Spring Grunge Brushstroke Nail Art With Rhinestones

- SOME PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hey guys! I am so in love with these summer collections (even though the weather has turned a bit cooler this week...) so I decided to have some fun using the new China Glaze Electric Nights Collection from HB Beauty Bar by creating some brushstroke nail art.

Kenya Inspired Nail Art

- SOME PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hello guys, I hope you are all having a nice weekend so far! Today's nail art is a bit different from usual - a few nail artists on Instagram and myself came up with the idea to post a manicure to raise awareness for the recent tragedy in Kenya. (For those of you who are not aware of what happened, 147 people were killed in an attack on Garissa University College, and hundreds were injured. You can read up on the story here - although this article does not contain graphic images, please be warned that the content may still be upsetting for some.)

To get inspired for this manicure, I looked up some landscape photos of Kenya, and found this gorgeous image of giraffes at sunset, and decided to recreate it on my nails:

The Digit-al Dozen Does Patterns on Patterns: Hearts on Stripes

Hello, everyone! I hope you are enjoying the Digit-al Dozen week so far! I know I am, but I have a bunch of fun swatches to share with you too, so I’m getting a bit eager for the week to end. Anyway, I’ve got another Valentine’s Day look to share with you today (I know I keep saying that, and all my manicures are really just regular manicures in pink and red, but this one is themed – I promise! It even has hearts in it.) I actually consider this one to be a bit of a fail, because the freehanded hearts are far from perfect, but I think a part of the challenge is to keep up and post every day, even if you aren’t 100% satisfied with your work.

The Digit-al Dozen Does Patterns on Patterns: Double Stamping with PUEEN

It's that time of the month again - I mean, time for the Digit-al Dozen week! This week we are taking on patterns in a BIG way, by having double patterns (so basically, a pattern over a pattern). So get ready to see five wild manicures in a row featuring a ton of patterns! I decided to make most of my manicures for this week Valentine's Day themed (well, Valentine's colors, at least!) so get ready for a lot of pink and red, too. Shall we take a look at the first mani of the week?

Valentine's Day Polka Dot Half Moon Nail Art

Hi everyone! I know I am always so late to come up with holiday themed manicures, so I figured I would get an early start with Valentine's Day and come up with some fun nail art looks for you guys. Today's look is a super simple polka dot manicure with a half moon accent, using all polishes from the Color Club Love Tahiry Collection, which I got from HB Beauty Bar.

The Digit-al Dozen Does Fairytales: Snow White's Poison Apple

I know I'm a couple days late for the last day of The Digit-al Dozen, but I've got one last fairytale themed nail art for you guys today! Today's look is another abstract idea based off the famous Brothers Grimm story, Snow White. (Even if you haven't heard the original tale, you've no doubt seen the Disney princess or the movie adaptations!) Anyway, this manicure is inspired by the poison apple that causes Snow White to fall into a lifeless state, before her prince rescues her with a kiss.

I started off with a base of Cuccio Verona Lace, and then drew on my apples with Essie Double Breasted Jacket (and Essie Vices Versa on my detail nail for the "poisoned" apple.) Then, I outlined them with Cuccio 2am in Hollywood, and drew little stems with Essie Fierce, No Fear. I also made a little highlight in the apples with Verona Lace. I topped everything off with a semi-matte top coat from Born Pretty Store. (Don't forget, you can use the code RFL91 for 10% off your order and free shipping!)

I chose this look because even if you aren't a fan of the fairytale (like myself!), this is still a super cute apple manicure to rock! Although it's probably more appropriate to wear in autumn.

I also think the color scheme of this manicure is a refreshing change of pace from my last few Digit-al Dozen manicures, which tended to be blue themed. (Plus, my nails are finally back to an acceptable length! Yay!) And it's definitely nice to have finished my first DD challenge - I can't wait for the next one!

Here are the polishes I used. They are all from HB Beauty Bar - you can use the code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for 15% off your entire order.

Make sure you see what the other lovely ladies of the Digit-al Dozen did for their last day!

An InLinkz Link-up

PRODUCTS USED:
Base: Duri Rejuvacote, purchase here

Polish: Cuccio Colour 2am in Hollywood + Cuccio Colour Verona Lace, review hereEssie Double Breasted Jacket, review here
Essie Vices Versa, review here

Essie Fierce, No Fear, review here


Top: Born Pretty Store Matte Top Coat, purchase here (use code RFL91 for 10% off your order!)

The Digit-al Dozen Does Fairytales: Alice in Wonderland

Day 2 of The Digit-al Dozen is upon us, and I decided to go with one of my classic nail art styles - the simple skittle manicure! I was inspired by the storybook character Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, mainly her blue dress, big bow, and striped socks! I was partially inspired by a nail art look I found online, but the blogger who posted it seems to have removed her website. You can see the thumbnail here.

