China Glaze

The Nail Art Squad Does Summer

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's the last day of July, so that means summer is in full swing.  So, because Summer is officially here, it's only fitting that The Nail Art Squad collaborates and brings you some summer manicures!!!


For my manicure, I wanted to do some sort of palm tree design.  What's more summery than palm trees?  I found this design by nails.by.teens on Pinterest which I fell in love with and had to re-create right away.

Let's take a look!!!




Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - I Got a Blue Attitude
  • Orly - White Tips
  • Black acrylic
I love this manicure so much!  It reminds me of a shirt my mom used to own which had palm trees on it with colored lines in the background.  That shirt had to have been from the 80s.  Maybe because I correlate that shirt with this manicure, I keep thinking that this manicure has a retro feel to it.



To get the look I started off with my white base.  When that was dried, I put on some nail art tape then filled in the white area with the blue polish.  Quickly removed the tape, and had my base all ready for my palm trees.  When the blue was dried, I took my nail art brush and painted on the palm trees using acrylic paint.  I think if I were to do this again, I would put down top coat first over the tape design because it would have had a smoother surface to add the art.


Now let's take a minute and talk about how BEAUTIFUL this China Glaze polish is.  I Got a Blue Attitude is from this years summer collection.  Sally Beauty only got a partial collection in and I thought that this gorgeous blue would never be mine.  Thankfully Beauty Plus Salon got the whole collection in, and I was able to snag the ones I wanted.  This polish is two coats of gorgeous blue shimmer.  I never wear the same polish twice in a row, but I had to with this one.  I need to go back and grab a back up before this store sells out.  Everyone, you must purchase this if you love blues!

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Something you think you would try?  Love the blue?

 Until next time, <3.

Monthly Mani Favs

The One with the July Monthly Mani Favs

9:00:00 AM

Hey everyone!  How are you all doing today??  It's the end of the month so that means that it is time for another Round Up Post!  I meant to have this post up yesterday, but I went to a concert and ended up coming home super late and had no time to put it all together.  And since I'm still super exhausted from getting home late, waking up early, and going into work, I'm only going to do a Round Up of my favorite manicures this month.  Next month I'll return to sharing what my favorites are by other bloggers....I promise!

So, let's take a look at my favorite manicures for July!



  1. The One With the Roses Inspired by @rikkis_nails_ - After I saw Rikki do this rose manicure for The Essies, I knew I had to re-create it right away.  You all should know by now that I love florals, especially roses.  How awesome is that dry brush background?!  It makes the design look so vintage!
  2. The One with Round 26 of Bestie Twin Nails with Fashion Footing! - It seems like every month one of my favorite manicures is the one that I did with Amanda.  This month we created a fun dry brush design over Zoya Ling.  I really need to re-create this polish with other colors.  Just look how awesome it is!!!
  3. The One with the Best Pineapple Manicure Ever - I'm not quite sure why I'm obsessed with pineapples, I just am.  I've done a few pineapple designs in the past, but nothing was as cute as this one!  I can see myself re-creating this one in a year!
  4. The One with the DIY Star Decals and Some Lovely ORLYs! - Oh.my.goodness.  I'm about 99% positive that this manicure is going to show up on my yearly round up post!  Now that I learned that this DIY decal technique works, I'm going to be creating more manicures like this! 
What do you think?  Any of these your favorite?  Going to re-create any??

Until next time (which is tomorrow because I didn't time my posts out well), <3.

Decal

The One with the DIY Star Decals and Some Lovely ORLYs!

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today??

So, ever since I posted that Press Release for the new ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color polishes, ORLY has been on my mind.  I wanted to wait and share a manicure using the Breathable polishes with you, but unfortunately, the polishes did not survive the shipping.  Sigh.  New ones are on the way though!  That doesn't mean that I can't use my regular ORLY polishes in the meantime!

