Street Style Inspired Nail Art

Hey guys!  I've been getting into fashion recently and fell in love with the New York street style.  It's full of mixed matched patterns, geometric shapes, and a smorgasbord of eclectic pieces that just work together some how.  So tonight I have some nail art to share that's inspired by street style.  I originally did this for the Sally Hansen's I Heart Nail Art contest during the Street Style month.  I didn't end up winning that month, unfortunately, but I did have fun finding some inspiration and coming up with this design.

 The THUMB has made an appearance! *gasp* *faint* *convulse* lol ok I'm done...

Polishes Used:
Sally Hansen Mint Sprint
Sally Hansen Coral Reef
Sally Hansen White On
Sally Hansen Thinking of Blue

What I did (instructions but not really lol):
On my thumb, index, and pinkie fingers I applied two coats of Mint Sprint then I drew various dots and geometric shapes with a dotting tool.  On my middle and ring fingers I did an acid wash method.  I applied two coats of Thinking of Blue, applied top coat, and applied one coat of White On.  Once that had a chance to set I got q-tip soaked in nail polish remover and rubbed it across my nail until I got the desired look of acid wash denim.

It's definitely something different for me, and I like it.  I'm planning on doing a video tutorial sometime in the future so I'll be sure to add that once I do it!

Where do you get your nail art inspiration from?  I love looking at clothing stores and fabric for inspiration.

Thanks for reading,
Crystal ❤

One more thing...

I recently uploaded my Top 11 polishes for Summer 2013!  You can check it out HERE or watch the video below.

Simple Color Blocking + Stamping Fail 2.0?

Hey guys!  So you know that nail art contest that Sally Hansen has had these past few months?  Well I planned on entering each month but I kind of get distracted by other things easily and didn't take time out to sit down and focus on a doing a design didn't have time for it...even though I have no job and all the time in the world... -_-

Anyways, I thought I would rapidly do some color blocking and enter it for last months theme...on the day the entry period ended (I swear I'm the procrastination QUEEN)!  I picked up some polishes and painted my nails faster than a ninja moving through the forest!  Wait...what?!

Here's what I came up with:

Polishes used:

Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac

Milani black striper polish

I decided to do something pretty simple so I thought,"why not put a huge stripe down the middle of my nails" and then BAM you have color blocking!  Very creative right? *sarcasm* (lol)  At first I wasn't sure if I liked the way my mani turned out but after string at my nails for a while I started to really like it!  Unfortunately I didn't finish my nails in time to enter last month's contest (I was literally 15 minutes late) but I'm sure I didn't have a chance since my nail art was so simple.

Oh what do we have here...did I try my hand at stamping again?!  Let's have a look shall we?

So I thought it would be a great idea to stamp some images on my nails to add some "oomph" to my color blocking.  I tried to stamp the flower looking image (the one on my index, ring, and pinkie fingers) in the middle of my nails but as you can see the image ended up being a little crooked *oops*.  I really like the way the butterfly image came out though and my stamping skills are a lot better than when I first started obviously.

Do you like color blocking manis?  What's your favorite color combo?  Are you a procrastinator like me? Lol don't answer that! XD

Thanks for reading!
Crystal ❤

Indie Spotlight: Lush Lacquer!

Hey everyone!  So I was looking through my photos to see what I wanted to post today and found lots of pictures from last year that I still haven't done post on!  The next couple of weeks will be "catch up" for me so that these pictures will finally have their time to shine on the blog! : )

Today I want to share some swatches of some Lush Lacquer polishes that I bought a while ago!  Lush Lacquer is an indie polish brand that has TONS of awesome glitter polishes that will make you drool! 

My small but MIGHTY Lush Lacquer collection (believe me, this will be expanding soon)!  From L to R:  Party Hearty, Salt n Peppa, and Summer Lovin.

Party Hearty:  A light pink polish filled with multi-sized glitter (including bright blue hearts)!

I was a little worried about the application since this had quite a few big hearts in it but it was surprisingly easy to fish out the bigger glitter after I left the bottle upside down for a few minutes.  (2 coats w/ top coat)

 Salt n Peppa:  A combination of black and white glitter with a hint of iridescent glitter in the mix.

Salt n Peppa reminds me of a very popular black and white glitter that I discovered when I first started blogging (indie polish lovers know which one I'm talking about) so I was happy to find a close dupe offered in a mini size.  The polish was easy to apply and laid nicely on my nails.  In the pic above I have 1 coat over Sally Hansen Coral Reef (left) and Wet n Wild On a Trip (right).

Summer Lovin:  A fun neon pink polish filled with pink, blue, white, and yellow glitters.

This polish is so fun!  The glitter was easy to apply and distribute on the nail.  The photo above doesn't show it's true neon-ness (is that even a word)?!  I think Summer Lovin is a perfect polish for summer.  I applied 1 coat over Sinful Colors Easy Colors Easy Going but I would recommend applying this over a white to get the full neon color on your nails.

I love indie polishes and Lush Lacquer has a bunch of polishes that I definitely want to add to my collection.  

What's your favorite Lush Lacquer polish?  I'm dying to get my hands on their neon glitters!  What indie polish brands do you like?

 

Thanks for reading!

Crystal ❤

Nail Tutoiral: Pastel Watercolor with Black Roses

Lately I've been itching to do some nail art so I decided to do a design inspired by a shirt I saw on Forever21.com!

