Over the Top Eyeball Nails - Halloween Nail Art

Happy Halloween, fine folks! I was a little stumped as to what I wanted to do on my nails for the actual holiday, but after browsing some of my older Halloween manicures I decided to take some nail art from 2011 and redo it. You may recall my Eyeball Pattern Nails Tutorial if you've been a longtime reader... this year I supercharged it!

TUTORIAL: Black Widow Spider Textured Nail Art

Just in time for Halloween, I've got a quick black widow spider nail art tutorial to share with you today. This look is definitely "creepy chic," and while it's perfect for the holiday tomorrow, it would work as an edgy manicure year round as well.

You'll need:

• Red nail polish - I'm using China Glaze Adventure Red-y
• Textured black nail polish - I'm using China Glaze Bump In the Night
• Nail art striping tape
• Optional: fast dry topcoat and a nail art brush

Girly Bits Fall Season Premiere Collection for Fall 2013

Girly Bits' collection for fall is inspired by one of my favorite things: television! Pam took inspiration from three of her favorite TV shows for her Fall Season Premiere Collection and created three gorgeous shades to represent each of them. Holo lovers, take note: six of them are holographic!

The Lipstick League – Week of 10-21-13

Question of the Week: If you weren’t blogging about beauty, what would you be blogging about?
Sarah's Answer: I would probably be one of those crazy pet ladies and write a blog about my dog Chowder, haha. In all seriousness though, I would love to blog about food. I love learning new recipes and cooking new things so I think I would really enjoy that.

My Beauty Bunny - No tricks and all treats from LUSH this year! We've got a look at their adorable and limited edition Creatures of the Baaaath! Halloween Bath Bombs.

Nouveau Cheap - My new Holy Grail top coat retails for a whopping $1.99 (but that’s not the only reason why I love it!).

Pink Sith - has found a product that prevents makeup meltdown! It’s the Ben Nye Final Seal Matte Sealer Spray!

Prime Beauty - Prime Beauty was constantly whining about her thin, fine hair until she discovered these 8 Products for BIG hair!

Phyrra - bring joy this Holiday with the Too Faced Be Merry & Bright Set!

we heart this - report from the Halloween party of the year; the MAC Rick Baker Monster Mash (and show swatches of the collection.)

Beauty Junkies Unite - Amber reviews one of the best palettes for holiday 2013, Too Faced's "A Few of my Favorite Things". Trust me, take a look!

Chalkboard Nails - Would you ever rock leopard print eye makeup? I’ve got two stylized eye looks with matching nail art (of course!).

Clumps of Mascara - Clinique has been releasing some pretty awesome products. I ran into 5 products that I am just totally in love with.

EauMG - completes your Halloween costume with these fragrance suggestions for popular women’s and men’s costumes.

Gouldylox Reviews - This powder foundation made a believer out of me.

Lancome Artliner 24H Stylized Eye and Nail Looks

It was only a matter of time that my love for nail polish grew into a love for other types of makeup, and lately I have been practicing my eye looks. I am a fan of a bright, bold eye, and love using liquid liner as a bold finishing touch. Recently, I posted an eye of the day to my Instagram account, and someone suggested that I enter Lancome's #24HinParis liquid liner contest. I thought, "Why not?" and threw my photo into the ring. To my surprise, I was chosen as one of the finalists!

For the next round of the contest, I was sent a selection of Lancome Artliner 24H liners and was asked to make some eye looks for selection for the contest. Being a newbie to the world of eye makeup, I was pretty nervous! A friend suggested that I just treat the project like nail art, and suddenly it clicked. Read on for details on the two looks I created, plus the matching nail art.

Vote for @chalkboardnails!

(Just click the heart -- no need to give your email address or anything!)

Serum No. 5 Pink Lantern Swatch and Review

Serum No. 5 is a brand well known for amazing glow in the dark polishes, and this limited edition stunner is no exception. Pink Lantern is a special release for October, and with just over a week left in the month, there's no time to hesitate if it tickles your fancy.

