40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Geeks

As you can see, this is a late post. To be honest, I had almost thrown in the towel on blogging this week. I really thought I was done. I had even created a mani for The Digit-al Dozen Does Autumn Week, but I couldn't get it to turn out the way I wanted it to and so I became anxious and gave up. I told the DD ladies that I didn't know what to do anymore. 

But! I woke up this morning with an idea for a mani! A mani that fits both themes that I needed today! I needed a Digit-al Dozen Autumn mani and I needed 40 Great Nail Art Idea: Geeks mani.

And I did it! I did it! I can't believe I did it! Yay! (Hahahahahaha, I hope someone sung that song while reading that).

I am hoping you all can tell where I got my inspiration. (pssst, my own blog!) 

Owl and colors I used = Autumn. Steampunk and Owl = Geek (because that's me!). Boo-yah! I tried to match the colors as close as I could (thought I did a pretty fantabulous job). 

My blog designs were all created by a dear friend of mine Missy (from Gnarly Gnails) (girl, I wish you were still blogging!I miss your face!). Looking over the icons and avatar and header she created got me thinking about the past couple of years. I realized that though I myself haven't grown so much as an artist (I think this is as good as it gets) but I do know that I have grown as a person. You all have been there for me, complete strangers, and yet we are all connected. And that is why I love the nail polish community!

So I chose my own blog design because the prompt was Geeks and I am a big huge Geek (with a capital G)!

I used BarryM Chai for the base of three of my nails (actually, this mani was a full mani....yep, all ten! Woot woot!). My accent finger is Pretty & Polished In the Buff (a gorgeous dusty mustard! Yummy!). I stamped using BarryM Cancun and Barry M Mustard using Messy Mansion MM43 for the Steampunk aspect. I used Konad Black and Born Pretty BP-L019 for the owl (I think he looks a lot like my little tab avatar guy). I used HK Girl Top Coat.

Guess what. I did this mani in an hour. All ten fingers! All with first try stamping! I think the polish gods were smiling down on me. I think I should take this as a sign. ;)

This is the collage for last week's 40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Teal (+ a pattern). I love these collages!

Don't forget to check out the other DD Ladies and their Autumn manis!

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Also don't forget to check out the other Geeks among us! :)

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40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Teal (+ Skittle)

It's another Friday and that means another challenge from Crumpet's Nail Tarts 40 Great Nail Art Ideas. But this week starts something different with the challenge. Last week we did a theme. This week it's a color prompt (Teal) and a pattern prompt (with each of us doing a different pattern prompt!). So many ideas to be inspired by!

Ok, so funny story. Well, sort of. This past week has been kind of crazy, just a lot of drama and a lot of stress and anxiety (wait? like that's something new? hahahahaha!). So I didn't get to create my mani until today. I had the idea but not the time. 

So this morning I woke up and got ready. I had to take a conference call for work and when that was done I knew I had three hours before work and could get my mani done. So I started and was doing everything, painting and stamping away.

I happened to look up at the time trying to calculate when I needed to start my lunch so I could eat before I went to work. By now I am finishing up my last few stamps when it dawned on me.

I work an hour earlier today than my normal time! Yikes! I had 20 minutes to finish getting dressed (I had on comfy pants and not my work pants), eat, and get to work which is ten minutes away!

I slapped the last two stamps on, grabbed my camera took some photos (because I knew my mani wasn't going to last through work with it being a truck day and all). Got dressed and flew out the door. I made it just in time!

So the quality of my photos (or lack thereof) is due to being rushed. But, it still kind of fits my mani.

Didn't have time to set up my light box! My mani represents Anxiety Awareness. A teal ribbon represents (among many of things) Anxiety Awareness. As most of you know, I suffer from both anxiety and depression. I know that it will always be a part of me and I am ok with that because having anxiety and depression have made me who I am today. I am stronger than I would have been. 

Even today with all of our technological marvels there are some who still believe that mental illness isn't real. Because we can't see it or touch it directly it can't exist. But we can't see the wind or touch it directly, and it exists.

Mental illness can be seen in the faces of many on this planet; it touches nearly 1 in 4 Americans annually. How can people not believe that it exists?! It is an illness, not a weakness. You can't just buck up and all is good. Would you say that to someone with a broken arm or cancer or diabetes? No, you wouldn't. So why then mental illness?

We need to end the stigma. We need to catch up to all the amazing technology we have because if we as a society think that mental illness isn't real, then why should advance with anything else? Why then are not still just treating our humours and blood letting and using leeches?

