Light in the Darkness

Hi nail art lovers!! It's another great day to be alive :)  I want to share with you a fun look today that lets you play with paint a little bit.  As always, let me know in the comments if you would like a tutorial on this manicure.  It's not too hard to figure out.  Let's take a look:

So what I meant by playing with paint- is to achieve this color combination I took my blue acrylic paint on my palette, I added white to half of the blue, and black to the other half and those became the colors I used on the sides of the bright blue in the middle of the ray of light in the darkness of the base polish.  Very fun and easy :)

The base polish for the manicure is Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzler which is kind of a funny name, since it's just a plain old black cream polish.  It's a good one though :)  It was easy to work with and looks nice on the nail I think.

That's all for today.  Think of 5 things you're grateful for and take a deep breath!  :)

Song of the Day: Empire of the Sun- We Are the People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN5X4kGhAtU
*disclaimer- this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out

Mango-go-fast

Well hello there everyone!  I didn't have much time for blogging because I was so busy getting older...and celebrating that fact... But I'm back today with a technique that is quick and easy- you should definitely give it a try.  Pretty much all you need is a striping brush and some fun colors of your choosing.  As always, if you want to see a tutorial of this design, let me know in the comments below.

 As you can see it's a really simple and quick way to take your polish to another level without really any skill or much imagination ;)  Just a way to change it up and have a little fun using little time.

The base color for this look is Revlon Make Mine Mango which is a delicious crelly polish.  As you can see it's smooth and gorgeous.  This is three thin coats.

Have a fabulous day!
Song of the Day: Chad Valley- I Want Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTkPdt302qY
*disclaimer- this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out.

Take-a-Peek-ock

Hello again :)  Instead of a tutorial for you this Tuesday, I have a little time warp tidbit for you- a post of some nail art I did forever ago and it's re-worked version to take a look at a few different ways you can accomplish a design.  The first is a more straightforward, clip-art-like concept and while it is striking on the nail and super fun, the second attempt takes a different approach.

Here's the original:

I'm sorry I can't recall the polishes I used for this version.

Here's the second design:

This manicure used the polishes Princessa Neon Purple as the base and acrylic paints for the actual feather.  This technique involves more color accuracy by blending your acrylics and a lighter hand with the wispiness of the feathers.  I think both designs have their place, but which do you prefer?

Hope you enjoyed these designs and they inspire you to unleash your inner artist :) Have fun with it!!

Song of the Day: The Tough Alliance- A New Chance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoV6xfgCkcM
*disclaimer- this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*


Over and out

In and Out

Happy Monday everybody!  I have a really fun look for you today.  When I saw this graphic I knew it had to be translated to the nail.

I know I always say it- but this one really wasn't that difficult.  I mean, my life is about making things simplistic and fun- not stressing- so you can trust me when I say you can definitely pull this manicure off!  A design like this will help you achieve the fun look that the polish strips give you- but without the difficulty of getting them to lay flat on your nails and will they pull off your nail safely...and filing them to fit your nail...you can just do it yourself at home!  If you want to see a tutorial on achieving this look, just tell me in the comments :)



Here is the base color of the mani- it is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lickety-Split Lime.  You're looking at two coats and isn't this a fun color?  Definitely a way to change it up and be able to look down at your nails and say yowza!!

Well I'll see you back tomorrow and have a wonderful day!

Song of the Day: Eisley- Drink the Water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1RZslLUjEQ
*disclaimer- this link is provided for its audio and not video content*

Over and out.

Antique Flower Design

Happy Sunday all my lovelies.  I have a really lovely design to share with you that I based off a Robin Moses nail art tutorial on youtube.  If you love nail art and you want to learn or you just love to watch a great artist at work- you should seriously check her out.  Plus she's funny and cheery.  Anyways, here's the look:

This design is achieved using a small detail brush and watered-down black acrylic paint and a lighter blue polish for the highlighting.  Do you enjoy this design as much as I do?  It was really fun to create, and I'll definitely be trying variations of this again soon.

Here's the base color on it's own.  Isn't it lovely as well?  Two coats- nice and easy.  This is Ulta Blue Streak, and it was neither streaky or stainy :)

Well that's it for today, see you back again tomorrow with some more nail art for ya.

Song of the Day: Miles Fisher- New Romance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNEQAXX43g

*disclaimer- these songs are suggested for their audio, and not video content*

Over and out.

