Pink and Gold Rococo Nails

Today’s “metallic” nails for the challenge are very unlike my usual personal style. It was nice to step outside my box though, as I was super happy with the way these turned out! Girly and fun and kind of rococo-esque, don’t you think?

My pink base is American Apparel Coney Island. I haven’t used an AA polish in a really long time… I always forget how great they are. Their colors are lovely and the formula is really nice.

The frame embellishments on my pointer and pinky are from a grab bag I ordered at Ocean Nail Supply. I can’t remember where I got the brass studs from, but I imagine you could find something similar from ONS or a site like Daily Charme.

I chose one of my favorite gold polishes for the accents: China Glaze Goldie But Goodie. I like the complexity of it — it has these gorgeous flecks and a sort of coarse visual finish to it. I used nail vinyls from Love, Angeline for the pattern on the middle and ring fingers.

More metallic manicures:

• Nfu Oh 61 silver holographic
• Magnetic metallic with gold leaf
• Distressed metallic gradient
• Matte metallic gold French tips

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Dance Legend - Creep, swatch

This is a polish with an interesting finish, Creep is from the HammeRing collection from Dance Legend. The finish is also that, it looks like hammered metal, like a crinkled but perfectly smooth
surface. No brush strokes since the polish seems to bubble into a pattern, without actual bubbles, if that makes sense? This is the only collection and brand I've seen this finish in. (correct me if I'm wrong).

Creep is a light blue metallic which covers in one simple coat, in the sun it also looks really bright(!) and eye-catching. Below is without topcoat since the tc ruins the effect slightly. Here I have with basecoat, but I read after that without bc the effect is even greater (Edit: Lakobotan just told me that it stains so no bc seems like a bad idea after all..All you read on-line isn't true!). I like this a lot, it's my kind of color and the effect is really interesting even though I wish it was more eye-catching and perhaps enhanced with tc, I do love wearing my mani's with tc. ;) What do you think?

This picture shows the finish almost the best, it's like irregular circular shapes.

Got this from a nail polish swap with @lakobotan.

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Winter nail art in white and blue

Another nail art with the Born Pretty Store translucent "jelly candy" looking rhinestones. All on top of a gradient with Kleancolor - Metallic White. One of the metallics which rarely is talked about, just because it differs from the others being quite sheer. I've made a creme white gradient on the tip and than worked up some sort of opacity with Metallic white. I'd say that this is a winter nail art; icy nails. And some of you might remember that it's Sunday, however the swedish nail art sunday is from now in hibernation, for ever or for an unknown time.

Polishes and materials used:

Born Pretty Store 2mm Fluorescent Round Rhinestones Acrylic UV Gel Nail Decoration

Nordic Cap - NP13
Kleancolor - Metallic White

Born Pretty Store always has free word wide shipping and if you're interested in purchasing you can always use my code NGL91 which gives you 10% discount on this and/or all products at BPS. Original price is $3.83 but with discount ~$3,5.

Here's the direct link: Fluorescent Round Rhinestones Acrylic UV Gel Nail Decoration 2mm

***Some product(s) in this post has been provided for review, however it has not changed my opinion about it***

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Deborah Lippmann Celebration Nail Lacquer Trio Swatches and Review

Deborah Lippmann has been a busy gal this holiday season! There are lots of great mini lacquer sets available from the brand right now, and one of them is the Celebration Nail Lacquer Trio, made for Deb's 15th anniversary. The three polishes come in a nice gift box with an artistic marbled background featuring the shades in the set.

Big Spender is a yellow gold metallic foil. I used three coats for the coverage you see here. Unfortunately, I don't think this shade is very flattering, but others may enjoy this kind of vibrant gold.

It's My Party is a blue, peach, gold, and red glitter topper in a clear base. The mix of colors is so cute! I chose to layer one coat over Deborah Lippmann Don't Stop Believin' (not included in the set) to show the glitter more clearly. I want to try this one layered over black.

