Dot Mani

The One With the Easter Bunny

9:00:00 AM

Hey there!!!  Happy Easter to all my Polished Peeps!  He is Risen!  What a wonderful day it is today.  As a Christian, today is the most important day for us.  If it weren't for Easter Sunday and the sacrifice that our Lord made, then, well, I shudder to think what the world would be like. 


Now while today isn't all about the bunny, I did paint little bunnies on my nails.  There are things I do for my residents at work, and doing cutesie nails like these is one of those things.  I went into this Easter season with good intentions of painting my nails with a plethora of designs, including one with Calvary hill, but alas, I got sick and I've yet to recover from that.  I'm just grateful I was able to get the two designs that I did!

Let's take a look!


Who wants to teach me how to take proper photos of my nails when I'm wearing pastel polishes?  They always look blown out or just too dark.  They're never what my nails actually look like.  I probably should have used a black back drop, but eh I'll never learn.  I sat for awhile trying to color correct them but gave up.  It is what it is, right?


Despite the fact that I can't properly photograph pastels, you can still see how cute this manicure was.  A nice little skittle using some of polishes from the Zoya Awaken collection that is literally 6 years old now.  Even though the polishes are old, they still apply like a dream.  By far some of my favorite pastels that I own.  Only complaint, they're kind of a pain to remove!

What do you think?  Fan of this design?

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

See you soon! :) 


Dot Mani

The One With the Random Heart Manicure

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good Morning, Polished World! How are you all doing today?  It's yet another Monday which means time for a whole new work week.  I apologize that I haven't been posting, but I was sick for the past two weeks, a long with half of my facility.  My priority became my health mixed with still trying to complete my job.  It was a tough two weeks, but each time I go through these things, I become stronger, so for that I'm grateful.

Now, here I am, the week of Easter, with no Easter nail art.  When I painted my nails last evening, I did a black and white floral design, then when I finished them, I realized I should have done something pastel.  Actually, I realize now as I type this, I have an Easter lily looking design.  I guess I'll post that later this week.

Until then, I'm bringing you a random nude heart design I painted a few weeks ago.  I needed something neutral as a palate cleanser.  Not sure if I 100% love this design, but I am happy with how it turned out.

Let's take a look!


We can all agree that Mirrorball by ORLY is just fabulous.  It's by far one of my all time favorite holographic silver polishes.  If you've been reading this blog for some time, then you know that this is my go to accent polish.  I think it accented this design rather well, don't you think?


You think after all these years I could successfully paint a heart.  Nope, they still look messy and not as neat as I would like.  For sure something I want to work on this year.  I think the one on the pinkie nail looks the best.

What do you think?  Like this look?

Okay, time to plan one or two Easter designs.

See you soon, <3.


Dot Mani

The One With the Random St. Patrick's Day Nail Art

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good morning, Polished World!  How are you all doing?  I meant to have this posted yesterday, but Day Light Savings got the best of me and I just wanted to go to sleep instead of working on editing photos.  Now of course, while I'm writing this, I rather be sleeping because thanks to Day Light Savings, it's late again and I feel that I should be sleeping again.  Despite all that, it's St. Patrick's Day this week and I have to share with you the two designs I created.  Literally the most simple designs but still cute.

 Today's manicure is inspired by Ruth's Nail Art.  Hers was much better than mine.  I'm a little annoyed with how the clover turned out on my middle finger, but I think that's my own issue and no one else would notice it other than me.  Despite the imperfection that I only see, it's a wonderful manicure that I think is perfect way to kick off this St. Patrick's Day week.

Let's take a look!


Man, do I miss Serendipity Polish.  Sure this beauty is a little separated, but it still applies like a dream.  I wish I snagged more bottles of this beauty because the color is just perfect.  I pull it out for special occasions such as the holidays.  Also, out of sheer laziness when it comes to looking through all my new colors.  I really need to organize my collection this weekend.


Can you tell I broke my middle nail right before painting this design?  All my nails are nice and long and that little beauty is short and nubby.  Regardless, the design looks really god on the shorter nail.  Maybe it's the dots, but I feel that the nail looks longer than it really is!

What do you think? 

Until next time, <3.


