An orange a day with Zoya Destiny

Moving on with my untrieds, I have Zoya Destiny. I'm not going to lie I was SO excited to use this color. It's actually not necessarily an untried since i've used it once before but I never posted it up on the blog so it doesn't really count right? LOL

Zoya Destiny is a juicy golden orange polish, so sparkly! Destiny is a PixieDust polish so it dries textured and I actually quite like that. This was also my very first textured polish I ever bought and it was the perfect one to start off with. I love that it doesn't feel really gritty, and it doesn't catch on stuff like some textured polishes do. And if you top coat it, the depth of this polish is amazing! Want to take a look at what I came up with?

I started off with a base of Zoya Destiny (2 coats). When it dried I stamped over it using Bundle Monster BM-308 and Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold. I cleaned up and didn't apply top coat because that would ruin the textured effect. But after I took my first photos I did end up top coating it with Essie Good To Go so you guys can see the depth that this polish has. 

I'm not really an orange person. Unless it's neon orange I probably won't use it. But this is the exception to that. Zoya Destiny is really such a beautiful orange you can't help but fall in love with it. And when it's top coated, man it's just stunning! I thought that an orange stamp would be perfect to compliment this polish because I mean... orange... oranges... perfect right?! LOL 

What do you guys think? What's your favorite orange polish, if you have one that is. 

Thanks loves! :)

Golden Chevrons with Zoya Feifei

As I sat down to paint my nails the other day I really wanted to use some colors that I haven't tried before. I always seem to reach for the same colors so my untried list is rather large and when I opened up my drawers I realized that my Zoyas get almost no love. What?! Why don't we change that, like NOW.

The first shade that I grabbed was Zoya Feifei. What a wonderful and unique polish. It's an icy blue foil with so many different gold / copper based micro glitters which gives this polish an almost duo chrome effect. So lovely. I knew I wanted to pair this up with some gold art so I hope you guys like what I came up with!

I started of with a base of Zoya Feifei (3 coats for full coverage). When it was dry I used Bundle Monster plate BM-423 and Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold and stamped over each nail. For a little extra fun I used plate BM-317 and Sally Hansen Silver Sweep and stamped the little bow image on my ring finger. I sealed it all in with Essie Good To Go and that was it. 

I love how well the gold stamping compliments this polish. It's a little difficult to see in the photos but the copper / gold micro glitters were really prominent in real life. And I just think that little bow is too damn cute ;) 

What do you think guys? What is your most untried brand?

Thanks loves :) 

NYE Grungy Glam

Hi guys!

Sorry I haven't been posting, life's been a little crazy. But thankfully it seems to be settling, just in time for the new year! Can you believe it's almost 2015? When I was younger people would always tell me, just wait until you get older the years will just fly by. I never used to believe them but it's so true! These past few years have literally FLOWN by! But I've also learned to get excited about change, because it's going to happen wether or not you want it to ;) So I don't know about you guys but I'm so ready to bring in the new year! New opportunities, new everything. And new nails! 

Let's get on with it then shall we?!

I started off with a base of Color Club Beyond. Then I took a fan brush and dipped it in Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold and then Sally Hansen Silver Sweep and brushed it over my nails. I kept going back with all three colors until I got to a look that I liked. When that was dry I took Maybelline Color Show Navy Narcissist and stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM-H14. I sealed everything in with Essie Good To Go and that was it. 

I really loved these nails, I love the color that the three shades (CC Beyond, MCS Bold Gold, and SH Silver Sweep) created by using the dry brush technique. Kind of a grungy glam ;) ;)  And I think that the blue just gave it a really nice pop of color. 

What do you guys think?

Are you ready for 2015?

Thanks loves :)

Christmas Eve Dots

It's Christmas Eve! 

I really just love Christmastime, the excitement, the mystery, the friends and family. Sure it's stressful but when it comes down to it, it's always a holiday to remember. It's a little bit crazy here so I'm going to keep this post short and sweet ;) 

I started off with a base of OPI Bubble Bath. Then I took a few different dotting tools and created the dots with China Glaze Just Be-Claws, China Glaze Con-Fused?, Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold, and Sally Hansen Silver Sweep. I sealed it in with Essie Good To Go and that's it. 

Ahh, nothing better then a simple dotticure. I love designs like this because you can create them in so little time so they're great when your rushing around for the holidays and still want to make sure your nails are looking fabulous. 

What are you wearing on your nails for Christmas Eve?

Thanks loves :) 

Silver and Gold

So you've been looking for a holiday manicure to rock this season but you're sick of the green and red and cutesy designs? Do you want something more punk-ish? Want to spice it up a bit? I totally have the design for you! Keep reading to find out how to get this super fun and spunky silver and gold design.

