I can't believe we are nearing the end of another challenge! Thanks again to Erin for putting this together... it's been super fun so far! I knew exactly what I wanted to do for today as soon as I saw "hearts" on the theme board. One of my favorite things about Valentine's Day are a little candy called Conversation Hearts ( now known as SweetHearts), manufactured by New England based Necco. So without further adieu, my version of Conversation Heart nails...
I started with a skittle manicure of the following shades: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow, Julep's Carrie, Essie's Mint Candy Apple, Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Petal Pusher, and Julep's Sally. I then drew hearts with my Stripe Rite in White. Within each heart (and around the one on my thumb) I used either, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball, Wet N Wild's Can-Can you Hang the Mistletoe, or Julep's Harper as a glitter coat depending on the shade. Finally with my Sinful Colors striper in Be My Valentine, I free handed the words "Be Mine" on the heart on my thumb. To give the hearts that "powdery" candy texture, I finished with a top coat of Sephora by OPI's matte top coat.
My dedication today goes out to all the awesome people I have met while blogging. Though I know you through "conversation" (ha, ha) only, you have been so lovely and supportive while ECKlipsed by Color has been getting off of the ground. Special shout outs to Kelly, Ghila, Lynette, Amanda, Erin, Ave, Katie, Alli, Pam, Wes, Kylie, Hayley, Christina, Caitlin and Paula. (I will link to all of their sites tonight- you must check them out!)
Now go on and check out the amazing Erin at LovelyLacqueredLife and the lovely Lynette at Pink & Purple Dots. These girls are beyond fantastic with their nail art... Remember, share the comments, share the love!
Today's theme threw me a bit, I didn't quite know how to illustrate it. I mean it seems so lovely, sinister and quite conceptual, but my nails only afford me so much real estate. Thanks to Amanda at the Nail Polish Enthusiast for giving me some inspiration on this one!
So I went with my favorite, the trigger mani. (Cupid just found himself a gun.) I painted my pinky, ring, and middle fingers with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Midnight In NY. My index and thumb were painted with a coat of Finger Paints in Paper Mache. I added two halves of a broken heart with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Fuchsia Power. The detailing and arrows were done with Stripe Rite in White and Black. I topped the whole look off with JENsations' Diamonds Are Forever.
Onto my Valentine's dedication, this one is for all those who have fallen in love and then out of love. Cupid is pretty sneaky, so you never know what may be around that corner. Pesky arrows.
I think this is the latest I have ever posted a set of challenge nails. I feel like such a slacker. Forgive me. So on to business, my lovelies. Today is technically a "girly" gradient or ombre. Now I may be sassy, sexy, and bold, but I have never subscribed to girly. It's in the same vein as why I don't love pink, butterflies, and roses... not my cup of tea. Tea, I do love though. As with the rest of the challenge, I have put my own spin on this and I hope you enjoy...
I started with a base of Essie's Mint Candy Apple. I have been in love with this shade since its release in 2009. I free-handed some white hearts at the base of each nail with Stripe Rite in white. My glitter gradient was achieved with Essie's Beyond Cozy, a luxe soft silvery-gold metallic full coverage glitter, Julep's Vivian, a stunning "champagne bubble" glitter, and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Snow Globe, an iridescent multi-hex glitter. Perfect minty confection.
As with all my other Valentine's manicures, this is a dedication. Today, I am sending love to my five dearest friends. Thank you for all the times you have been there for me, words can't express my gratefulness. Also, thank god for the fact that you all love the finer things in life... nothing wrong with that. So many great times spent, and so many more to come... Love you all...
Welcome to day two of the challenge- roses! Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful flower- it has just never been a favorite. I knew that I had to do this with a bit of an Elena spin to make it work. My design today is based off of my wedding bouquet. I did have roses, but they were "Super Green" roses. (Thank you, Martha Stewart, for introducing me to something that had to be shipped from a greenhouse across the country...) It came out quite beautiful and I have a picture below to share with you. I have been dedicating my manicures so far during this challenge, and this one is for Jesse. He and I had our first date eight years ago yesterday, and we will be married five and a half years this month. Love you, Jes.
