Shellac manicure (part 1)

Tonight I'm flying to Seattle for two weeks, and I've been stressing out about what to do with my nails during this trip. I didn't really want to bring polish and do nail things during boyfriend time, but two weeks is too long for one manicure to last. I had pretty much decided to just do my nails before I go and to bring nail polish remover pads for when they get too chipped.

But then I went and made an appointment for a shellac manicure instead. I've never gotten a shellac manicure -- I never even go to nail salons, so I had to rely on Yelp to find a place. I was super nervous, but it ended up being a good experience. The nail technician was super attentive to detail and didn't rush at all, but the whole thing still took just under an hour. And it was so nice having my nails completely dry as soon as I was done!

Green & gold gradient

One week until I visit my boyfriend in Seattle! To celebrate, I wanted to do a manicure with Washington's state colors -- only, it doesn't actually have official state colors. (The only other states that don't have official colors are Virginia and Hawaii, but each Hawaiian island has an official color, so I feel like that doesn't even count.) But Wikipedia says that "some sources list dark green and gold/yellow, the two colors specified for the flag by law since 1925," and that's good enough for me.

Confetti Fun with Selena Gomez

Today my best friend and I had a conversation about whether at age 22 we feel old or young. Well, it was a kind of one-sided conversation; I'm pretty sure my most insightful contribution was, "I bought Selena Gomez nail polish today. That makes me feel young." But it's okay. I am at peace with my affection for Disney starlets. And this polish looks good no matter who the collection is associated with.

Nicole by OPI Confetti Fun

Cagedbird Nail Lacquer Faerie Carnival & Zoya Julie

After taking off my brightly colored birthday nails, I wanted to stick with happy, springlike colors (although it is anything but springlike in my part of New England). Check out the results!

Springtime perfection with Cagedbird and Zoya

More Rainbow Nails!

Yep, as the wonderful Katie told you yesterday, I am another year older. Here is something she didn't tell you: I really like my birthday. A lot. I usually start counting down to my next birthday around, oh, the day after my most recent one (for example: there are currently 364 days until my birthday). So I am always looking for fun ways to celebrate the day. When I started painting my nails, birthday manis seemed like a foregone conclusion!

Since I like bright colors, rainbows are always involved in my birthday manicures somehow (last year it was each nail a different color with, of course, Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday on top). This year, I decided to do something a bit more adventurous. Read on for my first experience with sponge gradients!

Rainbow Birthday Nails posing with my current top coat of choice, Butter London Hardwear!

Happy birthday, Becca!

Today is the lovely Becca's birthday, which means: rainbow nail day!

L'Oreal Jet Set Activate creme, Milani Neon Awesome Orange, China Glaze Happy Go Lucky,
China Glaze Four Leaf Clover, Orly Blue Collar, Orly Charged Up