nail art – Adventures in Polishland

Tag: nail art

Musical Manicures | Movin’ Out Inspired Nails

Posted on September 13, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Welcome back to Musical Manicures, the series where I create a nail polish look inspired by a Broadway show I’ve seen in the past. This is the eighth installment of this series, and I am really enjoying revisiting so many of the amazing shows I’ve seen all while using polishes from my collection that I may not reach for on a regular basis. This week I picked Movin’ Out from the jar of musicals, which brings me back to January 2004. This is the second show I ever saw on Broadway, and I got to visit with my dance class on our first trip together to New York City. Not only did we get to see the Movin’ Out, but we also got to take a master dance class with one of the Broadway dancers, who taught us choreography from the show. I wish I could remember which performer it was, and I also wish I had photos to show you from the time. Alas, this was over 20 years ago before I had a digital camera!

Movin’ Out is a jukebox musical set to songs by Billy Joel and with choreography by Twyla Tharp. Although there is a Piano Man who sat above the stage and performed all the music, the show is otherwise told through dance. I remember that we did not have the best seats in the Richard Rogers Theatre, and I also remember that the show was definitely a bit too mature for us at the time. Looking back, I think Movin’ Out it a musical I would appreciate a lot more now as an adult than I did as a middle school student!

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

For my manicure, I decided to do an abstract take on the Movin’ Out street sign logo. I began with a bright blue shade as the primary color using Zoya Sia, one of my all time favorite nail polishes. For my accent nail, I used LVX Fantom, which is a white nail polish, as the base. I let the white nail polish dry completely before I sectioned off my nail using striping tape. I then used Zoya Soko, a bright red nail polish, to act as the top of the street sign, along with more of Zoya Sia as the bottom of it. Make sure to let your nail polish dry completely before adding a top coat! Unfortunately, I wasn’t patient enough and smudged the nail art when I added Zoya Ultra Glossy Top Coat to seal in the look. Luckily, the Movin’ Out street sign is a bit banged up, so I don’t think my manicure needs to be perfect!

Overall, it was really fun to revisit a Broadway show that I saw over 20 years ago with this Musical Manicures installment! I feel like Movin’ Out is a more niche show that you may not have heard of before this post. It will be interesting to see if this musical ever gets revived on Broadway. Musicals that are primarily dance revues are not as popular, but they can be really beautiful to experience. You will have to let me know in the comments if you’ve seen or heard of Movin’ Out, as I would love to know!

Join me on Instagram to see the behind-the-scenes of this manicure HERE!

Musical Manicures | Hamilton Inspired Nails

Posted on August 2, 2025August 2, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

It’s time for the third installment of Musical Manicures, the series where I create a nail polish look inspired by a Broadway show I’ve seen in the past. This week I was surprised to pick Hamilton out of the jar, as the musical is celebrating its 10-Year Anniversary in just a few days! I saw the show on Broadway in January 2024 for free by using my credit card rewards points. I got a sketchy link in my email to access my ticket and was worried it would be fake, but luckily it was from a group ticket sales platform and I had an amazing seat in the front mezzanine! It was so exciting to be in the room where it happens after so many years.

While I may be late to the party when it comes to Hamilton, I’m so glad I finally saw the show. I was honestly shocked to find tears streaming down my face as the show came to a close. The cast does an amazing job of performing such a difficult show. I still cannot get over how talented they are to rap and sing the score! If you haven’t experienced Hamilton yet, I highly recommend it whether you can see it on Broadway, on tour, or via the proshot on Disney+. I think this show will remain a powerful force on Broadway for years to come!

Some of the products in this post were originally sent for my unbiased review. This post includes affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Now it’s time to show you the Hamilton inspired manicure I created. I wanted to match the gold and bronze background of the Playbill cover, so I began with Zoya Nail Polish Moki and Amara, which are metallic nail polishes. The cover goes from light and fades to dark on the bottom, so I created the same affect by using the saran wrap nail art technique to adjust the shade of polish on each nail, as well as give the nails a textured effect. I attempted to recreate the Hamilton star logo on my ring finger, but pivoted after two failed attempts. Instead, I used a black nail polish and a dotting tool to write “10” to celebrate the anniversary, and did dots around the perimeter to mimic the stars on the current Hamilton logo. I unfortunately smudged my top coat right at the end, but I still think the look came together well!

