I'm back!

Well, I've actually been back since really late Wednesday night.  Or really early Thursday morning; take your pick.  The past couple days have been spent unpacking and catching up on a ton of swatching, but I've finally got a post ready!!

If you've been following along with the guest posts, you'll know that I went to Switzerland, France, and England for two weeks!  The trip was a ton of fun, and the audition went pretty well!  I didn't get in, but since they started with 150 girls and I made it through multiple stages of elimination down to the last 22 girls (out of whom they accepted 15), I'd say it went well!  

I'll be going to a post-graduate pre-professional dance program in Canada next year, and I'm still really happy with the result; it's a great school and I don't feel like I'm settling for it at all.  I'm really excited!  

Anywho, here's some photos of my travelling nails!  Left to right and top to bottom, these were taken in Lausanne, Geneva (Jet D'Eau), Zurich (Grossmünster and Fraumünster), Paris (Eiffel Tower), Paris (Sacre Coeur in Montmartre), and London (Big Ben/Parliament).  I'm wearing Essie Macks and OPI Stay The Night.  :)

As for the nail art, I chose to the flags of the three countries I visited.  Conveniently for me, they all have the same colour scheme!!  

I started with a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls for all the nails.  I then taped off the different shapes and added red and/or blue, in LaCC 1945 and Essie Mesmerised.  I ended up badly freehanding the Union Jack in acrylic paint because the striping tape was too skinny; oh well.  My pinky and thumb nails are OPI MBSW with one coat of piCture pOlish Ruby Blou.  All nails are topped with two coats of Seche Vite, as always.

Although I did enjoy my break, I'm really looking forward to getting back to blogging and doing my nails frequently!  :D

Guest Post: Manicurator

Today is the last guest post, since I'm on my way back home tomorrow.  Since I'm writing this in advance, I'll say that I hope I've had a fantastic time and that everything went well, but I'll write up a post (maybe include some travel pictures) when I get back home and settled! 

Now on to what you'e all come here for; today's guest post comes to us from Victoria, though you may know her better as the Manicurator!  Take a look at what she's created!  :)

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I'm great at "planning ahead" but not so good (ok, terrible) at "doing ahead". So when Emma asked me to guest post I felt like I had all the time in the world. And then blammo, it's due tomorrow (ok, today). So I needed something that could be done relatively quickly but isn't boring. I also knew I wanted to incorporate some of my untrieds. So this is what I came up with. 

I applied two coats of Nicole by OPI Please Red-cycle, which is new for Spring 2013. Once it was dry I used striping tape to block off the middle and dabbed on 1-2 coats of Nicole by OPI Luke of the Draw from their Modern Family collection. I hadn't tried either of these before and was quite pleased with them. The red has such a nice formula..which I greatly appreciated as I was coffee jittery and in a hurry. Not a good pair :P Once I peeled the tape off I used a dotting tool to lift and place my loose glitter squares which I purchased from Etsy. Top coat with Seche and done! WOO! 

I'm honored to be able to contribute a post for lovely and super talented Emma while she is out of town exploring the world and achieving her goals. Best of luck to you and HAVE FUN!!  :)

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I was so excited when Victoria agreed to write a guest post for my blog, I really admire all her impeccable nail art and swatches!  Thank you so much,Victoria, for the fabulous post!  Remember to go check out her blog, the Manicurator!  :)

This wraps up my series of guest posts; a huge thank you to all the talented bloggers who have helped me with guest posts during my trip, everyone has gone above and beyond!  I'll be back within a few days with my own post about my trip, and hopefully get back to regular posting very soon!!  :)

Guest Post: Accio Lacquer

As with Alexis' Eiffel Tower nail art while I was in Paris (see yesterday's post,) today's post also co-ordinates with my activities in Europe.  Today could quite possibly rival being in Paris; where am I going, you may ask?  To the Warner Brothers Leavesden Studios!!!!  :D  For those of you who live under a rock, it's the studios where all the Harry Potter movies were filmed, and most of the sets are still there to tour!  

On to today's guest poster; she's still relatively new to the nail blogging scene but has some amazing photos and the most entertaining writing style of any blog I read!  Bringing us a Harry Potter-themed nail polish post, please welcome fellow geek, Mishka from Accio Lacquer!!  :D

Follow the jump for her whole post!

Guest Post: XOXO Alexis Leigh

Today is my last day in Paris, and I've got a very special guest post for you all!  You know that I just couldn't have a whole bunch of guest posts without one from this amazing girl.  She's become a really good blogging-friend of mine and is super talented; please welcome Alexis from XOXO Alexis Leigh!  :)

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Hi guys! My name is Alexis from XOXO Alexis Leigh and I'm super excited to be here on Emma's amazing blog once again! Last time I was here I did some pink ballerina inspired nail art since Emma is an extremely talented ballerina. This year I knew before doing my guest post that Emma would be going to Eurpoe and an image of the Eiffel Tower instantly popped into my head. Although the design went in a little bit of a different direction then I had originally planned I still really like it and I hope you guys will too!

