NICE NAILS [Part 2 ]! Q&A with NAILED IT

Nailed It's blog header [source]

Kate Spade's spots and Rebecca Minkoff's double french manicures on the Fall 2012 runway inspired my impulsive foray into nail art. In browsing DIY tutorials, I stumbled on Katy Parsons' blog Nailed It and have been hooked ever since! Katy is a self-taught nail artist and owner of over 800 bottles of nail polish. Her blog, Nailed It is a repository of nail art ideas, product trials and how-to's. Recently, I had the chance to catch up with Ms. Parsons. Keep reading to find out what she has to say about her favorite polish colors, challenging nail art and where she finds inspiration for her designs...

Mrs. Robinson by Color Club, My Boyfriend Scales Walls by OPI and Lollipop! Goes the Princess by Station

What are your top 3 All-Time favorite nail polish colors? Why?

My Boyfriend Scales Walls (OPI) - It's the most interesting off-white I've come across, tinted slightly grey to bring a unique look to any normally white manicure. It doesn't hurt that it's the beautiful consistency that OPI is so well-admired for.

Mrs. Robinson (Color Club) - I don't think a neon purple is something that's easy to get perfect in terms of its consistency and vibrance, but Color Club really nailed it with Mrs. Robinson. I love it so much, I featured it all by its lonesome in a simple mani (here).

Lollipop! Goes the Princess (Sation) - My fondness for lighter colors continues here with this one. It's a purple-blue pastel, leaning more purple, and it's just gorgeous. It makes my fingers feel so feminine! 

Marbled Nails via Blognailedit

What is your most challenging nail art to execute?

For me, the most challenging kind of nail art is probably going to always be water marbling. Picking the right colors, getting a good pattern, and cleaning it all up without screwing up the design is just so time consuming, it's almost not worth it. But then, when you do get it right, and it comes out looking great (like my first successful attempt here), your heart just jumps out of your chest, and you fall in love with the technique all over again.

Who are your favorite designers and do you draw inspiration from them?

I assume you mean fashion designers here. I don't really have any. I'm a shopper of looks and trends, not brands, so I have no designer I use as a go-to.

Katy's creations (click to read the blog posts): Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right

How do you keep coming up with new ideas to keep yourself/readers engaged? Where do you look for inspiration?

Inspiration for nail art is like finding a four-leaf clover. The clovers are everywhere, but the perfect, 4-leaf clover is a rare gem.

I've grown very close to my phone, constantly snapping pictures, or drawing out ideas in doodling apps as they come to me. I once sat behind a rather large man with a very floral shirt at a hockey game, and slily snapped a picture of him during an uproar because I loved the pattern of one of the flowers on his shirt. He was a large canvas, it was hard not to notice.

After doing nail art for several months, I found myself looking to everything for inspiration. Nothing's too ugly or too obscure to strike a chord, and I really just challenge myself to come up with new ideas from these bits of inspiration, so my blog isn't just another recreation of other girls' looks.

Keeping up with other girls' looks is an awesome channel for getting ideas though, and crediting them back has made some awesome relationships!

If you could do the nails of a super heroine, who would it be? Why?

Awesome question. I'm going to get creative with my answer, and say Wolverine's non-existant sister. I mean come on...she'd have the longest, most smooth canvas to work with! ;)

More of Katy's creations (click to read more): Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right

Which designer's runway show would you volunteer to do nails for?

My designer of choice to do nails for would have to be the bright and bold designs Betsey Johnson comes up with. Her cooky style and personality are the perfect fit for the designs I find myself gravitating toward. Bold colors, black outlines, and anything yellow or floral are right up my alley!
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I can't wait to see why Katy comes up with next! Check out Nailed It for inspiration and nail care related instructions. Also, be sure to peek at my post on the evolution of nail art here.