Shattered Glass

I finally  got my hands on some holo foil paper from Born Pretty Store to create some shattered glass nail art!

My base is "Wet Suit" by Sally Hansen - I love this color! Is it grey, blue, purple or a combo? I'm not really sure, but I like it. I cut the holographic sheets of mylar into tiny strips, and applied them using a clear coat. I used Seche Vite to seal everything in, and that was it! This is a really pretty look that is fairly easy (albeit slightly time consuming) to create. I can't wait to use more of this in the future.

Myst-iqual Nails

Hello people! I have been a major slackass with the blog, but for good reason! I have officially earned my license as an Esthetician. :)  Now, I am working on my Nail Tech license. It feels great getting to do what I love all day.
Getting back on the mani track, today's mani is very simplistic, but I love it. It is inspired by this pin from Hokuri. To recreate this delicate look, I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in "Myst-ique Pink"  - this bottle of polish is so old, I have no clue if it's even made any more. I had to brush a layer of dust off it before using it.
Next, I used OPI's "Push and Shove," which is the chrome from the Gwen Stefani collection, for the stars and dots.

You may be asking yourself, what on Earth is she holding in that pic? Why, I am glad you asked. It's a loofah - yes that thing in your shower. Turns out it's first a veggie, like a squash or zucchini, but then you dry it out. The dryed out inside is your favorite exfoliating tool. This is my first year growing loofah, so we will see what happens when I dry this bad boy out. Have you ever grown loofah? If so, how did it turn out?

Petal Tips

I received my order of Gelibility and was dying to try it! This stuff really is amazing. Previously, I had no desire to make the switch to gel polish. I like to change my polish often, and I have hundreds of bottles of regular polish that I have no intention of just leaving on a shelf. Is it weird that I have an emotional bond with my nail polish? Probably. Anyway, if you are saying "WTF is Gelibility?" right about now, fear not, for I will tell you. Gelibility is a product that you mix with regular nail polish and cure with a lamp to achieve your own DIY gel mani. Pretty freaking awesome, huh?!?

The Gelibility kit comes with two bottles - Stick It! and Fix It! You apply the Stick It" as your base/bonder. Cure. Then you mix your polish with the Fix It! in a small container or palette.( I ordered this one along with some brushes from Bundle Monster.) The instructions say to start mixing 50/50, but that you may need to adjust the amount. I did 50/50 and it worked fine for me, but I was using a sheer polish. I used Kleancolor "Sheer Pastel Nude" - I chose this color because even though you can't really see the color, it makes a nice, clean background for nail art.  This way I can change my art (using non- acetone to take off the regular polish that I am using for nail art) as many times as I like while preserving the gel mani.

I created decals using Winstonia plate #W04 and Sally Hansen Insta Dri in "Fuchsia Flare" and Funky Fingers "Gesso." I decided I wanted to add another color onto the flower petals, so
I used a salmon striper to dot in some color here and there. Finally, a coat of Essie Luxe Effects "Pure Pearfection" gave the mani a slight sheen and shimmer.

I am so excited at the possibilities that Gelibility opens for me! This is definitely an impressive product! :)

Bad Romance

Today I am using my Deborah Lippmann polish for the first time. This is "Bad Romance," which is a black jelly polish, loaded with purple glitters. I applied 3 coats, and then stamped Sally Hansen Insta Dri in "Silver Sweep" and one of the new plates from the Born Pretty Store, #BP-08.
While the color and formula itself is pleasing, I wasn't very happy that I had tip wear after less than 24 hours (with 2 coats of Seche Vite applied). Luckily, this bottle of DL was on sale at Ulta - had I paid retail price ($19), I wouldn't be too happy. Will I ever try DL again? Maybe, but only if it's on sale!

Inspired by ... Tarte

Today's mani is inspired by the packaging for the Tarte Rainforest After Dark palette.
I started with Kleancolor in Neon Purple, and stamped the snakeskin pattern (BM224) with LA Colors in Reckless. The snake is from Winstonia plate W03, and it's stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Style Steel.  I am also sporting a new nail shape - I am working myself into an almond shape.

 I LOVE this mani. It turned out rockin'. :) The pics could be better, but I am working on that.

Coconut up your …what?!?!

If you want to waste 3 minutes of your life, you can watch this video. It really makes me think about how entertainment has evolved. Otherwise, I will give you the short version: a little red alien/bug thing sits on a coconut, and they make a song about it. Strange. Stupid. Waste of brain cells.  I jokingly said “I should put that on my nails!” and my son said “no! you are not allowed!” - - challenge accepted. Rule #1: NEVER tell a woman what she cannot do. 

This mani was done quickly, I will admit, with less effort than I normally give. Whatever. I used Funky Fingers "Mrs. Mint" for the base, and stamped the lines with Sally Hansen InstaDri in "Mint Sprint," BM plate #BM301. I free-handed the coconuts with SH "Terracotta", and added some light ivory wisps. I did the little buggy guy with my Nail Candy nail pens. 

When I showed my nails to my son, he just shook his head and walked away. Score 1 for mom. :)

Watercolor Trees

This mani was inspired by a picture from Pinterest. (You can see the pic here.) I decided that whining about summer being gone was useless, as I was missing being able to enjoy fall. So here we go - yay for fall, hooded sweatshirts and bonfires!

Polishes used:

The base is Essie “Blanc.” For the trees, I used some no-name black striper. The watercolor background and leaves were done in Wet N Wild “I Red a Good Book,” Sally Hansen “Mellow Yellow,” Sally Girl “Surf’s Up” (green), Sally Hansen “Blue Me Away!” and LA Colors “Reckless.”

There are multitudes of people who have tutorials on the watercolor method, so I am not going to explain it - you can easily Google it.