Howdy everyone! We're halfway through the week, how's everyone feeling? If you're like me, you can't wait for Friday. I actually have the day off Friday and I'm thinking I might go get a massage. I received a gift certificate to a local spa for my birthday from a friend and I'm thinkin' it might be time to cash it in.
I wanted to put up some photos of my nails today. This is a good example of how mistakes can often become happy accidents. I was trying out a new stamping plate and instead of getting the whole design, I only got a partial. At first I was frustrated, but then I decided I like the abstract feel of the partial stamp anyway so I stamped all my nails that way. Here's how it came out:
I started with 2 coats of Peachy Keen by China Glaze (another from my weekend Ulta spree) and stamped over top with Luxe from Orly. Luxe is my favorite gold of all time. It reminds me of the look of gold leaf or foil and the effect is just marvelous. I thought the color combo worked well here, too. It reminds me of that marble with the gold veins running through it. So you can see the original pattern of the stamp was a bunch of stars. I'll give this pattern another try with a thicker polish and see if I can get a clearer outcome in the future, but as far as oopsies go, this turned out alright.
I'll be posting my first manicure for the Nail-aween Challenge tomorrow so be sure to stop by and check it out! Thanks for reading!
Howdy, everyone! Gosh this 31 Day Challenge is just whizzin' right along, huh? We're on Day 25 already, I can hardly believe it! Today, we are inspired by fashion. Now I have to admit, I don't know from fashion...I like what I like and that's what I like. Whether anyone else cares for it doesn't interest me much. That being said, I am an avid Project Runway viewer and I enjoy clothes overall. Being in love with Pinterest as I am, I looked back through some of my fashion pins to see what jumped out at me. Here's what I found:
These tights are from an etsy seller, Gal Stern, whose store can be found here. I love pretty much everything she has listed even though I do hate to wear stockings myself. For my manicure on the left, I started with 2 coats of MAC's Black Enough?, a polish with a matte finish. Then, using Orly's Luxe and my homemade dotting tool, I added some half moon dots and the pattern on my accent nail. This is really simple, but I LOVE it! Black and gold is such a great color combo and I think it's a great complement to the tights. Whaddya think?
Thanks so much for reading and look out for tomorrow's post, inspired by pattern!
Howdy, all! The weekend is finally here! It's been a really long week, but I've gotten some good news today about some work-related things so I'm pretty excited. I won't know anything for sure for awhile, but I'm looking forward to some changes in the near future. Does anyone have any big weekend plans? I'm headed to the local Kansas State sports bar to watch the game tomorrow night...pins and needles...we play the Sooners (my arch enemy!) and I'm hoping my Wildcats will pull off a big "W"! Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking. "Can we talk about nails, not sports, please?" Alright, here ya go!
Day 21 starts the "inspired by" challenges; today's being "inspired by a color". I had no idea what that meant at first. I mean, inspired by a color? So do I just paint a straight color on of my choice and go? But, after a little research, I've discovered that we're to be inspired by a nail polish color name, not necessarily the color itself. I deliberated on several color choices before deciding on Revlon's Royal. I started with 2 coats as a base and then, using Orly's Luxe, painted on little crowns. I went back in with a dotting tool to add the "jewels": Julep's January for rubies, Wet 'n' Wild's Fast Dry in Sage in the City for emeralds and more Royal for sapphires. I actually think this would make a great holiday mani...I must remember it!
Here's a view showing the crowns a bit better:
I'm already stressing over tomorrow's "inspired by a song" manicure. The aforementioned "big game" necessitates purple polish, so I'm not sure what song sounds purple ;) Either way, check back in to check it out! Thanks for reading!
Howdy, everyone! I have to start by giving a big "Thank You!" to Sarah from Chalkboard Nails. Even though I never win anything, I entered her Cirque All Hallow's Eve Giveaway and snagged the set! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait to get them in the mail!
On to today's challenge, animal print nails. I went pretty traditional here because I actually don't do animal print that often. (If you want to see some really out-of-the-box animal prints, try here and here.)
Despite the fact that it's been done by everyone already, this is one of my favorite manicures so far in this challenge. There are tons of tutorials out there on how to do both kinds of print here, so I won't go into it too much. It really just takes a dotting tool (mine is homemade), a striping brush and a little patience. As for the colors, the brown on the cheetah print nails is an O.P.I. mini bottle. I got it from a customer at the pet store I work at and I'm guessing it was part of a collection and, as I don't have the packaging, I have no idea what it's called. In any case, it's a pretty dark caramel creme. The gold is Luxe by Orly and the blue on the zebra striped nails is Nina Ultra Pro in Blu La La. The black is a striping polish from Color Club.
The next few days of the challenge are going to be extra challenging for me because I'm not particularly fond of the categories, but I'll give it my best! Thanks so much for reading!
