Dot Mani

The One With the New Years Eve Manicure and ILNP Versailles

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  It's New Years Eve!!!  And it's rained consistently for the past 48 hours.  Great way to end the year by raining the whole way right up until the end.  Mark my words, we will probably start the New Year off with flooding, maybe an ice storm, and then a lovely winter storm.

Minus the weather, I'm kicking off the New Years right by having a wonderfully, golden, holographic manicure.  Before Christmas, I purchased four new bottles of ILNP, one being the beyond gorgeous Versailles.  My whole plan was to use this polish for Christmas manicures, until I realized it was the perfect polish for NYE.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ILNP - Versailles
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
Isn't this the most gorgeous, beautiful, gold holographic polish!?  This polish reminds me of the gold version of Mega X, my favorite silver holographic by ILNP.  Two coats and gorgeous color.  I have received so many compliments on this polish because it catches the eye with the holo.



My favorite thing about this polish; the way it did a glitter gradient!  I've never used any of my ILNP polishes for a gradient until now.  I'm truly kicking myself that it's taken so long because it's such a stunning effect!  I cannot wait to do this with my others.

What do you think?  Fan of this New Years look?  Loving Versailles?

Happy New Year, everyone!  See you in 2020!

Christmas

The One With the ILNP Christmas Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning Polished World, and Merry Christmas!!!!  Hope you all are having a wonderful day with your loved ones!  Let us not forget all of those who are working today at hospitals, nursing homes, fire departments, and police departments!  Thank you all for your continued service to our communities.

Today's manicure was one I really was lazy about and was about two seconds from not even posting because I was just that tired from Christmas Eve to edit the photos.  The reason I forced myself to post was not only because I love the manicure, but I had to share the gorgeous ILNP Christmas polishes I bought this year.  I'm kicking myself that I didn't use them sooner.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ILNP - Say Love
  • ILNP - Christmas Cookie
  • ILNP - Versailles 
  • ILNP - Lucky One
  • Serendipity Polish - Sunshine Rainbow
Yes, I know, I'm an idiot for covering up the beauty that is Versailles, but I wanted a little more of a glittery gem look on that nail for Christmas.  Any other time, I would have left it alone.  Two coats of that gold beauty and I had the BEST holographic gold accent.  Adding a thin coat of Sunshine Rainbow by Serendipity Polish really added a whole new dimension to the polish.  Part of me kind of wished I did an accent of Lucky One, the gorgeous green I used for the dots, but I like the gold accent.  I think it added a little something.

The main reason that I kind of kick myself that I didn't accent with Lucky One is because it probably would have blended in Christmas Cookie a tad better.  This polish though is amazing.  A white crelly with the most delicate mixture of red and green glitters.  I was so obsessed with the Say Love and Lucky One dots that I was half tempted to just do a full dotticure.  Maybe next year.


Say Love.....that gorgeous, GORGEOUS, deep red holographic polish that I have been searching years for.  This is the ABSOLUTE best Christmas red.  It reminds me of Dorothy's red ruby slippers.  It's just so flawless.  Two coats, full coverage, and just like all of Barbara's polish, the strongest holographic effect.  If the snowflake design looks familiar, it's because it is a re-creation of one of my designs from last year, just switched up all the other nails.

Looking at it again, I kind of do wish I accented with Lucky One.  Hmm.  Next year, right?

What do you think?  Loving the Versailles accent nail or do you think I should have done Lucky One?

Again, I hope you and yours have a very blessed Christmas!!

Now, onto New Years manicures.....where did my bottle of Versailles and Mega X go?

Until next time, <3.




Christmas

The One With the Annual Christmas Lights Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this last Sunday before Christmas?  I am behind in my Christmas manicures because I felt like I was coming down with a cold, so I decided to spend the last few evenings laying low and resting.  Good news is, I think I warded it off!  Still taking zinc around the clock, but I'm pretty sure if I didn't rest, I would have had a full blown cold by now.

Regardless, I probably am going to end up sick because it went from 8 degrees to a forecasted 40 degrees today.  Of course, right before Christmas, my dreams of a white Christmas are melting away.  Hopefully the temperature plummets and we get some snow before Wednesday.

Today's manicure is my annual Christmas light design.  This is one that I have done since I started this blog oh so many years ago.  I've created the design on a white base, glitter base, holographic base, and a negative space base.  My favorite though has to be the gradient with a shimmer base because it really gives that illusion of Christmas lights on top of snow.  Nothing is prettier than when the snow falls on the lights and they melt through causing a gorgeous colorful glow.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Morgan Taylor - I'm Drawing a Blanco
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • INM - Northern Lights
  • Acrylics
Last year, I created this design on top of a negative space where I added I'm Drawing a Blanco to the gradient.  I had a love hate relationship with the negative space because I felt like where the gradient met the naked nail, it looked a tad yellow.  Therefore, this year I decided to do a sheer base of I'm Drawing a Blanco to really give a shimmery snow look before adding the stark white gradient.  Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome.



This is also the first year since I started blogging where I fit all four colors on each of the nails.  It was a bit tricky on that pinkie nail, but look at me go!

The hardest part of this design has to be painting the lines.  My OCD really got to me and I erased them a dozen times before I settled with something I like.  When the nails were lined up, the wire really looked like it flawlessly connected from nail to nail. 

What do you think?  Perfect for Christmas?

Now to paint my final Christmas design!

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Buffalo Plaid and Holly

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fine Sunday morning?  Yesterday it poured all day then turned to a very, heavy, wet snow.  While I hate the heavy, wet snow, I am hoping this means we are on our way to a white Christmas.  Nothing is prettier than Christmas lights underneath some white, fluffy snow.

