13 Days Of January, Day 6: Inspired By Pinterest! (Color Block Nail Art)

Good afternoon, readers! I have a second nail art look for you today. The prompt for Day 6 of the 13 Days of January Nail Art Challenge is Inspired by Pinterest. I love looking at nail art ideas on Pinterest and this is an idea I came across a few weeks ago and have been wanting to recreate ever since. Unfortunately, I have tried and cannot find the owner of this tutorial. If you know, please comment! This is a color block look and I love the color combo!

The Digit-al Dozen DOES Winter Wonderland, Day 4: Polar Bear

Good morning, readers! My friend Ashley Is PolishAddicted suggested that I do a polar bear once she saw my Rudolf Tutorial Tuesday post this week, so that's what I've done for Day 4 of Winter Wonderland Week with The Digit-al Dozen! I'm not sure why it never crossed my mind because polar bears are SO CUTE, but I'm really happy with how he turned out. It may end up being next week's Tutorial Tuesday design as well! My other nails have a texture gradient over white snowflakes that I created by using the KBShimmer's Winter Holiday Vinyl Nail Decal Sheet. 

Swatch Sunday: Sally Hansen Color Foils

Press Sample

Good morning! Sally Hansen has released a new line of metallic shades that dry to a chrome mirror effect called Color Foils. There are ten in total, and I have three to share with you. They are designed to be worn without base and top coat and dry very quickly!

Press Release: Sally Hansen Color Foil Collection!

Press Release

Sally Hansen is releasing a new collection of chrome-like polishes in 10 different colors! Below is the press release info:

GET A METALLIC DIPPED MANICURE WITH

THE NEW SALLY HANSEN® COLORFOIL™ NAIL MAKEUP COLLECTION

Leopard Nail Art with Foils!

Good morning, readers! How about some fun nail art before the weekend? After seeing Lucy's Stash Distressed Gold Nail Foil Tutorial earlier this week, I was inspired to grab some nail foils of my own and try some nail art with them! I hadn't really been interested in foils to be used for a full nail, so using them in nail art seemed right up my alley!

Swatch Saturday: Sally Hansen Bling In The New Year Collection!

Press Sample

Good morning, readers! I have some really fun new glitters to share with you today by Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure. "The only bling you'll need to accent your holiday style."

New Year's Eve Water Decals!

Press Sample

Good morning, readers! I know it's a bit early for New Year's nail art, but I wanted to share these water decals with you soon in case you wanted to order some to use for this year! If you missed it, you should check out my simple Tutorial Tuesday post on Christmas water decals! These are also made by Moon Sugar Decals so they work the same as the tutorial post.

Tutorial Tuesday, The Digit-al Dozen DOES Black and White Day 2: Adipose Nail Art!

Good morning, readers! It's time for another combined post of Tutorial Tuesday AND Day 2 of Black and White Week with The Digit-al Dozen! Today's design is another Doctor Who character-- the adorable Adipose!

Below is a preview of the tutorial. You will find full sized pictures and step by step instructions further down in this post.

The Digit-al Dozen DOES Skittles Day 4: Socks?

Good morning, readers! It's day 4 of "skittle nails" here and this mani has a silly inspiration. I recently bought a pack of socks from Target, and they are 6 different designs that are coordinating colors but different patterns. Until then, I was completely out of the loop-- I had no idea wearing unmatched socks was a "thing" or a trend. To be honest, I almost bought 2 packs so I had 6 matching pairs, haha. But, I didn't and am learning to embrace the mismatched sock trend.

I chose 5 of the 6 sock designs to recreate into a skittle mani, and I love how they turned out!

Sinful Colors Smokin' and Snow Me White, Elevations Jungfrau and Jengish Chokusu, Sally Hansen Bubblegum Pink.

So what do you think? Inspiration for nail art is everywhere! Especially at Target! (Fun fact, did you know that my husband and I met when we both worked at Target just after high school? haha)

Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow for the final skittle mani with The Digit-al Dozen!

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat Monster!

Press Sample

Hello, readers! Today's post is a fun one with cutesy nail art. I was recently sent three of the new Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat polishes to review for you. They are bar glitter toppers in a clear base and come in a variety of colors. I'm not really a fan of bar glitters and yet I can't deny how much I like these Fuzzy Coat polishes!