HannahRoxNails on YouTube posted this tutorial for DIY polish decals using hole punches.  Back when I started blogging, there weren't any fancy vinyls like there are nowadays, so I had to make my own "vinyls" using star or heart hole punches and painters tape.  The process was tedious but it was well worth it in the end.  My most popular manicure using this technique was my Pixie Dust Star mani.  I did the same thing a few times after that, but since it was so tedious, I kind of gave up, leaving my hole punches in the Melmer untouched.

After I saw Hannah's tutorial, I decided to brush the dust off the hole punches and try it out!  I grabbed a plastic bag, painted it with a whole bunch of ORLY Liquid Vinyl.  Let's take a look at what I created!




Colors Used:
  • Orly - Indie
  • Orly - Purple Crush
  • Orly - Push the Limit
  • Orly - Glowstick
  • Orly - Mirrorball
  • Orly - Liquid Vinyl
Oh, my amazing!  Am I right?!  Honestly, by far one of my all time FAVORITE designs I've ever created!  It's like my star manicure of the past beyond upgraded!!!  When I first saw the video, I for sure did not think that it was going to be as easy as Hannah made it out to be.  I painted the plastic baggie with streaks of Liquid Vinyl.  I let the bag dry for about two to three hours.  I then peeled the paint off the bag and started punching holes in it.  I started by doing one at a time, but I couldn't get the stars to come out of the little collecting tray.  So I tried to do 3 or more and they began to just fall out.  



I put all the little stars on a paper plate and then painted the base on my nails.  I really had no plan at that point, I just knew that I had star decals and needed to do something with them.  I decided to go for a fun gradient using Indie, Purple Crush, Push the Limit, and Glowstick.  I thought the colors together looked like a beautiful, dusky sunset.  Perfect backdrop for stars.  Also the perfect polishes to make a gradient with.  Opaque and bright...the key to a nail artists heart.


After my gradient was on, I went through with some INM Northern Lights and added a quick top coat.  While the topper was still wet, I used a toothpick to pick up the stars and placed them on my nails.  A few of them I cut in half to fit around the cuticle.  It seemed a little bare, so I added some black dots using my smallest dotting tool.  Then I just added a top coat over the top to seal in the stars.

It seems complicated and time consuming, but it's really not as bad as you would think.  I think if I had a clear plan as to what I was going to do when I started this design, it would have gone a lot faster.  I've also learned little tips and tricks with the stars so next time it will go faster as well.  For instance, I will paint the baggie the night before so they can set over night making the peeling/cut out time go a lot faster.

What do you think?  Fan of this design?  Love how bright the ORLYs are??  

If you're going to try the DIY decals, I HIGHLY recommend using opaque polishes.  ORLY Liquid Vinyl is almost a one coat black polish, so it was perfect for this.

 I really think the ORLY polishes made this manicure.  Mirroball, ugh, love it.  So happy I have about five bottles.

Well, I should stop babbling on and on.  Until next time, <3.

China Glaze

The One with the Best Pineapple Manicure Ever

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  Happy Saturday to you all!  I will be sleeping most of today in the cold air conditioning since it is a sauna outside.  It's expected to be hot and humid.  Last night at midnight it was in the 80s.  This is the part of the summer that I hate.  Although, I hope it does stay warm through next week since I have lawn seats at a concert.

Since it's super hot, it's only fitting that I share a fun, bright, summer manicure.  What's more summery than pineapples!?  Okay, maybe there is something more summery than pineapples, but whenever I think of a pineapple, I think of a warm, tropical island.  And, that's what it feels like where I live.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Treble Maker
  • FingerPaints - Frosty Lemonade
  • FingerPaints - Paper Mache
  • Serendipity Polish - Sunshine Rainbow
Okay, guys, I think this is my all time favorite pineapple manicure!  Alongside of my love of florals, I have a huge love for all things pineapple.  Earlier this year I bought a pineapple shirt from NYandCo and a pair of green capris to match.  Of course when I wore it the first time I had to paint a manicure to match.  After looking around the internet at dozens of different designs, I came up with this lovely design.



