China Glaze

The One With the St. Patrick's Day Glitter Gradient

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Happy St. Patrick's Day, Polished World!  Hope you all are wearing your green today!  I wanted to have more designs for you this year, but time got away from me.  The amazingly awesome news though, my nails are finally longer, just in time for some Easter and Spring nail art!  I couldn't be happier.  Also, it's gardening season.  Sure, it's still cold here and we probably will get one more snow storm, but this weekend and next, I'm going to start my seeds!  It feels like just yesterday I was planting my seedlings for the year.  Time really flies, doesn't it?

Today's design is VERY simple for me.  It's not that I was uninspired when it came to St. Patrick's Day this year, I just didn't want to go crazy.  Very weird for me, I know, but something was just pushing me towards the simple.  The simple that I went with was a wonderfully green glitter gradient that I absolutely adored.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Grinchworthy
While this is a Christmas polish, it is BEYOND perfect for St. Patrick's Day.  I'm not going to lie, I have yet to use this polish for a Christmas themed manicure.  To me it's just more of a spring green, and obviously St. Patrick's Day.  I absolutely love how it looks over the black.  It transferred from the makeup sponge to the nail like a dream.  I didn't have to fill in any blank patches, the green was super pigmented and showed up on the black base, and it perfectly blended from opaque to barely there.  The perfect glitter gradient.


So now that I've done a glitter gradient with something other than silver or gold, I'm kind of hooked.  I want to do this with purple, and pink, and every single glitter I own.  I need to figure out if I have any more bright glitters like this to try the look with.

What do you think?  Fan of this design?

Hope everyone has a safe, and happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One With the Frankenstein Smoosh Manicure

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good morning Polished World!  I told you that you were going to be seeing a lot of me over the next few days!  I'm really painting a decent amount of Halloween manicures, and I need to share them all before Sunday!  I think I will have them all timed out perfectly come Halloween.  Not going to lie, I'm rather proud of myself for keeping up on it.  Now if I can do this for Christmas, it will be a perfect end to the year.  We all know though that Christmas manicures are some of my favorite to paint, so I don't forsee myself having a problem.

Today's manicure is a fun one.  A few years go, I created an orange, white, and black Halloween smoosh manicure.  It came up on my facebook memories and I screen capped it as a reminder to re-create it this year.  The other night when I sat down to paint, I just wasn't feeling the colors.  I wanted to do the smoosh look, just didn't want that color combination.  While scrolling on Facebook, I came across one of those pages where they decorate cookies, and they were icing these cute purple and green Frankenstein's.  My color inspiration was born.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Drink Up Witches
  • Color Club - Plumeria 
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
I'm not going to lie, I felt guilty that I gushed about other black and white polishes and veered from using my ORLY loves that I had to go back and use them for this look.  Happy I did, because they are the perfect consistency for the perfect smoosh manicure.  But let's get real here, Drink Up Witches is the real star of this manicure.  The perfect neon green for the Halloween season.  I've owned this polish for awhile, and I can't remember a time where I used it on it's own.  Maybe for my neon green drips last year....or was that two years ago?


Look at me getting off track.  The smoosh mani is very easy to re-create.  First, you start off with a base of white polish.  When that's dry, either use liquid latex or put tape around your nail to help with the clean up.  Now, there are two ways to do this, but both require a stamper.  The way I create it is by dripping the polishes on a paper plate.  For instance, I used about three little drips of green, two of purple, one larger black, and one white.  You then take the stamper and smoosh it into the paint on the plate.  I then dab some of the excess off the stamper once on the plate, then I stamp right onto the nail.  The second way to do this which can be a tad trickier and messier is to drip the polish directly on the stamper, then dab it onto the plate, then onto the nail.  I feel I don't have as much control over the polish the second way, but it still works.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?  Somthing that screams Halloween?

See you in a few days for another mani! <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.


