End Endo: Bloomin' Uterus love

This is a special post for me because it's a post for a special lady.

I work with Lisa. 
Lisa is a badass.
Lisa rides motorcycles and fights fires and makes me laugh like no other at work.
Lisa is brave and strong and incredibly open and vulnerable.
Lisa is fighting endometriosis.

She is incredibly candid and inspiring as she goes through life with her diagnosis, which unfortunately came much later than it should have.  She has a blog, Bloomin' Uterus, where she writes about life after surgery, the disease, how she copes, and life.  She has begun to build an inspiring community of people who are in this battle together, because she took the leap and spoke about her own experience.  I get chills when she tells me about the women she's meeting, online and in person, who all feel the same--they think they're the only ones.  They want to hear someone else understands.  They want community.  She is giving them that.

Lisa is a rockstar. 

One of the things she did, to remind women with a disease that attacks what's fundamentally female that they are still beautiful and feminine, was create the Bloomin' Uterus.

Isn't it adorable?!  It's a reminder that endometriosis doesn't break you.  It doesn't ruin you.  There's life and beauty after diagnosis and strength in numbers.  I'm so proud to carry my pin on my bag every day.  If you are interested in one for yourself (or a bunch for your friends) check out her GoFundMe page: End Endo.

So, since March is endometriosis awareness month and the awareness color is yellow, I'm going to do some yellow manis for Lisa and women like her.  Today's is obviously inspired by her brilliant Bloomin' Uterus:

*1 coat Gelous base
*3 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
*1 coat Julep Tilda
*2 coats Out the Door

I used Mellow Yellow, a cream base, for my (duh!) yellow.  I used thin coats and it streaks a bit, so I went with 3 coats.  I added Tilda, a teal shimmer topper, for a little sparkle.  Then I added some rhinestone flowers, which I love, for my accents.  I really like how these turned out and like even more that they make me think of Lisa and her beautiful work every time I look down.

I would love it if you'd take a moment to check Lisa's pages out this month, especially if you or someone you love are dealing with endometriosis--there's strength in numbers!

Faded holo

I hit a bit of a "polishers block" last week.  I REALLY wanted to use one of these polishes, Fashion Addict, and was trying hard to find something creative to do with it.  Honestly, I really just wanted to wear it all on its own, but my polish and photo skills aren't up to par to be a swatcher.  After agonizing and finally settling on something much too late at night, I had to remind myself that my blog started as a way to remember looks and polishes I liked--not to impress anyone.  I might need to gently remind myself again, but next time I  really just want to enjoy a pretty polish, I am going to let myself be okay with that :)

So, here's how I enjoyed the beauty that is Fashion Addict:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Color Club Fashion Addict
*4 coats LynB Designs Defender of the Downtrodden
*1 coat Out the Door

Fashion Addict is a gorgeous dense scattered/linear-leaning lavender polish.  I used 2 coats to even out a couple of thin edges, but this one is actually a one-coat polish if you want.  I love the dusty shade of purple and the intense holo--can you blame me for itching to wear this one?

I bought Defender of the Downtrodden in one of LynB Designs' recent sales (which she generously has all the time--take advantage!).  This soft dove gray has scattered holo throughout.  I used 4 VERY thin coats that dried really fast.  It sounds like a lot, but really wasn't bad at all--the pale gray just needed some layers to cover my nail line, but would be perfect over another gray cream.  I added a little lavender rhinestone to the gray to tie them together and sealed it all up in top coat, which made the holo come alive!
For winter, I really liked this faded coloring and this was a look that I couldn't take my eyes off of in the sun!

Young Love

Despite some coverage issues that killed me with this one, I'm sorta adoring it!
Here's the quick and dirty:

*1 coat Gelous base
*4 (and 5 on my ring finger) coats of OPI I Think In Pink
*1 coat Out the Door

This is SUCH a sheer pink--I always forget how many coats it takes to get mostly opaque.  I love the shade, though, so I get sucked back in...I had to add an extra coat on my middle finger because I smudged it and couldn't recover.  It didn't make much of a difference, though.

