Saturday, January 31, 2015

Nail School Week 3: Things Are Gettin' Fancier

I'm back with another nail school update! While the first two weeks of nail school covered basic services and upgrades to those services, week three brought some slightly more advanced techniques. It was a whirlwind of demos! I really enjoyed trying out some new nail services that I've never had a chance to work with before.
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Friday, January 23, 2015

TUTORIAL: Easy Sideswipe Nail Art with Negative Space

Easy Sideswipe Nail Art Tutorial by @chalkboardnails
Who's up for a super quick and easy nail art tutorial? This look is a variation on the distressed nail art tutorial that you may have seen around these parts before. I changed the direction, added a bit of negative space, and made it matte. Easy, easy, easy. Perfect for the gal on the go. Hit the jump to check out the tutorial and see this technique in action.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Nail School Weeks 1 & 2: Begin with the Basics

I'm back with more tales from nail school! Today's recap covers the first two weeks of class. We learned a lot of the basics like manicuring, polishing, French manicures, and pedicures, plus some add-on services like paraffin treatments and spa manicures. If you missed my first nail school post, be sure to check it out!
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Monday, January 19, 2015

Nail School: Taking the Leap

Nail School: Taking the Leap by @chalkboardnails
Friday marked the end of my second official week of nail school. I know I was curious about the process of becoming licensed before I started out, so I wanted to start up a series about what I'm experiencing and learning at my school. I hope this helps make the process a little less mysterious for some of you!

Today I want to talk a little bit about the process of deciding to go and some questions you may have about attending. Please feel free to leave any questions you may have in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them!
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Friday, January 16, 2015

Dragon Scale Nail Art with Chloe & Bella

Freehand dragon scale nail art by @chalkboardnails
There are some new polishes on the block and they are gor-geous! You may have tried ultrachrome flakies, but you haven't lived till you've tried them infused with platinum-silver reflective flakes. Indie brand Chloe & Bella has two variations on this formula, inspired by Dragon's Skin Ammolite and Dragon's Breath Opals. I've created some nail art with both lacquers, as well as swatched them individually for your viewing pleasure.
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Saturday, January 10, 2015

WrapArtist Nail Decals Make Cool Girl Nails Easy

Metallic gold nail art decals via @chalkboardnails
Nail decals aren't a new thing, but when I first saw them, WrapArtist's water decals immediately stood out to me. The designs are awesome. They just totally get it, you know? The decals are chic, cool, and trendy, not to mention fully opaque, sometimes metallic, and really simple to use. I put together this look in just a few minutes, and it feels like something that could have come out of a New York nail art salon!
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Monday, January 5, 2015

Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection Swatches: November & December

Cirque's Metropolis collection, a series of creme nail polishes inspired by New York City, continues to grow! There are new polishes added to the line every month, and today's swatches cover the November and December releases. You can check out the September and October releases in my previous post.
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Saturday, January 3, 2015

I Think Posh Would Rock This Nails Inc. Victoria, Victoria Beckham Color Blocking

Color blocked nail art by @chalkboardnails

There's a new collaboration in the nail world, and it is fantastic. Victoria Beckham teamed up with Nails Inc. to release two new shades that draw inspiration from her Victoria, Victoria Beckham SS15 collection: Judo Red and Bamboo White. They don't come cheap, but I think they are worth your consideration. Let's talk why.
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Friday, January 2, 2015

My Top 10 Favorite Nail Art Posts of 2014

Nail Art by @chalkboardnails
2014 was an amazing year. I visited the set of the first nail art reality show, was on TV myself, attended my first beauty trade show, judged a nail art competition, taught teens how to do nail art at a local library, started a nail art challenge group, and cohosted many successful Twitter chats.

Before I look forward into 2015 and all it has in store (nail school!), I want to take a moment to review some of my favorite nail art looks of the last year. As usual, it was nearly impossible to narrow this list down. These are in no particular order, except for the last one, which was my favorite of the year.
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