Black History Month Nails!

    With February drawing to a close, I wanted to do a nail look to commemorate Black History Month. I always plan to do a really pretty and complicated look for this, because BHM is near and dear to my heart, but then I'm always too busy and end up rushing it at the end. This year was no exception unfortunately, but I did like what I ended up with.

It was as easy as it looks LOL.

I started with two layers of China Glaze Go Crazy Red and let that dry for about twenty minutes.  Then I put a thick layer of Gelous on my ring finger, let it get tacky, put in the green and black gems, and finished off all my nails with a layer of Barielle's quick drying topcoat. 

Easy peasy. 

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Close up of accent nail.

I hate how I always get bubbling with jewels. -__-

Ottlite, no flash.

    After finishing it and thinking about it, I do wish that I had done some things differently, because it did come out kind of overly simple, and doesn't really read Black History Month. Like, I feel like you would have to think about the colors to get the connection, which isn't good. The one I did last year was more obvious, so I think I liked it better. But besides that, I think this came out pretty well and enjoyed wearing it. I also got some good wear out of it...I've had it on since Monday, and it still looks pretty presentable, so I am satisfied. 

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Friday!

I'm going to go watch Coral Reef Adventure in IMAX at the Smithsonian, so I'm really excited. ^_^

Uncle Sam's Tuxedo

    Happy Fourth of July guys!! For Independence Day, I did a tuxedo mani with a bit of an Uncle Sam twist. 

So this was actually pretty easy to do. I started with two layers of Color Club Pretty in Platinum, and then drew on the suit with Zoya Kimmy. I used Funky Fingers Alice and a bobby pin (I lost my brushes and dotting tool...maybe they got left at school) to make the tie and then put a gemstone in as a tie pin. I finished it by using the bobby pin and Pretty in Platinum to make a vaguely lapel-ish thingy, and sealed everything up with a thick coat of Poshe.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

     Even though this came out janky (as usual), I actually like it. In person, you can't really see all the mistakes, so it looks better. And the sparkliness from Kimmy and Alice make it really festive and fun, and distracted people from noticing how many hot dogs I shoved into my face. I'd like to try it again though when I actually have some real tools, because I wanted a bow tie and not a neck tie. 

I'm gonna go away now because I'm still in a haze from my hotdoghamburgerothermeatsvegetablefruitsodaicedtea rampage this afternoon, and can't really think clearly or even breathe right.

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having a fabulously amazing Fourth of July! And if you don't celebrate this particular holiday, I hope your Monday was fabulously amazing all the same. ^_^

Black History Month Nails

    As many people know, February is Black History Month in the U.S.  I didn't want to let the month end (I know I'm cutting it close) without doing some kind of nail thingy to commemorate the occasion.  So using the colors of the Pan-African flag, I came up with this:

Sunlight, no flash.

Sorry for all the glare...I took these later than I normally do and the sun was acting funky.

 -___-

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

     To do this, I drew a diagonal line across my nail and filled it in with Nubar Unfaithful Red. Then, I covered the other half of my nail with Nubar Greener.  After letting that sit for an hour, I used a thin layer of China Glaze Black Mesh on top, let that crack up for like ten minutes, and finished the whole thing with topcoat.

   I wish I could have done something better conceived, but there just wasn't much time. In any case, I like it. I got lots of compliments on it too.

And that's all I've got for today. Thanks for reading!!

Burning Hearts

         Happy Valentine's Day!! 
        I actually don't really like Valentine's Day. Back when I was adorable, I was obsessed with it. But as I got older and more....facially challenged, my enthusiasm sort of died down. If I were boss of the world, I would cancel Valentine's Day and just have Christmas twice a year. I feel like that's a much better use of everyone's time.  
        But since it's Valentine's Day and not Christmas Part II, I did some appropriately themed nails anyway.

I started the party with three coats of Color Club Worth the Risque.

Then I stamped on one of the patterns from BM11 with Color Club Where's the Soiree? 

Next came a layer of Gelous, and the heart gems, which I got from Rite Aid. I don't remember the name of the manufacturer though. 

I finished everything off with a thick layer of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, and that was it. 

This was the plate, and I used the pattern on the far left in the bottom row. 

Photo courtesy of http://moriesnailart.weebly.com

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

  This could have been way better if I had made more of a tip, or could have found smaller heart gems. Also, actually putting the gems in straight would have been good. -__-

What also would have been good was if I could have used something more holo...Worth the Risque is already on the weak side, and all the topcoat layers extinguished what little was there. 

     But even with that stuff, I think it's okay. I didn't want to do anything too Valentine's Day-ish, because I'm gonna have to wear this for like three days, so I like how this mani doesn't scream Valentine's Day. It more whispers it in a firm voice. I also really like how the gems look. They catch the light and glow so nicely, like they have little embers in them. 

And that's all I've got for ya today! I hope everyone is having a beautiful Valentine's Day! ^_^

And So The Lion Gobbled Up The Lamb, Like It's Supposed To

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I don't care about Halloween, but everyone makes such pretty manis for the occasion that it's hard to not want to join in. One of my favorite blogs for Halloween-themed designs is Deez Nailz. Her nail art is always so neat and freaking adorable, and I especially like her Dracula post. So I went ahead and copied it. Or tried to, with disastrous results.

