Poppy print

The sun is shining, and I'm feelin' fine. Happy weekend, everyone! Today I have this pretty poppy print that was inspired by my Rowan skirt from Club Monaco (kind of obsessed with their clothing recently). I love having my nails match my clothing. Gives me some kind of weird sense of accomplishment.

I started with two coats of OPI My Vampire Is Buff for the base. I didn't think I could love another neutral base as much as I loved OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, but I was wrong. For the blue brushstrokes, I dipped the tips of a fan brush into Essie Bobbing for Baubles, getting the excess off before making quick, random, short strokes. Then with a normal striper brush, I made thicker strokes of blue, and added accents of red with Sally Hansen Kook-A-Mango.

For the poppies, I painted the shape of my flower with Zoya Arizona, so I have a bit of orange peeking through. Then I painted over the flower again with my red. Finally, I went back in with my blue and base colour for the poppy centres and extra details.

I love these designs where I don't have to worry so much about being neat. It's a much more free way of painting.

Special occasions call for matching nails

I recently attended an engagement party for a very dear friend of mine. It was a really lovely day as the happy couple exchanged rings in the company of their friends and family. I was told the dress code was "bright and colorful" so I obliged in my silk wrap dress. Of course, my nails couldn't go undressed either.

My dress consists of a long piece of silk, with ties at the ends, and a different pattern on each side. There are so many ways to tie and wear it, it's so much fun! I usually wear it it strapless and tie a bow just below my bust, but I decided to go with the halter option this time. I matched my nails to the tie around my neck.

Apologize for the blinding whiteness

Better shot of the pattern

I really love how these turned out, considering how little planning went into this. It was also my chance to use my new OPI Can't Find My Czechbook, which I used two coats for the base colour. Then I took Sally Hansen Grass Slipper and a small brush to make random waves and squiggles. I did the same for the pink, which is OPI Sparrow Me the Drama. Then a final touch of copper with Essie Penny Talk to help break up all those bright, saturated colours.

Thanks for reading guys, have a great weekend!

Holographic stars and strawberries

When the sun is shining, it's time for the holo polishes to come out and play! I bought my first holo polish from Urban Outfitters as a pick-me-up present to myself. Wasn't expecting much, but OH MAN when I brought this baby out in the sun, I was completely floored. I mean, LOOK AT THIS!

I freehanded on some cascading stars with black acrylic paint. Indoors, you can still see some of the rainbow effect. I'm just sorry I didn't get a picture in the sun with the stars.

After this first wonderful experience with a holo, I was craving more. I picked up Color Club "Miss Bliss" and "Over the Moon". I used Miss Bliss for some holographic strawberries over "Bossy Boots" from butter London, a really gorgeous, pistachio green. The strawberry leaves were painted with Essie "Mojito Madness".

Holographic strawberries have magical properties, you know. If you eat one, you will gain enough strength to defeat the evil Dark Wizard Mage King.

Paint splatter effect with nail foil

Hello friends! I come to you this Easter weekend with a tutorial I threw together kind of haphazardly, for this paint splatter mani...with nail foil! Nail foil by itself creates a really cool, metallic, minx-like effect. Basically, you apply glue to the entire nail, wait for it to dry, lay the foil on top, then press and rub with a finger or Q-tip to transfer the foil on. Sadly, the staying power is not great - top coat crinkles the foil, but without top coat, the foil rubs off too easily. With this method, you can top coat without needing to care about crinkles. It just adds to the effect.

I think paint splatter is the best way to describe these? Here's the tutorial - process shots if you will. Like I said, haphazardly.

That's it! I know this kind of tutorial would be better served with a video, but feel free to ask if anything is unclear. I purchased my nail foils here at Dollar Nail Art. The foil comes in 5ft rolls so you can get a lot of manicures out of one. There are a lot of other cool patterns and effects (much more than when I first purchased), so definitely worth checking out! See ya!

Pastel leopard print

Spring is officially here! Can't quite break out the shorts yet with all the SNOW on the ground, but at least I can start rocking some pretty pastel colours. I'm recently seeing a lot of mint paired together with light purple, and I think the combo is gorgeous, so today's featured colours are American Apparel Office (mint) and L'Esprit (purple) in the form of leopard print!

Look how pretty! I saw these items in stores, and I fell in love. Not really my style to wear these, but I can gaze from afar. The socks are from Club Monaco (which inspired the nails), and the bracelet is from Banana Republic.

I started with two coats of Office, then used the brush from China Glaze "Kalahari Kiss" to make some random splodges. Then I used a bobby pin and L'Esprit to make some more random splodges around the Kalahari Kiss ones. For a finishing touch, I dotted China Glaze "I'm Not Lion" on random spots.

The colours freaked out my camera pretty badly, and I actually had to end up using my iPhone to take these pictures as opposed to my usual digital camera - which is five years old, and its age is showing. Hoping to get a new one in the near future!

I like this picture in natural light the best (even though the colours look very blue). There's actually still daylight after I get off work now! Just waiting for the weather to warm up. Happy weekend, friends!

Some essence untrieds

Hey guys! I finally got around to using some essence colours that have been sitting on the top of my nail polish drawer all lonesome and untried. You know the ones - whether in drawer, bin, basket, or what have you, we all got our untrieds. Finally decided to give them some attention, and here's how I used them.

First up is "Grey-t To Be Here". You see that flash of pink shimmer peeking out there? That's what compelled me to pick this one up. While the shimmer is not very apparent, it IS very pretty when it comes out in the light. If not for the shimmer, this is a nice, light grey that went on well in two coats.

Added chevron accents with a striper brush. The neon pink is China Glaze "Love's a Beach" (HA, still love the name), and the glitter is China Glaze "Tinsel Town".

My second essence polish is "Modern Romance". A peachy pink with the same hidden pink shimmer in "Grey-t To Be Here". This one took three coats to get to opacity - I wasn't a huge fan of it on its own, so I used it as a base for a gradient with Sally Hansen "Snappy Sorbet", and Essie "Coral Reef".

The idea of "peach soda" was in my head at the time, so I added a layer of OPI "Pirouette My Whistle" on top of the gradient for some bubbly. Swiped on a couple leaves with American Apparel "Office" for a final touch. Ahhh refreshing.

Have you tried any essence polishes yet? Are you a sucker like I am for shimmer in a bottle? Until next time!

Celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday with some cake

Today is March 2nd, a fine day, you say,
 But what's so special, what's happening today?
Well, my friend, I'm here to tell you
That it's Dr. Seuss' birthday, it's true!
The man who wrote a book with two hundred and thirty-six words
I've read that one twice, or it could be my third
That cat in the hat, the Lorax, the Grinch
These silly friends with silly rhymes make reading a cinch
So thank you, Dr. Seuss, you'll be in my heart
As the man who helped me read, you played a big part!

What better way to celebrate than with cake and a poem? Today's post is all Dr. Seuss, including my previous Dr. Seuss nails, and a Seuss-style cake as seen in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back:

The Cat in the Hat

Green Eggs and Ham

 What's your favourite Dr. Seuss story? Have a great weekend, guys!