 The Inspiration

Source: Forever21.com

The Result

I've already posted a video tutorial, which you can see HERE, but I wanted to do a picture tutorial for those of you that might prefer it.

Click "Read More" to see how I did this design!

My Top 13 Polishes for Spring 2013!

Hey guys so yesterday I shared some of my favorite Spring nail trends for this season (you can click HERE to see that post).  Tonight I want to share my favorite nail polishes for Spring 2013!

My top polishes for Spring 2013!

Click "Read More" to see swatches!

Spring Nail Trends! (2013)

Hey guys!  Spring has sprung and the sun is finally coming out!  Spring is probably my favorite time of the year because of all of the fun nail trends and collections that start to pop up during this season.  Today I wanted to share some of my favorite nail trends for Spring 2013!

 Click HERE to watch my Spring 2013 trends + polish picks video!

Pastel Shimmers
Pastels are always on trend during the Spring, but I have noticed that a lot of nail companies have come out with pastel colors with subtle shimmer or some sort of iridescence in them!  Here are some of my favorite collections that include some pastels with a "kick":

 China Glaze Avant Garden Collection

Image Source: Facebook

 OPI Euro Centrale Collection

Image Source: Facebook

Julep Playful Collection

Image Source: Facebook

More Spring collections with pastel shimmers:

Sinful Colors Sugar Rush collection

L'Oreal Versailles Romance Collection

Cobalt Blue
I LOVE BLUE!!!  I don't now why I'm just discovering cobalt blues, but let me tell you they are awesome!  If you love vibrant colors, especially blues, you definitely need grab a few ( yes more than one) cobalt blue polishes.  Here are some beautiful cobalt blue polishes:

L to R: Essie Butler Please, OPI Eurso Euro, Sally Hansen Pacific Blue

Image Source: Essie, OPI, Sally Hansen

More Cobalt Blues polishes:

Sinful Colors Endless Blue

Nails Inc Baker Street

Nina Ultra Pro Cobalt

Indie-esque Glitters
I've been a fan of indie polishes ever since I was introduced to them when I started blogging.  Indie polishes can vary as far as type and finish, but majority of indie polish makers make awesome glitter bombs! I know some people aren't too comfortable buying polishes from indie makers, but there's a solution!  Nowadays I've noticed a lot of mainstream nail polish companies coming out with some awesome glitter bombs!  Here are a few of my favorites:

 China Glaze Glitz Bitz 'N Pieces collection

Image Source: Facebook

Hard Candy Glitters

Image Source: Facebook

Other companies/collections with fun glitter polishes:

China Glaze Cirque Du Soleil collection

Orly (Hope & Freedom Fest and Flash Glam FX)

OPI Oz the Great and Powerful

Milani (Jewel FX and One Coat Glitter)

Textured Polishes
Textured polishes is the newest trend of the year and is kind of a love/hate thing amongst polish enthusiast.  They dry to a matte finish and leave a bumpy texture, almost like sandpaper, on your nails.  Personally I think textured polishes are okay; they look really pretty but I think I would just rub my fingers until all of the polish rubs off.  Here are some examples of textured polishes:

Zoya Pixie Dust Spring/Summer collections and Milani Textured Creams

Image Source: Milani (Facebook), Zoya (Zoya.com)

Others companies with textured polishes:

Julie G Frosted Gumdrops collection

Orly Megapixel FX collection

OPI Liquid Sands (Mariah Carey, Wizard of Oz, and Bond Girls)

China Glaze Texture collection

Nail Art Stickers/ Strips
Nail art strips and stickers are another thing that is gaining more popularity these days.  Sally Hansen was the first mainstream brand to come out with them (don't quote me on that) and many other companies have as well.  They're a quick and easy way to do your nails with no dry time and they come in a ton of different designs!  I'm not a big fan of them but I am curious about the Essie Sleek Sticks.

 Essie Sleek Sticks

Image Source: Essie.com

More companies that make Nail Art strips/stickers:

L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Nail Lingerie 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

Maybelline Color Show Fashion Print Nail Stickers

Holographic Polishes
Holographic polishes have been around for a while but have recently become a "trend" again!  Holos are so much fun to look at and when you get them in the sun your eyes might explode (not literally) from all of the holo beautifulness (<--- is that even a word? Lol)  Here are some holographic collections that I'm loving:

 China Glaze Hologlam collection

Image Source: Facebook

Color Club Halo Hues

Image Source: Facebook

Some more holo goodness:

Ozotic

Glitter Gal

FUNG

Layla Hologram polishes

So there you have it!  I'm so excited to see all of the bright colors and fun nail art for this season.  If you guys ever want to share your nail art (or just the polish on your nails) you can post a picture on my Facebook page. 

What's your favorite nail trend this Spring? 

Thanks for reading; follow and share if you like!

Crystal ❤

** Tomorrow I'll be posting my top 13 polishes for Spring 2013!**

❤ Valentines Day Nails ❤

❤ ❤ ❤HAPPY VALENTINES DAY ❤ ❤ ❤

I hope you guys have had a great day so far with your loved ones...or with some chocolate and cake like me! Lol

Tonight I'm going to show y'all my Valentines Day mani!

My Valentines Day nails!!!  This year I wanted to do something a little different from the tradition red and white.  I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do, but my idea didn't really translate on my nails so I added a few things to my design.

Click "Read More"  to see more pics and a tutorial!