A Couple of St. Patrick's Day Looks

Last week got a little hectic with an impromptu visit from my dad, the cleaning that frantically came before, and some apartment projects (hello new bookcase and chair!).  My nails took a brutal beating, so I'm cut down to uneven shorties now (see 2nd photo), but so it goes.  In the chaos, I didn't get my St. Patrick's day looks up, so here's a quick post with both.

First up:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Color Club Holiday Splendor
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Salon Perfect Champagne Toast
*1 coat Out the Door

I LOVE Holiday Splendor!  It's a bright green jelly packed with holo awesomeness and looks much more opaque on the nail--somehow nail lines appear out of thin air when I photograph!  It dries a bit gritty and totally comes to life under a top coat.  I'm a little concerned that I can't find an back up bottle online and I'll have to ration this one--I do NOT want run out!  I added an accent with a little gold glitter and yet another adorable RLR Creations decal--St. Patty's day cupcake!

This is what I actually wore today:

*1 coat Gelous Base
*2 coats Revlon Posh
*3 coats Color Club Gingerbread
*Zoya Severine
*1 coat Out the Door

Gingerbread was from the same holiday line as Holiday Splendor and is also gorgeous!  It's a chunky gold holo glitter in a clear base.  I added a 3rd coat to try for good opacity for photos, but it still looks much more sparse here than in real life--you can easily wear 2 coats and look opaque off camera. 
There was a commotion at my neighbor's last night just as I started polishing, so I had to change my plans and go for something simple and quick after spending about a half hour looking through my peep hole at our landing (yeah, I'm a total busybody).   I used Posh, a really beautiful jade green that looks a bit darker in real life, and dotted on gold with Severine.

So, there you have it--another holiday for 2015.  I hope it was a lucky one for you!

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!

Crumpet's 31DC: Holo

Too many options again!
If you look at my tags over yonder ==> you'll see that "holo" is one of my most used.  I thought about holo glitter toppers, linear holos, scattered holos, holo accents...there are too many options and I really struggled to narrow things down!
So, I went relatively simple.  I stopped myself from going overboard and am enjoying the end result!

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Color Club Halo-Graphic?  Miss Bliss?
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out the Door

Due to a tragic disaster in shipping, a broken polish bottle in the Halo Hues collection ruined my other bottles and most are missing their bottom labels, so I'm not entirely sure which of the pinks this is, but I think it's Halo-Graphic.  It could be Miss Bliss.  It is gorgeous!  My photo skills are basic, at best, and even I can't take a bad picture of this one! 
I went simple and dotted the Halo Hue over Black Out for an accent.  It looked a little plain, so I added a second accent reversing the polishes.  I almost continued and dotted all the nails, and it probably would have been cute, but I'm really loving this as is! 

What's your favorite way to rock a holo look?

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!

Plan B

I had a big, creative mani in mind.  I was doing French tips, dots, rhinestones...and it was something I thought up, not carefully copied.  I was excited.  And then, at 11:30 pm (even with my whole day free, I tend to wait until the evening to paint, just before bed.  I need to work on that.) I got impatient.  My dots weren't straight and I was at a sad point of no return.  So, I swiped the acetone and was ready to just wear a clear base today and regroup.  Then I decided to do a quick swipe of a holo...

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hardener
*1 coat Color Club Halo-graphic(?)
*1 coat Out the Door

I am not 100% sure that I have the right polish name.  My order was a wreck when I got it--a broken bottle, a leaking bottle, and missing labels.  It was a bummer, to say the least, and a group-buy site I'll never recommend or use again.  But enough of the sad stuff, onto the happy!

One coat!  One quick, fast-drying, sparkling, holo-y gorgeous coat!  Plan B wasn't too shabby...

