Guest Post At Paint Crush Magazine

I've got a guest post over at Paint Crush Magazine today where I talk about some of my all-time favorite nail care products! I've got a little sneak preview here...

...and then if you want to learn more, head on over to Paint Crush Magazine HERE to read the whole post! I hope you like it! What are some of your favorite products for keeping your nails happy and healthy?

Guest Post: Elizabeth From Did My Nails

Hello, everyone! Hope you are having a good week so far. I feel like mine has gone by in a flash! My burn is looking and feeling a lot better, so I'm hoping to be back in action very soon. I have been wearing the same nail polish for four days straight and this is obviously not okay. First world problems.

But in the meantime, I've got another fabulous guest poster to keep you entertained today: my pal Elizabeth from Did My Nails! Elizabeth is not only one of the funniest, kindest bloggers I know, but the girl does some great nail art too! (Check out this gorgeous floral mani she did for a guest post on Nailed HERE. Stunning!) So without further ado, I'll let Elizabeth take over from here and share another one of her beautiful creations with us! Enjoy! :)

-----

Hi, Nailed readers! This is Elizabeth, from Did My Nails, and I'm so grateful to Chelsea for her invitation to fill in today! This manicure started out as something completely different, but once I had my base colour on, my mind sort of wandered. I just wasn't excited about my original idea anymore, but then I remembered this pretty design by Simply Rins and thought I'd try something similar.

The base colour is Docile D224, a scattered holo that's a lot less intense on the nail than it is in the bottle, but I still like the way the tiny bits of sparkle add some texture to the black. Also the brand name "Docile" cracks me up. After that, I used acrylic paint for the flowers and leaves, roughly dotting the flower shapes, then swirling on the white highlights. Rins also had some adorable little polka dots speckled throughout the emptier spaces, but I decided to leave them out, rather than have them compete with the holo...and because I was so happy with my little flowers that I didn't want to press my luck. One of my ongoing challenges in learning how to do nail art is knowing when to put the brush down and walk away before I add "one more thing" that goes wrong or ends up being too much, so rather than trying to copy Rins exactly, I decided to stop while I was ahead.

Overall I was really happy with how these turned out! Close up, they were bright and colourful, and from arm's length, they blended into a sort of Laura Ashley meets nighttime glam that I'll definitely wear again. So, huge thanks to Simply Rins for the inspiration, and many, many thanks to Chelsea for having me as a guest on Nailed!

Guest Post: Ashesela From Art Evolve

Hey guys! So as I mentioned yesterday, I burnt my hand over the weekend. The burn is healing up well so far but I still find it distracting when I try to photograph swatches, plus it stings something fierce when I get acetone anywhere near it, so I figured it was best to take it easy for a few days. It's been driving me nutters not being able to swatch, but luckily, my friend Ash from Art Evolve volunteered to fill in with a guest post to help keep my readers company. Thank you, Ash!! <3

If you haven't already, you should really check out Ash's blog. You haven't seen nail art until you've seen some of the miniature masterpieces she creates! Today, Ash will be sharing some Canadian polishes with us. Take it away, girlie! :)

-----

Good morning! I am Ashesela from over at Art Evolve :D.  Unfortunately Chelsea burned her hand (nooo!!!!) and so I made a post for her while she heals up!  (Feel better Chelsea!!!)

For this post I am reviewing some inexpensive nail polishes that I picked up at Winners (a discounted store in Canada). The brand is Simply Sweet, and unfortunately these polishes don't have names (ugh I hate that!), or even numbers!  >.<

They were about $6 for all four, and I couldn't pass them up because of their gorgeous colours :D.

Formula wise they were a bit tough to work with, as they were streaky and required about 4 coats (except for the yellow, which needed about 5).  While that is a lot of coats for most people, I don't mind as much since I like the motions of painting my nails. :)  I would love it if they only needed 2 coats, but for the price I paid I really can't complain. They weren't chalky which is something that I really love about them. :)

All in all I am glad I bought them as they are so beautiful, but they do require some work to get them to look their best.

Have you used any Simply Sweet polishes before?  If so, what were your thoughts on them?

