Dotty holidays!

Today I wanted to recreate two looks I found this year.  One was pinned by my momma and the other I spotted when browsing through the blogs I follow, by the one and only Melissa of Pinked Polish.  I got new dotting tools with my Amazon order and, because they are my most effective nail art, dove in.  My mom didn't really like the blue background of the candy canes she found, so I tried to find something else for a base.  I was going to go back to The Ten Man or Golden-I when I remembered my new (and kind of damaged :( ) bottle of Champagne Kisses from China Glaze.  Perfection!

*1 coat Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats China Glaze Champagne Kisses
*OPI Danke-shiny Red
*Sinful Colors Skip the Gift Wrap
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Green With Envy
*2 coats Hoof Lacquer
*1 coat Out the Door

 

I wanted to try the candy canes my mom found, but also the adorable tree Melissa did, so I used it as an accent.  I had intended to place it on my ring finger (my accent of choice) but was not very...alert.  After I dotted red on, I decided to accent my thumb instead!  I used two different sized dotting tools and Skip the Gift Wrap and Green With Envy, in that order.  I added a little red topper, like she did, and really like these little trees!

 

I used Danke-Shiny Red and Snow Me White for my candy canes.  Now, I was grading papers and working in very poor light (because I have not been motivated enough to change a blown out bulb...) so a couple are a little...unique.  But I love the idea of dotted candy canes!  Overall they are super cute and a great take on the design that I never would have thought of--my mind automatically goes to stripes.  Brilliant!

And the star of the show: Champagne Kisses!  Look at that shimmer and those little holo pieces!  Ahh!  This golden beauty leans rosy, very warm and sweet.  I almost left this alone and it was a tough choice to add art on top.  The ONLY downside to this glitter is that it dries really gritty.  I used 2 thick coats of Hoof Lacquer, one before and one after the dots, and then Out the Door to dry, and they are still a little bumpy.  The top coats make the gorgeous color even better, though.  This dries so fast that I probably should have done 3 coats, but really I can't complain because it is such an awesome color.  It's really interesting how the light can make it look more golden or rosy.  If you didn't grab this one, I highly recommend it!
So clearly I've gotten a little obsessed with dots.  Have you seen any cool holiday dot manis I need to try when I get home? Any other amazing uses for Champagne Kisses?

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!

Even stop lights...

Tonight I had to give Christmas light nails a try!  I was not loving my Santa bellies, mostly because I was lazy.  When I decided to scrap the original candy cane mani after I painted my left hand, I left my right hand white and just layered Ruby Pumps over it.  The effect was not nearly as deep and awesome as it is on its own, and I just got tired of looking at it with regret.  So, here is a little string of lights!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Wet 'n Wild Kaleidoscope
*OPI Skip the Gift Wrap
*Zoya Myrta, Zuza, Kimber and Rory
*1 coat Out the Door top coat

 

I knew I wanted to give this look a try and agonized over what color base to use.  I wanted to do green, for the tree, but I also wanted to use green for the cord.  I finally went with white, but added Kaleidoscope to soften it a bit and to add some sparkle.  I love this glitter so much!  It is a silver holo with micro particles and scattered larger hex pieces.  It is sparse enough to not overtake a mani but can easily build.

I used OPI Skip the Gift Wrap for my green cord.  It is a shimmery deep green that dries to a foil finish, almost frosty.  It's really pretty and pretty perfect for Christmas.  Again, I debated colors for the dotted lights for a while and chose to go with the 4 from the Zoya Surf collection.  I NEVER get tired of using these beauties.  They shimmer like no other and have proven perfect for dotting.  The shimmer makes them glow in the sun, which is why I chose them for the bulbs.

I didn't get too particular about the shape of the lights or where they were placed.  I think that I like some shapes better than others, like my index finger and thumb.  Overall these aren't necessarily my best art, but they are so fun!  It's late, so I'm excited to see them in some good sunlight tomorrow!  Have you done lights this year?  Did you find some really good color combos?  Do tell!