Summer Fun Challenge Day 4 - We Like It Hot, Hot, Hot!

Hot, hot, hot doesn't even begin to describe it here in Hell, er, I mean South Texas.  Yesterday was 110 degrees and it sucked.  What sucks even more is that I forgot my camera at work again.  lol.  HOWEVER...I managed to upload just one photo last night of my challenge mani.  Yea!!

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DISREGARD MY WRINKLY FINGERS.  THIS PHOTO WAS STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BATH.

Day 4 of the challenge is We Like It Hot, Hot, Hot!  Design your nails to match the summer's scorching temperatures.  Don't burn yourself, though!  Lindsey from Neverland Nail Blog is so cute.  She comes up with the most creative things.

Yeah, it's another marble, but this time with the fire theme.  I love this one way more than my last fire marble because it actually looks fiery unlike the other.

WHAT I USED:

Cult Nail Captivated base color

Orly Rock the World

Naturistics Pink Flirt

BBCouture Dark Knight

I got all these in a swap yesterday so I had to use them all.  I couldn't wait any longer. (:
D

OPI Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?

So I have a couple reasons I wanted to show this particular polish today.  First and foremost, it's from the Texas Collection and I am a Texas girl, even if I don't always like it.  Also, it's freaking hot outside right now and this orange is a very hot color.  How hot you ask?  105 with a heat index of 110.  

I hope you all liked that explanation.  lol.  I definitely love this color.  This is 3 coats and since it's a jelly, or a "sorbet" as OPI calls it, you can see my VNL, but no biggie to me.  It's so shiny, it's too difficult to pay attention to anyway.  I do have a love-hate attitude towards the shiny finish because it's nice to not have to wear a top coat.

Happy Hump Day!
D

Summer Fun Challenge Day 3 - Pool Party

More like Poop Party.  I'm so made and unhappy with this mani.  To you all it may look harmless, but the truth of the matter is that every single nail gave me issues.  I had to redo it AT LEAST 5 times.  So I don't even want to talk about it.  I'm done looking at it so here you go.

Day 3 is Pool Party.  Make a splash with a pool party inspired mani,  Swimsuits, floaties, and sunscreen...oh my!

Pinky:  Obviously it's the sky.  I just love laying by the pool and watching the clouds.

Ring:  It's a frozen margarita!

Middle:  BASTARD NAIL!  It's waves I guess.

Pointer:  It's the retarded lime for my margarita...I guess.

D

Moody Monday Rant

Ok I'm not really in a mood, but I'm just frustrated with myself today so this is just a rant.  I'll explain to you why there won't be a real post with fun polish today.  Let's begin.

So this weekend was amazing.  Work on Friday couldn't have ended soon enough.  I clocked out and grabbed my purse and ran for the car.  I was half way home, and I thought, "What manis am I going to post this weekend?"  Aww fuck!!  Well I wasn't able to because my dumbass left my camera at work with all my recent swatch and nail art photos cropped and ready.  So I decided not to go back because of the crazy Houston traffic and decided to just deal.  I went to the Gay Pride Parade on Saturday after my Chloe + Isabel Trunk Show, and sweat my ass off.  I had a blast though.  I saw my uncle walking in the parade and he grabbed me and my bff so we could walk too.  It was the "Support Same Sex Adoption" float.  All the people watching thought we were something special when really we weren't even supposed to be in it.  lol.  It was pretty awesome but I got home pretty late.  So then Sunday morning, my bf and I woke up, had yummy coffee, and then went swimming.  It was the best day we've had together in a long time.  I mean everyday is a great day, but he never wants to go swimming so it was a treat.  I was so exhausted from lack of sleep and swimming until my legs might fall off that I completely passed out at, like, 11pm.  My usual is 1am so this was good.  Until...

...we were supposed to get up and ready for work at 5:30am.  Instead, [see pic above] we woke up at 7am, when we're supposed to be leaving the house, and had to rush to find something decent to wear.  I threw my hair up and we ran out the door.  Needless to say, halfway to work I realize, I forgot my phone, I forgot my lunch, AND I forgot my makeup.  I looked like a hot mess today.  Actually, I still do.  So this felt like the longest day of my life and then it was 5pm.  Yea!!  I did the same thing as Friday.  I clocked out, grabbed my purse and ran for the car.  I'm singing and coasting through all the green lights.  It was just a breeze to get home.

DAMN IT!  I FORGOT MY CAMERA!

Summer Fun Challenge Day 2 - Summer Lovin'

Hey Everyone!  I know this is super late, but I was fighting with my polish.  I'll explain.

