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!

Golden fall

I. Am. LOVING. This!
I was feeling SUPER uninspired last night, but needed to change out my mani.  I was trying so hard to think of something creative and fall-inspired so that I could post (there are so many awesome swatchers out there--I don't really feel justified posting a simple polish change).  I was tired and decided to go boring with a simple accent color and call it a night.  
Sometimes simple is perfection. 

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Zoya Channing
*2 coats OPI My Favorite Ornament (accent)
*1 coat Out the Door (2 on accent)

Ahhh!  Warm, glowing, autumn perfection!  I've had both of these colors for a while and really regret not wearing them sooner.  Channing is a rusty orange foil finish with gorgeous, shimmering flecks.  This was 2 easy, thin coats. 

My mom gave me My Favorite Ornament last Christmas.  It wasn't on my wish list because it's just another gold glitter...except it's amazing!  (Side note: my mom's awesome and clearly knows me better than I know myself) This is a fine white-gold glitter.  I used two coats here and, while you can see nail line in the photo, in real life you can't.  This sparkler dries gritty, so I used 2 thick coats of topper and may add a 3rd tonight.  It's so pretty though!  The picture above is a little blurry so you can see the sparkle better on the accent--love it!
I was ready to stop after the polish but had a little baggie of of decals sitting on my table.  I saw a sheet of stickers that I think I won, definitely didn't buy, and didn't expect to like.  The little swirls are a sticker (I know, I could try to paint them on, but let's be real--it would not end like this!) and I LOVE it!  It was the perfect little extra.
I'm trying to post more often, and I'm so sad that this one will get taken off sooner rather than later.  I could stare at this all day (and may have for much of the afternoon while I typed...).

Have you been surprised by something you underestimated?  Is there a sleeper gem I should try?  Do tell!

Sweet Holo-ween

I'm a little late, but I grew to love the nails I had for Halloween and really think that it's never the wrong time for some candy corn!

* 1 coat Gelous base
* 2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
* Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed
* Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Butter-fly Stroke
* 1 coat INM Northern Lights
* 1 coat Out the Door

This looks is inspired by one I saw in a pin on Pinterest and tracked to Smashley Sparkles 2012 Halloween mani.  Hers has more of a fine, gradient look to it that I had planned to do, but once I realized my dots were too big, I improvised. 

I used Butter-fly Stroke, a good, opaque yellow for the tip.  I dotted over/below it with Sun Kissed and then went back to make a little more overlap between the colors.  I wasn't crazy about the look at first--I think because the base is white, instead of having white dots, so it felt uneven--so I added glitter, of course!  A thin coat of holo sparkles and a shiny topper and I called it a night!

As I looked at these on Halloween (and each day since) I came to like them more and more!  I had such a clear image in my head of what I was imitating that I didn't see how fun these turned out until I got a little distance.

Have you had a look grow on you over time that you came to love?  What made you come around to it?

Funky Halloween French

For today's look, I revived a look that I LOVED when I did it here and here.  It's pretty easy to do when you use striping tape because it gives a good, even stripe of color between the French tip layers. 

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Zoya Myrta
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out the Door

The one thing I see I always forget is to be careful on the tips with this look.  It seems, no matter how great they look in real life, on camera the base color always peeks out!
I underestimate how much I love my Zoya colors!  I mentioned recently that I loved their Ornate collection scattered holos and I also swoon over the foils in their Surf collection.  Myrta is a gorgeous, rusty orange with the strong shimmer that gives it a metallic look in the shade and a glow in the sun.  I went with this more muted orange and my trusty Black Out on the tips, guided by striping tape.  I forgot how simple but striking this look is and love it!

Do you have any good advice to learning (and remembering!) to wrap your tips when you polish?  Please share!

Dotty Halloween and Zoya create-a-polish!

I was SO close to getting a third post in for the week!

The problems was that I was overly-ambitious about the mani I planned and had to find a quick, dark plan B to cover up a disaster (which you will still see remnants of on the tips if you look closely).  I was ready to do a sponged candy corn "gradient" that needed better planning...and cutting of my sponge.  The yellow tips started fine but the orange overtook my nails (it had a mind of its own, I swear!) and I had a white base with some nails sponged to cover.  So, I used this mani from hellomissniki.com as my jumping off point.

