Manicure Monday: Dark Gunmetal Polish - Essie Over the Edge + China Glaze Black Diamond

It's a double manicure treat today for you. If you're on the look out for a deep gunmetal silver polish that's bordering metallic black, I've got two options for you: Essie Over the Edge and China Glaze Black Diamond.

A dark metallic gunmetal polish isn't necessarily a unique color (you can find this hue in nearly every brand), but it's neutral status makes this hue a collection staple. It's a nice way to soften a go-to black polish or make gunmetal a bit edgier.

Black Diamond and Over the Edge seem to be interchangeable. Both go on sheer on first coat and completely opaque with a second coat. And they're both easy to work with: no streaking or thickness and the application is pretty smooth. Once dry, they end up looking like a blackish shimmer finish (not metallic).

It's going to boil down to brand preference here. Check out the swatches below. What do you think? Can you tell the difference?

Essie Over the Edge (2 coats), Seche Vite top coat

China Glaze Black Diamond (2 coats), Seche Vite top coat

Do you already have this color in your collection? If you do, is it either of these or a totally different brand? If you don't, do you have a brand preference? Comment below, let's chat.

Manicure Monday: Bobbing for Baubles

Hello everyone! I hope you had a relaxing weekend. We had a cold front tease on Friday, only to be back in our Florida garb by Saturday. I swear, winter here is so indecisive. Case in point, it's Florida cold again today. Hot, cold, hot, cold. It's so confusing.

Oh well. World's smallest violin. I get it.

I got my nails done this weekend and decided I needed a pretty dark polish that was both cool and could be a little serious. To achieve that, I chose Essie's Bobbing for Baubles. How amazingly beautiful is this sapphire cream? It's not even my polish, I borrowed it from my sister. I think I need to get it for myself. Immediately.

I've been admiring this polish for a long time, but this is the first time I've actually worn it and I can't believe I hadn't taken the plunge. It's stunning.

Essie Bobbing for Baubles (2 coats), Seche Vite top coat

Nails by Miss Natalia's Beauty

Essie describes this polish as a deep sapphire cream. From my point of view, it looks more like a deep  navy cream with just the slightest hint of grey.

This polish was quite easy to apply, no streaking, super smooth, fantastic pigmentation. I used two coats because that's what I always use, but one coat gave the same color pay off you see in the bottle. 

I also love the cream finish. Most of my navy polishes have a bit of shimmer to them and I thought this was a great change of pace. In fact, I'd be willing to bet this shade would look amazing in a matte finish. I may just need to try that out. 

Are you a fan of Bobbing for Baubles? I can't believe I'm so late to this party. 

Glitter Gradient Nail Polish Tutorial

I know I've said before that I'm not a huge fan of full on glitter nail polish. Basically, I think I've outgrown the disco ball nail (unless it's for a very specific occasion, then maybe).

But here's the deal, from time to time, I like a little sparkle. And what's a gal to do when she's acquired a few glitter polishes? Not use them? Say it ain't so. No sir. This gal will find other ways to incorporate glitter into a look. And I'm partial to the glitter gradient, the glitter accent, and a glitter tip or moon.

I think that having a base color and strategically placed glitter helps give a sparkling manicure a little more sophistication. Don't you?

I may not necessarily wear it to the office (unless I worked in one where such things were encouraged, ahem, Zoya fairies), but I think this look is fun for the weekends or even special occasions (birthday sparkle, anyone?).

That being said, I recently stumbled on a pretty nail polish photo one Pinterest (where else, I mean, really?) and posted it on my Facebook page. It' seems a few of you liked it as well. So I decided to share a video tutorial on how you can achieve the same look.

Here's the photo that inspired my manicure:

Photo credit: Nemos Nails

NOTE: I already used the technique that Nemo's Nails demonstrates on her blog for doing a glitter gradient before I read her blog. However, it wasn't until I saw this photo that I thought to mix glitter polishes together to create more dimension. I've seen the light!

Check out the very easy technique that you can replicate for yourself at home:

Here's an extra photos of my finished glitter gradient nails so you can have a better look:

A few tips:

• I find using a neutral color (nude, pink, black, navy blue, white, grey) as a base works best, that way it won't clash with the glitter. But of course, you choose whatever colors suit your fancy.
• I like the technique of using multiple glitter polishes because it build dimension, however, you can easily just follow the same steps using one glitter color. 
• The same technique would work well with the same glitter color and different glitter sizes (e.g. micro glitter mixed with chunky glitter) and also give dimension.
• Make sure to wait between each coat to avoid too much glitter travel.
• This manicure is easy, but takes a little time so make sure you're not in a hurry because it takes a little extra time to dry and set all the way. 

