Spring Transition Nails

Why is it still winter?

Whose idea was this?

I'm ready for spring, but I didn't want my nails to be aggressively spring.  So I created a more edgy/hip spring look.  It's a little bit rough and unrefined, but the weather right now doesn't call for the softer spring looks yet.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb & Pinky - Tribeca Silver by NYC with silver glitter from Shades of the Season
• Pointer & Middle - Bunny by Julep; then I sponged on 24/7 by Sinful Colors, Mellow Yellow & Lacey Lilac by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Aquatic by L.A. Colors, & Too Yacht to Handle by China Glaze; then I added a coat of Hidden Treasure by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure; I finished with Jewel Sticker by MODI x UNISTELLA
• Ring - Erin by Julep
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

If you look closely, I'm missing a pearl from the nail art sticker on my middle finger.  Oops.  It still looks cute even if the pearl is missing though.

Every day I wish for warmer weather, so my nail art is probably going to reflect my wish.  Spring can't come soon enough!

That's all for now.  Stay safe and stay warm y'all.

Blue French Tip

Hello all!  I know I haven't posted in a while, but I actually did paint my nails at least once before this post but I didn't have the time to blog about it because it was Thanksgiving and I was busy eating/shopping/being lazy...ah yes, the American dream.

Anyways, here are my nails for now :)

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Base Color - mademoiselle by essie
• Tip Colors - Jeanne by Julep & Tribeca Silver by NYC; blue part was freehanded, and silver part was painted on using a nail art striper brush
• Stamp - BM-020 stamp plate by Bundle Monster used with special white polish by Konad
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

French manicures are actually easier for me to paint on other than on myself.  When I paint my own nails, I often get caught up in the design and forget to take that step back so as to make sure my nails are even.  But when I paint on others I can easily step back and assess my progress.

I got to test out my new UberChic mat for nail art and large sticky stampers for this design.  The mat is amazing (so innovative yet so simple!) and the sticky stamper is too much fun.  I maybe spent a good 5 minutes just touching the stamping head and marveling at how sticky it was.  It's like touching jello.

I got home an hour early today so now I'm really confused as to what to do with my extra hour of free time...I honestly might just spend it playing Splatoon.

Well that's all I have to say for today.  Please stay safe, and I'll be back in about a week, plus or minus a few days.

Yeah :D

Tricolor Braid

Hello all!  I hope you are all doing well :)

It's not the catchiest title, but it captures the essence of what I painted on my nails.

I got my flu shot today, so my left arm is going to be sore tomorrow ;_; however, my left arm is the arm I use the least in my lab work so I think I'll be good to go tomorrow.

But also the meteorologist predicts blizzard-like conditions so it's possible that I get a snow day tomorrow.  A snow day!  I haven't had one of those in like 8 years now.

Regardless of my sore arm and the cold weather, here are my nails:

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb & Pinky - Julep by Julep
• Pointer & Middle - My Vampire is Buff by OPI as the base color; braid segments separated out using striping tape and filled in using a striping brush and Hocus Pocus by Formula X, Lainey by Julep, Mia by Julep
• Ring - Ellis by Julep
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

The color on my ring finger is my first holographic polish!  I'm finally joining the craze - slowly but surely.  Julep calls it a "liquid holographic" polish.  I'm not sure if liquid is really the right word for this color, but it is very addicting to look at in real life.  If I didn't have to wear gloves at work I'm pretty sure I would be focusing all my time and attention on this one polish, rather than on the blood samples that need to be tested for antibodies linked to diabetes...

I actually painted my nails over the course of 2 days.  The first day, I just put down all the base color on my nails and after my nails dried, I went to bed.  Then the second day, I finished the design with the braid pattern.  I would have done this all in one day but for some reason I thought that splitting the design creation would be easier.  I was right.

Look at those crisp, clean lines.

With this colder weather, I wonder how my cuticles and skin will change.  I haven't steadily lived in Colorado for over 4 years now, so I have no idea how my skin is going to deal with the transition from fall to dead winter.  Goodness.

I hope you are all warmer than I am.  That's all I have to say for now, and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Talk to you soon :)

Ice & Snow

Hello all!  As I write this, I am being informed that there is quite a scary winter storm approaching.  By "scary", I really mean "blizzard-like conditions" and I'm actually honestly not sure whether going to work is gonna be worth it.

