Happy Hanukkah!

I thought a jelly sandwich in the traditional colors of Hanukkah, silver and blue, would be a really charming manicure, and this look even evokes a snowy evening to boot, making it doubly seasonal!

The greatest color combination of all time?

I threw these together on a whim a while back, just to see if they were brilliant or ghastly together.  My verdict? BRILLIANT!

The burnished burgundy-purple base of Revlon's Sugar Plum, with its hint of bronze, balances the pale indigo of Essie's Stroke of Brilliance just perfectly.  This combo just glows, it's an unexpected knockout.

Luxurious Brocades from Maybelline

I spotted the Maybelline Brocades in a CVS recently, and snapped up three bottles posthaste.  This manicure layers Embelleshed Blues (dark blue) and Beaming Blue (light blue) over Zoya's Neve, a gorgeous purple-leaning blue.

The Brocades can lean a little lumpy if they're more than one coat, but with the layering over a base color they smooth out beautifully with a layer of topcoat.

The shimmer in Embelleshed Blues has a GORGEOUS green flash to it, and Beaming Blue is a light blue/purplish pink duochrome.  Both have larger blue glitters as well, giving these polishes quite an effect in a single bottle.

Artsy Wednesday: Disney

I've been wanting to try a waterfall manicure for a while, and while I don't think I quite nailed it on the first try, I did end up with a neat manicure.

I used Disney's Snow White as my inspiration, with my middle nail as the skirt of her dress, my index and pinkie as the sleeves of her dress, and my ring as her face/lip/hair color.  I think this turned out a little eerie looking, but frankly the original Snow White story is pretty creepy, so I'm down with how slightly spooky this turned out!

Check out the other Artsy Wednesday bloggers; they all do some pretty gorgeous work!

Lab Muffin

Maria's Nail Art

Valiantly Varnished

Unnaked Nails

Nail & Polish

Beauty Gnome

M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E
Makeup and Masala
Every Little Polish

Artsy Wednesday: Inspired by a Designer

BOB MACKIE.  How can you not, when looking for inspiration for a nail polish look?

Feathery swirls, bright metallics, sequins, thank goodness for Bob Mackie!

Check out the other Artsy Wednesday bloggers; they all do some pretty gorgeous work (and we have two new participants, Makeup and Masala and Every Little Polish)!

Lab Muffin

Maria's Nail Art

Valiantly Varnished

Unnaked Nails

Nail & Polish

Beauty Gnome

M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E
Makeup and Masala
Every Little Polish

Happy 4th of July!

My favorite holiday; I'd been cooking up this mani for about a week, and I think it came off very nicely:

Textured fireworks!  I'm loving the textured trend, and JulieG's Hot Cinnamon, OPI's Solitaire and Zoya's Liberty are absolutely perfect.  I do wish the photo captured the deep aqua sparkle in Liberty, and the gold flecks in Hot Cinnamon, they're both so brilliant in person!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Artsy Wednesday: Pastels

Watercolor manicure time! I used Zoya polishes for this beaut, Gaia as the base, and Jaime, Blu and Neely for the watercolor effects.

Watercolor manicures are super easy; dot one-three small dots of polish (straight from the bottle brush) on your painted/topcoated nail, then dab a small brush with pure acetone (no gelatin, no fragrances, no non-acetone; pure acetone is a must for this) on the polish dots. The polish will spread as you continue to dab, creating lovely dreamy watercolor-like dots of color.

Check out the other Artsy Wednesday bloggers; they all do some pretty gorgeous work!

Lab Muffin

Maria's Nail Art

Valiantly Varnished

Unnaked Nails

Nail & Polish

Beauty Gnome

M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E

And don't forget, I'm having a major giveaway, including 3 Zoya minis as a prize (Plus an Ulta giftcard, a Sephora giftcard, and a Llarowe giftcard as other possible prizes)!  Click the image below to enter!

