Not Just a Name, A State of Mind: I Love NP - Part Three

 

This is my last,but not final post, on ILNP on this beautiful Memorial Day weekend. Here is the recap on I Love Nail Polish, lovelies: 

Vegas created and made by Barbra, ILNP specializes in glitters and creme-jelly glitters. The line recently expanded into a limited-edition Holographic release and also featured a Spring limited-edition creme selection.

The creativity behind this line blew me away. The branding, the packaging, the color concepts, and the quality are amazing for an independent line. ILNP's customer service standard is stellar- professional, timely, and lovely!

Time to show you the lacquer...

This is a pic heavy post highlighting, Forever & A Day, No Place Like Rome, and Truffle Shuffle.

 

Forever & A Day is a romantic shade inspired by that iconic New York city jewelry store. A shower of gold and teal glitters, this shade is elegant over pastels, nudes, and whites.

 

No Place Like Rome is bold and super sexy. It is a brilliant tornado of ruby squares, circles, and micro hexes. Barbra is quoted as saying that, "(this shade) looks good over any complementing color, but, it looks practically illegal when applied over dark shades – especially shades of black! We're definitely not in Kansas anymore!"

 

Truffle Shuffle was inspired by pure, rich, and dreamy chocolate. This shade is the equivalent of a heart shaped box of strawberry and cherry filled truffles. It consists of pink, red, and brown hex glitters of various sizes. 

 

 

(Forever & A Day featured OPI's My Vampire Is Buff and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Green Tea and No Place Like Rome and Truffle Shuffle featured Zoya Dulcinea & Tosca)

 

Please check out ILNP at the following venues:

http://www.ilnp.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ILoveNP

http://blog.ilnp.com/

Prices are currently ( as of 05/27/2013- prices to change at discretion of the manufacturer) $10 USD for full size and $3.75 USD for the ultra mini (featured here).

All items reviewed were purchased (gladly) with my own funds.

Share the comments, share the love... 

 

 

Spring Fling Challenge Day Five: Watermarble or Gradient

Welcome, to the final day of the challenge! Just a recap this is a cooperative effort between myself and Kelly of Tuxarina, the Spring Fling Challenge is a five day mini skills showdown. We are fortunate to be joined by five others representing both the US and International nail blogging communities:

Hayley of Polished at Heart
Jackie of Polished at Heart 
Erin of LovelyLacqueredLife
Ghila of Nails Noob
Lynette of Pink & Purple Dots

It was my intention to attempt a Watermarble, but the week after vacation is a crash landing. I solemnly swear you will see a Watermarble soon! Instead, I bring you my (in)famous "Lazy Glitter Gradient" a.k.a. "Fake It Until You Make It and Let the Glitter Distract". I started with a base of Sinful Colors' Candy Coated, a periwinkle leaning lilac, then I coated the top half of each nail with Julep's Julia, a stunning gold-purple micro shimmer. The entire nail was swept with Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in Snowglobe. Next three quarters of the nail was painted in KBShimmer's The Square. The Square is a purple-plum jelly with a cacophany of square glitters in a range of sizes suspended in it. The colors dance between purple, white and gold to turquoise and cobalt. This is an amazing instant jelly sandwich... or as I like to say "preserve press". The mani was topped with another coat of Snowglobe. It's not perfect, but it's fun! It's Friday, and I am going with it...

I can't wait to see what all the ladies have done! Please share the comments and share the love...

Thank you so much to all of the girls for participating! Lynette, Ghila, Hayley, Jackie, Erin you did an amazing job and stayed so dedicated! Love to all of you! A special thanks to my challenge partner in crime, Kelly. This is our third challenge together since October... what are we going to cook up next, dear? Hehehe...

Happy Friday, lovelies... enjoy!

Valentine's Day Nail Art Challenge: Hearts

I can't believe we are nearing the end of another challenge! Thanks again to Erin for putting this together... it's been super fun so far! I knew exactly what I wanted to do for today as soon as I saw "hearts" on the theme board. One of my favorite things about Valentine's Day are a little candy called Conversation Hearts ( now known as SweetHearts), manufactured by New England based Necco. So without further adieu, my version of Conversation Heart nails...

I started with a skittle manicure of the following shades: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow, Julep's Carrie, Essie's Mint Candy Apple, Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Petal Pusher, and Julep's Sally. I then drew hearts with my Stripe Rite in White. Within each heart (and around the one on my thumb) I used either, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball, Wet N Wild's Can-Can you Hang the Mistletoe, or Julep's Harper as a glitter coat depending on the shade. Finally with my Sinful Colors striper in Be My Valentine, I free handed the words "Be Mine" on the heart on my thumb. To give the hearts that "powdery" candy texture, I finished with a top coat of Sephora by OPI's matte top coat.

