An Accent Nail: Green

Showing posts with label Green. Show all posts

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Holly Jolly Texture

I love me some texture polishes, and Zoya's Chita, China and Solange make a lovely giftwrap-style manicure.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

IT IS FINALLY CHRISTMAS MUSIC SEASON (happy thanksgiving)

I love Christmas music. I don't think I can ever get sick of every hokey, oft-heard standard (except for Christmas Shoes, that song is awful). But I keep myself from listening to it until Thanksgiving; it just isn't time for Christmas music until then.

So, let's celebrate Christmas music season with a holly jolly manicure!

I bought these Sally Hansen Rent the Runway polishes (Red: Rosey Shooter, Green: Green Rocket) way back in October, as I thought they, along with Glitter Gun (a gold) were PERFECT Christmas shades. I layered them over Zoya's Hunter and Livingston (green and red respectively), to create a pitch-perfect holiday mani.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Artsy Wednesday: Green

Cloud mani time! I tried a cloud manicure once before and it was a total disaster, but this holo'splosion of a manicure covers up the bruises and warts of my freehanding pretty well. The layers, from cuticle to tip, are China Club Angel Kiss, Avon Starlight, and China Glaze Kismet. I love the Halo Hues so much, and the scattered, more muted holo of Starlight really helps set off the different shades of the Halo Hues!

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

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

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Artsy Wednesday: Three Colors

It's never too early to start thinking about Halloween, and so I did a fall-ish, Halloweeny manicure to get me in a spooky mood. I used Sally Hansen Lickety Split Lime as the base, then Slick Slate and Sun Kissed for stamping, using the LeaLC B plate. I'm pretty pleased with the result!

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)!

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

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

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!

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!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Zoya Earth Day Promo! It's the most wonderful time of the nail polish year :)

Zoya is my favorite nail polish brand, and they host my favorite promo around Earth Day. They give you an opportunity to get half-priced, super high quality nail polish, AND a way to responsibly recycle your old, crummy, cheap or otherwise unusable nail polish to boot (you can't send them Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes, but anything else goes; I have a whole bag of junky dried out ones to send)!!

Here are the details, straight from Zoya:

The Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* is BACK for Earth Day 2013!

Once again, Zoya is helping you do a little spring cleaning with the return of the Earth Day Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* for 2013. Clean out your nail polish wardrobe and get rid of old nail polish that may not be BIG5FREE(Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor) and exchange it for a greener alternative - long lasting, award winning, healthy ZOYA Nail Polish Bottles!

Go to Zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like (Note: ALL Zoya PixieDust Collection shades are excluded) and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salon accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles).
Apply the code: ZOYAEARTH2013
Your order value will be adjusted to reflect a 50% discount (we use these funds to properly dispose of the old nail polish).
SUBMIT your order!

Then Zoya will ship out your NEW polish! YEAH!
Once you get your order, here is where the exchanging* happens…

Ship back the equivalent number of bottles you received to the return address below (ie. If you got 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes). Please check with your carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish.
Include a copy of your order.

To clarify the exchange: You do not have to send us the exact amount of bottles that you are ordering. You can send any quantity up to that amount. You can also donate. If you decide you don't want to do either, it's ok "Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish" - we will still love you and will ship the Zoya polishes... we'll just send you on a guilt trip for a while :)

Ship Your Old Nail Polish To:

Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA

Once we receive your polish we do the rest! It’s that simple!

IMPORTANT!

The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand).

We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!

*Offer valid online at www.zoya.com only. Offer expires on 4/26/2013 at 11:59PM EST. Continental US ONLY.Excludes ALL Zoya PixieDust Collection shades. Not valid with any other codes, coupons or promotions. Shipping and handling fees apply. Consumer accounts must exchange a minimum of 6 polishes with a 24 bottle maximum. Salon accounts must exchange at least 12 with a maximum of 48 bottles. Polish can be from any brand EXCEPT Zoya, Qtica or Nocti and can be exchanged for in-stock .5oz Zoya Nail Polish. Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish. Zoya Exchange code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors or errors associated with declined credit cards. Please allow standard time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 6 weeks for shipping and processing. Art of Beauty, Inc. reserves the right to remove any polish that is out of stock from your order. You will not be charged for this polish. Backordered polish is not included in this promotion.

Friday, April 5, 2013

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.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Artsy Wednesday: Inspired by Graffiti

I knew I wasn't going to be able to really emulate graffiti with this manicure; I've never been that good at sharp outlines, so I wanted to take the "inspired by" of this week's theme and run with it.

I was fortunate enough to win a set of MASH nail art brushes from a giveaway Set in Lacquer ran, and I wanted to give the fan brush a shot, to add artistic strokes of bright colors to my nails.

I used Julep's Eileen as a base, and the It Girl April colors, Eden, Abbie and Mackenzie as the bright bright bright graffiti stripes. The white base really made these colors pop, and the manicure kind of reminds me of fruit stripe gum.

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.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Artsy Wednesday: Easter!

Easter has the best candy of any holiday.

That has nothing to do with today's manicure, chicks in Easter grass. I've thought a few times that Zoya's Pixiedust shade Vespa was a pretty perfect Easter grass shade, and Creamy is the perfect baby chick yellow. By their powers combined (plus some Angelina and Pia for eyes and beaks), we have chicks in Easter Grass!

Little cuties :)

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.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

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.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

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.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

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.

Artsy Wednesday: Valentines

I used a tape stencil for today's manicure, and even managed to film a quick how-to video! I went pretty simple with this one, just a heart accent nail, but the tape stencil makes it way, way easier to get an even heart. I'm definitely no pioneer with this technique, but I do think it's worth showing off!

While I could've gone frou frou fancy with the colors, I stuck to fresh, almost neons, because I am just yearning for some warmer weather.

Check it out:

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.