New York State of Mind is a glowy cherry red shimmer. People that aren't normally into reds may be swayed by this beauty. It covered perfectly at two coats. Totally gorgeous.

This set retails for $29 and includes three mini lacquers (.27 oz). Lippmann mini bottles are my favorite -- they are just like her full size square, heavy bottom bottles, except cuter! It's not an inexpensive brand, but the mini sets are a great way to dip your toes in if you've been curious about Deb's polishes.

The Celebration trio is available now from retailers like Nordstrom and Bloomingdales and is also available from DeborahLippmann.com.

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CND VINYLUX Gilded Dreams for Holiday 2014

CND's newest release is their Gilded Dreams collection, a trio of three holiday-appropriate shades that are described as "Marie Antoinette meets Cinderella." My swatches show the VINYLUX shades, a gel-lacquer hybrid system (including topcoat) that claims week-long chip free wear. The holiday release also includes matching Shellac shades, as well as Additives and new holiday Scentsations lotions.

Chiffon Twirl is easily my favorite of the trio! This rose gold foil is so holiday. I used two coats, and though it went on with some brushstrokes, they all but disappeared as the polish dried down. Finished with the VINYLUX top coat.

Dazzling Dance is a blue-tinted sheer base with pink shimmer and small silver sparkles. In my first swatch, I layered it over CND Vinylux Svelte Suede, which created this really nice "subtle with a kick" mani that actually really grew on me. Karen at Beauty Geeks also tried layering it over black, which looks gorgeous, too.

Here it is at three coats alone. Not so appealing.

Grand Gala is a gold with a bit of a pink shift. It's still somewhat sheer at three coats, and alone, it has an older feel to it. I'd love to try this one with some nail art over it. Like Dazzling Dance, it goes on with a few brushstrokes but they fade away as the polish dries down.

A couple of notes about the VINYLUX topcoat: though it dries fairly quickly, it is not as fast as a quick dry topcoat. If you are used to those, be sure to give this manicure a bit of extra time to dry before you go about your day. Once it dries, this topcoat gives a hard, protective finish that only improves with exposure to natural light. For the week long chip free wear, you need to use the system.

I also tried out the Scentsations Gilded Dreams lotion trio! I am OB.SESSED. with the CND Scentsations lotion in Birch & Mint so I was eager to see how I liked these.

• Gilded Blossom is my favorite of the scents. It is scented with green apple, lemon, bergamot, and musk. It has a soft gold shimmer in it.
• Crushed Amber is scented with grapefruit, lemon, jasmine, vanilla, and praline. It was probably my least favorite of the scents. In my notes, I wrote "sharp yet warm, wintry." I didn't notice any visible shimmer in this one.
• Vanilla Shimmer is a CND classic, scented like vanilla (you guessed it)! It has a silver/pearlescent sparkle to it. It is not subtle. You'll be blinging all day! 

This collection also includes four new Additives and Shellac counterparts to the VINYLUX polishes. If you are a Shellac kind of gal, be sure to ask for these shades at your local salon!

CND VINYLUX is sold in salons and professional beauty supply stores. Recently, it was also announced that some of the CND line will be sold online through Loxa Beauty! VINYLUX polishes retail for $9.90 and the Scentsations trio retails for $13.90.

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Color Club Seven Deadly Sins Collection Swatches and Review

One of Color Club's newest collections is called Seven Deadly Sins. It's a collection of seven textured nail polishes in indulgent shades. The textures are very low profile (read: not too rough) so if you are a fan of texture but don't like 'em scratchy, these are a great option for you. There are a few winners here and a few I'm not crazy about. Let's check them out!

Dirty Money is a pale gold textured shade with small hex glitter accents. I love this shade of gold and it looked flattering with my particular skintone. Two coats.

Fierce is a deep bronze textured shade with flecks of orange. A nice one for fall. Two coats.

