Ugly Manicure Monday - 32

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Brooke...

Brooke said she attempted to make a patchwork manicure resembling a Bill Cosby Christmas sweater, but it didn't turn out how she anticipated.

Thanks, Brooke!

I actually think this looks perfect for being a Christmas sweater... even how the green is a different finish than the gold and red. The manicure might flow better had they all been the same finish, but then it wouldn't be a Christmas sweater (I have it in my mind that all Christmas sweaters are, by definition, ugly).

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Merry Christmas

Hi there!

This is my Christmas manicure...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Gaga for Green, Starboard, and Holly-Day.
Christmas tree water marble manicure.

I painted a base of Gaga for Green (lightest green) before water marbling with Gaga for Green, Starboard (medium green), and Holly-Day (darkest green). I added a coat of Seche Vite, and then applied pieces of star confetti as the tree toppers. I thought about adding decorations to the trees, but I quickly decided that I like them just the way they are.

Today is going to be great. While I'm a little bit saddened that there is a gigantic lack of snow where I am, vacationing with my extended family (almost) makes up for it. Nothing beats watching the little kiddos open their gifts on Christmas morning. Sometimes I think I should just give them empty boxes filled with tissue paper- that's all they seem to ever want, anyway ;-p 

What are your plans for today? Whether it's like any other day or something more hectic, I hope it's wonderful and filled with joy!

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 31

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Jenette at Elfleidy's Stuff...

OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Zoya - Sooky.
Stamped with Shany plate 20.

Jenette said the color combination was perfect, but the stamping execution wasn't. For whatever the reason, she was unable to get the image to stamp well beyond her first try.

Thanks, Jenette!

I really like this idea! It's a shame it didn't want to stamp :-(

If you have an  ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Christmas Lights

Hi there!

I painted these this morning...

My nails painted with OPI - Don't Mess With OPI.
Christmas lights manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Don't Mess With OPI as a base. Once that was dry, I used a black nail art pen from Sally Hansen. I used China Glaze's Happy Go Lucky (yellow), Gaga For Green (light green), and Hey Sailor (red) with a small dotting tool to make the lights. I also used Sinful Colors' Why Not (blue). I topped it all with a coat of OPI's top coat.

It's not the best job I could have painted- some of the colors smeared... so did the nail art pen :-/ But I like it. If I had this manicure to do over, I'd make all of my nails look more like my middle finger... its design is my favorite.

What are you wearing on your nails for the holidays?

Until next time...

Nicole by OPI - It Starts With Me

Hi there!

I've had this polish in my collection since it was released, but this is my first time wearing it as a full manicure...

My nails painted with Nicole by OPI - It Starts With Me.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. I really like it- both the formula and the rose gold color!

Under natural light...

My nails painted with Nicole by OPI - It Starts With Me.

Orly's Rage has been on my wishlist for quite some time now. But now that I look at swatches of it next to swatches of It Starts With Me, I'm not sure I need it. Do you happen to own both? How do they compare to one another?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 30

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Jen at Jen's Painted Tips...

Zoya - Song, Julieanne, Ivanka, Sarah, Ziv, and OPI - Cabana Banana.

Jen said her manicure simply didn't turn out the way she had hoped. She said if she had it to do over again, she'd exclude the yellow and switch the gold for a silver.

Zoya - Song, Julieanne, Ivanka, Sarah, Ziv, and OPI - Cabana Banana.

Thanks, Jen!

The color combination reminds me of Christmas wrapping paper. I might just try something like this with red, green, and gold!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Furry Nails

Hi there!

I had been wanting to try flocking powder on my nails for the longest time... so when Born Pretty contacted me to test and review a product, I already knew just what I'd choose!

Flocking powder. Furry manicure.

I painted a coat of Sally Hansen's Thinking of Blue as a base. Once that dried, I applied a coat of top coat to my index fingernail (I did one fingernail at a time). I then used tweezers to grab the flocking powder out of its jar and spread it over my nail. This probably goes without saying, but a top coat is unnecessary with flocking powder.

Admittedly, I was skeptical of this product before using it. I wondered how it would hold up through hand washing and other daily wear and tear. After I used the brush to remove excess powder from my first nail, I was a smidge more skeptical. The brush removed half of the powder from my nail!

Some things to note... it's very important that the top coat (or second coat of polish) is wet/as fresh as possible when the flocking powder is applied. It is also very important that the top coat is completely dry before using the brush to remove excess powder. I think that my first attempt at this manicure failed because I played with the powder for a bit too long before applying it to my index fingernail. I also didn't let my top coat dry long enough :-/ My second attempt at this manicure is what's pictured.

