Bond Paisley

I know, two posts in two days! Pretty good for me :) Anyways, along with having Christmas, I just had my birthday on December 19 (I'm 14; Older then most of my friends), and my little brother got me three polishes from the OPI Skyfall collection; Goldeneye, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Skyfall. This gift came with the sweetest store of my brother going into a salon (dun dun dun) and talking to the woman there (he's only 12, and this obviously took a lot of effort. He was very proud of himself). Also, for Christmas, I got a new Konad Stamper and the Bundle Monster Stamping Plates 2012 collection, so I was eager to try these out!

For the base I used two coats of Skyfall, then I stamped on the paisley print from BM-315 using Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On.

Skyfall has a great formula; two coats and it's opaque. It's a red with purplish-brown undertones, and it's just one of those colours that's flattering on anyone and everyone. I really, really like it.

I LOVE this manicure. The stamping worked out, which of course made me SO ecstatic. It's always so upsetting when you are trying to stamp something and it just isn't cooperating. It's very pretty (and girly) and I will definitely be repeating it with other colours throughout time!

I took way too many pictures of this one, and I couldn't really narrow it down. Hehe. Whoops.

I'm very excited to try out some more of my Bundle Monster plates, I love them already! And I'll try to post more often like this, even though when dance starts back up....I can't promise anything.

Happy Early New Year!!!

Christmas Sweater Nails

Merry Christmas everyone! First off, let me start by just saying how sorry I am for not posting in over a month! I have been so busy with family, injuries, and DANCE. Sunday rehearsals start in January (yay....), so at that point I'll be dancing every day of the week.....wow....
Anyways, let's move on to the nails! I decided to try my hand at freehand nail art once again, and I decided to do Christmas sweater nails! I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Cherry Red for the base and white acrylic paint for the designs. (This was my first time working with acrylic paint; I think it went pretty well!)

Pardon the stupid huge air bubble on the first finger. I know, it annoyed me too.

I finally got a Konad Stamper and the entire Bundle Monster Stamping Plates 2012 pack (thanks Mom and Dad!), so hopefully I'll use those soon and post pictures. 

So what did you all get for Christmas? To sum mine up, I got a bunch of nail stuff, a bunch of Starkid stuff, and a bunch of other wonderfully random things. But hey, those are the best gifts. :)

Purple Leopard

Hey guys! I just have a quick post for you today, since it's Sunday night and I have to do homework for school tomorrow! This is a cute little mani that I did about a week ago. I got a lot of compliments on this one!

Natural lighting

Artificial lighting

The light purple is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Lacey Lilac, the medium purple is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Potion, and the dark purple is a China Glaze that I do not have the name of at the moment....

These were really cute, and had such a cool visual effect from a distance!

On a side note, have any of you seen Breaking Dawn Part 2? I just saw it today, and to my surprise I actually really enjoyed it! (It had the biggest plot twist I've ever seen-what a surprise!)

Dot Gradient...Kind Of.

Okay. I have officially fallen in love with Chalkboard Nails tutorials. Seriously. The last three manicures I did have been inspired by her tutorials (I haven't posted all of them yet; wait and see!) Go check them out!
So tonight, I have a quick and cute manicure to show you, a "dot gradient" of sorts. Take a look and see what you think.

The blue is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (Absolutely ADORE this colour), the white is OPI
My Boyfriend Scales Walls, and the pink is OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips. I love all of these polishes, and combining them only seems to make them better.

I really like this design. It's so simple, and yet it pops. I'll definitely be trying this in different, more wintry colours.

I don't know if it's the sudden change of the weather, but everyone seems to be getting sick, and I think I've caught the bug. Yuck. Oh well, nothing a good cup of tea (or three) can't fix!

Some Fall Swatches

Oh my goodness! I feel like I've totally been neglecting my blog lately! Yes, I know, I haven't posted in a week. I just haven't had the time, and I promise I will try to post more in the future.
Anyways, on to the nails! So about a week ago, I was at Winners (I can never go shopping without checking in Winners; They usually have very good deals on nail polish!) and I couldn't find anything. Nothing at all in the cosmetics section. Feeling slightly dejected, I was on my way out when I passed a little basket near checkout and then...BAM! Bottle after bottle of nail polishes, more then I've seen ever before. OPI, China Glaze, Essie, Orly, you name it. Where I live, it's not easy to come across Orlys, so of course I was thrilled to see so many of these polishes on the shelves. In the end I did leave with a considerably heavier shopping bag and a slight spring to my step.
Today I have two polishes to show you. One is China Glaze, and one is Orly.
The first one I'm going to show you is Orly Stone Cold. It is a GORGEOUS royal blue jelly base shimmer that is absolutely STUNNING. I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking.

