Emoji Pattern Nail Art

It's "yellow" day in the 31 Day Challenge, and I've decided to do some nail art showcasing everyone's favorite texting tool: emojis! I don't know where we would be without emojis, I use them CONSTANTLY to convey tone and emotions I can't put into words.

For my selection of emojis, I decided to limit myself to only emojis that were in my "recently used" section, so these are a pretty accurate representation of what you'd see from me IRL. The "hearts for eyes" guy may be my most frequently used one.

I used the following products in this freehand nail art look:
Presto #104 Sordino (base)
Akzentz Gel Play in Yellow
Akzentz Gel Play in Orange
Akzentz Gel Play in White
Akzentz Gel Play in Blue
Akzentz Gel Play in Black
Akzentz Gel Play in Red

A reader the other day noted that I've been using a lot of Gel Play lately. If you're unfamiliar, they're thick, opaque art gels that are intended for nail art uses (similar to Presto Art Paints if you know of those). They're great because they stay exactly where you put them, don't run, and can be set into place by curing. It's really awesome stuff and so I reach for them frequently.

Here are my previous "yellow" prompt manicures for your viewing pleasure...

• Yellow and grey angular pattern
• Yellow bee silhouettes
• Yellow gradient blocking
• Yellow to white gradient

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Autumnal Orange Plaid Gel Nail Art

Today's 31DC prompt is "orange." Not many people tend to reach for orange when choosing a nail color -- I think that it and yellow are the redheaded stepchildren of the polish world (or would it be orangeheaded?). That's the great thing about the challenge though, it forces you to use colors and techniques that you wouldn't normally use.

For this manicure, I started with a base of OPI GelColor in A Great Opera-tunity. Then, I freehanded the plaid striping using OPI GelColor It's a Piazza Cake, Gelish Tiki Tiki Laranga, and Wildflower's Art Paints in Bright Blue.

I finished with a layer of gel topcoat to smooth it all out.

If you've got the need for more orange, be sure to check out my past orange challenge manicures!

• Mario Batali's Crocs nail art
• Orange gradient chevrons
• Orange fruit tips
• Orange with dotted accent

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Garnet Glittering Gradient Grid Gels

It's the first day of the 31 Day Challenge! If you're totally confused about what's going on, be sure to check out my 31DC FAQ page, which will answer all of your questions.

The first prompt of the challenge is "red," and -- what luck -- I was already wearing red rockstar glitter gel nails!

So the big goal for this manicure was to try to improve on my gel gradients, which were not as strong as I want them to be. I picked black to use as my gradient color, and sponged it on with clear gel to create the fade.

Truthfully, the method I used for this gel gradient is the same as if I were using regular polish, but with a few small modifications. Here's the gist:

• Cut your makeup wedge sponge into a thin strip to help minimize mess.
• Paint stripes of the colors you want to use on the sponge.
• Tap it LIGHTLY on to the nail. Don't overtap, as this can pull the gel back up off the nail. If you're used to sponging gradients with regular polish, you'll definitely have to modify your pressure to make it lighter.
• Clean up any mess on your fingers before you cure in your gel lamp.
• Cure between each round of sponging.
• I did four or five rounds of sponging, cleaning, and curing for this manicure.

After the gradient was looking good, I painted on a black grid that faded away into the darkest parts of the nails.

Products used:
CND Shellac Base Coat and Xpress5 Top Coat
Recollections glitter in Cherry
DIY Hard Nails - Black Cat (black gel)
Akzentz Gel Play in black (grid pattern)

My previous red 31DC manicures:
Crab print and nautical mix

Red mix and match
Red watercolor
Barielle - Elle's Spell

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Ride the Waves with a Pop of Pink

Black and white with a pop of color is a tale as old as time. It's such a classic combination: black and white on either end of the spectrum, with a color that falls somewhere in between. I had this manicure in my mind for a while now, and just had to pick the perfect base color. I found it in Gelish Tokyo A Go Go, a beautiful, bright pinky-purple.

And there's good news for those of you that don't wear gel: this pretty pink is also available in regular lacquer form from Morgan Taylor!

To begin this manicure, I applied Gelish Foundation before adding two coats of Gelish Tokyo A Go Go. It's just... ugh. So pretty. I'm obsessed.

