Crumpet's 31DC: Rainbow

I'll keep it short and sweet tonight since it's later than I had planned.  I've been dying to try a mani like this one by Bregje at Oooh, Shinies! and decided to do a variation on it for my rainbow mani.

*1 coat Gelous base
*3 coats NYC Skyline Blue
*Zoya America
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Green With Envy
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away!
*China Glaze Gothic Lolita
*1 coat Out the Door

I picked up Skyline Blue at Target on clearance (under $1!) and thought it would make a nice sky for my rainbow.  It's a slightly shimmery pale blue.  I had some dragging patches, so I went with 3 coats for evenness, but you could do 2 careful thick ones too.
I dotted on my colors, overlapping between nails a bit.  My only regret is that my base is darker than I thought, so Green With Envy doesn't have enough contrast to really pop.  Other than that, I'm liking this one!

Crumpet's 31DC: Tranquility

I'm a bit behind with this prompt, ironically, because I was relaxing.  On Friday I just didn't feel like doing anything after work, so polishing waited.
I thought through so many calming and soft colors, but pretty quickly realized what I wanted to do for this prompt.
I'm from a small town in wine and redwood country.  I now live in a big city on the beautiful Pacific.  There are a lot of things I love about San Diego, but a lot of things that I've grown tired of.  When I go home, there is quiet.  There is stillness.  There are old, towering redwoods. 
There are stars.
I miss dark skies full of stars.  They make me feel calm.

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Zoya Song
*2 coats Zoya Dream (accent)
*1 coat Wet 'n' Wild Kaleidoscope
*Cover Girl Boundless Color White Knight
*1 coat Out the Door

I did a simple "starry" sky with Song on most nails, a pretty, shimmery navy blue that is much darker in person than my photos.  I did a thick coat of Kaleidoscope, a favorite silver holo glitter, on top for "stars."  Then, on my accent, I used Dream, an almost perfect match to Song except that it's full of scatter micro holo glitter.  On top, I dotted on the big dipper, which I always look for when I'm home.  I sealed it all with a shiny top and fell in love.
As Switchfoot says, "When I look at the stars, I feel like myself..."

What do you find calming to see on your nails?

One last Christmas look...

Oh man, life can really get in the way of plans sometimes, you know?
I had this mani, which I LOVED, and another one that I had been waiting a long time to do, to show for Christmas.  But then I had to pack and fly home and a week had gone by before it started chipping and I hadn't snapped a picture. 
Then I was SO ready to start the new 31 day challenge.  But it had to wait until I got back from vacation.  Which was when I promptly came down with the flu.  Ugh.
So, there have been a couple of manis that didn't make it to my camera, but I'm fever-free and ready to start postin'!
So, this is a Christmas mani I originally saw on The Swatching Sprite (I'm so sad she's stopped posting--I loved this blog!) and had been dying to try.  Except for some pesky topcoat smearage, I LOVED how these turned out!

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Cover Girl White Night
*1 coat Zoya Ginessa
*Revlon Posh
*Zoya America
*1 coat Out the Door

I loved these polka dots!  Ginessa is a gorgeous white shimmer that, for opacity, is best layered over a white cream, and it's such a pretty base!  I fought every instinct and let the red, green, and white cream dots stand alone.  I like the lighter tone of America and Posh together.  I even liked the design of the dots (which I am so excited to do again and again for different holidays/color combos!).  I even waited a full 15 minutes but it still dragged the red :(  In real life, it was totally not as noticeable. 

Any tips for keeping a topcoat from dragging colors below?  Please share!

...And Presents Under the Tree

My striping tape skills failed me again on this one, which I saw on Pinterest and traced back to the ever-amazing Manicurator, Victoria. I was SO meticulous in my taping, too, trying to make sure I could get the strips off quickly when I was done polishing so that I'd get clean lines.  Apparently I was not as fast as I thought...so, plan B:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I
*2 coats China Glaze Angel Wings
*2 coats China Glaze Ruby Pumps
*Zoya Logan
*Wet 'n' Wild Kaliedoscope
*2 coats Out the Door

I loved the gold on this one--Golden-I has such a gorgeous shimmer to it and the holo sparkle of Angel Wings were perfect together.  Angel Wings glows behind the tree!  I painted over my failed stripes with the perfect green foil of Logan.  I like that you can still see the edges (total accident) so it looks more like a tree than a triangle.  I dabbed on some Kaleidoscope for decoration and added a rhinestone topper. 
What's a tree without presents?  I love the "wrapped present" nails and used the ever-awesome Ruby Pumps.  While nothing ever looks as good in a macro photo, my "ribbons" weren't too bad on these accents.  I added a bow sticker, some glossy topper, and called it a festive day!

