MANICure Monday featuring Essie in Playdate

Hello ladies and Happy New Year to all of you! I hope your year is off to a promising start and that your nails are all well manicured and sparkly!  And even if they aren't, I hope you're feeling like a million bucks, nonetheless.  I don't know about you guys, but when I'm feeling out of sorts, a great mani-pedi (and an application of strikingly bold lipstick) always makes me feel better.  But truth be told, I've been neglecting my nails lately.  Before this weekend, I hadn't put much effort into my manicures since before Christmas.  I know that might not seem like a big deal to some, but I change my polish like I change my lip gloss! I guess with all of the work and stress of the holiday season, I had neglected giving myself that extra pampering.  So, after looking down at my barren nails the other day, I decided to give this little play-date situation a whirl.  Not a real play-date per se', but digging in my stash and pulling out my Essie Nail Polish in Playdate once again to get myself in a happier mood.

And you see that splash of glitter, don't you?  You know I can't seem to get away from sparkly accents for the life of  me, so I added NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Starry Silver Glitter.  Not only is it chock full of pretty silver glitter, it has flecks of soft pink and cerulean blue sparkles in it too!  That's my kinda polish!  On my accent nails, I used about three coats of Starry Silver Glitter to get the desired level of sparkle.

Needless to say, the festive mani definitely lifted my spirits!  There's something about the soft purple PlayDate polish that has me all hyped about Spring way too soon lol.  

So what are your manicures looking like this week ladies?  Did you play it safe with familiar colors and acrylics or did you go bold this week?  Perhaps you decided to skip the polish altogether.  Either way, I would love to hear all about the details in the comments. Let me know!  

This Week's Mani: Starry Skyline Glitter

Happy Tuesday, loves! How was your holiday weekend?  Hopefully all of you enjoyed your extended weekend to the fullest and were able to truly celebrate those servicemen who have given their lives for our freedom. I for one, had a blast this weekend spending time with my loved ones (and eating lots of good food too)!

For this week's manicure, I was at a bit of a loss. I didn't really lean on any cute manicure inspiration nor did I plan what colors to use ahead of time. But since my toes have been adorned in Essie Nail Polish in Playdate for the last week without a single chip or smudge, I decided I might as well coordinate my manicure with my pedicure.

I didn't want to use the same polish on each nail, as I did want them to stand out a little since I'm celebrating my birthday later this week. So I added one of my newest polishes, NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Skyline Blue to the mani mix. Before I knew it, I pulled out my dotting tool along with my Pure Ice Nail Polish in Superstar (not pictured) and decided to do a few polka dots on my accent nail. Do you like?

Believe it or not, I haven't used any glitter on my nails in a while. I was having withdrawals from the shimmery flecks of sparkly goodness, so it clearly wasn't enough for me to have a dotted accent nail. I had to add two coats of NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Starry Silver Glitter to a couple of nails. I think the hints of pink and cerulean blue glitter really added to the mani if I say so myself.

So what are your nails looking like this week, ladies? Are you into a particular manicure trend lately? Do you always match your fingers and toes when doing manis and pedis?  If so or even if not, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 

MANICure Monday: Superstar Sparkle

Happy Monday, ladies! I hope everyone's week is off to a beautiful start!  I'm starting my Monday morning off with another Manicure Monday link-up. This week, I decided to abandon my bright colors and my beloved pink hues to try something different.  I recently grabbed up this Pure Ice Nail Polish in Superstar (as I did not have a white nail polish in my stash) so decided I would give it some play this week.

While I didn't want to wear just an all-white mani, and I didn't want to resort to doing a colored accent nail, I decided to add glitter to my mani with O.P.I. Spark de Triomphe (from the Serena Williams Collection).

And for an accent, I left the ring fingers white.  I guess that would make it like a reverse-accent situation!

So what are your manicures looking like this week ladies?  Did you play it safe with familiar colors and acrylics or did you go bold this week?  Perhaps you decided to skip the polish altogether.  Either way, I would love to hear all about the details in the comments. Let me know!  

Check out past MANICure Monday posts if you haven't already:

Delusions of Pink Grandeur

For My Sweethearts

Featuring Essie in Playdate

Hulk Smash + Sparkle

...With a Chance of Rain

Weekly MANICure: Featuring Sinful Colors in Savage

Hello ladies! I hope everyone is well and getting into the spirit of thanks!  In fact, I was hoping to do a more festive manicure this week for Thanksgiving.  I thought about using a beautiful cranberry shade and maybe set it off with some gold glitter or flecks similar to the nail look that Mimi was rocking here recently. But then I changed my mind.  The girly girl that is addicted to soft colors always wins in these types of battles.  I started missing those bright blues and soft lilacs of the spring and summer seasons, so I went on a hunt to the bottom of my storage units for those shades.  I came out with Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Savage, which is a teal matte formula, and Essie Nail Polish in Playdate, a lilac lacquer that is among my favorite polishes.  

Now the Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Savage is a pretty tricky polish. Yes, the color is beautiful and quite different from other polishes I own.  But the formula is matte, which I've only worked with twice, and it leaves your nails stained. I used it anyways, decided to leave only one nail matte on each hand, while using my trusty OPI Nail Polish in Servin' Up Sparkle to coat the others.  I even pulled out my dotting tool and nail art polishes to make a design on the accent nail.  Oh and guess what? I CUT MY NAILS!

This is everything I used:

So what are your manicures looking like this week, ladies?  Did you dress them up for the holidays?  Or did you choose colors according to your mood like I did?  Or maybe you didn't use any polish at all?  Either way, I want to hear all about it in the comments!