Overall, while I struggled to achieve my desired manicure result this week, I think I was still successful in capturing the essence of the Hamilton Playbill. In fact, I think the metallic polishes are quite a close match in terms of color! How fun to randomly choose this show out of the jar when it has such a big celebration this week, too! You’ll have to let me know in the comments if you are also a Hamilton fan, as I would love to know.

Join me on Instagram to see this week’s corresponding Reel with an inside look of the Playbill HERE.

Musical Manicures | Hadestown Inspired Nails

Posted on July 26, 2025July 26, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Today I am excited to share another installment in my new Musical Manicures series, which combines my love of both nail polish and musical theatre. If you missed my first post, I wrote down every Broadway musical I’ve seen, put them in a jar, and will pick one out each week to create a manicure inspired by the show. This week I was a bit surprised to pick Hadestown, which is a show I just saw this January. Currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre, Hadestown is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

I ended up winning the lottery for this show, which means I only paid $48.50 for my ticket. Unfortunately, my seat was in the back right of the Orchestra, and I was so uncomfortable that I had a difficult time focusing on the performance. I really loved the musicians and the overall message of the show, but I would say this was a three-star experience for me. I would definitely be open to revisiting Hadestown at some point in the future, perhaps on tour in a different venue.

Photo by Matthew Murphy and courtesy of *Variety*

That being said, the real highlight of the show for me was Allison Russell’s performance as Persephone. Every time she was on stage, my eyes were immediately drawn to her. She was truly glowing on that stage, and she had an amazing energy with both her singing and dancing. I decided to use her beautiful green dress as my inspiration for this week’s manicure.

Some of the products used were originally sent for my unbiased review. Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Persephone’s green dress has a velvety skirt and sleeves, and a lace bodice with rhinestones throughout. I began with a base of Zoya Nail Polish in Link, a neon green polish. To emulate the velvet texture on the dress, I used the Zoya Matte Velvet Top Coat on my pinky, pointer finger, and thumb. Next, I used an old stamping plate from Born Pretty Store that has a floral lace effect on my ring and middle fingers. I used a lighter green nail polish from Zoya called Avani for the lace. Finally, I repurposed some rhinestones I had leftover from a diamond painting project to add some bling. For my “glue” I used the Holo Taco Glossy Taco and placed the rhinestones in while the top coat was still wet. We’ll see how long they last on the nails!

While I still need to practice my nail stamping skills (I definitely smudged the polish on my middle finger!), I am overall very happy with my completed manicure. I think I captured the vibe of Persephone’s green dress, and I created a look that I never would have if not part of this Musical Manicures project. I also listened to the Hadestown Original Broadway Cast Recording while writing this post, which added to the experience for me. If you enjoy Greek mythology and a show that combines a love story with an important societal message, this may be a Broadway musical for you!

Want an inside look into the Hadestown Playbill and a behind-the-scenes peek at how this manicure was created? See this post’s corresponding Instagram Reel HERE.

Musical Manicures | American Idiot Inspired Nails

Posted on July 20, 2025July 20, 2025 by Adventures in Polishland

Today I am excited to begin a new series that has lived in my brain for a while. It’s called Musical Manicures, and combines my love for nail polish with my love for musical theatre. I wrote down every Broadway musical I’ve ever seen (that’s 45 unique shows!) and put them in a jar. Each round, I will randomly pick a show from the jar and create a nail polish look inspired by the musical. I think this will be a really fun way to look back on shows I’ve seen years ago, all while challenging myself to create manicures using polishes from my stash that I might not grab for on a regular basis. For this first round, I picked American Idiot out of the jar!

American Idiot is a rock opera based on the concept album of the same name by the band Green Day. I saw the show back in April 2011. I remember I wasn’t a huge fan of the show, but was excited to see the band’s frontman Billie Joe Armstrong live, as well as Justin Guarini from American Idol fame. I found my old blog review from 2011, and it’s honestly quite funny. These are my thoughts as a 21-year-old after seeing the show.

