Challenge Your Nail Art: Freestyle

Well the day has come - the final challenge theme for this round of designs.  It is bittersweet - while this has certainly taken up quite a bit of free time this month, is has been so much fun creating all this art with such am amazing and talented group of women!!

For today's prompt, I decided to go with something a little less crazy, and a little more fun.  I wanted to paint Rockefeller Square, but subtly :)  I have never been there myself, but every time I see beautiful, giant Christmas trees I think of it in all the pictures and movies I've seen Rockefeller in.  So I wanted to paint that, and this is what I came up with:

It's very simple, not too incredibly detailed, because I wanted the feeling more than the features.  I used all of the new winter colors by Model City Polish in variation (background color, color accents, etc).  The rest is acrylic paint.  I'll have a blog post for you tomorrow featuring all the polishes I used in this design :)

Be sure to check out the other beautiful works of art below!!  Have a wonderful day - see you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up

Challenge Your Nail Art: Presents

Running super duper late today in this post, so I'l get straight to it!

Today's theme was pretty fun to do!  I liked adding a few little details to them to give them character.  Here's my design:

I hope you like it as much as I do!  Check out the other gorgeous designs below!!  See you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up

Challenge Your Nail Art: Ugly Christmas Sweater

I finally did it - I finally took the plunge into a culture that's been hot on my tail, begging me to get it on it.  I started watching Dr. Who.  I know some of you are thinking, "What took so long?" while others may be saying, "What is that?"  Well it took me so long because it's not the first genre of show I am pulled towards - I'm more of a Dexter, American Horror Story, Walking Dead kind of person.  However, most of my close friends and family watch Dr. Who and are crazy about it, and reference it frequently.

So, I decided to start watching it - and I gotta say, I'm pretty hooked!  It's a great show!  And it inspired me for this next Challenge Your Nail Art prompt:

Now this prompt is the most difficult one I have had so far, because I have never done anything like it, and from every reference image I could find of ugly sweater nail designs, most were either stamped, or they all had the same images on them.  That just wouldn't do for me, so I went the unconventional route, and did Dr. Who themed ugly sweater nails based off a picture I saw online a few weeks ago!  Check it out:

I'm pretty pleased with it, though it was soooooo hard to do the itty bitty details on the Tardis and the Daleks.  If you're wondering, the bottom of my middle finger is supposed to be a Weeping Angel, and the bottom of my pinky is a Cyberman.  Here's the reference image for the design:

Source Link Here

Can't believe there are only two more designs left in this challenge!  It's been so much fun though, and I'm so happy I was able to participate in it!  Make sure you check out the other fantastic designs below :)  See you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up

*Press Release (Part 1):* KBShimmer "Men are from Mars-ala"

I bet I surprise you (in a good way) when I do two posts in one day - but what can I say?  When I'm excited about something, I post about it as soon as I can :D

KBShimmer is a brand I have always wanted to try, because I constantly hear nothing but good things about their nail polish.  So when I was contacted about receiving sample of the new polish "Men are from Mars-ala" - created after Pantone's Color of the Year "Marsala"- I didn't hesitate to say YES PLEASE!!

Here's a little more about the upcoming polish, straight from the company:

Celebrate the New Year and Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year with KBShimmer! “Men are from Mars-ala” is an earthy, red-brown shade that will make a fresh new addition to any neutral nail palette. Worn outdoors or in bright light, Men are from Mars-ala features a linear holographic and when indoors, this shade is rich and warm – just like a glass of Marsala wine should be!

Men are from Mars-ala’s luxurious formula applies like a dream and dries to a shiny, holographic finish. Wear it with a matte top coat for an ultra-modern look or a high-shine one for something a little more classic. Just make sure you don’t get caught without this year’s Color of the Year!

I'm so excited to receive this sample, not just because it will be my first KBShimmer, but because the color is divine!!  I normally go for more jewel-toned polishes (if you haven't noticed:P ), but sometimes there a more neutral shade that I find is very beautiful - and this is one of those times!

This new polish will release January 1st, 2015 (what a great way to ring in the New Year!) at www.KBShimmer.com !  Keep your eye out for Part 2 of this press release - that'll be the polish post with tons of drool-worthy pictures :D

See you soon! <3

Polish Post: Smokey Mountain Lacquers Holiday 2014 Set

Good morning my lovelies!  Today I've got the Holiday 2014 Set by Smokey Mountain Lacquers to show you!  It's a beautiful set of three polishes with three glitter toppers!  I paired each polish to a glitter to show to you, rather than swatching every polish individually.  I also did three different designs to show you just a few of the many ways you can wear a glitter topper ^_^  So let's get started!

First up to show you is "Frost Fairy" with "Frosty Blew Up:"

Frost Fairy is a lovely icy blue metallic polish, opaque in 3 thin coats, and drying in under five minutes to a shiny finish.  Application was super smooth with this polish, too, and not nearly as streaky as most metallics (though there was still a subtle streaking - so make sure you're applying in the same consistent direction).  Frosty Blew Up is full of various sized white, iridescent, and blue hex glitters.  This applied evenly and dried in under 5 minutes to a slightly textured finish.  This topper reminds me of the snow in snowglobes - lots of wintery possibilities with this topper!  I did a glitter gradient starting at the nail tips and pulling down towards the cuticles, thinning the amount of glitter as I went.

