Inktober - Spell

Today is day 4 of Inktober, and the prompt is "spell".

My inspiration for today's magical nail art is a ouija board. The all powerful, super supernatural game board that summons...things. Ouija boards have letters on them, and after doing some ritual chanting (I assume), you can "speak" to spirits, who respond to you via the board, spelling out words or names as responses.

So I summoned some inspiration from the board, and wrote the word "magic" on my nails in the font style of the board.

That mystical purple is China Glaze Virtual Violet, while the white is Purity (Zoya) and the black is Licorice (essie).

Unfortunately, all the magic in the world wouldn't allow me to bend my thumb to make the picture better.

Enjoy more Inktober with me tomorrow!

Global Gradient pt. 2

Last year around this time, I posted a gradient of the nails I did for the Global Dance festival. This raver's fantasy is all about EDM and lights and good times. The ensembles are always bright and colorful, so my nails had to match.

I chose to do a gradient, which is super subtle in the shot I got, of Lollipop! Goes the Princess (Sation) and Purity (Zoya). The white is near the cuticle, and the pastel lavender is near the tip. Like I said, really really subtle! I think outlined with a triangle cutout of Sun of a Peach (China Glaze). The rhinestone accent is from my Born Pretty Store rhinestone wheel (reviewed here).

It matched my shirt, and as you can see in this blurry pic I snapped, glowed amazingly in black light!

Candy Coated Plaid

Exciting reviews are coming up at Nailed It! I've got polishes, embellishments, new brands, contests, and kits coming down the pipeline, so any chance I can get to squeeze in a 1-hour nail art post to share is clutch in my book. I also bought a new video camera that I'll be using to create some videos with to share tutorials!

A simple plaid look is tonight's. The base is Candy Coated (Sinful Colors) and the stripes were done freehand with a black striping polish from Color Madric. I love straight lines, especially those done with a striping polish. It really couldn't get much easier and simple.

But like I said...the simplicity will be short lived, and the excitement is just beginning!

Grungy Glamour

I can't get enough of gradients, or as they're more and more often called, ombre.

My hair's got an ombre gradient, my favorite, albeit holey, sweater has a gradient, and my favorites on Instagram often contain a gradient.

This grungy gradient was inspired by this pin of ombre tights. The purple is from Savina, and it's called Dream. It also uses Black Onyx from OPI. The square studs are my package of Born Pretty Store square studs that I reviewed here. 

Candyland's Jester

I promised nail art featuring the Sation Candylandia colors (swatched here), and tonight, though late, I deliver. Midnight posts are popular somewhere I'm sure. Some time zone loves the fact that I'm a night owl when it comes to posting.

This jester-inspired half half-moon, half funky french design is really eye-catching and funky! I used three Sation colors for this: two colors from Candylandia and one from Nailstock. Strumming My Nails is from Nailstock. It's that lovely off-white tinged grey. The two Candylandias are Lollipop! Goes the Princess and You're My Lacquer Charm. Both were wonderful to work with to create this design, and they complement each other well.

The illusion the ring and index finger gets is definitely elongating too. I wish I'd done that design on my nubbin of a pinky!

Maisie Shine Polish Review and Swatches

I really like coherent collections, that make sense together outside of just their names. It shows that polish makers have put a lot of thought into the collection, and really tied everything together nicely.

This small sample of a collection I'm showing today is from Maisie Shine, and as you can see, it all blends together quite nicely.

Lindsey, the designer behind Maisie Shine, sent me three colors to include in my review of her polishes. The first polish is called Perception.

Perception is a deep teal with interesting and subtle purple shimmer within it. The shimmer comes out in certain light, and fades in other. The formula for Perception was very thin, and required 5 coats to reach this opacity. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be good as a nail art detail color due to its thin nature. It does work well on a base though, as you can see in the nail art I prepared tonight.

The next color, Splendid, also has shimmer in it to add some interesting depth. The shimmer is a very light gold, almost silver, but definitely gold. This formula was better, and only required 3 coats to get to where I wanted it. Again, not a suitable detailing polish for nail art, but another stunning base.

Finally, TGIF...it's Friday Night! Out of left field, this glitter mix was unreal. I used two coats to get this awesome effect (over Splendid). This is a sick dark glitter and I love it! It pairs so well with the other two as well. If you don't look closely at the nail art picture above, you actually may thing it's a gradient, but that's just an optical glitter illusion. I really liked this one!

You can pick up any of these colors in the Maisie Shine Etsy store for $9 each.

These products were sent to me by Maisie Shine. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Born Pretty Store 2mm Silver Square Studs Review

3D nail art is slowly making its way into my heart. I don't think I'll be doing any landscaping on my nails anytime soon, or chaining my fingernails together as a form of art, but, never say never!

In the meantime, I'm sticking to the simple 3D objects, one of which are these 2 mm silver square studs from Born Pretty Store.

Studs are so easy to use, and you can really get some cool designs. I decided to do a skittles manicure, using all sorts of different designs for the studs. I don't think I can pick a favorite design here, I love them all so much.

