Nail Art – Page 8 – Adventures in Polishland

Category: Nail Art

Hello Kitty Nail Art Stickers from Born Pretty Store!

Posted on March 29, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have another review of a product from the online retailer Born Pretty Store. While I was not impressed with the Sweet Color nail polish (see that review HERE), I am loving these adorable nail art stickers! As a lifelong Hello Kitty fan, I was super excited that I got the opportunity to review these stickers for you. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Above you can see the nail art sheet as it comes. I love these stickers because they are glittery and have different sizes and shapes! This sheet retails for $5.23, but if you buy more than one you get a discount. As always, there is free international shipping from Born Pretty Store! I chose the sticker sheet in number XF314, but they come in a variety of designs. You can see all of the choices on the Born Pretty website HERE!

I was so impressed with how easy it is to apply these stickers! First, I painted my nails with Zoya Blu from the lovely collection (see that review HERE). Once my manicure was completely dry, I chose the stickers I wanted to apply, and carefully peeled them off the sheet and put them on my nails. I pressed each sticker down firmly, and then layered top coat over them. And that’s all there is to it! The smaller stickers are a bit tricky to handle, but I used a pair of tweezers to steady my hand. I can’t get over how much I love these stickers! I chose to wear one on each finger for this manicure, but you can use them easily for an accent nail as well. I love that just one sheet of stickers can be used for multiple manicures, and you can mix and match the designs!

All in all, I’m so happy I tried these Hello Kitty stickers! They are so easy to apply, and are perfect for someone like me who prefers not to do her own nail art. This design is also perfect for spring, but there are so many to choose from on the Born Pretty Store website. If you are looking for some great nail art supplies, be sure to head on over and see everything Born Pretty has to offer! Use the coupon code FZL91 to get 10% off your order as well! Happy Shopping!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Indie Spotlight: Shimmer Polish Part IV

Posted on March 15, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have the final installment of my Shimmer Polish posts for all of you. Shimmer Polish is an indie brand featuring a line of beautiful glitter nail polishes. Each polish is unique and versatile, and can be worn in a number of ways. In Part I and Part II, I wore each polish alone, and in Part III I layered each polish over a base color. Today, I used some Shimmers to create some fun nail art looks! Let me show you the manicures I created using Shimmer Polish.

For my first look, I asked my Facebook followers how I should use the glitter. Stephanie suggested a glitter gradient, and it worked out perfectly that the name of the polish is also Stephanie! I began with a base color of Sally Hansen Virtual Violet, and then added on Shimmer Polish Stephanie for the gradient effect. Stephanie is full of blue and purple glitters, with some pink thrown in as well. To achieve the gradient, I lightly tapped the brush across the top of my nails and lightly dragged the glitter down to about the middle of each nail. I found this technique to be much simpler than using a cosmetic sponge, and the glitter is very forgiving! Make sure to follow up with a layer of top coat to even out the finish.

Next I decided to do some geometric nails using the scotch tape method. I began with a base of Wet ‘n Wild in Fashionista Lisa, and let that dry completely. Then, I placed tape on my nails and rotated it to get a triangle cut out on either the top, bottom, left, or right of my nail. Finally, I applied two coats of Shimmer Polish in Tracy on top and peeled off the tape while the polish was still wet. Tracy is a gold, holographic glitter polish. I think it looks great against the purple shade of Fashionista Lisa! I also used my Butter London Matte Finish top coat to complete the look. I just love the combination of matte glitter and the geometric shapes!

I was loving the look of matte glitter, so I used the matte top coat again for my next manicure. First, I applied Julep Morganas my base color. Then I grabbed Shimmer Polish in Tammy, a glitter filled with gold, purple, black, and silver! I didn’t want a lot of glitter on my nails, so I applied the polish a bit differently. Instead of brushing on the polish, I dabbed the tip of the brush all over my nail. It spread out the glitter quite nicely! Finally, I mattified the whole look. I think this is the perfect manicure!

Last but not least is a funky manicure of my own creation! I began with black as my base using Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred. I was hoping to create a jelly sandwich manicure, and applied a layer of Shimmer Polish in Vanessa. Vanessa is a cool mix of silver, red, and black glitters, with hints of many other colors as well. My manicure went a bit crazy when I attempted to use another coat of Tarred for the top of the jelly sandwich. The glitter was almost completely hidden! I got creative and dabbed a tissue over the wet polish to remove some of the black. The result was this neat look! It’s unconventional, but I love the rock star look I achieved. It’s also similar to a galaxy manicure! Sometimes our nail polish mistakes can lead to fun looks after all!

