Antique Rose Design Tutorial

Hello fellow mani-maniacs! It has officially been a whole week since I last posted, and while my goal is to post WAY more often than that, this week was not a great week for painting my nails. Let me explain.

As the summer was winding down, it became increasingly obvious that my chances of finding an elusive music teaching job in the great city of Columbus were very slim. After a short quarter-life crisis, I accepted the fact that this year might be one of those years in life where I work odd-jobs to pay my rent and buy some time until something better came along. After applying to a few restaurants and a few nannying gigs, I found myself a job at a local daycare. Was I less than ecstatic to change poopy diapers and wipe snot from 2 year old’s faces? Yes. Was I going to be able to pay my rent by doing so? Yes. And so, I began my job at said daycare this past Monday. I actually really enjoyed the ladies I was co-‘teaching’ (babysitting) with, and I figured that even though this wasn’t the most stimulating job in the world, I could do it. My nails were still rocking OPI Roadhouse Blues, and I was getting excited to try out a new shade.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from a local private school asking me for an interview. I scheduled my interview for Wednesday, and I had to remove my beloved navy polish (you never know what an employer will feel about blue nails…). Then I had ANOTHER job interview for another great job on Thursday! I guess when it rains, it pours!! My nails were nude for 4 days in a row which, if you know me, is almost unheard of. On Thursday night (September 1st), I received the beautiful call offering me a full time teaching position. Who woulda thunk that I’d find a job in September!? Certainly not me. On Friday, I quit my job at the daycare (5 days was enough snot and poop to last me a lifetime…that’s for sure), and I start teaching SOON! 🙂

Obviously, my boyfriend and I went out on Friday night to celebrate my awesome luck. After a summer of healthy eating, I celebrated with some wings, a burger, sweet potato fries, and some delicious new fall beers. Even more exciting than this celebration was my celebratory trip to Sally Beauty on Saturday morning. Here’s where it REALLY gets exciting!

I picked up some new tools and brushes for some new nail art and designs that I’ve been thinking up, and I also snagged a few China Glaze shades from their newest fall Metro collection. This collection is pretty similar to OPI’s Touring America collection, and it even shares a few of the almost-exact same shades. It does have some amazing glitters and shimmers, though…which rules. (Things I love: GLITTER NAIL POLISH!)

The first shade I grabbed from the display was Westside Warrior – a great military green which is totally on-trend this season. It is nearly identical to OPI’s Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window (which is either a joke about about farting in the car or being pulled over…and judging by the green color…I’m going to go with the fart joke), but it is 3 bucks cheaper! I love the military trend, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Being that it’s Labor day today, I decided to take a few hours to clean the house and get organized. It’s only about 60 degrees today, so I decided to break out my awesome fall scarves (which is clearly the best part about fall…aside from the leaves changing and pumpkin spice lattes, of course). While arranging my scarves in my drawer, I came across one of my favorite scarves which got my nail-art wheels a’turning!

This scarf from Urban Outfitters is seriously awesome. I looked at it, looked at my new China Glaze polish…and everything clicked! I decided to give this antique rose design a whirl, and here’s how to do it:

 

 

Antique Rose palette from left to right: China Glaze Westside Warrior, Essie Pretty Edgy, Sally Hansen Green With Envy, Essie Tart Deco, Revlon Berry Rich, and Sally Hansen White Tip.

Antique Rose Design

1. Begin by painting nails with two coats of China Glaze Westside Warrior.

2. With a small brush (I used a very fine nail brush from Sally Beauty), paint a few scattered circles/ovals using Essie Tart Deco. These circles do NOT have to be perfect. In fact, they look more like roses if they are a little more ‘blob-ish’ and not totally opaque.

3. With the same nail brush, use Revlon Berry Rich to add some darker pink to the roses. I tried to make two swipes in the shape of a half-circle: one starting in the middle of the rose, and one tracing half of the outside of the rose.

4. With Sally Hansen White Tip, take the brush and add whatever white accents (in circular motions) to the roses that you like. To be honest, I was not precise at all. I just made some swipes of white and when it looked right, I stopped. Sometimes, I re-dipped my brush in the pinks and added some more. This is not a science…the more swipes, the more I think it looks like petals…so go crazy! Also, if you can layer the colors before they dry, they marble and mix really easily. Working fast is definitely helpful.