My dedication today goes out to all the awesome people I have met while blogging. Though I know you through "conversation" (ha, ha) only, you have been so lovely and supportive while ECKlipsed by Color has been getting off of the ground. Special shout outs to Kelly, Ghila, Lynette, Amanda, Erin, Ave, Katie, Alli, Pam, Wes, Kylie, Hayley, Christina, Caitlin and Paula. (I will link to all of their sites tonight- you must check them out!)

 

 Now go on and check out the amazing Erin at LovelyLacqueredLife and the lovely Lynette at Pink & Purple Dots. These girls are beyond fantastic with their nail art... Remember, share the comments, share the love!

Valentine's Day Nail Art Challenge: Cupid's Curse

Today's theme threw me a bit, I didn't quite know how to illustrate it. I mean it seems so lovely, sinister and quite conceptual, but my nails only afford me so much real estate. Thanks to Amanda at the Nail Polish Enthusiast for giving me some inspiration on this one!

So I went with my favorite, the trigger mani. (Cupid just found himself a gun.) I painted my pinky, ring, and middle fingers with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Midnight In NY. My index and thumb were painted with a coat of Finger Paints in Paper Mache. I added two halves of a broken heart with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Fuchsia Power. The detailing and arrows were done with Stripe Rite in White and Black. I topped the whole look off with JENsations' Diamonds Are Forever.

Onto my Valentine's dedication, this one is for all those who have fallen in love and then out of love. Cupid is pretty sneaky, so you never know what may be around that corner. Pesky arrows.

 

Now go on and check out the amazing Erin at LovelyLacqueredLife and the lovely Lynette at Pink & Purple Dots. These girls are beyond fantastic with their nail art... Remember, share the comments, share the love!

Valentine's Day Nail Art Challenge: Gradient/Ombre

I think this is the latest I have ever posted a set of challenge nails. I feel like such a slacker. Forgive me. So on to business, my lovelies. Today is technically a "girly" gradient or ombre. Now I may be sassy, sexy, and bold, but I have never subscribed to girly. It's in the same vein as why I don't love pink, butterflies, and roses... not my cup of tea. Tea, I do love though.  As with the rest of the challenge, I have put my own spin on this and I hope you enjoy...

I started with a base of Essie's Mint Candy Apple. I have been in love with this shade since its release in 2009. I free-handed some white hearts at the base of each nail with Stripe Rite in white. My glitter gradient was achieved with Essie's Beyond Cozy, a luxe soft silvery-gold metallic full coverage glitter, Julep's Vivian, a stunning "champagne bubble" glitter, and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Snow Globe, an iridescent multi-hex glitter. Perfect minty confection.

As with all my other Valentine's manicures, this is a dedication. Today, I am sending love to my five dearest friends. Thank you for all the times you have been there for me, words can't express my gratefulness. Also, thank god for the fact that you all love the finer things in life... nothing wrong with that. So many great times spent, and so many more to come... Love you all...

 

Now go on and check out the amazing Erin at LovelyLacqueredLife and the lovely Lynette at Pink & Purple Dots. These girls are beyond fantastic with their nail art... Remember, share the comments, share the love!

Florida Dreaming: Glitter Gradient Mani FT. Julep's Madison

I have been feeling a bit homesick for my adopted state of Florida and it's two coolest residents ( Hi, Mom & Dad, xoxo). So why not a bit of color for a foggy and dark New Hampshire day?

I have yet to do a gradient and I also keep on forgetting to get makeup sponges to make it happen. Then genius struck... I was going to use glitter polishes and fake out the gradient. Let me tell you, it's super easy and it pulls off the look. 

For my ring, middle, and index fingers I started with a base of Finger Paints Paper Mache. I then painted the bottom half of the nails with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow. I covered the remaining white portion and a portion of the yellow with Wet N Wild's Can-Can You Hang the Mistletoe. I then did a stripe of Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Snow Globe over a part of the yellow. Lastly, I used Julep's Harper at the base of the nail. I finished the nail with a coat of Snow Globe and painted starbursts with Stripe Rite in White.

My thumb and pinky finger were painted with two coats of Julep's Madison and I used Stripe Rite in White to achieve the lattice-work effect. 

In the end it looks like drinking Mojitos, Pina Coladas, and Strawberry Margaritas in a Florida garden at sunset. Perfect. I'm booking my flight now...

Glamorous Nail Art: Inspired by Janet Hill's "Library Ladies"

Another day, another "Inspired By" post... today I want to introduce you to another one of my favorite artists, Janet Hill. I discovered her on Etsy and was just captivated. Her work is illustrative, detailed, and quite breathtaking. It recalls a time when things were just a bit more refined and elegant. I have purchased three pieces from her and was more than pleased. Also, I had the chance to exchange an e-mail with her and she is quite lovely as well! 

