A Pink Snow Globe

I finally caved and got a bottle of China Glaze Snow Globe when I saw it on clearance for $1.99. The swatch pictures had been oh so pretty. I topped it over China Glaze Something Sweet and Secondhand Silk for a simple manicure.

The colors of all the glitters are so pretty and pastel! It's really amazing how the colors can come out differently just depending on what you layer them over. :)

This is how I wore it. Most of my nails were painted with Something Sweet, but I had one accent nail per hand painted with Secondhand Silk. Then I layered 2 coats of Snow Globe over top.



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31 Day Challenge - Day 17 - Glitter

I can't help but think of fairies when I think of glitter. So I focused on the 3 fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty: Flora, Fauna, & Merryweather. I wanted them to be surrounded by a cloud of glitter and I hope I succeeded.
The background color is OPI Crown Me Already, then I painted them with acrylic paints. Once finished, I topped them all off with what else? China Glaze Fairy Dust!

In the sunlight they really sparkle!

Red is Flora

Green is Fauna

Blue is Merryweather

An intentionally blurry pic to show the glittery goodness.

And this is what they looked like before I topped it with Fairy Dust. Do you think it would have been better left alone? Or was the Fairy Dust a good move?

Next up is Half Moons! O.o

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Peculiar Polish Series - Family Guy

 It's another Thursday and time for more Peculiar Polish! Nev from Nevorpurify's Nail Art  is helping me out by designing looks that are from different cartoons that may be a bit less traditional. If you have a suggestion for her, just fill out the embedded form at the bottom of the page!
Here's Nev-



This request from Brenda has been the nails that I've been most excited about and most anxious about. I love Family Guy, a lot. I've always been a huge Matt Groening fan (The Simpsons), so I remember when Family Guy was coming out how exciting it was to have a new series, from a new creator that seemed to have some of Groening's flair. I wasn't disappointed and I've been a Family Guy fan ever since! I was anxious about doing this nails because I always thought that the characters from family guy are a little more complex than in most cartoons. They don't require tons of shading, but they do have tons of weird details. For example, all characters have eyelids, which I really struggle with apparently.


For my nails I did Peter, Brian, Lois, Stewie and Chris. I tried to make my nails ring true of the series, so like characters on the show often do, I left out Meg. I surrounded Lois with Stewie and Brian because they are often vying for her attention.  On my right hand I did the Family Guy logo. Hope you enjoy these, I know I enjoyed painting them!



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Sinful Colors - Flutter & Glass Pink

I picked these two up the other day because I really loved the glass fleck in Cinderella and these had the same look in the bottle. And my selection of pinks is not as broad as it should be. So I added to the stash.

Left is Flutter, Right is Glass Pink

This is 3 coats of Flutter. It is a good bit darker than Glass Pink, but significantly more opaque. This was my favorite of the 2. Very pretty shimmery glass fleck bits too.

Glass Pink is quite sheer. This is 3 coats and I couldn't see additional coats becoming more opaque. It's just too sheer of a base. I see where there might be some women who are looking for a very subtle polish, this polish would work for that. It just doesn't work for me. I have a bit of staining from constant polishing, and this doesn't do anything to camouflage them. So it's too sheer for me.



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Lavender Bubblegum

I wanted a bright fun glittery look to go along with the gorgeous spring weather. Here is Revlon Bubblegum (yes it's scented) with Milani Jewel FX Lavender on top.

This is 3 coats of Revlon Bubblegum (it's a little thin) and 1 coat of Milani Jewel FX Lavender.

The scent of the Revlon was really strong to start with and made me a little nauseous as I was trying to fall asleep. Lol. But it had faded to nothing by the next evening.



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31 Day Challenge - Day 16 - Tribal

Wow, this one was a tough one! And it's technically not a "tribal print." But I'm sure you don't mind, right? ;)

The Lost Boys from Neverland that stay with Peter Pan. Have you ever realized that there are no "lost girls?" Peter explains that this is because girls are much too clever to get lost. Lol.

Background is Zoya Jules, all else is acrylic paints.

 I liked them best with a matte topcoat.

 But this is with a glossy topcoat.

Tutorial pics after a jump
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Zoya - Kristen

Just a quick post with a swatch for you! A favorite light blue of mine. It's Zoya Kristen. It's slightly grayed out which makes it so chic. I really love it. :)

This is 2 coats.

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Sonoma Nail Art Polish - Sonoma Sunset

My friend Michelle from Sonoma Nail Art has been bitten by the indie polish bug! She is going to open up a shop where she sells her handmade polishes. I'll keep you posted on when and where. Or you could (and should) follow her blog! These are more than just frankens, she starts from scratch! Glitter, suspension base, new polish bottles, & magic. A franken is where you just mix together existing polishes to create something different. Because we're buds I was able to buy a bottle of Sonoma Sunset before her shop opens! So here it is for your enjoyment.

This is just 2 coats! It's packed full of all kinds of awesome glitter and shimmer that I don't even know how to describe. So see for yourself.

2 coats on a swatch stick, love the large purple square glitters.

