nail art – Page 4 – Adventures in Polishland

Tag: nail art

Pinspiration | Neutral & Gold Manicure + Using Your Textured Polishes in a New Way!

Posted on January 13, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! I’ve really been into Pinterest lately, and spotted THIS beautiful accent nail that I just had to recreate. Neutrals are really great in the winter months, but the pop of gold sparkle added a classy yet fabulous touch to the manicure. I searched through my nail polish collection to see which shades matched the Pin best, and to my surprise the best full coverage gold glitter I owned was a textured formula. I decided to make it work! Let me show you the results!

Step 1: Paint Your Nails with a Nude Beige Polish

I chose Milani Vanilla Almond (review HERE), but you can use whatever polish you own. Make sure you let this base dry completely before moving onto step two. I actually let my manicure dry overnight, but to be safe I think 1-2 hours will be satisfactory depending on the formula of the polish and the humidity of your location.

Step 2: Apply Tape to Nail and Paint an Off-White Diagonal

I’ve used the tape trick since my blog’s inception. Simply take a small piece of tape, press it on the back of your hand to remove some of the stickiness, then place on your nail. Paint over the tape and remove while the polish is still wet. I use Color Club Mod in Manhattan (review HERE) as my off-white polish. If you only own a white, that will work, too!

Step 3: Apply Tape on Opposite Side of Nail and Paint a Gold Glitter Diagonal

Finally, repeat the above step with the tape on the opposite side of your nail. Again, make sure to let step two dry completely before moving on. As you can see from my manicure, I didn’t wait for my polish to dry enough and had to touch up the lines. For my gold glitter I chose JulieG Gift of Gold. This is a textured polish, but it was the most full coverage of all my gold glitters. To achieve a glossy finish, I simply applied Essie Good to Go over the entire nail! I’m loving the finished product!

All in all, it is super easy to create this neutral and gold manicure so long as you have a bit of patience with the drying process. Of course, you can use any nail polish colors you wish to recreate this look, but I think this color palette is stunning. Even though textured polishes may not be on trend anymore, you can still find ways to use those that you purchased in nail art and by applying a glossy top coat. Please let me know in the comments if you’ll be recreating this look!

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.

Simple Saturday | Julep Cloud Manicure

Posted on December 27, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! Now that Christmas is over, I took the time to paint my nails after going a week without any polish. I rather enjoy short nails, and after doing so much housework the past week to get ready for holiday get-togethers, I actually enjoyed chopping them down. Since I am separated from my nail polish stash at the moment, I raided Momma Polishland’s collection (with her permission, of course). She’s grown quite a substantial pile of polishes in the past few years – that seems to happen when your daughter is a nail polish blogger, even if she’s moved out of the house! Let me show you the quick and easy nail art look I created.

I began with a base of Julep Dianna, a stunning navy polish. Dianna has a great formula, and I applied two thin coats to achieve opacity. This was easily done very fast – I forgot that Julep switched to wide, flat brushes! They can be tricky at first, but really easy to use once you get the hang of the feel.

For an accent nail, I grabbed Julep Briana, a mint shade that leans towards blue. I thought Briana looked perfect when paired with Dianna! I simply used the cloud nail art technique (full details on how to create the clouds HERE). The creme formulas look amazing, and the blue tones are wintery yet no longer holiday themed. I applied a glossy top coat to finish the look, and I was good to go!

All in all, I am really happy with my simple manicure. It looks fancy with the cloud accent nail, but was so easy to create. You can actually grab Briana for just $4.99 on Julep’s website HERE in the Savvy Deals section today. If you spend $25 or more from now until December 28, you get a free gift worth $50 with promo code SAVVY. This is definitely a great bargain! Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of my manicure, and if you are picking up anything during Julep’s sale. Also, don’t forget to enter my 3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest! Details on how to enter HERE.

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest!

Posted on December 26, 2014December 26, 2014 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! Today I am excited to announce my 3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest! Make sure to read all of the rules below so you can enter to win some awesome prizes!

RULES

Who is eligible to enter?

US residents who are 18+ years old or have parental consent
You must be following Adventures in Polishland to enter – either through email or Bloglovin’
Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter

What kind of manicures are allowed?

Anything goes! Nail art, glitter, plain polish – I’m leaving this one up to you!
For inspiration, see past years’ entrants HERE and HERE

How does the contest work?

Create your manicure, and email me a photo of your nails to adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com with the subject line “NYE Manicure Contest”
You may include in your email 1-3 sentences describing your manicure, and why you think it’s great for New Year’s Eve (optional)
The deadline for submitting your manicure is Monday, January 5, 2014 at 11:59pm EST
On January 6, I will post all of the manicures in a photo album on my Facebook Page
On January 12, winners will be chosen and notified via email.

How will winners be chosen?

There are two winners in this giveaway!
One winner will be chosen by popular vote – whichever manicure receives the most Facebook likes (remember, the likes must be on the photo posted on my Facebook Page).
One winner will be chosen by a panel of objective judges based on which manicure is their favorite.