If you follow Sarah at Chalkboard nails (How can you NOT? She is the bomb when it comes to nail art!), you probably saw her adorable Fuzzy Monster Buddies post last month. I've been dying to try out her tutorial and make some monsters on my own nails.

Here are the Fuzzy Coats I received:

All Yarned Up, Fuzz-Sea, and Peach Fuzz

Here is the look I did using all three, and my try at a Fuzzy Monster Buddy!

I layered each Fuzzy Coat over one coat of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue. The base of the ring finger is Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac and the antennae are Sally Hansen Brisk Blue.

Individual macros of each Fuzzy Coat:

All Yarned Up is a mixture of bars in yellow, peach, and periwinkle blue. This is only one coat below with top coat. 

Fuzz-Sea is a mixture of bars in teal and yellow. This is one coat with top coat below.

Peach Fuzz is a mixture of bars in peach and yellow. Again, only one coat with top coat below.

And here is a closeup of the cute Fuzzy Monster Buddy:

What do you think of these Fuzzy Coat polishes from Sally Hansen? Do you have any? Which is your favorite? 

You can purchase these from your local Sally Hansen retailers. I've found them at Ulta, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. 

Thanks for reading!

*Products in this post were sent for me to review with my honest opinion.

Tutorial Tuesday: Crisscross Texture Gradient!

Good morning, readers! It's Tutorial Tuesday! I had another poll on instagram and you voted for this recent mani I did for Digit-al Dozen this month over the hippos. I had a huge response to this mani and it is so easy to create on your own nails!

Here is a sneak peek at the step by step process. You can find full sized images and step by step instructions further down in this post:

Here is a look at the original mani to refresh your memory:

http://www.adventuresinacetone.com/2013/07/digit-al-dozen-does-tape-week-day-1.html

The things needed for this look:

Elevation Polish Tavan Bogd, Sally Hansen Sugar Coats in Royal Icing, Treat-Heart, and Pink Sprinkle

Any color striping tape and a triangular makeup sponge.

Step 1) Paint two coats of Elevation Polish Tavan Bogd and let dry completely before moving onto the next step (or add a coat of quick dry top coat to shorten the wait time).

Step 2) Cut three pieces of striping tape and lay diagonally across the nail in parallel stripes. Press down firmly.

Step 3) Cut three more pieces of striping tape and lay diagonally across the nail the opposite direction from the last step. This should give you some diamond shapes between the striping tape. Press down firmly.

Step 4) Use all three Sally Hansen Sugar Coat polishes to paint stripes onto the end of the makeup sponge. The first coat will be absorbed into the sponge so you will want to do a second coat. Make sure you have the stripes touching, or even overlapping the tiniest bit, so there aren't any bare parts on the sponge.

Step 5) While the sponge is still wet, press down flat on the nail. Pull straight up again without dragging the sponge on the nail. I like to do step 4 and 5 two times to get a good amount of polish on the nail and over the striping tape. 

Step 6) Slowly peel off the striping tape in the direction of the tape. Make sure to peel up the second set of tape and not the first set. The second set is crossed over the first set so you have to take the tape off in the reverse order of how you applied it. 

Step 7) Finally, peel the tape off carefully from the first set. This should reveal a fun, raised texture of diamonds/quilting and clean lines of the purple base color.

And YOU'RE DONE! No top coat for this design, the texture is the best part of it! 

A side note: This can make your fingers around the nail VERY messy with where the sponge was wider than the nail. Here is what mine looked like before cleanup:

I highly recommend either: painting elmers school glue on the skin around your nails and allow to dry before doing your nails(you can gently scrub off the polish+glue layer under warm water and even gently use an orange stick to peel it up), or taping around your nails like you would do for a watermarble for less cleanup after you remove the tape. I, unfortunately, did not do either of those and spent a long time with acetone, q-tips, and a clean up brush to get it to the photos you saw in the original post. 

Thank you so much for reading! Have you tried any of my tutorials? I'd LOVE to see them, please upload your pics to my facebook page or tag me on Instagram! 

Digit-al Dozen DOES Tape Week Day 1: Crisscross Texture Gradient!