All in all, I am still so impressed with Shimmer Polish. You really can’t go wrong with polishes that can be worn alone, layered, and used in nail art. These versatile polishes can be purchased on Etsy HERE. You can also like Shimmer Polish on Facebook HERE.

What do you think of these nail art looks?! How do you use glitter to spice up your manicure?

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

DIY Nail Art Featuring the Milani Textured Creams

Posted on March 2, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Today’s post responds to many of your requests for nail art! I loved the Milani Textured Creams so much that I decided to use them to create three, do-it-yourself nail art looks. These polishes were so easy to work with! You can see my full review of the collection HERE, but below is a quick reminder of what each polish looks like on its own.

Now, let me show you the nail art I created! The only tool you will need besides the nail polish is scotch tape!

First I did a simple, diagonal look using Tainted in Red and Spoiled in Fuchsia. I painted my nails with Spoiled in Fuchsia, and then waited for the polish to dry completely. Then I took the scotch tape and covered up half of my nail, and painted over the other half using Tainted in Red. Before the polish dried, I carefully peeled off the tape to reveal this fun manicure! This diagonal look is so easy to create, but looks really cool. You can easily add another color as well!

Next I did a cloud manicure using Aqua Splash as my base and Yellow Mark for the clouds. This technique is surprisingly easy to create. All you do is apply your polish in three strokes — a long stroke on the edge, a middle one, and a short one! It’s as simple as that! I love this manicure so much that I’ve recreated in many times. I think the cloud manicure is perfect with these Milani Textured Creams because you get the added dimension from the textured finish!

Last but not least is my take on a half moon manicure using Purple Streak and Shady Gray. First, I painted my nails with Purple Streak. After the polish had dried completely, I placed a piece of scotch tape at the bottom of my nail and painted the rest with Shady Gray. This gave me a half moon manicure with a straight line instead of a curved one. I love the geometric look, and this is an edgy take on the half moon! I also love the color palette!

All in all, these nail are techniques are so simple that I know you can do-it-yourself! I found the Milani Textured Creams to be really easy to work with, as they dry quickly and have the perfect formula. Be sure to see my last entry for my review of this collection!

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Valentine’s Day Skittle Manicure!

Posted on February 10, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Today I have a fun post for all of you featuring a Valentine’s Day skittle manicure. What is a skittle manicure, you ask? It’s when each nail is painted differently from all the rest, whether it be all different colors or patterns. I thought a skittle would be a cute idea for Valentine’s Day, and it would help me practice some nail art techniques! Let me show you my Valentine’s manicure!

I used Sally Hansen Fuchsia Flare as the base color for my manicure, and an accent nail of Zoya Jacqueline. Fuchsia Flare is a beautiful bright pink nail polish that is opaque in two coats. The formula was easy to apply, and spread out evenly. I thought it would make the perfect base for some nail art, especially for Valentine’s Day! I also used a fast dry polish so that I could get to work on the nail art as soon as possible — I don’t like waiting for polish to dry!

The next step was to begin the skittle! I first started out with Fuchsia Flare again, and ever so carefully did a free-hand heart on the accent nail of Zoya Jacqueline. To do so, I wiped off almost all the polish from the brush, and made two sweeps of the polish in a V shape. It was rather simple to do with a steady hand, and I’m thrilled the way it came out!

Next, I completed my manicure using all of the other polishes. It’s very important to make sure your base color is dry before beginning these next steps, or you will experience smudging. Working from pinky to thumb, I first did a french tip with an unnamed red OPI. To do so I used scotch tape as a guideline. Next, I did a glitter gradient on my middle finger using Equinots from A Rhyming Dictionary. I put a dab of the glitter polish at the bottom of my nail near the cuticle, and slowly dragged up the glitters until about half of the nail was covered. On my pointer finger I used Milani Digital to do another scotch tape design, this time in a vertical stripe. The result here wasn’t very good — Digital was not opaque over Fuchsia Flare, and I didn’t get a clean line after removing the tape. Nonetheless, I completed the manicure with a thin coat of Elixir Lacquer A Cool Fool on my thumb nail. This gave that nail a beautiful, holographic shine.

