Neon Leopard

Hi there!

I decided I wanted to match my outfit today, so I added a leopard print to yesterday's manicure...

My nails painted with Orly - Glowstick and
China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy.
Stamped with Konad M57.

I used Konad's special black polish to stamp the print and then I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

Now this is what I call a fun manicure! What do you think?

Until next time...

Highlighter Explosion

Hi there!

It's been dreary outside lately where I live, so I figured why not offset the weather with a bright manicure!? ...

My nails painted with Orly - Glowstick and
China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy.

I painted 1 coat of OPI's Alpine Snow before sponging with Glowstick and Flip Flop Fantasy. I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite to achieve what's pictured.

What comforts you on a stormy day?

Until next time...

49ers Microbead Manicure

Hi there!

This manicure is the first time I've ever used microbeads...

My San Francisco 49ers nails. NFL manicure.
Orly - Mandalay Ruby.

I painted 2 coats of Mandalay Ruby, and while the polish was still wet, I dipped my ring finger into the bead container. I then applied a coat of China Glaze's top coat.

For an easy removal of the beads... paint a coat of top coat (or any other polish), let stand for 20-30 seconds, then place a paper towel/cotton pad/etc. on top of the beads. They'll pull clean off...

To see the other San Francisco 49ers manicures I've done, click here.

Until next time...

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...

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 - 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...

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...

Greta Gurl

Hi there!

I've really been enjoying this manicure...

My nails painted with OPI - Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue and Orly - Sea Gurl.

I painted 2 coats of each polish to achieve what's pictured. They both applied like a charm, and the shimmer in each polish is just right. I'm kind of surprised with myself for waiting so long to wear Sea Gurl... I've had it sitting untried for over a year!

Do you have either of these polishes in your collection? Would you wear Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue and Sea Gurl together, or would you prefer to wear them separately?

Until next time...

Pacific Blue Glowstick

Hi there!

I wanted to wear one last "summer" manicure before the weather gets cold and I fall, like so many others, into wearing polish shades that mesh better with the current season...

My nails painted with Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue and
Orly - Glowstick.

I painted a base of white and then painted 1 coat of each polish to achieve what's pictured. The picture looks like the manicure is bright, but in person it's much brighter. I love it :-)

Glowstick wasn't in my collection when I did my neon yellow comparison, but I think that if it was, it'd easily be my favorite. It applied perfectly and dried glossy- just the way I like my neons.

Do you live in a part of the world where you get to experience 4 seasons? Which is your favorite?

Until next time...

Bubbly Bombshell Paradise

Hi there!

I enjoyed the last sponge-tipped manicure I wore, so I decided to try it again with a different base color...

My nails painted with Sinful Colors - Paradise and Orly - Bubbly Bombshell.

I painted 2 coats of Paradise to achieve what's pictured. Once that was dry, I sponged Bubbly Bombshell onto the tips of my nails with a piece of cosmetic sponge and I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

This isn't a polish combination I'd typically reach for, but I don't have many choices where I'm staying :-) I do like it, but I enjoyed it better with Orly's Glowstick as a base color.

What base color would you pair Bubbly Bombshell with?

Until next time...

Glowstick and Bubbly Bombshell

Hi there!

If this doesn't scream summer, I don't know what does...

My nails painted with Orly - Glowstick and Bubbly Bombshell.

I painted 2 coats of Glowstick as a base for this manicure. Once that was dry, I sponged Bubbly Bombshell onto my nails and then I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite. This was surprisingly quick and easy to achieve, and I'm not sure why I don't do it more often!

What are 2 polishes and/or colors you'd like to try this with?

Until next time...

Orly - Rock It

Hi there!

I've had this polish for quite some time, but this is the first I've worn it...

My nails painted with Orly - Rock-It.

I painted 2 coats of Rock-It to achieve what's pictured. From afar, it looks like a mix between burgundy and dark magenta... but it has an orange-y copper duochrome that shines nice and bright in the sun!

Until next time...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 12

Hi there!

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

Color Club - Ms. Haught, Alias, and Orly - Space Cadet.

She said she used to use a number randomizer to choose her manicures and this was the result of that. Jen also mentioned that if she gets the urge to use a number randomizer again, she needs to look at this picture to stop herself :-)

Thanks, Jen!

It makes me want to see what a number randomizer would generate for me! I actually don't think it looks bad. I like the colors, but I don't think the polish textures work together.

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...

SoFlaJo - Call Forth Dragons

Hi there!

I really love it when people are inspired to mix their own nail lacquers. My friend, Jody, at SoFlaJo recently started her own line of color changing top coats called The Year Of The Dragon. This is 1 of 8 from the collection...

My nails painted with Orly - Plum Noir and
SoFlaJo - Call Forth Dragons.

I painted 1 coat of Plum Noir before I painted 2 coats of Call Forth Dragons to achieve what's pictured. Call Forth Dragons is a frost base with silver holographic glitter suspended throughout it.

With a flash...

My nails painted with Orly - Plum Noir and
SoFlaJo - Call Forth Dragons.

The glitter is ultra fine, so removal is quick and easy. If you're interested in seeing more topcoats from SoFlaJo, click here.

This is what my polish looked like before the addition of Call Forth Dragons...

Orly - Plum Noir.

Until next time...

(Call Forth Dragons was kindly provided by SoFlaJo for me to play with)

Ugly Manicure Monday - 04

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of an anonymous reader...

Zoya - Charla, Orly - Fresh, and Nubar - White Polka Dot.

She first painted an attempted half moon with 2 coats of Charla (blue), then 2 coats of Fresh on the rest of the nail. She said it was plain and ugly, so she hoped the addition of glitter would help. It didn't :-)

Thanks, "you know who you are!"

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...

Orly - Lunar Eclipse

Hi there!

A friend of mine sent me this polish, and I love it...

My nails painted with Orly - Lunar Eclipse.


I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. The first coat was a bit sheer, but a quick second coat makes this polish opaque. I can't seem to think of much else to say about this polish other than... I love it :-)

Until next time...

Orly - Samba

Hi there!

I wanted to play around with some of my polishes this afternoon, so I only painted one hand...

My nails painted with Orly - Samba.

I painted 2 coats to achieve what's pictured. There is some visible nail line, so I don't think I'll be painting a full manicure of this today... I'll save it for when I cut my fingernails super short again.

How do you feel about polishes that show your nail lines?

Until next time...