Please don't laugh!!

I started with two coats of Color Club Pretty in Platinum. To make the faces sparkle, I applied a thin coat of Nubar Angelic Glitter over each nail. Then I used the Kiss Brush-On Nail Art in black to put on the hair and mouth. The fangs were done with Kiss Brush-On Nail Art in white, and then tipped with Milani Ruby Jewels. I then used a red oval gem for the eyes, and put a dot of black in the center of each gem for pupils. I put angry eyebrows above the gem-eyes, and that was it. No topcoat or anything.

I wish I had used Icing Peacock for the base though, because I think you can't really see the fangs.

Sunlight, no flash. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

    I meant for them to look menacing and evil (as vampires ought to be, vicious bloodthirsty creatures that they are), but they just look....special. Especially the pinky one. Its eyes are so crazy, among other things. I feel like if I were accosted by a vampire that looked like this, I instead of dying of fright or exsanguination, I'd die of laughter. Smh!

On a more cheerful note, there's a blog award!! I was tagged for it by the lovely and talented Varnish Vixen, so a giant thank you goes to her. The rules are that I gotta answer some questions, so here we go:

I love Spongebob so much.

1. Why did you create the blog?
 Well, firstly, my polish stash was getting out of control, and I needed a place where I could keep organized pictures and detailed thoughts about each polish. I considered fotki and flickr, but ultimately decided on Blogger. Plus, I wanted to make friends with other nail bloggers because this seemed like such an awesome community (it really is), and I wanted another hobby, because crocheting was getting boring and obsolete since spring was coming. 

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?

Mostly nail blogs. I also follow some weight-loss blogs, some hair blogs, and one very special and hilarious blog, Hyperbole and a Half. 

3. Do you have a favorite make-up brand? 
I like covergirl (hate their animal testing though) and milani. 

4. And a favorite clothing brand?
Nope! If it fits and looks okay, it's good enough for me.

5. What make-up products are essential for you?
I don't really wear makeup, but I need to have my Wet n Wild liquid eyeliner, Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse foundation, and Covergirl Lash Blast Luxe or Volume. They make me look human. ^_^

6. What’s your favorite color?
 In general, blue. For nail polish, it's a tie between purple and green, although blue is a close third.

7. What’s your favorite perfume?

Britney Spears Fantasy....don't look at me like that. 

I'm extremely partial to Hidden Fantasy, with Midnight Fantasy running a very close second.

8. What’s the film you liked the most?

Bleh....too hard. But a rule of thumb is if Tim Burton made it, I love it. With the exception of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Favorites specifically are Big Fish, Pan's Labyrinth, Constantine, Zombieland (great Halloween movie), Memoirs of a Geisha, 300, Wedding Crashers and a Beautiful Mind. 

  
9. What countries would you like to go to?

Heehee...you don't even have time to hear this list. I'd love to visit Egypt, South Africa, Australia, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, India, Slovenia (Slovenians seem so sweet and friendly), Ecuador via The Galapagos Islands, Peru, Spain, Italy, Russia, The Phillipines, South Korea, Tunisia, Greenland, Brazil, Norway, The Maldives, Tibet.....I just want to go everywhere. ^_^


And now I get to tag people, but I'm gonna be a little unorthodox with it and tag all the blogs I follow. Is evil, no? I blame the Halloween spirit. (n_n)
So if I'm your follower, and you haven't been tagged with this award yet, then consider yourself tagged. Muahahaha! (That's an evil laugh, not a mirthful one.)

Wishing you ladies and any munchkins in your lives a safe and happy Halloween!

Pumpkins Scream In the Dead of the Night....Sort Of

     Ahhh confession time: I don't celebrate Halloween. Don't look at me like that. We used to celebrate it, until my mom became convinced that Halloween was a devilish holiday, rife with evildoing and witchcraft. My sister and I tried to convince her otherwise, but that was the end of Halloween for my family, because my mom's word is law. I was sad at first, but now I don't care.  My friends will be planning elaborate costumes with bubbles and fireworks and levitating cats and shit, and I'll just stay at home, watching movies and eating candy. Or if I have homework, I'll do that while muching my candies. (No matter what, there must be candies.) That's my Halloween, and it suits me fine.
   But everyone in the nail world seems to love Halloween, which inspired me to try out a spooky mani for myself.  

I was trying to replicate the killer from the Scream movies. I wanted to put a spin on it by making the face orange and the eyes more triangular. Like a screaming pumpkin. But I don't have a good orange polish, so I went with a more faithful adaptation.  

For the base, I used two coats of Pretty in Platinum and for the features, I used Kiss Brush on Nail Paint in Black.

And I have a new-found level of respect for ladies who freehand nail art...just doing these basic ovals was hard as hell.  

Sunlight, no flash.

The index finger's mouth is upside down...and the pinky scream looks...special.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no light.

This is what I was going for, minus the blood.

 I just realized that I forgot the nose.

   But you wanna know something funny? I went out with this mani on, and a very sweet lady in CVS complimented me on my "cow spot nails". I'm well aware that this mani looks all types of crazy, but cow spots? For real though?! 

Happy Halloween Eve!!