Category: Nail Art

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Nail Art Fail.

The other night, I painted my nails with an old favorite — Hard Candy’s Piece of Papaya.

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Such a pretty polish, and so sparkly. Since we’re finally getting Spring now in Nova Scotia, I’ve been embracing the sunshine with polishes that shine better in it.

I painted these before bed. When I woke up in the morning I had an idea for some cool nail art. Unfortunately, I decided to paint them about ten minutes before I had to leave for work. It was a bad idea. I should have just left my nails as they were because–even with my quick dry top coat, and drying drops–I didn’t have enough time for them to dry before I had to leave. And that’s where the nail art fail happened.

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This picture is from right after I painted them. I used Revlon’s I’m Electro for the Blue, and Quo by Orly in Purple Passion (which I got from my boyfriend in the Quo by Orly Holiday Mini pack.)

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Hadn’t even left yet, and already bumped them and got dents. Also because I was short on time I was just going to wait until I got to work for clean up. I didn’t even have time to take it off because I now had about two minutes before I had to leave. So I hoped for the best.

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By the time I got to work they were just a full on hot mess. =( I had to go through my day with gashes like this in my nails & both my thumbs had half the polish just peel off. So depressing because I liked the color blocking look of them.

Have you ever had a major nail art fail? I think I’ve learned my lesson about painting my nails without adequate time for them to dry before I have to do anything. Now I know why I paint them before bed. =(

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“You’re the boss, applesauce.” Andy Warhol inspired nails.

I’ve been all about the floral lately. I found these Andy Warhol inspired nails on Pinterest, and knew I had to recreate them. A few years ago, I was completely obsessed with everything Warhol related–I even had a pair of Levi’s from their Warhol collection. So I knew I had to create my own version of those flower nails.

Surprisingly, they were really easy to create.

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First, I painted my nails with a base color of green. I used Sinful Colors Strapped. It’s a dark Forrest green, which dries to a Matte finish.

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Next, I created my “grass” using the dry brush technique with a collection of other green colors: ACO by Ardene in Sour Apple, ACO by Ardene in Green Peace and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Kiwi Bikini.

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After my grass was complete, I created my floral using a medium sized dotting tool and my four colors: Essence Love Letter’s collection in Rosy in Love (light pink flowers), China Glaze in Metro Pollen-tin (yellow flowers), ACO by Ardene in Lollipop Queen (purple flowers), and Revlon in Siren (orange flowers).

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Finally, I finished off with a layer of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash (yey! I finally have a new bottle and am so happy) and tada! Andy Warhol inspired floral nail art.

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And in the sunshine. =)

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So what do you think of these Andy Warhol nails? Did I do justice to my original inspiration?

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Mother’s Day Mani.

Yesterday, as I said in my previous post, was Mother’s Day. I worked all day, but afterwards we headed to my parent’s house for a Mother’s Day barbecue, so I wanted to paint my nails for the occasion.

I haven’t been doing a lot of nail art lately–a combination of being busy with work, and tired, and also wanting to re-wear old polishes I haven’t worn in a while. But I couldn’t pass up a chance to do something fun for Mother’s Day–that’s my favorite part of holidays… all the nail art possibilities.

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For this manicure I used:

  • Sally Hansen X-treme Wear in Coral Reef — my base color.
  • Stripe Rite Striping Brush in White — my lettering.
  • OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls — polka dots.
  • Sally Hansen X-treme Wear in Mellow Yellow — polka dots.
  • Kozmic Colors nameless blue — polka dots.
  • Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Top Coat!

I hope all the Mom’s out there had a wonderful day! I made sure to spoil my Mom as much as possible. ❤

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(This is a super old picture–taken on my 25th birthday, but it’s okay because we both look fabulous!)

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Knock-out Nails.

I went clearance shopping at my local Shoppers and Lawton’s on pay day, and found myself some fun goodies.

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Oh goodness, I love polish shopping. I especially love finding some amazing deals. I got all of these polishes for under $20. You can’t go wrong with that! Especially when you find polishes you apparently missed on the first go around (I’m looking at you Essence Metal Glam.)

For my first NOTD from the group, I went with a combination of the Del Sol polish I picked up, and the Essence Metal Glam gold topper.

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I’ve bought a Del Sol polish before, and was less than thrilled with it. While it did change color in the sun, I wasn’t a fan of the color or application–it was way too streaky. When I found this one though–named Knock Out–I was happy to see it wasn’t a metallic polish. It’s a off white, almost nude, creme base. The polish itself is very thin, and it took me 4 coats to get it almost opaque (with still slight visible nail line) but it’s very nice on the nail.

With that, I applied a layer of Essence’s Metal Glam gold topper, named Steel-ing the Scene. Apparently I missed when this collection first appeared at my local Shoppers, because I do not remember seeing it! I’ve been coveting a Gold Leaf top coat since they first appeared on the scene, but couldn’t justify spending a small fortune on it. (I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate me buying top coat over, you know, groceries.) Now this isn’t exactly like the other Gold Leaf Top coats that are floating around–it’s not real gold, so the flakes are much stiffer than its inspiration. However, for the $2 I scored it for, it gives me the look I was hoping for.

The best part of this NOTD comes, though, when you step into the sunshine.

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Pink!

Now the color isn’t as dark as what they show on the bottle, but it could be something to do with not enough sunshine, and my layers of top coat. Either way, I love the color changing effect. It makes me so happy. And the soft pink color goes so well with the gold top coat. It may come across as a simple manicure, but step into the sunshine, and *BAM!* it proves how awesome it is. Plus–Sunshine! Oh it is so nice to see the sun! It is finally starting to feel like spring here on the East coast, and my dress wearing self couldn’t be happier.

I don’t know what it is, but I LOVE color changing nail polish. When Claire’s first came out with their Mood nail polish line about 4 years ago, I owned every color and wore them constantly. Unfortunately, those polishes have been lost in the stash that disappeared from my parents house, and I haven’t been able to find any thermal polishes in a long while, even though I covet them madly. Thankfully, Del Sol’s polishes are a good replacement for now. =)

So what do you think of this NOTD?

Also, I must wish my Mom a Happy Mother’s Day, as she told me she was now following my blog. =)

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Favorite Polishes: Bizzare Blurple.

I’ve been trying to make an effort to go through my stash, and wear polishes I don’t wear as often. Sometimes I get a little too excited about new polishes, and forget about my old favorites.

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This is Bizarre Blurple, but China Glaze. It’s a darker purple base color, filled with itty bitty blue micro glitters. I’ll be honest, I bought this polish just because of the awesomeness of the name. I got it on a 3/15 clearance sale at the Chatters by my work in the beginning of the year, the same time I picked up my bottle of OPI’s My Boyfriend Scales Walls. I needed to grab two more polishes for the deal, and when I saw the name I was like “Yep! Mine!” However, the second I put it on my nails I realized just how beautiful this polish was. I’m a sucker for purple and blue polishes, and this is the best of both worlds!

It also makes a great base for nail art.

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The above manicure is from back in January, when I first picked up this polish. You can see the blue micro-glitters a little bit better in the flash. Just looking at this old picture makes me remember why I love it so much. Different lighting just changes it so much.

Have you ever bought a polish based strictly on its name? I have to admit–not the first time I’ve had to have a polish because the name was just too perfect. God, if I could get a job naming polishes, I would be set!