Galaxy Nails

After seeing several gorgeous galaxy nail design floating around on nail art blogs, I had to try to recreate it for myself. Here is my first attempt- I think it is pretty, but nowhere near as mesmerizing or multidimensional as some others I have seen.

Polishes used:

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Black Diamond

Zoya Dove

Zoya Creamy

Wet n Wild Blazed

Milani 3D Holographic High Res

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Strobe Light
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in White Tip

Here is the tutorial, by youtuber CUTEPOLISH, I followed to create this design:

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Posted in Nail Art , Nail Polish

Frankenstein Nails ft. Zoya Yara

Happy All Hallow's Eve weekend! 

To get into the holiday spirit, I recreated this Frankenstein design that I have seen floating around on some blogs lately. Despite the fact that my cuticles are a mess, I totally adore this mani. I used two coats of Zoya's Yara, a phenomenal olive green with gold shimmer, and a Kiss nail art polish for the design.

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Posted in Nail Art , Nail Polish , Zoya

Beautiful Brains: Tribal Nail Art, and thoughts on Columbus Day

Today is Columbus Day. 
Although this probably isn't a national holiday most Americans get overly excited about (we still have work and school, after all), it saddens me that we dedicate a day to what is in fact a very dark part of our country's history and origins. I am hoping that by now you all know that the narratives surrounding Columbus Days are largely national myths that attempt to conceal the realities of physical and cultural genocide against indigenous populations. Of course, this history isn't typically taught to us in school. The education system would much rather teach children fairy tales about benevolent Indians and brave, friendly colonialists as they draw pictures of pilgrims and the Mayflower. Most Columbus Days, my mother kept me home from school because she cherishes her native ancestry and believes it is important that I learn the truth about what happened to her family's ancestors. I implore all Americans, regardless of whether or not you are personally connected to native communities in any way, to rethink Columbus Day.

Check out last year's PSA to Reconsider Columbus Day:

If you follow my blog, you might remember my verbose post on the 'going tribal' trend wherein I discussed cultural appropriation and commodification (check out that post here). I still stand behind every word written in that post, but I am also the first to admit that some things that fall under the 'going tribal' trend umbrella are pretty flippin' cute. Fringe boots? I want a pair so bad. Feather hair extensions? Some say they are overplayed, but I still think they are adorable. And this tribal nail art design I have seen floating around blogs? I had to recreate it. I don't pretend to know where the line is between fashion and offensive cultural appropriation, because that line is really subjective. More than anything, I think it is important we always consider the political and cultural implications of our fashion and beauty choices. As the activism around Reconsidering Columbus Day shows us, the politics surrounding tribal history and Indigenous cultural survival are contemporary issues. We can't pretend that our participation in the fashion and beauty industries is somehow disconnected from our social and historical context.

With all of my political considerations and disclaimers said, this is my first attempt at the 'tribal' nail art design. Overall, I feel like it is a decent first go, although my rendition comes off a little bit 'East egg' to me. If you all are interested in a tutorial, let me know- I would be more than happy to post one the next time I recreate this design.

Here are the polishes I used for this look:

L-R:

Zoya Keko- 2 coats as base color

Essie Turquoises & Caicos- stripes painted on with cheap eyeliner brush

Kiss Nail Art Polishes in White, Black, and Silver Glitter- to create details

What do you think of this design? Interested in a tutorial?

Any thoughts about the 'going tribal' trend or Columbus Day?

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Posted in Beautiful Brains , Essie , Nail Art , Nail Polish , Zoya

NOTD: Black Ice

After a long coral binge, my eyes are set on darker, edgy, and vampy colors for my nails. Apologies for the picture heavy post, but I am head over heels for this mani, which looks like shattered ice over a black road. To truly appreciate this you need to see it in person when the flakies shift colors in the light.

