nail art – Page 4 – Adventures in Polishland

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Messy Mansion Stamping Plate MM38 Review & Giveaway | #3YearsinPolishland with Beautometry

Posted on April 15, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! On April 10, I celebrated my 3rd Blogiversary! I decided to host three giveaways, and here is giveaway number three! Beautometry is helping my celebrate my Blogiversary by sponsoring a giveaway for all of you. Not only does the shop carry awesome indie nail polishes, but there are nail art tools as well. I’m still a stamping newbie, but I couldn’t wait to test out this plate from Messy Mansion. Make sure to stay tuned to the end of this post for a giveaway, and winner announcements for the other two #3YearsinPolishland giveaways!

REVIEW

Beautometry sent me Messy Mansion stamping plate in MM38. It is so cute! It includes owls, trees, birdhouses, and other cute forest designs. I snapped a picture with the protective plastic still on the plate so you can clearly see the designs. You can purchase this plate on Beautometry’s website for $7.00 HERE.

I decided to do some nail art with owls in trees. I began with a white base, and then used a green polish to add on the background. I’m so happy with how the first stamping layer turned out! It looks vintage and was easy to apply. Once that dried, I added on a few owls with a brown polish. They turned out well, too, but got a bit lost on the busy background. I will go ahead and say these owls are camouflaged, just like they would be in nature! Next time I will do the owls on a plain background so you can really see how cute they are!

The polishes I used for this look:

LVX Fantom [REVIEW]
Zoya Sage [REVIEW]
Zoya Claire [REVIEW]

GIVEAWAY

Beautometry is generously giving away two stamping plates from Messy Mansion! This giveaway is for those in the United States and Canada only. Please read through the Terms & Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget before entering.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now it’s time to announce the winners of my two other #3YearsinPolishland giveaways! Congrats to ~~Sandra Li~~ (eliminated) Julie Waters on Facebook and MissMazariegos on Instagram! Please contact me via email at adventuresinpolishland@gmail.com to claim your prize within 48 hours or new winners will be chosen!

THANK YOU

Thank you all so much for supporting me these past three years! I really love blogging, and I’m so glad to have such a great community here in Polishland. Good luck if you’re entering the giveaway!

OMGNailStrips Nail Polish Strips Review | In the Navy & Jelly Beans

Posted on April 8, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a review of two sets of nail polish strips from the brand OMGNailStrips. I recently heard about this brand of more affordable nail strips, and was excited when I got the opportunity to review them for all of you. I think nail strips are a great option for travel, or for those of us (like me!) who aren’t nail art masters but still want a fun nail design. Let me go ahead and show you the two designs I got to test out.

First up is In the Navy, a set containing a mix of blue, white, and black themed strips with a nautical theme. I followed the application instructions to apply the strips (you can read them HERE). Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience. First, these strips have a very strong skunk-like smell as soon as I opened the package, and it lingered even after I took a shower. I do not want to go around with smelly nails! I also had found that these strips did not fit my nails well, with the smallest strip being too big for my pinky. In addition, I also experienced substantial tip wear and chipping after one day of wear.

Next, I tried Jelly Beans. I hoped to wear these strips for Easter, since I loved the fun design. Alas, I had even more issues with this set. Thankfully, there was no smell to these strips, but there was a stickiness problem. The strips broke upon application, and they did not want to stick to my nails. I thought that they would stay put after I applied top coat, but a few hours after application I washed a few dishes and the strips literally slid right off my nails when I dried my hands. You read that correctly – the strips slid off hours after application. I couldn’t believe it!

I also want to mention that with both sets of nail strips I experienced an odd issue after applying a top coat as suggested by OMGNailStrips. When I would apply top coat, the edges of the nail strips would stick up right off my nail! You can see it pretty clearly in the photos, especially with the In the Navy set.