The powder is surprisingly easy to brush away from skin. I thought it'd be a clingy mess, but the removal brush did the trick. I recommend laying down a piece of paper at your manicure space before applying flocking powder. It comes in handy with the removal and recycling... I folded my piece of paper in half and used the crease as a funnel to pour the powder back into its jar.

After photographing my manicure, I put it through the ringer. I just had to test it out and see how it managed a good hand washing. I kind of thought the powder would fall off and wash down the drain... but it didn't! When wet, it looks and feels like crushed velvet. It takes some time to dry- but when it does, it looks like new. I also applied lotion all over my hands and nails. I was sure to apply it just like I normally do- nowhere near gentle. Expectedly, the flocking powder looked a bit weird (slimy) at first... but once I spread the lotion around to dissolve, my manicure looked as if I had just applied it.

If you're interested in getting your hands on some flocking powder, click here. Use code LSL91 for 10% off of your order at Born Pretty...

So, what do you think? Is this a manicure you think you might enjoy?

Until next time...

(This flocking powder was kindly provided by Born Pretty for me to play with)

BadAss Polish - Bling and Dusk

Hi there!

I wore each of these manicures featuring polishes from BadAss Polish's core line for a couple of days before photographing them...

Bling!:

My nails painted with BadAss Polish - Bling! over
China Glaze - Winter Berry and Holly-Day.

I painted 2 coats of red and green before applying 1 coat of Bling! It applied easily- it was a little bit thicker than I'm used to working with, but by no means was it difficult. The glitter placed very nicely, and I'm glad 1 coat does the trick :-) I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat.

A closer look at the small gold glitter and medium silver glitter in a clear base...

BadAss Polish - Bling!

Dusk:

BadAss Polish - Dusk over Sally Hansen - Thinking of Blue.

I painted 1 coat of Thinking of Blue before applying 1 coat of Dusk. It applied just as nicely as the other glitters I've tried thus far from BadAss Polish. I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat.

A closer look at the small blue and small gold glitter in a clear base...

BadAss Polish - Dusk.

Overall, I'm happy with the formulas and durability of BadAss Polish. They are glitters in my collection that I can honestly say I'll wear again. To see swatches of America's Team and Go Pack Go!, click here.

Will you be adding either of these polishes to your collection? I think Bling! is a great choice for holiday manicures... and Dusk is perfect for "galaxy" nails!

Until next time...

(Bling! and Dusk were kindly provided by BadAss Polish for me to play with)

49ers Crackle

Hi there!

I'm a member of a very superstitious household. It wasn't extreme until recently when Hunny Poo realized that every time I paint my nails with San Francisco 49ers colors, they win. When I don't, they lose/tie. This has held true all season! After I removed my nearly 2 week old manicure on Sunday, I was begged to paint Niners nails. I told him that if he chose the polish, I'd do it :-)

My nails painted with Zoya - Kimmy and China Glaze - Tarnished Gold.
San Francisco 49ers manicure.

I think he chose a nice combination. I painted 2 coats of Kimmy before adding a thin coat of Tarnished Gold. Once dry, I added a coat of OPI's top coat.

Mission: accomplished. The Niners won!

Until next time...

Rusty Oil Slick

Hi there!

This reminds me of a rusty oil slick (in a good way)...

My nails painted with Julep - Zoe, Rachel, Boris & Nicole, and Glenn.

I painted a base of Zoe, and then randomly sponged the other 3 polishes onto my nails using a small piece of a makeup sponge. I topped this manicure with a coat of Seche Vite.

Outside underneath the dreary skies...

My nails painted with Julep - Zoe, Rachel, Boris & Nicole, and Glenn.

The bottles...

Julep - Zoe, Rachel, Boris & Nicole, and Glenn.

Have you noticed what today's date is? I get a chuckle out of calendars and clocks when the numbers are the same and/or they're successive. My favorite time is 12:34... day or night- I don't care. I just like the way digital clocks look when they display that time :-) Do you have a favorite time of day or night?

Until next time...

BadAss Polish - Are You Ready For Some Football

Hi there!

Are You Ready For Some Football is one of the new collections from BadAss Polish. While not every NFL team is represented (thus far), the ones that are represented have pretty polishes.

America's Team:

My nails painted with BadAss Polish - America's Team.

I painted a base of China Glaze's Bahamian Escape and then painted 1 coat of America's Team. I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat. I tried several different base colors before deciding on this one. It ended up being a toss up between blue, pink, and purple (it looks nice over all of them).

