Nail Art Tuesday

New Post Next Week...

2012-01-03T20:08:00.002-07:00

The holidays have me all discombobulated...forgot it was Tuesday today (and last week). New posts next week...red with a silver lattice, which is this week's manicure. :-)

I hope you got all the polish you wanted for Christmas...

Peppermint Stripes

2011-12-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was going to do a gift wrap design this week, but decided to go all strip-y instead. I really should clean out my nail polish drawer too, considering how long it took me to find my white striper bottle, but that's beside the point, eh?

Very simple colors for this one - China Glaze "White Out" and "Red Pearl" and then two art polishes with long, thin striper brushes. The red striper was provided to me by SparklyNails sometime *last* year, and the formula is still very nice to work with. Impressive, for a striper polish!

I decided to alternate colors, so I started with Seche Vite base coat, followed by two coats of red & white on alternating nails.

Then I striped the red nails with white...

And then the white with red (painfully simple, eh?).

A couple coats of Seche Vite top coat, cuticle clean-up, and voila! Guaranteed to make everyone's eyes go buggy. ;-)

Next year, I need to make my cuticles more of a priority, I think. They're horrible, poor things, and I should take better care of them.

Also, I'm curious, so if you have a minute to leave a comment, please help me decide where to take this blog in 2012. Would you like to see:

- Don't change anything

- More video

- Less tutorials (I get a lot of complaints about how messy my process is - would you rather just see the finished product?)

- More color swatching

- Anything else you'd like to suggest (politely, please!)

Until next week, have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday!

Sparkly Green

2011-12-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

This week's photos are a bit blurry - sorry! The Christmas tree is pretty, but it sucks more light out of my space and while I should have just moved...I was too lazy.

I'm all about the glitter this month...this is actually last week's manicure, and I've got something similar going on this week. It's a nice way to sparkle without spending a lot of time - handy since both of these last two manicures happened between 1am and 3am. Busy busy!

For this one, I started with a base coat of the Sally Hanson Triple Strong formula, because that middle nail is still not quite long enough to cut off. Once that was epoxied together, I put on two coats of my favorite white, Finger Paints "Well-Cultured Pearl".

Then I started at the tip, and brushed on a thin layer of Sinful's "Call You Later", a lovely green & gold glitter I got on sale at the drugstore awhile ago.

Then one more layer of the glitter, just not quite as far down on the nail for a nice gradient.

Then a couple coats of Seche Vite to top it off, and clean up in the shower the next morning. Easy peasy.

You'll have to excuse my super-dry skin...I can't seem to get enough lotion this time of year. Dry, cold air will do that...

Next week, gift wrap. :-) Until then, happy polishing!

Wild Stones

2011-11-29T23:48:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks my manicures have just not turned out the way I wanted them to, unfortunately. Thankfully, aside from that annoyingly placed break you see on my middle finger and a little tip-pull, this one turned out pretty well. I love, love, love Nubar duochromes!

I used Sally Hanson "Triple Strong" as a base tonight (see below), Nubar's "Wildlife", a green & pink duochrome for my color, large rhinestones from Born Pretty Store for the artwork, and Seche Vite top coat to seal it all up. The rhinestones were complimentary, if I remember correctly (it's been awhile). Everything else was on my dime.

I started with the Triple Strong to try to stabilize that broken nail until it can grow out to where I can comfortably cut it. When you have nails as long as mine, the "quick" under the nail grows out longer than the finger, so I can't just cut the break off at the top of my finger (not without taking a lot of skin too). Triple Strong normally works really well (it's got epoxy in it!)...but tonight before I took photos, something heavy slipped out of my hands and yanked the break apart again. Stupid thing...my own fault for not being more careful.

After the TS, I applied two coats of Wildlife, which you can kind of see some of the color differences in the above non-flash photo. Gorgeous, beautiful polish, IMO. One of my new favorites, and the formula is awesome, as usual.

Just a simple design this week - three stones on each nail, alternating pink and black. I just brushed on a coat of Seche, seated the stones in the tacky polish, and then sealed with another coat of Seche over the top.

Would you believe I didn't realize I'd lost a stone already until I looked at this photo tonight? Must not have gotten that one pushed down all the way...bummer!

Obviously, I've gotten a bit lazy - not wrapping polish over the tips, etc. It's because I've been starting my manicures really late (like 1am). Next week, I'm starting earlier, no matter what, so I have time to do a better job. That's kind of the point, right? ;-)

Until then, happy polishing!

Mariposa Allure & Striped

2011-11-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

As you may have guessed, my webby manicure last week didn't really turn out. It's sad, really, because I was excited for the color combination. Not to worry though - I'll revisit those colors for Thanksgiving, I think.

In any case, I was cautiously optimistic about this week's manicure. I was offered free sets of nail "foils" (they're wraps manufactured in Germany, not like a traditional nail foil here) from Mariposa Allure to review, and the designs they sent were really fun. The pages feel like lighter versions of Jamberry Nails, and they don't require a hair dryer to apply, so I thought perhaps they'd be both easier and lighter on the nails. I read the instructions and FAQ on the web site, and decided to use one coat of base coat as advised for longer wear.

For prep, I removed old polish, filed & buffed my nails, and applied one coat of base coat that I let dry completely. Then it was time to start the application...as suggested in the instructions, I used the enclosed orange stick to lift off one decal.