Good morning, readers! It's Digit-al Dozen week again! This month's theme is Tape and I've had fun creating looks with different forms of "tape" this week and can't wait to show you. It's a bit of a break from the freehand art that is more common with Digit-al Dozen weeks but it gave me a chance to try some things I've been wanting to.

Today's post is my very favorite look for this week, so why not start out with a bang? You may have seen my preview on Instagram last week! Once I saw that Sally Hansen was releasing new Sugar Coats with shimmer, I ran right out to get them. Truth be told, shimmer/glitter textures are my favorite so I don't own the previous creme versions of the Sugar Coats.

I used 4 untrieds in this post so I am one happy girl. I've been really trying lately to use polishes I haven't before and nail art makes that so easy!

• I started out with 2 coats of the gorgeous dusty lilac creme, Elevation Polish Tavan Bogd. 
• Once that was thoroughly dry with a coat of Seche, I cut 60 pieces of striping tape... yes, 60! 6 for each finger. But it was SO worth it. 
• I applied the tape criss crossed on the nail in almost of a quilt pattern.
• Next, I painted thick stripes of all three new Sally Hansen Sugar Coats (Pink Sparkle, Treat-Heart, and Royal Icing) on a makeup sponge. 
• I then dabbed the sponge down over the entire nail and repeated the process with more polish on the sponge until it reached the opacity I was happy with.
• Then, with tweezers, I carefully peeled off each strip of striping tape in the direction of the tape to keep the lines clean and reveal the design. 

I wore this mani for a few days and only took it off for my festive 4th of July nails. I loved it so much!

What do you think of this look? I can't get over how much I liked it. Gradient, tape, texture, and the awesome contrast with the shiny base color make for an awesome combination. Thanks so much for reading! Come back tomorrow for Day 2 of Tape Week!

Swatch Saturday: Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strip Review!

Good morning, readers! Today is Swatch Saturday but instead of actual "swatches" of polish, I have a review of two Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strips for you. I am a big fan of the real polish strips I have tried by Sally Hansen and Incoco and they are a great break if you want to take a week off of doing your nails. I hadn't tried any of the Gel Strips before and Sally Hansen sent me some to try out!

I was sent the kit in Red My Lips to try out. To be honest with you, I prefer strips with designs so the plain red didn't get to stay on my nails very long. I bought a design refill to use with this kit after I tried the plain red and liked it so much more and wore it as long as I could. Read below for more info!

The starter kit comes with the mini LED UV light needed to cure the top coat layer over the strips. Each refill kit comes with another top coat bottle as well.

Easy steps!

Included in the kit: Mini LED UV Light, Gel top coat, 16 double ended strips, nail cleanse wipes. (The file and orange stick weren't in my box but I had some at home and used those.)

I followed the directions included. Buffed the nails lightly to remove the shine, wiped all nails with a cleanser strip, and applied the strips to the nails. I filed off the excess on the tips and sides and then applied a thin coat of top coat. One nail at a time, I put a finger under the light and pressed the ON button. It is on a timer and turns off after about 30 seconds. Once they were all cured, I used the second nail cleanse wipe to clean off the sticky residue.

I was surprised at how shiny my nails looked and how hard the top coat was after curing. This was WAY faster than any fast dry top coat and I couldn't get them to dent when I tried. That was one of the best parts for me!

So, as I said above, the plain red was pretty but not for me, so I bought a refill kit in Pretty 'N Poppy to do a wear test. These applied the same as the red and I loved the design!

I was being thorough with the curing and did the light timer three times for each nail. Once with my nail flat, once turned to get the ride side of the nail, and once turned to get the left side of the nail.

I wore them until the fourth day, when I got a big chip on my left thumb corner. That is the spot that ALWAYS chips first, it is a very flexible part of my nail so I don't blame the strips. As you can see on my other nails, there was just a tiny bit of tip wear. I was impressed because I did multiple baby and kid baths, as well as my own showers, cleaning, and dish washing in those 4 days. Much better wear than nail polish.

What are your thoughts on the Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strips? I am always a fan of strips because the designs are so pretty and they are easy enough for the novice nail artist to apply. 