It’s always difficult for me to write a less than positive review, but of course I want to share my honest feelings and experiences with all of you. I did reach out to OMGNailStrips last week with my issues before posting this review, but have not heard back. I’m very disappointed in both the quality of the nail strips and the lack of customer service I received after contacting them with questions about the problems I had. If I do hear back, I will be sure to update you both in this blog post and on social media. OMGNailStrips retail for $7.99 each, but have specials for 5 packs for $25 or 10 packs for $45. They can be purchased with free shipping on the brand’s website HERE. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this brand from my experience.

Have you tried OMGNailStrips?! Please share your thoughts 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.

Saran Wrap Ombré Manicure for Valentine’s Day featuring Zoya Nail Polish!

Posted on January 23, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Friday! January is coming to a close soon, and that means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I wanted to create a festive manicure for the holiday of love that was a bit different than the looks I’ve created in the past. I got to thinking and came up with what I think is a super fun and easy nail art look! I raided my Zoya Nail Polish stash and found the shades that I needed. Let me show you what I’ve dubbed the Saran Wrap Ombré!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

For this manicure, I used an off-white base and five polishes ranging from light pink to red. I used all creme formulas for this manicure. You can choose whatever you have in your collection, but the shades I used, from lightest to darkest, are:

Zoya Jacqueline
Zoya Dot
Zoya Kitridge
Zoya Wendy
Zoya Rocha
Zoya Livingston

All of these polishes are available on Zoya’s website HERE.

Saran wrap nail art is super easy to create! I learned this technique from THIS Pin a few years back. All you have to do is paint your nails with a base color (here, Jacqueline). Once your base is dry, layer a coat of another color polish on top of your base and dab a small ball of saran wrap over your nail. You will get a cool marbled effect! Let your nails dry (they will look quite textured) and use a glossy top coat to even out the layers. I used two coats of top coat to get a flawless finish.

This manicure can be a little messy to create, so I recommend you use separate pieces of saran wrap for each color polish. When you’re finished, take a Q-tip or clean-up brush and go around your cuticles with acetone to remove any excess. You will be left with a beautiful ombré manicure that is tied together with the marbled effect. I think it looks stunning!

All in all, I hope you liked this simple Valentine’s Day manicure featuring Zoya Nail Polish! Of course, you can use the saran wrap technique with any polishes and any colors you choose. I will definitely be using this technique more, as I forgot how easy it is to create and how great it looks! Please let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried a saran wrap manicure, and what your manicure for Valentine’s Day this year will be!

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

Striping Tape Nail Art featuring Sally Hansen Lustre Shine Moonstone

Posted on January 19, 2015August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! I’ve been trying to reach into my nail polish collection and use polishes that I haven’t picked up in a while. This weekend I was drawn in by Sally Hansen Lustre Shine in the shade Moonstone. I decided to create a cool, punk inspired nail art look. Let me show you the final product!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Black Nail Polish – Michael Marcus Once You Go Matte
Opalescent Nail Polish – Sally Hansen Lustre Shine Moonstone [BUY]
Glossy Top Coat – Essie Good to Go [BUY]
Striping Tape [BUY]
Scotch Tape [BUY]

To create this awesome manicure, I began by painting my nails with a black base. Then, I applied two coats of Moonstone over the black and let that dry completely. I then used striping tape to create a double “X” on every nail except my accent nail. Once the striping tape was in place, I painted over it with the black polish and carefully peeled off the tape. For the accent nail, I simply used Scotch tape and left a triangle on the base of my nail. Last but not least, I used a glossy top coat and applied two coats to each nail once my polish was completely dry. This evened out the layers and left me with a shiny finish.

All in all, I am absolutely loving this funky manicure! It was so easy to create and it allowed me to use some of my older polishes in a new way. This look can be adapted to fit your personal tastes by changing up the colors or the patterns. I love experimenting with tape! Please let me know in the comments if you like my manicure, and let me know if you like using striping tape, too.

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

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.