Girly-Girl Challenge Day Seven: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

Today marks Day Seven of the Girly-Girl challenge - seven out of eight, sadly. I feel like the month's gone by so fast!

The challenge today calls for sweet and spicy nails. I was super excited to do this challenge, because yesterday, I picked up the best "sugar" color ever! It's a sweet color with quite the reputation - you may know her as Sinful Colors Cinderella. 

I walked over to Walgreens after work yesterday, and it was the last one on display. That always makes nabbing a color that much better. Here's what I have for today.

Please forgive the tipwear, I wore it all throughout work today. The angle really does show the pink shimmer to Cinderella. 

Along with Cinderella, I used Revlon Vixen, a particularly spicy plum, and Revlon Endless Possibilities, which is the nude bubble gum color. 

Essie Blanc and Revlon Spanish Moss were used to aide in rose making. 

Don't forget to check out the other wonderful participants! 

Neverland Nail Blog 

Follow The Yellow Polish Road

A Little Polish

Captivating Claws

Polishable

Unprofessional Nails

This Charming Kate

A Plethora of Nails

The Do It Yourself Lady

Talon-ted

Neues vom Kellerkind

Nox Nails

Smashely Sparkles

See Sarah Swatch

Lacquerologist

Luv My Lacquer

O' Natur Nail

I'm Just Me... ChiChi

Color Me Silly

Berry Polished

Polished Cousins

Overstuffed

Nearly Natural Nails

Well, that lasted long...

So, I was getting all excited about this wearability test I planned on doing. I was thinking "yeah! I get to wear polish for more than one day! I'm going to pretend like I'm not a crazy polish-hoarder!" 

And then tragedy hit.

I was walking into a building on campus, carrying my dinner -Taco Johns - and the cup I was carrying made my hand wet. I reached for the door handle, my hand slipped, and... well, see for yourself.

On my picture hand, too!

I am incredibly sad. And incredibly over dramatic.

It's still kind of a bummer, though. Luckily, there's still a free edge and my nails grow quite quickly. 

Check in tomorrow for the last week of the Girly-Girl Challenge and make sure to check out my nail art contest, in the mean time! 

DFTBA

Hey, everyone! I'm sorry to say I don't have a lot to show you today. 

I've decided to do a wearability test. I've never tried to keep any sort of polish on my nails, so I'd like to see how well it goes. Instead of spamming you with the same polish every day for a week, I'll take pictures each day and save it for one post at the end. Don't fret, I still have other fun things to show you!

And speaking of fun things, I'd very much like you all to participate in my nail art contest. :)

Here's a little art I added to my acid wash nails a while ago. 

Words to live by. 

Mermaid Gradient

Hello! I'm quite excited to share today's art with you.

I know, I know, I say that every day, but I love it!

I love what I have for today, because I'm seen a lot of mermaid nail art, and it's all so very different. I think it's awesome to see everyone's take on a certain style. Here's my take!

Click to enlarge and see all the different facets in there!

The base is Revlon Blue Slate, with a coat of Finger Paints Motley. The blue and green flakies are a little more subtle. Over that, I sponged China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise and Finger Paints Art You Wondering?. From far away, it looks like your  basic teal polish, and then you look at it up close and it's like bam! sparkle!

Make sure to check out my accent nails nail art contest!

Hand Placed Glitter Frames

Good morning! I have something a little different to show you guys today.

I changed my nail shape!

I got the job at McDonald's (I start on Tuesday), and I figured they'd need me to lose a little length. Perfect time to try something new, I thought. I decided to go with rounded because I think they're more practical - no weak corners. I don't know how I feel about it yet. I'm quite a fan of sqoval, but it is nice to have all my nails the same length. Tell me what you think?

I've wanted to try the framed look for a long time, but I didn't think it'd look good with square nails. I've also been really inspired by Polish All The Nails! and her amazing hand placed glitter looks recently, so after I filed down my nails, I knew exactly what I was going to do. Not bad for my first time, I think.

I apologize for the blurry pictures. I tried using flash, but it wouldn't pick up on the glitter.

I used Sally Hansen Nude Now, Revlon Vixen, and Milani Gold Jewel FX.

I hope you guys aren't tired of the nude bender I appear to be on. 

Don't forget to enter my nail art contest!

Rejoice! It's a Nail Art Contest!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my first nail art contest! 

I've been excited to announce a giveaway for a while now, and by this morning, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

Let's get it started, shall we? The theme is..

ACCENT NAILS!

Create a cohesive manicure, with one or two accent nails! That's it! The possibilities are endless, and people of all skill-levels can participate. 

