2014 Plaid

Inspiration: Color

Products: Color Club Mod in Manhattan, Lakur Chimes of the City, CoverGirl Glowing Nights Glosstini #AfterDark, Nabi New Emerald

Thoughts: Plaid came back in 2014 in a big way, so why not celebrate NYE with some on my nails!  I love this color combination and was very impress with the two brands I used that were new to me.

Christmas Touchup

Inspiration: Color

Products: Color Secrets Amelie, Salon Perfect Glam Glitter

Thoughts: So I had a little trouble with Sugar Cube (white polishes and I never fully get along), so I had to remove it from all but my thumb.  Because I like the green dots, I hastily painted the now bare nails with green on Christmas Eve Day.  By Christmas Day, they were showing some edge wear, so I added some glitter to the tips.  My nails are now totally festive!

Sugar Cookies

Inspiration: Color

Products: Salon Perfect He's with Me, Sugar Cube, Champagne Toast, Sugar Cookie

Thoughts: I thought my mom and I needed some Christmas nails, and of my Christmas glitters, she picked Sugar Cookie because she had never seen round glitter dots before.  As her favorite color is red, I based her nails with He's with Me and did mine in Sugar Cube.  To help the glitter pop, I topped Sugar Cube with Champagne Toast first to add some gold to the white.

Master Ruffian Toes

Inspiration: December 2014 Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Bag and December 2014 Birchbox 

Products: Ruffian Ruffian Red, Rainbow Honey The Master

Thoughts: As soon as I saw The Master, I knew I wanted to layer it over Ruffian Red for the perfect Christmas toe.  The Master has flecks of gold which really shine on top of Ruffian Red.  The bottle of Ruffian Red I used was not the actual one from this month's Birchbox because I already had one; my Birchbox bottle is up FSOT here if anyone is interested.

Woland on Target

Inspiration: Stay on Target on page 73 of the November/December 2014 issue of Nail It! and December Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Bag

Products: China Glaze Silver Platinum, Rainbow Honey Woland, Art Club Nail Art Duo White and Black

Thoughts: This tutorial looked fun, and when I received my December Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Bag, I knew I would have to incorporate Woland into it.  To do so, I went with a silver background instead of black.  The deep purple of Woland looks amazing over the silver, but appears more black in the pictures.

In the Box: December 2014 Birchbox

It has been MONTHS since I have received any nail polish in my Birchbox (clicking will take you through my referral link).  Well, this month I did.  If you have not figured it out already, Ruffian is my FAVORITE polish brand, and they are exclusive to Birchbox.  This month, I received Ruffian Red, which I already have, so will be swapping or glittering, but I was still excited to see it in my box because this little bottle retails for the price of a month of Birchbox.

What other goodies did I get?  Hayadi Relief Hair Mask, Manna Kadar LipLocked in Lucky, Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24Hr Mascara, SeaRX Microdermabrasion Face and Body Scrub

Christmas Star

Inspiration: Solar Attraction on page 73 of the November/December 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Julep Stefani and Bunny, Art Club Nail Art Duo White

Thoughts: The tutorial showed how to do a white-on-white sun, but as I cannot even draw a circle with my right hand, there was no way I could with my left, so I went with a simple star for the holiday season.  Out of all the whites and greys I have, I went with these two because they both have gold microflecks, although they are more noticable in Stefani than Bunny.

Thanksgiving Spice

Inspiration: Color

Products: Julep Ingrid and Tatiana

Thoughts: I wanted to do a horizontal stripe of Tatiana across each nail, but my painter's tape (which is amazing), was pulling up Ingrid even though it had been on for half an hour.  I ended up just topping Ingrid with Tatiana, but even after two hours, Ingrid still seems to be wet.

Holiday Toast Toes

Inspiration: Color

Products: Color Club On the Rocks and Top Shelf

Thoughts: I love metallics on my toes, and even though it is cold and my feet are mainly covered, I had to put these two colors immediately on after receiving them in a swap.

