Smith & Cult in 1972

Brand: Smith & Cult 8 Free

Shade: 1972
(rose gold color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$$$

The Scoop:
I first noticed this beauty because of the name, since I was born the following year. I bought it because the color was pretty. And I fell in love with it because of this bottle! It's as gorgeous as your nails will be. It's my new go-to summer shade!

Butter London in Scrumptious

Brand: Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer-Vernis

Shade: Scrumptious
(magenta purple color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
I'm loving this shade for Feb. I feel like red is too racy (and predictable), pink is too sweet. This dark magenta color feels sophisticated. Scrumptious, indeed!

Nails Inc. in Leicester Court & Old Church Street

Brand: Nails Inc. Stars & Gel Polish

Shades: Leicester Court & Old Church Street
(cream white color with sheer glossy finish and silver glitter stars)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
It's 2017! This combo is a bit much for me, but if you've ever imagined yourself as Elsa from Frozen, you just might love it.

Maybelline in Dust of Bronze & Mosaic Prison

Brand: Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer

Shades: Dust of Bronze & Mosaic Prison
(bronze brown color with sheer metallic and glitter finish)

Cost: $

The Scoop:
This is a pretty combo, and this brand is super cheap so splurge and get them both. Then your hands will look extra special when you ask the person sitting next to you at Thanksgiving to pass the cranberry sauce. And yes, I mean the kind from the can. We're being frugal, right?!

Julep in Suzanne & India

Brand: Julep

Shade: Suzanne & India
(cherry red & royal blue colors, iridescent finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
For July 4th, of course I had to whip out the spirit fingers as a salute to the red, white, and blue. Especially since the political scene is getting heated, it's a good reminder that at the end of the day, we're all Americans.

China Glaze in For Audrey

Brand: China Glaze Nail Lacquer

Shade: For Audrey
(Tiffany blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
As much as I like my Tiffany's jewelry, I'm definitely over this blue period.  It's bougie. And also kind of hurts my eyes. Maybe I might like it better on my toes -- where you forget you have it on, and then you take your shoe off and it's like, oh hey, piggies!

Julep in Isabela

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shade: Isabella
(neon periwinkle blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:

I loved this one in the bottle.  On my nails? No bueno. Maybe because they are so stubby and this bright color draws attention to it. Better luck next time...

Aurora in 4 Alarm Fire

Brand: Aurora Gel Effect Nail Lacquer

Shade: 4 Alarm Fire
(pinky red color, glossy finish)

Cost: $

The Scoop:
I got this shade in an Ipsy bag and it sat on my counter for a few months. Decided to give it a whirl for Valentine's Day. And go figure -- it was a bit disappointing, much like VDay. I wish the gel was thicker and the polish was more opaque.

Sally Hansen in Birthday Suit & Halloween Nailthins

Brand: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

Shade: Birthday Suit & Top Coat, plus Halloween Bat Nailthins
(beige-nude color, glossy finish, black bat)

Cost: $$$ (for the polish + the gel topcoat) and $ (for the appliques)

The Scoop:
I get to do some cool stuff at work.  Tomorrow, I'll throw an elegantly spooky Halloween party. We'll be doing bat-icures for our guests, so of course I had to try it for myself. Loved Sally, liked the Nailthins, but they're a bit hard to apply and look better from afar.

Covergirl in Emerald Blaze

Brand: Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss

Shade: Emerald Blaze
(mossy green iridescent color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
I got a lot of compliments on this one -- it was green in some lights and brownish in others. A nice fall shade.

Whim in Serendipity

Brand: Whim Nail Lacquer

Shade: Serendipity
(light blue color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
I picked this up on a trip to Ulta.  On a whim. (Couldn't resist.)  It's exclusive to the store but I'm not sure why this polish is so expensive. It seems like everything else out there, but the shade was unique. Reminds me of an Easter egg.

