2013

2

Geometric Ombre

Posted on Sunday, November 24, 2013

Let me start out by saying I chopped off my talons! They were getting a little out of control and I was really starting to miss my square nails. Since it's fall I wanted to do something festive without being completely over the top. I love crazy intense nail art, but I have been really into simpler looks lately.

I started out with a basic yellow, orange, and brown ombre. I then decided to give my nails some life with these fun, super easy, geometric triangles. As an accent I filled in two of my fingers, which I'm still not totally convinced about.



Then I saw my NYC - Matte About You and I just couldn't resist mattifying this look.



So, what do you guys like better? Normal or Matte?

xoxo
chanelle

Follow on Bloglovin

@chanelleol

0

Inspired by Fashion!

Posted on Saturday, November 23, 2013

This week my obsession with Michael Kors led me to perusing his 2014 Resort Collection. The collection is full neutral colors and solids. Once I saw this dress I knew I wanted to have it and recreate it on my nails.




Since this dress is so simple I did a pretty literal interpretation of it.



So, what do you guys think? Have you done any fashion inspired nail art lately?

xoxo
chanelle

Follow on Bloglovin

@chanelleol

0

November Maven Box

Posted on Wednesday, November 6, 2013

As many of you know Julep has a monthly subscription box through their Julep Maven Program. Like many other monthly subs, you take a short quiz when you sign up and they choose a style that best fits you. It’s only $19.99 a month and you receive a range of 2-3 polishes and a few beauty products. They also offer free shipping and discounted prices on all of their products. Of course you can always skip a month, or change your style if you’re diggings some other colors. Sign up here!

This month I opted for the Bombshell box as opposed to my usual Boho Glam. Needless to say, they did not disappoint. I’m loving everything about this month’s box and these colors!


Novembers box came with a mini catalog of gift bags/boxes (I can’t believe it’s already time for Christmas shopping!)
This tiny little sample of their Luxe Repair Skin Serum with a coupon code for 30% off a full size bottle (LUXE) I’m sure this is a great product, but there really is no convincing me to buy something with just 0.07 oz. to try.





The only reason I chose the Bombshell box this month was because of this beautiful deep plumy lip gloss, which smells AMAZING! I will definitely be wearing this regularly this fall and winter.



The two colors I received were Nic and Brielle, a deep purplish maroon color and the perfect fall orange. The formulas on these are amazing, per usual. My swatches were opaque in just one coat! They complement each other really well and I can’t wait to use them on my next mani!





So what did you guys think of your boxes this month?

xoxo
chanelle

Follow on Bloglovin

@chanelleol

0

Happy Halloween!

Posted on Thursday, October 31, 2013

Generally I don't really celebrate Halloween. I think I only dressed up a couple times as a child and never got the chance to grow the live for all things creepy. Since I'm so undeceive I decided to do a skittles mani so I could try out a few different designs.



I started with the mummy on my thumb, which is actually my favorite, I think it might just be because I love base color, Sinful Colors Colored Pearl. I then moved on to Frankenstein, who appears to be smirking, but thats okay. On my middle finger I painted a cute little ghost, but I top coated too soon and he streaked (boo hoo.) Can't have Halloween without the pumpkins and candy corn can you?

So guys, what do you think?

Have a safe Halloween!
xoxo
chanelle

Follow on Bloglovin

0

Getting Ready For Fall!

Posted on Thursday, October 3, 2013

I decided to go for something simple yet kind of edgy this week. I usually steer clear of orange polish, but 'tis the season! Besides, this one is so bright and vibrant I can kind of pretend it's still summer, right?





I started with just a simple gradient from orange to black, but that just wasn't enough for me. So I sat around staring at them trying to spice them up.



I took that weird fan brush that no one uses and streaked the colors into each other to give them this eerie, jagged look. I definitely want to try this in other colors.

0

Inspired By Art

Posted on Saturday, September 28, 2013

After a few months on hiatus I have decided to start blogging again. It gives me a way to explain why I do what I do and share it with people everywhere.

