The Great Gatsby

Hello! November! It's flying by and I just spent the last week, digging out of 5 feet of snow! I live in Buffalo, as I've mentioned before, and we got SLAMMED, starting Monday night. Luckily, it's moved out of the area because my parents are getting ready to come up and visit, this week, for Thanksgiving!

This afternoon I have my first installment of November's Nail Challenge Collaborative theme: Inspired by Books! I'm kicking off this series of four with my favorite book-the Great Gatsby.

For this manicure, I took my inspiration from a symbolic object in the book and movie-the run-down, distressed billboard of Dr. TJ Eckleburg.

For this manicure, I started with a base of China Glaze Sea Spray, a shimmery, dusty blue. Then I sponged on Zoya Kelly and gilded the tips with Elf Pot of Gold from the Disney Villains polish cube. The rim of the glasses was done with Nailtini Champagne with Kelly and Sea Spray for the eyes.

I was really proud of this manicure. I think I translated Eckleburg's eyes onto my nails well, even if no one knew what it was. That was also one of my favorite parts of the manicure. From far away, it was a mash of subdued neutrals and gilded metals but you could see the detail up close!

Be sure to check out the first volume that the other ladies chose!

xo, ali

Caramel Apples

Don't those sound good?! It's been awhile since I had one but I'm hoping to pick one up soon, with some apple cider! Those are a few things that I enjoy about fall. And the title of this post is exactly what my third NCC manicure reminded me of.

For this quick and easy angular manicure, I started with three coats of Zoya Tosca, red with gold and orange shimmer. Fun fact about Tosca-it's the second polish ever put out by Zoya. It's a classic. Unfortunately, it's not available on the website anymore. I found mine in the huge clearance bins at a local beauty supply store for $2!

Once it was dry, I taped off my triangles and used Gridlock Lacquer Barrel Through Niagara to create the tips. Barrel Through Niagara is such a pretty, sparkly bronze and I really need to get my tail in action, swatching the whole Niagara Falls collection from Gridlock Lacquer.

I will have my final September NCC post for you tomorrow, so get excited!

And be sure to check out what the other ladies did for manicure number 3!

NCC Black & White-Week Four

Hey! Happy Monday (that's actually an oxymoron).
I have my final Nail Challenge Collaborative post for the month of June, tonight. Nothing like going down to the wire!!

For this cute kitty, I started with two coats of Zoya Storm on all fingers but my ring finger. That one took two coats of NYC French White Creme. I topcoated everything and waited a few minutes. Once it was dry, I took Wet N Wild Black Creme and drew my kitty friend. I started with a half-circle outline, filled it, added triangles for ears and added detail using Color Club Flamingo for the ears and nose, and French White Creme, Icing Get Lei'd, and Black Creme for the eyes. I let it all dry and topcoated once again. It was super easy and I'll definitely be doing this again for Halloween :)

I took the top two pictures in indirect sunlight, so below is Storm in full sun so you can see all the holo-y goodness.

I'm really proud of myself for doing all four manicures. I really want to impress the girls in this group-I look up to them all so much and have been reading their blogs for a long time. I can't wait to work on next month's theme!!

Be sure to check out the grand finales from the other NCC ladies, below!

xo, ali

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Black and White-Week 2

Hello! Happy Tuesday! I hope that your week is going well :) I'm in planning mode because my best friend's bridal shower is on Sunday and I'm trying to tie up a few loose ends with the other girls in the wedding party.
Tonight, I have my second Nail Challenge Collaborative mani for this month's theme-Black and White. This time, I added a pop of color!

Julep Bunny, Zoya Raven, and Urban Outfitters Bandeau

For this mani, I did two coats of Julep Bunny, which is a white creme with faint gold sparkles throughout. The formula is actually pretty decent for a white if you take your time. I used Beauty Plus Salon top coat and waited a few minutes. Next, I placed a piece of washi tape on each finger at a diagonal and painted Urban Outfitters Bandeau, which is a blue-leaning purple (and that's why it looks blue in my pictures). I top coated and waited. Once those layers were dry, I used more washi tape to create a french tip and used Zoya Raven-black with sliver shimmer. After removing the tape, I top coated once more.

I love this mani. I've done it a few other times with different colors and it just looks so cool and really modern to me.

Be sure to check out the other Week 2 manis from the talented members of the NCC!

xo, ali

It Came From Beyond the Vault...

Happy Monday! I just have a quick post for you tonight, as I am getting ready for my older sister's wedding on Saturday. I'm bringing you a manicure from the vault tonight with some simple tape art.

Flash

Indirect Natural Light

Sunlight

This is three coats of Zoya Layla-an eye-searing neon pink creme. It dries to a satin-matte finish so you will need top coat to shine it up. This went on really easy and there were very few streaks. I used that third coat just to even everything out. When it was dry, I taped off the lower portion of my nails and used OPI's Love. Angel. Music. Baby. from the Gwen Stefani collection. That also dries to a satin-matte finish but I liked the contrast between finishes, so I left it as is.

What do you think? I can definitely see myself recreating this for summer!

xo, ali

There's No Place Like Home

Hello! Happy Friday! Hope you're well on your way to the weekend! I sure am!

Tonight's polish comes with a story. When I was a growing up, I would often come home from school to find my younger sister and my mom, watching the Wizard of Oz. My mom was always taking care of mending or other chores that could be completed while she kept an eye on my then 3-year old sister, who was parked in front of the TV with one of her dolls, looking up in amazement at the colorful world that unfolded before her. The Wizard of Oz will always be one of those parts of my childhood that I'll keep with me.
How does this relate to nail polish? Tonight, I have the nail polish incarnation of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers.

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Zoya Chyna was released as part of the first, six-polish collection of Pixie Dusts. These were Zoya's answer to OPI's Liquid Sand polishes.

This is two coats of Chyna over Orly Bonder. It built up very nicely to an opaque finish, similar to fine ground ruby dust. The red is so rich that I felt like I had jewels on my nails. The red glitter adds an eye-catching sparkle when the sun (or any light) hits your nails just right.

I just love how this macro shot turned out!

Before I took this polish off, I wanted to see what would happen if I top-coated it, and BAM! The next time I'm wearing this, I am top-coating it within an inch of its life. The glitters just come alive.

Chyna is available at Zoya.com and retails for $10.

What do you think? Gorgeous? Or not for you?

Oh, and don't forget!

[source]

xo, ali

GOT: Valentine's Day!

Happy Thursday! Or the day we Parks & Rec fans know as Galentine's Day

[source]

Galentine's Day is the day to celebrate your girlfriends. I spent the evening with my mom and sister and two good friends for dinner.

I had the perfect mani to do it in, too. 

I started with two coats of Zoya Raven

 indirect light

flash

Raven looks like your typical black but there is a hidden silver shimmer that gives it a pearly sheen. It definitely sets it apart from the pack.

The next part, I'm really proud of. I tried the plastic baggie decal method and it worked!!

While I was at the gym, I had my sister help me out and paint two squares of two coats each of Zoya Chyna, one of the first PixieDusts that came out.

When it was fully dry, I carefully peeled the squares off the baggie and, using a heart-shaped craft punch, I punched out a heart from each. I topcoated my ring finger and placed my hearts.

Here's the finished product

I'm really proud of this manicure. And even though I'm cheating a little bit because I haven't had the polishes for a year (sorry, Debbie!), this is my entry for the Golden Oldie Thursday challenge.

I have one more Valentine's Day mani lined up for tomorrow and I hope you'll like it!

Check out what the other talented ladies did for this week's challenge, below!

xo, ali