Saturday, July 31, 2010

Millefiori, layered fauxnad

Hi Kids!
I'm getting old...my youngest turned 21 today.
Aside from some medical issues, I don't *feel* old. Fortunately, I look pretty good for my age, unlike a lot of kids I went to grammar school with. (I still say kids- when I should be saying "people").
So, what in the world does this have to do with nails???
Well...my mani was inspired by an art project my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Verttoli, had us do once a week. For the record, that was in 1969 when I was 9 years old- 41 years ago!

Anyway, Mrs Verttoli would pass graph paper printed with 100, 1 inch blocks for the class to color on. Almost all the kids would turn the paper over and color the blank side. Me- I used the graph side, treating each block as a separate canvas. I worked several colors in each block, playing with a mix of floral shapes. When finished, I had 100, 1 inch designs on my paper. Mrs Vertolli loved these so much, she wallpapered the cubby her desk was in with them. She called them mosaics. I learned a better descriptive term for my graph paper art many years later- Millefiori.

As always, all pictures are clickable for the ginormous view.





























































Thursday, July 29, 2010

Franken- Jersey Pink

Hi Kids!
How I miss the 1980's! Everything under the sun, except for percentage rates, was better back then. It was the decade of excess, and us Jersey girls knew how to do it right.
Jersey Girls have a special place in 1980's fashion and style history for having not only the *BIGGEST* permed hair in the country, but were also known for having super saturated pink lips and nails (complete with shoes and handbag to match)!

Being post punk/early goth, I did not sport the pink lips and nails back then...but... I did (and still do), have killer BIG, permed hair. So, as I listened to Gene Loves Jezebel, Voodoo Dollies on my way home from work last night, I got in the mood for pink nails- specifically the super saturated, warm pink of the 1980's.
The closest color I have to that in my stash, although a bit cool, is Diamond Cosmetics Wow. Instead of settling, I frankend a pink with (new in CVS) 10 Professional #415 Pinky Promise, Claire's Cosmic and Ruby Kisses Neon Yellow Bikini, and called it Jersey Pink.

I have plans on fauxnading this mani, but before that, I want to do a gradient, and will have to franken a couple of more colors.
Anyway, mani is 3 coats Jersey Girl- no top coat.
It's unfortunate that my camera wants to say this is coral...it really is a warm pink.













Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Swap with Tiana, this and that

Hi Kids!
I put on a new set of acrylics today and I feel *much* better! I still have another pass of buffing and smoothing to do, but ran out of time before work. I had to quickly apply 2 coats of Milani My Network so I didn't go to work with naked nails. Despite metallics picking up every flaw on the nail, my mani doesn't look too bad. I have some fine buffing wheels for my Medicool drill on order from TD. Crossing my fingers that they arrive by Thursday (my day off this week) and just skip hand-working a block on my nails.

Anyway...I was pleasantly surprised to find a swap package from Tiana on my doorstep this morning!
Look at all my goodies! Essence stamp plates- whoo-hoo!!!


























Thank you so much Tiana! I love everything!!!!
Out of all the polishes Tiana sent me, these 2 are my absolute favorite <3.
(btw, I'm wearing Milani My Network here)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Glam interrupted

Hey Kids...Look what I have...Nubbins! I had some serious patches of staining that I could not take anymore. After a bit of grinding, I realized that the staining was too deep and I'd be better off removing them.

Tomorrow, I'm going to create a fresh, new set, but in the meantime, I have the following mani on to protect my frail nails;

2 coats CND Ridge Filler
3 coats China Glaze Dorothy Who?
1 coat Nfu-Oh 51
1 coat Seche
I absolutely LOVE how this looks irl...even though there are waaaaay too many "coats". Nfu-Oh 51 never dried leaving my mani susceptible to major dents and shrinkage. While the dents are unacceptable, 51 is shrinking towards center, leaving Dorothy Who? exposed all around the edges. I think this looks really cool!
I'm definitely going to try this again- but on my long nails!