So my nails reflect the ice and snow that will soon be all over this freaking place.  Give me my fuzzy socks, my warm gloves, and hot chocolate pronto.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb, Ring, & Pinky - What a Broad by Sephora by OPI; ice imitated via silver foil purchased from rue21
• Ponter & Middle - Endless Blue by Sinful Colors; stamped with iced silver by b.m.c. using SH202 plate by Shany Cosmetics
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

What happened was as I was taking more pictures, my camera decided to run out of battery :o then I charged my camera, and I was charging said camera, my nails got scratched and chipped.

But still, even having 2 good pictures beats having no pictures to show.

It's cold enough to start wearing socks to sleep o.o hopefully the cold doesn't get to the best of me.

That's all for me for today.  I hope you all stay warm wherever you are!! :)

Pusheen the Cat Nails

Hello all!  Today I have Pusheen nails to show you :)

Pusheen the Cat is the cute, cartoon cat whose adventures and other silliness have been captured by Claire Belton.  Please visit http://www.pusheen.com/ on a daily basis as a way to bring a smile to your face daily! :)

But actually the reason why I painted Pusheen the Cat on my nails is because a friend of mine had requested them, and I was like "yeah why not".  This conversation happened back in the earlier parts of summer.  It's now November.  But let it be said that I am a keeper of my word, no matter how long it takes for my words and promises to be kept.

If you don't love Pusheen the Cat, you're wrong.  Fact.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Thumb & Pinky - Erin by Julep; stamped with Special White Polish by Konad & iced silver by Bundle Monster using the stamping plate BM-019 BY Bundle Monster
• Pointer - Frankly, I Don't Give A-dam by Sephora by OPI; Pusheen the Cat face details done with a thin striping brush and Janae by Julep
• Middle & Ring - Mint Sorbet by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear; nail decals made using Double Duty Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen, Penelope & Janae by Julep, & I Gotta Blush on You & Frankly, I Don't Give A-dam by Sephora by OPI; nail decals stuck on using Out the Door by inm
• Top Coat - Out the Door by inm

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

I confess that I did quite a bit of photo editing for these pictures.  The reason is because I messed up and trapped a lot of air bubbles underneath the nail decals :( so I decided to smooth over those air bubbles the best I could while editing.

And somehow that triggered minor strains of trypophobia in me.  I'm normally not reactive to trypophobia but seeing holes in my nail polish made me feel a little bit uneasy.  Anyways, for those of you with that condition, I saved y'all from an attack.  And please don't Google image search trypophobia because good Lord you will not sleep well tonight.

I've also started using liquid latex barriers around my nails every time I paint them.  It really helps with the clean up (yay reduced clean up).  On the one hand, the nail art community can very easily go back to our old clean up routines, but on the other hand, acetone is a harsh cleaning agent so do we really want to expose our biological systems to that?  No.

I've read the MSD form for acetone too many times now.

That's all from me for now.  I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I'll be posting again soon!  But until then, stay safe, eat good food, play video games, etc.

You do you.

Arches

So I've been away for a really long time, and now that I have a full-time job, my free time is really limited.  I'm basically gone for 12 hours a day on Mondays - Fridays (yay long commutes), and when I get home, I'm very exhausted.  However, I do have other interests outside of nail art, so I must be very intentional with how I spend my free time.

Sometimes I play video games.  Sometimes I color.  Recently though, my priority has been shifted to making birthday cards for friends.  And when I have the time and the inspiration, I paint my nails.

Sorry in advance if this blog is not as active as you would have hoped.

Here is my most recent manicure:

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Bonder by ORLY
• Base Colors - In the Lime Light by China Glaze, Shrimply Devine by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, aruba blue by essie, & Tribeca Silver by NYC
• Top Coats - Out the Door by inm & Matte Me Crazy by NYC
• Tools used - striping tape

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

I've been watching a lot of nail artists work their magic on instagram.  The general trend for multi-layer designs is to seal the bottom layers with a fast drying top coat first, and then continue onto the rest of the design.  It's such a simple yet genius concept!  I wish I really had considered that sooner.  It would have made my other nail art less time-consuming, or even allowed me more time to make more intricate designs!

