Nail Art DIY: Inspired by Lizzy Caplan's in Bachelorette

 

          Aside from the humor, one of my favorite parts about the movie, Bachelorette, was funny girl, Lizzy Caplan's manicure. For all 87 minutes, I couldn't stop staring at her nails, hoping the camera would get just a bit closer. What I loved about this simple, yet trendy, design was that it's an unexpected take on the popular burgundy red nail color. It looks sophisticated and elongates the nails for more delicate looking fingers.

           Of course, I had to do this design on my own nails immediately! Here's my quick and easy DIY for you to try her look!

Nail polish I used: 

NYC Long Wearing Top Coat

Circus by Andrea's Choice in "Reverso"

Spoiled in "I Don't Drink Cheap Wine"

Step 1: Paint one to two coats of burgundy polish, depending on coverage.

Step 2: Let nails dry completely. I actually waited a day for them to fully set, to avoid any possible smudging with the contrasting polish. Cut round silvers of tape and place them on your nails just above your cuticles. 

Step 3: Paint the white polish only on this bottom section of your nails. If needed, add another coat of white polish.

Step 4: Let nails dry completely. Apply a top coat and you're finished!

DIY: Galaxy Nail Art

         Every time I change my nail polish lately, I like to try something different than just a solid color. Last week, I created a galaxy print, as it's one of my favorite patterns for clothing. I'm going to show you how to do it on your nails!

What you'll need:

- black, white, orange, light blue, and purple nail polishes

- a very thin, shimmery nail polish

- clear top coat

- makeup sponge

- pencil 

These are the colors I used: Revlon - "Black Lingerie," Circus by Andrea's Choice - "Reverso," Essie - "Meet Me at Sunset," Essie - "Lilacism," Color Club - "Disco Dress," L'oreal - "The Temptress' Power," NYC - "Extra Shiny Top Coat."

Step 1: Paint nails black. Let dry.

Step 2: Using the makeup sponge, dab small splotches of the blue onto each nail. Let dry.

Step 3: Repeat this dabbing technique with the orange and purple polishes, drying between each color. 

Step 4: Dip the tip of a pencil into the white polish to create small dots that look like stars. Let dry.

Step 5: Paint a light layer of the shimmery polish on top of design.

Step 6: After the polish has dried for a considerable amount of time, apply top coat to finish. 

And voilà! You have nails that are out of this world! 

If you're like me and can't get enough galaxy print, shop some of my choices below:

ModCloth Day Dresses · ModCloth Intimates · Glamorous Tops

A Not-So-Sweet Sugar Coat

In this picture, Sally Hansen Bubble Plum from the "Sugar Coat" collection.

      As the nail art craze continues, I've kind of been behind the curve. I like experimenting with new techniques and polishes but I never got into textured nails. This week I tried it out for something different. I've acquired two Sally Hansen "Sugar Coat" polishes in Bubble Plum (100) and Cotton Candies (700). Both are sweet pastels, typical of a candy shop, with a grainy texture finish. 

     This polish was a good way to ease into textured nails. It goes on fairly easy -- my one suggestion is to put it on quickly or it gets clumpy. A couple coats works best for optimum coverage (some areas of the nail may not get completely covered in the texture otherwise). It dries pretty quickly, so that was a plus! Once I'd finished my nails it was a cool effect, unlike anything else I've tried before. The biggest downside is that I soon realized this texture wasn't all too pleasant for everyday wear. For the past few days, I kept accidentally scratching myself, or I'd be surprised when I felt something rough and then remember it was just my sandpaper nails. 

      Overall, this isn't the most practical polish. It's cool for a day or two, but it gets old very quickly. It also isn't easy to take off and requires much scrubbing with plenty of cotton balls and nail polish remover. I would suggest this for a special occasion that will last no longer than 48 hours. It's great for making a statement, but not for when you're shaking someone's hand or going on a hot date. This polish could also work for an accent nail. That way you get the trendy texture, but it won't make your nails overwhelmingly rough. 

My Beauty Rating:

April Inspiration Board

     With only a month left of school, but what feels like two months worth of work, I need a little inspiration in my life. I have a lot of possible opportunities opening up, but that also means facing the uncertainty that follows them. Along with finishing my final class assignments, I'm trying to find an internship in Boston, looking for a summer sublet, and searching for an apartment for the next school year. I am just starting my new job as a stylist at Club Monaco and I'm both excited and nervous.

     This haze of decisions, planning, and hopefulness calls for a lighter mood in inspiration. I want blue skies, lots of white, and clean lines. I've been obsessed with Rihanna's Harper's Bazaar shoot last August...I'm really just obsessed with Rihanna in any photos she takes, but these are among my favorites and the styling goes with the simplicity I'm going for. Her white, thigh-high slit dress is stunning. I found a similar cut-out version in black from Nasty Gal that I would love to add to my wardrobe.