The Lipstick League – Week of 10-14-13

Question of the Week:  What are your favorite perfumes to wear in the fall?
Sarah's Answer: I have been completely obsessed with Prada Candy lately. It's sexy and warm, without being too intense or overwhelming. Too bad I only have a tiny sample bottle of it!

Gouldylox Reviews - Get great hair the lazy way. Sleep on it!

My Beauty Bunny - It's NEVER too early for holiday collections! Check out three of Too Faced's Holiday Sets (they're ah-mazing) and add them to the top of your gift list.

Nouveau Cheap - Sinful Colors has just released the mother of all holiday collections with a whopping 26 new shades.

Prime Beauty - declares that every woman from 16 to 60 needs a PINCH Minimergency kit! Be prepared for a wardrobe malfunction, nervous armpits or a frizzy hair mishap all in a teeny tiny kit that fits in your bag.

Phyrra - shares the Best Ways to Use e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist & Set!

we heart this - shares a tale of a preteen search for a "signature scent" (which begins with Reader's Digest and ends with liberal dousing.)

Beauty Junkies Unite - Have a spooktacular Halloween with these great looks from the MAC Rick Baker Halloween Collection!

Chalkboard Nails - Embrace your punk side with this distressed neon nail art. You won’t believe how easy it is!

Clumps of Mascara - In love with green smoothies? Okay, yeah...me too. But what about green juices? I’ve been sippin’ on some and can’t get enough of ‘em. Talk about beauty from the inside and out...

EauMG - pairs popular women’s A/W ‘13 fashion trends with perfume. From camo to punk plaid, EauMG has it covered! This type of post only happens twice a year, so go check it out!

A-England Briar Rose from the Burne-Jones Dream Collection

A-England is nothing if not consistent. Their polishes are always beautiful and eye catching with wonderful formulas. Today's polish is, of course, no exception: meet Briar Rose.

Happy Hands Nail Polish Are You Afraid of the Dark? Collection for Halloween 2013

I think many of you that read this blog grew up in the 90s and probably watched Are You Afraid of the Dark? on Nickelodeon. And even if you didn't grow up in the 90s, it's likely that you're familiar with the show. As I've mentioned before, I'm a total baby when it comes to scary stuff, and this show scared the pants off of me. I distinctly remember being terrorized by one episode, The Tale of the Quicksilver, while I was babysitting one night. The kids were asleep and thought I could handle it, but clearly watching a scary show while you're alone in a strange house is a dumb idea!

Happy Hands Nail Polish has created this delightfully nostalgic collection inspired by the show for Halloween this year. It consists of two jelly glitters, one glitter topper, and one glow in the dark. Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society, I call this story The Tale of the Pretty Nails...

SoFlaJo A Snake On the Hand Is Worth Two On the Toes Collection for Halloween 2013

The SoFlaJo Halloween collection for 2013 is called "A Snake On the Hand Is Worth Two On the Toes," and it is inspired by, you guessed it, snakes! Regardless of your feelings about these reptiles, this collection is definitely perfect for the season (and fall in general). It contains shades in a variety of finishes, including scattered holographic, shimmer, duochrome, and flakie. Read on and comment with your picks!

Cirque Arcus Collection Glitters

The Cirque Arcus collection is a delightfully decadent mix of glitters, shimmers, metallics, and holos. I've already shown you one of the glitters, Helios, in a nail art look, and today I have swatches of the rest of the glitters from the collection to share with you. Read on and let me know which ones you're loving in the comments!

The Lipstick League – Week of 10-7-13

Question of the Week - Name your top three go-to makeup brushes.
Sarah's Answer - Currently I'm really liking my ELF Kabuki brush for my face, my MAC 239 for eye shadow, and my ELF Blending Brush for eye shadow.

EauMG - reviews a perfume of “highs and lows”. Aftelier Oud Luban is a natural perfume that lacks middle notes.

Gouldylox Reviews - This foundation rivals anything at Sephora.

