Twinsie Tuesday: Holiday Special

Hi friends! Happy Holidays to you all! Today is the Twinsie Tuesday group's special holiday post. This year, it is a general holiday inspired theme as opposed to something more specific. I prefer the open-ended themes because I have more wiggle room if an idea doesn't work out - like this one.

I legit tried three different designs and a total of five manis before one worked out. Ugh. And the one that did was much more simplistic than what I wanted, but I'm not gonna argue after four horrid attempts!

Twinsie Tuesday: Blobicure

Hey y'all! Today's post is gonna be a quick one. I am still knee deep in getting part 2 of the new Takko Lacquer colors ready for tomorrow, but I had to make sure that my portion of this week's Twinsie Tuesday post was up! The theme for today is Blobicure! I recently did a 'blobicure" for another TT post and I really liked the results, but wanted another go at it. 

Friday Favorites: Red

Hi friends! As promised, today's post is the first part of a new weekly series sharing my favorites from my stash! I decided to go by color, finish and then by brand. So hopefully I will get to use some neglected polish over the next several weeks, and you guys might find a new color or three to try!

Since we're starting with color, the first Favorites post is my fav red polishes! If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know that red isn't a shade I naturally gravitate towards. Over the last few years of polish collecting, I have come across a few reds that I do actually like. Although only one of them is a cream finish, lol! I do like my polish to have a little something extra!

Essie Dress To Kilt, Lacquer Lust Ruby Holo, Nubar Red Ruby Glitz, Zoya India

Twinsie Tuesday: Mattify!

Hi friends! Hope you all are having a great Tuesday! This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is "mattify." I decided to do a matte floral design. And honestly, I'm not really feeling it.

Twinsie Tuesday: Inspired By Artwork

Hey y'all! Another Tuesday is upon us, and this week's Twinsie Tuesday them is a good one! We are doing nails inspired by artwork! Now if you have followed my blog for a while, you would know that I am an art dork. I studied Fine Arts in college and as well as Photography and Graphic Design. So this theme is right up my alley! 

I decided to go with a more graphic look, as opposed to a painterly style and chose Piet Mondrian for my inspiration. His later work is very simplistic and uses very little color, except for primary colors and bold line work to convey depth. (Told you I am an art dork!)

Matte Grey and Purple Leopard Print NOTD

Hey guys and gals! So my little burst of creativity didn't disappear, whooo! It is so nice to sit down with my polish and be inspired to do a little design, even if it is something as simple as a leopard print!

Twinsie Tuesday: Match Your Nails To Your Purse

Hi friends! How was your weekend? Mine was actually kind of boring, but I got a new book - Red Rising - that totally made the weekend worth it. It is sooooo good! Okay, enough book talk. 

Since today is Tuesday, I have my portion of the Twinsie Tuesday theme post. This week we are matching our nails to our purses. I am not really a "purse" person. I carry one more out of necessity than fashion. In fact, it is a pretty boring purse. But my wallet is way cute and worthy of being the inspiration for some nail art!

Twinsie Tuesday: Your Least Favorite Polish

Hey guys and gals! Today's Twinsie Tuesday post is kinda of a fun one - depending how you look at it. The theme is our least favorite polish and I am really excited to see what everyone comes up with. I am such a fiend that I really don't have a least favorite in my stash. I love them all!! I had to o through my destash box to find something worth posting about, lol!

Back when I first started blogging and I had no idea about certain brands of polish, I would buy things just because they looked pretty. And they all looked pretty, so I basically got a lot of crap. My first big disappointment came from Klean Color.

Essie Dress To Kilt Fall/Winter 2014 Color Trend

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great week! We are having glorious fall weather here in my part of the world. It is so nice to feel the cool breeze outside. Definitely my favorite time of year!

Today's Color Trend post is all about the ultimate classic color - Red. Pantone's fall palette is filled with vintage hues and Aurora Red is as vintage as it gets. A bright tomato red shade takes a grand departure from the standard Ox blood of the past. Sadly, no polish collection carried that trend into their fall offerings! But the closest one is Dress To Kilt from the Essie fall collection of the same name.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by my for my personal use.

Essie Dress To Kilt (Dress To Kilt Fall 2014

Rainbow Gradient Glitter Placement with Born Pretty Neon Circle Glitter

Hey all! Hope you guys are having a great week! It has been super hectic around here with school stuff and the Mr.'s job change (his last day at the old place was yesterday, eep!) and I am trying to muddle my way through, haha! But I am managing to find a few moments to blog and catch up on social media. Though I am not as active as I wish I were. So thanks to you all who don't give up on me if I don't have the time to be around as much!

Today I have more goodies from Born Pretty. This time around, I went a little more complex and used a glitter pot full of neon circle glitter! 

Please Note: Products shown were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

Born Pretty Neon Circle Glitter Pot

Essie Take It Out Side Fall/Winter 2014 Color Trend

Hi friends! With another Friday upon us, I have the next color from the Pantone fall palette, the first neutral and a good one at that!

