31 Day Challenge 2019 – MY 31DC2019 OUTLINE & AIMS

So every year I finish this challenge, I question my sanity in doing it. Yet, I’m doing it again. The 31 Day Challenge for 2019 [explore entries on Instagram #31DC2019 ] – and here’s MY 31DC2019 OUTLINE – the Buff & Polish Aims for this season’s epic nail challenge. READ ON!

These are the prompt images for this years 31 Day Challenge – created by Cathy from More Nail Polish. I couldn’t decide which one to use, and it changes depending on my mood, so I will probably use them all and have posted them all below for you to see. You are free to use these images for your own website, social media, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram posts.

You can find these images and other info also on the ‘official’ outline post over at Cathy’s blog – click here to visit.

WHAT IS IT & WHO CAN JOIN?

This yearly challenge many of you will have already heard of, but it became an annual trend to do it in September when Sarah from Chalkboard Nails began doing it in 2011 and took off from there. Cathy took up the mantle of providing the yearly InLinkz, images and info after Sarah got licensed and didn’t continue on.

Anyone can join in. You don’t even have to have a blog or social media account if you’d like to just challenge yourself, but part of the fun of this whole thing is to share and get and give feedback, to connect with others who might understand the pain of doing such a challenge of a mani a day for 31 day.

Painful? Yeah, well not gonna lie, it can be punishing and have you too questioning your sanity at times, but the sense of achievement you feel at the end is worth the effort, if you can make it. You don’t have to do complex things every day, so it needn’t be stressful either [erm, note to self to emply the KISS method this year] 😁

MY AIMS

I like to use the challenge to try out different techniques, ideas I’ve had, and also to try and use some of my ‘untrieds’ – as yet unused items and supplies. I’m sure the collectors out there will understand exactly what I am talking about. I set a few aims for this year’s challenge:

• Execute some of the ideas I’ve had for nail art! 😂
  (In a rough year, nails take the back-burner more than I’d hoped)
• Push creative bounds a little – IF I have the time (super busy right now)
• Mix it up with a few styles & techniques I’ve not had time to do
• Do more of the things I enjoy – may not get to style-wise, but lots of mixed media
• Will try to fit in more: 3D nail art, matte, abstract nails, freehand
• Be able to socialise more – no time or energy left to do that lately, let alone browse blogs or IG
• Survive September 😁
• I’ll be keeping up with all commitments, swatches & reviews throughout the month as well, so you will be getting A LOT of posts! 🎉🎉 I’ve actually been saving some reviews to show during the busy time (win-win). If you’re one who magically posts 20 times a day on Instagram, you’re gonna have some friendly competition haha 😆

It’s been a heck of a year and things “keep happening”…so I’m not as prepared as I’d hoped to be. I am still short on time so will do what I can with the above, but at least this year I hope to finish on time. Providing I’m not forced into more urgent life matters – there always seems to be something lately and in September that throws everything out of whack!? 😓

WHERE TO SEE THE MANIS

You will be able to view all of my nail art both here on the website and on this account on Instagram.

You will also find my nail art linked in the group on posts below the text on all my posts and via many other blogs who have chosen to partake in the InLinkz kindly set up by Cathy. It’s a great way to get more exposure and see what others are doing. You can add your photos (see next part).

You can explore entries on Instagram #31DC2019 so make sure you tag everything with the #31DC2018 hashtag so it comes up in results and everyone else can see it! ✌

HOW DO I ADD MY MANI TO THE INLINKZ?

You can add your mani from your blog and even YOUR INSTAGRAM POSTS. If you wish to add your links and the InLinkz to your own blog, you can do so using the codes provided at this page courtesy of More Nail Polish. Note the updated terms of how it works differently to previous years. You also now only have to copy a code.

If you have a different social media account or Instagram,  or just want to add your link without having a widget, I suggest you bookmark my website (or anyone else’s who has this InLinkz, they will appear in the grid below) and visit each day. If you scroll down to the InLinkz grid there will be an option to add your image and you must add your link to the specific prompt day. So you’d add your Day 1 – Red nail art to a Day 1 – Red prompt post. They each have different codes.

See the picture below that shows what it looked like in my post pages (last year, will update if different) and how to find it:

How to add your links/images to and Access the InLinkz via my blog posts (or participating blogs)

WILL THERE BE FINISHER BADGES THIS YEAR? WHERE ARE LAST YEARS?

Yes! You don’t get prizes for this, only a sense of accomplishment. But that’s still good. Sarah used to create badges to display on blogs or social media for those who finished. Once she didn’t continue past 2016, they were absent last year. But they will be making an appearance again this year.

I’ll be knocking up some 31DC finisher badges for 2019 – (find 2018 & 2017 here just to complete the set for those that have done this for several years). Stay tuned to our pages for more info on that throughout September if you are interested.

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Also don’t forget to pop over and read the FAQ and 2019 Info Post on Cathy’s blog. I hope you’ll be up for cheering us on if you are giving it a miss this year. Feel free to leave praise and feedback in the comments while there 😁 sure as heck gonna need some type of motivation come day 5 haha!

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And that wraps up my 31DC2019 OUTLINE. See some of the other participants in the InLinkz below each of the posts, or check out the official hashtag on Instagram. You can also follow me on Instagram here – Come and comment, lemme know if you’re doing it, or just say hi so I can see what you’re doing too 🙂

Oh, and GOOD LUCK! Hopefully I start on time. lots of groundwork and stuff to do first and it all takes time on top of other brand/product commitments 😉 which are the priorities in this sitch always, so I’ll do my best to stay on time with posts.