Day Thirteen TDoHNC: Trick or Treat! Give me something good to eat!

It's the last day! Wow, talk about a month flying by. I don't know where October went and this time next week, I'll be in Florida, while Jes holds down the fort up here. Maybe Mojo will blog about hamster things in my absence...lol.

So, today's theme is favorite Halloween treat. I couldn't settle on just one, so I did a smorgasbord on my nails. I had a lot of fun. I used metallics and mattes. Neutrals and neons. I even used shaped tips on two nails and created my own stamp out of a pencil eraser. I threw caution to the wind with this one.

I began with a coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Celeb City- the best silver one coat ever! For my candy corn I used Finger Paints Paper Mache and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow and Sun Kissed. For the button candy, I used Finger Paints Paper Mache ( which I mattified for the paper look), Revlon Posh and the following Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Fuchsia Power, Mellow Yellow and The Real Teal. 

For the snowcaps, I used Sinful Colors in Nirvana ( with a matte top coat) and Stripe Rite in White. The pixi stix were done with Stripe Rite in White, Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Fuchsia Power and Mellow Yellow. Finally, the chocolate bar was done in Sinful Colors in Nirvana ( with a matte top coat). The squares were stamped on with Revlon Graceful and highlighted in Stripe Rite in White.

And there you have it, the Thirteen Days of Halloween is over! I've completed my first challenge! Thanks to all the girls who have participated with me, it was so much fun. I really appreciate the support and feedback. As I said before- let me know when the next challenge starts- lol.
 

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace,Love, & Polish

Jennifer from Little J’s Nail Corner

 

To everyone else, I hope those affected by the Hurricane will recover soon- our thoughts are with you.  

Before I forget- Happy Halloween!

Day Twelve TDoHNC: Sugar Skulls, Spice and Everything Nice...

Here we are at day twelve and today's theme is skeletons. I love all of the la Dia de los Muertos ( Mexican Day of the Dead) imagery especially sugar skulls. I wanted to incorporate some of that feel into my nails today.  

I started by doing a skittle mani using Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Caribbean Coral, Sun Kissed, Mellow Yellow and Fuchsia Power and Revlon Posh.

I then did a coat of Nicole by OPI's Rainbow in the S-Kylie. I finished by adding the detail of bones and floral designs in Stripe Rite in white. The whole mani got topped off with a coat of OPI for Sephora Matte Top Coat.

This totally made me get out my Sugar Skulls jewelry from Tarina Tarantino. ( Love, love, love her stuff!) Our challenge is almost over but remember to check out all the coolness on the other ladies' blogs- always sure to impress!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace,Love, & Polish

Jennifer from LittleJ’s Nail Corner

 

Our conclusion, day thirteen...fave Halloween treats!

Day Eleven TDoHNC: Once in a (Full) Blue Moon

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Welcome to the final week of the Thirteen Days of Halloween Nail Art Challenge- this month has flown by! Day eleven brings us to the Full Moon. I love Fall nights, the air is so crisp and you can always seem to catch a whiff of someone’s fireplace. I truly think that this is the best part of the year in New England.

I think this mani captured some of the mystery of the Fall night. I started with a base of Revlon Fashionista (btw… this color is amazing with a matte top coat).

I dabbed on Finger Paints Paper Mache and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Wet Cement to create the clouds and give them some depth. The moon was done using the same two colors. I then added some straight-up-no-name-Halloween-pumpkin-shaped-glow-in-the-dark polish on the moon (it’s as crapperific as it sounds). I thought I could take a pick with the moon glowing- it was a bit of an epic fail. 

I think this is one of the more painterly manis that I have done thus far- call it a tribute to all of Kelly’s sweet atmospheric nail effects so far. Speaking of, go on and check out the other ladies- they never fail to amaze!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace,Love, & Polish

Jennifer from LittleJ’s Nail Corner

Stay tuned, day twelve… skeletons!

