Saran/Cling Wrap

Here is my first try at Saran or Cling Wrap nails. It is super easy, and I didn't have to worry about being neat. I used Chelsea King's YouTube video here. I used Ciaté Big Yellow Taxi and SinfulColors Pink Forever, then I added Essie Pure Pearlfection.

The basic idea of saran or cling wrap nails: 1. Paint your base color and let it dry (or let it dry a little bit...I wasn't that patient); 2. Paint your second color over that; and then 3. Lightly dab wadded up cling wrap over the nail to remove the top layer of polish in some places.

Classy Stripes and Dots

I was inspired by @cynfulnails on Instagram and Sammy at her blog here. For my middle and ring finger, I painted two coats of Butter London Nail Foundation, let it dry, applied stripes of nail tape, painted over the whole nail with Essie Licorice, and then pulled the nail tape off gently while the polish was still wet. For my index and pinky fingers, I used Barielle Love for the base (it is a pearly white) and Essie Licorice for the polka dots.

Lavalicious

I used Barielle Hidden Hideaway and Essie Shine of the Times. It glows red/orange and occasionally green. I could not stop looking at this! Most of the time the middle of each nail reflects orangey red and the sides reflect green...I think it's because of the curve of my nails.

Everyone should try layering a flakie polish like Shine of the Times over a dark polish just so they can experience this gorgeousness.

Barielle Hidden Hideaway

Barielle Hidden Hideaway is a very dark purple with purple/red shimmer. It looks almost black unless it is in direct sunlight like in this picture. The orange of the sunset made it look a little more red here though.

Electric Blue Combo

One of my favorite things to do when it comes to nail art is combining two designs. For this manicure, I did a gradient and polka dots. I used my Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors base with Essie Butler Please as the gradient, then I added silver polka dots...which blended in with Smoke and Mirrors as I got closer to the cuticle.

Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors is a gorgeous and smooth silver that glistens like a thousand suns and is impossible to photograph. Is that convincing enough?!?! This was full coverage in one coat. I found the Sonia Kashuk line at Target and they were about $8-9. I want more of this brand because the line is very pretty.

Dark and Light - Gradients and Feathers

I was inspired by Kaitlin Ferland at The Daily Polish for this mix of light and dark. I used black polish for the index and pinky finger and have determined that I think black looks more sinister on oval/almond shaped nails. Then I did a blue-purple-pink gradient over a white base and layered a sheer pink over that to tone down the colors a bit. Then I tried my hand at drawing feathers.

Note: Why do my nails look so short in photos? They are actually pretty long...longer than how long I would let them get when I had square shaped nails.

I used Essie Licorice, Julep Kate, Ulta Blue Streak, Barielle Grape Escape, Orly Butterflies, OPI Passion, and Orly Instant Artist Jet Black.

Hand Crocheted Coffee Cozies

My handmade to-go coffee cozies are now on sale! I love them for my hot lattes and coffees, which is a must for me during the winter months. Plus, they make really nice gifts for friends, family, and coworkers. If you place your order before Saturday, December 8th, they are $9. If you buy two or more they are $8 each. Shipping to the contiguous United States is free, and if you would like them shipped elsewhere the price of shipping will be passed to you with no mark-up.

Email me at pearlyswirled@gmail.com to buy and please be PayPal ready. I have two of the cozies labeled 8, 9, 10, and 11. Any questions? Ask below or through email.

Bows and Polka Dots

A friend of mine loves Hello Kitty and asked me to do a Hello Kitty manicure. She showed me a pic of it, but I don't know who originally did that manicure. All the nails, except the accent nail, were very much like my version of it. Unfortunately, I can't draw to save my life. So I tried to do Hello Kitty's bow instead of drawing her. I think my right hand turned our better but figured I would post both...it was my first time doing bows and this tutorial by The Daily Polish was really helpful.

I used SinfulColors Pink Forever, Orly Instant Artist Crisp White and Jet Black, Julep Kate, and, for the bow only, OPI Pink-ing of You and Nicole by OPI Here Kim's the Sun.