5. I mixed together Essie Pretty Edgy and Sally Hansen Green with Envy to create the color for my leaves. I didn’t have a green that I thought would look nice, so I made my own. If you have a green that would work, go for it! Using the same brush, I just dabbed some small ovals of green on each side of my roses, and Voila!

6. Top it all off with a coat of Seche Vite (or any top coat) and you’re finished!

Here is the final design next to the scarf that inspired it! I LOVE this look, and I think it’s a really cute way to lighten up the dark green trend. You can obviously use any base color and rose colors you like! This is more of an autumny take on the antique rose design, but there’s definitely ways to summer-it-up!

Do you have any great flowery nail art/design ideas?

Also, in honor of the beginning of college football and the Buckeyes’ first BIG win, I’ll leave you with this goofy bit of Scarlet-and-Grey inspired nail art. I was just testing out my new dotting tool, and I thought this was a fun way to get in the Buckeye spirit! (If you’re freaked out by feet, don’t scroll down.)

(My toes look a little crazy – but that’s because it’s actually really difficult to get a good angle of your toes when you’re taking the picture.) Until next time, GO BUCKS!!!!

Buckeye Toes!

OPI – Roadhouse Blues

Good evening readers! I feel terrible that it’s been as long as it has since I last posted, but the truth is that I just couldn’t bring myself to take off my last mani (OPI’s I Eat Mainely Lobster) to swatch a new color. I usually change up my nails about every two days, but when you buy a new color that is SO fantastic, it’s difficult to wipe it away while it’s still in its prime! As soon as my middle finger on my right hand started to chip a little, I knew it was a sign that the time had come to review a new color.

The transition between I Eat Mainely Lobster and my new fall manicure is very appropriate because today marks the end of my summer the beginning of autumn for me (even though it’s supposed to get up to 90 degrees this week…oy vey). I took this summer off to rest, relax, and get into shape after my first year of teaching, and I truly had an incredible summer. On top of plenty of r&r, I rocked some awesomely bright summer shades on my fingers and toes. Today, however, was the first day of my new job and the end of my summer vacation. While I’m pretty depressed, my amazing new polish from OPI’s Touring America collection makes my heart all aflutter!

This, my friends, is my new favorite fall shade: Roadhouse Blues.

OPI - Roadhouse Blues

OPI does a lot of things extremely well, but if there’s one thing that OPI has mastered more than any other brand, it’s dark shades. Who can forget Lincoln Park After Dark, Lincoln Park After Midnight, and Yes I Can-Can!?! They are PERFECTION! I feel comfortable adding Roadhouse Blues to this prestigious list of amazing darks, and here’s why: This is no ordinary navy blue. At first glance, it’s dark. It’s not black, but it’s very dark. But in the light and upon closer inspection, you can really see the blue/violet in the color. If you look at my picture, you’ll see what I mean. My nails look dark, but look at the bottle – it’s like a creme navy blue. If you look closely at my nails in person, they are just as blue. Roadhouse Blues is like the pastel of navy blues (does that make sense?). That’s the only way I can describe it. I love it. It is my new favorite dark, and I will definitely be rocking this all season and into the winter. The color goes on smoothly and was completely opaque in just two coats. I did experience some slight bubbling, but I’m pretty sure that’s my fault. I definitely rushed through this mani because Breaking Bad was new, and I couldn’t stand to wait another minute before watching it. I’m lucky I had any nails left after this past episode…Breaking Bad is as good at suspenseful cliff-hangers as OPI is at darks.

This week, as I was perusing my favorite nail blogs, I came across a few interesting interviews with Suzi Weiss-Fischmann – OPI’s vice-president and artistic director. Suzi (since I’ve read so many interviews, we’re essentially bff’s and we’re on a first name basis now) is in charge of creating and testing every single color that OPI releases AND naming the polishes with the ‘punny’ and catchy titles that everyone has come to love (aka Friar, Friar, Pants on Fire!). She is also, clearly, a Jewish woman (Weiss-Fischmann, anyone!?), and that RULES! I am obsessed with the fact that the “First Lady of Nails” is a strong Jewish woman involved in the Jewish community (read this), and she makes me feel a little better about splurging on OPI polishes. If I’m supporting a Jewish woman, I guess I should probably buy some more shades, right?

