Nail Art Society - California Dreaming kit

Hi everyone, Happy Tuesday!! I'm in a great mood today because I went a did my first day of Couch to 5k yesterday! I definitely did not think I could even get through the first workout when I read about it, but I did it and I am really proud of myself. It starts off really slow for beginners. So today, I'm sore but feel great!

I figured I should finally get around to posting the full review of the California Dreaming Nail Art Society kit. This kit was SO much fun - I love it! For those of you who don't subscribe, you can click here to sign up for monthly bags full of nail art supplies, and hand curated by our Renowned Artists. 

Firstly, something new this month - branded bags that the items come in! I loved this adorable Nail Art Society bag, and it's perfect for keeping small items together like rhinestones, decals, cuticle care items and more. Perfect purse size too! :)

This month, you will receive a gorgeous Jessica polish called Tangerine Dreamz (which will be pictured below with my mani), and an assortment of other accessories to add some serious sparkle to your look.

You will receive a bag of little white pearls. Super easy to affix just into wet topcoat - no glue needed.

A gorgeous selection of pre-placed rhinestone clusters that are self-adhesive for easy placement. These are perfect for framing the nail and adding just a touch of bling!

And last, but not least - my favorite thing of the kit. These two amazingly sparkly bows! When the sun hits them, it is just unreal. I have used these in three other manis so far since I got them. They are reusable, as you just stick them to wet topcoat or glue and they pop right off when you are done with them.

Now, onto the important part - the finished creation! 

I used two coats of Jessica Tangerine Dreamz, followed up with Seche Vite topcoat. Since the rhinestone clusters are self-adhesive, I just plucked them off the sheet with nail art tweezers and placed them where I wanted them. Full disclosure: I will say that the clusters gave me a bit of trouble. Some of them didn't want to come off in one piece and some of them, the adhesive underneath wanted to rip apart and they got stuck to each other. Being very careful, using a flat end of an orange stick, and my nail art tweezers, I was able to get them semi where I wanted them. The pearls were much easier to use, although a bit static-y! I just licked my finger and stuck them one by one onto the nail, lol! Well, it's true... The bow, again I just stuck into wet topcoat because I knew I wouldn't be wearing the mani long. If I was going to keep it on for a couple of days, I would have used a drop or two of nail glue.

I LOVE that last photo - look at all the different colors in the rhinestones and bow when the sun hits! This kit definitely made me dream of California - or at least some warmth! Ohio is not a fun place to be this time of year, but I know others have it worse. At least my nails can be on vacation! :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this kit and this mani! And remember, if you want to receive these items, there is still time to grab the California Dreaming kit by clicking here.
Thanks so much for looking <3
Kelly

Valentine's Skittle

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday :) I'm working on editing some photos while I wait for the return of the Walking Dead! I can't wait, it feels like it has been forever.

I've posted this a couple of other places, but I did want to share it on my blog as well. I entered a Valentine's Day nail art contest on Nailpolis, and this is the skittle mani I created for it. I thought it was a lot of fun and I think I'll definitely enter more contests with them in the future. Although, it is a little upsetting that the finalists aren't really chosen for their mani or nail art skill, but by how many friends you can get to like it. Oh well, maybe next time lol. There is still time to vote for me here if you are so inclined, haha! ;)

Polishes I used: Essie Protein Base Coat, Sinful Colors Flutter, Snow Me White, and Cool Gray, Sally Hansen Presto Pink, OPI Innie Minnie Mightie Bow, HK Girl topcoat. The bow came with this month's Nail Art Society kit! I am obsessed with these bows, they are so pretty.

The thumb is 3 coats of Daily Lacquer Come What May. I freehanded the heart on my index, the middle is a gradient topped with a zebra print Nail Vinyl (these things are amazing), used my dotting tool for the ring finger, and I did a dry marble on my pinky using the gray, pink and red mentioned above.

Overall, I really loved this look and I'm standing behind it regardless of the outcome of the contest lol. I am really enjoying trying new techniques and learning a lot in the process. So, I can't complain! :)
Thanks for looking and I hope you have a great Valentine's Day! <3
Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Inspired by a Tutorial #4 (Dry Marble)

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. I've been under the weather with some kind of stomach bug, so I've been doing a lot of relaxing. Definitely not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!

I'm a couple of days late, but I still want to share my last mani for the NCC. January's theme was Inspired by a Tutorial, and I've had a ton of fun going through tutorials from my favorite bloggers and attempting to recreate them. I'm learning a lot!

Today's tutorial comes from the talented Lacey of My Boyfriend Hates Makeup. Earlier in the month, on her FB page, she posted a tutorial of how she did this awesome dry marble look, and I had to give it a shot. I have not had success with dry marble in the past, but I followed her steps and the mani came out way better than previous attempts. I think the trick is to add a layer of topcoat after your base, wait for that to dry and then add another coat and gob on your other colors while it is still wet. That's something I didn't do before.

