Blue Skies

I had to give the clouds a try.   Since I am missing sunny skies…. I created my own.  Very cute design.

OPI “What’s With the Cattitude” (Shrek Collection) w/ acrylic paint (white & yellow)

 

#period.

The actual size of my nailbed, I realize, just doesn’t have THAT much space.

I have a difficult time appreciating extensive nail art with 3D ornamentry (lol, I KNOW it’s not a word – yeah, yeah, ornamentation).

Simply because of the limited area on a fingernail, visually digesting a bunch of rhinestones and feathers, numbers and letters, all at once,  is just way too overwhelming for my personal taste…. and thus was born:

the dot

OPI “Black Onyx”

 

lol.

It was such a statement, I just couldn’t add more.  and I love it.

#period

#thatisall

China Glaze –“Turned Up Turquoise” (neon) (matte)

I’m starting to believe that nail polish companies do what they can to keep top coat polish makers in business.  Matte colors should NOT bother me…. but they do.  I like the brilliance and shine on a freshly painted nail.  I attempted to purchase a mattifier top coat… but I couldn’t make myself purchase it.  Maybe one day… *shrugs*. 

…So, I added a brilliant topcoat shine with Seche Vite to this color too….

At any rate…. This China Glaze “Turned Up Turquoise” is beautiful. I think this is supposed to be a “summer color” but why limit yourself?  Life is too short not to have fun…whenever you want!
This color looks so much “greener” to me in real life.  Photos seem to only pick  up the blue.

China Glaze “Turned Up Turquoise” (Neon)
acrylic paint dots….

 

OPI–“You Don’t Know Jacques!”

I love requests for polish….. this one I especially loved.  This was a wonderful impromptu selection…from an incredible “selector.”  The request started as: “a nice warm, autumn-like color, let’s say a gray”…. then the request progressed to a “rich chocolate”.

The result:  better than I could have EVER chosen by myself.  Perfect for the season and the Thanksgiving holiday.

(this one’s for you……)

OPI – “You Don’t Know Jacques!”w/ Sinful Colors – “Timbleberry” flower petals

 

I have SO much to be thankful for! Too many things to count on my happily manicured fingers .

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! 

China Glaze–“Trendsetter”

I needed a cute design to brighten my day because I feel icky.  I think I’m fighting the flu and I am not a happy camper.  Found a video on nail art created with toothpicks….. came home and tried it:

China Glaze “Trendsetter” with acrylic paint flowers nail art

The little flower seems like the highlight, but this China Glaze color, in all it’s drab undertone, has a BEAUTIFUL shimmer.  Little eensy weensy, tiny flecks of gold meandering all through the liquid. 

Burberry

Inspiration.

At the end of the day, that’s what keeps you moving forward.  When you find something that motivates you, you can get it done. You find the energy to give it effort…regardless.

As tired as I was after working a 14.5 hour day at work… Burberry moved me. lol.  And I wanted it on my nails. 

I’d have a huge "Thank You" for whomever wanted to present me with that hot Medium Leather Tote!! (<–link)

Stay Inspired

Base color is OPI Malaysian Mist, white and black lines were created with Color Club Nail Art Lacquer stripers, and the red lines created with MAC Frost Asiatique

Polka Dot “Stripes”

….. I either needed more soothing….
…or maybe I really am just addicted.

Now that my nails are short- I mean, short, short- they are so much FUN! So much fun to change – frequently.  Playing around with my new acrylic paint and dotting tool, I came up with:
FUN!

Playful without being overly distracting.  Designed but not over-cluttered.
And E-A-S-Y as pie.

My tools:
OPI “Black Onyx” in all its sleek beauty
Dotting art tool
white, pink & orange acrylic paint
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

I love this little design.  Makes me smile every time I look down at my hands.  I’m definitely doing more polka dots! soon!
     
Try it, and send me your results.  I would love to see what you come up with!

BFF – Bland for Fran, my bff

More than anything, I know with certainty that my best friend Fran, HATES a neutral color palette for her nails!

So I was searching for a wonderfully bland, neutral, non-stimulating color just for her!  LMAO.
I actually found an absolutely beautifully finished and gracefully delicate and classy color in my Sinful Colors stash. Out of This World (My SDA-friendly polish lovers –>this is definitely one for you)   

 . . . . But then I got distracted, in my normal “polish ADHD” fashion, and had to swagggg that polish out.  I layered a couple of coats of Sinful Colors Queen of Beauty on top. Luv it!  The glitter in this polish has great coverage but the finish is smooth like no glitter exists.  This is good polish right here!

