LDTTWC Day 8 - Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

Hello polished prisoners,

It's the end of my first nail art challenge!  How bittersweet; bitter because  this really pushed me in a lot of ways to try new things and ideas and sweet in all honesty it's hard to keep to a schedule of nail art while staying true to your personal aesthetic even for a pace as lenient as then one has been but hey maybe that's just me ;) The last and final challenge today was to recreate another participants nail art that you loved.  There has been one that has been sticking in my "craw" since I saw it.  A mani inspired by one of my all time favorite movies in the world Gone with the Wind created by Nail Polish Creations.  Absolutely stunning you must check out the link.  I tried my best to recreate it but I admit the silhouettes of Scarlet and Rhett almost killed me hehe.  I have a long way to go with my freehand, but you all know I love anything with a gradient :)

Mani-louge

Gradient: Sally Hansen Crushed, OPI Pink Flamenco and China Glaze Happy-Go-Lucky

Detailing: Cm Nail Art Brush in Black

Another color-true shot halfway through the nail art. 

So thoughts?  I'm in love with the gradient and the trees!  I'm so glad I chose this manicure even thought it was tough for me!   I'm gonna miss the focus this challenge brought me but I have some great plans and posts ahead for Halloween so stay tuned! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next post! Toodles...

LDTTWC Day 7 - You're Timeless To Me...

Hello polished prisoners,

Just one more post to go before the end of this challenge.  I'm so shocked I had the stamina to make it!  I apologize for the radio silence over the weekend.  I've been sick with a cold that sort of snuck up on me then laid me flat on my back for most of the weekend - eep!  I feel like my sinuses never felt so pressurized :/  In any case here I am with today's theme and  it might be my favorite by far - creating a manicure around something in style back in the day and today as well.  Oh my the possibilities were endless.  However ultimately I chose something that never goes out of style and that is glamor darlings!  Whether you are Marylin Monroe, Michelle Obama,  or Lana Del Ray glamor is a lady's arsenal for life.  She wraps herself up in it and then approaches the world fiercely armed and ready for battle.  I think we could all do with a bit more of the stuff eh?

Mani-louge

Base Colors: OPI DS Coronation & Orly Liquid Vinyl

Accents: Kiss Nail Art in Silver Glitter, rhinestones 3-2mm various colors, 2mm pearls, fimo, silver beads

We have had no sun at all this week and it does a diservice to OPI DS Coronation which is a silver based linear holo.  It's my first time taking it for a spin and boy is it gorgeous!  I mean really freaking blingy all by its lonesome.

So here we are coming down to the last post in the challenge and I hoped you liked this one.  Whenever I do a mani this bling I always here Marylin belting out this tune, "A kiss on the hand may be quite continental but diamonds are a girl's best friend." Lol!  Well I certainly don't take quite that mercenary stance but I do love a good blingy manicure now and again ;)  Thanks for reading and see you next post!  Toodles...

LDTTWC Day 6: They Sure Don't Make Them Like They Used To...

Hey polished prisoners,

Here we are at the near finish line of the LDTTW nail art challenge and I have to say one of my favorite mani's for this challenge thus far!   The theme of today's post was to create nail art inspired by a classic childhood game or toy i.e. they don't make them like they used to.  I had so many ideas for this one because I was definitely something of a game fanatic when I was a kid.  However one thing that has somehow stood the test of time was my love of video games.  I still own several systems as well as plya and I'm still obsessed with the Final Fantasy franchise. Until the day I die I will love FFVII and Cloud Strife, but my favorite system and game that started the obsession is Nintendo's Super Mario Bros.  I played this game until my fingers bled lol!  Yeah I'm that girl ;)

Mani-louge

Polishes: OPI Red & Alpine Snow , China Glaze Starboard, Orly Snowcone, L'Oreal Perfect Trench, No Name Yellow Nail Art Pen, Cm Nail Art Striper in Black

This is so cute!  But my poor nubin....

The  nails with the M and L are based on the caps that Mario and Luigi wear, the star is self explanatory, my pinkie, recently nubinized, is based on the mushroom cap and my thumb is the mystery box that you bop to find out what's inside.

Okay isn't this totally cute?  This is the type of mani where everything I did was so simple, but somehow came out looking just the way I imagined it.  I really enjoyed creating this one and I hope you liked it too!  We're winding down on this challenge with just two more posts to go.  It went faster than I thought it would :)  Thanks for reading and I'll see you next post!  Toodles...

LDTTWC Day 5: We Can Do It!

Hey polished prisoners,

Happy Monday and October!  I'm hoping this post comes out well as I'm trying it from my new blogger app as my electricity is off in my apartment! These days it really feels as if I'm living under a dark cloud of apartment disasters.

