Chew on This

Press Sample


If you've been a member of the internet-browsing public today (which you obviously are, since you're reading this), you've probably seen in your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and every other feed that today is May 4, otherwise known as Star Wars Day, so May the Fourth Be With You! Though I have never (yes, you read that correctly, NEVER) watched a single Star Wars movie, despite being nearly 33 years of age, and having had several attempts on tricking me out of my Star Wars virginity, I felt the need to do Star Wars nails today. I decided to do a nail art interpretation of Chewbacca, complete with 'fur', which I had to 'make' myself by trimming brown pipe cleaners. Can you believe that no one had flocking when I looked at a couple different craft stores today? The people at Joann's had no idea what I was even talking about when I asked about it! *sigh* Kids these days.

Anyway. Things I learned from this manicure:

Never blow excess fuzz off your nail over the paper plate full of pipe cleaner trimmings.
Never cough over paper plate full of pipe cleaner trimmings.
Never rub your eye with pipe cleaner trimming nails.
Do not breathe at all during this manicure, fuzz fill end up inside your nose and tickle.

I used:

Brown: Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme
Silver: Morgan Taylor Could Have Foiled Me

Basecoat: Morgan Taylor Stick With it


What do you think, Chewy enough?  Did you do a Star Wars manicure? Tell me in the comments below!

Disclosure: Products in this post were provided for review by the manufacturer. See the legal page disclosure for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Zoya Cashmere Swatches & Review

Press Sample

Don't you hate it when you're on your computer, looking through files, and you discover that you never posted those swatches that you did literally MONTHS ago? Awesome, right? I feel like a big ol' dummy. I looked at the date, and these photos were taken in August. Yeah, that month at the end of summer that was, hmmm, let's count...over 7 months ago. Really. The sad part? I LOVED this collection, so I'm not sure how I could have missed posting it!!

Anyway, better late than never right?

Zoya Livingston

Red creme

A bright red creme that isn't anything terribly unique, but it's a pretty nice red. 

Opacity scale (1-5): 3.5

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque

Zoya Pepper

Brick red creme

I love this one. Love! It's a great brick red, and makes me think of my favorite pop (or if you're not from Michigan- SODA), Dr. Pepper! I wonder if that's why they called it that?!

Opacity scale (1-5): 3.5

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque

Zoya Louise

Chocolate creme

Another one of my favorites from this collection! (Warning: I'm going to say that a lot in this collection) This is/was a fantastic color for fall. I have a soft spot for browns like this.

Opacity scale (1-5): 3.5

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque

Zoya Flynn

Tan/camel creme

Another yummy neutral that is perfect for fall, and of course, I love it. Every time i see polishes like these I need them. The name makes me think of Breaking Bad though. :-P

Opacity scale (1-5): 3.5

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque

Zoya Hunter

Dusty (you guessed it) hunter green creme

A dusty green that makes me think of evergreen trees. Definitely guaranteed to 'SPRUCE' up your manicure! :-D Ba-dum-bum!

Opacity scale (1-5): 3.5

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque

Zoya Sailor

Navy creme

Ahoy!! This lady is sure to make your nails ready for the high seas! It's not a super deep navy, but it's definitely navy! :-D This one was the most opaque of the bunch!

Opacity scale (1-5): 4

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque



What do you think, better late than never? Did you love this collection when it came out? Which colors did you get? Tell me in the comments below! 

Zoya nail polishes, as always, are free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, and camphor and can be purchased at zoya.com and Ulta and Ulta.com for $9. 

Disclosure: Products in this post were provided for review by the manufacturer. See the legal page disclosure for more information.

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Falling For Fall

Well, August is swiftly approaching its end, and the warm days of summer will be long behind us (well, you) soon. The cool, crisp mornings of fall are on their way, and I have to say that I'm completely jealous of those of you lucky enough to enjoy it. Fall is my absolute favorite season, and since I moved to Vegas, and then India, I haven't really gotten to enjoy it. I miss the warm scent of burning leaves in the air, the tartness of warm apple cider on my tongue, and the crisp blue skies of autumn. I know it's a month or so away, but it's already on my mind, especially seeing all the fall nail collections coming out. Growing up in the woods in Michigan, there was no shortage of Autumn experience, from the greenery-lined gravel roads of summer becoming ablaze with the flame of fall leaves, all red and orange and yellow, to the chill that forced a sweater over your shivering shoulders at night. I loved it all, still do.

Today's nail art is to bring a little autumn to my humidity-filled existence. :)

I used:

White: American Apparel Cotton
Dark Brown: Barielle Unraveled Rust
Medium Brown: China Glaze Mahogany Magic
Burgundy: CND Bloodline
Mustard: Barielle Aura Angora
Camel: American Apparel Trenchcoat
Yellow: American Apparel Manila
Bright Orange: CND Electric Orange
Medium Orange: Jesse's Girl Beauty Guru
Red-Orange: American Apparel Lopez Canyon
Copper: China Glaze Harvest Moon
Metallic Gold: ORLY Solid Gold
Topcoat: Seche Vite

What's your favorite season?

