Jindie Nails: Pink Stilettos

Press Sample 

*This Product is Cruelty Free

♥

Jindie Nails 

Pink Stilettos

This one is SO complex! Wait 'til you see the macros!

Continued after the jump...

Poptastic Toothpick Marble Nail Art Photo Tutorial

Tutorial

♥

Warning! Danger, Will Robinson! I don't typically do a lot of tutorials, but I've had so many requests for a tutorial on the Poptastic Toothpick Marble I did yesterday that I couldn't refuse. Just be warned. Tutorials aren't my forté.

This is the mani...

So I've put together a quick photo tutorial for you. This one is similar to the one I did for Nail It Magazine but also different.

With that one, you just use 3 shades and drag the toothpick back and forth across the nail.

With this one, there are 6 shades, concentrated to one side of the nail and you only drag the toothpick in one direction.

Here's what I used - the Color Club Poptastic Summer 2014 Collection...

It looks a bit messy but as it dries it settles in nicely and then you top coat it (once it's fairly dry) and it's smooth! Well it's smooth if you don't get too much polish on like I did in the example.

EDITED TO ADD: I don't actually touch the brush to the polish below it. I sort of "hover" and let it flow. I think once I accidentally touched and I just wiped the brush off quickly on a paper towel.

That's my right hand in the last photo and it turned out better on that one than on my left. And I'm right-handed! Lots of times with nail art, I'll do my left hand and then on my right use the same base color and only do a matching accent nail. The exceptions are the toothpick marble and the gradient. Because those are so easy!

Have you tried this method yet?

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

The Lacquer Legion: On Holiday

Nothing to Disclose

♥

I'm excited to be participating in the Lacquer Legion challenges, put together by Chalkboard Nails,  Rebecca Likes Nails, The Nailasaurus, and Work/Play/Polish. This month, the theme is On Holiday. If you want to participate, you can like The Lacquer Legion on Facebook and hashtag your posts on all social media with #LLOnHoliday. Each month there will be a different theme and hashtag.

For this theme, I went quite literal. I'd exhausted my ideas for vacation destinations already for the upcoming Digital Dozen theme week - Countries and Cultures. So with passport in hand, a compass to guide me and a plane take me anywhere, the world is my oyster! (We'll just pretend I painted an oyster on my thumb nail, 'kay?)

For this manicure I used Elevation Polish Atop a Ferris Wheel (index), El Cap II (middle and pinkie) and Nails Inc. Chalk Farm (ring) - which was a mani I did for a comparison post. So I guess you could say this is really an Extend-a-Mani! The silver is Milani Flashy Silver and I just mixed Salon Perfect Sugar Cube with one of the blues for the lighter blue. The green is Illamasqua Smash and the black is Wet n Wild WildShine Black Creme.

Be sure and type in "#LLOnHoliday" today, June 30th, on all social media to check out all the other Lacquer Legion manis!

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Color Club Poptastic Nail Art - Summer 2014 Collection

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

♥

Happy Sunday! Today I have a fun mani for you using the Color Club Poptastic Summer 2014 Collection - it's a neon toothpick marble!

Neon Toothpick Marble Nail Art

I will have full collection swatches for you soon but I had to have a little fun first!

I can tell you that overall, they are fantastic formula-wise. I used 2 coats of each one with no top coat of all but one of them. The "highlighter yellow" (Not So Mellow Yellow) wasn't as self-leveling as the others so 3 thin coats worked great for that one.

Top L-R: Not So Mellow Yellow, Peace Love & Polish and Right On
Bottom L-R: Bell Bottom Blue, Foxy Mama and Kapow!

I'm so happy to have a great neon summer collection of polishes with great formulas. There are some neons that I will battle formula on for the payoff but these remove the frustration-factor. So STAY TUNED for swatches!

Indirect natural lighting

What do you think? Have you picked any of these up yet? 

Color Club polishes can be purchased at local retailers nationwide and online at various e-tailers or on the Color Club site - prices range from $5.00 to $8.00 per bottle. If you order from Color Club's site, you can get free shipping on purchases of $30 or more. You can also follow Color Club on Facebook for more swatches, previews of upcoming collections and other information.

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Jindie Nails Re-Fresh to Death - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*This  Product is Cruelty Free

♥

I literally gasped when I put on the one I have for you this morning.  I show you glitters pretty often, especially crelly glitters. But those of you who know me know I wear cremes and micro-flake polishes most of the time. I'm not great at applying the crelly glitters and I detest removal. Now and then you run across one that's worth the removal and when it practically applies itself, you just can't help but wear it, especially when the color combo is right. Wonder if I'm being converted?

Jindie Nails

Re-Fresh to Death

Continued after the jump...

Nail of the Day: Above the Curve Friday the 13th #3

Purchased by Me - Nothing to Disclose

*This product is Cruelty Free 

♥

I'm sure you guys remember how much I ADORED Above the Curve's Friday the 13th (#1) - the perfect brown. I'm not sure how I missed #2, but I was lucky enough to pick up #3.

Above the Curve

Friday the 13th #3

Continued after the jump...

Girly Bits: The 80s Girl Band Collection - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

♥

Happy Friday! As promised, I'm back this morning with the latest collection from Girly Bits called 80s Girl Band Collection!

Girly Bits Cosmetics

80s Girl Band Collection

There are 10 new polishes inspired by 80s Girl Bands.

Continued after the jump...

Girly Bits Darkly Dreaming - Collab Polish with Polishaholic

Press Sample 

*This product is Cruelty Free 

♥

I'm working on the Girly Bits 80s Girl Band Collection for you tomorrow but tonight I have a super gorgeous one that's currently available on Girly Bits' site - a collaboration polish with Jen from Polishaholic for her 4th anniversary! It's called Darkly Dreaming and it's like the green version of Cu Blue, one of my favorite Girly Bits polishes!

Girly Bits

Darkly Dreaming

The name was inspired by Dexter - the first book in the series was called Darkly Dreaming Dexter!

Continued after the jump...

My Nail Art Journey...So Far

Nothing to Disclose

♥

Today I have a little walk down memory lane...in pictures. Yesterday would have been my 21st wedding anniversary had cancer not decided to pull my life apart. I turned to painting (on canvas) to occupy my mind. But I never could figure out how to transition to nails. Such a small canvas! And yes, I stick out my tongue. Sometimes I even catch myself holding my breath!

So since so many of you wanted to see more nail art (I did a poll lol) I vowed to give it a shot and try to get better. What I did first was start a "Copy-Caturday" series where each Saturday I would find nail art I loved from others and try to re-create it or do my own version of it (with credit and links of course)! And then I finally got more confident - enough to try it on my own. I've definitely gotten better, though still not "FANTASTIC!!!!" enough for me. So as my nail art journey continues, I keep plugging along trying to get better. I've even done a few that I was super proud of! And I've still had some fails. Okay, quite a few. But each mani has taught me something!

So I've pulled some of my favorites along the way to show you today. See if you can tell which were older and which are more current!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the photos!

If you'd like to see more, please follow my "Nail Art" board on Pinterest.

♥

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.