Coverage aside, I like the pink and red combo for Valentine's day.  The adorable stick figure decal is from RLR Creations and part of the same sheet I used on my last mani.  The kid-o drawing just makes me smile :)
I was tempted to add some shimmer or sparkle, but restrained myself (mostly) and added a red rhinestone to the cream finish and called it a night.  I'm glad I did--I was pleasantly surprised by this one!

Crumpet's 31DC: Green Base

So, full disclosure: I'm not digging today's prompt.
Green's not really a go-to color for me.  Also, I totally loved yesterday's mani and was NOT ready to see it go.  Also, I had just shy of a 13 hour work day today, and was ready for bed long before I ever got home.
But I'm trying, so here it is:

 
*1 coat Gelous Base
*2 coats Revlon Posh
*1 coat Cult Nails Hypnotize Me
*2 coats Out the Door

This picture really isn't true to color for Posh.  It's a pretty jade green cream with perfect coverage in 2 thin coats.  It's a richer, slightly bluer green than the flash creates.  I added a coat of the A-mazing Cult Nails Hypnotize Me.  It's a gorgeous teal/iridescent dense glitter and gives Posh a pretty blue sparkle.  I added a couple of rhinestones for a little extra, but am not thrilled with how they look. 
To keep the stones in place and to give Hypnotize Me an extra-squishy look, I used 2 thick coats of Out the Door.  I really don't actually mind this color combo in real life, or even in the distorted photo.  I was just so sad to see my pretty polka dots go that I think anything would not quite satisfy me today.  So it goes.

How do you make your not-so-fave colors more lovable?  I'd love to broaden my repertoire a bit!

...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?

Christmas Stripes

It seems I took too much time away from nail art this year because the simplest things have given me a heckuva time lately!
I saw this pin, which is from Work Play Polish, in a guest post from Kellie Gonzo.  You following me?  The main point is, it's adorable and I wanted to give it a try!

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats China Glaze Winter Holly
*2 coats OPI Danke-shiny Red
*2 coats Cover Girl Boundless Color White Night
*Zoya Logan
*Salon Perfect Champagne Toast
*2 coats Out the Door

I've never been able to paint straight lines, so I pulled out my striping tape for the accent.  They were lined up beautifully, spaced perfectly.  Then, I painted with Logan and pulled the tape up...and was too slow.  Most of the stripes came up with it.  I had to freehand the stripes back on, which worked MUCH better on my left hand than my right (not that you've had that happen).  Hearts are a really easy accent to add, but again, I'm pretty basic in my skills, so I added a red rhinestone instead.
I used the always wonderful Danke-Shiny red, smooth, shimmery, and rich.  I wanted a little more sparkle, so I added Champagne This went went well with Winter Holly, a dense, dark green and holo gold glitter that dries very gritty but covers well.  This picture REALLY doesn't do it justice--it's gorgeous!
This original design is so adorable and luckily something I can try again with any color combo.  Overall, this wasn't horrible, just not as neat as I hoped.

Do you have any tips on painting crisp, straight lines?  Do tell!

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?

Torero Pride

I loved my time at USD. 
The campus is GORGEOUS and I loved my classes and friends.  I am unbelievably excited to be going back in a week, even if it is just for a semester.  I love my school!
This weekend the freshmen moved in so I rocked a Torero blue look and LOVED how it came out!

 *1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener
*3 coats Sinful Colors Cinderella
*2 coats Aengland Tristam
*1 coat Out the Door

Cinderella is almost a perfect match to our school color.  The gorgeous pink shimmer does not disappoint.  This is, however, such a sheer polish.  With 3 coats you can still see that it's a bit patchy and streaky.  I needed it to dry to tape off tips, though, so I opted to forgo a fourth coat.  In real life, it's not nearly as bad as in the photos.  Tristam is a gorgeous partner for Cinderella, deep and shimmery with holo flecks.  This applies like a dream and dries quickly--I need to remember to pull it out more often!  I used it as the accent nail and added three light blue rhinestones with clear polish--they are almost a perfect match to the light blue of Cinderella!
I really loved how these turned out!  I cut my nails down and like the small tips on the French.  I'm sad to take this off--I'll have to try it again soon with other colors!

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!

New 31DC: Texture

I don't have as many tricks in my arsenal for today's challenge as other ladies might.  With no flocking powder or "caviar" beads or Fimo, I really had only one choice for a manicure with texture to it: the good ol' rhinestone.

