It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter!

It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter!

akzentz christmas gel gelish green negative space pink silver vetro

Meet my current holiday nails! I sat down to do a festive set the other night, but wanted to take them in a slightly different direction than the usual seasonal fare. I reached for the pastel versions of red and green and combined them with silver accents for a marshmallow winter set. I'm in love!

I used the following gels for this set:
Gelish Look at You, Pink-achu!
Gelish Do You Harajuku?
Vetro Silver Leaf
Akzentz Gel Play in Platinum Quartz
Akzentz Gel Play in White

Since I am still obsessed with all things Japanese nail art, this set is inspired by that style. I'm still working to master their eye for mix-and-matching, but I think I found a pretty good balance here that I'm happy with.

All of the details are handpainted, from the "PEACE" to the snowflakes! I also opted for a peace sign on my right hand, cause my left hand can't handle lettering (plus, it mixes things up a little more!).

I really love this set and my clients have been enjoying it, too! It's nice to feel festive without the traditional "rich red, deep green, glittering gold" color palette.

East Asia Meets The Southwest - Embellished Gel Nail Art

East Asia Meets The Southwest - Embellished Gel Nail Art

31DC2015 3d akzentz blue born pretty daily charme favorite gel gelish nail art needle marble red red carpet manicure

I have been waiting for this day since the beginning of the challenge. Not only because it meant that I had successfully completed the gauntlet for the fifth (!!!) year in a row, but also because I had a manicure that I have been dying to recreate for a very long time.

This beauty of a manicure is completely inspired by 111NAIL salon in Japan. I love it SO much. I tried to copy it to the best of my ability (and materials) and I am beyond happy with the outcome. I just adore the aesthetic of Japanese nail art; it's always so refined and balanced.

Since the challenge is now over, I decided to these in gel and on both hands so I can enjoy them for a while. Here are the products that I used:

Gelish - Hot Rod Red
Red Carpet Manicure - Sandal Scandal
Akzentz Gel Play in White and Black

Gold caviar beads
Triangle studs
Turquoise teardrop charm
Round gold frame

Akzentz Bling On (used to attach 3D embellishments)
Presto Top Gel (thick gel topcoat)
Gelish Foundation (go-to gel basecoat)

These nails weren't hard to do at all; however, they were pretty time consuming.

The drag marble nails are my favorite part and are beyond easy, especially in gel. All you need to do is apply the colors in arced stripes, and then drag a clean striper brush through them to create the patterns. Cure the marbling in your lamp and you're set!

The other nails are basically just dots and embellishments, which I attached using Akzentz Bling On. It's a super strong, thick gel that grabs ahold of your charms or studs and helps keep them in place once cured. It made the process of placing the gold bits a lot easier, especially on a manicure like this with so many elements.

I made sure to finish with a thick gel topcoat to help smooth out the edges on the 3D pieces.

If you have a moment, be sure to go give @111nail_omotesando a follow on Instagram, I have completely copied this manicure from them and there is so much more gorgeous work to be seen on that account.

That's a wrap on the challenge for this year! Stay tuned for my 2015 roundup, and congratulations to those of you who have finished as well!

Previous nails I've honored:

• Rebecca Likes Nails' Candy Print
• Mr. Candiipants' Koi Fish
• Nailside's Abstract 80's Design
• Very Emily's Chunky Sweater Nails

Something Blue...

Something Blue...

31DC2015 akzentz blue formula x for sephora freehand nail art white

Just a quick post from me today for the 31 Day Challenge "Blue" prompt because... I'M ENGAGED! My longtime boyfriend popped the question this morning, and I didn't want to spend a bunch of time on detailed nail art when we could be celebrating. So here's my quick engagement themed nail look, do you think this would qualify as my "something blue"? :)

Emoji Pattern Nail Art

Emoji Pattern Nail Art

31DC2015 akzentz favorite freehand gel grey nail art presto gel yellow

It's "yellow" day in the 31 Day Challenge, and I've decided to do some nail art showcasing everyone's favorite texting tool: emojis! I don't know where we would be without emojis, I use them CONSTANTLY to convey tone and emotions I can't put into words.

For my selection of emojis, I decided to limit myself to only emojis that were in my "recently used" section, so these are a pretty accurate representation of what you'd see from me IRL. The "hearts for eyes" guy may be my most frequently used one.

I used the following products in this freehand nail art look:
Presto #104 Sordino (base)
Akzentz Gel Play in Yellow
Akzentz Gel Play in Orange
Akzentz Gel Play in White
Akzentz Gel Play in Blue
Akzentz Gel Play in Black
Akzentz Gel Play in Red

A reader the other day noted that I've been using a lot of Gel Play lately. If you're unfamiliar, they're thick, opaque art gels that are intended for nail art uses (similar to Presto Art Paints if you know of those). They're great because they stay exactly where you put them, don't run, and can be set into place by curing. It's really awesome stuff and so I reach for them frequently.