China Glaze

The One With the Funky Dots and Colors

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Good morning Polished World!  How are you all on this fine Wednesday?  My whole week is thrown off because of the Labor Day Holiday.  I thought it was Monday all day yesterday, and I'm sure today I'm going to think it's Tuesday.  Hopefully I figure it out by Friday and don't show up to work on Saturday.  Speaking of work, as you can tell from my lack of posting, I've been a bit preoccupied.  I have so many posts to edit, and here we are in September and I have many summer-y looks still to post.

At least we are in early September and not late, so it's not too weird to be posting today's manicure.  Today's design is inspired by one I saw on Instagram.  And of course, I can't find the original link, so I apologize to whoever this was who gave me the inspiration.  If I find your page again, I will give you proper credit.  Regardless, there was something about the manicure that was so fun.  It got stuck in my head and I had to re-create it.

I apologize for the photos, they don't give the manicure justice.  The neons blew out the camera.

Let's take a look! 



Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Lady and the Vamp
  • China Glaze - Let's Jam
  • China Glaze - Glow With the Flow
  • China Glaze - Lime After Lime
  • Color Club - Under the Black Light
  • ORLY - Skinny Dip
And look at me, remembering to post all the colors so when I came here to write the post, I didn't have to dig into the deep, dark crevices of my brain to figure it out.  As you can see, I used mainly my China Glaze neons to achieve the design.  All funky colors that normally i never would have used side by side.


Throw in a little negative space with some dots, you have a winner of a manicure.  I really am pleased with how the design turned out.  Many people thought that they were stickers, but nope, that was just my skills with the a dotting tool and a steady hand.  Seriously, my lines were low key perfect and I didn't even use tape.

What do you think?  Like this look??

Tomorrow I plan on going on an editing spree and getting some other designs out here.  I neeeeed to get back into blogging.

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One With A Cute Little Floral Manicure

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Well hello there, Polished World!  I apologize for my lack of posting, but I've been slacking on all parts of my nails.  Literally back to the swatches up until last night when I painted the most fun sunflower manicure.  I've been dying to paint a sunflower design for the longest time, but work has consumed my life again that I haven't had the time.  Last night I purposely made the time because I haven't been feeling myself without my nails done up all pretty.  I'm sure glad I did because it also forced me to write this post and get more of my art out there.

Today's design is another design inspired by Pippy Polish.  I swear, I found her Instagram and I've been beyond obsessed wanting to re-create every design.  And as you know a few post back, I went on a spree about how much I have been loving doing these negative space designs, so it makes complete sense that I'm in love with her Instagram.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Sally Hansen - Blacky-O
  • China Glaze - I Got a Blue Attitude
  • OPI - Exotic Birds Do Not Tweet
  • Sally Hansen - Wet My Thistle
  • Black and White Acrylic
Let's take a moment and applaud the fact that I wrote out the polish colors in this post back when I painted the design.  I've only been saying I need to do this for the past 3 years and never actually have.

The star polish of this manicure - China Glaze's I've Got a Blue Attitude.  The most perfect blurple polish ever.  That's right, blurple...a mixture of blue and purple.  It applies perfectly in two coats and has such a shiny finish.  I've been obsessed with this color this year using it non stop for pedicures with a holographic top coat.  For this design though, there was no need for holographics as it stands out on it's own just fine.


I love the mixtures of colors she used.  Never in a million years would I have thought have blending these colors together.  I'm so glad I found her blog so I can come out of my normal blue, pink, purple color zone and use some things I never would have before.  I think it all comes together so well, especially on top of the naked nail.

What do you think?  fan of this look?

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One That Took Way Longer Than It Should Have

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good morning Polished World!  How are you all doing on this wonderful Monday?  Can you sense the sarcasm in my voice?  It's been a crazy few weeks at work.  There's been some turnover where I work due to the lovely COVID burn out, so I'm stuck doing a few extra tasks until the new team members can start.  I'm super excited for the new team, but also super tired in the interim.  I can't be too mad because everything does truly happen for a reason. 

