Stroke of Midnight

Today is New Year's Eve, but I can still make a Disney mani work.  The third look in my Disney series is Cinderella.  Like New Year's Eve, Cinderella's fun and magic ends at midnight.

Change Your Fate

"If you had a chance to change your fate, would you?"  The second nail design in my Disney series is Merida from Brave.  My freehand painting didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to, so I don't think it really looks like Merida.  But I painted it with my left hand!  If you take that into consideration, then it seems a lot better.

Reflection

Mulan is the 8th official member of Disney's Princess franchise, and the first East Asian princess.  This mani incorporates some detailed freehand painting and stamping.

Merry Christmas

Hope all you good little girls and boys left out some milk and cookies last night for Santa. :)  I love Christmas!  December went by way too fast, so I had to do one more red and green mani for the season. 

Perfect Poinsettias

Aside from Christmas trees, poinsettias are probably the next most common foliage used for décor this time of year.  Their red and green colors certainly make them the perfect Christmas plant.  This design uses freehand painting for the flowers, but it is quite simple.

Christmas Noir

I've seen a lot of cute black and white Christmas themed nails, so I decided to try one of my own. I chose simplistic stamped designs of a Christmas tree forest and a sweater pattern.  For the other nails, I added a present nail and some glitter and studs. 

Sandy Claws

One of the many things I love about The Nightmare Before Christmas...it works for Halloween and Christmas nails. :)  This is a darker Christmas look with the red and black, but the snowflakes help cheer it up a bit.

Abstract Christmas

This abstract look is really easy and really fast to create.  I just used some dry brushing with foil and studs.  The color scheme is still holiday, but the design has an artsy feel since the dry brush nails look like an abstract painting. 

Holly Berry

 

Christmas is next week!  So crazy how fast the time goes.  I have plans to do a really elaborate nail design before Christmas is over, but for now, today and tomorrow's designs will be on the simpler side.  Initially, I was only going to do the holly feature nail and leave the rest plain red, but that looked too boring for this magically festive time of year.

FREE Julep Nail Polish

For those who have seen the ads, Julep often offers a free Welcome Box when you join their club.  But that promotion is going away tomorrow!  Here's your last chance to get $58 worth of products for only a $2.99 shipping fee.  There are a few different Welcome Boxes as seen below.  Don't miss out on this opportunity!  Just click on the image of which box you prefer and enter the corresponding code.

A Merry Mickey Christmas

I love Christmas, and I love Disney, so I combined the two themes in this mani.  Finally getting around to another red/green mani too.

Candy Cane Lane

During the holidays, I love everything peppermint...peppermint ice cream, peppermint bark, peppermint pretzels, peppermint hot cocoa, the list goes on.  So, of course I had to do peppermint candy cane nails!  These are really easy and just use some nail striping tape.

Cold As Ice

These glacier inspired nails will have you feeling the chill of how "cool" they look.  :)  I decided to try a new technique to create the worn effect on my glacier nails.

Whimsical Winter Wonderland

Back to the holiday manis!  A pink background with these bright white polka dot trees, creates a whimsical winter wonderland.

Arizona Wildcats

I know I promised holiday nails, but today, Arizona plays Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.  As a proud U of A alum, I had to paint some red and blue nails to show some school spirit.  Go wildcats!!!

Ice Queen

It's December, so you know what that means...time for lots of winter and holiday themed nails!  First up is an Ice Queen look.  This mani has a little bit of everything - stamping, glitter, rhinestones, studs, and crackle finish.

Nail It! - Bloggers You Should Know

My interview for Nail It! Magazine's "Bloggers You Should Know" feature is online now!  Be sure to check it out!  You can learn more about me, and peruse around the rest of their site while you are there.  They have a lot of great tips and ideas.  Thank you Nail It! for the great feature!

Black Friday

In honor of Black Friday, I decided to do a black and negative space mani.  This is another rare occasion where both of my hands are painted in the same theme, and I think the first time I'm posting about two hands in one post.

Hot Chocolate

Cold weather always makes me want to drink hot chocolate.  In fact, I just made some right now.  This bright red mug over a snowy white background, is perfect for the holiday season.

Sweater Weather

It's that time of year!  Time to break out the holiday sweaters.  Today, I went with my family to cut down our Christmas tree, and it was definitely sweater weather.  It was cold, rainy, but also cheerful considering the activity.  I painted these nails using +Bundle Monster nail stamps to create a sweatery feel.

Mockingjay

Fire burns brighter in the darkness.  Today is the big day...The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 comes out!  I can't wait to see it!!!  In celebration, I painted some Mockingjay nails with the mockingjay surrounded by fire.

BRFS Fall Fashion - Part 2

Here is part 2, otherwise known as my right hand, of the design.  Again, these nails are inspired by current women's apparel items at the Banana Republic Factory Store.  I rarely do matching hands anymore, so it was fun to have both hands in the same theme for a few days.  Maybe it didn't bother me so much since each nail is so different.

BRFS Fall Fashion - Part 1

This is one of the rare occasions where I painted both hands with the same theme, so this will be a two part post today and tomorrow.  I based the designs off of current women's apparel at the Banana Republic Factory Store, for a fall fashion look.

We're All Mad Here

I just bought this new polish from Hot Topic the other day, and it immediately made me think of the Mad Hatter.  The shape of the nail polish bottles is what initially caught my eye...they are skulls!  I used acrylic paint to create a mad tea party look.

