Artsy Wednesday - Colour Blocking

We've decided to move Artsy Wednesday to every other week rather than weekly. I missed the last one so it's been a whole month since my last Artsy Wednesday post! 

I used neon colours so I used a white base to make the neon stand out. I started with a few coats of Atomic Oj over the Lily White base. Once that was dry I applied some tape down one side of my nail and painted on a few coats of Purple Pumps. You can see I was a bit impatient on my pinky nail and the polish lifted up when I removed the tape.

               NAIL ART INFO 

Polish Used:
Ulta3 - Lily White
Ulta3 - Atomic Oj
Ulta3 - Purple Pumps
China Glaze - Frostbite

Tools Needed:
Tape
Nail Art Brush

I used a nail art brush to apply Frostbite to the tips of my nails and finished with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

My poor broken nail has grown out just enough so that I could file them to the same length. It's been three weeks since I broke it. This post shows how short it was when I broke it if you're interested to see how much it's grown. I've only got one more swatch photo saved up from before the break and then I'll be sticking to nail art until it grows out a little more.

Visit the other Artsy Wednesday blogs for more colour blocking manicures:
Michelle - Lab Muffin

Maria - Maria's Nail Art

Catrine - Unnaked Nails

Melanie - Nail & Polish

Jessica - Beauty Gnome

Emily  - An Accent Nail

Ameerah - Valiantly Varnished

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Artsy Wednesday: Earthquake

Earthquake nails are not something I've seen a lot of but I like them. I asked my boyfriend to pick the colours and this is what he chose, I think he did well. 

To create this look you need to paint one colour on your nails as normal and then paint the other colour down one side of your nails only. Don't worry about getting the line too neat. Use a nail art brush to create the jagged line down the middle and that's it. It's very simple.

               NAIL ART INFO 

Polish Used:
China Glaze - Frostbite
RARE Nails - Thief
Ulta3 - Black Satin

Tools Needed:
Nail Art Brush

Visit the other Artsy Wednesday blogs for more earthquake manicures:

Michelle - Lab Muffin

Maria - Maria's Nail Art

Catrine - Unnaked Nails

Melanie - Nail & Polish

Jessica - Beauty Gnome

Emily  - An Accent Nail

Ameerah - Valiantly Varnished

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Artsy Wednesday - Butterfly Wing

I've been looking forward to this theme. I've seen lots of pretty butterfly win manicures and wanted to have a go at one myself. Up close mine looks kind of messy but from afar it looked good. 

I started with three coats of I'm With The Lifeguard and then sponged on Frostbite in the bottom corner. Once it had dried a bit I used the striping brush and Black Satin to create the lines and a larger nail art brush to fill in the tips. I used a dotting tool and Lily White to add dots of various sizes over the black tips. 

               NAIL ART INFO 

Polish Used:
China Glaze - I'm With The Lifeguard
China Glaze - Frostbite
Ulta3 - Black Satin
Ulta3 - Lily White

Tools Needed:
Makeup Sponge
Striping Brush
Nail Art Brush
Dotting Tool

Visit the other Artsy Wednesday blogs for more butterfly wing manicures:

Michelle - Lab Muffin

Maria - Maria's Nail Art

Catrine - Unnaked Nails

Melanie - Nail & Polish

Jessica - Beauty Gnome

Kamen - KAKA Beauty Blog

Emily  - An Accent Nail

Ameerah - Valiantly Varnished

Jean - Lacquered Lunatic

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December 2012 Haul

Each month I underestimate the amount of polish I have accumulated. It's not until I photograph them for my haul post that I realise I've accumulated quite a lot! This month I didn't actually buy all the polish you see pictured below as most of them were presents.

Left to right: Golden Ticket, Seasonal Sunset, Santa's Sunburn, Blue Gums On Boxing Day, Party By The Pool, Twinkling  Lights, Hot Summer Nights

Purchased from Pretty Serious.

I can't stop buying Pretty Serious nail polish. Kaz keeps coming out with some great shades and this time I was lucky enough to win a limited edition polish!

From left to right: Bali Mist, Let's Talk, Cinderella, Mint Apple

SinfulColors is now available in selected Target and Priceline stores I picked up four polishes. Cinderella and Mint Apple were on my wish list so I was able to cross those off. I got Bali Mist mostly for the name because I love Bali.

From left to right: O.P.I Yokohama Twilight, Chins Glaze Mummy May I, China Glaze Rainstorm, China Glaze Snow Globe, Hare Amethystos

I organised a Secret Santa for the Aussie Nails Facebook Group and this is what I received from Anthea of Nailed Obsession. She crossed most of these off my wish list and I still can't believe she found Mummy May I! I also got some nail stickers and a Rainbow Honey Sakura Matsuri scented cuticle balm stick, it smells awesome! All the polishes came with cute little bows which I'm going to leave on. Thanks so much Anthea!