Unfortunately, that decal was too short for my nail, and I had to pull it off. These don't stick again if you do that, so it was ruined, and it took what I thought was just base coat off as well. So I re-prepped that nail, and tried again with my ring finger.

Yeah - that one doesn't fit at all, does it? Unfortunately, that was the longest decal on the sheet. So I would have had to cut this nail (and a few others) to use these. Still, I wanted to get at least one right, so I chose a shorter nail and tried again.

Ack. Big wrinkle in the decal - I tried to stretch it just a tiny bit to get that fixed, and it wouldn't come up. So I folded the tip down, and used the included nail file to try to remove the excess, as instructed.

Unfortunately, the material the decals are made of is too thick for this method to work well, and it really didn't want to file off. I think fingernail scissors might have worked better, but I was losing patience at this point. Still, I felt the need to try again with another decal/nail.

It went slightly better, but I still had the issue of removing the excess material. After several minutes of filing with a fairly heavy hand on the tips, I gave up, and peeled the decals off.

You can sort of see the damage these did to my nail beds above - I thought that was just base coat that lifted with the adhesive, but when I cleaned up my nails yet again with polish remover, soap & water, the damage remained. My nails aren't soft at all either - they're very hard, so to have the adhesive take that much material off the tops is pretty bad.

Needless to say, I can't recommend the Mariposa Allure product. The only application I would consider it for would be fake nails that are short enough for the decals to fit. They were difficult to work with, and tore up my natural nails.

So there I was at 2am, tired and with bare, torn up nails. I was going to just toss a couple coats of polish on and call it good, but then I remembered I had another set of the Sally Hanson Salon Effects polish strips (still more of the free ones they sent me). No drying time or bottles at that hour were pretty appealing...

And 20 minutes later, I had fun & funky zebra nails! I know it sounds like a commercial and I did get these polish strips free, but I'm definitely going to keep a set on hand all the time, just for occasions like these. I would have been up much later yet if I'd had to do a full polish manicure last night.

My final thoughts? Skip the full-nail plastic decals, and stick to real polish, even for quick strips like these. The plastic ones just aren't worth the hassle or work - the polish strips are re-positionable, easy to apply, light to wear and remove with nail polish.

Obviously I won't be accepting any more of the full nail plastic wraps/decals for review. I may see what other brands of polish strips I can find for comparison though...and water decals would be good too, I think...

Until next week, happy polishing!

Split Personality

2011-10-25T21:07:00.000-06:00

It's been a very busy few weeks, but our big Halloween bash went off without a hitch. Last week was a whirlwind of activity around here, cleaning, new carpet, new entertainment center, and much less decorating than I would have liked (but still quite a lot). The theme this year was Heaven & Hell, and naturally, the two sides of my personality were allowed out for an evening - including my nails, of course. My only regret is that I broke several nails moving furniture, and didn't have enough length left to do stilettos for my right hand. *sigh*

Above on my right hand, China Glaze "Ruby Slippers" tipped with CG "Liquid Leather" and a fine line of a matte cement color by Nubar (I forget the exact name, and am too lazy to go look at the moment - sorry!). Obviously, this was my "devil" side, so I didn't mind the tip pull or chipping on my thumb. Just added character to the costume, I think.

Below, my "angel" hand on the left. I used one coat of my favorite pearl white from Finger Paints (also forgot the name), topped with two coats of The Painted Nail by Nubar's "Silver Screened". More pearl on the tip, with CG "Tinsel" along the smile line.

I have to say, it's kind of fun wearing two completely different manicures...and I actually got a few compliments, believe it or not. Perhaps I should try this more often? More nail art opportunities...

Next week, a webby manicure I've been waiting *all month* to do. Got Halloween art of your own? Post a link in the comments so we can all have a gander! :-)

Halloween Meltdown

2011-10-11T16:26:00.000-06:00

As you may have noticed, I'm having trouble keeping up with October posts this year. We're having a big Halloween bash here at the house in 11 days, getting new carpet in 6 days, and trying to get everything ready on time. Needless to say, my head hasn't exactly been on nail pictures.
So I'll repost this manicure from last year for your viewing pleasure this week, and next week I'll post my split personality manicure to go with my costume. Enjoy these purple nails - I sure did! :-)

******

I decided to go purple, orange and silver for this week's Halloween nail colors. I was a little apprehensive about whether the China Glaze "Spellbound" glitter would go with the Urban Decay "Meltdown" royal purple. After some reassurance from hubby that it would work just fine, I started with two coats of Meltdown over base coat. I can't say this polish was my fave to work with. It's thicker than I'm used to, and harder to control. I just adore this color though - isn't it gorgeous? Then I added one coat of Spellbound from the cuticle just half way up the nail for some glitter. I have horrible light at night, but wait for the "finished" photos. Spellbound is...spellbinding! I was going to use silver bouillon beads for the letters, but decided that they'd "get lost" in the silver glitter. So I used the white Migi pen instead to write "Eek!" on one hand, and "Boo!" on the other. A little top coat, some clean-up and a little outdoor lighting - voila! Another festive (and very easy) Halloween manicure! I've already gotten a compliment at work for these...Halloween nails seem popular this year! More Halloween next week...

