Easy Halloween Nail Art: Orange and Black Drips

After moving, getting a dog, losing my camera, finding my camera, going on a billion business trips, and surviving a nail art slump, I have new nail art for you for the very best nail art holiday: Halloween! I kept it simple and semi-local, with Gryffindor from Paint Box Polish, based out of my hometown, Richmond Indiana.

Gryffindor is a sparkly burnt orange with gold glittery shimmer and a great formula. This is two easy coats. For the accent, I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails XTreme Wear in Black Out, my go-to shiny basic black.





When I was running my topcoat over this mani, I noticed an unexpected but super awesome quirk of using these two colors together: Gryffindor surrenders a tiny amount of it's orange and gold sparkle into the black, leaving a lit from within subtle shimmer. It's hard to describe, but it's pretty cool.









This dripping blood look is probably familiar to you if you've been reading for a while. I admit it, it's a total throwback to my Monster Blood nails from 2014. Drip nails are just so incredibly easy and versatile. Black and orange makes it distinctly Halloween-y, and Gryffindor combined with the patent black shine keeps it classy. It also looks good on shorties. About a day into this mani (yeah, by the way, this mani was 3 days old when I took the photos!), my thumb rebelled. I refused to go gentle into that good night, so I filed it down and repainted it with the same design. Still works!

So how does one create this super easy drip design? All you need is a dotting tool (or toothpick, or bobby pin, or anything else with a small, roundish tip). Make three largish dots, then drag the polish upward to the top of the nail, Connect with a stripe of polish on top, arching it a little bit. I like to add a teardrop shaped dab a little further down the nail, too. It's seriously one of the easiest nail art looks I know. It doesn't have to be perfect-in fact, it's a little better if it's not.


What are you wearing on your nails for Halloween? Do you agree that it's the best nail art holiday, or do you have a different favorite?

Review: Luster's Pink Hot Oil Treatment

I know it's been a while since I posted new nails (or new anything...), but can we talk about hair for a minute? I'm biracial, and I have thick, curly hair naturally. After years of wearing it straight as my everyday look, the gorgeous curly girls online gave me the courage to go natural for a while. For the past year or so, I've worn my natural texture. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't, but there's a lot to be said for wash-and-go hair that's pretty much immune to the weather.

The trouble is, between years of heat damage, lack of regular trims (my bad), and the tendency for my hair type to skew dry, the moist, well defined curls I really crave still elude me. So I decided to try something new-a hot oil treatment. I went with the super affordable, one dose tube of Luster's self heating hot oil. This isn't my pic, but it looks kind of like this:

This "10-n-1" oil contains all kinds of moisture staples like coconut, jojoba, and shea oils. The ingredients were actually a little unexceptional, but Luster's Pink products have never done me wrong, and I had $2 and some time, so I decided to give it a shot.

I don't always look this mean-blame RBF.

My first impression was that it felt sticky, like slightly runny honey. However, once I rubbed it in my hands, it loosened up and warmed to a comfortable temperature. I didn't have any trouble getting it through my towel dried hair, in sections because my hair is pretty thick. I felt like I didn't need the whole tube, but I used it all anyway, then waited 15-20 minutes and washed out. Then I put a satin-feel cap over my hair and went to bed.

In the morning, my hair was still a little damp (normal for me), but my curls were noticeably more defined than usual. It finished drying, and felt bouncy. My hair never feels bouncy! It also feels softer than usual. Here's what I looked like after 20 minutes of walking and a handful of meetings.

My curls were still in good shape even after a heavy dose of wind. This is definitely something I can see as a regular part of my routine as I continue my pursuit of well-controlled coils. 

What are your favorite moisturizing hair products? Have you tried hot oil?