#WNAC2015 - August / Summer: Classic Pink Floral Nails (+ Tutorial!)

Hello everyone!

I'm excited to share this post with you, for the first prompt of the August #WNAC2015 (Weekly Nail Art Challenge).  And yes, I finally have a new tutorial, which you can view at the end of the post! :)

Gradient Baroque Nails + Tutorial!

Hello everyone!

I’m sorry I have been super slow at blogging lately.  I need to get a schedule going to get back into it!

Anyways, I have been creating these baroque-style nails a lot recently (as you may have seen in my previous post), and this time they were inspired by a gorgeous makeup look created by Paula Sbi on Instagram.  We did a collaboration recently, and I think it turned out amazing, which I will show you down below.

As soon as I saw the gorgeous eye makeup that Paula created, I was so inspired by the colors and metallic finish.  Pink’s and brown always seem to play nice together, and the shimmer is very elegant.  The colors I chose for my nails really remind me of Neapolitan ice cream as well, so I thought that was fun.  I think they are the perfect pairing! 

The photo below is an alternate version Paula created with a chocolate brown lip, using Lime Crime Salem as the base.  Love it!

All of the products I used are listed at the beginning of the video, and if you would like to see how I created this design, here it is:

I hope you all love the design, and let me know what you think of it in the comments below!  Also, if you have any requests I would love to hear them!

Thank you all for reading! :)

Kristin

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Pink Lace Nails for Breast Cancer Awareness + Tutorial!

Hello!

I posted this design on Instagram last week since October was Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I really wanted to create some special pink nails, and I am so happy with how they turned out.  I also decided to film while I was working, so I have created a little tutorial for this look too!  You can view the video below. :)

Essie Fiji, Dance Legend Ibiza, Orly Beach Cruiser, and Lime Crime Parfait Day.  Brush is from my Urban Outfitters set.  Not pictured: Cult Nails Tempest

I wanted them to be super feminine and delicate but quite striking at the same time, so I came up with the idea to create an interesting lace print over a subtle gradient.

My accent nail is Dance Legend #19 Ibiza, the most amazing neon pink textured polish.  I think it's the perfect compliment to the other nails.  I am just obsessed with everything Dance Legend right now!

Here is the tutorial:

I hope you enjoy it!


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 14: Fall Florals + Tutorial!

Ok, so I may have failed the #31DC2013, but I figured I would still post the last nails I created for the challenge (I know I'm like 10 days late, sorry!).  They were for Day 14: Flowers.

I was actually inspired to create these floral nails after I found a random print on google.  I really liked the color combination, especially for fall, so I tried to get it as close as possible.  I'm not exactly happy with them, but I spent so much time on them that it would've been silly not to post them. 

Polishes used: Deborah Lippman Human Nature, OPI Ate Berries In the Canaries, Ciate Kiss Chase, Essie Like to Be Bad, Essie Meet Me At Sunset, and Lime Crime Once In a Blue Mousse.

Update: I finally got a tutorial up on YouTube. Enjoy!

 

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 9: Rainbow Nails

Day 9 of the #31DC2013 was Rainbow Nails.

I just did some rainbow nails recently, so I wasn't too excited about creating another set.  I am pretty happy with how take two turned out though; I might even like them better than the first ones!

I started with two coats of Lime Crime Milky Ways, then I freehanded some curved lines for each color of the rainbow, leaving some of the base peeking through.  The accent nail is one coat of Enchanted Polish TenderHeart, and I placed one of the heart glitters in the middle of my nail.  Then, I added some loose red hexes surrounding the heart, and a few more randomly around my nail.

OPI Conquistadorable Color, Essie Action, Square Hue Bikini Beach, Barry M Key Lime Gelly, Bourjois Bleu Fabuleux, Orly Beach Cruiser, Lime Crime Milky Ways, and Enchanted Polish TenderHeart

My little one (Chloe) wanted in on the rainbow love as well, so here is her first feature on my blog! :)

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 3: Yellow Nails

I rarely wear yellow on my nails, but I knew exactly the yellow I was going to use for Day 3 of the 31 Day Challenge (#31DC2013); Lime Crime's Crema de Limon.

Crema de Limon is a very pretty soft yellow, and while I'm not sure if the formula is streaky on it's own, I decided to use it as a gradient with Essie Blanc to skip any application issues.  I topped the gradient with China Glaze Golden Enchantment (my bottle is very sad looking!), and a few pyramid studs from Born Pretty Store.

On my accent nail, I have one coat of Elevation Polish Mount Feathertop, then I placed some striping tape vertically on my nail, and applied the same gradient as the other nails to create a "negative space" design.  I added a small round stud near the cuticle, and topped it with Golden Enchantment as well.

By the way, if you are ordering anything from Born Pretty Store, you can use the code KSG10 to get 10% off your order, with free shipping worldwide!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

31 Day Challenge - Day 2: Orange Nails + Ikat Tutorial

Day 2 of the 31 Day Challenge is Orange Nails!