Windy Blue

2011-09-30T20:55:00.001-06:00

So sorry I've been neglectful...work's been busy, we have a million house projects going on and I'm expanding my publishing company with new authors/anthologies. All that to say...I barely had time to *do* my nails this week, and last week my manicure...well, it sucked. A word to the wise - those Sally Hansen strips? You can't leave them open and use them later. Seal them up in something airtight.

Anyways, this week's manicure is inspired by the cover art for a book my publishing company just released today. Here's the cover (details here):

That hair blowing everywhere just struck me as so lovely and ephemeral...I didn't do it justice at all, but it inspired just a few black wisps on my favorite blue polish, and I'm quite happy with the simple results.

This week I'm also trying out Sally Hansen's Triple Strong nail strengthening formula. I went to buy some wraps a few weeks ago, because my nails tend to crack below the quick and I end up having to be really careful that I don't rip them off. Like this:

So I was looking for some sort of patch or wrap to put over it under my polish, and couldn't find a thing. But I did find this Triple Strong formula with titanium and gel, so I decided to see if it would keep my nail intact until it grows out long enough to cut. I used two coats as a base coat, and I have to say, several days later the cracked portion is still holding up and not ripping farther. So...I'm happy with it so far.

On top of that, I put two coats of China Glaze "Blue Island Iced Tea" - my all time favorite blue polish. I adore this color, and could look at it for hours. :-)

Then I just used Avon's "Denim", a dark navy blue and one of my skinny dotting tools to make a few wavy lines on each nail. I added a coat of Nubar's "2010" to the top, but it's not terribly visible, and I'm okay with that since it looks kind of "red" against the navy. I may try those two together again at some point....

Then I just sealed it all with a couple coats of Seche Vite top coat, and cleaned it up the next day. Very simple and easy.

So...Halloween is right around the corner...got any fabulous holiday manicures to share? I'll have one to post next week for sure...

Until then, happy polishing! :-)

Cracklin' Gemma

2011-09-14T19:45:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay - I'm on vacation from the day job, and thus my routines are all screwy (or non-existent) this week. But I do think this manicure turned out pretty nicely, although the clerk at the hardware store today took one look at my nails and asked, "Did you do that on purpose?" Cracked me up, so to speak. ;-)

The folks at Sally Hansen were kind enough to send me a couple of crackle polishes with the polish strips, so this week, I decided white and green were the colors du jour. I've been wanting to try Zoya's "Gemma" for awhile now, and since it was already on the manicure tray...

As always, I started with a coat of Seche Vite base coat, followed by two coats of Gemma. I have to say, I love, love, love this color. You'll be seeing a lot more of it, for sure!

After it dried, I put on a somewhat thickish coat of "Snow Blast" crackle overcoat. The formula for this crackle is nicer than some I've used...it's got a nice consistency that is easy to work with. It started cracking soon after I applied it, and the crackle is matte in it's dry state. I put a matte topcoat over it at first, but I didn't care for the matte finish - it left the lines really sharp.

So I finished it off with two coats of Seche Vite, which smoothed out the lines and gave it a nice shine - so it looked like I did it on purpose (supposedly). ;-)

I think they turned out pretty nicely...reminds me of leaves, or snow on grass. Or distressed paint on old furniture...

Thanks to the Sally Hansen team for providing the crackle...and a purple one, which I fully intend to use for my Halloween costume this year. Stay tuned for that!

Next week...hmm. I'm not sure. I'll think of something though. Until then, happy polishing!

Fashion Week & New Spring Colors from Sally Hansen

2011-09-14T10:12:00.000-06:00

I'm late with the manicure post this week - sorry! While I'm pulling that together, check out the new Sally Hansen Spring line-up, and some videos backstage at fashion week... (between you and me, tomboy that I tend to be, I'd still like to see these fashion shows...for the nail bling, of course).

Sally Hanson

INTRODUCING

COMPLETE SALON MANICURE

LIMITED EDITION SPRING 2012 DESIGNER NAIL COLOR COLLECTIONS

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Trend-setting spring polishes, hot off the runway.

WHAT THEY ARE: A designer spring wardrobe for your nails. Nail leader Sally Hansen took New York Fashion Week by storm, joining forces with Tracy Reese, Prabal Gurung, and Alexander Wang to create exclusive nail colors to complement each of their runway collections. Sally Hansen’s limited edition fall collections put exclusive runway nail looks at your fingertips.

The designers looked to Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure to create their custom colors. Complete Salon Manicure is an all-in-one formula that combines the components of a professional salon manicure—base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, rich color and top coat in a single multi-tasking polish. Backstage Beauty fixture and nail expert, Jin Soon Choi, created the manicures at each of the three shows.

Tracy Reese joined forces with Sally Hansen for the twelfth consecutive season to create seven bold shades that mirror the designer’s relaxed, romantic spring aesthetic. On the runway, models wore Complete Salon Manicure in Temptation.

Prabal Gurung’s three-color Complete Salon Manicure collection features eye-catching brights and creamy pale hues with an edge that reflects the designer’s spring collection inspired by Nobuyashi Araki’s photographic series, “Sensual Flower.”On Prabal Gurung’s fall runway, models sported Loves-Me-Not, a deep plum.

Alexander Wang enlisted Sally Hansen for a first-time collaboration to create a clean, natural-looking runway nail to offset his spring collection which channels a tropical speed racer using perforation and lasering. Models wore Parchment, a sheer nude Complete Salon Manicure shade on the runway—the perfect accent to Wang’s downtown cool looks.

