Back to School Sale

Maybe you're going back to school, maybe your kids are getting ready to go back, maybe you just like a good sale. But let's be honest ... are you realllyyy ready without some nail polish?

Use the code BACKTOSCHOOL for 10% off any order and help me clear out some old stock so I have room to finally bring in some new polishes! The code expires 8/18, no minimum purchase required. Enjoy lovelies. :)

This code will also work on my Etsy and my Storenvy shops but stock is limited there and you won't be able to buy any of the discontinued or seasonal polishes except on our new site - spellboundnails.com. So definitely give there a browse first.

Until next time,
Ashley

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Feeling Patriotic - The Americana Collection

It's collection time again!! This time I take inspiration from the upcoming 4th of July and the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, to bring you the ultimate Americana Collection. :)

Available on:

www.spellboundnails.com

www.spellboundnails.etsy.com

www.spellboundnails.storenvy.com

This collection has a little of everything. 2 glitter toppers, 2 shimmered holographics in red and blue, and a creamy white crelly with red and blue glitter.

And did I mention how amazing they look together? I used all 5 to create this amazing mismatched mani - perfect for any patriotic holiday. It is seriously easy too! This is 2 thin coats of Star Spangled on my middle fingers, 3 thin coats of Rockets Red Glare and Twilight's Last Gleaming with one thin coat of Home of the Brave and Bombs Bursting in Air over each respectively.

Stick around to get a look at each polish. :)

Twilight's Last Gleaming is a blue holographic with a chunky blue shimmer. It dries to a matte like finish so a top coat is a must to really bring life back.

Bombs Bursting in Air is one of those very simple polishes that manages to be something amazing! It's a mix of red, white, and blue stars and bar glitter with a dose of rainbow colored shimmer. I am reminded of fireworks exploding in a night sky every time I look at this. Shown here over Carbon Copy from The Neutrals creme collection.

And here is a close-up of how it looks over Twilight's Last Gleaming. That shimmer is just to die for!!

Star Spangled is a creamy white crelly with red and blue hexes and stars that is just sheer enough to showcase every piece of glitter. Shown here is 2 thin coats. The key is keeping your layers thin so you show glimpses of the previous layers glitter. :)

This may look familiar to those of you who have been with me from the start. This is the reformulated Miss 'Merica that was tucked into orders around the 4th of July last year. Now going by Home of the Brave, this polish is a perfect fit for the Americana Collection. It's a mix of red, white, and blue glitter with blue stars. It adds a patriotic touch to any polish. Shown over Hearthstone from The Darks creme collection.

Last but no where near least is Rockets Red Glare. This one is so hard to photograph, and I really didn't manage to capture the true awesomeness of this polish. It is a red holographic with a fine red shimmer. I direct your attention to the mismatched mani at the top of this post as it really shows a lot more of its shimmer and shine in that pic. This polish also dries to a matte like finish so a top coat will really help add shine and sparkle. :)

If you stuck around through the whole post - congrats and I hope you enjoyed the Americana Collection. Do you have a favorite from this collection?

And here's a bit of real life news if you stuck around. One of my nieces just turned 16 yesterday. Where does the time go?? For the first few years of this little girl's life I helped raise her ... so I'm really feeling old. 

Until next time,
? Ashley

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Spellbound Nails Cremes and Holo Toppers

Hello lovelies! I have such exciting news to share with you. Having my own website, where I could sell all my pretties in one place without all the horrendous fees Etsy tacks on, was one of my goals for the new year. AND I DID IT!! I worked tirelessly and 6 months later my new shop is up and ready for orders!

Spellboundnails.com will now redirect you to the new website so come check us out.

Did I mention we open with 5 new creme collections and 2 new holographic toppers!!! So many polishes, so little time so forgive me while I spam you with nail polish pics ... lots more after the break so keep reading. :)

The Darks are deep, dark cremes perfect for any Spellbounder. Based around witchcraft and magic ... whether real or make believe.

Swatches courtesy Over The Top Coat

I was going to attempt to do these swatches myself but 25+ polishes quickly proved far too much for me so I shipped out samples to my bloggers who were wonderful with testing and swatching them for me. :) Here is another look at The Darks.

Swatches courtesy Painted Nubbs

What is more perfect for summer than some neons? The Brights are a collection of neon cremes. Yes, you read that right - neon cremes. Wear them over white in two coats like shown above or 3 coats alone.