On my index and ring finger, I painted a base of Cuccio Verona Lace, and on my middle and pinky nails I painted on a base of Color Club Factory Girl. On my index nail, I painted on the ace of spades design (get it? Alice? With an A?!) with a fine detail brush and black acrylic paint. On my middle nail, I placed these black studs from Born Pretty Store in a bow shape using top coat. On my ring finger, I painted stripes with Cuccio 2am in Hollywood. I topped everything off with top coat.

Although this is a simple design, it wasn't as easy as it looks! It took me several tries to paint the ace of spades correctly (those are so not easy to draw!) I do love the way the bow turned out, though, and it was so easy to put together with the studs.

I am really pleased with how this turned out, though. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories and I've always wanted to translate it into a manicure, but I figured the subject matter was too daunting! I think this is definitely a wearable look, though.

Here are the polishes I used. I reviewed the Cuccio shades here and the Color Club here. Again, you can get the black studs here (don't forget to use the code RFL91 for 10% off your Born Pretty Store order!)

Well, that's it for Day 2! Make sure you check out the lovely manicures from the other ladies of The Digit-al Dozen!

An InLinkz Link-up

PRODUCTS USED:
Base: Duri Rejuvacote

Polishes: 
Cuccio Verona Lace + Cuccio 2am in Hollywood, review here
Color Club Factory Girl, review here

Top: KBShimmer Clearly on Top, $5.50 USD here

Colors by Llarowe and Born Pretty Store Simple Nail Art

Hi guys! Did you miss me in my impromptu week-long absence? I made the terrible mistake of attempting to cut my cuticles last week, so I haven't been able to do ANY nail art or swatching. My cuticles are still ragged and scabby (gross!) but I figured I owed it to myself (and you!) to at least do some simple nail art, and try my best to keep my hands looking relatively nice.

I decided to get back into the swing of things with a super simple look using Colors by Llarowe Liquor is Quicker and these small star studs from Born Pretty Store. I used Essie Mademoiselle as a base for the detail nail, and top coat to hold the studs in place.

Sorry, I don't have too many photos of this look - I really am so self consious about my cuticles! Luckily you can't tell so much due to my strategic photography and watermark placement, haha, but trust me, they are looking quite bad. I have been using cuticle oil every hour for three days now - does anyone else know of a quicker way to soften my cuticles back up? Let me know in the comments!

Here are the polishes I used. You can get this Colors by Llarowe polish here for $6 USD.

The star studs are available here in a set with a variety of different colors, and you can use the code RFL91 at checkout for 10% off your order and free shipping internationally.

Some products provided for review.

Ikat Skittle using BornPrettyStore Studs... And A Giveaway! (3 Winners!)

Hi guys! Today I've got this super cute ikat skittle to show you:

To achieve this look, I started with a base of Essie Serial Shopper on my outer two nails, Essie Urban Jungle on my middle nail, and KBShimmer Eclipse on my ring finger. Then, I drew the ikat design with my new Simply Spoiled nail art pens (in black and white), and a bit of Essie Serial Shopper. I topped the outer two nails with these holographic studs from Born Pretty Store. (See below for a giveaway, sponsored by BPS!)

I love these studs because they're super flat on the nail - I was able to easily top them with top coat and they didn't pop off at all! And, having the nail art pens made is easy to create this ikat design without dirtying a bunch of nail art brushes.

This color scheme was actually inspired by an ikat print on a pair of pants my coworker wore today, but on the nails, I think it reminds me of a tiger. I just love ikat designs because they can really be done in any color.

Here's the polishes I used for this manicure. (The Essie's are from HB Beauty Bar!) The nail art pens from Simply Spoiled retail as a two-pack for $7.99 USD, and they double as dotting tools - you can buy them here.

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Now, onto the fun stuff! Born Pretty Store is generously sponsoring a giveaway for three $15 giftcards to their website! That's right, there will be three winners, and the giveaway is open internationally. Born Pretty Store is one of my favorite online nail art accessory shops - they have EVERYTHING, and for great prices! Will you be a winner? Let's get to the rules:

- YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER VIA GFC OR BLOGLOVIN' FOR YOUR ENTRIES TO COUNT. Since this is a BPS giveaway, you must also be following Born Pretty Store, either through GFC or Bloglovin' as well. (Email subscribers may participate too.)

- Contest is open internationally and will run until August 20th, where three winners will randomly be chosen through Rafflecopter.

