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Beach Umbrella Nails

Kate's Nails

Last week I was in Rhode Island for my family's annual vacation.  I saw this pattern on my grandmother's beach umbrella, and wanted to recreate it on my nails.  I did this as an accent nail while I was in Rhode Island, but wanted to do a full manicure in this pattern when I got home.  This took WAY longer than I thought it would, but I'm pretty happy with the result!

Polishes Used:

China Glaze Liquid Leather

Wet N Wild On A Trip

Zoya Yummy

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lickety-Split Lime

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed



Essie Mirror Metallics Swatches

In our nail polish shopping spree at Ulta yesterday, we ended up buying three colors from Essie's Mirror Metallics collection.  Cara got Blue Rhapsody and Nothing Else Metals.  Kate bought Good as Gold. Check out our swatches and reviews!

Blue Rhapsody is a beautiful slivery blue color. I had to give it a try since blue polishes are my favorite!

Nothing Else Metals is a chrome lilac color. I am not normally a fan of purpley colors but could not resist this one in the bottle!


Both polishes have a nice opaqueness which allowed me to only apply one coat. This is a good thing considering the difficulty it takes to apply a second coat. I wan not happy with all the little imperfections in my nails that showed through due to the chrome shine.  Despite those issues, I am in love with the colors and their metallic beauty. I'm looking forward to trying these out with future stamping designs. 

Good as Gold is amazing.  I used another gold polish I had for a manicure recently, and it took (no lie) 8 coats to fully cover. Good as Gold covers completely in just two coats! I've been eyeing up THESE nail strips from Minx, but can't justify the price.  I think that Good as Gold is the closest you can get in polish form!



Ulta, Essie, OPI, and Sally Hansen Swatches

Kate's Nails

Today Cara and I made a trip to Ulta to pick up some polishes, and we ended up going on a bit of a nail polish spree.  To the point where the saleswoman kept walking by and laughing at us.  We're like kids in a candy store in that place.  Plus, all the Ulta brand polishes were buy one get one free! That's something to get excited about.  Now if only they would change their display so that you could see the polishes without having to sit on the floor (if you've been there, you know what I mean!).  I picked up 6 polishes, and when I got home I wanted to wear all of them.  So rather than try and come up with nail art that incorporated all of them, I decided to do swatches.  Here are 5 of the polishes I bought (I'm saving the 6th for another post, since Cara bought two polishes in the same line).

First up is Ulta brand's Maine Attraction.  Cara and I both eye up this color pretty much every time we're in the store.  We both ended up buying this polish today (buy one get one is so dangerous for me!)  The best way I can describe this color is a slate teal.  I was a bit disappointed with the formula.  It was very thin, and took three coats to fully cover. However it evened itself out well, and the end result is very pretty!

Next up is Essie's Splash of Grenadine. Oh, Essie.. you have the best colors.  I could buy pretty much any Essie polish and be happy with the color.  I wish their formula was a little thicker, though.  This was another three coater (and I'd be happier with 4 coats).  This pinky lilac is super pretty.  It's not the greatest with my skin tone, but I like it none the less!

Now on to OPI's Don't Mess with OPI. I have well over 100 polishes, and I had nothing like this in my collection.  This is a creamy forest/jungle green, and I'm in love with it!  It was in the clearance section, so I picked it up for just $4.95!  It goes on in two easy coats (although the OPI brush is too wide for my tiny nails, and I had to do a good amount of clean up).  This is a great color for fall!

Next we have Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear's Sun Kissed.  Prior to today, I only had one orange polish in my collection, and it's a pretty heinous Halloween orange.  I'm blonde, and have pale skin, so oranges have never looked good on me.  However, lately I've found that I have been needing orange polishes for various nail art.  So I bought this color, even thought I don't really care for oranges.  This is a sherbet-y orange, which is much nicer than most other oranges I've seen.  Application wasn't the greatest with this one.  Even after three coats, it's still pretty streaky.  I think it will do well for nail art, though.

Last but not least is Ulta's Blue Streak.  Blues like this are my weakness.  I can't resist a rich cobalt blue, and this is a great one.  Even though I have two other polishes in my collection that look like this, Blue Streak is a welcome addition.  Like other Ulta polishes, the formula is a bit too thin.  But with two thick coats, you end up with a gorgeous color. 

So there you have it - my nail polish shopping spree! I can't wait to use these polishes for some nail art :)



2012 London Olympics Nails

Kate's Nails

Opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics are tomorrow, so obviously I had to do a manicure to celebrate!

Polishes Used:

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

China Glaze Sky High-Top

China Glaze Liquid Leather

Wet N Wild Red Red

Ulta Sun-Sational

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Going Green

Milani Gold Dust

Wet N Wild Silvivor

China Glaze Harvest Moon

Ulta Joined at the Hippo

Revlon Cherry

Rhode Island Nails

Kate's Nails

Today I'm leaving for my family's annual vacation in Rhode Island.  My family has been renting a cottage there almost every year for 50 years. It's a trip I look forward to every summer!

