Christmas Nails

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and I hope it was a wonderful day surrounded by people you love! Of course I had to do a little something for the holidays on my nails, but was very limited by the supplies I brought with me to my parents house. So, just a simple little red and green manicure with some gold glitter did the trick!

Wintery Blue Dotticure

I'm trying to get into the winter spirit here despite the lack of cold and snow. So, I decided to choose some nice blue colors to do a dotticure and top it with a light glitter reminiscent of a snow fall. These photos are from 3 days after application, so it's standing up pretty well, though it probably won't make it until Christmas.

Blue with White Fuzzy Glitter

This week, I really wanted to try to get into the winter-y spirit, despite the weather still being in the upper 60s! So, I went with a really nice deep blue polish and a white fuzzy glitter that I have had for over a year but never tried. It reminds me of winter snow!

Nude with Gold Sequins

I decided to depart from the 52 week challenge so that I could choose my own designs and do nail art on my own schedule (because things are so hectic!). Last week, I decided to do a simple nude polish, but then I wanted to dress it up with a little bit of hand placed sequin glitters.

Black and White Abstract Geometric Shapes

This manicure is for the 25th week of the /r/RedditLaqueristas 52-week challenge. I can't believe we are almost halfway through! The theme for this week was "Black and White". I was somewhat inspired by this post from awhile ago that I had saved as inspiration. I really like how this design came out, and I think I will return to it in the future.

Fall Colored Triangles

I can't believe it's been since Halloween since I last did some nail art! I wanted to take advantage of the last of the autumn season to use some fall colors in this manicure for the 24th week of the /r/RedditLaquerisas 52 Week challenge. This week's challenge is "Symbols", and I've always been partial to triangles. I have included a picture tutorial as well for anyone who wants to recreate it.

Jack-o'-lantern Nails for Halloween

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I had some low-key festivities and also had fun dressing up my nails. In fact, these nails also fit in with the 22nd week of the /r/RedditLaqueristas 52 week challenge, so it worked out perfectly. The little Jack-o'-lanterns turned out really cute!

Birchbox October 2015

This review is for the Birchbox from October 2015. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. It also has a great rewards points system. It is the only monthly subscription box that I still have, because I have found it to be especially worth it for the samples and the additional full-sized products I can get with my reward points.

Gray Stripes

This manicure was for the 21st week of the /r/RedditLaqueristas 52 week challenge. The theme for this week is "Gray", which is definitely fitting for this time of year. I chose to do some freehand stripes that remind me of a cozy sweater.

Taupe with Gold Stripe

I did these nails for the 19th week of the /r/RedditLaqueristas 52-week challenge. The theme was "Autumn Nails", so I went with some fall inspired colors to make a simple design. I was at a scientific conference this week, so I couldn't do anything too crazy unfortunately, but I think these turned out looking very classy.

Dark Glittery Ruffian

These nails were done for the 18th week of the /r/RedditLaqueristas challenge, in which the theme was "Half Moon/Ruffian Design". I much prefer ruffian manicures over half moon manicures on myself because I feel they better compliment my short nails. I chose some darker colors to go with the gloomy weather from the week, but with some glitter to keep it exciting.

Birchbox September 2015

This review is for the Birchbox from September 2015. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. It also has a great rewards points system. It is the only monthly subscription box that I still have, because I have found it to be especially worth it for the samples and the additional full-sized products I can get with my reward points.

Jelly Lavender with Small Stamp

Wow, it has been awhile! I am hoping to get back into keeping up with my nail art blog, though it's getting pretty hard with all of the stuff I am working on right now. These nails were done for the 17th week of the /r/RedditLaqueristas 52 week challenge, which was "Pink and/or Purple". I wanted to keep it pretty simple since I had a business casual event to attend while wearing these.

Shiny Rainbow Dots

So, I missed a couple weeks of the RedditLaqueristas 52 week challenge, but I am hoping to get back on schedule now! This week's theme is "Rainbow Colors". I wanted to follow the theme subtly instead of going all out, so I did rainbow dots on a shiny silver background.

Birchbox June 2015

This review is for the Birchbox from June 2015. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. It also has a great rewards points system. It is the only monthly subscription box that I still have, because I have found it to be especially worth it for the samples and the additional full-sized products I can get with my reward points.

Bright Saran Wrap Design

Another quick post...These nails were for the 3rd week of the Reddit Laqueristas challenge, where the theme was "Saran Wrap Nails". These designs are pretty easy to do, but always turn out looking unique. I picked out this color combo because I wanted to use my new orange nail polish (Zoya Paz), and I thought yellow would make a warm and bright combination.

Matte Layered Stamping

Only a quick post because I am very behind! These nails were for Week #2 for the Reddit Laqueristas 52 week challenge. Week #2 started 6/8 and the theme was "Matte Designs", so I tried out some layered stamping with matte top coat. I used 6 different stamp designs of leaves, flowers, and butterflies with 6 different colors on a turquoise base. They were a nice summery design!

