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Saturday, March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day Manicure Round-Up (pic heavy)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, my lovelies! Last week I asked for reader photos of your St. Patrick's Day manicures and boy, you did NOT disappoint! In fact, the response was so overwhelming (200+ submissions!) that I'm unable to feature every photo I received in this post. After many hours of going over your submissions, I narrowed it down to 42 photos (please trust me when I say that this was more difficult to do than you can possibly imagine), but please know that I truly loved each and every photo sent to me, and I wish I could have featured them all.

I used a lot of different criteria for narrowing down this list. Of course artistic skill and creativity were important, but I also selected some designs that were executed in a way that is not only beautiful, but accessible for those of us who are not "hardcore nail people". I wanted this post to be full of "oohs" and "aahs" but also I wanted it to be about inspiration, so I deliberately chose some photos of manicures that might make you say, "Hey, I can do that!" and send the message that anyone can have pretty nails, even without the skill that comes with years and years of practice.

There's a little bit of everything here, from simple layering to intricate nail art to water marbling to stamping to frakening and everything in between, so I hope there's something here to inspire newbies, polish addicts, seasoned nail artists and anyone else who loves nail polish!

PLEASE NOTE: these photos are not in any sort of order. I love each and every one of these manicures and I would never try to "rank" anyone's skill or creativity!

That said, let's start with Mr. G's personal favorite (he didn't help me narrow down the list, but he did watch me look at all the photos and offered his "two cents" about the ones he loved). This first photo is the one that actually made him say, "WOW, that is AMAZING" so congrats, Sarah at Chalkboard Nails! My boyfriend's in love with your nails!

 Sarah at Chalkboard Nails blog submitted this free-hand white clover mani:


Sarah of Chalkboard Nails used:
Orly Fresh
Konad Special Polish White (but this design is not stamped)

Reader Kari of Once Bitten Blog submitted this "Pints of Guinness" manicure:

 Kari of Once Bitten used: 
Essie Little Brown Dress
Essie Marshmallow

Reader Julia submitted this sparkly manicure:


Julia used:
3 coats Sinful Colors "Happy Ending" 
1 coat Sinful Colors "Call You Later"


Reader Elizabeth submitted this emerald and glitter accent mani:


Elizabeth used:
Wet N wild 446C Carribbean Frost
on accent nail Party of Five Glitters 238C


Reader Lekiliana submitted this magnetic polish mani:


 Lekiliana used:
Icing's MagnetiX-Gold
Rush 60 Second High Speed Top Coat


Reader  Teresa of ChaChaCakes submitted this Leprechaun nail art mani:

 Teresa of ChaChaCakes used:
On all but the ring finger:
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Going Green with Sinful Colors Green Ocean on top
For the Leprechaun on the ring finger:
Wet n Wild fastdry in SaGreena the Teenage Witch
Opi Chopsticking to my Story
China Glaze Orange Marmalade
Sally Hansen nail art pen in White
Opi Lucky Lucky Lavender
Zoya Pandora
Jordana Pop Art in Express in Yellow
Art Deco stripers in Black and Gold Glitter


Reader Vicky from Pish Posh Avenue submitted this green ombre mani:


Vicky used:
China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint
essence You Belong To Me
Wet n Wild I Need a Refresh-Mint
Etude House V.V.I.P. Girl GR605
Sally Hansen Fairy Teal topped with Essie As Gold As It Gets


Reader SayAnythingBrooke submitted this clover-stamped mani:


SayAnythingBrooke used:
Mac Peppermint Patti
Konad Special Princess Polish in "Deep Jungle" for stamping


Reader Hebridean Sprite submitted this glowy mani:


Hebridean Sprite used:
 Sephora OPI's Caught with my Kahki's down
Sinful Colors Green Ocean flakie polish


Reader starlesssky386 submitted this green, orange and white water marble mani:


starlesssky386 used:
Beauty Secrets Base Coat & Ridge Filler
Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Going Green
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
the clovers are Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Going Green
Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta Dri

Reader Natalie Hua of Natalie's Creations submitted this asymmetrical french mani:

Natalie Hua used:
Sally Hansen's Hard as Nail Extreme wear in Mint Sorbet
Wet n Wild's Wild shine in Caribbean


Reader Winnie @ RRRawr//NAILed submitted this navy, mint and gold nail art mani:


Winnie @ RRRawr//NAILed used:
Revlon’s Fashionista for base
Revlon’s Copper Penny for the gold dots
“Magic Nail” Nail art polish in Lime Green for the shamrocks and stripe on thumb (it has no name)
“Magic Nail” Nail art polish in Gold for the stripe on the thumb 


Reader Crested Dog Mom submitted this green holo manicure:


 Crested Dog Mom used:
Sally Hansen Age Correct Growth base coat (one coat)
Milani Hi-Tech (holographic) (three coats)
Seche Vite top coat (one coat)

