New Manicure! My "Sprinter" Multicolored Mani

My friend Claire and I were doing our nails recently, and I couldn't commit to one color. And since I'm still on the multicolored manicure trend, and I don't see that ending anytime soon, I chose five different colors instead of one! I created what I've termed the "Sprinter" Multicolored Mani -- a spring-inspired manicure, even though it's still winter. Hence ... SPRINTER!

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My Latest Mani: Deborah Lippmann I'm Not Edible from the Spring 2013 Staccato Collection

There are just those nail polishes that grab you. The ones that pull you in time and time again. The ones that, even if it's been years, you always return to with a smile and a sense that they've brought you home. That's how I feel about Deborah Lippmann I'm Not Edible.

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Happy National Nail Polish Day! I'm Celebrating with a Rainbow Mani!

Once in a long while, a holiday comes along that just feels like it's meant for you. And when I found out today was National Nail Polish Day, how could I not want to take part in it? Enter my rainbow manicure ... because a holiday this good deserves more than one color to celebrate!

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Throwback Thursday: My 2016 in Nails

Another year is coming to a close. And, as I referenced in my Throwback Thursday post last week, many people are pretty happy to say goodbye to 2016. I've absolutely loved this year, though -- and my manicures are just one reason why. This year, I incorporated old standbys and new favorites into my nail polish rotation. I discovered (and fell in love with) some new brands and also revisited some of the colors I've loved for years. You may notice that some of the months are a bit more sparse or even missing in my roundup this year -- I must admit that I had some moments of bare nails! Looking back at my favorite manicures has become a pastime here on The Beauty of Life (for proof, check out My 2013 in Nails, My 2014 in Nails, and, yes, My 2015 in Nails). Revisit my favorites of 2016 with me this week!

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My New Nail Polish Love: Rescue Beauty Lounge Will They Won't They from the Anatomy of a #KDrama Collection

Do you ever have a nail polish that you covet for months and months (and months) until finally you succumb to its beauty and purchase it? Well, that was me when it came to Rescue Beauty Lounge Will They Won't They. This stunner from Summer 2014's Anatomy of a #KDrama Collection instantly captured my heart and soul -- but it wasn't until recently that I finally took the plunge.

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My Latest Mani: China Glaze Intelligence, Integrity & Courage from The Giver Collection

Back in December, I showed you my manicure with one of the colors from China Glaze's The Giver Collection for 2014, Release. At the time, I talked briefly about the impact that The Giver had on me. I also mentioned that I bought a second color from the collection: Intelligence, Integrity & Courage. I finally got around to wearing it all these months later!

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Manicures of the Week: Essie, Deborah Lippmann & Zoya

In any given week, I may polish my nails up to five times. This past week, I hit three. Here are the colors that called my name this week.

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Mani of the Week: HIPP x RGB F1

I've long been intrigued by the HIPPxRGB line of nail polish. The eight shades are created as a foundation for your nails, with a "nude" shade that should work for every skin tone. So when I was sent HIPPxRGB F1 to try out, I simply had to! Would this be the color that gave me mannequin hands?

Well, not quite ... but it is a pretty stunning nude for fair-skinned girls. I'd say that there's definitely not a nude in the line that will come any closer to my paler than pale skin tone! Plus, it applied like a dream and was completely opaque in two coats. Three days have seen minimal chips, and it dried to a gorgeously glossy finish.

What do you think of the HIPPxRGB line -- and this shade in particular? Would you check it out? And, what's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comments!

HIPPxRGB F1 retails for $16 at rgbcosmetics.com.

Mani of the Week: Essie Beyond Cozy

You know those colors that just call to you from afar? The ones that you know will change your life the moment you try them? Well, that's how I feel about Essie Beyond Cozy.

I stopped by Tenoverten for a manicure last night and this nail polish beckoned to me from the shelf. I was immediately dazzled by the densely packed silvery gold glitter within the bottle, especially since it wasn't suspended in a clear base. (I'm just not a fan of glitter nail polishes that don't appear dense on the nail in one coat.)

Well, color me impressed with this stunner! Two coats produced serious glittery goodness -- it leans more silver than gold on me, but I'm okay with that. I seriously can't stop staring at my nails!

What's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comment!

Essie Beyond Cozy retails for $8 at beauty.com.

Mani of the Week: My Very First Jelly Sandwich Manicure!

I'm really excited about my manicure this week. I've long been wanting to try the jelly sandwich -- I just think it's such a cool idea, and a very easy way to do nail art. But for some reason, I just got around to it! So, presenting my very first jelly sandwich manicure.

For this manicure, I used the following two colors:

Zoya Katherine (a semi-sheer aubergine jelly from the Gloss collection)
NARS Arabesque (a baby pink glitter in a sheer base)

This is honestly one of the easiest manicures to do. After applying a base coat (my favorite is always CND Stickey), you simply paint the polishes over each other one layer at a time, starting with the jelly. Wait for each layer to dry before applying the next, and make sure your layers are on the thin side so they'll show through each other.

Depending on how sandwich-like your manicure looks after two coats of jelly and one coat of glitter, you may be able to stop. Mine was fairly sandwich-like already, but I decided to apply another sandwich layer, so the end result of layers went a little something like this:

Zoya Katherine
NARS Arabesque
Zoya Katherine
NARS Arabesque
Zoya Katherine

At that point, I was satisfied with how the manicure looked and finished it off with a layer of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat for extra shine. And that's all it takes!

Have you tried a jelly sandwich manicure? What colors did you use, and how did it turn out? Let me know in the comments!

