Dot Mani

The One With the Black, White, and Silver Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's Friday, which feels like a Wednesday.  I'm telling you, this whole four day weekend I took has just thrown me right off.  It threw off one of my coworkers too.  She was walking down the hall looking at me going "Am I working tomorrow?  What day is this?"  Holidays....they truly are something else.  And we aren't done yet, New Years is next week and that's going to throw all of us off again!!

Not going to lie, I have yet to start any New Years designs. I don't even know if I'm going to get around to doing so, but I hope I can.  Before Christmas, I did this fun silver striped heart manicure which because of the color scheme has a nice little New Years feel.  On my nails now which won't be posted until January sometime has a similar color scheme because it literally is one of my favorites.  How can you go wrong with black, white, and holo silver?

Let's take a look at today's manicure!


Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - Holoday Lights
  • Serendipity Polish - #GoalDigger
  • Serendipity Polish - Call Me Boss Lady

All my favorite polishes in my favorite color scheme together.  As you all know, I have a huge love for Serendipity Polish.  My beautiful fast dry, one coat creams.  They work wonderfully for tape manicures like on my ring finger.  Nothing is better than being able to paint a coat on of a polish, add tape almost immediately, and add only one coat of the top polish and remove the tape and have that clean and perfect of a result.  I really wasn't sure I wanted to add the heart because the striping was so perfect!


Holoday Lights is the best accent for this manicure.  Love my silver holo glitter so much.  I'm so happy that I have two bottles of this one.  Ignore the fact I have dozens of holo silver glitters, I always go to Holoday Lights.

What do you think? Fan of this manicure?  SOmething you'd try?  Feel the New Years feel?

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Final Christmas Manicure of 2018

9:00:00 AM


Good morning Polished World!!  Merry Christmas to you all!!!  I cannot believe Christmas is already here.  I have zero idea where this year went, but it is what it is.  Despite the fact the year went fast, it is Christmas, Christ was born and He's the greatest present we could have ever received.  Seriously, it bugs me when people write "X'mas."  We wouldn't have Christmas if it weren't for Christ.

Today I'm sharing with you all my last Christmas manicure.  I saw a similar idea on Pinterest of a little present and candy cane look, and I decided to make my own little twist on the idea.  I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I do like it.

Let's take a look!



Colors Used:
  • Nine Zero Lacquer - Santa Suit
  • Nine Zero Lacquer - Cat in the Christmas Tree
  • China Glaze - Merry Whatever
  • ORLY - White Tips 

So, here's my problem with this manicure.  It looks like two manicures put together.  I feel like my ring finger and pinkie are one manicure, then my index and middle finger are another.  I think I should have done my pinkie finger with Cat in the Christmas Tree, then my middle finger with Santa Suit.  It kind of comes together, but once I got the idea in my head that it looked like two different manicures, I couldn't get it out of my head.


Yup, see, looking at the mani in that photo I can see it even more like it's two different manicures.  I probably should have done the middle finger even with the candy cane design.  Hmmm.  Oh well, too late now.

What do you think?  Do you see what I see with the two different manicures??

Merry Christmas to all my followers.  Always remember the real reason for the season!

Until next time, <3.

China Glaze

The One With the Rudolph Nail Art

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  Happy Saturday to all of you!!  Are you all ready for Christmas?  I'm not!  Today starts my weekend of baking.  This year I'm going to attempt to make my great-grandmother's jam cookies which my mom fondly remembers from her childhood.  I'm sure I'll mess them up, but we shall see.  I did do very well with her Italian meatball cookies a few years ago.  Hmm maybe I'll add those onto my baking list.

I also have to get one more nail design in before Christmas.  I have a few ideas planned out, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do.  Today I decided to do a Rudolph design using one of my new China Glaze Grinch collection polishes.  Every year I do a Santa suit manicure, but this year my friend Caroline said I should do a Rudolph design and give credit to those reindeer who are pulling the old man around on the sleigh.

So I took the polish and re-created a look by Nails by Cambria.  Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Ho! Ho! No.
  • China Glaze - Merry Whatever.
  • Acrylics
Isn't.it.adorable?  I love Ho! Ho! No.  Not because of the color, but because of the name.  Actually I love the names of all the polishes in this collection that I bought.  This polish actually covers completely in one coat, but I used two for mine.  Kind of a pain in the butt to remove, but well worth it because it is a gorgeous shade of a Christmas red with a gold shimmer.



I love my little Rudolph too.  Seriously is the best one I have ever done.  If I were to re-create this manicure, I would probably add an accent nail in there of a different color to break up all the red.  I always feel like red polish looks odd on me, but I did get a lot of compliments.  Okay, maybe I'd do it exactly the same.

What do you think?  Like this manicure?

Until next time, <3.

