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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TUTORIAL: Bordeaux Gradient with Jewelry Half Moons, Inspired by Forever For a Year

This tutorial post is sponsored by Macmillan. 

Today's nail art tutorial is inspired by B.T. Gottfred's novel, Forever For a Year. Since the book is all about romance and first love, I've created a look that's perfect for date night. This sultry bordeaux gradient is accented with a gold jewelry-style half moon. It's a look that is chic, romantic, and put together... with just a touch of flash.

Forever For a Year has also provided a date night prize pack for a giveaway! Head to the end of the post for details on how to enter.

For my date night nail art, I used:
LVX Cameo (burgundy)
OPI Lincoln Park After Dark (dark purple)
Essie Good As Gold (gold)

You'll also need a cosmetic sponge, cotton swabs or a latex barrier, and dotting tools in three sizes (large, small, and pinpoint).

With this easy gradient nail art, you'll be date-night ready in no time! And no matter where the night takes you, you know your tips will be looking fresh.

About Forever For a Year
When Carolina and Trevor meet on their first day of school, something draws them to each other. They gradually share first kisses, first touches, first sexual experiences. When they're together, nothing else matters. But one of them will make a choice, and the other a mistake, that will break what they thought was unbreakable. Both will wish that they could fall in love again for the first time . . . but first love, by definition, can't happen twice.

Told in Carolina and Trevor's alternating voices, this is an up-close-and-personal story of two teenagers falling in love for the first time, and discovering it might not last forever. In stores now.

Learn more on B.T. Gottfred’s Tumblr, and follow the author on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Giveaway
So now that we've got a plan in place for your date night nails, you're gonna need some supplies! Forever For a Year is hooking up one (1) lucky reader with the following prize pack:

• A copy of Forever For a Year;
• $25 Sephora gift card;
• nail polish and compact mirror. 

To enter, just comment on this post describing your dream date night activity!

Here are the rules: 

• One entry per person.
• Giveaway open to US addresses only.
• Must comment with a valid email address to be reached for your prize.
• Must be 18 years or older (or have parent's permission) to enter.
• Entries close Friday, July 31st, 2015 at 11:59pm MST.
• Chosen winner will have 48 hours to reply to the notifying email, after which a new winner will be chosen.

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Ladybird Inspired Nail Art

I remember when I was a kid, one of my favorite times of the year was when we released ladybugs into the garden during Sunday School. They had boxes of ladybugs for us, and we got to set them free into the garden to help manage the pests. They'd crawl all over us, and we'd run around looking for where they'd landed in the dirt. Their bright red backs always stood out against the dark soil.

I think that butter LONDON has nailed that bright, vibrant red-orange ladybug color for this lacquer, fittingly named Ladybird. I applied two coats for the base - the formula is smooth and even. It has that sort of squishy feel to it, without showing any nail line.

Then, I added some black spots in various sizes to take the ladybug look even further! Try using a pencil eraser to "stamp" on the largest spots, and a dual ended dotting tool for the other sizes.

Ladybird is available through butter LONDON & Amazon. And PS, if you really like the color, check out their Ladybird LIPPY Lip Crayon!

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Vintage Striped Wallpaper with China Glaze Desert Escape

Have you guys checked out the China Glaze Desert Escape collection yet? I really dig the color makeup of it. There's something for everyone, you know? You've got a neutral, a metallic, a squishy red, a girly pink, a funky turquoise, and a silky magenta.

I reached for four of the six shades from the collection to put together this easy nail art. I think it's kind of charmingly vintage, yeah? Like, maybe you'd see it in your grandma's bathroom, and she's had it like that since the 1960s.

And gueI think just about anyone could pull this off. All you need to be able to do are vertical stripes (the easiest of all the stripes) and dots!

The shades I used are:
China Glaze What's She Dune? (nude)
China Glaze Don't Mesa With My Heart (pink)
China Glaze The Heat Is On (red)
China Glaze Meet Me In the Mirage (rose gold)

1. Begin by applying a base of the nude. 
2. Use a nail art brush to paint on a wide stripe of rose gold down the middle of your nail. 
3. Stack a medium red stripe on top of the rose gold stripe.
4. Stack a thin pink stripe down the middle of the red stripe, then add two sets of two thin pink stripes at the edges of each nail.
5. Add red and pink dots in pairs of two in the open spaces.

Unlike China Glaze collections you may be used to, the Desert Escape collection is only available on LockandMane.com. Each shade retails for $7.50. Have you picked up any? Do you have plans to?