I used a tiny bit of nail glue on the backs of each stud to adhere them to my nail nice and strong. I don't want to wake up in the morning with snagged studs all over my pillow and hair. That would be no bueno. Instead, the glue secures them, and then I layer one top coat on top as well, for extra coverage and smoother edges. Sometimes that causes bubbles though, so be careful with your top coat application!

You can pick up these silver studs from Born Pretty Store for just under $6 here. They also have gold studs, larger squares, circles, and different colors for the circles. They also have odd shapes, like the marquis shapes I showed you a few days ago. You get a large bagful, so you won't be running out anytime soon.

Oh by the way, I used Grape (Savina) and Wednesday (Zoya) for the colors.

Don't forget to take 10% off your order, with the code C10X31.

These products were sent to me by Born Pretty. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Frankendrip

Happy Halloween folks!

Remember my bleeding gradient tutorial? It's the perfect technique for some awesome Halloween colors.

The colors I used here were Neon Yellow (Savina), Pucci-licious (Color Club), and Black Onyx (OPI).

Reminds me of Frankenstein's monster's head.

Have a spoooooky night!

Color Wheel Collision

Tonight I was going to put together some swatches of one of the two glitter polish swatches I owe you and their creators, but time slipped away more quickly than anticipated. Those are coming soon though, and trust me, you'll be excited! Halloween and fall colored glitters...hell yes!

In the meantime, here's a really fun manicure that everyone can do. It's so easy and so striking. I love this. Ingenious in its simplicity!

To begin, I painted my pinkie, index finger and thumb with Happy Go Lucky (China Glaze). I painted my ring finger with Lavendairy (Lime Crime) and my middle finger with Keiko (Zoya). Then, I added some thicker striping tape over the yellow on the pinkies and index fingers in two evenly spaced lines. Then, it was just a matter of filling in the empty spaces with Lavendairy, Keiko, and Grape Pop (China Glaze).

How fun and easy is this? Try it yourself with some contrasting colors on the color wheel. Orange and blue, red and green. Or mix it up entirely!

Showing Love for Color Club

If you catch up with Nailed It on Instagram, you saw a photo I posted last week of a manicure I just didn't have the energy to post on the blog with the proper editing. I had a few questions about the purple color, and I wholeheartedly believe this one needs its own post.

I think the color is called Mrs. Robinson, from the Color Club Poptastic collection. This is another Ross find, that comes in a mysteriously unlabeled package, but a Google search turned up swatches of this color that are spot on, so this seems to be the best guess.

Isn't it sick? It's so bright, and that's two coats, without any white undercoat. Just two flat coats of Mrs. Robinson.

I had to show it some love with some itty bitty hearts. Cute!

Dying to get your hands on this? Here's a spot that's selling it!

Ikaticure

What is a ikat? Is it a hipster feline who's so lovingly given himself the pet name iKat as an homage to his iPhone?

Is it the latest model of slotted furniture from the Ikea warehouse?

Do frenemies "ikat" one another?

Nope. None of those. It's a pattern sweeping the nation.

Light green base is Light Green (Love & Beauty/Forever 21). The pattern's a mix of Steady as She Rose (OPI) and Milky Ways (Lime Crime).

Born Pretty m-59 Lovely Heart Stamp Review

The marathon of reviews continues with another Born Pretty pretty. There's plenty of pretty out there in nail world, but nothing feels quite as pretty as a girly bow. Okay...maybe pink, scented, kitten shaped glitter would be prettier...or at least girlier. But bows are up there. At least top ten.

The m-59 plate is a great stamp if you're looking for bows. It comes with not one but two bows for you to choose from (and these aren't duplicates).

It also gives you 4 different hearts to choose from and two different snow flakes. For this, it's one of those versatile but useable plates I'll come back to when I'm looking to quickly spice up a manicure. For this manicure using Light as Air and Sugar High (China Glaze), I just wanted to use the bow.

I used the solid (as opposed to the polka dot) bow to add accents to the tips of my nails tonight. The design picked up like a dream, even with my chunked up, post-Thanksgiving dinner Black on Black (Sinful Colors). Lately my stamping attempts have been awful and annoying--designs not transferring, partial images being picked up, dragging issues, and scratched plates. I was fully prepared for a long night of retrying each finger to get it right, but I didn't have to redo a single one. (Yes, my middle finger may have benefited from a do-over, but that's an alignment issue, not an image transfer issue.)

Compared to my last experience with a Born Pretty plate, this was flawless. The designs are all carved deeply and with nice detail. I didn't have to retry anything to get the right results, and the plate fits nicely with the rest of my plates (Bundle Monster, Red Angel, Konad). If you're looking for a pretty plate, grab this one. It's cheap at $2.99 and the designs are all not only cute, but useable. When wouldn't you need a heart or a bow? And for winter, snowflakes can look amazing with some metallic polishes.

Pick up your plate here and get free shipping. If you're looking to spend even less than $2.99, why not use a 10% off coupon? I just so happen to have one for you to use any time, as many times as you'd like!