An Unfor-greta-ble Oktoberfest & Julep-mail

I know Oktoberfest ended about two weeks ago, but I was so caught up in all things Halloween that I didn't take a moment to pause for other October events.

Jesse and I visited friends last month, and attended an Oktoberfest event. I can tell you that potato pancakes and applesauce were consumed- along with our weight in beer. I even donned a traditional headband of flowers and ribbons. It was down right festive.

My current nails capture the spirit of that day perfectly. OPI's gelcolor in Unfor-greta-bly Blue from the Germany collection. I spiced it up with a bit of floral nail art ( no ribbons though). It reminds me a lot of Swimsuit, Nailed It! which I wore as my summer Florida pedi. It is less glittery than DVA's C10- the 19 day wear uber-gelpolish.

I also got some Julep-mail yesterday, in the tiniest box I have received via USPS. I recently joined the Maven program and I couldn't resist some additional shopping while I was at it. Inside was a nail polish, a sample of The Best Pedi Creme Ever and candy corn. Too cute.

I have been totally wanting some glow-in-the-dark polish and Serum No. 5's Day Glow has been escaping me. I end up with Sofia. One of the polishes in the bombshell collection, it is a translucent mint-green with a light turquoise shimmer. It has a gritter semi matte texture due to its phosphorescent quality.  It is currently on my toenails over a coat of Finger Paints Paper Mache.  I am way too excited that my toes glow in the dark...

Remember tomorrow the Halloween thrills and chills continue with our final week of the challenge! (I have to say I hope some of the ladies are up for a Christmas one, because I am already planning..lol)

Julep Winter Collection 2012

As promised, I swatched my Julep Winter Collection 2012.

Overall great coverage in two coats for mostly all of the colors. Ellie definitely required three and I recommend using a matte top coat as a base to give a smooth surface.

Both Demi and Gayle are great classic winter colors, perfect for office parties or family get-togethers. Julia and Vivien are both showstoppers meant for date night or drinks with the girls. Ellie is  a great demure shade for daytime events or the office.

Ellie- a pale pink shimmer with aqua and gold undertones

Vivien- a silvery gold micro glitter with larger gold hex glitters 

Demi- a rich blood red creme

Gayle- an elegant aubergine creme

Julia- a purple-gold micro glitter in a semi transparent purple base

I have to say Julia was the standout for me. The micro-glitter is outstanding with its flecks of purple, mint, pink, and gold.

Which color is your fave?

Day Ten TDoHNC: Werewolves of London

Our second week concludes with day ten's theme- werewolves. Like yesterday I had a bit of fun with this challenge. I was inspired by the Warren Zevon track " Werewolves of London".  Any song that has lyrics such as " Little old lady got mutilated late last night..." definitely has that je ne sais pas.

I started with a base of Sinful Colors Nirvana ( except on my ring finger where I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Caribbean Coral.

I added the details for the werewolves in Stripe Rite in white and Finger Paints Striper in Chart-Art-coal Black. I finished the Union Jack design with my white striper and Revlon Fashionista.

These nails may me happy and Jes refers to them as werehamsters ( Mojo approves).

As usual check out the spectacular blogs of the other ladies, I love seeing what they do every day!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish

Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

Another weekend hiatus for the challenge, but my regular blogging will ensue.

Stay tuned for day eleven... full moons!

Day Nine TDoHNC: There Will Be Blood

I have to say that I have been dreading today- day nine, blood. I am not particularly inclined towards red. That's not entirely true, I mean back in the nineties I wore OPI's I'm Not Really A Waitress to my Freshman Winter Formal. I have to say today achieved two things a fun nail design and a red that I really like!

I could have gone for something gory and oozy but I just wasn't feeling that. I wanted fun, and excitement, and maybe a drink...lol. So, I channelled that into some party nails with a dripping blood French Manicure and a bit of freehand art in the shape of a Bloody Mary cocktail.