 

As I looked that this linear holo goodness today, I realized two things. 
First, I think that I actually like scattered holos more than linear.  Do NOT get me wrong, I will not say "no" to a holographic polish, but I think I like the little sparkles just a little bit more.  Like how I like Phish Food just a little bit more than Half-Baked. 
Secondly, it was weird to just wear one coat of a polish and call it good.  I had a base and topcoat, and I know that's not what a "casual" polisher might do, but I felt sort of unfinished and realized that this is how many people paint their nails and they are perfectly pleased.  No extra mile for art or accents, just pretty polish.  It felt so out of character, but refreshingly simple.
What are your thoughts on holo polish?  Prefer one over the other?  Do you dig a simple nail polish from time to time?

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!

Clovers and Gold

I wanted to wear some St. Patrick's day looks, and this is one that I pinned a while ago (originally painted by Glitter and Nails) and have been wanting to wear because the colors are awesome together.  My camera, however, does not capture Four Leaf Clover at all.  The problem, I think, is my flash.  When I simply use a lamp to light my photos the colors are MUCH truer, but the pictures are always blurry.  When I use the flash they are clear, but colors are off.  Do you have any tips?

*1 coat Hoof Lacquer
*2 coats China Glaze Four Leaf Clover
*3 coats China Glaze Gingerbread
*2 coats Out the Door

In real life, Four Leaf Clover is much darker and greener.  Here it looks like Aquadellic or For Audrey, but it is actually a really pretty blue-green cream.  It applies easily and I used 2 coats to get a clean, smooth finish.
Gingerbread is a polish that I bought a couple of Christmases ago and it is just stunning.  Macro photos are always rough on coverage, but in real life you can't see any gaps or nail.  I used 3 coats, even though I don't usually do full-coverage glitter, and loved it!  It is a warm holo gold glitter in a clear base.  It is pretty dense, but still sparse enough for layering in one coat.
I loved this look and it wore well until I went to work.  Then some tape took off a whole index nail and somehow I lost a whole accent nail.  I spotted it on the floor later--it just slipped off, like I had a glue base!  It made removal a lot easier, but it also made it come sooner than I had hoped.  

Chameleon Stampede Anniversary

I have some posts that I am working on writing up and choosing photos for, and I have been taking some much-needed rest this past week.  I know that this is no where near as advanced as a lot of the entries that she has so far, but I just had to do something for Mandy's anniversary countdown contest over at Chameleon Stampede!  Mandy is such a sweet woman and an amazing nail artist (I would LOVE to have her stamping skills).  Her blog is adorable (check out her Tutorial chameleon) and just gets better all the time.  She is so encouraging and wonderful to talk with and I really want to support her as she celebrates all of her amazing work this year!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Green With Envy
*Color Club Holiday Splendor
*Aengland St. George
*1 coat Out the Door

I love dots and haven't worn them in a while.  I also like to try to get in some holiday designs, so I used greens for St. Patrick's day.  I started with 2 coats of Green With Envy, a light yellow-green cream that covers pretty well, but really needs 2 for full opacity.  Then, with 2 different sized dotting tools, I dotted on St. George and Holiday Splendor on my tips. 
St. George is gorgeous and a dream to use, like all Aengland polishes seem to be. I waited a long time for this one because shipping has become an issue from England, but when there are promos it is totally worth the wait.  This is a dark blue-green polish packed with micro holo shimmer.  You can see the color in the bottle better than on my nails in this picture.  I used this first because it is such a smooth polish.
Holiday Splendor is one of my favorites and an amazing polish.  It is a bit gritty because it is a light blue-green jelly packed with holo glitter.  I love how squishy and sparkly it is and will find any excuse to wear it!

So, here's some sparkly green to get you in the spring mood.  I love dot manis and, while I wish I had made these a bit more like a gradient with fewer dots at the bottom, I love how they look and am happy to have some sparkle on my hands.  Make sure that you head over and give Mandy some congrats, check out the other ladies who contributed and, if you are so inclined, give me a vote!

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? 

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?

New 31DC: Skittle

Today's skittle manicure is both boring and exciting.  I didn't do any designs or art work, though there are some cute skittle designs I want to try out.  Instead, I just painted/swatched each nail.  Boring.  BUT, the exciting part is what I swatched them with...

 

Color Club Halo Hues!