Anyway, here is the link to one of Lacey's dry marble posts where she explains how she does it....

And here is a link to the Facebook image where she shows step by step photos!

And here is my attempt!

I'm still not great at it...haha. I think my problem is that I try to do too much swirling. Leaving it simpler creates a prettier look, but I get carried away - when I don't like a certain swirl, I keep adding to it, etc and then it becomes a swirly mess. But, I still think it's pretty! I used Sinful Colors Snow Me White for a base, and my swirling colors were Zoya Hazel (ring and pinky) and Julieanne (index and middle). I swirled both shades with white on my thumb.

I really liked how the colors popped out when I used flash, so that's why I included the last photo even though it washes my skin out. The shimmer in Hazel was so pretty against the white!

So, what do you think of this technique? Have you had any luck with dry marble? If you give Lacey's tutorial a try, I'd love to hear how it turns out! :)

Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Inspired by A Tutorial #3 (Owls)

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great weekend. I've been catching up on some swatching and working on a look for Nail Art Society, so check back soon for that. :)

Today, I have another mani inspired by a Chalkboard Nails tutorial. This time, it's Valentine's Owls!

Click here for the full original tutorial on Chalkboard Nails blog.

And here are mine:

I used Zoya Kristen for the base. It's such a soft, pretty color. I got it during their recent sale! After that, I used Sally Hansen Presto Pink and Speedy Sunburst for the owl bodies, legs and wings, Sally Hansen Lightening for the eyes and beak, and China Glaze Mahogany Magic for the branch. Topped off with Seche Vite topcoat!

These adorable owls were super easy to recreate using Sarah's tutorial! I opted not to put the hearts on their bellies because I realized too late that I didn't leave enough room, but I thought they were cute anyway. What do you think? I'd love to hear below! <3

Kelly

Latest post EVER - Daily Lacquer Slayer Collex: Part 2

Wow! So, going through my old drafts folder, I found this post...photos all ready to go of the Daily Lacquer Slayer collection...from APRIL of last year haha!! I can't believe I never published it. Unfortunately, I waited so long that these polishes are no longer for sale, but they are too beautiful to go un-shared. Besides, you can add them to your lemming list in case they ever pop up in a blog sale or Maggy starts making polish again.

As you may have guessed, this collection was inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer - one of my absolute favorite shows! I had to have the whole collection. Here is Part 1 of my review in case you missed it last year. ;)

First up today, is Giles the Ripper. It's a stunning purple shade with a strong multicolored shimmer, mostly blue, but sometimes reddish or goldish!

I would be lying if I said I remembered exactly how many coats this was, but I would guess 3 coats. I remember absolutely no issues with application.

Next up is Not So Angel. It's a ghostly white with blue shimmer. This one took three coats to cover up my stained nails, but it was worth it! SO pretty.

I hate how my stupid thumbnail curves when it gets long. Must need some more of some vitamin!

Last is my second favorite of the whole collection (second to Wicca Willow). Slayer Comma The! It's a pretty peachy coral shimmer that can look so different in any given lighting and angle. I love how multidimensional it is. A very soft, feminine shade but with an edge!

So, what do you think - aren't these just GORGEOUS?! I am so sorry I waited so long to post them! I sincerely hope that Maggy starts making polish again one day, because they are all truly unique and beautiful. However, in the meantime, she is now making eye shadow - you should check out her site! If I knew anything about makeup and how to apply it, I would definitely purchase from her lol. Click here to go to the Daily Lovelies site. Thanks for looking!

Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Inspired by a Tutorial #2 (Bows)

Hey guys! Today's mani was inspired by the amazing Alice over at One Nail to Rule Them All. Seriously, if you're ever short on inspiration, just check out her blog - she's so creative! She's got some great tutorials as well. I loved her cartoony bows, so that's the tutorial I chose to use for today's look.

You can click here to see the full original tutorial that Alice posted. And here's mine!

I did a slightly different color for my bows, and I didn't have Shimmer Kim, so I used Bernice. I started with 3 thin coats of Bernice and then painted the bows in China Glaze Four Leaf Clover. I topcoated over the bows to try to prevent the dots from yellowing but as you can see, it didn't really work. :/ I'm not sure why that happened! It seemed like the when I dotted on the white over the green, it pulled up some of the yellow out of the green. Then, I outlined using my Stripe Rite brush in black, and Seche Vite. Honestly, I forgot the little wrinkles in the bow until afterwards, but I still like them!

