31DC2016 Day 30: Staggered Gradient

Yassssss! The 31 Day Challenge is so close to being over! I wish I could say this month has just flown by but I felt like the end would never come. I've been looking forward to this day for another reason though. Today's prompt is "inspired by a tutorial" and I've anxiously waited to try this tutorial by My Simple Little Pleasures.

31DC2016 Day 29: Wispy Ghosts + Paint All The Nails Presents Watercolor

Today's post is a two for one deal! It's both Day 29 ("inspired by the supernatural") of the 31 Day Challenge and the monthly Paint All The Nails linkup with some amazingly talented bloggers. Last month I was sad I couldn't participate in the linkup, but this month we chose to do a watercolor theme and I HAD to join in because I'm a little obsessed with it right now. It was perfect timing since I already had the idea to create these ghosts for the challenge. And thusly I combined two posts into one.

31DC2016 Day 28: America the Beautiful

For today's 31 Day Challenge "inspired by a flag" I didn't do much thinking outside the box. Red, white, and blue nails are always a win for me, so that's the direction I took. I found two gorgeous polishes and kept the design simple to let them be the "stars" of the show. Now if only I had some patriotic event to attend today!

31DC2016 Day 27: Number 15: Gray

Where do I begin with this look? Well I guess I can begin with the fact that I love it! It is so cool and unique, I wish I had longer to wear it. Now I'll follow that up by saying it is completely different from what I had in mind. What I intended to style my nails after was Jackson Pollock's art piece Number 14:Gray. My other two years of  the 31 Day Challenge "inspired by art" day has been one of my favorites. Both times were extremely labor intensive, but I loved the results. I tried to go the easy route this year thinking that I could get thin lines of polish by pouring it from high above my hand. As you can see, it did not produce thin lines at all. Instead I got a cross between a Rorschach test and a cow hide. So I am pretending that there was a follow up version called Number 15, and this is what it looked like!

31DC2016 Day 26: Elegant Argyle

Hello ladies! I had grand ambitions for today's 31 Day Challenge "inspired by a pattern" prompt that failed just as soon as I started. No worries, I took an easier route and it turned out to be the perfect Fall mani. It has a sophisticated preppy look that makes me want to go back to school. Mostly just so I can buy all the back to school supplies. Isn't that the best part?

31DC2016 Day 25: Embroidered Denim

Hello again! Today's prompt for the 31 Day Challenge is "inspired by fashion", one of my least favorite of the whole challenge. I'm no fashionista by any stretch of the imagination. I have see so many awesome fashion inspired manis before, but somehow it just doesn't spark that much creativity for me. I do occasionally get inspired by my kids' clothing and that's what happened with this design.

piCture pOlish Sisters + Comparisons

Hello my dear Society Sisters! I have a quick comparison post of my new collaboration shade Sisters next to three other piCture pOlish shades- Winter, Merge, and Demeter. These are the closest to my shade from the piCture pOlish that I personally own. Edina from Lakkomlakkom has already done an awesome comparison (HERE), but I wanted to add a couple more shades for inquiring minds. For more photos of Sisters and to read about my inspiration, check out this post.

31DC2016 Day 24: Lonesome Dove

Hello again! For the 31 Day Challenge's Day 24 "inspired by a book" prompt I went with one of my favorite books, "Lonesome Dove". This epic western novel has the richest of characters, a compelling plot, and a deeply evocative atmosphere. It's one of those books I want to read again and again!

31DC2016 Day 23: Dances With Wolves

Hello ladies! I am behind once again on the 31 Day Challenge, though for a very good reason! Yesterday I had the pleasure of announcing the launch of my very own collaboration shade 'Sisters' with piCture pOlish! Check out my post for photos and to read my story behind the shade. Now it's time for catching up on the Challenge.

piCture pOlish Sisters by Nail Polish Society

Hello my wonderful Society Sisters!! The long awaited day is here and I finally get to unveil to the world my collaboration shade with the nail polish brand piCture pOlish. This has been an amazing opportunity and I couldn't be more excited to share what we've created! You may remember that way back in 2014 I participated in piCture pOlish Blog Fest (see it HERE) and was chosen as one of the winners. The prize was a chance to create my very own shade- something I had as a goal ever since I discovered the brand. The anticipation of this day has been building for such a long time. My pregnancy last year stalled the creation process on my end, but fortunately they were very patient and understanding with me. I believe it was completely worth the wait, and hope you do too!

31DC2016 Day 22: Breaking Glass

Baby, I've been.. waiting to do this shattered glass mani way before I even started this year's 31 Day Challenge. In fact, I've been planning it for the last two years when it was requested that my next "inspired by a song" mani be for "Breaking Glass" by David Bowie. As it's one of my favorite songs, how could I resist? 

31DC2016 Day 21: piCture pOlish Rose

Hello there! Today's prompt for the 31 Day Challenge is "inspired by a color". In the past I've taken this to mean inspired by the name of a nail polish. I took a look through my stash and came across a newer acquisition, piCture pOlish Rose. It's a beautiful color that I had yet to wear, and the name just spoke for itself. 