There are still a few polishing days left before Christmas--what's your favorite tree design?  What should I try before the season's over?

Thanksgiving Catch Up

Between school and work, things have gone into overdrive these past couple of weeks!  I have 3 more finals, a final paper, and 9 more days of work before I get a break and time at home!  I canNOT wait!
So, since I got behind and it's now almost Christmas, I'll just do a quick post with the two Thanksgiving looks I wore this year.
This first one is inspired by this look from the Tumblr Sabzii's Nails.  I first saw the mani on Pinterest and fell so in love with the Funky French she did.  Her little feather is amazing and I knew not to even attempt that!  So, I used some of my amazing decals from RLR Creations Nail Art. 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*OPI DS Opulence
*China Glaze Fairy Dust
*2 coats Out the Door

I tried to find out what polish she used for her mani because it is gorgeous!  I didn't get an answer, though, so I did my best and was really impressed with how close this was!  I used DS Opulence, a pretty, dusty rose with scattered micro particles and dabbed on Fairy Dust for some larger holo pieces on top.  I used two different decal, one on each hand.

Ignore that smudge on my middle finger and look at how awesome those decals are!  They are so easy to use and come out amazing every time I've used them!

My second look was my attempt at this little turkey from All That Is Gorgeous.

I used Essie Mochachino for my base.  Then, I went mainly to my China Glaze Capitol Colors--Mahogany Magic for the body of the turkey and Riveting for the orange feathers/dots.  I used OPI Dane-shiny Red and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Man-go Team! for the other feathers.  His body and head turned out...not as I imagined.  I loved the dots, though!  Overall I'm totally envious of how awesome the turkey was that I worked from, but this wasn't too bad at all.  My little cousins thought he was fun, which is really all that matters :)

Here's lookin' at you!

I love this simple little Halloween look!
I wore nails like this last year and, with so little time, it was impossible to resist this quick nail art again.  I originally saw this inspiration on Pinterest last year.  I love simple nail art like this that really anyone can pull off!

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Essence Jacob's Protection
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Out the Door

Jacob's Protection is from the Essence Twilight line that came out earlier this year.  I haven't read or watch the series, but the colors were really great.  This is a black base with dense, medium blue shimmer throughout.  The first photo is a little out of focus and really shows off the shimmer on my index finger.  It's a really pretty polish!  I just used a dotting tool to dab on white and then black over the dark base.  Easy!

Candy Corny?

This was the first Halloween mani I did this Halloween.  I am a sucker for Candy Corn.  I love it.  I was crushed to hear that it is the most hated Halloween treat (and I totally don't think that's true).  I wanted to do a Candy Corn mani without going overboard or taking too much time.  The result was...well, it was.

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
*Cover Girl Boundless Color Candy Corn
*Wet 'n' Wild French White Creme
*Zoya Myrta
*1 coat Out the Door Northern Lights
*1 coat Out the Door

Ignore the tip wear--it took me a couple of days to snap some photos and it's the lease noticeable here.  I wanted to use the candy corn accent with a French.  My oranges are rather thin, so I used Myrta for the tips over my natural nails.  This is a gorgeous, burnt orange with a sparkling foil finish.  Unfortunately, it kind of clashes with the candy corn.  I was disappointed in the color coordination here.  I liked my accent and I liked my French, but together they didn't quite work liked I had hoped.
Have you ever had that happen--colors just not quite working that you had high hopes for?

May the treats be ever in your favor!

I've been swamped with studying, class, internship work and work-work lately, so prepare yourself for a little avalanche of posts here!
This is my most recent one, a Halloween mani that chipped so it had to go.  To be honest, I wanted to do a few, so I wasn't TOO sad to take it off...

