Presenting, 8 Giveaway Winners!!!

Hi Kids!
Thank you all for taking time to read my Blog! It's been very interesting reading which of my manis you like most. You can bet on me keeping the most popular style choices in mind for future nail art.

Anyway- with all the options out there for drawing contest winners, I decided that a good, old-fashioned, physically pull-names-out-of-a-hat drawing would be fun!

To make it special, I came up with the themed setting above, from things I had around my house. Weird...After the drawings, and while editing  pictures, I noticed something very bizarre in regards to the items I chose to set this theme.
Without ever having previous exposure/knowledge, every prop used in my light-box points to an ancient civilization called The Olmec. Let's focus on the giant head, the turtle shell helmet on the domestic cat skull, the center image & bottom image from the copper plate in the background. Ironic how I found The Olmec...from Google-ing 'Aztec cat names'. In keeping with my theme, I wanted my domestic cat skull to have one.

Giant Olmec Heads
1/2 way down-similar image, bottom of plate
Is that freaky, or what?
(I purchased that copper plate in 2003 for wall decor in my son's bedroom,and the big head planter in 2008 for my den. Both the turtle shell and cat skull were found on hikes.)

Coincidence?, parallels?, irony?, synchronistic patterns?. All I know is that this happens to me all the time- for instance, the name/word ainos. My maiden and married name along with predictions from my mother on my future come to mind as well. 

When I was really young, I remember thinking that there was a significant meaning behind these bizarre, circular coincidences and I was only but an incident and a thought away from solving the mystery of my destiny or fate. 

As an adult, I have a better understanding of these things. I don't believe in fate. I believe in free will and choice.  

On that note, climbing up and out of my momentary schizothemia, I bring you the 8 Winners of my Giveaway.

 Here we go!

 

To the winners- the number on your entry corresponds to the haul # you won.

Congratulations!!!

I will be emailing Winners over the next few days for shipping info.
Thank you all, old Followers and new, for reading my Blog and entering my Giveaway!

Undersea fauxnad-Konad

Hi Kids!
Edit! Holy smokes Ladies! Thank you ALL for your wonderful, awesome comments!!! Regretfully,  for time's sake, I have to limit my replies to those with questions/comments that need dialog.

I bet some of you thought I gave up on a layered fauxnadi-konadicure over  my Maybelline Turquoise Seas mani  I posted a few days ago. I almost did- I was bored with TS after a day, but had to wait until today to change it...and not before some layered stamping.
So, here it is, Just finished, my Undersea mani;

Plates;
Konad M27
Fauxnad A07, A13, H16, H20 & H29
Color accents on fish  stamps- Milani 3D in Hi-Tech and Hi-Res, Isadora Apricot
Glitter & flakie accents- Sinful Colors, Green Ocean,  Hard Candy, Sweet P, & NK Magical
Stamping colors- all greens for seaweed, 3 frankens
Fish- Color Club, Where's The Soiree?
Shells, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, Whirlwind White

I wish I had the time to have done this fauxnad 2 days ago...I could have had some wear time.
I am about to take it all off :(

Giveaway closed!!!

Hi Kids!
Wow! It's here already...the deadline for entering my Giveaway.
I think it's awesome that my Giveaway generated some new Followers, however, I am more than disappointed that more of my "long-time/before giveaway" Followers did not enter. This was truly for "you"!!! 

The reason why I, personally, don't enter Giveaways is -  I'd forget about my entry, and since I very rarely "open" Blogs with Giveaway results & have a backlog of email to go through (lack of time), I'd never know if I won! 

Anyway! The winners of my Giveaway will be announced (tentatively), Tuesday, late in the evening. If you have forgotten, each entry is eligible for all 8 packages. All winning entries are put back in the "pot" and are eligible to win multiple times!

Good luck!!!!

DT Maybelline, Turquoise Seas and Quirius, Caribbean Turquoise

Hi Kids!
Today, I'm bringing you the base color for a planned layered mani from an old idea and a fail that I never posted.  I'm not saying what it is, because I might fail again and have to change up.
Anyway! I have 4 coats of polish on, starting with 2 coats Quirius, Caribbean Turquoise. It's one of the polishes in my massive Giveaway found HERE!. Please enter if you haven't already!

