Nail Art: Grass in the Shade

Hi everyone! It's a simple nail art that I did, and I love how it turned out! I am thinking of doing variations on the design if you all like it. All I used was Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud and Art Deco Black. I just tried to make as straight of lines as I possibly could, it looks almost oriental to me. What do you all think, do you like it half as much as I do?

KOTD: Lace Flip Flops

Hey everyone! I have been practicing my konading and I am slowly getting back into it and getting better at it. I used China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy as the base color, Art Deco Black as the stamping color, and a lace stamp off of the m71 plate. I double stamped the image onto my nails because I thought that it looked cool, which it it does. I think that I will be using more of my lace patterns on my plates, they are so pretty. Do you like the design too?

KOTD: Pool Party Swirls

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing kind of a konad fail, but I loved the concept of it. For some reason I could not get the black to show up as opaque as I wanted it to. This design is really cute though, I will likely be using it again. I used China Glaze Pool Party, Art Deco Black, and the S6 plate. Do you guys like the design? I might try something like this again if you do.

KOTD: Lilypads for Leapfrogs

Hi everyone! I have only recently even begun wearing nail polish again much less using a konad, so I apoplogize that the images aren't perfect and that my cuticles are a hot mess. I used China Glaze Kiwi Cool-ada as the base color, Art Deco Black as the stamping color, and I used an image off of the m66 plate. I really love pairing bright neon colors with black, I think that is looks cute! What do you think?

NOTD: Dark Flakie Ocean!

Hi everyone! Awhile back I remember that a lot of you suggested putting Sinful Colors Green Ocean over a black, so I did! It looks SO FREAKING COOL! The picture doesn't do it justice, really! I put 3 layers of Green Ocean over OPI Black Onyx and it is stunning, it is like my nails are the bottom of the ocean. I did notice that I got tip wear very quickly and it chipped easily, but that may have been because I put on so many layers of polish. Have you ever tried layering a flakie over black? How did it turn out for you?

Nail Art: Messy French

Hi everyone! So today I am going to share a strange manicure. So I was trying to use Nailene tipguides to create a pink and black manicure (OPI Tutti Frutti Tonga and Nailene Black French Tip Pen), but I forgot to push down on the sticker to seal it to the nail, and this happened. At first I was kind of upset, but then I realised that it actually looks kind of cool! I like the messy french, it makes me think of something you might see on the runway. It's wild I suppose? What do you all think of this look?

ELF Dark Navy

Hi everyone! Out of all of the ELF polishes that I got, this one is my least favorite. I was expecting a lovely dark navy out of this, like OPI Russian Navy without the shimmer? Nope, didn't get that. This looks black on the nail. Like jet black. Only in the first coat can you tell that it is blue, but you really need a second coat with this polish. I liked the formula and it applied fine, I just am not terribly impressed with the color.

Nailene French Tip Pens Take Two!

Hi everyone! Now I know that I have already done a full review of the Nailene French Tip Pens that Nailene was kind enough to send me*, but I found the two colors that I didn't have at Rite-Aid! So of course I have to give my review of these because I love them, and this time I am giving a more specific review of each individual color.

White - This was my least favorite of the pens. As much as I freaking love how bright it is, but the formula was a little too thick and it dried out on me. Now this totally could have been an error on my part, I may not have put the cap on properly. But when the tip dried up and I was trying to use it, it started to leak out of the casing. Not cute. I also am basically out of it, which was an error on my part because the first time I used it I pressed the tip too long and I wasted a lot of product. So learn from my mistakes and remember to make sure the cap is on properly and don't press the tip down for more than a couple of seconds!

Pearl White - I liked this pen, this was my third favorite. The formula, although a little runny, was really easy to apply and the color is really pretty. I wouldn't call it "white" but more of an off-white, like for an American manicure. It is a bit silvery in some lights as well, it has a lovely frosty quality to it.

