The Nail Challenge Collaborative Presents Recreate Your First Four Nail Designs: Green

Fourth and final day of The Nail Challenge Collaborative Presents Recreate Your First Four Nail Designs! And today I give you Green as I am still following my 2012 version of the 31 Day Challenge. 

I started out with one coat of Catrice King of Greens (got to love Catrice and their amazing formulas!). I did two coats of Rainbow Polish Yo-Duh. So pretty and so shimmery! I love it! But I was curious.......

Wow! Adding Essie Matte About You makes the Catrice polish look like those OPI Suedes! For the Win! I love love love this! Ready for the 2012 31 Day Challenge Green Nails?

Focus! Who knew my camera was so bad? But still do love this mani, so pretty and green! :)

Phew! I made it! Finished the theme with barely enough time! Next month I hope to be better!

Don't forget to see what the others recreated for their day 4 posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Nail Challenge Collaborative Presents Recreate Your First Four Nail Designs: Yellow

Day 3 of The Nail Challenge Collaborative Presents Recreate Your First Four Nail Designs and I bring you Yellow nails based on my 2012 31 Day Challenge! I used the same polish this time!

I started out with three coats of China Glaze Electric Pineapple. This polish is very finicky. I then added a nail decal from Fing'rs and sealed it with Poshe Top Coat.

I then added Essie Matte About You and like this version even better! Ready for the 2012 31 Day Challenge version of Yellow nails?

In this lighting China Glaze Electric Pineapple looks way more green. But my first attempt at a mustachio is pretty awesome! Hand position? Yeah, I don't think so! Hahahaha! :)

Don't forget to check out what the others are recreating for their day 3 posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Nail Challnge Collaborative Presents Recreate You First Four Nail Designs: Orange

Day 2 of The Nail Challenge Collaborative Presents Recreate Your First Four Nail Designs! And continuing with my 31 Day Challenge from 2012 I give you Orange!

I don't own that many oranges and the ones I do have I don't use that often. I think I need to change that, because I love how this turned out!

I used two coats of China Glaze Papaya Punch, I then layer one good coat of Sparitual Invention on three nails with OPI In True Stefani Fashion on my ring finger. I used Poshe Top Coat to seal it all together! I am loving this! It's a perfect fall mani! The Sparitual is stunning!

Ok, now here is the Orange mani from my 31 Day Challenge in 2012!

Hahahahaaha! I love it! This mani was really pretty in real life but the photo is blurry and that hand position? Alien fingers!

 Ok, I am kind of liking this challenge theme, I am able to see how far I've come and it makes me feel good!

Don't forget to check out what the others are recreating for their day 2 posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Nail Challenge Collaborative Presents Recreate Your First Four Nail Designs: Red

 

Nothing like leaving this month's Nail Challenge Collaborative theme to the last four days of the month! Eeks! This month's theme is to recreate you first four nail designs. Well, my designs were doing the 31 day challenge (which I have completed in one way or another three times). So this is Red.

These are the same polishes that I used way back in January 2012 for my Red Nails. I used two coats of Zoya Sooki. This is probably my most used red, and this is a mini, and it's still not that empty! Hahahaaha! Guess I don't use red all that much! I sort of dry brushed on Wet 'n Wild Behind Closed Doors. This is a black based red glitter. And guess what? Some of the glitters are starting to loose their color! See, even major companies have this issue.

I had Essie Matte About You to finish it off and I like it much better. Now, are you ready for the photo of the red mani from 2012? Brace yourselves! 

I've come a long way baby! My nail beds seem so much longer then. Of course I'm still dealing with the damage my gel nails did to my nails. 

Don't forget to check out the others and their day 1 recreations!

An InLinkz Link-up

Polish Haulage Video!

