Twas The Night Before Christmas

Christmas Eve, Eve and I was working on my manicure like a good little elf. Hoping with last until Christmas.  Wishing all of you a safe holiday full of friends, family, good times and all you wish for.

Santa: Base Three base coats China Glaze Hey Sailor.  Use of China Glaze White On White, Liquid Leather and Orly Luxe.

Bricks and Stockings: Two base coats China Glaze Classic Camel.  Taped off and a two layers of China Glaze Foxy.  Use of colors China Glaze White On White, Classic Camel, Starboard, City Siren, Hey Sailor, Def Defying, Liquid Leather Ulta Envy, Orly Luxe & Au Champagne, OPI Golden Rules!, Zoya Trixie.  Use of Bundle Monster Plate BM11 with Konad Special Stamping Polish in Apple Green.

Chimney and Rudolph: Two base coats of China Glaze Up All Night.  Use of China Glaze Classic Camel, Foxy, Liquid Leather, Orly Au Champagne, OPI Golden Rules! Topped Rudolph's nose with a gemstone.

Seche Vite was my top coat.

Dots The Best

This is one of my most recent, favorite manicures.  Simple, but a great color combination and concept.   I haven't talked to you recently, but I am still obsessed with orange.

I painted three coats of China Glaze Gothic Lolita and for the dots I used China Glaze Riveting, Sun Worshipper, Peachy Keen, Papaya Punch, OPI A Roll In The Hague, Essie Braziliant.  I used Seche Vite for my top coat.

Red Orange Mix

Seemingly contrasting, really came together as a nice compliment.  Plus, I love both of these colors, so I knew it could only mean right.  The third picture gives a more true to life idea of the orange color.

I used Zoya Isla and OPI A Roll In The Hague for this look.  Both with three coats.  Seche Vite was my top coat.

Yellow Highlights

I'm going to combine a few manicures in interest of time.  I went through a yellow phase a few weeks back.  I love the bright, sunny and happy feelings I get when I paint with yellow.

Yellow Polka Dot:

Yellow Polka Dot is painted with three coats of China Glaze Electric Pineapple and I added blue glitter flakes from Esther's Nail Center.  Seche Vite was my top coat.

Highlighted:

I painted three coats of OPI Miami Beet on all fingers but ring, and added LA Splash Glitter in Midnight Star.  My ring finger was a base two coats of China Glaze Electric Pineapple, an addition of China Glaze Lighthouse and a final top fo China Glaze Celtic Sun.  Seche Vite was used for the top coat.

Let The Games Begin

Well, It's finally here.  The Hunger Games movie premier and the final installment of my Hunger Games manicure series.  The thought process and preparation for this manicure was actually thought of weeks ago and inspired my recent series in the first place.  I thought the perfect way to encapsulate the Hunger Games was with the perils and action of the actual games themselves (cuts, burns, scrapes, trackerjacker stings), along with a few key signatures themes of the books themselves.  Of course, I had to try to attempt to paint a Mockingjay.  I'm definitely no real artist and have sort of self-taught myself painting designs, but I think it turned out as good as I hoped (although I might get some better pictures up, I'm not sure about these...).  Enjoy the movie and Happy Hunger Games!

Manicure details:
My Wounded Flesh nails were done with a base of Zoya Skye, three coats.
My Mockingjay & Flaming Arrow nails had a base of China Glaze Smoke And Ashes, three coats.
My Smoke Diversion nails were a base of OPI I Have A Herring Problem, three coats.
Seche Vite was my top coat.

Wounded Flesh Extras:
Blood, Cuts and Burns: China Glaze Crimson, China Glaze Brownstone, China Glaze Foxy, Zoya Skye, Zoya Tamsen, Orly Au Champagne, China Glaze Smoke And Ashes
Tracker Jacker Stings: A base coat of Zoya Skye with a gemstone covered in another two layers of Skye.   I also used the colors Zoya Tamsen, Orly Au Champagne for shading.  