To achieve this mani, I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Black out, topped with Studio M Nail Color in Covered in Diamonds. Covered in Diamonds is a clear base packed with huge flakies that reflect blue, green, orange and pink. It is a little difficult to work with, but with patience and coat of Seche Vite all is golden.

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Posted in Nail Art , Nail Polish , Sally Hansen , Studio M

Lady Gaga 'Judas' Inspired Nail Art (Fail?)

By now it is no secret that I am totally enamored with Lady Gaga, and as a beauty junkie I often look to her aesthetic for inspiration. Gaga rocks some really intense nails in her 'Judas' music video: pointed green and black talons encrusted with gold chain links and gem stones. Omitting the sharpened claws, here is my interpretation of the look. I really want to love it....but I feel like I'm wearing gaudy Christmas sweaters on my nails. The edginess of Gaga's look was lost in my rendition and replaced with tacky Holiday cheer. I almost didn't post this, but I think it is important to acknowledge our successes as well as our epic failures! I can't help but laugh every time I look down at my hands!

I used Sally Hansen Black Diamond and Jumpin' Jade as the base coats, then mattified them with Hard Candy's matte top coat (which I realize now was pointless since I used Seche Vite afterwards). The using Zoya Jules, I created the gold rings with a toothpick. The gems were created using Black Diamond, Jumpin' Jade, and Zoya Faith. The mimic the 3D effect I applied some red and green bindis to random nails, and sealed it all in with coat of Seche Vite. I worked too long on these to take them off, so I am going to try to rock these for a few days.

Tell me about your nail art fails! Have you ever had a great design idea that totally crashed and burned in execution?

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Posted in Hard Candy , Lady Gaga , Nail Art , Nail Polish , Sally Hansen , Seche Vite , Zoya

Zoya Creamy + Nail Bindis

 Yellow polish is really out of my comfort zone. I always figured it would make my hands look sallow and sickly, but I figured I would give the yellow lacquer trend a fair shot. Yellow nails have been spotted on a hoard of celebrities in the past few months, namely Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Katy Perry, and of course Chanel debuted the coveted shade Mimosa. Instead of dropping $25 on a polish (although I must admit it looks lovely), I opted for Zoya's Creamy. Creamy is a banana yellow that is simultaneously bold and soft. I love that even though it is bright it is still...well...creamy. As it turns out, it doesn't make my hands look sickly and I am now all about yellow polish! The formula is not as wonderful as the color, unfortunately. The formula tended to get goopey and I had difficulty getting it to even out on my nail. Nonetheless, I got opaque coverage in 2 coats and Seche Vite helped to smooth it out.

For a summery accent, I added a few tiny bindis to each index finger. I studied abroad in India for 5 months in undergrad and picked up a few packs of bindis while I was there. It has been over three years and I haven't used them much (maybe I could rock a Gwen Stefani circa 1998? Probably not.) Turns out the small ones make great gems for nail art. I just placed them on my nail with an orange stick and put a layer of Seche Vite on top. I have worn this mani for a few days, and those little buggers haven't budged! I am really impressed that they have survived vigorous hair washing and manic keyboard typing, and they don't show any signs of budging. You can probably pick up bindis at a local Indian grocer or shop; if not, they are bound the be found online!

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Posted in Nail Art , Nail Polish , Zoya

NOTD: Tips from the Dive Bar

I have always been a big lover of french manicures, but I quickly get bored with the white tips. I'm just not enough of a lady for that classic look. Using a bright color or a dark color instead of white transforms the traditional french manicure into a fun, edgy look. I have used black, neon pink, dark purples, glitter polishes, and others and they all have come out really awesome! For this mani, I applied two coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Sheer Strawberry over the whole nail. For the tips I am using one coat of Essie's Dive Bar, which is probably my favorite Essie polish. It is an interesting shimmery blackened blueish turquoise, and the formula is really opaque and easy to apply. After free-handing the tips (I don't care for the sticky french tip guides, but you could use those or even scotch tape if you prefer), I topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite to prolong the wear and give it that hard, glossy almost acrylic look.