31DC2016 Day 20: Layered Watermarble

Hello again! This is my second post this day, and once again I'm all caught up on the 31 Day Challenge. Now if I can just stay on track for the final 11 days. For my watermarble mani I used the same technique as my ABC Challenge L is for Layered nails. I think this is such a fun technique that creates a really unique look. 

31DC2016 Day 19: Negative Space Galaxy

I am working hard to keep on track for the 31 Day Challenge. This post is a day late, but I will have the next one up shortly after. The basic look of this mani is pretty similar to what I've done in the past. I wanted to add another element of design to these galaxy nails so I threw in (or would I be taking it away?) some negative space too. 

31DC2016 Day 18: Lacy Half Moon

Greetings all! I am feeling pretty exhausted going on 19 days straight of the 31 Day Challenge! I had two naps yesterday, does that give you a good picture of how tired I am? Since I didn't post yesterday I am actually one day behind. I have hopes that I'll catch up tomorrow though!

31DC2016 Day 17: Glitter Tips

I spent another day with the family so once again it's nighttime and I'm finally posting my 31 Day Challenge mani. The other two times I did this challenge I really went all out with the "glitter" prompt. This time there was no genius master plan. So instead of spending hours on another glitter placement mani with no clear direction, I went with simplicity. I luuuurve wearing nude nails and the touch of glitter added just a little glam.

31DC2016 Day 16: Neon & Triangles

Another late in the day post for the 31 Day Challenge. I took the kids to the zoo today and that always exhausts me. So here you have my geometric mani. Enjoy!

31DC2016 Day 15: Abstract Vines

Hello and happy halfway! Yep, we are halfway through the 31 Day Challenge (that's how I like to split an odd number of days) and it feels so good. There is still so much more to do, but if I have made it this far I have high hopes of completing the challenge. I proudly told my husband last night that I was working on day 15, and he informed me he was on day 14 of The Ultimate 30 Pull Up Challenge. He nonchalantly says that meant he did just finished 80 pull ups, in 4 sets of 20 reps. *Insert shocked face emoji* Yeeeeah, no biggie. Here I am sitting on my fat blogger butt not able to do a single pull up, but look how pretty my nails are!

31DC2016 Day 14: Roses and Tweed

I am typing furiously to get this in under the wire. I have been doing fairly well so far with the the 31 Day Challenge without too many hiccups. I don't know how or why, but suddenly I lost my mojo. This is my fourth attempt at a floral mani. FOURTH. What happened??! Anyhoo, I used a nail decal that I bought ages ago and finally tried out. It's beautiful right? It's also a piece of junk. I will be totally honest and tell you I photoshopped (attempted that is, you can still tell) the edges of the decal to make it look like it actually lays flat on the nail. It didn't. But I simply couldn't try a fifth look. #sorrynotsorry. 

31DC2016 Day 13: Beetle Nails

Today's prompt for the 31 Day Challenge is "animal print" . As much as I love a leopard or zebra pattern, last night I was exhausted and went for something super simple. Beetle nails aren't exactly a print, but it falls into the animal category at least. What counts is that the nails are pretty!

Colores de Carol The Harvest Goddess Autumn 2016 Collection

*provided for honest review

Hey there! Before I get to today's 31 Day Challenge nail art, I have some new polishes to share with you. Colores de Carol The Harvest Goddess Autumn 2016 is a six piece collection inspired by women in mythology from different cultures around the world, representing nature and the harvest. If you want to know a little more of the meaning behind each name, you can read the descriptions on the website. I didn't want to get too wordy, so I'm focusing on the polishes. These shades are all perfect for this time of year!

31DC2016 Day 12: Autumn Rays

Hello again! Do you have a favorite mani from the 31 Day Challenge so far? It's hard for me to choose, but today's is somewhere near the top for me. It is so satisfying to have a plan in mind and then deliver the final product exactly as imagined! That doesn't happen often enough so I have to revel in it when it does. 

31DC2016 Day 11: Dotted Daisies

I know today's prompt for the 31 Day Challenge is "polka dots", but in the past I've just interpreted it as making a design any which way with dots. Because I do what I want. So that's what I've done again today. I actually did this exact mani a couple weeks ago but wasn't pleased with how it photographed so I didn't post it. Well here we go again, because I don't love these photos either. Getting metallic polishes to photograph well is a constant struggle of mine. I do like these nails so much though. I even wore them outside the house for other people to see, which is rare these days.

31DC2016 Day 10: Quatrefoil Gradient

Hello lovelies! It's already day 10 of the 31 Day Challenge! Can you believe it? Only 21 more days to go.. Aye yai yai. Deep breaths.. I can do this! Today's mani is inspired by the "gradient" prompt. I cannot believe how crisp and clean the quatrefoil design came out with my vinyl stencils. I think that may be the best I've ever done before. As the Challenge goes on I keep thinking, now THIS mani is my favorite so far, and today's nails make me think that once again. 

31DC2016 Day 9: Graphic Neon Rainbow

Hello everyone! Today's "inspired by rainbow" prompt is one of my very favorites of the entire 31 Day Challenge. Seriously who doesn't love a rainbow? These colors are so bright and happy and I instantly feel my mood lift looking at these nails.

