Color Cues: Week 12

The images I'm going to feature today will probably be familiar to some of you, as I keep seeing them pop up on all kinds of blogs within the past few weeks. And you know, sometimes things are popular and get re-pinned and re-blogged and talked about because they're actually just that good.

The bright, poppy, and pure summer essence of Georgiana Paraschiv's fruit prints are undeniably fun and happy. And being that the weather in my area has been rather gloomy as of late I was really in need of an inspiration pick me up and these fruity patterns did the trick.

I'm my mother's child in that I adore and appreciate a good dose of color just as she does, so when I saw that I could have that pineapple print on a pillow suddenly I wanted it really, really badly. Luckily I also inherited my mother's sensibility of what is necessary and what isn't so I ultimately talked myself out of having a pillow that goes with absolutely nothing that I currently own. I do however own quite a bit of nail polish and now I'm tempted to get my pineapple or pomegranate print fix in the form of a very fun and bright accent nail.

Which of these patterns speaks to you the most? Are you leaning towards hot pink pineapples or coral and pink pomegranates? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Zoya Liberty

Everything has trends, whether it be in fashion, hair, or even nail polish. Usually I'm someone who lets the nail polish trends pass me by, especially since the nail polish fads seem to phase in and phase out even faster than in clothing. I honestly thought that I wouldn't purchase any of the textured polishes because none of the OPI or China Glaze textures really appealed to me. They looked chunky and lumpy, and that's definitely not a look I crave for my nails!

However when Zoya introduced their Pixie Dust Collection, I was instantly smitten. The collection is aptly named because there is something inherently delicate and feminine about the fine grain of the pixie dusts. When wearing Zoya Liberty I genuinely felt like I had dipped my nails in some sort of glittery Tinkerbell dust rather than the "rolled in the sandbox with wet polish" look that I feel the liquid sands project.

I haven't worn a Zoya polish in quite a while, and I forgot how much I like their brush design. It's not quite as wide as the OPI Pro-Wide, but it still provides the same easy spread, easy 3-stroke polish application that I love. The formula on Liberty was aided by the pixie particles in that it helped the polish stay where I put it without being difficult to spread or causing drag. Overall application was pretty much a breeze, especially since I waited for the color to dry in between coats! I did double up on base coat layers though since I know blue polishes have a tendency to stain pretty horrifically.

My swatch is two coats of OPI Nail Envy under two coats of Zoya Liberty. I didn't use top coat as it would defeat the intended effect of the polish! You could probably get away with just one coat of this color, but the second coat adds a layer of richness and depth that is definitely worthwhile.

I did buff the edges of my nails slightly after the polish had completely dried. Mainly because there was a gritty edge, and I wear contacts; Two things that obviously don't mix! Honestly that's the only even mild downside to this polish. I do wish the weather had been sunnier so you could really see how much this color sparkles, but I guess you'll just have to check it out in person and be amazed!

After trying my first textured polish I can say that I'm officially addicted to this particular line! I already know I want to purchase at least one more, and I can't wait to see what colors Zoya will introduce next.

What is your take on textured polishes? Do you prefer one brand's version over another's, or is all texture good with you? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Guest Post on Southern Sparkle Nail Art!

Hello lovelies! Today I'm doing a special guest post over on Southern Sparkle Nail Art! You can see how I created the manicure below by clicking over to Samantha's blog!

Elevation Polish Haba Xueshan

I was never drawn into the black and white glitter polish phase or any of the Connect The Dots dupes or copies that flooded blogs until I saw a swatch of Elevation Polish's Haba Xueshan, a polish name that I'm happy I only have to type and not pronounce!

I think what drew me in to this particular black and white glitter was the addition of the sky blue (or minty blue) multi size circle glitter that is mixed in. Of course you're all probably saying "Well duh, you love circle glitter that's obviously the reason you like this polish" and I don't really have anything to refute that.. you're right. As passionate as I am about polka dots and circle glitter, after wearing this color I realized what everyone has been peeing their pants about all this time: Black and white glitters are awesome!! There is all this amazing craziness happening on my nails right now and if someone I'm with doesn't outright ask me what is on my nails I find myself doing activities that showcase my nails in a not so veiled attempt to get them to ask. Because then I have a reason to share the awesome-party that is Haba Xueshan with them.

For my first foray into black and white glitter I wanted to keep it simple so I layered two dabbing style coats of Haba Xueshan over Essie It's In The Bag, with one coat of Haba Xueshan layered under a coat of It's In The Bag to add depth and jelly goodness. Swatches include top coat.

For a polish that is so jam packed with glitter application wasn't more difficult than expected, and the dabbing method of applying glitter worked well for me. I did fish a little to try to get more of a variety of glitters, and I found that the large circle glitters were fairly rare (I only got one on all ten nails). I do wish that the circle glitters populated the polish more, but I still got at least two of the smaller circles on each nail. Overall I really like this polish and I'm looking forward to layering it over some bolder colors like neons or purples!

