The Pines at Midnight Nail Art

Hey everyone, how are you all doing?! I hope you're well. My life has been super busy as of late, between work, Sharks games and volunteering at a Christmas tree lot, I've had zero time for nail art, which makes me sad. This is the perfect time of year for festive nail art, and I've zero chances to create something special.

But today I'm sharing with you a look I created earlier in the fall when I visited Lake Tahoe, quite possibly my favorite place on earth. Since pine trees are slightly seasonal, I thought I would share these now.



I call this look The Pines at Midnight, because just look at the gorgeous sky scattered with stars.



Anyway to get this look, I started with a base of ILNP Interstellar, which is the perfect name for this polish since it basically is the night sky! It is a multichrome that shifts from teal to indigo with scattered holo pieces, which totally look like stars to me. I think this is opaque in three easy coats.



To create the trees and their shadows, I broke out my UberChic plate 2-02 and used Painted Polish Midnight Mischief and Essie No Place Like Chrome and a clear stamper to do layered stamping.



I really liked this final look, really reminds me of a cold winter sky. The high here in the Bay Area is 53 degrees today, and for California that is mighty cold. So this look seems appropriate for today.

Now concerning holiday nails – what do you think I should create – once I get an evening to myself?!

Emily de Molly and Hella Holo Customs

Hello everyone. On Tuesday I received my latest order from Emily de Molly, which included one of the June Hella Holo Custom polishes, so I thought I would get to sharing these shades with you lickety-split, so you could see swatches while the polish is still available.

These are three shades full of shimmer, which I’ve been very drawn to lately, and I feel a lot of makers have been gravitating toward. Only one of these shades is a Hella Holo Customs shade – meaning you having to be a member of the group to purchase it. To join email hellaholocustomercare@gmail.com with the topic 'JOIN'. The ladies at Hella Holo Customs have worked with a number of different indie companies, calling on them to make polishes inspired by the Facebook group photos.

Well let’s get to the swatches shall we?!









First up we have Emily de Molly Lace Man. This is a lovely purple leaning grey polish packed with pink, purple and golden iridescent flakies which give off the most stunning pink glow. This was opaque in two easy coats, but does dry down slightly textured (very very slightly, just the flakies I think). I would recommend a thicker top coat to make it shiny and smooth.









Next up we have Emily de Molly Shadow on the Moon. This is a lovely stormy grey linear holo polish packed with larger microglitters for a scattered holo effect and then packed with dark pink flakies to create an awesome red leaning pinkish glow. This one was absolutely stunning, I was in love with this polish. Just look at the macros and appreciate the depth and complexity of this gorgeous polish!!! This was opaque in two coats, shown with a glossy thick top coat.









Finally we have Emily de Molly Desert Rose, the Hella Holo Customs special polish. This polish was definitely pinker than I expected, but paired with that greenish golden glow (it leans more green in real life) that totally cools down the pink and makes it appear more coral like. I love the optical illusion of it all! The shimmer definitely is strong in this one, so much so the linear holo seems to take a back seat, but it is still a lovely combination. This polish was opaque in two coats, but was a bit on the watery side, not difficult to work with, just don’t overload your brush. It was mildly brush-strokey, but that seemed to disappear when the polish dried a bit.

This above shot is a little warmer, due to it being taken in the morning sun. 

I just can’t leave well enough alone and decided I needed to do a little double stamping of a succulent-like stamping image, since the inspiration for this polish was the most gorgeous mix of succulents. The image is from UberChic Beauty 7-01 plate. To stamp I used Bundle Monster Jungle Mirage (from the Electro Glo nail stamping set) and then used Painted Polish Midnight Mischief to double stamp.

I looooove the results. I was inspired by a video that UberChic posted on instagram last night. I thought the double stamping was a neat effect and I thought the Jungle Mirage color matched the shimmer in this polish so well!

There are two other Hella Holo Custom shades from Emily de Molly I didn’t purchase but now am seriously considering. I was really impressed by all of these polishes and now I want all the Emily de Molly polishes!

Emily de Molly - USA Stock site – Facebook – Instagram – Facebook Fan Group

Hella Holo Customs – Facebook Group (to join email hellaholocustomercare@gmail.com with the topic 'JOIN')– Instagram 

Summer Nails with Bundle Monster

Hey everyone Happy Friday. Sorry I've been so sporadic on my blog lately, the NHL playoffs and end of school year wrap up pieces at work have really put a crimp in my posting schedule. I've still been playing with polish in my off time, just haven't had the moments needed to craft a post!