My best friend Mardi got me these Ulta3 polishes and Scandal Purple Sparkle for Christmas. Check out the old school Ulta3 Bottle Green! I got in trouble for not keeping my stash list updated and she had to return all the Ulta3's that she had originally bought for me, sorry Mardi! That reminds me, I better go update my stash list after I finish this post. I'm looking forward to swatching all those pretty purples and pinks. Thanks Mardi!

My mum bought me these unnamed Beindulged polishes for Christmas. They came in a tube of 10 polishes, there was also a top coat but I haven't included that in the photo. I think these came from Kmart but I'm not sure if they were only available around Christmas time. These shades are some of my favourite colours, thanks Mum!

Lynnderella Connect the Dots was a gift from Cathy from More Nail Polish for guest posting on her blog! It also came with a personalised card that had a screen shot of my guest post. Thanks so much Cathy! I really didn't need a gift, it was a pleasure to guest post on your blog. 

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Artsy Wednesday - Christmas

My friend Jess asked me to do Candy Cane nails so that's the design I've chosen for Astsy Wednesday this week since it's Christmas themed.

  

Candy Cane nails are quite simple to do you only need red and white polish and some tape.

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Polish Used:
China Glaze - Ruby Pumps
Ulta3 - Lily White

Tools Needed:
Tape
Scissors

Start by applying the red polish, I used China Glaze - Ruby Pumps. You need to let the base dry completely before moving onto the next step. I used a coat of Seche Vite to speed up the drying time.

Once the base is dry, cut thin even strips of tape and apply them diagonally on each nail leaving an even gap between each strip. Press the tape down at the edges to stop the polish from getting underneath the tape. Once the tape is on your nails apply the white polish over the top. You can either peel the tape off straight away or wait for the white polish to dry. I prefer to remove the tape straight away for a crisper line. Make sure you peel the tape of carefully for either method.

Let the white polish dry a bit before adding top coat so you don't smudge the lines.

Visit the other Artsy Wednesday blogs for more Christmas manicures:

Michelle - Lab Muffin

Maria - Maria's Nail Art

Catrine - Unnaked Nails

Melanie - Nail & Polish

Jessica - Beauty Gnome

Kamen - KAKA Beauty Blog

Emily  - An Accent Nail

Ameerah - Valiantly Varnished

Jean - Lacquered Lunatic

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China Glaze - Pizzazz

Pizzazz is another multicolour glitter from the China Glaze Holiday Joy collection. It has a mix of large fuchsia and silver hex glitters and smaller green, light blue, yellow, orange fuchsia and silver hex glitter in a clear base. 

This was a little hard to apply so I used a dabble method to apply the glitter. 

Out of the two glitters I got from the Holiday Joy collection I much prefer Glitter All The Way but this is still pretty.

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: China Glaze

Name: Pizzazz
Number: 80654
Coats For Opacity: 3
Collection: Holiday Joy
Year: 2012
Colour: Multicolour
Finish: Glitter
Formula: Big 3 Free
Made In: USA
Volume: 14ml | 0.5 fl oz
Price: ~$2.86 - $3.10 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Head2Toe Beauty - $3.25 (USD)
Trans Design - $2.99 (USD)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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China Glaze - Glitter All The Way

Glitter All The Way is one of the two nail polishes from the Holiday Joy collection that I bought. Glitter All The Way has a mix of small purple, yellow and red glitter with slightly larger green hex glitter in a clear base. The glitter has great coverage and is opaque in three coats. 

Glitter All The Way dried fairly fast and is gritty when dry so you'll need a few coats of top coat for a glassy smooth finish. I used two coats of Seche Vite. 

I put this on to wear to my work Christmas party tomorrow. I have no idea what clothes I'm going to wear but I had planned my nails a few days ago. I'm wearing a PVA base coat so removal will be super easy! 

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: China Glaze

Name: Glitter All The Way
Number: 80650
Coats For Opacity: 3
Collection: Holiday Joy
Year: 2012
Colour: Multicolour
Finish: Glitter
Formula: Big 3 Free
Made In: USA
Volume: 14ml | 0.5 fl oz
Price: ~$2.86 - $3.10 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Head2Toe Beauty - $3.25 (USD)
Trans Design - $2.99 (USD)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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November Haul

I think I remember saying something about having a low buy November, well, that didn't happen. I think I'm going to try and have a low buy December instead. I've already planned to buy some Pretty Serious polishes tomorrow with the launch of the Christmas Without Snow collection but after that I'll try to last the rest of the month without buying any more. 

