Animal Print

The One With the Zebra Manicure

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Good Morning, Polished World!   How are you all on this fine Sunday?  We were in the 60s earlier this week, and I'm pretty sure the high today is supposed to be 30 degrees.  With that change in weather comes a lovely sinus headache for me, random weird neck pain, and just all around feeling blah.  I'm sure excited for Spring, but hate this time of the year.

Despite the crazy time of year and the fact I'm feeling like a truck ran me over, my nails are still adorable.  Today's design is a fun zebra print manicure I painted a few weeks ago.  It's been a long time since I've painted a good ol' animal print, especially a zebra.  I feel I used to do them all the time on this blog.

Let's take a look!


Again, not sure what colors I used.  After 10 years of this blog and 10 years of forgetting, you think I'd remind myself to write down the polish names.  Once I start using all my new polishes I swear I will.  I think part of me doesn't share the colors because a lot of the polishes I use lately are oldies but goodies that you unfortunately cannot get anymore.  Or the sticker has fallen off, which is it's own issue.


Regardless, I love how this whole manicure came together.  The negative space, the zebra print, the blue.  All of it is perfect.  I really want to do this again with a purple polish and purple glitter.  Don't you think that would look stunning?

What do you think?

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With the Fun Leopard Gradient Re-Creation

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Hey all, and welcome to another Wednesday!  Here we are, smack dab in the middle of another work week.  I feel this week is going by super slowly, but that's probably because I'm just really looking forward to my Sleep-in-Saturday.  I feel like last weekend I was busy decorating for Halloween and running errands that I truly didn't have that fully relaxing weekend like I normally have.  Don't get me wrong, it was relaxing, but I just prefer more sleep.  What can I say, I work in healthcare, I'm always tired.

Today's design is a re-creation of an oldie but a goodie.  This fun gradient leopard print came up on my Facebook memories and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so of course I had to re-create it.  I need to continue to grow my nails out because I feel the design looks better when the nails are a tad longer, but overall, I still loved it.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Capacity to See Beyond
  • Some purple that I don't know the name of
  • Serendipity Polish - Holoday Lights
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
So, Capacity to See Beyond by China Glaze is part of The Giver collection.  I can't help but laugh that each time I a description of the collection it starts off with "Fun colors inspired by the movie The Giver". Last time I checked The Giver wasn't a fun movie or book and was actually quite dark.  Pretty sure it's one of those books we all grew up reading that now aren't allowed in schools kind of like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Catcher in the Rye.  Literary classics, but you know, whatever.


Despite the premise of the book, the polish truly is a gorgeous fun blue that works wonderfully for gradients and nail art.  I actually have about three back up bottles of this color because I loved it so much when it came out.  I actually need to start investing in China Glaze again because they truly do make gorgeous polishes, I just always forget about the brand.  And, I'm not going to lie, the bottles are awkward to hold for photos so I kind of shy away from them.  Dumb reason not to use my China Glaze, but again, whatever. 

What do you think?  Fan of this look?

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With the Leopard Manicure I'm Pretty Sure I've Already Done

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good Morning and Happy Friday!  I realized I have failed yet again at posting to the blog.  And on top of it, I'm again behind when it comes to editing nail photos.  I'm planning on spending this weekend inside and just working on the blog, my nail polish storage, and catching up on some much needed sleep.

Today's design is a fun little leopard manicure, which as the title states, I'm pretty sure I've already done.  It's one that I absolutely love because it's one of those color combinations that I normally do not attract to.  The subtle gradient I feel really makes it.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Sally Hansen - Sweet Tea
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • Some random gold polish'
Sweet Tea by Sally Hansen really is one of my favorite polishes.  It's such a gorgeous peach color which applies completely in two coats.  That's impressive since I typically find that polishes in this shade usually are extremely patchy and take at least three coats to have full coverage.  It worked wonderfully for the gradient with the white polish.


When that gradient was just how I wanted it, I went through with a dotting tool and added the gold centers for the leopard design.  I then went through with a tooth pick and painted the black accenting.  I know that some use a small paint brush or the dotting tool to complete the details, but I find I have more control with the tooth pick.  Plus, I can make it look more "leopard-y".