*1 coat Yello=Out
*3 coats China Glaze Harvest Moon
*3 coats China Glaze Riveting
*3 coats Sonoma Nail Art Sincerest Pumpkin Patch
*Zoya Yara
*1 coat Out the Door

The China Glaze Capitol Colors were/are phenomenal.  Plain and simple.  Tons of them lend themselves to fall art, and I used two of them for this main.  Harvest Moon is a gorgeous, warm coppery-brown with a sparkling foil finish.  I used this on my thumb, index, and pinkie fingers.

I used Riveting for my pumpkin accent with Harvest Moon for the lines and a little bit of Yara for the grass and stem.  I adore Riveting.  I won't waste your time here, but you can click on the tag to see me sing its praises again and again.  This orange just glows!
Finally, I used Sincerest Pumpkin Patch for a second accent.  I love Sonoma Nail Art polish!  Not only do the polishes come from very near to my hometown, but they are amazing!  They combos are so rad and the polish is wonderful quality.  I haven't used this one in a year and didn't need any thinner like I usually do with indies.  I like it a little better with a base, like Yara, but I didn't think that through before I started painting, so I just layered the beauty on!  I love this polish and the Peanuts--it just makes me smile every time I look at it!

33DC: Chevrons

Last week I really wasn't very inspired by the challenges, nor did I have time to do more than a simple polish.  Last night, as I read and tried to do ANYTHING but homework, I gave chevrons a try.  I've been dying to try this mani that I found on Pinterest and traced back to Selena at Pink U Rock.  I, like many of you, debated whether or not zig-zags were considered chevrons.  I took the technical road and decided not, so I tweaked the mani a bit, but love it!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sinful Colors Cream Pink
*2 coats Butter London Fairy Cake
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out the Door

I love Cream Pink and couldn't find it for a while last night.  I know Sinful Colors are cheap, so it wasn't a big deal, but I had had my heart set on it.  I'm glad it surfaced (which is sort of a miracle in my room right now).  I used 2 coats for coverage, though long nails probably need 3.  I love that, even though it has "cream" in its name, it has a really subtle golden shimmer to it that you can see in the first picture.
Fairy Cake is an awesome gold-ish holo glitter that I used for my ring finger accent.  I love how this looks with the pink!  I used Snow Me White as a base for my chevrons and used striping tape to make the v's.  Then I used Black out over the top and peeled off the tape.
This color combo is so stunning that I am sad to see it go tomorrow!  I have to meet with my internship contact for school and don't really feel like this is appropriate, but I'm sure I'll give it another go or try a variation very soon because I can't take my eyes off of it!  Do you have any color combos that just steal the show like this?  Share!  Share!

33DC: most used color polish

If I were going by the numbers, today would be Black Out and Snow Me White.  Those two make their way into almost every mani I do!
I looked over my tags and, while there are plenty of polishes I love and would wear every day, Danke-shiny Red and Golden-I both had 7 tags, so I made a mani with the two of them.  It's a lot more Christmas-y than I'd like, but the numbers don't lie!

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I
*OPI Danke-shiny Red
*1 coat Out the Door

Okay, ignore the mess that I made of my fingers :) Today I had a midterm and very little time, so I was rushing to get this posted.  I used 2 coats of Golden-I as my base.  This is my go-to gold and a gorgeous foil/metallic finish.  

I love this design from Pshiiit.  She has amazing nails and art and I've been wanting to try this for a while because it's one of the few I think I can manage!  Actually, this was easier than I thought and turned out pretty cool. I simply used striping tape and overlapped it differently on each nail, which meant that I didn't need a lot of precision, and then painted over with Danke-shiny.  Both of these colors just glow on the nail--I'm so excited for the sun to come out tomorrow!

Back to school...

I've been wanting to try chalkboard nails since the 31 day challenge at the beginning of the year.  A contributor in The Crumpet's Nail Tarts posted some and I forgot to write down her name, so if you posted them back in January let me know!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*OPI Danke-shiny Red
*China Glaze Mahogany Magic
*Color Club striper in White
*1 coat Out the Door
*1 coat Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love

I fell in love this the pin I found of apple nails Cosmetic Cupcake did, so I added it as an accent.  I used a small paint brush and Danke-shiny Red for the apples and just a dash of Mahogany Magic for the stem.  I left these shiny and like how they turned out.