These nails were inspired by the Rhode Island liscense plate, and by a lamp in the cottage we rent. 

I can't wait to spend a few days on the beach, and spend some quality time with my family!

Polishes Used:

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

OPI I Have a Herring Problem

Zoya Farrah

Sonia Kashuk Chocoholic

Ulta Sun-Sational

From ri.gov



Tribal Accent Nail

Kate's Nails

I hadn't used Zoya's Caitlin for a manicure in a while, and I forgot how much I love it! It's a gorgeous grey/purple (grurple??).  It applies perfectly (it is a Zoya after all, and I have yet to meet a Zoya I haven't liked!).  I'm so glad I rediscovered it in my collection! 

It's hard to tell from the pic, but the white nail is glittery. I'm making good use of my recent purchase of Sally Hansen's Diamonds!

Polishes Used:

Zoya Caitlin

Sally Hansen Diamonds

Zoya Jolene

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen Black



Dark Knight Nails

Cara's Nails

I am a total superhero nerd. So it's safe to say I am extremely psyched to see The Dark Knight Rises (if not just to see a jacked up Tom Hardy).  Like with anything else the proper manicure is a must. The Batman inspired manicure has been a struggle for me. Yes, several attempts have been made in the past. I'd like to think this one was more sucessful. I did not list the polishes I used simply because I used so many!

"It will be the manicure Gotham deserves but may not need right now"

-Aaron

How To: Sunset Nails Tutorial

Sunset Nails Tutorial

I really love how my sunset nails turned out, and I got a bunch of compliments on them, so I thought I would do a tutorial.  These nails are really easy to do, and you can change up the colors and silhouettes however you want.  To follow the design I did, you will need:

Base coat (Nail Tek III)

Pink/Magenta Polish (Essie Bachelorette Bash)

Orange Polish (Sinful Colors Big Daddy)

Yellow Polish (Ulta Sun-Sational)

Super-fine Glitter Polish (Sally Hansen Diamonds)

Black Polish and a small striping brush OR A black nail art pen

Top Coat (Seche Vite)

A Makeup Sponge

Foil

Step 1:  Apply your base coat, and two coats of your pink polish

Step 2: After your pink polish is dry, use a piece of the makeup sponge to sponge on your orange polish.  Only sponge on to 3/4 of your nail.  The orange doesn't really show up too well, but it's more noticeable when you put on the yellow polish.

Step 3: Once the orange is dry, sponge your yellow polish onto just half of your nail.  Start off light, and then sponge more on until you're happy with the color. 

Step 4: Apply a very light coat of your glitter polish.

Step 5: Time to start adding your silhouettes.  I personally prefer using a striping brush and black polish.  Nail art pens have a tendency to explode all over my nail when I'm using them.  Plus, if your polish isn't totally dry, they can drag and it doesn't look as smooth.  However, they are much easier to control than a brush. 

So, first you want to choose where you want to paint your palm trees, and paint the ground.

Then paint on the trunk of your palm tree.  You want it to curve a bit

Add on the rest of your tree with short curved lines.

Add birds to the rest of your nails.

Step 6: Add your top coat, clean up excess polish with an angled brush and some acetone, and you're done!

Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest. The lighting in my apartment is terrible, and it was too hot to keep going outside for pictures!  I hope you'll try out this design. Let me know how it works for you!



Sunset Nails

Kate's Nails

I've seen about a hundred different variations of this design lately, and I wanted to try my hand at it.  I love the way these came out, and I plan on trying other color cominations in the future!

Polishes Used:

Essie Bachelorette Bash

Sinful Colors Big Daddy

Ulta Sun-Sational

China Glaze Liquid Leather

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamonds

And, just because, here's what these nails look like in a pool!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Miscellaneous Manicures is now on Bloglovin! 

http://bloglovin.com

Cara found this site the other day and it's pretty awesome.  You can follow all of your favorite blogs, and get all their updates in one place.  They have an app too, so you can get it right on your phone.  Go follow us!

Here are some of our favorite nail blogs.  You should follow them too.

The Nailasaurus

The Daily Nail

Nailside

Amber Did It

The Lacquerologist

Pshiiit 

Nails and Noms

Radiating Dots

Cara's Nails

Polishes I used:

Base Color

Ulta Professionals- Joined at the Hippo

Dotting Colors

(what seem to be my "go to" summer colors)

Revlon Colorstay- Coastal Surf

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear- Coral Reef

Essie- Navigate Her

China Glaze- Happy Go Lucky

Half Stripes

Kate's Nails

Polishes Used:

Essie Bachelorette Bash

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fairy Teal

China Glaze Liquid Leather



Watercolor Nails

Cara's Nails

I have seen watercolor nails floating around lately and decided it was time to give it a try. If you are looking for an easy tutorial on this mani I found a helpful one from Beauty Geeks. This was my first attempt and I think it went pretty well!! The only advice I would give is to not over do it with the color layering. Watercolors, even on your nails, are supposed to be light and airy.

