manicure. Plus, nothing says Spring more than sunshine and clouds!

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Color Club - Factory Girl
  • Acrylics
Color Club Factory Girl was one of my very first blue polishes.  I used it so much when I first got it, then the cap literally was welded shut on the thing and I was unable to use it for months.  Then I finally got it open, used it a few more times, then had to get rid of it because it had dried up.  It was a sad day when that happened.  Ever since, I was on a mission to find a back up bottle or a dupe.  Sadly I never found one.

That was until I was shopping on HB Beauty Bar and saw they had Factory Girl for sale!  So when I picked up the whole Pastel Neon Poptastic collection, I threw this one in the cart because I had to have it.  I only got one because I was scared the formula changed over the years, but luckily it didn't!  I need to purchase more back ups.  Two coats and perfect coverage!  This polish is so bright and just screams Spring to me.



I'm in love with the little clouds.  I wasn't sure of this manicure when I was doing it, but when the little faces were on and the top coat was applied, I was a happy camper.  Look how cute and happy they are!  Totally ready for Spring!

What do you think?  Something you would try?  Fan of Color Club Factory Girl?

Make sure to check out Amanda's manicure!

Until next time, <3.

Dot Mani

The One with OPI My Twin Mimmy

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  Welcome to the beginning of a new week!  April 11th, and I woke up to snow.  The poor daffodils are still blooming but they are the most pathetic looking flowers you will ever see.  It's kind of sad.  It was also reported on the news that the fruit crop this year might be a tad crappy due to this weather.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Since Spring seems to be absent outside, I'm making sure my nails are as Spring-like as possible.  Today I am bringing you a bright, yellow, daisy manicure inspired by BadGirlNails.  I fell in love with this bright manicure as soon as I saw it on Pinterest and knew I had to re-create it.  Especially since I had recently purchased a perfect yellow.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • OPI - My Twin Mimmy
  • Orly - Liquid Vinyl
  • Orly - White Tips
  • Zoya - Tomoko
Now, I'm not one for yellow polishes.  I own them but I never really use them.  When the Hello Kitty collection came out, My Twin Mimmy was calling to me.  I honestly can't explain it, but I've never wanted a yellow polish more than this one.  So I snagged it along with a few others in that collection, and have been waiting for the right opportunity to use it.  I am SO happy that I purchased this one.  Two coats and perfect yellow perfection.  I see myself using it a lot this summer.  And since it's an opaque yellow, I believe it will be awesome for water marbles and gradients!  Best part about this bright, sunshine yellow....it didn't stain my nails!  Every yellow I've ever owned has left my nails looking like they're diseased, but not this one!  It's fabulous.



Look at this manicure.  How gorgeous is it?!  I love the color combination so much.  I never would have thought of adding Tomoko.  I probably would have done two white nails with dots and not liked the manicure as much.  Or I would have done Tomoko and then made my pointer yellow as well.  Or done a yellow pointer and done a white middle finger with black polka dots.  I could switch it up a zillion ways, but I probably wouldn't have come up with this.

What do you think?  Fan of the look?  Something you'd try?  Lover of My Twin Mimmy?

Until next time, <3.

Color Club

The One with the Dream Catcher Nail Art

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world! Hope you are all doing fabulously.  I just woke up, looked outside, and there is snow on the ground....again.  Right after it was all melted and it seemed to be getting warmer, we get snow.  Oh well, it could be worse.

Since I'm not feeling too Springy, I'm sharing a not so Spring like manicure I did a few weeks ago.  I recently purchased the Color Club Neon Pastel Poptastic Polishes from HB Beauty Bar because they've been on my wish list forever.  They had a great price and a coupon, so how could I say no?  Anyways, I was dying to try a gradient with them because I've seen so many bloggers create subtle beautiful gradients.  Of course though that gradient needed something over it, so I went with a dream catcher since I've never done that type of nail art.

Let's take a look.




Colors Used:
  • Orly - Liquid Vinyl
  • Orly - Mirrorball
  • Color Club - Meet Me at the Rink
  • Color Club - Under the Black Light
  • Color Club - Hot Hot Hot Pants

This post reminds me I need to grab a back up bottle of Orly Liquid Vinyl.  The two I've had for over a year now both are deciding they don't want to be nail polishes anymore.  Which is alright with me since I'm close to the end of the bottle.  By far my favorite black polish out there.