Saturday Random Swatching: 8/3/2013

Happy Saturday and welcome to the world my new baby niece and happy birthday to another special niece.  It's a great day to be born because well it's gorgeous outside and all the coolest peeps have their birthdays in August- duh! :) I have 10 more shades for you today.  Lets look at em and see who made the grade.

Red: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Cherry Red is a great basic red cream.  This brand is ever-budget friendly and so if you're looking for a cheap, smooth two-coater red cream, this would be a good choice for you.  A.

Pink: NYC Radio City Rose is a really lovely soft rose on the deeper end.  You're looking at two coats here.  Not quite as smooth maybe as some other brands, but still very nice for the price.  A-

Orange: Savina Orange Blast is a mega-watt orange neon.  You're looking at two coats and it dries matte.  this color is so crazysauce and it's not even over a white base polish.  It wasn't streaky or thin like some neons and it was seriously out-of-this-world bright like I wasn't expecting.  Definitely unique and didn't give me a Halloween vibe so it's versatile in that way.  Love it. A

Yellow: Pure Ice Show Stopper is a medium yellow cream.  This is three coats for full opacity.  This one was slightly finicky as yellow polishes can be.  I do love the color though; it's a very happy shade for me.  I do have easier-to-work-with yellows though, so I give it a B.

Green: Julep Courteney is a breath of fresh air.  This is just the perfect shade of green- cool, soft, creamy.  So lovely!  This was an easy, two-coater.  A.

Blue: Avon Forget-Me-Not-Blue is another from the glass shimmer collection and it is really interesting cuz they went with a darker base with the really gorgeous light blue and silver reflects glitter/shimmer inside.  It really adds wonderful dimension to this dark creamy blue color.  This is two coats, and Avon polishes aren't the easiest to work with, but I wouldn't call them difficult either.  They just don't glide like Zoyas is all I'm sayin'.  Love the color still though. A.

Purple: Ulta Plum Perfect is just as the name indicates- perfect!  The color is rich and delicious!  The formula is creamy and easy in two coats, and it's super glossy with no top coat.  This was the base to my coral and bubbles mani a while back.  So gorgeous!  A.

Neutral: OPI My Vampire is Buff is all over nail blogs right now because it is such a delicious neutral and off-white that it works really well for your nail art if you don't want stark white on your nails.  As most OPI creams are, it was smooth and even in two coats.  I love it and it's worth the price in my opinion.  This would be a good one to pick up if you enjoy nail art.  A.

Glitter/Texture: Pure Ice I'll Behave over Cosmetic Arts bright green is a multi-glitter polish in a clear base.  You can see that there's a lot of tiny green glitters but also some larger silver hex glitters.  This glitter is just ok for me.  It doesn't really do that much or stand out from the crowd, but it might be a real pleaser with your daughter and her friends :)  I give it a B-

Featured Polish: Sinful Colors Sail La Vie has been begging to be featured for a while now.  The thing about this polish is the bright periwinkle just glows for me, almost like a neon polish does- but this is a pastel shade so it blows my mind.  I absolutely adore this polish and it's a special release that came out with a sailing themed collection a few months back, but if you still see it in your Walgreens somewhere, don't pass it up.  You're looking at two coats for this sweet cream polish.  A+

Well that's it- what was your favorite from these 10 shades, or what was your favorite polish to wear around from your collection this week?  Let me know in the comments below.  The above brands can be found at the following locations:

Sally Hansen- Target, Kmart, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens

OPI- Ulta, local beauty supply stores

Julep- julep.com

Sinful Colors- Target, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens

NYC- Kmart, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens

Pure Ice- Walmart

Avon- avon.com

Ulta- Ulta

Savina- Nordstrom Rack

Song of the Day: Mountain Range- It's Lonely Around People Too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuLPfjdkhbM&list=SPGznEl712WencwBJI3Idxggb58SmnH38z

*disclaimer- these songs are suggested for their audio, and not video content*

Over and out.

Friday Featured Color: Sinful Colors Ablaze

Featuring a great Summer shade for you this gorgeous Friday!  This is Sinful Colors Ablaze and it is bright, sweet, and fruity :)  You're looking at two easy coats of the bright Summer cream and I think it's perfect for tips or toes.

Here's a little nail art featuring this color:

This was a super fast and easy way to accent this polish.  Hope your weekend is starting off with a bang! See you back tomorrow with random swatching :)

Song of the Day: Kisses- Up All Night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HByxFJqnEBA

*disclaimer- these songs are suggested for their audio, and not video content*

Over and out.