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!

Fat Tuesday 2015

A couple of years ago I visited a dear friend of mine in New Orleans and fell a little in love.  I know the city has plenty of problems, but my when you first fall, you only see the good things: wonderful hospitality, delicious food and drinks, gorgeous architecture, beautiful old neighborhoods nestled in sweeping trees, a joyful, resilient people, and a deep, in the moment, love of life.  I was smitten.

So, on this, their day, I celebrate a little Mardi Gras hundreds of miles away.

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Zoya Haven
*2 coats Zoya Logan
*1 coat Salon Perfect Champagne Toast
*Zoya Severine
*1 coat Out the Door

Haven is a beautiful, shimmery purple.  When I saw swatches online I knew this was one color I really didn't have and wanted for my collection and I am NOT disappointed!  Logan is a pretty dark green packed with gold shimmer.  There is no hint of nail line in real life, so I'm really surprised it's so pronounced here.  For swatching I guess you want 3 coats, but 2 is just fine for wear.  I added some gold holo micro glitter on top because you can't sparkle enough for Mardi Gras!

I added some gold polka dots and love them so much with Haven I kind of wish I had covered the whole nail.  My trusty Golden-I is M.I.A., so I used Severine, one of the Zoya mini mystery trio (totally disappointing, but it got me 3 other full-sized for $15, so I can't complain too much!).  The coverage was great, not much different from my other gold.  I preface this with the fact I am not a stamper, but it was easy and opaque and might be good for stamping too.

So there's my little love letter to NOLA, where the streets are now quiet.  Fun fact I learned: the only time bars are required to close in New Orleans is at midnight on Mardi Gras so that they can clear and clean out the French Quarter.  (I also learned that if you've made it to midnight on Mardi Gras you weren't doing it right, because most people begin "celebrating" very early in the day and are goners long before the stroke of 12)

A Couple of Late Valentines...

As I've focused on decorating my apartment (only about 6 months AFTER moving in) and trying my hand at a Pinterest craft or two, my posts got a little forgotten, but the manis didn't! 
Overall, I really enjoyed my Valentine's Day manis this year.  Here are the last 2 that I wore:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Sinful Colors Cream Pink
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat China Glaze Make A Spectacle
*1 coat Out the Door

This one was inspired by this pin (if you know its origin, please let me know so I can credit the creator!)  Cream Pink was a bit brighter than I remembered, but just as pretty.  It's not a cream at all, but a gorgeous pink packed with golden shimmer.  I used Make A Spectacle, an iridescent multi-sized glitter, to add some sparkle to my white accent and added a heart sticker that I recently found while cleaning out my mani drawer.  I didn't love the sticker, but overall liked this bright look!

Then there was my actual Valentine mani:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*2 coats Zoya Gaia
*Zoya Kimber
*Zoya Rory
*1 coat Out the Door

This was a twist on a Christmas mani I did, inspired by The Swatching Sprite.  I'm not sure why, but I think I liked the first one better--maybe I sized the dots a little better.  This was still fun, though!  I used Gaia, a sheer "white" polish that is really more of a gold shimmer, over my base.  Then I used the amazing Kimber (magenta) and Rory (lavender-pink) from the Surf collection shimmers that I NEVER get tired of.  I was a bit down on this one at first, but it really grew on me.

So that's the end of Valentine's 2015 (although it's never the wrong time for a pretty pink mani)!

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!

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?

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?

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!

Movember 2014

It's November, which means that lips are starting to get fuzzy and I get extra thankful for my daddy.  That's right it's...

MOVEMBER!

In the past, I've told my story about why this month is close to my heart.  Due to early detection, my dad has been cancer free at every check-up since his surgery!  There is a lot of information out there to take in and I've started a board on Pinterest (fair warning--some pins may be slightly Not Suitable For Work due to the focus on men's bodies and health) with more info, links, and support for the movement to focus on and discuss men's health.  

I'm planning to do a couple of manis this month in honor of prostate and testicular cancer awareness.  This one is the first, and I'm kind of adoring it!