Despite my snarky post, I’m so glad I preserved my thoughts on the show! I really miss in-person ticket lotteries, and I can’t believe I got a seat in the orchestra for only $37.00. That being said, I think I agree with my younger self, as I don’t know that I would go see American Idiot again if the show gets a revival. Nonetheless, I’m excited to create a nail polish look based on the red, black, and white cover art of the Playbill.

The products used were originally sent for my unbiased review. Some links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

I decided to use a red nail polish as the main color, and then do an accent nail of white with black stars. I used Zoya Soko for the red polish, but you can use any true red shade you have. For the accent nail, I began with LVX Fantom, which is a white polish. I let that dry completely, and then used an old Born Pretty Store stamping plate to add the stars with Zoya Willa, a black polish. I don’t think this stamping plate is for sale anymore, but I found one with a similar design on Amazon. I completed the look with Holo Taco Glossy Taco.

I am really happy with how this first round of Musical Manicures came together! I think the nail polish really matches the vibe of the Playbill, and I definitely went outside of my comfort zone with the look. Of course, it was also fun to take a trip down memory lane and revisit a Broadway show I saw over a decade ago now. I hope you also enjoy this series. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Each blog post will be accompanied by an Instagram Reel with an inside look of the Playbill and the manicure process! See this post’s reel HERE.

Blue Ombré Skittle Manicure featuring Holo Taco Everything Taco

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Adventures in Polishland

After missing out on the first two launches, I finally snagged a bottle of the coveted Everything Taco from Holo Taco. I placed my order on a Monday, and to my happy surprise my new nail polish arrived that Thursday. Of course, I had to get this unique, special effects topper on my nails as soon as possible. What better way to wear it with than my favorite nail polish color, blue. I grabbed five blue nail polishes from Zoya Nail Polish in my collection, and came up with a blue ombré skittle manicure that I’m excited to share with you today.

Zoya Nail Polish Blue Cream Nail Polishes

The Zoya polishes in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post includes affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

My first step in creating this manicure was choosing the blue nail polishes for the ombré. Unsurprisingly, I had many options in my collection. I decided to go with more muted blue shades. From left to right, I chose Zoya Blu, Zoya Val, Zoya Austin, Zoya Brett, and Zoya Ryan. It looks like Brett is no longer available for sale, but you can use whatever polishes you have on hand as long as you get an ombré effect.

Blue Ombré Manicure featuring Holo Taco Everything Taco

To create my manicure, I began with Holo Taco Long Lasting Base. I then applied two coats of each cream polish, and let my nails dry. Next up I added one coat of Holo Taco Everything Taco. This nail polish topper is so much fun! It has a mix of iridescent flakie Unicorn Skins, as well as holographic glitters. It truly combines everything that Holo Taco has to offer when it comes to special effects toppers!

Holo Taco Everything Taco Review by Adventures in Polishland

Not only do I love how blingy Everything Taco looks on the nails, but I love how user friendly it is. I remember back when I started this blog, one thing often discussed in the nail polish community was “fishing for glitters.” There is absolutely no fishing with Everything Taco. All of the glitters apply easily onto the nails without any effort during application. Holo Taco has truly perfected the glitter nail polish topper!

Blue Ombre Manicure with Everything Taco

Last but not least, I applied two coats of Holo Taco Super Glossy Taco to seal in my manicure. I like using one coat to even out all the glitters, and the second for that smooth, glass-like shine. I am absolutely loving the result! I may have missed Everything Taco during its first two releases, but third time was the charm, and I cannot wait to use this polish over and over again.

Follow me on Instagram @adventuresinpolishland for more!

#ManicureMonday | Cool Toned Cloud Manicure featuring Zoya Nail Polish

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Manicure Monday! Today I’m excited to share with you the nail polish look I’m wearing this week. I’ve been using a lot of special effects toppers and glitters on my nails lately, so I decided to reach for some good, old-fashioned cream shades. I grabbed three polishes from Zoya Nail Polish and did some simple nail art in a cloud manicure. While this manicure will impress your friends because it looks put together and fancy, it’s super easy to create. Plus, these cool toned shades are perfect for the chilly winter months!

#ManicureMonday | Cool Toned Cloud Manicure

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

I used three nail polishes from Zoya to create this manicure. The purple shade is Abby from the Charming Collection, the bright blue shade is Mateo from the Dreamin’ Collection, and the subdued blue shade is Lake from the Whispers Collection. I did a skittle manicure and decided to use my ring finger as the accent nail. Make sure to let your nail polish dry before moving onto the nail art portion.

