china glaze border mani

Here’s my last mani for the January N.A.I.L. linkup!  The week 4 theme is BORDER MANI.

I’m wearing a couple polishes from the China Glaze Happy Holiglaze 2013 collection.  It’s actually a three-pack from that collection called Dash of Dazzle.  I chose the two metallics of the bunch because OMG I love metallics lately!  But also, because the other one called Bells Will Be Blinging has bar glitter, and well, I’m not a huge fan.  Maybe some other time!

First I applied one coat of So Blue Without You.  It’s so bright and vibrant!  Then I applied the gold polish called Mingle With Kringle.  So much gold foil goodness!  When I applied the gold I made sure never to touch the base or sides of my nail.  But I did pull the gold polish all the way to the tips of my nails (which makes the border look like a horseshoe), which isn’t a biggie… because then I just hand paint little strips of blue onto my tips to make the blue border reach all the way around my nails.  It’s actually done in no time at all- with no special tools required.  Just the bottle brushes. 

This manicure is a little crazy-looking, huh?  It didn’t come out quite as expected.  I think the metallic finish blurs it so my border isn’t very crisp.  But it was super quick and it’s very eye-catching, so I can’t complain!

Since January is almost over that means the February Linkup themes will be coming out soon!  Keep your eyes peeled this weekend for the announcement!

In the meantime, here are the galleries of January nails…

6 – 12 January – Health and Wellness :

13 – 19 January – Inspired by Pinterest :

20 – 26 January – Opposite Day :

27 January – 2nd February – Border Manis :

Holo Feather Motif (inspired by pinterest) for #NAILLINKUP

I love the N.A.I.L. theme this week : INSPIRED BY PINTEREST!  I have over 1600 pins (most of which are nails) so I had no problem finding a nail art pin that inspired me.  When I pin pics I always think “Oooooh I love this nail art design,  I’m pinning it so I remember to try it later!”  But do I ever try it?  NO.  See, this is why I love this week’s theme!

I tried one manicure and it was an epic fail, but my second one came out great!  Let’s see….

This handpainted feather motif was inspired by just1nail’s pin of her instagram pic posted here.  Something about her design really stood out to me!  I love how the opaque pastel feather stands out against the dark holo background!  So pretty and sorta retro. Thanks for the inspiration Paola!

I didn’t have the same polishes as Paola so I changed it up a bit. Here’s what I’m wearing…

♥ Duri Rejuvacote – one coat as my basecoat

♥ Zoya Payton – two coats as the maroon holo base color

♥ Wet n wild I Need a Refresh-Mint – blue accents painted with a skinny brush

♥ Seche Vite – topcoat

 

13 – 19 January – Inspired by Pinterest :

January N.A.I.L. challenge announcement!

Hello lovies, it’s officially January now!  You know what that means: a new year, new hopes and dreams, and new resolutions.  Well, we know how disappointing it can be to make a resolution and then never follow through with it.  So Brijits Digits, Craftynail, and Eeeek! Nail Polish!  are here to help you.  Here’s what to do….

Step 1.  Resolve to join our January N.A.I.L. Challenge.

Step 2.  Do as little as ONE manicure for our N.A.I.L. Challenge.

Step 3.  Revel in your high levels of self-esteem, personal satisfaction and increased sense of power- you have completed one of your 2014 new years resolutions!

If you’re thinking of trying a nail challenge, the Nail Art Ideas Linkup is the one to try!  It’s so flexible, you cannot fail at this challenge!!!!!!  We have four themes for January but you don’t need to do all of them.  More details at bottom of this post.  Ready for the 4 themes???

*We have two different January widgets for you, just pick your fave of the two!

Health & Wellness (THEME 1)-  Do you want to get healthier in 2014?  Maybe this theme will help motivate you?  Paint some gym equipment on your nails, or fruits n veg, or if you want to be more zen how about some nice meditative colors?

Inspired by Pinterest (THEME 2)- Pinterest is swimming with inspiring nail art ideas.  Pick one of your favorite manis from that site and re-do it your own way!  You can make an exact replica of a pinterest nail design, or you can utilize a design for liberal inspiration.  Just make sure to share the love by referencing the pin that inspired you!

Opposite Day (THEME 3)- Did you know that Jan 25th is officially named OPPOSITE DAY?  To praise this holiday let’s paint our nails opposite of our usual style!  Do you hate water marbling?  Try it!  Do you rarely wear blue nail polish?  Well, wear it!  Step outside your comfort zone for this theme and surprise yourself!

Border Mani (THEME 4)-  A border mani is when you paint a border on the rim of your nails, or maybe just embellish the borders of your nails with dots or glitter, etc.  You can google the search term BORDER MANI to find tons of inspiration.  If you’ve never tried one before, now’s the time!

Here are the rules for Nail Art Ideas Linkup (we like to call it N.A.I.L.)……

• Do one of the weekly themes, or do them all- it’s up to you!
• The dates for each week are only suggestions- you can post your nails whenever you want in January.
• The nail art ideas/themes are open to interpretation.  You can create whatever kind of design you want!  Stamps, stickers, acrylics- they’re all game!
• We encourage all nail enthusiasts to join in whether you have a blog, FB, IG, Tumblr, etc…
• Feel free to post one of our widgets on your site to share the word and use #NAILLINKUP on your social media.
• Lastly but most importantly, don’t forget to enter the URL to your nails via the inlinkz below!

6 – 12 January – Health and Wellness :

13 – 19 January – Inspired by Pinterest :

20 – 26 January – Opposite Day :

27 January – 2nd February – Border Manis :

Any questions about NAIL ART IDEAS LINKUP?  Contact us or read more about N.A.I.L. on our blog links below.  We look forward to seeing your nails this January!

signed,

Brijit from Brijits Digits

Jacqui from Craftynail

Jemma from Eeeek! Nail Polish! 

PS- For those of you with loftier resolutions… we’d like to remind you of our big international nail art challenge scheduled for July 2014.  Our 2013 OMD Challenge was a huge hit with over 900 entries, so you better believe we’re doing it again in 2014!  Keep your schedule open in July for OMD Part Deux.  It has prizes!  Click here to see the gallery of past OMD designs.