Swatch This! Nails Inc Franklins Row


It's time for another random swatch from my collection! I generally choose a number randomly and then check my spreadsheet for the corresponding hue, but since my blog sale I haven't updated my spreadsheet so it's not super reliable! Today I just opened a random drawer and grabbed. Here's what I ended up with!  This is Nail Inc Franklins Row.  She was a gift from my husband and while I've worn her once or twice it's been a LONG while.  It's a shame because this one is a stunner. A purple and blue duochrome with shimmery flecks.  I checked my collection as well as online and haven't spotted any dupes so she's definitely a keeper!!  Here she is in the shade...



Such a gorgeous shade!! Do you have Nails Inc Franklins Row? Do you know of any dupes?

Quatrefoiled...


Today I decided to try out this quatrefoil design I've been eyeing for ages. It really isn't as difficult or as time consuming as I originally thought it would be, but that's not to say it doesn't requite some skill and patience! What you need to create the basic look is a double ended dotting tool and a small nail art brush.  If you don't have a double ended dotting tool, or two slightly different sized ones, you can use one and just use a lighter touch for the center dots, but it's a bit trickier.  I started out with the design shiny, as you can see below, and then I matted the whole thing.  I preferred it matter but I think with different colors a shiny look could be really nice.  I also do think the shiny top coat is necessary as a primer even if you do go matte. You need to use the top coat late enough that the design doesn't drag but early enough that it flattens everything out nicely.  Matte's just don't really work well for that purpose.  They also don't dry very quickly which is bad news if you're not patient enough to sit and wait for it to dry!!



I used a tutuorial by Christabell Nails on YouTube to create the design.  It needs a bit of work!  But overall I really liked the results! I used Zoya Purity and Orly Sapphire Silk for the colors. In her tutorial, Christabell Nails uses black and white and also gold and black.  You can also create an accent nail by reversing the colors on one!  I hope you enjoy the look! Have you ever tried quatrefoil nails?

Whimsical Ideas by Pam Suess


In honor of the World Cup we had a little competition at work this week.  I was pretty disappointed to be on Team USA.  Not because I'm unpatriotic but just because we were all bringing food and making flags and it just felt a little lame to be stuck with my own country instead of having fun with other ones.  In any event on the last day we had a competition and I decided to be festive by wearing some red, white and blue polish.  What better a polish than this one, Suess!  I've worn this one before but it's been a really long time and it's never seen my blog so I wanted to share it with you all today! It's SUPER easy to apply and so pretty and squishy and sparkly on my nails.  It didn't help my team at all, we lost in round one since 99% of our team had not even arrived for the day yet (super fair, huh?) but it was a nice pick me up! ;)  Do you have Suess? What's your most patriotic polish?

China Glaze It's In The Stars



While I was casually browsing at my local beauty supply store the other day, I came across the China Glaze It's In the Stars polish set.  The set comes with four polishes and a handful of little octagon shaped sponges.  It was on clearance for $7 and frankly, even on clearance it's hard to snag four polishes for that price so I went ahead and picked it up.  The colors included are Liquid Vinyl, Reggae To Riches, Fairy Dust, and Sexy in the City.  I recently sold my Fairy Dust and didn't have the other colors so I figured at worst it was four nice colors.  Then I decided I may as well try out the kit.  The premise is simple; polish your nails with the black creme, then use the sponges to add the colors and finish with the glitter.  The end result is pretty spectacular.  It really does look like a galaxy!  Albeit, it's not as intricate as some of the other galaxy manicures on the web BUT it's great for those of you who may not have as much time OR who haven't yet mastered the other technique.  One thing I do wish is that it had a reddish polish as well. I think I'll scrounge up one from my collection and add it next time.  Otherwise though, I'm really impressed.


You can still snag this kit for 7.50 at Ulta or Ulta.com! :)

Flashback Friday: Guilded Butterfly



While perusing my phone apps the other day I came across an old gem in Time Hop.  For those of you unaware, Time Hop is an app which shows you what you had on various social media sites in intervals of one to five years previous.  Apparently on 6/18/11 I had posted some nail art to my Facebook page.  The art in question was this...


Yikes.  This was after I first got my stamping kit and back in the time of, "If it can't be stamped it can't be done".  I was so excited to have easy access to more intricate designs.  Though, stamping itself is a real art and I ended up going back to more flat art and less stamping before long.  At any rate this photo itself serves as a reminder that everyone starts somewhere and if you keep at it, you'll improve!!  I used Zoya Caitlin and Orly Luxe for this look.  I have since offloaded Caitlin AND the stamp and I also decided to go with a silver rather than gold stamping this time.  I used OPI Planks A lot in place of Caitlin. I don't know what's up with the internet but it decided to amp up the color on the photo (only when it's uploaded for some reason!)  It's much dustier but less blue than Caitlin.



Which version do you prefer?  Visit the original post here.

