Here we are at the conclusion of another absolutely amazing challenge! A few months ago, I was still in the phase of "should I even attempt my own blog". During that time, I was looking at all the 31 day challenges and at some impeccable nail art by Sarah at Chalkboard Nails, Amy Grace at the Polished Perfectionist, Alice at One Nail to Rule them All, Kelly at Tuxarina, and Heather at Peace, Love, and Polish. Since then, I have been very fortunate to start the blog and even get to participate along side Kelly and Heather. I always appreciate their support. Thanks, girls!
Granted, I am not an old pro yet by any means, I can definitely see how through practice and sheer will (lol) you can pick up more skills. Also, I can see how easily you can get addicted to polish. I have quadrupled my stash since September. I've come to totally embrace Indie Polish and can't wait to buy and swatch more in the New Year. It has been awesome to share my love the polishes that Christina at Spy Princess and Pam at Whimsical Ideas make. Also, they are both awesome ladies! (Thanks for the shout outs on Facebook & Twitter!) So, this is a bit of a Christmas love fest... oh well. I am following in my own spirit of "Share the Comments, Share the Love."
So on to the favorite part of the post... the manicure! I have to say, I was at a bit of an impasse. I had a base color that I wanted to use, but I didn't know how it was going to fit in. Leave it to Jes to solve that... The color in question is Nicole by OPI's A Gold Winter's Night ( A Kardashian Kolors holiday release). It's a combination of rose gold microglitter, gold and teal bar glitter that is full coverage in 2-3 coats. It's actually quite lovely. It's kind of like the gold version of OPI's Save Me ( I rocked that over Essie's Marshmallow for a fun summer pedi.) He looked at it and said it either looks like tinsel or a vintage aluminum Christmas tree. Voila! Perfect base for Christmas lights!
For the light cord, I used Stripe Rite in white and Finger Paints Ch-Art-coal Black. With regards to the light bulbs themselves I used Sinful Colors Jungle and Be My Valentine and Essie's Blue Rhapsody (I just bought a few Essie's last night and will swatch soon!).
So there you have it... the challenge is complete! I hope this has given you a lot of ideas for your Christmas nails.
Kelly has been so much fun to work with and get to know more during the challenge. Her nails are like art work, so go over to Tuxarina and show the love!
I plan on posting one more time before Christmas... so see you then!
It's day eleven and it's going to look like an eighties infomercial up in here... (You remember that guy who used to sell all those products in those loud sweaters? lol) Today is Christmas Sweaters and I had some fun with this. Granted at the end of the day I came out somewhere between ugly sweater, Fair Isle Pattern, and mittens, but it's all good.
In order to do the pattern I used the following colors: Julep's Otte (butterscotch creme) & Delaunay (chili pepper red creme) , Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet (seafoam creme), and Revlon's Posh (grass green creme) and Fashionista (navy creme).
The details were done with Stripe Rite in white and Sinful Colors striper in Jungle and Be My Valentine. Over all it was fast and simple to do, it was just about keeping the lines crisp.
I can't believe we have one day left! Time has flown by! Please be sure to check out Kelly at Tuxarina's Christmas sweater nails.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me... Christmas lights!
Stay tuned...
Welcome to day ten- I can't believe it! This challenge has been flying by and I have been extremely happy with my manicures and super impressed with Kelly's as well. I know we have both had a lot of fun. My snow globe theme is a tribute to my favorite Floridians, Mom & Dad. They read my blog every morning at breakfast.
I started my mani with a base coat of Essie's Turquoise & Caicos. On my four fingers, I painted the tips in another December release, Julep's Harper- a mermaid blue full cover glitter in a turquoise transparent base. I coated the bottom half with Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Snow Globe. I then did a stripe with Stripe Rite in White.
On my thumb, I used Stripe Rite in White for the snow globe and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow and Fuchsia Power for the Flamingo. I used Sinful Colors in Jungle for the palm tree and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow and Caribbean Coral for the oranges. I then added some Harper to the background and coated the snow globe are with Snow Globe- of course!
I have to say, I have managed to get through a Christmas Challenge with out an onslaught of red and green... Please check out Kelly's take on the snow globe theme at Tuxarina- I know it will be amazing!
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me...Christmas Sweaters!
Stay tuned!