Reader TrueBeautyU of TrueBeautyU blog submitted this green & silver crackle mani:


TrueBeautyU used:
Revlon Top Speed in Emerald
LA Girls Cracked in Shattered


Reader Jessica of BeautyGnome submitted this polka dot & nail art manicure:
 

Jessica of BeautyGnome used:
Revlon Colorstay in Rainforest
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Grass Slipper
Essie Licorice
L'Oreal Amazon's Flash
Revlon Posh
Orly Charged Up
Wet n' Wild Wild Shine in Red Red
Wet n' Wild Wild Shine in Sunny Side Up
Wet n' Wild Wild Craze in Art Crime
 Seche Vite top coat

Reader Krissy submitted this green & gold water marble mani:


Krissy used:
a coat of Sally Hansen White On
 Water marble: Sally Hansen Ivy League, Sally Hansen Going Green and Sally Hansen Golden-I

Reader Lindsey of Lindsey's Lacquer blog submitted this glitter & stamp accent mani:


Lindsey of Lindsey's Lacquer blog used:
 China Glaze Four Leaf Clover
China Glaze Medallion
Born Pretty Plate M71
Soulstice Spa Venice

Reader ChiChi submitted this holo & clover nail art mani: 


ChiChi used:
Sinful Colors Irish Green
Milani 3D Holographic Hi-Tech
Color Club Artsy Craft for the clovers

Reader Sarah from All This Polish submitted this plaid and clover stamped mani:


Sarah used:
Butter London Bossy Boots as base
Konad Special Polish in brown and in white for the plaid pattern (Konad plate m60)
Konad Special Polish in green for the shamrock (Red Angel plate RA-116)
Base coat Orly Bonder
top coat Seche Vite

Reader Jess of Tarten Hearts blog submitted this glittery franken mani: 



Jess used:
Martha Stewart 'Emerald' and 'Peridot' glitters added to Wet N Wild 'Kaleidoscope'  (plus "a whole lot of shaking")
Two coats of Sally Hansen No Chip top coat 

Reader Pauline of omgnoodles blog submitted this mint green stamped mani:


Pauline used:
Seche Base
Zoya Purity
China Glaze Four Leaf Clover
M71 Plate
Seche Vite
Warpaint Beauty Mattify


Reader The Lacquered Lady from The Lacquered Lady blog submitted a green & white stamped accent mani:  


The Lacquered Lady used:
OPI Don't Mess with OPI
China Glaze White on White for the stamping
The plate used was from the Salon Express stamping kit - plate SE12

Reader Katie submitted this polka dot accent mani:


 Katie used:
Base-Orly Green Apple
Dots- China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint and China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

Reader Helen of Ooh Cute Nails blog submitted this green & gold accent mani:


Helen of Ooh Cute Nails used:
base cost Seche Clear
Sinful Colors Envy
Milani Jewel FX Gold
top coat Sech Vite

Reader Stephanie Louise of All Thing Beautiful blog submitted this rainbow mani:


Stephanie Louise used:
Sally Hansen xtreme Wear in "Cherry Red"
Essie "Vermillionaire"
Color Club "Almost Famous"
Spoiled "I Only Eat Salads"
Sinful Colors "Why Not"
Color Club "Pucci-licious"
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in "Whirlwind White"
Top Coat- Seche Vite

 Reader Sephiria submitted this gold & green manicure:


Sephiria used: 
Rimmel Base Coat Top Coat PRO
Revlon Emerald City
Revlon Scented Parfume in Beach
Unnamed gold glitter polish from Wet n Wild's 9-pc Little Luxuries Gift Set
nails inc. special effects electric lane holographic glitter topcoat

Reader Janell of Janails blog submitted this flakie layered mani: 


Janell used:
Base is Orly Bonder
two coats of China Glaze Four Leaf Clover
one coat of Sinful Colors Green Ocean
Two coats of Seche Vite on top

Reader Cindy-y of Square Polish blog submitted this white with green accent mani:


Cindy-y used:
Orly Lucky Duck
Wet n Wild French White Creme

Reader Kitten Mittens from Painted blog submitted this glittery green manicure:


Kitten Mittens used:
3 coats of Nerd Lacquer's Don't Panic
2 coats of Revlon quick dry top coat #960

Reader Katie N. of Glam Grammar blog submitted this glitter gradient mani:


Katie N. used:
China Glaze Gussied-Up Green
China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses
Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe

Reader JenMonica7 submitted this lively green & gold  glitter mani:


JenMonica7 used: 
Base of Revlon Rain Forest
Crackle: China Glaze Oxidized Aqua
Then with a dotting tool she just randomly dotted with China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle and Sally Hansen Daredevil Frost 