I used Black Out for my chalkboard base and painted in white over the top.  Things got a little dicey on my right hand, so these did not get worn out in public, but at least I gave it a shot!  I can never quite find the right brush to use when it comes to freehand art.  I was going to use a small paint brush for the letters, but decided to give my striper a try.  The brush on it is very thin but long, and did not give me the control that I needed.  Yeah, that was supposed to be a heart on the pinkie...oh well!

I really like how these looked.  I'm going to give them another go with a little more work on the art part, but if you haven't tried chalkboard nails, I recommend them--they are easy (in theory) and super cute!  More importantly, for me, they are a little love letter to my momma as she starts the first grade!

My momma's birthday!

My mother is pretty spectacular.  I may be a little biased, because she's the one who gave me life, but she is objectively beautiful, talented, artistic, loving, and strong.  Today is her birthday!  I had big hopes for this one, and because she's my mom I'm sure she'll say she loves it, but it's not quite the masterpiece I envisioned.  So it goes.  I tried my hand at a little nail art just for her!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener
*2 coats Color Club Fashion Addict
*2 coats Wet 'n' Wild French White Creme
*China Glaze Gothic Lolita
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Bubblegum Pink
*1 coat Out the Door

I tried a little cupcake for her!  She is an amazing baker and always made the most delicious, creative cupcakes and cakes for our birthdays.  People still beg for her frosting recipe and I'll never forget the little Easter egg cupcakes she made for my birthday one year. 

I used Fashion Addict for my nails--this is a beautiful, subtle lilac indoors and a stunning scattered, almost-linear, holo in the sun.  If my nails were cut short, this would be a one-coat polish, but I added a second to ensure nail lines weren't visible.

I used French White Creme for my cupcake frosting and base, adding Gothic Lolita for the wrapper to go with the Fashion Addict purple.  I added sprinkles with Mellow Yellow and Bubblegum Pink and a red rhinestone cherry on top. 
So, happy birthday, mom!  You are always on my mind and now on my fingers.  This one is just for you!

Land that I love

I know it's the 5th, but these were my 4th of July nails.  I tried my hand at this pin that links to Californails, but I couldn't find the mani on the tumblr feed, so I can't link to that.

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardner
*2 coats Cover Girl White Night
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Co-bolt Blue
*OPI Danke-shiny Red
*Sinful Colors Queen of Beauty
*2 coats Out the Door

The thing about macro shots is that they amplify every little detail that the perfectionist in me hates!  The reality is that these came out really cool and I'm pretty proud of them (even the right hand!).  Up close all I can think is I have NO idea how ladies get straight freehand lines!  Anyway, when these are a normal distance from my eyes, I really like them.  I got a lot of compliments on them the past two days.  What I found really strange was that at least a third of those comment came from men.  I guess Independence Day brings out some hardcore patriotism that men embrace, even if it is in nail polish!

I applied two thin coats of white for my base knowing the others would cover it well.  I taped off half of the nail and painted on Co-bolt Blue.  I really never get tired of how gorgeous this polish is.  It's much darker without a flash on it, but that shimmer is just as visible.  Then I freehanded on stripes with Danke-shiny and a small brush.  Finally, when I hoped it had all dried, I painted on the glitter stripe which shows up much better in real life.  It helped me worry a little less about areas where polish snuck under my tape lines!

This really got me excited to get back into trying more nail art.  I can polish and add glitter or an accent like nobody's business, but it's been months since I really tried to do anything beyond that.  Shaky lines aside, I really did like this design and now that I have some more free time, I'm feeling the itch to keep trying new stuff and branch out more.  Have you had a cool design that inspired you to get more adventurous with your nails?

