Category: Gold

Posted on

Dark and Metallic Sponge Manicure.

 

IMG-20140910-02373_1410774249378_n

Oh man, I wish I had better pictures of this NOTD to share with you, but unfortunately I took these while at work in the late afternoon, so the beautifulness of this manicure was kind of lost. (Side note–I just got a brand new phone with an awesome camera so expect upcoming posts to have MUCH better picture quality.) However, regardless of the lack of pretty pictures, I still had to share this gorgeous manicure because I was super in love with the outcome.

 

The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • Mary Kay Blue Knight (base color)
  • ACO by Ardene Golden Luxury (middle finger & sponging)
  • Layla Soft Touch Golden Touch (middle finger)
  • Essence Color and Go Mister Rusty (sponging)
  • Claire’s Poison Apple (sponging)
  • Claire’s Venomous (sponging)
  • Claire’s Evil Queen (sponging)
  • Nutra Nail Quick Dry Top Coat.

 

IMG-20140910-02367_1410774087978_n

IMG-20140910-02368_1410774148441_n

Oh man, this manicure just was perfect for fall. I wanted something reminiscent of the color changing of the leaves, and I think I succeed with this multicolored metallic sponge manicure. Even one of my co-workers noticed how cool my nails looked, and commented on how neat it looked, which always makes me feel good about my nails. =) Next time I wanted to try this with a super dark green Essence polish I picked up not too long ago–I think it will look even more perfect for the fall weather.

 

So what do you think of this manicure?

Posted on

Purple and gold leopard print nails inspired by perfectlynaileduk.

IMG-20140908-02337_1410207796274_n

 

 

Today’s post is totally inspired by perfectlynaileduk, who does some of the most awesome leopard print manicures I’ve ever seen. Actually she does the most awesome manicures in general! Seriously, you need to go check her manicures out right now if you haven’t yet!

The other day I was trying to think of something to do on my nails when I remembered a picture of a blue and gold leopard print manicure she had posted, and instantly knew I wanted to recreate it! I decided to go with some darker, more fall-toned colors.

 

The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • Essence Color and Go Best Dressed.
  • Maybelline Color Show Gilded Gold.
  • China Glaze White on White.
  • Vernis Classique by Cherimoya Black.
  • Nutra Nail Quick Dry Top Coat with Green Tea.

IMG-20140908-02325_1410178534359_n

IMG-20140908-02328_1410178669899_n

IMG-20140908-02329_1410178763038_n

IMG-20140908-02330_1410178812605_n

 

Is there any better combo than purple and gold? I think Gilded Rose by Maybelline Color Show has to be my new favorite gold polish, especially because of the pink undertones. I never used to like gold, but lately I’ve been completely obsessed with all things golden, especially nail polish. Maybe that’s why I seem to own so many now haha.

 

Also, you may have noticed I had a pretty obvious break on the middle finger of my left hand. It happened at work (what else is new…) and I was SO mad, as my nails have grown the longest they’ve been in a long time. I’ve decided though, for right now at least, I’m not going to file everything down to meet my shortie. The rest of my nails are holding strong and super healthy, so for right now I’ll stick with the one awkward shorty until the rest of my nails start to catch up.

 

IMG-20140908-02335_1410207622538_n

IMG-20140908-02336_1410207669265_n

So what do you think of this gold and leopard print manicure?

What is your favorite color combination together?

Posted on

Glitter Gradient featuring Essie’s The Girls are Out.

IMG-20140905-02295_1409929165024_n

 

Oh wow, we were having some seriously warm weather last week–a full Summer flashback even though it’s now September. I felt like doing something a little brighter on my nails, so decided to go with a glitter gradient as not only are they fairly easy, they’re also quick (but totally gorgeous.)

 

The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • Essie The Girls are Out.
  • Color Institute unnamed gold polish.
  • Color Institute unnamed gold glitter polish.
  • Quo by ORLY Gold Rush Sparkle.
  • Nutra Nail Quick Dry Top Coat.

IMG-20140905-02298_1409929195464_n

IMG-20140905-02299_1409929235242_n

 

Check out the holo bar glitter in Quo by ORLY Gold Rush Sparkle! Holy Moly–it’s another one of the mini polishes the boyfriend got me last Christmas as part of the holiday pack, and I’m still discovering how pretty these polishes are! I’m not usually a fan of bar glitters, but in Gold Rush Sparkle they’re more of an accent than front and center so I definitely love.

 

IMG-20140905-02301_1409929292505_n

IMG-20140905-02306_1409929349573_n

 

IMG-20140905-02309_1410110223332_n

 

So what do you think of this glitter gradient?

Posted on

Nails for Days.