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:

· Buttercup

· Fired Up

· Honey Whip

· Olive Branch

· Temptation

· Parrot

· The Sky’s the Limit

Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:

· Barely Bluebell

· Loves-Me-Not

· Purple Posy

Alexander Wang with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:

· Oxblood

· Parchment

· Petrol

WHAT THEY COST: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, $7.99 each.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Sally Hansen products are available at chain drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers nationally starting April 2012.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PRODUCT IMAGES OR SAMPLES:

SUSAN GOLDBERG/DANIELLE STORCH/ MICHAEL RIGGIO

TRACTENBERG & CO.

212.929.7979

Personally, I think Oxblood, Petrol, and Olive Branch are looking pretty fun...see anything you like there?

This week's manicure coming up later today...

Here, Kitty Kitty!

2011-09-06T20:53:00.000-06:00

A representative of Sally Hanson was kind enough to provide me with some Salon Effects "Real Nail Polish Strips" for review last week...and I was really excited to try them, especially since I seem to be on this nail wrap kick. I had to take one of the Jamberry shields off (one of the wrinkled ones was just getting dirt stuck under the edges...not good), and conveniently enough, the Salon Effects showed up the day before. So I replaced the Jamberry shield with the Sally Hanson strip (which took me about 5 minutes). I used the same style of pattern on my right hand as the Jamberry strip still on my left hand, for comparison:

You can tell the Jamberry strip by the lifted edge and pixellated design...the Salon Effects has a much smoother look (and it's far lighter too - my nail bed hurt when I took the Jamberry off due to the pressure release). Compared to several minutes per nail for the Jamberry application, the Salon Effects took me about 2 minutes after I removed the Jamberry and prepped the nail bed.

The most disturbing thing though was when I removed the remaining Jamberry shields. I heated them up a couple of times with the blow dryer, lifting a little, then heating, then lifting, then heating so I didn't have to pull too hard on the strip. Even so, the adhesive on the strip took patches of material off the top of my nails, leaving me with depressions and thinning on each nail. I could tap my nail on the underside of the shield, and it was hard nail material there. Here's a photo - my index and ring fingers had the Jamberry on them:

It's entirely possible, I guess, that I simply didn't heat the strips enough (though I repeated it several times). In any case, despite last week's enthusiasm, I won't be using these on my nails again. It took awhile to buff out the depressions, and now those two nails will be more prone to breakage when they grow out.

Incidentally, the Salon Effects nail came clean with nail polish remover, very quickly and left a clean nail bed.

So this week I grabbed my "Kitty Kitty" sample of Salon effects strips, prepped my nails by filing and buffing, and then applied according to the instructions. There are 16 strips included, which is enough to do all ten fingers, two big toes, and cut up a few to do the rest of your toes. I was too lazy to do my toes (and I have a sprained ankle that would make it difficult), so I just did my fingers. Application is super-easy, no special tools required. The only really important thing is to make sure the nail bed is free of oils.

The strips are pre-cut...I'd suggest choosing one slightly larger than you need, as it can be trimmed carefully with the orange wood stick after it's on. These do stretch, as they're real nail polish, but you don't want to stretch the patterns too much. When you have the right size, you peel off the clear protective coating, take off the backing, snap off the silver tab (you can grasp these in the center), and press onto the nail, cuticle edge first.

One thing I really like about these is that due to the stretch and because they're very thin, I was able to work out any wrinkles so they lay smoothly across the nail. Once you get it all smoothed out, fold the excess over the edge of the nail, and use the file they provide with a downward motion to trim it off.

You can see it left a few wrinkles, but it's okay. Once the excess was off:

I just went over it again and smoothed it out, using the orange wood stick to trim where I needed to (careful, they're still soft at this stage, so they can tear if you stab 'em with the wood stick - but it does take a lot of force to tear one).

It took me about 10-15 minutes to apply all 10 nails, and afterward there's no drying time...they're just done. Super simple and quick. So far they've had great staying power - I wore the black and white one for 4 days with no visible signs of wear, and the kitty nails are doing great so far even with all the showering & cleaning and such, so I'm confident they'll wear for at least seven days.

The Salon Effects strips cost $9.99 retail at my local drugstore...it's a bit pricy for just one manicure, but for a special occasion, vacation or whatever, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these. Excellent product, in my opinion.

I have some Broadway Nails full wrap stickers to try as well, but the Sally Hanson rep sent some crackle polish I'm dying to play with, so next week, something a little less sleek. ;-)

Until then, happy polishing!

Jammin' Iris Dust

2011-08-30T22:00:00.000-06:00

This week I had the opportunity to try a product I've been wanting to for a long time - Jamberry Nails. Thank you to Amy Smith (the link goes to her web site), an independent consultant for supplying these fabulous samples. Let's go through the process, and I'll show you how they worked for me.

I started out with Amy's samples, and then Nubar's "Iris Dust" and "2010" for the nails that weren't getting "jammed out". In order to apply the Jamberry Nails, a hair dryer is also needed. Jamberry Nails are basically a plastic nail shield with heat-activated adhesive on the back that are very easy to apply as long as you follow the instructions. They come in all different designs and colors - I really like the patterns on these black and white samples.

