Negative Space Triangles

Hi everyone! Today I have this totally simple--but still flashy--negative space nail art to share with you! I really loved how this one turned out, and it's a look that even the most nail art challenged lacquerista. Also, I think single triangles/chevrons like the ones on my middle and index fingers are great for making short nails seem longer. 

For the chevron nails, I cut a small triangle of regular Scotch tape and applied it to a totally dried layer of topcoat. Then, I brushed a single, generous coat of OPI - Eurso Euro over top of the tape, and removed it immediately. This left me pretty clean lines, but I also cleaned up the edges a bit using a Bundlemonster striping tool. I used the same color on my pinky, and two coats of OPI - My Signature is "DC" for the accent nail.

Polka Dots & Dance in the Rain

Happy 2015, everyone! After an extended hiatus, I am officially back in action and excited to get my blogging groove back! As I'm sure you'll notice immediately, the holidays, my crazy semester at school, and lack of sleep due to hours spent on my thesis have taken a serious toll on my talons. I am reduced to the shortest nubs I've had in over a year! But this is all part of being a polish head--breaks happen. I'm going to work on a series celebrating nubs and maybe even some tutorials (!!!) with ideas for ladies that rock shorter nails all the time.

I thought it would be best to re-enter the blogosphere with a simple, colorful look that complements my new shorter style. I started with two coats of OPI - You're So Vain-illa on my index and middle fingers, then used a small Bundlemonster dotting tool to add polka dots in OPI - Hey Baby (pink) and China Glaze - Wait N' Sea. For my ring finger and pinky, I started with a base of OPI - Love.Angel.Music.Baby, and dabbed three-ish coats of Lumina Lacquer - Dance in the Rain on my ring finger.

NOTD: Pastel Mermaid Nail Art

Nail babes, I have a confession to make. Since my first attempts at nail art in March 2013 and starting my blog almost a year ago, I have never...NEVER... done mermaid nails. I know, I'm a fraud; a failure. What kind of nail girl isn't obsessed with mermaids? And doesn't create mermaid-esque masterpieces on her claws to celebrate the summer? I don't know what took me so long to come to my senses as a mermaid-loving nail artist of the 21st century, but the good news is that I finally did.

Let the healing begin.

10k Collab for Autumn

Today I have a recreation of one of my favorite nail girls' previous manis, Autumn aka @justagirlandhernails!

To celebrate Autumn hitting 10k followers on Instagram, two of her besties, Amanda and Christina, pulled together 20 fabulous nail ladies to recreate some of her amazing nail art. I was so honored to be invited to be included in this talented group!

I chose to recreate this lovely floral design over a polka dot and sheer base. How do you think I did?!

Picture Polish Inspired Colorblocking

Hi everyone! Today I have this edgy color blocked mani inspired by the Picture Polish Urban Shades. If you're not familiar with Picture Polish, it's a renowned indie brand made in Australia. They're famous for their flawless formula, unique shades, and collaboration with and support of nail bloggers. When I first saw their recent Urban Shades, I was immediately in love. Unfortunately, I'm American, which makes these elusive shades much more difficult to come by and, more notably, extremely pricey!

I simply couldn't justify splurging for the entire collection...but I was lucky enough to find half of the collection through a destash sale! Chillax is a bright aquamarine cream that applied beautifully. Swagger is a cool, periwinkle blue with a similarly flawless formulation. 

Chillax was definitely my favorite in the collection, so I was especially thrilled to have found this one!

Since I had found the first half of the collection for such a reasonable price, I considered taking the plunge and picking up the other two for full price. Then I happened upon some *possible* dupes for the rest of the collection with a much more affordable price tag. What do you think?

Photos property of Picture Polish; swatches by Lacquertude.

Bonkers is a burgundy creme, and Totes is a pastel orange that reminds me of creamsicles. 

Rimmel London - Simply Sizzling is a vibrant magenta shade that echoes Bonkers--somewhat. It's not as dark, and definitely warmer in tone. Rimmel London - Reggae Splash, however, looks like an almost exact dupe for Totes. I think these two polishes work well with the Picture Polish shades, and fills the void (sort of) that was left by only picking up half of the collection. I have to say that I was impressed with the formula of the Rimmel polishes; I had never used them before. 

I accented this funky design with a metallic gold pinky using Sally Hansen Color Foil - Liquid Gold. The formula was somewhat tricky to work with, but I love the metallic look. I have to restrain myself from picking up the rest of this collection.