 

 

*1 coat Yello-Out

*2 coats Color Club Wild At Heart

*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White (ring)

*Hoof Lacquer

*1 coat Out The Door

I was trying to think of a cool design or color combo to use and was struggling a bit.  So, I decided to pick a polish first, then figure out the stones.  Wild At Heart is a polish that always surprises me when I wear it.  I know that I love it, but I forget just how much I love it!  I used 2 coats, but really you can get away with just ONE if you want to!  It is a dark purple polish packed with micro scattered holo particles.  It applies like a dream.  I can go on and on, but my words will fail it.  Just get this one if you ever have the chance!

For an accent, I used 2 coats of Snow Me White, a clean cream.  Then, using Hoof Lacquer, I dotted on clear polish for the rhinestones.  I used a thick coat of it over the top, and then a coat of Out The Door on each nail.  I will probably add one more to my accent nails to keep those little suckers on there.  Wild At Heart has a decently shiny finish, but adding a top coat just makes the holo that much more amazing. 

I'm pleasantly surprised with how well the stones match the color I chose.  We'll see how well these hold up at work tomorrow, but I've been having pretty good luck with rhinestones without using glue.  How do you do with texture on your nails?  Love it?  Hate it?  Found any cool products I need to try out? 

Rockin' around the Christmas tree

This is a post where I wish my photography skills were better.  I am learning little by little, but still not so great with the pictures.  These nails were so much better in person, mainly because I killed them with my auto flash.  As soon as I saw Nailslide's Abstract Trees, I knew I wanted to try them (and apparently everyone else does too because they are awesome and popping up all over!).  I'm glad that I went back and looked at them again before I painted.  I had planned to do a gold base and green top, which would have worked out just fine, but I really liked the little gold trees!

*1 coat Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats OPI Skip the Gift Wrap
*1 coat China Glaze Winter Holly
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I
*1 coat Out the Door

 I was going to just layer Winter Holly up, but decided to use it over a base.  I used 2 coats of Skip the Gift Wrap (a dark, shimmery green that dries to a foil finish) for opacity and then 1 coat of Winter Holly for all of its glittery goodness.  I don't know if I will ever get tired of this green, gold, holo beauty!

I taped off triangles like she suggests and then tried out striping tape for the first time, which I won in a giveaway.  I was really surprised by how thin it is, laying very close to the nail, and how much comes in one little roll.  I made the strips long enough to stick to the Scotch tape, which made removal so easy--one careful pull and they were done!
Golden-I was a good cover, one thick coat over the tape and it was set.  I was a little unsure of myself, so I didn't get too creative with the garland/tape, but I really liked how they looked today.  I added a little rhinestone for the tree topper and, despite everything that screamed "add some more glitter on top!" (I know, I have a problem), I let them be with a good, thick top coat. 
In person, the definition of color is much stronger and sharper, but overall I really liked how these turned out!  Now I not only have rhinestones and new dotting tools to play with, but a whole lot of striping tape to try new designs with!

Deck the halls

I am loving my Christmas nails this week!  I know I've said it before, but my biggest regret has been that I didn't start them sooner so that I can wear them longer.  So it goes...
Today I wore holly nails.  I got an order from Amazon last night with some Christmas presents.  When I ordered I wasn't quite to $25 (and who doesn't go for free shipping?!) so I added on some rhinestones!  I found this awesome mani on Pinterest (sense a trend here?) by More Nail Polish and was dying to try it out.  Here are my holly nails!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I
*1 coat Finger Paints Elves Bells
*2 coats Zoya Logan
*1 coat Milani Jewel FX Red
*1 coat Out The Door

I loved the look of Golden-I and Elves Bells when I used them before, so I decided to use a gold base like my inspiration.  As I tend to do, I went to use a green I had handy when I remembered that I had some Zoyas that I had not tried yet.  I decided to use Logan for this mani, part of their most recent Ornate collection.  It is a really pretty deep green with shimmer that gives it a foil finish and great coverage.

I was going to use Ruby Pumps for my accent nail, like the one I found, but went with Logan instead.  To make it look a bit more like holly, I added Milani Jewel FX in red.  I used red rhinestones from my little wheel and some top coat to make berry clusters (except for my pinkies, which looked better with just one).  Once those were in place, I used a paint brush and Logan for the leaves.  I alternated where I placed the holly to make things a little more interesting (and forgiving!).

