31 Week Nail Art Challenge - Week 27: Inspired By Artwork

Today's post is another post in the 31 Week Nail Art Challenge. We're up to Week 27, or nails inspired by artwork so I used "Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952" by Jackson Pollock as my inspiration and came up with this manicure.

Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952 looks like this: 

Jackson Pollock has always fascinated me because his work looks like pure chaos but at the same time I like looking at it. And if Jackson Pollock isn't your style, here's a photo of me with the Mona Lisa that we took at a sculpture garden recently. You could actually go behind the painting and see what the Mona Lisa (whoever she actually is) looked like beyond what you could see in the picture. It was a 3D Monda Lisa!

Next up: Week 28, Inspired By a Flag. We're almost finished everyone!!

Decking the Halls (and Nails)

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving Day was fun and everyone enjoyed time with family and copious amounts of turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato, cranberry, and, my favorite, mashed potatoes. After we got over the turkey and mashed potato induced comas, Andrew and I started to deck the halls of our apartment. It's officially Christmastime. I eagerly repainted my nails to the first holiday manicure of the season.

I've been in a stamping mood these last few weeks and I couldn't wait to do Christmas stamp. What do you think? Are you doing any holiday-theme nails? Some other holiday themed nails  I've tried include funky skittlette and the Christmas Carol Challenge.

I may have finished my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. Finally I get to put them under the tree!

Christmas is coming!!

31 Week Nail Art Challenge - Week 26: Inspired by a Pattern

Happy Black Friday shopping everyone! I'm hopelessly behind in the 31 Week Nail Art Challenge so I'm going to be posting more often than weekly in order to get this challenge finished. This week's prompt had me stumped though. A pattern? I mean, there are so many options! Do I do plaid because plaid is rad? Or maybe polka dot because I love them lots. Or maybe checkered, striped, or chevron?? Either way, there is no shortage of pattern possibilities. I settled on these: Ikat Nails.

What do you think? What's your favorite pattern?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Today is Thanksgiving Day for Americans so I hope you (if you're America) get to spend time with the people are special to you today and enjoy wayyy too much food. Eh, even if it's not Thanksgiving for you, I hope you get to spend today with the people who are special to you.

Thanksgiving Nails 2015

I love stamped nail designs. They're easy to do, they're quick, and they really look great when done correctly (or even incorrectly sometimes). For Thanksgiving tomorrow I was still thinking about my pumpkin cheesecake colored polish so I wanted to use that in my ultimate holiday design. Therefore, I used OPI Bronzed to Perfection as a base and then stamped BundleMonster BM214 in Color Club Kismet to make these gorgeous Thanksgiving 2015 nails. I think the holo really adds to it and this will look great with what I'm wearing!

I really like how they came out and how well I took the photos. Holos can be hard to capture but I think I got it quite nicely. Yay for good photos!!

I tried to get a closeup that was semi out of focus to show all the different colors in the holo. Did it work?

Show me your Thanksgiving manicures if you did one -- just leave a link in the comments! Otherwise, have a great Thanksgiving with family, friends, or at least some good food!

Also there's a  blog giveaway over on Colores de Carol! Visit this link to enter!

31 Week Nail Art Challenge - Week 25: Inspired By Fashion

Finally moving forward with the 31 Week Nail Art Challenge today. Yes, it's been a while since I started it but I am determined to finish it by the end of this year! This week is Week 25: Inspired By Fashion and I came up with these nails:

For manicure inspiration, I googled fashion trend 2016 and found this article from Harper's Bazaar, which informed me that when something shows up 3 times on a runway it's a trend. So what is a fashion trend for Spring 2016? Tie Dye, apparently. I also used ChalkboardNails as an inspiration for the technique.

Honestly, I don't think this is a new trend though. It seems like everyone already loves their tie dyed stuff:

We've got tie dye yoga pants from Shining Shakti, Christian Louboutin Pigalle Follies Pumps,  Neff Backpack, Stance Socks, and even a Kate Spade baby bag!

Next up: Nails inspired by a pattern!

PS On TV tonight is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving...so check out my Charlie Brown nails from a couple weeks ago.

Didn't Think Outside the Box

Random nail art today, wasn't feeling much inspiration this morning but wanted to get yesterday's fail off my nails. So enjoy these blue squares on a black background? Let's just say today was not a day that I thought outside of the box.