CND in Sugar & Spice

Brand: CND Vinylux Weekly Polish

Shade: Sugar & Spice
(bronze gold color, metallic finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This polish is supposed to get stronger with exposure to natural light. Apparently you are also supposed to use a special topcoat (which I neglected to buy). I don't know about you, but I'm getting kinda tired of having to buy these multi step polishes because each one is a different mix. Still, I like the shade.

Rimmel London in Stiletto Red

Brand: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Pro

Shade: Stiletto Red

Cost: $

The Scoop:
This is a great shade and you can't beat the price. I chose it because I was looking for something pretty and patriotic.  Mission accomplished!

Sally Hansen in Cha-Ching!

Brand: Sally Hansen Gem Crush Nail Color

Shade: Cha-Ching!
(bright red color with silver glitter finish)

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
This is a sparklebomb and I love it. I missed seeing the NYC fireworks this year from my apt because they were on the East River and I'm on the Hudson, but who needs them when I have nails like this?

10 Pinnable Manicures for Sparkling July 4th Nails

In July, one holiday comes to mind -- Independence Day. So naturally, I turned to Pinterest for nail art ideas to try this month.

But wait! I'm terrible at nail art. Even though I have this nail polish blog, my skills are basically limited to super easy stuff and stickers.

You too?

But Pinterest makes me believe I can paint fireworks, and American flags, and USA for the ultimate July 4th nails. So, here's a collection of my favorite patriotic red, white, and blue manis.

10 unique designs -- one for every finger (don't forget your toes!).

Get inspired...

Royal blue nails with a flag accent nail, by Rikiki

Red, white, & blue ombre nails with silver stars, by The TraceFace Philes

Red, white, & blue color blocks with star accent nail, by InStyle

Navy blue night sky with fireworks nail stamps, by Life in Lacquer

Blue nails with white stars and American flag accents, by Coewless

Red & white stripe nails with cupcake accent, by Rin's Nail Files

Red, blue, & silver nail art with swirls, stripes, & stars, by Sassy Shelly

Matte stars & stripes with red, silver, & blue nail art, by Celine Does Nails

Blue & white stars, red & white stripes, & a heart, by Daily Something

Matte blue nails with red & white striped stars, by Spellbound Nails

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Michael Kors in Sensation

Brand: Michael Kors Nail Lacquer, Sexy Shades

Shade: Sensation
(tomato red shade, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$$

The Scoop:
I know this is expensive, but I just can't say no to Michael. When I go for a bright red shade, I like ones like this that lean orange. I think it looks freshest on short nails. It also goes on in two coats and is super shiny -- for this price, it had better!

Julep in Lucky & Margot

Brand: Julep Nail Color

Shades: Lucky & Margot
(grass green color with glitter finish & pure gold color with shimmer finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
What better time than March to put the luck of the Irish on your fingertips? I think this pot of gold shade is a subtle tribute with a 4-leaf clover-colored accent nail. But the glitter was especially stubborn to remove.

Sephora in Infatuated

Brand: Sephora Formula X Color

Shade: Infatuated
(pale light blue color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$$

The Scoop:
The holidays are over, but my nails weren't ready to quit cold turkey. So, this manicure was born. A little bit fancy with the appliques (from Red Carpet Manicure). A little bit seasonal with the icy shade of blue.  Happy 2015!

Butter London in Come to Bed Red

Brand: Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer-Vernis

Shade: Come to Bed Red
(cherry red color, glossy finish)

Cost: $$$

The Scoop:
This is a classic red, perfect for all your holiday parties.  Butter is great because it's really glossy straight out of the bottle, but use a top coat anyway. Santa doesn't like chipped nails.

Essie in On a Silver Platter and No More Film

Brand: Essie Nail Lacquer

Shades: On a Silver Platter & No More Film
(silvery gold shade, blue and iridescent glitter with metallic finish & deep navy blue color, glossy finish

Cost: $$

The Scoop:
Did you know that today's a holiday? It's 10/10, the Perfect 10 Manicure Day! In honor, I'm posting one that combines all my favorite things: navy polish, something sparkly, and an accent nail.