Christmas

The One With the First Christmas-y Manicure

9:00:00 AM

Good Morning Polished World!  I am so sorry that I have been gone for so long, but work really took over my life.  As you know, I work in the healthcare industry and we just are going through a rocky patch.  I'm trying to keep my life as sane as possible by doing the things I enjoy, but that seems to be more baking than nail painting.  Doesn't help that my nails are so dry from the constant hand washing and it now being winter that I've suffered many breaks and right when my nails are long again, they snap.


Regardless of all of this, I am determined to bring you all Christmas manicures throughout the month of December.  Similarly to my promise of the Halloween Manicures in October.  I did start sooner with another Christmas design, but it was a complete failure and I'm deciding not to share them with you.  So we are jumping right to my second design of the season, a fun simple dotticure using one of my favorite reds.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Morgan Taylor - All Tango-ed Up
  • ILNP - Christmas Cookie
  • Zoya -  Tomoko
Isn't this red Morgan Taylor polish to die for?  It is by far one of my favorite red polishes, and if you know me, I'm not a huge red fan.  This color doesn't make my nails look nubby like other reds.  It's more muted and vampy, which is why  I think I love it.  It applies perfectly in two coats, and I'm sure you're going to see it a lot more this month.


For my accent, I used ILNP Christmas Cookie, but unfortunately you can't see the gorgeous glitter in it because it's hidden under all those dots.  I think I might have to use it for a holly manicure in the next few days.  That would really make the glitters pop.  Regardless, it's a gorgeous polish which works well under those fun dots.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?
 
Until next time, <3!


Dot Mani

The One With The Blue ORLY Dry Brush Mani

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Well Good morning!  Here we are on another bright, sunny Monday!  I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but it's going to be a hot one here this week.  Also, if you're home town is anything like mine, your city is overrun with mosquitos and you can't even go outside without getting ten bites.  It's awful.  My poor garden needs some TLC but everytime I go out there, it's like I'm dinner for those dang bugs!

Being inside more means I've had more time to do my nails, and my nails are longer because I'm not digging around in the dirt and breaking them every five seconds.  Longer nails means more abstract designs since I feel like abstract nails on little nub nails don't look as good.  And that's just what I have for you today, a little abstract design using one of my favorite blue polishes.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ORLY - Skinny Dip
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
I absolutely adore Skinny Dip by ORLY.  It was my first ever "funky" colored polish back when I started this blog.  Funny enough, this bottle is the original one I purchased way back in the day, and it still applies as if it were brand new.  What I love about Skinny Dip is the subtle shimmer the polish has.  It adds a different dimension versus a flat polish in this same color. Two coats and you have the most amazing blue nails in the whole world. 


I love the little abstract design.  I saw something similar on Pinterest using a pink polish, but I really wasn't feeling the pink the other night.  I cannot begin to tell you how many people complimented me on these easy nails.  To get the look, after the white polish was dried, I quickly did a dry brush with Skinny Dip across the nail.  Then, I went through with my dotting tool and added the black dots.  Literally five seconds and I was done.

What do you think?  Love this look? Love the blue?

Until next time, <3



Dot Mani

The One With A Floral Manicure Inspired by SRG.Nails

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Well, good morning and Happy Tuesday to you all!  How's the weather where you are?  Finally it's getting a tad warmer here, but it looks like it's going to drop down again later this week.  Kind of upsetting to me because my seedlings are doing really well and I'm getting impatient and I want to plant them into my garden.  You should see how much I've grown this year so far.  Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and a mixture of flowers.  Oh the flowers, I'm going to have a huge flower garden before I know it.

And since the flowers have sprouted, that means it's time for me to start floral manicures.  Today's design is yet again inspired by SRG.Nails.  I've done something similar to this in the past, but this time I switched up the color of the flowers.  I wasn't feeling the red like she did, I wanted that Spring umph.

Let's take a look! 


Colors Used:
  • Zoya - Dahlia
  • OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls
  • ORLY - Liquid Vinyl
  • Acrylics
Now, the pink and purple are nail polish, but you guessed it....I can't remember what colors!!!  In the end, I did remember that I'm holding Dahlia, one of my all time favorite Pixie Dust polishes from Zoya.  Who else thinks that Zoya needs to release a new collection of these beauties?!  Maybe a holographic PixieDust line?!  I'm just imagining how beautiful it would be.