I just realized I haven't shared Serendipity Polish in Sunshine Rainbow with all of you yet!  I really do not know what has taken me so long since this polish is absolutely GORGEOUS.  It is a gold hex glitter with holo microglitter throughout.  I used two coats over one coat of a gold metallic polish.  You could use it on it's own in three coats.  With two like this, you have a dense topper, and one it's a light perfect topper.  Absolutely gorgeous.  It reminds me of China Glaze Bring on the Bubbly, but with a lot more holo!


I'm so proud of my little free hand pineapple.  It's not perfectly circular, but neither are pineapples!  I used dotting tools and toothpicks for all the details.  I tried to use brushes but I couldn't get everything to look how I wanted it to.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Something you would try?  Love Sunshine Rainbow as much as I do??

Now I want a pineapple smoothie.

Until next time, <3.

Orly

NEW: ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color - Press Release

12:00:00 PM

Guys....stop what you're doing and read this post!  ORLY is coming out with a new nail polish!  I just got information regarding ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color.  This new line is an all-in-one polish where you don't need a base coat or top coat.  Just two coats and you have your treatment and your color polish.  How convenient is that??

Check out the press release below for more information!!

_________________________________




This fall, ORLY introduces the first ever Professional Treatment + Color. ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color offers the strength-boosting benefits of a nail treatment while eliminating the need to lay off the lacquer.

Hold up. Explain.
  • It’s essential to allow nails to rest and recharge, but for lacquer lovers, bare nails are a big nono.  With Breathable Treatment + Color, it's possible to have the best of both worlds
  • Similar to the technology of a contact lens, Breathable Treatment + Color allows oxygen and hydration to pass through, promoting nail growth, increasing nail thickness and helping heal damaged nails
Let’s talk technology
  • Advanced Oxygen Technology allows air and hydration to penetrate to the nail.
  • This new technology, coupled with a blend of Argan Oil, Vitamins B5 and C help to promote hydration, and heal damaged nails plus stimulating nail growth.
  • An All-in-One product formulation with adhesion promoters and shine additives eliminates the need for a basecoat and topcoat.
Nails by the numbers*
  • 99% of women tested saw a noticeable difference in the overall health and appearance of their nails
  • Felt their nails were STRONGER + HEALTHIER after using Breathable for 1 week
  • Experienced measurably FASTER nail growth
  • Experienced LESS CHIPPING and PEELING
  • 50% of the testers reported that the Breathable formula lasted longer on their nails
  • 10 out of 10 nail technicians felt the formula was easier to apply and control
* When tested against traditional nail polish, 500 women

TO USE: Apply two coats onto bare nails.

ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color will be available online on July 21st, 2016. It will be available in stores August 2016. It retails for $8.99 each. ORLY Breathable Treatment + Color will be available ULTA, JC Penney, salons nationwide and at orlybeauty.com. For more information visit us online at www.orlybeauty.com/breathable .

It all starts with innovation. 2015 marks 40 fabulous years in the nail care industry for ORLY. From the conception of timeless nail looks such as the Original French Manicure®, cutting-edge color, treatments, textures and design, to what’s new and next in nails, it’s all been created by the brains and beauty lovers at ORLY in LA. This year, ORLY celebrates its long-time love affair with Los Angeles with the Made in L.A. campaign, inspired by the people, places and heartbeat of the city of angels.


____________________________________________________________

Super excited to try these out!!!  What do you think?  Something you might try??  I think the colors are just gorgeous, can't wait to see them in person!

Until next time, <3.

Bestie Twin Nails

The One with Round 26 of Bestie Twin Nails with Fashion Footing!

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fine Wednesday?  Yes, you are seeing right, I am posting two days in a row.  Since I posted a swatch yesterday, I thought I should show you what nail art I did on top of the gorgeous Zoya Ling.