Pearl Pink - I think that this one was my favorite! I didn't think that I was going to like this color that much but I really did! The formula was perfect and I like how it was easy to see it filling the tip so that I knew when to stop feeding polish to the tip, I wish that the tips of the white ones weren't white because it is much easier to see with a different color. This is probably the hardest one to match colors to, but it goes great with cream colors and pinks!

Black - This one totally comes in as my second favorite. I love the concept of a black tip. The formula in this one is perfect as well, it is very opaque in one coat! Again having it be a different color from the tip really helped a lot. The only problem that I have with this one is that if you don't put on a good topcoat, it will chip quickly, and it is very noticable if you are wearing a light color under it. Otherwise I love it!

So I hope that this is a better review for you all and more through about each individual color as I experienced it!

* I was sent the White and Pearl White pens by Nailene. However I bought the Pearl Pink and Black with my own hard-earned money, that is now much I like these pens in general!

Nail Art: CND Inspired!

Hi everyone! Did you see the nails that CND did for NYFW? They were so cool! In fact after you read this, you should check out Trincess's amazing recreation of it! So I decided to do my own spin on the concept and I did a metallic light blue instead of the gold and I kept it shiny. I got so many awesome compliments from people when I was wearing this! I used China Glaze Metallic Muse and OPI Black Onyx for this mani, you like?

Nail Art: Olympic-Inspired Nails

Hi everyone! If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably already know how obsessed I am with the Olympics, so of course I had to do a mani inspired by the event! I have closely watched every Olympics since the Sydney Summer Games in 2000. In fact I even live in Salt Lake City, which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was really cool to watch the opening ceremonies this year because I now know so many people around the world through blogging. When countries would march in, I would think of people that I know in those countries and cheer, it has brought me much closer to the international aspect of the Games. I love it! Do you watch the Olympics too?

I used OPI Alpine Snow, Art Deco Gold Glitter, OPI Sea, I Told You!, Sinful Colors Canary Yellow, OPI Black Onyx, OPI Green-wich Village, and OPI Big Apple Red. It is inspired by the Olympic flag, which I love because it contains at least one color that is on every flag around the world!

Anti-Valentine's Day: Love Be Hanged!

Hello everyone! How about an Anti-Valentine's Day mani for the big day? I think my favorite nail here is the heart noose, isn't it fitting? I used China Glaze Flying Dragon as the base and Art Deco Black and White for the ropes. Do you like it? What are you all doing for the big day, any fun plans? Or maybe you are like me, and are too busy studying to do anything lol.

If you love this manicure, go vote for it here! Check out the Polish Bloggers Network's new website as well, it is pretty awesome!

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has offered me comfort during this rough patch in my life. I hope that you are all right and that something better will come along for me! I <3 you all!

Valentine's Day: Corset Hearts

Hi everyone! Valentine's Day is only a short 5 days away, and I am kicking off the celebration here on Naive Nails with 5 days in a row (through February 14th) of Valentine's themed nails! Some will be more traditional, and some will not, I am trying to give some variety to the designs.

Today's mani is a little more on the naughty side of Valentine's Day, as for some reason this holiday makes me think of sexy under-things. I may have stolen the design of the heart from a piece of jewelery made by Evil Angel (hope you don't mind, I love you!). I used ELF Royal Purple, and Art Deco Polishes in White and Black. I love how it turned out, do you love it too?

KOTD: Naughty Barbie

Hello everyone! Today is the second and last post in my Barbie series, and I am showing you Naughty Barbie. I used Essie Forget Me Nots, Art Deco Black, and the Konad m57 plate.

When I think of naughty Barbie, I think of the doll that you dress up in fishnets, a black leather miniskirt, and a skimpy tubetop to go to the club in. She drives a sleek car and isn't afraid to drink a little a dance into the early hours of the morning. Then maybe she will go home with a guy who is not Ken (gasp!), who knows? How do you interpret naughty Barbie?