My Harp On It had met a tragic end, and I have not been able to get any response from Crowd Cut, so I've written it off.  (Sidenote: this makes me really appreciate the other companies and ladies who have wonderful customer service!)  Each of these is just 2 thin coats over Yello-Out, with 1 coat of Out The Door on top to seal them.  Perfect application!  My pinkie has Cherubic, a golden beige holo.  These are all strong linear holos, not particle/glitter ones.  This is probably the must subtle of the bunch, but it still is very strong when you get it into the sun or light!

Blue Heaven is on my ring finger--a light, cool blue holo.  It is a really pretty blue, bright pale and amazingly holographic!

 

 

With the disaster in my box, I not only had a lot of clean up to do on my bottles, but I lost labels.  On my middle finger is the lighter of the pinks, Cloud Nine (I think).  It almost has a lavender look to it and the same intense sparkle as the rest.

 

 

 

My index finger is Angel Kiss, the light minty green shade.  It is a warm green, almost aqua, which doesn't really translate to the photo.

 

My thumb has the darker of the pinks, Halo-Graphic.  It's a darker, more magenta pink than Cloud Nine and warmer. 
All of these applied like a dream and sparkled like nothing I own!  The holo shift is unbelievable and hard to take your eyes off of!  Inside they almost have a metallic look to them, a bit frosted.  I'm so excited to play with these and find ways to use them with other polishes.  Do you own any of these?  How have you used them for nail art?

Oh Christmas tree!

Let me just say that I wore these little guys today and was SO sad tonight to take them off for a new mani for tomorrow.  I didn't give myself enough time to get through all the Christmas designs I wanted to wear this year (I'll do more "winter" ones I passed on in January) and have to move quickly.  That being said, I couldn't take my eyes off my hands today and think that I'll do these again for Christmas day.  Here are some cute little Christmas trees:

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats China Glaze The Ten Man
*1 coat China Glaze Fairy Dust
*Color Club Holiday Splendor
*China Glaze Angel Wings
*Milani Gems
*1 coat Out The Door

I have become pretty obsessed with The Ten Man.  I used 2 coats of the shimmery, glittery silver goodness for a base.  It is not quite opaque, which made for such a pretty, ethereal background.  It was like glowing lights and sparkling snow behind the tree with a thin coat of silver-holo Fairy Dust.  Gorgeous! 
I was going to just use Skip the Gift Wrap because it was on my desk when I thought about pretty little Holiday Splendor in the drawer.  I taped off triangles and used this squishy, holo green glitter for the trees.  I know I've said it before, but if you ever get your hands on this one, don't let it go!  The bright, minty greed has an amazing holo glitter to it with a jelly consistency.  A-mazing!

I was going to leave the little trees alone, with a dot of Angel Wings on top.  I saw some manis earlier this month (edit: Amber Did It was the one that sparked my interest) with with multi glitter as ornaments on the tree, and I knew I only had a couple of chances to do tree designs, so I dabbed on Milani Gems, a typical though really pretty multi glitter.  The big and small hexex in so many colors looked so cool on the trees!

When I sealed and smoothed it all up in a shiny top coat, it was so pretty!  This is just a huge glitter fest, but it's really cool because of all the different kinds of sparkle, from subtle shimmer to holo and chunky.  My pictures really don't do these justice--there is a real, pretty depth in person, especially with The Ten Man base.  Like I said, I think I'm going to do these again for Christmas day because I love them SO much!  Have you found a cool Christmas tree design that I need to try?  A new way to "decorate" your tree?  Let me know!

Why I'm a Sista

As we near the middle of Movember, I have been so touched by all of your manicures, comments, and stories!  This week, I am showing my Mo Sista pride!

I support the men in my life because I need them healthy.  I'm a Mo Sista because my dad is healthy and looking at a long life after cancer because he was aware and informed.  I don't know what my world would be without him, and don't want to.  That's why I promote and support Movember.

I'm a Sista because I'm a sister.  I have two brothers whom I love more than they can ever know and never want to see them fight a battle against prostate or testicular cancer (or any other, for that matter) and want to support research.  I need people who sit up late watching Family Guy with me so that I don't feel so guilty.  I need to see them become the men that that they were born to be. 

