Diamond Glitter Placement

   This one is a first for me. I've done a glitter placement before, but nothing like this one; this one has edges that actually had to match up. ...And my perfectionist side might have decided that this would be a great time to show itself. Of course.

   I like the end result, but don't be too disappointed if I never do this again. :D
   It kind of reminds me of a Jester, for some reason. I guess it's the diamonds, who knows!

   My base polish was Liquid Sky Lacquer What Was Your Name Again. Then I used diamond shaped glitter to create the accent nail. In this case, the glitter was from Wildflowers Nail Academy. I watched a lot of Fixer Upper episodes while making this design!

 
   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Review: Art Deco Studs

   I have a new review for you all! I feel like it's been ages since I've done a review. This one is for some really neat Art Deco-esque studs from Born Pretty. You can find them here.

   These are pretty large for my tiny fingers, but not too bad.

   Pros: They are a beautiful color (that's always the most important, you know). The shape of the stud is such that it fits nicely on your nail; there is a tiny bit of a gap on the edges, but nothing that would cause a major problem with getting it caught on things. Another huge plus is that it is very re-usable. The color does not come off if you soak your finger in acetone to remove the stud, which is great!

   Cons: The size is really the only con, and that's only if you have tiny nails.

   Overall this is a really great product! It looks cute, and would work really as a stand alone or with an art deco design.

   I finally bought some of the gorgeous ILNP polish. I've been eyeing them for a very long time, and I finally broke down and bought some early last month. I purchased Black Orchid and Juliette. The base for this design was Black Orchid. It's a beautiful holo that really sparkles in the sun.

   Isn't it pretty?

   Well, I'll leave you with that dazzling shade. I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Zoya Glitter Gradient

   I''m almost caught up! Hooray!
   While I was in Alabama, I bought myself some new polish (I just can't resist). It's not a new shade; cheap-o me bought it on clearance. :D I bought Zoya Pixie Dust Arlo. I love the pixie dust collection; it looks so pretty by itself, but it also is a great polish for layering.

   This is a terrible picture (I didn't get a good one before it came peeled off), but you get the idea. I used Essie Bahama Mama as my base and -- for the glitter, of course.


   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Flower Wreaths

   This design was inspired by this cute design painted by @mananails (Instagram).

   Back in February, even in Alabama, I was ready for Spring!

   I modified the design a bit, and it ended up looking a lot more wreath-like than I wanted. But it still looks close enough to what I planned. I started with a nude base, Essie Back in the Limo. The leaves were made with Revlon Parefumerie Balsam Fir and L'Oreal New Money.

   The flowers were made with 2 shades of red, purple, blue, and pink.
   The thumb and pinky nails were my favorite, I'll definitely have to come back and revisit this design sometime!

   I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Hearts

   Happy super super late Valentine's Day! Ha!

   When I was in high school, I was in color guard (marching band). I like to think that I had the best guard instructor. He was an excellent teacher, wrote excellent routines, squeezed in an occasional life lesson, and secretly liked us all, not matter how crazy we got. He also designed all of our show flags. And they were all so beautiful! (You can see some of them in an old DeviantArt post here.) This design was inspired by one of them (that took a while to get to the point!).

   This isn't the best picture, but you get the idea.

   I think Girly Bits Cosmetics January Morning is my new favorite base... It goes with everything, and it is subtly sparkly. To make the heart, I started by making a basic heart shape with red acrylic paint, and then refining it to the shape I wanted. Then I added the gold accent with gold acrylic paint. The outline and scroll work were made with black acrylic paint.

   I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Butterfly

   I almost don't know where to start, it's been so long! As you might or might not know, I've been in Alabama the past two months helping my mom clean out her parents' house. On top of all that unexpected craziness, my computer died, meaning I couldn't blog. :(  But, my computer was fixed two weeks ago, and I've finally made it home. Be prepared for a flood of posts!

  I was thinking of Spring when I made this design. Even in Alabama, January was still a bit chilly and things hadn't greened up again yet.

   You might recognize this design, I painted one very similar several months ago. As with that design, the base for this butterfly is Girly Bits Cosmetics January Morning.

   To make the butterfly, I used my thinnest brush and black acrylic paint. Once I got a pattern I liked, I filled in the wings with Girly Bits Cosmetics Downtown Funk. The spots were made with gold acrylic paint.

   That was pretty short and sweet, compared to my usual posts! After so many months though, there's only so much that you remember you wanted to say...

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

XOXO

   I have a new set up in my shop! And I must say, I really love it. I keep hoping I'll find time to paint it on my own nails this Valentine's Day. (I haven't been posting much recently because I'm down south helping my mom clean out her parents' house this month and last month.)

   I started with a white base, and then added a layer of Girly Bits January Morning. I just love that polish!

   I used a new black water-based paint that I bought from ?. I really like it so far; it's nice and thin, but not too thin. I used my favorite super thin brush from Born Pretty Store.

   For the thumbs, I outlined the heart, and then placed red glitter inside of it.

 
   This set is up in my shop, so check it out! I don't have time to deliver to you by this Valentine's Day, but you can always keep it in mind for the next! :)

   You can find it here in my shop.


   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Review: Striping Tape Dispenser

   So this review has been a long time coming. I've used this striping tape dispenser many times since I received it, but I just never reviewed it...

   This is a nice little product. I know there are lots of DIY versions out there, using a normal tape dispenser or something similar. Which would be nice because you could have multiple tapes out at once. I would think that the tapes would move around and maybe become entangled that way though. With this dispenser, the tape won't move around. The dispenser is also small, so it easily fits with your nail art supplies without taking up too much space, even if you have several.

   My biggest beef is that it doesn't have a serrated edge like normal tape dispensers. This being the case, you have to use scissors or clippers to cut your tape. Which isn't really a big deal.

So...
Pros: It's small. It's easy to take apart to replace the tape inside. It's easy to use.
Cons: It doesn't have a serrated edge.
Overall: I really like it and think it's worth the money.


   Most recently, I used it in making my Christmas Day design.

   I used the striping tape to make my Christmas tree. I don't have a picture of the process, but I cut off two pieces to make a triangle shape. Then I filled in the triangle with green and glitter polishes. When it was halfway dry, I pulled off the tape and added the gold stud.


   I hope you all have a fantastic week!


   You can use code AIBW10 to get 10% off on your order from Born Pretty!

Winter Glitter

   So I bought this new glitter from Born Pretty. It is awesome! It is varying shades of iridescent glitter, and is so pretty! You can find it here on their website.

  I think it's perfect for winter. Or whenever you want glitter. Whichever comes first! I started with a base of Girly Bits January Morning. I only painted two coats to leave it more sheer. Then I placed each glitter piece. (Which took forever! But it was worth it. It's so pretty!) I finished it of with a matte topcoat.

   This is on my right hand, so I think I'm going to try and keep it as long as possible!

   I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Snowmen

   This week I have some cute snowmen with crazy hats for you all!

   I love the accent. And the base color of the tiny snowmen. And the tiny snowmen. It's just so cute!
   For the accent snowman, I started with a white base, and then added one layer of Girly Bits January Morning to give it a bit of snow shimmer. I used my dotter for the eyes, mouth, and carrot nose. His hat was made with my green nail art pen (which somehow turned teal-ish), and two shades of grey for the fur.

   To make the tiny snowmen, I started with a base of January Morning (two coats to leave it sheer). Then I placed some really pretty iridescent glitter on top. I used my dotter to make the snowmen, and my tiny brish to make their hats and arms.

   I finished them all off with a matte top coat.

   I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!