What's your favorite color to layer a black and white glitter over? What's your favorite black and white glitter on the market right now? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Talking It Out: Naked Nails

Sometimes it feels good to go nude. Naked nails, free-nailing it, finger streaking, whatever your favorite term for it is I've remained unpolished for this week. In all honestly part of it has to do with a burst of laziness last Thursday, and part of it is just because I didn't feel like wearing polish. 

I had a third "Kate Spade" design concept and the post was all pre-written for the most part, but I just couldn't garner up the motivation on Thursday to paint the design. I feel like this is something that isn't talked about a lot on blogs, but not all of us change our polish every day and sometimes I go days without posting because I haven't changed my polish or *gasp* I'm just not wearing any. I'm trying harder and harder to remind myself that this is just my hobby and I do it for myself, so I shouldn't feel guilty for skipping a day... but I still feel pretty guilty when two days or more go by and my blog hasn't been updated. 

So here I am, posting what my nails have honestly looked like for the past week. Over the past week I've been enjoying being polish free because it allowed me to admire my nail beds and cuticles, and just how much progress I've made since I started this hobby two years ago. Before my nail blog I was a serious cuticle biter; And I mean serious. It was my nervous habit and my hands weren't exactly something I was proud of. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon the world of nail blogs, but I remember being envious of the perfect, plump, happy cuticles that surrounded flawlessly long nail beds. And if I am anything I am stubborn. So, so massively stubborn. So I promised myself that I would have those gorgeous nails, and I haven't let myself down. 

I'm more proud than ever of my hands, and I'm more than willing to put my hand forward when someone asks what nail polish I'm wearing (Those are our blogger moments of 'proud parents'). The day that someone asked me if my nails were real or not (and then wouldn't believe me when I said they were) was a highlight. Well, I'll stop rambling and finally show you the picture! These are my nails, all nubbined up because that's my preferred length to wear them now that my nail beds are a decent length. Oh, and I also didn't moisturize before this picture because I was lazy but we'll say it's because I wanted some.. uh.. artistic honesty. Yeah, that'll do.

Tell me about your nail/cuticle journey, your proudest nail moment, or even just the invisible pressure of being a blogger. Whatever you want to talk about, I'll talk back. Let me know in the comments, and as always.. thanks for reading!

Designer Inspired: Kate Spade Comic Pop

Sparkles and polka dots are my weaknesses, and if you've followed this blog for any length of time I'm sure you're saying "Yeah Abby, you've told us about a hundred times!". But it doesn't change my friends, they're still huge loves of mine and I must proclaim it from the blogging rooftops! This passion for dots is why a certain grouping of Kate Spade items really made my heart sing, and not just because with onamonapia I get to say fun words like "Pop!" and "Bang!". One particular item almost made it home with me but ultimately I have too much make-up to fit in the "Daycation Gia Cosmetic Pouch" so I couldn't justify the splurge. However I can definitely justify spending an hour on some nail art and getting that design on my nails for free, so that's just what I did!

This was undeniably the easiest design I've done this week, mostly due to how I could use a stamp for the polka dots. The bubble was a bit harder to paint since I've never tried painting a word on my nails before, but it wasn't impossible. I used Essie Cute As A Button for the base color, Sinful Colors Snow Me White for the stamp, and I tipped the nails with Orly Luxe. To create the bubble I used a mix of stripers and dotting tools, and I do have to admit that it's not any where near perfect but it looks much better when it's not being shot in macro!

What has been your favorite design from this week's mini series? What designer do you love and would possibly like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Designer Inspired: Kate Spade Color Blocks

So the idea for a designer inspired nail art week came to me at 3:00am one morning when I couldn't get back to sleep. Isn't that how the best inspiration always happens? It's like the idea refuses to give you peace until it surfaces and you write it down. What I really like about this series is that I not only get to share some of my personal favorite designers with my readers, but I also get to give you a week of nothing but nail art! It's a win-win all around.

So for this first week's run I will be featuring one of my all time favorites, Kate Spade. Oh how I wish I was making enough to afford all of the beautiful items that this team cranks out. Seriously, I've considered picking up a second job just to fund a potential habit. While I don't actually own anything by the brand yet, I can still enjoy a snippet of the lovely modern design on my nails in a not-so-financially-fleecing way!

So to kick off this mini series I'm starting out with some simple but visually effective color blocking! So many of Kate Spade's designs feature color blocking especially a few of my very favorite items from past collections. I decided to draw inspiration from two pieces; A newer iPad sleeve (that I'm head over heels in love with, never mind that I don't own an iPad...) and a previous collection tote. I absolutely adore the phrases and hashtags that KS sometimes features on their products, but when I tried out some writing on a nail it just looked too busy so I kept it simple.

I custom mixed the canvas beige for the base color using Essie Sand Tropez, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, and clear. The blocks are in Essie Cute As A Button, Essie Play Date, and Color Club Age of Aquarius. Everything is topped off with NYC Grand Central Station.

What do you think of this half nail color blocking? Are Kate Spade's designs up your alley or are you head over heels for another contemporary designer? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!