The second set to show you is "Halo" with "Bling Crosby's Christmas:"

Halo is a gorgeous white creme with a green iridescent shimmer.  This is my favorite solid color of the bunch - it is just lovely!!  Halo was opaque in 3 thin coats and dried in under 5 minutes to a shiny finish.  Bling Crosby's Christmas, aside from having an awesome name, is a glitter bomb full of various sized silver and holographic glitters.  This one could actually probably be a full coverage glitter, it's so dense with glitter!  This one also dried to a semi textured finish in under five minutes, and applied really evenly.  I decided to use it as a "french tip" accent with Halo, and I think it looks very pretty :)

The last set is "A Walk Through Eden" with "Pop The Bubbly:"

A Walk Through Eden is a divine forest green holographic polish that was opaque in 2 thin coats, applied evenly, and dried in under five minutes to a nice shiny finish.  Its holographic effect shows indoors as well as outdoors, too!  Pop the Bubbly is another glitter bomb packed with different sized and shaped gold and holographic glitters.  This one could also be a full-coverage glitter in probably 2 coats.  I decided to try a snazzy triangle accent on each nail with it, and I think it looks pretty spiffy!

This set is my first purchase from Smokey Mountain Lacquers (a brand that has been on my "want" list for a while), and it certainly won't be the last!  Shipping cost was more than reasonable AND super fast, and the price per polish for both sizes is also very reasonable.  And fyi, those bottles in the photos are the MINI size (with a FLAT brush!!) - great value for the cost!  Big thumbs up from me all around!

Here are some links for you:

Shop: Here

Facebook: Here

Instagram: Here

Twitter: Here

Tomorrow I'll be posting another design for Challenge Your Nail Art, so stay tuned!  See you soon <3

*NOTE: Links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback when you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)

Challenge Your Nail Art: Glitter

Pretty sure it's safe to say that anything glitter is a huge hit in the nail community :D  I have yet to come across someone who DOESN'T like glitter.  You can imagine, then, the excitement from all the ladies in this nail art group who saw today's theme:

I am surprised the universe hasn't exploded yet from this prompt :P  I was pretty excited for it - so much so that I have *2* designs to show you! In the first design, I used my polish from the Festive Fortification Box and created a twist on the traditional candy cane nail design:

I used nail tape to make the smooth lines - I couldn't freehand that accurately straight to save my life :P  While this design has gorgeous glitter polish, it just was glittery enough for me.  So, I came up with this design:

I used a silver polish for the base coat and topped it with "Guys and Galaxies" by Nicole by O.P.I.  I then used my O.P.I. sheer tints and layered them to make the green color over the glitter (about two coats of the blue tint and two of the yellow tint on top).  I freehanded the red swirls using a red glitter art polish by Salon Perfect.  And there you have it!

The biggest aggravation with glitter polish (aside from trying to remove it) is trying to photograph is AND capture all its sparkle.  The fact is, it just won't happen.  My second mani is soooooooooo sparkly, and I just couldn't convey that through my pictures.  So I guess you'll just have to trust me ;)

Hope you enjoyed this design!  Be sure to check out the other glittery goodness through the links below!  See you soon <3

An InLinkz Link-up

***Press Release*** (Part 2): Bellaluna Cosmetics

***PRESS RELEASE***

Last week I had the privilege of featuring three beautiful polishes by the brand new indie Bellaluna Cosmetics (if you missed it you can read it here).  I have two more to show you today, and they are just as stunning as the first three!

Here is "Enchanted Woodlands:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Enchanted Woodlands is a gorgeous deep red polish packed full of red, gold, and holographic glitters.  The polish dried in under 5 minutes to a semi textured finish.  I am wearing one thick coat of HK Girl Glisten & Glow topcoat in the photos above.  Let me tell you - you step into any kind of light, indoors and outdoors, and this polish sparkles like diamonds - it's a definite wowzer!

The second polish I have to show you is "Starry Night:"

Outdoors

Indoors

This polish is also quite a sparkly stunner!  Starry Night is a beautiful navy blue polish with a scattered holographic effect and packed with blue and silver glitters.  It is opaque in three thin coats, and dry in under 5 minutes to a semi shiny finish.  In the photos I am also wearing a thin layer of HK Girl Glisten & Glow topcoat.  This polish has become my new favorite navy blue glitter - it is absolutely stunning!  I'll be uploading a video to my Instagram later today that will show the lovely sparklies of this polish in direct sunlight.

These two polishes are just as fantastic as the first three I posted about.  This indie brand is really making a great first impression!  The formula is superb, the colors are so stunning - this brand is an all around win!  You would be very, very wise to keep Bellaluna Cosmetics on your radar - and go snag some polish now before they are all gone!!  I believe she has two in her shop now that are Limited Edition - better hurry! :)

Here are some links for you:

Shop: Here

Facebook: Here

Instagram: Here

I hope you all have a wonderful day today - I'll be posting tomorrow with the next Challenge Your Nail Art prompt! See you soon <3

*NOTE: These polishes were sent for swatches and review by Bellaluna Cosmetics.  My opinion is in no way swayed, and is 100% honest.  Links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback when you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)