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Quick and Simple Scaled Nail Art [VIDEO TUTORIAL]

I wasn't (and still am not) sure what to call this look. It seems kinda scaly, kinda alien, kinda fantasy-esque, almost like alligator skin... In the end, I decided on scaled. You can call it whatever you like, but the fact is that this nail art is super easy and pretty chic! Read on to check out the video tutorial.

I used three Ella & Mila shades.

Ella & Mila Honeymoon Bliss
Ella & Mila Ibiza Breeze
Ella & Mila In Line For Wine

In Line For Wine is actually a satin-matte polish! It's luxe either way, but in this instance, I've covered it with topcoat and stripped it of its leather finish.

To achieve this nail art for yourself, all you need is a small nail art brush. Just dip the brush in your polish of choice and dab it onto the nail in rows. Don't worry about being too precise, I like the spots where the dabs were larger or smaller than average.

And of course, as promised, here is the short video of this nail art in action!

A video posted by Chalkboard Nails (Sarah) (@chalkboardnails) on Apr 15, 2015 at 2:47pm PDT

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P2 - Dating Time, swatch

P2 is a brand which isn't mentioned much, but the things I've heard are only good things and happily it seems true. P2 quite cheap with only 1.75 euro for its 11ML bottle. Dating time is a vamp dark red creme, reminding me of blood. A very elegant and deep color. The formula was creamy and pigmented and almost covered in one coat but the second really gave depth to the color. I can't wait to try the other colors if this only needed 2 coats and also dried pretty quick! :D

Bought at DM in germany for 1,75 euro.

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Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection Swatches: November & December

Cirque's Metropolis collection, a series of creme nail polishes inspired by New York City, continues to grow! There are new polishes added to the line every month, and today's swatches cover the November and December releases. You can check out the September and October releases in my previous post.

Kickerbocker is a deep chocolate brown creme. It's very dark, almost black. Two coats.

Tavern On the Teal is a dark teal shade. It's slightly more green than my swatch shows here. Two coats.

The Devil Wears Cirque is a rich red creme. I love the name on this one so much. Two coats.

I don't have any complaints about the formula on these; they were all easy to apply, smooth, and glossy. The shades do feel very New York chic, though maybe I'm projecting a little too because of the collection name. "NYFW" does still reign supreme as my favorite Metropolis shade, though I do love the richness of Tavern on the Teal now, too.

The Metropolis collection is available now on CirqueColors.com, where each shade retails for $13.

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I Think Posh Would Rock This Nails Inc. Victoria, Victoria Beckham Color Blocking

There's a new collaboration in the nail world, and it is fantastic. Victoria Beckham teamed up with Nails Inc. to release two new shades that draw inspiration from her Victoria, Victoria Beckham SS15 collection: Judo Red and Bamboo White. They don't come cheap, but I think they are worth your consideration. Let's talk why.

The first selling point? The bottles are AMAZING. If you are a sucker for packaging like I am, you will go bananas over these bottles. The matte black and matte white finishes feel soft to the touch. The bottles are incredibly weighty and feel like they are of a very high quality. The design features a removable overcap with a smaller round brush underneath, and the brush itself is very wide (which I personally love in a brush).

And, lest you're worried about not seeing the polish color, they've cut out a handy window on the sides of the bottles for peeking.

Okay, so the bottles are nice. But what about the formula?

It's totally, really great.

For this blocked nail art, I started out with a base of Bamboo White. As I applied my first coat, I actually gasped in happiness. It goes on remarkably smoothly and evenly, and covers perfectly in just two coats. It's really shiny too, for those of you (crazy people) that don't use topcoat.

Judo Red tells the same tale. Here it is alone at two coats, no topcoat. It leans heavily towards orange, without being unflattering.

As I said, the only downside to these is the price. At $25 per polish or $45 for the duo, they are expensive (especially for shades that you might already have dupes for in your collection). However, the amazing formula and quality bottle design make these worth a second look for the avid collector or luxury lover.

US residents can pick these up from Nails Inc. and Sephora. UK residents can shop via Selfridges.

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Deck Your Nails Out With Girly Bits This Winter

Let's face it... We don't need an excuse to deck out our nails with gorgeous shimmers, glitters, holographics, and textures. However, why not celebrate the season with luxurious lacquers and fantastic formulas from Girly Bits? Let's take a look at a few of the shades I've tried recently!

Arctic Sunrise is a beautiful bright blue with a heavy pink shimmer. I think it's appropriate for both winter and for upcoming spring and summer months. Gotta love a polish with good seasonal mileage! Three coats.

Bette Davis Eyes is a pale silver with a light textured finish. Cool! This was one of the newer Girly Bits shades that I was most curious about. I wasn't disappointed, it's really neat. If you prefer low-intensity textured finishes, this one has a really subtle grit to it. Two coats.