     I'm also loving Rebecca Minkoff's daring spring collection. It's sporty and 60s inspired, but executed in a minimalist style. The prints are vibrant but used sparingly, and she inlayed angular pieces of contrasting fabrics onto several pieces. The other part of her collection that I like so much is how the lookbook pictures were shot. The clothes were modeled in an oasis-like desert with a big pool in front of a mountainous backdrop.

     Another look from the spring shows I really liked was a pant and blouse set from 10 Crosby Derek Lam. Striped patterns were paired together -- the blouse, a white shirt with both straight and angular navy stripes, with blue printed trousers in criss-cross black stripes. Both pieces are very bold, but they work well in balancing each other out.

     I included a detail shot of a dress from the Lanvin spring runway in my inspiration board because I liked the angles created at the neckline and waist with contrasting fabric. I also liked the origami-like folds at the hip and shoulder.

     For the little details, I'm loving lots of delicate, thin rings stacked on a couple fingers. For fingertips, a pale  pink shade of polish looks even more graceful with slivers of silver at the tips.

Quick Nail Fix

     I always get tired of my manicures lasting only a few days. You paint them at the beginning of the week and by Wednesday the polish is chipping and you've already broken a nail. Usually the tips are the first to chip, so I came up with a way to touch up your nails mid-week that will at least last you through Friday.

Here are the steps (you can thank me later):
     All you need is tape and an accent nail color (it could be a complimenting color or just a neutral). First, tape each nail so that only a sliver of the top is exposed. Then, paint the exposed strip of nail, carefully peel off the tape, and you have a new manicure! It's so easy, it only takes a few minutes, and it will dry fast because you're only painting a small portion of your nail!

In the Mood for Ombre

    
     One of my favorite trends lately has been ombre...and I mean ombre everything! It's like mixing a pattern trend and color trend, yet there are so many ways to do it. About a week ago I wanted to try something new with my nails so I went with a blue ombre pattern, dabbing three different shades to create the gradient effect. After I was satisfied with my nails, this weekend I took my obsession a little further. Normally, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to my hair. I've never dyed it, haven't had it shorter than my shoulders since I was nine, and resort to the most maintenance-free styles. But I kept thinking I wanted something a little edgier than normal for summer, so my cousin dyed half of my hair lighter. It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly, I wasn't even nervous! The shade turned out not too drastic but still noticeably lighter. It's just what I needed to add a little more excitement to my look! After we dyed each other's hair we had a little photoshoot...in a tub.

Nails:

Hair:

The Tie-Dye Manicure

     A couple days ago, I came across an article on Fashionista.com about a new trend in nail art. People have started "tie-dying" their nails (however, the term is used loosely)! The article explained the basic process of obtaining this look and it was too hard for me to resist trying my hand at it! I knew it wasn't going to be as fun without an accomplice, so I turned my experiment into fun sister-time with Anya.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 3-5 colors of nail polish
• clear nail polish (or a base and top coat)
• a bowl of water
• tape or Vaseline
• toothpicks
• plenty of paper towels
• nail polish remover

THE STEPS:

First, prime your nails with a base coat and let dry for at least 3 minutes. Cover the area around your nails with tape (you can also use Vaseline but I found that tape works best when it comes time to peel away excess polish). I recommend also covering most of your finger in case unruly polish sticks there as well. Next, fill the bowl with water (not to the top, but enough to dip your nails in) and begin dripping nail polish in, one drop at a time.

Alternate the colors however you want, making sure they are applied one on top of the other to create a target formation. You'll want at least 10-12 drops before you move on to the next step.

Using a toothpick, carefully swirl around the colors to make the tie-dye effect. Sometimes the toothpick will begin to drag the layers and break them, so take your time with this step.

Next is the fun part! Figure out which section of your design you want on your nails and slowly dip your nails on top of it. As you take them out, push through the water, wrapping the polish around your fingertips. This part can be tricky because if you go too fast or bring your fingers up without going through the water, it can drastically mess up the design and you'll end up with sloppy looking nails.

Once you've mastered the technique mentioned above, you'll be amazed by the results! Now, peel off the tape to reveal clean fingers (this is when using tape is significantly easier than Vaseline, but if you did use Vaseline you can wipe it off and the paint should come off with it). Don't worry if some of your fingers still have polish on them (like in the picture of mine, above). You can wipe it off with nail polish remover later. Apply a top coat over your tie-dyed nails and you're finished!