Here's what I purchased this month: 

 Pretty Serious - Galaxy Invader  [swatch]
Pretty Serious - Atomic Brain  [swatch]
Pretty Serious - Phantom Planet [swatch]
Purchased from Pretty Serious

 China Glaze - Let's Groove
China Glaze - Glitter All The Way
China Glaze - Pizzazz
Purchased from Head2Toe




China Glaze - Whirled Away  [swatch]
China Glaze - It's A Trapeze!  [swatch]
China Glaze - Escaping Reality  [swatch]
China Glaze - Surreal Appeal  [swatch]
China Glaze - Def Defying  [swatch]
China Glaze - Hanging In The Balance  [swatch]
Purchased from Head2Toe




China Glaze - Running In Circles  [swatch]
China Glaze - Water You Waiting For  [swatch]
China Glaze - Creative Fantasy [swatch]
China Glaze - Bend Over Backwards [swatch]
China Glaze - Igniting Love [swatch]
China Glaze - Get Carried Away [swatch]
Purchased from Head2Toe



China Glaze - Wild Mink
China Glaze - Melbourne Mauve
China Glaze - Queensland Clay
China Glaze - Great Barrier Beige
Purchased from Bankstown Nail Supply

Gloss 'n Sparkle - Goblins Grave

Gloss 'n Sparkle - Cookie Dough

Gloss 'n Sparkle - Edge Of The World

Purchased from Gloss 'n Sparkle

Ulta3 - Exotic Canary
Ulta3 - Tangerine Tango
Ulta3 - Coral Reef
Ulta3 - Peach Paradise
Ulta3 - Pink Hibiscus
Purchased from an Ulta3 Stockist. Find your local stockist here (link wont work on mobiles)




Ulta3 - Flirty Bikini
Ulta3 - Acapulco Bliss
Ulta3 - Calypso Holiday
Ulta3 - Pacific Splash
Ulta3 - Sea Breeze Swirl
Purchased from an Ulta3 Stockist. Find your local stockist here (link wont work on mobiles)

 Ulta3 - Calypso Holiday
Ulta3 - Turquoise Treasure
Ulta3 - Flamingo Funk
Ulta3 - Pink Hibiscus
Ulta3 - Peach Paradise
Purchased from an Ulta3 Stockist. Find your local stockist here (link wont work on mobiles)

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China Glaze - Get Carried Away

Get carried away has a mix of large copper and silver hex glitter, smaller silver and black hex glitter and black bar glitter in a black jelly base. 

I didn't really like this one either, it looks pretty in the bottle but it was a pain to apply and looks like a lumps mess on my nails. This was the last polish from the collection that I swatched so I wore it as a full mani. I don't even want to talk about how it looked on my dominant hand. 

I used the PVA Base coat with this and ended up removing it within a few hours. 

If you missed my other swatches of the China Glaze Cirque du Soleil collection you can see a preview of each here.

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: China Glaze

Name: Get Carried Away
Coats For Opacity: 3
Collection: Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
Year: 2012
Colour: Black, Pink and Silver
Finish: Glitter
Formula: Big 3 Free
Made In: USA
Volume: 14ml | 0.5 fl oz
Price: ~$3.15 - $3.45 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Head2Toe Beauty - $3.25 (USD)
Trans Design - $3.56 (USD)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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China Glaze - Bend Over Backwards

Bend Over Backwards is pretty much a one coater. In sunlight (and some artificial lights) it's a glowing orange toned red shimmer. 

In the bottle it looked dull and then when I applied the first stroke I literally gasped because I wasn't ready for how bright and shimmery it looked under my regular lamp light. Sorry I didn't get a photo of that, it really is pretty. You can see a much better swatch of it over on Let Them Have Polish. 

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: China Glaze

Name: Bend Over Backwards
Coats For Opacity: 2
Collection: Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
Year: 2012
Colour: Red
Finish: Shimmer
Formula: Big 3 Free
Made In: USA
Volume: 14ml | 0.5 fl oz
Price: ~$3.15 - $3.45 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Head2Toe Beauty - $3.25 (USD)
Trans Design - $3.56 (USD)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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China Glaze - Water You Waiting For

Water You Waiting For is a gorgeous blue, green and purple glitter polish. There is purple and green hex glitter with blue and purple micro glitter in a blue jelly base. 

This was opaque after two coats but I used three for extra depth. 

Every time I read and type the name of this polish I can't help but say it like "Worta You Waiting For", am I alone here lol? 

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: China Glaze

Name: Water You Waiting For
Coats For Opacity: 3
Collection: Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
Year: 2012
Colour: Blue
Finish: Glitter
Formula: Big 3 Free
Made In: USA
Volume: 14ml | 0.5 fl oz
Price: ~$3.15 - $3.45 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Head2Toe Beauty - $3.25 (USD)
Trans Design - $3.56 (USD)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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China Glaze - Running In Circles

Running In Circles is STUNNING! I really love this polish and I highly recommend it to green lovers! The way the light hits the foil flakes gives the illusion that there might be gold flakes in there but I don't think there is. 

This was opaque after two coats but I used three for added depth.The foil particles liked to stick to my nails after removal so you might need to do some scrubbing to get them all off. 

I can see this being a perfect green for Christmas manis.

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: China Glaze

Name: Running In Circles
Coats For Opacity: 3
Collection: Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
Year: 2012
Colour: Green
Finish: Foil 
Formula: Big 3 Free
Made In: USA
Volume: 14ml | 0.5 fl oz
Price: ~$3.15 - $3.45 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Head2Toe Beauty - $3.25 (USD)
Trans Design - $3.56 (USD)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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