NAVY & NUDE.

clutch  /  navy polish*  /  peach polish  /  hasbeens

can't get enough.  and that navy polish is passport blue ... in case it doesn't pop up as such.  by far the best navy polish i've ever had.  though i'm not gonna say it's the best quality, just the best color.

nailed it no. 7

i was seriously half way (ok maybe more like a quarter of the way) through my neon nails when i remembered that it is tuesday, tuesday before wednesday, wednesday the day i have an interview i've been anticipating for way too long.  i couldn't possibly have neon nails for such an interview.  i mean really, the whole navy/white/totally preppy and clean look i've been planning IS NOT going to work with neon nails.  so instead i'm hitting up the perfect summer red, clambake.  yup.  another simple, but awesome, manicure for me.

nailed it no. 6

i gotta say the nail art, while fun, isn't totally and completely my style.  i like to do it every once in a while, but honestly i can't remember the last time i had a solid color on all ten fingers, and that gets to me, in a weird you shouldn't be thinking about your nails so often kind of way.  from now on i'm going to start sprinkling in a few of my most favorite every day colors.  it too will be fun, i promise, there are some really good colors out there these days.

let's start with sand tropez by essie.  i used to be an absolute nut for essie's jazz, like went through an entire bottle in a summer, but after that summer it became hard to find and sand tropez popped up in places like target.  so i just kind of switched.  next week i'll add a bit of color to the mix, but for now, i'm completely content with a nude nail (and a flannel shirt, because summer is coming and it won't be long before it gets put back in the closet, even though it is a summer weight flannel).

nailed it no. 5

so last week was busy, there was travelling and family time and eating more than i can even think about right now.  there was stress and shopping and a butterflies in my stomach for more than 16 hours (that is the worst, and also a little bit of the best).  there were life changing events and then there was fog and 45 degrees in chicago.

there was also the seeing of some pretty fluttery numbers by dvf that left me more than just a little bit in love with pastels.

all of that being said, my nails today are a little lackluster,  and a touch juvenile ... maybe because this is the way i would paint my nails in high school?  alternating nails and colors.  never forgetting the GLITTER.  seriously if i could pile up all of the glitter i used in high school, particularly glitter polish, jesus, i could refinish our floors.

next week i'm exploring the wonders of gold leaf, watch out, but for now, you get 1. essie's mint candy apple, 2. essie's tart deco and 3. butter's the full monty (a very good gold glitter might i add).  also, gold sparkly pinkies are awesome.

nailed it no. 4

i have to say this one scared me a little bit.  it just seemed so intense, so complicated.  turns out, it is semi-complicated, but not exactly hard.  in fact it's pretty easy.

what you will need :

- dark base coat, i used a metallic blue (essie midnight cami) because it seemed appropriate
- glitter (opi for sephora spark-tacular)
- white (deborah lippmann amazing grace),
- a smattering of etc colors.  this time around i used essie's luxedo, mint candy apple and chinchilly.  but really it's totally up to you.  the only recommendation i have is a mix of dark and light.  this helps create the depth of your galaxy.
- makeup sponge

what you will do :

1. base coat, clear
2. two coats of your dark base coat
3. one coat of glitter.  i used the glitter very sparingly as i didn't want to be glitter CRAZY, it's a fine line, that glittery one.
4. i went ahead a did a layer of my quick dry clear top coat here, but that's up to you.
5. sponge on white
6. sponge on etc colors, alternating lights and darks, and don't stress.  it's a random process made better if you just let go of your more particular tendencies.
7. one more coat of glitter, here and there.  i only used the second glitter coat on a few nails due to that fine line mentioned above.
8. final quick dry top coat.
9. clean up cuticles if necessary.

a few notes :

- i used the same makeup sponge for all colors.  they blend on your nail anyhow so there is no point in creating more waste.

- the glitter i used was big chunky multi-colored glitter.  it also happens to by my most favorite glitter polish ever.  but you can use anything so long as it is the big/chunky variety.

nailed it no. 3

marbling.  this one is tricky.  super tricky ... or i am an idiot, it really could go either way.  anyway i'm going to try it again, but for now here it goes.  if you have better luck or come across any secrets, etc do let me know.

first, start with a base coat. i went dark, this cooler weather has had me wanting darker, less sorbet colored finger tips.  

second, take a few colors of polish and a glass that is full of water.  drop a couple drops of polish onto the surface of the water and manipulate the dots until you get your marble design of choice.  

third, gently dip your nail into the water, just so it skims the surface.  remove, again, gently.  the polish will string off of surface and onto your nail, so be careful.  it helps to flatten that excess and then just not worry about it. 

fourth, repeat steps - first through third - until you've marbled as many fingers as you'd like.  

fifth, top coat.  you know the drill.  finally go around and clean up all of the extra polish that will no doubt be all over your fingers.

then, sixth, once you get it down, email me your secrets so my future tries aren't as lame.

nailed it no. 2

FADING COLOR!!!  ok, so these might just be my favorite nails to date, as in ever.  i stole the idea from the beauty department and simplified.  i fully appreciate the fact that they own so many different nail colors, and their addition of water kind of makes sense after trying these myself, but totally unescessary.  really, the following is all you need :

2 colors of nail polish, or,  you could just go with 1 i guess and have it fade into clear ...
1 make up sponge.

1.  take the makeup sponge and paint a line of each color.  make 'em wider than you think your thumb nail is and don't forget, they should be overlapping ... this is messy, but TOTALLY worth it.  i started with dark, brushed it twice, then two brushes of light and then i alternated light over dark a few times ... you know to get a blend.  i did not wet my sponge and i did not test on paper first, but if you'd like you can.

2.  roll the sponge from left to right over your nail, once, twice and a third time.  voila.  fancy ass nails.  cover with two top coats (this is important these nails are uber textured and look weird if you don't go crazy with the top coat). an aside, i had to reload my sponge every third nail or so and then did one final fresh roll over each, well minus one of my pinkies, because it totally didn't need it.

3.  with a q-tip and polish remover, remove all of the polish on your skin.  there will be a lot, but again, totally worth it.  another thing i do is wait a couple of hours and wash your hair (or do the dishes).  this takes the excess polish off of my skin/cuticles in no time.  also, less of a risk in hitting your freshly painted nails with acetone.  but i tend to have to wait at least two hours before dipping in hot water in order for my polish not to shrink up on me.  what is that?

nailed it no.1

remember way back when, that time i put glitter on my nails?  well despite the fact that i posted that ages ago, i've decided to run with the idea now.  a weekly nail how-to if you will.  i mean, i'm still painting my nails every 3-5 days and every once in a while i love them.  so i'm starting the series today, and with a massive nail project nevertheless.

ok, it's not THAT massive, but it looks it.  in fact it requires very little stuff (if you don't count the number of nail colors) and just a bit more patience.

what you need - a paper clip, some tape (i used washi as it is all i have readily available, but scotch works too) and nail polish.

what you do - paint your nails with a base color as you would ... finish them with a top coat and let dry. you guys, this is the only top coat i use ... THE ONLY ONE.  and i love it.  after your nails are dry take the tape and tape 'em off as illustrated above.  or use the end of a paper clip dipped into a dollop of polish to go the dot route.  then re-coat with the super shiny top coat, let dry and instagram them ... we can be samesies, wouldn't that be fun?