Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

This is my Independence Day manicure...

My nails painted with OPI - Alpine Snow.
Patriotic 4th of July nail foil design.

I painted 2 coats of Alpine Snow. Once dry, I applied the foil glue and waited for it to become tacky. Then I pressed the foils over the glue, and... voila! I used Seche Vite as my topcoat.

I was inspired by a combination of this picture...

Photo source - avenue.com

...and the fact that I've not tried nail foils before. They've been sitting among my nail art supplies for over a year! I think the technique is pretty simple- but more importantly, it was fun to achieve.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Welp... I'm off to go down to the waterfront to watch the neighborhood's firework display. I'd love to know how you wore your nails and how you celebrated today/tonight! Stay safe.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I enjoyed the sponging of yesterday's manicure, but I wanted something more...

My nails painted with China Glaze - First Mate and Hey Sailor.
Stamped with Winstonia plate W107.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of Julep's Brigitte before sponging with First Mate and Hey Sailor. Once dry, I stamped with Konad's special white polish and then topped everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

This is my manicure today...

My nails painted with Julep - Brigitte, Gunta, and Salma.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of Brigitte before sponging with all 3 colors, and then I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

I'm thinking that, maybe, this manicure needs something else. I'm not sure what, though. Would you wear it as is, or add something to it?

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 4

Hi there!

It's the return of Ugly Manicure Monday- Patriotic edition...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Whirlwind White.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Whirlwind White before stamping with Konad's special red and special blue polishes. The plate I used was a generic plate with no identification numbers/letters.

I consider this manicure ugly because the image didn't stamp very well. Part of that was my fault, and part of that was due to the plate being of lower quality. On top of that, I used a top coat that I had never tried before with nail art. I used Color Club's topcoat, and I was completely unaware of how badly it would smear my design. After using it on my index fingernail, I decided to leave the rest of my nails without topcoat.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 3

Hi there!

I think this is something that anybody can do...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Red Pearl and Frostbite.
Art Club - Hologram Glitter.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Red Pearl and then painted one diagonal coat of Frostbite. I then used a white striper and Hologram Glitter before topping everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

This manicure doesn't take as much time as one might think since it doesn't require much precision. When applying the blue polish, the line doesn't need to be straight because the white line can easily cover imperfections :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 2

Hi there!

This is my next idea for a red, white, and blue manicure...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hey Sailor and First Mate.
Stamped with Winstonia plate W107.
Patriotic 4th of July Manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to use as a base. I then used plate W107 and Konad's special white polish to stamp the designs. I topped everything with a coat of Seche Vite.

This was my first time using a Winstonia plate. I flubbed a few places, but I'm quite satisfied with how well this design transferred. The star design looks so crisp!

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 1

Hi there!

Like the years past, I'll be toying with new manicure ideas for Independence Day. Here's my first idea...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Red Pearl and Frostbite.
OPI - Alpine Snow and Crown Me Already!
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. I used Seche Vite for my topcoat.

I think this manicure is proof that Patriotic nails can be worn without much effort. It took some serious will power for me to stay away from my stamping plates, but I really do like the simplicity of this look.

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

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...

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...

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...

Dirty Zombie

Hi there!

These are my Halloween nails...

My Halloween zombie manicure.

I painted 1 coat of OPI's Red Hot Ayers Rock (bright red) to start this manicure, then I randomly swiped China Glaze's Velvet Bow (dark red) over that. Once dry, I painted a thick coat of Color Club's Coastal Creme (pink nude). When that was dry, I used an acetone soaked q-tip to remove some of the nude polish. That allowed for some of the bright and dark red to show through.

My original intention was to leave it at that, but I felt like the manicure needed more... so I mixed Essie's Case Study (medium brown) and OPI's Suzi Loves Cowboys (dark brown) and sponged it onto each nail. Then I applied a coat of China Glaze's Matte Magic to achieve the final look. If I had it to do over again, I'd substitute the brown polishes for something more rusty- I think that'd better compliment the ouchies.

My hands are unbelievably dry. The climate change has made them really freak out- and I'd normally moisturize them, but somehow that didn't seem appropriate for this look :-) The ouchies are a mix of cosmetic stickers and makeup. Hunny poo was some sort of gross looking character last year for Halloween, and he didn't wear all of the stickers that came in his costume package... so I saved them! The boils were much more pronounced, but I was able to slice them to better blend into my skin.

What are you wearing on your nails for Halloween?

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 7

Hi there!

Wonder Woman, anyone?

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

I painted 2 coats of Frostbite, then added a thick coat of Red Pearl to my tips. I stamped the stars with Nicole by OPI's Positive Energy and then topped everything off with a coat of Seche Vite.

My nails painted with China Glaze - Frostbite and Red Pearl.
Stamped with Konad image plate M3.
Patriotic 4th of July Wonder Woman nails.

What are you wearing on your nails today? Did you try any of the ideas I posted over the past week? If so, I'd love to see (I'd love to see a picture no matter what). If not, I hope you at least enjoyed seeing my ideas :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Happy Independence Day! Be safe.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 6

Hi there!

I should have done this manicure yesterday for Ugly Manicure Monday...

Patriotic 4th of July nail foil manicure. 

Blech! These are a generic brand of foils that I found on eBay for about $0.25, so at least I'm not out much money :-) I followed the directions of the package, but these foils just weren't meant for my nails. I think they'd work great for someone with large nail beds... and I mean large- not just larger than my own. I read before that it's best to start with the smallest finger first, so I started with my pinky. I've got to admit... I gave up on this manicure after my ring finger, so I didn't trim the middle or index finger's foils. And I didn't bother with more than 4 fingers. I knew that once I photographed it, it would all be removed. On the plus side, they were easy to remove!

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here. 

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 5

Hi there!

Now this is something that anyone can do...

My nails painted with Julep - Marisa, Salma, and America.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of Marisa, 1 coat of Salma, and a thick coat of America to achieve what's pictured. They all applied as expected :-)

Based on the promotional pictures of America, I expected to see silver stars among the glitter. My bottle had none, but I still think it's a pretty polish. If you received America, does your bottle have silver stars?

To see more views of Marisa, click here.

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 4

Hi there!

I simply couldn't go through a week of ideas without a water marble...

My nails painted with China Glaze - Hey Sailor, Sky High-Top,
and NYC - French White Tip. Water marble.
Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 1 coat of French White Tip and then water marbled with all 3 colors. This manicure was tough to achieve- the weather isn't the best, and it was rather cold in my house... so the polish didn't want to spread in the water. The design pictured is really the best I could do!

If you end up trying a red, white, and blue water marble, I'd love to know which polish you chose and if they worked well together. Better yet, I'd love to see a picture :-)

To see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...

Patriotic Week - Day 3

Hi there!

Striper tape and confetti were calling my name today...

My nails painted with Spoiled - First Class Only
and OPI - Alpine Snow. Patriotic 4th of July manicure.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. Once the blue polish was tacky, I placed the confetti stars onto my nails. Once the white polish was dry, I diagonally applied the red striper tape. To top it off, I added a coat of Seche Vite over each nail.

Is this something you'll be trying?

If you'd like to see my other Patriotic manicure ideas, click here.

Until next time...