The Jamberry Experience

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 15: The Jamberry Experience

Now there's something you should know about me, and I'm not exactly proud of this, but I am a terrible trend hater. If it's popular and the 'in thing', chances are I'm going to avoid it at all costs, even if I may have liked it if I had discovered it myself. I can't help it, it's basically programmed into me. So when I saw this weird new craze of Jamberry Wraps blowing up every one of my social media accounts, the mere utterance of the words put a bad taste in my mouth. I mocked and judged from the lofty seat of my self placed nail art connoisseur pedestal. Until one day when I was forced to dip my toes, or fingers more accurately, into the waters of the bandwagon culture that is our world today. An old friend of mine had invited me into one of those online Facebook parties, you know, the ones we use to escape the awkwardness of actual social interactions and having to put on pants. And being the supportive person I am, I decided to participate, throw out a few likes, even some comments, and wouldn't you know it, irony kicked me in the butt. I actually won some free Jamberry Wraps.

Neige à Paris

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 14: Neige à Paris

A few weeks back in my Mixed Media post I briefly introduced one of my oldest nail hacks: Ring Reinforcers. Now these little stickers have many different styles and names, and quite honestly I had no idea what they were called before I decided to put them in my blog. Thank goodness for Google. And you've probably stumbled across some of these yourself in the deep dark corners of your father's desk drawer or in that odd aisle of office supplies with all that stuff no one actually uses.... or even knows what it is for that matter. Well, allow me to enlighten you.

The original intent of their inventor was that they be placed over the three-ring binder hole of a piece of paper to keep it from ripping out. Reinforcing the ring's hole. Thus, their name. Personally, I find them a rather fascinating invention, seeing as I will always choose good old fashioned files in a binder over files on a computer. But to the rest of the world, these poor little guys are basically useless and on the verge of extinction. But I say, NO. Let us bring back the ring reinforcers with new life and vitality. And let us give them a new name. A French name. For a French Tip.

Black Out

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 13: Black Out

It all began one stormy night in November... the skies roared, the earth quaked in fear, and towering cedars buckled before the might of a wind just shy of hurricane proportion. Thousands left without power, families huddled for warmth, and me discovering doing my nails by candlelight sucks big time.

After 5 days without power, I turned to my oh so hospitable boyfriend, and having already imposed myself upon his home for warm showers and laundry capabilities, I had one more question:
How much will you hate me if your house smells like nail polish for a day?

Glamorous Gray

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 12: Glamorous Gray

Here's a fun fact about me: I adore all things unique and flashy, but at the same time I am obsessed with gray and black and all those shades in between. While you might assume I have to pick between these two passions when it comes to fashion and art, I am here today to prove you wrong. I firmly believe that you don't need a bright color to catch the eye, but through contrast and patterns even a simple gray scale color set can steal the show.

Mixed Media

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 11: Mixed Media

Being the Pinterest roamer that I am, I'm all about those DIYs! But like most people I find myself living in the much overrated 'someday' mindset. So this week I decided to actually try one those brilliant ideas I so often ooh and aww over but never seem to do. Maybe you've seen this idea floating around, or maybe it will blow your mind as it did mine when I first came across it, but apparently you can make your own nail polish color using eye shadow and a clear top coat. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, I guess I'll find out.

My adventure began with a trip to the store where I picked up a beautiful teal CoverGirl eye shadow  and a cheap top coat. Just to add a little design to the idea I grabbed my used and abused silver as well as some ring reinforcers I stole from my father's office ages ago. He never missed them, and I like to believe I gave them a greater purpose in life.

All That Glitters

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 10: All That Glitters

Considering the fact that this whole blog began with the idea that I have enough polishes to use different ones every week and still have enough variety for an entire year, I decided to go through my polishes and see how I've been doing. To my surprise I have used 22 of the 61 colors I currently own in a mere 9 weeks of my 52 week 'challenge'. If you do the math, this is a problem. Why? Allow me to explain.

Based off these numbers, I've used 36% of my polish collection in 17% of the time frame. It does not take a mathematician to realize that this means I will run out of polishes before my year is up. Now, before you jump to the conclusion that my initial statement about being able to do this for a year was a lie, you have to realize that my claim was based off the idea of using only one color per week, but being the artistic person that I am, I cannot limit myself to such constraints. It's just too boring to use one color when I can use an array of colors to make a more intricate design. And even though roughly 2 out of every 10 polishes I use have been used in a post before, I am still burning through my unused color selection far too quickly.