Artsy Wednesday: Re-do your first blogged Nail Art

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My first blogged nail art is here: Memorial Day Manicure.  Not too shabby for just starting out!  I decided an exact duplicate manicure would be boring, so this is more of an "Inspired By" type of thing :)

I busted out my good old Orly Stone Cold and Rock-It; these colors are so stunning I can hardly stand it!  Plus, they're one-coaters. I'll always fall in love with a one-coater.  The holo triangles and stars are Gosh Holographic Hero.

The white is Milani White on the Spot, and I just had to jazz it up a bit.  I won a  Shimmer Polish giveaway a few months ago, and that blue beauty was a perfect way to snazz up my manicure!  Shimmer Polishes are really impressive; packed with glitter, but not goopy, no taco glitters, easy application and not too topcoat hungry either.  Impressive!

Check out the other Artsy Wednesday bloggers; they all do some pretty gorgeous work!  And welcome to our newest blogger, M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E!

Lab Muffin

Maria's Nail Art

Valiantly Varnished

Unnaked Nails

Nail & Polish

Beauty Gnome

M.A.S.P.O.O.A.S.E

Indie Spotlight: Hot Mess Lacquers

*none of the links in this post are affiliate links
Hot Mess Lacquers is a personal favorite for me.  I own a fair number of her line already, and so when I got the opportunity to review polishes for my blog, I jumped at the chance!  Hot Mess Lacquers  was kind enough to provide three polishes for review, and I even got to select one myself, with the other two being surprises.

Unsurprisingly, I love all three. A lot.  I knew I got a Hot Mess package in the mail by the fun neon pink zebra duct tape, but I didn't expect coordinated wrappings for the polishes!  I love these kinds of details, they make getting packages so much fun.

For review, I was given "All Hail the Queen", an Alien movie series reference, "Across the Trailer Park", and "Bourgie Bitch".  I love the Hot Mess labels; they really make a statement, but you can still see the polish in the bottle, it's a great design balance.

Below are the gorgeous swatches:

First off, All Hail the Queen.  I love the Alien movie series, even the terrible 4th movie.  I rarely get into a horror series, but I think the grandeur, the good acting and the quality of the cinematography is beyond compare for these movies.  So, to get a nail polish themed after these movies was extra fun.  What was extra, extra fun?  Discovering that the label was printed in the title font for the Alien movie; such attention to detail is a fantastic example of why I love Hot Mess.

 All Hail the Queen is an olivine jelly with forest green square glitter and golden-orange hexes in at least two sizes.  The coverage is fabulous; the swatches below are 2 coats, no topcoat.

I love the square glitter in this; it's a great departure from the typical hex, and the effect is insecty, lizardy, alien.  It's also appreciable that it's not a grey or black polish; it's not too literal, but it gives the great hidden, haunting, non-human effect that the films provide as well.

Next, Across the Trailer Park.  While I was given All Hail the Queen and Bourgie Bitch as surprises, I chose Across the Trailer Park.  I was looking forward to the deep blue with blue and green hexes, but I had no idea it'd be such a bright, peacocky color that made my nails look like they were covered in sequins!  Below is two coats, no topcoat:

Three thin coats would eliminate all visible nail line, but I didn't mind the hint of it with two coats.  The base is a bright peacock jelly, and the two types of hexes plus the mini blue glitter provide a fantastic finish.  I dabbed this a bit to ensure I got good glitter placement, but the application itself was smooth.  I didn't have to worry about bald patches or dragging at all.

Finally, Bourgie Bitch.  I think I gasped when I saw this one, and I'm so glad Hot Mess Lacquers picked it out to send to me for review.  It's a baby blue base with a pink flash, all with baby blue and rose gold hexes, along with two sizes of golden glitter.  Below is two effortless coats:

This polish is so subtly beautiful.  The dreamy, almost robin-egg blue with the pink flash, the glittering bits of gold adding luxury, oh my nails are so pretty right now!

You could draw some parallels to Revlon Whimsical or Deborah Lippman Glitter in the Air, but this polish is SO MUCH prettier.  I always thought Whimsical looked a little...barfy.  Just the wrong tones together.  Bourgie Bitch, along with being a beautiful full coverage, has a charming pink flash and golden glitter to really round it out as a beautiful polish.

