China Glaze

The One With the Watermelon Gradient Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Monday is upon us once again.  Hello there my polished peeps!  How was your weekend?  The weather here was absolutely gorgeous.  Perfect sunny days, temperatures in the 70s.  Quite a change from the rainy summer we have had.  Although, the weather didn't feel too summery, it felt more like fall.  Weather like this makes me count my blessings when I look at what's happening in Texas. My heart goes out to all of those dealing with this horrific flooding.  Truly, I am praying for you all.

Today's manicure is one of my last summery manicures....a watermelon gradient!  I wore this mani last weekend at the annual family picnic where I work.  Of course I had a watermelon shirt to match. Dumb me did pink watermelons instead of red like what was on my shirt, but it still looked cute regardless.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Lip Smackin' Good
  • China Glaze - Lime After Lime
  • ORLY - White Tips
Lovely, right?  Same colors I used for my other watermelon manicure earlier this summer.  How could I not use these though since they are the perfect color for a watermelon??  They work perfect for a gradient too.  I was a tad hesitant on using Lime After Lime because sometimes those neon greens don't show up well over the white or for photos, but I was pleasantly surprised.



Super duper easy look to re-create.  You first start out with a base of white polish.  When that's dried, it's time for the gradient.  I painted pink, white, and green on the make up sponge and dabbed until I got the desired look.  I added a quick top coat before I added the seeds.  I did those this year with a dotting tool instead of freehanding with a paint brush.  I found that the dotting tool was a lot easier.

What do you think?  Like these watermelons?  Something you've tried or want to??

Until next time, <3.

Bug Mani

#TheNailArtSquad Raises Awareness for Epidermolysis Bullosa

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world and Happy Friday to you all!!!  Yup, Friday is here and I couldn't be happier.  My work week has been hectic despite the fact I've only had a four day work week.  I'm sleeping all weekend.  Or at least I think I will and then I get plans and that just goes by the wayside.

Today I'm back collaborating with the Nail Art Squad.  This month, we are painting purple butterfly manicures to raise awareness for Epidermolysis Bullosa.  My friend Meagan had a close friend named Taylor who recently passed away from this disease.  When she told me about the disease, my heart was broken. Epidermolysis Bullosa is a rare skin disease which causes the skin to literally blister.  Those who are diagnosed with it have a very short life expectancy due to the fact that the skin is very fragile.  The children are known as butterfly children due to their fragile nature like a butterfly.

One night when I sat down to do my nails, Meagan asked if I had ever done butterfly nails.  Of course I started to show her all my previous manicures and she said she wanted her nails to be purple butterflies for Taylor.  I decided to draft up a design on my own nails and told Meagan that I would be posting it on my blog to raise awareness for the ideas and to remember Taylor.  Then it hit me, I could raise more awareness if I did a collaboration.  So I contacted Sarah and we gathered up the Nail Art Squad for today's manicure.

Let's take look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Lotus Begin
  • China Glaze - Let's Jam
  • China Glaze - I Got a Blue Attitude
Isn't it lovely?  The whole manicure turned out perfectly.  When I was painting it, I told Meagan that Taylor was cheering me on making sure I didn't mess up.  I truly believe it too because out of all the butterfly wing designs I've done, this one was the easiest to create.  Usually my lines are too thick, the gradient doesn't work....the list can go on and on.  Every single step went smoothly.

Let's take a look at the other girl's manicures!!



I hope that one day they find a cure for this horrible disease.  Learning about something like this really makes you count your blessings.

Until next time, <3.

Flowers

The One With the Blue Serendipity Polish Flowers

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  Can you believe it's already Wednesday?  I kid you not, I thought today was Tuesday because I had Monday off.  Don't you just hate that when your whole week gets thrown off because of one day??  Oh well, at least that means Friday will be here before I know it.

Today I'm sharing a blue manicure I did using one of my new Serendipity Polish's.  I purchased the Summer in the OC collection right when it was released, then life got busy and I wasn't able to use it until now.  I'm kicking myself that it took me so long, especially since their shop is closed now and I can't purchase back ups.  Sigh.

Anyways, let's take a look!

Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - We Run This Beach
  • Serendipity Polish -Vitamin Sea
  • Serendipity Polish - Hike & Be Happy
I am in love with We Run This Beach.  As everyone is well aware, this is my favorite shade of blue ever.  I honestly wish I had 100 bottles of this color.  I never would tired of it.  I'm imagining it with the holo top coat and dying just thinking of it.  Two coats, which is surprising for Serendipity Polish since most of their polishes are one coaters.  It's not a difficult two coater though, first is a little sheer then it builds beautifully on the second coat.

I used Vitamin Sea and Hike & Be Happy for the floral design.  What I loved about this brand was that their colors are so opaque that you can use them over dark bases like this for nail art and have the colors show up.  Honestly, the best nail art polishes ever.  Sigh, please open your shop back up and come back to me!!!! 

What do you think of this design?  Love the colors??

Until next time, <3.

