Neon Hearts

I really love the neon trend this season (and have always loved neons!) so when I saw this design I knew I had to try it. Mine is a bit more neon than the original.

 I used OPI Alpine Snow for the base, then China Glaze Celtic Sun on top. The pink is love & beauty Fuschia. I painted a little white heart with acrylic paint and then added chartreuse glitter. The colors are a lot brighter in person, almost glowing. This is one of my favorite looks so far!

And a mini haul:

MAC lipsticks in Quick Sizzle and Naughty Saute, Dior palette in Garden Pastels (441). 

Yay for spring colors!

Red/Black Mani with Black Rhinestones

I think this will be my last V Day mani for this year, but it might be my favorite so far!

I used OPI Rock-a-pulco Red! and American Apparel Hassid. Pretty easy to figure out: paint a red base, paint the black parts, add rhinestones, touch up the black parts if necessary, add top coat. I'm not sure the half hearts were such a good idea, it's kind of hard to tell what they are. I skipped them on my right hand:

Either way though, I think it's a very elegant look for Valentine's Day or any special occasion.

The red came out a bit more coral-like in the pictures, but it's darker IRL. I wish I weren't so bad at taking pictures, it's such a pretty color. It's a frost, but it's not very brushstroke-y and there's a lot of depth. The shimmer really adds to the elegance of the mani and overall it's one of the best reds I've ever used. Here's a slightly better representation of the color:


Single or not, hope you all have a great V Day!

Heart Glitter Mani

Yay, another heart/V-Day-themed mani! I did a very simple one this time, mostly because my nails are shorter.




Here are the colors I used:

L to R: Essie Pop Art Pink, Revlon Minted, HK for MAC Vestral White, Essie Lilacism

Here are the tools:

Just some heart-shaped glitter I bought on ebay. You can find this at some nail supply stores or craft stores, or you can try using confetti from a party supply store, or even nail polish with heart glitter in it already.

I used colors that reminded me of conversation hearts and basically just alternated them on my nails. You can use five different colors of course, but I think three or four looks a little less random. I used similarly colored heart glitter to put on top of the polish while it was still wet. I just moistened my fingertip to pick up the individual glitters and place them on the nail. You can use whatever tools you want to pick them up, of course.This is a cute and super easy mani to do, and it looks great on any length!

Eleven more days until Valentine's Day, hope you've made reservations!

Valentine's Mani with Hearts and Pearls

I am starting off my V-Day manis (hopefully one of at least a few) with something very girly and cute! Here's the inspiration:

I think this is from Nail Up, though I can't remember which issue. I like the balance between whimsical and pretty; the hand-painted hearts are fun and unpretentious but the pearls add a bit of elegance.

Here are the tools I used:

Just a small brush (to paint the hearts) and some plastic flat-back pearls. You can find both of these things for very cheap on ebay.

The colors:

L to R: Essie Petal Pink, Essie Neo Whimsical, Catrice Lucky in Lilac

I started off with two coats of Petal Pink (sheer pink) just to correct the color of my nails (there is some staining) and to blur out the lunula a bit (the little white half-moon part at the cuticle). For the thumb and middle finger you can just paint the very bottom and skip the pinkies altogether. The sheer nail polish base will also make it easier to stick on the pearls. I then added three coats of Neo Whimsical, painting only the tips of the index and ring fingers, not painting the bottom part of the middle fingers and thumbs, and completely covering the pinkies. Next, I painted the hearts with Lucky in Lilac, which was the hardest part. It might be easier to use acrylic paint for this step instead of a polish, I'll have to try it next time. Finally, I used topcoat to stick on the pearls and then covered it all with more top coat.

Here is the finished product:



In hindsight, I should have painted on the hearts after adding the pearls instead doing the hearts before. I also planned on having smaller hearts (more like the original inspiration), but they were much harder to paint than I anticipated. Still, I am very happy with the result!

Let's Go, Dodgers!

Tried to figure out a mani for the Dodgers game later today, and this is the best I could do:

Not the most creative, but I like the little hearts! There's a blue, heart-shaped rhinestone on my ring finger, although it's hard to see against the polish. I used Love & Beauty Blue (found at Forever 21), and it was a one-coater! I really like the color; in the bottle it looks like a brighter royal blue, but it's darker on the nail. It's pretty much a plain, flat blue, no green or purple undertones, no shimmer or glitter, perfect for a Dodgers game!