Recently, I got a few of the Barry M Gelly polishes, and I've been dying to try Mango, so it's perfect for today's orange theme.  It's a really nice medium orange polish, opaque in two coats, and seriously, these Barry M Gelly polishes have the most amazing glossy finish to them; there is absolutely no need to add top coat.  Of course, I had to add some nail art, so I tried my first Ikat print.

Barry M Mango Gelly, CND Blackjack, Lime Crime Once In a Blue Mousse, and Essie Blanc

I took photos of my progress, so I decided I would make them into a photo tutorial as well!

If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them, and feel free to tag me on Instagram or send me a photo of your recreation; I would love to see them!

Enjoy!

1. Gather your supplies and prep your nails.  I used Barry M Mango Gelly, CND Blackjack, Essie Blanc, Lime Crime Once In a Blue Mousse, Elevation Polish Dzhangi-Tau, and a nail art striper brush (from my Urban Outfitters set).

2. Apply your base color.  I used two coats of orange.

3. Starting with white, map out your shapes where you want them using quick individual strokes of polish.  I made the lines of polish into a diamond shape on my middle & thumb nails, and triangles at the tips of my index and pinky.  I also did a sort of chevron line on my ring finger.  They don't have to be perfect, Ikat almost looks better the more irregular it is.

4. Following in the same shapes you just created in the previous step, apply a contrasting color (in my case a pale blue) inside, leaving just an outline of the white.

5. Once again, following the shape, apply black polish inside, leaving an outline of the previous color.  I also added some glitter over the chevron on my ring finger.  

6. Apply black polish outside of the shapes this time, trying not to cover up too much of the white. 

7. Using the same technique as before, I added a few more Ikat shapes to fill in the blank areas and complete the pattern.

8. Finish with top coat.  Have fun! :)

I will be back again tomorrow for Day 3!

Thank you for reading!

Kristin

Lime Crime Lavendairy Fan Brush Nail Art + Tutorial!

I had a few requests on Instagram for a tutorial on my recent fan brush nails (view the coral version here).

This time, I decided to change up the colors and go with purple for a more subtle look.  I love the combination of lavender and silver together.  This technique is super easy, and will work with any color combination though!

CND Silver Chrome, Lime Crime Lavendairy, and Nfu Oh #61

A closer look at my fan brush.  Obsessed!

And finally, here is the video!

I hope you enjoy it!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comments.

Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

Summer Brights Acetone Marbled Nail Art

This is one of those cases (which actually happens to me a lot) where this design was supposed to be something completely different.  I still really like the outcome, and I will give you a little description of how I created this design down below.

What I used:

China Glaze Make a Spectacle, China Glaze Pool Party, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Orly Skinny Dip, Lime Crime Lavendairy and Pastelchio, Dior top coat, a cosmetic sponge, (and Beauty Secrets Pure Acetone & a nail art brush, not pictured)

I used a base of My Boyfriend Scales Walls and added top coat (this is a must when using acetone!).  Then, I made random brush strokes and dabs of polish with each color, very messily covering the majority of the white base.  While the polish was still wet, I dipped a nail art brush in some acetone and swirled or "marbled" the colors together.  I had to dip my brush in acetone and swirl the polishes a few times so they looked the way I wanted.  The accent nail is a simple gradient of Lavendairy, Skinny Dip, and Pastelchio, topped with Make a Spectacle.  I really love how the accent nail turned out!

I love having some super bright nails to look at, especially if I'm not in the greatest mood.  They just cheer me up instantly (I know, that probably sounds really silly!).

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post!  I have a lot of swatching to do since I have received an insane amount of nailmail recently, so you will probably be seeing a few swatch posts soon, plus hopefully some new YouTube videos!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

Harlow & Co Nailmail + Cirque Colors Bejeweled Swatches & Review

Today was a lovely day;  I hope you're enjoying yours where ever you're reading this from! :)

My first ever nailmail arrived from Harlow & Co today, and I'm so excited to finally have these polishes in my collection.  

Lime Crime's Les Desserts d'Antoinette Collection and Cirque Colors Bejeweled & Vesuvius

Lime Crime's Les Desserts d'Antoinette Collection

They are so adorable, aren't they?!  I will have swatches of the Lime Crime collection very soon.  I cannot wait to try them.

And now, I present to you the beauty that is Cirque Colors Bejeweled:

In direct sunlight

I am obsessed!  This vibrant royal blue holographic polish is so gorgeous.  I was stalking the tracking number and literally had my nails prepped because I knew once my package arrived I needed this on my nails immediately!  Luckily, the sun was out in full force today, which is always necessary for taking amazing photos of holographic polishes.  I still can't stop staring at my nails sitting here in artificial lighting though!  In the photos, I am wearing two coats without top coat.  The formula is perfection.

Here are a few more photos to drool over:

In the shade

Thank you for reading if you made it this far, and I hope you enjoyed the photos.  I have a lot of swatching to do (not even including the ones on the way!), but I will have the rest for you very soon! :)

Kristin