Autism Awareness - One Mani At a Time!

A few weeks ago I started a very important mission.  The mission to help raise awareness for Autism.  If you did not know, April is Autism Awareness Month.  There are plenty of ways to show support for Autism but in the nail community, painting your nails blue is one of the ways we show support.

As a teacher, Autism touches me very deeply.  Children are being diagnosed with Autism everyday.  I do not work with Autistic children but all children are equal.  Some children just do things a little differently.  It is important as individuals to educate yourself about Autism because it can affect anyone.

So with that being said, I asked my fellow nail lovers on Instagram to join me in a Nail Collaboration.  I did not do this to gain fame and followers.  I did this in hopes that maybe one person will take the time out to read about Autism.  The turnout I received from nail supporters was more than what I expected.

So many ladies took a stand and stood with me to help raise awareness.  I am completely thankful to each and every one of them.

Here is my solo shot from the collage.  For the gradient, I used two different shades of blue acrylic paint.  I also used acrylic paint for the zebra stripes.  I topped it off with Salon Perfect's Cosmic Dust.

There is just one week left if you would like to get on board and paint your nails blue.  Together we can stand up and #roarforautismawareness!!

Plaid Nails Tutorial

I've recently discovered that I really enjoy doing tutorials of nail designs that I do.  I would not consider myself skilled at extremely detailed nail art so to make up for that, I have to create other methods to create beautiful nail art. Which that being said, I hope you enjoy this tutorial and future tutorials.

To create these plaid nails, you will need three different colors of nail polish, a stripping brush, and a steady hand :)

Step One: Paint your nails with a base color.  I chose a white base color.

Step Two:  Create a tic-tack-toe pattern.

Step Three:  Starting on the left (or right) create another tic-tack-toe pattern in a different color.

Step Four:  On the left (or right) make one vertical line and then make two horizontal lines, one at the top and one at the bottom in a different color.

And your done!

*Please note that you may use acrylic paint as well if you prefer that over nail polish.

Essie Wedding Collection 2014 Swatches

Happy Saturday dolls, today I will be sharing with you Essie's Wedding 2014 Collection. The colors in this collection are very soft and chic. The collection has two shimmers and two cremes.

First up from the collection is She Said Yes!

A white shimmer base that was almost impossible to capture on photo but beautiful enough to be worn on your wedding day.  The shimmers are absolutely stunning to the eyes. It took about three thin coats to get almost completely opaque.

Here is a bottle shot.  Aren't those shimmers in the white base absolutely beautiful?

Next up is Got Engaged!

Got Engaged is a pink shimmer.  The shimmers did not want to be photographed as they were not easy to capture.  When you get engaged, the ring is better off being flaunted in person and this polish is no different.  Much more beautiful to the eyes.  For the photo above, I used three thin coats to obtain opaque status.

Gorgeous!

Next up is Love Every Minute!

This creme color reminds me of a peachy pink.  It was very easy to work with and applied well. This took two thin coats to obtain opaque status.

Last one from the collection is Meet The Parents!

A gorgeous creme baby blue.  Very easy to work with and applied very well.  I used two thin coats to obtain opaque status.

Overall, I am very pleased with this collection.  This is my first Essie Wedding Collection so I don't have anything to compare it to.  I can say you will not be disappointed with the colors.  The colors are soft and would be perfect for any special occasion.