Reader aly7 of Seven Things Beauty blog created this springtime polka dot mani:


aly7 used: 
Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Minta Sprint all over the nails
a dotting tool for the polka dots with Wet n Wild Megalast in I Need a RefreshMint and OPI Who the Shrek are You?
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Crystal Clear top coat

Reader May submitted this sparkly water marble mani:


 May used:
Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet
Sally Hansen Going Green
a thin layer of Milani Hi-Tech holographic nail polish

Reader Kimberly from Libby's Pink Vanity blog submitted this emerald french mani:


Kimberly used:
Pure Ice #311CP on the tips
Sinful Colors 'Social Ladder' for the rest of the nail
I used Color Club's Vivid Top Coat

Reader Niki submitted this green and gold accent mani:


 Niki used:
Maybelline's Go-Getter Green
Milani's jewel fx in Gold for the accent nail

Reader Ladyothelake submitted a green glitter jelly mani:


 Ladyothelake used:
 Kleancolor Leaves Jingle
a layer of La Girls Purge on top 

Reader Glitter She Wrote of Glitter She Wrote blog submitted this "Pot of Gold" nail art mani:


 Glitter She Wrote used:
Sally Hansen xTreme Wear White On
Essie Silken Cord
Mattese Elite Neon Explosive
Mattese Elite Almost Famous
Essie Going Incognito
Mattese Elite Lapis
Mattese Elite Pucci Licious
China Glaze Passion
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Copperhead

Reader Kaydi Kat submitted this glowy flakie mani:

Kaydi Kat used:
Sinful Colors Green Ocean layered over Dior Waterlily 

Reader Michelle K. submited this pot o' gold nail art mani:


 Michelle K. used:
Green background: Sally Hansen Going Green
Orange glitter: Lynnderella Cauldron Drippings
Rainbow: Zoya Sookie, Piggy Polish Easy Tiger, Ulta Sun-Sational, Ulta LimeLight, Color Club Wicked Sweet, Zoya Mira
Gold Coins: Lynnderella Change
Pot: Color Club Revvvoultion
Shamrock: Sinful Colors Olympia with Milani Hi-Tech accents 

Reader misshillary submitted this glittery half-moon mani:

misshillary used:
Revlon Posh
Revlon Sassy
Nail Art Deco in an un named green glitter
Nabi Green Land glitter to top it off!
And a thick coat of Seche Vite

And last but certainly not least, we have a MOTHER &DAUGHTER submission!

The first pic is from reader Stephanie:


Stephanie used:
China Glaze Refresh-Mint stamped with Sally Hansen Jumpin' Jade 
top coat Seche Vite

And the second pic is from Stephanie's daughter Madeline:


 Madeline used:
OPI Alpine Snow
Sally Hansen Lickety-Split Lime for the plaid stamp
 Sally Hansen Jumpin' Jade for the clover
top coat of Seche Vite

A HUGE thanks to everyone who submitted pics for this post. I had an amazing time looking at all of your submissions and I'm absolutely overwhelmed with the abundance of beauty and creativity I saw in your works of (nail) art! 

This was such a success that I'm DEFINITELY going to do it for future holidays. So get your thinking caps on because I'll be asking for your 4th of July manicures this summer (or maybe even sooner--would you be interested in submitting manicures for Easter? Let me know in the comments!).
SHARE:

50 comments

  1. Aw YAY I was picked!! Lol. I love this type of post G, maybe make some more of these reader-submitted type things? Very fun!

    Thank you again!

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  2. These are fantastic. I really love the pints of Guinness nails, hilarious! Thanks for including me!

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  3. Thank you so much for posting mine! They all look awesome! I would love to do this again for Easter..

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  4. That was so fun to see! Yes, so an Easter one for sure (if YOU have time to sort through them that is)! I am going to scroll up and look again:)

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  5. I LOVED this! Awesome! Do one for Easter - think of all the pretty brights and pastel colors... :)

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  6. Love this! I would submit for Easter most definitely!

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  7. I've been checking all day to see if you posted and I have to say I'm pretty bummed my submission wasn't included. : (

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    Replies
    1. I'm really sorry, but I tried my best to explain in this post that it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down, and I actually included far more photos than I had originally intended. I thought I might get 50 submissions tops, so when I received over 200 it was an impossible challenge to narrow it down. This post is already so pic-heavy that I'm worried it may take a long time to load--if I could have included more pics, I DEFINITELY would have.

      Again, I'm sorry your pic didn't make it this time! Hopefully you'll still want to submit an entry the next time I do this! :)

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    2. Yes, it's understandable that based on the turnout it would be too difficult to include them all. And thank you for explaining this. I will definitely submit an entry next time. It's good to know you chose based on a wide representation of techniques, etc. That will help be better plan for next time : )

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  8. These are all so creative! Thanks for hosting this G.!