I started out with a base of Pomegranate Lacquer - Dreamscape (3 coats) then I decided to sponge some silver on my tips with LVX - Luxe followed by another coat of Dreamscape and then some VERY light sponging with Luxe once again and finally... a coat of MASH Matte top coat. Was all of this necessary? Probably not! Did it look pretty in the end? I think so! For the ring finger I grabbed my trusty long striper and black polish and created an outline of the Eiffel Tower. I filled the tower in with white acrylic paint and then went back in with my striper and black polish to create the criss cross pattern. I finished it all with a coat of the matte top coat.

I'm not sure if it's easy to tell but the thumb is supposed to be a ballerina practicing in front of a barre looking in the mirror. For the base I used Essie - No Place Like Chrome. I mixed LVX - Ecru and Lime Crime - Milky Ways for her skin and used LVX - Koko for her hair (the lighter parts are Koko and Milky Ways). I sealed it with a fast dry top coat and then the Mash matte top coat like the rest. I really liked this nail and thought all in all it was a really pretty combination.

For the last 4 nails I debated placing black rhinestones on each nail but instead thought the hearts would look better. I really really love how these turned out and the color combination combined with the matte finish looked really pretty to me.

That's all! How do you guys like these nails, have you ever been to Paris (if so, I'm very jealous!!!)? Thank you so much Emma for letting me take over for today, I hope you have and absolutely incredible trip!!!!! <3

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Isn't this just the most amazing nail art ever?!?!?  I'm tempted to re-do these myself, I love them so much!  Every time I see one of Alexis' nail art looks I think she could never get better, but she proves me wrong every single time and keeps out-doing herself!  You all need to head over to Alexis' blog right now and follow her.  Go.  Now.

Thank you so much for the wonderful post Alexis!! :) <3 

Guest Post: Crystal's Crazy Combos

Today's guest post comes from the lovely Crystal of Crystal's Crazy Combos!  Her blog is a constant and reliable resource for me when looking for swatches (especially of indie polishes) so of course I had to ask her to create a post for us all!  Follow the jump for the full post!

Guest Post: Love, Varnish, Chocolate and More

I'm on my way to Paris this morning, SO excited!!  :D  Today's guest post was written by the lovely Deborah of Love, Varnish, Chocolate, and More.  I had been following her blog for quite a while, and I was so excited when she featured me in her Bloglight post a few months back!  Of course when I was thinking of bloggers I'd love to have guest post, Deborah immediately came to mind!  :)
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Hi everyone! My name is Deborah, and I run a little blog called Love. varnish, chocolate and more... also known as Love Varnish. I discovered Emma's blog a while ago and I really loved it from the start, so I was honored when she asked me to do a guest post for her!

When I asked about the specifics she said it only had to be true to my style.. but what is my style? I don't know... my pictures are my trademark I guess ;-).

Now I wanted to do something fitting for the coming Spring (is it here already! I need warmer weather!), and I had Barry M Prickly Pear still untried. This was sent to me by the lovely Hannah from Polly Polish when I won her giveaway! I used 2 easy coats of this beauty and let it dry for a while. I must say it had a gorgeous shine all by itself when it was dry!

Then I grabbed a Bundle Monster stamping plate, number 323, and China Glaze Harmony. Harmony was part of the Romantique collection for Spring 2009. It consisted of 12 metallic colors which are all great for stamping. Unfortunately it is discontinued but you can still find some of them for reasonable prices.

The stamping went great and I love this tone on tone look! Do you like it too?

Thanks Emma ♥ for having me here!
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Such a lovely mani!  I always love her subtle stamping looks, they're so delicate and pretty.  Thank you so much for the lovely guest post Deborah!  If you don't already, remember to go check out Love, Varnish, Chocolate, and More!

Guest Post: Nailed It

I'm spending the day in Zurich today, and tomorrow I'm off to Paris!!  Today's guest post comes from a blogger who's nail art I constantly oogle over and draw inspiration from, the lovely Katy from Nailed It! :)
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While Emma dances her way into the big leagues, she’s asked some bloggers to fill Globe & Nail with some content.

My name’s Katy, and I blog at Nailed It. Emma actually helped me by doing a guest post during one of my vacations in December. I’m excited to return the favor and get to meet some new readers!

Nailed It focuses primarily on nail art. While I do swatches and reviews, they’re always accompanied by some unique nail art. In keeping with that theme, I’ve got some fabric-inspired nail art to share today.

This look was inspired by a pin I’d saved from Spoonflower.com, a custom fabric site. I loved the colors (yellow’s my favorite) and the design was really fun to recreate.

I started with a base of My Boyfriend Scales Walls (OPI). Then I free-handed some little arrows in varying sizes and depths using Black Onyx (OPI) and some tape. After that all had time to dry, I taped off small strips on my nails and did a quick swipe of the jelly-licious Abbacadazzle (Sation). This thin yellow jelly worked perfectly for the effect, wouldn’t you agree? You can try similar looks with any color of jelly polish, but I love the way the yellow pops. As I mentioned, it’s my favorite.

Thanks for tuning in to Globe & Nail today to see Nailed It! You can follow Nailed It the blog, or check in on me through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, OR Google+. Whew! Social media’s exhausting!

Best of luck in your auditions Emma, and thanks again for having me at Globe & Nail!
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I blame Katy for the hours of my life I predict I will lose to browsing Spoonflower; so many great ideas for nail art patterns!  Thank you so much for the guest post Katy, I absolutely love your nail art!  :)  If you don't already, please remember to go check out Katy's blog, Nailed It!