Now because I wanted to follow the instructions exactly and my camera isn't all that great at video, I didn't record my own nails, and I didn't take pictures because I wanted to focus on correct application. But watch Amy's video - it explains the process very well. I assure you, it does work exactly the way she explains.

I applied four nails worth, and my only complaint is not a fault of the product, but rather a by-product of my ultra-curvy nails. Here's what one hand looked like just after application:

Where the curvy nails come in is the edges - because the design is flat, and my nails are...not, the edges would not lay flat against the nail surface when I used the proper size shield. I used the hair dryer to heat and press, heat and press, heat and press, and still just could not smooth out the edges. I ended up making tiny cuts in the edges with nail scissors in order to give the material room to flatten out, but it didn't completely alleviate the issue.

When I used a shield that was too small, it flatted out just fine...but of course that's not the ideal solution.

Just tonight my genius husband suggested that before application, I cut them down the middle lengthwise, and then apply one side at a time so it would be easier to flatten out. He also suggested cutting them into strips and tips to use over nail polish for accents - and I'm going to order some more to play with doing just that. :-)

After I finished these, I sealed the tips/sides with top coat, and then did a coat of Seche Vite base coat on the unfinished nails followed by 3 coats of Nubar's "Iris Dust". It's a nearly sheer formula, so it doesn't really cover well enough in 2 coats, and really probably could have used a fourth to be absolutely opaque.

I topped that with a coat of Nubar's "2010" top coat...which is just amazing with the iridescent pieces in it, and then a coat of Seche Vite top coat. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and botched the top coat by applying quick dry drops too soon...but it was kind of one of those nights.

My only real complaint with the Jamberry Nails is the difficulty with the edges, but like I said, that's more due to the shape of my nails. I dare say that if you wear your nails shorter, or square them off so they naturally grow flatter, you'll have no problem at all with them - and the patterns are super-cool. A great way to do your toes, if you don't want to worry about them for awhile! The hair dryer is noisy, which is problematic if you do your nails between 12am and 2am like I normally do, but I seriously doubt many people actually do that. ;-)

I should mention that even with the lifted edges, the nail shields are very tough, and I haven't even dislodged them at all yet through warm showers, hand washing, lotion, and snagging my fingers on things (as usual). Lots of typing too, with no tip damage. So they're very sturdy, and from what I understand they come off as they went on - apply heat, and peel them off. If you'd like to try them, please contact Amy for ordering since she was kind enough to provide samples.

Until next week, happy polishing!

Pierced Fall Foils

2011-08-23T10:00:00.001-06:00

Sorry about the missed post last week. I sorta got sidetracked by way too many evenings out and about. Thankfully, this week should be much more normal.

I've been dying to try this rich brown color - Misa "When U Say My Name" ever since I bought it, and now that fall is around the corner, I couldn't hold back any longer. I decided that gold and copper foil would accent it nicely, then on a whim, decided to pierce my pinky nail just for a little extra glint of gold. The foils I'm using are from Nail Art Delights, and I find it's easier to pull them into little pieces before starting the manicure. I just use a couple of orange sticks...the foil is extremely thin and will go flying with one deep breath (which is what makes it fabulous for nails...).

After I cut and filed my nails, I got my nail drill (also purchased from Nail Art Delights), laid my pinky finger on a flat, hard surface, and started turning the drill back and forth right where I wanted the hole until it went all the way through.

Groovy! I find it's easier to do this without polish, but if you have thinner nails, it might work better with base coat, at least. If you do drill before polishing, remember to keep something handy to poke polish out of the hole with...

Next up, Seche Vite base coat, and two coats of Misa's "When U Call My Name". I love this color...just enough gold in it to shine nicely, but still a very dark, rich color. Yummy!

Then to set the foil, I brushed on a thin layer of top coat, and just sort of piled it on randomly. The foil sticks to the top coat very easily, so it's a pretty quick job. I use an orange stick to wrinkle/de-wrinkle where it seems to work.

You'll notice I still don't have the ring in yet - I put two coats of Seche Vite top coat over these, let them dry, and then when I did clean up in the morning I put the ring through the hole. You'll need at least needle nose pliers for the task, and possibly a small pair of regular pliers too (for closing the jump ring).

And there you have it! I got tons of compliments on these - they were much more shiny than these photos give them credit for.

Because I know someone will wonder - yes, I can type with a ring in my pinky. The trick is to put the hole far enough back that the ring moves freely, but doesn't dangle too far off the nail. It does help if you're already used to longer nails though.

I can't decide whether to go with a matte for next week, a crackle, or a duochrome. I guess it will be a surprise! Until then, happy polishing...

Starry Purple Beach

2011-08-09T21:01:00.000-06:00

Sorry for disappearing again there. The past few weeks have been *crazy*! Thankfully things are kind of slowing down a little bit. This week, I felt dark and purple-y, so I pulled out Nubar's "Purple Beach" duochrome, which is just an awesome color. It's dark and broody, but with an amazing green/gold tone in the right light. One of my new favorites.

I started with two coats "Purple Beach" over a base coat of Seche Vite:

Above with a flash, below without so you can sort of see the color variation (sorry it's so blurry!):

Then I simply took these great star stickers, and put them on to just accent the color a little.