It's day nine of the challenge and its another delicious post! Today's theme is Christmas cookies, and I have to admit that I didn't get as adventurous as I wanted to. Instead I used a couple of my favorite colors and really hoped that you could tell that these were cookies...lol
I have to say that a favorite Christmas activity of mine is baking with my mom. We typically end up making an awesome variety of Greek pastries. Sooo good! Since she is in Florida we are both baking solo this year :( Technically, she's baking and I have been working way too much.
Now on to the mani... I started with a coat of Julep's Julia, a beautiful purple-gold microglitter. I then made cookie shapes with Sinful Colors in Nirvana.
I then added details with Stripe Rite in white, Sinful Colors stripers in Jungle and Be My Valentine to form my gingerbread, sugar cookies and linzertorte cookies. I brushed on a bit of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball for some shine. To give a bit of pop, I added Spy Princess Coronation to the background. ( I just put a coat of Coronation over my pedi of Tomorrow Never Dies....Awesome!)
Time to check out Kelly's Christmas Cookies & Treats manicure over at Tuxarina. I know she has something awesome in store today...
Spy Princess is available at Etsy.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me... Snow Globes!
Stay tuned...
Once again (Seasons) greetings, and welcome to day eight of the Christmas Challenge! Today's theme leaves (ha ha) a lot of room for interpretation- Winter Foliage. Garlands, wreaths, pine boughs, and holly are just some of the themes I considered for today. My decision to do mistletoe was made when a friend bought me a holiday nail polish for my birthday. I took further inspiration from Susan's lovely birthday gift to me- a Betsey Johnson Glitter Lips bangle.
Without further adieu I present you the most Valentine's Day Christmas manicure ever... I started with a coat of Finger Paints Paper Mache to create a solid base for the featured color. I then painted two coats of Wet N Wild's Can-Can You Hang the Mistletoe- a gorgeous neon pink glitter jelly.
On my thumb, I painted the leaves of the mistletoe with Sinful Colors striper in Jungle and Revlon's Posh. I used a dotting tool and Paper Mache for the berries. On my remaining fingers, with a dotting tool and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Fuchsia Power I drew lip patterns.
Check out my fabulous Challenge partner, Kelly, at Tuxarina to see her foliage mani. Share the comments, share the love!
On the ninth day of Christmas, my nail are gave to me... Christmas cookies & treats! ( Yum!!!)
Stay tuned...
"Not my gumdrop buttons!"
I can't believe it is Friday and a whole week of the nail challenge is complete! And yes, I stared the post with a quote from Gingy (of Shrek fame). I have had a lot of fun and learned a few new techniques along the way. My new brushes haven't hurt either (thanks, Jes, did I mention that you are the best ever?) Making gingerbread cookies and constructing a gingerbread house are things I do every holiday season, so I was loving today's theme. I contemplated picking up I Love NP's Ginger Spice Latte (forgot about buying until it was too late) or Lynnderella's Gingerbread Hearts ($24.00 for a seasonal polish...eek.) I ended up using my own tried and trues in the end, but I like how it came out.
Since I warned you, you knew you were going to be seeing some kind of trigger mani again- well a trigger-french hybrid, technically. I started with a base coat of Sinful Colors Nirvana- a soft brown creme. I then did a coat of Nicole by OPI's Rainbow in the S-Kylie (I'll be featuring one of the NOPI Kardashian Kolors Holiday collection next week.) With a dotting tool and Finger Paints Paper Mache, I created the icing drips.
With Revlon's Graceful and a nail brush, I painted a gingerbread man and house on my index finger and thumb. I added the details with Stripe Rite in White and then added Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Disco Ball. I topped the whole mani with Sephora by OPI's matte coat.
Before I forget, welcome to all my new followers and visitors! Remember share the comments and share the love! It's time for you to go check out my partner-in-nail art-crime, Kelly at Tuxarina. I am loving her fab and fancy holiday nails!
I will be resuming normal posting this weekend and then on Monday....
On the eighth day of Christmas, my nail are gave to me... winter foliage! (love me some foliage...)
Stay tuned...
We are already at the halfway point of the challenge- day six! I promise that there are a few more theme related glitters in store, continued bad ass nail art and of course- since it's me- a couple more trigger manicures for this holiday season. ( Remember- I warned you in advance.)