The challenge starts today, as you're reading this, and will end April 30th. You can submit your links any time between now and then, and if you decide you would like to try something else, you can just delete your current submission and add a new link! Luckily, inlinkz is crazy easy to use. The winners will be posted on my blog during the first week of May.

The Rules

- One submission per person.

- You may not use acrylic paint. Anything else goes.

- Your design must include one or two accent nails.

- You do not have to be a follower, but it is recommended, as winners will be posted on my blog.

- It can be an old or new design, but it must be your art on your nails. 

- The contest is open internationally.

The Prize

There will be two winners! One will be judged by a panel of my close nail-art-loving-friends, and the other will be chosen at random. Both will receive a surprise nail package, including polish and art tools, handpicked by me!

If you have any questions, leave a comment, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Have fun!

Girly-Girl Challenge Day Six: Who Inspires You?

Like, I assume, many other ladies in today's challenge, I chose my mom. 

For my last birthday, my mom and I went to get matching tattoos. She had gotten a tramp stamp when I was younger and claimed she would never do it again, but I convinced her. :)

Here's a picture of our tattoos together. Her's says "I'll love you forever" and mine (the paler) says "I'll like you for always". They're taken from a children's book of the same name. 

Here's a better picture of her tattoo, to show detail.

I'm going to be honest, I don't like this. I didn't have enough time to really give it the effort it deserved, and now, it just looks sloppy. I also don't think this purple is my color. It certainly doesn't do my mom justice. 

I used Revlon Impulsive, China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise, and Sally Hansen Nude Now.

Make sure you find out who inspires the other girly-girls. 

You can find the link list in yesterday's post.

Girly-Girl Challenge Day Five: Gotta Love Chick Flicks!

Today's challenge was simple - pick your favorite chick flick and let it inspire your nail art.

Fairly simple, right? Wrong. It's hard coming up with a good chick flick that everyone's seen. In the end, I sort of skipped out on the "everyone's seen" bit and went with a slightly more obscure rom-com.

Today's manicure is inspired by Imagine Me And You.

Imagine Me and You is a story of love at first site, between a florist and a client... on her wedding day. Luce and Rachel lock eyes across a room (as Rachel is walking down the isle) and from that instant, it's love.
The accent nail is a lily petal. Rachel makes mention of lilies being her favorite flower several times throughout the movie. I used Essie Blanc, Essie Watermelon, Sally Hansen Lightening, OPI Did It On 'Em, and ManGlaze Lesbihonest for this look.
I chose to do Lesbihonest on the other nails for a few reasons. One, I just got it and it's the most beautiful thing ever. Two, it matches the lilies quite well. And three, the movie is about two women in love. It's a fairly perfect fit.

Don't forget to check out the other chick-flick nails!
Maybe it'll inspire you to watch your own favorite rom-com while you paint your nails.

Neverland Nail Blog 

Follow The Yellow Polish Road

A Little Polish

Captivating Claws

Polishable

Unprofessional Nails

This Charming Kate

A Plethora of Nails

The Do It Yourself Lady

Talon-ted

Neues vom Kellerkind

Nox Nails

Smashely Sparkles

See Sarah Swatch

Lacquerologist

Luv My Lacquer

O' Natur Nail

I'm Just Me... ChiChi

Color Me Silly

Berry Polished

Polished Cousins

Overstuffed

Nearly Natural Nails

The Post of the Caps Lock

Guess what, guys! LESBIHONEST CAME IN THE MAIL YESTERDAY!

I was honestly expecting it to come, like, a week from today. I get excited just looking at it. 

It also came with three business cards, a post-it note type thing, and a coolio sticker. I'm not sure what I'm going to stick the sticker to just yet, but rest assured, I'll display it proudly. 

With all this talk of Lesbihonest, I'm sure you're thinking that that's what I have for you today.

Well, I don't. I so very much wish I could say that I swatched it already, but I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW TODAY!

Oh, goodness, this is just the post of the caps lock. I'm just super excited. And by excited, I mean pukey nervous. 

Here are my interview nails!

I just wanted something crisp and clean, so half moons it is! They really seem to elongate my fingers.

Maybe the interviewer at McDonalds will hire me just because I have long fingers? Wouldn't that be nice?

I used Sally Hansen Nude Now because it gives my nails a healthy shimmer and topped it off with Revlon Blue Slate. 

Well, wish me luck! 

Check in tomorrow for more Lesbihonest spam!

The world is a mess and I just... need to rule it.

If you're a fan, I'm sure you knew just from the title what's in store for today.

That's right, Dr. Horrible inspired nails! 

I wanted to go for something simple, subtle, but still.. horrible. 

Here's what I came up with.