I love how this manicure turned out.  I'm super impressed with my leaves this time around.  That's one thing I've struggled on in the past few years, the little finer details.  Finally, I think I'm starting to get it.  Stay tuned because you know me, I get obsessed with a look or a design and I re-create it a million times in a row.

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

Until next time, <3.


Dot Mani

The One With the Holographic Interlocking Dot Manicure!

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose


Good Morning, and welcome to yet another Wednesday.  Can you believe that the last week of April is next week?  Also, can you believe that it's 35 degrees and snowing where I am?  It was in the 70s last week, and now Mother Nature can't make her mind up.

Since the weather is not feeling too Spring-like, I felt it was appropriate to share a black and silver manicure instead of something with flowers or spring pastels.  Although, I feel I'm neglecting my pastel polishes this Spring.  Anyways, today's manicure is a fun interlocking dot mani using my all time favorite holographic polish - ILNP Mega X.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • ILNP - Mega X
  • Sally Hansen - Blacky O
I cannot begin to tell you how I was beyond obsessed with this manicure.  Ready to hear though the most disappointing thing ever?  Well when I painted this design, I didn't have anymore base coat, and I was too lazy to go downstairs and grab my new bottle that was in my purse.  So, I figured that using a top coat for a base would do the same thing.  Oh man, was I wrong.  After about a day, the nails literally were popping off as if they were fake nails.  Lesson learned the hard way, of course on a manicure I loved.


To get the look I started off with a base coat of Mega X.  When that was dried, I went through and did a diagonal swoosh of Blacky O.  I then went through with my dotting tool and added the dots.  Now, after looking at other interlocking dot manicures on the interwebs, I see that I did the dots slightly wrong.  I now know for next time.  You know, when I use a proper base coat....sigh.

What do you think?  Fan of this manicure?

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.




Dot Mani

The One With the Holographic Gradient Accent Nail

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Good morning Polished World, and welcome to 2021!  I'm happy to see 2020 leave, but let's face it the years are only what you make of them.  I look back on 2020 and despite all the hardships, I'm very grateful for the year.  Sure, with my line of work I could look and be all woe is me and hate on 2020, but I'm not going to.  That's not going to get me or any of us anywhere if we choose to look at the negative.  So let's all go into 2021 looking at only the positives and how the negatives were just there to help us grow.

Today's post is a draft from before Christmas.  I did it shortly after Halloween as a palate cleanser from all the orange, greens, and purples.  You can never go wrong with mint and silver holographics.  Plus a glitter gradient?  This manicure is simple and perfect.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Jessica Cosmetics - Flower Crown
  • ORLY - White Tips
  • ILNP - Mega X
Isn't this gorgeous?  I love how Mega X looks over White Tips.  In my last post, I used ILNP Versailles for a glitter gradient and it worked just as wonderfully.  I'm on a gradient kick because the design I painted last night has the Mega X gradient again.  You'll see that post in a few days.  I just think it's the perfect accent to any manicure.


Flower Crown is one of my favorite polishes.  It applies perfectly in two coats.  You technically could get away with one coat of this beauty, but you know me, I have to have at least two.  I've tried going the one coat route, but it feels like my nails are still naked.  Is that weird?  I feel that's weird.

What do you think?  Fan of this look? 

Until next time, <3.

Christmas

The One With the Christmas Dotticure

9:00:00 AM

Nothing to Disclose 


Good Morning Polished World!! How are you all doing today?  It's the 21st, which means Christmas is just four days away.  And I have two more manicures to share.  Well, I should have two more manicures to share.  I still need to paint my last one so maybe I'll only have one more to share.  I meant to paint last evening, but I didn't get home until late and I just did a swatch and called it a night.  Hoping tonight I can get my last design in.

Today's manicure is a simple dotticure I painted last week.  During this time of year, I fall in love with my red and green holographic polishes and I have to talk myself out of using them for every single design.  I wanted to show them off and not add too much art because I wanted the polishes themselves to shine.  So, of course a dotticure was the only solution for this.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:

  • ILNP - Say Love
  • Zoya - Merida 
  • ORLY - White Tips
How gorgeous is Say Love by ILNP!?  This is by far my favorite red nail polish.  If you've been reading this blog a while, you know I'm not a huge fan of red polishes.  I feel like they wash me out and make my nails look super short.  I don't have that nice, long, pointed nail which reds look gorgeous on.  That was until I purchased Say Love.  This polish is everything.  Two coats of this gorgeous holographic red and my nails look amazing.  Not to mention, it's a perfect Christmas red.


