Today's "You've Been Duped" features artist Kelly Rowland's checkerboard accent manicure. This manicure was actually a reader request so Missy, enjoy.  :)  This design is really fairly easy to dupe.  All it takes is a white nail polish, a black nail polish, a fine point sharpie (which I had to substitute because I couldn't find mine), and if you prefer, black striper paint to fill in.

First, to start off this mani I applied my basecoat of choice to my clean nails and allowed them to dry.  I then proceeded to paint the nail I wanted to be the accent nail white while painting all the others black.

After painting all the nails their appropriate color I began to draw my black checkered boxes (with my fine point pen) in the places in which I wanted them to go.

After I had completely drawn out all of my boxes I then filled them in with my striper paint.  This was to cover up the places in which the ink from the pen did not fill completely.  You can actually use a bigger sharpie to this.  Generally when using a sharpie in the first place this is not an issue, but because I couldn't find my sharpie I had to improvise.

After I had gotten the design completely filled in how it should be... I applied a glossy topcoat to finish things off, snapped a picture, and VOILA!

I really needed to sharpen up the edges of the boxes a bit, but being crunched for time I couldn't do so.  Missy I hope this was helpful to you to see how simple it can be to execute this design and I hope the rest of you find this post useful as well.

X0XoXO.

polishSWATCHES

I got a still of Beyonce's nails in the telephone video and I had to try and duplicate this manicure.  But halfway through the process I started asking myself "why duplicate it," when you can take from it and put your own spin on it

From what I can tell from the picture of Beyonce's nails it looks like Lisa Logan, the manicurist who worked with Beyonce on this video shoot, applied Minx to her nails then freehanded her American flag design on top of it, but I'm not 100% certain of that.

So, my first step in trying to replicate this manicure was to apply a silver colored basecoat to my nails.  I chose to use my Sally Hansen Celeb City nail color as it dries fast, applies nicely, and gives me a nice foiled looking finish.  If you're looking for a finish that is smoother than Celeb City, then CND's Chrome, China Glaze's Millenium, or Essie's Steel-ing the Scene would be good choices since they offer a chrome type finish.

The protective basecoat I used before applying any polish what-so-ever was NailTek's Therapy II for soft, peeling nails, since I just removed gel enhancements from my natural nails.

I then proceeded to freehand a blue line across my nail (with a nail art brush) that would mark where the blue band across my nail would be placed.  I used Pure Ice's Celestial as my choice of blue and just painted it across the tip with the brush, careful not to cross the initial blue line that I had painted.

I then used NYC Nail Color in Penn Station as the red nail color for my stripes.  I used the same nail art brush that I used to paint the blue line across my nail to freehand the red band stripes.

After painting the red stripes it was time to add the stars and I did this by using Milani's new white striper nail paint.  I just did it the old fashion kiddie way and painted an "X", then a line straight across and then sideways for the effect.

For me this was the hardest part because the tip of my brush had some stray hairs and the stars were so little, I really needed to be using a small striper brush instead of a long one.

Once that was complete I had actually successfully duped the look of the manicure, but from there I decided to take it a step further....

I added rhinestones!  :)

This look would make an awesome manicure for the Fourth of July and this is how my finished Fourth of July mani would turn out...

Complete with fireworks on my thumb and all!

X0xOXo,

polishSWATCHES

Nail Watch: Rihanna's Nails behind the scenes at Rude Boy video shoot

Rihanna's nails behind the scenes at the Rude Boy video shoot consisted of a fuchsia and golden moon minx manicure applied by none other than celebrity manicurist to the stars Kimmie Kyees.  Im about to dupe this look in 5...4...3... :)

Amber Rose at Christian Sirano: Dupe Her Polish

As the paparazzi swarmed to take pictures of Amber Rose sitting front row at the Christian Sirano fashion show during New York Fashion for Fall 2010 so we could pick apart what label she was wearing or whose shoes she had on, I was busy focusing on the silver foil colored nail polish she was rocking.

Knowing that metallics are and will continue to be a huge nail trend for seasons to come which is now largely thanks to Minx, I was busy compiling an assortment of polishes that can easily serve as dupes for this particular color.

First up is CND's Silver Chrome

described as a molten chromed finish nail color

Second is Essie's Loophole

Third is Zoya's Trixie

and Fourth... Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Celeb City

available at most local drugstores for about $2.99.

Orly is also releasing a silver polish named Shine in it's Foil FX collection which is scheduled to be available in March.

Wearing a foil textured polish is one of the easiest ways to achieve the look of a Minx manicure without that $40 to $50 price tag.  Not only does it add glitz and glam to your nails, but the colors generally compliment any wardrobe choice.

Do you currently have a foil polish in your collection or have the intent to add one this season?

Rihanna, better yet Kimmie Kyees has the nail game on lock.  I'm mean seriously this girl's nail game can't be topped stopped!  Continuously producing edgy, innovative nail art- that leaves others wishing they could keep up and nail buffs like me trying to replicate her amazing designs.

Exhibit A:

Rihanna's Pretty Kitty Nail Art

I swear this design makes me wish I rocked acrylics, or gels, or just had extremely long nails because you would definitely find this copied on my tips.  And even though this is not nail art that's practical or even logical for someone who has to say, wash the family dishes, I still love it (and would wear it) just the same.

These would definitely have to be reserved for a special occasion, so maybe this will be a special look for my trip to Cozumel.

What do you think?!