America's team applied nicely. I didn't have to "dig" around in the bottle with the polish brush to grab the blue stars. 1-2 stars came out with each brush dip. The stars may have to be placed if you're choosy about where they end up- I wasn't, so I let them stay wherever they landed :-) This polish is on the thicker side, and it may end up needing some drops of thinner in the future.

A closer look at the small silver glitter, medium silver glitter, and blue star glitter in a clear base...

BadAss Polish - America's Team.

Go Pack Go!:

My nails painted with BadAss Polish - Go Pack Go!

I painted a base of Spoiled's I Only Eat Salads and then painted 1 coat of Go Pack Go! I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat. This polish applied like a dream. Similar to America's Team, I didn't have to "dig" to grab the larger pieces of glitter.

Something I noticed while applying Go Pack Go! in particular was that the formula is different from most glitter polishes that I've used in the past. I got distracted at one point and I painted all over one of my cuticles... but I was able to wipe the polish away without using polish remover.

A closer look at the small green glitter, tiny yellow glitter, and hexagonal yellow glitter in a clear base...

BadAss Polish - Go Pack Go!

When I received my package in the mail, I was instantly impressed. Each polish arrived housed in its own mailing tube...

BadAss Polish packaging.

Complete with a decently sized piece of felt to help with the glitter removal...

BadAss Polish packaging.

Do either of these Are You Ready For Some Football polishes stand out to you? This collection, along with the core line of polishes, can be found on Etsy. If you'd like to follow BadAss Polish on facebook, click here.

Now I'll wait not so patiently for a 49ers polish :-)

Until next time...

(America's Team and Go Pack Go! were kindly provided by BadAss Polish for me to play with)

Ugly Manicure Monday - 29

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Donna at Working Girl Nails...

Michael Jackson Thriller manicure.
Orly - Grave Mistake.

Donna wanted to create a Michael Jackson inspired manicure with his zippered red jacket, black pants, white socks, and sequined gloves. In her head, it looked great... but she said the french tip shrunk, so the black could be seen underneath the white. Donna said her index fingernail dried much darker than the rest of the red- and she didn't do anything differently to it. She also said that she thinks this manicure would have looked better if the rhinestones had been placed on top of a silver base instead of a white base.

Thanks, Donna!

Even though it didn't turn out perfectly, I think this manicure is a great idea!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

13 Days Later

Hi there!

I've been a super busy bee, and I haven't paid too much attention to my hands over the past couple of weeks. In fact, I've only just removed my manicure from 13 days ago...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

Above is what my manicure looked like when I first painted it.

I thought that since I wore Angel Kiss for so long, it might be nice to show how it wears...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

I wore this manicure for 13 days. I didn't use a base coat or a top coat, and I didn't paint any touch-ups throughout the weeks. It wore pretty nicely if you ask me :-) I didn't even notice tip wear when I re-shaped my nails around day 10.

Now... it's time to go dress my nails! What polish are you wearing today?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 28

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Megan at Painting Rainbows...

Breast cancer awareness manicure.

Megan painted a base of Barielle's Big Apple Red and then applied Barry M's Pink Iridescent and Color Club's Fame and Fortune over the top. She stamped with a white base and a mix between Big Apple Red and Orly's Pixy Stix. The taupe on the accent nail is painted with Barry M's Dusky Mauve.

Megan's inspiration was the tree pictured on this magnet...

She said said that the pink didn't seem to show up when stamping, so she stamped with the white base. She had seen a lot of people line the images up without fail, but she had no such luck. When Megan added her top coat, it smeared... even though she waited a good amount of time before application.

Thanks, Megan!

I absolutely love the image on that magnet! While I don't think the manicure turned out much like the magnet, I do agree with Megan that it's the thought behind it that's more important.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Halo Hues and Nfu Oh

Hi there!

This will surely be a hodge-podge of a post...

Color Club - Angel Kiss, Blue Heaven, Harp On It,
Cloud Nine, Halo-Graphic, and Cherubic.

Each set of pictures will show a picture in natural light and a picture taken with a flash. I didn't use top coat or base coat with any of the manicures and/or swatches, and I painted 2 coats of every polish.

Angel Kiss...

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

My nails painted with Color Club - Angel Kiss.

The formula is a smidge thick... so if you're heavy handed when applying nail polish, be careful or your tips might get chunky. This is my second time wearing Angel Kiss, and I'm pleased. I know it's been a task in the past with keeping holographic polish from chipping, but I had absolutely no problems.