Puss: China Glaze Peace On Earth, China Glaze In The Limelight

Mockingjay & Flaming Arrow Extras:
Mockingjay: Using China Glaze Passion with the Bundle Monster plate BM07's peace symbol circle as a base.  Passion was also the base for the hand painted Mockingjay with China Glaze Riveting on top.
Flames for  China Glaze Sun Worshipper, China Glaze Foxy, China Glaze Liquid Leather, OPI A Roll In The Hague, China Glaze Riveting, China Glaze Go Crazy Red, Zoya Tamsen, China Glaze Passion is the arrow color.

Smoke Diversion Extras:
Smoke: OPI I Have A Herring Problem, China Glaze Electric Beat, Zoya Tao, Zoya Dove, China Glaze White On White, China Glaze Platinum Silver. 
Fire: Zoya Tamsen, OPI A Roll In The Hague, China Glaze Sun Worshiper.  

Orange You Glad?

It's spring!  Fell in love with this color and was so happy with it on the nail, I didn't want to have it share the spotlight with an over-involved nail design.  So one nail with a bit of sparkle, and it was done.  So pretty.  So bright.  So happy.

I painted three coats of OPI A Roll In The Hague.  On my pointer I added a coat of Essie's Shine Of The Times and added a few larger orange, glitter flakes I bought from Esther's Nail Center.  I used Seche Vite as my top coat.

The Finger

Get it?  Besides this manicure highlighting a particular finger on my hand, I really enjoyed the look.  The contrast between super sparkly and matte was really fun.

I painted three coats of OPI I Have A Herring Problem.  I added LA Splash Cosmetics Nail Glitter in Golden Egg to all fingers, save one, with one coat of Seche Vite to top.  And to that delightful middle finger, I added on coat of Essie Matte About You.

Girlie Girl

A few cute toddler girls that have birthdays in January inspired this manicure.  It was so pink and girlie, I fit right in at one of their princess parties.  It was hard to capture the iridescence, but you can pick it up in some of the reflections.

I painted three coats of OPI Mod About You and added holo purple and iridescent blue large hex glitter and LA Splash Cosmetic nail glitter in Red Heart Spangle (minus the hearts).  Seche Vite was used as the top coat.

Trimming The Tree

I originally took out all my darker, holiday-themed, green polishes and layered them three colors to a nail.  But the look didn't seem quite right.  I added the silver tinsel trimming and then they were true perfection.

Left Hand:

 Right Hand:

With my tree!:

I used the following colors for the green: Orly Meet Me Under The Mistletoe, Orly It's Not Rocket Science, OPI Glow Up Already, Ulta Envy, Zoya Apple, Zoya Suvi, Zoya Yara, Zoya Edyta, China Glaze Emerald Sparkle, China Glaze Paper Chasing, China Glaze Holly-Day.  The silver detail was hand painted on with China Glaze Icicle.  Manicure was finished with one coat Seche Vite.

Glowing Cat Eyes

really wanted to do cat eyes this year and was so happy I had purchased my Layla Magneffects, because they made the perfect, real-life looking eyes! Enjoy, just beware of the black cat that crosses your path!

Sun:


Flash:



Sun:

I painted three coats of China Glaze Liquid Leather I used a coat of Essie Matte About You to matte the look. Once completely dry, I taped off the top lid of the eye and painted one coat (and then magnetized) both Layla Magneffects in Blue Grey Flow 03 and Golden Bronze 09. Around the outside of the blue eye I painted a rim of Zoya Jo and around the rim of the golden eye I painted a rim that was a mix of equal parts OPI Golden Rules and China Glaze Cyperspace. I added the iris with China Glaze Liquid Leather and atop the eyes I glossed them with Seche Vite

Yellow + Blue = Green

This manicure was a mini illusion. I recently purchased a new Shatter polish from OPI and paired that teal Shatter over a yellow manicure and green hues popped up all over the place.

I first painted three coats of Sally Hansen HD Hi Definition Nail Color in Lite. I added some yellow glitter to the top half of my nail and once the manicure was dry, I added OPI Turquoise Shatter and painted a thin line of China Glaze Platinum Silver to delineate the line between the color blocking. I painted one coat of Seche Vite to seal.