I'm so flattered to have been selected to receive these polishes for review from Hot Mess Lacquers, and I am pleased to say that all three polishes here covered well in two coats, have fabulous glitter combos, and are just a pleasure to apply and wear.  A+!

*All products reviewed here were provided by Hot Mess Lacquers for review.  All opinions are my own.

Quick NOTD: Julep Melissa and Portia! Also FACEBOOK!

I finally started a facebook page for my blog!  You can follow me here: https://www.facebook.com/Accent.Nail

I've also added a Bloglovin' link to my blog, just to your right over there --->
As you've likely read, Google Reader is biting the big one on July 1, so if you want to follow my shennanigans, Facebook or Bloglovin' are your best bets.

As for my nail of the day:

I was in a seashelly kind of mood this time around, so I put Portia tips on 2 coats of Michelle.  The visible nail line doesn't bother me with this one, mostly because the glittery tips make the look intentional, instead of just a too-sheer polish with no undies (scandal!).

I got Portia in Julep's Spring Mystery Box (I'm a sucker for those mystery boxes), and really like how well the iridescent glitter reflects even over a pale color like Melissa.

Artsy Wednesday: Leaves, or The Manicure that would not Photograph

I've been a big fan of using paper punches in nail art for a while.  In my Valentines manicure I used punches on tape to create a template, and in this manicure I've done something of the opposite; painted tape with nail polish and then used the punch to make a little nail decal I can stick right on my nail!

 I painted 2 coats of Zoya's Ivanka onto a strip of cellotape stretched across the lid of a Trader Joe's candy box, and let it dry thoroughly.  I then punched a whole bunch of leaves out of the tape using my paper punch I got at Michaels.  Stick 'em on your nail, topcoat away, and bam, insta-nail-art!

This manicure WOULD NOT PHOTOGRAPH WELL.  I think Ivanka was just too shiny/shimmery/beautiful to photograph properly, so this was the best I could get.  It doesn't show off the outlines of the leaves well, but I still endorse this method to get quick nail art.  Plus, it's fun, and if you're already a scrapbooker you now have multitaskers in your scrapbook supplies!

I'm really honored to be able to participate in Artsy Wednesday, and you should all DEFINITELY check out these other, very talented Artsy Wednesday participants.  

Pretty Purple Polish

Lab Muffin

Maria's Nail Art

Valiantly Varnished

Unnaked Nails

Nail & Polish

Beauty Gnome

Lacquered Lunatic

Artsy Wednesday: Color Block Manicure

I want it to be spring!  So I busted out some springy colors (China Glaze For Audrey and Secret Peri-wink-le over Milani's White on the Spot) and created a refreshing color block manicure.

Here's a quick how-to video that shows you my process; I love the clean white lines in this one!



Do you have requests for tutorials I could film?

I'm really honored to be able to participate in Artsy Wednesday, and you should all DEFINITELY check out these other, very talented Artsy Wednesday participants.  

Pretty Purple Polish

Lab Muffin

Maria's Nail Art

Valiantly Varnished

Unnaked Nails

Nail & Polish

Beauty Gnome

Lacquered Lunatic

Zoya Pixie Dust Review

I bought four of the Zoya Pixie Dust polishes  the second they went on presale; they looked like wonderful soft colors (I got Godiva, Vespa, Nyx and London), and the texture effect was intriguing.   They arrived at my house a few days ago, and have been staring at me, tempting me with their shimmery silver goodness.

These polishes are designed to dry to a textured, slightly gritty texture, a matte finish, with sparkle.  The texture is much like the fine-grit side of an emery board.  They require no basecoat or topcoat, and that's how I swatched them.  They can be topcoated to add a shiny finish and cover up the texture, if that isn't your thing.  Removal was a breeze, way way easier than any other glittery polish I've ever owned.

I love these; I wasn't entirely sure I would, but they're tugging at my rock-loving heartstrings.  They look like little geodes on your nails, and have a subtle, shimmery, crystalline beauty that I am in love with.  Application is a hair tricky, but with a smidgeon more patience than a creme might take, they work just fine.  Their dry-time is pretty quick; not Seche Vite quick, but you won't dent your mani within about 10-ish minutes.