Today's manicure is a new one for me.  Usually each Christmas I re-create past designs, but I can safely say that I have never once attempted this design.  Okay, the holly I've done, but this combination....all new.  I was scrolling through Pinterest for some inspiration and found this design and fell in love.  I then decided to start researching how to do a free hand buffalo plaid, practiced a bit, and then attempted the design.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - The Spy Who Loved Me
  • China Glaze - Big Hair and Bubbly
  • China Glaze - Merry Whatever
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
Look at that buffalo plaid print!!!  All free hand using acrylics!  I am super impressed with how straight my lines are and how perfect the boxes are.  I couldn't stop staring at them!  I also had the print on my thumb, which looked even better than my ring finger.  Most certainly going to re-create this design next year.



I also have to say that my holly is probably one of the best that I've ever done as well.  Every year I do a holly design but the leaves never turn out looking right.  These were perfect.  Had nice little definition and fit along the nail bed.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?  Love it as much as I do?

Until next time, <3.

ILNP

The One With the Christmas Snowflakes Inspired by SRG.Nails

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world! How are you all doing on this fine Monday?  We are in a little big of a heat wave here and the snow is all melting.   Makes sense I finally paint some snowflakes on my nails and the snow melts.  I hope that it comes back for Christmas.  Nothing is better than a white Christmas.

Today's manicure is inspired by this manicure by srg.nails on Instagram.  I'm not one for red nails, but this design I couldn't get out of my head. I just had to try it.  I busted out my red polishes and started swatching to see which was the right one for the design and settled by an oldie from Morgan Taylor.  The end result, something I completely loved!!

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Morgan Taylor - All Tango'd Up
  • ILNP - Mega X
  • Acrylic
Isn't this design perfect?! I really did not want to take off this manicure, but alas, I have to keep up on the Christmas designs for the blog.  I switched up the design a little bit and put my own spin on the snowflakes. Mainly because I attempted to paint the snowflakes just like hers but couldn't get them to look right on my nails.



All Tango'd Up is a gorgeous red polish by Morgan Taylor.  This is a brand I love but severly neglect when it comes to my blog.  Sally Beauty started carrying the line, so that means I just need to splurge and start utilizing the brand more.  Paired with ILNP Mega X, this manicure truly came together perfectly.

What do you think?  Fan of this nail art?  Love the combo?

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Christmas Dotticure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all today?  Snowy and cold here. Since the weather has been so weird, literally everyone I know has either a cold or upper respiratory infection.  I'm doing my best to keep hydrated, while I overdose myself with zinc and vitamin C.  If I get sick, I get sick, but I can't say that I didn't try to stay healthy!

As promised, here I am starting with Christmas nail art!!  The other evening I had zero inspiration and it was late, but I still wanted to start my Christmas nails.  I went onto Pinterest and searched "Simple Christmas Nails" and came across a Christmas Dotticure by my friend Sarah at 25 Sweet Peas.  It was the perfect, simple design and I had the perfect Zoya polishes to complete the manicure.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Tomoko
  • Zoya - Blaze
  • Zoya - Merida
Isn't it perfect?! I don't know what polish I love the most.  We all know that Tomoko is one of my favorites of the original Pixie Dust polishes.  I have two bottles, one which has seen a better day, and this new one.  I really think I need to get a third now that I've started using my back up.  It's truly my favorite for accent nails because of it's textured appearance and gold color.  Two coats and full coverage.  I tend to put a top coat over it to make it extra shiny, but even without a top coat it's amazing.



Blaze and Merida are beyond perfect for Christmas.  I love the Zoya scattered holographic polishes. I should probably check out their website to see if they've made anymore in the last year or so that I haven't seen.When I disappeared from blogging, I stopped paying attention to new polish collections.  Since I have the ORLY Color Pass, that's the only company I kept up on when it came to new releases.  And of course, I paid attention to ILNP because, well, they're gorgeous.

What do you think?  Fan of this dotticure?

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One With the Pretty Blue Color Block

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose

Good Morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this cold, chilly Monday?  We are in the middle of a lovely snowstorm. Yesterday we had a good inch or so of icy sleet, and then now we are supposed to get snow on top of it.  I'm thanking the Lord for all wheel drive and heated seats! Makes for the longer commute to be manageable.

Since it's cold and chilly, I figured I would share my blue color block manicure I did when we had our first snowstorm in early November.  I wanted to wait to share it because I felt that it had a winter/Christmas feel because of the color pallette.  Honestly, I probably should have accented it with some snowflakes.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - Set Apart by Tile Art
  • China Glaze - Combat Blue-Ts
  • Zoya - Dream
  • Serendipity Polish - Holoday Lights

Set Apart by Tile Art is such a wonderfully gorgeous polish by OPI.  I bought this one because I thought it was a dupe of My Boyfriend Scales Walls, but it wasn't 100% identical. What I found was something even more wonderful than my beloved My Boyfriend Scales Walls.  This polish leans towards a light blue tint versus the grey tint of MBSW.  Two coats, full coverage, and just wonderful off white that adds something unique to the manicure.


I think that if I used a regular white instead of Set Apart by Tile Art, I wouldn't have liked this manicure as much.  It blended so well with the gorgeous blue of Combat Blue-Ts and Dream.  Anyone else find that Combat Blue-Ts can be a tad difficult to work with because it dries so fast?  It's well worth the pain that it is to apply.  It looks GORGEOUS without a top coat because it has the most perfect matte finish.

What do you think of this color block manicure?  Perfect for this time of year??

Might have a Christmas manicure to post next!  Stay tuned.

Until next time, <3.