Ok so today's art is all about a woman in history that inspires me. Well there are a lot but one lady always puts me in a great mood - Ms. Nina Simone. She was a classical pianist, an Aftican American activist, and one of the best damn jazz singers I've ever heard! I admire her a great deal and I was devastated by her passing in 2003. So this mani is most assuredly dedicated to her honor.

Mani-louge

Base color: L'Oreal Notting Hill Nlues and OPI Alpine Snow

Gradient: Orly Stone Cold

Stamping Polishes: Konad Special Polish in Light Blue, China Glaze Millennium and Passion

Script: Kiss Nail Art in Silver Glitter

Stamping plates: MJ Medium Plate and Dashica SdP

Can you see Nina's name? Honestly I need to update this because I realized I can't put the HTML code in with this app. Sheez! Well I hope you like what you've seen thus far. Stay tuned for my next post and thanks for reading! Toodles...

LDTTWC Day 4: Lights, Camera, Action

Hey polished prisoners,

Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Put 'em together and what have you got
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
It'll do magic believe it or not
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo

My guess is based on the title of this post and that little snippet of a classic Disney movie you can see where I'm heading yes?  Welcome to Day 4 of the Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge devoted to all things nostalgic!  And what could possibly be as nostalgic and as quintessential to my days of youth as Disney movies?  Well excepting She-ra, Playstation, and R.L. Stine not much!  My god how I have dreamed and dreamed and fantasized about that glass slipper, the clandestine dance in the garden by the fountain, and the final strike of the clock at midnight.  As the glimmering shoe was left behind my soul filled with anguish.  "Not the glass slipper!", is what I always thought.  Cinderella was irresponsible! A crowbar couldn't have pried those things off my feet!!!  Note how I never mention the castle, the mice, the fairy godmother, or prince charming himself? That's because they were all incidentals.  I wanted those freaking shoes! Alright enough ranting and onto the art...

These really need to be seen in natural like to show the holographic sparkle of INM Northern Lights.  I'll try and update tomorrow with a few more pics when the sun is up!

Inspiration for these nails was of course the clock with it's hands at midnight, the glittering and awe inspiring pumpkin-turned-coach, and the swirls of magic dancing about Cinderella as she received her glass slippers oh yeah and the rest but I only care about the slippers.  Initially I did try to create the glass slippers on my nails but it looked crazy no matter which why I did it.  A glass slipper only becomes a shoe when it is bestowed upon the princesses foot.  Until then it's just a pretty piece of clear glass yes?  The color of Essie's Blue Rhapsody to me was a perfect allusion to Miss.  Rella's dress.

Mani-louge

Polishes: Essie Blue Rhapsody, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Freeze!,  LA Colors Gold Glitter, Color Club Jingle Jangle, Sinful Colors Cinderella, Konad Special Polish in White, Essie Head Mistress, Yellow No Name Striper, Cm Nail Art in Black

Stamping Plate: T38 (chez delaney)

So here we are having taken another trip down the twisty and insane path that is my nostalgia.  Oh and just in case you didn't know it Disney is celebrating there Blue Ray release of Cinderella this year in an all out fashion including, gasp, twenty pair of limited edition Christian Louboutin swarovski encrusted butterfly adorned shoes inspired by the glass slipper themselves.  And I will leave you with this picture to drool away over!

Source

Right now I'm cursing my fate that I'm neither Dita Von Tease or Mariah Carey who were already slotted to own one of the twenty coveted pair.  Alas to be a commoner and poor just like Cinderella.  Lol!

LDTTWC Day 3: I Remember When

Hey polished prisoners,

Happy Sunday - woot!  Let me come down from my cloud of mania to say the week went by incredibly fast.   Suddenly, it's the weekend and I'm in the midst of scooting to catch up with my challenge posts.  Maybe this happened because I was also doing mani's for other things this week plus my phone when kaput yesterday so I was dealing with that all day :(  So here I am at day 3 trying to remember when.  I choose not to do a "major event" because I'm young enough to not have hit things like the moon landing etc but old enough to recall major catastrophes like Columbine and 9/11. And while honestly my life is certainly no bundle of rainbows and puppy dog tails, especially these last few years, I want my challenge mani's to reflect the positive aspects of my life and history.  Like my trip to the Land of Oz otherwise known as Australia.  One of the things I loved the most about the land of Oz had to be the artwork of the indigenous aboriginals especially their dot art.  I used it to inspire my own dotty mani...