Bottle shot

The glitter is nice in that it has an even coverage that makes it great for layering! On my thumb here I did half with Zoya Kristen & half with Barielle Expressive, then 1 coat of Sonoma Sunset.

Michelle pointed out to me that Zoya Caitlin makes for the perfect pair of underwear! Here is 2 coats of Zoya Caitlin topped with 2 coats of Sonoma Sunset.

 Caitlin looks a bit more purple here than it really is.

That's just because I was using my iPhone camera in the car. Lol

Are you as excited about her polishes as I am?!

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Hunger Games Nail Art

I'm not entirely sure when I'll be able to see the Hunger Games movie in theaters, but I'm excited about it! I thought the books were fantastic, and the movies look like they will be amazing! So here is some Hunger Games Nail Art in honor of the movie's release.

 Before you read further, here is a disclaimer: This nail art was accomplished after a very long day. I had been awake since 5am and worked a 12 hour shift. I finished these nails at 9:30pm but my brain was fried and running off diet coke only, so I apologize in advance that they are not more perfect. Lol

My left hand ring finger features the "Mockingjay." Yes mine looks a bit wonky and inbred, but whatever....

 The other nails are China Glaze Stone Cold from what else? But the Hunger Games collection.

My right hand ring finger features some flame nail art because by now you might have heard.... In the book, Katniss' nails are painted with flame nail art for the opening ceremonies of the Hunger Games.

I'll show the exact polishes I used below, but I topped the flames with Essie Shine of the Times because those flakies have always made me think of fire embers. It was difficult to capture in a picture, but it really adds a special touch.

Polishes used:
Sinful Colors Black on Black
China Glaze Stone Cold
Color Club Gingerbread Man

for the flames:
China Glaze In Awe of Amber
Hard Candy Lava
Sinful Colors Let's Meet
(not pictured Essie Shine of the Times)

Happy Hunger Games Everyone!

Just on a side note, I'm considering buying this shirt. It's hilarious.

"Bake bread with Peeta - Skinny dip with Finnick!"

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Peculiar Polish Series - Teen Titans

It's another Thursday and time for more Peculiar Polish! Nev from Nevorpurify's Nail Art  is helping me out by designing looks that are from different cartoons that may be a bit less traditional/popular. If you have a suggestion for her, just fill out the embedded form at the bottom of the page!
Here's Nev-
A big thank you to both Brenda and another anonymous reader for suggesting these Teen Titan nails!Teen Titans is a Cartoon Network television show that was based on a comic which centered around teenaged superheros from the DC universe. It is my understanding that it is not only action based, but also pretty character-driven at times. The main protagonist is Robin (of Batman and Robin) and his team consists of Cyborg, (who has a cannon built into his arm), Starfire (who absorbs UV rays to help give her energy in battles), Beast Boy (the trickster of the group), and Raven (who uses meditation and thought to help her combat enemies). 

For my nails, I did the main team of the television show on my left hand. But for my right hand I just did the logo. This is a little trick that I use sometimes when I do a lot of detail work and don't feel like using my non-dominant hand to do intricate stuff. It's a great idea for anyone who is shakier with one of their hands.



Thumb to pinky: Cyborg, Beast Boy, Robin, Starfire, Raven

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Closed - Zoya Giveaway Sponsored by Verve 360 (EDIT)

Giveaway is now CLOSED!

Here's how you can get your hands on 2 polishes from Zoya's winter collection FEEL! Megan and Avery!

(you can see swatches of Megan and Avery over at my friend Rebecca's blog here)

 Thanks to Verve 360 hair salons in Pittsburgh for providing the prize!

Just comment below for a chance to win!

Rules:

• Limited to the Continental US (Sorry international ladies! No Hawaii or Alaska either....)
• Limit of one entry per person.
• Contest will be open for 7 days, end time will be midnight 3/27/12.
• There can only be one winner.
• I will randomly select from the comments using a random number generator.
• Once selected, the winner will be contacted by Verve360 and they will ship your prize to you.

EDIT- Sorry ladies but I had to change things up. I wasn't supposed to use a submission form, so instead your entry must be written as a comment to this post. Include your name, contact info, and why you like Zoya, or why you'd like to try Zoya. For you that have already entered, I've taken what you put in the submit form and transferred it to a comment here, so your entry has not been lost! I'm so sorry, but this was my mistake! I'll fix it the best I can!

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31 Day Challenge - Day 15 - Delicate

This was a tough one, but once someone suggested it, I knew I had to do it! What could be more delicate than Humpty Dumpty? He was very fragile! Lol

Humpty Dumpty Nail Art

I chose to do Humpty sitting on the brick wall, with an accent thumb nail of a splattered egg.

I wish his clothes had come out a little better, but I was struggling with just how tiny everything was.

Here's how you can re-create them. I started with a base of Zoya Kristen. 2 coats.

Then I taped off the french tips and painted them with Essie Very Structured. 

Outline some brick shapes with Zoya Farah and a tiny nail art brush.

Here I changed my mind on the thumb and removed what I had done and added Zoya Yara instead. (I wanted grass underneath where he splattered. :) White acrylic paint for his body.

More acrylic paint.

Add a thick layer of topcoat like Seche Vite!

Next up is Tribal! That was a tough one too!

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