Christmas Day Mani

Hello!  I hope that everyone who celebrated had a great Christmas!  My day was alright; it was my first year not being able to spend Christmas with my family, so it was a bit sad.  We did have a get-together with a few friends which was nice, but it just isn't the same as being at home.  However, those of you who follow me on IG (@emmaclarem) will know that I adopted my first-ever pet just over a week ago, which has definitely been keeping my spirits and excitement up.  I got a little 11-month-old boy tuxedo cat; he's such a cutie, and a total lap cat!  I love him to bits!  Anywho, let's get on to what you came here for - the nails!

I was a bit short on time (as always these days) so I decided to re-make my favourite Christmas mani from last year, with a couple little changes. 

My index and thumb started with a base of OPI Live and Let Die, and the rest have a base of Picture Polish Moscow.  My pinky got a coat of WingDust Collections Gilt-y Pleasure, while my thumb (forgot a picture - oops!) got two gold studs.  I added dots in Essie Good as Gold on my index finger, and then stamped with that same gold in the snowflake pattern from BM-323 on the remaining two nails.  All nails are topped off with a coat of Seche Vite.  

I really love the mix of patterns and finishes here; what do you think?  Do you have a favourite nail from this skittlette?  :)  

Pink Nimbus: Upgraded

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I added some stamping over the pink nimbus nail art.  This just took it way over the top, but it was pretty hilariously fun to wear!  

The polishes used in the base nail art are, from darkest to lightest, LaCC 1950, piCture pOlish Pirouette, piCture pOlish Fairy Floss, and LaCC 1992.  

I stamped the swirls and unicorn from Nailz Craze plate NC02 in white Konad polish.  For the record, that stamping plate will forever be the best plate of all time.  Swirls and unicorns all the way.  

What do you think?  Is this look something you'd wear?  It's really abnormally girly for me personally, but I couldn't help but love it anyways, haha! 

Pink Nimbus

Two days of Nailasaurus-inspired manis in a row?  Yes, but with all the awesomeness going on over there, you really can't blame me.  This nail art technique has been on my to-try list for ages, ever since the tutorial was posted in October last year.  Took me long enough!  

I started with a base of two coats of LaCC 1992, and then dotted on my polishes darkest to lightest with a q-tip dipped in acetone.  The polishes in the order I dotted them are as follows: LaCC 1950, piCture pOlish Pirouette, piCture pOlish Fairy Floss, and LaCC 1992.  It's all topped off with a coat of LaCC 2013 top coat. 

Along with the fact that this is ridiculously easy, it's named Nimbus nail art!  I know it's supposed to be another word for halo, but in my mind it's definitely related to Harry Potter.  No doubt.  

These nails were slightly out of the norm for me with the abundance of pink and girly-ness, and I definitely think I would be better suited to this look in a purple scheme.  However, I did really have fun wearing this and actually spruced it up even more with some stamping which I'll show you tomorrow!  ;)  

What do you think of this look?  Have you tried this nail art technique yet?  

Polka-Dots and Love Hearts

This is another look I did using the NCLA Brillapalooza nail wraps that I showed you here a couple weeks ago.  I went for the same colour scheme of white, black, and red, but with a very different overall look!  

Each nail started with three thin coats of LVX Fantom; all nails except my ring finger then got polka-dots in LaCC 1999.  I added nail wraps to my accent nails (one on each hand), and topped it all off with two coats of Seche Vite.  

NCLA nail wraps in Brillapalooza can be purchased through Nail Polish Canada here. 

I really loved this cute look - I definitely have a soft spot for polka-dots, and the heart accents give it a really graphic look!  What do you think?  :)

Dutch 'Ya Just Love Polka-Dots?

Hi!  Quick post this morning with a mani I did last month.  Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI? is one of my favourite polishes for fall, so when the weather started to change I just had to pull this beauty out again!

I didn't want to take away from the polish, so I decided to just add matte polka-dots with Essie Matte About You.  

I'm wearing two coats of Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI? with one coat of LaCC 2013 top coat underneath the matte polka-dots.  I always love the contrast between matte and shiny designs! :)

Patterned Summer Skittles

Continuing this week's mission to share the remainder of my un-posted summer manis, I've got a bright and colourful skittle mani to brighten up your Monday morning!  

When I went away for a month this summer to the ballet school where they don't technically allow nail polish (the same school I'm at now, where I've just decided to ignore the rule since nobody actually seems to care,) I wore plain sheer polishes for the first week.  By the end of that first week I was craving a bright, fun mani, so this is what I put on!  

On my index finger I started with a base of OPI My Vampire is Buff, and added the stripes (with the help of some striping tape) in piCture pOlish Peaches n' Cream.  My middle finger is also a base of OPI My Vampire is Buff, but here I added flowers with piCture pOlish Peaches n' Cream and Fairy Floss, and Orly Prelude to a Kiss; the leaves are LaCC 1968.  