#SallySquad

The One With the Miracle Gel Shiny and Matte Top Coat Comparison

9:00:00 AM


Hey polish world!  How are you all doing today?  As promised I'm back today to show you a comparison between the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Shiny top coat and the BRAND NEW Sally Hansen Matte top coat!!  I was so excited when I got the invitation to be apart of the #SallySquad and review this for you!

It is no secret that I love the Miracle Gel polishes, including the shiny top coat.  I have a few matte top coats that I like, but none that have become a staple in my collection because I don't like how the matte looks on my nails.  I feel like it's never matte enough....if that makes sense.

That all changes though with this Miracle Gel Matte Topper!

Let's take a look!!

Miracle Gel Shiny


Miracle Gel Matte


Look at the difference between the two!!!  Seriously, I haven't found a matte that is so visibly different from the shiny when photographing them.

Best part - I only needed one coat to get this matte look!  My other matte toppers have required at least two.  You know what else is great about this matte top coat - I didn't have to add a shiny top coat base down before adding the matte.  My OPI, China Glaze, and a cheap drug store one, all required me to put a shiny topper down first because if I just did the plain matte, the colors would drag and smear.  Not with the Miracle Gel matte!!!  Ahhhh love it!

If you want to get your hands on a bottle - click here and pre-order your own from Amazon!

Until next time, <3.

#SallySquad

The One With the Snowflakes and Candy Cane Nail Art

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!!  How are you doing today?  It's Wednesday, middle of the week, so close but still so far from Christmas.  I just painted my next Christmas manicure and I'm not feeling it, but we will talk about it on that post.  I'm just annoyed by it so I had to mention it here!

Anyways, today's manicure I did like but it didn't photograph 100% how I wanted it to.  Mainly because the green was gorgeously dark that it photographed almost to be black.  It matched the candy cane dress I wore to a work Christmas event perfectly though, and the dress was a lighter green.  My camera just loves me so much sometimes.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Sally Hansen - Jealous Boyfriend
  • Sally Hansen - Can't Beet Royalty
  • ORLY - White Tips
I cheated using an ORLY when reviewing Sally Hansen Miracle Gels, but I don't own a Miracle Gel in white!!  Does that even exist?  If it does, I need to get my hands on it!!!

Let's talk about Jealous Boyfriend by Sally Hansen.  GORGEOUS dark green polish which covered completely in two coats.  Absolutely am in love with this color and am kicking myself that it didn't photograph perfectly.  It's so brilliant and I am so happy to have this polish in my collection.

Can't Beet Royalty is a gorgeous red, and I don't say that much about red polish.  Only one coat over the tape to get the candy cane look.  As you can see, it didn't even bleed under the tape, which means it's amazingly perfect for nail art.

What do you think?  Like this look??

Wait until tomorrow when you see it with a matte top coat!!!  Yup, that's right, Sally Hansen has a Miracle Gel Matte!!!

Until next time, <3.



Christmas

The One With the Holly and Snowflakes

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's Sunday, and I have a resident/family holiday party at work.  So you know, I'm dressed up all Christmas-y and have some nail art on that took utterly way too long.  Truly wish nails didn't chip because I would have just worn the manicure I'm sharing with you today for the party.  Well, I take that back, my nails perfectly match the little festive swing dress, so I'm not too bitter about it.  That's for next post though.

Today's post is inspired by BadGirlNails on Instagram.  I think she came up with this design last year or the year before.  No idea why I didn't attempt the look before but I'm happy I waited.  It's so dang cute, beyond festive, and just perfect for the season!

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • Morgan Taylor - All Tango-d Up
  • Serendipity Polish - Cash Flow Queen
  • FingerPaints - Sterling Sculpture
I am in love with the darker colors of this Christmas manicure!  I never realized what a gorgeous green Cash Flow Queen is.  I've used this Serendipity Polish before but do not remember it being this gorgeous.  It's probably because the last time I used it, it was part of a disasticure.



I just love how everything comes together in this design.  The green, the red, the white, the holly.  Just all of it works together so perfectly!!

What do you think?  Like this manicure?  Something you'd try for the holiday?

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Gingerbread Manicure I'm Blah About

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fine Wednesday?  Does anyone else feel like this week is dragging?  Yesterday really dragged on, and on, and on.  I swore at 4pm it was really 6pm.  Who knows, maybe today will go faster.  I really do hope that time kind of slows down because I only have purchased like two Christmas gifts.  Sigh.

Even though I'm behind on Christmas gifts, I'm right on schedule when it comes to Christmas manicures!  I always am proud of myself this time of year where I'm painting, editing, and posting in a timely manner.  All other times of the year, all bets are off.