But that changes today! Last week I received a Bundle Monster order and I just couldn't wait to put together a look using my new products!



To create this look I used Bundle Monster's new Electric Pastel Electro Glo Nail Stamping polishes, plate BM-S310 from the Festival Collection, Bundle Monster's new double-sided glass stamper, Painted Polish Midnight Mischief and ILNP My Private Rainbow X.



To start this look I painted a single coat of Midnight Mischief, a wonderful one-coat black creme polish. Then because it pains me a little to have a look that has no holo at all (even if it does boast neons), I added a coat of My Private Rainbow X to all my nails.



Then I placed a dab of each of the six Electro Glo stamping polishes over the stamping image and scraped a bit back and forth.



After picking up the image with the new clear stamper, I did my best to place the image on the nail. I know I probably could have done a little better, but to be honest when I was creating this I was in a hurry for sure!



Looking at it again now I can see that I was a little too excited about these stamping polishes and I didn't pick up the most crisp images. No fault of the stamper at all, just my excitement of the brightness and my bit of a hurriedness while creating these nails. This stamper is pretty cool, I had one other clear stamper, but the clear handle really does help you place the image perfectly a lot better.

To be honest I'm not the biggest fan of this being double sided because I'm always have to take out the side I'm not using so I can look through for placement. I do however like that each side comes with a protective cap.



So what do you think? It's really heating up here in California and all I can say is I'm super excited for the summer weather, things at work slow down a bit and I just love bright fun summer nails. These totally fit that bill I think! And these stamping polishes, for just $20 for the set of 6 are an absolute steal – the possibilities of what they can create are endless. I've got on a gradient base using some of them right now!

Edited to add, as of just posting this on IG I saw that Bundle Monster is having a sale this weekend on everything in their shop. 15 percent sitewide using the code Weekend15 – so seriously, what are y'all waiting for?!?!

Tis the Season for Neons!!!

Hey everyone, it's that time of year again! Time to break out those amazing neons and making screamingly bright and happy nails.

For this look today I broke out some of my favorite neons, the Indigo Bananas The 10th Element. If you ever wanted a complete collection of neons – this is it my friends. It has everything from a searing red to even a neon teal! This set is awesome, and it is available in mini size too, something I love about Indigo Bananas. For full disclosure, part of this collection was sent to me last year to review, but I loved them so much I completed the collection myself.

So this is the first time this year I've broken these bad boys out and the Bundle Monster Festival Plates collection to create this super awesome look!!!



This is a look I've been wanting to do for the longest time. I just never had the perfect tree stamp and with the newest Bundle Monster Festival Plate collection, I finally do. I'm absolutely in love with this look – it is everything.



Now to the details. To start with, I painted my ring finger with three coats of Painted Polish Sleigh Bells Silver (which I'm thinking is retired now, but it's beautiful!). Sleigh Bells Silver is packed with silver holo microglitter and bar glitter (which I typically don't like but like that it helps with the coverage here). Then I stamped the single chevrons from BM-S305 plate using Painted Polish Midnight Mischief.



For the gradient I started with one coat of LiLoo, the neon orange. Then on a makeup sponge I applied LiLoo, Neon the 10th Element (pink) and Phlogiston Paradise (the BEST purple creme there is) and I moved up and down on the LiLoo nails to create the gradient. To create a starry sky atmosphere I added a single layer of ILNP My Private Rainbow X. Then I used Painted Polish Midnight Mischief again to stamp the tree image from BM-S306.



This scene is quitessential summer to me and boy I know it is just around the corner. My main beat at work is education, so when the summer comes work tends to be a little lighter hearted at least. Looking forward to it this year! And these nails are the perfect way to do so! :)

What gets you and your nails in the summer seasonal spirit?!

Dreamland Lacquer April Hella Holo Custom Polishes

I had a super fun weekend everyone. I was knee deep in a pile polish compiling another Mega Polish Comparison post. But I don't have that quite yet for you all – coming soon I promise!

Today I wanted to share two polishes I purchased this month because they are just so holo amazing they made my jaw drop AND they are currently available through the end of this month so I thought I better hop to it and post these suckers! 