Guest Post At See Sarah Swatch

I've got a guest post up at my friend and fellow glitter lover Sarah's blog See Sarah Swatch today! Want to learn more about this ridiculously neon indie you see below? Then click HERE to go directly to the post!

Guest Post From Elizabeth of Did My Nails

Hello everyone! How's your week going? Homestretch! TGIF! Let's celebrate with an amazing guest post from Elizabeth of Did My Nails, shall we?

One thing I definitely lack here on Nailed is nail art, but luckily I have some very talented friends! Elizabeth is sweet as can be and to top it off, the girl has got some mad nail art skills! I'm so pumped to show you what she came up with today. I cannot believe she freehanded this gorgeous mani! Isn't it just so perfectly ladylike and elegant? Very modern-day Scarlett O'Hara! It definitely inspires me to want to try this on my own, although I'm sure I'd botch it. :-/ Oh well. Show 'em how it's done, Elizabeth!

-----

 

Hi! My name is Elizabeth, and I'm thrilled to be able to pitch in while Chelsea is away! To be honest, it took me a while to decide what to do for this post. I just wasn't sure whether simple or fancy was the way to go, but in the end I think I landed on something that's a little bit of both, my second stab at some easy, freehand roses. 

 

 

At heart I'm a total sucker for glitter. And for flecks, foils, shimmers, duochromes...I love any and all kinds of eye-catching polish. Sometimes a nice creme finish makes for a refreshing change, though, and this design uses two of my current favourites, both of which happen to be movie tie-ins. The base colour, OPI Skull & Glossbones (from the 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean collection), is a greyish beige. Much lighter than most greiges, it's reminiscent of driftwood or sun-bleached bones. The roses are Orly Grave Mistake, a beautiful blood red from this year's Dark Shadows collection. I don't actually own a dark enough green that isn't a fleck or foil, so for the leaves I just added a single drop of China Glaze Liquid Leather (black) to 4 drops of Jessica Mint Mojito Green.

 

 

There are probably a dozen ways to do more perfect, polished roses than these, but I can't imagine any of them is much easier. All I did was use a small dotting tool dipped in red to paint some comma-shaped swooshes. Just start in the middle, then work your way around and out until it's about the size you want. They don't have to be perfect by any means. Then just give them a couple of minutes for the polish to settle and spread, and dot on some leaves. Once it's dry, add a top coat, and you're done!

 

 

These freehand roses are a fun, easy nail art design for any skill level. Whether you use a dotting tool, a bobby pin, a blunted toothpick, etc., if you can paint a comma, you can paint a rose!



Guest Post from Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

I've got another awesome guest poster today to help you get your lacquer fix while I'm out of town: Sarah of See Sarah Swatch!

Sarah is one of the very first bloggers I had the pleasure of getting to know. We both share an immense love of all things glittery, as you'll see in the absolutely stunning mani she's sharing with us below! I absolutely LOVE this mani. Sarah always comes up with gorgeous layering combos, so brace yourself for all the awesome sparkle you're about to be hit with!

-----

Hello all! I'm Sarah from See Sarah Swatch :] Thank you to Chelsea for letting me guest post for her, and I hope her trip is going well! Today I have a really autumnal mani. It's really reminiscent of falling leaves, and definitely super glittery for Chelsea ;]

So first I started off with a base of KleanColor Metallic Mango [2 coats]

Then I added a fairly heavy coat of  Lynnderella Glass Houses

I think the base and the glitter are just about the same color, which is what I was going for this mani. But I can't wait to use Glass Houses over a contrasting base! Both polishes were pretty easy to use. The KleanColor dried pretty fast! And my nails look like fire balls! So no problems there;] What do you all think of Glass Houses? Any suggestions for a base polish for next time? 

Guest Post From Anna of Going to the Showing

Hello everyone! I am going to be out of town for a few days at a training seminar for my job, so I've arranged to have some fabulous ladies and their beautiful nails keep you company while I'm away. I hope you'll enjoy seeing all of their amazing manicures and getting to know these incredible women a little better!