Zoya Nail Polish Nail Art Tutorial | Adventures in Polishland

I’ve used the same Pinterest tutorial for cloud nail art since I started this blog back in 2012. Essentially, you just apply your nail polish in a descending manner and layer on your colors. The only trick is to let the shades dry before going onto the next step. That way you don’t smudge your manicure. This is especially important before adding your top coat! I use the Holo Taco Super Glossy Taco for a super shiny, glass like finish.

I’m loving how this manicure turned out! The cool toned colors look so great together even though they came from three different Zoya Nail Polish collections. It’s also nice to take a break from the glittery nails I’ve been sporting lately for a smooth, cream formula finish. If you haven’t tried out a cloud manicure before, I highly recommend it! The result looks quite impressive even though it’s simple to create.

Follow me on Instagram for more manicures and product recommendations!

Dry Brush Nail Art featuring the Zoya Nostalgic Collection

Posted on February 2, 2022January 29, 2022 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! A few days back I featured swatches and a full review of the Zoya Nail Polish Nostalgic Collection. I loved this collection so much that I knew I wanted to wear the polishes together in one manicure. I decided to do a dry brush nail art look. This is a simple technique I learned from Emily over at Casual Contrast (formerly The Lacquerologist). You can find Emily’s full tutorial on this nail art on her blog, but today I’ll show you what combining the Nostalgic Collection from Zoya looks like.

Dry Brush Nail Art featuring the Zoya Nostalgic Collection

The products in this post were provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an affiliate link. All opinions are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

I began my manicure by applying two coats of Vivi. I chose a light base shade because I wanted the darker polishes in the collection to still pop out well on the nails. I let Vivi dry completely before moving onto the next step, as I didn’t want this base shade to budge at all in the dry brushing process.

I then used Mila, Austin, and Cooper to add some fun color to my manicure. The trick with dry brushing is to wipe off the brush until it has very little polish on it. That allows for you to do abstract strokes on the nails for a unique look each time. I love this technique because it looks fancy, but it’s super easy to achieve. You really cannot mess it up! My only tip is to let the polish dry between layers, and make sure your manicure is fully dry before you apply a top coat so you don’t smudge the completed look.

I’m really loving the final result! The Zoya Nostalgic Collection works so well together, as the shades really compliment one another. I decided to use three of the polishes in the actual dry brushing, so that the colors would still stand out without looking muddy. That being said, you could definitely add more colors, especially if you switch to using a nail art brush for small strokes. If you are looking for an easy nail art design that looks great in the end, I would recommend giving the dry brush technique a try!

5th Annual New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest | Entries & Winner

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Thank you to those who participated in my 5th Annual New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest! Today I will be sharing the entries with you and announcing the winner, who was chosen randomly through random.org. If you missed the announcement for this annual contest, you can view the original blog post HERE. I hope all of you had a wonderful New Year’s, and your 2017 is off to a great start!

ENTRIES

Linda: “My New Year’s manicure is China Glaze Ruby Pumps, a beautiful, ruby red with red shimmer flecks. I picked it because it’s a perfect holiday red and the shimmer flecks give it even more of a festive, holiday look.”

Liz: “I have to keep my nails short for work and I’m a busy mom. This year I spent NYE in with the family but still wanted something fun and festive so I grabbed these Incoco nail strips from my stash.”

WINNER

Congrats to Linda! You are the random winner of this year’s contest! I will be in touch with you so I can send along your prize!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Easy July 4th Nail Art | My Independence Day Manicure

Posted on July 4, 2016June 7, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! It is Independence Day here in the United States, and I wanted to share with you the manicure I created to celebrate. I’ve always loved July 4th, and what a better way to wear the red, white, and blue than on your nails! I reached into my nail polish collection to create this really easy nail art look, which can be customized to fit your tastes and skill level. Let me share my Independence Day manicure with all of you!