For the design, I started with a single coat of Essie - Blanc. I then applied a thin layer of Seche Vite to speed the dry time. While I waiting for the base to dry completely, I applied two generous coats of Liquid Gold to my accent nails (pinky on right hand, index and middle finger on my left). I used striping tape from the Born Pretty Store to create the color blocks, and my medium sized liner brush from the Winstonia store to fill them in using all four shades reviewed above. Then, using a Bundlemonster dotting tool and my Winstonia detail brush, I added polka dots and zig zags to a few of the blocks using Blanc. I topped everything off with a coat of HK Girl Topcoat.

What do you think? Am I kidding myself with these "dupes?" 

Simple Sunflowers

Mondays are the worst, but hopefully this sunflower mani will brighten up your day a bit! I do floral designs a lot, but I realized when doing this that I've really only ever done roses or daisies. I definitely need to work on my sunflower technique, but I thought the finished product was pretty enough to share anyway.

The gradient base was done by sponging China Glaze - Too Yacht to Handle and That's Shore Bright. These are two of my favorite colors in my entire polish collection, and I especially love them together!

I used the Elmer's glue clean up method, which I have to say is one the best ideas ever. I emptied and cleaned out an old bottle of base coat I don't use, and use the brush to apply a thin coat of glue around my entire nail. The "thin" part is key if you don't want to wait around for it to dry forever. Also, you don't want to get the glue line too close to your nail--you might end up accidentally peeling off some of the polish you actually want on your nail. Then, once you're done doing the gradient, just peel the glue off! It saves your cuticles tons of acetone exposure, and who doesn't love peeling dried glue off their fingers? I distinctly remember getting in trouble in kindergarten for doing that ALL the time.  

Juliet Inspired Florals

Do any of you use the app Timehop? If you don't, it's this app that you connect to your social media, then every day you get an alert of things you posted that day in past years. It's a really funny way to be reminded of how far you've come (or how old you are!) Today, I got an update that it has been SEVEN YEARS since I performed in a local theater company's production of Romeo & Juliet. I really loved theater in high school, and playing Juliet during my senior year was a great way to end my "career." 

In reminiscing back to my glory days, I realized that I, appropriately, just received Juliet by Polish Addict Nail Color in my recent order. So, I decided to use the polish and the the play as inspiration for today's mani!

This mani started with a base of Polish Addict Nail Color - Juliet on my middle and ring finger, and China Glaze - Spring in My Step on my index and thumb nail, two coats of each. Juliet is a pretty, white crelly with small gold, rose gold, and holo glitters throughout. Formula and glitter spread was ideal! The China Glaze was another story, though...application was splotchy and difficult. Without a generous coat of HK Girl Topcoat to smooth it out, it would have been a total loss. The color is certainly very pretty, though! This light, feminine color pallet set the stage (get it!) for the rest of my Juliet-themed mani.

UVA Graduation

Hi everyone! Today I finally had a chance to post my mani from this past weekend. I was in Charlottesville, Virginia for my boyfriend's sister's graduation from the University of Virginia. I also graduated from UVA three long years ago, and I haven't been back since. I was so excited to revisit my alma mater that I did some Wahoo-themed nails.

Polishes used were Sinful Colors - Snow Me White, OPI - Eurso Euro, and a Nail Honey custom orange polish. The studs are regular gold studs from the Born Pretty Store that I painted orange using a small Winstonia brush.

Cracked Confetti & Jelly Spots

Today I have a super bright, summer inspired mani! I've seen this sheer jelly over polka dot design all over Instagram and have been wanting to recreate it for awhile, but I also wanted to put my own twist on the design. These colors just make me want to crack open a summer ale, put on a comically large pair of sunglasses, and lounge by the pool all day!

With Sinful Colors - Endless Blue, I used a Bundlemonster striper brush to outline my nail, and a large dotting tool for the polka dots. Then, I applied a single coat of L'oreal - Miss Pixie to give a sheer layer. These two polishes went together perfectly! I'm really loving all of these jelly L'oreal polishes in general. Sheer seems to be a huge nail trend right now, and I found them all on Amazon for about $3 each. 

For the accent nail, I started with two coats of OPI - I Just Can't Cope-a-cabana from the Brazil collection. I have to say, I absolutely adore this yellow. Perfect full coverage in two coats, no undies required?! It also seems to flatter so many skin tones, which is really hard with yellows.

For the glitter gradient, I used Pinwheel Polish - Cracked Confetti. OMG! This glitter bomb is amazing. Check out the macro!

So many colors and shapes, and very festive! I think it really tied the entire thing together. For some reason, I always associate royal blue and yellow with summer. What are your go-to summer shades?

My first Stitch Fix + inspired manis

My post today is a bit different from what I usually do, but I really hope you all enjoy the mix of fashion and nail art.

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? It's an innovative online personal styling service! Here's how it works: go to the site, fill out your style profile, and schedule a fix! That. Is. It. Within a few weeks, five items tailored to your size and style preferences will arrive in your mailbox, and you get to choose which ones get to stay in your closet. When you schedule a fix, you will be charged a $20 styling fee, which goes towards anything you keep in your box. Also, if you keep all five of the items, you receive a 25% discount on everything.