The overall look was inspired by the side shoulder closure of his lab coat. I used Essie Blanc, Sephora for OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Damn, and L.A. Colors Black.

The accent nail was inspired by his goggles. I used the colors already listed, and the base is Sally Hansen Nude Now. 

If this post is completely foreign to you and you don't know who the hell Dr. Horrible is, here's a link to Act 1, Part 1. I can safely say you won't regret watching it.

And if you didn't see yesterday's post, please go here and answer some questions so we can have an awesome giveaway soon!

Feedback?

I sat down to paint my nails, last night, preparing for the typical NOTD post. I made sure they were good and dry, then my boyfriend and I went to Walmart. We walked around, bought a bunch of food we didn't need, yada yada yada, then, while I was getting in the car to come home, the seat belt took a bite out of my nail polish. I nearly cried. My boyfriend thought it was hilarious.

It's almost a blessing in disguise, because the polish doesn't seem to want to photograph.

Instead of painting my nails twice today (once for today and once for tomorrow), I thought I'd take this free time to discuss a giveaway with you guys. I wanted to do some sort of giveaway or contest when I hit 5000 views, which I think will happen within the next month. I've been trying to get everything together before hand, so I can announce the event as soon as 5000 hits. But I want to do right by you guys, so if you could take a second to answer these quick questions, I can provide a truly awesome celebration for all. 

1. Would you rather participate in a giveaway or a nail art contest?

2. Any suggestions for a contest theme? I'm thinking "accent nails" but I'd love to hear from you.

3. What would your dream prize be? A few random polishes I choose? A giftcard to llarowe or ninja polish? A julep maven box? A few polishes from a newer collection? Frankens?

I'd really appreciate your feedback!

The Rainbow IS the Pot of Gold

I don't exactly have a St. Patrick's Day mani for you guys, but I do have rainbow glitter and a story about a gold-themed scratch card, so we'll make due!

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that my boyfriend and I woke up and did laundry straight away. We have a running tradition of doing those scratch off lottery cards while we're waiting - bingo, specifically. Typically we lose, or at the most, break even, but it's no big deal because it passes the time.  Well, yesterday, I won forty bucks! Of course, we had to run to Walmart right away and buy polish. And my boyfriend, he's such a trooper, stood there patiently (okay, maybe not) while I picked these two colors out. 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Nude Now and Nicole for OPI Rainbow In The S-Kylie 

Nude Now is pretty close to being my mannequin hands color, but it's slightly more rosy. It's got a nice secret shimmer to it that I think the camera captured quite well. 

I picked up Rainbow In The S-Kylie because I've come to terms with the fact that I'll probably never have Rainbow Connection. The good news is, they're essentially exact dupes, but the brush and bottle shape is a better quality with OPI than Nicole. 

With these polishes and a small thing for the SO, I spent about twenty of the forty. What did I do with the other half? I took the chance to pick up my absolute biggest lemming - Man Glaze Lesbihonest! I figured if anything would justify the eighteen dollars with shipping, forty dollars out of no where would. I'm not having buyers remorse yet, just impatience, waiting for it to get here! 

Stay safe this holiday weekend. C:

Lace Tutorial

Hey guys! Please forgive my late posting, I know I typically put up the posts in the morning. But as soon as I woke up, the bf and I went to do laundry, and I've been going ever since. I haven't really had the time to post, let alone take pictures of my nails. Luckily, I made a tutorial not too long ago. 

Click to enlarge.

If you try out lace nails, leave me a link! I'd love to see!

Troy and Abed on some nail art!

Today is March 15th! 

Which means it's the Ides of March, yes, but it's also COMMUNITY RETURNS DAY.

Oh course, I'll have to wait until it's on Hulu tomorrow, but it's a celebration regardless.

I came across these Community nails the other day, and was totally inspired. (Check out the lettering on those babies!) I knew I had to do my own. 

I did something a little different and orientated the art towards me, hence the upside down picture.

Here is my inspiration for each individual nail. Sorry this post is a little picture heavy. 

My pinkie was inspired by Troy and Abed's Dreamatorium, from the episode "Studies in Modern Movement" in which Annie moves into Troy and Abed's apartment. 

I used L.A. Colors Black and L'Oreal Boozy Brunch. 

My middle nail and thumb were inspired by, arguably, the best episodes of Community - the paintball episodes (Modern Warfare, A Fistful of Paintballs, and For a Few Paintballs More).

I used Essie Blanc as a base and the paint splatters are L'Oreal Boozy Brunch, Sally Hansen Lightening, Sally Hansen Brisk Blue, Essie Watermelon, and OPI Did It On 'Em.