Aluminum is a nice warm grey taupe with red undertones. It is a bit different than the traditional grey shades prevalent in the fall and winter. Essie Take It Outside from the Dress To Kilt fall collection captures the shade perfectly.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

 

Essie Take It Outside (Dress To Kilt Fall 2014)

Essie Style Cartel Fall/Winter 2014 Color Trend

Hey y'all! I am so exited to kick off this season's Color Trend series. It is one of my favorite things to do on my blog. My intention was to post yesterday, but as always, things didn't quite go as planned, so you all get the post today, whoooo!!

If you recall the Pantone fall color palette (if not, here is the link to the original post), we are starting with Royal Blue and I am head over heels for Essie's Style Cartel from the Dress To Kilt fall collection.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Essie Style Cartel (Dress To Kilt Fall 2014)

Twinsie Tuesday: Inspired By A Book

Hey guys and gals! Today is another Twinsie Tuesday post, this week's theme is Inspired By A Book. I am super excited about this one because, as most of you know, I am a huuuuuuuuuge book lover. There is rarely a time that I do not have a book that I am reading. Fantasy is probably my favorite genre, anything to do with magic or fairy tale creatures. My current literary obsession is the Throne Of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. It is absolutely one of the best (if not the best) series I have read. Ever. Just two books and four novellas into the story and I am dead hooked! 

At the end of the second book, Crown Of Midnight, Celaena (the heroine/badass) summons wild fire - a magic fire that burns blue instead of orange and red. And that is what I decided to do for my post today!

Happy 4th of July!!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday and 4th of July to my American pals! Today is a short and sweet post to share the festive skittle mani I did for the holiday. We are having a small cookout and then going to check out the fireworks show nearby. And then I am staying up late tonight getting ready for the girlie's birthday party tomorrow! Oof, I'm already exhausted and the day just started.

Used:

O.P.I. - First Date At The Golden Gate

Essie - Hide & Go Chic

Winstonia nail wraps in Americano

I had a few wraps left over from my original review (here) and decided it would be fun to use one as an accent nail. The Americano wraps are super cute and so sparkly! And they are on sale this weekend!

This mani literally took me less than 30 minutes to do both hands. And, yes, for once my right hand is painted too! Whenever I do nail art, I  am only able to do it on my left hand, since I am not ambidextrous at all. Nail wraps are great for that reason alone!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Sunday Stamped: Matte Blue and White with MoYou London Explore

Hello wonderful friends! How is your weekend? Mine is immensely better after yesterday. I am sadly, extremely nearsighted and my glasses broke last Sunday night. I resorted to wearing a really old pair of contacts but they felt horrible so I have been going with out all week. I finally got to see my optometrist yesterday and have a brand new pair of contacts and will be getting my glasses very soon! Let me tell you it is no fun walking around in a hazy blurry world! I couldn't even paint my nails! As soon as I got home yesterday, I remedied that and did a little stamped mani with an idea I have had floating around for a while. 

Used:

O.P.I. - MBSW

Essie - Hide & Go Chic

Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat

MoYou London Explore Set - #3

It's funny how an idea can translate so perfectly sometimes (and horribly fail others!). I saw a set of nail wraps on my IG feed a few weeks ago that were white with blue detailing. The simple color play was incredibly eye catching and I knew I wanted to recreate the look with some stamping. And for the finale touch, I even used my matte tc, which I always forget about. The final result is pretty damn awesome, if you all don't mind me saying so! I am still wearing them and don't want to take them off! But I have my next Twinsie Tuesday mani to plan for. Sigh... But it will be fun!

Hope you all have a great rest of your weekend! And be thankful if you don't have to worry about your vision. It can be a huge pain sometimes!

Essie Hide & Go Chic - Spring/Summer 2014 Color Trend

Hey guys and gals! Are you all ready for the weekend? I can't believe it is already May! Summer is coming soon and I am sooo ready to go hang out at the lake!

Today I have another Spring/Summer color trend post to get you all ready for the summer! The great thing about the color palette this year is the versatility. Pantone chose colors that range from pastel, to neutral, to bright. After making our way through the pastels and neutrals, we turn our attention to the brighter side of the palette as the weather warms up. Dazzling Blue, with  it's distinct Mediterranean feel, is a great transition shade. Essie's Hide & Go Chic from the spring collection of the same name, fits the bill.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Essie Hide & Go Chic (Hide & Go Chic collection Spring 2014)

Hide & Go Chic is a rich lapis blue cream. The color seriously reminds me of the decor in a great Grecian restaurant that closed down a few years ago. While we have seen cobalt blue polishes like crazy (Nails Inc. Baker St. & Essie Butler Please), this is a noticeably different shade. It is deeper with a slightly dusty feel, as opposed to the super saturated variant. The formula was creamy and smooth, needing two coats for opacity. It is a little thick in consistency, and loading up the brush with polish can lead to drips or flooded cuticles. Dry time is on the longer side due to the thicker formula.

With blue being such a popular color, this polish will easily find a place in your summer wardrobe. Combine it with a glittery accent nails, and you will have a killer summer mani!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Essie is available in many retail locations, including Target and Walgreens. Products retail for $8 a piece. Prices may vary.