Nfu Oh 61, Color Club Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh 65...

Nfu Oh - 61, Color Club - Worth the Risque,
Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

Thumb to pinky: My nails painted with Nfu Oh - 61,
Color Club - Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

Thumb to pinky: My nails painted with Nfu Oh - 61,
Color Club - Worth the Risque, Harp On It, Blue Heaven, and Nfu Oh - 65.

I paired the silvers and blues together because I have a hard time telling them apart- especially Harp On It and Blue Heaven. The formulas of the Halo Hues were the best, followed by Worth the Risque and both Nfu Oh polishes.

Nfu Oh 63, Color Club Halo-Graphic, Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh 64...

Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

Thumb to pinky: Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

Thumb to pinky: Nfu Oh - 63, Color Club - Halo-Graphic,
Cloud Nine, Fashion Addict, and Nfu Oh - 64.

This set of colors is just as difficult to tell apart as the silvers and blues. The pinks and purples are so close in hue that they don't look different. The formulas of the Halo Hues were the best, followed by Fashion Addict and both Nfu Oh polishes.

Cherubic...

My nails painted with Color Club - Cherubic.

My nails painted with Color Club - Cherubic.

I wore Cherubic for 3 days before I changed my manicure. At the time of polish removal, there was no chipping, flaking, or peeling.

Overall, I prefer the Halo Hues polishes to both the other Color Club holographic polishes and the Nfu Oh polishes. The formulas were all much smoother and shinier... however, they smell worse. I noticed myself wanting to cough and sneeze each time I used a Halo Hues polish. The caps of the Halo Hues polishes aren't the best. Something about them makes them difficult to open- they don't seem as thick and as sturdy as the black-capped Color Club polishes. I kept thinking I was sure to crack them.

If you're simply looking at this post to see who won the Halo Hues giveaway... yes, yes... I'll get to it :-) The winners are JamieWillett and HaileeBeezy. I've emailed both ladies, and I'll update this portion of today's post if/when I hear back from them. Thank you to everyone who participated!

So, do you have any of the polishes pictured above? Which is your favorite? I'm still waiting on a red holographic polish to make its way into my life. Or, perhaps, an emerald green! How perfect would that be this time of year?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 27

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Danielle at Polish Obsessed...

Sally Hansen - All The White Stuff.

Danielle said she applied 2 coats of All The White Stuff as a base. Then she added MANY coats of a Sally Hansen glow in the dark polish to try to make it even. The polish was not fully dry when she got around to stamping, so it squished out the sides. Danielle said she was able to mold it back into place for the most part, but it was still uneven. Worse, her dupe M65 plate wasn't picking up the image well enough and it was inconsistent from nail to nail. This manicure was picked off by the end of the day- and it was an easy task because of the polish thickness!

Thanks, Danielle!

I probably would have picked this manicure off, too. I do like that pattern, though. My first thought was that it would be fun to make it into a retro manicure... then I realized I've already done that, haha!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Black Friday

Hi there!

I decided to go very literal with today's manicure...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Black Diamonds.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. It applied very easily, and I was surprised by its finish. In the bottle, it looks to be a black base with charcoal shimmer- that's how it looks in photographs as well... but in front of my face, I see holographic shimmer in addition to the charcoal/silver shimmer. It isn't enough to make you think "wow," but it's fun to look at :-)

So, if you didn't gather it by the title of this post, today is/was Black Friday where I live. While I surely don't agree with the fighting for parking spaces and good deals, I do like to participate in the tradition. It was always something to look forward to while I was growing up. My mom and I would wake up early to be at one of the nearby stores by 6:00am (back when 6:00am was early for stores to open). We'd find the items we wanted and then drive to another store for its opening. After that, we would always go out for pancakes :-)

This year, I went out with a friend of mine who had never experienced Black Friday shopping and its insanity. There was nothing I needed to purchase, but I wanted to go with her for the fun of it. It was surprisingly calm, and I ended up buying a sewing machine for myself. I didn't even know I wanted it until I saw it staring at me... but now that I have it, I don't know why I didn't get one sooner!

Do you have any Black Friday traditions? Did you go out shopping today?

Until next time...

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi there!

This is the manicure I'm wearing today...

My nails painted with Orly - Scarlet and Golden Maharaja.

I painted 2 coats of Scarlet as a base- it's red with orange and copper shimmer. Once that was dry, I painted a stripe of Golden Maharaja- it's brown with brown and copper shimmer. While that was still wet, I used one of my dotting tools to place the gold stars where the 2 polishes met. I topped it with a coat of OPI's top coat.