Of course, this nail art is in collaboration with Fashion Footing for another round of Bestie Twin Nails.  Round 26 to be exact.  So we've gone 26 months in a row doing this feature, and have snapped each other on SnapChat for close to 200 days.  If you guys are looking for some friend goals, look no further.

Let's take a look at this month's Bestie Twin Nails!




Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Ling
  • Orly - White Tips
  • Orly - Liquid Vinyl
How awesome are these nails?  I saw something similar on Pinterest by Nail Decor (I would link it but my internet is being dumb and won't load Pinterest), and Amanda was really interested in trying them out.  We debated a bit on what color to do because really this manicure would look awesome with any color.  After deliberating for a bit, we settled on Zoya Ling, and I'm really happy that we did.  It's just an awesome color combination!



To get the look, I started off with a base coat of Ling.  Once that was dried, I dry brushed from the edges towards the center of my nail using white and black polish.  Such a simple technique to achieve an amazingly awesome result!

What do you think?  Something you would try?  Think I should do this with more colors??

Make sure to check out Amanda's Post!

Until next time, <3.

Swatches

Twinsie Tuesday: Someone Else Does Your Nails.....kind of

9:00:00 AM




Oh my gosh I'm back and posting for Twinsie Tuesday.  Can you believe that I didn't forget this week?  Or didn't have something else scheduled?  Hopefully now I can get back on track and back to consistently posting with everyone!

This week we are posting manicures which were painted by someone else.  Well, it's been kind of a crazy week and I had zero time to ask one of my friends to do my nails for me.  I then thought about having my mom paint my nails, but she was just as busy.  Sooooo, I really had no one else to paint my nails for me.

Despite this, I was determined to post today.  I decided to twist the theme a little bit and do a "mani orders" post.  In the end, someone else is doing my nails because I'm doing something I wouldn't have done otherwise.  Yeah, that's a huge stretch, but whatever.

So, here is what Amanda from Fashion Footing has told me to do forever and a day....a plain cream polish swatch.


Colors Used:

  • Zoya - Ling
Gasp!  A post with a plain cream polish on my little nail art blog!  I actually am planning on sharing more swatches with you all in the future.  I figured instead of just sitting and waiting for my base to dry, I might as well snap a few photos of it and include it somewhere in my posts.  Or even do them a day before?  Who knows, I'll figure that all out one of these days.

Anyways, this is Zoya Ling.  A gorgeous blue polish originally released in 2014 as part of the Tickled Collection.  It's such a fun blueberry blue polish.  It applies perfectly in two coats.  You can almost get away with one coat, but I did have a few patchy areas.  Regardless, it's gorgeous.

What do you think?  Like this swatch?  Think I totally failed with this prompt??

Don't forget to check out the other Twinsie's!


Amanda at Fashion Footing
Amber at NailsLikeLace
Claire at Kerruticles
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Sharon at Behind Green Eyes

Stop back tomorrow to see the nail art that I did over the top of this swatch!

Until then, <3.



Dry Brush Mani

The One With the Roses Inspired by @rikkis_nails_

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's finally Saturday!!!  This week seemed to have lasted forever.  Now it looks like I'm in for a nice, sunny weekend.  Hopefully it's relaxing!

Today I am sharing with you a re-creation of this rose manicure by @rikkis_nails_ on Instagram.  She originally created this manicure for a contest that Essie was hosting and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.  You know me and floral designs, I gravitate towards them.  What was unique about this one is the base.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Orly - White Tips
  • OPI - Do You Take Lei Away?
  • Sally Harensen - Kashmir Valley
  • OPI - Hey Baby
  • Sinful Colors - Chalk It Up
  • Acrylic Black
Whew, that was a lot of colors!  Been a long time since I've done a fun manicure with a bunch of different polishes.  Do you see that awesome looking base that gives this manicure a vintage look?  I thought that it was going to be difficult to achieve the look, but it's just a simple dry brush!  That's right, put on your base of white polish, then dry brush it with your favorite nude/light brown polish!  Add a top coat and move onto the next step - adding the flowers!!