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That's a Wrap!

First off, thanks for the suggestions (and compliments) for my tutorials! I'm glad that you guys are liking them. I'll do everything I can to take your suggestions and use them to influence my future tutorials! Keep those suggestions coming though- don't be shy, I can take it! Don't forget- there's something in it for YOU too! :)

I work in an office, and our dress code by U.S. standards is pretty casual. Common attire is polo shirts and jeans, though the women usually wear kurtas (a type of tunic) with leggings or salwar (loose, pajama-y pants). I often wear kurtas with jeans, but when I don't, I wear cute, work-appropriate tops. Today my top, though bright-colored, felt a little plain, so I threw on one of my favorite scarves...I've had it for years, and it made the trip to India with me. I initially bought it because of the bold graphic print and the color combination, but it's grown to be somewhat of a frequent accessory in my wardrobe. Anyway, when looking at it today, I felt the desire to do a nail art design inspired by the print of the fabric. It's not the same, but it uses similar colors and patterns. The best part about this design? It almost exclusively uses a dotting tool to make the design, I only used the nail art brush in a few places!

I used:

Brown: Zoya Codie
White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Pink: Zoya Lara
Turquoise: butter LONDON Artful Dodger
Green: Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
Topcoat: Seche Vite

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Richly Indian

So yeah, not sure if you've heard...but I currently live in India. (you know, that country you call for tech support?) I know that I haven't done a lot of India-inspired nail art, so I decided to do today's design for you! I'll admit, I first did this design on my friend Ruby, the most adorable girl that used to work in my office (I'm so sad she doesn't anymore). She's 24 years old, but looks about 14, and unbelievably to me has 2 kids!! She would always joke with me and say things were supaaah. (super). She's honestly one of my favorite people in India, she cracks me up! (and I'm not the only one- everyone likes Ruby!). She was going to her 'native' (this is how people here refer to their hometown) for her birthday, and wanted me to paint her nails, so I did! This was the design that I did for her, and I liked it so much, I decided to do it on myself.

I used:

Brown: OPI Suzi Likes Cowboys
Gold: China Glaze 2030
Coral/Orange: Lotus Herbals Orange Alert
Topcoat: Seche Vite

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Instagram It.

So there is this wonderful, time-eating app that many of us have on our phones and post photos of things we find amusing and photo-worthy in our lives. This app is, of course, Instagram. I have fallen into it's clutches, and like quicksand, the more I try to leave, the further I get sucked in.


What's popular right now?!  


Woah, what language is that? 


Hey, that's pretty funny.


Nails!


Hmmm, interesting choice of filter. 


Ummmm, didn't really need to see that. 


Anyway, I digress... what I'm trying to say is that I'm now on Instagram... you can find me @thedailynail, and I expect all of you to follow me. Seriously, this isn't me joking. Does it look like I'm joking? OK, maybe I am, but if you think I'm cool, you should totally follow me on there. Oh, who am I trying to kid, of course you think I'm cool...right? Right?!  :-P (If not, just pretend. I'm fragile.)

I post stuff like sneak peeks of my nails, my pet monkey Homer (he's actually a rat terrier, not a monkey, but I say 'When in India...'), weird things I see, things that amuse me, and other odds and ends. No boob pics, promise. I'll do my best to keep it interesting, scout's honor. (I was a Brownie, so i can say that)

Anyway, to the point of this post and what you actually came here for... the nails. To commemorate my Instagram-ness, I did Instagram nails!!

I used:

Tan: American Apparel California Trooper
Tan Shading: American Apparel California Trooper mixed with Barielle Coco Bar
Brown: Barielle Coco Bar
Brown Shading: MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious
Brown Highlight: Deborah Lippmann Naked
Black: American Apparel Hassid
Teal: American Apparel Peacock
Pink: American Apparel Lipstick mixed with American Apparel Coney Island
Lens Highlight: American Apparel American Denim
Red: China Glaze Hey Sailor
Yellow: American Apparel Manila
Green: CND Green Scene
Blue: Ultra Pro Blue Blaze
Topcoat: 2 coats Seche Vite top coat

I totally posted a sneak peek of this design on my Instagram... it was like Leo Dicaprio was next to me in some crazy Inception shit. 

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Pop Culture Giveaway! Day 1

Ok, so I mentioned it on my Twitter and on the Facebook page, and though slightly more delayed than I'd hoped, this is the start of my celebration of having 7,000 awesome reasons why I blog!