Here are my previous "yellow" prompt manicures for your viewing pleasure...

• Yellow and grey angular pattern
• Yellow bee silhouettes
• Yellow gradient blocking
• Yellow to white gradient

Garnet Glittering Gradient Grid Gels

Garnet Glittering Gradient Grid Gels

31DC2015 akzentz cnd gel geometric glitter linework red rockstar shellac

It's the first day of the 31 Day Challenge! If you're totally confused about what's going on, be sure to check out my 31DC FAQ page, which will answer all of your questions.

The first prompt of the challenge is "red," and -- what luck -- I was already wearing red rockstar glitter gel nails!

So the big goal for this manicure was to try to improve on my gel gradients, which were not as strong as I want them to be. I picked black to use as my gradient color, and sponged it on with clear gel to create the fade.

Truthfully, the method I used for this gel gradient is the same as if I were using regular polish, but with a few small modifications. Here's the gist:

• Cut your makeup wedge sponge into a thin strip to help minimize mess.
• Paint stripes of the colors you want to use on the sponge.
• Tap it LIGHTLY on to the nail. Don't overtap, as this can pull the gel back up off the nail. If you're used to sponging gradients with regular polish, you'll definitely have to modify your pressure to make it lighter.
• Clean up any mess on your fingers before you cure in your gel lamp.
• Cure between each round of sponging.
• I did four or five rounds of sponging, cleaning, and curing for this manicure.

After the gradient was looking good, I painted on a black grid that faded away into the darkest parts of the nails.

Products used:
CND Shellac Base Coat and Xpress5 Top Coat
Recollections glitter in Cherry
DIY Hard Nails - Black Cat (black gel)
Akzentz Gel Play in black (grid pattern)

My previous red 31DC manicures:
Crab print and nautical mix

Red mix and match
Red watercolor
Barielle - Elle's Spell

Ride the Waves with a Pop of Pink

Ride the Waves with a Pop of Pink

akzentz black favorite freehand gel gelish nail art pink white

Black and white with a pop of color is a tale as old as time. It's such a classic combination: black and white on either end of the spectrum, with a color that falls somewhere in between. I had this manicure in my mind for a while now, and just had to pick the perfect base color. I found it in Gelish Tokyo A Go Go, a beautiful, bright pinky-purple.

And there's good news for those of you that don't wear gel: this pretty pink is also available in regular lacquer form from Morgan Taylor!

To begin this manicure, I applied Gelish Foundation before adding two coats of Gelish Tokyo A Go Go. It's just... ugh. So pretty. I'm obsessed.

Then, I used Akzentz Gel Play Paint in white to block out the general shapes of the waves. It was pretty opaque, but I went back after curing the first coat to fill in a couple of patchy areas. I used Akzentz Gel Play Paint in black to add on the thick and thin wavy lines.

Finally, I finished the manicure with Gelish Top It Off.

I was really happy with the outcome of this manicure and enjoyed wearing it quite a lot! It's always satisfying when a manicure you have in your mind turns out how you hoped it would on the nail.

Purchasing Information
The Gelish Hello Pretty collection is available from Esther's Nail Center, as well as Amazon.com. You may still be able to find the LE collection in Gelish MINI at Sally Beauty.
Morgan Taylor lacquer equivalents are available from Loxa Beauty.
Akzentz products can be purchased through Gellipop.

What's green, glittered, and glowing all over?

What's green, glittered, and glowing all over?

akzentz artiglio favorite freehand gel gelish glow in the dark green nail art rockstar

I had a lot of fun with this manicure. I was heading off to Las Vegas the next day and needed to do a new and fun gel manicure. I kept adding elements and piecing together and making up patterns and eventually I ended up with this glowing, patterned, glittered combo.

AND! I successfully replicated the pattern on my other hand, so hooray!



As I said, these are gel nails, but they could easily be done with regular nail polish too! I'll list the products I used below but also recommend some close RNP equivalents.

GEL NAIL POLISH // REGULAR NAIL POLISH
Gelish Mini - Do You Harajuku? // OPI - That's Hula-rious!
Akzentz - Lights Out Glow in the Dark Gel Topcoat // China Glaze - Ghoulish Glow
Akzentz - Gel Play in black // Formula X - Dark Matter
Rockstar glitter nail with Artiglio Odessa // Zoya - Storm

Working with the glow in the dark gel topcoat was really cool, because the glow got supercharged in the gel lamp as I cured it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as heavy-hitting in the glow department during my regular life. I would catch it glowing sometimes at night, but it wasn't super remarkable unless I charged it.

Still, it's neat to have the option for glowing gels, and I was really happy with this manicure overall. The light green Gelish Mini shade is super delicate and youthful, and the Gel Play paint is awesome for handpainted nail art.