Friends With Benefits is a pale, metallic lilac texture with small lilac hex glitters. This was one of the ones that I did not care for. The tone-on-tone glitter pieces didn't stand out from the base enough and just made the overall finish look lumpy. Two coats.

Indulge Me is a bronze, flecky shade. It's pretty sparkly and reflective, and looks a bit lighter here than it does in person. It also has flashes of green that for some reason did not want to cooperate in photos. Two coats.

Obsessed is a blackened textured base with gorgeous teal shimmer. Obsessed is right! This is easily my favorite shade in the collection. Just lovely. Two coats.

Under Your Spell is a purple textured shade with gold-green shimmer and larger purple hex glitters. This one would have been an instant favorite for me if it wasn't for the larger glitter pieces. Though they aren't as distracting as the pieces in Friends with Benefits, I just think this shade would be better off without them. Two coats.

You're So Vain is a moody purple base with flecks of gold and purple pink. I like this one, maybe partially because of the absence of any larger hex pieces. Two coats.

As for formula on these, they are okay. Maybe a bit on the thicker side, but that's par for the course with most textures. They certainly wouldn't deter me from buying, if I were hypothetically shopping a few of them, but it's maybe something to keep in mind.

To reiterate, if you like your textures on the mild side, these are all nice options. My top picks would be Obsessed, Dirty Money, and You're So Vain.

This collection is available now at colorclub.com.

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Metallic stripes and rhinestone flowers

Did this while back, last year actually and I'm really happy with the result. The stripes makes the nails look super long and I like how the rhinestones looks like flowers. :) For more nail art you can check out Nail Art Sunday.

Polishes and materials used:
5MM rhinestone in purple
2MM rhinestone in light purple
HM Matte Metallic -  Silver
L.A. Colors Art Deco - Metallic Pink
L.A. Colors Art Deco - Black

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Metallic Herringbone Nail Art

Here's a pattern I haven't tried before: herringbone! I gave it a go with some metallic shades for a look that feels very "Gatsby" to me. If I had a black base it'd be pretty on the nose, eh? Halfway through the pattern, I alternated the way the herringbone was going for a little extra twist on the look. Is this a look you would wear?

Nail polishes used:
Deborah Lippmann Harlem Nocturne
Deborah Lippmann Autumn In New York

Like a few other chromes that have come out recently, these new Deborah Lippmann shades dry down to a brilliantly reflective finish with high pigmentation and very few brushstrokes. However, they also suffer from some of the issues that can plague chromes, like streaky application and quick chips. I applied Harlem Nocturne over a bare nail, which seemed to work fine. If you're having issues with chips, try combining the chrome with a creme base in nail art for a look that will probably last you a bit longer!

Have you tried herringbone nail art before? I want to give it another go, maybe with shades of grey and thinner lines.

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Anna Inspired Frozen Nail Art

It's "inspired by a movie" day in the 31 Day Challenge and I've done some nail art inspired by a movie that is sure to be a popular choice among other participants this year: Frozen! These tips are inspired by Anna's dress, which itself drew inspiration from a traditional piece of Norwegian clothing called a bunad. Her look features a black bodice, gold lacings, and flower details.

Nail polishes used:
Formula X Dark Matter (black)
Deborah Lippmann Autumn In New York (gold)
Essie Mojito Madness (green)
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky (yellow)
Misa Loveliest of Lilacs (purple)
Misa Lovely Lychee (pink)

I painted my nails black and then added the gold tips using the fishtail technique. The flowers and stems were painted freehand using my Edinburgh Realism #4 brush, and I used a pinpoint and small dotting tool to add the decorative dots. Everything is sealed in with two coats of Glisten and Glow HK Girl.

I have done quite a few movie manicures in the past! Check out what I've done previously for the challenge:

• Star Wars inspired nail art
• Eye of Sauron nail art from the Lord of the Rings trilogy
• Titan nail art from the movie Hercules

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