PS- Get it? Tips...from the bar? Dive bar? Get it? Oh, nevermind :)

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Posted in Essie , Nail Art , Sally Hansen , Seche Vite

I love that lavender blonde...Lady Gaga Inspired Mani featuring Zoya Marley and Zoya Skye

I love that lavender blonde. The way she moves, the way she walks. I touch myself, can't get enough."- Lady Gaga in "So Happy I Could Die"

I am a serious Lady Gaga fan, but I have been particularly obsessed this past week since her new album Born This Way was released. It is truly phenomenal, and has a killer 80's vibe that I am loving. Gaga as a performance artist and fashion icon is constantly evolving. Her sound and her aesthetic undergo continuous transformation, but there is a special soft spot in my Little Monster heart for her lavender blonde days. This picture epitomizes this look, with her beige pleather bow, lavender blazer and lips, and black glasses and watch. There is something so yummy and sexy about this color palette of nude, powdery pale purple, and dashes of stark black. Here is the mani I created inspired by this look!

This is the first tape mani I have done, and I followed Jane from Nailslide's tutorial (direct link to the tutorial, called "Laser Tape Mani," is here).  Jane is a tape mani genius and offered wonderful step-by-step instructions. My mani is a little rough, but I think it is respectable for a first attempt! The tape is tricky to work with, but I am sure that with practice, and more of Jane's awesome advice, I will get the swing of it.

I fist applied two coats of Zoya Sky, a pinky nude, over my base coat.

Then I cut thin strips of scotch tape, stuck them on the back of my hand once to remove the excess stickiness, and then placed them on my nail in the desired pattern.

Then I applied one thick coat of Zoya Marley, a lavender with a subtle silver finish, to my nail and immediately and carefully pulled off the tape. Marley is a divine polish with the perfect consistency, and I was happy to find that it went opaque in one quick coat for this design. I also did one accent nail in Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Black Diamond to replicate Gaga's look.

It looked pretty rough, but Seche Vite smoothed it all out in the end. Here is the finished look!

Ignore the rouge hair that attached itself to my thumb! Bah.

Anyone else have Gaga's new album? Have you tried tape manis? Any tips for a tape mani newbie?

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Posted in Lady Gaga , Nail Art , Nail Polish , Power Femmes , Sally Hansen , Zoya

Haul: Wet n Wild Color Icon, Sinful Colors Nail Art, & Seche Vite

With Project 10 Pan behind me, I celebrated the end of my no-buy with a few drug store picks that I have had my eye on. I don't think any of these products are new, but they are new to me :)

I love Urban Decay eye shadows, but not their price tag. Their palettes are generally a steal, but I would have to really be obsessed with a shade to spend $17 on a single shadow. However, more affordable drug store brands can be really hit or miss. I had always assumed that because Wet n Wild is dirt cheap that their products would be crap. But the online beauty community has been buzzin' about their shadows, so I picked up a few and am so glad I did. Just from swatching, I can tell they are crazy pigmented, very smooth, and there are a few really unique colors.

I bought the Color Icon collection in Comfort Zone, and Color Icon trios in Spoiled Brat, Silent Treatment, Sweet as Candy, and I'm Getting Sunburned. I intend to do individual looks and reviews on these, so keep an eye out.

I also picked up four Sinful Colors Nail Art polishes in Sunny Day, Me First, Sour Grapes, and Orange Alert. Can you even handle these?!?! These neon babies are going to make some stellar summer manicures, and at $1.99 each I couldn't pass these up.

I might be the last nail polish lover on the planet to pick this up. I usually only have time to do my nails in the evening, and often times I go to bed with what I believe to be dry nails and wake up with a manicure ruined by fabric marks and dents. Hopefully this Seche Vite will cut down my drying time.

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Posted in Haul , Nail Art , Nail Polish , Seche Vite , Sinful Colors , Wet n Wild