I have to confess, I did my tree nails three times. At first I had a more conventional hunter green tree formed entirely out of dots with silver and gold ornaments and star glitter. Fail. Then I went to a 1950's white and pastel Christmas with a lavender background and a feathery white tree with glitter. Fail. It wasn't that they came out terribly, I just didn't feel like they were me. So I walked away from my nail stuff, got Mojo, and thought about Christmas. And trees.
And this is how inspiration struck... I started running all these images of Christmas trees through my head from the iconic ( tree at Rockefeller Center) to the personal ( trees from childhood and when Jes and I first got married). Then I literally heard a voice in my mind of a little gruff voiced girl named Peppermint Patty saying "Hey, Chuck!" Oh yes, you know where this is going... Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree. The best holiday special featuring deficient holiday foliage EVER! ( I'll also take a minute to send a virtual kiss to my Dad, who happens to be named Chuck. Hope the palm trees are sparkly & bright in Florida...)
On to the mani... I don't know what it's called when you accent your pinky and thumb only, but that is what I did. Let me know if you come up with a cool name. I started with a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Emerald City. On my accent nails I used Stripe Rite in white and Sinful Colors striper in Be My Valentine to illustrate the tree and ornaments. The blanket was done in Essie's Turquoise & Caicos. ( I need to get more Essie, but can't commit to a shade...)
On my ring, middle, and index fingers I am featuring another of Julep's December release full coverage glitters- Colbie. This is a chunky peridot green glitter that has a smooth application.
Now that you have taken a trip down inspiration lane with me... go check out my Challenge Companion, Kelly at Tuxarina. You will be impressed!
On the seventh day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me...Gingerbread!
Stay tuned...
Welcome to a festive day five! Today's theme is a bit of a variation on a theme of my Breakfast at Elena's mani. I liked the look of the presents and wanted to kick it up a notch.
Speaking of presents, as a part of my birthday gift Jesse stocked me up with nail supplies- a 20 piece nail art brush/ dotting tool set and a new UV dryer for my gels. Nice. Now to see what Christmas will bring... ( I have my fingers crossed for some Whimsical Ideas by Pam, Spy Princess, or OPI gelcolors)
I used two of my tried and true one coat metallics today- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Golden-I and Celeb City. I have said this before, but I love a fun, flashy polish that is a one-coat. Woo hoo! Gold polishes are a little bit tough, sometimes they come off as way too yellow or brassy. Golden-I is a nice rich shade, I definitely recommend it and it will only set you back about $3.00.
For the ribbons, I used Sinful Colors stripers in Jungle and Be My Valentine and Stripe Rite in white. For the tag I used Finger Paints Paper Mache and a thin tipped black paint pen for the lettering.
Most importantly, I hope you have been checking out Kelly's awesome designs at Tuxarina.
Thank you so much to everyone for the love this week! Almost 400 page views since Monday- wow! Please feel free to comment, I enjoy the feedback.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me...Christmas Trees!
Stay tuned...
I can't believe we are in day four of the challenge already! I have to say even though I love Halloween, I have really enjoyed the Christmas themes. Also, I think the more you do something the better you get at it. As promised today is another "two-fer", a theme and a review.
Today I bring to you another smashing stunner from Whimsical Ideas by Pam- Cookie Monster. This polish is the most amazing shade of blue ( for all of you art buffs I think this is totally International Klein Blue). It consists of multi sized cobalt matte hexes, white matte hexes, and black matte hexes. Like Peppermint Schtick, this formula was smooth and applied like a dream! This polish works well over light and dark base colors. I highly recommend any of Pam's lovely Whimsical shades.
For my mani today, I went with the seldom used accent thumb. I have smallish nails, and when I want to do something detailed I need all of the nail real estate I can get. My base coat for this mani is Ivy, a new Julep December release. It's a gorgeous cobalt/indigo duochrome micro shimmer. I topped it with two coats of Cookie Monster. Amazing.
For my snowman I used Finger Paints Paper Mache for the body and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Emerald City and Sinful Colors striper in Jungle for the hat. I finshed the details with Sinful Colors striper in Be My Valentine and Finger Paints striper in Ch-Art-coal Black. I finished the mani off with a Sephora by OPI matte coat. (Pam highly recommends Cookie Monster plus matte.)
Once again, thank you to Pam, Kismet, and the "Whimsical Lovelies" for their support! Please check out Pam's site and purchase often!