It looks matte in this one.....odd lighting 

Is this not the most BEAUTIFUL blue? I absolutely love it, and will definitely be wearing it more in the fall season. My last polish is China Glaze Unpredictable. It is a green holo shimmer from the Bohemian Luster Chrome collection. I absolutely LOVED this, and I got so many complements and "How did you do that?"s when I had it on.

This one was impossible to photograph. I just couldn't capture it's beauty. The next one shows more of the shimmer in it.

Like I said before, I LOVE these polishes. They're both so darn pretty! 

How do you like these polishes? Are you ready for winter? (I'm not...) Have you gotten your first Starbucks Holiday Drink yet? ;)

Candy Corn

Hello everyone! I'm back on my computer for this post for once!
This is a cute manicure that I just took off, and yes, it is Halloween related. I decided I wanted to do a Candy Corn manicure, using Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On, Mellow Yellow, and Sun Kissed.

With flash

Pardon the pictures, I took them on my phone and my cuticles look horrible. Anyways, to get this look, I started with a base of White On, then sponged on Sun Kissed and Mellow Yellow. I got a lot of compliments on this one!

Natural lighting

Also, pardon the pinky, I accidently smudged it after I finished......whoops. 

Anyways, I thought this was definetly a very cute manicure! I left it on for a few days, which is pretty good for me. ;) It was very bold and pretty!

An effect I added on Instagram

Little Birdies

Hello, everyone! So today I am once again blogging from my phone (I know, I said I'd try to do it from the computer. I'm busy!) so the pictures will be at the end.
Anyways, this is a cute manicure that I did last night. It's very springy (I don't want fall colours yet!) and I wanted to try out my new blue, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue. It's SO GORGEOUS....and I only needed one coat! Happy dance!!
Freehand nail art isn't my specialty, but I think it's pretty cute :)

Grey Fall Stripes

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, things have been pretty crazy around here! Anyways, today I have a cute little fall manicure that I did about half an hour ago. Base is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Grey Area" and stripes are Essie "Chinchilly" I have a little bit of a weakness for greys, by the way. ESPECIALLY in the fall. Also, these pictures were when my cuticles were still pretty messy, and the pictures are taken off my iPhone (Not enough time to get on the computer!). Also, I can only put the pictures on the bottom if I'm blogging from a mobile device, so keep that in mind. ;)

Night Sky Gradient

Hey everyone! I'm blogging on my iPhone again! So tonight I have a cute little manicure that I did today while I was sick at home. It's called the Night Sky Gradient nails. For the base purple, I used Nicole by OPI "I've got Beiber Fever", then sponged on an unnamed "MAG" polish. Does anyone know what these are? Anyways...after that I painted on one layer on Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Strobe Light" on the top, and I thought it ended up looking like a night sky with the stars shining! Two coats of Seche Vite, as usual. I really like the way this turned out. Very pretty! Anyways, since this is posted from a mobile, the photos have to be at the end, so I leave you with these!

Gangnam Style Nails

Hey everyone! Before I start this post I just want to let everyone know that I am posting this from my iPhone, so the pictures will probably be all wrong, so don't mind that!
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've just been very busy! But today I have a VERY cute manicure to show you. I bet most of you have seen the viral video Gangnam Style (If you haven't, look it up on YouTube. You will laugh so hard!) and today CutePolish on YouTube posted a tutorial for her take on Gangnam Style nails, and I simply had to try it! (Pardon the run on sentence..) I think they are cute and very random. These took me around an hour to do.
I have a whole pile of mani's to post, so keep an eye out for those! Hopefully soon ;)
Also, my friend Maya just started a nail blog, and I'd appreciate it if you go check it out! It's www.imapolishedgirl.blogspot.ca :)

With Flash

Natural Flash

An Effect I added on Instagram

Paint Splatter Nails

Hey everyone! As promised, I have another new post for you! This one is a manicure that I did only last night, so it's only been on my computer for a few hours! I found a tutorial for this on @lovemanicure's page on Instagram, and I just fell in love! This is using Essie "Mezmerise" and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Mellow Yellow" Before you look at the picture, I just want to warn you that these pictures were taken before I cleaned up my nails, please do not pay attention to the messy areas!

I think they're cute, don't you! In the first picture, it almost looks matte! I also really like the contrast of these colours, this manicure makes me happy for some odd reason :)

5 Things You Didn't Know About Me!

Hello, blog readers! How are you? I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, please don't think I've forgotten you! I've just been busy, starting high school, getting back into a schedule. Sometimes it's very hard for me to find a time to do my nails! So today, I have a little something special. You are going to learn 5 things that you most likely didn't know about me! Alright, here we go!
1. I am a competitive dancer, going into my 5th year of competitive dance. Dance is really my life, and I don't know what I would do without it!

