Essie Sand Tropez: Nude Nails 5 Ways or Nude Skittles feat Vivid Lacquer Plates

Hey polished prisoners,

It's that time again when I start falling back in love with nude polish!  I never really fell out of love with nude polish.  I own so many it's a mess, but this is also true of my love of nude lipsticks.  Nudes are versatile and when they are well done they can be subtle or in your face.  They are my go to color range for interviews or hiding my love of nails in plain sight.  I'm just gaga over nudes.  If you are a long time follower of my blog you'll know Essie Sand Tropez is my go to creme nude.   I'm using it today  create a little nude mani after being inspired by a post I saw on instagram.

Mani-louge

Basecoat/Top Coat:  CND Stickey & Sally Hanson Diamond Flash

Basecolor:  Essie Sand Tropez & Black Liquorice

Stamping Polish: Konad Special Polish in Black

Stamping Plates: Vivid Lacquer VL005, VL009, & VL0010

Accents:  Pueen Gold Round Studs & LA Splash Striper in Gold Glitter, Gold Flakies

I don't really have a hell of a lot to say about the results here other than why didn't I do this sooner?  No matter which design I picked from the whole to propagate over an entire mani it would work and look pretty.  I freehanded the cheetah print nail which is probably the one nail I'm a bit unsatisfied with.  For my index finger I chose to place random pieces of gold flakies I have lying around over Sand Tropez and then stamped over the finished product.  This nail is one of my favorites.  The graphic triangle is the result of a scotch tape mani.  Somehow there is a a lot of technique happening, but the results work well together because of the joined color scheme.  Pulling out the images across my Vivid Lacquer plates was easy.  Once again these plates are so awesome!  And again Anni's plates make me happy to be a stamper!

What do you think? I'll bet you never thought black and nude could be so bold!  I am so happy with how this came out I can't stop smiling.  I think this is totally inappropriate for a sedate day at work in a conservative office, but come on this is Lacquer Lockdown and I don't generally do mani's like that though if there is an interest I certainly could.  Do let me know if so.  Otherwise thanks for dropping by to read and I'll see you next post!

Spring Sprung Chevrons feat L'Oreal The Palace Life & Powder Puff

Hey polished ladies!

Hope everyone had a good week.  Mine was laced with frustration of one kind or another ah but I survived so there's that!  I decided to try out the monthly nail art Instagram challenge again.  Lol February was an an unsuccessful venture as I did about 3 of the 15-20 challenges.  I still need to share them here too.  I'll post the challenges below so you can see what's coming up.  This one for the 1st is already late but who cares when it's so pretty!  Anyhoo I'm using some polish selections from L'Oreal's Limited Edition Versailles Romance Spring 2013 Collection.  I chose The Palace Life, a soft pink girly shade and Powder Puffs a very creamy yellow with a bit of pearl sheen in the base which is very difficult to discern.  I have to say this collection is quite pretty.  The colors are all very girly, light, and fluffy.  In short perfect for spring!

Mani-louge

Base/Topcoat: CND Stickey and Poshe Fast Drying Top Coat

Base colors: L'Oreal The Palace Life & Powder Puffs

Chevron Colors:  Orly Luxe and Kiss Nail Art Striper in Dark Purple

So thoughts?  It's pretty straightforward and simple, but I think a good way to start off the challenge.  I freehanded this creation since I want to start doing more freehand for sure.  I love my stamping and will never give it up but sometimes its nice to get a feel for my ability to draw outside the lines as well if you know what I mean ;) and I think you do! Anyhoo this is my 100th post! Woot somehow I've been steadily plodding along in my own pace but I'd like to thank all my readers for coming along!  I'll see you next post and toodles...

Stormy Weather

Hello polished prisoners,

Happy Monday my lovely ladies!  I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays. I am but I also have quite a bit of work coming up so things are gonna be hectic.  Well it is the holidays so I expect that.  In any event did you know a storm is coming?  Lightening strikes, moonlit sprinkles, and sunshowers ahead so beware and tuck all friable parts out of sight!

Mani-louge

Base: China Glaze Pelican Gray & Sinful Colors Cinderella

Sponging: OPI I Have A Herring Problem, Sinful Colors In the Mist, Darling Diva Polish Space Beetle, China Glaze Haunting, and Wet N' Wild Black Creme; Barielle Slate of Affairs, and Zoya Feifei

Stamping polishes: Konad Special Polish in Yellow, White, and Pastel Blue, China Glaze Millenium

Stamping Plates: Konad UK Charming Nails Plate Q1, Konad M79, Bunny Nails BuNa 01, BM01, and SH08

One of my favorite instagramers Storms and Stars was having a little contest with the theme storms and stars ;)  Initially, I had so many ideas but I loved the concept of starry showers and lightening the most and decided to go with that theme.  This one was actually another mani that was quite a bit of work but for several reasons including base complexity, stamp placement, and overall effect.  I've been told now for the umteenth time that I'm OCD and today I'd finally have to agree.  I will admit I couldn't settle well on this one and it took me a while to figure out what I wanted, but I love the final picture.