I started with a base of Finger Paints Paper Mache. Then with Julep Vivian I did a glitter coat. I love the shimmer and gold hex combo. On my four fingers, I dabbed on Julep Demi to get the dripped blood effect.

On my thumb, I drew the main part of the glass with Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby. I added shading with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow and Julep Demi. I drew the stem and outlined the glass in Finger Paints Striper in Ch-Art-coal Black. The celery stalk and lime slice were painted with Revlon Posh, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow and Stripe Rite in white. I dabbed Julep Vivian around the glass to finish.

I love, love, love these nails. Makes me want to do some tiki bar nails at some point. Be sure to check out the other girls' blogs, they have been doing some awesome work!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish

Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

 

Stay tuned day ten... werewolves! AHHHHWOOOOOOO!

Day Eight TDoHNC: Totally Vamped Out

Day eight, we are halfway through the challenge already! This week features a lot of the Halloween creatures of the night. Today's theme features the most fearsome, intriguing- and thanks to TV and film lately- and sexy of them all. Vampires. 

I prefer smoldering Damon Salvatore to sparkly Edward Cullen any day of the week, but I am digressing. My vampires are far from sexy. I they are relatives of another TV vampire- Sesame Street's The Count. I also wanted to try a ruffian mani and thought it would work with the faces.

I started with a base of Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby. I actually had to go out and buy a basic red. I then did the smaller nail shape in Finger Paints Paper Mache. With Julep Ellie I covered over the white. This color gave me the perfect undead flesh tone- pinky with a bluish undertone.

The details were added with Stripe Rite in white and Finger Paints Striper in Ch-Art-coal Black.

Overall, these weren't my fave, but they got the theme across. To make myself feel better, I caught a few episodes of Vampire Diaries. (Maybe I'm biased because the main character is named Elena.)

Check out the other lovely ladies of the the challenge...

                                                    Kelly from Tuxarina
                                        Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish
                                         Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

 

Stay tuned, day nine... blood!

Day Seven TDoHNC: (Frankenstein's) Monster Mash

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I was working at the kitchen table late last night, when my eyes beheld an eerie sight. For on my nails a monster had appeared to rise, and suddenly to my surprise, he did the mash. He did the monster mash- the monster mash. It was a graveyard smash!

Day seven has brought us the fearsome creature of Dr. Frankenstein. This was one of those days that I knew exactly what I was going to do- a French Manicure. A monsterific French, of course!

I started with a base of Revlon 571 Posh- the most gorgeous “go light green”, ever. I added the hair and face details with Finger Paints Striper in Ch-Art-coal Black and Stripe Rite in white. His "bolts" were done with a dot of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 013 Celeb City.

I really wanted the details to pop and to get the feel of monster flesh, so I brought out my favorite top coat- Sephora by OPI Matte Top Coat. I love how it really transforms the color.

Check out the other amazing and talented the ladies in the challenge. It’s the love from all of you that are keeping us rocking this day after day!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish

Jennifer from Little J’s Nail Corner

Stay tuned, day eight… vampires! (Just for the record, there will be no glittering vampires coming from this corner…)

Day Six TDoHNC: “I’m walking through spiderwebs…

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…leave a message and I’ll call you back.”

It’s day six and the pop culture and music references do not stop. Today is technically Spiders/Webs. I wanted to pay tribute to our challenge post and replicate the spiderwebs. I think they are a great delicate design. They are easy to do but look like you took some time.

I went to my favorite black one-coat, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 670 Midnight in NY. (Writing these posts has made me realize I own a lot of Sally Hansen. In general, they have a wide variety of color and they are a decent mid-range product. On non-nail art days I stick to OPI- creature of habit.)

I then did a sweep of glitter with Wet N’ Wild’s Fast Dry Party of Five Glitters. This color is a great alternative to OPI’s Rainbow Connection or Nicole by OPI’s Rainbow In the S-Kylie.  I added the webs with my Stripe Rite in white. 