When I got the alert from my apartment building that my package had arrived, I practically sprinted home and tore into my Fix! I was immediately excited by the patterns and textures I saw, and found the personalized note from my stylist, Elle, to be a nice touch.

Your fix also comes with styling cards for each item with recommendations on what to pair each piece with. So, what was inside?!

First of all, I had specifically requested a maxi skirt or dress when I scheduled my fix. My first reaction here was conflicted: my stylist included both a skirt AND a dress (yay!) but they were also both horizontally striped (as a curvy girl who's always trying to drop 10-15 pounds...hmmm...) However, one of the cardinal rules of Stitch Fix is to try everything on, even if you think it won't work for you. So I followed the rules.

I was so surprised to find that I loved everything about the THML - Kahlo Racer Back Striped Maxi Dress ($78) dress. The pattern was (somehow!) figure flattering, the shape was surprisingly structured, and I love the pop of color and detail at the neckline. The length was also perfect, which I was concerned about since I'm on the shorter side. My only complaint about this piece was the price tag--$78 seems like a lot to spend on a dress without much structure or substance like this one.

I promised you nails, didn't I?! This mani was inspired by the dress above.

I applied two coats of OPI - My Vampire is Buff, and used a striper brush by Bundlemonster to add thin stripes of Zoya - Storm. I tried to replicate the loopy embroidery using a small detail brush and dotting tools by Bundlemonster in OPI - Live.Love.Carnaval.

Once I realized I loved the dress, I figured the similarly-styled skirt would be a definite return. Then I tried it on, along with the Fate - Antonietta Zip-Front Sleeveless Blouse as my stylist recommended:

For being, theoretically, almost identical to the dress, this is such a different look to me! The color pallet is more beachy and low key, and the shape more casual. This Honey Punch - Quincey Striped Maxi Skirt ($58) was a bit longer on me in length, but the foldover top made it adjustable to a certain degree, and I like having the option of pairing it with flats or heels. On the downside, I also found the price of this one to be a bit higher than what I would usually pay for such a simple piece.

On another note, the Fate - Antonietta Zip-Front Sleeveless Blouse ($58) is just SO me. I love white tops, I love zipper details, and I love sleeveless/tank styles that cover enough to be office appropriate, but are still wearable and fun for the weekend.

This paring also inspired a mani!

This mani began with a base of China Glaze - Too Yacht to Handle (index & middle finger) and In a Lily Bit (ring & pinky finger). I used striping tape to create the striping with Colores de Carol - 1912 and the lattice pattern with Sinful Colors - Snow Me White. I used a Bundlemonster dotting tool to enlarge the crosses to mimic the embroidery on the top.

The next item I tried was the Pomelo - Kenedy Lace Crochet & Ikat Print Dress ($78). This is so perfect for spring and summer! This length can be tricky for my shape, but the flair in the skirt balanced out my bust and hips, and adding a belt (my own, not included in the fix) really accentuated my shape. Again, I love that I could wear this to work or to Sunday brunch. The material of the skirt is so soft, and overall it just felt like a nice, well made piece.

The final item in my box was Papermoon - Wynn Arrow Print Front Pocket Blouse ($48). I had seen this on some other bloggers who reviewed their fixes, and was so excited to pull it out of my own. This style top (gauzy, loose, and 3/4 length sleeved) is such a staple in my wardrobe, since it's wearable year-round depending on how you style it. Pairing something so light and airy with a cami is a great way to prevent sweating to death in the heat of DC summer.

Even though I love the pattern and cut of the shirt in general, I wasn't totally enthused about the neckline, and it was a little small in the shoulders.

This one also inspired a nail look!

I began with a base of Cult Nails - Time Traveler (middle & index fingers) and Riot (index & pinky finger). Using a Bundlemonster striping brush, I added the chevrons in Sinful Colors - Snow Me White and Riot.

When I initially scheduled my fix, I had planned on keeping two, maybe three of the items. However, once I had all these pretty clothes in my actual home, it was reaaaally hard to imagine letting them go. Even with my misgivings about the top and some of the prices, I took the plunge and kept everything. I'm glad I didn't sign myself up for monthly fixes right away, because I could see this being a serious drain on my bank account! Luckily, the 25% discount for buying all five items made one of the dresses free. I'm definitely a Stitch Fix convert...I scheduled my next fix that same day.

What do you think? Would you like to see another post like this when I get my next fix? Or should I keep to showing my hands instead of my face? Let me know in the comments! Also, if you're interested in giving Stitch Fix a try, use this link and I'll get a referral bonus towards my next purchase!