Day 2 is Summer Lovin'.  We're having a blast and it happened so fast...show off your lovey-dovey design.  Well I'll tell ya what happened fast...my polish drying too quickly in the water.  My initial idea was to use neons and create this awesome Lisa Frank style water marble in a heart pattern, but NOOOOO!  Not happening.  I mean the marble happened, just not the way I wanted.

Eventhough this wasn't my idea for Summer Lovin', I am lovin' it.  I think I chose a super awesome color combo.  I think the pastels are sweet and make me feel like I want to cuddle up with the bf.  So that's what I'm gonna go do.

WHAT I USED:

Sinful Colors Cinderella - 1 coat for base

Sinful Colors Cinderella

Sinful Colors Luminary

China Glaze Lighthouse

That's pretty much it.  lol I hope you all love it too.

D

Summer Fun Challenge Day 1 - Grill Master

Welcome to Day 1 of the Summer Fun Challenge once again created and hosted by the lovely Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog.  This girl comes up with the funnest stuff.  If you recall, she was the creator and host of the Girly Girl Challenge that I participated in back in March.  It was my first challenge and I'm so happy she came up with this one because it was a no-brainer me.  I was in as soon as she announced it.  So let's get on with it.

Day 1 is Grill Master.  Fire up those nails with grilled inspiration.  Try smoke, food, or grill marks!


Well I definitely wanted to try food.  As soon as I read Grill Master, I thought HOT DOGS!

LOL I freaking love this.  So my ring finger and middle finger are hot dogs because I thought doing every finger may have been overkill.  But what is this blobby, checkerboard on the rest of my fingers, you ask?  IT'S GINGHAM!  Hot dogs make me think picnic and this is the Summer Fun Challenge after all.  It was so difficult to do the gingham and as you can see, right when I picked up my camera, I dinged my pinky pretty bad.  I would have fixed it, but I am just too tired so there's a blooper for you. (:  Next I'll tell you what I used, but be prepared.  It's a lot and I had to do some mixing.


WHAT I USED (HOT DOG NAILS):
hot dog bun - Zoya Avery and OPI You Don't Know Jacques! mixed 2:1
hot dogs - Zoya Codie, Zoya Avery, and Kiss Nail Art Red mixed 1:1:2
ketchup - Kiss Nail Art Red
mustard - Zoya Pippa and China Glaze Trendsetter mixed 1:1
relish - American Apparel Army Jacket and China Glaze Paper Chasing mixed 2:1


WHAT I USED (GINGHAM NAILS):
Sally Hansen White Tip - base color
Sinful Colors Soul Mate - gingham stripes
Sinful Colors Soul Mate and Kiss Nail Art Red mixed 2:1 - checks on gingham


Whew!  That was a lot, but I wanted to you all to know exactly what I did in case you want to replicate it, and also if you're like me and don't have all the right colors.  I wanted it to be super accurate.  So anyway, I know these are the best looking hot dogs, but I'm not the best a free-hand and I really tried.  I think that counts for something. (:



Have a great night!
D

Laser Mani

OMG I'm so sorry that I've been a bad blogger this whole week.  It was my first week on the job, and I had so much training stuff to do.  My brain was packed with so much new information that I couldn't bother to come up with a mani.  But now training week is over and I'm back.  To make up for my lack of posting I wanted to do something special for you all, so here it is.  My laser mani!

Ooooh!  It's so amazing!  It came out way better than I expected.  I can't even stop staring at it.  I've wanted to do one of these for so long but couldn't get my tape skinny enough.  Then a lovely lady from the FB group I'm in was nice enough to send me 2 rolls of striping tape.  I couldn't wait to get outside to take a photo in the sun and then it started raining balls outside.  So sadly it only looks good under my mini desk lamp.  Check the photo below to see what I'm talking about.  The holo didn't even show up. ):

Oh well!  When the sun comes out, it's on.  It's gonna be the most stunning mani I've ever done IMO.  Let me know what you all think.


WHAT I USED:
Layla Holo Flash Black - 2 coats
Zoya Savita - 1 coat
striping tape


Later!
D

Dotticure

Hello Everyone!


First off, I wanted to let you all know that I started my new job today, and I think it's gonna be a really great experience.  I had so much fun, and all we did was training stuff.  I can't wait to go back tomorrow!


Now on to the good stuff.  I was on Pinterest last night, and I stumbled across THIS lovely pin.  When I saw I squealed with excitement.  I don't know why I thought it was the greatest mani on earth, but I just absolutely loved it.  I immediately pulled out all my polish and went to town.  10 minutes later, this emerged.

I'm really happy with it.  I know I have some mishaps like crooked lines and that damn drip on my pinky, but I really do love it.  I think those details give it character.  lol.  I changed up the colors because I've been in a very purple-y mood lately.  My last swatch was purple, my toes are purple, and now my dotticure is purple.  If only work would let me have purple hair.


