Christmas Gradient Ornaments

It just isn't Christmas without at least one red and green design ;) 

But can I just say, red and green are being such jerks to work with this year! Because they are opposites they technically cancel each other out meaning that if you aren't careful a gradient can turn muddy and brown. I had to redo this gradient 3 times before I was happy with it! Ready to check it out?

I started with a base of Essie Blanc so that my gradient would really pop. When it dried I taped off my nails and created the gradient using The Little LacquerBean Sexy Red Suit and The Little LacquerBean Mistletoe Mania. I cleaned up and applied Essie Good To Go so that the stamping wouldn't smudge anything. When everything was dry I stamped over the gradient using Bundle Monster Plate BM-H03 and Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold. I sealed everything in with one final coat of Essie Good To Go and that was it. 

I wasn't sure that I was going to like this mani while I was creating it. It was just so messy and nothing was going right I almost gave up. But I'm glad I didn't because I really actually loved the final product. The ornaments hide the messy gradient line and it made for a really fun and festive manicure.

What do you think guys?

Talk to you soon!
Thanks loves :) 

Fuzzy Mittens

Brrrrrrrrrr.

Man is it freaking cold out! Yesterday it only made it to 22 degrees! Unnecessary if you ask me. But I also think winter is completely unnecessary too.... 

Anyways, fuzzy mittens keep our hands warm in the winter... so if we paint fuzzy mittens on our nails will it do the same?! The questions of the universe have now been answered, and the answer is NO but they sure are cute ;) 

I started with a base of Enchanted Polish Flashing Lights on my pointer and pinky and a base of The Little LacquerBean Sweet Irish Cream on my middle and ring. When my middle and ring dried I applied my The Little LacquerBean mitten vinyls and sponged The Little LacquerBean Spiked Hot Chocolate over them to create the 'fuzzy' look. I peeled off the vinyls and took TLLB Sweet Irish Cream and Bundle Monster plate BM-H01 and stamped over the mittens. Finally I sealed it all in with Essie Good To Go. 

These nails were SO FUN to wear! Such a conversation starter LOL. I really liked how the mittens weren't crisp, they looked so much more cozy this way. 

Oh and if my explanation wasn't that good... because sometimes I really suck, I have a video tutorial that will be going up on Instagram so head on over there my username is @pinkandpolishednails and give it a look! Click my name to be taken there!

What do you think?

Thanks loves :) 

Merry Chevrons

Chevrons.

They complete my life. I have no idea why I'm so obsessed with them lately but man, I just can't get enough! So you guys had to know there would be at least one Christmassy chevron design.... or 4 ;) I really, really loved the way this one turned out though so read on to find out how I did it.

I started off with a base of Essie Blanc. When it dried I taped off around my nails and created a water spotted design using Blackheart Beauty Jealous Type and Dior Marilyn. I removed the tape and applied The Little LacquerBean Relaxed Chevron Mini vinyls. I painted over the vinyls with Essie Blanc, removed them, cleaned everything up, and applied Essie Good To Go to finish every off. 

I love how different each nail came out yet they all tie together for a beautiful Christmas design. 

Oh and not to shamelessly promote or anything but just LOOK at how crisp those lines are O.O I recently changed my vinyl to a new supplier and they work so amazingly! (purchase them HERE ;) ;) ) 

What do you guys think?

Talk to you all soon!
Thanks loves :) 

The Golden Reindeer

There's something about gold and chocolate brown together that just makes my heart happy.

No really, it's a match made in heaven! And when I think of gold and brown around Christmas the first thing that comes to mind is reindeer! So hey give the people what they want right? 

I started off with a base of The Little LacquerBean Spiked Hot Chocolate, a yummy chocolatey squishy crelly. When it dried I stamped over it using Bundle Monster plates BM-H01 and BM-417 and Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold. To finish the design off I sealed everything in with a layer of Essie Good To Go. 

I really enjoy how well the Bundle Monster plates stamp. I mean look at how crisp that reindeer is! 

Are you guys feeling the Christmas spirit yet?! What's your favorite holiday design? I'm always open to suggestions! ;) 

Talk to you all soon!
Thanks loves :) 

Snow Flakey

Hello December!