Today's design is one I did prior to my little hiatus where I was only painting swatches.  It's a cute design inspired by....well now for the life of me as I sit here and write this, I cannot remember who it was who originally did it.  Let's just say hers was better and mine ended up looking like little snowflakes from a distance.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - CaLOVEfornia
  • China Glaze - Boho Blues
  • Acrylics
Boho Blues is one of my all time favorite China Glaze polishes.  Perfect color, perfect application, and perfect glossy finish.  I couldn't leave well enough alone.  I had a weird dent on my index finger due to some peeling on my natural nail and the plain polish just didn't look good.   So, instead of adding my go-to INM Northern Lights, I grabbed my bottle of holographic top coater by Serendipity Polish.  This is a polish I've owned for years but just recently started using.  I'm not sure why I waited so long, because truly it becomes the star of any manicure!
 

Just look at that gorgeous holo on top of Boho blues!!!  It truly added a new dimension to this manicure.  I'm now obsessed with holographic top coats and finally the four I have in my collection are being put to good use.  

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?

Until next time, <3. 


China Glaze

The One With a Fun Watercolor Recreation

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Good morning Polished World!  How are you all doing today?  It's another Tuesday.  I meant to post yesterday but life got crazy, and honestly I was thinking about pausing the blog utnil i get it up and running on the new platform.  Yes, you read that right.  I'm switching the blog off of Blogger.  Last week two of my posts were removed for guideline violations, and if I didn't fix said violations then my whole blog would be removed.  When I read that I had an instant feeling of panic because this blog has been a huge part of my life since 2012 and I just couldn't imagine it being erased off the face of the Earth.

So, I took a deep breath, backed up the blog, and started the transition.  I need to set it up just how I want to and then I'll be live on the other platform.  I need to figure out how to switch the domain.  But basically, you all will have no interruption.  Most of the links will probably be dead but we will figure that out when we get to it...right?

Anyways, today's manicure is one I absolutely adore.  The weather here is getting Spring-y so it is only fitting that I re-created one of my crazy watercolor splash flower designs.  It's been awhile since I've created something that looks this fantastic.  I forgot how much I love crazy nails.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Pretty much every single China Glaze Neon I own....lol
Yeahhhhhh, you guessed it, I forgot to write down the names of the polish.  You can't blame me this time, I took the photos for this design and then opened my email to see that my posts were being removed.  Oh to circle back on that, my posts were reinstated.  Now I could leave my blog here, but I just don't have much faith in the system after what happened.  Can't blame a girl.


But with nails like these, who can panic or be upset?  Seriously, this manicure made my day and I couldn't stop looking at my nails.  I love how the gradient in the background look like a watercolor.  This kind of was a multi-step process.  First I had to paint my nails white, then I used the different color neons and sponged them around the nail filling in all the white.  This left a VERY bright neon base.  To tone down the bright neon, I took a make up sponge with white polish and dabbed it over the nails, softening the neons and giving them a more pastel look.

What do you think? Fan of this design?

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One Where I Started Off With One Idea and Ended Up With a Dotticure

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good Morning Polished World, and welcome to another Monday!  I don't know about you, but Daylight Savings is kicking my ass. Yesterday I woke up late and felt like the day was dragging on and on.  Then, I decided to make some chili and bake some goodies.  In my mind I started at 5pm, really it was 6pm and I ended up baking way later than I wanted to, all because my body was programed to something else.  It's a good thing I have enough designs to publish that I didn't have to do any nail art because by the time I sat down to edit this post, it was 11pm.