Overall I am loving my Valentine’s Day manicure! There are some imperfections, but that is fine by me. Be sure to try out your own skittle manicure by wearing a different color or design on each nail. It’s a fun way to experiment with new styles and impress your friends. Be sure to share your Valentine’s Day manicures with me on my Facebook page HERE!

Some of the products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Illamasqua Rampage and a Jelly Sandwich!

Posted on January 22, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! Today I am bringing you a splurge polish. While I value a bargain, sometimes it is nice to treat myself to a higher priced polish. I bought my first Illamasqua at the end of the summer at Sephora for $14. I’ve already used it for three manicures, so I’m making sure to get my money’s worth! Let me show you this jelly polish.

Illamasqua Rampage is a dark green polish with a jelly finish. Unlike many jellies, I was able to achieve opacity with just two coats! This polish’s formula is just okay — it was a bit streaky and uneven. This is characteristic of jelly polishes, but because it is a higher end brand, I expect a bit more from it. I also find it difficult to make my manicure look perfect with this one, but if I make too much of a mess I can just clean it up afterwards. Formula issues aside, I love this color! I wore it for the first time on Thanksgiving, and I couldn’t help but carry this trend over into winter.

You may remember my last post, where I used Rampage as the base color for Are You My Mummy? from Lucky 13 Lacquer (see that post HERE). Well, I couldn’t help but make a jelly sandwich! Here’s how it came out.

I am absolutely thrilled with the final product! If you don’t know what a jelly sandwich is, you can see THIS post for more information. Basically, it’s when you layer glitter in between layers of jelly nail polish. To get the look above, I have on two coats of Rampage, two coats of Are You My Mummy?, and one very thin coat of Rampage. Because of the dark color of this Illamasqua, I made sure to use a very thin coat over the glitter so I could still see the different shapes and colors. I would say this mani upgrade was a complete success!

You can purchase Illamasqua nail polish on Sephora’s website for $14 per bottle.

Celebrating the Season with Christmas Tree Nail Art

Posted on December 7, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! Today I have a short post telling you about the Christmas themed nail art I did for a contest on Facebook. Many of my readers have been requesting more nail art, so ask and you shall receive! I am in no way a nail art expert, but I am super proud of my little Christmas trees. Let me show you the manicure!

Here are my two little Christmas trees! First, I started out with a base of Zoya Ziv. Once Ziv was completely dry, I used scotch tape to block off a triangle on my nails in the shape of the Christmas tree, and painted on Zoya Logan. (See Ziv and Logan alone HERE). Next, I took some yellow polish and carefully added a drop to the top of my Christmas trees for the star. As a final touch, a did some polka dots with red polish for some ornaments! I don’t have any dotting tools, so that’s why my circles aren’t perfect, but I think this manicure still looks really festive! I decided to go with polishes that all had a shimmery, metallic finish, but you can choose any polishes you like. I also did two accent nails just to keep it simple. I love the finished product!

What do you think of my Christmas tree manicure? It’s so simple that anyone can do it! Let me know what you think in the comments, and feel free to share your holiday and winter themed nail art, too!

A Jelly Sandwich with ncLA Hello, I Love You! & Zoya Electra

Posted on November 14, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

When I first started checking out other nail polish blogs, I had no idea what a jelly sandwich manicure was! Today I will show you the first jelly sandwich I have ever done, and explain how to get such a fun and unique look! I used two polishes from previous posts so you can see this mani upgrade in action. See ncLA Hello, I Love You! HERE and Zoya Electra HERE.

So, what is a jelly sandwich? It is simply combining two polishes in oreo cookie fashion. You will need one jelly finish nail polish. I used ncLA Hello, I Love You! for that. A jelly polish is one that is very sheer. Basically, think of a jelly polish as one that is a clear base with some added pigment. If you aren’t sure whether a polish has a jelly finish or not, try experimenting. If a polish is opaque in two coats, it is not a jelly. However, if takes three or more coats to build opacity, it will probably be great for layering!

To begin your jelly sandwich, paint 2-3 coats of your jelly polish and let that dry. Then, grab your second polish. Typically jelly sandwiches use a glitter polish as the middle layer because the glitter is easy to see through the sheerness of the jelly. I chose Zoya Electra, a holographic bar glitter, as my “middle” polish. I layered on one coat of Electra, but depending on the glitter you are using you may want to do two coats. It is more of a personal preference. Once the glitter has dried, finish up with one more coat of your jelly polish. You will have a really fun, layered look!