Today's design is inspired by NailsUponATime on Instagram.  I was scrolling along and came across this cute little gingerbread manicure and I had to re-create it.  Of course, mine did not turn out as well as hers did.  Maybe I should have used a darker green, but Zoya CeCe was calling my name.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - CeCe
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • Pure Ice - Poppin' Bottles
  • Acrylics
Zoya Cece is what I imagine it would be like if you crushed up dozens upon dozens of peridots and put them in a nail polish.  Absolute gorgeous green.  This Pixie is a little different than others that I own.  It has larger flecks of green glitter mixed in with the Pixie dust.  It's absolutely gorgeous.  Do I like it for this Christmas manicure?  Eh, it's okay.  Do I like it on it's own?  YESSS.



It does look really cute as holly leaves, but I feel like I should have stuck with the darker Christmas Green like NailsUponATime did.  I don't hate it, but I don't love it.  I also feel like my little gingerbread man drank a little too much eggnog.  His smile is messed up and it bothered me.  Can you tell my OCD really kicked in on this manicure?

What do you think?  Love? Hate?

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Christmas Light Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this cold, chilly Sunday?  I've had quite the relaxing weekend filled with sleeping, baking, and just a little bit of errand running.  Most of my errands consist of me returning all the clothes I ordered which didn't fit.  I much rather buy and return than go spend time in the stores.  Yes, I'm single handedly the reason why retail stores are caving in on themselves, but online shopping is so much easier and you don't have to deal with crowds.

One fun thing I was able to do this weekend was go around and look at all the Christmas lights!  If you follow me on Instagram, I posted a photo of one of the bushes out front of my house with some snow and twinkle lights on it.  It of course inspired me for today's nail art which is a re-creation of one I did yeaaaaars ago.

If you've been following me for a long time, then you know each year I have painted the Christmas light design.  When I first started the blog, I did the sponge french tip design which gave the illusion of snow.  The year after that I did a plain glittery white base, then the last two years after purchase Nine Zero Lacquer Twinkle Lights, I created the design on top of that.  Even though that polish is gorgeous, I didn't want to do that again this year.

Therefore, it was back to the sponged tips!  Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • Morgan Taylor - I'm Drawing a Blanco
  • Acrylics

Absolutely obsessed with this manicure!  The reason I'm posting it a few days late to the blog is because I wore it for four days and it delayed my painting of a new manicure to post later this week.  How could I take it off though when it was so perfect?  Seriously, I think this is my favorite recreation ever!


To get the look, I started off with a plain base coat.  I then sponged on some ORLY White Tips.  Once I had the white how I wanted it, I took Morgan Taylor I'm Drawing a Blanco and sponged some more on.  This gave the white a frosty, glittery fresh snow look.  I tried using a plain glitter and it looked horrible, so when I looked and found this polish it all came together wonderfully.

Once that was all dry, I went through with my acrylics and small paint brushes and got to work on my little twinkle lights.  A little bit of tooth pick details and outlining, and I was done.

What do you think?  Love this look?  Think you'd try it?

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Christmas-y Looking Roses

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world! How are you all doing today?  It's cold here....yes, cold.  Winter has hit early, and honestly I'm not going to lie, I'm okay with it.  I love nothing more than being inside in the warmth baking all of the things.  On Sunday I was hoping to bake cookies upon cookies, but alas my day kind of got away from me, so I'm going to try tonight!

Even though my day got away from me, I still am managing to get my nails done and photos edited.  Only issue always ends up being is the whole writing of the blog post.  Since I've promised to bring Christmas designs all December, I had to get my booty in gear and get a kick start.  It's also motivating me to actually blog because I do not want to disappoint.

Today's designs isn't a traditional Christmas manicure, but it has the Christmas colors.  It's my kick off to Christmas.  I saw a cute rose design on Instagram and decided to put my twist on it.  Got to work, and I'm pretty sure the end result is my favorite rose manicure to date.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - Peace, Love, and Sandy Feet
  • Serendipity Polish - Sunshine Rainbow
  • Acrylics/various polishes
Isn't this the best rose manicure ever???  I am so proud of my skills and how I've come along as a nail artist.  I don't like to toot my own horn, but I'm so pleased with my details in the mini roses, even right down on the little leaves.  They were tedious but so worth it in the end!



I love the color pallete as well!  The colors just go so well together, and really give it a Christmas-y feel.   That gold glitter accent nail really set it off and I'm so happy I did it.  I debated on doing all my nails with roses, but last second switched it to the gold.  So, so, so happy I did!

What do you think?  Like this look?

Until next time, <3.

Monthly Mani Favs

The One With November's #MonthlyManiFavs

9:00:00 AM

Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's the first post of December, therefore it's time to share my #MonthlyManiFavs from the month prior.  I meant to have this post up on the 2nd, but I thought today was the 2nd and not yesterday.  Fail on me for not looking at a calendar properly.