Eeeks! Another video! So sorry about the shaky camera and quietness of it! Meh. :)

Don't laugh, but try and sit back and enjoy my bank account getting smaller and smaller! :)

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures - France

Day 5 and final day of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week! Phew! Made it! Today I give you France! Vive la France! Don't know if I ever told you all this but I took a year of French (Québécois) in high school and then four classes (Parisian) in University! I am in no way fluent, I can read and understand more than I can speak. :) I'm really good at answering: "comment allez-vous?" "comme ci comme ça, et vous?" I had to create a whole children's book in french with illustrations; of course mine was about une chouette (ou un hibou)!

I created the French flag using China Glaze First Mate, Milani White on the Spot (also base for other two nails), and OPI The Thrill of Brazil. I created a park of the gardens of Versailles by stamping using Konad Olive Green and Konad S6. I went back over the stamped image with the same green to give it more of a hedge look.. I finished with the Eiffel Tower stamped in Konad Black and Winstonia W114. I added China Glaze Fairy Dust because Paris is the City of Light! All sealed with the glorious HK Girl Top Coat, c'est magnifique!

Au revoir mes amis!

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies take you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week - Canada: True North Strong and Free

Day 4 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week takes you northward to Canada! Being of dual citizenship (USA and Canada) I had to post about Canada! I moved to Southern Alberta when I was nine years old, I graduated high school there, and I have a ton of cousins there,(I really mean a ton, my dad is 1 of 12 kids!).

For my mani I chose to use Nail Nation 3000 Carpe Diem as my base. It's a slight holo white. I stamped using Konad White and Vivid Lacquer VL006. I then stamped a few maple leafs (duh, it's Canada!) using Sally Hansen Mochachino and Winstonia W119. I sealed the mani with HK Girl Top Coat.

I really liked this mani, it's simplicity is very beautiful to me; just like Canada! 

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies take you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week - Scotland

Day 3 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week and today I take you to the highlands of Scotland! Ach! If I could travel any where, Scotland is one place that I would love to visit! I always have, and I always will. (see what I did there? Oh I hope someone does!)

I created the Scottish Flag using Milani White on the Spot as my base (and the base for all the nails) and taped off the Saint Andrew's Cross and painted China Glaze First Mate. For my ring finger I created the national flower of Scotland, a thistle! I used KleanColor Metallic Purple and Metallic Green and Bundle Monster BM 313. For my pinkie I, of course, had to represent the national animal, a unicorn! How awesome is that! I stamped using Barry M Foil Effects Silver and  Winstonia W117. (had to make the unicorn sparkly, it's magical!). I used HK Girl Top Coat to seal the entire mani.

I hope my fellow Scottish readers will like what I did!

And because I can (the pipe band for my marching band in high school always played this song!):

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies take you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week - Italian Renaissance

Day two of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week! And today I have for you one of my favorite periods in art history, the Italian Renaissance. This was the period of time in from the 14th century to the 16th century when there was a rebirth of the arts and cultures of classical antiquity. The art during this time grew by leaps and bounds beginning with Gothic flat figures to full on linear perspective and figures that were real, that were made of substance.

I began my Renaissance mani using Barry M Lychee. I then did the saran wrap method using Barielle A Little Exotic and Barielle My Tan Blazer. I stamped using Konad Black and MoYou Tourist 04. My first two fingers represent Michelangelo's Creation of Adam found in the Sistine Chapel and painted in 1511-1512. On my ring finger you have Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man drawn around 1490. The Vitruvian Man is based on the ideal human proportions proposed by the Roman architect Vitruvius. And finally on my pinkie we a sad attempt of a shield, this is the Medici Coat of Arms (or was suppose to be!). I stamped using Sally Hansen Gone Grey and Vivid Lacquer VL 020, then I realized the shield is suppose to be gold! I colored it in using Barry M Foil Effects Gold. I added the red dots using Barielle A Little Exotic. The Medici family were the family during the Italian Renaissance; bankers and patrons of the arts, commissioning many great and wonderful paintings!

