My Favorite 16 posts in Four Years of Blogging

I started compiling this list a couple weeks ago but it's taken until now to finish it. My original plan was to do a list of my top eight post from the last four years. I browsed through all 590 post I've done so far and came up with over 50. I worked on whittling it down as much as possible and finally settled on my favorite 16 instead. Even that was next to impossible so I fudged a little with some "honorable mentions" at the end. I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane!

31 Day Challenge 2014: In Review

The crazy and relentless 31 days are over! Now it's time to sit back and admire all the awesome work that's been done. My goal for this past month was not only to complete each day, but to really push myself by trying new techniques and develop new skills. I'm really satisfied with the results, and feel like I achieved that goal. After a month long binge of nail art, I am looking forward to what I am officially dubbing this month- Swatchtober. It's time to show off some beautiful polishes in their pure and unadulterated form. I also want to spend time going back to check out other bloggers' work for the Challenge that I haven't had time for yet. I'm sure I missed some good ones.

Here is all 31 days in once place in case you missed any. Or if you caught them all and just want to come back for more. 

OMD2 Challenge Day 11- Rainbow

I loooove this mani! I've been wearing it for three days now and I really need to take it off to do another one for the challenge. So sad. I really don't want to. I've probably looked at my nails 500 times since I did these. I didn't take photos, but even my right hand looks just as good! Okay, sorry, I'll stop gushing now.

My Favorite Polishes Right Now For Spring

Since starting Nail Polish Society, I've gravitated toward more opaque nail polish formulas. An opaque creme polish is usually quick to apply, and fantastic for nail art. Sadly, for that reason, many of my other polishes have been neglected in the past few months.
Although lately, I've been yearning for the light, fresh, shades of Spring. It's been nice to revisit some sheerer formulas, I didn't want them to feel forgotten! :)
I had so many pretties to choose from, it took some time to narrow down my choices so that this post wasn't a mile long. Here are five of the polishes that I'm enjoying this season.


Nail Tek Hydration Therapy Morning Dew is a lemongrass green with yellow-gold microshimmer. I don't think it could get any more "Spring" than this. I love how fresh and cheerful this shade is. I used two coats, and the formula was easy to work with.

This photo best shows how the microshimmer makes the polish glow.

I purchased Morning Dew at Marshall's for about $5 I think. It's the first Nail Tek polish I've bought, so I didn't even know where they were available ( their color ones). I'm still not really clear on that, but I'm so glad I randomly came across this one!

Ulta Salon Formula Peach Parfait is a subdued melon in a creme/jelly formula. I like how mellow and squishy this polish is. The formula is on the sheer side but still easy to work with. I used three coats.

I purchased this at Ulta for $2.00. The full retail price is $6.00, but they are frequently on sale.

Sinful Colors Cinderella is a medium toned baby blue in another creme/jelly base with pink and orange glass flecks. This is a cute and girly shade, and the name Cinderella is very fitting. The shimmer from the glass flecks isn't overwhelmingly obvious, but still visible and adds a nice dimension. It was a little more sheer than I had hoped, I needed three coats.

I purchased Cinderella at Kmart for $1.99. Sinful Colors are sold at most drugstores and mass retailers like Walmart, but I never see all the shades in one place. My local Kmart seemed to have the best selection available out of most the stores I've shopped at.

Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle Loyal Lavender is a dusty lavender with prominent pink microshimmer. I LOVE this color. I am always on the lookout for a nice greyish purple, but one that is not too grey. This pink shimmer adds another interesting layer to this unique polish. The formula was more sheer than I hoped, but I still got a decent application with three coats.

I purchased Loyal Lavendar at Walgreens last Fall. It was on sale so I don't remember the price and I'm not sure if this shade is still available :(

Deborah Lippmann La Vie en Rose is a gorgeous white-ish pink, with pink and gold shimmer. The formula is very sheer, making the shimmer stand out from the base. This is a very work appropriate polish, but it's not at all boring! I used three coats here.

The shimmer is most visible in this photo, but it's still more obvious in person.

La Vie en Rose is now officially the most expensive nail polish I own. I purchased it at Nordstrom for $18. I really didn't want to spend that much, but after I swatched a little on my nail at the store, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's limited edition and I just knew I'd regret it if I didn't have it.


What do you think of the shades? What polishes are you wearing that are Spring-worthy? Let me know in the comments!

Tutorial: Distressed Water Marble

Hello all my wonderful Society ladies! I asked for some feedback on what you would like to see more of on Nail Polish Society, and the majority of you said you want more tutorials. So guess what.. I listened! I got a really good response when I debuted my amazing Distressed Water Marble nails recently, and wanted to share this technique with everyone. Now I have a tutorial so you can try it for yourselves!

