Nail Artist Of The Month at The Little Canvas

Hello everybody! Hope you are all having a great weekend! Normally you would find a Sunday Stamped post up today, but I have something a little different for you guys! I have been selected as Nail Artist of the Month over at The Little Canvas blog! This is a huge deal for me, I have secretly wanted to be featured on Alaina's blog for like ever! Here is a quick look at the mani I did for the post.

For all the details and inspiration, you are gonna have to read the post on The Little Canvas! So enjoy, and be sure to check out the previous featured artists as they are all pretty amazing! Happy Sunday!!!

Guest Post From Amy McG At Polish Etc.

Hey everyone! So I have one more guest post for today, and it is the awesome Amy McG, otherwise known as, McPolish! She is a super cool lady, and has some serious skills. So enjoy!

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Hi Ladies! I had the wonderful opportunity to meet your fearless leader, Bridget, this past month while I was in Austin. She is a freaking sweetheart and we had tons of things in common (other than nail polish addiction!) So, I wanted to do something fun for Bridget when she was looking for guest bloggers. Since today is Mardi Gras…why not some Mardi Gras style nails?!?!

This nail art was simple but festive. I painted the alternating base colors on my nails without a guide. Since I was planning on covering up the middle line, I wasn’t too concerned about it being perfectly straight. Next, I used chevrons stickers from Nail Vinyls (http://nailvinyls.storenvy.com/ ) to block out the diamonds. Then I just added a few dots with a dotting tool. Easy…you can do it with any colors! And if you don’t have the nifty little nail vinyls, you can just use crafting scissors and tape. 

The polishes that I used for this look:

Finger Paints – First Edition (purple)

Revlon  – Posh (green)

Mentality Polish  – Dapper (gold)

Top coat – HK Girl 

Thanks for checking out my nail art! You can find me on my collab blog, www.PolishEtc.com and also on

Instagram, www.instagram.com/mcpolish

Happy Polishing!

Amy McG aka McPolish

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Thank you so much Amy! I had such a great time meeting you and we will have to hang out a lot more next time! And as always, I love you nails!

Guest Post From Mimi At Three Is A Charm

Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a fine Friday! More guest posting goodness today from the wonderful Mimi! She is a super cool lady, and I adore her! Not to mention her gorgeous swatches!

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This is my first guest post as a blogger!  I'm so excited to be able to post on Bridget's blog.  I'm constantly drooling over her swatches and nails that I'm flabbergasted that she asked me to do a guest post.  

I wanted to do one of my favorite kinds of manicures, a jelly sandwich!  For the jelly I used L'oreal Miss Pixie a bright blue jelly.  And I used Lacquer Lust's Opal, a shimmery polish topper with iridescent flakes, to sandwich in between the jelly. 

First I used 4 coats of Miss Pixie.  Yes 4 coats.  Jellies, while beautiful, take a lot of work because they are so sheer.  You need it to be sheer to get that squishy quality of a jelly polish.  It gives the polish depth.  Look how pretty this is!!!

Then I used two coats of Opal on top of Miss Pixie and added another coat of Miss Pixie on top.  Opal ended up being quite disappointing to me.  The polish was really thick, but even though it was thick there wasn't much payoff.  There were hardly any flakes on the nail after one thick coat that I had to use two coats.  Even after two coats the flakes were sparse.  I shook the bottle vigorously after the shockingly disappointing first coat.  Not only were there hardly any flakes, but the flakes that were on there didn't really reflect off the polish like I how I was hoping for.  I think I was really disappointed because this was not cheap!  This was a $12 bottle of polish!  Oh and I forgot to mention that on my right hand some of the flakes didn't lay flat and were sticking off my nails even after I top coated it.  

I always love to matte my jellies!  So here is my mani with my new favorite matte top coat, Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love. I do like the matte version way better!  Matte top coat saved the day!!

I hope you enjoyed this post even though I was a bit of a Debbie Downer.  I still love a good jelly sandwich manicure especially with flakies!  And I never know how to close a blog post.  So good day to you all!  

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Well it is always a bummer to have a bad experience with a polish! But I think the end result is pretty spectacular, and that blue jelly is like whoa! Thank you so much Mimi for your honest review and killer jelly sandwich!

Guest Post From Casey Lane Loves Polish

Hey guys and gals! Today's guest poster is my wonderful friend, Casey from Casey Lane Loves Polish. She is such an awesome lady, and one of the most talented nail artists I know. She also kills it with the macros!