These are a bit classier than I usually go, a little more refined, and I love them!  I'm so excited to play with stones more and am sad to see these pretties go.  That's the beauty of a blog, though, right?  I can come back to them whenever I want!  As usual, these are so much cooler in the sun in real life, but they're not too shabby on screen either!

It's beginning to look at lot like christmas!

This is my FAVORITE time of year!  It is insanely busy working in retail and we all have a ton of things planned to do, but I can't get enough of Christmas.  I'm started putting out decorations tonight, am getting my tree in the morning, and just did my first Christmas mani for the season!
I have been saving up a bunch of Christmas manis on Pinterest and am excited to try them out.  This first one is a little...rough...  My nail art technique and outcomes are not something to really brag about, but I'm excited to try new things and I like knowing that I'm being honest about my attempts.  Sometimes it gets discouraging to see all of the amazing nail art out there and know I don't measure up.  For the ladies like me out there, I want you to know you can still enjoy decorating your nails and be okay when it comes out a little...funky.
So, this inspiration came from Pinterest.  I tried to connect back to the original blog, but it's missing, so if you know whose this is, let me know so I can give credit!

My freehand bows are rough, but I don't hate them.  I used 2 coats of OPI Danke-shiny Red.  I love this rich, shimmery red and it's amazing coverage in two coats.  They go on so smooth and the finish is shiny and gorgeous.  I highly recommend this one from the Germany collection!

Over the top, I added a thin coat of the red glitter Snowman polish.  I picked up two of these little guys (the flaky/iridescent glitter and the shredded teal glitter).  BUT, what does my mom send me for Thanksgiving?  The red glitter, the pink, and the teal!  She's kind of the best.  So, I added this fine red glitter in a clear base over the top.  The color matches perfectly and just adds a little sparkle to Danke-shiny. 
I used my trusty Sinful Colors Snow Me White for the ribbons and added Spoiled Daddy's Credit Card for the silver accent.  On my thumbs and ring fingers I added a little silver rhinestone.  We'll see how long they last at work!

I'm VERY glad that you cannot see my right hand as well :).  I couldn't just paint bows on my left, though.  I kind of wish that I had just done one on my accent nails instead of all 5, but this is my week off of classes, so I'll have more time to paint without papers to grade.  Plus, I've got too much holiday excitement to not move onto a new design soon!
Are you feelin' festive?  Are your nails showing it?  What holiday designs are you rocking that you think I need to try?

31DC: Blue

And I'm back!  Today I am onto blue polish and about 1/6 finished with the challenge!  This is a good, strong start.  I know that the colors are the easiest part, but I'm pretty proud that I've got a whole work week under my belt.
Today I've got one untried and one rarely used, mainly because I forgot that I had it after I bought Luxe & Lush.  It's not a dark or muted fall color combo, but what does every little girl want to dress up for Halloween as?

*1 coat Yellow-Out base coat
*3 coats Sinful Colors Cinderella,
*1 coat Sally Hansen Glass Slipper
*1 coat Seche Vite

The ever-popular Cinderella was super cheap and in full supply at Bed Bath & Beyond, so I grabbed a bottle when it was the talk of the polish world (and one for my momma!).  I hadn't had a need or reason to try it out until now.  I used 3 coats, and it was still streaky. This is a very sheer polish.  In the future, I'll either use 4 coats or find a good base to layer it over.

That being said, it is awful pretty!  The pale blue is packed with soft pink shimmer that is stunning in the sun.  While I will need to work at it a bit in the future, it is well worth the effort! 
I wanted something to add to this, and figured that Glass Slipper was only appropriate!  This is a slightly iridescent shard flake glitter by Sally Hansen.  I would also have added another coat of this, because it is rather subtle (which is great, sometimes!).  It didn't necessarily add much to Cinderella, but I just couldn't resist paring them!  I added a little rhinestone for good measure, because I don't have many and don't use them often. 

 (Look at that pink shimmer!)

Do you have Cinderella?  Any good suggestions for using this beauty without putting a million coats on your nails?  Have you found any cool colors to layer Glass Slipper over?