Now, I'm not sure if it is my background as a graphic designer, or my weird notice of insignificant details, but I have a weird habit/skill of being able to recognize (and sometimes match) things from TV shows, movies, and album covers. Things like wallpaper, or pillows, or knick knacks. I've had the idea for this contest/giveaway in my head for months, just waiting for the right moment to employ it. Today is that day.

To explain:

There will be five (5) different opportunities to enter. Each photo will be something from a movie, TV show, or album cover, sometimes something obvious, sometimes something less so. I will give 2 hints to help figure out what it is from. If the first 24 hours have passed with little response, I'll give 2 additional hints.

There will be one prize per photo, you can choose between the prize determined for the day or you can choose it's equivalent in Indian cosmetics (you can choose nail polish or other cosmetics). Bear in mind, if you choose Indian cosmetics/polish, it will be over 1 month until you receive your prize. Also, this will be open to international readers, so if there is a cosmetics site in your country that you'd rather the prize be from, let me know, and I'll try to work something out if you win.

There will be a 48-hour period to enter for each photo, and only correct answers qualify. (sorry!) Entries from the Rafflecopter widget below will be the only ones accepted, the comments for these posts are closed.

OK, I think that's it. On to the first photo!

The hints:

1. This design is a wallpaper pattern on two different shows, one on CBS, the other on Showtime.

2. Both shows star a sarcastic female lead.

If you can name both shows, enter the name of one in the Rafflecopter field, and send the other to thedailynailcontest@gmail.com, but be sure to mark that you've done so on the Rafflecopter widget, or it will not count.  You have 48 hours- GO!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
For those interested in the nails, I used:

American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel Lopez Canyon mixed with Zoya Arizona for the orange, and Essie Little Brown Dress for the brown. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

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Creme of the Crop?

I can only stomach about one regular sized one per year, or a few of the mini ones, but I LOVE Cadbury Creme Eggs. I love the chocolate, I love the gooey inside. YUMMMM!  I wish they were sold here! Unfortunately, they're not, so I decided to do an homage to them on my nails for Easter. :) I must confess though, this wasn't the original design. I started out with a manicure that featured a variety of delicious Easter candy treats. When I finished that manicure, the only nail I really loved was the middle finger- the opened creme egg, so I decided to redo the rest of the nails!

Here is the final design:

and the original design:

For the final design, I used:

Thumb: The egg!

Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme as a base, shaded with a mix of Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme and American Apparel Hassid, and highlighted with a mixture of Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme, American Apparel Cotton, and CND Bicycle Yellow.

Middle: Opened Cadbury Creme Egg!

American Apparel Cotton as a base for the filling, with Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme over it for the chocolate shell. For the 'yolk', I used American Apparel Manila. To shade, I used Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme mixed with American Apparel Hassid, and to highlight, I mixed Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme with American Apparel Cotton.

Index, Ring & Pinky: The foil wrapper!

Zoya Trixie as a base, with China Glaze First Mate for the Blue, CND Bicycle Yellow for the yellow, and American Apparel Downtown LA for the red. For the white, I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White on!

For the original design, I used:

Thumb: Easter basket with Peeps Bunnies

American Apparel The Valley as a base, with CND Bicycle Yellow for the bunnies, shaded with Zoya Jancyn. For the basket, I used Color Club Yum Gum, shaded with OPI Do You Think I'm Texy, and American Apparel Crescent Heights and Nubar Forest for the grass.

Index: Creepy closeup of chocolate bunny eye

Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme as a base, mixed with American Apparel Cotton to highlight and American Apparel Hassid to shade. For the eye, I used ORLY Lemonade shaded with Zoya Jancyn and Zoya Robyn for the pupil. I also used Essie Matte About You over the eye since they're that crunch sugar royal icing type candy.

Middle: Opened Cadbury Creme Egg

American Apparel Cotton as a base for the filling, with Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme over it for the chocolate shell. For the 'yolk', I used American Apparel Manila. To shade, I used Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme mixed with American Apparel Hassid, and to highlight, I mixed Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme with American Apparel Cotton.

Ring: Cadbury Mini Eggs- MY ONE TRUE LOVE.

ORLY Lemonade as a base, lightly sponged with a mix of acetone and Nubar Milk Chocolate Creme, then topped with Essie Matte About You to get that matte candy shell look.

Pinky: Jellybean

OPI Do You Think I'm Texy as a base, with American Apparel Port to shade and sponged lightly to create the spots. Highlighted with a mix of OPI Do You Think I'm Texy and American Apparel Cotton.



In case you're wondering what is all over my hands, it's mehendi! (or mehndi, depending who you ask)

Here are the pictures of it! These pictures were taken when it still wasn't at its darkest- on my palms it was so dark it was nearly black in places!

Oh, and have you guys seen/heard of this?

The Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted?!?!  WHAAAAAAAT?!  Can someone send me this? Please?  

Cadbury, are you listening?!

Ok, enough candy/chocolate p o r n for tonight.  Happy Easter! 

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