The world of nail art is fast evolving, and I'm really enjoying seeing all these different designs and techniques surface :)

I am currently thinking up new designs, so hopefully I get around to painting my nails again soon!  Additionally, I have a shipment of polish coming from Julep and another one from Sephora which should arrive soon...very excited for nail mail :D

That's all for now.  Have a wonderful day, my friends! :)

Silver Shards on a Subtle Gradient

Hello!  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that recently I made the life-changing decision to change from my usual oval nail shape to my current square nail shape.  I'll be keeping my square nails for at least a year to see what it's like throughout the year.  Maybe even longer.

If you don't follow me on Instagram...why not?  You should :)

But without further ado, here is my first nail art design on my square nails!

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Double Duty Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen
• Thumb, Pointer, & Pinky - Laree by Julep
• Middle & Ring - Char by Julep, Alexis by Julep, & Glenda by Julep; gradient made using a make-up sponge
• Top Coat - Double Duty Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen

Approximate Completion Time: 2 hours

Even I can't see the gradient that well in real life, unless if I'm intentionally looking for it.  Also, this is the first time I've used crackle/shatter nail polish.  I remember when they were first introduced and people went CRAZY over them (back in 2011??) and now here I am, 4 years later, finally jumping on the hype train.  But the hype train has already up and left.  There's only one person on the train and that's me.

Remember how I said that I still had older posts to upload?  Well if you happen to see me flaunting oval nails in any future posts (during the next year), just know that those are from my stash of old posts that I need to upload.  I am not switching from oval to square to oval to square.  I'm just late to this function.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I hope you all have a wonderful day! :D

Birthday Nails

So my birthday was a few days ago, and I treated myself by painting both of my hands! :) It's the little things that get me through life.

I turned 22.  I'm not sure what birthday to look forward to after turning 21.  Maybe immediate death?  Not sure.

Anyways, here are what my nails look like:

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Thumb, Ring, & Pinky - Shrimply Devine by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, neon blue square studs from BornPrettyStore
• Pointer & Middle - Char by Julep, stamped with iced silver by b.m.c using BM-023
• Top Coat - Top Coat by Out the Door

These nails are coming off soon since I'm going to Disneyland soon, so my nails shall have to match the occasion! :)

Valentine's Day Nails

Hmm yes I am quite excellent at posting things late.

As I had mentioned before, I didn't want to do the reds and pinks for Valentine's Day this year.  I instead went for a completely different color palette (which paired perfectly with my outfit, so don't worry):

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Thumb - Alexis by Julep, Björk by Julep, white half pearl from Claire's
• Pointer & Ring - Tribeca Silver by NYC
• Middle - Endless Blue by Sinful Colors, What a Broad by Sephora by OPI, stamped with iced silver by b.m.c. & BM-023 by Bundle Monster
• Pinky - aruba blue by essie, Björk by Julep, white half pearl from Claire's
• Top Coat - Top Coat by Out the Door

Approximate Completion Time: 1.5 hours

So take that, reds and pinks.  Gotta step aside for something cool and hip.

And that's all I have to say for now, really.  Stay safe because we'll meet again soon! :)

Butterflies

I had an eventful weekend, and I met a very important person, so I decided to keep my nails simple and I painted both of my hands for once.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Base Colors - Penelope by Julep & Tribeca Silver by NYC
• Top Coat - Top Coat by Out the Door
• Stickers - XF409 from BornPrettyStore

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

Simple...and clean.

These stickers are bomb-diggity.  Easiest way to spice up your mani WITHOUT requiring too much skill.  I mean, I don't think I could have even painted these butterflies onto my nails.  Also this is a friendly reminder that I have a code that gets you 10% off from BornPrettyStore :)

Anyways, good luck with exams and essays and homework!  You can do it, friends!

A Study in Blue

Hello all!  I hope you are all feeling great :)

I'm enjoying these nails, but only for so long.  My art is temporary.

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Base Colors - Bess by Julep, Endless Blue by Sinful Colors, Char by Julep
• Stripe Color - Tribeca Silver by NYC
• Top Coat - Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen
• Stars - white stars from Claire's
• Tools Used - striping brush, striping tape

Approximate Completion Time: 1 hour

I've been thinking about this design for the longest time, so I'm very satisfied with my end result!