What do you think?  Fan of this look?

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With a Sparkly Leopard Print

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good morning Polished World, and welcome to yet another Monday!  I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here the weather is all over the place.  It went from 70 and sunny, to snowy and cold, to again warm and sunny, back to windy and cold.  I'm literally giving up on feeling Spring-y since Spring won't stay around for more than a day.  Good news is, my little seedlings for my garden have all sprouted and are thriving, so I guess that's one sure sign of Spring.  Right?

Well since I'm not feeling very Spring-y, today I'm sharing a not very Spring like manicure.  Just a simple leopard print using a few neutral shades.  I feel I saw this on Instagram and got the idea for it, but now for the life of me I cannot remember who did it first.  I'm going to assume it was SRG.Nails since I copy 99.9% of her manicures.

Let's take a look!


Well, my mind is mush so we don't get a colors used portion here.  I literally can't remember what colors I used and didn't use.  Again, you think I'd learn after the 40th time doing this, but nope.  Can't teach old dog new tricks.  All I remember is that the glitter polish was super sheer and I had to put a base of the creme down under it so you couldn't see my nail.  I also believe I used about 3 coats on top of that cream base to get it to look that opaque.  


Love the subtle, neutral look though.  Anything with a black accent just really is sharp.  I had one resident at my previous facility who used to tell me black nail polish was her favorite.  When I asked her why she always said "I don't know, something about it.  It's just sharp and sexy.  Almost mysterious.  It's the best."  Now whenever I have on black nail polish I think of her.

What do you think? Like this simple look?

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With the Random Leopard Print

9:00:00 AM


Hey happy Polished world!  How are you all doing on this wonderful Friday?  Sorry I haven't posted all week, but it's been quite busy.  As some of you may know, I started a new job a month ago and I really hit the ground running.  This week I had a few projects due and I'm happy to say I've successfully accomplished them all.  I've been painting my nails, but after working those 8 hour days, I really didn't feel like turning on the computer to blog.  Last night though, I took an opportunity to just edit a bunch of photos and blog again.

Welcome to my next five posts probably being all ORLY.  I didn't realize how much I use this brand until I was editing.  Hey, if you love a brand, why not constantly use it?  I really have to get to my pile of about 75 untried polishes which include more ORLY, ILNP, and OPI.  Alas, here I am using my oldies, but goodies.

One of my favorite oldies is ORLY Mirrorball.  I used it alongside my favorite black and white polish, also by ORLY, to create a simple leopard manicure.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Mirrorball
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ORLY - White Tips
I can't tell if my contacts are blurring my vision, or if that photo is blurry.  I swear my camera has been acting up hardcore lately.  I really need to invest in a new one.  Kind of ruins the whole blogging vibe when I edit the photos and they all look cruddy.  I probably should edit the photos right after I take the photos because that way I could just re-shoot if there are problems.



I really love the black, white, and holo silver together. It's always a classic look.  I actually just removed a tape manicure using the same color scheme.  I'm really loving the use of black polish.  This is probably why 90% of my posts are going to contain ORLY because Liquid Vinyl is my favorite black.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?  Think my photos are blurry?  Meh

Until next time, <3.

Animal Print

The One With the Zoya Leopard Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  I really wasn't in the mood to create a post today, but here I am!  I've been exhausted lately and this was the only manicure that I had edited and ready to go.  I feel like I never got over the whole exhaustion from last week.  This week already is off to the same exhausting start.  So much so that I don't have nail art on my nails and it's been five days without it.  I feel naked.

Today's design is one I did a week or so ago when I was feeling uninspired and just wanted a quick simple manicure.  It's been a long time since I've done a leopard design, and they are by far the easiest ones to do.  Also, you know I've been obsessing over my Zoya Pixie polishes, so it's no shocker that I used one for this design.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Stevie
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ORLY - White Tips
Pretty sure I use ORLY White Tips and Liquid Vinyl in all my manicures.  I've had to stop tagging ORLY in the posts that use these polishes because all 995 posts would be tagged.  Yeah, can you believe that?  I'm close to 1,000 posts on this little blog.  I'm sure that there are a lot of bloggers with triple the amount, but hey, I'm proud for making it this far on my blog.