Wow, is it just me or did I really sound like I was trying to sell you guys something up there? I should totally become a sales person! LOLOL 

Selling isn't for me, but this design certainley is! I mean don't get me wrong I love red and green and cutesy Christmas nails but sometimes I just crave a little more spice.

I started off with a base of Wet N Wild Black Creme. When it dried I used Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold and Sally Hansen Silver Sweep and created a water spotted design. Instead of top coating for a shiny finish I opted for NYC Matte Me Crazy. Finally I added some small tear drop shaped rhinestones. 

I love how this design looks, punk rock but still totally in the holiday spirit. 

If you want a better look at how I created these nails, because come on I'm really not that good at explaining myself, head on over to my Instagram (@pinkandpolishednails) I will be posting a video tutorial shortly.

What do you guys think?

Thanks loves :) 

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 :) 

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 :) 

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 :) 

31DC2014 Day 8: Metallic Nails

Well it's day 8 of the 31 Day Challenge 2014 and you guys know what that means... time for some metallic nails!! 

I was super excited for this day because I had such a fun manicure in mind, and it actually came out somewhat how I planned ;) 

I knew right away that I wanted to test out some of my The Little LacquerBean nail vinyls and combine them with a shiny, rainbow-esque design. So check out what I came up with!

I started off with a base of OPI Push & Shove on all of my nails. When my base was dry I placed some TLLB wave nail vinyls (You can buy them HERE) on each nail. I painted over each nail with Sally Hansen Cobalt Chrome, SH Minted Metal, SH Liquid Gold, and Essie Penny Talk. I removed the vinyls and topped everything off with some Essie Good To Go and my design was finished. 

I just love the subtle rainbow finish to these and they were SO SHINY! If you know me you know I can't resist anything shiny! Yeah I'm one of those simple people ;) And that's just perfectly fine by me! 

Okay it's your turn! Post a link to your metallic nails in the comments so I can see them!!!

Thanks loves :) 

I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee!

Won't my momma be so proud of me! ;)

I've been itching to do a bumble bee design ever since I saw the cute honeycomb image in Bundle Monster's 2013 collection, and yes, it has taken me this long to do it LOL. But regardless it's done and I'm in love! I almost don't even care the the bees remind me a bit of spiders.... almost. I just couldn't look at them too quick or else I freaked out! I mean they don't really look like spiders, that much. But legs and wings and thin lines can often be mistaken as a furry little eight legged creature that I'm too scared to even squish! Yeah, yeah I know I'm a weenie WHATEVER :)

Let's just get to the nails shall we?

I started off with a base of Lime Crime Crema di Limon. When that was dry I stamped over it with BM-422 using Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold. Then I used L.A Colors Black and BM-401 for the little bumble bees, I just stamped them in different directions. I top coated everything with Poshe and the design was finished!

This nail design was super fun to wear on my nails! It looks so complicated but it's really quite simple to do. Have you done any bumble bee nails? Link them in my comments and I'll check them out!! 

Thanks so much loves :) 

A special birthday celebration!

I just love birthdays don't you? I mean my birthday is my favorite ;) But I really love all birthdays, it gives you a reason to get all dressed up and go out and have a great time with the birthday boy/girl. Who wouldn't love that?!

Speaking of birthdays... someone special just turned 21! My baby of a boyfriend (yes I'm older than him LOL) turned the big 2-1 on April 30th and I have to say we all had such an amazing time! 

I know this post is kind of late but hey, what do I always say? Better late then never right? And there's no way I wasn't going to show you guys these nails!

I told Tylor (the bf) he could decide what I wore on my nails for his birthday and the first words out of his mouth were "fire-chicken!" I know you guys won't get it lol but at his house we call everything chicken and he had just recently picked up an 85 Fire Bird that has the huge bird-logo-thing on the front and of course he wanted me to paint them on my nails. -_- <- that was literally the face I made at him LOL I was on a limited time schedule and he picks the most detailed thing he can think of! But it was his birthday so I sucked it up and gave him what he wanted :)

So I present to you the "fire-chicken nails". I started with a base of Wet'n'Wild Black Creme and waited for it to dry. When it was finally dry I used Maybelline Bold Gold and a small detail brush to paint in all of the details. On my four nails I did the abstract design to resemble the feathers in the logo and on my thumb I squeezed the whole chicken on there. I finished everything off with a layer of Poshe to give it a nice shine. 

It's not my best work but for being so short on time I'm pretty proud of it and Tylor absolutely loved them so I'm happy that they came out the way they did!

What do you guys like to do on your nails for a birthday celebration?

Thanks for reading chickens! See ya next time ;) 

St. Patrick's Day Pot O'Gold Mini Leopard Nails

Happy St. Patrick's Day cupcakes!