Well, anyways, it's time to share those monthly mani favs so I can get my butt onto posting Christmas manicures!  Cannot believe it's December and Christmas is just a few weeks away.  I have spent my whole weekend watching Netflix Christmas movies.  Top picks: Christmas Chronicles, Christmas Inheritance, and Spirit of Christmas.  All of you need to go watch those now, or after you read this post....

Let's take a look!


  1. The One With the Re-Creation of the Fall Dot Manicure - Absolutely have loved this one each year that I've done it.  It's been about three years in a row and it just never gets old.
  2. The One With the Pure Ice Floral Manicure - Guys, do you see that blue?  Okay, it's called Teal Appeal, but it looks more blue to me.  Regardless, one of my favorite manicures ever.  I need to use that polish a lot more.
  3. The One With the Pumpkin Mani I Meant to Post a Week Ago - This is the manicure I meant to post a lot earlier in the month but totally forgot about.  I did this in the beginning of November to match a cute leaf swing dress I bought for the Harvest Dinner at work.  Not only did the dress receive a lot of compliments, but so did this manicure.
  4. The One With the Fall Floral Manicure That I Forgot to Post for Thanksgiving - Do you notice a theme with the last two posts?  LOL . I loved this one though none-the-less.  I actually wore it for about 5 days which is abnormal for me.  Loved my glitter gradient.
Which do you like?  Ready for some Christmas/winter manicures?  I best get to work!

Until next time, <3.


Orly

The One With the Pumpkin Mani I Meant to Post a Week Ago

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing this week?  I did some MAJOR Christmas decorating this weekend.  Not only did I decorate four 7 foot trees at work, I came home and put a crud ton of lights on my house.  I'm not going to lie, I'm still quite exhausted from it.  Since I knew I was going to be doing all this decorating, I had swatch on my nails so I wouldn't be upset if they chipped.

With all this decorating, I literally forgot to post today's pumpkin manicure.  Yup, that's right, this post was supposed to go up around Thanksgiving and I completely forgot.  Of course I didn't realize this until I came to the blog last evening to post a different manicure and saw the pumpkin draft just sitting there.

Since November isn't over, then it's still perfect timing for me to post this!  Fall is just ending, and winter is coming.  That means Christmas and snow manicures are coming soon!!!

Let's take a look at the pumpkins first.


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Alma
  • Sally Hansen - Champagne Supernova
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
Isn't it cute?  I actually did this manicure to match a dress I wore to the Harvest Dinner at work.  I was so fall festive that evening.  The orange was a perfect Fall orange where I didn't feel like the manicure had a Halloween vibe.  Seriously, Zoya Alma is gorgeous.  Two coats and full coverage, and I was scared it was going to take more because of the jelly formula.  It built up quite nicely.



Really was thrilled with this design. First time I attempted this design of a pumpkin and was pleased with the final look.

What do you think?  Like this design?  Fan of Alma by Zoya?

Until next time, <3.

Flowers

The One With the Fall Floral Manicure That I Forgot to Post for Thanksgiving

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  I forgot to get this post up on the blog for Thanksgiving.  Life got in the way, and then I tried to post it on Black Friday, but then my shopping got in the way.  Yes, that's right, I kind of shopped til I dropped, which is something I never do on Black Friday.  I blame the whole invention of the internet because I did 90% of my shopping online.  Oh well, this is why I have a job, right?  To spend all the money!

One thing I am proud about is that I didn't purchase a single polish.  Crazy, right? It's mainly because I'm really working hard at going through all my untried polishes.  For today's post I used Cashmere Crisis from the ORLY New Neutral collection . It was the perfect accent color to my Thanksgiving/Fall manicure!

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Cashmere Crisis
  • INM - Acai
  • Pure Ice - Studette
Cute, right?  I did a design similar to this a few years ago (maybe it was last year), but this year I'm so much more impressed with this years version!  I really can see how I've grown with my nail art with the little sunflower and the leave.  Look at that blending!



Cashmere Crisis was a gorgeous neutral polish which applied perfectly in two coats.  I love it because it's a darker neutral polish which I feel my collection is severely lacking.  I really didn't think I was going to like the ORLY fall collection, but I've been plesantly surprised.

What do you think?  Like this look?  Fan of that glitter gradient?

Until next time, <3.


Flowers

The One With the Pure Ice Floral Manicure

9:00:00 AM


It's Sunday, and I'm alive!  I wanted to have this post up yesterday but starting Friday night I started to feel sick.  Then, Saturday I was unable to move.  Horrible migraine, awful nausea, couldn't sit up for more than five minutes.  I really thought I was going to have a stroke or aneurysm.  So, as you can imagine, I stayed in bed all day until about 8pm when I felt somewhat normal.  Then of course, I was wide awake at midnight because I had slept most of the day.