Love-Hate

I love and hate Valentine's day.  This year was a pretty crappy one, due mostly to an insane amount of work between two jobs.  I felt, to be honest, like I should reflect this attitude in my mani:

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Color Club Ruby Pumps
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out the Door

This was a really simple one.  I used Ruby Pumps and Black Out for my accent.  I freehanded a heart on my thumb (which was...interesting...on my right hand).  I would say that I love this red, but I've learned that I am not allowed to fall in love with a red polish.  It's been more than a year and my bottle of Color Club Ruby Slippers still won't open (I can't bring myself to toss it) and I opened my box of indies this weekend to find that Annalicious had been killed!  I have no idea how, but the bottle broke right at the neck.  The top was laying next to the rest of the dry bottle.  I was going to buy a replacement this weekend with the promo, but just couldn't justify it.  I was so bummed!

Something Lady Like

I've been a bit M.I.A. the last week.  I had the best of intentions for the 31 day challenge, and did a lot better than I thought.  I also was really stoked to do the Flip Flop challenge in February.  Then, I just got very overwhelmed with everything going on in my life.  I needed some time away, some rest, some perspective.  I had a couple of manis that I decided not to photograph and share, even though I really liked my Super Bowl one.  But really, it just wasn't important.  Taking a deep breath was.
I thought I would try to catch up or jump into the Flip Flop challenge, but I think that I am going to keep that for another time.  Instead, I'm going to enjoy my nails a bit more.  When I was changing every day, I didn't get to savor them, and there were some looks I really liked!  I know that is why I started this blog in the first place--to keep track of the manis I did so that I can come back to ones I liked--but it was a little sad to work hard and then wash it all away.  So, I won't be posting daily, but I'm okay with that.  I hope you are too!

*~*~*~*

I have a love-hate relationship with Valentine's Day.  I love love and pink and flowers.  I hate being alone when everyone else has love and pink and flowers galore.  I'm sure you would NEVER understand that... I've been saving up some Valentine mani ideas that I'm excited to try out.  Like I said, I love love and pink...

 

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Essie Lady Like
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Out The Door.

This first look comes courtesy of Mixed Mama.  I found this simple but lovely mani on Pinterest a while ago and have been dying to try it out.  This is the reason that I ended up getting Lady Like!

Lady Like is not a polish I would ever say is "me."  It is a cream, dusty mauve of sorts, almost beige.  It's a little old lady-ish.  It applies like a dream--I used 2 coats for a smooth finish, but 1 careful coat is really enough.  A one-coat neutral!  Maybe it's because it's really different from what I wear.  Maybe it's because I've been loving this look for so long.  Maybe I'm just an old lady at heart, but I really like this color!  Sometimes, I think I need something more subtle and soft, and this is both in such a perfect way!

I used a dotting tool to draw on the hearts with Snow Me White.  I tossed this bottle when I was done--it's gotten really thick and makes little strings as soon as it's out of the bottle.  I have a back-up already, too, but just wouldn't get rid of this.  When it messed up this mani, that was the last straw!  I had waited too long to let thick polish get in my way!

I like how simple and quiet these are.  It feels so weird to have no shimmer or glitter on my nails, and I considered adding some iridescent glitter to the hearts, but I'm glad I didn't.  I waited for Valentine's Day-ish to try these, but I think they might be a simple, mostly-neutral go-to look from now on!

New 31DC: Inspired by my Country

I'm an American girl, for better and worse.  I'm also a born and raised California girl.  I currently live in sunny southern California, but I was raised in gorgeous northern California.  I considered some red, white, and blue nails tonight, but "country" sparked an idea for me.

I had the amazing good fortune to grow up in a small town in the heart of wine country.  It's funny, I thought about doing a skittle with redwoods and my high school and a starry sky (I really miss the stars, living in a big city).  I think I tend to have momentum--I did a skittle for the last challenge, so I think I need another one.  I'm glad I didn't though, because I like how this is simple.

 

*1 coat Yello-Out

*2 coats OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest

*3 coats China Glaze Cowardly Lyin'

*Zoya Yara

*1 coat Out The Door

 

I used Every Month Is Oktoberfest for this one.  Perfection!  This polish is simply stunning.  It is a perfect deep purple for wine and grapes.  I NEVER get tired of this shimmer, either! 

