Fifty-Two Weeks

The Radiant Katie Better late than never, right?! Its been a busy week for me, but I am so excited to show you guys this week's color!  Described as an "orchid iridescent chrome" polish, Katie is a great color by Julep that not only looks great, but give your nails a sophisticated shine.  Two of my friends from work used this color after it came in the August Julep box. Emily painted her toes and Beverley had a manicure done.  This is a beautiful color that totally embodies Pantone's color of the year Radiant Orchid .  If you are interested in getting a bottle of Katie for your polish collection, check out Julep.com to snag some. Also, if you have used a great color on your nails or just want to show of your snazzy nail job, please share it with me so I can post about it on the blog!! Be Radiant! Amanda #fiftytwoweeksofnails @theradiantamanda

Pretentious Radiance Hi Everyone! I am excited to tell you about this week's color of the week! Not only is this polish colorful, it's also good for you! DerMElect Cosmetics has a special line of "Anti-Aging" nail treatments and color that are "The first peptide-infused nail treatments". I put this polish on before I did any research about the products and I have to admit...the polish felt good on my nails! Now that I have done the research I understand that the feel good sensation I was getting was from its specialized formula that is geared towards healthy nails. Literally, this polish is good for "ME" . " Dermelect is the first cosmeceutical line jointly formulated by medical professionals and licensed estheticians." <-- How neat is that ?!  The color I chose was Pretentious , which is a purple passion color. It went on smoothly, and after the second coat of polish it looked amazing! I topped it off with one of my ...

2000 Views! Hello and Thank You for keeping up with Fifty-Two Weeks! I am excited to announce that the blog has reached 2000 views and I couldn't have done it without you, the readers, the followers, and the polish enthusiasts! Please continue to share the posts you love, share your polish with me to post about on the blog, and encourage your friends to read! Also, don't forget to check the blog out on Instagram: @theradiantamanda. You can also tage yor own polish photos to share with the blog by using #fiftytwoweeksofnails You guys are the best! Be Radiant! Amanda

My Radiant Best Friend Meg! My Best Friend just got engaged last night!!! WOOP WOOP! I am beyond excited for her and her fiance on their new endeavor! I know I'm doing my happy dance!!! As soon as I got the news about her engagement, I reminded her that she should have her nails done since everyone and their mother is going to be looking at her beautiful black diamond ring and she replied with a picture of her already painted beautiful teal nails!! Let's flaunt that bling!! But Meg here is sporing a beautiful ring but also a great nail color! Her amazing color is a Stardust Finish named Jennine that is described as "borealis blue"   by Julep! We just got this color in our June Box and I am so excited that she is already using it!! Teal is her favorite color, so I think it is so very fitting that she should be wearing it her new favorite piece of jewelry! If you are interested in getting a bottle of Jennine check out  Julep.com ! Getting ...

Glam Roc Radiance Hi Everyone! Im keeping it short and sweet this week - it's only Tuesday, but its been a long week for me already! This weeks color of the week is an intense dark, almost black, purple Stardust Finish by Julep named Glam Roc.  Glam Roc is a great polish that went on easy and dried really fast. However, I really don't think I was very prepared for how dark this purple would really look on my nails. A lot of my friends thought I had on black sparkly polish. I also found that it took me a little longer to get use to the texture effect the Stardust Finish left on my nails.  If you are interested in getting your own bottle of the dark beauty, check out  Julep.com . If you have used a polish you really enjoyed or have some nails you would like to show off, please feel free to share them on the blog!! Be Radiant! Amanda #fiftytwoweeksofnails @theradiantamanda

1500 Views! The blog has finally reached 1500 views! I am sending out a big thank you to everyone who has continually been reading and spreading the word about Fifty Two Weeks ! You all rock! If you aren't already doing so - check the blog out on Instagram! @theradiantamanda or #fiftytwoweeksofnails and please please please send pictures or contact me about posting about your nails on the blog!! Be Radiant! Amanda

The Radiant Hannah Visits Again Good Day Everyone! This week's post is about a great polish combination that was chosen by my friend Hannah. Hannah visited me this past week for a pedicure and used two great colors to create an amazing look for her pedicured toes.  For her polish she chose a base color by Julep called Billie Jean . This polish went on easy and in one coat! It also dried pretty fast which helped since we added the glitter on top.  For her glittering overlay, Hannah matched Billie Jean with Glitz by Wet n' Wild's Craze polish line. This glitter polish really made her toes pop!      If you're ever looking to spice up your nails, just try adding a fun glitter or accent polish tot the top of another color you already have on! Just be prepared - some glitter polish are extremely hard to remove. So plant to spend extra time on your polish removal.  You can find Billie Jean online at Julep.com if you are interested in ...

Check Out These Nails! I had a great time last night doing the nails of my good friend Grace - You have got to see them! For her manicure and pedicure, Grace picked the color Lilou by Julep. This is a lovely spring and summer yellow! It even matched Grace's iPhone Color!  As you can also see in the picture to the bottom right of the PicStitch, I also pained on some Daisy petals on Grace's ring finger for a delicate accent nail! Thankfully she was so patient when I messed up a few times - I am still working on the whole nail art thing... If you want to grab a bottle of Lilou  check out Julep.com!  Any tips for me on nail art? Have you used any great colors that you would like to share?! I love showing off nails on my blog! Please contact me! Be Radiant! Amanda #fiftytwoweeksofnails @theradiantamanda

The Radiant Kessie for a Radiant Mother, and other Mother's Day Tips As everyone is mostly aware - Mother's Day is coming up in just a few short days! If you are like me and have had trouble finding the right gift for your mom, try the gift of pampering! This week's color of the week is Kessie by Julep. It is Julep's polish that is inspired by the color of the year, Radiant Orchid.  This polish went on great! It is now one of my favorite colors in my collection! You almost don't need two coats of color to make this polish look fabulous. It is shiny and shimmery but is also still very sophisticated. I used Kessie on my mom this past Friday when I treated her to an early Mother's Day pedicure. You can purchase this color for your mom (or even get her a polish subscription) at  Julep.com .  Thanks Mom! But enough about polish (AS IF!) let's talk about Mother's Day. Sometimes the best gift you can give a mom, or mother-like figure in your ...

A Sense of Place through Polish I absolutely love this story! (see link below) I personally use nail polish as a way to subtly show people who I am or how I am feeling, so the idea of nail polish representing where I am from would be icing on the cake.  Check out this story about a lady who turned a hobby into a representation of her area where she lives:  Local Woman Creates Buffalo-Themed Nail Polish on WGRZ.com:   http://on.wgrz.com/1j62hRX Check out her polish website:  http://www.gridlocklacquer.com/home.html Let's hear your thoughts on this topic? Be Radiant! Amanda

To File, or Not to File? It's been a while since I posted a nail safety/salon safety post so I thought it was time to talk about something most people haven't realized they've been doing wrong or have been letting their nail technician do wrong. Did you know that there is a right and a wrong way to file your fingernails? The shape of your nails really tops off your manicure. So, before you start filing and painting away, it's important for you to know how to file your nails properly. First, choose the right kind of nail file. Sometimes, the cheaper the better - in many cases the most basic and inexpensive emery boards are more flexible and easier on your nails. The grit on metal files can often be too harsh and can cause your nails to peel and chip. Stick to a simple drugstore file, it should do the job and it'll save you some money too. I myself, use simple wooden core files that I buy in bulk from my nail products store. I like these files becau...