Demure Demi-Dots

I recently bought a Nude toned nail polish while grocery shopping. I always seem to do that - browse the make-up and nail polish aisle and see if anything jumps out at me. Inspiration can hit at any time.

I wanted to do something simple but classy. I came up with this:

To do this, I applied three coats of the nude to get the shade that I wanted. Then, after it was dry, I poured out a bit of black and took a nail and dipped it in the polish.

I tried the big flat end first, but the dots were a bit too large. So I switched to the pointy end and it worked perfectly!

Doesn't it remind you of those old-fashioned lace up boots? You know, these?

Guess I was channeling some L.M. Montgomery today.

Try some other color combinations and let me know your favorite!

Glitter Ombre Nails

Winter can get you down. Everywhere you look there's a monotonous palette of browns and greys. I fall into a pattern of dressing in yoga pants and hoodies every day. Hibernating in the house until I start seeing the little green buds of spring pushing through the tough, frozen ground. It took an impromptu gathering of girlfriends to shake me out of my funk and add a little bling to my ensemble.

What a nice break in my routine it was to be surrounded by friends, drink wine, eat food, do manicures and watch some Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and if you don't know what that is, you have to check it out. Netflix currently has MST3K: The Movie on streaming)!

I've been inspired by nail art on Pinterest, but the following has to be my favorite: Glitter Ombre.

 It's surprisingly easy, you just need to take your time and make sure each coat is dry before starting the next one. That's why it was perfect for a movie night!

First off, choose any base coat you'd like. I chose Sally Hansen's Fairy Teal.

After that coat is completely dry, take a clear nail polish that has glitter in it and only cover the tip of your nail. Allow to dry (see, I told you this would take some time!).

Next, do another coat of the glitter starting from the middle of your nail back over the tip. As you are probably seeing now, each coat will lay more and more glitter onto the tip of your nail giving it that higher concentration.

Your last glitter coat will cover your entire nail and it should look like the picture now. You can always go a little heavier on the tip of your nail now to get just the right amount of glitter.

Once that is all dry, go over your nail once more with a clear coat. This will seal all the layers together and help prevent chipping.

Think of all the possibilities with this method! Black with silver glitter will look like the night sky. Red or Pink with white glitter is great for Valentine's Day. Then there's nude with black, coral with gold, spring green with silver...endless beautiful combinations. Let your creativity abound!