Totally got off topic there for a second.  ORLY Liquid Vinyl and White Tips pair beautifully with Zoya Stevie.  This is one of my all time favorite polishes.  It's a light, lavender, sparkly Pixie which reminds me of my Great-Grandmother.  This lavender was her favorite shade of purple.  I don't use it nearly enough.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?  Loving the Pixie Dusts?

Until next time, <3.

Animal Print

The One With the Blue Zebra Print Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  Tuesday is upon us and the work week is in full swing.  I'm hoping to have a calmer week compared to last, but I doubt that will happen.  Wishful thinking, am I right?  We are having GORGEOUS weather, which means I can start wearing my Spring/Summer dresses again!  Love this time of year.  Okay, probably everyone around me doesn't love it because I'm pale as a ghost and blinding everyone, but I love it.

Today's design is a fun, funky zebra print I did before the great nail injury of 2018.  It's been saved in the draft folder to share when I was getting tired of sharing manicures all with that silver or gold accent nail.  Update on the injury, it's almost to the edge of my nail, meaning probably in another week or so I can go back to painting my nails without a middle glitter accent.

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


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • INM - Misty Blue
  • INM - Cotton Candy Dandy
  • INM - Northern Lights
  • Acrylic

Isn't it neat?!  Super simple design to create.  First you start off with a base of white polish.  I used my favorite, ORLY White Tips.  When that was dried, I sponged INM Cotton Candy Dandy, a light blue polish, on my nail randomly.  Then in I went back through and sponged Misty Blue in the blank white area making sure not to cover all the white or fully overlap the light blue.  When that was dried, I added a quick coat of INM Northern Lights to blend the sponged colors, and add a little sparkle.

I then went through with a small nail art brush and a black acrylic and added the zebra print.  It's been forever since I've done one but this design is like riding a bike.  Super easy, super quick and doesn't have to be perfect.  Added another top coat and called it a night.

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

I just realized I haven't done an actual gradient manicure in some time.  Hmmm, should probably do one again soon!

Until next time, <3.

Animal Print

The One With the ORLY Leopard Print Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world.  How are you all doing today??  I'm sorry I meant to post yesterday but it totally slipped my mind.  I've been resting a lot trying to kick this illness and it's working.  Good news, I have a lot of posts ready to go, bad news is I'm just failing at posting them.  Maybe tomorrow I'll sit and pre-publish all of them.  My monthly mani favs at this point are going to be nothing.  I did just get an amazing PR package from Sally Hansen so I'm thrilled my nail is holding up from the injury so I can play with them!

I also just realized I wore my last manicure for four days which is abnormal for me, so that's probably why I didn't remember to post this manicure.  Just a fun leopard design I did to break up all the florals that I've been doing.  Seriously, be prepared, I feel like I've done 4 in a row.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Mirrorball
  • ORLY - For the First Time
Kind of love the color combination.  It's been quite some time since I've done a leopard print.  It was really late the other night when I sat down to paint, so the easiest thing I could think of was a leopard.  For the First Time is one of my favorite ORLY polishes, so it made sense to match it with my all time favorite Mirrorball.  The black, purple, and silver holo....just a wonderful combo.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With the Nude Leopard Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  I went ice skating yesterday and didn't break anything!  This is a miracle because I'm the clumsiest person known to man.  Now sure, my dad taught my sister and I how to roller skate and ice skate, I know how to do it, but balance and me aren't friends.  I forgot how fun it can be...I need to go again.

Today's manicure is a simple nude leopard design.  I feel like I've been posting a lot of blue the last few posts so I decided to just give us all a neutral pallet cleanser.  Is that what you'd even call it?  Anyways, I've done designs like this numerous times in the past when I'm feeling uninspired or need a break from a color.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - Pale to the Chief
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • China Glaze - Big Hair & Bubbly
Simple, easy, cute.  Love the nude, gold, and black combination.  Pretty sure my new favorite gold glitter is Big Hair & Bubbly.  This polish was from China Glaze's holiday collection, which I was able to snag early thanks to the lovely ladies who work at the Sally Beauty close by me.  They always let me have sneak peeks of the collections before they put them on display and let me buy what I want.  I should get in there in the next few weeks and see if they have any of the Spring Collections.

