*Nothing to Disclose*

    It's time for the third installment of my quarterly round-up. I hope you enjoy this look back at the previous 3 months as I do. I've decided to shake things up a bit this time around and share more than just my favorite nail art looks.  Mainly because there are so many things that inspire me, teach me and shape who I am as a blogger and I feel they are worth sharing. Plus I feel that it's nice to get to know a little about the person behind the blog. I know I'm more likely to leave a meaningful comment or even just search out the latest blog post if I feel like I know the person behind the screen a little bit. 

     In July I continued my quest to get through my polish collection and found myself reaching more for older polishes while also sharing the new Wild at Heart Collection from Sinful Colors. It was a slow month for nail art with only 3 looks but they are looks that I really loved. It was hard to narrow down a favorite but I decided on the look I created for the 4th of July.

     I revisited an old technique to create this look while still following the fluid nail art trend and was very pleased with the results. If you want to see my second favorite look from the month check out my Dichotomy post from 1850 Lacquer.  Dichotomy is a thermal polish and I added an accent nail that has a "disappearing" image on it.

     In July I decided to try and take my blog to the next level and see if I could make a small income with a few affiliates. You may have noticed the addition of a few banners in my sidebar, if not take a look and see if there's anything that catches your eye. I've got the ever so popular Born Pretty and Beauty Big Bang banners that people are familiar with. And then I got lucky and was able to become an affiliate with Sally Beauty Supply and Planet Beauty.  I'm not looking to be able to quit my day job but it would be nice to make enough to be able to pay for my blog fee's from it. And a girl can always dream, can't she?

    August saw a new opportunity for me when I joined the Nail Challenge Collaborative group on Facebook. I know art is supposed to be personal and come from the artist's heart but sometimes it's nice to be given a direction. The direction I was given for August was simply Pink and Blue. That inspired my first ever manicure using Sharpie Markers.


    My daughter also got to share her nails on my blog again with her baseball inspired look. She was so happy about this post and checked my site every day for weeks just to see if her post was still in the top spot on my popular posts list. I should probably thank her for all those page views.

     In August, I discovered Naio Nails on Youtube and have become fascinated with the nails that she creates. They are generally over the top and completely inappropriate for my lifestyle but I love them. And I feel like I've picked up a few things that will help my skills.

     September saw me heading back to work and ended up being a slow month for nail art. I only shared one look with you, but it's my favorite one in this round-up. My stone marble nails not only made me proud but actually turned out the way I pictured them.


     I am hoping to have more fun looks to share with you in October, including some techniques that I have never tried or haven't used in years.  Do you ever go back and revisit old techniques? What trends do you wish would come back? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Nothing to Disclose*

   So not that long ago I shared with you the Wild at Heart Collection from Sinful Colors. For those of you who missed that post, this collection consists of 6 neon matte polishes, an illuminating base coat, and a top coat. Why am I bringing this up? Today I'm sharing a nail art look with you that I created with this collection plus Acapella Ella.

     But before I show you the nails I should probably tell you how this look came about. Do any of you play around with the polish that collects on your workspace? I have a habit of watching Netflix while swatching and at times when I'm stumped for nail art ideas I just start grabbing random bottles from my desktop and playing around with them on my nail art mat. I test out color combos or sometimes just swatch it quick to see what the finish is like. This is actually how most of my fluid nail art looks and watermarbles come from. I  play around a bit until I come up with something I like.  That's exactly how today's look came about, I was stumped for ideas and decided to play around with the polishes on my desk.  It just so happens that the last collection I had reviewed was the Wild at Heart Collection.


     Remember that illuminating base coat I mentioned earlier, well I really should have used it as a base for this look. It would have made the colors really pop. I was smart enough to use it in my swatches, but not for this and I really wish I would have. 

     Just like my previous fluid nail art looks I created this by placing random drops of polish on my nail art mat in a small area. I liked the way the matte neons looked but wanted to lighten it up just a bit so I added Acapella Ella. Acapella Ella is a pale blue, almost white polish with a hint of sparkle. I feel the sparkle helps to tie it in with the other colors.


     Instead of picking the mat up and letting the colors run together I folded my mat in half horizontally and then vertically. This gave me a marbled and smooshed look which lets different colors stand out on each nail. I let it dry overnight and then peeled it off the mat and cut out the pieces that I wanted for my nails. I topped everything off with a glossy top coat.


