Nail Art — It's Not for Everyone. And That's Okay.

Pshiiit, Nailside, and Chalkboard Nails are some of my favorite nail bloggers. Pshiiit's gift for photography and playful pairing of colours is truly magnifique. Nailside basically invented the tape manicure and she continues to come up with creative designs. And Chalkboard Nails is incredibly talented. She made a holiday mani with a string of Christmas lights... that glowed in the dark. Genius.

If you guys are like me, after checking out such amazing nail art (and I do mean art) your first thought is, "What the... How did they do that?!" And your second thought is, "I'll never be able to achieve such wonder..." And then you stare sadly down at your poor, solid-colored nails.

And it may be true. Some people are gifted with steady hands. And for others, it's cause for celebration when we manage to paint our right hand half as well as we did our left. I totally get it! But there's no need to feel inadequate.

Nowadays, there are tons of options for those who want the nail art look, but don't have the painting chops to make it happen. There are appliqués, like Sally Hansen Salon Effects. There's Konad stamping. There's even Kleur Custom Nail Art if you live in the Los Angeles area.

And you know what else there is? The simple nail.

That's right. No nail art. No glitter. Just plain and simple, eye-catching color. It's always been my standby and still remains one of my favorite looks.

Sometimes a color's just so pretty, it needs no embellishment at all. Why gild the lily, amirite? Or perhaps you're going a bit daring with a neon or a nontraditional shade like green. Add some nail art or glitter and it can take a wild color into trashy-looking territory. But a pure, glossy finish can never be wrong.

Turns out I'm not alone in my love for simple color! Allure wrote a blurb on the return of the classic mani. Have a look-see.

dowhatyouwannado, Francesca

[youtube=http://youtu.be/RzG-BP6RYko]

The Très Chic Upside-Down French Mani

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If something as simple as Jennifer Lopez's manicure makes headlines, does that mean she's still relevant?

The answer is yes, evidently.

To be fair, it's possible that J.Lo's upside-down French manicure (also called a "reverse French manicure") isn't getting press just because it's gracing the fingers of La Lopez. It's getting attention because it looks good. Period.

And guess what, guys! With the right colors, a steady hand and some patience, this look is yours.

Upside-Down French Mani How-To

I used OPI Alpine Snow (my favorite white ever) and a color called Naked from Urban Decay's new NAKED Nail Set. This is the first color from that set I've tried, and this reverse French manicure was the perfect way to wear it. UD Naked is quite close to my skin tone, so having the sliver of white gave this look a pop of color and helped the manicure feel fresh and chic.

1. I shaped my nails and buffed them.
2. I painted two thin coats of OPI Alpine Snow and allowed them to dry for about 15 minutes. If the white base color is too wet, you'll mess things up and get some swirl action going on as you apply your top color.
3. Next, I painted UD Naked on — by hand. The key was having just the right amount of polish at the end of the brush; not so much it's going to drip, but enough so that you see half-a-drop gathering. It's that drop that will spread evenly as you carefully press the brush to your nail, apply a little pressure, and let the bristles gently fan out so that they create a good, smooth crescent.
4. Once you have the top of the crescent created, swipe the brush down toward the sides of your nails to continue the nice curve you created with the crescent. Make sure you keep consistent with the space you're leaving on each nail. Maybe a little less on your pinky, maybe a little more on your thumb.
5. Apply a second coat (carefully!) of your top color, enforcing & perfecting the crescent-y curve.
6. Top coat it and voila! C'est magnifique.

I had a lot of fun sporting the upside-down French and definitely plan on trying a new color combo soon. If white & nude is too safe for you, go wild! Creamy charcoal gray paired with hot pink would be awesome. What about blue on blue? The possibilities are endless; the only rule of thumb is making sure your top color can fully cover up your base color in two coats.

aurevior, Francesca

P.S. I leave you with (arguably) some of J.Lo's finest work.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/dly6p4Fu5TE]

Fingers Crossed — MSB Chic & Bottega Veneta Nailz

Hallo, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend. When I left you, it was August... I return, and September is here. My favorite month. Yes, I'm particularly partial because it's my birthday month, but I also just love fall. The colors, the clothes, the smells, the food! Ahhhhhhh. To get you in the mood for fall fashion, I wanted to share a link to my pal Margot's blog, MSB Chic. My fashion-forward friend was inspired by Bottega Veneta's Fall / Winter lineup and created an on-trend manicure in homage.

xxo, Francesca

Fingers Crossed — The Nailasaurus and Nailed It!

And now some cross-posting. I have two great ideas to share with you from the talented bloggers behind "The Nailasaurus" and "Nailed it!" With an extended weekend here to enjoy, what better time to relax and do a lil' nail art?

These are two blogs that I love to visit because a) the writing is great, you feel like these gals are old friends after reading just one post and b) their ideas and designs are so unique. I hope that you enjoy chilling in their corners of the Internet just as much as I do.

I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! It's my birthday tomorrow, so I'm headed out of town for some wine tasting. Fancy, huh?

xx, Francesca

The Galaxy Nail Manicure

Looking for a fun Sunday DIY nail art project? My friend over at MSB Chic posted her first "Galactic Manicure." I think it's out of this world!

I've been meaning to try a Galaxy / Galactic nail for a while now and these images (not to mention the millions of Galaxy manis flying around on Pinterest) are just adding rocket fuel to my fire.

Let me know if you end up trying this out, I'd love to post your manis!

xxo, GLOSS