Then, I used Akzentz Gel Play Paint in white to block out the general shapes of the waves. It was pretty opaque, but I went back after curing the first coat to fill in a couple of patchy areas. I used Akzentz Gel Play Paint in black to add on the thick and thin wavy lines.

Finally, I finished the manicure with Gelish Top It Off.

I was really happy with the outcome of this manicure and enjoyed wearing it quite a lot! It's always satisfying when a manicure you have in your mind turns out how you hoped it would on the nail.

Purchasing Information
The Gelish Hello Pretty collection is available from Esther's Nail Center, as well as Amazon.com. You may still be able to find the LE collection in Gelish MINI at Sally Beauty.
Morgan Taylor lacquer equivalents are available from Loxa Beauty.
Akzentz products can be purchased through Gellipop.

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What's green, glittered, and glowing all over?

I had a lot of fun with this manicure. I was heading off to Las Vegas the next day and needed to do a new and fun gel manicure. I kept adding elements and piecing together and making up patterns and eventually I ended up with this glowing, patterned, glittered combo.

AND! I successfully replicated the pattern on my other hand, so hooray!



As I said, these are gel nails, but they could easily be done with regular nail polish too! I'll list the products I used below but also recommend some close RNP equivalents.

GEL NAIL POLISH // REGULAR NAIL POLISH
Gelish Mini - Do You Harajuku? // OPI - That's Hula-rious!
Akzentz - Lights Out Glow in the Dark Gel Topcoat // China Glaze - Ghoulish Glow
Akzentz - Gel Play in black // Formula X - Dark Matter
Rockstar glitter nail with Artiglio Odessa // Zoya - Storm

Working with the glow in the dark gel topcoat was really cool, because the glow got supercharged in the gel lamp as I cured it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as heavy-hitting in the glow department during my regular life. I would catch it glowing sometimes at night, but it wasn't super remarkable unless I charged it.

Still, it's neat to have the option for glowing gels, and I was really happy with this manicure overall. The light green Gelish Mini shade is super delicate and youthful, and the Gel Play paint is awesome for handpainted nail art.

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How To: Party Like a Rockstar (In Purple Glitter Gels)

Whether you call them glitter gels or rockstar nails, there's no denying that the smooth, glassy finish of this gel style is to die for. They're super easy to do -- all you need is your gel foundation and topcoat, plus a loose glitter of your choice.

Rockstars are fun, whether you're wearing them as a full manicure like this or using them as an accent to nail art. They have great staying power, and DAT SPARKLE! Read on to learn how to get this gel look for yourself.

I was taught this rockstar method in nail school. Some of the students there had previously learned different methods, so there are other ways to do these, but I think this process produces the best (and sparkliest) results.

1. Prep your nails for a gel manicure. Push back your cuticles, remove any dead tissue from the nail plate, buff your nails, and cleanse with a nail cleanser solution and a lint free wipe.
2. Apply your gel foundation/base, and cure in your LED or UV lamp. Curing time will depend on your lamp type and product of choice.
3. Apply another coat of gel foundation. DON'T cure.
4. Sprinkle loose glitter over the wet gel. I like to do this over a piece of paper or a small paper cup so I can put the extra glitter back into the jar afterwards. Lightly tap your nails to remove any excess glitter, but remember that the nails aren't cured yet!
5. Pop your nails into the lamp and cure.
6. Using a nylon brush or other stiff bristled brush, brush away any glitter that did not get cured into the base gel. You can be pretty vigorous with this, as most of the glitter should be cured onto the nail.
7. Apply one coat of gel topcoat and cure.
8. Cleanse the sticky layer off of your nails, and then use a fine grit buffer (240 or higher) to lightly buff the gritty glitter smooth. Cleanse off any dust that you generated.
9. Finish with a final coat of topcoat to bring back the shine. Cure and remove the sticky layer.

I know it looks like a lot of steps, but rockstars are SO easy once you get the hang of it. 

Your options are endless when it comes to choosing a glitter to use. You don't need to use cosmetic grade or solvent resistant glitter, because it won't have a chance to bleed into the gel. At school, we used the Recollections glitter sets from Michaels (don't forget your coupon!). This manicure features Artiglio by Sarah Bland's "Heather" glitter. 

Just keep in mind that finer glitters usually produce better results (and they're easier to work with, too). 

Happy glittering!