Left Hand

Right Hand

Ciaté Mini Mani Month Reds and Pink Review

Yesterday I swatched the Ciaté Mini Mani Month reds and pink. Compared to the blues and purples I have already done, I think that the reds have a better formula and look at those colors, gorgeous! The pink is very nice too, but I'm still blown away by the richness of the reds. All swatches are over Butter London Nail Foundation with no top coat.

Dangerous Affair is a deep berry red, deeper and darker than I was able to capture. I painted two coats here and liked the way it looked, but you still can see my nails a little bit through the polish on my index and middle fingers. I would describe this as a high pigmented jelly.

Enchanted Rose is a bright red glitter in a clear base. This is three coats over base coat. This glitter really glistens and I wish I was able to capture that in my photos. Like the other two glitters in this collection, there is no grittiness whatsoever.

Mistress is a bright red and reminds me of the most iconic shade of red lipstick possible. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but that's the first that popped into my mind as I painted this. I would say that it is a jelly formula, but it was opaque in two coats. The reason I say it has a jelly formula is because I tried it over Enchanted Rose and could still see the glitters underneath.

Cupcake Queen is a bright/neon pink with an iridescent blue shimmer. It has a very smooth formula that is opaque in two coats. 

Underwater Abstract

I was inspired by Chalkboard Nails for this manicure using Nicole by OPI Mer-Maid for Each Other and Orly Instant Artist for the wavy lines. I wish I could find the exact post that Chalkboard Nails did, but she has such a great blog I recommend just exploring it and getting inspiration.

Because of the green/blue base and wavy lines, my nails ended up looking like abstract seaweed to me.

Nicole by OPI Mer-Maid for Each Other

I had been eyeing this polish for some time. I was mesmerized by the metallic finish and iridescent shift from green to blue. So far, I have not seen another polish like it. It has great application and I highly recommend it.

Mustache Nails!

With SinfulColors Hazard as the base, I did a mustache manicure by drawing one with Orly Instant Artist Jet Black. It took me a while to get the mustache just right. My tip is to draw the mustache thin at first and then thicken it up where needed for a full, luscious, and symmetrical mustache.

We also have a guest appearance by Aurora, my sister's Golden Retriever.

SinfulColors Hazard

I haven't found a SinfulColors polish that I didn't love. They have a very smooth and creamy formula and Hazard is the perfect example of that. I wish my nails had not chipped because then I would still have the square nail shape but I'm trying to embrace the round/oval nail shape I now have.

Ciaté Mini Mani Month Blue and Purple Reviews

My husband recently got me the Ciaté Mini Mani Month Collection which includes 17 colors, three glitter polishes, and four mini bottles of caviar pearls. There are so many new colors to try that I decided I would swatch the blues and purples all this morning. None of the swatches are with top coat.

The individual polish reviews are underneath the photos as a caption. Just wondering, does anyone else have issues moving the order of photos around and then the photos move on their own when you want to create space in between them and/or add text?

Magic Carpet is one of the three polishes exclusive to this collection. It is a small purple almost fuschia glitter in a clear base. I painted three coats over base coat and, as you can see, it would take several more for full coverage. But I do love how bright the glitter is.

Cabaret is a dark purple polish that requires three coats to be smooth and fully opaque, but I only did two coats here. 

Fade to Greige is the first greige color I have ever owned. It is a muted gray eggplant color that needs three coats so that there are not any sheer spots. However, the formula is very smooth.

Glass Slipper is another one of the three polishes exclusive to this collection. It is a small bright blue glitter in a clear base. I painted three coats over base coat and, as you can see, it would take several more for full coverage.

Headliner is a bright aqua cream blue. It is very smooth and only requires two coats to be opaque. It is my favorite out of this swatching session.

Power Dressing is a dark and smooth navy polish but it does require three coats so that it does not have sheer or streaky areas.

OPI Pedal Faster Suzi!

This is a swatch of OPI Pedal Faster Suzi! It is a shimmery and creamy light pink that I absolutely love.

Inspired by Aubrey Hannah

I was inspired by Aubrey Hannah's for this manicure. I used SinfulColors Pink Forever with Essie Pure Pearlfection and Matte About You. Then for the accent finger, I used Essie Licorice with Matte About You and, with a thin nail art brush, I applied To Dry For top coat for the (zebra) stripes.

Aubrey Hannah has an Instagram account and a blog. Check it out!