BUT my boyfriend and I tried our hands at making a festive Thanksgiving dinner tonight! Our parents always cook actual Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day so we've never been able to try it out ourselves. Can I just say it was a screaming success. We made the works: turkey breast (it didn't make sense to roast a whole bird for just the two of us), mashed potatoes, biscuits, jellied cranberry sauce, stuffing, asparagus, and gravy. Yummmm!

Nail Fail: Thanksgiving Edition

Unfortunately, every once in a while a nail design does not turn out as well as you hope for. I'm sure I am not alone in feeling this way. These nails are the first "nail fail" in a while here on The Files and I had such high hopes for it!

I think it needed a different base polish. I thought China Glaze Hybrid would be ok but it is way too shimmery. I need a tan polish with a creme or jelly finish (any suggestions anyone??). I think I would have liked that better. Back to the drawing board for Thanksgiving Day nails.

Swatch: Bronzed to Perfection

I forgot that I had this polish until I saw it in my drawer yesterday when I was looking for the perfect brown to use in a Thanksgiving design. No luck on the perfect brown (lol I was looking for the perfect brown in this post too and that was years ago!) but I was excited to see this one. It reminded me of the pumpkin cheesecake that Andrew and I made for his mother's birthday this past week. This is a beautiful pumpkin cheesecake color, is it not?

And a quick peak at the pumpkin cheesecake (before we took it out of the pan) we made for his mom. The polish truly is exactly the same color. Too bad I can't make a pumpkin cheesecake nail design.

Trendy Oh So Trendy Thin Border Nails

Just a quick post because I'm about to leave for the gym in a couple minutes but I wanted to photograph this manicure in case it gets ruined during my workout. You know those treadmills and machines fight back! Do you remember when thin border nails were THE TREND for manicures? Yes, back in 2012 or so. I never really got into it and last time I tried it I ended up turning the design into ninjas. Today I decided to give it another go:

I chose Essie Vested Interest for the base and then used Ink Nail Art Silver (NA16) to line the edges. It's like eyeliner for your nails. So what do you think? Should we leave this trend back in 2012 or give it another shot?

Peace for the World. Peace for Paris.

NOTE: This post is not going to be my typical upbeat happy post with nail pictures. It will have nail pictures but the inspration is bigger and different than my standard manicure. 

In 2001, when I was eleven years old, the September 11th terrorist attack occurred in New York. I remember the day clearly but I know that I didn't realize at the time what exactly the attack meant, couldn't appreciate the full extent of lives lost, or recognize the tragedy that swept America and the supporting world. Fast forward fourteen years and I find myself again glued to news updates reporting on yet another terrorist attack forged against a country much like my own. I am no less stunned than I was as an eleven year old in 2001. First there was a suicide bombing in Beirut. Then there was larger scale terror attack in Paris, France.

I have always been intrigued by the French ever since I selected "Chloe" as my french name in my high school French class. I dream of traveling there and experiencing the culture, visiting the landmarks I've seen over and over again, sampling the french food, and being part of something different. I've always felt that America is my country but Paris is my hometown. To see the tragedy that befell Paris, the second terrorist action in less than one year, I am immensely saddened. This time I can fully realize what the attack means, I can appreciate the extent of innocent lives stolen, and I can recognize the tragedy that is sweeping Paris. I am a supporter of Paris and I stand with America and with Paris. I support Peace for Paris, and even more I support Peace for the World. Nations upon nations have shown support for Paris, illuminating landmarks with the blue, white, and red. These include Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Toronto's CN Tower, New York's One World Trade Center, and Sydney's Opera House. I don't have a landmark to project the colors on but I do have my nails...and they will have to do. 

Veterans Day 2015

Hope everyone had a great day today. It's Veterans Day here in America so if you are an American please take a moment today to think about all the service members serving in our armed forces. My dad is a Marine and I am very proud of his military commitment and sacrifice so I painted this nail design for today:

Oorah! These were inspired by the USMC "dress blues."  See my Veterans Day manicures from 2010 and 2013.