I also want to thank the lovely and generous, Katie from the Daily Varnish for assisting in today's manicure. She ran a contest on Twitter to guess her manicure color and I won. Being the cool chick that she is, she sent me that polish along with a few others ( and a bunch of other cool stuff). One of the polishes she sent was Revlon's Heavenly, a great square iridescent glitter coat. It looks like confetti and has a bit of a vintage feel. I layered this over Julep's Gayle.
For the main design on my thumb, I used Julep's Kate, Fiona, Ivy, and Gayle. I finished off some of the detailing with Sinful Colors striper in Jungle.
Now go on and check out the amazing Erin at LovelyLacqueredLife and the lovely Lynette at Pink & Purple Dots. These girls are beyond fantastic with their nail art... Remember, share the comments, share the love!
Dear (your name here),
It's day one of the Valentine's Day Nail Art Challenge. I wanted to thank you for all the love you have shown my blog. It makes my day to see your great comments and all the pages views.
I've got something special just for you. Just a little something to let you know how much I appreciate your support. I dedicate this mani to you...
I started with a base of Julep's Sally, a stunning ivory creme polish, to mimic parchment. I used Whimsical Ideas by Pam's Peppermint Schtick for an amazing splash of red and white glitter.
On my ring finger, I painted a piece of notebook paper with Julep's Kate, Annie, and Madison. On my thumb, the envelope was created with Julep's Kate and Teresa. The hearts were done with Sinful Colors striper in Be My Valentine.
Be sure to show Erin at LovelyLacqueredLife and Lynette at Pink & Purple Dots some love. I can just imagine how amazing theirs came out!
Love Always,
Elena
xoxoxo
Come closer... I have a secret to tell you. This is my first holographic nail polish. Can you believe it? I will tell you for my first, I picked a stunner. This is the final Effervescence Nail Lacquer I have for you, Fairy's Breath. Amazing.
Fairy's Breath is a highly holographic silver that can be worn on its own ( like I am showing, or as a top coat to add a boost to a lovely creme polish. To reach opacity, I used about 5 coats. The polish is not too thin and not too thick. It was easy to put on that many coats and have it dry well.When this lacquer hits the sun, it is breathtaking. Overall this is a fun and whimsical color, like it's name.
I truly have enjoyed wearing Caitlin and Paula's creations and look forward to buying and wearing more! Please go and check out their Etsy store. Their customer service is top notch and delivery time was really fast. I can't say enough about this line!
I have a lot of fun things in store this week since it is a challenge week! Ezzi from LovelyLacqueredLife is hosting a super fun Valentine's themed challenge that myself and the lovely Lynnette from Pink & Purple Dots will be participating in.
Stay tuned for tomorrow, day one... Love Notes!
During my adventures in the nail world, I have been fortunate to meet Amanda at Nail Polish Enthusiast. She is a talented nail blogger and an awesome person! When she had asked if we would join her in a memorial post for her mom, who passed ten years ago today, I immediately wanted to join in.
For nail inspiration, Amanda told us that her mom loved tulips, the color red, and vintage jewelry. Also, Amanda has designed a nail lacquer, Tuilleries, along with LEX. (The Tuileries Garden is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris that was created by Catherine de Medicis.)
Though I love nail art, I wanted to do something vintage-y, something feminine, and something tulip-colored. I ended up finding a solution that I think worked quite well.
I went with Nail Rock's Nail Caviar in Venus Gold/ Venus. Easy application and it looks like vintage jewelry for your nails. The caviar beads were a selection of red, fuchsia, teal, rust and gold.
Amanda, may the memory of your mom be eternal. ( This is a Greek customary saying. ) Thank you, for letting us share in this day of remembrance with you.