What do you ladies think?  One thing that bugged me is that I realized I don't have any plates with an image of the sun except for my BM01 plate and I have a lot of plates!  I would think the sun would be a common kind of image to put on a plate but for some reason it's not prevalent at least not in my collection.  Maybe I should buy more plates ;) ;)  Lol trust me when I say that's not it at all!  I already have too many and more coming.  I need to finish my stamping catalog one of these days and get that page up so you all can check it out.  In any event thank you so much for reading stay tuned for more fun!  Toodles...

Halloween 2012: Ghoulish Glam

Happy Saturday polished prisoners,


This week has been a mother...ah let's just leave it there.  Suffice to say I'm so thankful it's the weekend as I'm exhausted and I get a one day reprieve from the shade of it all ;) Man oh man I have been so psyched up for the manicure I'm about to show you since I saw the announcement for the Bundle Monster Fright Night Competition!  I literally thought I have to do something that leaves me gagging (um in delight not because it's gross I don't do gross...) - lol.  You can vote for my entry HERE.  Oh my a shameless plug but I do need your votes to win! In any case this was such a labor of love and evolved so slowly every nail took me forever, but it was worth it.  Now onto the art...

Mani-louge

Thumb: Base: Orly Liquid Vinyl stamped with Konad Special Polish in Light Green, Light Purple and Purple

Index: Base: OPI What's With The Catittude? sponged with Orly Velvet Rope and Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl and Orly Liquid Vinyl, freehand accents: Cm Nail Art Brush in Black stamped with China Glaze Millennium

Middle: Base: INM Northern Lights in Gold with OPI I Have A Herring Problem sponged with Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl and Orly Liquid Vinyl; Floral vines: Cm Nail Art Brush in Black and stamped with Konad Special Polish in Black.  Rhinestones: 1-3mm rhinestones in various colors

Ring: Base: Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy; Gradient: Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl and Orly Liquid Vinyl; Stamped: Konad Special Polish in Yellow and White; Accents (dots): Essie Blanc

Pinkie: Base: Essie Navigate Her sponged with China Glaze Near Dark and Orly It's Not Rocket Science and Liquid Vinyl; Freehand accents: Cm Nail Art Brush in Black stamped with freehand accents: Cm Nail Art Brush in Black stamped with Konad Special Polish in White

Stamping Plates: BM14, BM211, BM223, and BM305 

That mani-louge is something else right?  So many polishes and plates and tiny detail work.  I can't remember the last time or if I have ever done such a complicated mani before.  Every single nail was thought out and thought out again.  I wanted to create something pretty and a little spooky and of course extremely unique.  I couldn't even figure out the colorway for this mani which I usually always do before I start.  I just made it up as I went along which I have to say at least to me is so much harder to do.

Notice how I "snuck" some bling into this jazz hehe!

So what do you think? Once again if you like it please vote for me over on the Bundle Monster Facebook page under the Fright Night Contest here.  I'm pretty happy with the results though in all honesty I doubt I'll do a tutorial for this manicure as it'd be over 30mins long even condensed down :/  Totally worth it though since I cannot stop staring at my nails! How am I ever going to be able to take this off?  In any case thanks for reading and I'll see you next post! Toodles...

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 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...

Cooler Than Me?!?

Hey polished prisoners,

I used up all of my tricks.  I hope you like this, but you probably won't because you think you're cooler than me ;) Nah...who's cooler than me?!? Lol,  but seriously I do hope you like this.  This is my entry for Chalkboard Nails Cool or Warm Nail Art Contest.  Essentially the task was to create a mani around either warm colors - red, orange yellow, or pink or cool colors - blue, purple, teal, and green.  Talk about tough!  I pretty much love all of these colors so it was hard to pick a concept initially.  Anyway this mani's got a lot of me in it.  The lusciousness of purples mixed with the provocative allure of bling.  Yup you should have know it wouldn't be too long before bling started making a re-appearance around these parts. So I really do hope you like it...

Mani-louge

Base: Revlon Quick Dry

Base Color + Accents: Essie Liliacism, Elixir Lacquer's Bad Kitty, Cm Nail Art Sky Blue & Blac

Dots: OPI Alpine Snow

So What do you think? I feel like I could have done something far more complicated or outrageous but I don't know honestly I wanted a marriage of colors that played well together and ultimately that's what I think I got.   I'm really cutting it close to the deadline on this one! Lol what here is different from usual?   In any event wish me luck and thanks for reading, and I'll see you next 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...