WHAT I USED:
Sally Hansen White Tip - 2 coats for base
NYC Lincoln Square Lavender
China Glaze Señorita Bonita
Zoya Dannii
Zoya Julieanne


I am def going to recreate this very soon with maybe a different base color or just a different color story all together, so make sure you all check back.
D

Wanna See My Stash?

Well if you don't then you should just close out this window now.  LOL But if you do, then you can see it right here.  Don't get too excited though because it's very small compared to the others you've probably seen.  However I am proud of it, and now I have a new Melmer to show off as well.

Ok so this is the full set up.  This is just a small computer desk that used to have shelving and a dry erase board on top, but we got rid of just the top half when we moved from our last apartment.  This just gives me more space, and I'm thinking of getting a mirror to put on the wall with my photo collage.

This is the top drawer which is pretty much a "catch all".  It has all my minis, frankens, nail art polishes, stamping plates, blah blah blah.  I put all the crap in the top drawer because when I'm sitting down, I can easily get to the bottom two drawers where all the good stuff is.  I just don't want to have to stand up every time I need an OPI or CG out of the top drawer.

This is the middle drawer.  It has mainly drug store brands.  I don't really have a system since I don't have that much.  I just get all the brands together and stick 'em somewhere. /:

This is the bottom drawer that holds all of my "higher end" brands like Zoya, popBeauty, OPI, etc.  I bet you're wondering what the little orange dots mean.  Those are the ones I still need to swatch, and when I figure out which are best for stamping, I'll have little green dots on those.

This is the drawer that is in the desk.  Let me explain this "junk" to you.  The plastic container in the back actually attaches to the like one with the blue lid in the photo below.  This part contains all of my nail care items like files, nippers, and so on.  Underneath is another container that snaps on and it just has miscellaneous things like foil squares and some loose jewels.  The bag that looks like used cotton balls and such is just that.  I don't keep a trash can under my desk because I don't have room, and this also keeps my cat from getting into it.  When it gets full, I just toss it.  The curvy thing with the suction cup is my camera mount.  I keep it in here because I film my tutorials at the window for natural light.  I also have my camera bag on the front left side.  This way I can take my photos, hook up the USB cord and slip it safely back into it's home.  I'm so clumsy, I just know if I had it on top of the desk, I'd knock it off.  This also keeps my desk from getting junky like it was before.

Don't you just love that photo?  It's my Grandmother and Paw Paw when they were first married.  It's part of my photo collage on the wall.  But back to the stash.  This container with the blue lid is all of my nail art stuff like tape, toothpicks for water marbling, sponges, etc.  The black thing with the nail wheels is a nail dryer, and I like having my wheels out in the open and easily accessible.  And then in the skull print canister are all of my nail art brushes, dotting tools, and some scissors and markers.

And last is the keyboard drawer that is attached to the desk.  Since I don't have a keyboard (I have a laptop) this is where I marble.  That way if anything happens and I spill the water, it won't get on my laptop.  I just use the old rag to clean up water spots and the paper towel to wipe my excess polish on.  Then when I'm finished, I can just clean up and push it back under to get it out of the way.  No storage required.

I really hope you guys are impressed with how I can fit everything into such a small space.  I mean the rest of the bedroom is pretty well taken up by the boyfriend's giant corner desk, out super huge dresser that takes up an entire wall, and the bed and two nightstands.  I only get this 3 feet to myself, but it's by the window and my cat is in the corner on her hammock to the right of me.  It's nice to look over and see her passed out next to me or playing with her fishy.

 ♥♥♥

 I think she likes the string more than the fish that's actually on the end.  You see she threw it on the floor.

Happy Sunday and happy blogging!

D

NYC Purple Pizzazz

Afternoon! (in my best British accent)

So I am part of this "Adopt a Friend" polish swap group on FB that is hosted by Creative Nail Fun aka Ashley Pashley.  Every month she pairs us up with another beauty/polish lover, and we have to send them a small gift and a nice note with different things about us, like "What's your favorite polish brand and color?" and "What's one interesting/weird fact about you?" and so on.  The month of May was the first month, and I was paired up with a lovely girl, Cherish, from my home state of Tex-ass!  We exchanged info and then swapped some super fun packages.  This is one polish that Cherish sent me.

The first one that I was super excited to try was Purple Pizzazz Frost, and so I did.

