Paint All the Nails Presents: Monochrome

Purchased by Me

Press Samples

Hey all! It's that time of the month in which my fellow Paint All the Nails bloggers and I link up in a group nail art challenge. This month we voted on Monochrome as the theme and I am over-the-top excited to share with you what I came up with. 

When we picked the theme of Monochrome, to make it more of a challenge, it was decided that we could be keeping a strict interpretation of the theme, no other colors beyond grayscale. I love black and white together and while I do appreciate bright pops of color, a stark black and white contrast is one of my favorite things to see. I had a number of ideas that I wanted to try so I ended up with not one, but three designs! Let's start with the first one:

For my first attempt, I decided to try a simple black and white stamped look. Stamping is not something I do as often as freehand nail art, so while I like how this flows together, I wish it was just a bit more crisply done. Gotta practice my stamping technique more. I used Rica Whiteout as my base color, and Blackout to stamp the lines from a Moyou Pro plate. I added a layer of Darling Diva Polish Crazy Doesn't Even Begin to Cover It, which is a holo topper that I will be reviewing soon. 

My next attempt was a negative space look. You guys know how much I love negative space. I went with this mod looking design using Cirque Colors Carpe Diem and Memento Mori, plus a few curved nail vinyls and some striping tape. 

My last design is a free hand floral one. For this look, I decided to use my other go-to black and white polishes, Pretty Serious Absence for the base and Presence (plus a few dabs of Absence) to create the flowers. It was a close call, but this may be my favorite of the three designs. 

Click on the links below to see what the other bloggers have created! 

An InLinkz Link-up

The Beauty Quartet Out With the Cold, In With the Hue April Box: Swatches and Review

Provided for Review

Hello! I am excited to share with you The Beauty Quartet Box for April, themed Out With the Cold, In With the Hue. If you don't have experience with the previously released boxes, here is a little blurb to introduce you: 

So, with that info in hand, you are probably wondering what is in this month's box. April's Out With the Cold, In With the Hue box will consist of four polishes from Smokey Mountain Lacquers, Philly Loves Lacquer, Digital Nails, and guest maker Rica, as well as four other nail products from those same makers. 

The Beauty Quartet Box is available now until March 15th, as a pre-order (though quantities max out at 50) in Philly Loves Lacquer's shop for $50 shipped in the US, $55 shipped to Canada, and $60 shipped internationally. 

Smokey Mountain Lacquers Electric Sun

Two coats

Mid-tone yellow creme with yellow shimmer

This is such a sunny color, you can't help but be cheered up by it. No issues with formula. 

Smokey Mount Lacquers Chocolate Angel Cake Cuticle Oil Rollerball

This is a full size rollerball, not a mini. The scent is just the right amount of sweetness to it. 

Rica You're No April Fool

Three coats

Magenta linear holographic

I love the color, it's definitely one of my favorite shades of pink. The formula is on the thin side, but I got full color coverage in three coats. I don't have any direct sunlight photos for you, as the weather has been rainy and gloomy for weeks where I live. 

Rica Glossy Glam Top Coat

This is a full size bottle of top coat, which was a very nice addition, I can never have too much top coat. 

Digital Nails To Thine Own Self Be True

Two coats

Bright periwinkle blue with varied blue iridescent glitter

Another beautiful color! I especially like the glints of iridescence you see from the glitter in periwinkle base. It is on the thick side but that did not give me issues with application. 

Digital Nails Bitter Almond Handmade Soap Square

This soap is just the right size and smells so good. 

Philly Loves Lacquer Screw You, Groundhog! 

Two coats

Coral orange linear holo with gold shimmer

I am gonna mention the color again but it's only because that is my favorite aspect of the box, all four polish colors (including this one) are nice and bright and definitely fit into the theme. This holo has a jelly base but it is opaque enough that I need just two coats for coverage. 

Philly Loves Lacquer Could It BE Any Sunnier?! linear holographic top coat

This little mini bottle is so cute! And you can add some holo sparkle to whatever base you choose. 

As I mentioned early, I wasn't able to get direct sunlight photos but I still wanted to show off how it would look over a base, so I applied it over one of my go-to blues, Nina Ultra Pro Cobalt

Remember the box is only available via Philly Loves Lacquer's shop until March 15th