My nails are starting to become like claws lol! Yes sweet length :)

Mani-logue

Trigger Fimger: Base: OPI Who The Shrek Are You?; Dots: OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Going Green, Orly Goth

Baddie Finger: Base: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away!; Dots: Essie Sweet Talker 

Shackled Finger: Base: OPI Pink Flamingo; Dots: Essie French Affair

Length Challenged Finger: Base: China Glaze Happy-Go-Lucky Dots: Spoiled Designated Driver

Ape versus Man Finger: Base: OPI Funky Dunky; Dots: Sally Hansen X-treme Wear Violet Voltage &  Essie Liliacism

Source: Aboriginalart.com

Well because one of my majors in college was anthropology when I was living in Australia I made it my mission to learn more about the aboriginal tribes, the over 200 dialects they spoke, most of which are lost now, and their history.  Really the way they passed down stories and history through their art and music is amazing!

Even though this is only a slight nod to the dot artwork you can expect to see more of it at some point.   I really enjoyed putting this one together it's vibrant and totally me! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my Sunday stamping post! Toodles...

LDTTWC Day 2 - It's Vintage Darling!

Hey polished prisoners,

This was supposed to go up this weekend, but things happened.  Alas here we are now! I realized that I neglected to describe what this challenge is all about so let me rectify that now.  The Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge is sponsored by Neverland Nail Blog in conjunction with Nail Polish Canada, and is dedicated to a love of all things nostalgic.  There are two challenges per week for 4 weeks going according to Lindsey's schedule, and it's pretty much a my pace kinda challenge as long as I get the posts up within a week of Lindsey's.  It's pretty chill so I feel I can manage this one better than something as demanding at the 31 day nail art challenge.  Now today's theme is all about using something vintage as inspiration for a mani.  Whenever I think of vintage one thing pop's into my head - jewelry.  Yup!  I love vintage jewelry particularly things from the Victorian mourning period and Art deco pieces, but one of my favorite pieces has to be a vintage owl brooch that my grandmother owns.  I used it as inspiration for this challenge.

Mani-louge

Base: Revlon Quick Dry Base (I'm not loving this at all)

Top-Coat: IMN Out the Door (also still not loving this one either)

Base Color: Butter London Trustafarian

Owl Detailing: Nail Art Pen and Brush (no name), Cm Nail Art Brush in Black, Orly Liquid Vinyl, Dandy Nails Look Around, 2mm rhinestones in various colors, and 3mm black pearls

Indoors- shimmer shimmer.

Did you know I could freehand?  Lol it's been a minute since I've done it and I'm rusty.  I definitely want to gain more skills so I'm thinking of freehanding from now on at least once a week to improve myself.  Freehand Fridays????? Well in any case this is another challenge that almost killed me.  My perfectionistic tendencies and type A personality were out in full force - cringe.

I love the bejewled owl the most and the owl on my index finger the most.  So here we are day 2 coming to belated finish.  Stay tuned for the next one which should be out quicker!  Thanks for reading and toodles...

Let's Do The Time Warp Challenge - Day 1

Hey polished prisoners,

I'm excited to share my nail art from my first challenge ever with you guys! I have really hesitated in signing up for challenges because of the time commitment and my own stamina issues, but I felt like this one set up by Neverland Nail Blog was infinitely do-able oh say compared to something like the 31 Day Nail Art challenge.  The theme for day one is - I Should Have Been Born In.  Basically you pick an era and make the magic happen.  There are many era's I love however I will say as a black woman there are just some points in history that I'm grateful I didn't live through while there are others that I wish I'd seen up close and personal.  One of them is the 70's! Yes when totally groovy afro's abounded, bell-bottoms were all the rage, and Scooby-Doo took the world by storm.  Ah yes I love the 70's!

Peace, love and hairgrease ;)

Mani-louge

Water Marble: OPI Elephantastic Pink, Red, Lemonade Stand By Your Man, Org-re The Top Blue, and Funky Dunky, Sally Hansen Going Green

Stamping polish: Konad Special Polish in Black Pearl

Stamping plates: BM07 & BM09

There are a lot of ways to interpret the 70's but water marble seems the most approriate somehow.  That pyschiadelic feeling from the wave of psychotrophic drugs that was abundant during that time feels the most rich.  There were also a lot of bold and hideous patterns! Lol!

I honestly enjoyed this theme so much I want do more takes on it! I had a lot of ideas, but I didn't want to do an overwhelming mani where you didn't know where to look first so I even kept the stamping relatively simple.

People kept grabbing my hand today to look at this manicure.  This was probably my most successful marbling yet!

You may have noticed the water marble is different from the final product if you read my instagram or take a good look at the pictures.  It's because when I was adding the stamping I had a small mishap and had to redo the marble on my index finger.

You can see the shimmer of Lemonade Stand in the setting sun...

So what's the verdict? Groovy and gravy or reeking of the establishment?  Hahaha.  Please check out the other designs and their themes below.  Thanks for reading and I'll have the next entry up on Saturday.