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The Easiest Nail Art Ever: Sharpie Marbled Gel Nails

If you recently found yourself wondering, "Gee, what has Sarah been wearing on her nails for the past two weeks?" then you're in luck! I have been wearing this Sharpie marbled gel manicure into the ground.

Sean was even like, "Whoa, those are really grown out. When are you gonna change that?" When I finally took them off on Monday, I sent a snap to my sister and she replied "FINALLY!"

So yeah, I got the point, people. It was time for them to go.

Sharpie marbles are ALL the rage right now. Everyone at my nail school was crazy for them! I've seen a bunch of tutorials for this look, but the one that I used was by Celina Ryden.

Honestly, these were SO easy you guys. You should go check out the tutorial, but here's the basic gist:

1. Perform a gel polish manicure like you normally would, including prep, base coat, and color coat. Stop before you apply top gel.
2. Use alcohol and a lint free wipe to remove the tacky layer from your color gel. Celina's instructions recommend a buffed nail, but I found that to be enough.
3. Working one color at a time, doodle small marks on your nails with a Sharpie.
4. Dab a small brush dipped in isopropyl alcohol on top of your doodles to spread out the ink.
5. Repeat with as many colors as you want!
6. Finish with top gel, cure, and remove the tacky layer.

One tricky thing that I ran into was that, sometimes, the Sharpie/alcohol mix would run into my cuticles before it could evaporate, leaving them blue and icky. I ended up fixing that problem by ignoring it until the end (after curing the top gel), and then cleansing the tacky layer with acetone. It removed the Sharpie residue from my cuticles completely without damaging the cured gel. Of course, this method will only work with gels.

I used Presto SC-32 as my base color, which is basically my favorite gel ever, as it looks just like OPI My Vampire is Buff. I was also a bad girl and combined it with my Gelish Foundation and Top It Off, because I like the system so much. They lasted me a good 2 weeks (plus an extra 2 days, at that)!

Have you given into the Sharpie trend yet?

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Mani Mania: UberChic Beauty Stamping Plates Review

piCture pOlish Forget Me Not stamped with plate 1-02

Despite not being much of a nail art stamper, I've been playing around with UberChic Beauty stamping plates lately! The manicure above was my biggest success, and maybe one of my best stamping manicures ever. Though I'm not the best stamper, I've been having a blast putting together manicures with these plates. Keep reading to check out more of my results!

Colors by Llarowe Mom Jeans stamped with plate UC 1-03

What really stood out to me about these plates is how beautiful the patterns are. They're modern, well designed, on trend, and just really fun. Many of them have superfine, intricate details, like in the photo above.

I'm not particularly skilled in stamping, but these plates seemed to work well for me! Even the finest of lines picked up each time.

Here's some more info about UberChic plates:
- The plates themselves are pretty large, especially compared to the other ones that I have in my collection.
- The designs are large, and easily covered my nails with room to spare.
- Each plate has a general theme, which includes full nail designs plus coordinated single images.

Gelish I'm Brighter Than You stamped with plate UC 1-01

KBShimmer Summer 2015 neons stamped with plate UC 2-03

Purple rockstar gel manicure stamped with plate UC 1-03

Stop by UberChic Beauty to check out their plate lineup as well as their glitters and pigments! The plates used here can be purchased in plate collections 1 and 2.

I encourage you to go and check out the designs on the plates, because they really are well done. A stamper's dream!

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Gelibility: Turn Any Nail Polish Into Gel Polish

Got a collection of hundreds of polishes? Interested in an occasional gel manicure, but don't want to shell out the money for a full gel color library? Love the variety of regular nail polish and wish you had the same options in gel? Could I sound any more like a TV infomercial?

Gelibility is a new LED/UV cured gel nail polish product that mixes with any regular nail polish to turn it into a gel. Honestly, I was pretty skeptical about how well it would work, but I was very pleasantly surprised. This stuff is really cool. Read on for the details, some swatches & manicures, and my full thoughts. It's quite a long review, but there's a lot to cover!

What is the Gelibility system?
The Gelibility system comes with Stick It!, which is a gel base, and Fix It!, a clear gel that you mix with regular nail polish to create your custom gel. Fix It! also acts as the topcoat to the manicure when you are finished adding your color coats. Both products are cured like a standard gel in an LED or UV lamp, and are dry to the touch immediately.