Thursday, July 22, 2010

Weirdness...true neon jelly?

Hi Kids!
I was in the mood for orange today, so I pulled down Ruby Kisses Neon in Orange U Jealous. Now, I don't usually post a straight-up NOTD unless there's something extra special about a particular polish.
Well...lemme tell you...this polish is weird, but in a very good way. I bought this orange along with a pink and a yellow last month. When I happened on the Ruby Kisses Neon display, which also included a blue, I had a feeling that they might be jellies. I only purchased them for frankening, but loved the new labels -which look very old school British, btw, I put them up on my rack, instead of in my frankening drawer. I paid $1.99 each for these, $.50 more than the permanent line Ruby Kisses.

Anyway, moving along here.... With the first stroke of lacquer on my nail, I was pleasantly surprised with not only the wonderful brush that loaded and splayed out so perfectly, but with the formula and pigmentation as well! This polish has a rubbery or vinyl consistency that's a little on the thick side, but not thick enough to warrant the addition of thinner. It's the thickish, rubbery formula that makes this polish my absolute favorite among all the neons I have. The lacquer stays in the brush until it's placed on the nail. The leveling properties in this polish is superb! Because I have wide, long nails, I have a terrible problem with over-brushing, always resulting with terrible vertical ridges, brush ridges, streaking and missed spots. I did not have a problem with any of those things. When I over-brushed, the polish leveled out like magic! This polish gets even better with pigmentation- it's a 2 coater! Any uneveness I experienced was taken care of when I lightly overbrushed the area on the first coat. Second coat just intensified the color and filled in the gaps. And the finish? Definitely not matte as most neons are...this is a jelly and dried to a gloss!
Ruby Kisses Orange U Jealous is about as perfect as a neon could get.
All bumps in my pictures are from not removing ChG Stroll completely from my nails.
No top-coat yet either!



























































































I want to go get more bottles of these RK Neons. I want to play with adding glitter to them!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Peacock fauxnadicure take2

Hi Kids!
Although this did not turn out quite like I wanted, this second try at fauxnading peacock feathers is much better than my first. I specifically frankened all the stamping polishes for this mani with pigments, micas and sparkles- except for 1- the green surrounding the "eye". That was made from scratch with WnW clear, pigments and micas. All these frankens are metallic, have a flash and shimmer. Some are even multi shimmered...much more interesting and dimensional than the SH Chromes.



























Click to enlarge the next 2 pics for a close-up of my frankens!














































































Fauxnad plates; T13, A18, A16
I used partial images from those plates.
As for my base color...now don't shoot me for putting all that junk on...



China Glaze Stroll, 3 coats.

1 coat Seche.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Man pedi

Hi Kids!
Something a bit more attractive than my last mani....my ex/future husband's pedi with color!
About a month ago, I convinced Jim that he ought to wear polish on his toes.
This is the new 10 Professional Lacquer in #459 Showtime.... 2 coats, 1 coat Essie MAY

Colors better irl

Hi Kids!
I'm back with my marriage license/bridal nails. They don't look like much in my pictures, but I assure you, they look lovely irl. It's times like this when I really wish I knew more about photography and my camera's settings, because the Purple Picture Eater stole my colors!!!
Aside from some off white floral and dot stickers and medium lime colored fauxnad leaves, everything else on my nails (a trio of small purple fauxnad flowers, purple floral stones and purple sequins) are all a similar shade of purple. You wouldn't know it by my pictures, The stones look blue and the sequins look pinkish, and because of that, I did not want to make this post.