Dot Mani

The One With the Negative Space Flowers

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's Saturday and usually I get to sleep in, but sadly, today I am off to work.  Okay, I'm not too sad about it because we have this huge annual picnic and it should be quite fun.  I am a little sad that I'm missing my day to sleep in, but what can you do.  There's always next weekend.

Today I'm sharing with you the manicure I wore last week on my birthday.  This year I opted to not wear a cupcake design and instead match the polka dot dress I wore.  Well, actually, I ended up wearing a really cute pair of polka dotted pants, and the day after wore the dress because the weather ended up being cold, but whatever.  It all worked out.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • NYC - Tropicoral
  • ORLY - Gumdrop
  • ORLY - White Tips

It's super cute, right?  The dress is a coral dress with white polka dots, which literally matches my middle finger.  I put the bottle of Tropicoral on the dress and you couldn't tell the difference at all.  I forgot about this polish and am happy I re-visited it.  I always forget about NYC being a brand because it's not ever at any of the stores I go to.  Actually, I haven't gone to a beauty store or drug store in a long time.

I love negative space floral designs.  I am surprised it's taken me this long to create one this year.  I always thought it would look weird since I have an odd nail line, but you really can't tell because the design hides it.

What do you think?  Fan of this design?  Fan of the negative space floral?

I'm off to enjoy the picnic, then possibly go buy all of Sally Beauty Supply for a job well done.

Until next time, <3.

Bow Mani

The One With the Bows

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  Wednesday is here and we are midway through our week.  Well, I'm not since I have to work Saturday.  It's going to be a fun day though so I'm not dreading it.  Hopefully the weather is going to be nice.  Never know anymore what the weather is going to do around here.

Anyways, today's manicure is a cute bow design that I've done a couple times in the past.  A few weeks ago it was my niece's birthday and she absolutely loves purple and Minnie Mouse.  So I decided to do a cute Minnie bow in purple for her birthday party.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Let's Jam
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • OPI - Champagne For Breakfast
Cute isn't it?  My niece loved them.  She kept staring at them yelling out "they're purple! I love purple!"  She's too damn cute.  Let's Jam is a gorgeous purple polish with a subtle blue shimmer in it.  I'm so happy I purchased this last year and really wish I had a back up bottle because it's such a unique color.  Two coats and full coverage.

Champagne for Breakfast was a polish I was going to pass on but was so happy I didn't.  I thought that it was your run of the mill holo glitter, but it's actually a textured polish!  They should have marketed it under the Liquid Sand line.  Absolutely gorgeous and so happy to have it.

What do you think?  Like this bow manicure?  Fan of these polishes??

Until next time, <3.


Flowers

The One With OPI Daisies

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world and Happy Sunday!  This weekend flew right on by, but that's okay because this week is going to be kind of crazy busy and I really am looking forward to the end of it.  Mainly because I have the annual work picnic at the end of the week with a cotton candy company which has 12 flavors of gourmet cotton candy.  Flavors such as apple pie and key lime pie...which taste just like the pie.  Ahhhh I can't wait.  Probably since I'm looking forward to something the week will drag on.

Anyways, today I'm sharing with you a cute blue daisy manicure I got the idea to do after surfing Pinterest.  I feel like I'm on a real daisy and dot flower kick this summer.  I sure hope you all aren't getting sick of the designs, but I think I'm switching them up so it's not too boring....right?

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - I Believe in Manicures
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • Sally Hansen - Disco Balls
I absolutely love OPI's I Believe in Manicures.  I wasn't going to get this originally but after passing it a dozen times in the store I finally broke down and purchased it, and I'm glad I did.  I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a back up bottle because it's a perfect blue polish.  Two coats and full coverage.  Dries quick too which is nice when you want to throw some nail art on top.

I really like the white accent nail.  I honestly wouldn't have thought to do that unless I saw it on Pinterest.  Disco Ball really ties in the yellow of the center of the daisies which gives it a little flare.

What do you think?  Manicure that you would try?  Thinking I should stop the florals??

Until next time, <3.


Dry Brush Mani

The One With the ORLY Neon Dry Brush Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's going to be a sad day for me because I have to bring one of our kitties at work to be put down.  She's 17 years old and has lost a ton of weight in the last week or so.  Poor girl I think also is sad since her brother had to be put down a month or so ago because he had a tumor.  He was also 17 years old.  We did get two new kitties at work though, but it's still sad.

Today's manicure is something bright and cheerful since I'm not feeling so cheerful.  I did this manicure a few weeks ago when I was short on time but still wanted a fun looking design.  I decided to do a neon dry brush design since I feel I haven't used my neons at all this summer.  Probably because it hasn't even felt like summer at all.....

Who knows, let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Glowstick
  • ORLY - Vintage
  • ORLY - Frolic
  • ORLY - Push the Limit
Love it!  I also love how tan the manicure makes me look.  Super easy design to do.  First, you paint your nails with a base of white polish.  When the base is dry, you take your polish of choice and dry brush from the side of the nail towards the middle.  The overall goal is to make the area near the skin more concentrated in color, and let it fade out as it reaches the middle.