2 coats of Maybelline, Turquoise Seas over 2 coats Quirius Caribbean Turquoise.
Maybelline TS is what I call a soft duochrome...turquoise base with gold, blue and lavender flashes. My lighting ate the gold in this color, but it's there. I found this polish (along with Vanishing Venus) at a Dollar Tree a few days ago.
It wasn't my first choice for this mani- I was planning on using the new scented Revlon, Ocean Breezes, however, since I kept on glancing at the Maybelline, I figured my intuition was telling me it might be the better choice. The formula on TS was quite thin, so I thought a basecolor was in order. I chose Quirius, Caribbean Turquoise, and used 2 coats. It's a jelly(!) and is more of an aquamarine color than turquoise. I had to tweek the color, hence the yellow skintone.

Next - something useful!
I thought that some of you might get a kick out of this tidbit...
One of the most useful manicure tools I have in my house are these tongs!

When my polish is still wet/dentable, I use these tongs for everything...rooting through my handbag, pulling my pants up (or down) while using the Loo, picking up objects...etc.
I also have spring loaded pliers I keep in my handbag for zippers.

P51 fauxnad

Hi Kids!
I have 2 fauxnadicures for you...1 good, the other, an awful fail. Both are on Claire's Calm/Wild.
I struggled with what to stamp on this mani so as not to detract from the color transition and the finish. I am so glad I bought a back-up of this polish- 1/3 of the bottle went to painting a plastic strip for the  practice stamping of images and polish color choices!
In order to preserve the soft, suede finish, I decided right away that I would not be using a top-coat on this mani. This decision significantly cut out all the regular options I use for stamping color. Without a top-coat all the flash, shimmer & duochrome polishes I've frankened for layering purposes were out. All I had left were cremes, pearls and chromes. After a lot of practice stamping, I chose Sally Hansen Chrome. Cremes and pearls just looked too flat.

Anyway, here's the "good" fauxnadicure;

I used fauxnad plate P51, center image stamped multiple times with Sally Hansen Pure Chrome.

This next mani is a fail because the stamped images are not crisp and intact. I used Sally Hansen Pink Crystal Chrome to stamp this one. Obviously, it's not pigmented enough for the Essence plate I used.
Note the color of Claire's Calm/Wild. It is color accurate...my hands hadn't warmed up yet, resulting in a pretty raspberry shade.

Stunner! Claire's Mood Polish, Calm/Wild

Hi Kids!
Pretty, isn't it?

EDIT; Someone in this Blogshpere or MUA NB, swatched this and was hoping to find a dupe for the purple shade. Whoever you are...China Glaze, Grape Juice mattefied comes *really* close, albeit a bit more silverish.
This is Claire's Mood Polish in Calm/Wild, (cool/warm, purple/pink) and the only one in a collection of 5 that has a silver, suede finish. It's exactly like an OPI Seude, but much finer.
This suede finish really makes Calm/Wild extra special, tempering the transition between pink and purple perfectly. Unlike Happy/Earthy that I posted earlier, the formula on this one was great- almost as nice as an OPI Suede. 2 quick drying coats and I was done!
This polish easily slides into my Top 10 favorites!

Claire's Mood Polish in Happy/Earthy, teeny haul

Hi Kids!

Edit! WARNING!!!! Claire's Happy/Earthy STAINS like no other polish I've ever tried! Those with natural nails- use this polish at your own risk- take basecoat precaution! 
It's been a crazy busy week at the restaurant, so I've had no time for nail art. Once I get acclimated to our "busy season", posts will resume on a more scheduled basis.
If all goes as planned today, I'll be able to bring you 2 faunadicures this week. I have 2 days off! Consecutive at that! The "price" I have to pay for this "treat" is doing an 18 hour day on Thursday.

Anyway, today I am going to bring you the mani I've been sporting for 3 days- Claire's Mood Polish in Happy/Earthy, a bright, almost neon green(s). Before I show you pictures, I have to say... I am so glad  I picked up back-ups for some of these!!! I have a feeling that I'm going to love the purple, bright pink and the teal versions as much as this green.
The novelty and coolness of Happy/Earthy puts it in my top 20 favorites....Even with its suck-y formula, lousy brush, too small handle and  gloopy, streaky appplication.

Unlike the reviews I've read thus far, this polish stayed gradient greens on my nails all day. My stellar, top 20  result, has more to do with my having acrylic nails rather than the good batch/bad batch scenario.
It's a shame that my camera did not pick up all the distinctive shades of green in this mani. If you look close at the cuticle, you can catch a hint of what this polish starts out as at the base of my nails...a very bright yellow green, then, working up the nail to the free edge, it gradiently changes to a very pigmented dark, grass green. My pictures only bring out 2 shades, however, I assure you- on my acrylics, it's an awesome party of transitioning greens!!!