My cousin, Lauren Shea Little, is an artist and student who has a way of provoking thought and emotion with everything she does. Todays post is inspired by a painting she did a while back that I have always been fascinated with. It's really simple, but it makes such a statement that pictures do not do it justice.



This was my time first working with my newly round/almond shaped nails and I love the way they turned out.



Colors used: Julep - Lisa, Wet n Wild - French White & Black Creme

0

Nail fail

Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2013

So I promised myself I would post every manicure, cute or not. In my head I was thinking about doing galaxy nails which I've done before, but this time I thought about including the moon. Then I made the connection, halfmoon galaxy nails! Well, I don't really know what happened from the vision in my head to the finished product but it just didn't work.



I tried just covering up my "moon" with a color I used in my nebulas but it still just, just no.


We win some we lose some right?


xoxo
chanelle





0

Gradient Houndstooth

Posted on Tuesday, March 12, 2013

I think this has to be my favorite design ever! My original plan was to try one of those reciprocal gradients that have been trending lately, but I just didn't feel like dealing with tape and waiting for the first "layer" of gradient to dry. So, for this look I started with a gradient of Sinful Colors Sugar Rush, Orly Blue Color, and Essie Baubing for Baubles. When I finished that I just kind of stared at them waited to think of something to do so I grabbed my black and white polishes and this is what I came up with.



I really like the contrast of the white on the gradient.



I did paint all the houndstooth on by hand, which took a while, but once I got the hang of it, I became much more proficient. By the time I got to doing my left hand I was kind of tired and just did the same print only much larger to save time.





What do you guys think?

xoxo
chanelle

Follow on Bloglovin

Instagram


0

Spring, where are you?

Posted on Saturday, March 9, 2013

So, if you can't tell already I'm dying for spring to come. I'm ready to put the coats away and bring out the sundresses and shorts! I kept it simple this time by only using 3 bottles of nail polish instead of the 7 I had last time. I started this one kind of late so I wanted to make sure it had time to dry before bed. I scoured through some snapshots of designs I wanted to try and found this really cute one from @majikbeenz. I loved the simplicity of it and thought I'd give it a try. I opted to use Julep's Hayden, with Maybelline's Green With Envy as I'm obsessed with mint polish!




Dotted flowers are so cute, yet for some reason I never think to incorporate them into a design.



I really like the gold center, I think it adds a bit of sophistication to a somewhat childish design.



So, what do you guys think? Cute for spring or are these little flowers childish?

xoxo
chanelle

0

First Blog Award!

Posted on Friday, March 8, 2013

So this is pretty exciting news. I know its not much, but it shows that someone sees some potential in me! :) Lost In Lacquer nominated me for the Liebster Award. It's intended to recognize up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers.



First, the 11 facts about myself:

1. I'm vegetarian, and have been for about 4 years now.
2. I'm part Japanese, but you can't tell from looking at me :P
3. I am pretty much obsessed with Jalapeño Kettle Chips, I eat them almost every chance I get!
4. Unlike most people I actually enjoy running
5. I have a degree in Biology and have no idea what I'm going to do with it.
6. My top two favorite shows of all time are Fringe and Dexter, I've seen every episode more than once.
7. My favorite color is green
8. I love jewelry but I'm too lazy to ever wear it
9. I really really really don't like bananas
10. I love doing all kinds of DIY projects, whether its clothes, jewelry, or home goods.
11. This one is kind of weird, but I have never learned how to ride a bike.


And here are the 11 questions from my nominator:

1. What are your other hobbies?
 DIY/crafts, watching movies, and naps haha, lots of naps
2. What's your dream job?
 I think it would be awesome to own my own clothing line, but I could never deal with the fashion industry the way it is
3. Have any pets?
 Nope, my boyfriend has a bird...does that count?
4. What's your favorite aspect of blogging?
 At this point I really like that I can catalog all my work, and keep track of what inspired me to do certain looks and the colors that I chose.
5. What's your worst favorite color?
 I really don't like the color orange, the only reason I even have any orange polishes is for rainbow looks, haha!
6. What's your favorite season?
 I'd have to go with fall or spring, since there are so many fashion options!
7. How many bottles of nail polish do you own?
 As of last week I'm at 141 bottles, not including base and top coats which would probably put me around 150. Could be worse, right?
8. What's something about you that most people don't know?
 Well, I said this earlier, but that I don't know how to ride a bike. Most people are shocked and threaten to teach me at somepoint. We lived in a small apartment complex when I was young and we had limited places to even learn and now I have a car so it just seems unnecessary at this point.
9. What's your favorite book?
 This may seem odd, but I don't really have one.
10. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
 Me, five years from now...is that an options?
11. If you could have your dream wedding (if you want one), where would it be?
 Hmm, this is hard, I don't really have a preference on the type of venue, but I do enjoy really old and elegant architecture.

xoxo
chanelle

1

Pastel Cutout Skittles

Posted on Saturday, March 2, 2013

Once again I gathered up my Sinful Colors Sugar Rush Collection to bang out some nail art. My original plan for this look was to make it a vertical gradient with the cut outs/bare nail. Once tryig it out on one nail I realized it would take an eternity since the gradient would need 3 or 4 coats. Instead I just free handed clean line down the center to the next color.


Glitter makes everything better, right?


I used two pieces of striping tape in the center so expose the bare nail.


As you can see I'm still trying to figure out lighting and photography (tips are welcome!). Practice makes perfect!





I finally was able to try Seche Vite top coat, and I'm in love, it dries SO fast. It does smell kind of weird, or is that just me? I'd love t see your fun pastel looks as I'm sure everyone is ready for spring!


xoxo
chanelle

Follow on Bloglovin

@chanelleol

0

My Ever Growing Collection!

Posted on Friday, March 1, 2013

Well guys, as of right now I have 141 bottles of nail polish, not including base coats and top coats. Considering I only had maybe 10 a year ago, that's a lot. As my collection grew and grew I found I needed a way to organize and know which colors are which. I decided to use swatch sticks that I bought on ebay for a few bucks. Now, some of mine are clear, and some are a cream color, usually that would bug me but I got the clear ones in a reddit swap and decided to use them anyway. At some point I want to redo all the labeling because the permanent marker fades.

So here is the whole collection, I put them on those little binder rings to separate them by color and to make it easier to add new ones!



Pinks (15):



Reds (10):



Oranges & Yellows (17):



Greens (16):



Blues (24):



Purples (12):



Browns, Nudes, & Golds (14):



Whites, Greys, & Blacks (17):



Glitters (16):



Hope you guys like it, if you have any questions or want to know whats some colors are just let me know.

xoxo
chanelle

0

Blue & Gold chevrons

Posted on Monday, February 25, 2013

Hello Lovelies!

Today's nails were just a quick change. I wanted to paint my nails, but I didn't really have a lot of time. I am and always will be obsessed with gold and black, so this time I added this bright blue by L.A. Colors on my accent nails. (Please ignore my messy cuticles.)




I really like the way freehand stripes look, but I might try a similar look using striping tape for more crisp lines at some point



Do you guys have any cool black and gold designs? I'd love to check them out!

xoxo
chanelle

P.S. - how are y'all liking my new watermark?

0

Creamy Metallics

Posted on Saturday, February 23, 2013

Today's post is inspired by Ivana Thinks Pink's Harlequin Hardware manicure. I saw this post quite some time ago and it really stuck with me. The idea of mixing a classic french with a simple gradient truly grabbed my attention. Though she used pink and gold to create her look, I opted to use more of my new Sinful Colors polishes to get a similar look. For the gradient I used Orange Cream and Easy Going, and the tips were done with Essie Penny Talk.



Does anyone else have issues applying Penny Talk? I find if very streaky and kind of hard to work with. I almost wish it came with one of those wide Sally Hansen brushes.



I just love how the pinkish orange hues of Penny Talk complement Orange Dream, while the cream color(Easy Going) gives it a soft accent.



I definitely think this is a unique take on the Funky French manicure and will most likely be trying different color and finish combinations in the future. Do any of you have any original French designs? I'd love to see them!

xoxo
chanelle