PolishPals' Best Works of 2014

It has been an AMAZING year for nail art. I am sorry that I don't have any last manicures for 2014 but I want to do one last post with a wrap up of my top 10 favorite manicures this year. As you can probably imagine, this was SO hard to compile -- narrowing down 2014 to the best nail art designs that I did was fun though because I got to see how much I have grown. :) So without any further ado, let us keep reading to see Polish Pals' favorite manicures this year! (I can't do any specific order... It's too hard to do "places" by the way, haha).

Geometric Greyscale Nails (+ Tutorial)

I am loving all of these black and metallic manicures! I'm just trying to get ready for New Years Eve and help any one that needs some nail art ideas too. :) So if you're liking my silver, grey, and black geometric nails, keep on reading because I have a tutorial for you all!

Gold Glitter Gradient

Hello, hello my friends! :D I am super pleased to return with a much more festive nail art look than last time. ;) Today I have for you an easy black and gold glitter gradient which would ring in the New Year beautifully -- you know me, simple yet pretty party nails are the way to go! 

This is my first time doing a gold glitter gradient and I am LOVIN' the way it looks on black. <3

Christmas Nails 2014

Hey everyone! I know I'm a little bit late here with my festive/Christmas-y nails but as you can probably imagine, holiday season is so busy. Okay, to be honest, I didn't even do any holiday nail art this year. >.< This manicure below is the only winter themed art that I've done all year and I actually did them 2 weeks ago before finals week... Eeep, now that all the secrets are out of the bag, let's just enjoy this one winter themed manicure. xD

Favorite Silver Nail Polish!

Hey everyone! It is time to have some winter themed nails... but first, lemme post some swatches. ;) 

Silver Polish by Pretty Woman

I promise I was starting to do some awesome-possum nail art but this polish deserved to be posted in a swatch post. Ironically this gorgeous silver polish does not have a name! :| Or at least, I couldn't find it on the bottle. :(

Hello Tribal!

Well hello friends! I don't even know where to begin and how to explain my absence (has it really been 3 months?!) but long story short: College Life. :) And I'm lovin' it!!!

 I know that it's obviously December and holiday theme nails are everywhere -- I wanted to celebrate coming back to the blogging world though with tribal nails because, as I always say, "When it doubt, tribal it out." 

Gold Foil Nails

Hello my friends! I know that it's been a long time -- as you can probably guess, I started school! I have actually had this post ready for a week now but orientation guys... that was SO CRAZY. It was crazy in a good way though. :) However, it's time for me to get back to nails. I tried my first gold foil manicure guys! :D Keep reading for more information on these awesome foil nails. :)

Color Changing Gel Polish by Simply Spoiled Review

Hey everyone! Have you noticed that gel polishes are becoming increasingly popular? I have only tried gel polish once so it's exciting to review a different brand, this time by Simply Spoiled. :) Keep reading if you're interested in learning more about Simply Spoiled's new gel polish that changes colors in different temperatures that only requires UV (aka sunlight!) to cure. ;) 

Rainbow Leopard Print Nails

Hey guys! Do you remember the vertical rainbow gradient nails that I posted a few days ago? I couldn't bare just to leave these nails alone of course -- I had to add some leopard print. ;) Keep reading for more pictures!

Vertical Rainbow Gradient

Eeep! I haven't been this excited about my nails in a while. ;) I have finally tried out a vertical gradient and I'm freaking lovin' it! This post is a little picture heavy but I hope that you enjoy my vertical rainbow gradient nails. :)

Sweet vs. Sassy

Hey guys! I am finally back from my short vacation on the Oregon Coast and I have a couple things from the Born Pretty Store that I was sent to review. Let's take a look at the sweet side first! 

Ombre Loose Glitter Nails (+ Tutorial)

Hey everyone! I finally am updating my Loose Glitter Nails Tutorial that I originally posted 2 years ago! Wow, has it really been that long?! This is a lengthy post but it's filled with lots of helpful pictures. :) If you're interested in learning how to use the loose glitter just laying around your home to make really pretty nails, then keep reading! 

Neon Splatter... For The Win

It's time to get messy my friends with some neon splatter paint nails! :D This is my first time doing splatter paint nails and I am LOVING them! Keep reading to view more photos and see what my nails looked like before I cleaned up. xD (*Warning!* They pre-cleanup mani is pretty gnarly ;))

Simplistic Panda (+ Tutorial)

 You have to admit that panda bears are stinking adorable. :) They are so adorable that I have to paint them on my nails! If you are interested in making your own panda bear nails, keep reading because I have a tutorial for you all! ;) 

Greyscale Mix & Match

Hey everyone! I finally have some really, really random mix and match nails. ;) I knew it was about time to do some nail art but just couldn't decide on one design to do so this is what I ended up with! Keep reading to view more photos!