Grey to Greenscale

Inspiration: November Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Bag

Products: Rainbow Honey Aurora and Grayscale

Thoughts: I didn't acheive as much of an ombre as I was hoping for; I probably should have reversed the colors, though.  These are two excellent glitters, though - both full coverage in one coat.

Divergent Diagonals

Inspiration: Color

Products: Julep Stefani and Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat

Thoughts: I was trying to imitate a sweatshirt I had with my nails, and this actually turned out really well.  My secret?  Painter's tape!

Interstellar Coffee

Inspiration: October Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Bag

Products: Rainbow Honey Cafe con Leche and Zi

Thoughts: This might have been my favorite Rainbow Honey mystery bag so far because I love both of these colors - especially together - and it came with a full size All Your Base base coat (I was almost out of my mini).  The soap and perfume in Sweet November was also awesome, but the lip balm in L'orange Ganache is not me.

Fierce Power

Inspiration: Color

Products: Color Club Feverish and Fierce, Art Club Nail Art Duo Black

Thoughts: I love Color Club's current Seven Deadly Sins collection of matte glitter!  Fierce is such an awesome take on a classic red glitter, and Feverish compliments it nicely.  These two came as a set on Zulily (clicking will take you through my referral link), and while this set is no longer available, they do have some other Color Club sets for only $8.99.

Black on Black

Inspiration: Black on Black on page 77 of the September/October 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Ruffian Ruffian Cire Noir and Ruffian Matte, Art Club Nail Art Duo Black

Thoughts: Beyond easy nail art, especially with the Art Club Nail Art Duo pen tip.  What is really nice about this is that the dots don't have to be perfect because it is black on black.

Brush Off

Inspiration: Brush Off on page 75 of the September/October 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Color Club French Tip, Macaroon Swoon, Je T'aime, La Petite Mint-sieur, and Holy Chic!

Thoughts: I am not the best dry-brusher (set-painting-wise) unless I have the perfect beat-up, paint-glued brush, so I was not sure how this would turn out.  I didn't get the really cool brush strokes, but instead an equally amazing watercolor feel.

Warm Metal Toes

Inspiration: Color

Products: Ruffian Relic, Ambrosia, and Rosary

Thoughts: My absolute favorite nail polish company is Ruffian.  Their bottles may be small and on the pricier side, but they are truly one-coat coverage and really last.  The Rapture collection contained these three warm metallics, and I just had to put them on my toes for fall.

Ombre Dots

Inspiration: Ombre Dots on page 75 of the September/October 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Color Club Insta-This and French Tip, Essie Bobbing for Baubles, Rainbow Honey 488nm

Thoughts: The tutorial said to use a bobby pin, but I had a dotting tool, so I just went with that.  I must have done well with my dots because my husband asked if it was "one of those stick on thingies" and was surprised when I said I had done them myself.  I did forget that 488nm looks different on my nails than it does in the bottle and on my swatch wheel, so it was more teal than I wanted; I probably could have used Julep Annie for a truer light blue, but I do like 488nm better.

On a Thread

Inspiration: On a Thread on page 76 of the September/October 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: CoverGirl Glowing Nights Glosstini After Dark, 100% Pure Velouria

Thoughts: This was pretty fun, but it is very interesting how my left hand (bottom) looks like modern art (like it is supposed to), and my right (top) looks like I actually tried to place the lines.

In the Box: Fall 2014 Walmart Beauty Box

I am not the biggest fan of Walmart, but there was no way I could pass up a $5 quarterly beauty sample box!  The first box totally exceeded my expectations and even included a nail polish!  This is cute little CoverGirl Glowing Nights Glosstini in After Dark, which is such a me shade.

What other goodies did I get?  Secret Clinical Strength Clear Gel in Completely Clean, Dove Advanced Hair Series Oxygen Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, and Pure Care Dry Oil, L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Pink Me Up and Pore Vanisher, Pink Friday by Nicki Minaj, Neutrogena Nourishing Long-Wear Makeup.

Greens and Blues (and Toes)

Inspiration:  September 2014 Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Box

Products: Rainbow Honey Asteroid B, Salacia, and Sugarberries

Thoughts: Each of the three colors in this month's Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Box was a huge hit for me.  Although I could not find a good way to use all three colors in a design, they were so much fun to play with!  Asteroid B and Salacia both have awesome shimmery microglitter and wonderful holographic mini shapes.  Sugarberries is more full coverage, has a little chunkier glitter, and is the perfect red for fall.  The box also included body lotion, body balm, and hand soap in a new fragrance - Pomme Rouge.

Mod Deco

Inspiration: Color

Products: Ruffian Ruffian Red, Orly Masked Ceremony, Art Club Nail Art Duo White

Thoughts: I was trying to emulate a dress that I have, but my left had slipped while striping my right (I always start my nail art using my non-dominant hand for this very reason), so I had to modify and it came up with a sort of art deco look that I liked.

Seeing Spots

Inspiration: Seeing Spots on page 77 of the September/October 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Ruffian Fox Hunt, Spellbound Belladonna, Art Club Nail Art Duo Black

Thoughts: This tutorial made leopard spots looks super easy, but they aren't that easy.  Even though they are supposed to be imperfect, you still need a steady hand.  These did not turn out bad, but I'm definitely not winning any awards here.

Cool Camo

Inspiration: Cool Camo on page 76 of the September/October 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Color Club Breakfast At..., London Calling, and Wild Cactus, Ruffian Ruffian Cire Noir

Thoughts: This was fun and easy, although I think it looks a little more like modern art than camo.  Slight tangent, here - why is this love green shade called Breakfast At...?  It is definitely green, not blue!

Beetle

Inspiration:  Nail It! Nailtini Nail Art Contest #2

Products: Color Club La Petite Mint-seur, Rainbow Honey Tessellate, and Art Club Nail Art Duo Black

Thoughts: To celebrate their partnership with Nailtini this month, Nail It! Magazine is running three Instagram contests based on the mood boards for each of their three polishes.  This last contest is based on fiery beetles and iridescent fashion.  I decided to do a beetle as an accent nail.

Digging for Diamonds

Inspiration: Libertine: Digging for Diamonds on page 32 of the July/August 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Julep Tin Man, mystery color, Camille, and Max

Thoughts: I love the sparkle of these nails (I mean, I did use four glitters after all)!  I didn't do the last step of applying craft glitter diamonds because I thought that would be just a tad too much.  The black and gold glitter does not have a name, but it came in the Julep New Years Eve 2012 mystery box.

Modern Love

Inspiration:  August 2014 Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Box

Products: Rainbow Honey 488nm, Modern Hearts, and Royal Fruits Scented Top Coat (not pictured)

Thoughts: Would I normally have layered hot pink chunky glitter over a blue creme?  Probably not, but since those were the two color's in this month's Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Box, I figured what the heck...and it turned out awesome!  The blue background really makes the white hearts and pink, purple, and orange hexes pop.  Also, the glitter coat darkened the blue just a little, which I love!  The top coat is also awesome. It dried fast, no sheet marks the next morning, and I can still smell it 24 hours later.

In the Box: Limited Edition Birchbox for CEW Prestige

Last year's LE CEW boxes were amazing, so I was so excited I saw this year's on Birchbox (clicking will take you through my referral link) again! The Mass Market box, I think, was better than the Prestige box, but the Prestige box was the only one with nail polish this year.  I received a bottle of 100% Pure Creamy Nail Polish in Velouria.  It is a rather boring nude, but the formula is nice.

What other goodies did I get?  COOLA Environmental Repair Plus Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion, Fekkai Brillant Glossing Creme, Josie Maran Cosmetics, Philosophy Miracle Worker Overnight, a pocket mirror, and toe separators.