I started off with my light orange flowers.  The polish I used is Kashmir Valley from the Complete Salon Manicure Line.  This polish really is a beauty which I totally forgot I owned.  Hate when that happens.


Then I went through and added my pink flowers using OPI Hey Baby.  Running low on this one and kind of wish  I could snag a back up but I don't think that will be happening.  I probably should start finding a dupe or something.  When both my flowers were semi dry, I went through with Sinful Colors Chalk it Up and added the leaves.  Finishing touch was to add the black details using my small nail art brush.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Do you like that muddled, vintage, burlapish looking background??  I think it's so unique!

Until next time, <3.

FingerPaints

The One With Serendipity Polish Summer Sunnies

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's Wednesday...smack dab in the middle of the week Wednesday!  Today it's supposed to be in the high 90s, so I'm hoping to get out of work early and sneak over to my neighbors pool.  If the whole getting out of work early thing doesn't work, the pool still is a must have.  Although I did just paint my nails and if I go into the pool they're going to peel off....hmmmmm...maybe I'll just dip my feet in.

Today I am sharing with you a cute pink manicure I did with yet another Serendipity Polish.  Summer Sunnies is the last cream in the Beach, Please collection that I have yet to show you!  I'm not one for pink, but this manicure which is inspired by Bad Girl Nails really changed my mind.

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - Summer Sunnies
  • INM - Granite
  • OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls
  • FingerPaints - Sterling Sculpture
Isn't the color combination great?  Honestly probably never would have thought of it on my own. I really need to become more artistic or something that I can start to create unique color palettes.  So since I was using INM Granite for this manicure, instead of using a stark white, I went with My Boyfriend Scales Walls.  This greyer white polish really helped blend it all together.  I think if I used a stark white the leopard print would have been lost.



Summer Sunnies - another stunner from Serendipity Polish.  This one I couldn't get to work in one coat like the others, but I think that's just because of the color.  Two coats though and it was perfect coverage.  It worked great for nail art and making my little leopard dots.  I can see myself using this polish a lot for roses.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Color combo you would try??

Until next time, <3.

Bestie Twin Nails

The One With the Nautical Design and BTN with 25 Sweet Pea!

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today??  It's Sunday already, which means Monday is right around the corner.  The beginning to another work week.  Ugh, why do weekends go so fast?  Why can't all weekends be three day weekends?  Le sigh.

Today I am posting alongside of Sarah from 25 Sweet Peas for a nautical themed Bestie Twin Nail post!!


Every year I attempt to do a nautical design, and every year I hate that design.  It ends up turning out completely differently than what I imagined in my head.  This year, I reluctantly tried again expecting to totally hate the outcome.  I was pleasantly surprised though and actually was in LOVE with the manicure.

Let's take a look! 




Colors Used:
  • Sally Hansen - Take the Plunge
  • Zoya - Tomoko
  • Orly - White Tips
Aren't they awesome???  I love them so much!  The blue, the gold, the stripes, the anchor.  Everything turned out just as I imagined it would!  Almost 99% of the time when I do a striped design like this using nail art tape, the stripes never turn out this well!  They're straight, there aren't any streaks from the top coat, and it's not like a bunch of peaks and valleys because I did too much of the top color.  I'm so proud.



Take the Plunge is a new summer collection from Sally Hansen and the Miracle Gel line.  You can get it now in stores as part of a special two pack with a top coat for $11.99 which is a deal.  It's such a gorgeous navy polish which applies perfectly in two coats.  You can get one coat but I do suggest two to get a richer color.  Just like my other Miracle Gels, it lasted forever on my nails.  I can see myself using this as a transition color from summer to fall on my toes.  Love it.