First off, London; a deep foggy grey polish, it dries a touch darker than the bottle color.

The application with this color was flawless, and I used just two coats.  I do recommend wrapping your tips with these polishes, as their base is sheer enough that the white nailtip might stand out a bit, like it does on my ring finger.

Next, Godiva, a pale nude (nice reference, Zoya!):

The sparkle doesn't photograph well with this one, but trust me, it's there.  For this one, I had to add a third coat just to my nailtips, as I had visible nail line with two coats.  I was able to apply the polish just to the top third of my nails, and it blended seamlessly with the rest of the polish, so I bet chips would be easy to touch up with these polishes too!

Third, I have Vespa, a lovely retro sagey green:

This polish applied the best of the four, with two easy breezy coats, one thin, one thicker.  This one is also the sparkliest of the four I bought.  I think it's my favorite shade from this collection, as it's hard for me to find sagey greens that mesh well with my skintone, and Vespa is really flattering.

Finally, Nyx, a faboo periwinkle blue:

I really love this soft blue; I think it compliments my skin fabulously, and is a change of pace from the typical creme finish for periwinkle polishes.  This one is also fairly glittery, like Vespa was.  I did have to watch for bald spots with this one, but this polish is so manipulable that a few extra swipes of my brush didn't damage the manicure at all.

My overall verdict is that as long as you watch your application, these polishes are really something special; unusual in their matte, textured sparkliness, and unique in the burgeoning textured polish market in that they're softer shades instead of the ultra-bright texture polishes you might see from other companies.  I have enough bright glitters, these are a change of pace for my collection that make me really, really glad I bought these!

Disclaimer: I purchased these products with my own money, and all opinions are my own.

Swatchathon: Pretty & Polished Olgite and Concoction

I have to apologize to my readers; my time has been mostly taken up by painting our new house, and so nail polish hasn't been very feasible lately.  It's depressing me to look at all my pretty polish and know if I put it on it'll just be wrecked by housepaint!

First off, an update on how my hands are holding up after using solely the  Pretty and Polished Sin City Hand and Body Creme for around 3 weeks; note that I've used no other moisturizing ANYTHING, no cuticle oil, no lotion, no balm, no salve, nothing, and I've spent my time either painting our house, spackling, or working in a lab with suffocating polyurethane gloves on:

Not too bad, huh??  I have enjoyed this hand creme way more than I thought I would; I figured it'd be nice, but I didn't think it'd keep my cuticles and hand skin in such good shape!  Plus, my boyfriend comments on how good it smells every time I put it on.

So far, I give the Sin City Hand and Body Creme an A+.  I'm going to keep using my sample until it's gone, so I'll update you in a few more weeks as to how it does for over a month as my sole moisturizer.

That said, I have a few swatches to share with you today, and hope to post a bit more regularly in the coming future.  Today, I'm featuring two polishes that were sent to me, along with the Pretty and Polished Sin City Hand and Body Creme.  They're part of the Pretty and Polished permanent line, and are some truly beautiful polishes.

First off, some bottle shots; Concoction is on the left, and Olgite on the right:

Concoction is a stunner; a royal purple jelly with flakies, iridescent glitter and a little bit of scattered holo to top it off?  Fabulous!  It's been raining here, so I couldn't get a sun picture to show off the holo, but the flakies and iridescent glitter both shine in this picture:

This is two coats, with a fantastic level of coverage for a jelly.  The color indoors is typically a royal purple, but it leans a little plummy in brighter lights.

Next, Olgite.  Olgite is a blue shimmer with a purpley-pink flash to it; if you look closely at the bottle shot above, you'll see a hint of it.  This polish dries semi-matte (satin, if you will), so if you prefer full gloss a topcoat will be a must.

Olgite is a lovely bluebird blue, and that purple/pink flash makes it a pretty special polish.  The coverage is good too; above is two coats, plus topcoat.

Olgite and Concoction can be purchased at Pretty and Polished's website.  As always, great formulas and great colors!

These products were sent to me for review; all opinions are my own and are not influenced by external sources.