The Lights are a collection of surprising bright pastel cremes. These are stunning in pictures and even better in person. Hard to believe, right?

Swatches courtesy Fairly Charming

The Naturals are like a vacation around the world. Taking names and inspiration from things like San Pedro Morning (the khaki polish) to the Mediterranean Sky (the blue polish). Follow the link to check out the rest.

Swatches courtesy 4Boys 1Mom Lacquer

The Neutrals were specially created to be perfectly neutral. These polish go with any outfit, adding a hint of class and elegance, all without getting you in trouble at work.

Swatches from Painted Nubbs, Over The Top Coat, and 4Boys 1Mom Lacquer

You may be wondering about the holographic topper seen in all the above collages. Here is Holo Back Girl! in action. If a holographic topper could be simple that's what this one is. It's a gorgeous scattered holo that dusts your nails in sparkle.

Did I mention that you get a free full size bottle of this topper with the purchase of one of the full size creme collections??

You can also buy this separately if you're just looking for a scattered holo topper. :)

And last but not least ... Here Comes The Smolder. In more ways than one. I'm not sure a holographic topper gets better than this. It has silver holographic hex glitter and a heaping of scattered holographic. The depth and smolder it adds to you polish is stunning!! Seriously, if it can look like this in pictures just imagine how it looks in person.

Until next time,
Ashley

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May Charity Polish

Hello all! Another month and another charity polish is making its debut in my Etsy and Storenvy shops.

This is Today for Tomorrow, done in the colors fun and playful colors of The Tomorrow Fund. It has a creamy white base filled with hexes of red, green, yellow, and blue as well as yellow dots and what children's polish would be complete without some adorable Mickey shaped glitter??

I have developed an insane love of taking bottle shots like this with the cap off and laying in the photo.

The Tomorrow Fund is the only non-profit organization that provides daily financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families who are treated at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

As always $2 of every bottle sold (both full size and mini) will be donated to the charity the first of the next month. In this case, a donation will be made to The Tomorrow Fund June 1st. Keep an eye on my Facebook Page for a screenshot of the donation to see how much money we raised!!

For those waiting on the screenshot for April's charity a donation will be made later today and a screenshot posted immediately after. :)

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April Charity Polish

The April Charity Polish is now available at spellboundnails.com in both full size and mini bottles!!

Racing Into Our Hearts is a butterscotch colored holographic polish with midnight flakies inspired by the stunning beauty of the brindle greyhounds. A portion of every sale will be donated to Allies for Greyhounds in honor of April being National Greyhound Adoption Month.

*I apologize but my nails are in such bad shape right now! Not even my faithful Biotin can stop them from breaking so these pictures were taken while wearing fake nails. That said, I'm not all together displeased with them ... a little better sizing and some more shaping and you might be seeing fakes on me more often. They certainly make fore some pretty pictures. :)

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HUGE SPRING SALE

Who's ready for a HUGE SPRING SALE??? This kind of sale doesn't happen every day at Spellbound Nails so share it with all your friends!!! :)

Pick your store and don't forget to use the codes below! You don't want to miss this sale!!!

Etsy: www.spellboundnails.com

Storenvy: www.spellboundnails.storenvy.com

SPRING10 = 10% off any purchase

SPRING15 = 15% off orders of $15 or more

SPRING20 = 20% off orders of $20 or more

SPRINGFREE = free shipping on orders over $40

** Codes expire midnight EST 3/20 **

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Spellbound Nails New March Releases

Today was a big release day for Spellbound Nails. For those of you who missed the St. Patrick's Day presales, The Drunken Leprechaun Duo is now fully released and available in full size and mini bottles as well as individual bottles - Lucky Charm and Magically Delicious.

Credit: 4Boys 1Mom Lacquer

Many thanks to Jennifer of 4Boys 1Mom Lacquer for her lovely swatches. Head over to her blog and see the equally amazing nail art she did with these polishes.

You can also visit Natalie of Over the Top Coat and Jolene of All Glazed Over for more wonderful swatches and St. Patrick's Day nail art.

You can now get the Spring 2014 Collection as it is up for presale until 03/08. It fully releases 03/20. (Full Size | Mini)

And, last but not least, today was the start of my new monthly charity polishes. $2 of every bottle sold will be donated at the end of the month to the charity that inspired the polish. This month the charity is the Wounded Warrior Project. Put Yer Camo On is a camouflage inspired glitter topper. Mini bottles are $6.50 and full size bottles are $10. What could be better than making a donation to a great charity and getting a bottle of polish in return??