The piece that I chose to work from was 2010's "Library Ladies". I love how the piece is demure and flirty at the same time, quite the feat (ha ha.)! I combined some basic illustration on the pinky and thumb nail, with a modified ruffian manicure on the ring, middle, and index fingers to symbolize the ladies' dresses.

I used Revlon's Graceful as a basecoat for this mani. For the apple colored dress I used the following shades, Julep's Fiona, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow,  and Cynthia Rowley's Apple Shimmer. For the white dress I used, Finger Paints in Paper Mache, Julep's Fiona, and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow. Finally for the robin's egg blue dress I used, Julep's Daphne, Essie's Turquoise & Caicos, and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Golden-I. 

I drew the books with Julep's Delauney and Sinful Colors' Nirvana. The pages were done with Stripe Rite in White. The leg with the golden shoe was colored with Julep's Teresa and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Golden-I. 

I encourage you to go and support Janet's small business over at Etsy. 

I loved doing this mani and look forward to another inspired post...

Also, thanks to the amazing Ghila at Nails Noob, I am converting my Twitter account to support ECKlipsed by Color. Feel free to tweet me @ECKlipse, I'll totally answer back...

Lowbrow Nail Art: Inspired by Shag's "Fondue Set"

Yesterday in my post I spoke about my love for the work of Josh Agle- professionally known as Shag. He is the ultimate in hipster sophisticate lowbrow art (also called pop surrealism). It's fun, it's fresh, it's retro, and it's very tongue-in-cheek. 

Though his works tend to be very candy colored and glossy and are chock full of opulent and swanky subject matter, there is always a darker side lurking. It is not too often when someone asks you which piece do you like the most of this artist and your unwavering response is "every last damn one". I was so thrilled when Jesse liked him to. I remember saying when we were dating, " When we get married we are so going to buy a Shag".  Luckily we did both of those things. 

The piece I chose to interpret was "Fondue Set" from his 2004 Holidays On Ice collection. I primarily did this using nail art brushes and mixing different lacquers, and it was a bit tricky. I would have loved to sharpen up the detail a bit, but I think it is a decent representation overall.

For the sky I mixed Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Fuchsia Power, Finger Paints in Paper Mache, and Julep's Gayle. The mountains are a blend of Finger Paints in Paper Mache, and Julep's Gayle, and the mountain tops are the same with a bit more Paper Mache. The trees are January Julep Maven release, Fiona ( a stunning neon lime creme) and Stripe Rite in White.

The ski bunny's background was a blend of Finger Paints in Paper Mache, and Julep's Gayle. She was created with Stripe Rite in White, Finger Paints striper in Ch-art-coal Black, and her lips and eyelids were done with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sunkissed. 

The fondue pot's background was a mix of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sunkissed and Sinful Colors' Nirvana. The pot itself was a blend of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Sunkissed, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow and Finger Paints in Paper Mache. The chocolate in the pot was painted with Sinful Colors' Nirvana and the details were done with Stripe Rite in White and Finger Paints striper in Ch-art-coal Black.

 
Hope you enjoy this just as much as I did doing it! Now what will be my next inspiration...

Nail Art to Desire: Inspired by Margot Elena's TokyoMilk Dark

Today is a randomly inspired nail art post. A massive amount of ladies are joining Debbie at The Crumpet for her take on the 31 Day Challenge and day one for them was black and white. It got me to thinking that I really wanted to do some intensive monochromatic nail art. What to do was the issue... I was looking around the house and inspiration hit when I saw my perfumes. I am a huge fan of Margot Elena's TokyoMilk Dark Femme Fatale Collection. Sexy fragrances, out-of-this-world body products, delicious lip balms, and super creative branding. I personally wear Tainted Love. Amazing.

This mani is pretty straight forward, I started with two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Midnight in NY- a gorgeous black with multicolor micro glitter.  I then did freehand nail art with my Stripe Rite in White. I topped it with two coats of matte to mimic the painted black glass of the bottle. Overall, this had such a Victorian Apothecary feel to it. I felt like I should be drinking absinthe and reciting Edgar Allan Poe, while rocking this manicure. A bit chic, a bit goth, a lot to love.

The seal that is featured on every bottle in the collection

Based on the scent Arsenic

Based on the scent Tainted Love

Based on the scent Crushed

Based on the scent Everything & Nothing

I hope you enjoyed these nails. I look forward to getting a bit more artsy and off the beaten path this month, but I think it will be quite fun. Also looking forward to new collections being released: Whimsical Ideas by Pam for Valentine's, Eliza at Tough As Nails is doing one based on tea (Oh my god am I excited- I am the ultimate tea aficionado), Chelsea at Pretty & Polished has a themed set based on Marie Antoinette (check out Kelly's post at Tuxarina) Christina at Spy Princess is at work on her 2013 line. 

