Go Nude for New Years...

...of course by nude I mean your nail polish.

New Years is always a time to start fresh, & sometimes that means keeping it basic. Now most of the time when I think of New Years I think of sparkles, sequins & shiny confetti, however this year I wanted keep it sleek & simple; nude polish was the answer. 

Now I realize I have been MIA for the past two months, but I'm going to make it up to you by giving you three ways to go nude this New Years. 

The first look is a spin on the Half Moon nail look.

What you need:

Urban Outfitters Nude 5 w Funky Fingers Star-Studded w Reinforcement Labels w Base Coat w Quick Dry Top Coat

Start with a base coat to protect your nails from the glitter polish

 & then add 1-2 coats of Funky Fingers Star-Studded.

When the glitter dries place the Reinforcement Labels at the base of your nails. Then paint over the remaining part of your nail with Urban Outfitters Nude 5. Remove the reinforcers after painting and allow nails to dry. Then add your favorite top coat. 

voilà!

The next two looks are going to use sand tropez by Essie.

 This is a great color on it's own even without any New Years glitz.  

When your sipping on your champagne this New Years it's always good to remember to use proper etiquette. When in doubt, pinky out. 

What you need:

Essie sand tropez w  Essie as gold as it gets w Quick Dry Top Coat

Start with 1-2 coats of sand tropez. 

Then add 1-2 coats of as gold as it gets to your pinky finger to give this look a subtle glitz.

Finally this last look will dress up your nails with an frosty white ombre.

What you need:

Essie sand tropes w Essie east hampton cottage w Make-up Sponge w Quick Dry Top Coat

Start with 1-2 coats of sand tropez. Then using a make-up sponge apply a thin layer of east hampton cottage to the edge of the sponge.

Then beginning half down your nail, gently dab the end of the sponge on to your nail. Let it dry. Then moving about a centimeter up your nail repeat this process. I did this about 4-5 times. These layers will dry quickly & will not consume as much drying time as traditional coats. 

Then add some top coat & you will have frosty tips to ring in the New Year. 

On Pinterest? Repin here!

Save Bottle, Rock an Ombre

Ok up-cycle lovers I'm giving the 'ok' to embrace your inner hoarder (well not really, but...)

If you hate throwing old nail polish bottles away I have a solution that may ease your inner turmoil. 

Save them, clean them out & then fill them back up with new custom colors! Hooray!

So one of my old roommates from college got married recently & for her wedding I decided to wear a slate grey tiered pleated dress, & I wanted my nails to compliment the look. I decided on the ever so popular ombré look.  

I used two different colors to achieve this look & then added some glitter polish for my lack of wedding ring bling ;)

What you need:

Essie Power Clutch w MILANI one coat glitter Silver Dazzle w Sally Hansen xtreme wear Wet Cement w Old Top Coat Bottle (empty & clean) 

First thing I did was the mixing of my colors.

I used an empty bottle of top coat to mix my first color (which for blogging purposes we will call 'Power Cement'). For this color I mixed equal parts Power Clutch & Wet Cement. I probably used 4 -6 drops of each. The reason I did this is because I wanted a lot of polish leftover to mix for the next color. 

Power Clutch w 'Power Cement' w Wet Cement 

Then I used this random piece of left over plastic packaging to mix the next color in the ombré. I mixed equal parts 'Power Cement' & Wet Cement to make the fourth & final color: 'Wet Clutch'.

Now because this color wasn't mixed in a bottle it requires that you apply it right away. (which I did,  straight on to my ring fingers) I covered it up with some cling wrap in-between coats to prevent it from drying up.

The Break Down:

Nail 1: Power Clutch

Nail 2: Wet Cement

Nail 3: 'Power Cement' (1+2)

Nail 4: 'Wet Clutch' (3+2)

Nail 5: Power Clutch & Silver Dazzle 

:)

(Disclaimer: If you are someone with a texture issue when it comes to glitter polish, be prepared to use about 2-3 coats of top coat over any MILANI one coat glitter polish. Looks great but feels like sandpaper.)

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

Shamrock Sparkle

Ok so before I even get going on this let me take you back... (cue fuzzy flashback sitcom waves)

The year is 1994. Robinson Elementary School's 1st Grade St. Patrick's Day Assembly is upon us. Mrs. Reedy has thrown the gauntlet down to her 1st grade class that we will be singing in front the entire school as well as all of our friends & families for this assembly.
 Just as I am about to squirm out of my desk with excitement, Mrs. Reedy pulls out the most beautiful piece of head wear I have ever seen. A green plastic top hat dripping in green craft glitter.
"we..wE GET TO WEAR THOSE!?!" Mrs. Reedy smiled & replied in her teacher voice "Not everyone will get to where these hats, these hats are for my special performers, the ones who can show me their best behavior & practice their hardest this week." 

....game changer. I now have to compete against these nuggs? Not an issue. So on my way out to lunch I casually make a pit stop at Mrs. Reedy's desk, just to.. you know.. say 'hello'. "I'm Irish you know?... Yeah well my Papa is Irish, so that makes me Irish....just thought you should know..." (look up subtle in the dictionary; you'll find a nugget sized picture of me tap dancing with a white feather boa on the coffee table) I had planted my bait, now all i had to do was outshine everyone at practice. So for the remainder of the week I did everything in my nugget power to earn 1 of the 3 green glitter bombed top hats. I even confirmed with Mrs. Reedy that my Irish Papa was coming to the assembly & then asked her if he could sit in the front row (simply because he was Irish and would appreciate the assembly to its fullest potential. duh.) 

Then the day arrived. Mrs. Reedy came into class holding a cardboard box filled with plain plastic hats, (umm.. WHERE ARE THE SPARKLES?) then she pulled out a smaller bag that had been tucked away in her desk. She began passing out the plain & special hats.  I knew this was the moment. Butterflies filled my stomach, my palms began to sweat, & then the moment came that she presented me with the emerald city of all hats. My 6 year old life was complete.

So these nails are a tribute to my famous Irish grandpa, Mrs. Reedy, & of course green glitter I hope you enjoy.

What you need:

Essie Navigate Her w Funky Fingers Tinsel Town w Sally Hansen Ista-Dri




I chose to do a base coat of Essie Navigate Her because the Tinsel Town glitter polish has a undertone of blue & I wanted to really showcase the green in this look. I found that Navigate Her really makes the green pop! 

Next thing I did was start progressively adding thin coats of glitter polish. Let the coats dry before you add on the next. All in all I put on 4 coats of glitter. The first coat starting at the base of my nail, & the last coat at the edge of my nail like a french. This will give you the 'ombre'/ 'gradation' effect (without having to add white)

Finally top off with with a nice helping of top coat to even out the layers and voilà your nails will be ready for Irish adventure.  

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

(Disclaimer: this glitter gradation effect does not work with every glitter nail polish out there. I've tried it  a handful of times mostly ending in a blur of glitter and a bottle of nail polish remover. So don't get discouraged if you try it and it doesn't come out right, it could just be the polish. Explore different polishes till you find the right one, it will be worth it!)