Let's also talk about how my beloved Mirrorball was added to the permanent collection at Sally Beauty Supply which thrilled me because I could get a bottle whenever I wanted.  Only to have my dreams shattered a few weeks ago when I walked in the store and noticed they did a reset to bring in a line of Seche Vite polishes and they discontinued Gumdrop and Mirrorball.  Lucky for me I was able to buy 4 back ups at $2.99.  Still though, kind of hate not having my back up in the store available just in case something happens to mine.  If you don't have this polish, I highly suggest you go find it because it's wonderful.


The Color Club polishes are just fabulous.  Would I use them for a gradient again?  Probably not.  They took awhile to become opaque over the white base.  I think I had to paint the sponge four times to get what I did for this design.  I swatched them on a nail art wheel and they have beautiful application, which negates a lot of reviews I read online.  Maybe they reformulated them?  Who knows.

Regardless, I think my dream catcher is on point.  I'm so proud of it.

What do you think?  Fan of this design?  Do you like the Color Club polishes?

Until next time, <3.

Dot Mani

The One with the Negative Space Daisies

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's April 5th, and well it snowed here.  We went from 60 degree weather to 20s and snow.  The poor daffodils didn't stand a chance.  Hopefully they perk back up when this melts.  That is if we get warmer weather in the near future.

Despite it being cold out, my nails are very Springy!  Today I am bringing you a negative space daisy manicure inspired by BadGirlNails.  I know that negative space manicures are all the rage, but I've never really gotten into them.  I think the only manicures I can even consider to be negative space that I have done are my gradient dot manicures on top of a naked nail.

These daisies though are beyond out of my comfort zone though.  You can see my nail line....soooo not used to that!  I may or may not like it.....

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Sally Hansen - Pink Cadillaquer
  • Sally Hansen - Lemon Heaven
  • Sally Hansen - InstaDri White
I'm really loving these Miracle Gels.  In my floppy eared bunny post, I talked about how that manicure lasted four days without a single chip using polishes from this line.  Same goes for this manicure.  I had to take it off because the naked nail was chipping.  That's right, the negative space nail chipped before the painted nails.  Top coat and flowers peeling away...Miracle Gels held strong.  Amazing.



Lemon Heaven is such a pretty yellow polish.  Three coats, but that's normal for most pastel yellows that I've used.  If you guys find a pastel yellow with complete coverage in two coats, let me know!  Pink Cadillaquer is a gorgeous pink shade.  Two coats for this beauty.

What do you think?  Are you a fan of the Miracle Gel polishes?  Fan of the negative space look??

Hmmm I wonder if I could do a Miracle Gel water marble and if it would last for four days.  I might have to try!

Until next time, <3.


Oh, P.S.  I might be hosting a giveaway coming soon!!!! :)

FingerPaints

The One With FingerPaints Lavender Love

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fine Saturday?  We just had 60 degree temperatures, and now it's dropping into the 30s and we are supposed to get 3 to 6 inches of snow.  Only in my town this would happen, but oh well.  I kind of think it's pretty when it snows and the daffodils are peaking out bloomed. I'll try to snap some pictures and share on Instagram if it really does happen, because let's face it, 9 times out of 10 the meteorologists are wrong.  Maybe it's some awful April Fools joke.

Today I am sharing with you a recreation of this manicure by 25 SweetPeas.  I love lavender so so much.  It's one of my all time favorite colors and unfortunately my nail polish collection is severely lacking this color.  Every time a lavender is released in a collection, I run to the store for it and it's the first that is sold out.  It must be everyone's favorite.

So when I received a bottle of Lavender Love by FingerPaints from the new Ashley Tipton Collection, I nearly jumped for joy.  I need to go by Sally Beauty and buy out their stock because this polish is perfect.  I'll talk about it more after we take a look at the manicure!




Colors Used:
  • FingerPaints - Lavender Love
  • NYC New York Color - NY Princess
I am absolutely in LOVE with this shade!  FingerPaints, you've yet to disappoint me with a polish.  Two coats and full coverage, which with pastels can be difficult.  No streaks, no patchy spots, no bubbles.  Absolutely perfect colored polish with a perfect formula.  It might be similar to China Glaze Lotus Begin color wise, but formula wise, FingerPaints wins.  I might swatch a comparison for everyone and post it on Instagram.



I also love NYC New York Color in NY Princess which is on my ring finger.  These polishes were released last year as part of the Fashion Queen Collection.  All the polishes in this collection where glitter packed jelly polishes.  Also known as, jelly sandwich in a bottle.  Three coats for my manicure but you surely could get away with two coats!

What do you think?  Do you love lavender as much as I do?

Kind of loving the flowers on this one now that I look at it more as I type this.  They are supposed to be roses, but kind of look almost like carnations.  Maybe?  I don't know.  Regardless, I love it.

Until next time, <3.