So far though, I'm feeling human and hoping it stays.  I feel like my head is teetering on the edge of normal and migraine.  No clue what I have, but I'm hoping this all goes away before Thursday because I want to eat stuffing and be happy.  Nothing is worse than being sick on Thanksgiving, trust me, I'll never forget the Thanksgiving I had the flu and couldn't eat.  Saddest day of my life.

Anyways, today's nail art is a Fall feeling floral using some Pure Ice polishes that I forgot I owned.  Amanda got me these a few years ago and I've used the one but the others have kind of gone by the wayside.  I need to make an un-tried bin and go through all those.....

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Pure Ice - Teal Appeal
  • Pure Ice - Studette 
  • OPI - Pale To the Chief
Teal Appeal doesn't look teal to me, but more of a dark blue.  I guess there is a bit of a teal hue to it, but I don't know, I see more blue.  Maybe I'm color blind.  Here nor there, it's a gorgeous polish which covers completely in two coats.  It's a perfect Fall color.



Paired with Studette, this manicure really came together.  I never noticed how this gold glitter has flecks of red in it as well.  To me, a perfect Fall gold glitter because of that red.  Kind of mad with myself that I haven't used it yet before today.

What do you think?  Fan of this floral?  Own either of these polishes?

I need to add more Pure Ice polishes to my collection.  They are a great quality for a low price!

Until next time, <3.

Dot Mani

The One With the Fall Tree Manicure That I Dislike

9:00:00 AM


YUP!  You read the title of this post correctly.  I dislike today's manicure!  Happy Wednesday polished world!  How are you all doing today??  Fall has come and gone where I am.  Seriously, one day the leaves were green, the next they were changing, then we had some weird snow/rain/wind combo and all the leaves fell.  Not that I'm complaining, but I really would have liked one of those sunny, beautiful Fall days where I could walk around admiring the colors.  Oh well.

Anyways, back to my nail art that I dislike.  This idea looked SOOOOO good on other bloggers.  I was so excited to re-create it, then it turned out like this.  Crappy.  Not at all what I planned.  It just wasn't at all how I pictured it.

So, without further adieu, let's take a look....


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Snuggle Up
Only good thing about this manicure - the base color.  That color is ORLY - Snuggle Up from The New Neutral collection for Fall 2018.  Perfect nude polish which covered completely in two coats.  We all know that OPI has some of my favorite nude polishes, but ORLY is really banging down that door and about to replace them as the favorite.



I guess the manicure isn't that bad, but I don't know, I don't think they looked like trees or falling leaves.  I just feel the other bloggers did justice to this manicure, and it was a disasticure for me.

What do you think?  Love or hate?

 I think I should have used a different brown for the base of the trees.  Meh.

Until next time, <3.

Flowers

The One With the Re-Creation of the Fall Dot Flower Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Hey all and Happy Saturday!  Guys, I am exhausted.  The past few weeks I've been working like crazy.  Yesterday I left work at 4pm, and I cannot remember when the last time was that I left work at 4pm.  Especially on a Friday.  Literally each Friday I have a plan to leave at 3:30pm or 4:00pm, but something always occurs and I'm there until 5:30pm or beyond.  I love my job, but I'm counting down the hours until my three days off that I have coming up.  If you know me, you know that I haven't taken a personal day that wasn't related to illness in over a year or two.

Anyways, despite my crazy schedule, I still am finding time to paint my nails.  My creativity though is lacking as I tend to just re-create old designs, which is exactly what I did with today's manicure.  It's a re-creation of a fall dot flower that I typically do near Thanksgiving.  I decided to do it earlier so I can force myself to think of something else to do for Thanksgiving itself.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Seize the Clay
  • ORLY - Snuggle Up
  • ORLY - Bling
I'm really loving The New Neutral Collection for Fall 2018 by ORLY.  Seize the Clay is a gorgeous red clay cream that is truly a perfect fall color.  Two coats and I had full coverage.  Easy to apply to thanks to that lovely pro-wide brush they have.  I can't tell you how happy I am that more brands are coming out with the pro-wide brush.

Snuggle Up is a perfect fall nude cream also.  Two coats just like Seize the Clay.  I think this might be my go-to nude polish now.  And you know how much I love my OPI Nude polishes, so this is speaking volumes that I've found a new love.



Then we have ORLY Bling which is accenting the whole manicure and tying it all together.  One of my favorite polishes which is a pain in the butt to remove.  It's beyond gorgeous and so worth the hassle.  ORLY needs to re-release this beauty.  I haven't been to Sally Beauty in a while so who knows, maybe it's part of their core collection.  Maybe I'll make a trip this weekend to Sally Beauty and check.  I do want that Grinch Green Glitter from China Glaze and I believe that's in stock now.....

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?  Love this ORLY collection?

Until next time, <3.

Flowers

The One With the NCLA Roses

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fine Tuesday morning?  It's going to be 64 degrees here with high winds.  So you know, have to have that fear that the power is going to go out.  Usually these November wind storms are good because they take the remainder of the leaves off the trees, but since it was 80 degrees in October, the leaves aren't even fully turned yet.  It's such a weird year.