Toxic Rain - On Sundays I Stamp!

Hey polished prisoners,

It has been too long! Let me apologize for my absence it's been a flurry of activity recently that has left me exhausted and uninspired of late.  Also for some reason I have had fail after fail recently.  Every time I went to polish my nails they ended up smudged or ruined in a way that I couldn't even start the nail art.  It actually happened this time too but I decided to persevere.  Finally I smashed my ultra large bottle of CND Stickey - the base coat I live by.  Horrible!  I'm hoping with this post my string of bad luck ends.  So here we go!

The theme for Adventures in Stamping this week was toxic or poisonous.  How deliciously appropo with Halloween around the corner.  I've actually done a toxic mani before which you can check out here, and it was somewhat the basis for this mani.  I wanted to create acid rain, chemical bubbles, and nasty neon drips lol! This sounds so gross when I read it aloud, but I think I accomplished what I set out to create.

Mani-louge

Base: Revlon Posh

Freehand Drips & Dots: CM Nail Art Striper in Hot Yellow

Stamping polishes: Revlon Posh and Konad Special Polish in Yellow

Stamping plates: Konad M13 and Shany SH23

So what do you think? Welp it feels a little spooky and evil but I like it!  Somehow it appears my AIS posts always save me when I'm in a rut.  Thank goodness for that and thanks for reading! I'll see you next post.  Toodles!

Blowing In The Wind: Dandelions feat Dandy Nails Eager Eyes

Hey polished prisoners,

I've got something a little magical for you today.  If you follow my instagram you know I recently picked up the four blue polishes Sandy of Dandy Nails recently released for the summer.  One of them called Eager Eyes is a beautiful medium blue scattered holo.  It's nail polish crack in a bottle! Yeah - that good, but then if you saw my Look Around post you'd know already I love Dandy Nails polishes.   I knew this polish would be the perfect base for a very simple but very pretty nail art idea that recently inspired me.  I saw this dandelion post on BeePolished and I knew I had to try my hand at it.  Here's the result...

The signature Lockdown greenery shot ;)

Mani-louge

Base color: Dandy Nails Eager Eyes

Flowers: Kiss Nail Art Striper in Black and White & No Name in Silver

I'm particularly pleased with this because I feel like the nail art is actually in motion i.e. I can sort of see the little seedlings blowing.  Here's a look at Eager Eyes, 2-3 coats, before I arted it up outdoors and indoors respectively.

The formula on this one was smooth and effortless.  Damn I love an effortless polish kwim? In terms of formula Dandy Nails has one of the best out there!

Look at all that yummy holographic.  Ugh love love love....

So thoughts - simple, but pretty right?  You guys know I'm always pulling out new polishes but you would be so proud of me.  I haven't done any buying at all in the last three weeks and trust me that is no mean feat darlings.  I'm trying to get through some of my well over 100 untrieds and conserve funds for upcoming collections.  Although as always it's very difficult for me to hold back with so many amazing things i.e. plates, polishes, etc coming out every day.  Let me tell you September and October are gonna be a hot mess! I love Halloween and fall so I'm fully prepared to get busy! Thanks for reading and see you next post! Toodles...

Out To Lunch - Hello Kitty Style Nail Art

Hey polished prisoners,

Today I have a little mani inspired by a Hello Kitty lunch tin that was given to me by my mother.  Yup! I'm way too old to have things like this, but I use it for storage so that's my excuse.  The truth is I feel like girls are never too old to be girls and things like Hello Kitty are timeless like Barbie who btw I also love. In any event yesterday I was looking at the tin and then I thought wouldn't this be so cute on my nails.  The rest as they say is history...

Mani-louge

Base color: China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Paint drips/fenches: Orly Passion Fruit

Birds/Outlines/Clouds: Orly Liquid Vinyl, OPI Alpine Snow

Duckie: China Glaze Happy Go Lucky
Hello Kitty/Heart : Fauxnad plate KD1

The lunch tin that inspired the mani - way too cute right?

cG Flip Flop Fantasy is so neon my camera freaked out trying to capture it. This is dead on to the color IRL.

I love creating drip manicures - they are so easy and somehow come off looking harder to create than they actually are.  I need to do more of these in the future yes?

I'm definitely not 100% satisfied with my execution.  I need to keep working on my freehanding, but I do think the end result is pretty adorable.  I'm having a lot of fun these days doing silly but cute nail art.  I guess this is also due to cutting down my nails because when my nails are longer I do tend toward blingy style/"adult" mani's.  Which do you ladies prefer - my bling or my cute or just whatever goes? I'll see you next post and thanks for reading! Toodles...

Oh You Sweet Tart!