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White (NOT necessary)
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*2 coats China Glaze Some Like It Haute (middle)
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed
*1 coat Out the Door

I promise, though my nails have been stained in the past, that yellow at the tips is NOT my natural nail, but the tip of my candy corns!
I love Some Like It Haute and couldn't resist pulling it out.  It's such a gorgeous mix of micro gunmetal glitter and larger hex holo glitter!  I resisted every urge to add glitter to the black and left it alone with a cream finish.  I dotted Black Out and Snow Me White over Sun Kissed--a gorgeous, easy orange cream--on my ring finger and called it a day.
I love the polka dots!  If I didn't have the botched base poking out, I'd be more in love with this look, but so it goes!  I'm going to switch it out tonight because it's really driving me nuts, but I'm sad to lose my dots and sparkles!

What do you think about manis-gone-wrong?  Do you want to see the botched attempts to know you're not alone, or is it better to pretend they just didn't happen?

If you haven't heard, Zoya (a brand that I LOVE) is running a really fun contest through Friday.  Log on to their site to play in the color lab and create your own polish.  You can play with colors and finishes and see all the others that have been created.  AND, if you feel so inclined, you can give my li'l bottle a vote by following the tweeted link below!

Vote for my creation, Melissa: "A sparkling bright pink for an extra-girly touch" http://t.co/hbktZLcFIc via @ZoyaNailPolish
— Melissa Andersen (@melissandersen) October 28, 2014

Stormy Halloween

Two posts in one week?  Who is this girl?
Well, be prepared, because I might even have a 3rd up my sleeve...

Tonight's is a very simple mani but I am LOVING it!  I got some chips in my last one so I made a late in the evening decision to switch it out last night, so I needed something quick.

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Zoya Story
*2 coats Cover Girl Boundless Color Candy Corn (accent)
*1 coat Sinful Colors UFO (accent)
*1 coat Out the Door

Sometimes, simple is best.  Zoya hit a home run with their Ornate collection--I never get tired of the scattered holos!  Storm is a black base with scattered silver micro holo.  I used 2 very thin coats
Cover Girl's Boundless Color collection was awesome and I still have a few bottles.  Candy Corn is one of them, a soft, creamy orange that covered okay enough in 2 coats.  There was still some visible nail line and a 3rd would have eliminated that, but I opted for some iridescent sparkle with a coat of Sinful Colors UFO--an orange-tinted sheer base with your standard mix of hex and micro glitter.  I added a little black rhinestone and called it a day with a top coat.
I loved looking at this one today and was glad to see it fared much better in an office than manis did in retail--stones are intact and tips are unchipped!  I think I'm going to enjoy manis much more now that they last!

What's your favorite go-to mani?  What simple look never fails you?

Matte Halloween

For-ev-er.  You're right, that's how long it's been since I last posted. 

Know that I feel bad, but make no apologies.  I moved, started a new job, quit an old job, injured a knee twice leaving me pretty immobile, traveled across the country, and just found a desire to polish again.  It's been a very different, crazy year for me, but good in the long run.  I just needed some "me" time to stop my head from spinning!

Hopefully I'll spend much more time here now!

I really wanted to start off right with the Crumpet's 52-week Challenge, but really didn't get myself in gear to make the deadlines for them.  I've been sporting nekkid nails for a while now, out of exhaustion, and was ready to dive in.  I got super excited about jumping in for week 3, but apparently the InLinkz is already closed. 
So, I may not be feeling this Challenge...I was excited to have some inspiration to start trying new things again, but I don't really like that it's closed off to anyone who hasn't been accepted into the Facebook group (I think they're pretty open to adding members, though!) and I didn't realize they were going to be such sticklers with the timing of posts.  Please understand that this is NOT a judgement on anyone who is on board (I fully intended to be until about 10 minutes ago when I went to post!), Crumpet's Nail Tarts, or the Challenge itself.  I actually think it's a great idea and may use some prompts, but it looks like I just decided I'm not "officially" participating.

One of this week's prompt options was matte.  I'm not a huge fan of matte finishes (I LOVE the feel of a shiny top coat when I touch my nails), but a challenge should be just that--stretching out of a comfort zone!