- Once a winner is selected, I will verify all entries of that winner. If any of the entries are invalid, the winner will be disqualified and the next winner will be chosen. Please provide a valid email address, as that is how I will be contacting you. You will have 48 hours to respond.

- Must be 18 years or older or have parents permission to participate. If you are under 18, please have a parent confirm your entry by sending an email to contact@thenailpolishchallenge.com.

- You must enter through the Rafflecopter widget below. Any false or duplicate entries will disqualify you from the giveaway.

- If you unfollow after the giveaway, you will be blocked from my website and from future contests and giveaways.

- I am not responsible for packages lost, stolen, or damaged in the mail.

- You can use my 10% off discount code with your giftcard, code RFL91 at checkout!

- There will be three (3) winners. You may not win more than one giftcard during this giveaway.

Good luck! Please enter through the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can see some of my reviews from the Born Pretty Store HERE. 

Summer Essie Colorblock Nail Art

Hi all! Today I have some really simple nail art using the Essie 2014 Neon collection from HB Beauty Bar. The colors are all so gorgeous together - I definitely like this neon collection better than last year's.

I've been seeing this simple tape manicure style for a while, so I figured I should try it out for myself, using a summer color scheme. I started with a base of Essie I'm Addicted, and then I taped off triangles using striping tape. Then, with Essie Chills & Thrills and a small nail art brush, I filled in the triangles and removed the tape. I topped it off with some neon yellow studs from Born Pretty Store.

I absolutely love the color pairing in this manicure. I think the yellow really completes it and makes this nail art look like summer!

There are four other gorgeous shades in this collection, which I will be reviewing soon!

Here are the colors I used for this manicure. You can get them for $7.50 USD each at HB Beauty Bar, and don't forget to use the code POLISHCHALLENGE for 15% off your order.

What do you think of this summery manicure?

Some products provided for my honest review.

Cute Penguin Nail Art (with 3D bows!)

Guys! I know I've been totally absent this past week - work has been so busy and my nails are just ravaged from the weather changing so often, so I've hardly had time to paint my nails at all! But, I got to finish the week by seeing Big Sean in concert, which was pretty awesome. Well anyway, I got these cute 3D bows in the mail from Born Pretty Store to review, and as soon as I saw them, I just knew I had to do penguin nail art with them.

I started with a base of China Glaze Lotus Begin, part of the new spring collection I got from HB Beauty Bar (don't forget to use the code POLISHCHALLENGE for 15% off your entire order!) Then, I painted the body with OPI Alpine Snow, the eyes with Essie Licorice, and the beak and feet using another new spring color, China Glaze Metro Pollen-tin. Then, while my top coat was wet, I carefully placed these 3D bow rhinestones.

I know this nail art might not be totally practical for wearing, since the bows are 3D and kind of stick out, but they are curved nicely to fit the nail, and I just love how adorable the penguins turned out.

Don't forget, you can get 10% off your order at Born Pretty Store and free shipping with the code RFL91. They sell all kinds of accessories and even some cool nail polishes!

What do you think of my little penguins?

Some products were provided for my honest review.

HB Beauty Bar OPI Brazil Gradient

Hi guys! It feels like it has been forever since I painted my nails (well, it's been a week. But that's practically forever!) But I was struck with new inspiration when I got the new OPI Brazil Spring 2014 collection from HB Beauty Bar, so I decided to make this gorgeous neutral gradient. (Excuse the harsh lighting, I made a new light box and I think it's a bit too small, so it's super bright.)

To create this look, I started with a base of OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around. Then, I sponged on a gradient using OPI Taupe-less Beach, I Sao Paolo Over There, and OPI Scores a Goal! I topped it all off with these cute black studs from Born Pretty Store (don't forget to use the code RFL91 at checkout for 10% off your order!).

I am absolutely in love with all of the colors I used for this gradient and I love that they're all work appropriate! (You'll see a full review of the collection soon!)

You can get all of these polishes (and the rest of the OPI Brazil Collection) at HB Beauty Bar here, and you can use the code POLISHCHALLENGE10 at checkout to get 15% off your entire order! They have tons of great brands, including Essie, China Glaze, and they even sell Seche Vite for a great price!

What do you think of this gradient look?

Products in this post were provided for my honest review.

Valentine's Day Nail Art with PUEEN and Rainbow Honey

I am so excited that I finally had some time to do some simple Valentine's Day nail art before the holiday arrives! This skittlette manicure isn't exactly in-your-face romantic, but I love the pink and silver color scheme and I would totally rock it for Valentine's Day.

To get this look, I started with a base of China Glaze Designer Satin on my index and pinky finger. Then, I topped that with Rainbow Honey XOXO and some silver studs from Born Pretty Store. On my middle finger, I painted two coats of OPI This Gown Needs a Crown, from HB Beauty Bar. On my ring finger, I painted two coats of OPI Alpine Snow and stamped OPI Casino Royale with PUEEN 59.