*1 coat Gelous base
*3 coats Lucky 13 Lacquer Cliffs of Heaven
*2 coats Butter London Fairy Cake
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out the Door

Look at all that sparkly, holo goodness!  This is my happy place :)
Light blue is the color of prostate cancer awareness.  I recently bought my first Lucky 13 Lacquer polish.  I saw a message on Facebook that Kyoti was trying to get to her family due to a loss and my heart went out to her.  I've been there and was more than happy to do something, little as it was.  The good news--the polish community is awesome and she made enough to get home!  Also, this polish is amazing!  Also also, she is wonderful to work with when you accidentally screw up your order (Thank you!)!
Cliffs of Heaven is a light blue, slightly teal-leaning holo--these photos aren't quite true to color because it's a bit dustier.  I used 3 coats because they were VERY thin coats, which created some bald patches.  The holo particles are gorgeous in the sun!  I paired it with Fairy Cakes, possibly my favorite micro silver holo.
I dipped back into my awesome RLR Creations decals for the little mustaches.  I love these water slide decals and am planning another order because through Saturday there is a promo--order through PayPal on Facebook and you can buy 5, get 1 free or get 10% entire order, whichever is the better deal.  TOTALLY worth it at less that $3 per sheet of 20 decals!  I dotted on eyes and sealed it all with a top coat.

That last pictures is way out of focus, but just look at all that holo goodness!  I had to capture it somehow!

So here's to another November of talking about men's health!

If you've created any Movember manis, I'd love to see them!  

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?

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

Thanksgiving Catch Up

Between school and work, things have gone into overdrive these past couple of weeks!  I have 3 more finals, a final paper, and 9 more days of work before I get a break and time at home!  I canNOT wait!
So, since I got behind and it's now almost Christmas, I'll just do a quick post with the two Thanksgiving looks I wore this year.
This first one is inspired by this look from the Tumblr Sabzii's Nails.  I first saw the mani on Pinterest and fell so in love with the Funky French she did.  Her little feather is amazing and I knew not to even attempt that!  So, I used some of my amazing decals from RLR Creations Nail Art. 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*OPI DS Opulence
*China Glaze Fairy Dust
*2 coats Out the Door

I tried to find out what polish she used for her mani because it is gorgeous!  I didn't get an answer, though, so I did my best and was really impressed with how close this was!  I used DS Opulence, a pretty, dusty rose with scattered micro particles and dabbed on Fairy Dust for some larger holo pieces on top.  I used two different decal, one on each hand.

Ignore that smudge on my middle finger and look at how awesome those decals are!  They are so easy to use and come out amazing every time I've used them!

My second look was my attempt at this little turkey from All That Is Gorgeous.

I used Essie Mochachino for my base.  Then, I went mainly to my China Glaze Capitol Colors--Mahogany Magic for the body of the turkey and Riveting for the orange feathers/dots.  I used OPI Dane-shiny Red and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Man-go Team! for the other feathers.  His body and head turned out...not as I imagined.  I loved the dots, though!  Overall I'm totally envious of how awesome the turkey was that I worked from, but this wasn't too bad at all.  My little cousins thought he was fun, which is really all that matters :)

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!

Here's lookin' at you!

I love this simple little Halloween look!
I wore nails like this last year and, with so little time, it was impossible to resist this quick nail art again.  I originally saw this inspiration on Pinterest last year.  I love simple nail art like this that really anyone can pull off!

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Essence Jacob's Protection
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Out the Door

Jacob's Protection is from the Essence Twilight line that came out earlier this year.  I haven't read or watch the series, but the colors were really great.  This is a black base with dense, medium blue shimmer throughout.  The first photo is a little out of focus and really shows off the shimmer on my index finger.  It's a really pretty polish!  I just used a dotting tool to dab on white and then black over the dark base.  Easy!

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 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. 

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!

Mardi Gras!

One of my dearest friends has made New Orleans her home.  She graciously let me come visit a while back and I fell a little in love with the city.  I had decided to give myself a little rest and time when it came to my nails, and God decided it wasn't enough.  I had planned a couple of other Valentine manis for the past few days, but I got a nasty little cut right along my cuticle that I did not think would mix well with acetone...so, they'll come later (it's always the season for hearts and pink!) and today I'm showing a little Fat Tuesday love! 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Cult Nails Flushed
*3 coats Julep Jennifer
*1 coat OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Golden-I and Purple Pizzazz
*Zoya Logan
*1 coat Out the Door Northern Lights

Last year I did something similar to this, but  with a ton more layers and pretty much the same effect.  I'm getting more efficient!  I used Flushed as my purple base.  This is really similar to the beloved Fantasy Fire, but not a dupe.  This is a lighter purple, not quite a lavender, that is packed with a magenta shimmer.  You can really see it in the first picture and on my pinkie in the last.  I love this color--it's just gorgeous when you see it in the sun.  If you don't have this one, it is well worth getting!