 

I was going to use my go-to Fast Track for my accent, but decided to use Cowardly Lyin' instead.  This is a very sheer shimmery gold with small glitter pieces in it.  I wanted something white wine-ish for the grapes' background.  Close enough to champagne, don't you think?  I used Oktoberfest to dot on grapes and then painted on Yara as the vine.  Now, you are in for a very special treat (sort of).  Meet my right hand:

I snapped that one on a whim, which is why the sides of my nails are a mess.  I liked how the grapes looked much better on this hand, and wanted to show them off.  Something funny happened when I did this.  I knew I would have a hard time snapping a picture with my left hand, and it was really awkward.  I did not think, however, that it would be hard to pose my right hand!  I am so used to posing my left, that I couldn't really hold the bottle well or move my hand right--so weird!  So, forgive the mess, but I liked that little bunch a lot.  For better or worse, I love my home so much and am proud of it.  I'm so happy that this one turned out so well!

New 31DC: Inspired by Childhood

This one is late.  So it goes.  I needed sleep last night and, much more than that, could NOT decide on what to do.  So, I did a little skittle today for a child of the '90s.

*I used a LOT of polishes here, some just for a dot or stripe, so I'm not going to list them all.  If you're curious about anything, feel free to ask and I can tell you what I used!

For my thumb, I made binder paper.  I've been a writer as long as I can remember.  That sounds so pretentious, but it's just a fact.  I've always loved language and using words.  I've also always been a total nerd, the teacher's pet all the way through college.  It's in my blood.  School, and writing, are a part of growing up for me. 

My ring finger is for television.  I know there is an eternal debate about kids watching TV, but we did my house.  I loved classic Nickelodeon and Disney shows, Saturday morning cartoons, T.G.I.F.--we're a TV family.  My parents and I will even sometimes "watch" shows over the phone (I'm waiting for you to come back, Amazing Race!).  This is Chuckie Finster's shirt from Rugrats (I tried to watch this again recently--some things were way better when you were young!).  I killed myself again with impatience and streaked my red when I added my top coat, but overall like how this one turned out!

Much like TV, I am a movie girl, from a movie family.  We love to watch movies, and Disney was/is a staple.  I used Leslie's work from Polish Art Addiction as inspiration and painted a seashell tip for Ariel on my middle finger.  The Little Mermaid has been a favorite of mine forever, and this turned out better than I hoped, so I may need to try a full mani in the future!

Just as much as I love TV and movies, I am a reader.  That's what English majors do.  From Golden Books to Shakespeare, Lewis to Moore, I can't remember NOT reading.  We spent so many hours with my parents, snuggled up around a book.  On my own, I spent even more time disappearing into different worlds.  My index finger is Mama Bear's dress from the Berenstain Bears.

As a final touch, I couldn't really feel nostalgic and ignore the fact that I have Floam waiting to be worn!  This is 4 coats over Sally Hansen Green With Envy.  I wish I hadn't use a green the same color as the glitter so that it would have stood out more, but weird things like Floam were part of growing up in the 80's and 90's. 

So, now you know a little (lot) more about me and what made me who I am now.  It's hard not to get carried away and nostalgic as I think about childhood. 

New 31DC: Inspired by a Game

This is a challenge that has SO many possibilities!  I may just make a little challenge for myself later on with "game" manis...
I wasn't quite ready to say farewell to Annalicious, so that helped me narrow down my choices.  Today I went with a video game (here comes my no-so-inner nerd):

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Cult Nails Annalicious
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out The Door

I'm actually really pleased with how these little Pokeballs turned out!  I made Annalicious my base because Snow Me White is really opaque.  After painting the nails red I freehanded the bottom half white because I didn't need a perfectly crisp line.  I used a small paint brush and Black Out to draw on the stripe.  Then, with the largest dotting tool I have, I added a black and white dot in the center.  Pretty easy!

I wish I were less embarrassed of my love of these little digital guys so I could wear these longer.  They really did turn out much better than I imagined them, which is not typically the case when I try out some nail art.  Alas, I need to at least pretend I'm a grown up!  Do you still have some secret kid loves?  Things you'll just never outgrow?