You can remove them using the "foil method" as you would for glitter polish. Below are links to the application video and removal video for you to watch and see them in action:

Application Video: http://prod2.sallyhansen.com/beauty-tips/how-videos/salon-insta-gel-strips-application

Removal Video: http://prod2.sallyhansen.com/beauty-tips/how-videos/salon-insta-gel-strips-removal

Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strips starter kits retail for $29.99

Sally Hansen Salon Insta-Gel Strips retail for $14.99

You can find them at drugstores and retailers where Sally Hansen are sold. I've found them at Ulta, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. 

Thanks for reading!

*Products in this post were sent for me to review with my honest opinion.

Sally Hansen Leopard Salon Effects Nail Strips!

Good morning, readers! I have a quick post today on what I have on my nails (and have been wearing for the past 3 days). I decided to try out the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips in the leopard pattern this weekend as a bit of a break for me. They look gorgeous, weren't difficult to apply, and have given me some time to catch up on editing swatch photos and write up some posts.

As I wrote before, I've had them on for 3 days and only have the slightest bit of tip wear! I did take these photos the morning after I applied them, though. Maybe I'll take some follow up pictures when I finally take them off. I also added a top coat of Poshe after I applied to help seal in the tips and it made them even more shiny!

Because these strips can cover really long nails, I've actually cut mine in half to use on two nails each and now still have the second sealed package to use again.

What do you think? Have you tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects before? This is my first time applying to my fingers. I have used them on my toes in the past and they lasted a month and a half! Thanks for reading!

My Sister's Harry Potter Nails!

Hello readers! I have a fun post today for you. My youngest sister, Chloe, is staying with us until Owen is born(insta-babysitter for Hailey when we go into labor!) and today we thought it would be fun to do her nails. She is a huge Harry Potter fan and was googling for Harry Potter nail art and came across this one from the Nailasaurus. We decided to try and recreate it! We didn't have the stamp for the diagonal stripes so I just had to use my striper brush to freehand them. I think they turned out pretty good, though!

Thumb has the Deathly Hallows symbol, Index has the Gryffindor colors, Middle has the Slytherin colors, Ring has the Ravenclaw colors, and Pinky has the Hufflepuff colors.  

I used:

Thumb: Milani Black Swift base color

             Milani White on the Spot for the design

Index: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Wined up

           Milani Yellow Whiz

Middle: OPI Jade Is The New Black

             Pure Ice Silver Mercedes

Ring: OPI Blue My Mind

         China Glaze Passion

Pinky: Milani Yellow Whiz

           Milani Black Swift

Top coat of Cult Nails Wicked Fast

Also, I received the Influenster Mom Voxbox a couple of weeks ago and inside were the imPRESS press on fake nails so we decided to try them out. Could you tell her nails were fakes in the photo above? Check out the steps:

They were surprisingly easy to apply, cut, file, and even paint over! No nail glue required, they have sticky backs! I'm curious to see how long they last on her nails while she is visiting. My favorite part about the nails were how flexible the plastic was--nothing like those hard fake nails that you can get at the drugstore. It made for a much more realistic nail. Have you tried these?

What do you think of her nails? Thanks for reading!

Saint George Gets An Attitude Adjust-Mint!

Good morning, readers!! I have another Lynnderella to show you today, but instead of just showing a swatch, I added some nail art that I am LOVING!

Ever since I saw this mani from The Nailasaurus in the Cult Nails contest, I knew I wanted to try it one day. Well, today ended up being the day and I can't stop looking at my nails! It's so simple and yet one of my favorite stamping manis to date.

First, let's see the subtle beauty that is Lynnderella Attitude Adjust-mint. This is 2 coats over 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet. I really love the shimmer in this polish. You may need to enlarge the picture to see the shimmer on them.

And onto the added nail art that made me love this mani so much more:

I used:

Orly Nail Defense

Orly Nail Armor

2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet

2 coats of Lynnderella Attitude Adjust-Mint

1 coat of NYC Quick Dry Top Coat

Mash Plate m57 and A-England Saint George for the stamp design

A-England Saint George for the stripe on the side of the nail

1 coat of NYC Quick Dry

What do you think? I had no idea that Saint George would stamp SO well. I need to try out my other A-Englands for stamping soon! I also really want to try to add things to stamp designs like this because I love how this looks so much! Thanks for reading