"graveyard" nails

i laughed when one of the girls at my work commented on me wearing a "graveyard" on my nails.

but crosses are all the rage right now! i see them everywhere, on clothes, on nails, jewelry. fashion has definitely picked up some christian inspiration (ha ha).

aren't these cute and trendy? i used Julep Helen as my base, which they describe as a smoky pastel lavendar creme. that's spot on, i love the smokiness especially. it applied very nicely, this was 3 thin coats.
then i did the black crosses quickly and freely to give it a sketched look if you will? and did some neato purple rhinestone crosses on my thumb and ring finger.

would you rock this trend? i am by no means religious so i didn't know how i felt about it at first but it was super fun to wear!

if you'd like to become a Julep Maven you can click here and get your hands on this pretty. mavens get discounts on polish and products and you can get your first box for a cent if you enter in the code PENNY!

a couple of Jindie Nails swatches!

Jindie Nails is a newer indie polish brand to craze the internet. i bought my first polishes last year and since then she's become very popular!
Jen is also very awesome when it comes to customer service. i purchased polish from her around Christmas and the shipping was a little delayed, but because of that she attached an apology letter and a free mini polish! how nice!

here's two of her most popular polishes;

this is Jindie Nails Candy Land! it's an awesome assortment of neon blue, purple, pink, green & yellow hex glitters in a milky white base. it's a little sheer, so i've shown two coats of it here over Lime Crime Milky Ways. it's definitely buildable on it's own, but i preferred using some undies.

i would also suggest using two coats of topcoat over this bad boy, because those big glitters love to stick out. i love the colors in this, and i'm a sucker for a white based glitter!

however, this is my absolute favorite from Jindie ever! this is Swoon, it's large neon green, pink & blue hex glitters with some teal smaller hex glitters in a milky tiffany blue base. this is TO DIE FOR! absolutely beautiful & perfect for spring!

this is 2 coats over Lime Crime Once In A Blue Mousse, as it is a tad sheer as well and i really wanted the blue base to show!

Jindie Nails' Etsy store is currently closed, i think she closes between restocks to catch up on shipping. but you can access it here & it is also sold on llarowe!

vintage polka dots & brooches

if you love all things vintage inspired and polka dots, prepare to lust over these pretties. i was feeling inspired by a color i received in my february Julep Maven box & it just clicked how perfect it would be for something retro.

how simply awesome are these nails! i love the colors, i love the rhinestone accents, everything. and it's amazing how something as polka dots could be so eye catching! i received lots of compliments on these. vintage is the bomb.

 

i used Julep Sally for the base. it's labeled by Julep as an antique ivory creme. it's a little more warm than an ivory. this is 3 coats i believe, the application was a little patchy and it went on pretty gloopy. however, the color is worth it. i used Julep Otte for the polka dots.

i think the rhinestone accents make this mani so amazing! i loved these so much, i did it in another color later on. so much fun, but not a lot of work!

if you're interested in being a Julep Maven you can click here to buy your first box! enter the code PENNY at the checkout and get your first month for only one cent!!

design re-do & contest entry!

since my first attempt of the "grown up flower" design by mr candiipants did not work too well, i tried it again! and this time was a definite success!

this was also another contest entry in instagram and it was pastel themed. i love pastels, so i pretty much drooled over these until they chipped into nothing.

how cute are these, seriously. also, i am obviously obsessed with Lime Crime and need and intervention. spring is coming and they are bright pastels... so i'm pretty much going to be using them all up. i used Lavendairy for the base and a pink nail art pen for the flowers.

don't really know where my pinky is going in this picture. i also love the stud accents. studs everywhere, all the time, every day. i love them completely.

i have seen lots of recreations of the design online, have any of you taken a shot at it? i'd love to see!
ps. follow me on instagram @ninelions for up to date photos of all the crazy contests i've been entering.

flower pattern that started out cute...

but then got all dragged and blah thanks to a goopy topcoat. i should know better! oh well.

these nails were inspired by mr candiipants. she's great at coming up with cool pattern mixes and color combos. when i saw her tutorial for a "grown up flower print" i had to try it out.

so as you can see, there's some nice red streaks on my pointer finger and some major dragging on my middle finger, but isn't it dang cute!? i put my own twist on the design with some vine-like accents. the flowers were actually easy breezy to create if you have the patience.

i used Lime Crime Milky Ways as my base & some nail art pens for the design.

has dragging ever ruined one of your cool manis? lesson learned, stop trying to use your goopy old top coat to the last drop.

leopard print instagram contest nails!

lately i've been entering in lots of contest on instagram. hundreds of nail art ladies enter these contests and so far i haven't been a winner, but hopefully i will be one day!

in entered these nails in @kellytattoo's blue themed contest! blue is a pretty wide theme so i thought how could i do something funky & fun but simple at the same time?

i started with an extremely messy gradient (haha) because i knew i would cover it up with something. the colors used were Lime Crime Milky Ways, Lime Crime Once In A Blue Mousse and Julep Daphne.

 

then i did some classic leopard print! i used Once In A Blue Mousse for the spots and my trusty black nail art pen for the outlines. then i highlighted and added some accents with white and a blue color. fun fun fun!

have any of you entered an instagram contest before? i love it because i'm gonna put the picture up anyway, why not take an extra picture with a note and enter it for a chance to win some goodies?

since i am wildly inconsistent when it comes to posting here, you can follow me on instagram @ninelions where i post lots of photos of my nails and other random stuff!