What you'll need:

• cup (not styrofoam!) full of filtered, room-temperature water
• tape to prep skin for easy cleanup, or vaseline
• perfume, body spray, hairspray- something with a pump spray and high alcohol content
• toothpicks, orange stick, or dotting tool to create design in polish and cleanup
• polishes that you've tested and know spread out well in the water

What to do:

1. Get all your tools, and water ready. Have your polishes prepared with all the lids unscrewed. 
2. Apply base color that will contrast against one or all shades in your water marble.
3. Prep around nail by taping over the skin for easy cleanup. You could also use Vaseline on your skin to help the polish easily wipe off. It works really well, but I personally end up getting Vaseline all over my bottles, etc.
4. Start your water marble by adding a drop of polish in the water. Do this close to the water surface. You can even touch it to the water if you struggle to get the drop off the brush. Don't drop it from too high or it will sink to the bottom. Repeat this process until multiple rings are formed.
5. Create design by dragging an instrument through the polish. Do this quickly as the polish will start drying.
6. Spray perfume/hairspray/alcohol at about a distance of four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters). You can experiment with the distance to create different effects. After you spray the polish once or twice, give it a few seconds to break apart. 
7. Choose a section of the design you like and place a nail over it, then dip it in. Keep your nail under the surface of the water until you have removed the excess polish off the surface of the water with instrument. You can do more than one nail at a time if there is more than one section you want to use, and if your fingers can reach it. Remove finger from the water.
8. Carefully remove tape.
9. Cleanup excess polish off skin and cuticle with q-tip and acetone, or for a more precise and lint-free solution, use a short and stiff bristled cleanup brush.
10. Apply a generous amount of topcoat (I prefer fast-drying formulas) to avoid smearing the polish, as it will be delicate. Start with one big dollop and lightly spread it to cover the nail. Let it dry. You're finished! Sit back and enjoy your beautiful nails :)

Polishes I used:
Sinful Colors Endless Blue- royal blue
Sinful Colors Cinderella- light blue with pink microglitter
Sinful Colors Snow Me White- white
Seche Vite top coat


I would love to see your interpretation! If you try it, show off your creation on my facebook page, or by hashtagging #hellonailpolishsociety on twitter,

I hope this tutorial is helpful. Feel free to share it! Let me know in the comments what you think, and if you have any questions!

Formula X for Sephora Beacon and Magma Swatches and Review

I'm so excited to share with you two more Formula X for Sephora polishes, because they're gorgeous! My Formula X stash so far has consisted of polishes from their X-plosive Topcoats, Shifters, and New Classics collections. These new additions are from their Liquid Crystals collection, which is amazing! Sephora's describes the Liquid Crystals as, "A brilliant, light-reflecting nail lacquer made from crushed micro-crystalline and pigmented mica that captivates the eye with vivid color." I would also add that the finish is a combination of dense glass fleck and foil, with some having a subtle duochrome flash of color.

Both of these polishes have great pigmentation and applied smoothly and evenly. The Formula X bottles are topped with a bulky outer cap, but when removed it shows the smaller, easy-to-handle cap. The brushes are thin and flexible, and capture a balanced amount of polish on them for application.

Magma is a stunning, very wearable orange shade with brilliant gold flecks. It is so glow-y and fiery, I think Magma was the perfect name for this shade. I used two coats, plus top coat.

Direct sunlight

Artificial lighting

Artificial lighting

Beacon is a rich, shimmering, royal blue with a slight duochrome shift of violet color. This polish has so much depth, and is such a flattering shade. It's an eye-catcher for sure. I used two coats, plus top coat.

Direct sunlight

Artificial lighting

Here you can see the duochrome flash of violet.

Artificial lighting

An outdoor photo, out of focus, to show the duochrome shift.

Outdoors, shade

These are available at Sephora, in store and online. They are a little more pricey at $12.50, but fortunately I had my Sephora VIB 15% off coupon. It was hard to narrow my purchase down to just two, I want all the Liquid Crystals! I know I got two special winners, but the whole collection is so beautiful. Next on my wish list is Solar Flare.
Do you own any from the collection? Do you plan on picking up any?

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31DC2013 Day 27: Inspired by Art

Today's post is a day late, but for a good reason. This one was really hard! Coming up with an idea wasn't a problem because I already knew what I wanted to do. It was the execution that was so difficult. I had to start over a couple times, and just ran out of time last night. Now that it's finally done, I really don't want to take it off!

A couple of months ago when I did my manicure, My Yacht is Yar, I started thinking of other white manicures I could do. I loved how simple and clean it was. I realized it made a perfect canvas for practically anything. I began to imagine images that would work against a white background. One of the images that came to mind was this Banksy piece, one of his most iconic. Brilliant idea! After googling "Banksy girl with balloon", I quickly found I wasn't the first to have this idea. I've found that is usually the case when I think I've come up with something "original". Not that there's a rule that says it's only cool if you're the first to think of it. It was helpful to see other people's approach, specifically Smashley Sparkles', and see how they chose their placement of the images.

The challenge with photographing my thumb is its curve. I can't capture the entire image in just one photo. So these photos are all the same pose, just with varying angles.