New 31DC: Inspired by Nature

Tonight I really just wanted to go to sleep.  At, like, 8 pm.  I had big plans for some pretty nature nails.  Then, I thought about going simpler.  I thought about another galaxy nail, which I loved the first time.  Then I tried to think of something even simpler.  Awful, I know.  Well, so are the results.  Sort of--they're not horrible, but I second-guessed myself, which was the biggest mistake.

 

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Cult Nails Annalicious
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out The Door

This is the first time I've done ladybug nails since high school--maybe junior high!  I had my tape ready to put their little heads as a black tip, like a French, but then decided I'd use hole reinforcements and do a half-moon-ish look.  Not good.  I wish I had gone with a French type tip instead because these don't really have the "head" look I wanted. 
I really just couldn't get over the idea of using Annalicious, which is a gorgeous, shimmery, bright red, so I had to do ladybugs!  It was so hard to paint over that beautiful base! 
I used my trusty Black Out to paint on all the details, which is striking as a cream against the shimmer.  I used a new art brush from a Bundle Monster kit my mom got me for Christmas.  It was a little rough with the striper brush at first, which is why you aren't really seeing my ring finger in this one...so it goes.  While it is messier than I had hoped, using my new brush makes me excited to play around with the others in the kit. 
So, I'm not wild (no pun intended) about how these little buggies came out, but you can certainly bet that you'll be seeing some Annalicious and Black Out returning next month for a Valentine's Day look!

New 31DC: Watercolor

So, first an explanation for my missing challenge yesterday, then today's challenge. Yesterday's theme was stamping, which I am terrible at. Like, to an embarrassing degree. I haven't put a ton of time into it yet, but I was not in the mood to fail. I try to be open and do not edit my photos at all (if I get handy with some editing tools, I'll let you know when they are cleaned up pictures). I try to be real about my shortcomings. Sometimes, though, I need to be a little gentle with myself. I'm not super stoked on my life situation right now, and polish (and this blog) are a little refuge for me. I may not be perfect, but I am becoming more and more happy with my polish skills and the way that my nails look. They are one of the very few things I feel I am moderately good at and they make me happy. When they don't, when they feel like a chore or a bummer, I need to stop. This is something to lift me up and give me some joy, not bring me down or frustrate me. That is not to say that I don't want to try new things that I may not be great at, but I don't want to set out to bring myself down with something as trivial, and yet therapeutic, as painting my nails and writing about it. Yesterday was the breaking point--I had done enough sketchy challenge days and was just tired of feeling like a failure, so I didn't do that to myself. I little part of me felt bad, and I may try some stamped nails later this month, but for now I'm okay with the fact that I was kind to me yesterday and I hope that you are too!

So, onto my first watercolor attempt. If you've never tried watercolor nails before, the idea is to use acetone to dilute the pigment. You start with a base and a couple of coats of top coat, then dab on color and use a brush dipped in acetone to dab over the color to wash it out and blend it together. I was having a hard time coming up with inspiration, so I went with different shades of blue.

 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*2 coats Out The Door
*Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Co-Bolt Blue
*Sinful Colors Why Not
*Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau
*1 coat Sinful Colors Pearl Harbor
*1 coats Out The Door

I started with a clean white base.  Then, with very little direction for application, I went with my darkest color first--Co-Bolt Blue.  I love this navy, shimmery blue (which you already know if you've seen any other post I made with blue in it) and it's wonderfully opaque.  I dabbed it on and then, with a small paint brush dipped in acetone, dabbed some more!

Next I used Why not, with the same technique and (lack of) precision.  This cream is a medium blue, much lighter than I realized when it was diluted with acetone.  I'll also draw your attention to my index finger and the missing polish near the tip.  The point of using 2 layers of top coat before the water color effect is to protect your base from the acetone.  However, if, like me, you decide to add more polish or are overenthusiastic with your dabbing, you might just see your nail make an appearance...  Lesson learned.

I added a coat of Pearl Harbor, an iridescent blue glitter, to draw it all together.  This last picture was under a lamp, without flash, and I added it because the color is much truer here.  Overall, I'm not super-thrilled with this look.  I think part of the problem is the monochromatic choice, which I'll remember.  I think this look is interesting and I may very well try it again with better color choices.  Have you done a watercolor mani before?  What did you find worked well?  Do you have any good tips?