If I had the time, I could have rocked this mani even more if I had done some fauxnading. As it is today, it's pretty much beat up and sadly, has to go. I had a lot of fun wearing this color, though. Both my outfits for Saturday and Sunday had shots of neon green incorporated into them.
Yea...this is way cool in my book.
 Dozens of  customers admired my "paint job" over the weekend, asking me who did the awesome airbrush work!

While running errands to day, I spotted the new scented Revlon polishes, Borghese pastels & pastel Maybellines at Rite-Aid. I only picked up Revlon, Ocean Breeze and Grape Icy, Maybelline, Pie In The Sky. The green Ruby Kisses I purchased at a BS- 3 of them for frankening purposes.

I tested both Revlons for scent...Ocean Breeze smells like deodorant soap and Grape Icy smells like grape gum.

Prettiest polish I own *edited- for sun pics

I found the prettiest polish I own when I went to the mall for Claire's Mood Polishes and a back-up of Love Bites #069 from Rue 21.
It's Love Bites #086, a bright orange with a lavender pearl shimmer. Think Color Club, Tangerine Scream, but less intense and with a finer, pearlier shimmer in lavender, instead of turquoise.

Some bottle comparisons;
OPI, Shootout At The Ok Coral- Color Club, Tangerine Scream- Love Bites #086

Massive, 8 haul Giveaway - simple but tricky rules

 Now closed w/104 entries! Good luck!
Giveaway open to planet Earth only!
Thank you all- old Readers and new, for Following my Blog!


Rules-Rules-Rules!!!
Please read carefully! If you do not follow the rules EXACTLY you will be disqualified! 

Entry for all 8 hauls must be in 1 comment to this post. 3 lines only.
This means- no additional comments, such as "wow, awesome giveaway, thank you, I hope I win"- NOTHING ELSE but 3 lines with the following information...


 ~1 comment only on this post with your email = entry for all 8 giveaways


~You must show me that you are a Follower
 
~You must tell me which of *my manicures* you like best


I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible- for me and for you!

Example of how you must leave your comment...


leave your email
show how you follow my blog
I like your fill in the blank  mani best

Click to get a better look at these goodies!

#1. Neon, Pastels & Primary Colors

• Color Club Electro Candy set
• Claire's Pastel minis
• Hard Candy- Fishnet, Mr Right, Splendid
• SinfulColors- Green Ocean

 

 #2. Mixture- polish, treatment, stamping plates

• Essence Stampy Set
• Konad plate #M57
• SinfulColors- Green Ocean
• Sally Hansen- Opulent Cloud
• LA Girl Rockstar- Supernova
• Love Bites- Blue Twilight
• China Glaze- Atlantis, Metallic Muse & Matte Magic mini
• Nicole- Shimmy Shimmer
• Nail Tek- Foundation II
• Seche Vite

#

#3. The Cuties

• Funky Fingers- Mighty Brights minis
• OPI minis- INK, Rosy Future & TC
• Claires sparkle minis
• Sally Hansen Xtremewear minis
• 5pack polish in Ice Cream Cone bottles!
• SinfulColors- Green Ocean

#

#4. Harmonious blend A & Color Chic

• Essie Color Chic set- Berry Hard, Fishnet Stockings & Fill The Gap mini
• OPI- INK
• Sally Hansen- Opulent Cloud
• Funky Fingers- Hyper!, Jester, Bourbon St
• Claire's- Magic
• Quirius- Starry Night
• SpaRitual- She's A River
• Nicole- Shimmy Shimmer

#5. Harmonious blend B & Color Chic

• Essie Color Chic set- Berry Hard, Fishnet Stockings & Fill The Gap mini
• Sally Hansen- Opulent Cloud
• Ruby Kisses- Red Romance
• Quirius- Strawberry Smoothie
• SinfulColors- Shirley & Buddy, Forget Now, & Tokyo Doll
• China Glaze-Strawberry Fields
• SpaRitual- Last Call
• OPI- My Big Break

#6. Femme

• Color Club- Pardon My French set
• OPI duo- Fit For A Queensland & My Big Break

#7. Elf & Orchids, Pinks

• Elf French Manicure set
• Quirius- Lavender Bouquet, Harlem Passion, Royal Love, Nubba Dubba, & OK Is Me
• Wild and Crazy- Amnesia
• Funky Fingers- Jester

 #8. Elf & Greens, Teals

• Elf French Manicure set
• Quirius- Erin Island, Ivy Wreath, Cresskill Eve, Caribbean Turquoise, & Jamaican Dream
• LA Girl Flare- Tropical
• SinfulColors- Green Ocean

Please re-read my rules again before you comment!
Giveaway will close on March 28th.