dvf spring 13

the inspiration seen behind Diane Von Furstenberg's spring 2013 collection, "palazzo" was her own life. traveling the world with a bohemian spirit is what served to be the inspiration for the collection full of bright colors, bold prints, colorblock and embellishments. the second i saw this print i imagined how good it would look on a set of nails! 

step 1: paint two coats of mint nail polish. i used revlon- minted.

step 2:  paint one coat of seche vite fast dry coat on all nails and allow 10 minutes to dry. 

step 3: paint the top 3/4 of the nail in turquoise. i used essie- turquoise and caicos. 

step 4: paint one coat of seche vite fast dry coat on all nails and allow 10 minutes to dry. 

step 5: once the nails are completely dry, using sally hansen nail art pen in orange emulate the design on the dress and draw it on the nail where the mint meets the turquoise. these nail art pens are the best thing since striping pens and come in almost every color. you can find it at your local drug store. i found this one at rite-aid. 

TIP: feel free to trace the original design to create a thicker line until you have reached your desired look on the nail. 

step 6: complete this runway look with one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat. 

galaxy

i have the universe at my fingerstips, literally! well not so literal but this is probably the closest i will ever get to touching the sky. just like the universe, each part is unique so bear in mind that you can make this look unique by changing up the colors. to get started follow the guidelines below: 

colors used: 

tools: (colors as seen in picture from top left to top right) seche vite fast dry top coat, revlon- stunning, essie- blanc, essie- play date, essie- sexy divine, essie- midnight cami, sinful colors- black on black, makeup sponge, small dotting tool or toothpick. 

step 1: apply 2 coats of black nail polish.

step 2: after the base coat is completely dry, paint white nail polish on the corner of a makeup sponge and lightly sponge a diagonal line on to the nail creating the nebula.

TIP: after painting the nailpolish on the sponge and before appling to the nail, blot the nail polish onto a card or paper so that you get more of a powdered look and not an intense white when appling on to the nail. i do this with all colors for this nail design. 

step 3: sponge essie- play date (lavender) on the outer edges and slightly on top of the nebula for each of the nails.

step 4: using another corner of the makeup sponge, sponge essie-sexy divine (metallic purple) on the outer edges of the lilac. 

step 5: using another corner of the makeup sponge, sponge essie- midnight cami (metallic blue) on the outside of both previous colors and even a little on the black base. 

step 6: apply one thin coat of silver glitter nail nailpolish. i used revlon- stunning. 

TIP: the glitter nail polish should look sparse. pick up some of the glitter using your finger if necessary. 

step 7: using the smallest dotting tool you can find, paint a few dots on each nail for the bigger stars. feel free to make small plus signs to look like starbursts or swirls for a galaxy. 

step 8: complete the look with one coat of seche vite fast dry top coat. 

need a visual tutorial? please watch 3d Nail Art Blog video tutorial on galaxy nails. 

glitter tips

for the first time in years i bought a revlon nail polish. i am currently obsessed with the color mint, if you can't already tell from the colors i used for this blog. i bought revlon nail enamel in 'minted'. the color doesn't seem to last as long as essie does so i opted to do a gradient glitter on the tips.

step 1: for the base i painted 2 coats of essie's lilacism and on the ring and middle fingers i painted revlon's minted. 

step 2: after letting the base completely dry, i painted a strip of clear nailpolish on the nail tip. directly below, i painted another clear strip and dabbed my finger on it smearing the polish so that there was less clear polish below the highest clear strip which would hence produce the gradient affect.

step 3: i dipped my finger nail in a loose silver glitter pod.

step 4: after about a minute or two i let cold water run on my hands to remove the excess glitter and cleaned up with a flat q-tip dipped in nail polish remover.

spring picks by whowhatwear.com

www.whowhatwear.com has selected their favorite nail polish shades of the season! the colors range from pretty pastels to bright neons. what is your favorite hue this season?

1. orly nail lacquer- in jealous, much? (mint pastel)

2. essie nail polish- in action (bright tangerine)

3. yves saint laurent duo vernis couleur- in no. 7 (bright green)

4. china glaze nail polish- in surfin' for boys (neon orange with a touch of shimmer)

5. revlon- in zealous (halfway between yellow and green aka chartreuse)

6. estee lauder pure color long lasting nail lacquer- in hot coral (bright coral)

7. dior vernis nail lacquer- in saint tropez (bright blue)

8. opi nail polish lacquer- in kiss me on my tulips (bright pink)

9. butter london nail polish- in slapper (bright turquoise)

10. l'oreal colour riche nail polish- in boozy brunch (bright orange with a hint of coral)

11. dolce and gabbana nail polish- in lilac (pastel purple)