My week in nails - new edition :)

Hi all,

so another week has passed by and I am back with my Week in Nails article. I like to do this kind of articles because if you are not following me on Instagram (username nailsby_judinka123; http://instagram.com/nailsby_judinka123/) it gives you an overview of what I am doing on my Instagram page. Even though I have a blog, my main focus is on Instagram where you can find all my manicures and sometimes short reviews and pictures from my life. Also, I am trying to adjust the content of my blog to Instagram in case there is something you like there. Due to the limited space for the length of your post on Instagram I may not have enough room to talk about the things I like in more details; thus this is giving me opportunity I need.

Sunday - Glitter all the way

The truth is I had no motivation or inspiration so I only went for a simple manicure adding glitter on the top of it. The polishes came in a kit from L.A. colors and was called something like the Galaxy manicure kit. Not really sure how will I create the galaxy theme using these polishes but they were great for this simple one.

L.A. colors polishes - came in a kit with no name

In general I was not too impressed with the quality of these polishes but I think the base colors will be a great addition to my stamping polishes and the glitter can be always used as a topper for lazy day manicures.

Monday - Present

I have to admit that I absolutely loved this manicure. All I did I painted my nails with different colors of blue, purple and pink and stamped a Christmas/winter image mimicking wrapping paper. At the end I added striping tape and my nails looked like wrapped presents.

Sorry about the blurry picture; could not focus on the snowmen image. Stamping was done using several stamping plates with Christmas and winter images and colorful striping tapes were purchased from Born Pretty store.

Even though this mani may seem to be quite complicated, I have to say it was so simple yet it still looks like lot of work was put into these. When I saw the theme of Present for the nail art challenge in December, this immediately popped into my head and I was determined to re-create it. My only regret is the pinky finger; the pink color was too light and the image is hardly visible.

The China Glaze polishes are the heroes in this picture. What you see is 2 coats of each - Lotus Begin, Fancy Pants and Royal Tease.

If you are looking for a good white stamping polish, do not go any father than your drugstore. In my opinion Sally Hensen's White On is the perfect polish you need!

Tuesday - North Pole

When I received my MoYou London stamping plates and saw the North Pole "sign" on the Festive stamping plate, I was absolutely thrilled and it made me think of the cold snowy North Pole with the "city" tag in the middle of it.

For the snow I used White On from Sally Hansen; the ground was created as a gradient using off white polish from OPI and for the North Pole sign I used black Konad and Festive plate #1 from MoYou London.

As a base for this manicure I used 2 different Sinful Colors nail polishes but in real life once I applied them on my nails they looked identical. In the bottle Cinderella has a slight sheen running through it but once on the nails, you cannot see much difference between Sugar Rush and Cinderella. If you are trying to decide which polish to get, I would probably go with Cinderella; you really do not need both.

Sinful Colors - Cinderella and Sugar Rush; in real life they both look very similar. My personal preference is Cinderella.

What you see on my nails is two coats of these polishes. In general, I really like Sinful Colors nail polishes. The brush is wide but still easy to use and most colors are opaque in two coats. They have a large selection of colors and the cost for this brand is so affordable. You can find them in Walgreens and Rite Aid (at least in my area) and many times Walgreens has sale on them for $0.99. Also the quality is good for the price and I hardly ever see chipping before 4-5 days of wear.


Wednesday - Black kitty De Ja Vu

I was going through my stash of water decals from Born Pretty store and I found some black cat ones. And because Halloween is long time over, I tried to come up with an idea how could I use them outside the "season." I have also pulled out my large Cheeky stamping plates and saw this wavy/tribal image.

The black cat on my ring finger is a water decal from Born Pretty Store and stamping was done using black Konad polish and the large "envelope" style stamping nail plates from Cheeky.

As a base for this fun and unusual mani I went with the holographic polishes from Color Club. The holo effect in this brand is amazing and when in direct sun light it is a stunning and breath taking. So far the ones I have cover the nail in one coat but I usually apply 2 coats for a nicer and more intense holographic effect. Also, these polishes are fast drying and do need any top coat. Even without a top coat they last on your nails for almost a week without technically any chipping.

Color Club holographic polishes - Over The Moon and Eternal Beauty; such stunners and must haves!!!

I order my Color Club polishes from www.8ty8beauty.com and even though they are a little bit more expensive than as what I am usually willing to pay for a nail polish, these are absolutely worth every penny!!!

Thursday - Green Polka Dots

This is another manicure that was created as a result of the weather and the current season. I am so tired of winter and the cold weather that I had to do something more fun reminding of spring. Neither the fact that we were about to celebrate Christmas had any inspiration for me so I decided to do a simple polka dot manicure.

Anybody else misses spring and summer? These were definitely inspired by the warmer weather and fun spring colors. White polka dots were created using a dotting tool and White On from Sally Hansen and the green polka dots were done using China Glaze's Tree Hugger.

I love to create polka dot manicure because not only they are so easy but they look very clean and crisp leaving you with an impression you have put lots of effort into creating them. The most difficult part could be the spacing between each dot but with a little practice, you will get a hang of it.

2 coats of China Glaze - Tree Hugger and Teal the Tide Turns and OPI - My Vampire is Buff.

Let me know if you ever tried to create your own polka dot manicure and how successful you were. The nice thing about these kind of manicures is that you do not need a dotting tool; you can utilize anything you find at home and has a point. I have seen people using tooth picks, bobby pins, needle, etc.

Friday - Christmas lights

Friday before Christmas I decided that I want to wear a red nail polish. Around this time of the year I usually reach for Ruby Pumps from China Glaze. If you never gonna by a red nail polish or you do not like red color on your nails, this color may change your mind. It is absolutely mind blowing how beautiful this color is. You have a shimmer running through this polish that shows up even more in sun light but is there in a dim room as well. This is the perfect red color for Christmas but you can wear it all year around. And what is great about this nail polish that it looks amazing as a single manicure or is great as a base for nail art manicures.

For this nail art I used black pieces of threads and added studs while the nail polish was still a little wet and sticky.

This color is again completely opaque in one coat. As in most cases I like to apply two coats just to bring out the color of the nail polish but with this one you can absolutely get away with just that one coat.

China Glaze - Ruby Pumps; if you could afford only one nail polish in your life, I would tell you to go for this one.

For the "rope" in this manicure I used pieces of black thread. It was quite tricky to apply it on my nails; especially my right hand, but not impossible. And I added studs in different colors mimicking Christmas lights. I topped it with my favorite top coat Out the Door. The studs survived until the following day; but I only had this manicure on my nails for a day.

Saturday - Baby Shower manicure; It's a girl!

This year appears to be a baby boom in  my family. First it was my sister-in-law who announced they are expecting their second baby. Few months later, my brother announced they are expecting their first baby :)!!! How exciting, right!?

Yes, it is a girl!!! For stamping I used Color Club Over the Moon and Eternal Beauty.

In both cases the new babies are girls! My sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby girl right after Thanksgiving and my brother's wife is expecting their first baby girl in April. Also, some other family friends and friends announced this year they are expecting and a new baby generation should be here in 2015.

China Glaze - Pink-ie Promise, Dandy Layin' Around and Wish on a Starfish.

Hope you all have a great week. Happy Holidays and if you celebrate Christmas then Merry Christmas to you all.