Digit-al Dozen: July Birthday Mani

Greetings and Nailutations!

It is the end of July and you know what that means?  We are celebrating Digit-al Dozen birthdays through a mani!  Today we are recognizing RoseLynn of Manicured and Marvelous and Tracy of Olivia Jade Nails!  Happy Birthday!!  They selected a fun photo for our inspiration.

3 Empties: Dream Polish Gem Glam Top Coat, Zoya Remove, Jenna Hipp

Greetings and Nailutations,

It's another installment of 3 empties, where I review 3 products I have used up and express my opinion on how well they worked, how they smelled, their packaging and if I'd make a repeat purchase.

Now let's get to the empties!

Beauty Bigbang Watermarble Tool Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press sample*
Today I am sharing a water marble tool I received from Beauty Big Bang.  Water marble tools are used in place of pins, toothpicks and other pointy objects to create a water marble design with nail polish in water.  They can be cleaned with acetone and can be used over and over (unlike a toothpick which can only be used a certain number of times before it starts falling apart on you).

Beauty Bigbang Nail Art Dotting Pen Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press Sample*
Today I am sharing a dotting tool that is like none I have ever seen or used before.  This baby is from Beauty Big Bang and is under $5!  The Professional Nail Art Tool Nail Art Drawing Pen Brush Nail Dotting Tool is a tool that has a pen and 5 dotting sizes all in 1!  I was a little intimidated by it and was at a loss as to how to use the pen.  I've since decided I need to do some more intricate work to show the pen in all it's glory.

Beauty Bigbang Mixed Round Glitter Art

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press Sample*
Today I am sharing a product I received from Beauty Big Bang, an online store that provides nail art items as well as a ton of other beauty products.  One of my favorite shapes of glitter is circles, so I was drawn to the Mixed Round Nail Art Glitter.

Now let's get to the review.

3 Empties: Fortune Cookie Soap Foaming Hand Soap, Suave Shampoo and Ole Henriksen Power Bright

Greetings and Nailutations,

It's another installment of 3 empties, where I review 3 products I have used up and express my opinion on how well they worked, how they smelled, their packaging and if I'd make a repeat purchase.

Now let's get to the empties!

Edge Perfection Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press Sample*
Today I will be sharing my thoughts on Edge Perfection.  It is a latex barrier product that assists in applying polish, and you can also use it for protecting your skin when doing nail art.  It is available online as well as in your local CVS in the nail/beauty section.

First impression:  The first thing I noticed is that it had a steel ball in the packaging to ensure smooth product and application.  I also noticed little to no scent, which is a major plus for those with scent sensitivities.  Application brush was short, sturdy and easy to use.  Formula was thin to allow the product to get into all the nooks and crannies to make clean up quick and easy.

I initially started using it for it's intended purpose - to help while applying polish.  I soon realized that the polish I chose had a really great brush - so I really didn't need any assistance in protecting my cuticle area.  Polish used is Nvr Enuff Polish Prototype topped with Glisten and Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

Next I wanted to test it out with nail art.  It applied nicely and dried quickly.  I like that it wasn't completely clear when dry (I like to know where I applied it).  I typically apply 2 coats to ensure a clean peel in 1 pull and Edge Perfection hit the mark with the formula to provide a clean peel.

Mani details: Big Bling Stamper from Clear Jelly Stamper, Tighty Whities from Drip Drop Nail Paint, It Girl Nail Art IG103 Plate.

Final thoughts: I love a good latex barrier and use them with nail art regularly.  Anything to make clean up faster is an A+ in my eyes.  While I typically tend to support indie brands, if I'm in a bind, I love the option to head to my local CVS to pick this product up.  I do recommend if you have have an allergy to latex to steer away from this product.

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka BeginNails

3 Empties: Clinique Toner, Fortune Cookie Soap Conditioner, Bubble Shack Lotion

Greetings and Nailutations,

It's another installment of 3 empties, where I review 3 products I have used up and express my opinion on how well they worked, how they smelled, their packaging and if I'd make a repeat purchase.

Now let's get to the empties!

Digit-al Dozen: 5 Days, 5 Continents African Maasai Art

Greetings and Nailutations,

It is the last day of our trip around the world visiting different continents for the Digit-al Dozen.  I decided on a theme of artwork and challenged myself to freehand everything and I succeeded.  Today is last stop on the tour through 5 continents and I was inspired by The Maasia by David Ndambuki.

Let's get to the details.

Digit-al Dozen: 5 Days, 5 Continents Asian Wallpaper

Greetings and Nailutations,

It is Day 4 of the Digit-al Dozen, where I am charged with hitting 5 continents and doing manis inspired by them.  I've been to North America, South America and Australia using art work to inspire my nail art.  Today I'm heading to Asia!  I was inspired by a photo of Asian wallpaper and had to recreate it.

Digit-al Dozen: 5 Days, 5 Continents Australian Aboriginal Artwork

Greetings and Nailutations,

I am continuing with my 5 Continent tour re-creating artwork onto my tiny canvases.  Today I am inspired by artwork from Australia.  I saw a lot amazing images created with dots and I was drawn to the sea life - turtle.

Now let's get to the details.

Digit-al Dozen: 5 Days, 5 Continents South American Artist

Greetings and Nailutations,

It is Day 2 of the Digit-al Dozen and from yesterday we are traveling south to South America!  I was taken with some art work by Colombian born artist Omar Chacon.  He has artwork where we drips acrylic paint on wax paper, allows it to dry and then pulls it up and places the circles and ovals over each other to create a colorful, neat layered look.  My mani is inspired by Coachi (also if you click on the link you will not only see the art work but see how much it costs to own one of these bad boys).

Now let's get to the details!

Digit-al Dozen: 5 Days, 5 Continents North American Artist

Greetings and Nailutations!

Why hello there!  It is a Digit-al Dozen week and our theme this week is 5 Continents.  This theme threw me for a loop and I kept trying to think of I wanted to do for each continent.  I finally decided on artists and my husband selected the North American artist Georgia O'Keefe - my husband loves Sante Fe style art.  She did some amazing macros of flowers, adobe homes, mountains and skylines.  I was drawn to one of her skyline images called Sky Above The Flat White Cloud II (mostly because I knew I could do the look with my simple nail art skills).

Now let's get to the details!

Lantern and Wren: Marianne Nails No. 77 Plate Review (Continued)

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press sample*
I'm back with some more manis continuing my review of Marianne Nails No. 77 Plate, from stockist  Lantern and Wren!  I started my review yesterday with 3 fun manis and will continue with another 4 here!  As a reminder, Marianne Plates are stocked at Lantern and Wren and are manufactured in France.

Now let's get to the manis!

Lantern and Wren: Mani Defender and Marianne Nails No. 77 Plate Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press sample*
I'm back with some more Lantern and Wren goodies!  Today I'm sharing a latex barrier called Mani Defender and a few manis from Marianne Nails No. 77 Plate, which can be found at Lantern and Wren.  Marianne Nails plates are from France - this is a new-to-me brand, so I really excited to try it out.

Now let's get to the manis!

Lantern and Wren Assorted Matte Polishes Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press sample*
Today I have the first post in a 3 part series!  I was sent some products from Lantern and Wren, which is an online stockist carrying polishes, stamping plates, vinyls, latex barrier and nail art supplies.  The owner of Lantern and Wren originally started as Ellison's Organics.  This first post will review the polishes and the next 2 will be of the stamping plate and mani defender latex barrier!

Now let's get to the swatches! Note: I did had a matte top coat over the matte finish to aid in smoothing.