Essie Borrowed and Blue

I think Essie is one of my favorite brands. Yes, most of their colors are reds and pinks but whenever they do blues and greens they make sure to do them right. Most safe brands I usually criticize but for some reason I have a softer point of view for Essie. Maybe it's their bottle shape. I really love the Essie bottle. 

Anyways, Essie Borrowed and Blue is a pale, light blue creme nail polish. It only takes two coats to achieve an opaque color. The formula is great and smooth. It is a very light blue. My love for nail art also created my love for cremes. This polish served as an excellent color for the base of my Instagram nail art. It's great to use to create designs.

All photos are under artificial lighting. I just purchased supplies to create my own lightbox. :)

What's your favorite brand of nail polish? I know my posts have been very brief lately, I'll try to work on that. I have a passion for lacquer and nail art. Unfortunately, I don't have much of a passion for writing. Again, I'll do my best to provide better writing in the future. Is anyone else very tired and looking for the weekend? Here's hoping it comes soon! 

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Instagram App Logo Nail Art (@ontothenextpolish)

Ok, I might officially be obsessed with instagram. It's quick, easy, and instant. Don't get me wrong I love blogging, most of the time, but I really like how easy updating on instagram is.

Anyways, in the app's honor, I did nail art based off their logo. Each of my nails are adorned with little instagram logos and hashtags. The base is Essie Borrowed and Blue. I meant to post my swatches of that first but I got too excited about this nail design. :) Does that ever happen to you? Ah, my schedule is ruined.

The rest of the colors used were: Sally Hansen Dune, Milani Precision Nail Art Brush in Black, Essie Blanc, Revlon Red Hot Tamale, Essie Mojito Madness, China Glaze Electric Beat, China Glaze Happy Go Lucky, Spoiled Pumping Gas, and Spoiled Visually Slimming. This design is freehand.

All photos are under artificial lighting.

Am I the only one who thinks these are extremely cute?

Posing with my instagram device aka the Iphone 4S. I know I think I'm cool but I'm actually quite lame.

The photo above shows my instagram profile at the time of this manicure. 

You can find me on instagram:

@ontothenextpolish

I think I'll do a few more manicures to advertise the other social media networks you can find me at. Logos are fun and somewhat challenging to copy. I am really happy with the result.

Do you have an instagram? Sorry to those who don't have an app capable device! I'd love to hear about your accounts so I can check them out. Have an great Wednesday! They always seem to be my least favorite day. 

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Neon Checkerboard Print Nail Art

This is an old design but since neons scream summer to me I thought this would be great to post now.

It's a checkerboard print design featuring neon pink and neon yellow. In real life, this manicure was pretty retina-searing and extremely bright. With shorter nails, bright looks don't look as bold though. (Not like I care about the world thinking I have bold nails. :) ) 

To create this design I started off with Illamasqua Rare. It's my favorite extremely bright neon. Then using a striper brush I created a criss-cross design using Color Club Poptastic. To get the checkerboard look I filled in some of the squares with the neon pink and left others alone. 

All photos taken under artificial lighting.

Funny story: when I wore this I distinctively remember a rather serious man I know telling me that I wouldn't get hit on the road wearing that manicure. I think he was a little taken back on the brightness.

I really like checkerboard print nails. It's a design that I return to now and then and each new attempt is better than the last. I really like improving my skills and looking back at the past. Honestly, this manicure isn't that old. It's from a few months back.

The other day I was thinking if I should share my sometimes-horrific pictures of very old attempts of nail art. I was thinking I could do a series where I showed one of my awful designs and showed an inspired nail design that I create now. Would anyone be interested in that? Warning: I was terrible at nail art.

