Rainbow Dot Nails

I've seen this style floating around the Internet lately, and seeing as how I can't let a rainbow pass me by, I decided to give it a shot.  I received a set of dotting tools for Christmas- yay!- so this was my first shot at using them!  Very cool!

Not too shabby!  There's a few things I would do differently next time, but overall I think it was fun and bright and cute for the end of 2012!

Products Used:

LA Girl Matte Black

Zoya America

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lightening

China Glaze Gaga for Green

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Brisk Blue

China Glaze Gothic Lolita

Summer Pastel Arrow/Chevron Manicure

I got tired of doing dots, so I decided to go with the latest trend- chevron stripes!  Except that this one doesn't repeat the pattern, so does that just make it a pointy stripe?  Or an arrow?  Can a chevron stripe be singular?

Yea I freehanded this and it's pretty obvious, huh?

Products Used:

China Glaze Peachy Keen

China Glaze Sweet Hook

Revlon Minted

Rainbow Dots!

This one was super simple but still one of my favorite looks when finished!  UNFORTUNATELY.  The color I chose to use as my base- Stone Cold from China Glaze's Capitol Colors collection- purely exists to make me SO MAD.  It is a gorgeous, gorgeous color.  It's all metallic and glimmery and gorgeous when matte and even moreso with a top coat.  But the formula is so bad!  I mentioned it briefly before. but it seriously chips within literal minutes of drying!  It doesn't seem to matter what I do- basecoat, no basecoat, top coat, no topcoat, whatever.  I look down and then realize that my nails are all chipped up and I just painted then an hour ago.  Talk about frustrating!  In order to take these photos I had to completely redo my thumb and pointer finger, got back to my computer and realized that the pinky finger was all chipped to hell also!  So I just covered up the chips and went to redo the pictures.  Bah!  China Glaze is probably my favorite brand.  But this particular color is just a pain in my side.

Anyway, wow, what a long-winded rant.  Onto the photos!

                       

Products Used:
China Glaze Stone Cold
Zoya America
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed
China Glaze Sunshine Pop
China Glaze Gaga for Green
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Brisk Blue
China Glaze Gothic Lolita

5 Minute Mani: Simple Stripes (creamsicle again!)

Something about a pastel-ish orange paired with white is just so, so summery to me.  It has to be the association with Creamsicles.  Anyway, here's a super quick mani that I wore to a baseball game last night- got complimented by the girl at the counter when I went and got some nachos, so you know they're good ;)

Products Used:

China Glaze Peachy Keen

LA Colors Art Deco in White

Another Gradient- Creamsicle

I loved the last one so much that I did another one!  I asked the fiance "brights or pastels?" and he said pastels, so I chose some lighter-but still summery- colors.  My dad said it looks like a creamsicle, and the waitress when we had dinner said she loved my nails and asked to see them- so I think I would call this a success!  Officially in love with the idea of gradient manicures now.

Products Used:

China Glaze Peachy Keen

Essie Borrowed & Blue

Tropical Brights Gradient

Every now and then I get into a super rut with my nails.  Usually when I'm super stressed out about something.  This one started with our move, and hasn't ended yet.  With moving in, unpacking, applying for jobs, having job interviews... My nails have really taken a beating.  As have my poor cuticles.  In these times of crisis, there's really only one way to get myself back on top of my game- I have to spend a long time doing something cool with my nails (here is just one example).  Normally I try to do something freehand, or water marble.  It's time consuming and (usually) looks pretty awesome, and knowing that I spent a lot of time and effort on a certain design is the ONLY thing that can override my need to nibble when I'm stressed.  So this morning I spent two hours (yup) doing my nails with a pretty sweet, tropical bright gradient mani.  It took so long because I used a white base coat first, and then redid my entire left hand because I didn't like the way it turned out.  Plus, cleanup was just awful.  But anyway, enough with the words and the sad stories- onto the pics!

I really needed these brights today- you can see the 

rain droplets in the picture!

Products Used:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in White Out (basecoat)

Orly Fabulous Flamingo

Zoya America

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed

Peachy Chevron for a Beachy Feel- 2 Weeks of China Glaze

Like I mentioned before, we are having some much needed sunny weather here in Oregon these past few days, and that has put me in the mood for some BEACH.  One of my favorite summer colors is Peachy Keen.  It just feels so happy to me.  So I knew I wanted to use it, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it... when I went through my stamping plates and discovered the chevron-ish stripes on Bundle Monster plate 201.  Sold!  I grabbed one of my metallics (GREAT for stamping) and hopped to it.  I was hoping the stripes would come out more blue, but I think it looks just fine as this silvery color.

Products used:

China Glaze Peachy Keen

China Glaze Devotion

Bundle Monster plate 201

So now a few questions for you guys- what's your favorite summer shade?  And what are your thoughts on chevron stripes- just a fad, or here to stay, and do you love em or think they are overdone?  

Winter Design- Sweater Inspired!

I'm super into sweaters, and I'm obsessed with my newest one.  It's warmer than any other sweater I've owned, and it is soft and not as itchy as I thought it would be.  So when I tried out Essie's Brooch the Subject, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I matched it to my new sweater!

Products Used:

Essie Brooch the Subject

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed
Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black

Fall Leaves on Cheeky Chops

Since I felt kinda weird wearing around these yellow nails, and I'm too cheap to take it off immediately, I decided to go forth with some fall inspired stamping!

I used Butter London's Cheeky Chops as a base since I'd swatched it previously, and stamped on top with a Bundle Monster design in red, orange and brown.  I like it, but I thought it was missing something- so I topped it with my matte topcoat, and I like it.

Products used:

Butter London Cheeky Chops

Revlon Hot for Chocolate

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed

Gap nail polish in Admire

Essie Matte About You

Bundle Monster plate BM04

Halloween Nails: Purple and Orange Glitter

I had to work today at my internship, so I decided not to use any stamps or anything super fancy, so I just stuck with some glitter.  I think it came out pretty nice- and it matched my outfit today (purple tights, orange shirt, black boots/skirt/cardigan).

Products Used:
Wet n Wild Black Creme
Revlon Facets of Fuchsia
Love & Beauty Rust

Purple and Orange Glitter Subtle-y Halloween Nails

Yesterday I showed off my new Butter London color, Scoundrel.  In celebration of my favorite holiday, I layered over Scoundrel with some Love & Beauty polish for a purple and orange Halloween color combo!  I love black and orange as traditional Halloween colors, but I love purple and orange together better, I think.

Products Used:

Butter London in Scoundrel

Love & Beauty in Rust