These were really fun and super easy to create. I opted to use Yellow Stopper base coat underneath, so I could easily pop off this glitter later on. Otherwise, it would have been a nightmare to remove! I really liked how these turned out. I might try this again, using Shimmer Kim and adding pink or orange bows. It's really a versatile look that can work in a lot of different colors - I love it. Thanks Alice for the great tutorial!!
What do you guys think of this look? I'd love to hear below <3

Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Inspired by a Tutorial #1 (Sheep!)

Hi everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your day off, if you get one. This is the first year I've been allowed to take off all major holidays, and I am certainly making the most of it. :)

Today, I have my first post for the Nail Challenge Collaborative's "Inspired by a Tutorial" month. There are tons of tutorials I've been meaning to try out, so it was really hard to narrow one down. But, the first one I knew I wanted to do was this adorable sheep tutorial I saw on Chalkboard Nails. 

You can find the original tutorial that I followed by clicking here.

And, here's my take!

I used Zoya Josie for the grassy background, Sinful Snow Me White and Black on Black for the bodies and legs, Sinful Smokin for the ears, and Sally Hansen Presto Pink for the noses. Topped off with Seche Vite and done!

I thought these sheep were SO adorable, and I didn't want to take them off to do the next mani! What do you think?

Kelly

Lynnderella: Bed of Nails over ManGlaze ILF

Hi everyone! Hope you're having a lovely Wednesday! Mine's been crap, but I'm distracting myself by doing my nails so I figured I'd put a post up tonight as well!

Right around my birthday, I decided to treat myself to some Lynnderellas. I picked out three, and I am showing you my favorite of the three today - Bed of Nails!

I started off with 2 coats of ManGlaze ILF, a lovely turquoise blue matte/suede. I picked up this one during their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. 

Then I grabbed my Lynnderella - Bed of Nails! It's easier to just show you a photo than to try to name all the different kinds of glitter in this one.

Not only do I love the colors of glitter and the adorable little skull glitters, but Bed of Nails has stunning micro-flakies, giving it an awesome shimmer! Check it out. This is 2 coats over ILF.

I'm definitely happy with this purchase! I had to do a bit of fishing to get the larger glitters out, but that's to be expected. What do you think of this one? What are your favorite Lynns? I'd love to hear! <3

Kelly

Lucky 13 Lacquer: Butterfly Project

Good morning lovelies! I have a long overdue swatch post for you today. This is one of the tons of beauties created by Kyoti Jess of Lucky 13 Lacquer, but this one is special. I could paraphrase, but Jess does a way better job of explaining what this polish is really about, and she very bravely shares her own story. Click here to read about The Butterfly Project. The important thing you need to know is that this is a charity polish, and it is for a very, very great cause. This is the first polish I think I've seen that is called a Pay What You Can polish (you can pay anywhere between $2-$20). I paid the recommended $10 for it, but those who pay more, offset the cost of those who can't afford much - how wonderful is that?! Even better, if you ask her to, Jess will make up a cute and whimsical name, just for your polish! My butterfly is Lady Buttercup <3

Butterfly Project is a gorgeous purple creme base with rainbow colored glitters and holographic butterflies!

There is nothing I don't love about this polish. Right now to the adorable stickers on the bottle, this is perfection in every way! I used three coats for the swatches below and topped with Seche Vite. Everything felt completely smooth, even the butterflies.

What can I say, I am in LOVE with this polish and the idea behind it. I already loved Lucky 13, but this just confirmed it. I definitely think if you or someone you know has ever struggled with self-harm, this is the perfect little treasure. It can be used as an alternative - paint your nails with little butterflies instead! I absolutely adore the idea - sometimes, that's all it takes is something little to take your mind off whatever it is that you are going through. You can pick up Butterfly Project here, and Jess has informed me that this is going to be part of her permanent line - which I am so glad to hear!
And, be sure to check out the rest of the Lucky 13 line - they are awesome and many are inspired by nerdy things - what could be better!?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one! Let me know below <3
Kelly

Hare Polish: Reverie in Rubellite and Heat Plague

Hi loves! Quick swatch post for you tonight. I'm making my way through the mountain of photos in the vault!

These were my first 2 Hare Polish purchases, Reverie in Rubellite and Heat Plague. First up is Reverie in Rubellite. These swatches were from back in the fall when I had nubs! :)

I knew I was going to love this one because orange is my favorite color and pink (especially dark pink) is a close second. It looked like it was on fire when the sun hit it - so pretty!

Next up is Heat Plague. I liked this one the moment I first saw swatches of it, and I love it even more in person. It's kind of a weird mix of colors that I feel like shouldn't work, but they do. This one reminds me of Halloween because of the lime green, slimey-colored based, and the purple and orange glitters. 

What do you think of these two? Which is your favorite? Do you own any Hares?? Which ones do I need to add to my little collection?! I'd love to hear below. Thanks for looking! <3

Kelly