The Quick Brown Fox

Playing around with the new +Bundle Monster nail plates again!  I'm in love with this wood grain and definitely need to buy more brown nail polishes so I can try different looks!  Fox nails have been on my to-do list for a while, and since it was a challenge for #31Nails2014, I decided now was the perfect time.

I'm A Barbie Girl

Growing up, I played with a lot of toys targeted towards boys like My Buddy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I also LOVED Barbies.  I was going to paint the Barbie logo on one of the nails, but it wasn't turning out, so I covered the nail with rhinestones.

Fine China

These nails are very simple, but elegant like fine China.  The colors and patterns are reminiscent of the classic blue and white China dishes, and the best part?  They're decals!  

Neutral Nocturnal

Owls are one of the coolest birds of prey in my opinion.  They have amazing hearing and night vision, and can turn their heads almost completely around.  I did a neutral look with this mani for fall, and to match the owl colorings.

Bad Badtz Maru

Badtz-Maru is a penguin with spiky hair, from the Sanrio line of characters.  His most famous expression is of pulling one eye down and sticking out his tongue, a gesture equivalent to blowing a raspberry (as seen on my nails).  Water transfer decals like these are perfect for those who love nail art, but don't want to deal with the detailed painting. 

Skulls and Spikes

Negative space + gold studs + skull charm = awesome!  This is a really quick look to create since it only requires one color of polish and stud/charm placement.

Happy Halloween

It is officially Halloween!!!  That means one more orange and black mani for the road.  I used a mix of stamping and water transfer decals for this look.  And of course a cabochon bow from +Bundle Monster!  Love those.

Peter's Pirate Ship

Day 29 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "Pirates."  I was running low on time today so I just wanted to do something really quick.  I decided to do the ending scene from Peter Pan, when Tink makes Hook's pirate ship gold and they fly back to London during the night.

Disney Halloween

I saw these nails on the @justdisneybeauty Instagram account, and I had to try them for myself!  I love Disney, so combining that with Halloween is a win win.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween.  Pumpkins scream in the dead of night."  No Halloween season is complete without some Nightmare Before Christmas nails!  I painted these using mostly acrylic paint so I could get a little more detailed with the blending.

Dia De Los Muertos

Day 24 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "skeletons."  I used some stamping and the leadlight technique to create a Day of the Dead look with some colorful skulls.

Witches Brew

Double, Double Toil and Trouble.  Fire burn, and caldron bubble.  Day 23 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "potions."  Something wicked is definitely brewing with this mani.  The iridescent purple base color sets the perfect background for the poisonous potions bubbling over.

Paranormal Pastel

Day 20 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge was "orange and black."  Since I've done a few straight orange and black looks already this month, I decided to add some pastels as well.  My +Bundle Monster element is the candy cabochon.

Vampire Bats

Day 19 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream is "vampires."  I don't own any of the +Bundle Monster plates with vampire stuff on them, so I had to improvise.  I decided to do vampire bats.  These could be the actual species of vampire bats, or they could represent the bats Dracula turns into. 

Green Goblin

Day 17 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "goblin."  I couldn't find any goblin-like stamped designs on my +Bundle Monster nail plates, but the Green Goblin from Spider-Man likes to throw explosive pumpkins.  I used the jack-o-lantern design from a stamping plate, then freehanded the Green Goblin's face.

Wicked Witch

Day 16 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "witches."  No witch is more notorious than the Wicked Witch of the West.  For these nails, I did a mix of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz.  My Bundle Monster product element is the iridescent rhinestone stud encrusted nail.

Trick-or-Treat

Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. :) Day 15 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "trick-or-treat."  I used a +Bundle Monster nail plate for the "trick-or-treat" nail, and a black bow cabochon.  Add a candy corn nail and some dots, and you have a cute black and orange mani for Halloween.

Halloween Dotticure

This is my first attempt at a dotticure.  It is a really simple look to create.  You just need some dotting tools and any nail art newbie can get this look.  

Who's Your Daddy?

Luke, I am your father.  Although this is a popular quote from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, it is not actually what Darth Vader says in the movie, but everyone knows what you are referring to if you say it.  I've had Star Wars nail art on my to do list for awhile, so I decided to do them now.

The Walking Dead

"Those who arrive survive."  Aka...follow this map that looks like a spider web and get trapped and eaten.  When the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm going Hon Solo.  If The Walking Dead has taught me anything, it is that living in large groups is bad news and never follow a map to a "sanctuary."

Season 5 of The Walking Dead starts tonight.  I can't wait to see how the group escapes Terminus.

Giveaway Now Over

My first giveaway is over! 

The results have been tallied, and the winner selected using random.org. 

Congratulations to Julie V., aka, @thenailpassionista. 

Thank you to everyone who participated :)

Black Cat Magic

This is another two in one challenge nail.  Day 12 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterSmash challenge is "black cats," and #npclairestelles is "black and orange."  To create the mirror image cats, one is stamped the normal way, and the other I used the reverse stamping method.

Spider Web Splatter

Day 11 of the #BundleMonster #MonsterScream challenge is "spiders."  I've been wanting to try the water spotting technique again for a while.  I tried it once and it did NOT turn out, but I thought it would look really cool as spider webs for my spider nails.  Happily, this time it worked!

Whoo's There?

I love owls.  I feel a sort of kinship with them as a fellow nocturnal creature.  I always feel happy when I hear one outside my window hooting, or catch a glimpse of one flying in the night (hoping it is carrying mail somewhere).  I've had these +Bundle Monster owl charms for a while, so Halloween season seemed like the perfect time to try them out.