Negative Space Flowers and How to Make Dark Colors Work for Spring

Hey friends!

A bit of a different blog post today, because not only am I showing you a nail design, I'm going to be showing you how to wear darker colors in spring! But first, the nails :) Products will be listed below.

I am LOVING negative space manis right now! I added some jewels to make it a little more special.

Now, onto the fashion portion of the post. When most people think of spring, they think pastels, flow-y silhouettes and pretty florals. While I love wearing and incorporating those things into my spring wardrobe, I don't think it's necessary to limit yourself. Fashion is all about taking risks and wearing whatever makes you comfortable! If you're having trouble figuring out how to make darker colors with your spring wardrobe, maybe this will help :) DISCLAIMER: These photos are not mine, they belong to some of my favorite bloggers and credit will be given in their captions. Maybe in the future I will post some of my own, but not today!

One way to make dark colors work for spring is to include them in a spring-like print and a looser silhouette. This dress from Missguided hits the nail on the head.

Missguided black floral v-neck maxidress

Another way to make darker colors work for spring is to use a darker shade of a pastel. I love Carli Bybel's monochromatic take below. The green is deeper in color yet still soft.

The Beauty Bybel

Another way you can ditch the pastel is to do an all black or black and white look! It's classic and works for any season.

glamradar.com

hapatime.com

Well, that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed this different post! Let me know if you'd like to see more fashion posts, or if you'd even like to see a post featuring me! I hope everyone is having a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

Wet n Wild Basecoat - Wet n Wild Grape Minds Think Alike - Wet n Wild Tickled Pink - OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian - Glisten and Glow HK Topcoat

My Top Ten Polishes for Spring!

Hey friends!

So I know it's been a while, and this post is a little late as well, but I thought I'd put it up for something to look at while I work on posting regularly again! Anyways, on to the post. I'm starting a new series on the blog called "Top Ten," where I tell you my top ten favorites for each season, maybe top ten in a brand, etc. This isn't necessarily an original idea, but it's something fun and hopefully helpful! Today I'm doing my top ten polishes for spring, and I know it's a little late, but I hope you enjoy!

10. Sinful Colors Sinful Shine in "Mardi Gras." This is one of a couple bright polishes I included in this post, because although I love my pastels for Spring, it's always fun to pop on something bright. This is a great, bright orange leaning a tad on the pink side with incredible shine. No topcoat! And the best part? These polishes are only $2.99!

9. Julep "Courtney." This polish is just so fun for spring! It reminds me of all the green coming back after a long winter.

8. Sinful Colors "Unicorn." Another Sinful Colors polish! This brand is one of my all time favorites, drugstore OR high end, if you couldn't tell. This pastel yellow is so pretty on it's own or incorporated in a nail art design, and it's formula is fantastic for a pastel yellow (one of the hardest colors to work with in my opinion.)

7. Essie "Play Date." I'm sure if you follow any other nail art blogs, you have seen this polish before. It is just such a perfect, fun purple!

6. OPI "You're Such a Budapest." Again, another purple, and again, I am sure you have seen this polish before too! The formula is perfect, the color is perfect, it can work for any season, the name is clever...these kind of winner polishes are what I am in this business for.

5. OPI "Kiss Me I'm Brazilian." THIS. POLISH.... It is the PERFECT bright pink for Spring and Summer. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the formula is on point. You need it. Find it.

4. OPI "I Love Applause." This light peachy-nude polish was part of the Muppets collection a while back and I had to have is as soon as I saw it. The formula is nothing short of amazing, and this color is so simple and versatile but something about this polish is just really special.

3. Wet n' Wild Wild Shine in "Tickled Pink." This gem of a polish came out with this season's release of their reformulated, repackaged, and revamped Wild Shine polish line. The ENTIRE collection is INCREDIBLE, but this baby pink earned spot number three in this list for it's adorable color, incredible formula, and impressive staying power. Plus, it's 3 free!!! I can't say enough about this polish. Amazing. AND THEY ARE ONLY 98 CENTS.

2. Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection "Alex by the Books." I don't even think I need to explain this one. This minty teal color has my heart forever, and I'm almost scared to use it since it was limited addition and I don't think I'll get my hands on it again. I debated even including it in this list for that reason, but it's just one of my all-time favorites. I do know that Walmart's brand Pink Ice has a similar color, so I think I'll have to pick it up and see if it's a dupe!

Now, ladies and gentlemen, my NUMBER ONE polish for Spring may totally surprise you. Or it may totally not.

1. Wet n' Wild Wild Shine in "Putting on Aires." If I had to pick one polish to wear every single day forever it would be this polish. The color is perfect. The formula is creamy and delicious to apply. The staying power is great. It's 3 free. It's under a dollar. It's amazing. What else can I even say?! EVERYONE NEEDS THIS POLISH.

