March Photo Challenges

I am going to be participating in an Instagram photo challenge for the month of March! Please follow me @sparkleandpolish and consider joining the challenge yourself!! I will post a weekly review of my photo challenge here for those of you who aren't on Instagram!

I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep up with daily postings.  I know this isn't nail specific but I intend on tailor the challenges to fit nails, nail polish and nail art. 

I am also going to be doing a nail specific March nail art challenge, this is a laid back challenge, not one that requires daily posting.  Hopefully this will get me back on track to posting every day or every other day. Here is the info for this challenge in case you would like to join :)

Stay Sparkly,

A

My First Striping Tape Mani

I bought striping tape ages ago and was so intimidated by it, but after finding dotting tools to be quite easy, I decided to give it a try.  This mani was inspired by my current favorite sweater from Gap, though I just looked for it on the website and couldn't find it.. I'll update when its up there.

I found the striping tape to be easy to work with. It was thin, easy to cut and maneuver with.  Also, I was able to place it, then pick up the piece again and reposition it. The striping tape didn't pull up my manicure like regular tape sometimes does.  I purchased my striping tape from ebay, for maybe $5, for I think 8 different colors of tape.

This mani combines my dear dotting tool with striping tape, while mixing patterns can look garish, I think the black and white color combo keeps it from being over the top.

The white is OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and the black is China Glaze Liquid Leather.

This was a busy mani but I really love it, particularly the polka dots. I can't wait to do another polka dot mani, and look for some more stripes once baseball season starts :)

Stay Sparkly,

A

OPI Don't Be Such A Budapest

This is a pale blue based lavender with subtle silver shimmer, this shimmer is extremely hidden, barely even visible in the bottle.  I had a hard time seeing the shimmer and an even harder time capturing it on camera, but this polish is so beautiful I don't miss the shimmer. This is a beautiful spring pastel shade that I think I will continue to reach for.

 This is one thin coat of polish. Quite sheer and streaky, but don't judge this polish off of its first coat! It builds to a creamy smooth periwinkle beauty with 3 thin coats, or 2 thicker coats.

without flash and with flash. 

Check back in a few days to see some pastry inspired nail art using this color!

Stay Sparkly,

A

Glitter Tips

I love the look of glitter polish, but I dread the removal.. even with the foil method. So I try to use glitter sparingly.  Glitter tips is one of my favorite looks, it is inspired by my coworker who always has glitter tipped acrylic nails.
I used a base of OPI So Many Clowns... So Little Time from the Spring 2011 Soft Shades Collection. I used 3 thin coats of this sheer, glossy nude color. You could do glitter tips without a base color, but I have quite short nail beds, so I use this color to help elongate the look of my nails.

The tips are Color Club Sugarplum Fairy, a pale lilac base with silver and holo glitter. To make the tips, I use binder hole reinforcers that I bought from Target. I find they are easier to work with after they have been cut in half, they mold better to the curve of the nail that way.
It was hard for me to capture the holo goodness from this polish. I have a theory that as soon as one uses holo polish the clouds show up and make photographing said holo polish impossible.

Stay Sparkly,

A

Flower Accent Nail

Dotting tools are my new best friend! They are so fun to play around with, and make nail art so much easier! I personally have never friend stamping, so this is it for me and nail art!

This is a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, with Vant To Bite My Neck and Don't Be Such A Budapest! I think I'm going back to OPI being my fav polish brand, it seems to be all I'm reaching for these days.

I did these nails special to go wedding dress shopping with one of my dear friends! She has chosen a deep plum shade for the bridesmaids dresses so I thought this manicure was appropriate for the occasion!

Stay Sparkly,

A

OPI Vant To Bite My Neck

 I think I'm going to be repeating myself a lot with my posts about OPI Euro Centrale. So far every polish that I've tried has had flawless formula! Vant To Bite My Neck is a dark, vampy, glossy dream! I should mention that my pictures show this polish without top coat! Crazy shiny! This polish photographed quite dark, but it natural light it is obvious this polish is purple and not black.

This is one coat!! Amazing coverage! 

I have some spring nail art coming up using this color as inspiration! That will be coming in a few days.

Stay Sparkly,

A

OPI Elephantastic Pink

This bright fun creme/jelly/crelly hybrid polish that I am shocked to love! This is the kind of color I usually shy away from, but upon the referral of the Sales Associate at Planet Beauty I gave it a chance. This is 3 easy coats of polish. You could get away with 2 coats if you don't mind some visible nail line. I personally don't like to see VNL so I added the extra coat.  This is a bright salmony pink, it is an orange based pink that is bright and fun and I think perfect for spring!

Also, I apologize for the black marks on my pointer finger, I ended up covered in pen from work today.
This polish is part of the core collection so it should be easily available wherever OPI is sold! Also, if you live by a Planet Beauty location, get there fast. They still have the buy 2 get 1 free OPI promotion!

Stay Sparkly,

A