Nail A College Drop Out: 31 Day Challenge

Pink & Gold Half Moon Tutorial

Thursday, September 27, 2012nail a college drop out

Ahh yes, I finally have some time to do my nails AND blog about them. If only I could marry Justin Timberlake and never have to work again.

Anyway, enough of my excuses, here's what you'll need.

Reinforcement labels, Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Coral Reef, QRS Nail Lacquer 24KT, and Dazzle Dry Top Coat

Step 1: (After you apply your base coat of course!) Apply two coats of QRS Nail Lacquer 24KT

Step 2: Apply one coat of Dazzle Dry Top Coat and let dry. You could simply wait until your polish dries completely, but why wait that long if you don't have to. Right?

Step 3: Place Reinforcement labels at the base of your nails.

Step 4: Apply Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Coral Reef like so...

Yes, it looks messy. Trust me this is perfectly fine!

Step 5: Remove labels and apply another layer of Dazzle Dry Top Coat.

*some products provided for review*

Voila! Magic!

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Blue butter LONDON

So Many Manis. So Little Time.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012nail a college drop out

I'm going to try and keep this post a short as possible, although I realize that probably won't happen because I'm putting three manicures worth of photos and info into one post.

I'll start with Day 5: Blue Nails

I used Urban Outfitters Smush as the base color

(Smush really is the same color photed above, but under all the blue brush strokes it appears to be, well, more blue.)

Did some random stroke with a nail art brush using L.A. Colors Color Craze Sea Foam, Aquatic, and In A Flash.

I felt there wasn't enough blue so I added more random brush strokes with Ruby Kisses Blue My Mind

Then, I finished it all off with New York Color matte me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat

Next is Day 12: Stripes

I started with a white base color and then made stripes (well duh) with New York Color Taxi Yellow Creme, Wet n' Wild Wild Shine Blazed, China Glaze Flying Dragon, and butter LONDON Slapper.

Then I made a series of borders (one just as random as the next) with Wet n' Wild Wild Shine Black Creme.

And last I have Day 16: Tribal Nails

First off allow me to say that I started to a tribal design based on the color scheme and middle finger of this mani. I strayed from it and I ended up being really happy with the outcome. (Even if this mani isn't tribal like.)

I used Orly Luxe, the two blue shades from The New Black Runway Set, Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Celeb City, and Wet n' Wild Black Creme.

*The New Black products provided for review*

Brace yourself for a few more posts in this format my friends.

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Dupe Finger Paints

A Little Bit of Glitter

Monday, September 17, 2012nail a college drop out

Yes, yes, yes, I know I've missed an entire week of posts for the 31 Day Challenge. I've said this before, but my job keeps me far busier--and far more tired--than a gal in her twenties should be.
To make up for lost time I'll more than likely make a couple of posts combining the days I've missed until I've fully caught up.

But for now let's stick with Day 17: Glitter

For this theme I decided to do some swatches. Can't go wrong with swatches... right?

Icing Industrial Chic

Application wasn't challenging, but it wasn't butter either. I painted the first coat and then kinda blobbed on the second coat.

Icing Love It

Number of coats and application are the same as Industrial Chic.

Next, I have two polishes from Forever 21

Crystal/Multi

This was two coats blobbed around (you know, I'm not even sure if "blobbed around" is a proper term; but hey, it floats my boat).

DUPE ALERT: This is a dead on dupe for Finger Paints Gourd Or Bad

Crystal/Pink

A soft metallic pink shredded glitter? Yes!

This is two coats. I'm pretty impressed with this polish. Simply because I've had a lot of disappointments from other Love & Beauty polish.

What's your favorite from the bunch?

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Gradient Green

A Very Green Gradient

Monday, September 10, 2012nail a college drop out

It's day 10 of the 31 Day Challenge and the theme is gradient!

Recently, a friend and I went shopping—more specifically, polish shopping— and I had to go to Icing. I picked up a few of their newer shades, but today I'll be showing you one of the new ones and one I picked up this time last year.

Icing Pretty as a Peacock & Mr. Right Now

I started with a white base color and sponged Pretty as a Peacock at the base and then Mr. Right Now at the tips.

Pretty simple right?

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge L.A. Colors L.A. Colors Color Crave

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

Saturday, September 08, 2012nail a college drop out

Today's theme for the 31 Day Challenge is metallic! But, let's rewind a little bit and go back to Gabrielle Douglas' performance in this year’s Olympics. She won not one but TWO gold medals! After watching her I immediately said to myself, "I want to be like her when I grow up!" Sadly I'm waaaay to old to be a gymnast and incredibly uncoordinated. Seriously though, Gabrielle is the first woman of color and the first African-American gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics. Why wouldn't anyone want to be Gabrielle Douglas?

Anyway, now let's get back to the reason for today's manicure. A few weeks ago I saw her on the cover of Jet Magazine. (There are two kinds of people reading this post; those who have no idea what Jet Magazine is and those—who much like myself—didn't know Jet Magazine was still in print.)

