The Neon Sailor

Me and yellow...we go way back. I really can't ever get enough of yellow. There are so many beautiful living things in the natural world that are yellow, whether that be a bright or a muted yellow. So that's why you'll always see at least one yellow-cure per month.

Tonight's used The "It" Color (OPI) for the yellow. I've shown that one before, but this time, I've added Neon Lights (Elemental Styles) on top of that for an extra kick. Neon Lights is another tiny glitter mix. Of every type of glitter I've come across, it's the simple, clear-base, itty-bitty glitter mixes I find myself drawn to and really seeking out the most. Windestine was the first Etsy shop that made me realize that, and now I've got Neon Lights to accompany Carbon Copy and Asbestos. I'm beyond pleased. I snapped a picture using Instagram earlier to show off just how cool the combination was before any stamping:

The stamp was done with Hey Sailor! (China Glaze) and m57, the well-loved Konad plate that got me started sometime two years ago. Two years? Wow time flies when you're bloggin' your little heart out.

Leopard Pistol Accent

 
I've been wanting to recreate this manicure since I first saw it at Marta's blog, ChitChatNails. Her manicure used different fingers for the leopard accent, as you can see here. I wanted to do my first two fingers as the accent nails, and I decided to start calling this type of pointer/thumb accent combo a pistol accent. Pretend like you're shooting a handgun. Which two fingers did you use? See...pistol accent!

The bright red I used is another score from the ridiculously cheap beauty supply store a reader pointed out to me near Boulder. It's Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It (OPI). It's soooo bright and I'm thrilled it's part of my collection. I have one other red that comes close, but it's not bright with that orange-red feel.

The base for the accent nails is Farah (Zoya). I used the m57 Konad stamp rather than freehanding the leopard spots. They're filled in with Load (Illamasqua) and stamped with Black Creme (Wet n' Wild). I literally can't stop looking at my hands.

Thanks for the inspiration Marta!!!

Boho Birdie

Quick reminder to vote for my submission one last time! Today's the last day.

Today's manicure drove me nuts. I should've left the gradient alone. Personally, I think the stamp ruined it. But it also may have been a case of the it-looked-better-in-real-lifesies. I hate it when I catch those.

The gradient was created with two Color Club colors: New Bohemian and Earthy Angel. Turns out, Earthy Angel is not a good color for my skin tone. Probably will just stick that one in the pile with other accents-only polishes.

I sponged to get the gradient effect, then stamped the feather from the Bundle Monster BM-15 plate with Konad Special Brown polish.

Damn...it looked so much better in my head. As soon as these pictures were done being taken, I cleaned it all off.

Easter Sunday Best

I've got another super tasty, super simple Saran Wrap nail design for you this Easter morning! I wanted it to portray the Sunday best you see so many folks wearing today, but unfortunately, the two colors I chose for the base are too similar to the white stamp I used (Konad m57 with White On). It certainly doesn't look bad persay, but it's a little too muted for my taste.

I used Bubble Gum (Savina) and Re-Fresh Mint (China Glaze) as the two colors for the base. I didn't take pictures last night after creating the manicure, so there was quite a bit of shrinkage. I'm a little surprised how much occurred, and get now why girls don't like Seche Vite for that reason. It's just itching for me to easily peel it off and try something new.

Maybe you'll see two Easter manicures today!

Color Club Foiled Collection Swatches

Today's a little unusual for me. Today is just swatches of the Color Club Foiled collection, including a comparison of using the included top coat and not using the top coat with these colors.

You've probably seen it around on other blogs and in stores, so I won't drag out any descriptions. This post is for color comparison, and a bit of stamping testing. Enjoy!

Hot Like Lava

Foil Me Once

Antiquated

Lumin-Icent

Perfect Mol-Ten

Cold Metal

This is Hot Like Lava, with and without a top coat. My pinky and middle finger have the included top coat, and the ring finger does not.

As you can see, not too much of a difference. These colors do fine without top coats, but for protection of the manicure, I recommend it.

Finally, here's Foiled stamped.

From thumb to pinky, using Konad plate m65:

• Lumin-Icent on Black Creme (Wet n' Wild)
• Hot Like Lava on Heavenly (Savina)
• Cold Metal on Light Mist (Savina)
• Perfect Mol-Ten on Neon Yellow (Savina)
• Antiquated on Get in the Expresso Lane (OPI)

New Year's Eve Nails

A little late in the day to post this, but this is what I'm wearing tonight. We're going dancing in Hillcrest at Eden. Should be a fabulous time!

I used Zoya's Ginessa as the pearly white. Here you can see it before adding the embellishments.

Then I stamped with Black on Black from Sinful Colors. The plate was Konad's m64.