What do you think?  Like this design?  Find it as hard as I do to photograph neon yellow polish?

Until next time, <3.


Bokeh Bubbles

The One With the Bokeh Bubbles

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished people!  How are you all doing on this lovely Monday?  Ugh, Monday....can you believe the weekend went as fast as it did?  Can you believe it's already August 7th??  My birthday is tomorrow!!!! Ahhh and I don't even have a birthday manicure on yet!!!  I'm so behind....sigh.

Today's manicure is a fun bokeh bubble design I did using some acrylic polishes.  I've done a bokeh design a few years ago and it didn't show up too well on my nails.  Therefore I ended up drawing a floral design on top of it and then you could see it better.  Back then though I sucked at photography.  Hell I still do.

Anyways, let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls
  • Various Acrylics
  • INM - Northern Lights
Isn't it cool looking?  I actually love how it turned out.  It's super easy to get the look!  First you start off with a white base coat.  I used My Boyfriend Scales Walls because of it's grey undertones which would let the bokeh design pop.  I feel if I used a bright white, the colors would disappear into the base.

When the base was dried, I took some acrylic paint and mixed it with water.  I then used a dotting tool to place the wet dot on my nail.  I let it sit for a few seconds, then I used a corner of a napkin to absorb the excess liquid.  What is left behind is the clear bokeh bubble.  If you don't want to use a napkin, you can also use a damp nail art brush to suck up the extra water.  I found myself bouncing back and forth between the napkin and the brush depending on the size of the bubble.

What do you think?  Fan of the look?  Something you've ever tried?

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One With the China Glaze Floral Recreation

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  Friday is almost here!  I am quite happy about that, although I don't think I have any plans this weekend.  I guess I'll plan out my birthday manicure because, you know, my birthday is next week.  Every year I do a cupcake mani, but, but I might switch it up.  Maybe....I'll most likely paint a cupcake.

Today I am sharing with you a re-creation of a manicure I did a few years ago.  Simple China Glaze neon floral design originally inspired by Paulina's Passion.  I love this manicure because it uses two of my favorite China Glaze polishes alongside my favorite Zoya, mixed with my favorite topper by INM, and utilizing my favorite design.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Too Yacht to Handle
  • China Glaze - That's Shore Bright
  • Zoya - Tomoko
  • INM - Northern Lights
I don't know which China Glaze polish I like more - Too Yacht to Handle or That's Shore Bright?  Mint, purple....ahhhh it's hard to chose!  I'll just say that they are my favorite in their individual color categories.  Both apply perfectly in two coats.  When you add a topcoat of INM Northern Lights, it really adds a whole new dimension to the plain creams.

Paired next to Tomoko, the whole manicure ties together very nicely.  Tomoko is my favorite of the Pixie Dusts by Zoya.  Two coats and full coverage.  Gorgeous with no top coat and with.  I have a few back up bottles of this beauty.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Like this manicure??

Until next time, <3.


Monthly Mani Favs

The One With June and July's #MonthlyManiFavs

9:00:00 AM

Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this first day of August?  Can you believe August is already here?  I feel like it hasn't even been summer because we haven't had that many hot days.  The weather is so weird lately.

Can we take a minute and love on my new blog layout!?  Thank you so much to Sarah from 25 SweetPeas who re-did my whole blog for me the other night!  Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without her.  I've been wanting a new layout for so long, but had no clue what I was doing and just never did it.  I stuck with the same look for the past 5 years.  Now that I have this new blog layout, I'm hoping it will ignite the blogger in me and get me motivated to get more posts up!

As promised, today I am sharing with you my monthly mani favs from June and July.  June kind of got away from me, and by the time I noticed that I didn't have a monthly fav up, it was almost midway through the month.  So, let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we....

June


  • The One With the Cracked Stone Looking Manicure - After being inspired by a stamped design I saw similar to this one, I had to try to re-create it.  Since I'm not one for stamping plates, and honestly have no clue how to stamp, I decided to free-hand the look and I think it turned out really well.  Maybe next time I'll try to go a little lighter on the lines, mine are kind of thick.
  • The One With the OPI Tape Manicure - What can I say, I love me some OPI blues.  This manicure highlights two of my favorite OPI blue polishes.  Took me a little bit of time, but was well worth it.
July

  • The One With the Watermelon Nail Art - Absolutely loved this watermelon design.  I've been wanting to re-create that accent nail for quite some time, but never did because I didn't have the right shaped vinyls like other bloggers.  Then it hit me, I could freehand the design.  So I put my own little twist on it and was very pleased with the results.
  • The One With Daisies and OPI No Tan Lines - I think this manicure is going to show up in my favorites of the year post.  Something about that orange and the look of those daisies.  I received a lot of compliments on that manicure and kind of want to do it again with a different base.
What do you think?  Which are your favorites?  Loving my new blog?!?

Thank you again Sarah for all that you did!!!!  <3

Until next time, <3.