It All Ends: Harry Potter VS Voldemort

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and I had to do an honorary manicure for the last theatrical release of the series. I am pressed for time, so am doing a condensed version of materials used in order to the the photos to you on this day! I marbled the house colors of Hogwarts and hand painted my version of Harry and Voldemort. In my opinion, Harry looks like he's been stung with a stinging jinx, but I've never claimed I could really draw very well.....

Right Hand:

Left Hand:

Left Thumb:

Right Thumb:

Griffindor colors: Zoya Paris and China Glaze Passion

Slytherin colors: Ulta Envy and China Glaze Platinum Silver

Hufflepuff colors: Zoya Pippa and China Glaze Liquid Leather

Ravenclaw colors: OPI Yoga-Ta Get This Blue and China Glaze Ingrid

Harry Potter: From Zoya: Skye, Paris, Dove, Tamsen, Kelly. From Ulta: Envy, Black Diamond. From China Glaze: Below Deck and White On White.

Voldemort: From Zoya: Dove, Kelly, Tamsen, Paris. From Ulta Black Diamond. From China Glaze Liquid Leather and White On White.

Patriotic

It's memorial day here and it's time to celebrate those who fight for our country. Something I, personally, could never do. In honor, it's a red, white and blue water marble for you!!!

Left Hand:

Right Hand

I first painted two coats of China Glaze Cheers To You as a base, then marbled with OPI Yoga-Ta Get This Blue!, Zoya Tamsen Ulta Angel Baby. I coated the final manicure with Seche Vite.

Pink Rock

I've been avoiding posting because I've been irritated with Blogger. I was hoping to unveil some added flair to my sight with swatches and a new layout, but Blogger crashed a few weeks back and I lost my new design and am trying to patiently wait until all is restored. Hopefully it will be recovered soon, and until then, I'll persevere :)

This manicure was a result of having a new pastel pink and wanting to make it pop. I don't know why pink and gray make me think punk rock, but it does (and hence the name play). I like the new color and I like this manicure.

With Flash:

See the shine and sparkle?

I painted three coats of OPI Mod About You adding LA Splash Cosmetic nail glitter in Red Heart Spangle (not adding any of the large hearts). I sealed with a coat of Seche Vite, then added China Glaze Crackle Glaze in Cracked Concrete and sealed with one more coat of Seche Vite.

Ketchup To The Sparkle

This new color from the Zoya's Summertime Collection immediately reminded me of ketchup. I was not sure I liked it (but I think it was more that I didn't like the manicure). It also chipped the first day it was on my nails, so it promptly went away!

I painted three coats of Zoya Tamsen and added to all nails but my ring finger through sponging first OPI Extra-Va-Vaganza and then added on top and in the center OPI Gift of Gold. On my ring finger I painted one coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment adding to all nails one coat of CND Super Shiney to seal the deal.

Faux Leopard

I did not intend on having nails that in my mind looked like a leopard, but that's all I see with this look. I have been experimenting with my OPI Black Shatter and the leopard look was actually a fluke result of said experimentation. Depending on how thick you polish the Shatter and the direction of your brush strokes, you can change the look of Shatter. In the previous vacation post, I went for a very thick coat of Shatter and it dried with larger chunks of black and less "shatter lines" (meaning it crackles less). This time I wanted to change my brush strokes, so I first painted (being much lighter in the application) the outside edges of my nails. Then, as I painted down the center of the nail, I moved the brush side to side in sort of a zig-zag motion. This is the end result:

Flash:

No Flash:

I painted three coats of Zoya Tiffany and one coat of CND Speedey. Once fully dried I applied OPI Black Shatter as describe above and coated with Seche Vite.

On a side note, I have found that Shatter does shrink your base polish leaving exposed tips. I did wait for my polish to fully dry before applying Shatter as instructed, but I'm thinking a crackle side effect is shrinking polish....