What You Need // What I Used:

Red Nail Polish // KBShimmer in Chilly Papper [LINK]
Blue Nail Polish // Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant in Out of the Blue [LINK]
White Nail Polish // LVX Fantom [LINK]
Scotch Tape
Born Pretty Store Star Stamping Plate [LINK]
Stamp and Scraper Tool // Born Pretty Store Stamp Set [LINK]
Top Coat // Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat [LINK]

I began my manicure by painting all of my nails red with the exception of my ring finger, which I painted blue. I made sure to let this dry completely before continuing on with the nail art look. If you are in a rush, you can simply leave your manicure like this, or add some glitter on top to dress it up a bit! A white glitter over the blue accent nail would look great.

The final step was adding on some white stars using my stamping tools. I decided to block off part of my nail using Scotch tape, and left only the middle triangle open for the stamp. Make sure to choose a really pigmented white polish so that the stars will really stand out on your nail. Feel free to stamp over the whole nail, or just a portion like I did! Follow up with a glossy top coat once the stamp is dry, and your manicure is complete!

All in all, I am loving my July 4th nail art! It was really easy to create, but looks super festive. If you don’t own a stamping plate with stars, you can substitute nail stickers or simply a glitter polish. Of course, if you’re really fancy you can freehand some stars as well. Make the look your own with whatever you have in your collection! I hope you are having a fun and safe Independence Day! Please tag me on social media so I can see your festive nails!

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

Nail Bliss Nail Pop Appliqués Review | All Laced Up

Posted on June 27, 2016June 3, 2016 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have a review of a nail art product from the brand Nail Bliss. This is a new-to-me brand sold exclusively at Sally Beauty Stores, and I was excited to receive the Nail Pop Appliqués in the style All Laced Up to review. I love trying out nail stickers because they make nail art really quick and easy. Plus, nail appliqués typically last longer than nail polish. Nail Pop Appliqués are also super fabulous and affordable, so I knew I had to test them out so I could share my thoughts with all of you!

Here is a look at the Nail Pop packaging. These appliqués are designed with accent nails in mind, so you only receive eight full size nail stickers. However, you do get a lot of smaller accents, which can be layered or worn alone. I was surprised that this bulky box only contained the sheet of appliqués you see here, and not a nail file, which is needed to apply the stickers and is included by many competitor brands. This packaging seemed a bit unnecessary, especially since there was a cardboard piece inside to puff out the box. I would rather a more environmentally friendly design for such a small sheet of stickers!

I began my manicure with a base of Color Club’s Mod in Manhattan. I decided I wanted to replicate the manicure on the Nail Pop box as much as possible, so an off-white shade was a great choice. I made sure to let my manicure dry completely before attempting to apply the appliqués.

The Nail Pop Appliqués work just like any other nail sticker. You choose the size that fits your nail best, smooth the sticker over the nail, and file off any excess. Then, make sure to seal the manicure with a top coat.

The first thing I noticed with the appliqués is that I had trouble finding the right size for my nails. Similar nail stickers often come with more stickers than you need so that you can find the perfect size for your nails. That is certainly not the case here. Not only are there not enough appliqués for a complete manicure, but the four sizes available didn’t fit my nails well. Similarly, the appliqués were difficult to apply because they are so sticky during application that you cannot reposition them at all. If you make a mistake, you have to work around it.

That being said, I did really like the final manicure result. The All Laced Up Set has some really fun patterns, and I like being able to create a skittle manicure with little effort.

Unfortunately, my manicure did not last long. Just a few hours after my manicure was dry, I noticed the nail appliqué begin to peel off my pointer finger. You can see the edge is completely off my nail in the above photo. The next morning when I woke up (about 17 total hours later), nearly all of the appliqués were peeling at the edges. This was so disappointing! I made sure to follow the application instructions on the stickers exactly, and sealed them with top coat. I think the main reason they were peeling is because they just didn’t fit my nail shape well. I will say that the smaller accents stayed put very easily, and I had trouble removing them.

All in all, I would recommend passing on the Nail Bliss Nail Pop Appliqués. Of course, these will work a bit differently on everyone, especially if the sizes included fit your nails better. However, I’m really disappointed my manicure didn’t even last a full day. I do think the small accents work very well, so if you are looking solely for those you might be interested in this set. You can shop the entire Nail Bliss line at your local Sally Beauty Supply store, or online HERE. Please let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any products from Nail Bliss. I would love to hear your experience!

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