Influenster: Weight Watchers Ice Cream Review

As an Influenster blogger, I am eligible to receive products free to review. For my second Influenster product to review, I got two coupons for free Weight Watchers Ice Cream of my choice. One of the ice creams I picked out were the Giant Chocolate Fudge bars. There are only 6 bars in this package, but they are each a good size and very filling. They are surprisingly flavorful and rich for a "healthy" ice cream choice. I will probably buy these for myself in the future. The second ice creams I chose were the Dark Chocolate Raspberry bars. These are about half the size of the fudge bars, and understandably, there are twice as many in the package. The chocolate coating is thin, but very tasty, and the raspberry is refreshing. I didn't like these as much as the fudge bars because they left me wanting more, but for someone watching their weight, it's a nice little treat. I would give the Giant Chocolate Fudge bars 5/5 start and the Dark Chocolate Raspberry bars 4/5 stars.

Note: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Shiny Purple with Striped Tips

So, I decided to take part in yet another nail art challenge! This one was set up by subscribers to the /r/RedditLaqueristas sub-reddit, and it's a different theme for each week. I think this challenge is more my speed! The theme for the first week starting 6/1/2015 was "striping tape". To make this even more interesting, I have been coming up with the designs and having my boyfriend pick out the colors to use. 

Floral Pattern

First, I must apologize for the poor quality photos - my lighting box is currently in disrepair and I am working on making a better one. Anyway, since I postponed my rock climbing membership for the whole month of May, knowing I would be on vacation for most of it, I have been enjoying having longer nails! With the extra space, I decided to do a bigger floral design.

Zoya Brittany Swatch

As you may have realized by now, I really love Zoya nail polishes. So, when I saw the new Zoya Naturel Satins Collection, I knew I had to try the formula out. I ordered the color Brittany, which is described as a "rose mauve cream" because I thought it would look nice with my skin tone.

Leopard Print Nail Wraps

In the rush before leaving for my trip, I didn't have time to do any complicated nail art, so I decided to try out these nail wraps I had lying around. They are Sephora Formula X brand and cost $7 on sale, but I found them at TJ Maxx for only $1. I am not usually a fan of animal print, but I am willing to try it out for that price!

Catching Up

Wow, has it really been over a month since my last post?? Sorry to leave everyone hanging, it's just been a really crazy time! At the beginning of May, I went on a two-week trip around Europe with my boyfriend carrying just a backpack and using Airbnb to stay with locals. So besides just the trip, there was a lot of preparation leading up to that and a lot to catch up on once I got back. I will be updating with nail posts from before my trip and after, so keep your eye out! For more info on what I did while I was gone, read on!

Galaxy Nails

I was watching Interstellar on Friday (which I highly recommend) and it seemed appropriate to put some galaxies on my nails. Galaxy nails are a simple and forgiving design that turn out looking great no matter what. I have also included a picture tutorial to show how I made these nails.

Pastel Geometric Nails

The weather has been so beautiful lately that I am still feeling the spring-time colors! My last geometric pattern was one of my favorite designs and I wanted to replicate it with a different color palette. It's a little more muted than what I usually go for, but at least it doesn't clash with any of my outfits. I've included a picture tutorial for how I achieved this design.

Zoya Vespa Swatch

I didn't have time to do any intricate nail art during this week, so I decided to swatch one of my newer Zoya polishes. This is Vespa, described as "a mint kiss with a sugared sparkle" on the Zoya website. It's one of their special textured PixieDust polishes, which are being discontinued.

Birchbox April 2015

This review is for the Birchbox from April 2015. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. It also has a great rewards points system. It is the only monthly subscription box that I still have, because I have found it to be especially worth it for the samples and the additional full-sized products I can get with my reward points.

Influenster: Carefree Liners Review

I've received my first product to review as an Influenster blogger! Influenster is an online community designed to expose consumers to new products and get reviews and social media exposure. As a member, I got sent a package of Carefree liners to sample. I like pantiliners in general for days of just spotting and to wear with tampons for extra protection. These were very nice: the adhesive is a lot stronger than others I have tried, they are very thin without sacrificing absorbency, and they aren't fragranced, which can be irritating. The only downside is that they are a little short in length, though that did not present a problem for me. Overall, I would give these a 5/5 rating.

Note: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Happy Easter Nails!

Happy Easter, for those of you who celebrate the holiday! I'm not doing anything special today since my family is even farther away than usual and my boyfriend is up in Indianapolis for the NCAA basketball championships (Go Duke!). So, I decided to go ahead and do an Easter nail design! Though maybe later I will get to the Peeps Hutch Kit that my parents sent to me. =]

Easter Water Marble

Since the Easter season is upon us, I wanted to get into the spirit with my nails. I picked out the colors that I thought best represented the holiday (the colored eggs, fluffy chicks, and easter bunnies parts) and put them all together in a water marble.

Matte Purple and Gold Saran Wrap Manicure

 

I've gotten a little backlogged with posts, so this manicure was actually one I did on Saturday while watching the basketball game (Go Duke!). I haven't revisited the saran wrap technique since the 31 day nail art challenge back in September. It's super simple and has a great marbled effect at the end.