31DC2016 Day 8: Camouflage Polka Dots

Hey ladies! I've got another short and sweet post for you today. Busy busy busy again, and starting to freak out a little! Today's prompt for the 31 Day Challenge is metallic and I used one of my most used polishes, Essie Good As Gold. It stamps like a gem and compliments almost any color. I started off with a smoosh marble base of four different shades that created a camouflage-ish look. Then I stamped on the negative space polka dot image over it and there you have it! 

31DC2016 Day 7: Greek Marble

Last night I spent hours trying to decide on a design for today's "Inspired by black and white" prompt. I had lots of vague ideas but nothing solid enough for me to get started on one. I think the reason inspiration was evading me was because I had already come up with an idea- probably about a year ago. I've been waiting to do this just for the challenge and then totally forgot. I'm so glad I finally remembered!

Dermelect 'ME' 2016 Unearthed Collection

*provided for honest review

Hey there! Today I'm excited to share with you a review of a new-to-me brand, Dermelect. I've seen the brand at Ulta before, but not knowing much about it I've never taken the opportunity to test out their polishes. When they reached out to me I was eager to review this collection because not only do I love the color palette, but I was impressed with their partnership with the non-profit group Trees for the Future (trees.org).  For every polish sold from this collection now until April 2017, Dermelect will plant one tree, with a minimum of 10,000 planted! The collection is made up of six shades and I was sent three of them. Let's take a look!

"The Unearthed Collection was inspired by the colors of the season, which are drawn from various elements of nature, including lava, copper, soil and bright foliage."

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31DC2016 Day 6: Violet Drag Marble

Hey there! It's day six of the 31 Day Challenge and I am still excited about all the upcoming prompts. Today's mani I struggled with a little though. I've wanted to do this combo for a long time. I love the depth you get with the purple jelly polish as it spreads into the pink creme formula. I began making decals on my UberMat and then changed my mind because I needed to get these done quickly. The decals I started making looked way better than these nails turned out so that's what I'm comparing them to. Maybe I'm just too much in my own head, but it's hard to tell!

31DC2016 Day 5: Blue Mod

Howdy howdy! This holiday weekend has me a little behind on my goals of being ahead with the 31 Day Challenge. So I'm going to make this short and sweet. These nails were inspired by this mani by @rockyournails. She actually did four different variations and each one is awesome, but I stuck with just the one. 

Fall In-die Love Collaboration Box

*provided for honest review

Hello dolls! Today I have to share with you the Fall In-die Love Collaboration Box. It's a Fall themed, exclusive one-time box organized by four indie brands- Colores de Carol, Anchor & Heart Lacquer, Turtle Tootise Polishes, and Frenzy Polish. I was so excited to receive this box because I've only tried Colores de Carol polishes before and have wanted to try the other three brands. Information on how/where to buy this box is at the end of the post. Let's move on to the polishes!

31DC2016 Day 4: Green 'N Bling

Are you ready for another week of the 31 Day Challenge? I am! Well, not ready as in prepared, because sadly I'm not. Oh well, bring it anyway! I'm excited that this challenge has given me the opportunity to go through my "to try" folder and inspiration boards, and revisit designs I've wanted to recreate. This mani was inspired by these nails by the talented @justagirlandhernails. They are simple and understated but totally beautiful, in my opinion.  

31DC2016 Day 3: Honey Bee Nails

Hey ladies! Day three of the 31 Day Challenge and I'm so excited about this mani! This is one of the only designs I've had planned out for the month. It may look familiar because I was inspired by this bee mani from Chalkboard Nails, one of my all time favorites of hers. I've been wanting to recreate it ever since and now seemed like the perfect time. It may have something to do with these beautiful black eyed susans (?) in my yard that match so well!

31DC2016 Day 2: Autumnal Orange

Hey hey! Day 2 of the 31 Day Challenge and I'm still on track. So good so far! I love that this challenge has me using colors I don't usually reach for. Since I don't own very many orange polishes (relative to the rest of my stash) I saw this as a good excuse to buy a few new OPIs from the Washington DC Collection that were on my wishlist. I am really digging these shades together and I am already looking forward to using them again. 

Glam Polish IT'S GONNA BE A SCREAM! Collection

*provided for honest review

Hello ladies! I am excited to share this post with you because.. HALLOWEEN! I love this time of year so much! The Glam Polish IT'S GONNA BE A SCREAM! Collection is (obviously) Halloween themed and is inspired by the Goosebumps books. It's a nine piece collection and I have six to show you. They all have jelly formulas with lots of iridescent flakies and holo microglitter. I am in love with this finish and application was great with all of them. Each one dried dull but shined right up with some glossy top coat. Let's take a look!

31DC2016 Day 1: Red Poppies

Hello my wonderful Society Sisters! Well, here we are. The first day of the 31 Day Challenge 2016! It's just the first day of school when everything is fresh and new and exciting. Then reality sets in and you're loading with homework and stress before you know it. But let's not spoil this moment of newness and anticipation. Let's talk about what I came up with!