I'm waiting for a Capacitor and other parts for my PC to arrive, so I'm still publishing from my laptop. It's a PIA having to take my laptop and power cord out of my briefcase every time I want to go online.
Anyway!...I can't believe I've had Sally Hansen Grey Area with a layer of CND Crimson Sparkle on my nails for over a week now! Although Crimson Sparkle, with its soft tri-chrome sparkles, is my absolute favorite CND Effects, I always felt that it overpowered the color it was being layered over, especially darker colors. My CND Crimson Sparkle works much better for me diluted 1/4 CS to 3/4 clear.
My idea for this mani included layering and using several floral images from the new D series fauxnad plates. Shortly after getting my base images down, I got distracted by the tangled mess in my jewelry drawer which lead to a DIY project to get all my jewelry untangled, organized and into new storage. (pictures of that at the end)
By the time I got back to my mani, my original "vision" and motivation to complete was lost. Instead of abandoning the whole thing, I added a few more iridescent colors, sparkles and stamped a single image, and called it a day.
I'm glad I went ahead with this fixerupper...the iridescent color flashes and sparkle were pretty enough to warrant another day of wear rather than just taking pictures and removing it all. I really thought I could capture the pretty with 1 or 2 pictures, but my camera had different ideas, focusing instead, on the black stamping. In reality, these black areas look less globular.
It's all good, though...this fixerupper gave me new inspiration for a future mani.
Finished mani:
Remaining pictures are posted in order of application:
Note the condition of my cuticles and hands in the first 3 pictures. Horrid dryness made much better in the last 3 pictures by a cheap alternative to Lemony Flutter !
Enlarge the next pic for pretty...
Here's the product that changed the condition of my cuticles and hands, literally overnight.
Heel To Toe Spa Pedicure Collection
$5.99 at Sally's will get you a 2oz tub.
Honestly, I like this much better than Lemony Flutter, and not just because it's readily available and cheaper.
HTT is not as oily feeling as LF...in fact, 15 minutes after application, you barely notice you have it on your hands. No need to wait until bedtime to apply it. I keep a small sample tub of this in my drawer at work. I have found that HTT protection lasts through several hand washings as well. Like LF, HTT contains the wet animal smelling Lanolin. While Lush tries to mask the smell with the opposing fragrance of Lemon, HTT does a much better job through the use of complimentary fragrance(s). Although not listed, my nose detects some pine and another wood/resin. HTT smells a bit like furniture polish/cleaner...maybe a bit like Murphy's Oil, but not in a bad way. It's not an overpowering odor, and it doesn't compete with cologne or perfume.
I originally purchased a sample pot to try on my feet, but never did. I ended up using it on my hands one evening because I was too lazy to get my Mango Mend from another room. Overnight, my hands went from being scaly dry (pics 2 & 3) to soft and supple.
Although Heel To Toe is meant for feet, I have no problem using it on my hands. It works well enough for me that I can say bye-bye to Lush and their overpriced Lemony Flutter!
And...here's my jewelry DIY storage... No more tangles!!!
I attached a piece of pegboard to the back of my closet door to hang necklaces. I also salvaged the frame from a discarded art canvas, stretched and stapled black netting to it to hang my earrings. (my ears are gauged, but I always wear hanging earrings with my plugs) As you can see, my necklaces are currently hanging 3 and 4 on each hanger and there's no room on my earring board. Monday's project- since I have 2closet doors, the back of one will be for necklaces and the back of the other for earrings.