Finally, I glittered it up with Uninhibited from L.A. Girl, the Glitter Addict collection. By the way, I stopped by a Rite Aid last night for non-nail related business, and stumbled upon an entire display of these awesome polishes. I picked up a bunch, so in addition to the ones my sister gave me for Christmas, my collection is young, but large! If you live near a Rite Aid, see what you can grab, because these all rock.

Peachy Keen

Sometimes the night just gets away from me, and before I realize it, it's 11:00, I have work in the morning, and I still haven't taken off yesterday's manicure. This means at least another hour before I can go to bed if I want to update my paws. That's what happened last night, so I went with a simple stamp with some mini beads.

And how original of me? I just titled this post, based on the peachy color of my polish. Then, as I looked at the bottom of my bottle to get the name of the color, lo and behold, it's Peachy Keen by China Glaze. (This does not bode well for my creative titling abilities.)

This picture's best for seeing the bead detailing on my ring finger.

The stamp is from Konad's m57 plate, and the white is stamped with Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Whirlwind White. It's all topped with China Glaze's Matte Magic to soften this already feminine manicure.

Chocolate Daisy Candies

Using these new little beads I got over the weekend should prove to be interesting, challenging and limitless. The ideas I had for these little beads wouldn't stop crowding my brain space. It was like fighting for the master bedroom in your first roommate situation! Nevertheless, I did finally decide on a design, though not happily. What you see is actually the result of my last ditch effort to get my idea across to a live environment. Originally, I wanted to use a deep red instead of brown for stamping, but the only red I had that was deep enough, didn't translate well on a stamp. The design I also wanted to use was not transferring well, and I already had plans to make pasta with Andy, so spending long on stamping wasn't a feasible, or desired option. (The pasta, by the way, turned out excellent. Homemade herb fettuccine...molto delizioso!) So, again, this isn't exactly what I wanted, but the mini beads were fun to experiment with.

The beige is Nomadic Nude from the Back to Boho collection (Color Club). The chocolate brown is Konad's special polish, and the mini beads are from Michael's. The flower pattern is from BM16, a plate whose designs are too small for my thumb, which isn't an excessively large thumb. Its cameos have been sparse lately due to their cold weather damage. I thought I'd spare you the carnage.

The best part about this is the texturized surface my nails take on. If you've ever had braces, it's like rubbing your tongue along that top row of freshly banded braces, before they wear down from normal munch and crunch. That time when the metal is still sharp enough to make you think twice about digging in to get excess food out from under the brackets. As appetizing as that sounds, don't dismiss their use. Nails also work very well as scratching surfaces with these beads on.

Golden Glitz

Two posts in one day. I just couldn't wait to get these photos out for everyone to see. Plus, this manicure was so simple that I feel comfortable doing another one tomorrow, even though I'll be in a new house. I'll be house and dog sitting for a friend. I'm not sure how I'll manage to bring my polish with me, seeing as it's all stored in the famous Ikea Helmer. I do have my old container, but I hate leaving loved ones behind!

So tonight I'm thrilled with the stamping results. This is probably one of the cleanest attempts so far, and I'm not sure what to chalk it up to. Practice? The right amount of time allotted for drying? The depth of the stamp's (Konad plate m65) engraving? Actually, it could be that last one. Konad plates seem to be cut just slightly deeper than their Bundle Monster counterparts, which really does make a difference when it comes time to scrape. What are your thoughts?

The gold is Champagne Bubbles from the new China Glaze holiday collection. Sorry, I couldn't wait till the holidays to break that bottle open. (Though it seems like many stores and malls in the area can't wait either. Wreathes and baubles adorn plenty of signs here in Boulder already.) The black is trusty Black on Black from Sinful Colors.

Hey there gold!

Who doesn't love sparkle? I do, especially after rewatching Gossip Girl.

This manicure just feels so luxurious, and I'm almost mesmerized watching myself type by all the sparkle and the contrasting black. It's fun and...well...sparkly! It's Konad's m57 plate with Sinful Color's Black on Black (again...it's the perfect black stamping polish for an unbeatable price). I layered Color Club's Gingerbread (from the Holiday 2011 collection) on top of Antiquated (from the Foiled collection).

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Doesn't this remind you of Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Misbehaved? Personally, I like this better, but I'm biased.

Blog inspired design

One thing you should know about me. I love bright colors. Always have, always will. When it comes to nail polishes, I try all sorts of shades, but the neons and the bolds will always have a place in my heart. Just look at the socks and sports bras in my laundry.

Spot the kitten.

So I designed my beginning blog layout with bright colors. I love the colors so much, I decided to do a manicure mimicking those brights. So here it is: China Glaze's Electric Pineapple stamped with Konad's plate m60 with Sinful Color's Black on Black. Pretty perfect color combination if you ask me!

Still playing with the watermark choices and hand positions.