On my thumb I sponged a gradient of OPI My Vampire is Buff and piCture pOlish Honey Dew, and added a row of gold studs down the middle.  This may have been my favourite nail! 

My ring finger is two coats of piCture pOlish Honey Dew with polka-dots in OPI My Vampire is Buff.  My pinky is three thin coats of OPI Goldeneye.  All of them are topped off with two coats of Seche Vite.  

I really enjoyed wearing this mani, it was so summer and fun, and made me happy every time I looked at it!  Definitely one of my favourites that I've done all summer!  What do you think?  Which nail is your favourite? :) 

Catching Up

Just yesterday I was saying how I'm really getting in the mood for fall polishes, but while cleaning out my computer folders yesterday I realized that there are still quite a few of my summer nail art looks that I haven't shared!  So even though today is the first day of fall, this next week will be spent catching up on all my un-posted summer nail art, and making room in my folders for the upcoming season! 

Today I'm sharing a simple polka-dot look that I wore sometime in August.  The base colour is three coats of OPI You're Such a Budapest, which is quite possibly my favourite lilac polish!  I added the dots with OPI My Vampire is Buff, using the pointy end of an orange stick to get them super tiny.  

I absolutely love the delicate and playful look of miniature pastel polka-dots!  Add the fact that it's super easy to do, and it's definitely one of my quick go-to nail art looks!  :)

Spring Cartoon Skittlette

I recently got some super cute nail wraps from the Born Pretty Store in the mail;  I had forgotten that I'd ordered them (shipping from China can take a while) so it was a lovely surprise!  

When I saw them, I just had to do a skittlette mani centered around them!  Here's what I came up with...  

Excuse the awkward claw, but I had to show all five fingers in one photo!  This whole look was just too adorable, and one of my favourites in a long time!  

The water decals can be found here, I used pattern #16.  I applied the decals over OPI My Vampire Is Buff, since they aren't quite opaque alone.  They're topped off with some Seche Vite for a lovely smooth finish! 

My index finger is a gradient of LaCC 1950 (darker pink) and 1957 (lighter pink); these colours blend so well together!  My pinky is LaCC 1968 with polka-dots in OPI My Vampire Is Buff. 

My thumb is a beautiful glitter gradient over LaCC 1968 with the stunning A England She Walks In Beauty.  Every time I pull this polish out, I find that I'd forgotten how absolutely breathtaking it is!  :)

Oops, I turned all the cute people-things upside-down.  

I really loved wearing this mani; I was so mad at myself for putting it on the day before a performance, because I really didn't want to take it off!  I got a lot of compliments while wearing it, and my sister ventured so far as to say that it was her favourite of all the nail art looks I've ever done!!  :P

What do you think of this skittlette look?  Are you as crazy about it as I am?  :)

Pastel Polka-Dot Skittles

Today's nail art is a cute and simple spring mani I did last week, but I've got something a little different in store for today's post...

In a sudden fit of artsy-ness, I dragged my sister outside with me to take some cool nail photos, à la Pshiiit or all of those awesome Russian nail bloggers.  There's tons of them, so I'll put the rest after the jump. 

I also took normal photos, but they look so boring next to the rest so you only get one, haha  :P

Teal Spotted

I will not say good morning, since I neither feel good this morning, mean it is a morning to be good on, mean it is a good morning whether you want it or not, nor all of them at once.  (x)  I do, however, have some cool nail art I did last week to share with you. 

I started with a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, and followed this tutorial by CutePolish on YouTube with Orly Le Chateau to create the spotted look. 

Topped it with one coat of Seche Vite.  This look was pretty easy to achieve once I figured out which of my perfumes worked best to create the spots.  The most difficult part was cleaning up, Le Chateau stains like crazy!! 

How do you like this look?  I think it's a great alternative for those of us who can't get our hands on OPI Spotted (though I'll take a look for it when I go to Europe in March), and there's infinite colour choices when you do it this way!  

I've got another post scheduled for tonight with something very exciting, so look out for that later!  :)

Autumn Leopard

I've been wanting to do something fall-appropriate in orange and gold for a while, but when I sat down with my chosen polishes I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.  After trying out a couple different things (and re-doing some nails multiple times) I was getting pretty tired and didn't want anything more to do with tape or tiny brushes, and I ended up with this.  

I've never done a full-on leopard print manicure before, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.  And best of all, it was super easy thanks to this tutorial by Sarah at Chalkboard Nails!  

My base colour is Essie Meet Me At Sunset, the gold is Essie Good As Gold, and the black is Sally Hansen Black Out.  I'm really happy with my colour choice; I think they look great together and make for a very unnatural-looking yet fall-appropriate leopard print!