So, here's my first Halloween mani of the season:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Orly R.I.P.
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out (accent)
*1 coat Sinful Colors Pearl Harbor (accent)
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love

R.I.P. by Orly is a black, relatively sheer/jelly base with orange large hex and micro square glitters.  The glitter settled at the bottom of my bottle, but some shaking and resting it upside down while I started fixed that easily.  I used 2 coats, and may opt for 3 in the future due to how sheer the base is, but 2 careful coats are not bad at all!  With a shiny top coat, it gets the depth of a jelly sandwich.
I wanted a little something extra, so I used my black creme and dotted on eyes.  I used Pearl Harbor for just a little extra sparkle on the black.  I like this look a lot with a top coat and will have to do the combo again!
I used Matte-ly In Love on all the nails for the prompt.  While I don't really like the feel of it, I must admit that glitter looks so cool with the matte finish on it!  I'm not converted from a high-shine topper, but I'm not disappointed either!

So, what's your favorite way to rock matte?  Is there something I should try that will convert me?  Do tell!

Halloween left-overs

I know, I know, you're thinking about Thanksgiving left-overs and I'm sounding a little out of it.  Well, I am a little out of it.  Between interning, class, and work, my time has dwindled.  With it, my li'l blog has been neglected.  Actually, my nails have too.  I haven't done too many interesting looks and often simply polish one simple color to keep them covered and neat.
But, here are 2 Halloween looks that I did enjoy, but did not get up.

 *1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener

*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Green With Envy

*Zoya Storm

*Zoya Aurora 

*1 coat Out the Door

Polka dots--easy!  I wanted witchy colors, and loved the holo sparkle contrast of the Zoyas on the cream finish of Green With Envy.

 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener

*3 coats China Glaze Some Like it Haute

*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out

*Cover Girl Boundless Color Candy Corn

*3 coats Spoiled Vitamin C

*3 coats China Glaze I Herd That

*1 coat Out the Door

I tried to somewhat recreate a Christmas mani that I loved from last year, pattern-wise.  This didn't turn out as I really envisioned, but I love the glittery polishes, so I can't really complain.  As you an see, the orange Vitamin C is incredibly sheer (I really only did 3 coats of the others because I did one coat for each every time I added one), so if you love that orange shimmer, consider a base coat.

So, here's my out of season Halloween looks!

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!

33 Day Challenge 1: Dots

The Crumpet's Nail Tarts is having a 33 day challenge spread out over the next couple of months.  With school, I'm not sure how many I will be able to get done (even my day off each week is crammed with studying and errands!) but it's so fun to participate in challenges with others that I want to try to get some in!  Today's theme is dots, which is really the only nail art I can pull off.  I wanted to try something different because I've done a few before, some that I love so much that it's hard not to default back to them!
The camera flash is very unforgiving on this one because the polishes are so glittery, but in real life they turned out so pretty and subtle (you know, aside from the bright orange :) )

*1 coat Yello-Out

*2 coats China Glaze Riveting

*China Glaze I Herd That

*1 coat Out the Door

I wanted some fall colors and was trying so many combinations in my head for some cascading dots.  Then, I decided to just choose 2 that worked and use the dots to make a tip of sorts for the nail.  It's hard to make the out here (great choice for the first challenge post, right?) but I love them on.  

I LOVE Riveting.  The gold shimmer gives it a glow and, as you can see, is undeniable in this polish.  I Herd That is a gold glitter with some holo and reddish flashes.  I dotted it over Riveting at the tips of my nails.  I don't have a really good light that will let me turn off my flash, so I apologize for the poor quality of these, especially because the combo is so awesome in person!

I'm really excited to see how the other ladies use their dots.  Like I said, it's the one art technique I feel comfortable with and I'm always looking for new ways to use my dotters!

The summer sun's callin' my name!

If you've read through my posts, it's no secret that I am not entirely original or creative on my own.  I do know awesome manis when I see them, though, and love trying my hand (no pun intended, but it is a happy accident) at what others have done.  I am also as straightforward as I can be about where I find designs and try to link back to pages and posts.  I am kicking myself right now because last Saturday I saw this look on Facebook.  There are a ton of nail pages I follow and I went back in my feed as far as I could, as well as through my blogger feed and cannot find my source.  So, if this looks like your mani or you recognize the original lady's work, please let me know so I can edit and give her credit, because I LOVE this one!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sally Hansen Insta-dri Butter-fly Stroke
*Zoya Myrta
*1 coat Out the Door

Target had a bunch of Insta-dri on clearance and I am always looking for a good, opaque yellow to use as a base for my sheer ones.  I used two coats of Butter-fly Stroke and it is perfectly opaque.  The first coat was a bit streaky, but the cream finish evened itself out with the second.  I don't own a lot of creams--I'm too drawn to shimmers and glitters!  I do love, however, how they contrast with more sparkly polishes, so I'm rethinking my instincts.  Myrta is a gorgeous orange and every time I pull it out I wonder why I wear it so rarely.  I loved these two together!