Check out the other excellent blog entries from the ladies in the challenge. It’s the love from all of you that are keeping us rocking this day after day!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish

Jennifer from Little J’s Nail Corner

 

Stay tuned, day seven… Frankenstein!

When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... (Guest blog & Sephora haul)

Our regularly scheduled challenge continues tomorrow, but I have a few things to hold you over until then...

First up, give a warm welcome to my mom, Marina. I mentioned using paper reinforcers (those little round stickers to keep paper from ripping in binders) to achieve that great french manicure arch. She was all over that. Of course in true Mom fashion, she kicked this mani up a notch by straying from traditional colors. This totally fits her chillaxed Florida lifestyle!

She did a base color of Sally Hansen French Manicure in Barely There. She did the tips in Sally Hansen Complete Manicure 530 Back to the Fuchsia (hence the blog title). This mani was finished off with a coat of Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails.

So on Friday, Jesse totally went above and beyond his normal awesomeness to help me score some polish. He came home at lunch to try to procure me some of the latest Takko Lacquer shades. Sad to say, they totally sold out as fast as they were posted. Better luck next time, I guess. I am still dying to get my hands on a bottle of Kiss the Sky. (Kelly's swatches of the color on Etsy is how I found her blog in the first place.)

In order to satisfy my cosmetics craving I just went to Sephora (two hours ago), and here is what I brought home...

I needed new lipstick and eyeliner. I ended up with Smashbox's Be Legendary Lipstick in Fig. I love Smashbox lipsticks and highly recommend them. For eyeliner, I got bareMinerals Round The Clock in 11pm (Charcoal Grey). Massive BE fan! I have way too many eyeshadows to count. It's so much fun to go from hot pink, to gold, to purple, to khaki in the same week.

I also picked up Julep's Winter Collection 2012. Awesome value! $70 worth of nail polish for $34 dollars. Beautiful fall and winter shades, all in full size bottles. The set includes:

Vivien- a silvery gold micro glitter with larger gold hex glitters 
Julia- a purple gold micro glitter in a semi transparent purple base
Demi- a rich blood red creme
Gayle- an elegant aubergine creme
Ellie- a beautiful pale pink shimmer with turquoise and gold undertones

I will swatch all of these soon, post challenge. Though I think Demi will be making an appearance this week...

Tomorrow, day six... spiderwebs!

Day Five TDoHNC: Darling, you've gone completely batty!

It's day five and we've gone batty!

Bats made me think of haunted houses, which strangely made me think of ornate wall paper ( a la Disney's Haunted Mansion). After all of that, I arrived at the design below.

A bit more tame than the past two days... but I kinda love them. (I am going to try this during the holidays with red and white stripes and holly sprigs)

I started with a base of Finger Paints Paper Mache. I then painted two coats of Sally Hansen Hi-Definition DVD.

With Stripe Rite in white I did the vertical stripes, then added the bats with Finger Paints striper in Ch-Art-coal Black.

I have to say, I have been super psyched with all my designs the past week. Also, I have loved everything Kelly, Jennifer & Heather have done. It's amazing how different how everyone interprets a theme.
 

The challenge continues again on Monday. Fear not because I will be posting this weekend with the assistance of my lovely guest blogger- my mom, Marina. She will be rocking some pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Be sure to check out the awesome ladies of the nail challenge...

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish 

Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

Returning on Monday, day six... Spiderwebs!

Day Four TDoHNC: Damn, youse a sexy witch...

( Don't you think that would be a great Halloween remix for Akon and David Guetta? lol)

" I'll get you my pretties... and your little nails too!"

It's day four and I am feeling quite witchy, good thing I have the nails to match. As I alluded to yesterday, I have another shaped nail for you. This is channeling my bizarre desire to do a super trashy extreme stiletto tip nail into something good.