Hiya lacquer ladies,

I've got a sweet treat lined up today for you today! So sugary you might get cavities so schedule your dental exams in advance.  I decided to do something cutesy and went for hearts, lavender and all things tart.  Sometimes a girl just wanted to feel well girly and this is my manicure equivalent to a tub of Ben & Jerry's (wink wink).

This is just so cute!

I painted my thumb, index, and ring fingers with Essie's To Buy or Not to Buy as a base color.  I love TBONTB.  It's an adorable creme lavender without any true blue undertones with a subtle amount of blue and purple microshimmer.  Yum!  I did a simple freehand crosshatch on top and then painted  hearts in pink acrylic paint and finally applied clear rhinestones.

I was able to capture the true color of my nails on this shot. Cute right?

My accent nails are painted with Pretty & Polished Tart.  Tart is DENSE! It's a lavender polish chalk full of large and small hexes of pink, blue, red, white, and gold.  It also has a deep purple microshimmer as well.  I used three coats here for opacity.  The formula on this was a dream to apply despite the density.  So dreamy in fact that I need to get a back up to make sure I have more of this to satisfy my constant sweet tooth.  I also decided to try a matte top coat on just for fun!

Look at the intensity of the sparkle in Tart after the matte topcoat! It's even prettier matte than shiny. Check out the hot pink hexagons!

So what do you ladies think? I hope you like it because I had so much fun putting this little look together! I can't wait to try more of my P&P polishes.  If you're interested in Tart or finding any other lovely polishes by the very talented Chelsea check her out her on Etsy or check out her blog. She has some amazing polishes and excellent customer service.  I've ordered from her twice now and it has always been pleasant with lightening speed shipping.

Song Currently Stuck In My Head: My Man (Single) by Billie Holiday. "It cost me lot but there's one thing I got it's my man."  Goodness I love this song!  Old and sultry.  A bad man, a good woman, and driven love.  This type of song is great for smokey Saturday mornings, jumbo, and hard lemonade in the heat.  Anyhoo thanks for reading and see you next post!

The Relevation of Elevation....Polish, That Is

Hey polished prisoners,

Get ready for some serious polish smackdown!  I have been sitting on my Elevation Polish order for a few weeks now.  Mainly because I wasn't sure which to start with first and secondly because I have so many untrieds these days that I need to to try and get through some of them so I seem less insane for acquiring so many polishes at once.  If you haven't heard of Elevation these polishes are amazing! Check them out on I Dig Brown Polish.  The creator Lulu has some of the most coveted polishes in the indie polish sphere.  So of course I couldn't pick one when I set down do do my manicure.  I got the idea for a braided fishtail manicure from Nails Like Lace and then added my own geometric accents. The result was a braided fishtail manicure featuring Owen, Ubsunar, Pata on the Back, and Aurora with Essie's Mojito Madness and Sonoma Nail Art's Russian River Glitter accents.

Bling Bling...gleam!

Now let's talk formula!  Pata On The Back and Ubsunar were 5 star wonders both in density and intensity of formula and ease of application.  This was also true for Essie's Mojito Madness, a lime green cream that was opaque in gasp one freaking coat! Essie has been killing me with their spring and summer collections this year and I am super impressed!  I wanted Owen and Aurora to have the same formula as Pata On the Back and Ubsunar, however maybe it was because of the density of the shimmer, but they were much thicker and a bit more difficult to apply since the polish dried rapidly.  They reminded me a bit of working with crackle polish i.e. the need to be quick and concise, but the simmer in these two made it well worth the effort so 4 out of 5 stars.  As an accent I used Sonoma Nail Art's Russian River, which went beautifully with Mojito Madness, it also gets 5 stars for formula and ease of application.  Finally, I used my LA Colors Nail Art stripper in gold glitter to add a geometric twist. What do you ladies think?

This fishtail took me 3 hours.  I used Color Club Dry Ice to speed the drying process and my beloved Poshe Fast Drying Top Coat.

It was exceedingly difficult to capture the hue of Owen but I finally got it!

All this sparkle makes me happy!

Just seeing what I could do with the Elevations makes me eager to try other combos of the fish tail!

This is probably one of my favorite nail art manicure's to date! It looks so intricate and yet simple simultaneously and trust me that is tough to pull off.  Plus look at all that shimmer from the Elevation Polishes, and the yumminess of Mojito Madness combined with Russian River!  There wasn't one polish I didn't love here!  I cannot wait till the next Elevation restock, but let me give you some good news.  Fingers Polish Mania is doing a giveaway of Elevation's 180 degrees collection - here! Ugh of course I entered since getting my hands on Lulu's amazing polishes is no mean feat, but you should likewise enter too as the colors of this collection are amazing - see them here.  Will you be entering? Do you have any favorites in the collection or must have Elevations? I do - everything lol!  Thanks for reading and toodles!