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

The Joker from Batman Super Villain Nail Art

Ever since I did my Avengers nail art look, I've loved the look of comic book inspired nails and nerdy nails in general. Since my personality and lifestyle screams nerd how could I not seek to create other nerdy nails? Problem is that I never know what to start with. Especially when I have nails' block, the nail enthusiast's version of writer's block. Luckily I have great friends that can offer me up with inspiration. I planned on doing a superhero themed manicure but the suggestion of the Joker, the "super villain" from Batman, was too good to pass up. There also seems to be plenty of nail love given to the superhero but not the villain of the story. Hope you can see the resemblance. 

I used Essie Mojito Madness as a base for this freehand design. The polishes I used for the design where: Milani Precision Nail Art Brush in Black (lines), China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses (Joker's tie), China Glaze Marry a Millionaire (suit), Sally Hansen HD DVD (suit), Essie Blanc (face, hand, playing card), and Revlon Red Hot Tamale (creeper smile, heart). I based my Joker off a comic depiction of this man in a purple suit with a green tie. The Joker's signature is playing cards so with my thumb I opted for the ace of hearts sort of a cop-out for a joker playing card. :) 

All photos are under artificial lighting. Comment below if you are wishing to know details on how I created this look. 

Close up of thumb.

He looks very dashing in his suit. So which side are you on: superhero or super villain? Furthermore, should I embark on creating an equivalent Batman nail design? Perhaps for the new movie in July.

Anyways, using comic book characters, whether super hero or villain, as nail inspiration is quite fun. I tend to simplify or cartoon-ize by nature. I love the end result. I really enjoy creating manicures that are fun to make, look at, and share. Let me know how you feel about this design. Have a great day!

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Essie Mojito Madness

This past week I had the nail art equivalent of writer's block. Perhaps I should call it nails' block? Anyways, I had tried to plan out nail art ideas and I just couldn't get myself to do any of them. This happens to me sometimes and I absolutely hate the feeling.

While stuck in my "nails' block" I wore Essie Mojito Madness. It's a gorgeous green creme but perhaps a little uninspiring for me. I wore it for about a week left untouched. There isn't anything wrong with that but for me it felt weird. Interesting story: when I don't wear nail art two random strangers compliment my polish. One even said "Huh, I never thought about green nail polish." What? Admittedly, I'm stuck in this Nail World and I have trouble relating to people on the outside.

Essie Mojito Madness is a medium toned green polish. It seems a little dusty in my opinion. It was extremely pigmented. I hardly needed a second coat. Though as of habit I applied three coats. Application was a breeze and the polish applied smoothly. It's a great color especially for summer. Or if you had not thought about green nail polish.

All photos are under artificial lighting. Guess who just figured out how to set the exposure compensation on their camera? Please don't judge me. Though I've got to get/make a lightbox. You can make fun of me for that.

Tomorrow I will be showing a comic book related nail art design that I finally was able to create after my nails' block broke. I'd love to know any stories about your nails' block as I'm calling it or what non-polish people say/do that surprise you. Have a great day!

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Glitter Heart Nail Art

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Today I have a simple and easy design. Also, I just realized that the title of this post rhymes. (Insert lame joke here) Only two polishes were used to create this look: China Glaze Electrify and Orly Melt Your Popsicle. China Glaze Electrify is from the Hunger Games collection and is a glitter polish of red and gold hex glitter of various sizes. This glitter was utilized to create small hearts on each nail. The base of the manicure is Orly Melt Your Popsicle. This polish is a very bright neon orange. 

To create the look first I applied three coats of the neon orange Orly. Next, I put a small amount of the China Glaze glitter on a piece of tin foil. I carefully picked up polish with a dotting tool. I created three small dots of glitter polish and connected them together. However, my thumb nail features a different look. I created a heart by placing glitter polish all over my nail but left a neon orange heart shape exposed. 

The "opposite" design on my thumb.