PRIZES

Each winner will receive a limited edition tin from Makeup by One Direction. One winner will receive the Niall tin and the other will receive the Liam tin. A full review containing the products can be seen HERE. I absolutely love the Makeup by One Direction nail polish!

Each winner will also receive bonus beauty products selected by me. Stay tuned for more details! You never know what can pop up as prizes.

I hope you will consider entering my New Year’s Eve Manicure Contest! It is a fun way for me to give back to all of you, and a great opportunity for your nails to shine after seeing mine all the time. If you have any questions regarding this contest, please don’t hesitate to email me at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

Pinspiration | Snowman Nail Art

Posted on December 18, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I have a nail art look to show you based on a photo I saw on Pinterest. I saw THIS adorable manicure and just had to recreate it to the best of my abilities. If you’ve been reading Adventures in Polishland for a while, you’ll know that I struggle big time with nail art. I simplified this snowman a little for my skill level. Let me show you the result!

I began with a base of Zoya Neve (full review HERE). Neve is a stunning deep blue/purple polish with blue and purple shimmer mixed throughout the base. I wanted a darker background color for my snowman, because I love looking at snow at night. There is just something beautiful about it! Plus, I thought Neve’s shimmer would be great as a base as well.

Once Neve was completely dry, I got going with my nail art! My first step was grabbing the dotting tools I got from Amazon (buy them HERE). I made some big dots and some smaller dots with white nail polish for the snowflakes. Then I used the regular nail polish brush, and painted the tips of my nails white for the snow banks. This was beyond easy to do, and it looks awesome! My little snowman was a bit more difficult. I did some freehand circles for his body and let that dry. Then, I used a black striper polish for his top hat and some dotting tools helped me create his eyes and buttons. I ran out of room for Mr. Snowman’s carrot nose, but I grabbed an orange polish and put it on there anyway. Finally, I used a red polish to make the snowman a scarf. Once everything was completely dry, I finished up with a top coat.

All in all, even though my little snowman isn’t perfect, I’m still really happy with my final manicure. The snowflake nails came out really well! I think with more practice I will get the hang of the snowman. He sure is cute, though! Please let me know in the comments if you like this wintery manicure and if you’ll be trying it out this year. If there are any nail art looks you want me to test out for you, let me know that as well. I hope you’re having a great holiday season!

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

Simple Saturday | Starry Stamping with Born Pretty Store Plates

Posted on December 6, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! It’s been a while since I posted under the Simple Saturday category! Today I have a quick manicure using a stamping plate from Born Pretty Store. As I mentioned in THIS blog post, I am still experimenting with stamping. I decided to practice using THIS stamping plate. It includes some gorgeous stars, so I went with a nighttime themed look.

I began with a navy creme base of LVX Azzurrum (full review HERE) and let that dry completely. Then I grabbed a gold metallic polish for the stars because I’ve heard metallic formulas are good for stamping. I used NYC New York Color in Crown Gold (full review HERE), but any gold will do. The stars did get a bit smudged in the stamping process, but I’m definitely getting the hang of it. I like how it turned out!

That’s it for today’s Simple Saturday post! Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of my Starry Stamping. As always, use code FZL91 on Born Pretty Store’s website HERE to save 10% on all of your nail art necessities. If you have any stamping tips, be sure to tell me what they are in the comments. I learn a lot from you when it comes to nail art!

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

Holiday Manicure with Born Pretty Store Stamping Plates

Posted on November 19, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Despite being in the nail polish community for nearly three years now, I never tried out nail stamping. I think I shied away from it because I knew I would be bad at it, but when Born Pretty Store gave me the opportunity to test out some of their new stamping plates I decided to go for it. If you’ve never tried stamping before I will let you know that there definitely is a learning curve. I’ve been practicing for over a week now, and I am still struggling to get the designs on my nails perfectly. Nonetheless, I thought I would share my first attempts at stamping with you because I’m not a professional nail artist – I’m just a girl with a blog! Let me share my holiday manicure using some Born Pretty Store stamping plates.

First and foremost, be sure to pick up a nail stamper and scraper. This is a reusable set that retails for just $2.99 HERE.

These are the two stamping plates I used for this manicure. I’m using stock photos from Born Pretty Store’s website because in real life the plates are mirrored and it was impossible for me to get a clear picture of them for you. The top plate is $2.24 HERE and I am using the design on the bottom because it reminds me of a Christmas Tree. Similarly, the bottom plate is $2.99 HERE and I am using the floral design on the bottom because it reminds me of poinsettias!

I began with a white base of SinfulColors Snow Me White and let that dry completely. You can then follow THIS YouTube tutorial if you’d like some basics of nail stamping. I used Julep Payton for the green on my accent nail and Milani Modern Rouge for the red. As you can see, I did mess up the red stamp quite a bit, and the green color was not very vibrant. Nonetheless, I’m happy with this result as a nail stamp beginner!

All in all, I’m having a great time testing out these nail plate and stamping tools from Born Pretty Store! I will definitely bring you some more nail art looks in the future once I get the hang of stamping. If you have any tips and tricks please leave them in the comments below! Don’t forget to use coupon code FZL91 on Born Pretty Store’s website to stock up on all of your nail art necessities!