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Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I was so excited when Bridget said I could do a guest post for her. She is one of the first friends that I made in the nail community, and she's one of the sweetest girls on here I've met. Hopefully my little post will help her out! :) 

This week work has been especially stressful for me, and my hubby's work has been stressful for a long time. That takes a toll on everyone in the house, so I haven't taken much time for nail art. Someone told me recently (my therapist to be exact) that nail art is therapeutic for me, kind of like my version of meditating. I believed him, but hadn't actually put it to a definitive test. Until Thursday night. I had spent the previous 2 days working on an almost 30,000 line spreadsheet and around 8 pm I started getting more emails (from our CEO) about it... it was like a stress switch. I was instantly tense and anxious and worried all wrapped into one. So I decided to put the "nail art meditation" theory to test. Sure enough, he was right, he pretty much always is but don't tell him I said that. After spending a little time on a simple but favorite nail art design I felt better. My head was clear and I actually felt relaxed. I wasn't super surprised, but I was so happy to see and feel such instant results. 

So, here is the result of my stress induced nail art meditation. :) Some simple vintage rose nail art using a couple of my new OPIs and a couple of old favorites. 

For this manicure I started with 3 coats of OPI Hey Baby from the new Gwen Stefani Collection on my pinkie, index finger, and thumb. Then on my middle and ring finger I applied 2 coats of OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around. 

To make my roses I used all dotting tools. I go back and forth on my technique on these... sometimes I prefer brushes, others I want to use dotters. I think the dotting tools are maybe a little easier, but that could have just been the day. 

I used Hey Baby for the base, OPI My Very First Knockwurst for the swirls, and for the leaves I used OPI Jade Is The New Black and Thanks A Windmillion. After a little dry time I topcoated with Glisten and Glow HK Girl topcoat. 

I love these nails so much. I'm still wearing them, and I'm a little sad to take them off. But I have swatching to do, duty calls. :) But I have enjoyed this mani while I've been wearing it. 

What do you think? Have you all tried vintage roses? If you haven't you definitely should! It's one of the easiest nail art designs and has a big impact. There are tons of tutorials online that I've used, and combined, to find what works best for me. Be sure to follow me on Instagram (@caseylanelovespolish) and on my blog (www.caseylanelovespolish.com) for more manis and swatches! 

I hope you all love this mani as much as I do! And even though I love guest posting for my friend Bridget, I hope she's up and running again very soon! Thank you again for the opportunity! :) 

**All polishes in this post were purchased by me for my own personal use.** 

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I love vintage roses, and I definitely need to give them some love once I get my camera situation resolved. And I so understand the calming effects of nail polish! Of course, it could totally be the fumes. Just sayin...

Thanks so much Casey!

Guest Post From Melissa at Honey Bee Nails

Hey y'all! Today I have a post from the adorable Melissa of Honey Bee Nails, on IG. She has killer swatches and amazing nail art. I am so thrilled to have her share a great mani today!

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Hello, readers of A Painted Nail!  My name is Melissa; some of you may know me as @honeybee_nails on Instagram.  I am so happy to be guest posting here on Bridget’s blog!  When she approached me to ask if I would be interested, I nearly fell over.  I’m honored that she finds me worthy of this task.  Here’s hoping I don’t let her (or you!) down.

I spent a good deal of time thinking about what I would post for my “big screen debut”, as I’ve been calling it.  Then, it hit me.  Why not post about the indie that started it all?  I just recently received this polish, but I have admired it for a very long time.  This polish is the reason I became a nail junkie in the first place!  It all started a few years back, when Pinterest was the new hot thing.  I saw a pin of some nail art, couldn’t tell you what it was now, but it sent me on a mad pinning spree.  Through a series of clicks, I somehow stumbled upon a nail polish color called Jawbreaker.  As soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to have it.  I had never seen anything like it before!  I had no idea who it was made by or how to purchase it – I didn’t even know that indie polish existed at that time.  Since that day, it has sort of haunted me not knowing.  Fast forward to today and, like magic, it was in my hands!  I ordered one of the new Beauty Boxes from Pretty & Polished, and included was a mini bottle of Jawbreaker.  I didn’t know that it was Jawbreaker at first because the bottle wasn’t labeled.  It wasn’t until I picked up the card included in the box and read these words that I knew: 

“Thank you for purchasing a Pretty & Polished Beauty Box!  The mini we have sent this month is “Jawbreaker”.  We wanted to send this as our first mini sample because it is a polish we have sold for a long time and was one of the first to put Pretty & Polished out there as a creative brand.”

I was so excited to get this polish on my nails, and it did not disappoint in the slightest!  I decided to layer it over a base of OPI’s My Boyfriend Scales Walls so that I wouldn’t have to use too many layers of Jawbreaker.  I want to make this little baby last.  So, without further ado, here is Pretty & Polished – Jawbreaker.  2 thin coats over a base of MBSW, topped with Glisten & Glow’s HK Girl top coat:

Of course, I can never leave anything alone for too long, so I decided to add a little chevron accent to the mani.  I used Nail Vinyls single chevrons to create this look.  From pointer to pinky the colors are I Love Nail Polish brand Fleet Week, A Fresh Evergreen, Grape Alicious, and Very Ornamental.