I wish that I would have been able to capture just how pretty these 2 polishes are together... the shimmer in each of them is gorgeous in person!

Here's a similar manicure that I painted back in April...

My nails painted with Julep - Amy, Michelle, Oscar, and Sienna.

It has the same technique as the first manicure... but instead of stars, I placed dots of gold and gold glitter polish. Complete credit for this design goes to The Nailasaurus. A friend of mine saw her blog post and asked me to recreate it with only nail polish.

What are your plans for today? Hunny poo and I are spending Thanksgiving at home this year, and I love it! Our house is so warm and cozy, and I already want to take a nap :-)

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 26

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Wendy at Wendy's Delights...

Kleancolor - Chunky Holo Black.

Wendy said it wasn't her polish combination that made this an ugly manicure... it was her application. She said this was one of  her first manicures from when she started blogging, and she can't believe how sloppy and rough she was.

Thanks, Wendy!

I think the photographing of manicures amplifies every imperfection. I've painted several manicures that looked perfect in front of my face- but when I looked at them on my computer screen, they looked smudged/incomplete/dirty/etc.

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

OPI - Alpine Snow

Hi there!

I'm actually still wearing my Autumn Breeze manicure, believe it or not. I caught myself a nasty case of the flu and I haven't felt like changing my polish over the past week. It's now dwindled itself down to an annoying cough, so browsing unposted manicures wasn't unbearable...

My nails painted with OPI - Alpine Snow.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. I typically wear this polish as a base for nail art, but it's also great by itself. If used as a base, I paint just 1 coat- it still applies opaque enough to provide a decent canvas for water marbling, sponging, splattering, etc.

What's your favorite white nail polish? I've tried so many, but my favorites have to be Alpine Snow and Julep's Brigitte.

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 25

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Dawn...

Orly - Crush On You and China Glaze - Electrify.

Dawn said this is simply a manicure that doesn't compliment her skin tone. She said it's a good thing she painted this manicure for a daily challenge in a nail group she belongs to- it wasn't something she really wanted to wear.

Thanks, Dawn!

I agree that this combination doesn't look great against Dawn's skin tone... though I do love the random challenge manicures like this!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...

Autumn Breeze

Hi there!

I added a leafy filigree design to yesterday's manicure...

My nails painted with OPI - Suzi Loves Cowboys and
Chop-Sticking To My Story.
Stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM21 and Essie - Good As Gold.

...and I'm glad I did, because I really like it! I was planning on stamping a plain leaf design, but it turned out that the one full nail image I have in my collection didn't seem interesting enough for what I wanted.

I was going to stamp this manicure with Nicole by OPI's The Next CEO, since I do like its color better than Good As Gold against my base colors... but it simply doesn't stamp well. It's gorgeous on its own, but the foily finish doesn't allow it to transfer. Alternatively, Good As Gold stamps amazingly! If you're looking for a great gold to stamp with, I most definitely recommend it.

Is this a manicure you would wear?

Until next time...

Fall Gradient

Hi there!

This is quintessential Fall...

My nails painted with OPI - Suzi Loves Cowboys and
Chop-Sticking To My Story.

...right? I painted 1 coat of Essie's Very Structured (a rusty brown) as a base. I could have just painted a base of Chop-Sticking To My Story, since Very Structured doesn't show through to the final manicure anyway. For the gradient, I blobbed each polish onto the back of one of my stamping plates then I used one of my cut up makeup sponges to transfer the polish onto my nails.

I topped this manicure with a coat of OPI's Top Coat. Perhaps surprisingly, this was my first time using it... and my first impression wasn't so great. Even with a light hand, the orange and brown polish still transferred to the brush.

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 24

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Erika at Icy Nails...

China Glaze - Roguish Red and Orly - Monster Mash.

Erika said she wanted to get her Halloween on, but she got her ugly on instead ;-p She painted Roguish Red onto her index and ring finger, and then stamped with China Glaze's Jolly Holly using Bundle Monster plate 224. It failed because it smeared and the green wasn't opaque enough to stamp on top of the orange. Erika painted an unknown purple by Funky Fingers onto her middle and pinky finger... then topped it with Monster Mash. She said it was torture wearing this manicure!

Thanks, Erika!

I may be in the minority, but aside from the smeared bits, I like this manicure!

If you have an ugly manicure, I'd love to feature it! Email me with what polish you used and what you intended your manicure to look like :-)

Until next time...