We already know my love for Tomoko.  It's my favorite of the original formula Pixies.  I had to take a bottle shot with it because it is one of my favorites.  Two coats, lovely sparkly shine.  For my anchor I don't think I used Tomoko and instead just a plain gold polish.  Looking at this I'm honestly not sure what I did, but I do know it was done with polish.  Probably the best freehand anchor I have ever done in my four years of blogging.

What do you think?  Like this nautical look?

Don't forget to check out Sarah's post!

Until next time, <3.

Gradient Mani

The One with Orly Thrill Seeker

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today??  It's Thursday, but really feels like a Wednesday because of the 4th of July holiday.  I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!  It's gotten so hot here.  We've had zero rain and desperately need it.  It's supposed to rain today so hopefully it will.  Never thought I'd be wanting it to rain.

So since I did what feels like a ton of red, white, and blue manicures I decided to post something completely different today!  And what's more completely different than red, white, and blue...neon green!

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Orly - Thrill Seeker
  • Orly - White Tips
  • ILNP - Missed Calls
I honestly do not know what I was doing when I when I started this manicure.  I knew I wanted to do green and that was really it.  I searched around on Pinterest for ideas and found lots of different tribal designs.  Since I hadn't done one in a long time I thought I might as well give it a go and it might look good on top of this color.  Sure enough, I was right!



Orly Thrill Seeker is kind of a beyond amazing polish.  I bought this last year and never got around to using it.  I really am kicking myself it's taken this long because it is a PERFECT neon green for summer.  Two coats and I had full coverage.  It was opaque enough that I didn't have to overly saturate the sponge for my gradient.  It all blended together nicely on the nail.  One complaint was it took forever to dry.  Maybe because it's so dang hot and my room is a sauna....we shall never know.

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

Looking back at this manicure now, I wish my pointer was a plain black nail.  I think it would have balanced it out more.  Oh well!

Until next time, <3.

4th of July

The Nail Art Squad Does Fourth of July

9:00:00 AM


Happy 4th of July polished world!!!!  Cannot believe that it's already the 4th.  Where has this year gone!?  I'm planning on laying low, maybe going swimming at the neighbors, followed by some grilling.  I've had a killer headache all weekend so I've really tried to just be calm so I can get right back into the week starting Tuesday.

Today I am posting alongside the Nail Art Squad for a 4th of July collaboration!!


For our collaboration, we are all created red, white, and blue manicures!  I had so many different ideas running through my head but went with something simple and fun.  I actually have had it on my nails for about five days now because I love how it turned out!

Let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • Sally Hansen - Tidal Wave
  • Orly - White Tips
  • OPI - Having a Big Head Day
  • Serendipity Polish - Holo-Day Lights
Isn't it adorable!?  I really love them!  I was going to go over the top and do some stars on the pointer and pinkie but I decided to go simple instead and went with my go-to trusty dots.  For my accent nail, I was going to copy what I did last year which was a red and blue dry brush design.  Nothing thrilling but it got the job done and I did love how it looked.

When I got my red out, I started to do the dry brush horizontally.  I didn't brush take enough off the brush and it started to come out a little heavier than what I normally would do for a dry brush but I was really liking it.  I continued to swipe horizontally and really loved how it looked.  It was almost like wavy stripes which really reminded me of a flag!  Then next to the polka dot nail it was really like a simple abstract flag!



Now, let's take a second to talk about the gorgeous polish that is Sally Hansen Tidal Wave.  This polish is part of the Miracle Gel line which you all know I love. Two coats and I had full coverage of this beautiful cobalt blue.  It really reminds me of the original formula of Pacific Blue from the Xtreme Wear line.  I love this color so much that I ended up putting it on my toes with a holo top coat.  I'll be interested to see if this lasts a long time on my toes.  I'm assuming it will since I went five days with no chips on my fingers!

What do you think?  Fan of this different 4th of July design?  Ever used Tidal Wave?

I hope everyone has a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!!

Until next time, <3.