My middle finger is inspired by the Greendale Flag, first introduced in the episode, Basic Rocket Science, and yes, that is a butt hole.

I used Sally Hansen Brisk Blue, Essie Watermelon, Essie Ballet Slippers, and L.A. Colors Black.

My pointer was inspired by Abed's cardigan/bow-tie combo seen on Troy and Abed in the Morning!

I used Revlon Minted, Essie Blanc, and Sephora OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Damn.

Go Human Beings!

How excited are you for the return of Community?

Girly-Girl Challenge Day Four: Inspired by the Runway

I was so excited for today's theme. "What's your favorite trend this season? Show us your stylish nails!"

I've had this particular idea in my inspiration folder for a long time. 

This look is from the Diane von Ferstenburg Resort 2012 collection. You can see more of it here. It's all bold print and bright colors mixed with a lot of gray and black. The whole collection is just instant inspiration.

I drew up this template a while ago, and I'm very excited to finally execute it.

I used Sephora OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Damn, Essie Blanc, and L.A. Colors Black. The accent nail is NYC Times Square, a coral color I wasn't expecting much from, but I really enjoy.

Don't forget to check out the other ladies participating in the girly-girl challenge. You can find the links in yesterday's post.

Girly-Girl Challenge Day Three: Delicate and Elegant

I'm posting this week's first challenge a day early, I hope that's alright. 

I was playing around with my new matte top coat and I came up with the perfect delicate design. I was going to keep it until tomorrow, but I was just too excited to share it with you.

You can't get much more delicate than soft matte flakies and lace. 

I've seen a lot of beautiful free-handed lace around the blogosphere, but I've always marveled at actual lace placed on the nail. I don't have lace to spare, so I tried to recreate the look. 

The french look is Essie Ballet Slippers, China Glaze Ruby Pumps, and Essie Shine of the Times.

On the accent nail is Essie Blanc and Revlon Red.

I topped everything off with one coat of Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love, which is quite the accurate title, because I adore this top coat.

If you want to see more delicate and elegant manis, check out these lovely lacqueristas.

Neverland Nail Blog 

Follow The Yellow Polish Road

A Little Polish

Captivating Claws

Polishable

Unprofessional Nails

This Charming Kate

A Plethora of Nails

The Do It Yourself Lady

Talon-ted

Neues vom Kellerkind

Nox Nails

Smashely Sparkles

See Sarah Swatch

Lacquerologist

Luv My Lacquer

O' Natur Nail

I'm Just Me... ChiChi

Color Me Silly

Berry Polished

Polished Cousins

Overstuffed

Nearly Natural Nails

Cheetah Wallpaper

For today's mani, I took two popular nail art styles and put them together. I'm probably not the first person to do it, but I love the look. It's pretty and punk at the same time. I should've saved it for the Sugar and Spice theme of the Girly Girl challenge. 

I got my first compliment from a stranger on these nails! I felt all giddy.

My boyfriend just rolled his eyes, hah. He did buy me Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love today, though, so his sarcasm is overlooked.

This is Sephora OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Damn, Revlon Vixen, and Revlon Blue Slate.

I also used Revlon Spanish Moss, Essie Blanc, and L.A. Colors Black for small touches.

I also wanted to let you guys know of a cool new nail art contest, hosted by Rebecca Likes Nails. The theme is gradients, animal prints, bows, dots, and Hello Kitty - Rebecca's favorite things. Check it out!

From Nail Fail to Acid Wash

Hello, dear readers! Welcome to the new and improved Rejoice! 

What do you guys think of the layout? I like how much brighter it is. 

Today's post was inspired by a failed experiment in layering polish. The application went great, but as I was cleaning up in the shower... well, this happened.

Essentially, the top few coats were dry, but some of the earlier coats were not. 

But check out the shine on those middle nails! This is Revlon Whimsical layered between several coats of Spa Ritual It's Raining Men. It's Raining Men is a super sheer blue/pink duochrome that matches Whimsical perfectly. What really inspired me, though, was how it came off in layers. 

Now, I know what you're thinking, "well, duh, Taylor. That's how nail polish remover works." And I know that. But I never thought to use it in my designs. 

Instead of adding layers for today's look, I took away. 

I love this. It looks so grungy.

This specific color scheme reminds me of smoke and fire, but the possibilities are literally endless.

 How To

1. Apply your first coat. In this case, mine was yellow. Streakiness isn't an issue, because you're going to cover it up. It also lends itself to the look you're trying to achieve. 