I'm not wrong when I say most Followers are interested in eye candy not text. I can't *stand* putting up a mani that looks sub par, but feel I can't blow this one off...~sigh~

Anyway, Jim and I have our marriage license, and Monday we go back to Elkton to get married. I already started practicing "half of yours' is mine" by grabbing half the cash in Jim's wallet!







































The green I used to stamp the stylized leaves is the wrong shade as well  :(  It's a warm mid lime green, not a pastel mint.
Both the green and purple I used for stamping are frankens. Aside from a handful of SH Insta-Dri polishes, all my stamping polishes are now frankens.
Fauxnad plates- A04, H28, T33

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Base for my bridal nails- Elianto, Sparkling Diva Lilac

Hi Kids!
Tomorrow morning, Jim and I are driving 1 1/2 hours to Elkton, Maryland for a marriage license. Since there is a 48 hour wait after application to get married, we'll be traveling back on Monday (I'm working Sat & Sun) to get married by the Justice of the Peace.

I doubt very much that this mani will last until Monday, but I wanted to do something. Having Bridal nails for the marriage license app will have to do...besides, it's not like we weren't married to each-other before. (Married for 12 years, divorced for 10- for those of you who don't know).

I received Elianto Sparkling Diva Lilac in a swap from Thriszha of Fab Ur Nails. The moment I opened my package, I knew that this shimmering, glass flecked polish would be the one for my "day".

The base color of Elianto SD Lilac is a sheer, cool lilac, that leans blue and slightly dusty. It would never reach opacity on its' own but for the super-duper amount of glass fleck that flashes a warm raspberry. I love high contrast and juxtaposition, and  is all about being cool and hot, soft and fiery.

I have no clue what nail art I'm going to put on this mani. I usually leave pretty and interesting polishes alone.

No single picture does Elianto SD Lilac justice...you'll have to use your imagination to piece together standout facets from each picture into one polish.
Probably the most color accurate, but lacks the hot flashy glass flecks. You can see a glimpse of it (enlarge pic) on the left side of both my middle and ring fingernails. Very metallicaly looking.













The glass fleck flash also visible in this pic...right side of nails.








































Monday, July 12, 2010

If I could only have 1 polish...& swap pictures

It would be, hands down,  Maybelline Vanishing Venus.
You read that right, Kids- I'd choose an old Maybelline.
I've always loved the leaf colors of the ornamental plum trees growing in my yard, so it's no wonder I would love Vanishing Venus...the colors are very similar!
I took a lot of pictures..mani is almost 4 days old, dings, scratches and tip-wear ahead.














Click to view awesome shimmer!























































































































*****************************************************
A while back, Thriszha from FAB UR NAILS and I set up a couple of swaps. The following pictures are swap #2...Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of swap #1.

I had to wait almost a week to pick up my package from the Post office. I barely had time to sleep this week for all the extra hours my boss threw on me. I asked for a week off, and he decided to "use me up" as much as he could before my time off starts. I also did not get 7 consecutive days. I'm off Mon-Fri, have to go back to work Sat & Sun, then finish my vacation Monday & Tuesday.

So, yea, I worked all week, fretting the whole time about my swap polishes sitting in the post office. I finally picked my package up today (day #1 of my vacation) and tore into it the minute I got in my car...
Look at the pretties Thriszha sent me!!!!!!
Etude House and Elianto stunners!!!!!!


























Thank you so much Sweetie- I LOVE all of them!!!!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Nail shape & Milani Digital

Hi Kids!
Yay! I fixed my nail shape!
My natural nails are flat and triangular in shape...meaning-  My nail bed from the cuticle starts out with a slight, rounded curve, but quickly goes flat and fans out at the tips. They are very unattractive, bordering on mis-shaped...and that's my un-injured hand, the hand I use for pictures. My right hand is that and more. Due to a crush injury, they have ripples,dents, un-even growth and curling at odd places and angles. A challenge for trained nail techs, and a nightmare for my un-trained self.

It hasn't been easy for me to create consistent, "good nails". As you all are witness to- they don't always look good, and that makes me very sad....Doing the Happy Dance today, because I think they look great!


























In order to get a curvier nail, I have to build-up my nail bed. Unfortunately, this makes for a very thick nail. Something I just learned...If I add some more length, it gives my nail "time" to transition/taper to a thinner tip.

































































Milani Digital- 3 coats
1 coat Seche