Tag Archives: L.A. Colors

Nail Art: What I Wore on My Nails for Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day Nails Nail Art SwatchValentine’s Day may be over, but I still wanted to show you what was on my fingertips.

My Valentine’s Day Nails included the traditional pink, red, and white, but I threw some black into the mix because I wanted it to have a bit of an anti-Valentine’s Day edge, too.

Initially, I was going to put hearts all over, but then opted for stripes for a different effect that was more sporty and unconventional for February 14. (Hehe, you know how I’m a little obsessed with vertical stripes on nails, right?)

This manicure is also symbolic because I believe everyone should ‘show their stripes’.

Although this striped skittle design is extremely simple, I ended up falling in love with it more than I thought I would. (I wore this manicure for 5 days!)

So, I’m single, and even though I didn’t get any flowers, chocolates, or stuffed toys, I still very much enjoy Valentine’s Day.

Last year, I went through an emotional split from a boyfriend a little before Valentine’s Day. From that horrible experience, a profound revelation arose. I realized that I had been in love with the man I thought he was, not the man he actually was. Huge difference!

This year, on February 14th, a guy who I just met recently professed his feelings for me! It was very sweet and genuine, so it made me feel like a million bucks! It also took me off-guard, which is a hard thing to do, because I’m pretty good at sensing these kind of things.

In a way, I considered this my Valentine’s Day gift because it put a huge smile on my face. (I know a lot of players who’ve just fed me lines that I can see through, but I think this guy is the real deal, so I took his words to heart.)

I’m still single, however. After having my heart stomped on in the past, I’m trying to be more discerning before going steady with anyone. For this reason, I’m casually dating some guys, and I’m honest about it.

Then, if I feel a spark with someone who I think is more long-lasting, I will go steady with one. If not, at least I’ve made new friends. In this way, I feel like I can keep my options open and avoid unnecessary heartbreaks from jumping in too soon and too fast. I believe that guys have to earn exclusivity by proving they’re in it for the long haul. Also, time is a great test because it lets you see how they’ll deal with problems that will eventually arise.

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Reader Requested Nail Art Tutorial: Violet Beauregarde Nails

Violet Beauregard Nails Nail Art Tutorial & PhotosOne of my readers, Annika, e-mailed me her ideas for a Violet Beauregarde nail design and asked if I could do a nail tutorial based on the character from the original 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory character.

Since I haven’t done freehand nail art in some time, I thought I’d give it a go.

You’ll remember that Violet was the one who chewed the same piece of gum for a long time. And when at the factory, she can’t resist trying the new chewing gum that Willy Wonka has come up with that includes flavours such as appetizers, main courses, and even desserts!

Haha, she grows bigger and bigger, turning blue/violet as the seconds pass! Finally, the Oompa Loompas have to take her to the Juicing Room to squeeze it all out.

Here is my version of Violet Beauregarde Nails.

Instead of making the buckle sideways on the red belt, I wanted to give it a twist, so I painted them very similar to the buckles in the Santa Nails I did before on here.

If you want to take a completely literal and accurate approach, paint the red belt and buckles horizontally.

In this post, I’ll show you more photos of this quick design as well as step-by-step instructions with photos for how to recreate it.

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Nail Art Tutorial: Football Nails

Football Nails Nail Art Tutorial & PicturesWow, last night’s Super Bowl game was crazy intense just like Beyonce’s Half Time performance! (And it was really cool to see Destiny’s Child reunite!)

With the lights going out in the second half and the close scores in the final minutes, I was on the edge of my seat!

Touch dowwwnnnn! (Sorry, I just had to say that somewhere in this post!)

This was the first Super Bowl that I ever watched the majority of, and boy did I pick a good one! This was really exciting, even for someone like me who doesn’t follow football.

On game day, I was sporting these Football Nails! I rushed to whip them up, and they’re so simple, anyone can recreate them. Plus you only need 3 different colours. It’s a great look for someone who doesn’t have patience to do more a more complicated nail design.

So…the Baltimore Ravens won! I’m neither a fan of the Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers, so I knew I’d be happy for whoever won. But I know that a lot of people were really disappointed because the 49ers were the favourites. (In a way, though, I’m a little glad that the Ravens won just because the 49ers won more Super Bowls. It’s nice when the underdog wins.)

