Neon Everything

Fall and winter gives us jewel tones. We rock pastels at the first sign of spring. And summer is for neons. 

Several big name brand polish companies are coming out with neon colors for their summer collections. I recently picked up most of Orly's "Baked" collection, which boasts six, highly pigmented neon colors. 

L to R: "Neon Heat", "Ablaze", "Tropical Pop", "Lush", "Hot Tropics", and "Saturated"

I snagged all but "Tropical Pop", because I'm still not wild about yellow polishes. I may get it to round out the collection, but it wasn't an immediate must-have. 

One of my favorite bands, Neon Trees, played a concert at the House of Blues on Friday, so I figured it made perfect sense to play around with my new polishes for the show. Their new album, Pop Psychology, features a multicolored brain on the cover, which I used for inspiration for this neon gradient...

Gradient colors: "Saturated", "Hot Tropics", "Neon Heat", "Ablaze"

My favorite thing about the gradient (besides how smooth it came out!) was that the color "Hot Tropics" has a golden glittery sparkle to it that mixed its way into the other colors once I started sponging it on.

For my non-accent nails, I used "Saturated" which is an awesome, deep neon purple shade; I don't have anything else like it. I put a layer of white polish underneath all my colors, but I think it was only necessary for the gradient. "Saturated" was pigmented enough on its own, so I don't think it needed the base, which is so great for a neon!

The concert was out of this world. Neon Trees puts on a phenomenal show that sounds even better than the studio recorded album. They will be headlining one of Radio 1045's summer block parties this year, so you should definitely go check them out, especially since the show is free ;)

I have been obsessed with this manicure all week, and I'm definitely looking forward to experimenting with more gradients in fun, summer colors! All of these shades would be perfect against a nice tan. Together with my new Zoya's, I think I'll have the perfect array of bright, fun colors to choose from all summer long. 

Summer Neon Brush Stroke Mani

The weather has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL this week. I've been opening the windows up inside and it has actually been warmer in the house than what the thermostat is set at (we have the heat set at 65... It is currently 72). As I am writing this, I am sunbathing on my back deck. 

Naturally, this weather has given me a serious case of spring (summer?) fever. I decided to go super bright for my manicure this week! 

I found a manicure by badgirlnails on Instagram and knew I wanted to replicate it. It is called a "brush stroke manicure". 

Start with a white base (I used Zoya's "Purity"). Then, pick 3-4 different colors to use on top. Starting with the first color, wipe almost all the polish off the brush, and paint random strips of your nail. Repeat the process with the other colors so that they overlap and cover up the white base. 

L to R: Fresh Paint in "Guava", "Passion Fruit", and "Honeydew"

The idea is to have very little polish on the brush so that you get a streak-y, distressed look. It is a LOT harder than it sounds/looks. I think I was maybe only truly successful with four nails, ha. 

Anyway, this is the outcome:

I swear, this manicure borderline glowed in the dark. It was so bright and fun, it was perfect for the warm weather. I can't wait to play with these colors more on an individual basis in the summer.