These two polishes are by Dreamland Lacquer creations for the Facebook group Hella Holo Customs. You have to be a member of the group to purchase the polish, but the more the merrier so please join. To join email hellaholocustomercare@gmail.com with the topic 'JOIN'. The ladies at Hella Holo Customs have worked with a number of different indie companies, calling on them to make polishes inspired by the Facebook group photos.

First up we have the stunning Dreamland Lacquer Dragonberry. This is a gorgeous orchid-toned almost neon bright linear holo that burns violet. This polish is very pigmented and is practically a one-coater, with a great formula – easy to apply. This polish is absolutely stunning – especially outside, I included a sunshine shot (the last shot). It has this darker violet streak in the linear holo that just jumps out and makes this such a happy bright polish!

Next up we have one of my absolute favorite colors for nail polish – a coral holo. This is Dreamland Lacquer Coral of the Story. This is a lovely pink-leaning coral and that is also almost neon in its brightness. I love this shade of coral – it is pink leaning without being too pink and stays true to its coral nature. The sunshine shot shows it leaning a tad more orange than it typically does, but it is actually the bright – so pretty! The formula on this was similar to Dragonberry, although a smidge thicker. Not difficult to apply at all and almost a one-coater. I used two coats for these swatches. 

So of course while swatching these polishes I was struck by inspiration and just knew I wanted to pair them together in a look. It had been awhile since I did a gradient so I thought I'd breakout a makeup sponge and give it a shot! Loved the results. I used Bundle Monster BM-S303 for the palm trees and UberChic Beauty 2-02 for the angled pattern using my Painted Polish Midnight Mischief black polish to stamp with.

Since these polishes are currently available through the end of the month, I thought I better get these to you all ASAP. And you want to know something else you should consider picking up while you're shopping at Dreamland Lacquer – her great Ooh Shiny! Quick Dry Top Coat. I've been using it for awhile now and it is great to for a super shiny quick dry top coat AND it doesn't smear nail stamping looks like the one above. It's just an all around great option and for $5 it's a steal! 

So anyway, what are you waiting for? I just know you want these bright beauties on your nails for the upcoming warm weather. These are totally summer appropriate! Can't wait to take the nail art out in the sun tomorrow (which will be today by the time this posts!).

Hella Holo Customs – Facebook Group (to join email hellaholocustomercare@gmail.com with the topic 'JOIN')– Instagram 

Dreamland Lacquer – Shop – Facebook – Instagram – Facebook Fan Group

Dry Brush Spring Nail Art

Hey everyone, happy Monday. I want to start off this post with an apology, I've been pretty neglectful of my regular posting schedule and have fallen off the map a bit but I was trying to keep away from blogger burn out.

I have so much fun playing with nail polish, creating looks and swatching but I get to the hit publish stage and I just lag. It's the procrastinator in me! But I'm going to try and turn that around right quick, I hope you all will forgive my absence, and if you haven't noticed it, well then yay!



Today I have some banging nails I rocked while visiting family over Easter weekend after getting a ton of compliments on my Creme a la Mode dry brush nail art (see those nails, here!).



For these nails I started with a base of my favorite go-to holo Painted Polish 2016, a gorgeous holo polish with hidden iridescent flakies. Then I broke out some bright creme polishes to dry bush on top.



To dry brush, you take the brush of your nail polish and try to get as much of the polish off of it by running it back and forth over the open neck of the polish. Then, very lightly, take a stroke over the base polish to create a brush stroke. Repeat as much as you want until you have the look you desire! For this look I used KBShimmer Bahama Drama (coral), Color Club Blue Ming and Essie Using My Maiden Name (which isn't really a creme, but was the exact shade of purple I was looking for).



I think I went a bit too far stamping over this, but hey, I really wanted to add something to the look. To stamp I used Painted Polish Midnight Mischief and my Uber Chic Beauty 7-02 plate.



I took the above photo while getting out of town, and boy was there traffic so there was plenty of time to be distracted by my nails! In the end, I think the stamping did work, a lot of people told me they look like stained glass type of nails, which I guess works for the Easter holiday and all.

So that's it for today everyone, thanks for sticking with me and being patient. Later this week I hope to have my newer ILNP purchases and some more nail art!!!