What does this mean? We are all headed to the poor house- but we will have awesome nails!

Five Top Trends of 2013: #3 Matte Glitter FT. Whimsical Ideas by Pam's Cookie Monster

Day three brings a trend that started to take root in indie collections in 2012. I see it moving towards mainstream polishes in 2013. I'm talking about matte glitter. It's eye catching without being flashy, and complex without being busy. Matte glitter can work during the daytime when shiny, holographic, or reflective glitters scream cocktail time. (Not that there is anything wrong with that... lol)

I love the fact that any glitter can be "mattefied" with a decent matte top coat, but a true matte glitter has a distinctive graphic look. The matte effect will continue to be ever present in 2013, with basic glitter and its variants like OPI's Liquid Sand and Zoya's Pixie Dust.

Since our Indie goddesses brought this look to the forefront, I am featuring one of those lacquers in my mani. I also wanted to use this because I featured it in a Christmas mani, but want to show you how versatile this polish really is. Whimsical Ideas by Pam's Cookie Monster is a smorgasbord of cobalt blue, black, and white matte glitter. I can't say it enough, this polish applies like a dream. No fishing for glitter and absolutely no curling makes this a fave in my book. I wanted something bold and nothing that I have seen from other bloggers ( white or cream undies) or I have done before ( blue duochrome- Julep's Ivy- undies). Also, it was an awesome excuse to do a trigger manicure. (Like I need one.)  I used Revlon's Posh and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow. This makes me think of Rubik's Cubes, 8-bit video games, Popsicles, Crayola crayons and all that is awesome eighties nostalgia. Love it. A lot.

Some glorious mattes that deserve an honorable mention:

Polish Revolution's A Better Tomorrow
JENSations' Pinata
Mack Gives Back's Whip It
Happy Hands' Flowers on the Highway
Pretty & Polished's Elvis' Pink Cadillac
Nailventurous' Floam
Jindie Nails' Megapixels

Let me know if any of these matte beauties have made it into your collection!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another trend for the new year....

(Cannot wait for Pam's Valentine's Day collection!!! Mojo is very excited, too... or he wants a yogurt bite...)

Whimsical Ideas by Pam are available to order via e-mail. Please refer to Pam's purchase instructions on her Facebook page.

XOXO Alexis Leigh's 1 Year Blogiversary Nail Art Contest ft. LVX!

Leave it to me to finish a challenge and dive into a contest! I was just complaining to Kelly at Tuxarina that I was going through manicure withdrawal...lol. So in order to switch it up a bit, here are some non-Christmas nails...

XOXO Alexis Leigh is celebrating the first anniversary of her blog (aka the Blogiversary). She has partnered with LVX to put on an amazing contest that will grant the winner a choice of six shades from any of LVX's collections. To check out more about XOXO Alexis Leigh's contest and site go on over and visit. You will love her site, I promise!

My mani is inspired by LVX's winter collection. ( After you are done checking out Alexis' site, get on over to LVX... amazing!!!) I modeled my nails after the runway looks that inspired the colors. My thumb is a lace overlay done with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Midnight In NY and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Wet Cement as a nod to Dark Matter. My index finger is a tribute to Creamfields, Julep's Ellie and dots done with pale pink flocking powder. My middle finger is inspired by Tribute, Julep's Ivy and Finger Paints striper in Ch-Art-coal black. My ring finger is based on Luxe, a patchwork of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City and Wet Cement, Sephora by OPI's matte finish and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Midnight In NY. Finally, my pinky is inspired by Alchemy, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I and Julep's Otte.

I hope Alexis, Christa, and Branka at LVX, love this as much as I do! I can totally see a full manicure of any of these looks. 

Go on and check out all the entries and Happy Blogiversary, Alexis! (Wish me luck...)

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me...Christmas Sweaters!

It's day eleven and it's going to look like an eighties infomercial up in here... (You remember that guy who used to sell all those products in those loud sweaters? lol) Today is Christmas Sweaters and I had some fun with this. Granted at the end of the day I came out somewhere between ugly sweater, Fair Isle Pattern, and mittens, but it's all good.

In order to do the pattern I used the following colors: Julep's Otte (butterscotch creme) & Delaunay (chili pepper red creme) , Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet (seafoam creme), and Revlon's Posh (grass green creme) and Fashionista (navy creme).

The details were done with Stripe Rite in white and Sinful Colors striper in Jungle and Be My Valentine. Over all it was fast and simple to do, it was just about keeping the lines crisp. 

I can't believe we have one day left! Time has flown by! Please be sure to check out Kelly at Tuxarina's Christmas sweater nails.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me... Christmas lights!

Stay tuned...