I used Essie Matte About because I think it looks more worn and aged that way. Sorry for the bit of an art history lesson. You ever want me to not shut up, let's talk about the Italian Renaissance. My dream job would be a museum curator specializing in the Italian Renaissance. :)

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies are taking you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Counties and Cultures Week - India's Festival of Colors

Welcome to another month and another week of The Digit-al Dozen! This week's theme is Countries and Cultures. A lot of us really struggled with this one. At first I wanted to do different celebrations from around the world, but I ran out of time and was only able to produce one mani about a festival. And that is today's mani!

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"Holi is a spring festival also known as the festival of colours or the festival of love. [...] participants play, chase and colour each other with dry powder and coloured water, with some carrying water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for their water fight. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders.[...] The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships" (source)

  

I really wanted to capture that thrown color look from the picture above. I started with Milani White on the Spot as my base. I only used one coat as I knew I would be covering it up! I then used five polishes to achieve this look. I used Q-tips to dab on the polish and sort of remove the color at the same time, does that make sense? It sort of diffused the colors. It's sort of like The Nailasaurus' Nimbus Tutorial but without the acetone! As for those five polishes, they are: Above the Curve Banana to a Party, and Barry M's Plum, Pomegranate, Grapefruit, and Guava. I absolutely love how this turned out! I topped it off with some HK Girl Top Coat. 

I stamped using Konad Black and MoYou Explorer 03. I absolutely love this plate, the henna-like images are so gorgeous! Slapped a bit of HK Girl Top Coat to seal the images.

And to finish it off I used Essie Matte About You to complete the look. I loved this mani, I really didn't want to take it off! I got a lot of compliments at work! :)

Don't forget to check out the other ladies as they take you around the world!

An InLinkz Link-up

Fanchromatic Nails Review!

Today I bring you three amazing geek-tastic polishes!

I was contacted by the owner of Fanchromatic Nails, Lynae, if I would like to review some of her polishes. Of course I agreed! Geek-based polish! Heck yes! Sign me up! I've been lemming a few of her polishes for a while now, so I was super excited and honored that Lynae contacted me.

So, let's get on with the polishes!

This is Not a Lady. This is a brand new polish for Fanchromatic! It's due to be released July 16th! It is inspired by the characters Brienne of Tarth and Arya Stark from Game of Thrones. It is a deep, blackened warm rusty red, with a leather-like finish.

This is one coat of Not a Lady. One coat! And look at that gorgeous deep color. I would call it a bit more of a blackened red based purple. And that finish! Wow! Looks like leather to me! Gorgeous!

This is Not a Lady with top coat. Still just as gorgeous! And it shows off the shimmer found in this lovely polish! The formula is fantastic! A one-coater indie is amazing! Just top quality pigments! 

Now, I didn't finish the first book of Game of Thrones (I really tried for a year! But couldn't), but if the book was like this polish I would have finished it in a week!

This is Deceptive Charm. This is from Fanchromatic's early summer 2014 release. This intense color was inspired by Weyoun, a character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is a very saturated cobalt/royal blue with a gorgeous pink shimmer!

Guess what! Another one-coater! And this blue is so amazingly pigmented and such a bright royal color! (please excuse the bumps on my nails, they are from my nails and not the polish) I did use a top coat.

Here is Deceptive Charm taken with flash and slightly blurry so that you can see that pink shimmer. See it? Isn't it stunning! I think that hidden shimmer really makes this polish special!

This is Misty Mountains. It is one of Fanchromatic's most popular colors (and one of my lemmings!). It is part of the There and Back Again series inspired by Tolkien. It is a murky, earthy sage green with gold and copper glitter in varying sizes, gold shimmer, and blue iridescent glass flecks.

