Monday, March 12, 2012

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!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

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!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

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!

Friday, March 9, 2012

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!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

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!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

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. 

Stephanie of A Little Polish
Kelly of DevilishPolish
Danielle of Lacquer Lover
Elly of Polishable
Eugenia of Talon-ted
Amanda of Nox Nails
Jess of LuvMyLacquer
Tressa of O' Natur Nail
Amanda of Berry Polished 
Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins
Bonny of Over Stuffed