I started with a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 340 Mint Sorbet. I then painted the hats and features with Finger Paints striper in Ch-Art-coal Black.

I accented the hat with Stripe Rite White. The lips were painted with Sally Hansen Hi-Definition in DVD. I added a stroke of Nicole by OPI's Rainbow In the S-Kylie for that magic touch. For some reason these are giving me a retro vibe... I like it.

As always please enjoy and feel free to comment! Share the love with the other talented and fab ladies in the challenge...

Kelly from Tuxarina
Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish
Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

Stay tuned for day five... bats!

Day Three TDoHNC: Stray Cat Strut

"I got cat class and I got cat style..." 

It's day three already! So, today's nails are a bit unconventional. They are partially inspired by a post by Mr. Candiipants and also my desire to do a shaped nail. I achieved this look by adding a tip to my nail. 

I started by painting each of my nails a different color: 
Revlon 320 Graceful 
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 460 Wet Cement
Finger Paints Paper Mache
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure 670 Midnight in NY
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 150 Sun Kissed

I added details using Stripe Rite in white and Finger Paints striper in Ch-ART-coal Black. 

I used either Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 340 Mint Sorbet or 360 Mellow Yellow on their eyes and filled in the nose and ears with Mary Kay VV22 Pink Sand/ Sable Rose. 

Overall I had a lot of fun doing these nails. You'll be seeing another shaped nail design very soon- they are a bit addictive. Please check out the blogs of the other amazing and talented participants. They are totally rocking this challenge! 

Kelly from Tuxarina

 Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish

 Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

Stay tuned... day four..."I'll get you my pretty.." I mean, witches!

 

(Special thanks to Kelly and Jennifer for their support and feedback! You are the best!)

Day Two TDoHNC: Ghosts of Nail Art Past

Did you see that lurking around the corner? It’s day two of the Thirteen Days of Halloween Nail Challenge.

Ghosts are next up and I had a lot of fun doing these nails. Unlike the distracted pumpkin debacle, I was focused for this theme. Jes really dug the super graphic feel of this design. It’s another one that is pretty frill free but I love it all the same.

I call it "Ghosts of Nail Art Past". This is dedicated to all the times where I threw on a couple of dots or stripes and I thought it looked awesome. It was a hot mess.

The base is a super one-coat color, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 670 Midnight in NY (a black crème with superfine multi color glitter). I painted the ghosts on my four nails and thumb in Stripe Rite White and Finger Paints Striper in Ch-Art-Coal Black. On my thumb the grass is Revlon 571 Posh and the gravestone is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 460 Wet Cement.

Check out the other participants’ blogs they are delightfully ghoulish… if you dare!

Kelly from Tuxarina

Heather from Peace, Love, & Polish

Jennifer from Little J's Nail Corner

Stay tuned for day three...cats!

Day One TDoHNC: Disco Pumpkins out on a Monday Night

Queue the eerie fog, the cackling witch, and the howling wolves…

Thus begins the Thirteen Days of Halloween Nail Challenge!

So, its day one and pumpkins are on the menu. For a while I wanted to go crazy and do pumpkin pie nails. I think I was hungry. Then, I wanted to do a pumpkin patch. My thought there was, “ It’s just going to look like orange polka dots on a green background.”

I just stopped thinking and started painting. It’s a bit simple and straight forward, but fun all the same.

I call it “Disco Pumpkin” or " I had to do some Pumpkins Quick".

I started with a base of Finger Paints Paper Mache. I did the pumpkins in Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 150 Sun Kissed and Finger Paints Striper in Ch-Art-Coal Black. I accented the design in JENsation’s Happy Birthday and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 60 Disco Ball.

 

Please check out the other participants’ blogs. The ladies have done a spectacular job of representing the theme. 

Kelly at Tuxarina

Heather at Peace, Love, & Polish

Jennifer at Little J's Nail Corner

 

Stay tuned for day two...ghosts!