» blanket print nails

Color: Dude Blue (Milani)
Retail Price: $4.49 (USD)

This shade is supposed to be a neon, as the bottle implies, but I think it looks more like an electric blue, or maybe even a bright cobalt blue. It’s not shocking enough to be neon for me, but I think the color is still stunning!

The formula for this nail polish is thinner than most, but application is a breeze! I was expecting a streaky first coat, but I was pleasantly surprised by a smooth first coat. Even better is I achieved bottle color by the second coat!

Overall, I’m a big fan of this shade, and I think everyone can get behind it. If you usually wear dark nail polishes and want to venture out, the depth of this blue gives a nod to darker hues, and if you usually wear lighter colors, the brightness of the blue will keep you in your comfort area as well.

Looking for a dupe? Blagger (Butter London) is fairly similar, although Dude Blue is brighter and with a thinner formula. However, both nail polishes only require two coats to achieve bottle color, so if you’re looking to pocket some presidents, Dude Blue is a great alternative to Blagger.

Disclosure: Product sample provided by Milani.

Colors: Black Lingerie (Revlon), Platinum Glitter (Orly), Silver (Milani), White Canvas (Milani)

I thought about creating a New Years tutorial for yall, but my New Years mani is pretty easy to achieve with a minimal number of colors and some stripers or thin paint brushes. I used the silver Milani Jewel FX pieces as confetti. To control where each piece ends up, take the brush out of the Milani bottle, and use a toothpick to pluck a silver piece of glitter off the brush, and press it onto your nail. Rinse and repeat! Not nearly as time-consuming as that might seem. Trust me! :)

I had originally imagined this as a black and gold manicure, but I’m at my parents’ house for the holidays, and I only grabbed a few bottles of nail polish when I packed at my apartment…and for some reason, I didn’t grab anything gold! Anyway, my thumb says “2012,” my index finger shows a clock about to strike midnight, my middle finger says “NEW YEAR,” my ring finger is supposed to represent ribbons and confetti, and my pinky has a balloon on it.

Happy New Year to all my followers! Thanks for an amazing 2011. I wish you a prosperous new year filled only with good things. And, of course, lots of nail polish! ;)

Color: Blue Year’s Eve (China Glaze)
Retail Price: $6.50 (USD)

This shade is from China Glaze’s winter 2011 Let It Snow collection. Based on the shade name, I thought today would be the perfect day to swatch this! Blue Year’s Eve is a royal blue shade with bright royal blue shimmer. The finished effect is sort of icy and moody and cheerful all at once!

The formula for this nail polish was a little on the thin side. You can see the tiniest hint of visible nail line here, and that’s after three coats of nail polish. But honestly, it’s really not that noticeable in person. Tip: This shade would look super cute with Twila (Zoya) layered over it!

I like that the shimmer is a little brighter than the blue base color. The duplicitous nature of this shade sort of reminds me of Maggie (Julep), although obviously, Blue Year’s Eve leans more blue than purple.

Color: Meet Me Under The Mistletoe (Orly)
Retail Price: $8.00 (USD)

How about one last holiday shade before the year is over? This shade is from Orly’s winter 2010 ‘Tis The Season collection. I thought it was a shimmer at first, but then I realized the glitter in this baby is too big. It’s actually a flakie! This shade is a dark evergreen with bright green and yellow-green flakies suspended throughout.

The formula for this shade is somewhat sheer, but I think that’s what allows the flakes of glitter to really shine through and sparkle. Despite the sheerness, the dark base color had this opaque on my nails in two coats.

At first, I found this green to be a little darker than the green I usually think of during the holidays, but the flakes of glitter shine rather brightly, which makes this shade so versatile. If you’re looking for a dupe, Glittering Garland (China Glaze) comes pretty close, but I’ve seen Meet Me Under The Mistletoe in stores, so you can definitely choose to get one or both!

I love the idea behind this!

“Liebster” is a German word meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favorite. The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it is given to bloggers in order to create new connections and bring attention to these wonderful blogs!