Usually I would finish with a top coat to smooth out the brush strokes. In this case I wanted to keep the texture to make it look more lifelike. I began with two coats of white polish, and one coat of Seche Vite to speed up the drying time. Then I sponged a gray polish on top to give it more texture, like a concrete wall. I started free handing the balloon first. I needed a success under my belt to make me more confident that I could paint the girl! For the girl I alternated between using the white and black Stripe Rite polishes. Back and forth, a million times, until I finally had to force myself to call it finished.

Here is a pin-able combo for you:

What I used:
Sephora by OPI White Hot
OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts
OPI Red Hot Ayers Rock
It's So Easy Stripe Rite in black
It's So Easy Stripe Rite in white


What do you think? I'm so glad I tried it! I am so proud of it, that I decided it was finally time to watermark my photos!

p.s. If you like this, please take a second to "like" it. Thanks! :)

31DC2013 Day 23: Inspired by a Movie

Once again, I had multiple ideas for today's movie prompt. What I have been trying to do is find a design where the images are strong and can speak on their own, while still representing the movie (song, etc). So while thinking about my favorite movies, one strong and immediately identifiable image came to mind.

The Phantom of the Opera is one of my all time favorite movies. It's one that I could probably watch every day. I haven't, I'm not that crazy, but I could. There are many movie versions out there. Of course the 2004 version starring Gerald Butler (drool) and Emmy Rossum is heads above the rest. When this came out I was very hesitant to see it and afraid it I would be disappointed. I'm so glad I did see it though because, well, it's amazing!

I thought about doing this manicure for my "inspired by a book" day. I haven't actually read the Gaston Leroux book. I did though, read one called "Phantom" by Susan Kay, recommended to me by a dear friend. It's a prequel to Erik's story. It is heart-wrenching and beautiful. I recommend it to anyone who likes the book/movies/musical. Phantom of the Opera is also the only show I've seen on Broadway. I loved every second and look toward the day I can go back to see it again!

What I used:

Sephora by OPI What's a Tire Jack?- black
China Glaze Pelican Gray
It's So Easy Stripe Rite in white
It's So Easy Stripe Rite in black
It's So Easy Stripe Rite in gold
Finger Paints Art Hue Serious?- green (mixed in with a little white for the lighter green)
American Apparel Downtown LA
Sally Hansen Insta Dri Wined Up
Sally Hansen Insta Dri Rose Rum
(and a couple more colors, sorry I'm too tired!)

Are you a Phantom fan? Do you have a thing for masked men like I do? I think it's a syndrome I have or something..

31DC2013 12: Stripes

I have to say this is one of my favorites so far from the challenge. I love the look of stripes, especially the crisp ones you can achieve from striping tape. I have been waiting to try one of my new polishes, a england Ascalon. It is such a gorgeous silvery-purple holo. Or bet yet, a england describes it as, "Forged by magic and guided by our hero's sainted hand, the steely grey of his spire is alive with a swirling heart of lavender fire." Does that give you a better idea? I paired it with an old favorite, OPI Yes...I Can-Can, which is a vampy plum with a subtle shimmer. I think they compliment each other very well.

If this looks like it took a lot of patience, believe me, it did. I wouldn't say that that it's necessarily difficult, just a pain in the butt. It's still totally worth it because it turned out just how I wanted!

The art deco feel of this design brings me back my first trip to NYC. It was so cool finally visiting the iconic Empire State Building! Good times..

Even more photos..

What I used:
a england Ascalon
OPI Yes...I Can-Can!
Seche Vite top coat

I purchased my striping tape from Amazon. It costs practically nothing. My a england polishes have been purchased through Ninja Polish. I have three of their polishes, but I WANT THEM ALL. Or need, same thing.


If you like this, please "like" it. Or better yet, share it! You can follow me on facebook, twitter, google friend connect, google+, email, bloglovin'... Whatever your heart desires!

31DC2013 Day 07: Black and White Nails

I got this in just under the wire! It's been a crazy busy day. Crazy busy awesomeness that is!! I spent some more time at Salt Lake Comic Con today. My sister came with me and we walked around getting our pictures taken, and also hung out at my husband's booth there. Afterwards he and I went on a date and saw James Taylor perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! A seriously wonderful day that I will remember for a long time! Now about my nails..

Thinking about the black and white theme, I knew I wanted to do animal print. I thought about making it easy and doing polar bears with maybe just their noses showing. Heh heh. I'm sure there will be LOTS of animal prints today and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's interpretations. I wanted to see what kind of mix I could get and I really am proud of the result!

Did you ever read the Ranger Rick magazine when you were little? I'm sure National Geographic Kids and others have this too. They would always have those macro pictures on the back cover, and it was a game to guess what they were. It wasn't my original intent, but looking at my nails now, that is all I can think of.

So can you guess what they all are? If you want to know just highlight the answers below.

Thumb- cow
Index- penguin
Middle- zebra
Ring- skunk
Pinky- leopard (the others are more realistic, I took a few liberties here.)


What I used:
OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls- white
Sephora by OPI What's a Tire Jack?- black
Sephora by OPI Hi Def- orange
Ulta Cream of the Crop- yellow

I wanted to edit the photos a little, but I don't have time!