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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Blue and Green Granite

Hi there!

Hunny poo and I recently toured new homes where all of the counter tops were done in granite. I've always liked the look of granite- especially because no 2 pieces are the same. Anyway, that's what inspired this manicure...

My nails painted with Julep - Gunta and Popova.

I painted a base of white polish to make the colors stand out a bit more than they would without it. Then I blobbed dots of Gunta (blue) and Popova (green) onto the back of one of my stamping plates. With a pre-cut piece of cosmetic sponge, I dipped into the dots 1 at a time and randomly placed the sponge on my nails. When I was happy with the color, I continued with the next dot of polish. I started sponging before the white base polish was entirely dry, and I'm thinking that's the reason there seems to be a little more depth than if I had sponged on dry nails. It also pulled the white through to lighten the jewel-toned polishes :-)

My nails painted with Julep - Gunta and Popova.

When Julep asked me to do a guest blog post for them, I thought, "heck yeah!" After I finished this manicure, however, I told myself I wouldn't be able to submit it because it wasn't unique... I was certain I had already done this combination in the past! Bummer. But then while I was folding laundry, it dawned on me why my manicure was so familiar... it's nearly the same colors as my favorite shirt (pictured first) that I've been wearing all summer! D'oh!

My nails painted with Julep - Gunta and Popova.

Click here if you'd like to see my guest post on Julep's facebook page. And click here if you'd like to become a Julep Maven. I've been a Maven for a year now, and I really like having nail polish delivered to me monthly. It's like a little treat to start the month off right.

What type of design might you try with these colors?

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...

Ugly Manicure Monday - 10

Hi there!

This ugly manicure comes courtesy of Stephanie at All Things Beautiful...

St. Patrick's Day nails.

She sponged a rainbow onto 4 fingers with Sally Hansen's Cherry Red, Essie's Vermillionaire, Color Club's Almost Famous, Spoiled's I Only Eat Salads, Sinful Colors' Why Not, and Color Club's Pucci-Licious.

After Stephanie was done sponging her 4 fingers, she thought she'd try something different on her thumb. A St. Patrick's Day leprechaun is fitting...

Milani - Hi-Tech.

... or is it? She said she ended up with the creepiest leprechaun ever, and she removed it just after snapping her photographs. She couldn't take him looking at her :-)

Thanks, Stephanie!

I like the rainbow sponging, but the leprechaun reminds me of Freddy Krueger :-p What do you think?

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...