That about does it for me.  Thanks so much, Bridget, for giving me this opportunity!  I hope your new camera arrives safe and sound – and quickly – so that you can get back to posting your own gorgeous nails! 

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Thank you so much Melissa! I loved your story! I think it's something all indie lovers can relate to and appreciate!

More guest posting greatness tomorrow!

Guest Post From Rosie at Mama's Manicures

Hello wonderful friends! I have another great guest post lined up for today! Rosie was kind enough to volunteer almost immediately, to help me out with posting. I recently found her on IG and she has some amazing free hand skills! I have serious nail art envy you guys!

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Hey folks!! I'm doing a guest blog for Bridget while her camera is on the fritz! My name is Rosie and you can find me on Instagram at @maherwoman and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/mamasmanicures!! :)

Onto the nails!!

Most of the time, I like to do more complex designs, but sometimes a girl just needs to do something more basic. Here are two of my favorite colors: China Glaze's First Mate (navy blue) and OPI's gorgeous glitter from their 2013 Mariah Carey Christmas line, My Favorite Ornament! I had a flash of inspiration last night that they would be excellent together. 

Aren't they make a perfect match?

So if you have the need for something a little more basic, give this design a go! A perfect match and a little line work can go a long way! :)

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I totally agree, simple and clean can be a nice change of pace! And the navy/silver color combo is always a stunner. I, personally, am loving the textural contrast the two polishes create.

Thank you so much, Rosie, for lending a hand! 

Rosie just started a blog as well, so be sure to show her some love and check it out!

Guest Post From Tracey Loves Lacquer

Hey guys! So you may have noticed a bit of sporadic posting lately, and I do apologize! My camera has decided to crap out on me! I was able to order a new one, but alas Mercury is in retrograde and has caused my shiny new camera to be on back order (kidding about the mercury thing). Since I am unable to essentially blog, I reached out to the incredible nail art community and asked a few people to guest post for me!

First up is the awesome Tracey, she was one of the first people I really "met" on IG and I really love her skittlette mains. She comes up with the best color combos!

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Hi Everyone !!!

This is Tracey here - aka TraceyLovesLacquer on Instagram.  When the lovely and amazing Bridget contacted me the other day about doing a guest post for her, I just about fell off the couch

!!!!  We've been following and supporting each other for awhile now on IG and I'm a huge fan of her work, so of course I jumped at the chance to help her out.

Today I have for you a few of the polishes from the OPI Spring/Summer 2014 Brazil Collection.  When I first saw pics of this collection late last year, the first thing that stood out for me was the neutrals.  Sure the collection has some incredible bright and fun colors but I love me a good neutral. If its mushroomy or taupe or greige in any way, shape or form, I'm all over it.

So today I'm featuring from left to right, I Sao Paulo Over There, Taupe-less Beach & Don't Bossa Nova Me Around. Also making an appearance is My Boyfriend Scales Walls from the 2012 Spider-Man Collection. For me - MBSW is the best "dirty white" on the market and pretty much the only white I use for nail art.  I'm already into my 2nd bottle and have a 3rd one on standby.

Here's a look at my mani with just the base coats.  I found the formulas on all the polishes to be really good.   They were rich and creamy, self leveling and opaque in 2 coats.

And now for some art!!!!!

On my index I have a dotted gradient over my base of MBSW and on my ring finger I have a striped gradient using Sao Paulo and Taupe-less Beach sponged over some striping tape. I then pulled the striping tape to reveal the base of Don't Bossa Nova Me Around.  Throw in some more dots to bring it all together and call it done!

Well I hope you've enjoyed my post. You can find me at https://Instagram.com/traceyloveslacquer

Thanks again to Bridget for asking me to guest post for her.  I meant the world to me!!  HUGS, Tracey

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Thank you so much Tracey! I am loving the mix and match neutrals! Don't Boss-A Nova Me Around is definitely on my to-buy list!

Hope you guys enjoyed Tracey's awesome mani!  I can't wait to share the rest of the posts with you!

Guest Post on Luxe beauty Forever

Hey guys! If you don't already ready Luxe Beauty Forever (written by the lovely Bridget), then you need to check it out! I wrote a little guest post that is featured today! Hope you like it!

 

Luxe Beauty Guest Post

 

I'll be back Wednesday with some more goodies from Takko Lacquer to share! Yay!