And in case you're hungry, here's a photo of some delicious chocolate chip muffins I made today:

The Gang on the Big Screen

In case you didn't know already, one of the most beloved group of buddies are now on the big screen! Yes, I'm talking about the gang.....the Peanuts! Charlie Brown and his buddies are featured in a movie and you bet I'm going to see it tonight with one of the biggest CB fans I know (my Pops) and my boyfriend. I have no idea what the movie is about because the trailer really doesn't give away too much information but I'm sure it will be adorable and will make the late creator Charles Schulz proud. Check out the trailer:

When I was in grade school I actually wrote a research paper on Charles Schulz and the Peanuts. I wish I could remember more or find the paper to see what exactly I wrote about! My nails for my little movie outing are inspired by probably the most recognizable aspect of Charlie Brown -- his yellow and black shirt!

And a final little note for this post about news for me: I passed the other Bar Exam that I took in July! So that means I am now "barred" in two states and can practice law in two different state markets. This helps because unfortunately I am still searching for a job using my skills and knowledge I spent so long perfecting. I have applied SO many places and I have a job lead but it's too soon to tell. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Wishlist Wednesday: November Edition

I have officially started my countdown to Christmas. Of course I am much too old for Santa Claus but I do like to spoil myself every now again (mostly around Christmas and then again in May around my birthday) so I typically will have a wishlist going of items that I am drooling over and want to buy for myself. Today's post are my November Favorites, things on my wishlist to buy for myself. Naturally, I'm not Ivanka Trump or Paris Hilton so these items may require some serious saving!

This Tahari ASL Sleeveless Belted Sheath Dress would be perfect for a job interview or wearing to work with a blazer and heels. I love that it's grey because I need a grey dress (I already have a black sheath dress) and the silhouette is flattering on literally any body shape. The belt is a nice accent too! However, this dress is priced at $129.00 so I would need a big sale to purchase it right now.

Next is the newest bag I'm drooling over.: the Michael Kors Hamilton tote with saffiano leather. First it was the Louis Vuitton Speedy but Andrew surprised me with that to celebrate my 25th birthday and my law school graduation. I've had my eye on it for awhile and I think this would be a really good investment for work. It's long enough that it could fit a portfolio or files in comfortably and I don't think it would be too bulky. Again, with a price tag of $358.00 this bag is out of reach for the moment.

Next are two things that inspired my blog's current look (gold dots). Say Hello to an adorable Kate Spade vase:

And an adorable Kate Spade wallet:

There's just something about white and gold dots that seem so classic and chic to me. This Cedar Street Confetti Dot Lacey wallet is $178.00 and the color is "Bridal Cream." Cute no?? Would be adorable as a wallet or as a clutch to use on its own for a wedding.

Lastly, I NEED this shirt for New Year's Eve this year. Is that not perfect?? I love champagne and if being a lawyer didn't work out I would have tried to be a professional celebrater. It's by a company called T and J and is sold for $32. Unfortunately the small and medium sizes are on backorder until December! Sadness! I mean clearly Kate Middleton has it right (photo taken from The Inner Duchess of Kate Middleton tumblr):

Because I passed both bars (and have been officially admitted to one so far) I may have to purchase one of these to celebrate. That's no small feat!

Is there anything on your wishlist right now?? Share it in the comments below!

To(e)tally Tuesday: Frankenstein Tootsies

Aww booooo, Halloween is over and we officially started the month of November! I can't believe it. Soon we will be sitting down at the Thanksgiving dinner table, then we'll be giving and receiving Christmas presents from Santa (or not depending on your religion), and finally we'll be celebrating the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 during New Year's Eve. But before we get into all of that, let's have one last Halloween nail design shall we? I did some Frankenstein toes....although Frankenstein seems to be rocking some Justin Beiber hair.

Inspired by: Fall Foliage

And hello to sweaters, boots, and scarves! I may not get psyched when the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (or "PSL" as my friends call it) hits the shops (I don't drink coffee) but I am excited about sweaters, boots, and scarves, or "SBS" as I call it. It's all so very autumn and cozy AND it means we have officially entered HOLIDAY SEASON. Today I was going through some photos and thinking about all the fall foliage we see in the Northeast this time of year. These colorful leaves inspired me to create these sponged nails:

If you're not from a part of the US (or world) that sees the leaves change from healthy greens to variations of red, yellow, orange, I snapped these couple photos recently: