Plumeria Trellis

Inspiration: Layered to Perfection on page 47 of the May/Junel 2015 issue of Nail It!

Products: Ruffian Lady of the Night, No More Tears, Love to Love

Thoughts: My middle layer went on nicely, but I really thought the pink flowers would pop more.  Still learning which polishes stamp well and which do not.

Drenched in Deco

Inspiration: Drenched in Deco on page 71 of the March/April 2015 issue of Nail It!

Products: Ruffian Ruffian Cire Nior, Salon Perfect He's with Me, Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure Wedding Glitters

Thoughts: Another super easy and classy design!  Some of my dots did run together, but it still keeps the overall art deco look.  Definitely a great and easy look for a special night out.

Something New

Inspiration: Something New on page 73 of the March/April 2015 issue of Nail It!

Products: Ruffian Sahara, Art Club Nail Art Duo Silver Glitter

Thoughts: This is an incredibly easy and classy nail design, especially if you use a striper polish such as an Art Club Nail Art Duo.  Unfortunately, my phone does not like certain shades of glitter, this being one, and refuses to photograph well.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

Negative Space Knit

Inspiration: Emerson: Negative Space Knit on page 32 of the July/August 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products: Ruffian Ruffian Cire Noir, China Glaze Hook and Line, Julep Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat

Thoughts: I have never tried a negative space mani before, but this was really simple and the painter's tape worked excellently!  I love the look of the soft grey sponged over the black.

In the Box: Birchbox Limited Edition Modern Mermaid

I always love when Birchbox (clicking will take you through my referral link) does LE boxes!  As soon as I saw Ruffian featured in the new Modern Mermaid box, I knew I would be buying it.  Ruffian is seriously the best polish I have ever used.  It's on the pricier side, but the formula is amazing.  Modern Mermaid came with the Endless Summer trio - Endless Summer, Sahara, and Blue Lagoon.

What other goodies did I get?  Anatasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat, Atelier Cologne Cedrat Enivrant Cologne Absolue Travel Spray, Captain Blankenship Mermaid Mane Sea Salt Spray, Coola Liplux SPF 30 Original Formula, Stephanie Johnson Mermaid Mirror, and Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in Electric Navy.

Green and Purple

Inspiration:  Color

Products: Color Club Wild Cactus, Ruffian Delirium

Thoughts: Been wearing a lot of green lately, so thought I would put some on my nails.  And this purple (which always look different every time I try to photograph it)?  Totally my favorite color.

So Clutch

Inspiration:  Gold Rush - So Clutch on page 104 of the March/April 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products:  Ruffian Ruffian Naked, Orly Halo, Art Club Nail Art Duo Black, China Glaze What a Pansy

Thoughts: Still not the best with a striping brush, but other than that, this was a pretty easy mani.  I absolutely love What a Pansy even if the pics make it look a little darker (the top pic is closer to the true color than the bottom).

Go Bloom

Inspiration:  Runway Nail Art How To: Go Bloom! on page 36 of the March/April 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products:  Ruffian Ruffian Cire Noir and Delirium, Art Club Nail Art Duo White, Essie Jamaica Me Crazy, Finger Paints Art Nouv-Yellow and Art Hue Serious?

Thoughts: This ended up being a little easier than it looks, but I did end up not putting the final black outlines and dots on because I simply had no room.  In the picture, Delirium looks blue, but it is really the most awesome royal purple.  And I'm not sure why my non-accent nails turned out so bubbly.  My mom was watching me paint it, and it wasn't until the end that she understood it was a flower, not a starfish, but now I'll have to try a starfish over the summer.

For the Foil of It

Inspiration:  Straight from the Catwalks! - Libertine: For the Foil of It on page 42 of the January/February 2014 issue of Nail It!

Products:  Ruffian Ruffian Cre Noir, It's So Easy Foil 'Em Kit

Thoughts:  Love this look of blue foil on black polish, and it was SO easy to do!  The magazine instructions have a third step of adding crystals, but I like this as is (plus none of my crystals looked right with it).

Scarf Plaid

Inspiration: Color

Products: Ruffian Ruffian Red, Ruffian Naked, and Ruffian Cre Noir

Thoughts: A few months ago, every Birchbox subscriber received one of the three colors in the Ruffian Crowdsourced collection.  I loved the formula so much, I ordered all of the Ruffian colors.  This mani feautres the Classics collection.  When I saw these three, they kinda reminded me of Burberry, so I decided to try a plaid.  I used an index card for the lines and it didn't turn out too bad for a first try.

Inky Noir Matte

Inspiration:  Color

Products:  Formula X for Sephora Hotter Under the Water from the Ariel Whatca-Nail-Call-It set, Ruffian Matte

Thoughts:  Of the three Disney Princess nail sets from Sephora, the Ariel one was definitely my fave, and part of that was due to the new Formula X for Sephora line.  Every polish I have tried from this brand so far has been excellent, and Hotter Under the Water only required one coat. I am also totally in love with their topcoat which I usually use on my nails (gives too much glare in pictures though, so normally I photographic before applying).  However, this time I used the Ruffian Matte topcoat that I just ordered from Birchbox.  I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out so I planned to try it this weekend.  I really wish I would have done this for work - edgy sophistication.