Now that Halloween is over, I'm back to posting regular nail art.  You know, before I start posting Fall/Thanksgiving nails.  And before you know it, we will be at Christmas manicures!  Guys, I've bought so many Christmas dresses this year.  I feel like such a nerd.

Anyways, today's design is one I'm on the fence about.  Love the red, love the gold, but not sure if I love my roses.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • NCLA - I'm With the Band
  • I can't remember the gold......oops
Sorry guys, I literally can't remember what gold polishes I used.  I believe they were the gold foil Serendipity Polish topped with the gold glitter by the same brand.  I'm not going to lie, I did this design at the end of August and it got stuck in my drafts until now.  I really need to write the colors down when I edit the photos and make the post.



Really loving the NCLA polish.  Not sure when I got this polish as I've never bought a NCLA. I'm thinking that I was gifted it by Amanda awhile ago.  Beautiful color, great coverage, awkward bottle shape.  Seriously had the toughest time photographing this.  I have to say though, this bottle is easier to pose with compared to a Sally Hansen Insta Dri.  Those are THE WORST.

What do you think?  Like this rose design?  Fan of the NCLA polish?

Until next time, <3.

Monthly Mani Favs

The One With October's #MonthlyManiFavs

9:00:00 AM

Good morning polished world!  Welcome to November.  Rainy, foggy November.  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my foggy morning yesterday which I posted to my story.  It was so creepily cool.  Now I need to hope for a warm weekend so I can put my Christmas lights up!  Don't worry, I just put them on the trees and bushes, I don't actually turn them on until after Thanksgiving.

Since it's the first post of the new month, that means it's time to share my Monthly Mani Favs for October!  Nice little mixture of Fall and Halloween designs.  October is such a weird month because it's still warm, it's Fall, and there's Halloween.  Therefore I usually end up having a smorgasbord of different looking manicures.  Kind of proud of myself that this year I kind of had similarly themed ones for the whole month.

Let's take a look at the favorites! 


  • The One With ORLY Olive You Kelly and Sunflowers - Absolutely love ORLY's Olive You Kelly.  Talk about a perfect green for Fall!  Then with the sunflowers on top, this truly is the perfect Summer to Fall transition manicure.
  • The One With the Spooky Spider Web Manicure - Serendipity Polish holo + creepy fog look + spider webs = perfect Halloween manicure.  Really love this different twist to a design I do almost yearly.
  • The One With Ghosts and Googly Eyes - Love this manicure!  It was such a cute Halloween design.  Kind of sad I found a dress that would match it too late in the season and was unable to order it in time.  Hopefully they'll have something cute like it for next year!
  • The One With the Fall Leaves - AHHH guys!  This is my favorite manicure!  First time I was able to master the leaf manicure which I have been attempting each year since this blog started.  This is one of my proudest accomplishments since I started this blog and really showed me how much I've grown as a nail artist.
What do you think?  Fan of any of these designs?  Would you have picked something different?

Until next time, <3.


Halloween

The One With the Creepy Eye Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  Happy Halloween to you all!!!!  Are you dressed up as something spooky for work or whatever it is you may be doing today?  I was supposed to dress up as a pineapple along with my co-worker but well that didn't really go as planned.  Safe to say I don't think she's going to talk to me haha just kidding she loves me.  Instead I'm going to wear a pumpkin shirt and call it a day.

Today I'm sharing with you my last Halloween manicure.  It is a re-creation of my spooky eye manicure, which I now am realizing look like cat eyes.  This design was originally a re-creation of one done by Nails by Cambria on Instagram.  Is she even still around?  Now thanks to the Instagram algorithms I never see posts from people I used to.  Sigh.

Let's take a look!


Here's where I normally write what colors I used, but honestly as I'm writing this, I have a horrible migraine and I cannot even think which colors were used.  Actually let me give it a shot....
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ORLY - Glowstick
  • ORLY - Thrill Seeker
A quick google search of Thrill Seeker confirmed that's the green bottle I'm holding!  Alaina - 1, Migraine - 0.  Oh, I also used INM Northern Lights over the gradient - does my score go up to 2-0 now that I remembered that?!



The looks is actually super easy to acheive even though it looks very difficult.  My middle and ring finger I painted white and did a gradient with Thrill Seeker and Glowstick.  I then added a top coat of INM Northern Lights.  When that was dried, I painted on the design using a nail art brush and Liquid Vinyl.  

Took some time and precision, but I finally got the eyes to look how I wanted them.  I think next year if I attempt this design, I'm going to make the eyes a little larger.  I feel like the gradient got lost.

What do you think?  Spooky nail art?  Something you've tried?

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!!

Until next time, <3.