Wow, I’ve been MIA again…. we’ve been house sitting for my parents which means I don’t have all my polishes (or nail art tools) at my disposal. However, I have still been painting my nails the last week so I thought I would share with you the simple manicures I’ve been playing around with. I’ve been testing out the combination of using Essence Gel Look top Coat with Essie’s Good to Go top coat, and I have to say it’s been working for me. Usually I have chips in my polish by the end of day 1 (or sometimes half way through), but most of these manicures I’ve worn for 2+ days with minimal chipping. Considering I’m not gentle on my hands, that is actually kind of amazing.

 

flying dragon3 flying dragon

The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • China Glaze Flying Dragon (purple)
  • Essence Petal to the Metal gold topper.
  • Essence Gel Look top coat.
  • Essie Good to Go top coat.

Oh China Glaze Flying Dragon… how I love you. You are now, and will forever be my favorite nail polish color…. I just wish you didn’t chip so damn fast! Thankfully though, adding my top look combo gave me these nails for THREE days with very minimal chipping until day three (when it all went to hell). I do love the combination of the Essence Gold Topper over dark colors though… looks so regal. (Also makes me crave fall a little bit… some one slap me!)

 

crackle crackle2

The polishes I used for this manicure were:

  • Sinful Colors Be Happy (blue base color)
  • Icing Electric Graffiti (pink shatter)
  • Essence Gel Look Top Coat.
  • Essie Good to Go top coat.

I was feeling some crackle, since I haven’t used it in years. I used to love playing with crackle, and Icing’s Electric Graffiti was definitely my favorite of the ones I owned. That hasn’t changed. So bright, and so awesome.

 

ruffian2 ruffian

Polishes used for the manicure were:

  • Joe Fresh Latte (nude base)
  • Nicole by OPI Oy Oy Oyster (nude shimmer)
  • Essence Dive with me to the Island (teal ruffian)
  • Essence Gel Look Top Coat.
  • Essie Good to Go Top Coat.

Oh man, I had such high hopes for the manicure… I had visions of a gorgeous nude and teal ruffian… except the nude color my mother owns (which is dark for her) blends PERFECTLY into my skin… so it just looked like I didn’t paint for enough down on my nail. And the shimmer I added didn’t show up enough. Next time I’ll definitely go with something not so perfectly matched to my skin tone.

 

So as you can see, I’ve still been playing around with polish I just haven’t been as nail art crazy as normal. I’m also still bumming hard about my shorties, but they’ll grown… unfortunately just not over night (I wish!) Next week I’m on vacation from work so it will be A LOT more nail art time. In fact, in honor of my best friend who is getting married next week, I think I’m going to do a whole week of wedding manicures, for both bride and bridesmaids. And then at the end of the week, I can share the manicure my friend is letting me do for her nails for the wedding. =)

 

coffee

Now it’s time to finish my coffee, and get started on a super cool manicure I hope to share with you tomorrow.

Posted on

Embracing my new shorties… and pretty half moons.

Oopsie.

Sorry for disappearing for a little while. After I posted my Keira Knightley inspired nails I had a nail tragedy breaking THREE nails super duper short (and, all on the same hand of course) so I was really disappointed. Curse working in retail… it ruins everything. =( But nails grow… so I’m trying my best to embrace my new super nubs while they grow out… which is hopefully quickly!

 

shorties

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • ACO by Ardene Bridezilla
  • Layla Soft Touch Effect Golden Touch.
  • Sinful Colors Hip to be Square.
  • Essence Gel Look Top Coat.
  • Essie Good to Go Top Coat.

First off, Hip to be Square might be one of my favorite new polishes. It’s so pretty! It looks fairly sky blue in my pictures, but honestly it’s more of a cornflower blue in person, with a barely noticeable silver shimmer. (I love it so much!) I also think it might be very close to ACO by Ardene’s Sea of Beauty, so I’m going to have to do a comparison between the two.

Can you tell how much I love a half moon manicure. I especially love them with shorties, as I feel like the blocking of colors works to give the illusion of longer nails.

shorties2 shorties3

Also, I think I’ve found the perfect new top coat combination for my nail art. As you might remember, I was less than thrilled with my experiences with Essence Gel Look Top Coat the first go around, but top coating it with Essie’s Good to Go squashes the wait for it to dry. The one thing I was impressed with about Essence’s Top Coat was it’s durability and from the look of this manicure now three days later….

shorties4

Whoa! Color me impressed! This is my nail art on day three… with no major chips and just minimal tip wear on my index finger. Considering I worked all weekend, that’s a feat. Usually my nails look like this after day one.. and by day two major chips will start so even if I love a manicure I have to change it! I’ll have to test out this top coat combination a little bit more with a few more manicures, but I have a good feeling about it.

So how do you deal with big nail breaks? Any tips on helping my nails grow out without any more tragedy? I’m going to be doing a post later on my own little routine, but I was just wondering what everyone else does… unless I’m the only one who has this kind of awful luck? In which case, tell me how you avoid big breaks because obviously, I need some advice!