Princess Nails

I went with a really girly manicure this time because I wanted to feel like a pretty pretty princess. I don't use pink all that often and I think that should change because I can't stop looking at how pretty and sparkly my nails are!

Walmart Beauty Box Spring 2015

This review is for the Spring 2015 Beauty Box from Walmart. It is a quarterly box that you receive once every season and it costs $5 per box. This is the third box, both for me and for Walmart, and so far I am fairly satisfied. It's a mix of make up, skin care, hair care, and miscellaneous samples. There are usually 5-6 "deluxe" sized samples and a 2-3 foil packets with some coupons. Here is the site to get more info and sign up.

Blue Swirls

When I started this manicure, I was picturing something vastly different. I was trying to go for more of an opaque blue jelly with a stamp in the middle. But, it was really late last night when I finally got around to doing my nails, so I ended up doing fewer coats, and my laziness really worked out this time! I think the design ended up looking kind of like blue porcelain. I have included a picture tutorial for how I achieved this look.

Blue-Green Flakie Nails

So, I was attempting to do a St. Patrick's Day themed manicure to be festive, but that was apparently not in the cards. I tried out a new flakie glitter polish that I picked up the other day which looks very convincingly green in the bottle, but is not so much on the nails. Maybe with a different base color it would turn out more green.

Free-hand Zig-Zags

I am not sure what inspired this nail art, it pretty much just came to me. I'm glad it did because I love how it turned out! I have been stuck on dark colors and metallics lately, but spring is coming and so are the bright colors.

Birchbox March 2015

This review is for the Birchbox from March 2015. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. It also has a great rewards points system. It is the only monthly subscription box that I still have, because I have found it to be especially worth it for the samples and the additional full-sized products I can get with my reward points.

Rainbow Interlocking Dots

For my latest mani, I wanted to do something bright and colorful to celebrate the wonderful spring weather we have been blessed with the last few days. I decided to use the interlocking dots method and make a rainbow across my nails. I am really happy with how it turned out!

Wine, Gold, and White Cloud Manicure

I actually did this mani a few days ago, but haven't felt up to posting it because I came down with a stomach bug shortly after. Just my luck lately! Anyway, I like cloud manicures because they are pretty easy to do and they always look great. I couldn't find my nail art brushes anywhere, so these were actually done with just the regular brushes that came with the polishes. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

Zoya Bar Swatch

I have definitely been neglecting my blog lately, but with good reason! I am thiiiis close to finishing up a paper for submission, and once it's done, I will celebrate will all the nail art! ...and then get back to finishing up a paper on a totally different project. So, I just went with a simple swatch to save time. I have a bunch of new Zoya polishes that I got around the holidays with all the deals, so I decided to try one of them out - a Pixie Dust nail polish (which are apparently being discontinued??).

Note: Please excuse my dead-looking hands! It's winter and I am cold!!

Metallic Color Block

I haven't had time to do anything fancy lately, so I went with something low-key for my most recent manicure. I like the look of half-moon manicures, but I haven't had success in finding a technique to make the edges really sharp, so instead I went with a color blocking with a similar effect.

Reverse Stamping Stars + Tutorial

Yesterday afternoon, I was inspired by a post I saw on the internet to try out a technique called "Reverse Stamping". It's a method for creating multi-colored stamp designs in the form of a nail decal. It was a little tricky to get the hang of, but once I did, it was very reproducible and seems like a great way to bring multiple colors into a stamp design. I also took this opportunity to make my own picture tutorial to instruct others on how to use this technique.

Birchbox February 2015

 

This review is for the Birchbox from February 2015. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. It also has a great rewards points system. It is the only monthly subscription box that I still have, because I have found it to be especially worth it for the samples and the additional full-sized products I can get with my reward points.

Water Marble - 3rd Time's the Charm

I've been really busy working lately, so when I started feeling a little sick on Monday, I decided to take a good long break and try out the water marble technique again. It turns out that I had caught the flu, so I was going to be taking quite a few more breaks this week! Anyway, I am glad I got to try out the water marble technique again, because it worked out spectacularly this time!

Rainbow Burst Nails

As a reward to myself for getting through another crazy week, I took some time to do a more complicated nail art design. I am so glad I did, because it turned out super well, and I can't stop staring at my nails! I was inspired by a tutorial I found while browsing the internet, and I knew I had to try it out myself.

Classic Red Nails with Heart Accents

It has been so long since I have had the time to sit down and do my nails! I decided that I at least wanted to do something simple for the graduate student Winter Formal that my boyfriend and I attended last weekend, so this is what I came up with! I wore a black dress, and I wanted to accent with some red.

Ipsy January 2015

This is a review for the Ipsy bag from January 2015. Ipsy is a monthly subscription box that focuses on makeup with some skincare, hair care, and nail polish products. It's $10/month (+ $.75 for tax (?)) for a small makeup bag plus 5 samples that are influenced by a quiz you take. You can earn Ipsy points for reviewing products, posting things to your facebook, and inviting friends. These points can be redeemed for additional full-sized products.