My Beauty Bunny - Cleansers, and toners, and masks, oh my! Win them and a whole lot more in our HUGE Andalou Naturals Giveaway!

Nouveau Cheap - The newest ChapStick lip balm feels like a million bucks on the lips, but does it deliver on its promise of “8 hours of moisture”?

Prime Beauty - turns to SENNA Cosmetics Fall 2013 Neo-Copper Collection for her quintessential fall makeup look with warm metallic tones of bronze and copper.

Phyrra - Before you buy another makeup brush, you need to see Phyrra's review on the Wayne Goss Makeup Brushes from Beautylish!

we heart this - Vintage lovers and modern fashionistas agree, the MAC Retro Matte Lipsticks offers the best of both worlds. We've got swatches of all eight lipsticks - check them out!

Beauty Junkies Unite - Find your perfect red with Jouer's new fall collection, Perfect Red!

Chalkboard Nails - tries on the Contrary Polish No Place Like Home collection, a perfect fall palette of shimmer-packed nail polishes.

Clumps of Mascara - Disney lovers, brace yourself for this one. Disney has launched a chic and sophisticated makeup line for big kids. Beautifully Disney is simply amazing!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by EauMG - Natalie of Another Perfume Blog shares her thoughts and impressions of Estee Lauder Modern Muse EDP (“Estee Lauder’s first major perfume launch since 2003”) and the brand’s perfume legacy.

Punky Neon Grunge Nail Art

I've got a quick nail art bite for you today! This punky, bright, grungy combo uses the same technique that I used in my distressed metallic gradient manicure. I thought it would be fun to combine a harsh, distressed black with some bright neon shades, so I grabbed five polishes from the Precision Nail Lacquer Get Loud Collection and got started.

Different Dimension Silenced the Lambs Collection for Halloween 2013

I hope you guys like Halloween nail polish as much as I do, cause I've got quite a few Halloween collections coming up this week. I'm kicking things off with the Different Dimension Silenced the Lambs collection, a set of four polishes inspired by Silence of the Lambs. I've never actually seen the movie (I don't do well with scary movies, so I don't subject myself to them haha), but I can tell you that these polishes are quite lovely and definitely worth looking into!

Matte Brain Graffiti Nail Art

This nail art design reminds me of a brain, and I'm totally okay with that! I was happily doodling along, and as soon as I added the light pink doodles, I just had to stop. There was just something strangely appealing about the brainy effect. This particular shade of pink really locks it in, and I ran with it!

Contrary Polish No Place Like Home Collection + Gift Wrap

It's that time again: New Contrary Polish Collection Day! It's a holiday, y'all. This time, we're going to be taking a look at my swatches of the new No Place Like Home collection, a beautiful fall mix of polishes that are all based on neighborhoods in Kansas City (read more about it on the Contrary Polish blog). It even includes a glow in the dark polish! SAY WHAT?

I've also got some bonus swatches of Gift Wrap, a polish created to celebrate Contrary Polish's 1 year paper anniversary. It's not shown in the collage above, but TRUST ME, you don't wanna miss this one.

Starrily Swatch and Review (+ Giveaway)

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things after finishing up the 31 Day Challenge, and have a lot of unique projects that I'm working on. I hope to share them with you soon! In the meantime, I have swatches of some gorgeous Starrily polishes to share with you. This new-to-me indie brand has lots of fun, youthful glitters, and has generously offered up a couple of bottles for one lucky reader to win!

The Lipstick League – Week of 9-30-13

Question of the Week - What are some of your favorite hand creams for the fall and winter months?
Sarah's Answer - Oh oh oh, I have an answer for this one! I am obsessed with CND's Almond Soothing Creme. It smells absolutely divine, absorbs quickly, and is deeply moisturizing. I absolutely love it.

Clumps of Mascara - As if you needed any other reason to love Tarte, I have so graciously given you 5 Reasons Why Tarte Rocks. Tell your wallet “I’m sorry”.