Now, this being a glitter (an amazing one at that) it runs a bit sheer. On my index, middle, and pinky fingers I used one coat of OPI Stranger Tides as undies. My ring finger is two to two and a half coats of Misty Mountains. As you can see both ways are gorgeous! If you layer it over some undies then it'll last longer! :)

Just look and all that shimmery goodness! And can you see the blue flecks visible on my index finger? This polish is just as good as I'd hoped it would be! I love it!

Polishes are available in full 15mL for $9.50 or mini 5mL for $5.00

Please visit Fanchromatic's Facebook page

And visit Fanchromatic's esty shop

I want to thank Lynae and her amazing brand Fanchromatic <polish for the geek in you> for this wonderful opportunity! All the polishes I reviewed were of amazing quality and formulas were fabulous! Thank you so much!

That Time Where I Write About Whatever That's On My Mind -- Yep, That Happened.

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 Hey all! So I know that I have been MIA for a while. I post some here, I post some there, but I haven't been consistent. I miss being on my blog, responding to comments, interacting with all you wonderful people who brighten my day! I've just been so busy, which is a good thing I guess, right?

I don't know how those of you with full time jobs and a family find the time to do such beautiful manis, let alone just paint them! I applaud you all!

I think one of my issues is the process in which I do my manis..........I don't plan ahead with enough detail. I might just think flowers, but not what I want them to look like or colors. On the other hand (hahahaha!), if I don't fully plan it out, I can't be too disappointed when it doesn't come out all fabulous like I see in my blog feed. 

So yes, I've been absent because I lack time (where's my TARDIS? Think of all the manis I could do!) but also, I believe I am lacking confidence. I've noticed this at work too. 

I feel that I am way under skilled at many things. For my manis, I'm not a fabulous artist, I'm not even the best swatcher either! I happy when I don't get any paint on my skin! Win! My photos are super crisp and clean and bright like I want them. But then I think, so what. It's my blog and who gives a hoot (owl, get it?), I decide! But I really do give a hoot about how others perceive me and my blog and my nail art. I've always been one who has needed that assurance. >_< Bleh!

At work I feel that I am not qualified to be in my position. I am the Prestige Manager. Sure I know my products, I know a lot about what certain ingredients do for you (thank you beauty blogs!) but I don't look the part and don't have any real training in applying makeup. And don't get me started on using a specific brush for a specific product! Ok, yes, I know the basic brushes but that's it! I just wing it. 

They hired a new girl at work. She is perfect looking, beautiful hair, beautiful skin, oh and she is going to school to be an esthetician. Fab. Here I am, my makeup isn't flawless (I don't like it to be caked on), my blemishes (though covered) show in all their glory screaming to the world: look at me, I'm 33 and have worse acne than I did as a teenager! Ugh! I always feel less than qualified when she comes over and hovers when I am color matching (the way I was trained by Bare Minerals). She throws off my groove because she looks the part and is perfect (I know, I know, no one is perfect). But everybody at my job looks the part, I feel like the ugly duckling in the group, don't quite fit in (skill-wise).

I know I should just suck it up. Yes she can do all those things but she doesn't know all the product yet and she doesn't have the manager knowledge I have and she doesn't have my quirky-ness. But it still hurts, you know? 

And that's how I feel about my manis too. I see these great works of art, frame-able even! And I look at mine and think: nice try kiddo. I don't know why I am writing this. Ok, one is because I haven't really written to you all for some time so I thought you should get something and find out what I've been up to: work. But I really didn't intend for all of this to come out. I guess I needed a good vent where I know not many will see! Hahahaha! Yep, so I put it up on the internet. ;)

So um yeah, that's that. I do have some great things coming up though to share with you! I have an awesome review of some awesome Indie polishes! The Digit-al Dozen is coming up soon (need to get working on those! Only have one done so far! Yikes!) and I have The Nail Challenge Collaborative (double yikes! Need to work on those) (see, there goes my "planning").

Oh and I've joined the Blogger2Blogger Book Club!

 

I hope to have more up but I'm still trying to find my groove.

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