Ho Ho Hope is a red-toned-violet holographic shade with a subtle holo rainbow. The formula was lovely, needing just two coats for the coverage shown, and the color is enchanting.

Lover's Coral is a soft peachy-coral shade. I've worn this one twice recently, it's a great clean pink for when you are looking for something sweet and simple. Three coats.

Too Hot For Pants is a red-fuchsia jelly with heavy shimmer and holo microglitter. It's a very rich shade, which makes it a perfect choice for the holidays. Two coats shown.

Walk Like an Egyptian is one of my most favorite Girly Bits shades to date. This champagne gold is so luxurious. It's holographic in the sun, but looks just as lovely indoors! If you are a gold nail polish fan, this is totally a winner. This is three coats but many could get away with only two.

So, which one is your favorite? I love the variety of colors, textures, and finishes in the Girly Bits lineup, and am always impressed by the formulas. My top picks would be Walk Like an Egyptian and Bette Davis Eyes. Siiiillllver and gooooold, siiiiilllver and gooooolllddd....

Girly Bits polishes are sold on girlybitscosmetics.com and via distributors. Keep up with the brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.

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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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Autumnal Matte Pyramid Dots

Is anyone else as obsessed with a matte white nail as I am? I put together this look quickly for an afternoon outing and really loved wearing it. It's super simple, super fast, and super chic. You could easily change up the colors to suit your mood, as well.

Nail polishes used:
LVX Porcelaine
Color Club Je Ne Sais Quoi
Zoya Arizona
Polish My Life Don't Snap My Dragon
Essie Matte About You

The process is simple: after painting on your base color, add three rows of dots in a pyramid shape. I used a dotting tool but you could also grab a bobby pin, toothpick, or other alternative! Finish with a layer of quick dry topcoat and then a layer of matte topcoat.

The key here is choosing the colors for your dots; you want them to combine to create a gradient but also be distinct enough that they don't completely blend together.

So here's my question: what are some other great fall color combos for this look? I'm thinking a caramel base with shades of dusty blue for the dots would look gorgeous. How would you wear it?

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Flannel and Lace - China Glaze Twinkle Collection Nail Art

Tough, rugged flannel meets soft and sweet lace! Though I know it's not even Halloween yet, this manicure feels perfect for winter. The Christmas-y plaid with the silver accent has me thinking cocoa and fireplaces. Meanwhile, in the real world, it's still 95 degrees here in the good old desert. Ah, a girl can dream.

Nail polishes used:
China Glaze Tip Your Hat
China Glaze Out Like a Light
China Glaze I'd Melt For You

Tip Your Hat is a gorgeous deep red creme. It covered well in one coat but I've used two here, because everyone knows it's impossible to just use one coat of polish, even if you get full coverage! It can look quite a bit darker depending on the light.

I'd Melt For You is a flashy silver chrome. I painted two coats on my bare nail, so I can't speak to how it applies if you're wearing a base coat, but keep in mind that it does show ridges if you've got 'em. You've seen other silver chromes on the market and here's another to add to the list! A savvy shopper probably won't need to double up, but if you've somehow missed them in the past, this is a great piece to add to a collection.

I used Out Light a Light to paint the flannel and lace detailing freehand. It had great opacity and a nice formula that worked well for nail art. I love these sorts of deep greys, too.

Is it already feeling wintry where you are? Or are you still suffering the last legs of summer like me?

Check out the press release for the China Glaze Twinkle Collection for Holiday 2014 to see the rest of the shades in this lineup, which officially goes up for sale in November.

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Textured Ruby Stars

Today is The Lacquer Legion post day and this month's theme is "after dark." I've got no shortage of Halloween nail art, so I've gone with something in a different direction this time. After dark... the stars come out! (But still kind of in a Halloween-esque color palette. Can't help myself.)

Nail polishes and materials used:
American Apparel Hassid
Zoya Chyna
Serum No. 5 Cut It Out vinyls - Lovely Magic

I'm still into textured polishes, no matter what the market says! I favor the ones without chunky glitter pieces, so naturally I'm a big fan of Zoya's PixieDust range and it's sparkly, small-particle goodness.

For this look, I used two coats of Chyna on my thumb, pinky, and pointer. For the two accent nails, I painted them black and applied the vinyls once they were dry. I painted over the vinyls like a stencil, peeled them off, and let the texture dry down. Voila!

Follow The Lacquer Legion on Facebook or Instagram for once monthly nail art prompts aimed at bringing together the nail polish community!

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