For this manicure I used L.A. Colors Color Craze Dazzle and some rhinestones I won in a nail art contest.

While I'll never win ~~a gold medal~~ two gold medals; I will proudly pull my hair into a ponytail. Congratulations Gabrielle Douglas!!!!

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Half Moon Nail Art

Is It Fall Yet?

Thursday, September 06, 2012nail a college drop out

And here we are... Day 6 of the 31 Day Challenge! Violet! (By the way, anyone catch the Daria reference in the title?)

Recently I got the three new fall Pixi Nail Colours and I haven't figured out what I wanted to do with them... until now!

L-R Amazing Amethyst, Classy Cocoa, Evening Emerald

*products provided for review*

I didn't have any problem with application for any of these polishes. In fact they are all very well pigmented!

Pixi Nail Colour retails for $8.00 and is available at Target. Target.com, and Pixibeauty.com

Do you think this mani is just in time for fall?

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Green MUA Makeup Academy

MUA Nail Quake Glitter Crackle

Tuesday, September 04, 2012nail a college drop out

I'm on day 4 of the 31 Day Challenge and I'm running low on things to say. I've got nail ideas aplenty! But a clear case of writer's block. (Grrrrrrrrrr!)

Anyway, today I have a swatch of Make Up Academy Nail Quake Glitter Crackle in Green.

one thick-ish coat over white

*products provided for review*

When I first opened the bottle I thought to myself, "this is kinda thick I hope it works." Well, to my very skeptical surprise, it did! Very well actually!

Glitter Nail Quake retails for £2.99 and is available at muastore.co.uk.

You still like the crackle trend?

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Freehand Icing

NeonNudeMetallic

Monday, September 03, 2012nail a college drop out

Alrighty! Day 3 of the 31 Day Challenge! And what do you know? I'm using a neon color. Surprised? I didn't think so.

L-R

Zoya Cho, Icing Grande Margarita, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City

3 days down. 28 more to go,

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Glitter Halloween

Icing Spam: Halloween Edition

Sunday, September 02, 2012nail a college drop out

Would this be Nail A College Drop Out without a few bottles of Icing? Of course not!

Let's start with Fake Baked

two coats

Fake Baked is a densely packed copper glitter in a dark brown jelly base.

Vampire's Kiss

two coats

Vampire's Kiss is red glitter in a black translucent(jelly) base and just as dense as Fake Baked.

Spellbound

three coats

Spellbound was the least impressive of the bunch for me. It's thick, and nothing special if you already own Revlon Facets of Fuchsia.

Which one of these will you be wearing this Halloween?

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Barielle Barielle Summer 5-Pack

Barielle Water Marble

Saturday, September 01, 2012nail a college drop out

I've had quite the busy work week so i haven't had as much time as I would like to devote to blogging. But, I have been painting my nails!

A little forewarning, while trying to get my nails to be as color accurate as possible the color of the bottle somehow got distorted.

I started with a white base color and marbled with Barielle Berry Go Round, Peach Popsicle, and Ocean Breeze.

*products provided for review*

Berry Go Round, Peach Popsicle, and Ocean Breeze are all part of the Barielle Summer Fun 5-Pack and retails for $25 at Barielle.com.

By the way, I'm trying to redeem myself for my miserable attempt at the 31 Day Challenge.

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Color Club Dare To Wear

Sashay My Way With That Neon Graident!

Thursday, August 16, 2012nail a college drop out

Alright so I severely slacking on this 31 Day Challenge but I am trying! My birthday was a little while ago so I decided to rock my three favorite colors--gold, purple, and lime green. *Cue the Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta reference* "In. That. Order."

I Started with a base of Sinful Colors Snow Me White.
Next, I made a gradient with Color Club Disco Dress and Dare To Wear Anonymity. Let me say that I absolutely adore how pigmented those polishes are!
Finally, I added two coats of Orly Sashay My Way.

And here I am, trying to catch up to the 31 Day Challenge
Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

31 Day Challenge Blue Freehand

The New Black Fishtail Braid

Saturday, August 04, 2012nail a college drop out

Today marks day four of the 31 Day Challenge. Since I missed day 3 (yellow), I decided to use both green and yellow—along with a few other colors—to make up for it.

I used of other half of The New Black Runway Set. (See the first half here.)

*products provided for review*

I really like how this turned out. And I’m glad it wasn't nearly as time consuming or difficult as I thought it would be.

I'll be sure to try this again in other colors!

Tune in. Drop out. Love polish.

Older Posts Home

Pink & Gold Half Moon Tutorial

So Many Manis. So Little Time.

A Little Bit of Glitter

A Very Green Gradient

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

Is It Fall Yet?

MUA Nail Quake Glitter Crackle

NeonNudeMetallic

Icing Spam: Halloween Edition

Barielle Water Marble

Sashay My Way With That Neon Graident!

The New Black Fishtail Braid

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