Streets of Gold by First Loved Designs

Hello everyone! I am finally back from vacationing on Orcas Island and have time to post my all time favorite gold glitter polish. ;D Say hello to Streets of Gold by First Loved Designs! Words cannot express how beautiful and sparkly this gold polish is but pictures might be able to. ;) Keep reading to view even more photos. 

How Majestic by First Loved Designs

Hey there! It’s time to get back to swatching some pretty indie polishes but of course that doesn’t mean you can’t add nail art to your swatch. ;) Let’s take a look at First LovedDesigns’ new collection called Summer Love. Here is a sneak peak of the nail art I did with How Majestic. :D

Leopard, Floral, & Tribal... Oh My!

 Hey guys! Today I have for you a super cute mix and match mani! It has just a little bit of everything – tribal, leopard print, floral, and polka dots to be exact. ;) Keep reading to see the picture that inspired me! Sadly it was an uncredited photo with no visible watermarks so if you know the artist, I would love to know.

Black & White Triangles (+ Tutorial)

Hello, hello! I hope you all had a fabulous 4^th of July weekend – it finally hit the low 90s over here… I’m sure there are a few of you laughing at that “relatively low” temperature but over here in Eastern Washington, it’s just way too warm. xD The nail art that I have for you today is a chic black and white triangle nail design inspired by Kylie @kylettta on Instagram. :) We actually did a #maniswap so keep reading to see what mani she recreated. I’ll tell you right now that she puts my original to shame… >.<

Black & White Triangle Nails

Happy Fourth of July! {2014}

Happy 4th of July everyone! Are you guys firing up your BBQs already? It's almost lunch time! ;) I just wanted to show you all my quick patriotic mani and then ya all can go back to celebrating. :)

4th of July Nails

Shine and Sheen Nail Art Kit Review

It's time to get styling my friends with these new nail art kits by Shine and Sheen! I am so excited to show you everything that these nail art kits have -- I was blown away by what was packed into this super chic box. :) I picked the Mad for Mod kit but of course there are other styles! Whether you're 8 or 28, this kit is seriously perfect to start any new nail artist out. Please keep reading to find out what's inside this box. You will not be disappointed. ;) 

Mad for Mod Nail Art Kit by Shine and Sheen

Inspired by Sumaiya Khan's Painting

It is nail art time my friends! ;) I know that I have been doing a lot of reviews lately so I wanted to take a break and do some challenging nail art. Yeah, this meant no “simple” dotticure or geometric mani. Instead, I was inspired by a gorgeous painting that Sumaiya Khan @sum_khan did. :)

X Marks the Spot (+ tutorial)

 The most important skill to have when doing doing tape manicure is patience. There is a reason why you rarely see your Polish Pal doing tape manicures -- striping tape is insane. However, there has been a very popular criss-cross nail art design floating around that I just had to try. Sadly it does require striping tape for those perfectly crisp lines so that's why they make perfect accent nails. ;) Keep reading for my striping tape tutorial too!

SCRATCH Nail Wrap Review

 As a nail artist, there are definite times where I feel so uninspired or can’t seem to paint anything good. Luckily I haven’t had to feel like this because I’ve been exploring easy ways to make nail art fun and super easy lately. ;) First it was vintage nail decals but now I have some bold nail wraps to share today. I love sharing products that make nail art easy, fast, and cheap! So let’s take a look at these super pretty nail wraps by Scratch. :)

Nail Wraps by Scratch

What A Jolie Fishtail! (+ tutorial)

Whooohoo! I am finally have the rest of the Taste the Crellies Collection by Jolie Polish for you today which I used in my bordered fishtail nails. :) This is going to be a long post but definitely keep reading to see 3 pretty pastel polishes and a tutorial on how I did my fishtail nails! Let's get started. ;)

Bordered Pastel Fishtail Nails

La Vita è Bella 1986 Nail Decal Review

Oh my goodness, are you guys obsessed with vintage as much as I am?! If vintage is your style, then you're in a treat today because I have some pretty sweet nail decals from La Vita è Bella that were sent for me to review today. :) So keep reading if you're interested in checking out these water decals! I love how spiffy their packaging envelope is. :) 

La Vita è Bella 1986 Water Decals

Okay? Okay.