The Zoya scattered holographic polishes have been a win since they were all released, and Merida is no exception.  Two coats of this dark, beautiful holographic green.  It compliments Say Love so wonderfully.  Both polishes work wonderfully for nail art.  They dotted perfectly on my index and pinkie nail.  Say Love dragged a little bit when I added my top coat, but that's because my dot wasn't completely dried when I applied it.

What do you think?  Fan of this simple Christmas design?

Until next time, <3.


Dot Mani

The One I Don't Really Like But Am Posting Anyways

9:00:00 AM

Press Sample 


Hey polished world.  Yes, you are reading the title right.  This is the manicure that I don't really like and am posting anyways.  I did this manicure last year too and I hated it then.  So I'm not really sure why I re-created it this year.  I think maybe in my mind I didn't hate it, then once I was finished it hit me how much I disliked it.  

Also another part that I dislike about it was the whole editing process.  I cannot get the colors to balance, therefore I'm legitimately not giving two craps and am not watermarking it or anything.  Watch, this will be the post that blows up and goes viral.  Oh well, again, don't really care because I don't like this manicure.  It looked a million times better on Coffee and Nail Polish's nails who inspired my original design last year.

I feel it's important to share though the manicures we don't like.  I feel sometimes we get lost in this world of perfection where we only show our most perfect sides of ourselves.  Look at Facebook.  No one is ever going to post on there how miserable they truly are.  Instead they are going to show you their perfect life, which in turn causes people who aren't having a perfect life to feel insecure or even more upset.  I don't know, it sound stupid but I feel we need to normalize showing our imperfections or things we dislike so others out there can see they aren't alone.

So, here I am, posting my imperfect manicure on my blog where I typically only show what I consider to be masterpieces.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • OPI - My Vampire is Buff
  • OPI - Alpine Snow
  • OPI - Exotic Birds Do Not Tweet
  • OPI - No Tan Lines
See how the photo just looks blah.  And how my dots are blah?  What you can't see are all the little air bubbles that popped up around the dots after I added the top coat.

Overall the manicure is a fabulous idea, but on my skin tone it just doesn't work.  I think if I went with a naked nail base I would really like this.  You know, like the negative space.  For me, the nude doesn't work.

What do you think?

I can't wait to show you my last Halloween design.  I can tell you, that one for sure is a masterpiece in my mind.

Until next time, <3.


Dot Mani

The One With the Daisy Manicure and Serendipity Polish

9:00:00 AM


Good morning polished world! How are you all on this fine Monday morning?  The weather is warming up here some and we are finally having some sunshine.  Maybe that Groundhog was right after all and we will have an early Spring!  Although, I have a suspicion that this isn't going to last and before we know it, it's going to be below zero and there's going to be a snowstorm again.

Well, since it's warmer, and I'm attempting to stick with the pink theme for the month of February, today I'm sharing a fun, Spring-Time pink manicure with you all!  I have to say, the pink is starting to grow on me. Maybe it's because of the design on top.

Let's take a look!


Colors Used:
  • Serendipity Polish - Poinsettia
  • Serendipity Polish - Holoday Lights
  • Serendipity Polish - #GoalDigger
  • Serendipity Polish - Bottomless Mimosas
Ahhhh my beloved Serendipity Polish's.  Oh how I miss this brand.  Poinsettia is a perfect pink which has full coverage in one coat.  Yes, one beautiful coat.  I of course use two because I'm crazy like that.  I just feel like my nails are more durable with two coats.



Once the base was dry, which was super fast because the dry time on these Serendipity Polish's are no lie 5 seconds, I went through with #GoalDigger and created my designs.  Added the finishing touch of the center of the flower using Bottomless Mimosas and I topped the whole design off with their Fast Dry Top Coat.

What do you think?  Fan of this look?  Loving that 60s kind of look to the daisy?

Until next time, <3