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Holiday & Winter Nail Art Ideas

Winter & Holiday Nail Art Ideas & TutorialsThis year I haven’t had time to do Christmas nail-art tutorials prior to the big day.

But, since I know that a lot of nailphiles will be busting out the lacquer, I’ve put together this post on Holiday & Winter Nail Art Ideas featuring some looks I’ve done in the past.

In this post, I’ve also linked each manicure to its corresponding nail-art tutorial, which features step-by-step written instructions and photos. All, except for one, have tutorials. Plus within some of the posts are links to reviews of the individual nail polishes.

Hope that you’ll come up with something great for your holiday manicure! (I actually have been juggling a few designs in my head, but I still haven’t decided which to paint. I’ll be sure to share my Christmas manicure sometime after December 25th.)

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Nail Art Tutorial: Jack Skellington Nails (Nightmare Before Christmas Nails)

Jack Skellington Nails Nail ArtAre you a fan of Tim Burton or of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Then you might like these Jack Skellington Nails!

When I sat down to paint this, I didn’t have much time, so a nail-art design that was fast and that didn’t use too many colours was imperative.

I’m so happy to share this look with you because it’s perfect if you’re just painting your nails tonight and need something easy. This is also a design that doesn’t require too much concentration. It’s okay if the lines aren’t really straight and even. It all goes together.

I want to wish you all a very HAPPY HALLOWE’EN! Please be safe no matter what you decide to do, and HAVE FUN! 🙂

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Nail Art Tutorial: Sheep Nails (I Did This Look on a MAN!)

Sheep-Nails-Nail-Art-TutorialYou’ll remember that I blogged about painting my guy friends’ nails before. Well, ever since then, I’ve been itching to do it again. And I did! 😉

The Sheep Nail Art you see was the result of a very fun painting session!

I actually had this design in my head for quite some time and had wanted to do it on my own nails, but I was just too busy.

(In addition to having a full-time job, I’m also a professional freelance writer on the side. Haha, it feels like I’m always working! But when I have spare time, I squeeze in socializing with friends, daily blogging, and knitting.)

So when I was chilling with this guy, I was thrilled when he agreed to not only let me paint a sheep nail design on him, but also publish it on Swatch And Learn. Also, he wanted to confirm that he could remove it immediately after. (Haha, no, nail polish isn’t permanent!) So, just a few seconds after this little sheep was born, it was axed. Poor baby!

Keep reading this blog post because I show you step-by-step with written instructions and fun photos of this man’s thumb nail to help you recreate the look (or to help you convince the guys in your life to not take themselves too seriously). 😉

P.S. Funny thing is that he actually pointed out that I got some of the blue polish on his skin. And then he also mentioned that the sheep was missing its ear. Hahaha! Sorry that your first nail-art experience wasn’t perfect, Mr. Brawny Man! 😛 I’ll do better next time. Because…oh yeahhhh, there’ll be a next time…and another time after that…and another….Hehehehe! Practice makes perfect, right? Right! (He’s actually a professional artist, so that’s why he was very observant of my nail-painting flaws. Haha, he’s not a jerk.)

P.P.S. I would make a terrible nail technician. The entire time, I was smiling and giggling! I just couldn’t keep quiet no matter how hard I tried.

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Nail Art Tutorial: The Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster Nails

The-Bride-of-Frankenstein-Nails-Nail-Art-TutorialEver since I saw this photo on Pinterest, I knew I had to try my hand at The Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster Nails!

Hers turned out better, but I still really enjoyed wearing my version of the Hallowe’en nail-art design because it has an underground comic-book feel.

I don’t think that my version immediately makes you think of the Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster. That’s why yesterday, when I posted a photo of it on Instagram and Twitter, I asked you what you thought they were.

Okay, some people did see the Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster (YAY!), but I also got other guesses: samurai and a rocker dude. Haha! After they mentioned it, I could see both! Oh, the power of suggestion!

And when my co-workers at lunch were looking at my nails, one thought that they were scary masks, and another thought they were a character from a horror film. Both agreed that the design was suitable for Hallowe’en.

Soooo…even if I missed the mark on them being ole Frankie’s better half, at least the seasonal vibe was there. 😉

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