This product was sent to me by Born Pretty. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette Nail Polish Collection Swatches and Review

The Nailed It cafe is officially open for business. In the heat of the summer, we don't want you melting away, so dip your fingers into our delicious menu.

Tonight's menu features Les Desserts d'Antoinette from Lime Crime.

Click to Expand

As you can see, we've imported some of this season's most scrumptious treats from Miss Antoinette's table straight to our cafe's treat case. We've prepared these tasty teaser shots to incite the salivation flood on your tongue.

 

Now that we have whet your appetite, as your humble maître d', let me guide you through our first dessert selection.

Our first option is Parfait Day. A soothing parfait on a hot day will surely cool you down, but also bring warmth and comfort to hungry tummies on cold, rainy days. Everybody loves parfait!

Don't miss out on the ripe picking of the season, Peaches ♥ Cream. If a juicy peach isn't enough to pucker those lips, then top it with a huge dollop of lightly whipped cream. Resistance is futile.

The summer menu peaks with this next goodie, Crema De Limón. A sour tickle on the tip of your tongue both refreshes and excites, but the cream finish levels each bite perfectly.

Difficult to sell, but impossible to resist is Pastelchio. Subtle flavor, sophisticated taste.

Once In a Blue Mousse look like the sky and feels like the clouds. You'll float through each bite into euphoric exaltation.

Floral scents dance across your palette when you dip into Lavendairy, but the taste is unmistakeably delicious.

All good things must come to an end, but ending in the creamy, sweet Milky Ways won't leave you wanting more, it will leave you needing more.

Do tell your friends to visit us sometime. Our delicacy's our unrivaled!

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Review

Are you drooling yet? I haven't stopped since I opened up the package I received from Lime Crime yesterday. I literally have nothing bad to say about these polishes.

I had personally never heard of Lime Crime before, but I'm thrilled I now know. They specialize in makeup products, but on June 20th of this year, they dipped into the world of nail polish, and I have a feeling that once word gets out, they'll be scrambling to keep up with the demand for these colors. Seriously...grab them while you can!

Every single color from Les Desserts d'Antoinette, the collection featured here, is absolutely stunning. These bright pastels are decidedly easy to apply, and after two effortless coats, you get the opacity you see above. I applied a third coat to Milky Ways, Crema De Limón and Peaches ♥ Cream to ensure the pictures were looking their best. It's damn near impossible to find creme finishes in pastels that make such a bright yet soft impact, but Lime Crime nailed it!

Like I said, you won't here a bad thing from me about these polishes.

I've been wearing a few layers of these colors for a day now, using the sometimes problematic Seche Vite as the top coat, and there's no damage. None. And I lifted weights today.

I also have to rave about the packaging and advertising Lime Crime has for the line. The first picture is lifted straight off of their site (available as a background in several resolutions here) and is what inspired me to give you a menu to drool over rather than some hum-drum swatch info I normally deliver. You can also see that each polish comes in it's own, perfectly sized box, with the color's name on top and the bottle peaking through a punch out in the front. My inner hoarder hates the idea of throwing these away yet. I loved the packaging so much, it inspired the dripping color design seen in the first picture and below.

The application was aided by the brush's design. It's the perfect size for what it is. These cuties are only 0.3 oz (sadly), so they're squatty when sitting next to most of the other bottles in my collection. I prefer that though, as it seems the brush will reach the polish longer. That's a huge relief because I'll cry the day these run out.

You can pick up all seven of these polishes individually for $5.99 each at Lime Crime's website, or as a set for $39.99.

These products were sent to me by Lime Crime. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

All About Nailed It Color

Yesterday a fairly large sized fire broke out in Boulder due to a lightning strike. It's another fire to add to the growing list of those burning through Colorado. We're okay, and the fire fighters are really doing a great job of staying on top of it. Unfortunately with the wind and growing lightning, it's not out and barely under any control. Let's hope it gets under control quickly and that everyone stays safe.

On a brighter note, here's a very me-manicure.

These colors scream Katy, I just wish I knew exactly what they were called. I picked up these three and four others from Ross in a set for $7.99, but as with all Color Clubs at Ross, there's no labels. The box they came in says "All About Color", but that doesn't seem to be a legit collection. After more looking, the colors seem to be from the POPtastic: Color that Pops! collection. So I'll use those color names here.

The yellow is Almost Famous, the green is Twiggie, and the purple is Pucci Licious. I went a little crazy, but I love it!

Senorita Goldie Shake

I've got another pistol/trigger accent mani for you! I had to do a short and sweet manicure as I rush out the door. It's crazy how often that seems to be happening nowadays.

The three fingers are done with Master Shake (Daring Digits). The gold is Zoya's Goldie and the purple is Senorita Bonita (China Glaze).

I usually steer wide and clear of metallics, but I don't mind these. The streaky white effect you get with Master Shake still bugs me, and I didn't have time to fix it using Leslie's sponging technique. It's still a pretty little polish color though. I matched the two accent fingers to the glitters inside it almost perfectly!