ANWAYS, the moral of my story is that in one of her interviews (that you can read here), Suzi says that her favorite manicure is chic – dark colors on short nails. So, Suzi, this one goes out to you! Mazel-tov on your beautiful collection and I can’t wait to see what’s up next! (OPI Muppet Collection = chunky rainbow glitter = the only Chanukah present I want this year!!!!)

OPI – I Eat Mainely Lobster

*Before I begin this post, I would like to share this with you all: One of my friends pointed out to me that when I type ‘polish’ or ‘polish person’ or ‘polish addict,’ it looks like Polish (as in sausage and perogies) to him. I thought that was hilarious, and I thought you might, too. I encourage you to read this post pronouncing ‘polish’ as ‘Polish’ in your head. It’s ridiculous.

Today was awesome for a few reasons. Here they are:

1. I had a really amazing work out with my trainer, and I am mere pounds away from my summer goal! (woo!)

2. I helped move my younger brother into his new college dorm. (SO. WIERD.)

3. After we ate at the family picnic (and indulged in some delicious raspberry-chip ice cream from Graeters), we took a trip to Target to pick up a few extra items my brother needed…and Target is right next door to my favorite beauty store. So, naturally, I picked up a few shades I’ve been lusting after from the new OPI Touring America collection.

If I had an unlimited income, I would have bought every shade in the display. They are all so beautiful. However, I don’t have an unlimited income AND I got slapped with a bogus speeding ticket yesterday for going 33 in a 25 ($126! Thanks Columbus!). So, I had to limit my splurge to just two polishes. I decided to go with one of the brightest shades and one of the darkest shades in the group in order to get an idea of the true range of this collection. (Also, they were my two favorites…so that also helped my decision.)

I’m going to start by reviewing what I think is the only true “bright” in the bunch: I Eat Mainely Lobster. I think the title is misleading because this polish is nowhere near lobster red…or red at all, for that matter. It is actually closer to a Barbie pink with a splash of orange. We’ll call it Barbie Coral. It has just a hint of pink shimmer, which is different from the other creme shades in the collection. (The shimmer is basically impossible to see in the photo, but it’s there. I promise.)  I Eat Mainely Lobster is bright, fun, and it’s surprisingly summery for a fall collection! I think this was OPI’s attempt to give us the perfect transition shade between summer and fall, and they succeeded. The application on this polish was awesome (as usual), and it really only needed 2 coats for complete opacity. I had one or two nails that looked a little streaky, so I gave all of them a third coat (to be fair, obviously).

When I approach a polish display, I naturally gravitate towards blues, greens, or purples. I have never been much of ‘pink person,’ and I think I probably have less than five pinks in my whole polish collection. I’m very excited to add a pink that I really love and actually enjoy wearing to my stash, so thank you OPI!

*See?! I told you if you read ‘Polish’ instead of polish it’s ridiculous!!!

Essie – Smooth Sailing and OPI – Last Friday Night

After my last post on Essie and it’s effect on my ability to leave the drugstore without some serious splurging, I feel like I need to prove why I love it so much. (SO MUCH.)

This Essie shade is called Smooth Sailing, and it’s from Essie’s most recent Brazilliant collection. The collection consists of two orangey shades, two red/pink shades, one neutral, and THIS. I love this.

Essie- Smooth Sailing

This shade is like slate blue and periwinkle’s lovechild. Throw in the fact that this polish has a beautiful silver/aqua/purple shimmer to it (look at the bottle), and you’ve got yourselves a perfect polish. This is a color that was great for the summer, but I know I’ll be wearing this color all winter long. Smooth Sailing screams bikinis and ocean breeze just as much as it screams icicles and snowflakes. (Wow…typing out the word icicle really makes you think about what a strangely spelled word it is. Icicle. Icicle. …weird.) The consistency of this polish is a little thick for my liking, but the first coat goes on with little streaking and the second coat seals the deal.