And you already know how much I love OPI nude shades.  Pale to the Chief is no exception.  Two coats, full coverage. Slight shimmer which is different from the other nudes that I own.

What do you think?  Like this design?

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With the Zoya Leopard Manicure

9:00:00 AM


God morning polished world!!  How are you all doing on this fine Tuesday?  It's starting to feel like winter here.  Cold temperatures, windy, and of course snow in the forecast.  Who knows if we will actually get snow because I feel like the meteorologists always get it wrong.

Today's design is a simple leopard print I did when I was feeling completely uninspired.  I wasn't sure what color combination to do, so I decided to dig into my Zoya's and use some of them.  I have so many Zoya polishes, but I rarely use them, especially the nude colors.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Tomoko
  • Zoya - Rocky
  • Zoya - Taylor
  • Zoya - Raven
I did this manicure with a pink accent years ago, but am really loving it with Rocky.  It amazes me after years of not using it, and the label missing from the bottom, I still remember the name of this polish.  I think that show that I have a real addiction here.  Two coats and full coverage on this beauty.

Accented with Tomoko, my favorite of the Pixie dusts and probably the most used Zoya in my collection.  It's very multi-functional and can be used with so many different designs.

What do you think?  Like this design?  Do you like Zoya polishes?  I kind of hate the thin brushes....blend their polish with OPI's brush and I'd be fully in love.

Until next time, <3.


Animal Print

The One With the Re-Creation of An Old Leopard Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today??  Crazy busy week already for me.  I don't even remember my Monday it was such a blur.  Hopefully it calms down a little bit, although the busy day made my day go by so fast, so maybe that means Saturday would come quicker?  We shall wait and see.

Today's manicure is a re-creation of one I did a few years ago.  It was a gradient leopard design and it popped up on my Facebook Memories.  It was one of my all time favorite designs due to the color combination.  When it popped up on my Feed, it was perfect timing because I was sitting down to do my manicure and had zero inspiration.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - That's Shore Bright
  • China Glaze - Capacity to See Beyond
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ORLY - Mirrorball
Isn't it cute?  I love the blue to purple gradient, especially because it's not the typical up down gradient.  Super easy design to do.  First you paint a base of white polish, then use the make up sponge and create the gradient.  Once dried, add your leopard design, some top coat and call it a night.

What do you think?  Like this look?  Ever do a gradient at a different angle?

Until next time, <3.

Animal Print

The One With ORLY Vintage and a Leopard Print

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing today?  It's Sunday, and it's May 7th, and it's freezing.  Seriously, we went from 80 degree weather right back to 40 degree weather.  It's been raining non stop, so it feels horribly damp outside.  And tomorrow, we are supposed to get snow.  Oh summer, where art thou?

Today I'm bringing you a semi bright manicure to help cheer me up in this awful weather.  I saw a post on Facebook with this manicure, but I honestly cannot remember who originally posted it.  You know how Facebook is now filled with tens of millions of videos shared by everyone with little to no credit.  I need to start saving the videos so I can attempt to give credit.

Okay, let's take a look!




Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Vintage
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ILNP - Mega X
I love the bright mint mixed with the black and silver.  You know how much I love ILNP Mega X.  I honestly think I've used it in the last three manicures that I've posted on the blog.  I really need to re-order a bottle the next time that ILNP has a promo coupon.  I know, I should just purchase them at full price and not wait, but I have enough for a bit.



I am so beyond happy that I have finally gotten my hands on ORLY Vintage.  This polish came out a few years ago but since Sally Beauty stopped selling the Limited Edition collections, I was unable to find it anywhere.  I debated a few times about ordering it from HBBeauty Bar, but I always talked myself out of it.  A few months back, I was at Sally Beauty stocking up on some of my favorites during a BOGO sale, and the girls told me that there were some new ORLY's added to the main line.  I was beyond thrilled to see Vintage among some others that I was dying to get.  It's such a gorgeous polish which covers completely in two coats.  I just LOVE the color.

What do you think?  Like this leopard print?  Own ORLY Vintage and love it as much as I do?

Until next time, <3.