Okay, I did lie, but not about that. I lied when I said this is a problem. Actually this only means I need to keep buying new polishes, which, honestly, how is that a bad thing? So rather than stretching out how many unused colors I introduce each week, let's just bust out three more of those bad boys.

Royal Zebra

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 9: Royal Zebra

Last week I mentioned picking up some nail polish in Ireland, but what I didn't mention was the other nail related purchase I made. This particular item was something I have always seen around, but never actually thought to get for myself. But now, here they were, staring me in the face, priced too cheaply to resist at least trying them out... I was in Ireland for goodness sake. I was ready for adventure. Maybe it was the variety that caught my eye, or maybe it was the beauty of the different shapes, sizes, and colors, sorted into perfectly separate compartments that tugged on the heartstrings of my OCD. Whatever it was, it worked. I caved. I am now the proud owner of metal nail studs.

 As much as I loved the crazy assortment, I decided for my first 'adventure' I would stick to something basic and easy to work with. Small silver circles. In order to perfectly contrast these simple studs I wanted to pick some bold colors and patterns for the underlying polish.

Autumn Aumbré

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 8: Autumn Aumbré

Now before you get your panties all in a bunch, yes, I did just use that phrase, I am indeed aware how to actually spell the word Ombré, but for the sake of visual alliterations, I made do. And if you don't like it... I really couldn't care less.

In an attempt to feed my addiction while convincing myself I'm actually just cultured, it has become a tradition of mine to buy myself a new nail polish, or two, whenever I go traveling somewhere new and extraordinary. And by tradition I mean I've done it twice now.. But just give me time.

Anyways, while I was in Ireland last month I picked up a lovely copper colored polish at a tiny side shop I came across while roaming the streets of Killarney, and ever since that moment I have been absolutely ecstatic about it! Not only do I love all things shiny and metallic, but it is the perfect shade for all the fall color sets I have been planning to do. I really can't even begin to explain how difficult it was to finally settle on which polishes to pair with it for this weeks set. But after much blood, sweat, and tears...

Sweater Weather

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 7: Sweater Weather

It's that time of year again. The leaves start to wilt and die, the sun begins to show its face less often, and all those pumpkin loving freaks come out of hiding to bask in their season... their kingdom... Autumn. While they squeal about loving the cool, brisk air, the rest of us cold blooded people must find a way to survive...

Thus, this week's nail design is in honor of those essential autumn items that keep me sane and warm until spring returns. To all things furry and knit... I salute you.

To begin my venture I picked out two warm, autumn-esk colors, one brand new, the other nearly as old as I am. Now I know I've talked previously about my love for cheap nail polishes, but I will admit, when the stuff is quality you can tell. Despite the fact that this maroon Artistry Nail Colour was my mother's when I was little (back when I hated the concept of painting my nails), it is still one of the smoothest polishes I own. And nothing quite hammers on my heart like the roller coaster ride of Artistry selling polish, and then discontinuing it, and then selling it again, and then discontinuing it... So when it's here, I buy it. And I never regret it. 

Luck of the Irish

     The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 6: Luck of the Irish

Since the dawn of time (or really since about middle school) I have been obsessed with all things  Irish. It began after my young and impressionable adolescent self watched a movie with some charming Irish bloke in it, and while I can't actually recall anything about said movie or character, what I do remember as vividly as if it were yesterday was the feeling of absolute memorization over his captivating accent. Since that day it has been my dream to visit the homeland of such an angelic voice and soak in the beautiful, green, rolling hills of Ireland.

But as dreams normally are, this was a rather distant and unattainable reality... or so I thought... until my parents and I decided to actually embark on such a journey.

Obviously, with an extraordinary adventure like this before me, I needed an extraordinary nail design to accompany me! And what would be more fitting than something green and glittery! The perfect excuse to go and buy myself a new polish!
But let's be honest, do I really need an excuse?

Subtle Chevron

  The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 5: Subtle Chevron

I started out my day with a burning desire to do something completely different and out of the ordinary with my nails for this week's design. And I mean a real, out of my comfort zone, all or nothing, bright and bold beauty! This would be unlike any other nail set I had done before, something truly daring... I pulled out the flashiest color I could think of:
Bright Neon Yellow

...Obviously that was an utter disaster. So once I had gotten that foolish idea completely out of my system I floundered for as many nudes and neutrals as I could find in order to counter my terribly traumatizing previous endeavor...