Are you on polish overload yet? If you're not and you want to see more Spellbound Nails polishes you can head over to Fairly Charming and see the wonderful swatches Stef recently did of 5 of my glitter toppers!!

Until next time,
? Ashley

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Vintage Valentine Nail Art

Woohoo, more V-Day nail art! Today's mani is by far one of my all time favorites. I just love vintage-y nail art for Valentine's Day... anytime really. This mani is just so simple but still so elegant. :)

This mani was done with polishes from my Valentine's Day collection (Victorian Romance) and a little help from Born Pretty Store rose decals. I started with a base of My Own Sweet Valentine with an accent nail of Parchment & Lace. Once MOSV was dry I sponged on some Cheeks Tinted Red and a little more MOSV to really blend it together. The shimmer on this gradient was insane! I used top coat on Parchment and Lace and then used a Born Pretty Store water decal. (These decals are only $0.88 right now! Plus if you use the code BPS2014 you'll get 15% off sitewide! I say these are more than worth every penny!!!)

The decal was so easy to use. Just cut it out, dunk it into water (warm water if it's winter) for 10-15 seconds and the decal will slip right off the paper and be easy to position on your nail. I lightly wet the nail and placed the rose. I used a paper towel to blot the excess water and then gently used a finger to press the decal down, getting rid of wrinkles and bubbles until the decal dried completely. Then I topped it with more top coat and it was perfect!!

I couldn't resist trying the glitter of Love & Devotion over the gradient. It's nice, but I found I preferred the simplicity of the gradient alone.

What's your go-to nail art for Valentine's Day?

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Laced Up Corsets - Valentine's Day Nail Art

Valentine's Day is closing in quickly and I figured it was time to start posting some of my Valentine's Day nail art. First up - corset nails. :)

I've always wanted a corset (and the confidence to actually wear it). I guess having them on my nails is the next best thing.

I started with a base of Spellbound Nails Cheeks Tinted Red and drew a quick line down the middle with Spellbound Nails I'm All Aflutter. If I had thought this through I would have started with a base of I'm All Aflutter and taped off the middle for neater lines but the end result wasn't horrible. The laces of the corset actually helped disguise the imperfect lines so I call it a win!

A close up look of the corsets. I used Spellbound Nails Steel Wool for the metal and some unaltered white base for the laces.

Overall, this is not a hard mani at all! And if you don't feel up to doing all 10 nails as corsets these work perfectly as accent nails as well. :)

Until next time,
? Ashley ?

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Spellbound Nails does Valentine's Day with the Victorian Romance Collection (PIC HEAVY)

Hello lovelies! I bring you Valentine's Day polishes!! Being a polish maker means I have to be thinking much further into the future than I ever wanted to ... I sometimes forget what month it is lol.

But right now I know it's January but when speaking in terms of mixing and shipping polish, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So take a moment and look at the pretties!!

This collection will be available for pre-sales 1/10 - 1/17. This means you'll be able to buy this collection in full and mini bottles (at pre-sale discount prices) starting tomorrow. The full release, meaning the ability to buy singular bottles, will start 1/22. As always, you can buy all Spellbound Nails polishes from my Etsy shop or my Storenvy shop.

I love having some kind of inspiration for my collections; not only do my polishes turn out better but I love being able to point to something and say "look, look, that right there - that inspired me so much that I had to make something awesome!"

Vintage Valentine � Victorian Traditions

This time, that inspiration came from the old timey Victorian Valentine's Day cards and postcards. You know those ones that are all yellowing parchment, lace, and soft and bright watercolors.

First up is Cheeks Tinted Red. This is a stunning bright red holographic.

 This polish has double the amount of holo that I put in my normal holos however I quickly found red eats holo. It adds a lot of depth and shimmer and has more of a lightly scattered holo effect.

And a close up of the bottle in the little amount of sunlight we're getting around here right now.

*There has been a slight increase in the pricing of my holographics. I have started buying a much better holographic pigment, however this does mean an increase in price for me which I sadly have to pass on to you. Holographic polishes using this new pigment will now sell for $9 in my shops. Prices will change on already released holos (only those using this new pigment) February 1st. This was a very hard decision for me since I pride myself on being affordable, and I believe I have managed to keep to my brand even with the price increase.

