Crumpet's 31DC: Tranquility

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

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

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

What do you find calming to see on your nails?

One last Christmas look...

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

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

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

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

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!

Land that I love

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

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

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

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

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

The emblem of the land I love

This is another 4th of July manicure inspired by a pin I found.  Now, I don't want to really brag, but I find some awesome stuff on Pinterest (which is made by people much more talented than I am.  It may be the many hours that get lost once I log on that lead to these finds...) and you are more than welcome to check out my boards here: http://pinterest.com/missyjean415.  I always want to attribute the manis I find and the pin linked to an Olympic compilation and the photo linked to this instagram: ohtammm.  I really liked the look, even though it moved me outside of my accent comfort zone!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Loreal Queen of Hearts (thumb & pinkie)
*2 coats Zoya Song (ring and middle)
*1 coat Spoiled Daddy's Credit Card (index)
*3 coats Revlon Splendor (index)
*Cover Girl White Night
*1 coat Out the Door

I am really comfortable with an accent on my ring finger, but this changed everything up!  It's not really a skittle because not every nail is different, but I'm not really used to this kind of design.  My thumb and pinkie are red and white stripes.  I'm going to have to order some striping tape because I have no clue where my roll went and scotch tape is not ideal for small stripes like this.  I tried a different red, a brighter one than my last, that I've had forever and really don't use.  It's a nice one, though, with a subtle gold-leaning shimmer to it. 

Song was out still, so I used it for my blue base.  I knew I didn't have any silver glitter that I could build to full-coverage, so I used a sheer base of shimmery silver and added holo glitter on top.  I'm really annoyed with my impatience and forgetfulness.  These looked cleaner before I put on my top coat and used too many strokes, causing streaks all over the place.  In real life it's really hard to tell, but these pictures are a good reminder to be patient!  These stripes are a bit funky, but I'm loving the dots and silver!  Luckily, I still have at least one more mani I want to try for the 4th, so I'll change these stripes out soon. 
Do you have any great tips to keep top coats from streaking art?  Do tell!

Coming back

Well hello and my apologies!  I have kind of dropped off the face of the earth, both here and in other areas of my life.  I know that no one expects anything of me, but you have been such wonderful readers and so supportive that I feel like at least a small explanation is in order.
Since the end of January I have really been battling depression.  There is not a whole lot that inspires or excites me lately.  On top of that, we lost my grandmother to a sad, difficult end.  Life has just been overwhelming and I haven't felt compelled to polish much, let alone post about it.  What I tell myself has just been "me" time is really retreating, though, and not all that healthy, so I'm trying to come back.  Fake it 'til you make it, right?  Right.  I'm hoping this will help me feel more like me.
That being said, I'm starting off super unoriginal and recreating an awesome mani that Amber posted over at the highly-addictive and awesome Amber did it!  My coloring is slightly different, but I couldn't resist the perfect summer mani she rocked!

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails
*China Glaze Pool Party
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*Cover Girl White Night
*1 coat Hoof Lacquer
*1 coat Out the Door

 

I buffed my nails (now that the staining has grown out!) and opted to go nude for the French.  I was tempted to use a nude colored polish, but let my natural nails be the base instead.  I taped off the tips with Scotch tape and used Pool Party for the tips.  On my left hand I freehanded a second coat after removing the tape, but wasn't as confident for my right.  This is a little sheer and needs a couple of coats for the whole nail.  As a neon, it dries to a semi-matte finish, which I like to shine up with a top coat.  With that shiny top coat, though, they looked about the same.

On my accent, I used a dotting tool for the black and white dots, and then the opposite on top.  The one thing that Amber did and I wish I had more successfully copied was the size difference in the dots.  I was worried about making the larger ones too big, but they came out a little too close in size to tell a difference.  Either way, I love the neon pink with the black/white contrast!

I don't often end up doing a French, but I really like how this looks!  I have tons of funky French mains pinned, so I'll have to keep them coming.  This was a fun, easy, cute mani for me and I'm hoping to dive back into this little hobby.  Thank you, for coming back and for having patience with me.