 

I probably could have planned this mani a bit better.  I used a coat of Sinful Colors Snow Me White with 2 coats of Sinful Colors Pearl Harbor over the top.  I got this pretty blue iridescent glitter at Rite Aid for 49 cents this week!  I'm bummed that it doesn't really show up blue on the nail in these photos, but it does in real life.  I used my Holo Black Striper by Color Club to write and another awesome mustache decal from RLR Creations Nail Art's Etsy shop to cross my "t."  I probably should have made my thumb the "a" to make positioning my hand easier for photos.  Oh well!

The bottom line is that I love too many men to let their health go unnoticed.  I have too many friends, too many family members, too many people who have impacted my life not to care.  You have heard my story and the facts, but the reality is that I am a girl that loves guys and needs them around for a very long time.  Just as openly and strongly as we have demanded attention for breast cancer, I want us to say that these treatable cancers, when detected early, get no more lives.  They've had their share, and now we get to win.  We get to keep the men we love.  A sista needs her brother!  And father!  And friends!




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My Movember story

Today is November first, the beginning of Movember.  This is a very personal month and cause for me.  If you don't know the purpose of Movember, I really recommend that you take a minute to check out their website.  In a nutshell, it is a month of bringing awareness and funding to men's health, specifically prostate and testicular cancers, by growing a mustache.  It's all about getting the conversation and research going.

On Valentine's Day in 2011 my dad called me.  I was working night shifts and incredibly disoriented when he let me know that they had been seeing his doctor who had diagnosed him with early-stage prostate cancer.  The rest of that day was a haze.  He told me it was early and slow-growing, but all I could hear was cancer and I wasn't sure why I had such an insane dream that I couldn't pull out of.  I couldn't really wrap my mind around my dad having cancer.  Cancer.
My dad was a champ.  He was brave and honest.  We are fortunate to live near world-class medical centers. When he went to see a specialist, his biggest news was "I think I have Lance Armstrong's doc."  That's my dad!
After a lot of testing, discussion, prayer and thought, he decided to undergo surgery this past March.  Again, I spent a day in a haze.  I've always been a daddy's girl, his only daughter, the night owl who stayed up far into the night listening to stories and talking with him.  When I talked with my mom that night and heard that things went perfectly, literally THE best case scenario, I could only cry.
My dad has had months of recovery and working to get back into life as a conqueror of cancer.  Just a few days ago he received the all-clear from his specialist to simply check in with his personal doctor every six months as a cancer survivor!
We were so blessed and fortunate to have had amazing doctors and wonderful research that gave him back his health.  An important part of that is due to early detection.

Enter the mustache.

This month is about promoting men's health and talking about these cancers.  We have been so open to talking about breast cancer and women's health, which is empowering and so important, but men tend to avoid this subject.  Cue Movember.  As I mentioned in one of my Go Pink posts, a cure for one cancer is hope for all.  I'm committed to being a Mo Sista, spreading awareness because the men in my life are important to me.  Like my dad, knowing their bodies and their PSA numbers can save their lives.  I want to help make this as easy and natural to talk about as "Save the ta-tas" has become. 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau
*1 coat Pure Ice Oh Baby!
*1 coat Out the Door (2 on accent nail)

That awesome little mustache is a nail decal from RLR Creations Nail Art on Etsy.  They are super inexpensive and easy to use, and much neater than my nail art!  Love it!

I used Take Me To Your Chateau, a pale blue cream, for prostate cancer awareness.  It is really opaque, but streaked a bit, so I added Oh Baby! over the top to camouflage the brush strokes.  This is a gorgeous, fine blue shimmer (you can really see it in the photo above). 

So this month is about bringing awareness to men and their health because it is personal, even for a girl.  I'll be posting some more manis about this subject, and would LOVE it if you would join me.  If you do, let me see your work!  Add onto the gallery below with your own story, your own ideas, your own Movember movement! 





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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!