My Nail Romance with Chalkboard Nails

Meet Sarah of Chalkboard Nails, the nails behind those fabulous swatches you’ve seen all over Pinterest.

Tell me a bit about your blog

Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m 23 years old and I live in Arizona. I started blogging in July 2011 and have loved every moment of it! Chalkboard Nails started out as a way to document my attempts at nail art. Now, it has grown into a resource for many different areas of nail art, and swatches as well! I try to post manicures of different skill levels to help make nail art more accessible to everyone. I also like to cover a lot of indie polish swatches to support the independent polish makers who don’t necessarily have a huge advertising budget.

How often do you post?

Usually 5-7 times per week. I produce a lot of content! I do try to post a mix of post types, though, so it doesn’t get repetitive.

Are you left or right handed?

I am right handed.

What’s your best tip for painting your other hand?

When painting with your non-dominant hand, I find it works best if you stabilize the pinky or wrist of that hand on a solid surface, like the table you’re working on. You can still move your hand around enough to paint, but it will give you a solid anchor point. For nail art, if I’ve done something super complicated on my left hand, I will often do a simplified version of the design on my right hand. There’s no shame in that!

How often do you paint your nails?

Usually daily! Occasionally I will go two or three days between manicures.

How many polishes in your collection?

Can I plead the Fifth here? Just kidding! I have somewhere around nine hundred polishes.

How do you store your polishes?

I keep my babies in two super sexy red Helmer drawer units from IKEA. I am coming close to needing a third, though!

Which brand has the best brush?

Great question, because I’m very opinionated about this! I think OPI’s ProWide brush is absolutely the greatest thing ever. While I’ve heard of it being too wide for some people, it’s perfect for my nail width and shape.

Favourite polish brand?

This is a tough one. I think I would have to give it to OPI again because of the brush and their fantastic formula. They’ve also been coming out with some really great and unique shades lately!

Favourite indie brand?

Oh man, this is the hardest question of all. The great thing about indies is that the market is so wide. That means that pretty much everyone can find something to fall in love with! I guess if I was forced to make a decision I would say Sonoma Nail Art. I am also a big fan of Pretty & Polished, Happy Hands Nail Polish, Lush Lacquer, and Cirque Colors.

Best luxe brand?

My favorite luxury brand is butter LONDON, though to be fair I haven’t tried that many high-end polishes. I would love to try Dior, Chanel, or NARS for example, but have a bit of a tight grip on my wallet. butter LONDON provides ultra high quality lacquers at a price point that’s on the lower side of the luxury spectrum.

Best bargain buy?

I’ve gotta go with Wet N Wild. I love their limited edition collections and they have a solid and inexpensive core line, too.

Favourite colour?

I really like the way that lime green polishes look with my skintone.

Favourite colour combinations?

I love pairing bright colors with grey. Some of my favorite grey buddies include hot pink, bright blue, and chartreuse.

Best colour for school?

I was actually never into polish while I was still in school! If I was, I probably would have gone on wearing the exact same stuff I do now like crazy nail art, neons, neutrals, glitter, pastels, brights…

Best colour for work?

My favorite nude for my skin tone is OPI Don’t Pretzel My Buttons, but it’s also possible to be work appropriate and still wear nail art! I suggest trying a nude to white gradient for a fresh twist on the plain old French manicure. You can also adapt many nail art designs for the office by using nudes, neutrals, pinks, and whites. Subtle leopard print? Awww yeahhhh.

Best party colour?

I’d go with anything that has an insane amount of sparkle, like China Glaze Glistening Snow or Zoya Aurora.

What colour would you wear on your wedding day?

I would love to do an intricate white lace nail art design over a naked nail base. I would also wear a pretty lavender like American Apparel L’Esprit.

Best tip for making nail polish last longer?

BASE COAT! Most lacquer lovers already wear it, but many casual nail painters think it’s a skippable step. It’s totally not! Base coat can be the difference between a day and a week of unchipped polish. I personally love CND Stickey but different products may work better for others.

What’s your favourite nail art trend?

I’d have to say gradients. They are so versatile. You can wear them alone or work them into a number of other nail art styles effortlessly.

Thanks so much for sharing your Nail Romance Sarah!

Head over to Chalkboard Nails to see more of Sarah’s fantastic swatches and nail art. You can also connect with Chalkboard Nails –

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