Nude to Purple Gradient

For this nude to purple gradient I used Essence Nude It!, Ulta Duty Free Shopping Spree, OPI Purple With a Purpose, and Essie Pure Pearlfection. Recently my gradients have taken so many layers of polish to get a nice fade that they end up being really thick and taking a long time to dry. I need to take my time for my next gradient, giving each layer some time to dry.

Crazy Cute Mix and Match

For this Mix and Match mani, I was inspired by Adventure Time, Domo, cupcakes, and color. Typically Mix and Match style is not one I would wear but it's perfect for those times when you want an overload of cuteness and when you are going to California Adventure, like I am today! If you have any questions about the design please feel free to ask me in the comment section below.

Here is a list of all the polishes used:
Elle Riviera Blue
Essie Licorice
Julep Kate and Sophie
OPI Pink-ing of You, Passion, I'm Not Really a Waitress, and Purple With a Purpose
Orly Instant Artist Jet Black and Crisp White
SinfulColors Hazard, Pink Forever, and Nirvana
Ulta Sun-Sational, Limelight, Blue Streak, Duty Free Shopping Spree

For the glitter gradient on my right middle finger, I used Essie A Cut Above and Milani Teal and Hot Pink

Left Hand

Left Hand

Right Hand

Right Hand

Minnie Mouse Inspired

For a recent trip to Disneyland and California Adventure I borrowed my sister's shirt and that, along with the work of @ohtammm on Instagram, inspired my Minnie Mouse nail design.

The design is the same on both hands but just showed my non-dominant hand.
Thumb: SinfulColors Pink Forever with Orly Instant Artist Crisp White
Index: Julep Kate and I dipped a straw into Essie Licorice, SinfulColors Pink Forever, and Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors for the abstract design.
Middle: SinfulColors Pink Forever with OPI Pink-ing of You polka dots, Essie Licorice for Minnie Mouse silhouette, Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors for the bow, and a single pink glitter from Milani Hot Pink.
Ring: Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors.
Pinky: SinfulColors Pink Forever with Julep Kate and Essie Licorice polka dots.

Natural Lighting

Here is the shirt that inspired the design and my sister's Minnie Mouse Ears. (Indoor Lighting.)

e.l.f 28

e.l.f 28 is a polish that I found at Target. From what I understand it is a Target exclusive and so is the rest of the Fall "Python" Collection. ("28" is on the bottom of the bottle and is the only indication of the polish name.)

28 is a black polish with a shimmer that goes from pink to blue to purple depending on the light. The pictures do not do it justice...especially since you can only see the blue shimmer. I found it to have an even consistency, however the brush was rather small.

Girly Fishtails

This is my second trying out the fishtail/chevron nail art design. I used Chalkboard Nails' video tutorial for a "Candy-Colored Fishtail Manicure". As you see in the video, you just use the brush that comes in the nail polish bottle, and though there may be some clean-up needed, it is a simple technique that I can even execute on my dominant hand as seen below.

I used OPI Pink-ing of You, Sonia Kashuk Smoke and Mirrors, and Essie Lapiz of Luxury.

My dominant hand in natural light

My non-dominant hand in artificial light

My non-dominant hand in natural light

Mini Interlocking Dots

Using an Interlocking Dot tutorial by @slacquerr on Instagram, I tried out this popular nail design. I modified it a little bit into what I am calling "Mini Interlocking Dots" and could not get enough of it. I was remarkably time consuming but not really complicated. It is important to have a good dotting tool so that the dots are uniform.

I used Essie Turquoise & Caicos and Lapiz of Luxury.

I would love to do this manicure again in all types of combinations. In fact, I just thought up one right now. Stay tuned!

I did the regular-sized interlocking dots on my thumbs so here is a comparison.

Soft Glitzy Pink

I create this soft pink and glitzy look, I painted two coats of OPI Pedal Faster Suzi and one coat each of Essie Shine of the Times and Nicole by OPI Here Kim's the Sun.

In the sunlight pictures, it looks like I have little bubbles in the pink but that is really Here Kim's the Sun. In the shade picture, Here Kim's the Sun is pretty much the only glitter that you see. 

Sunlight

Sunlight

Shade