How do you feel about glittery tips? Would you try this at home? Isn't it so much easier than you imagined? 

Holiday Gift Guide: Drugstore beauty gifts/stocking stuffers 2013

Just because you have a budget, doesn't mean you can't find some awesome beauty gifts at amazing drugstore prices. There are plenty of great gift sets out there that are sure to please even the most discerning beauty lover on your list.

Check out some of my top picks, none of which will cost you more than a whopping $20. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back, you are one bad ass shopper.

Pacifica Body Butter Collection ($15) / Pacifica Take Me There Set ($18) / Pacifica Day & Night Natural Skincare Collection ($19) / Real Techniques Core Collection Set ($18) / Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral eyeshadow palette ($20) / Essie Holiday Color 2013 set ($15) / The Body Shop Body Butter Lollipop ($20) /The Body Shop Almond Handy Manicure Set ($18)

What are some of your favorite affordable gift finds in the beauty isle? 

Manicure Monday: Marshmallow & 24/7

Last week, I shared a little bit of nail art I experimented with and realized that I had never swatched some of the colors that I used in that design. Strange, considering I wear those colors all the time. How did they fall through the cracks?

Regardless, today I'm rectifying that terrible wrong and sharing swatches of two polishes I absolutely love: Essie's Marshmallow and Sinful Colors 24/7. Both colors are part of each brand's permanent collection, so if you like them, you can always get your hands on them.

Two coats of Essie Marshmallow and China Glaze Fast Forward top coat

I bought Essie Marshmallow to wear on my wedding day. I wanted something neutral, but I didn't want to go for the conventional light pink, nude, or french manicure. I also didn't want to wear something too expected, like blue (although I did wear baby blue on my toes). My wedding colors were black and white, and thinking that black nails might blend in too much with the black ribbon around my bouquet, I decided on a white manicure. That's when I started questioning what shade of white I wanted to use. I didn't want something too bright that resembled white out or freshly bleached socks. The hunt was on for a soft white. Something between conventional nude or the super trendy white manicure. That's when I found Marshmallow. I instantly loved it.

It's a little tricky to work with, but it's also versatile. You can wear it soft and gentle like I did for my wedding (pictured above) or you can layer it on and make it opaque (like I did here). Plus, it isn't boring and pretty much goes with anything. But, because it's a thin and milky polish, it can be streaky and you need to build coats to get it to be more opaque. Two coats can still look a little streaky, but a good shiny top coat will mask it. Three coats give you a completely opaque finish, but lessens its softness.

Two coats of Sinful Colors 24/7 with China Glaze Fast Forward top coat

On a completely opposite end of the spectrum from Marshmallow is Sinful Colors 24/7. It's an incredibly loud and in-your-face neon pink. It's so bright, it's practically highlighter pink. There's nothing neutral about this polish and it won't blend into a crowd. Like many neon colors, it can be a little streaky, but again, it's nothing a second coat and a glossy top coat can't even out.  I absolutely love this color and find myself turning to it a lot, especially during the summer. (P.S. Please forgive the stained fingers. I'd have a bit of a swatching fest, and the color before this one was green and left its mark behind)

So there you have them. Two of the polishes that inexplicably didn't make it into the Manicure Monday rotation until now. What do you think of these colors? Are either of them something you would wear?

Manicure Monday: Diagonal Stripes

Essie Marshmallow, Sinful Colors 24/7 & Ocean Side, Butter London Sprog, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip top coat

I've been trying to experiment with nail art more there days so that I can actually get more use out of my ridiculous assortment of nail polishes. Posting pictures of new colors every week means that a lot of time, I only get to use my polishes once or twice and don't get back around them because I'm busy swatching. Playing around with nail art gives me a chance to play around more with the options I already have. It's kind of like my version of fashion magazine articles that show 30 different ways to wear a handful of clothing articles so you can get the most out of the pieces in your closet.

Funnily enough, after putting this look together, I realized that I used two polishes that I've never swatched for you. So, I guess I'll be coming back to those and doing individual posts on them in the future. The best part is that both colors (Marshmallow and 24/7) are permanent colors, so you'll definitely be able to get your hands on them if you like them.

For this manicure I used a thin paint brush from the craft store that was super cheap, and swiped it diagonally across my nail once the base color was dry. This definitely takes practice! Shaky hands can make some wobbly lines. But the more you practice the better you get (you should've seen the first two attempts!).

Aside from needing to steady my hands a bit more (I'm not a surgeon for a reason), this design is relatively easy and you can easily customize it with different color combinations to keep it fresh.

What do you think of this look? Would you give it a try? What color combinations would you do?