What do you think of my jelly sandwich manicure? I like it, especially for a first try! Plus, a jelly sandwich is a great way to upgrade a current manicure. Simply add the glitter and a final coat of the jelly, and you have a whole new look! I can’t wait to try this out again soon.

Make Your Mani Last: How I Wore Essie Stylenomics!

Posted on October 26, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Earlier this week I showed you Essie Stylenomics that I got from Klout as a free perk. Not only did I wear Stylenomics alone, but I did two mani upgrades with it. One of my Facebook followers suggested that I try matte stripes, so I gave that a try. Then, I changed the look again by adding some glitter. Let me show you both mani upgrades!

The first mani upgrade I did with Essie Stylenomics is matte stripes! All you have to do to achieve this look is place scotch tape across your nails in horizontal stripes, paint over them with a matte topcoat, and remove the tape. Voila! Your manicure will go from glossy to both glossy and matte in an instant. Matte stripes are the perfect way to upgrade your manicure if you are looking for a subtle change. For more information on how the scotch tape technique works, visit THIS blog entry.

Although I did like the look of matte stripes, I just had to add some glitter to my manicure! First I used a glossy topcoat over the stripes to erase the matte look. Then I grabbed Milani Jewel FX in Gems to use as a glitter topcoat. Gems is such a fun polish. It is a clear base filled with lots of multicolored glitters. I applied one coat over Essie Stylenomics to get the look in the photos. The best part is, Milani can be found at drugstores and department stores for around $4-5 per bottle, which makes it more affordable than similar polishes that range from $8-16. I just love the combination of Stylenomics and Gems!

Mani upgrades are the perfect way to make your manicure last as long as possible. By adding topcoats you lock in the original color, and with glitter you can hide the appearance of any chips you are starting to see. Plus, mani upgrades are a quick solution for the girl on the go who wants to change her polish as much as possible, but doesn’t have the time for a complete manicure.

Do you have any ideas for a great mani upgrade? Share them in the “comments” section and I will try them out!

Saran Wrap Nail Art

Posted on September 26, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Have you heard of the nail art technique that uses saran wrap to get a funky design? I saw THIS pin on Pinterest, and just had to try it out! Since I am not great at nail art, I was thrilled with how easy this technique is. Plus, we all have some saran wrap in the kitchen. Let me show you how my saran wrap manicure turned out. Please note that the photos in this post were taken with flash to showcase the design.

To get this look, first paint your nails in any color you want. I chose Julep Brandt. Make sure your polish is completely dry before moving onto the second step. Next, get out your saran wrap and your second polish color. It is easier to work with smaller pieces of saran wrap. Take your second polish (I chose Julep Sophie) and paint one coat directly over your original manicure. Then, bunch up the saran wrap and lightly dab all over your nail while the polish is still wet. Continue these steps on each nail and finish up with a top coat. Voila! You now have a super cool manicure!

The design reminds me of acid wash jeans! I definitely can’t wait to try out this technique with other colors and finishes. I think it would look great with glitter polish! Be warned that this technique can get a little messy when you’re dabbing with the saran wrap. A little clean-up is needed, but it’s definitely worth it. Be sure to try it out!

Don’t forget, you can get your first month of Julep for just one penny with code MAVENINTRO at checkout! I heard a rumor that they are also throwing in two bonus polishes at the moment. Sign up HERE!

Favorite Friday: Cloud Manicure with Julep Polish

Posted on August 31, 2012August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

It’s Favorite Friday! That’s when I use one of my favorite nail polishes, or recreate one of my favorite manicures! I’ve been wanting to do something fun with my nails, but I am not very good at nail art. I decided that this week I would recreate the cloud manicure I did a couple months ago. My nails were already painted with Julep’s Claire, so I used two other Julep polishes to upgrade my mani.

Not only do cloud manicures look really cool, but they are easy to achieve! All you need is three colors of nail polish, and some patience. With a steady hand you can easily master this technique. The best part is, people will be so impressed with your nails! You can get full instructions from my original cloud mani post HERE.

For this mani, I began with Julep’s Claire (blue) and then added on Morgan (purple) and Blake (yellow). Too be honest I’m not so sure how I feel about this color combination together. I think the clouds look great, but the yellow on the tips was a bit off for me. I will definitely do this manicure again with different colors!

What do you think of my cloud manicure? Have you tried this technique?