So that was my top ten polishes for Spring. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope it was helpful if you were looking for new spring colors, or if you were just bored and needed something to look at that's fine too :) I hope everyone is enjoying this warmer weather, and I promise to post more! Thanks for stopping by! Remember: you can also find me on Instagram, where I post more frequently @pianohillsnails !!!

Watercolor Madness

Hey friends!

I don't know about you, but the watercolor effect is one of my absolute favorite designs for the nails. It's so beautiful and looks complicated, but it's really just as simple as a few polishes and a plastic bag! I've done a few different watercolor designs in the past and wanted to try it out again with some light pastels for spring! Check out what I came up with (and see some vintage pre-piano hills designs, too!) Products will be listed below.

I'm loving a middle finger accent nail lately!

This design is so easy! Just paint your nails a light color, then take that color and 2-4 more and drip polish sporadically on your nails. Take a plastic bag, lay it over the nail, and gently press/rub. Lift the bag up and you should have this swirled, watercolor affect on your nails! I used a white, pink, and gold polish for this and love how classy it looks!

Now, ready to see some watercolor I did in high school? :)

These are the nails I took inspiration from. I love the color combo on these!

You can also take a piece of crumpled up saran wrap and dab it over a thickly painted nail like the picture above to achieve a different watercolor affect!

As always, thanks for stopping by the blog! Some St. Patrick's Day designs will be up next!

Products Used

Orly Ridgefiller - Sally Hansen White On - Wet n Wild Tickled Pink - Wet n Wild Ready to Propose - Glisten and Glow HK Girl Topcoat

More Spring Flowers...

Hey friends!

I know, I know, another flower post, but I just love them so much! And with the weather (slowly) getting warmer, I have to start doing nail designs that mirror it! For today's design, I did a few little daisies. Check it out! Products will be listed below.

I did a nail design last year that is very similar to this one and wanted to recreate it. I've included a picture below!

I don't remember the products for the older photo or I would include them. Sorry! I can't decide which design I like better! I like both in different ways. Which one do you like better? Let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for stopping by the blog!

Products Used

Orly Ridgefiller - Wet n Wild Nuclear War - Wet n Wild Putting On Aires - Sephora by OPI Aha! Moment - Glisten and Glow HK Girl Topcoat

Spring Blooms

Hey friends!

So today is a very exciting day (at least for us here in Wisconsin,) because it's MARCH! And that means we are getting very close to at least normal, humane temperatures! :) To celebrate I've done my first spring design to bring some happiness and inspiration in this still very cold, very snowy weather, featuring two of the new Wet n' Wild Wild Shine polishes. Check out what I came up with! Products will be listed below!

I LOVE doing flower designs!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! If you live somewhere chilly like me, hang in there, we're just a month away from getting warmer, and if you live somewhere warm, I hate you.

Products Used

Orly Ridgefiller - Sephora by OPI Aha Moment - Wet n Wild Red Red - Wet n Wild Tickled Pink - OPI My Dogsled is a Hybrid (Nordic Collection) - OPI Amazon...Amazoff - Glisten and Glow HK Girl

REVIEW: NEW Wet 'n Wild Wild Shine Polishes!!!

Hey friends!

Just like most people, I am always on the lookout for great products for cheap, and I find that's ESPECIALLY difficult with nail polish; for me it's pretty hit or miss with the cheaper brands. Wet n Wild has always been a favorite of mine for cosmetics just as it is with many other beauty and nail bloggers, and I'm always watching for new releases. I was so excited to see they have new nail polish! These polishes are the same price as the old Wild Shine polishes (99 cents!) but they are completely reformulated with new packaging and new shades! I found these at Walgreens. I bought six of them to start out in shades that caught my eye. Check them out below!

"Tickled Pink" is a very light baby pink creme. The color is adorable and the formula is very good for being such a light color. Completely even after two thin coats.

"Red Red" is exactly how it sounds: Red. In certain lights it has some pink tones but it's a pretty, true medium red. It's a creme formula and the opacity was spot on after just ONE coat! I painted on two out of habit but honestly, one coat is all you need. Great if you're short on time.

"Nuclear War" is a true bright orange. It jumped out at me and since I don't have much orange in my collection I figured I'd give it a shot. This. Formula. Is. BANANAS. It's almost more of a really pigmented jelly. Glides on like a dream and you can get away with one coat, but two coats make it really pop.

"Putting on Aires"...... I'm at a loss for words. This color is absolutely GORGEOUS, I knew I needed it as soon as I saw it. A very bright sky blue creme. Thicker coats are needed as this polish is a little harder to work with but it's very easy to even out and is totally worth it. GO BUY IT, YOU NEED IT.