Next up is Parchment and Lace. This was the base of this collection - the very first polish mixed up and the one everything else was built around. I think the name of this one says it all. It's everything this collection was inspired by. Yellowing parchment, lace, and beautiful watercolors.

I've been told that this is a very flexible polish and would also work well for Easter and summer too.

This is the only glitter topper of the collection. Love & Devotion is a wonderfully romantic glitter in my opinion with it's white, pink and red glitter with lots of rainbow shimmer.

I'm All Aflutter is a gorgeous baby blue with purple and pastel pink glitter.

And last but not least is My Own Sweet Valentine. This is a girly, pearly pink with a delicate golden shimmer that acts almost duo-chrome-y in person.

Did I mention My Own Sweet Valentine also glows in the dark?? There are three different glow pigments hidden behind this girly pink - blue, green, and peach. Together they combine to glow an icy white with just a hint of blue and green. The blue and green show up a lot better in pictures. In person it really is an icy white with just a hint of blue and green. And with so much glow pigment the glow is pretty insane!

You can see a few hints and specks of the peach glow in this picture along with the blue and green. This is a picture of Love & Devotion over My Own Sweet Valentine.

I hope you enjoy these polishes as much as I do and remember pre-sales start tomorrow! :)

Until next time,
- Ashley

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Last Spellbound Nails Sale of the Year

Hello my lovelies!! The last sale of the year is going on in both my Etsy and my Storenvy shops. Another bit of amazing news - you can now get to my Etsy shop using spellboundnails.com. Yes, I finally got around to buying my domain name!! So exciting. I will be working extra hard on building my own website to go along with that domain name in the new year. Fingers crossed as we head into the new year. :)

And for those of you that have trouble loading images. Use the code GOODBYE2013 for 13% off your entire order until 12:00am 1/1/14. There is no minimum purchase required and this code will work for sale polishes too. :)

Until next time,

-Ashley

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Merry Christmas

Hello lovelies!! I'm a little late posting today, but right after finishing these this morning I had to immediately leave. How immediate? Immediate like I was terrified I was going to smudge them while getting dressed - thank goodness for my trusty Seche Vite top coat! The chance of smudging made me snap a few quick pics and then I was out the door. I just now settled down to watch some Christmas Doctor Who (goodbye, Doctor #11 ??) and realized I never got around to taking the pics off my camera. So, here's my Christmas mani ... late but at least it's still Christmas. :)

I wanted a mani that I could wear after Christmas. Once Christmas is over I want Christmas over so I went simple - more winter than truly Christmas. I started with 3 coats of CQ Pearls and then topped it with 2 coats of Firefly from Hell.

If you'll remember Firefly from Hell was the glow-in-the-dark glitter topper from my Halloween collection. There are still a few of these glow polishes left if anyone wants one; you can get them on sale for $6 in my Storenvy shop. :) I adore how the stamped snowflakes still show up in the dark!!

I think I'm getting better at this whole stamping thing!! These snowflakes were done in mere moments (with China Glaze Blue Bells Ring) as I was in such a hurry and they're almost all there - only a few smudges and missing lines. And, as you can see, I also added a pearl to the center of the large snowflake on my ring fingernails. I think it added a slightly elegant, dressy touch.

So, how was your holiday? Do anything special? Wear anything special on your nails? How about gifts?? Did you get everything you asked Santa for? :)

Until next time,
-Ashley

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Santa Came To Say - More Christmas Stamping

Yes, this is another attempt at Christmas stamping. I think I'm getting a little better. I'm still working on placement and which colors I can stamp over which polishes but not too horrible if I do say so myself.

This is Eight Tiny Reindeer with an accent nail of Holly Jolly. The main polishes used in this mani are from my Christmas collection and except for Holly Jolly, which was a freebie with select Christmas orders, you can now get them on sale here!!

I couldn't do a Christmas mani, especially one with a polish like Eight Tiny Reindeer and not use the reindeer stamp! And since this was inspired by Rudolph, this mani just wouldn't be complete without a bright red nose on at least one of the reindeer. :)

And since this didn't show up on the full mani shot I had to do a close-up of Holly Jolly. Just look at that sparkle! Holly Jolly is red, green, silver, and gold micro-glitter, and this is just two coats for full coverage! It also works wonderfully as a glitter topper - such a versatile little glitter.

Order 6 full-size Christmas sale polishes, and I will include a mini of Holly Jolly in your order completely free! :) This offer is only valid until the year's end, 12/31/13, so order quick!!

Until next time,
- Ashley

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