NOTD: Dark Glittery Green!

Hi everyone! Today I bring you my new favorite flashy combination (I swear I have a new one every week)! I have been trying to figure out ways to use up my Hard Candy Sweet P because it is a layering polish and I felt like I didn't have any colors that go with it very well. That was not the case! This is Hard Candy Sweet P over OPI Black Onyx (how dumb am I for it to take me this long to see that green goes with black?), and it looks even better in real life than it does in the picture! IRL, it *almost* has a duochrome effect with the glitter, and it looks so flashy! I have fallen in complete love with this combination, do you love it too?

NOTD: Lubu Mani

Hi everybody! I decided that it was time for me to *attempt* to do a Lubu mani. A traditional Lubu mani has a creme black on the nail and a creme red under the nail, but that isn't visually interesting enough for me. So instead of the black, I used China Glaze Lubu Heels for some sparkle. I also used OPI Big Apple Red as the creme red. I thought that this would be super cute; but it wasn't. My nails are not long enough to do this mani well! It was really hard to get the brush under the nail, and it was really messy for me. It chipped almost instantly too! Sad. Oh well, I am sure that I will try it again if my nails ever get long enough! :)

Oh, and I want to apologize for not posting any pictures of the snow, by the time I got back to my room to get my camera it had all melted away and it was sunny again. :/ I will try to keep my camera on me this week!

Nail Art: Madison Avenue

Hi everyone! Some have inquired as to what I did/used for the mani in my profile picture. I actually did this one special to match the color scheme of my blog. The background I chose is called Madison Avenue, so that is what I call this mani.

I used Essie Forever Young, OPI Black Onyx, Art Deco Black, and OPI Alpine Snow. I used the Art Deco to line out the tips, Black Onyx to fill the tips in, and a dotting tool with Alpine Snow for the dots. I love this mani a lot, do you love it too?

Art Deco Black

Hi everyone! I am now reviewing the last of my Art Deco polishes, my black color.

The brush on this one was a lot different from the ones that have come with my other Art Decos. It is a lot longer and skinnier, which I actually really like. I don't know if this brush is a fluke or if it comes with all of the blacks, but I suspect that it was a fluke. This is a really good shiny black to use for nail art; and these polishes are so cheap! They are around $2 and can be found at many drugstores (at least in the US) and at Forever 21.

NOTD: Onyx Pumps

Hey everyone! Yesterday I showed you China Glaze Lubu Heels, and here is a better version IMO. This combination is like Lubu Heels on crack!

I used OPI Black Onyx and China Glaze Ruby Pumps over it. I love it! I like how the glitter looks denser while still being darker. I couldn't stop staring at my nails all day! Do you like this version or Lubu Heels better?

China Glaze Lubu Heels

Yes, I am finally getting around to reviewing this polish! This was the polish recommended to me the most, and I do like it; but I wasn't that impressed.

This polish is stunning in the bottle (see the bottle shot below), it is a black jelly with red glitters. On the nail, it wasn't as dense as I was expecting. As it is a jelly, it took a long time to dry, but the finish was really nice. In the end, I think that it is ok, but not my favorite.

Mattified China Glaze: Creams/Glitters

Hello everyone! To continue my mattified series, I bring you all of my glitters and creams from China Glaze! They are (from thumb to pinky) Fairy Dust, For Audrey, Ruby Pumps, Emerald Sparkle, and Lubu Heels. Aren't they pretty? Below are the glossy pics for comparison. Do you agree or disagree with me on which finish is better?

For Audrey - I love this one matte, I love how flat it can look!

Ruby Pumps - I don't really like this one matte as much, the glossy version seems to have so much more dimension and sparkle!

Emerald Sparkle - Same as Ruby Pumps; I like it better glossy!

Lubu Heels - I did not like this one matte at all, it just looks grey with some scattered red glitters.

Fairy Dust - I love it both ways!