Zoya Magical Pixies


Today I have the Zoya Magical Pixie summer collection to show you!  I have to be honest and say I was disappointed in these.  I loved the last set  but these seemed a lot chunkier to me.  Also, while I love nude and neutral colors as a rule, it just seemed really odd to me.  Above you see Bar, a nude magical pixie.  Something about the way the silver chunks stand out just didn't work for me.  It's very sparkly though and the application is easy.



Next up is Ario.  Ario is a magenta pink magical pixie.  Again these have a real jelly like color though and the silver chunks just looked SO strange to me.  The first batch was silvery and glittery and well...magical.  Something about this batch seems off. I did like the color I just would have preferred if the bases were more metallic I suppose.  Still, application was easy on Ario as well and it was VERY sparkly. 



Last but not least is Ginni, a lighter pink tone.  I think she was my favorite of the bunch although she's still a bit sheer and very chunky.  I felt like the silver was more complimentary with the lighter toned pink.  It also seemed the most complimentary to my skin tone.  All in all, these have great application, dry time, and wear very well. The removal is what you'd expect from a glitter.  The colors just weren't my cup of tea!  Which was your favorite?

Zoya Stassi


Today I'm wrapping up the Zoya Bubbly collection for you!  In the future, I hope to swatch collections all in one post but for now doing them individually works best for me.  In any event, here is Stassi, a gorgeous grassy green.  Stassi was on the sheer side; this is two coats and you can still clearly see my nail underneath.  I really love the jelly quality of these though.  Other than two, they can really be layered up for fun combinations. That means that instead of having just 6 polishes, you end up with endless combinations.  They also layer really well over cremes.  Stassi ended up being one of my favorites of the Bubbly collection.  I think it's a great color for summer and spring!  Which Bubbly color is your favorite?

Zoya Muse



I know I've gotten a little behind on things! I recently took a little vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and I'm STILL trying to get caught back up on things!  I'll be finishing up the Zoya Bubbly collection this week and then later in the week the Magical Pixie collection will be up as well.  Today I have Muse for you.  Muse is a bright blue with bits of iridescent glitter.  I found it to be more opaque than some of the others, though it still has a jelly quality to it.  This is two coats and while there is coverage, you can also still see the nail a little.  All of these have an almost metallic, foily quality about them so when you shift your nails you see less of the nail.  This one also dried to a nice, shiny finish. Definitely one of my favorites of the collection!

Dripping in gold...



It's the final day of the Digital Dozen's metal challenge week!  Today I went sort of abstract.  I wanted the idea of molten gold dripping over hot coals.  However, I didn't want it to be super literal SO....I came up with this.  My drips look a little *ahem* suggestive...BUT overall I liked the way they turned out!  Thanks for following along with us this week! Don't forget you can recreate your favorite Digital Dozen mani from this week and Tweet us or tag us on Instagram@TheDigitalDozen using hashtag #DDInspired for a chance to be featured on our Facebook or Instagram! Check out the other girls work below!

Distresed chrome...



It's day four of Metal Week with The Digital Dozen. For today's look I wanted to do something a little more grungy.  I played around a little bit before I landed on this distressed chrome look.  I was kind of going for that thing that happens just before the chrome on a car starts to rust out. It just gets that blackened look and then you know nothing good is coming.  I thought about doing some rusted fading around the holes but I kind of liked it as is! I hope you're enjoying metal week! Don't forget to check out the other ladies looks below!!

Copper Top...



It's day three of the Metal challenge with The Digital Dozen! Today I did some copper nails. I wanted the idea of sort of oxidized copper but without it being so literal.  I used my crackle polish for this and I think the effect was really nice. The crackle was a bit thin so I went over it after it had dried with a second layer. It still crackles though mostly in the same spots so it just makes it a little more opaque. Don't forget to check out what the other ladies came up with below!!


Midi-evil...

avery



It's day two of the Digital Dozen metal challenge! Today I have some sort of simple nails for you! I wanted this to stort of read as gold midi rings. I used a neutral base color and then painted on some dainty little gold rings!  I felt it came out really well in person although the picture isn't doing it a lot of favors!  I'm also experimenting with a new nude tone here. This one is Zoya Avery.  I normally use Butter London Tea with the Queen as my nude base but I think I rather like this one too.  It's a little more yellow than my skin tone but it works! Don't forget to check out the other girls art for day two of Metal Week!!

The Digital Dozen Does...Metal!

chrome


It's time for another Digital Dozen challenge! This week we're doing metal!  You can definitely take that a lot of different ways but I went fairly straightforward today.  I wanted this to sort of emulate flatware but without being super obvious and I'm quite happy with the way they turned out.  I'm still figuring out my new camera but I hope that soon I'll have it down and be able to capture the stunning finish of this OPI chrome finish. It's incredibly shiny and reflects light and color in a super cool way.  It's definitely a must have polish in my book! I hope you enjoy these simple nails today! Be sure to check out the other girls designs below!!

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images