Sometimes I really like the look of a simple and quick design. This particular look is quite cute if I say so myself. It's these types of nail designs that bring a smile to my face when I look at them. They're very sweet. :)

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

OPI Metallic 4 Life from the Nicki Minaj Collection

Tonight I have a swatch of OPI Metallic 4 Life from the Nicki Minaj collection. It's a black polish filled with silver hex glitters and silver microglitter. The name is based off the female rapper's song "Moment 4 Life". Whatever your music preferences may be, Nicki Minaj is on top of her nail style. She always sports long and crazy nails. I really appreciate it when celebrity collections are based off someone interested in the field. Personally, it would really annoy me if OPI pursued celebrities that aren't somewhat interested in nails. Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj were excellent choices in my opinion but don't get me started on the Kardashian collections by Nicole by OPI.

Anyways, this polish is stunning. While two coats provides adequate coverage I tend to apply three coats of polish on my nails. So, the photos below show three coats of polish. I love how some glitter floats on the top while other hexes and microglitter are buried underneath the lacquer surface. It's no secret I love glitters and this is no exception.

Did you pick up any polishes from this collection? I bought this, Did It On 'Em, and Save Me. I know at the moment this Nail Polish world is filled with drama but hopefully time will fade things away so we can just get back to gorgeous lacquers.

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Beyonce Costume Inspired Nail Art

Whenever I see something particularly striking, I try to envision it on my nails. As for my music tastes, I enjoy a wide range of genres. My iTunes library ranges from completely known and unknown. Admittedly, I have a soft spot for the superstar Beyonce. I love her songs, her voice, her energy onstage, etc. With her recent performances at Revel, I was stunned at her costumes while I watched the show online. You'll never see me in one of those skintight sparkly looks but I will continue to lust on the sidelines. I chose one of her looks as inspiration for this nail art.

On a separate note, I really want to know if I should switch fonts from  Courier to Times. Probably looks more professional but maybe I'm over-thinking the significance of font choice. I tend to over think everything.

To create this look I used Essie Ruby Slippers on top of a frankened nude. Using the red sparkly glitter, I created wide french-like tips and freehanded triangles on the lower portion of my nail. Honestly, I could've waited and used tape for clean lines. I didn't. I created that polish by mixing some of my mineral makeup into a clear polish. Thus the polish very closely matches my skin tone. 

All photos taken under artificial lighting.

Costume used as inspiration:

(Photo Credit)

Sort of wish I could pull off that "bejeweled cut-out leotard" look. Oh well, I guess I'll stick to nails.

Fashion and even costumes can be a great source of inspiration. Personally, I like to interpret the lines, print, or colors on my nails. What's your favorite source of nail inspiration? If you don't have one, is there anything you would like to see me try? Suggestions are welcomed. Should I change over to "Times" font?

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

The Avengers Superhero Nail Art

So, let's get things clear. I'm a total nerd. Furthermore, I have a fascination for superheroes. I was, however, late to the Avengers. I only saw the Iron Man films before watching the Avengers. I didn't see it opening weekend. When I got around to viewing the film, I was hooked. I had to see Captain America and the other films. And with pictures of inspiration on the internet, I had to have the Avengers on my nails.

I came upon a design featuring the Avengers with half of their body on each hand. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of the original source of my inspiration.

To create this look ten nail polishes were used. These polishes included: Ma.nish.ma Rocket Green, Wet 'n' Wild Black Creme, Sally Hansen Blue It, Revlon Red Hot Tamale, Orly Luxe, China Glaze Snow, H&M Dazzling Nude, Orly Mirror Mirror, SpaRitual Howl, and China Glaze Happy Go Lucky. All work is freehanded. This design did take awhile.

Pictures were taken under artificial lighting. Please excuse the non-traditional background. I had to get the help of a family member to serve as photographer.

L to R: The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor

Have you seen the Avengers yet? Who's your favorite superhero? My favorites are Batman and Iron Man. Not exactly sure what that says about me. 

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Polka Dot Glitter Nail Art

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday! I think I've come down with some disease but luckily it's not too bad yet.