I found my roll of striping tape finally and used it for my tips.  It is so much cleaner and easier than Scotch tape that I think I should make the very small investment in more rolls.  These colors just screamed "Summer!" to me, and I'm not a fan of the hot season, but they've made me so happy!  I got a ton of compliments at work yesterday.  When I do a mani, I love the amazement when a customer asks where it was done and I tell them my couch.  It makes me feel good when they ask if I'm wearing "those nail sticker sheets."  While I tend to focus on my mistakes, it's so flattering when someone thinks they were printed on wraps!  What's your favorite thing to hear when you work hard on your nails?  

Frosty

I'm deep into the Christmas spirit now!  I picked out a tree tonight and got it decorated.  The only room I haven't Christmas-fied yet is my bathroom, but that will come tomorrow night--I needed to take a rest to take in the holiday goodness!  So, I lost a rhinestone and figured it was time to try another Christmas mani.  This is another one I found on Pinterest and then followed back to a favorite blog of mine, Top Coat It!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Julep Kate
*1 coat Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Disco Ball
*Cover Girl Candy Corn
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out The Door

I used 2 coats of Julep Kate for my white base.  I love that it is not "white out" white and has a little bit of a shimmery finish to it.  The almost-cream finish softens the white just a bit and I've come to really love it.

Over Kate, because I really don't feel like my nails are polished without a little sparkle, I used one coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball.  This is pretty, though not really original.  It's your typical iridescent glitter that doesn't take away from the base but adds a little extra special to a mani.  I figured ice and snow sparkle, right? 

For the noses I used Cover Girl Candy Corn.  I loved their Boundless Color line and was so sad to see it go.  This orange is a favorite of mine, a little dusty in a perfect cream finish. Of course, I dotted on the face with my trusty Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out.  I sealed up the whole thing with a thick coat of Out the Door.
I am really pleased with how these little guys turned out!  I usually find a way to botch even simple dots. but these are pretty clean.  I think I went extra slow knowing how obvious smudges would come out.  My mom got really into snowmen at Christmas a few years back, so I really hope she likes these!  I think they are such a fun, easy winter/holiday design that I might have to try them again post-Christmas.  Have you done a snowman mani yet this year?  Do you have another design I should try?  Do tell!

Capitol Autumn

It's getting closer to Christmas time, so I need to get all of my fall colors in to satisfy my deep love of autumn (that seems to be hiding from me this year).  I am really in love with the colors I got from the China Glaze Capitol Colors collection from this spring for the release of The Hunger Games.  I figured that this is a perfect time to pull some out!

Look at all that shimmery goodness!  I used 2 coats of Fast Track, an amazing nude/beige with tons of golden shimmer.  It actually covers quite well.  I knew I was going to add to the tips, so I didn't opt for a third coat (plus, they're short now because I broke some nails today between ripping into a package from Llarowe, refusing to make more than one trip into the apartment with my groceries, and lugging 7 loads of laundry to the laundry room...).  I never get tired of this beauty!

I tried the polka dot nails again that I used for my tutorial and final Go Pink manis.  I went a lot faster this time, trying to beat the fan that I just couldn't turn off (really--it's 77 in my apartment right now.  Where is fall?!).  They're not as artistic and neat as I would have liked, but the amazing colors TOTALLY make up for it!  Riveting is an amazing orange with a fiery shimmer.  This builds easily, too, if you were curious, but I just dotted it on in single coats.

Lastly, I added on Harvest Moon.  This copper is so warm and beautiful!  Again, it is packed with shimmer.  I love that these colors are gorgeous, and really do represent the Districts they were named for, and they're cohesive.  I didn't get all of the colors in this collection, but China Glaze did an amazing job making a true collection that worked together.  All of the ones I did get really belong together.

