Thursday, February 25, 2016

Bella Bosio - Swatches, Review, & Nail Art

press sample

Hi, all! I have swatches of polishes from a new to me brand called Bella Bosio to share today! Bella Bosio was created by the super sweet Sheila and started from her love of all things nail polish and nail art. Her polishes are all handcrafted and 5-Free and available from her Etsy shop.

Let's take a look at a few of her polishes!

Friday, February 19, 2016

The Digital Dozen does Nail Heroes - Day 4: Matte Top Coat

nothing to disclose 

Okay, Day 4 of Digital Dozen Nail Heroes week is another odd one! Today's hero is a nod to my favorite manicure finisher - MATTE TOP COAT! I'm sure after scrolling through my feed, you might notice I use matte top coat over nail art far more often than I go with a glossy top coat.

Needless to say, I love the look of a matte top coat over nail art. While glossy top coats make the colors pop more than matte, matte really lends itself to showing off the detail work of a design which is why I'm so drawn to it.


Thursday, February 18, 2016

The Digital Dozen does Nail Heroes - Day 3: 25_SweetPea

nothing to disclose 

Hey, all! I know I'm behind in my posting for Digital Dozen week, but I'm trying to catch up now! Continuing with our Nail Heroes week, I'm honoring one of the kindest and most supportive ladies in my "nail world" - Sarah from 25_SweetPea! She's pretty damn talented as well!

For those who may not know of her, you can find her on her Instagram (@25_sweetpea) or on her blog (http://www.25sweetpeas.com). Over the past few years, I've had the honor of her recreating a few of my manis and each time I am blown away by what she paints. Since this week is all about our heroes, I figured now was the time to recreate one of Sarah's looks :)


Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The Digital Dozen does Nail Heroes - Day 2: Sundance Catalogue

nothing to disclose 

Day 2 of Digital Dozen week is here and I'm doing something a little different for today. While there are tons of nail artists who inspire me and are my heroes, one of my heroes is actually an inanimate object ha! When I find myself lacking inspiration, I turn to none other than a catalogue I receive in the mail every few weeks...

...anyone ever heard of Sundance Catalogue? Sundance was created by Robert Redford and features clothing and jewelry created by artisans who have tremendous talent. I own several pieces of jewelry from the site (which I always drool over in the catalogue), but I especially love browsing all the clothing that they feature. The artists do a great job of creating patterns and often pair them unconventionally with other patterns and I just find browsing the pages of their magazine so inspiring. Over the years I have recreated or been inspired by many a pattern I've spotted in this catalogue so today, my hero is this catalogue and all it's contributors!

Monday, February 15, 2016

The Digital Dozen does Nail Heroes - Day 1: Debbie from The Crumpet

nothing to disclose

Hello, all! Another Digital Dozen week is upon us and as always, I'm excited to see what these ladies dream up for this month's theme! In honor of the month of love (February), we're honoring our favorite nail artists/nail polish/nail tools/nail inspiration and doing a week of Nail Heroes!

For Day 1, it only felt fitting to honor the fearless leader of our group, Debbie from The Crumpet! She is, after all, the reason we're all apart of the DD :) If you've been in nail art/blogging in any way, shape, or form over the past 4 years, then you know Debbie and her work. She is not only the brains behind a million different groups and challenges, she is also a talented artist, a great writer, and someone I've looked to for a guidebook on "how it's done" since I started this nail art journey.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

An update...and some (floral) nail art.

nothing to disclose

Hello, all! Well, it's been quite a long time since I've last posted. Long story short, I'm just incredibly busy. Since the start of the new year, things at work have picked up tenfold. I'm getting married at the end of the year and FINALLY getting my act together and beginning to plan things for that (I've got my dress, the venue, and a photographer pretty much figured out!). I'm trying to get back into my routine of exercising regularly as well as learning to cook more for myself. Plus, I've discovered another passion of mine which lies in hand lettering, planners, and general pretty things (check out my other Instagram, @wondrouslyplanned if you're curious!). Needless to say, I've just been busy.

But the purpose of this post is to also offer a bit of an update on me, where my head is at, and hopefully provide some insight into why I've been so sporadic with my posting lately. I've come to some realizations recently and the fact that I'm writing this on Valentine's Day feels pretty perfect. I think it's a love letter to myself, to my blog, and sort of to all my readers. It's wordy and probably redundant and definitely cheesy, but I need to get it out of my head and off my chest.

I hope you'll stick around and read through to the end, but no hard feelings if you'd rather just look at the nail art pictures ;) I'll be mixing in today's nail art look for some breaks in the wall of text :p