End the stigma. #IAmStigmaFree

I used BarryM Cancun as my base. On my index finger I chose the butterfly as a representation of becoming more beautiful through our challenges. I used BarryM Cotton and A England Saint George with UberChic 3-01. My middle finger is also from (as are all the rest of the stamped images) from UrberChic 3-01. The words, stamped with A England Saint George talk about fighting the good fight, never face your fears alone. My ring finger is also stamped with Saint George and simply says: Faith, Hope Love. Because it helps to have all three of those when you are struggling. My little finger has a stamped image of Konad White and UberChic 3-01. I used this image to represent confusion and stress. The teal ribbon (Saint George) is stamped over it to create awareness.

The rushed feeling of these photos helps to portray a bit of anxiety.

Here is last week's collage of the theme: Hobbies

Amazing huh!

If you want to follow us, you can find our Pinterest Board here - all the members will also be sharing the collages on IG and Facebook with the above hashtags. I hope you enjoy and find it as useful as we're finding it fun!

And don't forget to check out the other Teal prompts!

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40 Great Nail Art Ideas - Hobbies

Hello Owlets! I have a new adventure to share with you, a rather grand adventure! It's a new nail art challenge from Crumpet's Nail Tarts called 40 Great Nail Art Ideas.

It's a fabulous new challenge with prompts for each week, we post on Fridays, with a huge link up! So many fabulous ideas to be inspired by!

Today's prompt is hobbies! Besides nail art and polish my other (ok, one of my many other) hobby is makeup. I love it, I work with it, I buy, I hoard collect it! My job is being a Prestige Manager at Ulta I get to play with makeup all day helping others find products and color matching them so they get the right items. I get to go to classes with the brands and learn about their products!

I get to help change a life when I am able to cover and conceal imperfections that they do not like. To hear them gasp and see their face when they look into the mirror and love what they see.  To see a guest leave with their head held high warms my heart!

One of my favorite brands is Urban Decay. This is most of my Urban Decay makeup, what's missing is the palette I created from depotting other shadow palettes (and it's full!). My goal is to own every single eyeliner they make as well as the Moondust shadows (they are the light silver circle shadows that you can see in the photo). I am way pumped to see what Urban Decay and Gwen Stefani have created! Can't wait to see that line!

So I decided to create a mani that is inspired by the Vice 4 Palette, specifically the bag it comes with.

I used Color Club Harp on It as my base. Needed the silver holo to match the holo lines on the bag! I stamped using Konad Black and Pet'la Geomatrix, the image was perfect for it! I used HK Girl topcoat to make it shine!

I really loved how this turned out! Sorry for some tip wear, really hard to wrap tips with nubs! >_<

If you want to follow us, you can find our Pinterest Board here - all the members will also be sharing the collages on IG and Facebook with the above hashtags. I hope you enjoy and find it as useful as we're finding it fun!

And don't forget to check out the other hobbies that we all love!

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Re-Creations Week: Black & White Day - Adipose Nail Art by Adventures in Acetone

Day 3 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Re-Creations Week and today I bring you some fat. Such cute little fatties! These are Adipose (little aliens made from fat) from Doctor Who! And who's absolutely fantastic mani do I re-create?

Jacki from Adventures in Acetone (just in case you didn't read the title!) Of course hers is free-hand with a tutorial. Mine, well, mine are a stamp because I had a feeling I would screw up their cute little faces........oh wait I still did! Hahahahahahaha!

Pretty basic on the polishes: BarryM Espresso (a matte polish) and Konad White. I used My Online Shop MJXII for the adipose. And I used my Clear Jelly Stamper for the first time. It was a bit finicky but finally I was able to work with it and love it! So nice to be able to see through the handle to where you are stamping!

I really love how each of my adipose have different personalities because of the stamping. We have (top to bottom): normal happy adipose, mean nasty adipose, girly feminine adipose (see her lashes, or she could be from the band KISS), and finally silly goofy adipose.

I love that Jacki adds Doctor Who references to her manis (like many of us DDs). And I have always loved her tutorials. She makes everything look so easy and effortless!

Thank you Jacki for your contribution to our DD family!

Don't forget to check out the other amazing ladies!

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Food...At The Diner... Pie!

So I know I have been missing this week for the Digit-al Dozen. It's monsoon season here in Arizona and that means my anxiety kicks into high gear. But I did get one mani out. It's a special mani, because the ladies at the Digit-al Dozen have created an amazing blog hop for you to partake!

Bon Appetite!

Welcome to the grand finale of Food Week here at the Digital Dozen. We had an idea do do something a little off the rails today for our big finish. So, Welcome to the Digital Dozen Diner. Please look through our menu and check out what our chef's have in store for you today!

As you can see, all our chef's have their own diner food specialty cooked up for today.