Halloween

The One With Ghosts and Googly Eyes

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all today?  Yesterday I didn't get really anything done that I had planned.  I actually had a wonderful nap though.  It rained all weekend and I just didn't have the umph to carve my pumpkins.  Hopefully I get out of work early today and can get them done!

As promised yesterday, today I am bringing you nail art I created on top of my Zoya Storm base.  Since Zoya storm reminds me of a starry night, I decided to paint some ghosts and little spooky eyes on top of it.  The nail art ended up looking more cute than spooky.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Storm
  • ORLY - White Tips
See what I mean about it being cute instead of spooky?  The little ghosts without arms look like Pac-Man ghosts.  Which reminds me, I never re-created my Pac-Man manicure from when I first started this blog.  That's one of those nail designs I'm super proud of.  Maybe I shouldn't revisit it for that reason.



I think this is my favorite ghost manicure to date though.  I wish my glow in the dark polish didn't dry up otherwise I would have made these little dudes glow.

What do you think?  Like this nail art design?  Your nails Halloween ready?

Until next time, <3.

Swatches

The One With a Swatch of Zoya Storm

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world! How are you all doing today?  No nail art since while I'm writing this at midnight, and I'm honestly too lazy to write about nail art.  It's cold, I'm tired, and have a headache. I blame the weather, it's just awful outside.  I'm hoping it gets a tad warmer for Halloween so I can hand out candy to the little trick or treaters!

So, since I'm too lazy to share nail art, I'm going to share the base of tomorrow's Halloween nail art post - Zoya Storm.  Swatch posts = quick and easy.

Let's take a look!


Zoya Storm - a gorgeous black jelly polish with a scattered holo.  If you don't have a bottle of this, or any of other Zoya scattered holos, then you're truly missing out.  This is one of my favorites and I actually need to grab a back up bottle of it.  Two coats, full coverage, and the perfect base for Halloween nails or even a galaxy manicure.  Speaking of galaxy nails, I haven't done those in forever!

What do you think? Fan of Zoya Storm? Have any of the Zoya scattered holos?

Until tomorrow, <3.

Halloween

The One With the Spooky Spider Web Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fabulous Thursday?  Can you believe it's already Thursday?  These weeks are just flying by.  It's also abnormally cold here so I think that's why everything is going by much faster.  You know, since I come home and lay in bed completely relaxing in the comfy warm heat of my house.  Hopefully it warms up for Halloween though because nothing is worse than standing outside handing out candy when it's beyond freezing.  How else will people see my fun nails when if I'm wearing gloves?

Today's nail art is a spooky spider web design!  A little different than other spider web designs that I've created in the past.  I had seen spiderwebs over silver holographic polishes and it was just calling my name.  Since I recently had a bright silver holo with a black design over the top of it, I decided to use a dark grey holo polish and add a little twist.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - CE0,000,000
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • Black Acrylic
I forgot how gorgeous CE0,000,000 is!  You can get away with one coat of this dark grey holographic polish, but I used two because I tend to be OCD and need to have that two coats.  When it was dried, I sponged White Tips over the nail which gave it a fog like look.  I was going for a base of a spider web look, but really it looked more like fog over that grey base, and I loved it.



I then went through with black acrylic paint and added the spider webs, and boy did they pop on the nails!  If I didn't have that white sponged look underneath, I don't think this manicure would have been as cool looking as it was.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?

Few more before Halloween!

Until next time, <3

Halloween

The One With the Kind Of Halloween-ish Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world and welcome to Monday!  I feel super ahead and ready to tackle this week.  Yesterday I worked for five hours on a project I've been trying to complete at work for about two weeks now.  I honestly was having flashbacks to when I was writing my Master's thesis.  When I completed this little project, I had the same feeling I did when I completed that thesis also....the huge weight has finally been lifted!  If I knew being an adult was going to be this stressful, I would have taken more naps when I was in elementary school and forever held onto those days.

Since finishing my work project, I've been able to catch up on my Halloween manicures.  Or Halloween feeling manicure which is how I'm going to describe today's design.  It was inspired by one I saw on Instagram.  I grabbed two of my new ILNP polishes and got to work re-creating it.  It kind of looks like a Frankenstein abstract mish-mosh mani....

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ILNP - Sundance
  • ILNP - Sidekick

Why oh why haven't I used my ILNP summer holos yet?!  I bought the whole collection months ago on pre-sale and they sat around in my un-tried pile just waiting to be used.  I'm literally kicking myself because they are GORGEOUS.  Just like all other holos I own from ILNP, the effect is beyond strong, the colors are vivid, and the formula is perfect!


To get the look, I painted half my nail with Sundance and the other half with Sidekick.  Not going to lie, I was super impressed with how straight my line was down the middle of my nail that I almost didn't want to cover it up with the black.  But alas, the design needed the black, so I dry brushed the black down the middle of the nail.  It gave it that stitched Frankenstein look!