Being back in my right mind at last I wanted something subtle and almost invisible, but elegant and intricate upon closer inspection, so I grabbed a basic nude base, a metallic bronze for some design, and a lovely yet simple gold glitter I picked up in a South American grocery store a few years back(when I realized I could not finish my month long vacation without painting my nails). 

Marbled Earth

     The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 4: Marbled Earth

For this week's post I wanted to try something that I haven't done for quite some time. Nail Marbling. Not only is this technique extremely easy for how awesome it looks, but it is truly an almost spiritual creative experience! No two results look the same, both from manicure to manicure, and from nail to nail. One is conceiving a brand new and unique masterpiece that can never be perfectly duplicated again... plus it's a delightfully messy process!

Considering the fact that I would be creating said brand new pattern, it seemed only fitting to grab a few brand new colors as well. Since I normally tend to go for more gray-scale color schemes I've had a few more earthy toned polishes sitting unused in my marvelous ever-growing nail polish collection. The two that had been particularly calling to me lately were a dark olive green I got for a great discount and an extremely light pastel green given to me as a gift.

I gathered together some toothpicks, scotch tape, lot's of paper towels, a cup of room temperature water and let the sloppy fun begin!

Will It Glow?

     The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 3: Will It Glow?

Not long ago I was meandering around Forever21 when I saw one of my old friends working behind the counter. While I wanted to say hello, I didn't want to distract them from their job, seeing as the store was really buzzing that day. Being the problem-solver he is, my boyfriend offered to buy me a nail polish I had been looking at so that we would have an excuse to talk to them at the counter. A man after my own heart. Obviously I agreed.

Here's the best part. The nail polish...
Glow In The Dark, Light Blue
Now, I know what you're thinking, because I thought the same thing. I doubt it actually works. But, 1) worst case scenario it's just a glittery light blue polish, and 2) it's free, so why not give it a shot?

In case the whole 'glowing' thing was indeed a flop I decided to paint a fun design on top, so I grabbed my handy dandy basics, black and white, as well as my fine tip nail art brushes and got to work!

Naked Plaid

     The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 2: Naked Plaid

For quite some time now I have had this adorable little nail art tape*, but I haven't gotten around to using it due to pure impatience. You see, I use tape to mask off designs and I like to give my base color a good day to dry before applying tape out of a fear of the color peeling up along with the tape. My fear IS from prior experience mind you. And honestly when I want to paint my nails I want it done there and then, not over a period of two whole days! So the tape had gone unused.....

UNTIL NOW!
I finally overcame this impatience, not by being patient of course, but by weaseling my way around the problem. I decided to use the tape on my bare naked nail. Gasp. Don't worry, my nails weren't actually naked, just colorless, they had a solid base and top coat from a few days prior. The pantyhose of nail art.

Unsure of exactly what I was aiming for, and making it up as I went, I grabbed one of my absolute favorite polishes. Candie's Concrete Jungle. Maybe it's the crazy awesome name or the fact that I am sort of obsessed with gray (Don't believe me? Just check my closet) but this is one of my most used polishes. I also grabbed a newly bought Pure Ice blue to try out. 

And So It Begins...

     The other day as I was admiring my latest nail polish color and ogling over my color collecting addiction, I told my boyfriend I had enough nail polishes to paint my nails a different color every week for an entire year. To which he responded, "You should do that! And make a blog about it!"

WEEK 1: The Peacock
I decided for my first 'test run' I wanted to bring back an old favorite design of mine, but using one of my latest nail polish ventures:
Forever21 Nail Color
 
Now, you have to understand, I'm not very picky when it comes to my polish brands, I'd much rather buy countless assorted cheap nail polishes than splurge on one fancy bottle. I'm always on the search for new bargain polishes that I like, so I wasn't about to pass up on .5 FL OZ of colorful, gooey goodness for only $2.90! And with a name like Jelly Bean, who could blame me?

Just to be on the safe side I grabbed a few tried and true neutral polishes to complete my color scheme along with my brand new dotting pens*, which were another beautiful bargain I snatched up from Amazon!