Royal Nails

Hello, Polishists!

Are you ready to be back at work? Here in the U.S., many of us had yesterday off to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the bonus of celebrating the second inauguration of President Barack Obama! It was quite a day!

I took the day to reflect on the First Family- our version of royalty in America. Although the First Family is nothing like royal families around the world, who are born into and pass down their pomp and circumstance, our American First Families get to experience all of the flash and flair for, at most, eight years. Then, it's back to the world of the normies. That's what I call normal people :)

Anyway, royal nails. Let's discuss.

I really wanted to do purple nails, because I haven't used purple in a while. And purple is so pretty. It's a good color. Solid.

I wanted to do something regal on my nails. I knew I wanted purple, which is a pretty royal color. I also wanted to stamp, so I chose a gold that I knew would pop against the royal purple.

I can't stop staring at my nails!! I love this mani!

I used e.l.f.'s Violet Velvet as the background color. Violet Velvet is a rich, eggplant purple with a slight shimmer. It looks black in the picture, but it's actually a gorgeous purple.

I stamped with Revlon Brilliant Strength in Hypnotize. Hypnotize is a buttery, shimmery gold that is pretty great for stamping. I used my Cheeky stamping plate for the design. I used two different patterns, just to mix things up.

I created this look while watching the Inauguration ceremony on TV. It was pretty enjoyable- Beyonce killed it, didn't she? This is one of my favorite blog posts about her performance.

Did you watch the Inauguration? What was your favorite part?

A Change of Pace...

My dear friend and B/vlogger, Jere, has featured me on her blog, Nappturally Chic Jere! If you want to know a little more about me, beyond my nails, you should check it out!

Sorority Nails

Hello Polishists!!

Can you believe that we're already 2 weeks into 2013? The year is flyyying by!

Well, today was a special day for me, and my nails.

First and foremost, it's Martin Luther King Jr.'s 84th birthday!! I can't believe he would have been 84 had he been alive today. Happy birthday, Dr. King!

Second, it's my sorority's Founders Day!! Today, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. turns 105 years old! Today, sorority sisters around the world celebrate our founders, known as the 20 Pearls. Of course, I commemorated the occasion by painting my nails.

Our colors are salmon pink and apple green. Our official flower is the Pink Tea Rose, and we have also adopted pearls as another symbol of our sisterhood. I tried to artistically incorporate all of those elements into today's manicure.

I used Butter London's Bossy Boots as the background color. Bossy Boots is a pastel mint green creme. The formula is a bit runny, but goes opaque in two coats. I love mint greens, and Bossy Boots is no exception!


For the roses, I used Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in Rose Run. It's a dusty rose creme that is completely opaque in one coat. I am a big fan of Insta-Dri, but the wide brush sometimes makes it difficult to do nail art.

I used Essie in Mojito Madness for the leaves. Mojito Madness is a kelly green creme that is pretty opaque in one coat. It is a bit runny and the applicator brush is a little small, but the color is absolutely brilliant! Love it.

Finally, I used OPI's Kyoto Pearl for the polka dots and accents in the rose. Kyoto Pearl is a delicate, sheer, pearlized white that shows up surprisingly well over Bossy Boots. I generally would not wear white nail polish by itself, but I could see myself wearing this. It's not as harsh and Wite-Out-esque as other white nail polishes.

I added outlines for an abstract look with a Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black. I have not figured out how to keep this on my nails! I know I can't topcoat it, but I can't leave it naked either! It either smears or completely rubs off. Sad.

The black outlines rubbed off pretty soon after I took those pictures, leaving sad blobs of brightly colored polish all over my index and middle fingers. I work in a job that involves a little bit of pointing (of the index finger!), and I was pretty embarrassed to point with my unfinished nails. And it's awkward to try to point with another finger (ring? Impossible. pinky? weird. thumb- are you kidding?), I just had to spend the day looking like an inept polishist. Oy. #polishistproblems

What do you do when you have a nail fail? How do you cover it up... especially when you work with your hands?

Silver Linings

Hello, Polishists!!

How has 2013 been treating you? I hope well! Here in New York, the temperature has risen a bit so we have been able to take a bit of a break from the regular winter chill! It has been quite lovely :)
Continuing on the theme of optimism and fresh starts for the new year, today's manicure reminds me of blue skies and clouds with silver linings!

To achieve this look, I used e.l.f.'s Dazzle Diva for the main color. I received it in the cube I purchased just after Thanksgiving last year. Dazzle Diva is a steel blue frost with a purple and green shimmer. It's so pretty, y'all!

The application was not too difficult, although the polish took forever to dry. I even missed up my whole right hand and a couple of fingers on the left trying to shower 45 minutes after application + Seche Vite!! Sheesh!

For the silver lining, I used Ulta Salon Formula's Scene Steel-er, which is a silver remeniscent of the dull side of a sheet of aluminum foil. I only needed one coat to achieve opacity!! Woo hoo!

I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Ion for the clouds. It's a grayish white that went on smooth and was also opaque in one coat.

I topped my masterpiece (lol) off with a coat of Seche Vite.

I'm quite satisfied with how this turned out. Clouds are an oldie but goodie for me- simple, yet chic.

What about you, polishists? Is there a go-to nail art style that you lean on?

First Mani of 2013!

Happy New Year, polishists!

I hope 2013 has gotten off to a good start for you.  It has for me! I saw Django Unchained last night, had a nice slow day at work today, and my lovely boyfriend cooked me dinner! I'm crossing my fingers that the rest of the year goes as well as today :)

On to the polish...

After all of the dark colors I've used for my manis lately, I wanted to give my nails a lighter color for my first mani of 2013- somewhat of a palate- cleanser.

I chose a light baby pink from indie brand Cult Nails called Enticing. Enticing is an almost sheer pink that goes opaque in two coats. It has the faintest of shimmer, if you look reaaaaalllly closely.

It's absolutely gorgeous! I love soft pinks... or pinks of any shade or hue... just wait until October!

I used Milani's HD for the accent nails, because I am in love with it! I never really thought I could go for holographic polishes until I saw a few other bloggers swatching this polish and others. I usually use 2 coats for this polish, but I used three for total sparkly coverage.

I love this mani! It's girly, refreshing, and somewhat simple. It's definitely a keeper :)

So, polishists, what is your first mani of 2013 looking like? Did you go bright? Dark? Simple? Complex? Spill the beans!