Essie Cocktails And Coconuts - Spring/Summer Color Trend

Hey everyone! After a crazy week, I was finally able to get a post written up for you guys. Today I have more Fashion Friday goodness with another Spring/Summer Color Trend polish!

Among the soft pastels and vivid brights, Pantone mixed in a couple of neutrals for this season's color palette. Sand is a perfect neutral contrast for the bright colors. Essie's Cocktails & Coconuts from the Resort Fling collection is my new favorite nude, and a fantastic "sand" shade.

Essie Cocktails & Coconuts (Resort Fling Collection 2014)

Cocktails & Coconuts is a nude cream with Essie's signature shimmer - as seen in the Summer 2013 collection. It is rather hard to capture the shimmer in the nude base digitally, but it sparkles quite nicely in person. The color is fantastic, very clean and sophisticated. It is definitely going to be my go-to nude this season. Formula was really good as well. In the past, Essie's softer shades have had problematic formulas, more often than not. But this was two easy coats!

Despite my affinity for the brighter colors, I love a good neutral. I think this is as close to perfect as a neutral can get, for me personally. And I am particularly fond of the shimmer!

The Essie Resort Fling collection, precedes the spring collection, so this polish may be a bit harder to find in stores, but it is widely available on line via Amazon and the like.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Essie is available in many retail locations, including Target and Walgreens. Products retail for $8 a piece. Prices may vary.

Essie Truth Or Flare - Spring/Summer Color Trend

Hi guys and a happy Friday! I have the next installment of the Fashion Friday Color Trend series, so sorry about skipping last week. Life kinda got away from me and I didn't get a chance to write up the post. But all is well in APN land, and I have a gorgeous color to share!

Pastel blue is the quintessential spring color, in my opinion, and naturally it has a spot on the color line up this year as well. Instead of the more traditional hue, Pantone gave us "Placid Blue," a more vintage shade. Essie's spring collection, Hide & Go Chic, has the perfect polish counterpart - Truth Or Flare.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Essie Truth Or Flare (Hide & Go Chic Collection Spring 2014)

Truth Or Flare is a dusty light blue crelly (cream/jelly hybrid). The crelly threw me off a bit at first, I got all excited because I thought it was a true jelly after the first coat. But not in a bad way. I think the slight squishyness gives this polish a nice interesting look, as opposed to a basic cream. The color isn't my favorite, mostly because blues like this tend to give me lobster hands. Other than my personal preference, it is a fantastic polish. After a very sheer first coat, a thicker second coat covered beautifully. It dries to a delightful shine as well.

I love the vintage, yet modern, look of this polish. It is oh so hipster in that way. But I do think it captures that springy blue pastel in a fascinating way, and if you are a fan of that, then you will love this shade. Surprisingly, Essie is the only mainstream brand to offer a version of Placid Blue. But at least it is a great version!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Essie is available in various locations. Products retail for $8 a piece. Prices may vary by location.

Messy Spring Floral Nail Of The Day

Hey y'all! So I recently stumbled on a nail art blog/tumblr full of rad designs and tutorials. Candice of MrCandiipants, is crazy talented and so funny! I just adore her! One of her more recent designs really caught my eye, so I promptly watched the YouTube video and painted myself some pretty nails! Also, you should really check out her other tutorials. I'm not one for YouTube videos, but I have watched a lot of hers lately, she is quite entertaining!

Used:

O.P.I. - MVIB

O.P.I. - Funky Dunky

China Glaze - Tart-y For The Party

Zoya - Marley

Essie - Navigate Her

Zoya - Josie

Zoya - Darcy

Nail art brush

Floral designs aren't something I normally do, but I am really loving this technique. It is messy and a bit chaotic, but so super pretty! And of course I am still stuck in this spring-ish color palette. I just can't stop myself. 

So that's all for today! I have an awesome polish swatched and a really fun Valentine's Day post coming up. Otherwise, have a great week!

Free Form Paisley Nail Of The Day

Hey y'all! Hope all is well is your corners of the universe. I'm kinda shocked that January is already over! I haven't even thought about doing any Valentine's Day stuff yet! If there is anything you all would like to see, please feel free to comment! Suggestions are always welcome. 

But I have been thinking a lot about spring and warmer weather. I have been dying to start playing around with bright colors again and I think that's what lead to the mani I am posting today. The original idea came from an older post on the blog, Nailed It. Funny enough, Katy's inspiration came from fall colors - mine from spring!

Used:

Essie - The Girls Are Out

Essie - Navigate Her

Essie - Full Steam Ahead

Nail art brush

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure where I was going with this when I started. I am on a mission to practice my freehand skillz as well as keep up with at least one weekly nail art related post. But I am super pleased with the outcome and I think they are way cute! 

Color plays a huge part in my life, it's how I interpret my world. Spring and summer pallettes are where my creative process lies and lately, I have been gravitating towards these types of colors. Sorry winter, it was great while it lasted, but I'm ready to move on!

I know we should wear/use what ever color we feel like, but sometimes certain colors seem more appropriate for certain things. Do you think color is a seasonal thing?