How could you possibly go wrong when sporting a color like this through the fall months?
I am in love! I had seen enough people rave about this color on blogs/Youtube so I finally caved and purchased it a few weeks back. I finally got around to putting it on my nails for the first time a few days ago and I cannot stop starring at my hands (don't you love when a good nail polish does that?).
As with most Essie polishes it applies perfectly with the need for only two coats. Personally if a polish takes more than two, I really can't be bothered to use it all that often.
It is the perfect mix of berry, wine and plum colors all mixed into one. I plan on rocking this nail look again this weekend as it is Thank Giving weekend for us Canadians. I think it will go nicely with the festivities and the beautiful fall colors that are popping up on every tree and shrub lately.
Gorgeous flowers from my garden - I didn't even plant these myself, they just popped up, the previous home owners unintentionally left me a lovely gift!
A fedora kind of day
NOTD - check out my latest post for more details - the blue is 'Bikini So Teeny' for the Essie Summer collection
34 weeks pregnant with twins - my weekly photo shoot as usual! I'm getting so close, I can't believe this experience is almost over and I will soon be able to hold my baby girls!
Sunny day snack outside - I have an addiction to watermelon and strawberries
NOTD - Faded floral nails (tutorial will be posted here on my blog, as well as a video tutorial on my Youtube!)
35 week bump - can't believe that in 3 weeks or less I will have TWO daughters, I'm so lucky!
Who remembers this book? It's such a classic children's book - my mom picked it up for the girls the other day. I'm also a huge fan of Robert Munsch (who isn't though?)
Colors used - (left to right) Essie Blanc, Cute as a Button, Bikini So Teeny and Tart Deco
You will need!
- A base coat and top coat (I used Revlon Colorstay base and top coat from their newest line of colorstay polishes)
- A white or light colored base
- Several colors of your choice (I used 3 light summery colors, but you could use more or less, and customize the colors to the time of year you are doing the tutorial!)
- A plate, or something to place your nail polishes on for mixing
- Paint brushes (you will need one for each color, including the white)
- Nail polish remover
1. Begin by applying your base coat. After allowing time for this to dry begin applying two coats of your light/white polish - you want a nice opaque result so your design will stand out.
2. Once you have allowed your white base to dry grab you plate and place a dot of each colored polish you have chosen on the plate, leaving room in between each as you will be diluting and working with each color.
3. Pour your nail polish remover (I just poured mine into the cap of the bottle)
4. Grab a paint brush (be sure not to mix the brushes into the different colors - use only one brush per color), and begin diluting the colored polish with the remover - you are looking to create the consistency of a stain. Just stick to doing this to one color at a time (dilute, then apply.. dilute, then apply.. etc)
5. You can then begin applying each diluted polish to your nails. Use a stamping motion to create flower shapes, remembering to leave room for the other colors you will be applying. Don't worry about making them perfect, I found the ones that looked least perfect were my favorites in the end.
6. Continue on with this same process for the rest of the colors you've chosen.
7. You then want to grab your white polish and make a dot on your plate, and then proceed to dilute it as you did the other colors.
8. Grabbing a clean brush, you will apply the white polish to the center of each of the flowers you've created. If it is diluted enough the polish should run slightly, which adds to the 'faded' effect.
9. Finally, wait for all the designs to dry well and then add a top coat to finish off the look.
If you would like to see the tutorial in action, click the video to watch my Youtube tutorial!
The finished look!
This look was inspired by thebeautydepartment.com - check them out for tons of great ideas! I am personally addicted to this site right now!
Hope you all enjoyed this look! Let me know if you would consider trying this look, or if you do, show me how it turned out!
I made a little trip out to grab some essentials, and as usual I ended up browsing around by the polishes. I noticed they finally had put out the newest Essie polishes from the summer collection 'Bikini So Teeny' - I couldn't help but pick up the polish that shares it's name with the collection itself.
I also finally got around to picking up 'Set in Stones' which is from the Luxeffect collection - it came out around or just after christmas this past year but it is still readily available in most places that sell Essie near by me.