Sinful Colors – Out of This World

(left – Out of This World)                                        (right – w/Queen of Beauty)

    

the results:
     

I like the look of my nails better in everyday life than photos with the bottle of polish.  You can see the detail of the glitter in this pic from my cab ride on the way to work. Almost looks like aluminum foil

My Nail Care

I’ve been often asked what I do to keep my nails nice/healthy.  How do I care for/maintain my nails?
The short answer is:  I polish them.  A lot.

A healthy nailbed is important… and probably good genes.  Prissyness is probably a key quality too.  You have to actually care about your nails.  You pay attention to what you care about.

I do NOT cut or trim my cuticles.  They are there for protection.  It’s important to keep them moisturized and pushed back.  A good time to push them back is right after washing your hands while you’re drying them with a towel.  I use cuticle oil freely.  I DO nip hangnails though!  As immediately as possible.

Filing has been VERY low on my list of nail upkeep activities. Rare buffing to smooth the nail surface before re-polishing.  If my nails are snagging on material or have the slightest jagged edge, I use a fine/medium buffer to smooth it out, but my nails grow better when they are left alone.  So, why should I argue with them. *shrugs*

I like the moisturizing in shea butter and oftentimes regular ol’ petroleum jelly for general hand softening.   And DRINK WATER.  Hydration from the inside out!

My natural nails…. free and unencumbered


What I use abundantly:  
Cuticle Oil, Base coat, Top Coat


Right now my favorite cuticle oil is from Sally Beauty Supply – Beauty Secrets Cuticle Oil.  It smells incredible.  And it works.  Cuticle oil at the end of every manicure…. and any other time I think about using it.

Sally Hansen has some really time-tested products…. they’ve been around forever.  I like "Hard as Wraps" Nail Gel Hardener as a basecoat when my nails have grown out.  It strengthens my nails and gives them extra protection for the "clumsiness" of my person.  I don’t do manual labor or anything…but my everyday wear on my nails can be grueling for a "little ol’ nail".  The added acrylic gel fibers in the product are extremely supportive.

So far, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat is my favorite fast drying topcoat.  It works as promised, and dries any polish color within a minute after application.  Of course, it tells you to wait two minutes before applying it, but still… three minutes for dry polish is a win!  Since I started using this topcoat I haven’t had sheet imprints on nary a nailbed.   This is telling because I’m notorious for the "right before bedtime" manicure.

When my nails are very short, I opt out on basecoat. Once they have any amount of length that I want to retain, I use a strengthening basecoat.

That’s pretty much my entire nail care routine.

…and do everything as daintily as you can…. your nails will love it.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects – “Check it Out”

Sally Hansen hit a homerun with these.  I love them.

What I love most is that this is actually nail lacquer…. in a little strip.  Which means, it comes off with polish remover.  Without the drying time.  Without the bedsheet imprints, lol. And without soaking off nail tips or layers of gel, or super tacky adhesive. No super expensive heat lamps needed.  No licensed nail technician. Or special training.

Relatively easy to apply.  Best to follow instructions exactly as printed.  Definitely do all other eight fingernails first and do the thumbs LAST!  You’ll feel handicapped otherwise.  Your thumbs become an integral part of the process of removing the backing and top sheet from the tapes to apply them to your nailbeds.

The company touts this product as lasting up to TEN days.

I have heard otherwise…. but my experience:  I believe them.

DAY ONE:
























DAY SEVEN:
 

I actually was sick of having the same design on my nails for so long, so I just removed them.  There was nothing wrong with the polish.  I even tried chipping the polish away at my cuticles and everything.  No dice.

I did use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast drying topcoat a while after applying the strips just because I am accustomed to more than one coat of nail polish on my nails.  It gave it more shine, and maybe it helped extend the wear.  Not really sure.

I do believe that chipping has a better chance of occurring when the tips of the nails are used for daily activities as opposed to the pads of the fingertips.  But that’s really a theory since this polish didn’t chip at all on my nails.

The price.  It was about $10 where I purchased mine.  (CVS).  Not too bad, I suppose.