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  9. Wow, those are awesome! I'm a little sad mine didn't make it in, but at least it got me to do a St. Patrick's day manicure. :D Please do this for more holidays!

    ...and I seriously need to get those Martha Stewart glitters...

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  10. Thanks for all the ooohs and ahs, submitters. And thanks to G. for all her hard work compiling.

    I do like the idea of making this a regular feature for holidays. :)

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  11. Thanks so much, everyone, for the great feedback. I'm so glad you've enjoyed this post, and I'll definitely do it again for Easter so get your ideas ready! :) xo

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  12. Those are all great. I especially like Pauline's white with ninth green clovers and kaydy Kay's super shimmery nails. But like I said, they are all fun to look at.

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  13. You should release them *before* the holiday instead of the day of, so people can get inspiration! :)

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  14. I loved the pints of Guinness. Clever take on the holiday.

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  15. (Blogger ate up my last comment, arg!) The designs here are sooo creative and different, I love them. Definitely looking forward to the next batch - I say Easter is a MUST! Still floored that mine made the last cut, thanks so much G for your hard work putting all of this together ♥

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  16. I would love to see Easter nail art.

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  17. Loved the pints of Guinness! The most original and humorous take on a St. Pat's Day mani I've seen yet! All the rest were absolutely beautiful as well. Being not very gifted in the nail art or creativity department, I stuck with Zoya Gemma on my nails and Zoya Ivanka on my toes (two of the polishes I got in the Zoya buy-2-get-2-free deal you posted about a couple of months ago!). Happy St. Patrick's Day G!!

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  18. Thank you so much for including mine! I love every single one you posted here and thanks again for hosting!

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  19. Thanks for including my submission! I was really excited to see it!!

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  20. wow everyone has such creative nails :D
    great idea for this and of course great pictures!

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  21. Thanks for doing this! It was a great idea, and I loved seeing all the submissions. Thank you for picking mine as one of them!

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  22. Ooh thanks for choosing mine :)
    There are some really creative designs up there..looking forward to the next one! Sounds like more work for you ;)

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  23. This is such a fun post, so many great ideas!
    I painted my nails pink for St. Patrick's Day, but I'd love to do an easter one (:

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  24. What an awesome idea, G! I'm not much of a nail polish person, but I always appreciate a cool nail art when I see one. All of them are super pretty!

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  25. I enjoyed seeing all the different ideas. I will def be in for July 4th.

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  26. Yaaay! I made it and I'm soooo excited! Thank you for including me, this was soo fun!!!!!!! Aloha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  27. Love this idea G! Thank you for posting mine! I cant wait for the next holiday nail post :) Sarah's from chalkboard nails is AMAZING! love it!

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  28. I love this idea and I'll definitely submit something next time. I'd love to see it for as many holidays or themes as you would have the time to do. I don't have a blog so this would be a fun way for me to be more active

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  29. I love this idea and I'll definitely submit something next time. I'd love to see it for as many holidays or themes as you would have the time to do. I don't have a blog so this would be a fun way for me to be more active

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  30. woah these are so creative and colorful! reminds me that I have to try out the marble mani..hope everyone had a fantastic St. Patrick's Day :)

    -b

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  31. I really love all the looks! This was a great idea! Can't wait until the next one!
    Thanks for using my photo!

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  32. Ahhh!! Love the little leprechaun!

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  33. YAYY!!! Mine was picked!!!
    Such an honour to be included in this post! Thanks for posting this, i loved all manis. I could only imagine how difficult it was to go through them.

    Definitely looking forward to the next roundup! :)

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  34. Yay! Thank you for including my mani! And, thanks for doing this! I love looking through all these different beautiful nails.

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  35. Thanks for taking the time to do this! It was really fun to see so many beautiful designs and combinations for the Holiday! I would love to see this again for Easter! The pints of Guinness were genius! I am not very gifted when it comes to nail art so as much as I loved seeing the really detailed and amazing designs, I also really appreciated seeing the straight polish combos like Helen's & Vicky's. Great post! Check out my blog if you want to see my St. Patrick's Day nails :)

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  36. Thank you SO much G for selecting my mani and to everyone who enjoyed my 'Pints of Guinness' nails :) Slante!

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  37. Amazing creativity!!!! I love the Guiness for the fact it was so different. Im glad you are giving us time to think for Easter designs!!!! Keep up the good work everyone!

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  38. Yeah I made the cut. Thanks for posting my picture. This was fun!

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  39. Yeah I made the cut. Thank you for posting my picture. You made my day!

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  40. I can't believe you picked me!!! I've been smiling all day. :) Thanks and I can't wait til Easter.

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  41. The water-marbling one is my favorite!

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  42. Pints of Guinness is my fave. :-)

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