Fall 2014 Nail Inspiration...

Happy Tuesday, kittens! It's starting to get chilly around here - hard to believe that it's fall and the warm weather is going away for good :( As you know, I'm a bit of a nail polish addict. There's nothing that I love more for fall than... dark nail polish. SORRY ABOUT IT, PUMPKIN!

I thought I'd post some nail/color inspiration for us on these chilly days when the leaves are falling. I don't exactly have a steady hand when it comes to nail art, so anything that I share would be something that I find easy to do.

I love this! It's fairly simple, with a steady hand or with some tape. You can incorporate any combination of fall colors into it - or as many as you'd like!

Marble techniques are fairly doable(with some time and patience). You can see my old post about marbled nails - using plastic wrap to dab a new color on to your base shade. I think it's great and adds a lot of texture!

Okay, okay - it's a little cheesy..but you have to admit it's cute for Halloween! Also stripes are a very easy nail art technique. Similar with the first picture, you can do as many stripes as you want with unlimited colors. So ~trendy~

The top shades for fall nails seem to be either dark or neutral:

Oxblood/Burgundy

Chocolate Brown

Navy Blue

Dark Purple

Gunmetal Gray

Army Green

Light Pink

Nude

Candy Apple Red (the oddball out)

Here are some great magazine lists, if you'd like to see what the real trend polishes are:

http://www.luckymag.com/beauty/2014/08/fall-2014-nail-polish

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/nails/best-fall-nail-polish#slide-1

http://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/editors-fall-nail-color#slide-1

http://www.vogue.com/1068407/the-best-chocolate-brown-nail-polishes-for-fall-2014/

http://www.vogue.com/1454445/best-fall-nail-polishes-vogue-staffers/

Happy hunting, kittens! <3

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Fan Friday...Floss Gloss

Floss Gloss has just recently released three new polishes as part of their Fall/Winter line, Lifestyles of the Floss and Gloss! These polishes have got some serious sass. Not only does the brand name their beauties flawlessly (I mean..Donatella..), the colors are unlike anything you've seen anywhere else.

If you aren't familiar with them, Floss Gloss was started in Cali in 2009 by art school besties, Janine and Aretha. Together, they concocted their polish which is cruelty free with no DBPs, toluene, formaldahyde, and formaldehyde resin. Boss nail polish that isn't harmful? I dig it.

Not only do their polishes rule, but their lookbook photos are perf. Below are snapshots of each of the shades. I love that it feels like a cohesive collection and also shows you how the polish looks on real fingernails (something not every website does)!

Needless to say, I have got to get my hands on these babies. I am especially lusting after Donatella - that color is unlike anything I own! Unfortunately, the shipping is a bit expensive, so I haven't been able to afford to purchase ANY of their polishes yet (Faded has been on my lust list for months). However, check the Retailers tab on their website to find a physical location to snag these gems in your city. I'm gonna get one next week at a local boutique :)

What do you think of Floss Gloss as a brand and as a product? Let me know!

Happy Friday <3

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Nail Fun...

I've been very busy lately, but I'm having such a blast with my nails when I can! My co-worker is from Brazil, and when she found out how much I loved nail polish, she brought me some formulas from there! Safe to say, I've fallen in love with the polish. The formula is thinner than most American ones, so it goes on very smooth and easily. It's not thick or clunky, and lasts for a very long time! Here are some pictures of my latest manis (along with some recent buys and finds!).

I loved doing this mixture of nude and red polish. Paired along with my printed lounge pants from Primark in London, I felt totally fabulous!

I love doing stripes and fun pops of color with dark polish. Plus, I just bought The Pore Fessional from Benefit (which I LOOOOVE), so it's a double win for this picture!

My co-worker gave me this wonderful deep lilac from Paris. I felt tres chic!

My princess Jasmine nails (sea foam green and pale pink with a sparkly Sally Hanson top coat) and my first read for my new book club!

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A Bit of Shimmer...

I am obsessed with Sally Hansen's new line of top coats! I already own Big Matte, but I just recently purchased Big Shimmer, and I have to say it's fabulous. It is going to completely transform all of the colors in your collection you may be getting bored of . It works really well and makes the polish shimmer and shine!

Below is one of my recently purchased Julep colors, Courteney, with just one coat of Big Shimmer on top. I love it and can't wait to experiment more!

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Looking Sharp(ie)...

I've been having so much fun with my nails lately! It's something that makes me feel creative and polished (no pun intended!).

My favorite brands of polish are Julep and Essie, and I had fun making this springtime mani below using a combination of their colors!

It's definitely difficult to keep steady hands when you are doing nail art. I'm learning more and more every time I do my nails! Hopefully, I'm getting better too.