Does it wear like a normal gel polish manicure?
Though I haven't done a full wear test myself, the gel felt very secure while I had it on. My sister and her friend, who tried it out, reported wear equal to that of any other gel manicure. When you're done, Gelibility removes like any other gel nail polish manicure (no, not picking!). I used a nail file to break through the top layer of gel, and then used the foil method to soak it off.

What is the process for mixing and applying it?

1. Apply and cure one coat of Stick It!. Clean off the tacky layer using a lint free wipe and alcohol.
2. Choose the regular nail polish that you want to turn into a gel. Using a paint palette or mixing surface, mix Fix It! with your regular polish (see note below). Avoid using the Gelibility brush for mixing, to keep your bottle of Fix It! perfectly clear. You can use either the nail polish brush or a dedicated gel brush for this. TIP: Go slowly to avoid getting bubbles in your mixture!
3. Apply one thin coat of the color mixture to your nails and cure in an LED lamp (60 sec) or UV lamp (120 sec).
4. Repeat step 3 until the color looks the way you want it to look.
5. Apply one coat of clear Fix It! and cure.
6. Cleanse the tacky layer using a lint free wipe and alcohol.

NOTE: The instructions say to mix equal parts regular nail polish and Gelibility, but the brand mentions that one drop of Gelibility has a higher volume than one drop of nail polish. I knew from reading Andrea's follow up review on Chickettes that one drop of Gelibility to two drops of polish would do the trick. 

Obivously, mixing any amount of clear polish with a regular polish will change the way it looks. I've done some tests below to show what mixing Gelibility does to a few common types of nail polish. These mixes all show one drop Gelibility to two drops regular nail polish.

» Enchanted Polish Vampires Suck (deep burgundy holo): 3 coats of Gelibility mix vs. 2 coats of regular nail polish. Obviously the holo is getting dulled a bit, but it was definitely still visible!
» RickyColor Off Off Broadway (silvery blue glitter): 3 coats of Gelibility mix vs. 3 coats of regular nail polish. The regular nail polish has a higher glitter density, but the gel mix has the benefit of a smooth, non-gritty finish.

» Girly Bits Ho-Ho-Hope (pinky purple holographic) - 3 coats of Gelibility mix vs. 2 coats of regular nail polish. The faint holographic in this one all but disappears, but it retain its gorgeous color and speckled finish.
» Cirque Colors NYFW (cobalt blue creme) - 3 coats of Gelibility mix vs. 2 coats of regular nail polish. This one was basically unaffected, other than number of coats required. Just lovely!

I wore Gelibility on myself when I went to NYC for the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art finale! I used the drop-to-drop ratio for this look using Sally Hansen Earl Gray. I needed three coats for the opacity here.

I also used it for the accent nails in these gel manicures I did for my sister and her bestie. In the pink manicure, I mixed it with Lacquistry Amazeballs, and in the purple manicure I mixed it with Sally Hansen Liquid Gold. As you can see, it did affect the flat chrome finish on the latter, but I was also using the drop-to-drop ratio at this time.

The Final Word 

I was totally thrilled with my experience with Gelibility. It worked brilliantly, cured immediately, and wore well. Yes, adding clear to your regular nail polish will affect the way it looks and applies. However, I think the versatility of this product more than makes up for that. I don't know how it does its magic, but this stuff is cool.

What now?

The Gelibility system is sold on Amazon.com and via Gelibility.com for $37.95. 

Visit Gelibility.com for further information and instructions for use.

Check out the Gelibility reviews on Chickettes (part one and two) for more tests and Andrea's thoughts. Being a gel blogger, she's an expert!

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Cosmoprof North America 2014: Gels and More (Including Swatch Strips, a Nail Printer, and Glitter Tattoos!)

As Cosmoprof is a professionally-geared show, there are lots of salon gel brands and emerging salon technologies there. Though I'm only starting to venture into the world of gels, I've still got a bit of coverage to share with you on that front! I also have some info about some exciting new nail technologies and other goodies. And of course, if you missed it, be sure to check out my first Cosmoprof post on what's new in the world of lacquer.

Bioseaweed Gel
I stopped by the Bioseaweed Gel booth and was introduced to the ladies there! They showed me their two gel lines: one three step system and a newer product called Unity which includes base, color, top, and strengthener all in a single bottle. They claim their gels are healthier and don't require you to buff/sand the nail at all before application. They had some great nail wheels at the booth with tons of gel nail art using their product.