This was my first stamping attempt with PUEEN and I was really impressed. I didn't do a great stamping job here, but that was my own fault - you'll see a full review on these plates soon.

What kind of design are you going to wear for Valentine's Day?

Some products in this post were provided for my honest review.

Born Pretty Store Water Decal Nail Art

Today, I have a review from Born Pretty Store, an awesome online store for nail art accessories. I got this sheet of assorted water decal patterns to review, which comes with 11 different designs, and I knew I had to do a double accent nail with this cute pastel candy pattern.

I started by painting all my nails with OPI My Vampire is Buff. Once that was completely dry, I cut the water decal sheet into a size appropriate for my middle two nails, and dipped them in water. Then, I peeled the design off the paper backing and stuck it to my nails. I cleaned up the excess with acetone. On my outer two nails, I sponged on ORLY Gumdrop.

I loved this design and I think this is an awesome manicure to wear for Easter! But I do wish I had been more careful with cleanup on the water decals - as soon as I touched them with acetone, they began to disintegrate, and I messed up a bit near my cuticle. I do still think this is cute though, and it was hard to tell in person that I made any mistake!

You can get this water decal set from Born Pretty Store, and don't forget to use the code RFL91 at checkout for 10% off your entire order and free international shipping!

What do you think of this design?

Born Pretty Store Full Nail Decal Skittlette

Hi guys, today I have a review for you from Born Pretty Store, which as you all know is one of my favorite online nail art accessory stores. I got these full nail stickers for review, but since I am not a huge fan of full nail sticker manicures, I decided to make another skittlette manicure.

For this nail decal, the instructions say to place it on your naked nail, but I started with a base coat and OPI Alpine Snow, because the white squares didn't look fully opaque. Once my base color was dry, I placed the sticker on my nail and filed off the excess at my free edge. The sticker stuck really well, but I was able to adjust it a little bit before I fully pressed down.

I do think these stickers are intended for people with wider nail beds, because most of the decals were too big for my nails, and you can see at the top of my nail that the sticker is flat and wide. However, I think it looks really cute and makes a great accent nail for a skittle manicure! And, the sticker was thin, so it wasn't raised on my nail and it didn't look any thicker than the polish on my other nails, which was nice.

For my gradient nails, I started with a base of OPI Alpine Snow and sponged on China Glaze Bottoms Up, China Glaze Designer Satin, and China Glaze Seduce Me. On my pinky nail, I used OPI It's Frosty Outside.

Overall, I think the manicure is really funky and cute - in real life, the sticker isn't noticeably wider than my nail (but then again, photographing my nails up close does tend to show all my mistakes!) I didn't test these for durability, but the free edge didn't peel up easily and required acetone to remove, so I think it will last for a decent amount of time.

You can get this pattern and others at Born Pretty Store, and don't forget to use the code RFL91 at checkout for free worldwide shipping and 10% off your entire order!

What do you think of full nail stickers?

Born Pretty Store Review: Leopard Chain Nail Art

Today, I have a product from Born Pretty Store to show you. This metal chain comes in several different colors, but of course I chose hot pink! I used a regular scissor to cut the chain into smaller pieces to use on my nail, and I used top coat as glue to seal it on my design.

I used Essie Licorice as a base on my two outer nails, and a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on my middle and ring nails. Then, I painted my leopard design with Essie Bottle Service, and once that was dry, I taped off a section and painted over it with Essie Licorice. To finish it off, I placed my pink metal chains!

I had fun coming up with this design, and I think it translates well on the nails! What do you think? Would you ever wear a three dimensional object on your nails?

You can get this product and more from Born Pretty Store - don't forget to use the code RFL91 at checkout for 10% off your order. And now, you can pay with your credit card if you do not have a PayPal account!

*This product was provided for my honest review

Neon Brush Stroke Nail Art

Hi guys! Today I have another bright and fun manicure for you to enjoy during this cold December! I've seen this brush stroke nail art a lot recently, so I thought I'd try my hand at it, pun intended.

I started with a base color of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on all of my nails except my ring finger, which I painted with Essie Licorice. Then, I used China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle, Neon & On & On, and That's Shore Bright to make the brush stroke art. To make this effect, I wiped almost all of the polish off my brush and then I dabbed the mostly empty brush on my nail.

I also used another bow decoration from Born Pretty Store - I reviewed a similiar bow from the same kit in this post. You can get 10% off this kit and anything else from the online nail art store with the code RFL91.

What do you think of this bright and fun manicure?