First up we have Anna of Going to the Showing! Anna is ridiculously talented at nail art, which, if you know me, is not one of my strong suits! But I think she's come up with an amazing combo to show you today and I adore the colors she chose. I really love the 3-D look, although I've never tried it myself. So who better than Anna to showcase a gorgeous beaded mani for us? :) Take it away!

-----

Hello Nailed readers!

I have been given the opportunity to blog post here! And here I am so excited! How lucky can I be?

For those of you who don't know, I'm a fellow Twinsie mate of Chelsea's. My name is Anna from GoingtotheShowing and I am so grateful to be here. I really hope you enjoy the post that I have devised for this guest post!

For the orange color on my nails, I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed. 2 opaque coats covered my nails completely. I then used Zoya Areej on the ring finger and a random microbead to cover it up. I wanted the colors to be a bit playful and fun besides the gold and silver beads that you usually see.

This look is fun and easy but different from your everyday look. Obviously the beads don't stay on as long as I would like, but hey! It's definitely fun when you first put it on!

Well, I hope you liked this mani! And thanks again Chelsea for letting me guest post! I hope to see you readers again soon!

What do you think of the fish egg/caviar trend?

Guest Post At See Sarah Swatch

I've got a guest post over at my friend Sarah's blog, See Sarah Swatch ,featuring a semi-obscure China Glaze glitter! I've put a little teaser below. Do you think you know what it is? Click HERE to see the whole post!

Guest Post At Polishy of Truth

I am sharing one of my new favorite indie polishes today in a guest post over at my friend Tara's blog, Polishy of Truth! Here's a little preview to show you all the level of amazing we're dealing with here...

Want to know what it is and bask in all of its sparkly glory with me? Then head on over to Polishy of Truth by clicking HERE!

Guest Post At The Collegiate Nail

I've got a guest post up at my friend Brandi's blog, The Collegiate Nail, featuring another amazing glitter from our friend Sarah's line: Two Birds, One Store. I've included a little teaser pic below but be sure to click HERE to see the full post over at The Collegiate Nail!

Blogger Love Week 2 - Day 6

This Blogger Love Week post poses a much easier question than yesterday's. I love blogging (hopefully that comes across in my posts here, at least a little bit) so talking about what I enjoy most about it is simple!

This post is the last of the Q&A portion of Blogger Love Week. We'll be closing things out with special manis later on today!

Blogger Love Week 2 - Day 5

I spent all day packing and cleaning in preparation for moving to a new place this weekend, so I'm a bit late in posting this, but Day 5 of Blogger Love Week 2 is up! In this post, we talk about our all-time favorite polishes and I describe a particular favorite mani of mine in the nerdiest way possible. Check it out HERE!

Blogger Love Week 2 - Day 4

We've made it past the halfway point for Blogger Love Week! Check out today's post HERE, where we'll be talking about how we choose which polishes to wear and buy.

What motivates your polish purchases? Do you use blogs to help you with your shopping decisions or are you more of an impulse buyer?

Blogger Love Week 2 - Day 3

I realize I totally forgot to post a reminder earlier, but if you haven't checked it out already, Day 3 of Blogger Love Week 2 is up on Nory's blog HERE! Today we're discussing the hits and misses from the various collections this year. What's been YOUR favorite collection of the year so far?

Blogger Love Week 2 - Day 2

Have you ever wanted to start your own polish line? What would you call it? What would your polishes look like? We're tackling this topic on the second day of Blogger Love Week 2 over at Fierce Makeup and Nails. Click HERE to check out everyone's answers!

Blogger Love Week 2

I was very happy to once again participate in Blogger Love Week over at my friend Nory's blog, Fierce Makeup and Nails. Thank you Nory for organizing such a fun event for all us nail gals! All week long, myself and tons of other bloggers will be answering questions about life, blogging and of course polish!

Today, we'll be talking about our backgrounds and how we got into nail blogging. Check it out HERE!

Guest Post At Amandalandish

Hey everyone! I've got a guest post up at my friend and fellow Twinsie Amanda's blog, Amandalandish. Since Amanda is away attending a wedding, all of her guest posters decided to do something wedding-themed. I went with a "something blue" post featuring, in my opinion, one of Essie's most criminally underrated polishes. Click HERE to check it out!

