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

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! 

Pink Wednesday: Polka-Dots & Neon Pink

Happy Pink Wednesday, beautiful people!  I hope all is well with everyone!  This week, I got a little behind on my Manicure Monday post, so I decided to showcase it for Pink Wednesday since it is pink. To fully embrace pink this week, I used the brightest shade of pink I own-- Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Fusion Neon.  I tell you, the camera on my phone just doesn't do this color justice.  It is shockingly bright! Fusion Neon is certainly an attention-grabber.

Now when I chose Pure Ice in Superstar to be my accent nail color,  I had no clue what I was gonna do with it.  I loved the way my mani came out the last time I used it, but I didn't want to use any glitter this week  (trust me, the pink is bright enough).  That's when I gave these little polka-dots a try.

So ladies, did you get your nails done this week?  Did you do them yourself in beautifully bright colors like me?  Or did you pass on the polish altogether?  Perhaps there is a new mani trend that you are hoping to try (like the caviar nails I plan on doing soon).  Either way, I'd love for you to chat it up with me in the comments!

MANICure Monday: Sun Kissed by Sally Hansen

Hello fellow nail polish lovers!  I'm beginning this week's blogging with a couple of questions to you all.  Do you remember the first brand of nail polish you've ever used?  If so, what brand was it?  

This week's manicure prompted the question, as the stars of the week are both Sally Hansen Hard As Nails polishes.  I am a big fan of Sally Hansen polishes and have been since I was a kid, since this is the very first brand of polish I have ever used. In fact, Sally Hansen and my beautiful grandma sparked my love for nail polish at an early age.

When I used to visit my grandma, she had oodles of polishes displayed neatly in her bedroom on her dresser shelves.  As I entered and exited her bedroom on numerous visits, I would just stand in front of the dresser marveling at the vast array of reds, burgundys, pinks, and gold polishes grandma had flooding the shelves.  One day, she caught me eyeballing her polish collection and asked me if I would like to have a few bottles.  At first, I was utterly shocked. I was only about 8 at the time (same age as my daughter) and I was a chronic nail-biter (also, same as my daughter). So, instead of giving her the opportunity to change her mind, I jumped at the chance to own my very own polishes. I grabbed a bottle of base coat (I believe it was the Love My Nails brand), a bottle of Sally Hansen Top Coat, and a beautiful fuchsia shade of Sally Hansen nail polish with a hint of iridescence that made them shine with hues of blue and green in sunlight. I was in polish heaven!

Though owning these polishes didn't stop me from biting my nails, they did help me make the effort to quit for short periods of time. They also sparked my creative interest to free-hand nail designs, as I would go to the local Family Dollar and purchase the $1 press-on tips to let my imagination run wild on.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I finally stopped biting my nails about two or three years ago.  And though it sometimes seems that I go extreme by letting them grow so long, I guess for me it's just amazing to know that I am able to grow such long, strong nails just like my grandma had back in the day.

So while on my quest to find a new coral polish the other day (as I was inspired by Lynn's beautiful manicure last week and my old coral polish was too sticky), I came across this lovely Sally Hansen Nail Polish in Coral Reef and my mind went back to grandma for some reason.  I smiled inwardly at the memory, grabbed the shade Sun Kissed as well (the prettiest, most opaque shade of orange I've ever owned) and generated ideas in my head for my next manicure.

As you can see, I didn't get too creative. This is the same design from my last MANICure Monday post lol. I just switched the colors up.  Here's everything I used.

O.P.I. Nail Lacquer in Pros & Bronze

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Sun Kissed

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Coral Reef

Pure Ice in Superstar

Revlon Multi-Care Base + Top Coat

Dotting Tool from BornPrettyStore.com

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST NAIL POLISH?

WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR NAILS THIS WEEK?

Subscribe to ...So She Writes... by Email

Follow ...So She Writes... via BLOGLOVIN'