2. Seal with topcoat. This is important, because you don't want the acetone to eat through your base.

3. Apply your second coat. I used orange. Do not add a top coat. 

3. Apply your third coat - gray. Again, don't top coat.

4. Dip a q-tip in acetone and rub unevenly over nails until desired effect is achieved.

5. Seal it all off with a top coat.

Viola! You've got acid wash nails!

You can play with it, add as many coats as you'd like. Maybe make it matte.

I'd love to see what you do with this look. If you try it out, leave me a link!

Under Construction

Hey, guys! I just wanted to let you know that I'm working on updating my blog layout. Getting it to look nice on all size monitors is proving difficult. If anything looks off to you, please, please, please let me know! And I thank you guys so much for your patience. 

Fishtail Braid Tutorial

Hey, everyone! Today, I'm sharing my first tutorial!

I decided to start with the fishtail braid design, because while it's quite complex-looking, the application is a breeze once you get a hang of the pattern.

Click to enlarge.

This design works best using more opaque polishes. You can see the finished look in yesterday's post.

If you attempted this look, leave me a link in the comments! I'd love to see them!

If you have feedback, I'd love to see that too. How'd I do? Does it all make sense? Do you like the infographic style or do you prefer real nail pictures? Let me know!

Fishtail Braid - or the matte fail of the year

Today, I've got another fishtail braid mani for you. I actually did this either Monday or Tuesday, but I wanted to set a schedule for the girly-girl challenge.

Essie Ballet Slippers, Essie Shine of the Times, China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise, OPI Did It On 'Em, and L'Oreal Violet Vixen

As much as I love this look, I have a warning for you, dear readers. 

Do not buy CND Super Matte. 

I've been looking for a matte coat  for a while, so when I saw this at a cosmetic supply store for three dollars, I swiped it up. I was so excited to be able to do the matte flakie effect - which is what I tried to attempt above, and... well, what you see is what I got. I put one coat of Super Matte over one coat each of Shine of the Times and Essie Ballet Slippers, and instead of getting awesome matte flakies, I got super milky, slightly less shiny flakies. I added a coat of  Seche Vite over top to salvage it. After looking up reviews online, the suck of Super Matte seems to be a general consensus. 

Tomorrow, I'll have a little something different for you, so look forward to that!

Girly-Girl Challenge Day Two: Gimmie That Bling

Here is Day Two of Neverland Nail Blog's Girly Girl Challenge, Gimmie That Bling!

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend," says today's theme, "so put some sparkle on those nails!"

I decided to take today's challenge one step further and make my nails as blingin' as possible without using any glitter polish. I like to pretend I did it to give myself a bigger edge, but really, I just ran out of cotton balls, so no foil method, hah.I think I managed some serious shine, regardless.

OPI DS Radiance, Revlon Red, China Glaze Ruby Pumps, L.A. Colors Black

I played with a new watermark today. I haven't had any problem with my pictures being stolen, thank goodness! It's more of an advertisement thing, I guess. If you were to see the picture on its own somewhere, this watermark could bring you back here, where as the R! could not, if that makes sense.

I'd love some feedback. Which watermark do you prefer?

If you would like to see more blingin' manis, the list of participating girls is in the last post. Check them out because they're all so creative!

Girly-Girl Challenge Day One: Think Pink!

Hey, guys! Today I'll be starting the Girly-Girl Challenge from Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog. It's a month-long challenge with scheduled posting twice a week. A lot of of the girls are posting on Tuesday and Thursday, but I'll be sharing on Wednesday and Thursday. Here's what the challenge entails. 

I'm especially excited for week three!

Now, without further ado, here are my pink-inspired nails. 

I feel like this is the least-girly pink can get, hah. I think the neon screams "let's go to the mall!" Alas, I only have one pink, so neon it is. I'm loving the braided look, though.

I used Essie Watermelon, L'Oreal Violet Vixen, China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise, Sinful Colors Frenzy, and L.A. Colors Black.

 Check in tomorrow for a blingin' mani! If you need another girly-girl fix in the mean time, check out the other awesome bloggers participating in the challenge. 

Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road

Stephanie of A Little Polish

Kelly of DevilishPolish

Jodi of Captivating Claws

Danielle of Lacquer Lover

Elly of Polishable

Olivia of Unprofessional Nails

Kate of This Charming Kate

Bethany of  A Plethora of Nails

Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady

Eugenia of Talon-ted

Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind

Amanda of Nox Nails

Ashley of Smashley Sparkles

Sarah of See Sarah Swatch

Emily of The Lacquerologist

Jess of LuvMyLacquer

Tressa of O' Natur Nail

ChiChi of I'm just me...ChiChi 

CR of Color Me Silly

Amanda of Berry Polished 

Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins

Bonny of Over Stuffed 

Jess of Nearly Natural Nails