Anyways, I've always like the look of 3d nail art and wanted to try studs and sequins. However, I don't own any loose glitter to create a look. I do own a significant amount of glitter polishes with some containing particularly large glitter pieces. So, by placing individual glitter pieces I can create looks reminiscent of loose glitter designs.Below, I've shown a polka dot sequin look. It involves taking individual hex glitters and placing them on the nail with a toothpick. I used the same method in my last design for the jubilee. It's tedious but well worth it.

The base is Nails Inc Baker Street. I really can't stop wearing this polish. Then I created a V-design using Illamasqua Rare. The hexagonal glitter pieces are from Milani Jewel FX Gold. They were individually placed with a toothpick into a polka dot arrangement. I love how they shine and look like tiny sequins on my nails.

All photos are taken under artificial lighting.

I really like how the glitter pieces look from different angles such as this close up photo demonstrates.

To be honest by the time I finished one hand I was reluctant to continue to individually place the hexs. Though the effect is in my opinion worth the time. Would you spend the time individually placing glitters? I always use manicures as a means of procrastination so it works quite well for me.

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Diamond Jubilee Inspired Nail Art

Two weekends ago, I found myself captivated by all the Jubilee nail art on Tumblr. One of my favorite tumblr blogs is The Illustrated Nail. This salon came up with gorgeous designs to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's reign for sixty years. Furthermore, I was inspired to create my own nail art for the event. One of these days I've got to visit the UK-and go to all the amazing nail artists out there.

Each nail is different besides the ring and thumb nail which both feature Union Jack flags. The pinky nail has a crown design. The middle finger has a diamond for the diamond jubilee. The index nail has the number 60 on it. All photos taken inside with artificial lighting.

Nail Art Breakdown:

Pinky:Crown formed by placing individual hex glitters from Milani Jewel FX Gold. Base of Revlon Red Hot Tamale. Two blue dots added with Nails Inc Baker Street.

Ring: British flag done with base of Nails Inc Baker Street, Milani Precision Nail Art Brush in White, and Revlon Red Hot Tamale.

Middle:Base of Revlon Red Hot Tamale. Diamond created with Milani Jewel FX Silver with black lines surrounding shape with Milani Precision Nail Art Brush in Black. Baker Street added to sides of tip.

Index: Baker Street base. Milani Jewel FX Silver used to create 60. Red Hot Tamale on tip. China Glaze Love Marilyn over red.

The crown and the thumb flag. To create designs using a large glitter polish use a toothpick to pick up and place individual glitter pieces.

Have a great week! Mine's going to be stressful but rewarding.

On To The Next Polish,

Katie

Cover Band Sticks n Stones

Can you believe it? Two posts in one night? Yeah, it's happening.


The latest nail polish craze are indie polishes. Polishes created by individuals and not the usual big name brands. I have a great deal of respect of the creators. I'm in awe how some brands can create the most unique and interesting shades. I wish I knew where to get the glitter that they use. I'm always lusting after square glitter.


Anyways, I dove into indie polishes with one of the most sought after, Cover Band Lacquers Sticks n Stones. Sold by Ninja Polish, the restock of this polish and Nail-venturous Floam, have caused several website/server crashes. After many missed opportunities, I was able to get my hands on this amazing black and white glitter. Why "Cover Band"? The polish is a homage to Lynnderella's Connect The Dots. I'm not sure if I ever will be able to get a Lynnderella, so I'm content with the imitation. 


The polish primarily contains black and white glitter. The is some blue microglitter in it. There are black and white hexagonal glitter of different sixes. White and black bar glitter. Square glitter, my favorite. It's just an amazing combination. 


The photos display one coat of Sticks n Stones over two coats of Nails Inc Baker Street.(Refer to my last post for a full review) All photos taken under artificial lighting.

Lately, I've had great luck with polishes. I feel like this polish could be the gateway drug to an indie polish obsession. There are so many brands I'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions?

On To The Next Polish,

Katie