Manicure Monday: Subdued Polka Dot Mani

I'm still totally in love with my Essie Matte About You top coat and just love discovering all the fun stuff I can do with my nails by just using different finishes. Let's take nail art as an example. I think it looks really cute, but a lot of times, it's not exactly office friendly - at least if you, like many people out there, work in a conservative office culture. But using clear matte and glossy top coats to create nail art can give you the fun, funky edge you're looking for, while still being subdued enough for your serious nine-to-fiver. From far away, it will look like any other manicure. It's not until you get up close that you'll notice the fun and dimension it has. It's kind of the equivalent of wearing a really conservative outfit over some really fun and sultry lingerie. No one would ever guess you're wearing something a little racy underneath. Except, of course, a manicure is much more G-rated.

Today's manicure inspiration is once again Pinterest related. I saw this fun manicure and just had to try my hand at recreating it.

Photo credit

I love the matte and glossy black look of this mani, but I decided to try it. Instead of black, though, I opted for a deep charcoal grey. I wanted to keep the dark and fun feel of the manicure that inspired me, without copying it outright. To accomplish it, I used Sinful Colors Ardoise (check it out here in its normal creme glossy finish), topped with Essie Matte About You, and dotted with China Glaze Fast Forward top coat. 

Of course you can always make this bright and cheery as well by just switching up the colors. Here it is in purple, using Sinful Colors Amethyst.

P.S. - If you don't have a dotting tool, don't worry. I used this awesome tutorial from The Beauty Department to make my own dotting tool at home. Super easy and also a fantastic Pinterest find.

The Beauty Department

What do you think about creating nail art using different finishes rather than bold colors? Does it help make nail art more wearable for you? If you've been shy about nail art, would you consider wearing it now? What other matte-glossy designs would you consider trying? Do you have any favorites? Comment below and let me know!

Manicure Monday: Matte Wet Cement

I have an immense love for nail polish. You've probably figured that out considering I share a new manicure with you every week. So, it must come as no surprise that I spend a lot of time perusing manicures and nail polish pictures on Pinterest (by the way, you can follow my pins on Pinterest here). It was on Pinterest that I learned about matte nails. I love how you can play with finishes to give your favorite polishes a new look and feel.

As I was perusing, I stumbled upon the awesome manicure shown below. It caught my attention because I just so happen to love grey nail polish. I have quite a few different greys in my collation and I  just loved the idea of giving them a bit of a new life.

Photo Credit: Nails.AnnaGorelova.com

So after seeing that photo I was determined to find a matte top coat -- many thanks to my sister for finding Essie's Matte About You at the beauty supply store that's only open to industry professionals because that means I  got it at a discount (whoop whoop!). Once I got my hands on Matte About You, the matte grey mani was going to be the first things I tried (I'm also itching to try out fun nail designs with the matte top coat). I rifled through my collection and settled on using Sally Hansen's Wet Cement, which is one of my favorite grays (well, really they are all my favorites). I also figured this color would be easy for everyone to find if they wanted to replicate the look. 

With the pin as my inspiration, here's how my matte grey manicure turned out:

I like it. Maybe I'll have someone take a pic of my hands while I'm holding a coffee mug or bowl too so I can really mimic my photo inspiration.

What do you think of the matte trend? In my opinion it works well and some colors and not so great with others, for example, I wasn't a huge fan of how Charisma looked when it was matte. But I think it works well with pastels and dark hues. I may need to experiment a bit more to see what other colors I like to see in a matte finish. This top coat may just bring a whole new life to my polish collection.

Manicure Monday: Sand Tropez

Life's a beach, and if the weather in Florida is going to keep me indoors, then I'll be bringing the beach to me. Enter Essie's Sand Tropez (Spring 2011 French Affair Collection) - a creamy nude that is unaffected and easy going, but still chic. Pretty much the same way I'd like to be if I were sitting on the shore on the beach in San Tropez.

It's a great color if you're spending your week in a conservative office environment. It won't scream for attention, your hands will look polished and groomed, and it's still a relaxing and laid back mani (probably exactly how you'd rather be in the midst of the nine-to-five race). While everyone else will see corporate-appropriate, you'll look down and smile as you imagine a sun-soaked paradise far away from your cube (just think of the name and I  bet you'll be imagining the feel of sand between your toes; plus the color itself looks a bit sandy, don't you think?).

Two coats makes this a pretty shade of nude that will never clash with anything you wear. Combine this mani with a brightly colored top, and I'll start thinking of beach towels on sand in no time.

I love a nude manicure from time to time, though I can't get over how strange I feel the color looks on my toes. I guess my toes are adventurous territory and nude is too demure. How do you feel about nude manicures? Do you have a favorite nude polish (and what is it)?