They also showed off a new portable LED curing lamp called the Flip. It's cordless, rechargeable, and folds up into a size smaller than a cell phone. It also comes in different colors! Neat!

EzFlow TruGel
I loved TruGel's Ringleader Collection. The palette is perfection (how nice is that yellow?). I was also impressed with their matte gel topcoat! Perhaps my favorite part, though, was their selection of gel nail art kits, which included a set of primary colors, a set of neon colors, and a design kit that has stylish studs and foils.

Gelish
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet with anyone at the Gelish booth to get a rundown of their lines. I was able to snap a pic, though! Here's the fall collection, called Get ColorFall. Check out more coverage on WPP.

House of Holland/Elegant Touch
The style house headed up by Henry Holland had a small presence at the show, and I got to take a look at some of their false nail sets. There are some really well designed sets, including my favorite, Game Changer. Did you know that Jenny Pasha from 10 Blank Canvases is a creative expert for the brand?

ibd
ibd Gel Polish showed off their Floral Metric and Neo Romantique collections (the latter of which has some very unusual glitters). They also had their gel art kits on display. I snapped a photo of their Pastel Gel Art Kit, which contains six garden-y shades. They also offer a gel art kit that includes basic colors like red, blue, and yellow. I'm really encouraged to continue learning about gels when I see brands making gel nail art a priority!

ibd also had soft touch silicone brushes on display. I was really intrigued by these and hope to try them out soon to give you the scoop. One of them has a chisel point, and I was told it works great for cleaning out sidewalls that have accidentally been flooded with polish.

MoYou US
Stamping brand MoYou US was in attendance and was demoing nail stamping for people that stopped by their booth. They were excited to share their high quality stainless steel nail stamping plates as well as 18 colors of stamping polish. We were also told that 6 additional stamping polish colors were on the way, and that MoYou plans to release seasonal stamping polish collections.

Nano Nails
Here's something I was interested to come across: a false nail that you attach on and acts as a smartphone stylus! The Nano Nail is definitely an interesting solution for those of you who may have acrylics that prevent you from effectively Instagramming. It has a thin body and a thick tip, and comes with a square edge. The gals at the booth mentioned that you could round the tips a little bit, but that the nail works best if left as is.

The Painted Nail
I had the opportunity to meet Katie Cazorla from The Painted Nail, and she was showing off a new product that I'm sure many of you bloggers would be interested in! They're called Swatch Strips, and they go on much like nail wraps. You apply polish over them, and when you're done swatching the polish, the wraps peel right off (with the polish)! Seems like they will be huge -- especially for gel swatching. Aw yeah.



SuperNail ProGel
I got a brief rundown of the ProGel line. The Boardwalk Babe Collection jumped out at me with it's cute and cheerful colors, but if you like something a bit moodier, check out the Pretty in Punk collection for fall. They also shared a matte gel topcoat called Make It Matte.

Tattoo Junkee
Because Cosmoprof isn't just a show for nails, there are a lot of booths with products that are cool, but not necessarily related to nails. Tattoo Junkee was one of those booths, featuring exciting products like a lip corrector pen, glitter and matte finish temporary tattoos that last for days, and ombre and glitter lip kits. Their product is sold at Wal Mart. The line is a lot of fun and Tattoo Junkee's booth was definitely one of the most popular at the show.

Here I am getting a glitter tattoo, which lasted a good two and a half days before it started showing any signs of wear.

Tat'z Nail'z
Ever looked at a photograph or an image on a computer and wished you could print it directly on to your nails? Well Tat'z aims to make that dream a reality! This machine is an inkjet printer that will print on any regular manicure (like polish, acrylic, or gel). You can upload a photo, snap a pic, or choose one of their preloaded designs.

I stopped by the booth with Andrea from Chickettes and she sat down to get a demo. We actually ended up snapping a photo of my face so she could have it printed on her nails, hah! It got a little scuffed in the printing process, but you can still see that it's me in the photo below.

What is piquing your interest here? I was really amazed by all of the developments in beauty that I saw at the show.

If you are interested in additional gel coverage, be sure to also stop by Andrea's post on Chickettes.com and Leslie's post on Work/Play/Polish.

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