Katy Perry (Brit Awards 2014) Neon Tribal Nails + Tutorial

Hi everyone!

Today, I am finally showing you my most recent nail art, which was inspired by Katy Perry’s outfit from her Dark Horse performance at the 2014 Brit Awards.  As soon as I saw the photos a few weeks ago, I’ve been dying to recreate a similar pattern on my nails.  I also filmed it, so you can view the tutorial at the end of the post.

I fell in love with this color combination, and immediately knew that I had to use China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy for the majority of the design, along with Color Club Twiggie.  I had a hard time choosing the blue since I don’t have many “neon” blues, so I settled on Essie’s Avenue Maintain, and I am happy with how it looks.  The base is one of my favorite, new (to me) nudes, Julep Pippa.

These did take quite a long time to paint, even longer than my Vintage Floral Nails, which is a bit crazy, I know.  I also used the same brush to paint these, and I write more in depth about it in that post, if you would like more info.  The accent nail came from a similiar shape on her sleeve / chest, if you’re all wondering, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I also posted this photo on Instagram last week, next to my inspiration:



And finally, here is the video:

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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Cirque Colors Heritage Collection - Spring 2014 (Press Release)

Hello everyone!

Cirque Colors is set to release a gorgeous new collection of holographic lacquers on April 10th called the Heritage Collection.  As you all know by now, I have a love for all things holographic, and the preview photos below have me extremely excited already.  Clearly, they are not your average pastel holos, they are rich and vibrant.  I can’t wait to get them on my nails!

Here is the official press release:

New York, NY (March 2014) - From the Aztecs to the Inuits, Cirque Colors drew inspiration from the native cultures of the Americas to create a collection called -- Heritage. This collection consists of 7 vibrant holographic lacquers that celebrate the richly spirited traditions and arts of these indigenous groups. Sky Woman, a shimmering periwinkle, was inspired by the fabled creation story about the woman who fell from the sky. While the bright pink hue of Powwow embodies the dynamic music and performances honoring their heritage.

Powwow

An electric fuchsia with a rainbow holographic finish

Luminous Owl
An homage to iconic printmaker, Kenojuak Ashevak; A warm coral with a rainbow holographic finish

Panacea

A flashy chartreuse with a rainbow holographic finish

Cerrillos
A vivid turquoise with a rainbow holographic finish 

Sky Woman
A deep periwinkle with a rainbow holographic finish

Xochitl
After the Aztec word meaning "flower"; A radiant orchid with a rainbow holographic finish

Sani
The first-known Navajo silversmith; A silver foil with a rainbow holographic finish

The Heritage collection will be available online at CirqueColors.com on April 10, 2014. New lower prices for all holographic lacquers will be $13 (originally $15). Refer to the Stockists page for participating retailers.

Cirque Colors™ is line of hand-blended nail lacquers based in New York. The name Cirque, meaning ring or circle, represents the color wheel and the endless color possibilities in the continuum. Founder/Creative Director, Annie Pham, sought to develop colors that transcend those of conventional brands by experimenting with unique pigments and raw materials. All nail lacquers are 3-free, which means they do not contain toluene, formaldehyde or dibutyl phthalate (DBP). They are also scented with a blend essential oils that leave a light floral aroma after the polish dries. Made in the USA. For more information, please email info@cirquecolors.com.

What do you think of the preview so far?  I am especially excited about Luminous Owl (coral), and Xochitl (orchid).

Thank you for reading! :)

Kristin

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Vintage Gradient Floral Nails - YouTube Tutorial!

Hello everyone!

I just thought I would make a quick post to let you all know about my new YouTube video, if you haven’t seen it yet.  After all of the requests for a tutorial on my Vintage Gradient Floral Nails, I knew I had to finally upload one for you!

It has also been featured on the Nail It! Magazine website today, which is super exciting for me!  You can view the post here: http://nailitmag.com/nail-designs/lacquerstyle/nail-art-tutorial-realistic-hand-painted-flowers

Now without further ado, here is the video!

If you try it (or got inspired), I would absolutely love to see your recreations, so please share them with me on Instagram or Facebook! :)

And finally, thank you all for being so lovely, I really appreciate it!

Kristin

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PolisHaus (Danger, Killer, & Sinner) Swatches + St. Patrick’s Day Nail Art

Hello everyone!

I have a few more PolisHaus polishes to show you all today.  I posted swatches of a bunch of other PolisHaus polishes recently, so if you missed my last post, you can view it here.

Check out the new holographic labels on the bottles!  Cool, right?

Danger is a blue toned purple jelly with blue / pink shimmer, as well as small holographic glitter.  It was very easy to apply, and it dried to a satin-matte finish.  I am wearing two coats plus top coat in the photos below.

Sinner is a vibrant blue jelly packed with holographic glitter.  It dries quite matte with almost a textured look, so it definitely needs a few layers of top coat or one thick coat for a glossy finish.  With top coat, the glitter just glows, and it’s really pretty.  I am wearing two coats plus top coat in the photos below.

Killer is a deep teal-green base, with green and holographic glitter, and blue shimmer.  It has the glossy, squishy appearance of a jelly, but it was completely opaque in one coat.  It’s just stunning in person.  In certain lighting it looks almost black, but you can definitely still tell it’s green, especially with the green glitter glowing from within.  I am wearing one coat plus top coat in the photos below.

I ended up adding some subtle St. Patricks Day nail art on top of Killer as well.  I used Color Club Kismet for the holographic clovers, and CND Brilliant White for the tiny white ones.  I really like how simple and cute they are.

 

Killer is available now at the PolisHaus shop, but I am unsure whether Sinner and Danger will be available.  I’ll update this post when I find out, though!


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

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Neon & Nude Houndstooth Nail Art + Tutorial

Hello everyone!

I wore some houndstooth nails a few months ago after creating my white negative space nails.  I was just so happy with how my houndstooth nail turned out that I had to wear a full mani of it!  A few people requested a tutorial for my houndstooth as well, so I made a quick one which you can view at the end of the post. :)

One of my favorite combinations ever is neon & nude.  It’s always so strikingly beautiful, and tones down the neon a bit for everyday wear.  Of course I had to have an accent nail, so I just did a really cute polka dot nail, and I really loved how they looked together.

My nude base is two coats of Dior Grège.  I actually don’t love Grège that much, it’s a bit of a weird tone on me, so I’m glad I added China Glaze Pool Party (a crazy coral pink neon), because it definitely made me like the base a bit more.  Pool Party is so difficult to photograph, so I ended up filtering it when I posted these on Instagram yesterday.

Here is the tutorial I created, showing how I paint my houndstooth nails:

1. Apply your base color.  I used two coats of Square Hue Westminster (an ivory creme).

2. Paint rows of squares using a contrasting color (I used Square Hue West End).  Your squares don’t have to be perfect, and I like to paint mine kind of off-centered, but if you are not comfortable painting them freehand, you can always use tape.  Try to keep them as evenly spaced as possible, if you can.

3. Paint tiny triangles at the upper left corner (or right if you are mirroring), one pointing out to the side, and one pointing up towards the aquare above it.

4. Paint a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the upper right corner of the square just below it.  I like to leave a tiny space so the line doesn’t directly touch the square below it.

5. Paint another diagonal line from the upper right corner to the bottom left corner of the square to the right of it.  I also leave a tiny space here so the line is not touching, but you could have them touch if you want.

6. Clean up around your cuticles if you need to, and wait a while before applying top coat so you don’t smudge your houndstooth.  

I hope that is easy to follow, but if you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Have fun! :)

Kristin

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