I have a special pie just for you! (well, not that kind of special, no magical brownies here!) When I decided to create a pie mani I thought no problem. Um, problem. Did you know that if you look on Pinterest for pie mani, or pie nails, or pie manicure, etc; you get barely anything. At one point I had no search results! I thought I'd broken Pinterest! :) 

But I did it! (I did it! I can't believe I did it! - thank you Dora) I decided to create an apple pie. But you know me, I can't just create any ol' apple pie...it's gotta be a geeky apple pie!

Hee-hee! You see what I did there? I used BarryM Green Berry and Konad Black with Cheeky CH16 for the formica diner countertop. I then whipped up an Apple logo using MoYou London Geek 07 and Konad White. Attempted a decal of Pi (muwahahahaha!) using Nailways Back to Basics 123 ABC with Konad White. And mixed in a bunch of different colors of BarryM polishes (Mocha, Caramel, and Lychee - whoa! Those are so real ingredients! Nailed it! Bah!) I added a little Orly Shinning Star for some cinnamon/pie filling glisten and a dollop of BarryM Coconut for the ice cream. This pie is a little over cooked, so it's a bit more brown but it still tastes fabulous! (I wouldn't recommend eating it, seriously though, don't. Do you see how 3D-ish the pie is? So many many layers of polish).

I hope you enjoyed your meal and remember to tip your waitress. Don't forget to follow the InLinkz below if you are still hungry and check out what the rest of our kitchen staff has cooked up. And don't forget to check out Instagram account @digitaldozen for a full run through later in the day!

Please Come Again,

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* thank you Amanda from Lady Maid Nails for the layout of this post!

The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom Week: Allons-y

Day 4 brings you a very popular and rightly so, amazing fandom of Doctor Who. Now there have been some discussion on what makes you a true Whovian: have you watched all episodes from the very beginning with the first Doctor? Or are you like me who started with the ninth Doctor? But no matter how you look at, we are all obsessed with the lovable man with two hearts!

I used Cult Nails Time Traveler (absolutely fantastic color) for my first two nails with OPI Boyfriend Scales Walls on the other nails. On my index nail I stamped using Konad White and My Online Shop MJ JR-31. Sadly a crack has started to appear on the T.A.R.D.I.S. Eeeks!

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My middle finger has the phrase  A Mad Man in a (My Online Shop MJ JR-31 using Konad White). Rightly so. No one madder than the Doctor, but I'd have him on my team any day! I also added Above the Curve Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey  to add some sparkle and pizazz!

My ring finger represents my favorite Doctor, number ten. He will always be my favorite. I used Konad Black and stamped using MoYou Geek 07 for the 3D glasses and MoYou Pro 04 for the rose. I colored in the glasses with Konad Red and BarryM Malibu. The rose is colored in with OPI Magenta Muse (love these new color paints!)

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And finally on my pinkie is a bit of Gallifreyan (the Doctor's written language). I used Konad Black and MoYou Geek 07.

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Don't forget to check out the other ladies and their fandoms!

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom: Still Flyin'

Day 3 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom Week and I give you one of the best fandoms ever! I am and forever will be a Browncoat! Still flyin'!

A Browncoat is a fan of the TV Show Firefly (created by Joss Whedon) and it's movie (brought about because of it's fandom) Serenity. This short-lived (at least on TV, thanks FOX) show is about some pretty amazing space cowboys.

I started off with OPI My Vampire is Buff on each of my nails (oh please of please someone see what I did there! Hahahaha!). I used Essie Matte about you as my topcoat. On my index I used MdU Light Gray to stamp some metal panels using Bundle Monster BM-609. The Serenity (the ship) is stamped in Konad Black using My Online Shop MJ Jr-31. This nail represents part of the first scene in the movie Serenity:

My middle finger is stamped with dinosaurs from Bundle Monster BM-611 using BarryM Vanilla and a leaf from Winstonia W113 and MdU Ochre. This nail represents our beloved pilot Wash. I will only show you one image, the dinosaur scene, because the leaf reference is too sad.

My ring finger represents River (also, she can kill you with her mind). I sponged BarryM Chai for the base and stamped using Konad Black and filled in the hands with BarryM Blueberry. "two by two, hands of Blue" is a phrase in the TV series that River quotes. It refers to men who are after River and her brother. These men have some really advance technology that can make you bleed from every orifice. *joy*

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And finally my pinkie can have two different meanings. I sponged a ton of different polishes (BarryM Chilli, Mango, Cocoa) and stamped using Konad Black and MdU Papyrus and MoYou London Suki 04 (the writing). I wanted to this to represent the colors of Serenity with the script on it as Mandarin is commonly used in the series. But the script doesn't show up that well and so can also be taken as Jayne's (because they are also his colors, especially wearing his hat) quote: "She is startin' to damage my calm". Because my sponging looks chaotic. 