Do you love leopard print manicures?  How about unnatural leopard print?  Or do you think the full-on animal print combined with the unnatural colours is just too much?  Let me know in the comments  :)

Guest Post: Sincerely, Obsessed With Polish

Today I've got a guest post from Amanda of Sincerely, Obsessed With Polish.  You can also see her nails on her Tumblr, JnJnails.  I love her blog because she always does great manicures with dotting tools, and I love dots!  :) I'll hand it over to Amanda now!

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Hi, I am Amanda from Sincerely Obsessed with Polish. I want to first thank Emma for letting me do a guest post. I am obsessed with dots and using doting tools. So, of course I chose to do a dot manicure for this post. I was inspired by a towel for this mani, and I have to say that I LLOOVVEE this one. I could not stop staring at it. The colors went so well together. They were almost the exact colors of the towel. I wish I had a pic of the towel to show you. For now, the nails will have to do. 

I used Sinful Colors Paradise, Essence Just Rock It!, and Sinful Colors Innocent. I want to try this color combination again just in a different way. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!!

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Looks great, Amanda!  I'm always looking out for new ways to do dots, and you've got something lovely here.  It seems that towels nearly always look good when translated onto nails, doesn't it?  Isn't this a great summer manicure?  

Thanks again, Amanda!  :)

Black & White Polka-Dot (& Update!)

 Next to stripes, polka-dots are probably my favourite pattern.  Especially when it comes to nail art, they're so quick and easy, but have such an impressive visual effect!

I've used my trusty one-coat black, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out, and made the dots with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On using my uber-professional dotting tool: a pin stuck in the eraser-end of a pencil.  


This is what I wore when we went camping over the weekend, because it matched my bathing suit! :) I also knew that I had to have something that I wouldn't mind wearing for 3 days straight without a change.  Luckily I avoided any breakages while setting up tents and such; but unfortunately my cuticles are nasty, and in the swatch pictures I took today they look less-than-satisfactory.  Boo.  Oh well, pretty pictures for today! 

I did go to Sally's on the weekend, and ended up with quite the haul.  I even got asked if my nails were stickers (by the lady with the large leopard-print and rhinestone stick-on talons on her fingers, lol.)  They had this great deal on where if you bought two bottles of Orly, you'd get a free full-size bottle of any of the new Orly Electronica polishes!  The lady working there was really nice, and even counted my two clearance-price Orlys and allowed me to get MORE free polish!  I ended up with Orly Snowcone, Nite Owl, Glowstick (clearance), After Party (clearance), Shockwave (free), and Decoded (free), as well as my first Finger Paints, Motley (clearance).  Hooray!! :D  

As you may already know, I'm leaving this Saturday to go away to train for a month at a full-time ballet school where they don't allow us to wear nail polish.  I'll have my computer with me when I go away so I've got a couple of my own posts lined up, as well as a few great guest posts!  I've still got room for a few more, so I know this if fairly last-minute but if you'd like to do a guest post for my blog send me an e-mail at ecm.dancer@gmail.com.  As long as you can get it to me by August 4th, then it's not too late! 

This week is very busy with packing and such, so this could very well be my only post this week.  In fact, I probably shouldn't be doing this right now... If my mom knew she'd probably tell me to get off here and work on my packing list... She'll probably read this in the morning... Oops. Too late.  Anywho, shoot me an email if you'd like to guest post!  :)

Stripes & Dots

Hooray!  I'm done my provincial exam!  I think it went pretty well.  Now I only have a couple of outstanding bits of assignments left to do, and then I'm done Socials forever! (It's my least favourite subject, if you can't tell.) 

Anywho, here's the nails!  On my (first ever) trip to Ulta (heaven!) last weekend, I picked up 2 new polishes for myself, Essie Mojito Madness and Zoya Dove.  So on Wednesday morning I painted my nails with Dove, an absolutely beautiful grey!  Is it normal to call grey beautiful?  I'm a real sucker for grey polishes.  I want them all!  Anyways, I knew the plain mani could only last so long, so after about three hours of studying  that night (and feeling very brainwashed) I took a quick break to add stripes in Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out.  Stripes are my absolute favourite thing to have on my nails, but I don't do them near enough.  Since I don't have any striping tape and have to literally cut up strips of tape, I got lazy and just did polka-dots on my right hand.  I actually quite like the two hands similar-but-different!  Picture of both hands at the end of the post.  

I know I said I'd never take a picture like that again because it looked like a spider, but I couldn't figure out  another pose for both hands that wasn't super awkward. 

Also, I have some good news and some terrible news.  Terrible news first: the ballet school that I'm going to for a month in the summer doesn't allow us to wear nail polish in class.  I think I died a little when I found out.  Of course I'll still paint them super-sheer neutral colours, but probably nothing worth posting.  I'm figuring out some different posts for those four weeks.  If you would like to do a guest post for me to be posted between July 22 and August 18, please let me know ASAP, I'll be extremely grateful!  You can e-mail me at ecm.dancer@gmail.com if you're interested.  

Good news: I'll be having a small giveaway once I reach 100 followers, so keep an eye out! :)