Polishes I used:

Revlon Color Stay-Costal Surf

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear- Going Green

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear- Lacey Lilac

Flowers and Stripes

Kate's Nails
These nails were done with just a dotting tool and a striping brush. This was my first time doing flowers by hand, and I'm pretty happy with the result :)

Polishes Used:
Zoya Farah

Essie Mojito Madness

Essie Bachelorette Bash

Ulta Sun-Sational



Ulta has their brand of nail lacquer on sale for $2 each right now! I picked up Sun-Sational yesterday. I would have gotten many more, but I already own 7 of their colors!

Rich Coral Reef

Cara's Nails

I needed a manicure to really show off my newest polish,Coral Reef from Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. I paired it with Revlon Colorstay Red Raspberry, and Pure ICE Spitfire to create this fun summery manicure.

Ocean Blue Beach Nails

Cara's Nails

You can't go to the beach without the proper manicure.

Base Color:

Revlon Colorstay- Costal Surf

Blue and Green Ruffle Manicure

Kate's Nails

Ruffle manicures are easy to do, and I love the result!  I saw THESE RUFFLE NAILS from Chalkboard Nails, and wanted to do something with similar colors.  If you want to try out ruffle nails, visit the link above - Chalkboard Nails does a great tutorial.

Polishes Used:

Zoya Yummy

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Lickety-Split Limer

Ulta Joined at the Hippo

Essie Mojito Madness

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fairy Teal

Speaking of ruffle manicures, on Christmas Eve last year I did a ruffle manicure that was meant to look like Christmas trees.  If you're wondering what's on my thumb, that would be a Purple Santa Claus that my brother painted for me (don't ask)



Summery French Tip Nails

Kate's Nails

After seeing THESE NAILS on glittershewrote.com, I knew I wanted to try my own version.  Such a simple, fun design!

Polishes Used:

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

Essie Bachelorette Bash

Revlon Blue Slate

Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow

Wet N Wild On A Trip

Essie Mojito Madness



Hot Pink, Stripes, and Chevrons!

Kate's Nails

I bought this pink (Essie Bachelorette Bash ) and this nude color (Zoya Farah ) at Ulta the other day, and have been dying to try them both out.  The stripes and chevrons are done in China Glaze's Liquid Leather.  Bachelorette Bash is a much richer color in person, and I'm pretty much in love with it!



How To: Galaxy Nail Tutorial

Galaxy Nail Tutorial

Galaxy nails are one of my favorite designs.  Luckily, they are super easy to do! You really can't mess these up.  Here's a step by step tutorial for creating this design.

Gather your materials.  You will need:

Base Coat (Nail Tek III)

Black Polish (Ulta Little Black Dress)

White Polish (Sinful Colors Snow Me White)

Blue Polish (Revlon First Class)

Pink Polish (Sinful Colors Boom Boom)

Yellow Polish (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow)

Top Coat (Seche Vite)

A Makeup Sponge

A Dotting Tool or Toothpick

Foil

Step 1: Apply your basecoat, and then paint your nails black.  I chose this black polish because it has a bit of a shimmer to it, which goes well with the galaxy design.

 

Step 2: Rip off a small piece of your makeup sponge, and put some white polish on the foil

 Step 3: Sponge on your white polish.  The white will be the base of your galaxy, so you want to use it to make the overall shape of the galaxy. 

Make sure you dab off excess polish on the foil before sponging on your nails!

 Step 4: With another piece of your makeup sponge, sponge the blue polish just to the outer edges of your galaxy

Step 5: With another piece of sponge, use the pink polish and sponge it lightly over the middle of the galaxy.

You want to have some sections where the pink is a little bit darker

 Step 6: Repeat with the yellow polish like you did with the pink.  It should go more in the middle of the galaxy

Step 7:  Using your small dotting tool or toothpick, add stars by dotting white polish to the outside of your galaxy (just where the black polish still shows and the outer edge of the blue)

 Step 8: Finish off with your top coat, and voilà!! Galaxy nails are complete!

July 4th Gradient Nails

Happy 4th Of July!!!

Cara's Nails

Polishes I used:

Sally Hansen Xtremem Wear- Red Carpet (a really awesome sparkly red)

Sinful Colors- Snow Me White

Maybeline New York Color Show-Saphire Siren

4th of July Nails!

Happy 4th of July!!

Kate's Nails:

Kate's Toes:

I went wild and painted my toes for the first time in about a year.  Ignore the bandages from my recent foot surgery!

Polishes Used:

Sinful Colors Snow Me White

Wet N Wild Red Red

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It