"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!

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!!

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!

baroque pattern (sorta!)

this is definitely something i would've worn during the actual holidays, because the berry color is so Christmas-y!

i received a "mystery wristlet" from Julep and was excited to test out one of the colors, so i came up with this pretty, free-hand design :)

 

this is 2 coats of Julep Sharon. it's a pretty red-berry shimmer polish that is absolutely gorgeous. a red shimmer is a must have in any collection, and this one applied great. 2 coats for full coverage is good with me!

then i free-handed a baroque inspired pattern onto my nails. i did full nails on my ring & thumb nails but only accents on the rest so it wouldn't get overwhelming. 

these were really classic looking and i got tons of compliments! still can't get over the nice color.

gold sparkly tribal

i recently became a julep maven, despite all of the disappointment i've heard about terrible formula & bad service. but i have to say, with the exception of extremely slow shipping to Canada, i love it so far!

this is a mani i did with one of the colors in my introductory box. (this post is a tad picture heavy!)

this is 2 coats of Julep Otte, a coat of Ninja Polish Shattered Star & some line art with a black striper! this mani was extremely fun & easy to do. which is awesome if you ask me. i was inspired by Nailside, where Jane does a mani similar to this, but i could only do the 2 arrow stripes because my nails were shorter. 

shattered star has also become one of my favorite glitters. it's the perfect gold (not too yellow) and has lots of holographic glitter! this was part of Ninja Polish's holiday collection. overall i really liked that such a simple design could be so striking!

here's a swatch of Otte by itself. i wasn't sure about this color on my skin tone, but i still love it. neutrals have me in a hold right now that i cannot describe. and this is a unique color too! like a nice camel/sand creme.