"Maybe 'okay' will be ours always." 

- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

It's official you guys -- I have cried with one of my best girl friends in a movie theater for the first time and you can probably guess what we watched. </3 After several requests on Instagram and also having my friend make me go to this movie with her, I decided it was time to do The Fault in Our Stars (FIOS) inspired nails. Don't worry you guys, I won't be spoiling anything in this post so feel free to keep reading!

The Fault in Our Stars Inspired Nails

What A Jolie Gradient!

Bonjour mes amies! ;) Today I have the pleasure of showing my jolie gradient -- aka my pretty gradient for those who didn't take French in school. xD (No judgement here! I only took 2 years of high school French + a 203 college course which I about died it... >.< The professor knew I was terrible at speaking but luckily the majority of the class was based on the writing so I somehow came out with an A ;)) Hehe enough about the past, let's keep reading to see this sunset gradient I did using all Jolie Polishes. 

Sunset Gradient Nails

C is for Cookie! And It's Good Enough For Me!

"Oh Cookie, Cookie, Cookie starts with C!" says one of our favorite monsters ever. :) When I was younger, I loved watching Sesame Street on PBS -- I have to admit though that Elmo's World was my favorite part. ;)

With all this Jolie Polish swatching, I needed to take a break and so some nail art so I begged friends on Instagram to do a nail collab with me. xD Luckily, Jennifer from LacqueredMama stepped up and we settled on a #maniswap! ;)

Cookie Monster Nails

Orange You With The Band? by Jolie Polish

Love me some jelly polish! <3 Orange is one of my favorite colors so this new addition to Taste the Crellies Collection by Jolie Polish makes me extremely happy. :) Take a look at this beauty called Orange You With the Band?! This polish is definitely more of a jelly than a crelly but I love it all the same.

Please keep reading to see what nail art I created for this summery orange! ;) 

Orange You With the Band? by Jolie Polish

Blue Crelly by Jolie Polish

Time to continue my crelly polish swatches by Jolie Polish. :) Today I have for you Blue Crelly -- the name may be simple but the color is still lovely. Keep reading to see what nail art I have for this blue polish. :)

Blue Crelly by Jolie Polish

Yellow, Is It Me You Lookin' For? by Jolie Polish?

Why hello there my friendly yellow! I was sent the Taste the Crelly collection from Jolie Polish a couple of weeks ago but haven't gotten to actually posting my swatches until today. >.< I decided to highlight each polish with its own post just because I want to do more than just swatches with these awesome crellies -- I just have to add nail art. :) 

So today I have for you Yellow, Is It Me You Lookin' For? plus some nail art :)

Yellow, Is It Me You Lookin' For? by Jolie Polish

Happy Graduation Nails!

Hello my friends! :D I am happy to announce that I am officially a high school graduate as of yesterday. ;) Nah, this whole graduating high school thing isn't that big of a deal. Heck, I've been buying stuff for my dorm for over a month now! But still, it's been a pretty good week nevertheless. :) I decided to celebrate this fortune by doing actual nail art. ;) So take a look below at my mysterious tree nails. <3

Memorial Day 2014

Hello friends! I wanted to do a quick post of my red, white, and blue manicure that I did for Memorial Day. I hope that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and remember the reason why this day exists -- to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. 

City Girl by Incoco

 Hey everyone! Today I have for you the LAST nail appliques that Incoco sent me of their Metropolis Summer Collection. I don't know about you, but these may be my favorite set out of the entire collection! It actually might be a tie between this set called City Girl and the first set I swatched called Hidden Gem. Let me know which ones are your favorite but here are a few more pictures of City Girl. ;)

Metropolis + Color Me Pretty by Incoco

Let the swatching of Incoco's Metropolis Collection continue! :) Yesterday I posted swatches of Hidden Gem and Pucker Up which you can view here. Today I have for you Metropolis and Color Me Pretty. So take a quick look below for more photos!

Hidden Gem + Pucker Up by Incoco

Incoco has done it again with their Metropolis Collection! I am beyond amazed with what Incoco has created for their Summer 2014 nail applique collection. :) You're just going to want to see the pictures. Words cannot describe these beauties. 