That's it from me for now.  I'll talk to you guys soon, but until then, I hope you live a satisfying life and make good choices :)

Bling Bling by the Beach

I went to a beach bonfire type of party the other day, so I had to dress up my nails appropriately :)

For this manicure:

• Base Coat - Base Coat by Finger Paints
• Base Colors - Black Out by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, My Vampire is Buff by OPI, Tribeca Silver by NYC, silver glitter by Shades of the Season
• Gradient Colors - Cloud 9 by Sinful Colors, Pink Punk by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Myrtle by Julep, Dream On by Sinful Colors, Endless Blue by Sinful Colors
• Top Coat - Double Duty Strengthening Base & Top Coat by Sally Hansen
• Studs - white half pearls from Claire's

Approximate Completion Time:  1.5 hours

Studs are fun.  Studying can also be fun.  Dating a stud is great.  Wearing stud earrings is cute.  Okay I'm done - go back to your books, kids.  And I will see you soon :) 

Geometric Negative

Hello again, friends!  I hope you all had a lovely week :) I have one more week of classes left in this semester, which is great!  But it also means finals are soon going to gnash me in between their teeth.  It's a shame I'm indigestible.  I can't be devoured by the trials of the world.

I decided to try something new this time, so I present to you the following:

Negative space on my nails! :O Yeah, I'm stepping out in new waters right now.  These nails were also loosely inspired by one of my friend's hair.  Her hair is dark black with blue streaks, and if you catch it in the perfect light, it's crazy beautiful :) I wish I had hair streaks, but seeing as how I have problems with my hair falling out...maybe it's not worth it.

Read more about these nails after the jump!

Dangling Flowers

Hello all!  I hope you are all doing well :)

My school semester is slowly coming to an end...which is great, because after that I get to go home and see my family and come back to do research, but also not great because it also means finals are coming up and I'm not ready for that commitment.  That said, my motivation to do things is also lacking.  That can't be good.

Anyways, here are my nails:

They're very loosely inspired by some flowers I found outside of the chemistry building at my school.  The building has terrible memories of organic chemistry, but at least the flowers look nice.  This is what they look like:

Read more about this manicure after the jump! :)

Inspired by the Libraries

Hello all!  As some of you may or may not know (probably may not...since I didn't talk about this much), I recently entered a competition that was put on by the libraries at my school.  For the competition, participants had to submit an original piece of art that was inspired by the libraries at my school.  The pieces are then judged (by a board of judges, I presume), and the winner will receive $300.

So being the person that I am, of course I did nail art inspired by the libraries:

I think I have gone off the deep end of nail art...but read more about the nail art after the jump!

Sochi Olympics 2014

Hello everyone!  Happy last day of Olympics!  Some people won.  Some people didn't win.  Life goes on as usual.

Today's nail art is inspired by the costumes worn by the women figure skaters - specifically, from the short program.  Here is a shot of my nails:

I'm not gonna lie - these nails were so fun to paint!  It's one of those rare times that I get to be creative.  Also, because each nail is different, this post is going to a tad bit longer than usual, so please bear with me!

More on the nails after the jump :)

Contrast Boldly

Hello friends!  I hope you guys are all doing wonderful :) meanwhile, school is going...it's going.  BUT I'M WORKING IN A RESEARCH LAB NOW SO THAT'S EXCITING BECAUSE SCIENCE CAN I GET AN "AMEN"?

But for now, here is a shot of my nails!

Yeah colors that are not the same!  Oh, and let's not forget that little flower that's resting on my ring finger!  I shall tell you more about this manicure after the jump :)

Silver Dots on Matted Plum

Hello friends, new and old!  Welcome to my first post of ever.  Additionally, welcome to this new year :) if you haven't made any New Year's resolutions, now would be the time to do so!

I have made three resolutions this year:
1. To run this blog and incorporate it into my life
2. To write more with my left hand (so that I become ambidextrous)
3. To make a fruit smoothie a day!

And hopefully I can keep all three resolutions.  I used to be the type to make like 10 resolutions a year and keep none of them, so I'm only making 3 resolutions this year in the hopes that I keep all of them!  Anyways, onto the nails that I have painted:

My nails are simple, just like my resolutions :) I will tell you more about them after the jump!