I added a thin coat of Fresh Frog of Bel Air over the top.  This is a small green glitter in a clear base with scattered silver hex pieces.  On my accent I used Jennifer, which is a pale peach that is a pretty good nude for me.  It is sheer and a cream, and I was sure I would hate it when I saw it in my box, but I've come to love it.  I used Logan, Golden-I and Purple Pizzazz to dot on some bead strands because Mardi Gras NEEDS beads!

I finished everything off with a coat of Northern Lights, a micro scattered holo glitter in an Out The Door top coat.  In real life, it shows up much more, but you can see it flashing in my pinkie.  I almost chose a clear top coat because these are busy nails, but there's no such thing as "too much" when it comes to Mardi Gras!  I'm excited to see these out in the sun tomorrow.  I need to decided on a Valentine mani or two, though, which is proving hard--there are way too many ideas I want to try out!  Anyway, enjoy a little indulgence today!

New 31DC: Inspired by my Country

I'm an American girl, for better and worse.  I'm also a born and raised California girl.  I currently live in sunny southern California, but I was raised in gorgeous northern California.  I considered some red, white, and blue nails tonight, but "country" sparked an idea for me.

I had the amazing good fortune to grow up in a small town in the heart of wine country.  It's funny, I thought about doing a skittle with redwoods and my high school and a starry sky (I really miss the stars, living in a big city).  I think I tend to have momentum--I did a skittle for the last challenge, so I think I need another one.  I'm glad I didn't though, because I like how this is simple.

 

*1 coat Yello-Out

*2 coats OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest

*3 coats China Glaze Cowardly Lyin'

*Zoya Yara

*1 coat Out The Door

 

I used Every Month Is Oktoberfest for this one.  Perfection!  This polish is simply stunning.  It is a perfect deep purple for wine and grapes.  I NEVER get tired of this shimmer, either! 

 

I was going to use my go-to Fast Track for my accent, but decided to use Cowardly Lyin' instead.  This is a very sheer shimmery gold with small glitter pieces in it.  I wanted something white wine-ish for the grapes' background.  Close enough to champagne, don't you think?  I used Oktoberfest to dot on grapes and then painted on Yara as the vine.  Now, you are in for a very special treat (sort of).  Meet my right hand:

I snapped that one on a whim, which is why the sides of my nails are a mess.  I liked how the grapes looked much better on this hand, and wanted to show them off.  Something funny happened when I did this.  I knew I would have a hard time snapping a picture with my left hand, and it was really awkward.  I did not think, however, that it would be hard to pose my right hand!  I am so used to posing my left, that I couldn't really hold the bottle well or move my hand right--so weird!  So, forgive the mess, but I liked that little bunch a lot.  For better or worse, I love my home so much and am proud of it.  I'm so happy that this one turned out so well!

New 31DC: Inspired by a Game

This is a challenge that has SO many possibilities!  I may just make a little challenge for myself later on with "game" manis...
I wasn't quite ready to say farewell to Annalicious, so that helped me narrow down my choices.  Today I went with a video game (here comes my no-so-inner nerd):

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Cult Nails Annalicious
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
*1 coat Out The Door

I'm actually really pleased with how these little Pokeballs turned out!  I made Annalicious my base because Snow Me White is really opaque.  After painting the nails red I freehanded the bottom half white because I didn't need a perfectly crisp line.  I used a small paint brush and Black Out to draw on the stripe.  Then, with the largest dotting tool I have, I added a black and white dot in the center.  Pretty easy!

I wish I were less embarrassed of my love of these little digital guys so I could wear these longer.  They really did turn out much better than I imagined them, which is not typically the case when I try out some nail art.  Alas, I need to at least pretend I'm a grown up!  Do you still have some secret kid loves?  Things you'll just never outgrow?