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

Carnaval Netting - X-Patterned Nail Art

Carnaval Netting - X-Patterned Nail Art

31DC2015 freehand gel gelish linework nail art pink

Today's prompt is "inspired by a pattern" and I don't even know where I took it today, but here's what I ended up with. The candy colored palette has me thinking of Carnaval in Rio, while the X pattern is vaguely reminiscent of netting.

Wouldn't you know it, my base polish fits the theme! It's Gelish Carnaval Hangover, which is my new gel manicure for the week. I completely finished and cured the manicure before adding the designs.

Using a small nail art brush, I added the Xs with Duri - Shocking Twist (pea green), Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away (blue), and American Apparel - L'Espirit (pale purple). I didn't try to make them uniform, especially not from nail to nail, and instead went for a more abstract feel.

The manicure still needed something else, so after the Xs were done, I added black dots wherever the lines met. I think it contributes a lot to the final look!

More "inspired by a pattern" nail art:

• Dark, matte, and dotted
• Partial checkerboards
• Pretty paisley
• Tori Burch ruby floral

Peachy Marbled Stone Nail Art

Peachy Marbled Stone Nail Art

31DC2015 favorite gel nail art nude presto gel water marble white

We're at the end of section two in the 31 Day Challenge! Today's prompt is "water marble," so basically I've been dreading it this whole time. I am not a good water marbler, I cannot create a marbling bullseye to save my life... BUT this time, I used that to my advantage! Instead of going for a super perfect and gorgeous water marble design, I opted for something a bit more organic with a marbled stone look. More room for error = happy Sarah.

Quick sidenote, does anyone know what kind of stone I created? Some pals suggested banded carnelian, agate, & jasper... But I can't shake the feeling that there's another one that I just can't put my finger on!



I started with a base of Presto #100 Trillo gel, a soft peachy nude. I've been wearing gel underneath all of my challenge manicures and this happens to be my base for this week!

Then, I dropped drops of white polish and a slow-drying clear topcoat onto the surface of a small dappen dish filled with room temperature water. I used a pinpoint dotting tool to gently stir up the drops until I had a pattern that I liked. Working one at a time (since my dish was so small), I dipped my nails into the swirled polish.

Look guys, I'm never gonna be a great watermarbling resource. Here's a good video for beginners from Hannah Rox Nails with some tips and tricks, if you're interested in learning!

Finally, I used a skill that I do have: freehanding! I added some orange and deep red banding along the white marbling using my tiny nail art brush.

The last step was to add a coat of sheer pink on top to give everything a deeper, buried look. I used Formula X Sheer Strength in Wonderous.

Previous water marble work:

• Turquoise water marble
• Starburst candy water marble
• Soft flower marble
• Tattered monochromatic spray marble

Silver Honeycomb Glitter Placement

Silver Honeycomb Glitter Placement

31DC2015 artiglio black gel geometric glitter glitter placement nail vinyls presto gel silver

Just a simple look for the "glitter" prompt today! I always do a glitter placement for this day of the challenge, and today is no different, though I didn't go all-out like I usually do. Instead, I opted for a chic reflective pressed glitter gel manicure, and then layered a bold accent nail over the top.

This is a gel manicure, so I started with proper nail prep and a gel base coat. Next, I applied two coats of Presto #104 Sordino to my nails, curing between each.

After I applied the second coat and cured, I took loose glitter and used a French brush to press/scrub the glitter into the tacky layer of my color gel. In this case, I reached for Artiglio Willy, which I think worked beautifully with the grey base. (Quick sidebar: I NEED to use it for a full rockstar -- the photos on the Artiglio site are tantalizing!)

The honeycombs were created using black polish and honeycomb vinyls from Love, Angeline. I sponged the black over the vinyl to avoid pooling, and then removed it to reveal the pattern. I placed single pieces of loose silver hex glitter in the center of each hexagon.

The nails are finished with gel topcoat.

In case you can't get enough glitta...

• Wet N Wild Correction Tape
• Hand placed glitter party nails
• Midnight Mermaid glitter placement
• Glittery skull cameos

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

Autumnal Orange Plaid Gel Nail Art

Autumnal Orange Plaid Gel Nail Art

blue gel gelcolor gelish opi orange plaid stripes wildflower's nail shop

Today's 31DC prompt is "orange." Not many people tend to reach for orange when choosing a nail color -- I think that it and yellow are the redheaded stepchildren of the polish world (or would it be orangeheaded?). That's the great thing about the challenge though, it forces you to use colors and techniques that you wouldn't normally use.

For this manicure, I started with a base of OPI GelColor in A Great Opera-tunity. Then, I freehanded the plaid striping using OPI GelColor It's a Piazza Cake, Gelish Tiki Tiki Laranga, and Wildflower's Art Paints in Bright Blue.

I finished with a layer of gel topcoat to smooth it all out.

If you've got the need for more orange, be sure to check out my past orange challenge manicures!

• Mario Batali's Crocs nail art
• Orange gradient chevrons
• Orange fruit tips
• Orange with dotted accent