     I know these fluid techniques take a lot of patience to create because of the long dry times but they are quickly becoming one of my favorite ones to do. What is your current favorite technique? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Nothing to Disclose*

     It's that time of year when people start seeing green. No, I'm not talking about money, I'm referring to St. Patrick's Day. The time of year when everyone is a little bit Irish, city's colors their rivers green, our beverages turn green and for me, it's my nails. But this year I was stumped on how to paint them until I remembered the beautiful drip marbles that Kerry from Painted Fingertips creates. So thank you, Kerry, for inspiring my St. Patrick's Day nail art this year.

*Nothing to Disclose*

     The Holiday manicures continue today on the blog. This time I'm bringing you a look that takes minimal effort but a bit of patience. Sound familiar? It's almost the exact opening line I used for my last fluid nail art look. The difference is, this time it's even easier to create the look! And all it takes is a few colors of nail polish, a nail art mat and time.

     Doesn't it look neat? I just love how this turned out and it was so so simple to do! I used 4 different polishes from Sinful Colors It's a Wrap (gold) Under 18 (red) Whipped Frosting (white) and HD Nails (green) to create this look. 

    Now for the easy part of the manicure. All I did was place random drops of each polish on my mat. I'd recommend using one of the mini mats for this technique simply because it's easier to work with than the full sized ones. Make sure the drop are close enough to run together, making sure to cover approximately a 2-inch by2-inch area. You may need to cover more area if your nails are really long. If you don't get the entire area covered with polish don't worry, a few bare spots can be fixed in the next step. 

     After you're satisfied with the polish drops, all that's left is to pick up your mat and fold it in half twice. Once horizontally and once vertically. This step helps fill in any blank spots you might have and, smooshes the polish together to create a really cool marble effect. Plus it's much easier than tilting the mat back and forth. Now comes the tough part, waiting for the design to dry so you can move on to the next step. 

     I allowed the polish to dry for about 2 hours, this time around I skipped the step of applying topcoat before peeling the polish off my mat. This helped cut down on dry time and made it easier to cut out nail sized pieces.  

     After you've cut your decals down to the right sizes all that's left is to apply them to the nail. I used a base of Orly Bonder and let it dry to a tacky state but not fully dry before placing my decal on the nail. After that, all I had left to do was a little cleanup and to add a layer of top coat. My go-to is Girl on the Run by Pure Ice but any top coat will work. 

      Have you tried the fluid nail art look yet? What do you think about this technique vs the other technique I used to get the same effect? I hope you've enjoyed this post, thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

     

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Today I have a fun nail art look to share with you using a new technique. It's called fluid Nail art and is super easy to do. It's just a bit time consuming, but totally worth it. The finished look is a cross between a watermarble and a needle drag but with much less skill required. Seriously this look is so simple I'm kicking myself for not doing it earlier.

     What do you think? Pretty cool looking huh! And all it took to create this was some nail polish, a silicone mat and some time.

     The polishes I used for this look are Hidden Treasure, Paparazzi, Black and Blue, Haute Chocolate and Raisin the Bar from the Complete Salon Manicure line. All 5 polishes have a shimmer finish and a gemstone tone to them.

     To create this look I started by putting random drops of each polish on my mat making sure that they overlapped and covered about a 2in X 2in area. Once I was happy with the coverage I picked up my mat and tilted it side to side and back and forth until I was happy with how the polish mixed and flowed. Then came the hard part for me, patiently waiting for the whole thing to dry. Thankfully I got the bright idea to try this technique at about 11 pm so instead of sitting there watching my polish dry I went to bed. The next morning I added a layer of Sally Hansen Double Duty top coat and ran some errands while it dried. See what I mean about this technique taking some time...

      When I got back I was able to peel everything off my mat and cut it into nail sized pieces. A quick layer of Orly Bonder on my nails and I was ready for application.

     The toughest part about this manicure for me was the cleanup. The "decal" is a bit thicker than regular nail decals which makes them more flexible but also a little tougher to cut away the extra. And it doesn't help that my little nail scissors is pretty much on its last leg and the darker polishes wanted to stick to my cuticles. But I love the way this turned out and I will be trying this technique again with other color combinations.

     What do you think of my finished look? Have you tried the fluid nail art technique yourself? Also, don't forget to check out my previous post. There might be a prize in it for you if you do. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!