What do you think?  Fan of this design?  Love the ILNP polishes as much as I do?

Until next time, <3.

Dot Mani

The One With the Candy Corn Dotticure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world and Happy Wednesday to you all!  Finally I got to putting up all my Halloween decorations on the house, plus I added a few new ones.  This is the latest that I've gotten them up but I've just been so busy or so tired.  I feel like the month has flown by as well.  Can you believe that it's already October 17th?  Before I know it, I'm going to be putting up my Christmas lights on the house.

Since it's October 17th, it's time to start sharing some Halloween manicures.  This is later than normal for me.  Kind of disappointed in myself, especially because I'm not super inspired yet.  I feel like the month flew by so fast that I haven't had time to really sit and think about new designs, so we might have a boring year of re-creations.

Today's re-creation though is one of my favorites.  You all know how much I love the negative space dotticure.  The candy corn dotticure is no exception!

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - No Tan Lines
  • OPI - Exotic Birds Do Not Tweet
  • OPI - Alpine Snow
These colors are the PERFECT candy corn colors!  I haven't had candy corn in years because of an allergy to food dyes, and it makes me quite sad.  I enjoyed it, just a few pieces here or there.  Never too many because it was sweet.  What I'd give to have some again.  I should look up and see if there are any dye free alternatives other than those I'd have to make on my own.



Since I can't have candy corn, I guess I can stick to painting my nails with the candy corn colors.  I might re-create my candy corn gradient with the splatter design I did last year.  Absolutely loved that manicure.

What do you think of this dotticure?  Fan of candy corn?

Until next time, <3.

INM

The One With the Fall Leaves

9:00:00 AM


Saturday.  It is here!  A day of sleeping in, Pinterest projects, nail painting, and hopefully NO WORK.  I just came off of a six day stretch, where most of the nights I worked until after 6:00pm.  I'm quite tired and cannot wait to just do what I want to do.  I need to go to the store and get some apples so I can make some apple pies.....or apple crisp....oooo or that apple pie cake!

As you can tell, Fall is here and I'm happier than ever with it.  You know this is my favorite season of all, especially because the colors on the trees are finally changing.  Everything is starting to turn so by next weekend we should be fully peaked and it will be even more gorgeous than it already is.  Therefore, I thought it was perfect timing to paint some leaves on my nails.

For years I have tried to recreate this leaf design.  Each year it's been an utter fail.  After seeing it again on Instagram, I decided it was time to give it another chance and see if I could actually get the design to look how I want it to.

Let's see how it turned out!


Colors Used:
  • INM - Acai
  • Zoya - Tomoko
  • Acrylics
It was not a fail this year!!!!  Cannot believe I was actually able to do this!!!  Look at my leaves!!!  To get the look I started off with a base coat of INM Acai.  This polish is quite gorgeous - it's a dark brown/red polish.  I used it a year or so ago and was in love with it.  It's such a perfect fall color, and is the perfect base for this manicure.  Especially when I added the sparkly tips by sponging on Zoya Tomoko.



Once the base and sparkles were dried, I got to work with my acrylics.  Layering, shading, and painting a little more, and I got some really pretty leaves on my nails.

What do you think?  Like this look?  Think I did a good job??

Until next time, <3.

Flowers

The One With ORLY Olive You Kelly and Sunflowers

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all on this fine Tuesday.  Guys, I have a bone to pick with the weather around here.  It's about 50 degrees in the morning, then in the afternoon it's 80 degrees and humid.  The drive home is really creepy because there is fog on the waterway and fields I have to pass.  It's just so haunting yet beautiful.

With this weird weather, I am not feeling fall, yet I am not feeling like summer.  Therefore I needed a perfect in between Summer/Fall manicure.   After seeing a sunflower manicure on olive green polish done by 25 SweetPeas, I had to re-create it.  It was so fitting for this type of weather!

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Olive You Kelly
  • ORLY - Fall Into Me
  • Acrylics
Absolutely LOVE this manicure!!!  Especially because that base.  ORLY Olive You Kelly is a gorgeous olive green polish which covered completely in two coats.  I really wasn't sure how I would like this color on me, but I absolutely loved it.  Makes me want to go re-visit some polishes I bought years ago and never wore because I didn't think they'd look good on me!



I also loved Fall Into Me, which is the shimmery dusty gold polish.  It worked wonderful for the polka dot design on top of the base.  Now I covered it up a lot because my sunflowers were so big, but I do not regret the size of them.  I seriously LOVED how they turned out.

What do you think?  Enjoy the sunflowers?  Love that base color?

I need to get more Fall colors in my life.  Actually, I need Fall in my life.  Maybe then I'll start feeling like doing some Halloween designs.

Until next time, <3.