The dots almost remind me of falling leaves.  You know, when you don't live around palm trees.  Don't you just love those colors together?  Have you found some really good combos for them?  Let me know because I really don't get tired of using them!

Glitter Goblin

I think that the 31 Day Challenge ruined me! I used to be pretty good about getting a post up once a week, and really lucky if I got 2 in. It's only been one day between my last post and this one and I'm itching to change my polish and get back to writing!
I've had a lot of work to do lately and not much sleep, so I'm rocking my little moustaches still, but I have this little beauty that I used last month and never posted. I was so excited to find the China Glaze Wicked collection at a Sally's near me. I had to make some hard choices and force myself to show some self-control, so I only picked up Make a Spectacle and Glitter Goblin. Love them!
I needed something simple and Halloween-y after a few challenge manis, so I went with this beauty over Black Out.

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat China Glaze Glitter Goblin
*1 coat Seche Vite

It's it a beauty?  This is just one average coat--not thick, not thin.  This clear base is full of orange and silver holo glitters.  As you can see, it's pretty dense, but not so much that you can't layer it.  I wish I had a good place to take outdoor photos because this is awesome in the sun! 

 

Ugh, that delightful red stain is from Danke-shiny, so ignore that and just look at that glittery goodness!  I like how dramatic it looks with the cream finish of Black Out for contrast.

This one shows off the holo on my nail better.  Did you grab this polish?  Are you as impressed as I am?  What have you paired it with that looked cool?  I'm pretty convinced that this isn't really a "Halloween" glitter, but an "I can still wear it because it's fall-ish" glitter.  Expect to see it again!

31DC: Recreate your favorite

I've made it to the end! I really did not think that I would make it much past the first week, but now I can say that I have completed the 31 Day Challenge! The final challenge is to recreate your favorite from the month. There are a ton that I loved and am excited to try again or work on. This was a bit tricky because today is Halloween, so I really wanted to choose one that was Halloween-themed. Then I couldn't decide. So, here's my Halloween skittle!

That's the lineup!  I changed up a few polishes from the original designs, but most are the same.

 

 

 

Day 12: Stripes.  My candy corn is a Color Club Almost Famous base, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed and Julep Kate, topped with Out The Door Northern Lights.  It's getting late and I know that this will be coming off tomorrow night, so instead of waiting for the base to dry an use tape, I freehanded the stripes.

 

Day 2: Orange.  For my orange nail, I used Zoya Myrta instead for this nail, which is a bit darker than the previous 2.  It is still shimmery with a great "foil" finish.  This Surf collection is gorgeous and they need no more than 2 coats.  I used Black Cat Lacquer Static Age again over the top.

 

Day 23: Inspired by a movie.  I decided to give Mr. Skellington another try. I couldn't decide between him and spider webs from my black and white mani, but I'm going to see my aunt tomorrow, and I'd love for her to see him!  This is 2 coats of Julep Kate with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out for accents.

Day 29: Inspired by the supernatural.  It's not Halloween without the Great Pumpkin!  I wanted to do the pumpkin that I painted again, but because I was doing this on both hands, I worried I wouldn't be able to pain straight lines.  So, I had to settle for this polish that I love!  Bummer!  This is 2 coats of Zoya Yara under the awesome Sonoma Nail Art Sincerest Pumpkin Patch.

 

Day 11: Polka dots.  Before I began this challenge I really wanted these little spooky eyes to be my Halloween mani.  I used 2 coats of Fantasy Makers Rest In Pieces with Kate and Black Out for the eyes.  I love these little eyes!

So there it is!  This is my Halloween look and a decent round-up of different themes and techniques from this month.  Thank you so much for sticking with me through some of the rougher challenges and letting me get excited about the ones I felt successful about!  I'm a little sad that it's over because it forced me to try new things and to post all the time.  I do have a lot to revisit, though, and try with new insight.  Plus it's fall now, so it's a whole new color palette to play with (not that I really stick to "seasonal" colors).  Have you completed the challenge?  What are your favorite days to do?  What are you wearing for Halloween?  I'd love to hear!

On a side note, on 10/20 I mentioned that it was my 4 month anniversary of starting this blog and I was so excited to have reached 450 page views.  In the past 10 days I have reached over 700!  I am so amazed that there are people out there who are interested in what I am doing and I want to THANK YOU so much for stopping by!  Please feel free to leave me comments and start up a conversation--I can talk about nail polish for days!