"Yo Soy" is a beautiful nude-eggshell creme. This is the only polish I truly had issues with. The color is fantastic and will work with so many skin tones, but the formula...it's patchy and hard to work with, but opacity CAN be achieved with two thick coats. Set it with a fast drying topcoat and you should be fine.

"Ready to Propose" is one of my favorites, although it's hard to pick one. It's THE PERFECT metallic gold. It's not full of crazy chunky multi-chromatic glitter or hard to remove at all! It applies like an absolute dream and shines beautifully. Let it speak for itself (and excuse my discolored cuticles, there were a lot of colors to swatch!)

All in all, these polishes are definitely a HIT, the formulas are great for the most part, and the color selection is fantastic (there are WAY more than I have here! I'm going to go get some more!) The only thing I should point out is that while the shape of the new bottle is really cool, the casings on the tops are prone to falling off. This isn't a big issue, just a little superglue on the inside of the top and it's totally fine! Go pick some up, see for yourself, this new formula is a winner!!! 

It's Here!!! (Valentine's Day Nails!)

Hey friends!

So, Valentine's Day is here and I thought I'd show you one last loooovely nail design :) Something simple, easy, and pretty. Check it out! Products will be listed below.

This was my first real attempt at water marbling! It turned out really pretty I think! This what I'll be wearing for Valentine's Day and I couldn't be happier with it. It's simple, will go with really anything, and the boyfriend even likes it! (He thinks the marbling is cool because they use the same technique on car parts! Haha!) Thanks for dropping by and let me know what you think!

Products Used

CND Stickey Base Coat - OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian - Nicole by OPI Shell Me the Truth - Seche Vite Dryfast Topcoat

The New Valentine's Day Part 2

Hey friends!

After doing my original The New Valentine's Day post I was inspired by non-traditional Valentine's Day nails and decided to roll right into another one! This time around, I did a set of blue and teal love-themed nails for you all! Check them out! Products will be listed below.

I just love that polka dot heart!

I'm aware that I am not the first to do non-traditional Valentine's Day designs but I just thought the concept was so fun and creative and I wanted to put my own spin on it. Thanks for stopping by my blog; I hope I inspired you to try out some non-traditional Vday nails of your own!

Products Used

Orly Ridgefiller - OPI Can't Find My Czechbook - Sephora by OPI Cartwheels on the Catwalk - Julie G Cabana Boy - Sinful Colors Hottie - Salley Hansen White On - Seche Vite Fastdry Topcoat

The New Valentine's Day feat. OPI Pamplona Purple

Hey friends!

It's February, and we all know what that means in the magical world of nail art... VALENTINE'S DAY NAILS! Valentine's Day nail art is some of my favorite because it's just so girly and there is so much you can do, whether you want to do all-out pinks, hearts and glitter, simple french, or even an anti-vday design...it's all so fun!

For the first post of my Valentine's Day series I'm starting with something special called The New Valentine's Day. When you think of Vday, usually pink and red comes to mind, but I wanted to challenge that with some PURPLE! If you haven't noticed, purple is my favorite color, and OPI's Pamplona Purple is one of my all-time favorite polishes. So in honor of Pamplona Purple and The New Vday, I've got two "new vday" designs for you. Check them out! Products will be listed below.

Now for some stripes...

I used a different topcoat than I usually do this time, just to test drive it. It's the Revlon Quick Dry Topcoat. It does dry fast but unlike my Seche Vite, it smudges designs, which is great for ombre, but not so much for my stripes. All in all, it's a great topcoat, but if you have designs on your nails other than ombre I would go with something thicker.

I thought these looks were fun and a little different for Valentine's Day. Let me know what you think and if you love Pamplona Purple as much as I do!!! Also, let me know if you would like written or pictured tutorials with these blog posts! And as always, thanks for stopping by!

Products Used

Orly Ridgefiller - Revlon Parfumerie in African Tea Rose - OPI Pamplona Purple - Sephora by OPI A-ha! Moment - Nicole by OPI Shell Me the Truth - Revlon Quick Dry Topcoat

Disney Nails!

Hey friends!

So last weekend my boyfriend and his family took off to Disney World in Orlando! SUPER jealous, but unfortunately I remain homebound. Before they went I had a chance to do a Disney inspired design on his step mom's nails, and they turned out SO CUTE. Check them out!

Adorable, right? I did a simple polka dot design, swapping out some dots for little Mickeys (and one big one on her ring finger,) and a cute Minnie with a 3D bow* on her thumb. I sealed those in with three coats of topcoat; I'm hoping they stay on for the duration of their trip!

*Bows can be found on ebay!

Products Used

OPI Big Apple Red - Sally Hansen White On - Sephora by OPI Looks Like Rain, Dear - Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat

Plus! I added some studs to the boyfriend's step-sister's acrylics, too :)