How-To | Simple Leopard Print Manicure

Happy Monday, beautiful people! I hope everyone is feeling blessed and refreshed today. As for me, I'm starting the week off with a new manicure. I can't remember the last time I actually did a freehand design on my nails, so I decided to go with something that took minimal effort. And since this leopard print design was pretty easy to do, I wanted to share a little tutorial with you guys on how I did it! If you like this one, please let me know in the comments so I can begin to do more tutorials here on the blog for you!

Here's what you will need:

-Three colors of nail polish (preferably one of them being black)

-Dotting tool

-Base coat and top coat

Before anything, make sure to prepare for your manicure by cleaning and trimming your nails. I like to clean my nail bed by wiping them with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. This removes any excess oil or debris from nails that may affect the smoothness of the nail application. 

After prepping nails and applying a base coat (to protect nails from staining), choose the colors you will be using for your manicure. You will need one color for your accent nail and another color to paint the rest of your nails. I grabbed NYC in a New York Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in NY Blues and Essie Nail Lacquer in Play Date. Paint nails with two coats of polish. As you can see, I chose NY Blues for my accent nail.

After two coats of polish have completely dried, use your dotting tool to draw curves and dots on the accent nail. I got my dotting tool from BornPrettyStore, but you can use a toothpick or anything around the house you can get your hands on. It's all about using a product that allows enough control to draw small designs. You can choose any polish you'd like to draw the curves, just make sure it's darker than the other two polishes you use. Here, I am using black. 

Now, using the dotting tool and your second polish of choice, make a dot in the center of the curves you drew in the last step. You should see your work come into form now!

And for your final step, add a top coat on your nails after all polish has dried. Go back with a q-tip or small paintbrush (soaked in nail polish remover) to clean up any excess polish on your nails. 

See! Easy peasy, right?

What are your nails looking like this week, ladies? What colors have you been using lately? Will you be trying this leopard accent nail look out? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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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 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!  

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!

MANICure Monday Featuring Essie's Stylenomics

Remember the last manicure post I shared with you guys?  It was done with my beautiful beloved Bubblegum pink from e.l.f. cosmetics.  And to be quite frank with you, I'm in love with that tiny bottle of pretty pink heaven nail lacquer.  However, I did feel like it was time to start embracing other colors of polish. It's the fall/winter season and there are so many dark and jewel-toned hues to try out!  But I can never bring myself to abandon pink.  

This morning I decided to break out my bottle of Essie in Stylenomics that I received as a Klout perk a while back and fulfill my promise of wearing a dark and tragic shade of polish this time (and Mimi laughed when I said it, I know lol).  Interestingly enough, after applying the polish, it didn't seem dark and tragic at all.  This dark green shade was very rich and deep.  I love it!

It wouldn't be me if I didn't throw some glitter here and there so of course I accented my ring fingers with Sinful Colors polish in Nail Junkie.  What a fitting name for a nail junkie, right?  

And as I admired my nails, I immediately began going through pink polish withdrawal.  I was thinking that it would have been much cuter with a pink accent nail.  My mani needed a bit more oomph and I had no clue how to give it such... And then I thought back on that Louboutin inspired manicure I saw a couple of months back and I came up with the great idea to give this dark color some contrast.  I painted the underside of my nails with Sinful Colors in Soul Mate and absolutely loved it!

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!