Mani of the Week: butter LONDON West End Wonderland

Recently, I discovered the amazingness that is Coterie. Haven't heard about it yet? Well, Coterie is the latest in a line of sample sale websites -- and the one that brought me butter LONDON West End Wonderland.

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Mani of the Week: Chanel Peridot

I have longed to try Chanel Peridot since it was released last fall. I really don't know what the holdup was -- just laziness, I suppose! Luckily, I finally tried it during my visit to Fix Beauty Bar this past weekend, and I can say with absolute certainty that IT. IS. AMAZING.

Is it green? Is it gold? It's BOTH. I love the dichotomy of the colors, and the way the polish changes in the light. You can even see both colors in the picture above, which I think is especially cool.

Plus, even though Peridot has a super shimmery finish, there are no streak marks, making it A-OK in my book. Now all that's left is for me to actually buy it and add it to my Chanel collection!

What's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comments!

Mani of the Week: Pink Ombre Nails

Remember the green ombre manicure I did awhile back? Well, it got me thinking. I have so many amazing shades of every color under the sun -- why not try another ombre mani? And this week, I was inspired by all the pink nail polishes in my stash. Presenting my pink ombre nails!

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Mani of the Week: M.A.C Soiree

I wanted something that sparkled this week -- and what better choice than M.A.C Soiree? This nail polish was originally part of the brand's Charm Pale collection back at the beginning of 2011, and now it's part of the permanent Nail Lacquer collection. I love the bronze-y gold hue, especially since it's packed to the gills with shimmer. The color feels like a nude, but with the frosty finish, it still catches the eye.

But what I really love? The formula! One coat covered the nail perfectly, although I did two for good measure. And, unlike a lot of other metallics, there are no streak marks. It applies evenly and dries beautifully.

What's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comments!

Mani of the Week: butter LONDON Dodgy Barnett and Dior Pink Graffiti

I'm completely in love with my manicure this week. I don't want to toot my own horn TOO loudly, but I think this color combination is pretty darn fantastic. I decided to pair butter LONDON Dodgy Barnett, one of the colors from the new Fall 2012 collection, with Dior Pink Graffiti, part of the brand's Spring 2012 Anselm Reyle collection. The result is bold, attention-grabbing and perfectly walks the line between the warmth of summer and the coolness of fall.

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Mani of the Week: butter LONDON Two Fingered Salute

As I write this, I'm tingling all over with excitement. In just a few minutes, I'm leaving to see the one and only MADONNA, live and in concert in Boston! I'm so excited to see her, and I decided I needed a fun nail polish color to celebrate the occasion. Enter butter LONDON Two Fingered Salute, one of the colors from the new Fall 2012 collection.

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Mani of the Week: butter LONDON Trustafarian

The perfect holographic nail polish? I'm pretty sure I've found it in butter LONDON Trustafarian. One of the brand's new colors for Fall 2012, it's described as sage green with a golden holographic finish. I definitely see both of the colors there, although on me it pulls more gold than green.

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Cross My Heart: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Speed Dating

Before the weekend hit, I painted my nails a grand total of six times. And it's not that I didn't love the various colors or brands I used ... but none of the finished results really seemed right. So I kept removing the polish, becoming increasingly frustrated, until I realized: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Speed Dating were sitting right in front of me.

Immediately, my mood lifted. These nail polish strips just make manicures so easy. I love the array of sizes offered, from tiny to huge, so they're perfect for any nail shape. And this glittery, oversized heart design in particular is just so fun and flirty that even though it's nowhere close to Valentine's Day, I couldn't help myself.

And here's the best part. I applied them on a plane in under 10 minutes, while we were taxiing down the runway. No mess, no cleanup, and no topcoat required (although I did paint them with Seche Vite once reaching my destination, which gets rid of the jagged feeling at the edges).

In conclusion? I HEART this manicure!

This particular design was a limited edition for Valentine's Day, but many other designs are available for $9 each at drugstore.com.

Mani of the Weekend: Zoya FeiFei

Jewelry for the nails. That's what Zoya FeiFei, one of the colors from Zoya's new Diva collection, looks like to me. I needed a really special color to celebrate my 10 year New Yorkiversary tonight and this was it. While it's described as a medium steel blue with gold, pink and blue iridescent metallic sparkle, it changes based on the light and glistens to no end. It can go from looking blue to grey in a heartbeat, all the while shimmering and glittering with the best of them. I love how special this color is and how special it makes me feel while I'm wearing it. Perfect to celebrate this momentous milestone!

What's on your nails this weekend? Let me know in the comments!

Mani of the Week: Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H

Oh, Rescue Beauty Lounge. You do it to me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. My best friend, Katie, bought me Catherine H for my birthday -- and, as much as I love the color, it took me until now to finally use it! I kept looking at it, and looking at it, and looking at it, and ... well, you get the picture. It just seemed so beautiful and perfect that I didn't want to sully the bottle with actual use. Of course, that finally seemed crazy, so I opened it up and painted my nails with the polish last night.

Perfection in a bottle. Really and truly, the beauty knows no bounds. The polish applies like a dream, evenly in two coats (one is actually dark enough to cover the nail, but I like to do two for good measure). The hue is a gorgeous blend of purple and deep blue that reminds me of the sky as the sun is about to set. Gold and iridescent shimmer give it a unique quality. Interestingly, it actually looks more purple than blue to me, both in person and in photos -- but it's definitely Catherine H, not Catherine, which was the more purple of this collection. In any case, it's a keeper!

What's on your nails this week? Let me know in the comments!