Today's design is one where I started off with one idea and just ended up with a dot manicure.  Rather disappointed that my original plan failed because it was going to be super amazing, but alas, this dotticure isn't too bad.  The colors are beyond wonderful.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Highlight of My Summer
  • China Glaze - Treble Maker
  • INM Northern Lights
Aren't these two colors together amazing?!!?  I was so upset that the manicure chipped so quickly because I would have kept this on for a solid week.  China Glaze doesn't like me for some reason.  No matter which shade I use, the formula chips super fast.  It must not like my nails or something.  That or Highlight of My Summer requires three coats and that's why it chipped so fast.  I don't recall this polish ever needing that many coats or being so patchy, but this time around I had a super difficult time working with it.


Regardless of the trouble that it gave me, the payoff was worth it.  Especially with the top coat of INM Northern Lights.  Treble Maker's formula is much better than Highlight.  Two coats for that beauty which dried rather quick.  Both worked wonderfully for the dots.  They weren't goopy and didn't drag.

What do you think?  Like this color combination?

One more green manicure coming up, then I'm taking a break from green for a solid month.   Unless it's mint! 

Until next time, <3.




China Glaze

The One With the Gold Snowflakes

9:00:00 AM


Good morning Polished World!  How are you all doing today?  Welcome to another Saturday!  This is actually my first Saturday off in a while and I couldn't be happier.  I shouldn't say anything because I'm going to jinx it and end up at work.  At least my nails are painted, unlike that one weekend that  I was called in and went in with naked nails.  First time in about 6 years since that's happened.

Today's nail art is by far one of my favorite designs that I've ever created.  I saw a similar design on Pinterst and knew I had to re-create it.  Now, you know me, I'm not a fan of gold, but this manicure wouldn't have looked right with silver.  Plus, in the past when I've created gold and white nail art, I've always fallen in love with the look.  Something about those two shades together just works.  This manicure is no exception.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • China Glaze - Merry Whatever
  • China Glaze - Big Hair and Bubbly
  • Faby - Panic on Wall Street
Fitting that the gold base under all that glitter is Faby "Panic on Wall Street" seeing as there was literally panic on wall street this week.  But this isn't a blog about stocks, we are here about the nail art.  Let's talk about this Faby Nail Lacquer.  I received these polishes a few years ago and used them a few times.  I'm not even sure if the company is still around, but if they are you should check them out.  This gold polish is amazing.  Two coats and you have a fabulous shimmery gold base.  When it was dried, I went through and added the two China Glaze glitters to make it really pop.

The Faby polish was perfect for nail art.  I used it with a toothpick to create the snowflake on my ring finger and thumb.  Some polishes drag, get goopy, or just are not workable for nail art, but this wasn't the case.  I'm starting to picture what other gold designs I can use it for in the future.  Oooo, maybe a waterfall design like I did on the last manicure I posted.


Best part - the glitter gradient on my index and pinkie finger.  I told you I'm low key obsessed with the glitter gradient, especially since I mastered them in the past few months.  For this one, I first used Merry Whatever as it was a finer glitter, then went through with Big Hair and Bubbly to add some random larger flecks.  Both polishes sponged on perfectly.

Saddest thing about this manicure, it only lasted two days because I am at the bottom of my white polish and it's not applying right anymore.

What do you think?  Fan of this design?  Like the gold and white?

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One With a Random Snowflake Manicure

9:00:00 AM

Good Morning, Polished World!  How are you all doing today? I have finally gotten around to not only painting some nail art on my nails, but editing the photos of said nails.  I cannot for the life of me figure out why my photos like two years ago were so much better than my photos now.  I'm using the same set up, same camera, same backdrop.  I think I must have messed with a camera setting....who knows.