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

’50s Sock Hop Nails | Easy Halloween Tutorial

Posted on October 18, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! I got a great response from my last Halloween nail tutorial (see it HERE) that I decided to create another one! Growing up, one of my favorite Halloween costumes was a ’50s inspired Sock Hop outfit. My mom sewed me a custom poodle skirt and black bolero, and I was ready to rock to some doo-wop tunes! If you’re going to don this classic outfit idea on Halloween, I’ve got just the nails for you. Plus, stay tuned to find out how to take this manicure from ’50s Sock Hop to Punk Rock in one easy step!

All you need to create this look is a pink nail polish, black nail polish, dotting tool, and nail art brush. Start with a pink base, and let that dry. Then draw a straight line on your pointer finger using a nail art brush for the G-clef. Use the dotting tools to create the noteheads in any way you choose. Now comes the tricky part! Carefully draw on the rest of your G-clef and the stems for your notes. It’s okay if the lines aren’t perfect – mine aren’t! Finally, let your manicure dry and follow up with a glossy top coat.

Here are the exact products that I used in this tutorial, but feel free to use what’s in your stash!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Fuchsia Flare [BUY]
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Tarred [BUY]
Born Pretty Store Nail Art Brush [BUY] (10% off with code FZL91)
Dragonpad Dotting Tools [BUY]

If you’re going for more of a Punk Rock costume this year, simply add a black and white glitter polish on top of the already existing manicure! That will add some pizazz to your nails and give the look a bit more of an edge. I used Milani in Sprinkles, but whatever you own will be great. For even more flare, use some holographic glitter as well!

I hope you enjoyed today’s Halloween nail tutorial! Whether you’re dressing as a ’50s Sock Hop girl or Punk Rocker, this manicure will be sure to add a little something special to your costume. Please let me know what you think in the comments, and let me know if there are any other tutorials you would like to see for Halloween!

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Zoya Matte Cloud Nail Art | Fall 2014

Posted on October 9, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Thursday! Today I have a fun fall manicure to show you that I created using some of the Fall 2014 Zoya Nail Polish colors. I’ve been wearing Margo a lot lately, and decided to add some bling to the beautiful creme by adding in the Ultra PixieDust shades. Let me show you how I combined these polishes!

First, I started off with a base of Margo and let that dry. Then, I used each of the Ultra PixieDusts one at a time to create an ombré cloud. I began with Oswin, and then added on Arianna and Noir letting each coat dry in between. Finally, I used a matte top coat over the top to create a uniform finish. The ombré is subtle, but really pretty!

All in all, this manicure is super easy to create, but really nice for fall! You can learn more about the polishes I used in this post be reading my full reviews HERE and HERE. Let me know how you like to rock the Zoya polishes seen here in the comments!

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

Abstract Floral Nails with Born Pretty Store Water Decals

Posted on October 7, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! Today I have a review of some floral water decals from Born Pretty Store. Water decals are such a fun and easy way to create a nail art look, and I’ve always enjoyed testing them out in the past. You can see the other manicures I’ve created with water decals HERE, but let’s jump right into today’s look!

This set of water decals contains a beautiful floral pattern with red flowers. There are two rows of five blocks that can be cut into any shape you desire. I love that these decals are quite customizable. You can shape them to fit your entire nail, or cut them into funky shapes. The sheet itself retails for just $1.99 and can be purchased HERE.

I decided to go with an abstract look, and began with a base of Jordana Merry Mint (full review HERE). Once my green base was completely dry, I began adding on random pieces of the decals. I finished with a glossy top coat, and I’m loving the result! It reminds me of vintage wallpaper, and looks like a collage project. I know it won’t be everyone’s style, but the colors and pattern are really cool to me.

All in all, I love using water decals to easily dress up any manicure! As always, you can find these decals and many other nail art products on Born Pretty Store’s website at amazingly low prices. Use my discount code FZL91 for an additional 10% off! Let me know in the comments how you would use these water decals!

DIY Ghost Manicure | 3 Easy Steps

Posted on October 5, 2014August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! Now that it’s October, I’m in the mood for everything Halloween related. I decided to create a super easy manicure to get the season going, so if you’re looking for some spooky inspiration look no further! All you need to create this cute little ghost is a black nail polish, white nail polish, and a dotting tool. I created an iconographic so you can see the tutorial step-by-step.

The specific products that I used for my ghost manicure are as follows:

Michael Marcus in Once You Go Matte [BUY]
Milani Color Statement in Spotlight White [BUY]
Dragonpad Dotting Tools [BUY]

Of course, use whatever polishes and tools you have in your own collection. I went with a matte black base because I thought the glossy finish on the white would stand out more, but the finish is up to you! My only added tip to the tutorial above is to let each layer dry before continuing on. That’s all there is to it!

All in all, I hope you found this DIY Ghost Manicure a cute and fun way to kick off the Halloween season!I love the simplicity in this look, as it is festive yet not over the top. If you have any requests for seasonal looks, let me know using my Review Request Form HERE. I hope to create a few more festive manicures this fall!

This post contains affiliate links and a product that I was sent for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.