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If you haven't seen this series or movie, please take the time to watch it, you won't be disappointed. You may have withdrawals (thanks FOX).

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Today was one of my favorite fandoms! Don't forget to check out the other ladies and what they chose!

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom Week: Star Trek

Day 2 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom Week and I bring you one of the most famous fandoms of all: Trekkies or Trekkers (depending on who you talk to and the type of fan they are). And how can I do a fandom themed week without including Star Trek!?

I attempted to use my Sugar Bubbles SB014 plate to create my Spock image. I think I need longer nails for any image to work. The Star Trek symbol is also from the same plate. I used Konad Black to stamp the images. Except for my pinkie in which I used Color Club Harp On It.

For the base colors I used OPI Fiercely Fiona, Zoya Sooki, BarryM Malibu all over Wet n Wild Black Creme to create the shirt colors, and I used Wet n Wild Black Creme on my pinkie. I used Color Club Cherubic and Harp On It with A England Briar Rose and Tristam, and OPI Fiercely Fiona to create a single galaxy nail. Sealed all with HK Girl Top Coat.

Here are some pretty fantastic Star Trek based songs. Enjoy!

Don't forget to check out the other ladies and their fandoms!

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom Week: Wait for it......

Surprise! Guess who's still around! Come on, guess! Yep, it's me! This is my first nail art post in almost two months! Dang huh! And this week is The Digit-al Dozen Does Fandom Week! There was no way I would miss this week!

So in good ol' Geeky Owl humor I bring you my first mani for Fandom. Do you get it? My mani is for the number one fan of....wait for it....fans! Hahahahaha! Yep, I went there and yep, I did that. Cheesy, absolutely. But I had to come back with an unusual mani that fits my humor! :)

As you can see anxiety has reduced my nails to nubs, sometimes painful nubs. And I have a new computer and have to learn to use a new editing software >_<

But I decided to rock out the nubs with OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. I stamped using Konad Black and Qgirl-001 for the fans and Qgirl-011 for the meme faces. I also tried to stamp the heart from Bundle Monster BM-601 but it didn't show up that well and I filled it in with Konad Red and China Glaze Ruby Pumps. And of course I used HK Girl Top Coat.

So, what do you think? Does this mani represent a fandom? :)

It's great to be back and I hope to be sticking around. I already have 4 out of the 5 manis for this week created (just need to edit and write up the posts). So you have me at least for this week! I also have ideas for NCC this month. Hopefully they turn out! 

As usual don't forget to check out the other amazing ladies of the Digit-al Dozen who have been super supportive these past two months! And thank you to all those that have stuck around and supported me! Love ya!

Check out which fandom was represented today with the other ladies!

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Childhood: Lisa Frank

Welcome to another month and another week of The Digit-al Dozen!

First off: I'm sorry I have been MIA for the last month. It's been one of those months where I just couldn't really function properly, you know? But I hope to back more often (more than just DD week!) this month! I have a review of some polish, some makeup, NCC theme, and I want to talk about my skincare regime that I hinted at a few months back. Phew! I hope to get to it all! 

It's great to be back! Now onto our regularly scheduled program (because DD week is the only consistent thing about my blog! Hahahaha!)

I am a child of the 80's. Born in 1981, I lived through all the craziness that was the 80's. The slouch socks, the bangle bracelets (the band The Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian anyone?), the Garbage Pail Kids, the best Saturday morning cartoons and after school specials. Yep, the 80's were awesome!

Nothing screams 80's more than any Lisa Frank design! 

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This image was my inspiration for today's mani. Totally 80's right? Like, totally!

I started off with a base color of Layla Softouch Effects 04 (Neon Pink) on my first two fingers and OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on the other two. I blobbed and squished colors: Layla Softouch Effects 04 (Neon Pink), Layla Softouch Effects 09 (Aqua Zen), Milani Totally 80s (how appropriate! didn't pay attention to the name until now!), China Glaze Papaya Punch, and China Glaze Gothic Lolita. I then stamped using Cheeky CH-11 (index finger) and Bundle Monster BM-613 (middle finger) and Konad Black (used for all nails). I colored parts of the cheetah's face using MBSW and Totally 80s. On the other two nails I stamped using Konad Q1 (remember when this was THE plate everyone wanted!). I filled in the spots using the plethora of polishes listed above. Topped it all off with HK Girl Top Coat.

So, like, what do you think? Isn't is like so fetch and awesome!? Like if you don't love it, well, gag me with a spoon because that's bogus. (You're welcome).

Don't forget to check out the other ladies and their trips down memory lane!

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