Please check out the talented Miss Kelly at Tuxarina. She has been rocking this challenge so far and I am so excited to be doing this with her!
On the fifth day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me... presents!
Stay tuned...
I am so excited for today! All the lack of enthusiasm for Santa will be made up for in today's post. Today is a bit of a "two-fer" not only is it a theme day but I will also be giving a review on an amazing polish. I was introduced to Whimsical Ideas by Pam through awesome swatches of Seuss (I kinda need that color) at Chalkboard Nails. My reaction was I have to get my hands on those some time soon. I controlled myself and decided to wait until the holiday collection, Eight Whimsical Nights was released on Black Friday.
The first of the two shades that I ordered was Peppermint Schtick. This glitter coat is all kinds of awesome. It's a selection of matte red hexes, opalescent white hexes, and metallic red micro hexes in a clear base. The application is smooth and even. There is no need to dab this polish to hunt and peck for glitter or to place it on. I was so pleased and thrilled that I sent a thank you e-mail to Pam with pictures of this manicure. She is an extremely busy lady with the high demand for her collection, but guess what- she wrote back a lovely note and even posted the pics on her Facebook page. Cool nail polish and a cool chick. What more can I say?
So on to the mani... oh yes, lovelies, it's another trigger manicure. Not sure what this says about my attitude towards the holidays this year. *giggle* I started with a base of Julep's Delaunay- a warm chili pepper red.
I striped my index finger and thumb with Stripe Rite's white to emulate a candy cane. Meanwhile, I added a coat of Peppermint Schtick to my remaining fingers. I really think the white hexes look like pieces of glossy peppermint candy. Yum!
So I leave you with two missions, check out Whimsical Ideas from Pam and visit the fabulous Kelly at Tuxarina. I know Kelly was super psyched for today's theme as well.
Also, a big shout out to Debra and all the "Whimsical Lovelies" who have stopped by after seeing my swatches!
On the fourth day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me...Snowmen ( and another review)!
Stay tuned...
Ho, ho, ho! (Yeah, that is all you are getting for 6:15 am.) Mr. Claus dominates the scene today. To be quite honest, I don't really gravitate towards Santa imagery. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing out for arctic dwelling white haired jolly men, but I am more of a trees, tinsel, and snowflake girl.
I wanted to do something a bit different today- more abstract and less freehand intensive. I also had thrown out the suggestion of using a certain trend in a French manicure, and this was the perfect time. So, Velvet French Manicure meets Deconstructed Santa...
I used Julep's Demi (a great crimson). I realized that this challenge would be very red intensive and I didn't want all of the days to look similar. The feel ends up being very Victoriana Santa. I like it, it's rich.
I applied a cheap clear coat to where I wanted the flocking powder to adhere and sprinkled it on. ( This lovely white is called Snow- how perfect!) ** Now here is what no one tells you about velvet manis... I use clear because I do two to three coats of the flocking powder to achieve maximum density. If you used colored lacquer you would end up with a hot mess layering like that.**
For the pinky, I decided to add a touch of whimsy by making it his belt ( Santa's smallest waistline ever?) I used Sally Hansen's Complete Manicure in Midnight in NY and Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in Golden-I.
It's time to go over and check out the lovely Kelly at Tuxarina and see how she dazzled today. Remember, share the comments, share the love...
On the third day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me... Peppermint/Candy Canes!
Stay tuned...
(Seasons) greetings, lovelies, and welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge! I hope you enjoy what we have in store for you over the next few weeks. Kelly from Tuxarina and I have been brainstorming and stockpiling Christmas nail polishes like crazy. We will be posting on weekdays through the 21st, hopefully you will get some inspiration for your Christmas manis.
Day one starts us off with snowflakes. I wanted to capture the depth and layering of snowflakes as they fall at dusk- so New England. My base color is Revlon's Smoldering ( Butter London's Knackered dupe).
With a nail art brush and Finger Paints Paper Mache, I painted snowflakes alternating with coats of Smoldering and a coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Disco Ball sandwiched inbetween. I finished with a Sephora by OPI matte coat.
Please check out my amazing Challenge Companion, Kelly's blog! Share the comments, share the love...
On the second day of Christmas, my nail art gave to me- Santa!
Stay tuned...