Pink Rose Jelly Nails

Hey guys, do you remember my black jelly swirl mani from last week? Well, I'm back at these jelly nails again but this time I'm using pink! :D This rose mani literally took 10 minutes to complete because I used some awesome water decals (Y182) from the Born Pretty Store. Keep reading for more pictures and information!

Pink & Green Triangle Nails

Loving me some neon nails right now. ;) I can't believe I've had these on since Monday and I don't even want to take them off. (But I have so much swatching/reviewing to do so I must!) Keep reading to view more of these fun pink and green triangle nails. :)

Pink Nautical Nails

Hey ya'all! I have some oober cute nautical nails for you all today. :) I was thinking to myself that I just posted nautical nails but when I was checking my blog archives, it was November 2013! Time flies by SO fast... Feel free to take a look at my first nautical mani that I did for #bestietwinnails with Janet. :) We can agree that experience makes you better... xD Keep reading for more photos!

Jelly Swirls

Say hello to one of my favorite designs that I have ever done: Jelly Swirls. ;) I have seen a lot of this "jelly technique" on Instagram lately! As you probably notice, there is a solid design with a sheer background; I don't think I've done something this elegant before. <3 I finished this design last Sunday but haven't had time to take pictures until this morning! So, keep reading to view more pictures (you know me, good nail art deserves many photos hehe) and read a little more about this "jelly nails technique". 

Feelin' Girly

Two words: Finals Week. It is true, ladies! It is officially finals week and I am so unbelievably ready to be done with school. In less than 72 hours, I will be on summer vacation. ;D Can you feel it? So yes, this last month has been filled with tennis and school. I clearly needed a quick break and wanted something extremely girly on my nails. This is what I ended up with -- pink leopard spots. ;)

Classic Chevron Nails (+ Tutorial)

Hey everyone! It's my first time ever using tape to create chevron nails. :D This chevron pattern is one of the most popular patterns going around these days and it's personally one of my favorites. ;) I'm sure most have you have seen this design float around Instagram and on Pinterest but I wanted to try it out for myself. :) Keep reading to view more photos plus watch a video tutorial that I created!

No Time To Be Blue!

Long time, no nails my friends! :O I believe this has officially been my longest break from doing my nails in forever... I think I wore a total of 3 different polishes in the last two weeks with minimal, if any, nail art. It was a nice break because I basically just wore glitter polish but I've missed nail art so much. So here I have a super simple accent nail design and I'm wearing one of my favorite blue polishes. :)

 

Garden Daydreams by Incoco

Hey everyone! I finally have for you the rest of the Incoco Nail Appliques from the Garden Daydreams Collection. :D (I took these pictures over a week ago!!! I haven't had time to upload though.) I already showed off the Apple Blossoms appliques but I have 3 other sets that I was sent. ;) Take a look below to see which ones I have and keep reading to see how they look on oober short nails. :)

 

Garden Path Appliques by Incoco



 

Tea Party Appliques by Incoco


Down To Earth Appliques by Incoco

 

Apple Blossoms by Incoco

Hey, hey! I am thrilled that Incoco (aka my favorite nail applique brand) sent me some of their appliques from their new Garden Daydreams Collection. :D I was sent a total of 4 different designs and didn't know where to start -- I was so overwhelmed by their adorable spring patterns. :) So, I decided to start off with my least favorite of the bunch.

 

I know it's horrible way to choose what to wear first... Think about it as "Wow! These are cute so the others should be even better!" in Jenna's opinion of course. ;) I am going to start off with the Apple Blossoms pattern. Keep reading to see how they turned out on the nail. :)

 

Apple Blossoms Appliques by Incoco

Happy Birds!

Oh Happy Day.

 

I made it through this week and Spring Break is next week but I'm basically 'done' with classes because almost all my classes canceled Friday since the majority of people are skipping anyway. xD So, I finally have time to post this adorable little bird mani I did this weekend! Keep reading to view more photos and also see exactly what I was inspired by. ;)

 

Chunky Feathers (+ Tutorial)

Hey ya'all! Today I have for you all some super fun chunky feathers nails that were inspired by Kat (@kacaa86) on Instagram. :) I love how her chunky feathers turned out so I decided to try my own and I even created a tutorial for these feathers. ;) So keep reading if you want to see my pictorial!

 

Chunky Feather Nails

 

Peachy Keen Floral

Hey everyone! I am going to continue with my floral obsession today but this time I added rhinestones to my flowers from Simply Spoiled. :) They add the perfect touch to super simple flowers! Keep reading for more pictures. :)

Peach Floral Nails With Rhinestones