Two coats of Seche Vite top coat, and some clean-up results in an unfortunately blurry photo, but you get the idea:

When you have a color this great on it's own, sometimes less is more when it comes to nail art, I think. I just wish I were a better photographer...though I think our camera might need replacing too. ;-)

Until next week, Happy Polishing!

Green Holo-Mask

2011-07-19T09:01:00.000-06:00

I was in sort of a "green & blue" mood this week, and not all that awake while I did these. Still, I think they turned out kind of fun. I do wish I'd gotten my lines a bit straighter, but...next time. I love, love, love this green duochrome by Nubar - it looks more like a green jelly in normal room light, and then just shines in the sun. :-)

I started with a coat of Seche Vite base, then two coats of Nubar "Reclaim". Very smooth & easy to control.

Then a thick stripe of Avon "Empower", a dark navy jelly that was really the perfect consistency to stay put over the shiny green. One coat was plenty - very opaque.

I had some pink rhinestones just sitting on my tray, so decided to finish up with those. One coat of Seche Vite top coat to stick them in...

And then a couple thin coats to seal. I should have used wiggly eyes - they look like little masked fingers to me. ;-)

Next time I'll be more careful with the lines - no dozing off as I'm trying to finish up...

I have a new Zoya color I want to try next week...sort of a gray with bronze mica, if I recall correctly. Until then, happy polishing!

Pink Screening

2011-07-12T23:38:00.000-06:00

I had a semi-crisis with this week's manicure, my fault, I think due to storing my water decals in the bathroom. I'm also kind of bummed that this polish was nearly impossible to photograph properly, because in reality, it's just gorgeous and light and perfect for summer. You can sort of get the idea here though.

This week's polish is "Silver Screened", generously provided to me by The Painted Nail and The Nail Files. It's a gorgeous sheer pink with silver micro-glitter in it that gives it a fabulous wet look all the time. I started with three coats over 1 coat of Seche Vite base..as you can sort of see, it's still sheer even after three coats:

Then I took the water decals I'd already cut apart, and put water on the back of the one I wanted for my thumb.

Let it sit for ten seconds or so, then it's supposed to slide right off. This one didn't, so I put a couple more drops of water on the back, and waited again. When I tried to slide it off, the decal tore.

I think these are ruined because I stored them in our bathroom. Every morning there's a lot of steam and humidity, and I can see where these might have hydrated, then fused to the paper. It's too bad, because I really like these decals, but lesson learned.

So I looked around my nail tray and found some flower stickers that matched my polish:

I stuck a few flowers on three fingers of each hand, and sealed the whole thing with two coats of top coat.

Then cleaned up this morning in the shower, and voila!

I may try to get more photos of these in the daytime if I can remember...the polish really is quite remarkable, and if I do get more pictures, I'll post them on my facebook page.

Next week...hmm... I haven't decided just yet. I have a few new Avon polishes, and one more Painted Nail polish, so we'll see. Until then, happy polishing!

Stars 'n Stripes 2011

2011-07-05T09:00:00.002-06:00

I know I said I'd do video...but I what can I say? I was catching up on The Bachelorette while I did these (it's my husband's fault I got hooked - he went out with the guys one Sat. night, and it was on, and I just kept watching...yeah. Annoying, I know. But I digress...).

Anyways...I used my favorite Seche Vite base/top coat, along with Sparkly Nails red striper, Avon's "Splendid Blue" and Pure Ice "Platinum". I really waffled with whether to use the stars or not, because if those little points don't get pushed into the polish pretty well and coated heavily with topcoat, they can be uncomfortable to work around. Dangerous even. In the end, it just didn't look right without them, as you can see.

I started with two coats of Pure Ice "Platinum", which isn't the right color white, it's too pearly. Pretty, but cheap polish - I'm tossing all of this stuff out, I think, as it bubbled on me too.

I topped that with diagonal stripes with a red striper brush courtesy of Sparkly Nails. They sent this to me quite a while ago, but the polish was still nice and thin, and applied very easily. I was actually very impressed by the quality after so much time has passed. Great red color too.

Then I applied Avon "Splendid Blue" diagonally across the stripes, covering about half the nail. I'll get a video of this technique eventually, but I start with a single line across the center of the nail, and work out to the edge from that. Two coats, to cover all the polish underneath.

I liked the way this looks, but I'm sure you can see why it needed stars or something...the blue is just too overwhelming otherwise. So a thick coat of top coat, then press the little stars in firmly, then two more good coats of top coat to seal.

I cleaned up with an orange stick in the shower (the Pure Ice was hard to get off too), and clipped any errant star corners with a fingernail clipper to ensure the safety of myself and those I might brush against. And voila! A very patriotic manicure, I'd say.

I had a little tip pull - also the Pure Ice, I think, and my neglecting to wrap the polish around the edge.

Hope you had a fabulous holiday - until next week, Happy Polishing!

Malibu Pearls

2011-06-28T09:00:00.003-06:00

The folks at The Painted Nail and The Nail Files were kind enough to send me three bottles of polish to use and review. The polish is made by Nubar, and I have to say, "Malibu Dreams" is probably my favorite hot pink polish ever (and I don't normally care much for hot pink). It has a blueish base, and tons of tiny sparkly glitter that makes it look wet even when dry. Great formula too (as expected from Nubar). So this week I started with two coats of Malibu Dreams (over a coat of Seche Vite base coat):

And then got out my large rhinestones (provided by Born Pretty Store) and pearls for a little "nail-lace" on each (one thick coat of top coat to set them in). The turquoise and pink combo reminded me of someplace warm and sunny and bright like Malibu. I set the big rhinestone first in the center of the nail. Then I placed the little pearls on each side. Super, super easy. If the top coat is wet enough, you can slide the stones around a bit until they're where you want them, so working fast is helpful (but not necessary).

