Nail art Instagram accounts to follow

Propelling off of my previous post on the coolest nail art blogs, plus the post that compiled some of the best fashion Instagram accounts to follow comes a list of nail art Instagrammers whose constantly updated stream of vivid photos will.blow.your.mind...or at least inspire you to grab some polish and get all Van Gogh on your own nails.

Nail art is hot and cool...yada, yada, yada. But why tell this when instead, I can show? For instance, simply type in 'NOTD' as a tag in an Instagram search and up will pop over 52,000 pictures of users who have captured their 'Nail Of The Day' manicures and posted them for the world to see. And so, without further ado, here is the breakdown of those making waves in the nail art scene (meaning that they are doing really, really cool things).


Nail art Instagrammers

• @ig_nail_art - This user posts an assortment of custom manicure pictures that have been collected from various YouTube tutorials, blogs and other Instagram users (whom she acknowledges in her comments). Because this account tracks other people's nails, it provides links that will allow you to follow other nail fanatics. 

A few of the photos:

• @misunis - Eunice paints nail sets and sells them via her etsy shop, www.etsy.com/shop.misunis, but she also paints her own nails and uploads snapshots of the finished product each day. Good stuff. 

A few of the photos:

Speaking of her etsy shop, my favorite of her designs include this tribal pattern and these scrumptious-looking pastel cupcakes!

• @pixiedustz - Not only does she upload daily pics of her nail designs, girl posts step-by-step tutorial pictures to go along with each manicure so that viewers can recreate them on their own nails. Not only is she creative, but the fact that she's willing to break down seemingly elaborate designs makes me like this account that much more. Because I like nice people, you see.

 A few of the photos:

• @thary_xoxo - Hailing from Toronto, Thary S. uploads several different manicures a few times a day, most of which she enters into Instagram nail contests (as you can see when a small piece of paper with a hashtag is held up next to a manicure), which I'll bet she usually wins. Not only do I give her credit for having an amazing work ethic (two manicures per day? Respect.) but each look is very unique. 

A few of the photos:

• @icandynails - The crazy-cool designs on this account come straight from iCandy Nails, a salon based in Fresno, CA. Like many 10-fingered masterpieces, these are well-rendered and colorful, but the artists take it a step further by applying three-dimensional acrylic shapes onto extreme nail shapes such as the "duck feet" and the "stiletto".

A few of the photos:

@bedizzle - B peppers her Instagram account with pop culture designs, from the Olympics to Barbie and Ken, and also with unique patterns, but her claim to fame has got to be the precision with which each nail design is created. Fingernails are not big canvases, but you wouldn't know that from the intricate designs that are flawlessly executed.  Overall, a good stop to get a bit of everything.

A few of the photos:

Local Spotlight - Goldmakers Jewelry

Goldmakers Jewelry is the one-stop-shop in Lawrence, KS that caters to anyone with an affinity for jewelry - both costume and high-end pieces. Goldmakers is a store that I didn't properly discover until after I had lived in Lawrence for three years. As it so happened, I was walking along Massachusetts Street - strolling, if you will - when a turquoise-hued something caught my eye. I moseyed up to the store window to take a better look and was immediately taken aback by the prettily presented items for sale. Unlike the somewhat ostentatious way that other jewelry companies try to lasso in potential customers - such as with huge banners advertising discounts, cliche references to love and marriage and with uninspired, run-of-the-mill designs - Goldmakers had me at hello. Instead of in-your-face adverts, jewelry is displayed amidst whimsical odds and ends, such as stone busts, coffee and tea cups and pots, antique figurines, faux flowers, etcetera.

Goldmakers plays host to several different jewelry lines (over 40, according to the Goldmakers website), but the shop also makes and sells its own line of jewelry pieces - fashioned by the in-house jewelers - some that are ready-made and others that have been custom-made per request by customers.

The store itself is laidback, unlike some of the other too-bright, overstimulating jewelry store environments. Shannon greeted me when I walked in and she answered the questions that I asked about the store, as did other employees. It was really easy to talk to everyone and we had a good conversation (photography, jewelry and blogging were the main fodder).

Some of the designers that Goldmakers displays include: Alexis Bittar (statement piece costume jewelry with bright colors and a lot of stones), Dori Csengeri (half silk cotton and half gemstones), Extasia (a modern take on Victorian cameos), Verameat (slightly off-kilter, curious designs) and viv & ingrid (delicate, beautifully presented, ultra-feminine pieces).

 (A few angles of the shop, all from near the front entrance)

 (Some glorious Dori Csengeri pieces)

 (Plus Extasia, E A M and Verameat and La Vie Parisienne)

 (A Goldmakers original design)

 (I probably spent five minutes staring at the glittering middle ring, thinking about much I adore it.)

 (Look at all of this gorgeous finger candy.)

 (And again, I fell in love. Middle ring.)

 (Rings displayed in mini cupcake molds! Genius!)

 (Scarab jewelry. Does this remind anyone else of the Mummy movies?)

 (All of the gemstones that are available! Goldmakers' jewelers can set these for you in your own jewelry or you can commission a custom item using these.)

Overall, Goldmakers is brimming with beautiful pieces from a range of designers with various design sensibilities - some classic, some innovative, some whimsical, but all of which are well-made and gorgeous.