Unfortunately...I have a nail biting habit. Not very classy, cute, or sexy, right? But luckily for me, my habit isn't so strong that I have to go out and buy some sort of nail cream to condition myself out of sticking my fingers in my mouth all the time. Instead I just wear nail polish!
Nail polish is pretty much my favorite thing in the world. I used to match my purple nails to my sweater and luggage whenever I traveled...perhaps a little matchy-matchy, but I loved it, so who cares?
(apologies for my messy desk)
Despite being such a nail polish fan, I don't have a lot of colors. But whenever I go somewhere new, I like to pick up different shades from brands that can only be located in that area...for example, although the Maybelline polishes are from the Rite Aid ten minutes down the street, the dark green (second from the left), the sea green (third from the right), and the orange (very right) are all from Korea. The sea green I got from the Daiso in my neighborhood but both the dark green and the orange are from Nature Republic, who have yet to make it across the pond into America.
PS: The orange is my favorite! It's so pretty I can't take it. It's so perfect for the summer.
But wearing nail polish all the time can damage your fingers pretty badly, so that's where base coats come in, so I always make sure that I have enough on hand. I've gotten really into crackle nail polish though (god I love trends) and I picked up the sparkly top coat in Korea where it fast made its way into my heart. Glitter nails are the best, guys.
My favorite combinations:
Blue + silver crackle (perfect for winter)
Black + silver crackle (the classically edgy look)
Orange + glitter top coat (perfect for spring and summer)
Anyway...what's a girl without colors to do?
Have a nail polish party of course! My friends and I like to get together and combine our nail polish collections. We paint our nails together and do designs and borrow each other's colors, while (classily!) swigging X-Rated Fusion Liquor which is, in honor of the occasion, bright pink and super sweet. If you do have a nail polish party, don't forget to crack a window, those fumes can get mighty nasty.
Links:
- How to Get Swirly, Tie-Dyed Nails - water marbling is the big new nail trend to hit this year. It's super hard to do and I've never done it before, but I may try it my next free weekend. Look at how fantastic those nails are!
- Cupcake Nail Art Tutorial - if you're into nail art on fake nails, this tutorial is amazing! Her nails look delicious. I don't wear fake nails but these make me want to try...
- True Metallic Nails - nevertoomuchglitter uses foil to create fantastic looking party nails.
- River Rock Nail Decal Technique - A DIY method of making nail decals, inspired by New York Fashion Week.
- Purple Gradient Nail Art Tutorial - Jen is one of my favorite beauty bloggers, and not just because we're both Koreans. Her purple nails straddle the line between edgy and girly effortlessly!
- Sweet Mani - Even though Halloween is long past, these candy corn nails still totally work for fall.
- Fall/Autumn Themed Nail Art - The video is rather poorly shot, but the nails are gorgeous and the instructions are clear enough. I don't have any colors that work for this, but her nails look so beautiful! This video definitely is not for an amateur though, it's one of those tricky 3D nail art tutorials.
- First Snowfall - Even if you live somewhere without snow, you can still enjoy these gorgeous nails with snowdrifts painted on them. I am definitely going to try these over winter break. They even have little rhinestones for maximum effect!
