Nailbox Pre-Fall '14 Trendbox Geometric Gradient Nail Art and Giveaway

As you may recall, back in August I showed off the Nailbox Pre-Fall 2014 Trendbox, which I curated! The box includes four nail polishes plus a matte topcoat, and I've used all five bottles in my nail art today. Nailbox has also given me the chance to offer a giveaway for the box, so head to the end of the post to enter to win!

Nail polishes used:
LVX Cashmere
NCLA Santa Monica Shore Thing
Orly Hot Tropics
Priti NYC Chyrsanthos
Essie Matte About You

I love the way these colors look together. I'd hope that I would, anyway, seeing as how I chose them! You've got the nice neutral base, two bright and fun shades, a metallic for some pizzaz, and a matte topcoat (because I am obsessed with all things matte).

The gradient effects are entirely handpainted. I didn't use tape or vinyls in this look, and honestly, these days it's just become easier for me to try to freehand it than to go through the process for anything else. The lovely periwinkle color between the aqua and the pink was created by mixing the two together, and I brushed it on loosely to sell the transitional effect.

My Pre-Fall 2014 Trendbox is available as a single box for $35 (a $65+ value) or you can purchase the one year subscription for $126. Boxes are curated by nail bloggers and trendsetters. GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT!

Feeling lucky? Try your hand at winning a Trendbox! Giveaway is open to US residents and ends October 28th, 2014. Prize provided by Nailbox.

Nailbox Trendbox Giveaway
Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in the Pre-Fall Trendbox, but was not paid for this giveaway. Good luck!

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Autumnal Gilded Half Moon Stamping

Today is half moon day for the 31 Day Challenge, and the nail art I did is not exactly my most inspired! I do like the outcome, it's just not a showpiece. Truth be told, I was just not having it last night. We are a little more than halfway through the challenge now, and it is starting to catch up with me. Sleep was on my mind!

Nail polishes and products used:
Enchanted Polish Vampires Suck
Priti NYC Chrysanthos
Nailz Craze NC03 stamping plate
Half moon Nail Vinyls

After painting my nails with Vampires Suck and letting it dry completely, I blocked off the half moon shapes with the vinyls. I stamped over the vinyls using Chrysanthos, and then removed them to reveal the un-stamped half moons!

Since Vampires Suck is a gorgeous holo, I had to include some direct lighting shots, despite the stamping being harder to make out.

Take a trip down memory lane with these half moon manicures from previous years:

• Sweet and girly leopard half moons
• Retro striped half moons
• Delicate lace half moons

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Blue Dripping Chevron Nail Art

Blue! More inspirational to me than green was yesterday. I've painted some dripping chevron nail art, inspired by a pattern I saw on Pinterest. Of course, I had to modify the colors a bit to put them in line with today's 31 Day Challenge theme, but I just had to keep the metallic gold accent from the original piece. It's the right addition to break up the all blue palette.

Polishes used:
Essie Bikini So Teeny
Cirque Colors NYFW
Zoya Sailor
Deborah Lippmann Video Killed the Radio Star
LVX Laguna
Priti NYC Chrysanthos (gold)
Glisten and Glow HK Girl (topcoat)
Essie Matte About You (matte topcoat)

This look was simple to do but pretty time consuming. Each chevron was painted freehand with a small nail art brush, and then at the end, I extended a few of the chevron points into drips. I sealed everything in with glossy topcoat and then, after that was mostly dry, finished off the manicure with a matte topcoat.

 More blue for you!

• Barielle Blackened Bleu
• Blue and white china pattern
• Blue V tape manciure

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Nailbox Pre-Fall 2014 Trendbox Curated by Chalkboard Nails

The newest Nailbox Trendbox is out, and guess what... I curated it! I am so proud of the box that I was able to put together -- it feels very "me" and I think you'll love it as well. My Pre-Fall 2014 Trendbox costs only $35, and includes four lacquers (two cremes, a neon shimmer, and a metallic), a matte topcoat, and a set of bonus nail wraps from Nailbox. You get a tremendous value for a fraction of the price, and the box is available as a one time purchase or as a quarterly subscription. Let's take a look at some swatches.

LVX Cashmere is a soft greyed out nude shade. It covered perfectly in two coats and is my ideal fall neutral.

The Trendbox also contains Essie Matte About You, a matte topcoat that can be applied over any polish for a chic, shine-free finish. Here is Cashmere with Matte About You.

NCLA Santa Monica Shore Thing is a minty turquoise. I love this color family and the formula was flawless at two coats.

Here is Santa Monica Shore Thing paired with Essie Matte About You.

Orly Hot Tropics is a bright fuchsia with heavy golden shimmer. The shimmer is absolutely gorgeous and goes especially well with the matte topper. I used three coats for the coverage shown.

Hot Tropics with Matte About You.

Priti NYC Chrysanthos is a sparkling gold metallic polish. It's one of those flecky metallics, which means it really catches the light beautifully. It has a twinge of silver to it, so I'd classify this as a "champagne." Two coats.

Chrysanthos with Matte About You.

As an added bonus, Nailbox has also included a set of NCLA nail wraps with every box! These Aly En Vogue wraps are sticker style, in a cute floral print.

I really tried to pick shades and finishes that I love for this box, while still selecting some brands that you may not have had a chance to try yet. This is a great way to introduce yourself to niche brands, since you receive the product at a discount when you purchase the box! I really hope you love my choices as much as I do.

My Pre-Fall 2014 Trendbox is available as a single box for $35 (a $65+ value) or you can purchase the one year subscription for $126. Boxes are curated by nail bloggers and trendsetters.

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this Trendbox. When you purchase my Pre-Fall Trendbox, you help to support Chalkboard Nails!

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