I only did one more thickish coat of top coat (Seche Vite) to seal, because the stones were set pretty well in the first coat. These don't stick up too far, so it shouldn't be an issue. They feel very solid.

Sorry - no video this week. I shot some, but didn't have time to edit it. Next week a Fourth of July design, and I'll have time for video since I have a three-day weekend. :-)

Until then, happy polishing!

Tanzy Citrus & Nail Files

2011-06-21T09:00:00.011-06:00

This week's manicure is a bright summer design - I'm hoping if we celebrate the first day of summer properly, the nice weather will stick around awhile. I even have a video for you, although it's a bit blurry right where it counts (good grief - third time is a charm?). But first, lemme show you the polishes that I received yesterday for review from The Painted Nail via the publicist for Nail Files, a new TV series that starts tonight. They were kind enough to send me a video of the show, and I watched it last night. I thought it was great - it's about a salon owner in Hollywood. Super dramatic, of course, but most reality TV is. In any case, I'll be watching online since it's on the TV Guide channel and I don't have cable. Anyone going to watch with me?

These are the polishes they sent - and the photo does not do these justice. Nubar is the maker, and the colors are just fabulous and sparkly. I'll have a manicure with these for next week.

So...back to the citrus. I started with one coat of Seche Vite base coat, and one coat of Finger Paints "Well-cultured Pearl" to provide an opaque base. Then I layered two coats of Zoya's "Tanzy", which I am completely in love with. It's so sparkly and shimmery - even when it's dry, it looks wet due to all the sparkle. Nail bling!

I set the clay canes in a thickish-coat of Seche Vite top coat, making sure to press the edges down as well as I could. Clay can be kind of rebellious, and tends to curl at the edges sometimes. The nice thing is that even if it sticks up a bit off the nail, the edges are blunt enough on a round cane that they don't get stuck on things often.

Here's the video - apologies for the blur!

And the finished look once more, all cleaned up.

Next week, I've got my sights on that "Malibu Dreams" - the hot pink polish above from The Painted Nail.

Until then, Happy Polishing!

Blue & Pink Swirl – Water Marble

2011-06-14T09:00:00.001-06:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve done water marble art, and unfortunately, you can tell by how it turned out. Not my best work, but we all have flops sometimes, eh? Still, the nice thing about a marble is that people won’t necessarily realize it went wrong. ;-)

There’s a video at the end of the post...I’m afraid I’m still not all that great with the actual recording video part, and it shows, but it’s not too bad for my first try. The only way to get better is to practice, right? Maybe next time I’ll even keep my fingers in the center of the frame...

I used four polishes for this manicure – shown & labeled above. My “Megawatt?!” is really thick, which is why you won’t see it expand as much as the other colors in the video. Other than that, these colors worked really well, and I think they look pretty nice together too.

Before I started, I coated my fingers under the nail to the first knuckle and around the cuticles with petroleum jelly (next time I’ll probably use a thick homemade salve I normally use on my face). This prevents the polish from sticking to the skin – but as you’ll see, I should have gone farther down on my fingers with it...

I started with one coat of Seche Vite base coat, then added two coats of Finger Paints “Well-Cultured Pearl” as the base color.

Then I started dropping polish in my bowl of warm water. I cycled through Misa “Like It Like That”, OPI “A Rose Before Dawn...Broke by Noon”, and OPI “Megawatt?!”. One drop inside the other, as shown.

I didn’t get any good dipping pics, so you’ll have to watch the video for a slightly blurry demonstration of my amateur technique. This is the after-shot for one hand done.

I cleaned off the excess polish by simply wiping away the petroleum jelly with a paper towel (also show in the video), and then used a nail corrector pen (I generally use Avon) to clean up the rest.

And there you have it – a swirly water marble manicure (don’t mind my poor broken nails – ugh). Here's the video:

So what’s on your nails this week? And what kind of tips on water marbling do you have for me? I think I need to watch more of Colette’s videos...

Current Mani & Latest Haul

2011-06-08T00:23:00.000-06:00

It's 11:59pm, so I won't get this up before Weds, but hey, I tried. When I started to get pictures off my camera, I noticed that I had a few tutorial sets that I haven't posted here yet. So I'll set those up to post for the next couple of weeks. For tonight - this week's manicure and my super-awesome haul from Nubar, plus a smaller one from Head 2 Toe Beauty. Because I am *constantly* running out of top coat...

Actually, I guess the haul pics first, because I used the new polishes for this week's manicure. So here it is:

Those two tall bottles in the back are Seche Vite base and top coat - 4oz each. You can order the professional kits that include the big bottle, a regular .5oz bottle and a handy pouring lid from Head 2 Toe Beauty, and if you go through top coat like I do, it's a much better deal than buying a normal bottle every few weeks.