EauMG - A name like “Hedonist” is a lot to live up to when you’re selling to card carrying pleasure-seekers, but EauMG thinks that Viktoria Minya Hedonist perfume lives up to its name! Rum, peaches, white florals and vanilla tobacco...indulgent.

Gouldylox Reviews - Looking for the perfect red? I've picked my favorites from pricey stores to drugstores. Which is your favorite?

My Beauty Bunny - has partnered with Wantable for a fantastic giveaway worth close to $600! Click here to enter to win a Stella McCartney Noemi Jungle Print Tote filled with cruelty free makeup from Au Naturale, Lavera, Brazen and more!

Nouveau Cheap - Nail polish that comes in little “vintage perfume bottles” and smells of red wine and Italian leather? Yes and yes. Come check out my review of four of the new Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Lacquers.

Pink Sith - is all aglow because of her new favorite facial scrub and cleanser from Suki.

Prime Beauty - Can an *ahem* older woman still give off a hip vibe? This old lady can with the Urban Decay Shattered Face Case! Take a look.

Phyrra - shares the best ways to organize your beauty stash! You'll be surprised by some of the options!

we heart this - discovers a $3 eye liner that rivals brands 6 times its price. Click to see who makes it!

Beauty Junkies Unite - Amber reviews and swatches one of Urban Decay's gift sets for the holidays, the Black Market 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil collection.

Chalkboard Nails - Big Brother is watching you in this eye pattern nail art inspired by George Orwell’s 1984.

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Clumps of Mascara - Annelise of Aunie Sauce is such an amazingly wonderful spirit. We first met when she emailed me about her struggle with trichotillomania and I’ve been following her journey through life, love, beauty, fashion and fitness ever since.

Welcome to Chalkboard Nails 2.0!

It's an exciting day here over at Chalkboard Nails... The blog has gotten a huge makeover! I owe it all to the brilliant Ling from Ling Yeung Design, who was a wonderful communicator, great listener, and obviously killer designer. I was first introduced to her work when I saw her redesign of Nouveau Cheap, and just had to have her on my project.

There are some awesome new features that are worth pointing out:

• Responsive design. The site will now react to your specific browser size, and this includes a brand new mobile version!
• Sticky navigation. The navigation bars are sticky and will remain at the top of your page as you scroll down. This should make it much easier for you to move around the site.
• Browse. Clicking the Browse link in the navigation bar will pop out a side panel that will give you a TON of ways to explore!
• News. Some of you are already familiar with my companion blog at news.chalkboardnails.com, and now it's fed into a side panel, too! Click News in the navigation bar and give it a try.
• Random. I've always wanted a randomize feature, and Ling has made my dreams come true. Click Random in the navigation bar to be hurled through time.
• ...and MORE! There are lots of other great additions that are worth exploring, so I highly encourage you to poke around the site!

A quick note about post jumps: to reduce load times and give you a great "at a glance" view, the main page will now show one photo from each post. The rest of the images and post content will be placed under a cut that you can access by clicking "Continue Reading." This will not affect you if you arrive at the site via links from Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, and will not change the way that posts look via readers like Bloglovin or Feedly. 

One last request from me! Please excuse any small hiccups (like posts appearing in your feed that you've seen before) while I try to transition some details from the old blog to the new one.

Please enjoy!

The 31 Day Challenge 2013 Roundup Post

Well, here we are: the roundup post for the #31DC2013! As usual, the challenge was stressful, unforgiving, and completely and totally awesome. I produced tons of manicures, some that I am very proud of, and I tried some new techniques. I had so much fun keeping up with all of the other participants' manicures, too. I think the hashtag worked out brilliantly!

Hit the jump to check out the full gallery.

31DC2013 Day 31: Honor Nails You Love (Nailside's Abstract 80s)

It's the final day of the challenge and the prompt is "honor nails you love." This is a way of paying it forward to the nail art community and giving props to someone's awesome creativity! I chose to do a manicure inspired by Nailside's Abstract 80s design.