Just for fun, I decided to throw a coat of OPI’s Last Friday Night from the Katy Perry collection on top of this Essie gem to see what the duo might look like. I originally bought Last Friday Night hoping that I’d be able to wear it alone, but the harsh reality set in that in order to make this glitter polish suitable for a solo-ride on my nails, I had to paint 3 or 4 coats of it. Any mani-maniac knows that 3 or more coats of glitter polish = premature chipping. Bummer. So, I accepted the fact that Last Friday Night will just have to do as a top coat. It occurred to me tonight that painting one coat over Smooth Sailing might be interesting, and here it is!

Essie - Smooth Sailing & OPI - Last Friday Night

The base of Last Friday Night is a translucent blue, so it’s not easily layered over shades that aren’t blue-ish. I think this combination works well because the blue base doesn’t interfere too much with Smooth Sailing‘s original shade. Last Friday Night‘s glitter style is typical of OPI – larger hexagonal glitter with micro shimmer in the background. This polish sparkles with pink, aqua, and blue, and I love it. The consistency is thick, but…duh. It’s glitter. This glitter reminds me of something you would see an olympic ice skater (man or woman, I suppose) wearing…but not on their nails. On their WHOLE costume. And they’d probably be skating to The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. (close your eyes and picture it…you’ll see what I mean.) I love this combination, and I’ll definitely be pairing these power-polishes again!

What are your favorite glitter polishes?

Essie and the Demise of My Drugstore Routine

If you’re anything like me, your trips to CVS are simply incomplete without a short stroll down the cosmetics aisle. Sure, you might have run into the store with just a short list of items to purchase – perhaps a new deodorant or a package of Kleenex and a gallon of milk. You promise your boyfriend that he can stay in the car because you’re only running in. “Seriously, this time will be quick,” you swear. But now that you’re already in there…you might as well scope out the new polish inventory, right? RIGHT!

CVS and other drugstores are a mani-maniac’s dream (and the mani-maniac’s boyfriend’s nightmare). Their shelves are home to a myriad of brands, a rainbow of colors, and more nail art and nail accessories than anyone actually knows what to do with. What makes the drugstore polish purchase extra amazing, though, is the fact that you know you will walk through those automatic sliding doors back to the car (where your annoyed boyfriend waits) knowing that you did not break the bank. You can easily find almost any color your heart desires for less than $5.00…not bad! If you want to get a little fancier, you might be looking at closer to $6.50…which is not bad when you think about how much an OPI or Deborah Lippman shade will cost you. You can still feel proud of the great deal you got on your polish purchase…until…

Essie infiltrated our beloved bargain-polish aisles. (Damn you, Essie!)

Essie has always been one of my favorite polish brands. It’s right up there next to OPI in the quality of its polish and the scope and spectrum of its collections. In the past, I would treat myself to an Essie here or there when I went into the fancier beauty stores, but I mainly stuck to my drugstore favorites. A few months ago, however, my drugstore polish routine was turned upside down. Target, Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid all started carrying this posh polish line…and I started buying it. A lot of it. (oops.)

My first few Essie purchases were fine. I told myself that I was only splurging on this color because [insert ridiculous rationalization here]. But let’s be honest. Now, I look up and down the drugstore aisles, and none of the cheaper polishes even compare. So I spend [dramatic inhale……] $8.00 on a bottle of Essie almost every other time I hit the drugstores. It’s gotten to the point where I can no longer hold my head up high as I exit the store and face my boyfriend’s scornful eyes when I open the passenger side door. I can no longer smile and say “what? it was only 99 cents!” He knows the truth…and so do I. All I can say now is “what? It’s nail polish! At least I’m not blowing my money on booze and drugs like some people!…don’t look at me like that!” …I’m pathetic.

But now, friends, I have a blog – a purpose to purchase not only the wonderful bargain polish brands but also the lacquers-of-luxury. Right? RIGHT!

Oy vey…I’m going to need a second job.

What are your favorite drugstore polish brands? Favorite Essie shades?