Another thing I've been toying around with is using Sharpies for detailing. Since I don't have the most steady hands using a toothpick/striping tool, I thought I'd do some dots with a thick Sharpie to see how that worked. It was awesome! My only advice: give the dots PLENTY of time to dry before adding the top coat or they will smudge a bit. 

Here are my two latest feats:

These watermelon inspired nails were so fun! I used a Julep mint green and a Sally Hanson Wet n' Wild hot pink.

These are my current nails! I may have gone overboard with the polka dots, but this warm weather definitely has me feeling bright and fun! The highlighter yellow is from Lime Crime, while the lavender color is from Essie.

I'll keep you posted on more of my forays into fab nails!

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Springtime Delays...

So sorry for the long wait between posts! I've been busy with school and many other things due to the fact that it is spring time now!

Here's a brief update on some of the cool things that I've been reading, purchasing, and viewing!

Movies:
Jamie and I have been switching off on movies - he picks one and then I pick one.  Lately, we have gotten through Inglorious Basterds, The World's End, This Is The End, Pink Flamingos, and Midnight in Paris.  Overall, they've been pretty good. We are looking forward to tackling more in the future, as well as more documentaries!

Books: 
It's so nice to actually have some time for reading! I've just conquered Caricature and Ice Haven by the super talented Daniel Clowes, as well as The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.  I really enjoy reading graphic novels lately, because I feel accomplished when I finish a book quickly!  I especially loved Persepolis - it's such an inspiring and informational story.

My friends are avid readers and have also lent me the Scott Pilgrim series, Right Ho, Jeeves by Wodehouse, and the Tim Kinsella novel, The Karaoke Singer's Guide to Self Defense. I will post about them in the future once I get through them!

Beauty and Nails:
I just recently bought two fabulous colors (on sale!) from Julep, my favorite brand of nail polish. These both are vibrant and fresh for spring - what do you think?

I also tried polka dotting for the first time (with toothpicks haha). I think that overall, it came out okay and it wasn't too stressful!  Do you have any easy nail art tips for me?

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My Nails Today.

I feel like a sparkly Easter egg!

Julep's Kai with a sea salt finish and Mod Lacquer's Technicolor Noise on top.

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My Nails Today:

One of my favorite Julep shades, Estelle.  

This is 2 coats of polish. It has a little bit of a rough texture which I love!

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My Nails Today:

Base: Julep's Isla (one coat)

Top glitter: Mod Lacquer's Technicolor Noise (one coat)

Base & Top Coat by Sally Hanson

So excited about my current nail colors!  I feel like Judy Jetson - the glitter is neon yellow and blue with larger pink dots and squares and blue hexagons.  I've never purchased an indie nail polish before, so after doing some research, I thought it would be a great start to go with Mod Lacquer! As someone who is still learning about the nail polish world, any tips would be appreciated!  I could definitely use some brand recommendations.

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Craft Yr Own: Nail Polish

I read something on a website about how to make your own nail polish using just clear polish and eyeshadow.  As a thrifty crafter, I had heard of doing this before but was unsure of how it would really turn out.  SPOILER: IT WORKS & IT'S COOL!

Tools that I used:  

NYC HD Colour Trio Eye Shadow in Electric Funk

Spoiled (by Wet n' Wild) clear nail polish

Paper and tape

Plastic ziplock bag

Knife

Open up the eye shadow and choose the color you like. Place the trio inside the plastic bag and use the knife to scrape all the polish out from the outside (that way the knife stays clean and mainly, so do you!).  Once you've gotten all of it out, seal it up and use the knife to tap and gently push out any chunks.  Next, take the brush out of your clear coat and set it aside.  Roll up a little funnel out of paper - make sure the tip is wide enough so that it doesn't touch the top of the clear coat once you put it in the top of the bottle.  Then, open up the plastic bag and tap the shadow into the funnel leading into the clear polish. 

Once you've got all the powder inside, place the brush back in and seal it up tight.  Now, roll and shake it up so it's all evenly distributed.  VOILA! You know have your OWN custom-made polish!  Below are pictures of my bottles - I will post an update when I use them to show coverage and color.

One of my final creations!

Both of my new creations!

You can see swatches on the right side of the paper towel.

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marbled nails.

I've been having so much fun with nail polish lately! I love learning about nail art and trying new brands (in fact, some would maybe call it a small obsession). I've been painting my nails 2-3 times a week and trying to really learn some new things.

Here are two examples of my "attempt" at marbled nails! All it involves is one coat of a dried color, with a different color placed on top of it. While the top coat is still wet, dab some plastic wrap on to make a fun finish.  It's easy and really cool looking!

Left: A pink Funky Fingers with a red Urban Outfitter polish on top 

Right: Ulta Purple with a grey Julep polish on top

(**Will add color names once I get home!)

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