31DC: Inspired by fashion

"Fashion" is hard for me because I'm not really into clothes.  I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl.  It's rare to see in anything but flip flops.  I like to look at pretty outfits on Pinterest, but I really don't know much about fashion at all.  So, I had to get a little creative again...

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*1 coat Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Zoya Ginessa
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Pizzazz
*Sinful Colors Purple Diamond
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out

I decided to give argyle nails a go.  I had not used either of these two purples before, and I thought that they looked so pretty together in the bottle.  I really should have tested their opacity.  The colors are really pretty.  Purple Pizzazz is a deep purple with red shimmer throughout.  Purple Diamond is a light lavendar with shimmer too.

The two were very sheer.  I taped off the quarters and painted them, but then needed to try to dab color on again.  It made for a little messiness.  Purple diamond is also pretty hard to see.  I used Black Out to add stitches.  The design isn't bad, but the colors weren't wise.  So I tried a fall-inspired one with darker colors:

 

*China Glaze Harvest Moon
*China Glaze Riveting
*China Glaze Mahogany Magic

These colors were much more opaque and made for a clearer pattern.  I think I'll have to try this again very soon with colors more like these or some good creams.  Side note: isn't the shimmer in these colors a-mazing!  I love them!  This is what is really cool about this challenge.  I am doing so many styles and designs so quickly, but I'm learning a lot with each about colors and techniques.  I'm excited to have time to try some new things when this is all done and use what I have picked up!
Have you done argyle nails before?  What color combos did you use?  Any cute fall ideas?

31DC: Tribal

Today was a tough one.  Not as hard to do as yesterday, but not anything that I am drawn to.  While I could think of a lot of delicate patterns and designs, nothing "tribal" came to mind.  Then I remembered my bracelet that I got in college!  There were no utrieds today because the pattern was actually black and orange--go figure!


*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener base
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed
*1 coat Seche Vite

When I was a sophomore in college, the Watoto children's choir came and performed.  The children were so beautiful and joyful, despite all that they had seen and endured.  There was such resilient life in them that you couldn't help fall in love!  I bought this bracelet at a little table outside of the performance because I thought it was super cute and, more than that, those children changed my heart in a big way.

 

This had potential.  It wasn't until after I finished that I noticed how crooked my index finger stripes were.  I also couldn't really figure out how to position my thumb the right way to keep the pattern going.  I decided to do the pattern with a dotting tool instead of a brush to imitate the beaded element of the bracelet. 

Sun Kissed is not particularly opaque, though two coats is usually just fine.  I went back over the dots in my "stripes" and they did fine with a second coat.  My heart was a different story.  I was a little less precise on the second coat because I didn't want the polish to dry and string, and my dots got a little out of control.  This is one time when I really should have stopped when I was ahead.  Oh well!

 

 

What do you think about tribal prints?  Are there any that you love or have turned into nail art? 

 

Capybaras Jungle

I know that I have had a ton of posts lately with the 31 Day Challenge, but I really just wanted to do a manicure for myself.  I wanted something that felt like Halloween and didn't have any restrictions.  I also wanted to play with a beauty I won recently!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails base
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*3 coats Wet n Wild 9.0.2.1.Orange
*1 coat Enkelini Capybaras Jungle
*1 coat Out the Door

I started out with a simple intent of just the Black Out cream with the shimmery 9.0.2.1.Orange as an accent.  A part of me wishes that I could just leave well enough alone and stop.  But I can never help myself!  I had to add something, and it felt like it needed to be glitter :)

Warning: this is about to get out of control!  I am so in love with this beauty that there are probably a lot more pictures in this post than there should be.  I added a jump break for you so you can choose to see them all or not (but you really should!).

Now, I never know when to stop, but this time I am so glad I don't!  This glitter is amazing!  You can see some of the colors in the bottle and on my nail in the picture, but they are so much more gorgeous in real life.  One of the best parts of this polish, besides the color shift, is that it dries smooth!  Glitter, even when it is fine, never really feels like a nice shiny cream does on the nail, but this one totally did!  I added a quick dry for protection and shine, but it isn't necessary if you're not a fan.