I also got the two Misa polishes from there (the two square bottles), unfortunately you can't see the color well here. One is a dark bronze and the other a deep teal green - "Like it Like That" and "When U Say My Name", respectively. I forgot to set them out, but I got two of the China Glaze crack polishes as well - "Crushed Candy" (teal) and "Cracked Concrete" (gray). Finally I also got a couple bottles of China Glaze Matte Magic top coat - my go-to solution for making matte polish last (and matting other polish as well).

The two tiny bottles are a blue and blue glitter I picked up at Sally Beauty Supply the other day. And then there's my Nubar haul...

I went a little nuts with the duochromes, but I don't regret it one bit. The odd polishes out were Midnight Matte Finish, a dark charcoal matte you'll see below; and Nubar 2010, which I've been dying to get for ages. Duochromes above are: Purple Beach, Iris Dust, Reclaim, and Wildlife.

Whew! I have an order with Zoya that should be here any day now...

So for this week's manicure, I did one coat of base coat (Seche), then two coats of Nubar Midnight Matte to start. I brushed on one coat of Nubar 2010, which is clear with foil flecks (should have taken a pic before I matted it down again).

Then I used the China Glaze Matte Magic to seal and matte down the whole thing again. My pictures don't do it justice at all - it looks like granite with little flecks of green/pink/gold running through it. I really love the way it turned out...a very distinctive look.

Obviously I need to brush up on my photography skills...and you'll note that I have a broken-off nail on each hand. *sigh*

So now that I have new polish, I was thinking maybe I should clean out my polish drawer...or at least organize it a little:

What, you don't keep your polish in the fridge? Weird. ;-)

Regardless, it's a mess. And a daunting one at that. Maybe another day...

Bad Nail Blogger - No Polish?!

2011-06-07T21:20:00.000-06:00

For anyone who's still around...I've been a horrible nail blogger. I've been working far too hard on this writing gig lately, and while I've been doing my nails, I haven't been sharing. But I have been looking at all *your* blogs in my reader, and really enjoying everyone's fun, funky, and amazing nail art. You're all so talented!

So...I'm determined to kick off the cobwebs and get this place going again. Later tonight, I'll post a few pics of designs I've done since March (has it been that long? How embarrassing!), and the polish stash I just bought.

Then next week, I'll have a new tutorial to post...maybe even video if I can get the camera focused (maybe I can use the web cam...what you those of you who do video use?).

It's occurred to me that my design is out of date too....so might do something about that this week too. Hmmm...

I've been thinking about writing some stories centered around nail polish/nail art stuff. I write romantic suspense, erotica and thrillers. So maybe in a few weeks we'll have a story contest - those of you still hanging out can help me build an idea, if you're up for it.

In any case, for those of you who haven't deleted me...thanks for sticking around. I'll do my best to make it worth your while. :-)

Wearing O'The Green

2011-03-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

It's still Tuesday here. ;-) I'm afraid I don't have a tutorial for you (because I've been a total slacker), but I have three green manicures to share for St. Patrick's Day this week...

All of these designs were done with 1 coat Seche Vite base coat, 2 coats base polish, and the stones set in two coats of Seche Vite top coat. I should buy stock in Seche Vite...

First off, we have my favorite green polish, China Glaze "Emerald Sparkle", tipped with OPI's "Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow" (which looks black, but is really very dark green). I added light green rhinestones to the center for interest. I love this manicure - super simple to do, yet casual/elegant.

Next up, I used a base polish of Rimmel's 60 Second polish in "Camouflage" - a lovely color, but as you can see I had some trouble with tip pull. Gotta remember to wrap the polish at the nail edge, peeps! Then I put a swoop of white diagonally across the nail, and a glittery gold Sinful color as a base for some large and small light green stones. It was really much more subdued than the picture shows - apologies for the flash.

And of course this week, it's back to my favorite Emerald Sparkle, with more of the light green rhinestones arranged into shamrocks on three nails each hand. Aside from my thumb (which I tried to make 4-leaf), they turned out nicely, I think.

Larger rhinestones compliments of the Born Pretty Store, and I purchased the smaller stones from Nail Delights.

Finally, I saw Nail Art Tuesday mentioned in a blog round-up recently, but I can't find the post again. :-( Whoever you are, thanks so much for the mention! I appreciate it. :-)

Next week, back to tutorials. Until then, Happy Polishing - and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dang Cold/Flu...

2011-02-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

I was all excited to post a new manicure this week...and my husband brought home some sort of crud from the office. Needless to say, I still haven't gotten my nails done this week (and it's driving me nuts, because the polish is chipped and they need TLC).

In any case, just as soon as I can get them done, I'll post. Meanwhile, what's on your nails this week?

Nail Love

2011-02-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hello there, neglected little nail art blog. Did you miss me? I've been doing my nails, but most of January was spent getting my latest book, Desert Heat up for sale, and writing up a storm on new books. And I'll admit that this month, I've been incredibly lazy about photo editing. But no more!

To get back into things, a simple Valentine's Day manicure...

I started with a base of Avon's "Pink Radiance", just 2 coats over Seche Vite base coat.

Then I used my handy-dandy dotting tool from Born Pretty Store to dot a big heart on each nail in white.

And that's it - two coats of Seche Vite top coat, and clean up. Unfortunately I've got a little tip-pull going on, but it's my own fault for not doing the undersides of my nails. Voila! Simple, casual Valentine's Day nails.

Until next week (no, really!), happy polishing...