Anyways, today's design is a low key recreation of something I saw on Pinterest.  You know me, I had to take my own spin on it.  The original design had stamped snowflakes and I hardcore fail when it comes to nail stamping.  I've tried it dozens of times but I just don't get it.  I'll stick to toothpicks and paint brushes.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Boho Blues
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • ILNP - Mega X
Isn't this a gorgeous little manicure?  I'm especially in love with my ring finger.  For years I've attempted this waterfall look.  I've tried numerous techniques and ways to do it and failed miserably time and time again.  When I saw the original post on Pinterest, I saw the waterfall design and said to myself that I'd give it a try and if it failed,  I would just paint a snowflake on the white nail to match or do a silver accent.  Then, the unexpected happened, I did it.  I mastered the waterfall accent nail.  Just like I recently mastered the glitter gradient and am now obsessed, I'm now obsessed with this.  Fair warning, you'll be seeing more of these accents in the coming year.


Seriously though, LOOK AT THAT RING FINGER.  Ahh, so proud of myself.  Then there's my middle finger with the swirled colored snowflake.  I mixed a few colored acrylics together which gave it a more tie-dyed look than just a plain blue.  Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out, but I feel it might be an odd match up with my ring finger.  Maybe?  Ehh, it does go.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?  Loving Boho Blues as much as I do?

Until next time, <3

China Glaze

The One With the Creepy Drippy Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good Morning Polished World!  Can you believe I'm back and posting again. You probably all thought I would disappear again, but nope.  Here I am.  I have too many Halloween designs to share to disappear back into the void of my busy life.  Getting back on Instagram and Blogging really felt good and I don't want to disappear again for awhile. 

Today's design is one I originally wasn't going to do.  I set out to create another spider web manicure, but my hand was quite shaky and my lines looked horrible.  Earlier in the day, I spray painted a pallet for a Halloween craft and I somehow managed to pull a muscle in my wrist while doing so.  I kid you not my arm hurt for a solid three days after.  Note to self: when I have to spray paint the top coat, I need to remember to alternate hands or take a break!

Anyways, since the spider webs didn't work out and I had a wonderful green base, I thought that some drips would look good and it would stick with the Halloween theme.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - Drink Up Witches
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
Okay, so Drink Up Witches is one of the best neon green polishes that I own.  You can use this on top of a white with about one coat, or three coats on it's own.  You can get away with two coats if you are careful with how you apply it.  It can be a bit thin if you don't have enough on the brush since it's kind of a jelly consistency.  Regardless, gorgeous green.


I do enjoy the drip manicures.  They're really easy to do but took like they would take awhile to accomplish.  I always start off with an acrylic outline then fill it in with the polish.  Add a top coat and you have the perfect, eye catching manicure.

What do you think? Fan of this Halloween look?

Until next time, <3.


China Glaze

The One With the Neon Dot Flower Manicure

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world!  How are you all doing on this fine Sunday?  I'm off to a rocky start with 2020 and this blog, but I really hunkered down last evening and edited all of my photos and set up some posts for you all.  Kind of proud of that.  I actually have one more post to edit which is the manicure I painted last evening, but since today it's going to rain, I have some time.

Speaking of weather, it was in the 60s yesterday.  I kid you not, it went from 20 degrees to 60 in a matter of 24 hours.  Now we have high winds and enough rain where you can swim down the street.  Last night driving home there was so much fog that you could barely see five feet in front of you.

Since we had this warm break in the normal winter cold, I felt it necessary to have a neon floral manicure.  This summer since I was on my hiatus, all of my gorgeous neons sat in their drawers never touched.  You know I jumped at the opportunity to use them.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • China Glaze - That's Shore Bright
  • China Glaze - Too Yacht to Handle
  • China Glaze - Pinking Through the Window
  • Zoya - Tomoko 
  • ORLY - White Tips

This is a recreation of a manicure I did a few years ago.  Only thing I did differently this time around was added the random black dots on the floral accent nail.  I also think that my dot flowers were a tad larger.


Still a cute, simple manicure which brought a refreshment to the boring winter color palette.  Too Yacht To Handle is my all time favorite neon polish.  Many complained about it's formula, but I never have had a problem with it and can have full coverage in two coats.

What do you think? Fan of this manicure?

Until next time, <3.