'Set in Stones' & 'Bikini So Teeny'
I am in love with this blue, it is completely unlike anything else I have in my collection - it's a light blue/periwinkle with a slight hint of purple.
As for 'Set in Stones' am I extremely pleased that I finally did decide to purchase it - I had seen many blog posts and raves about it and I now understand why. It is by far the most incredible silver glitter I have ever owned. I think the various sizes of glitter is what makes this so impressive looking.
Both polishes only took two coats to gain the opaque results I was looking for.
I have my eye on a couple of other colors from the Essie Summer collection, including one in a fabulous mojito green.
Do you like the collection? If so, what colors specifically might you be picking up?
Seeing Revlon polish on sale is a really great way to coax me into spending some of my pocket change - that's what happened today when I saw them for $3.99CAD at my local drug store. I of course ended up with quite a few (I plan on doing a nail polish haul asap), but this is just two I snatched up that I couldn't resist doing a nail look on immediately after getting home.
(Natural lighting)
I am a huge Revlon polish fan, I personally find them to be great quality, affordable and accessible. They also have a great range of shades that a lot of other lower end brands don't.
(Natural lighting - Blue Lagoon)
I could not resist this light blue color, it was calling my name as soon as I saw the rack. I also only have one other blue that is in this same shade range, but this one is not completely opaque - it does have very (very) fine milled shimmer to it, so fine I could not even manage to get a clear photo of it. It seems to just add a little something to the polish, and catches the light nicely.
(Natural lighting - Radiant)
This glitter polish is also amazing - made up of a couple varying sizes of glitter with slight hints of silver and green as well. It does have a very light blue base to it so it isn't just clear polish plus shimmer. I applied it over 'Blue Lagoon' which saved me doing more than one coat, but I think this would turn out nicely on bare nails with two good coats for full coverage. I'm hoping this is also not too hard to remove.
Let me know your favorite Revlon polish - I think these might move to the top of my list!
In the spirit of a new month beginning, and one step closer to it officially being summer, I picked up this little guy the other day. Let's just say I am in love.
When I picked this up it appeared much more of a creamy pink with a hint of coral to it - vibrant none the less. After applying two coats to my nails however I feel it came up much more coral than I first expected. This is not in any way a complaint however, as I love the result! It is the perfect kind of bright for me - it stands out without going too over the top.
As I said before I applied two coats and that seemed to suffice perfectly as it has (as many Essie polishes do) a very opaque quality - this is one of many reasons why I am such an Essie lover.
With the purchase of my new iPhone 4s and its stunning camera abilities I have become a lover of Instagram. For those who aren't familiar, it is a fun free app for photographers and photog-wannabe's alike. It makes sharing photos and your personal creativity extremely easy!
Sunny afternoon in the garden
Latest decor purchase - My Bonsai tree
Day for errands
Crib 1 of 2 - finally making progress on my girls' room
My 28 week pregger belly
NOTD - Essie 'fiji' aka old faithful
If you wish to you can follow along with my daily random snap shots, my user name is hannah_griffin
As I have been completely obsessed with pastels and 'spring' themed nails lately, this shade suites my fancy very nicely.
For a cheaper priced nail polish it can certainly hold its own, only taking two coats to provide an opaque finish. Lasting time is unfortunately not as miraculous, but for the mere dollar it costs to pick this polish up I am willing to disregard this detail.
(natural lighting)
I have always enjoyed the packaging of these polishes as well. With several shades from e.l.f in my collection they blend in seamlessly with my higher end polishes.
This is a very pale, peachy pink cream color which is perfect for spring. I did have some slight problems applying this color, it took approximately 3 coats to provide a nice opaque finish - this is one complaint I have with certain other select Revlon shades as well. If you are willing to over look this detail, as I indeed am, because let's face it, for the price of around 5 dollars you really can't go wrong or expect much more.
I have formed quite a nice Revlon polish collection over time, and overall I cannot say enough about their selection of colors, packaging and quality. This color, along with a couple others, were a recent discovery of mine, and have fulfilled my spring pastel obsession perfectly.