It's not a frosty as I thought it would be which is a good thing.  I hate those super pearly, frosted-to-the-extreme finishes.  I love a lot of things about this polish.  First, it's a red-toned purple with a blue flash.  Awesome!  Then, this is a photo after wearing it for 2 days, showering, washing dishes, cleaning house, etc.  There are no chips yet.  I mean it does say "Long Wearing" so we'll see.  The formula was really nice too, aside from the few bubbles I got.  There was no streaking or dragging.  All 3 coats were just super easy to apply. I could have used 2 if I had been more careful I think.  I just don't paint very well with my right hand (I'm a lefty).

I know that Ashley Pashley has already posted the "Adopt a Friend" pair ups for the month of June, but if you want to participate next month, you can follow her FB HERE, and just watch out for the July announcement.  You can even skip months and request a non-international "Friend" if it's not in your budget.

Have a super great Saturday and I look forward to reading your lovely comments. (:

D

Fun w/ Stripes

Hey Ladies!


Sorry for the late post, but I've been trying to narrow down which mani to do today.  I have so many new (well...new to me) ideas in my head in the past two days.  I guess if I'm eventually gonna do them all, I had to start somewhere, and since I love stripes, I decided to use my striping tape to create something worth blogging about.  Mission accomplished!

WHAT I USED:
OPI Designer...de Better! - base
NYC Classic Coral Creme (but it's a shimmer) - gradient
Sonia Kashuk Making Waves mini - turquoise
striping tape
BM-215


I'm not really happy with the stamping.  I feel like it ruined it a little, but I wanted to stray from the ever popular stripes and roses mani.  I thought they would look good, but I was wrong.  And I had to double stamp because Making Waves wouldn't show up.  Blah...whatever.  I still think at a quick glance, it looks pretty darn good. (:
D


EDIT: Ok after just looking at the live post, I decided that, yes, I definitely ruined it with the stamping.  However, I fixed it and I hope you all agree and like this better.

Enjoy! (:

Wednesday Water Marble

I have been waiting for this day since last week because I had such an amazing marble mani planned for you all.  Little did I know that it would be a total nightmare.  It came out great, but the process was nothing but trouble. I'm so tired of messing with it, I'm just gonna jump right in and show it to you.

What I HATE about this mani...the process, like I said, was a total nightmare and the bubbles.  Oh the bubbles.  Those little bastards.  What I LOVE about this mani...EVERYTHING ELSE!  I am so pleased with this and it came out exactly like I had envisioned.  This is a mani I will def recreate in the future, and if you want to, then here's what I used.

WHAT I USED:
popBeauty Flamingo Hollar - pink base 1 coat
Zoya Charisma - fuschia sponged in center
Zoya Ibiza - dark blue sponged on tip
Wet 'n' Wild clear and Black Creme for marble

Let me know what you think and if you try this out, I would love to see it!  And I'm not sure if she will be able to crank one out, but check out Ashley's blog too!  (:
D

Zoya Manhattan Mixer Revisited

I told you all it was coming shortly, and all the talking about it made me want to do it right away.  I layered this one over Zoya Cynthia instead of black.  I thought the super dark teal was nice under the green base.  And of course, you get to see it shiny and matte.

 The glass flecks in MM are much different than those in Soho Punch.  SP has many different colors whereas MM just has bright green and scattered yellow flecks.  This WAS my favorite of the two, but seeing them next to one another (the other is still on my right hand), I'm really loving SP.

I really just love how fun and easy these polishes are.  They aren't filled with giant flakes that require searching for that perfect base color, but they aren't glitter that is a huge pain to get off even with the foil method.  They are just simply gorgeous, sheer glass flecked polishes that can be applied over almost any base color for a sparkle boost.  Now I just have to find the rest of the collection. (:


I hope the rest of your day is good.  I'm just gonna lounge in my pjs all day.
D

Zoya Soho Punch

Wee!  I'm so excited about this one.  I have wanted this for so long and I finally got it from the Zoya Earth Day promotion.  I just couldn't wait any longer, and I'm so glad I didn't because it's even more gorgeous than I ever thought.  Especially over my Wet 'n' Wild black creme.

Soho Punch is part of the Glamsicles collection from 2010 (correct me if I'm wrong), and one day I will own them all.  I've shown Manhattan Mixer (also from this collection) on the blog before, but I didn't do a combo like this.  Look out for it soon, because I WILL be reswatching it.  SP is full of glass flecks in colors that I couldn't even see in the bottle.  I mattified it with Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love to see them better.

I see pink, purple, yellow, and few bits of green which I love, love, LOVE!  I hope you all love it as much as I do and support me in my search for the rest of the collection.


Have a great Sunday!
D

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover w/ Finger Paints Asylum

Afternoon Lovelies!

This is going to be a short pos because I was supposed to have already left the house for my afternoon plans.  It's nothing crazy or amazing, but I think it's pretty.

Look at it!!!

Have a great day!
D