Guest Post At stuff i (s)watched

Hey all! I've got a guest post up today on my friend Rach's blog, stuff i (s)watched! Head on over for swatches of the first Butter London polish I ever bought (still one of my favorites too), plus bonus Corgi pictures. :)

OPI Fly

Hey all! I hope your 2012 is off to a good start so far. I worked on New Year's Day yesterday and the store was completely dead the whole day! I guess people are still recovering from the night before haha.
Anyways, to start things off, I thought I'd let you know that all this week I'll be one of the bloggers participating in Blogger Love Week over on Fierce Makeup and Nails, run by the wonderful Nory.

Myself and several other polish bloggers will be answering some nail questions so it should be a fun chance to get to know some of us lacquerheads a little better! I hope you'll check it out to see what all the girls involved have to say and I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's responses as well!

Now, for today's manicure I've got another OPI Nicki Minaj polish. This one is Fly, a teal creme.

The formula on Fly is just perfect. I did two smooth, easy coats here. I still think Did It On 'Em (which you can see HERE if you like) is my favorite of the Nicki Minaj cremes but this would be a close second. I can't think of any dupes for this offhand and I don't have anything in my stash quite like this. I tried to do a little research in the blogosphere to see if anyone out there had found a dupe for this and it seems Fly is more unique than first glance might suggest; all the comparisons I saw showed potential dupes were either too blue or too green to match Fly. It's kind of an in-between shade.

I really like this polish overall. It's bright, fresh and fun. Why does every polish I wear lately make me think of warm weather?! It must be the disgusting hail/sleet/rain mixture that we had here the other day. Ugh... Regardless, I can see Fly becoming one of those polishes I reach for when I want a quick and easy splash of color. I think it would flatter a variety of skintones too!

Share The Love: Wrap-Up

Sorry for the late post today, everyone. I worked a nine-hour Black Friday shift at the department store and I had to wake up at 4 AM for it. Although I survived, I am exhausted! If you ever want evidence of our capacity for inhumanity, watch women unleashed on a designer shoe sale. They demolished our shoe section...along with the rest of the store, of course haha. It was like a zoo.

Anyways, today I'll be wrapping up the Share The Love series of rotating blog posts I participated in this week and sharing a new swatch with you all! One of the things I love about blogging is the opportunity to meet some new people and I'm honored that I got to know these ladies-either through this experience or from earlier adventures in blogging. Thank you Amanda for organizing this fun adventure and thanks to all of the girls involved for giving me some beautiful swatches to share with my readers and for generously hosting me on each of your blogs!

If you missed out on any of their blogs or guest posts, check them out because these girls all do some great swatching! I have them all on my blogroll for easy access. I've also posted links to each of my guest posts from this series in case you missed any. Just click the caption below the teaser pics to see the entire post (and more swatches) that goes with it! Be sure to take a look around on everyone's blogs to get all of the Share The Love action. :)

OPI Last Friday Night w/ China Glaze Frostbite at See Sarah Swatch

Nicole by OPI Snowman Of My Dreams at Amandalandish

Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver at Top Coat It

Butter London Lady Muck at The Polished Panda

I've also got some brand new swatches today. In keeping with my guest post theme of blue, I chose the beautiful Essie Dive Bar. Dive Bar is a blackened teal with the teeniest smidge of purple duochrome. I apologize for the messiness; I did this after my Black Friday shift so I wasn't in top manicuring form haha.

 And one with flash:

Even though the duochrome isn't nearly as apparent on the nail as it is in the bottle, this is still a really lovely polish. The base is dark, but not enough so that it just looks black and the teal shimmer catches the light very nicely. (You may know I am not a fan of near-black polishes.) The formula was great-I used two coats here-which is a major plus because application is key with darker polishes like this one. It kind of reminds me of a blue version of Wet N Wild Morbid (old-and kinda crappy-swatches HERE).

I think Dive Bar would make a worthy addition to any polish lover's collection. Dive Bar is part of Essie's core line and they're actually doing a re-promote, the Dive Bar Collection, featuring this polish (of course) and some other older Essie polishes, for New Year's. So if you like this one, it'll be easier to find than ever!