I know I've already posted once this month but I was in such a rush I didn't have time to say my welcome! Not that I welcome every month.... but December is such a festive month I think it deserves it. 

It's no secret that I hate winter, I think I say it 34894368950793 times every year, but there are two things that I do enjoy about the season, snow and Christmas! I'm going to be doing quite a few festive designs this month, or that's the goal anyways ;) And I'm going to start it off with a chilly design featuring a special polish from my brand The Little LacquerBean. Read on if you want to know why it's so special!

I started off this design with a base of The Little LacquerBean Let It Go. When it was dry I used some snowflake nail vinyls from The Little LacquerBean and fit them to each nail. I trimmed off the excess and applied Essie Good To Go to finish it off. 

I LOVE blue and silver together. Actually my Christmas tree has had a blue / silver theme for the past 3 years, even though I'm changing it up this year shhhhhh ;) This design is so simple and easy to do, it took me about a half hour to complete, yet it looks so fun and festive. 

You guys still here? I'll let you in on a little secret if you are. This polish is a part of a special collaboration. I have been asked to be the guest this month for The Glitter Box, a monthly box from Fat Lacquers that features a different guest each time. As you can guess I was ecstatic! Especially when I found out this month's theme, Frozen! I'm a huge fan of the movie (child at heart FOREVER) so I was pumped to create TWO polishes. Yes that's right, there will be TWO boxes this month! The boxes will go on sale December 5th so keep an eye out I'll have some proper swatches coming soon! 

What do you think of that secret?! Will you be purchasing one, or even both, of The Glitter Boxes?! 

That's all for today, talk to you guys soon!
Thanks loves :) 

Holiday Dots

Loves!

How was your weekend? Did you have fun? Enjoy it with you family? Do some Black Friday shopping? I did all of the above and it's left me zero minutes for nails! Boo! But I've got a few photos saved up so you're going to see my old nails today!

I do love me a simple dotticure, so much visual interest but so easy to create. I've created one using a special shade, Baroness X Taenenbaum Teal, a gorgeous emerald green with a beautiful shimmer. This shade is a part of a special collaboration with my brand, if you want to know keep reading and I'll tell you!

I started off with a base of Baroness X Taenenbaum Teal. When it dried I created the dots using OPI This Gown Needs A Crown and a toothpick. I sealed everything in with Essie Good To Go and that was it. Simple right?

I just love this color combination! Silver and green just looks so lovely together and it's got such a Christmassy vibe to me ;)

Okay, okay are you guys still reading? If so I'm going to let you know how you can get your hands on this gorgeous shade! My brand, The Little LacquerBean and Baroness X have teamed up this holiday season to bring you the B3 (Build-A-Beauty-Box) This box is so fun because you can create it and customize it just for you. Baroness X has two limited edition shades available (this is one of them!) and I also have two limited edition shades available. When you go to create your box you can choose one of Baroness X's shades and one of mine. After that you can pick your choice of cuticle oil and your choice of two 50 count nail vinyls equalling 100 count. Sounds cool right? Well the best part is it retails for $20USD shipping included for domestic orders. 20?! I mean I may be biased but I think thats a pretty damn good price for all of that. What a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone, even yourself ;) If you want to go grab yours head on over to www.baronessx.com to pick one out! They are available now so hurry you and grab yours while supplies are still available!

What do you think? Will you be picking up a box? 

Talk to you soon!
Thanks loves :)

A Thanksgiving Houndstooth

Darlings!

Ready for some more Thanksgiving-esque nails? I'm actually completely smitten with these nails, neutrals and houndstooth, yum! It's a little known secret that I absolutely love houndstooth print, I never used to until I met my best friend. She has been obsessed with houndstooth for as long as I can remember and finally it rubbed off on me. I just can't get enough! 

Ready to get this design started? Let's go! 

I started off with a base of The Little LacquerBean Sweet Irish Cream. When it dried I taped off around my nails and created a gradient using both colors from The Little LacquerBean Chill Chasers Duo, Sweet Irish Cream and Spiked Hot Chocolate. After I removed the tape and cleaned up I stamped over everything with Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold and Bundle Monster plate BM-322 (hey that's my house number! Shhhhhh) Lastly I sealed it all in with Essie Good To Go and that was it!

