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...