Red Carpet Ready

If you follow me on any of my social networks (cough, instagram, cough), you know how obsessed I am with my nails. Hello!? CC: two posts below! It is no exaggeration when I tell you that I can tire of a fresh manicure the day it's executed. Although you will never find any manicure of mine lacking special sparkle, there are a few events in particular that call for a little extra attention in the detail department. Cue the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Award Season to the ladies is what the Super Bowl means to the men. All we want is a few uninterrupted hours of television time to ogle our favorite celebrities while they battle it out for the gold. Please leave us alone. 

Unless you want to give us a back rub. 

Then you can stay.

The Oscars almost always prompts a low-key celebration, but it's a television event that warmly welcomes chilled drinks with a girlfriend, particularly dark shades of lipstick, and clearly..  

a posh set of nails.

I'm ready to roll for Sunday. But this manicure is easy to replicate, 

and can be toned down if you're not into all the glitz.

{ Wait, you're not!?!?! ;) }

Because I'm a design cheater and have an embarrassingly big collection of nail ornaments like these gorgeous diamond bows and flatback gold stars, pimping out this look wasn't terribly complicated. However, with a steady hand and a bit of patience, the bow and stars can easily be drawn, kind of like the black-tie suit (I used these; they're great).

My stars are already on the red carpet. . . can't wait to see what Sunday brings! xx

Colors used {excluding nail pen artwork}

American Apparel's Metallic 'Gold Flash'

Butter London's 'West End Wonderland'

Essie's 'Going Incognito'

Urban Outfitters' 'Blood'

Cozy Holiday Wishlist

There is very little that I love about the winter, but at the top of my list every year are the holidays. Surprise! I always keep a rolling wish list so that my family need never guess what I might want (Have I ever mentioned that I'm the favorite child!?). While my list is quite large (and err, specific), there is no doubt that there are staple cold-weather supplies I request every holiday season.

By no means am I a jewelry girl (my jewelry box is small, filled only with a few special pieces), but every once in awhile, something different catches my eye. Newly working in retail, I've fallen madly in love with Rock Candy jewelry (I want it all!). Cozy sweaters, warm driving gloves (aren't these amazing?), musky candles and soft throws are top priority as well.

Splurgy wintery beauty items high on my list? Moisturizer, tan-in-a-can, gorgeous nail lacquers and subtle lip colors. What are you asking this year for the holidays? Share items from your wish list below so I can peak!

Winter Wonderland Mani

Although I seriously cannot deal with the cold, I couldn't have been more inspired by today's gorgeous white fluffy tufts of snow. It was truly a Winter Wonderland sight, and I couldn't wait to get home and record the weather on my hands. Normal, right? Earlier today, I spotted Free People's fun DIY Snow Nails, and immediately realized the improvements that could be made with a touch of Julie flare (because textured nails simply are not pizazzed enough).

A step-by-step on how I get my cutiepie designs looking fab.

(PS, the pictures do not do it justice. He-llllllo sparkly fingers!)

Not super necessary, but knowing which color palettes I'm going to need to achieve the most perfect nails possible ahead of time helps with my motivation. Just go with me here! ;)

I actually used two coats total before I slathered on the third for the glitter. Working with white is really tricky, for all you novice manicuristas!

The glitter I used is actually from my arts & crafts closet (can you tell I was an Artsy Annie as a child?), but powder-thin glitter is a supply that I'm sure is not that difficult to track down. *The step I didn't show, but is very important, is sealing your glittery nails with a thick clear top coat. Failure to do this will probably lead to sparkly bedsheets, and thus, vampire skin in the morning.

Picking out the colors I'm going to use for the snowman. I have an entire collection of thin-tipped polishes (minus an orange one - grrr), which certainly help small design application. For the record, I'd never be able to create intricate designs without these polishes, so if you're serious about having some fun (HA HA), invest!

Okay, so I'm totally telling the truth. I'm good at this stuff because I paint my nails every day (you can view some of my designs on my Instagram account). That said, you also need a chunk of time and a steady hand (if you're a novice, start applying simple designs with your dominant hand). I love getting ideas from Pinterest, WeHeartIt and good ol' trusty Google.

Voila! Do you like? So fun for this weather!