Best way to hide a less than perfect gradient? Stamp over it! I wish I had taken photos of my other hand, the gradient was horrendous because I was low on time but I stamped over it and it looked just as good as my other hand ;) Secrets secrets!!! 

On a side note, I LOVE the hint of holographic sparkle in this from The Little LacquerBean Sweet Irish Cream. It's just enough to catch your eye but not so much that it dominates the whole design. And this color combination pleases me, so many neutrals yet such a wonderful outcome. 

What do you guys think? 

Oh and incase you've forgotten... 4 MORE DAYS UNTIL THANKSGIVING! Because you know I'm counting down the hours until I can stuff my face.

Thanks loves :) 

The Little LacquerBean Holiday Sparkle Collection Swatches

Hi guys!

Sorry for such a late post but this weekend has been CRAZY but I need to get this post out because this collection is releasing TOMORROW! Woohoo!!! 

Anyways, I have some lovely swatches for the entire Holiday Sparkle collection from The Little LacquerBean. If you want your nails to sparkle this Christmas then these are the polishes for you! The collection consists of two glitter bombs, a thermal, a glitter topper, and a super outrageous holographic. Ready to get started? I'm warning you guys ahead of time that this is a pretty picture happy post, I'm trying out some artsy fartsy hand poses so I threw them in there to see what you guys think. Let's go!

Mistletoe Mania

A super gorgeous Christmas green glitter bomb. A jelly green base packed with green holographic glitter of all sizes, some green holographic triangle glitter, and a lovely holographic sparkle to finish it of. Formula is on the thicker side as is to be expected for polishes this packed with glitter. Although it's a bit thicker it's still so manageable to work with, and the end result is totally worth it in my opinion. Swatch is three careful coats with top coat. 

Sexy Red Suit

The sister of Mistletoe Mania, Sexy Red Suit is a red jelly packed with red holographic glitter of all sizes and a holographic sparkle to bring it all together. I absolutely love this one! The formula was the same as Mistletoe Mania, a bit thicker but still manageable to work with. Swatch is three careful coats with top coat. 

Faded Xmas
A lovely subdued christmas thermal. I've been looking EVERYWHERE for one of these! Faded Xmas is a soft mauve pink when warm and a deeper neutral evergreen green when cold. The best part? It has a holographic finish! Yummy. Formula was super smooth and easy to work with. Swatch is three thin coats with top coat.

Warm

Cold

Transition

Warm in natural light

Flash to show holographic sparkle

Frosty Balls

The brighter, bolder, and merrier cousin of Under The Ferris Wheel Lights, Frosty Balls will blind you with it's sparkle. Green, gold, sliver, red, purple and blue holographic glitters suspended in a super outrageous holographic silver base. If you want to stand out this Christmas Frosty Balls is absolutely for you. Formula was easy to work with. Swatch is two careful coats with top coat. 

Oh god that holo (flash)

Flash

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Ev'ryone Wishes For Silver & Gold

A lovely glitter topper packed with holographic gold and silver microglitters, holographic gold and silver squares, and a smattering of holographic sparkle. This would look so great over any color, I especially loved it over darker colors like how I have it swatched here. I love that this topper can be used year round, I think it would make a stunning New ears mani. Formula was actually very easy to work with. Swatch is one coat over Maybelline Color Show Navy Narcissist and with top coat. 

Whew!!! Kudos to you guys for making it all the way through! Make sure you tell me what you think of my artsy fartsy photos in the comments ;) 

The Little LacquerBean polishes retail for between $7.50-$10.00USD for a 15mL bottle. 
The Holiday Sparkle collection will be released TOMORROW November 24 at 7pm EST 
so make sure your ready! This collection along with other lovely colors can be purchased at http://thelittlelacquerbean.storenvy.com. 

Make sure you stay up to date with new releases, new products, and fun sales by following The Little LacquerBean:

Facebook | Instagram

What do you guys think? Will you be picking any of these pretties up at the release? 

Thanks loves!