There are only 4 simple rules:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal the five blogs you have chosen and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog. 
3. Copy and paste the award onto your blog. 
4. Request that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favorite bloggers.

I’d like to thank Bre, Megan, and Susy for nominating me on their blogs. Their blogs are great, so I hope you’ll check them out!

I nominate the following 5 nail blogs:

- The Nail Files
- Top Coat It
- Prettyclawed
- S-Lacquer
- Chalkboard Nails

All 5 blogs are inspiring and colorful, so I hope you’ll visit them! :)

Color: Snow Globe (China Glaze) layered over Super Star! (Pure Ice)
Retail Price: $6.50 (USD)

This fun glitter is from China Glaze’s winter 2011 Let It Snow collection. It’s gold, purple, light blue, blue, and green glitter, all suspended within a clear base. The formula is a little thicker than usual China Glaze shades, but I find the thicker formula makes it easier to evenly spread the glitter across your nails.

This glitter reacts wonderfully with the light, making this nail polish great to wear on its own (whether you want a subtle look with one coat, or a more dazzling look with three or more coats) or over a solid base color. Here, I am wearing one coat of Snow Globe over one coat of Super Star! (Pure Ice). I think it looks cool and wintery, but this seriously looks great over any solid color. My sister is currently wearing it layered over Cynthia (Zoya), and my mom is wearing it layered over Poinsettia (China Glaze), and I think all three of our manicures look super fun. :)

This glitter is so unique, and I love that it can be both subtle and glamorous. Don’t miss out on this one!

Color: Billionaire (Deborah Lippmann)
Retail Price: $16.00 (USD)

This shade is described as a “moody hunter green.” I think to describe it more accurately, we should look at the name of the shade. This green really does look like the green ink on American money! Thus far, it’s my favorite creme finish from Deborah Lippmann.

The formula for this is so easy to work with. It’s a little streaky on the first coat, but the second coat makes the finish opaque and complete. I love that it dries glossy, but you’ll still want to seal in the manicure with your favorite top coat.

My favorite thing about this green is its “moodiness.” I think it fits well among holiday manicures (I’m thinking about some moody holly leaves) and perfectly among spring floral manicures. Hunter greens are definitely one of those “it” colors, but I love that this one’s a smidge darker than what we’re used to seeing.

Disclosure: Product sample provided by Deborah Lippmann.

Color: Love Marilyn (China Glaze)
Retail Price: $6.50 (USD)

This shade is from China Glaze’s winter 2011 Eye Candy collection. It’s packed with red glitter and sparse occurrences of silver glitter, all suspended throughout a clear base. It’s incredibly similar to Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It (OPI), except Love Marilyn lacks magenta glitter. Otherwise, its a pretty good dupe if you’re looking to pocket a couple presidents.

As with all the other glitter polishes in this collection, application is a breeze. Glitter applies evenly so that you’re not just pushing glitter around on your nail, and after the first layer, the glitter builds up nicely. In the photo above, I’m wearing three coats of nail polish.

My favorite thing about this glitter in particular is the formula makes it great for an only-glitter look, but the large pieces of glitter make this a really unique glitter to layer over solid colors.

Disclosure: Product sample provided by China Glaze.

Color: Twila (Zoya)
Retail Price: $8.00 (USD)

This shade is from Zoya’s winter 2011 Gems & Jewels collection. It is a bright blue glitter with blue and holographic bar glitter suspended throughout a clear base.

The formula is similar to Kissy (Zoya) and Rina (Zoya) from the same collection. As with Kissy and Rina, Twila is good for layering over a solid base color (I’d highly recommend the solid colors from the other side of this collection), but if you want to only wear the glitter, that’s fine, too! Glitter coverage is fairly opaque and even, but as was the case for me in the above photo, you will most likely need three coats to achieve bottle color.

Overall, I really like this shade. I love that Zoya went with spunky, fun shades in this collection. It seems to fit with the season while avoiding many of the crutch colors for winter collections.