I don't really celebrate the holiday myself but it sure is fun to create some nail art for the occasion! Green is not usually a color that I reach for... I don't know why really, I love green, but it's not my first choice for manicures, weird. 

But, St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to remedy that situation :)

For this particular design I really wanted to try my hand at some mini leopard print, and surprisingly enough it didn't turn out too bad! 

I started with a base of Essie Blanc and then created the gradient using Zoya Mitzi, China Glaze I'm With The Lifeguard, and China Glaze Con-Fused?. When that was dry I created the mini leopard print with black acrylic paint and the spots with Essie Penny Talk. I top coated with some Poshe and I'm ready for St. Patty's Day!

I'm actually really surprised that these didn't take that long, I finished them in around an hour and a half. And as far as this being my first attempt, I'm very happy with them! But there's plenty of room for improvement and I'm looking forward to tacking these again. :)

What do you think guys? What are you doing for St. Patrick's Day?
Thanks loves :) 

Grinding those steampunk gears

It's been quite a while since I've used any stamping plates...

It's not that I don't like stamping because I actually love it, it's just that my favorite thing to do is free hand work and the only way to get better is to practice right? But for those times when I'm short on time I really love picking up my stamping plates and going to town and that's what happened this time :) 

I sat down to do my nails the other night and realized I only had right around an hour to get them finished. So I closed my eyes and reached into my untrieds pile and grabbed OPI German-icure by OPI. German-icure by OPI is a gorgeous vampy blackened burgundy that just seems to glow from within. I knew I wanted to do some gold stamping over it and the gear stamp BM-414 from Bundle Monster's newest 2013 'create your own' stamping set was begging to be used ;) I used Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold for the stamping and finished it off with some Poshe. I really love the finished product, check it out :) 

Oh and.... STEAMPUNK ALL THE THINGS!!! :)

Burgundy and gold just make the perfect pairing don't you think? I had forgotten how much I enjoyed stamping so I'm definitely going to be doing more in the future.

What do you all think?

Thanks so much loves :) 

New Year's Eve dotticure

The end of 2013 is finally here...

With the new year comes looking back upon the life we've lived the year before and new resolutions for the year ahead. Me? I have to say I'm more then ready to see 2013 go. I seem to reflect a lot around this time of year and they don't say 13 is unlucky for nothing. This year has been the luckiest unlucky year of my life (if that makes any sense ;)). 2013 has been the biggest life changing year I've had. My ex-boyfriend of 5 years committed suicide in February and that was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. I went from being on top of the world to having nothing. Then when I tried to make something from all of the nothing his family turned on me. There was a whole lot on my plate, and no one to help me clean it. But it made me a stronger person and through the pain I found something precious, love. I found someone who takes my pain and fears away and always knows the right thing to say when I'm feeling like the world is crushing me. He is honestly the most caring, thoughtful, and loving man I have ever met and I consider myself one of the luckiest girls alive. I'm sure you all don't want to hear the sappy ;) but there's something very special about him, he's the one who showed me how to smile and laugh again when I thought I never would. He is the one who shoved me in the right direction and inspired me to follow my dreams; dreams that lead me to getting my nail tech license and never letting me give up on this blog. He knows me, and he knows what I love most, nail polish! 

Speaking of nail polish, I'm sure you guys are done listening to my little reflection so let's move on to what you're here for! For my New Year's Eve manicure I wanted to do something a little different from the usual, black, gold, and silver... even though I absolutely love that combination! I've been feeling teal colors lately so I decided to switch out the silver for some teal and I haven't done a dotticure in far too long so I'm going to fit one more in before the year is finished!

I started with a base of Wet'n'Wild Black Creme. When that was dry I added the dots using China Glaze Mingle With Kringle and Zoya Zuza. For my ring I made a stripe of China Glaze Mingle With Kringle down the center of my nail and lined it with Zoya Zuza on either side. Then with acrylic paint I painted "MMXIV" [2014 in roman numerals]. I top coated it all with Poshe and I'm ready to partay!! ;) 

And here's a little extra picture, just because I'm in the sappy mood ;) When my boyfriend asked me out he actually painted it on his short little nails in pink polish! He used China Glaze Pool Party, my favorite neon pink! Awwwwww ;) Excuse the poor condition of his hands, he's a diesel mechanic and this is about as clean as they get with scrubbing LOL! 

2013 has come and almost gone, I'm much stronger then I was when it started and I'm jumping into 2014 and chasing my dreams. Who knows, maybe I'll catch some this year ;) 

Thanks for always sticking it out with me guys, my blog is a source of true happiness for me and I hope that sometimes I can brighten your day too. :) 

What's your New Year's resolution?