2. I have a strange obsession with necklaces. I don't know what it is about them, but they are so pretty and unique, not to mention a perfect fashion accessory. I usually wear a different one each day, but the one I wear the most is my little rustic cross necklace, along with my cross bracelet that I wear with EVERYTHING.

3. I have a rather large obsession with three things; Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Team Starkid. Assuming that you all know what Harry Potter and The Hunger Games is (if you don't, leave a comment!) I am going to tell you what Team Starkid is. Starkid is a group of people from the University Of Michigan's theater group who perform original plays and musicals. They were the creators of A Very Potter Musical, the web series Little White Lie, A very Potter Sequel, Starship, and many others. Search them on YouTube, they are fantastic! (Also, for anyone who knows what Starkid is, my favorite Starkid is Lauren Lopez. I love her, she is a fantastic singer and actress. I want to be her when I grow up!)

4. I only started really "doing" my nails in May of last year! I fell in love with the colours, all the different things you
can do, and, believe it or not, the smell! So I'm fairly new at the whole "nail art" game!

5. I love mint. Mints, gum, anything. It's just so good.

So that is all! I hope you enjoyed my little post today, and I promise I will post more nail posts soon! <3

Dots, Sure Shot, and Whimsical

Today I have three old nail designs to show you. These have been stored in the vault that is my nail folder on my computer for months, so I thought it was time to show them!
First off, we have Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Blue Me Away" with dots in Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "White On" This was my first time doing dots, so yes, they are messy and uneven. But how about we call them abstract?

This was also before I discovered the art of macro photographing....just bear that in mind.
This blue is a very pretty, bright blue, great for summer (even though it's September) and the white is a very good white, a two coater, which you can't find very often.

On to the next mani! This one is Essie "Sure Shot" with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Strobe Light" on the accent nail. Sure Shot is this almost metallic-y magenta, and Strobe Light is a sparkle polish, with silver, pink, green, and many other colour sparkles in it.

Ugh. I look at these pictures and cringe. Well, that was in the past. My photography skills are better now (I hope).

Last but defiantly not least is Essie "Mesmerized" with two coats of Revlon "Whimsical" on top. I LOVED this, and I've done it again several times since the picture was taken.

 I absolutely adore Whimsical. It's a jelly polish with a light blue base, with big silver and blue glitters (I really don't know how to describe them...help!) and small silver glitters. SO pretty.

I was at the PNE in my city yesterday, and I got my hands on my first Orly polishes! I'm so excited! Expect swatches of them very soon!

Creamsicle Nails

Hey everyone! Today I have a sweet, summery mani that I did about a month ago. Just so you know, from time to time, I will be posting manicures that are from a while ago. Just as little fun posts if what I'm wearing on my nails isn't very interesting. But now back to the nails!
For this design, I used Essie "Action" and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "White On". In these pictures, Action not as bright as it is in real life. It is a VERY bright orange, perfect for summer!

This is with natural lighting

At the time, it was my first time attempting stripes...so they are squiggly, I know. I don't have proper striping tape, so I use just regular tape, and that means cutting up each strip, which can get very annoying. That is one of the reasons only the accent nail is striped.
The next picture is with artificial lighting, so please ignore my hands.

They look a little spray tanned, don't you think? I don't know if you can see the difference of the nails between the two shots, but the second one is a tad closer to the real colour of the polish. I just thought that after they were done, they reminded me of creamsicles. Yum.
Recently I have been looking on some cosmetic websites for ideas for nails, and I have discovered the Konad Stamper. It looks like a great stamper for designing your nails, and hopefully I'll be able to purchase one soon, along with some striping tape. :)

My First Blog Post!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my nail polish blog, Pretty and Polished nails! I started this blog just to share my love (and obsession) with nail polish and nail art with the internet! I just want to warn you that I'm not very good with nails yet...so please bear with me! Today, I have one of my all time favorite polishes to show you; Essie "Mesmerize". It a beautiful blue somewhere in between the lines of a royal blue and a navy blue. It is soooooooooooo pretty...I can't even tell you. Pictures just don't do it justice.

I'm not that good at photos yet! Haha.

On the accent finger, I have Essie "Shine Of The Times. It's this gorgeous yet subtle polish with flakies that shine in many different colours. I love just wearing this polish over another, and as you may find out with time, I do LOVE accent nails. :)

Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed, and there will soon be more to come! Bye!