Fauxnad cherry blossom and crane, Freshcover Black Gold

 

So sorry about the indoor flash photos. Here on the East coast, it's been heavy rain and cloudy skies for days. We are experiencing the remnants of hurricane what's-it's-name.
I've had a couple of fauxnad manis before this one, but they were aweful- not very post worthy. Part of my problem is the need to be original. When I saw someone on my blog-roll use the stamp I had been prepared to use, I went ahead and did something else.
For the base of this mani, I used a brand of polish I never heard of before. Doing a search on it brought up a few posts, but no swatches or reviews. It's called Freshcover and is big 3 free.Bloggers have posted that they found this brand at Costco. I found mine at a beauty supply store for $6.99. The color is Black Gold, however, there is nothing gold about it! It's a neutral black cherry- go figure! The formula was a bit sticky. Because I tend to "push" color around before I start my stroking, it worked fine for me.
Base- Freshcover Black Gold
Fauxnad plates H23 & H30
Cherry blossom stamped with Sally Hansen Chrome Burmese Ruby
Crane stamped with Sally Hansen Copper Chrome
I added pink holo hex-es from Love My Nails Pretty in Pink to the blossom tree (I wished these were a bit smaller)
1 coat Seche

Anyone know German? I want these nail stamping plates!

I want the entire 32, T-series nail stamping plates from here;
http://www.nailart-und-mehr.de/index.php?seite=1&k=232&JTLSHOP2=13dce3b0d4f66be1478cbdbf0b4069c3

Do they sell all the T plates as a set,  moreover- do they ship to the US? If so, how would I go about ordering them?

Update-repaired nails & Orly Ruby Passion

 

           My cat Brillo- he eats everything. Nom, nom Ruby Passion.

 My cat Steph was not impressed!

I want to thank all my readers who commented on my last post. It really does mean the world to me!
Yesterday, I tried a new salon, one that was recommended by one of my ex-employees. I am extremely happy with the results! Not only did they repair the breaks, they repaired the other 7, which by the way, *all* had cracks, and were ready to go the way of my other 3. The nail tech took her time and ground away all the off-color fills, which included last week's, and the many "spots" of old nail polish embedded in acrylic. When she was done, my nails were all one color. They looked so clean, fresh and new, for a hot second I almost opted for a sheer frenchy instead of the Color Club OOOOOO La La I brought with me.
3 new tips, a new fill and the many repairs cost me only $20- YAY!

I have learned a valuable lesson that I'd like to pass on to my readers. Please do not go to *any* salon that is not busy! There are many reasons why some salons are busy and others are not. Moreover, apply this advice to any and all "office" situations. Don't go to a doctor, dentist, dermatologist, tanning salon...etc- if they are not busy! Busy is good. It means the office/salon is doing something right!

The salon I had been going to is 2 years old. When they first opened, they were packed all the time. It was very hard to get an appointment-  and forget about a "walk-in"! Over time, the patrons thinned out. I liked being able to just "walk-in and get my fill whenever I had the time.
I'm sure the reason why they lost all those patrons was because they used sub-par products to save money. The salon is huge and in a beautiful building. The overhead must be astronomical.

By comparison, the salon I went to yesterday was really, really busy! For each patron that walked in after me, (I was the first of the day), a tech came out from the back. An hour later all 8 nail stations and half of the 12 pedi chairs were occupied! Judging by the conversations going on, all these patrons were repeat customers that the techs were very familiar with. The salon had a happy air about it with all the chatter going on..."why didn't you bring the baby?", "how was the wedding?", "kids doing well in school?"...etc.
I felt very comfortable there, so I *will* be going back.

Bonus that the salon is right next to my Sally's! I popped in to see if they had anything new. They didn't, but I walked out with a color I never wear on my nails- red. Orly Ruby Passion called out to me from the rack, so I bought, went home, removed CC OOOOOO La La, and applied 2 coats of Ruby Passion- and I love it!

When it rains, it pours- 3 breaks @ the nailbed!

China Glaze, My Secret Peri-Wink-Le was going to be the base of my next nail art mani, but...

1 week into my last fill - Bam! 3 nails gone- just like that! It's a rarity that I break one nail, but 3? Never!
A couple of months ago, my nail tech, My, did a substantial fill (I was 1 week late for it) that she wasn't happy with. I believe it was the acetone, because she kept bringing it to her nose and smelling it. She told me that if I had any problems with grittiness or cracking, to come in right away, and she would fix it.  The next fill after that, she ground away the previous fill with the alleged bad acetone.
I figured all was well, until these 3 breaks.
I am not happy. In fact, I am madder than a hornet.
These breaks are the last straw, and I'll tell you why.
For the last 3 months, I have been charged different prices for my fills- each going up 2 more dollars. $6 increase in 3 months? come on! I have been an excellent customer. I tip very, very well...$20 tip for a $16 fill is a crazy good tip!
I was also charged "extra" when My removed that bad fill, when I think there should *not* have been a charge at all.
And now these 3 breaks.
Today, I am going to try another salon. I'm also going to be less generous with my tips.

L'Oreal Star Magnet Fauxnadicure

Good morning girls! I was hoping to get another day out of my Strawberry Fields mani, but it wasn't meant to be. It got pretty beat up from moving a tree! A kind, elderly woman donated her 10 1/2 foot Norfolk Pine Tree to our restaurant. 44 years ago, she purchased it as a 12" tree from The Philadelphia Flower Show, and this past summer, it out-grew her 10' ceiling. It now has a new home in our vestibule, and I must say- it looks very regal and impressive. I love that this beautiful, living thing has a story- and a name- Angel! For reasons unknown, every time I looked at Angel last night,  I was overcome with happiness. Very odd, how  random things do that to me. And something else just as odd for me...for the first time in over 20 years, I feel the stirrings of Christmas Spirit. I am going to decorate Angel for the holiday.
Anyway- *enough* about that! Perhaps it's the full moon's influence that's driving me to ramble....or the lack of sleep. I pulled an "all-night-er" and played polish.

Base-coat- L'Oreal Star Magnet in Purple over 1 coat- Orly, Happily Ever After
Fauxnad plate #P55, star image
Sally Hansen, Royal Purple Chrome to stamp
2 coats Seche
Mattified left pinkey with Essie MAY- very cool...the effect reminds me of Moire fabric!
I'm thinking that I may just mattefy the rest tomorrow.
Have a great day All!!!

Kreative Blogger Award

Kreativ Blogger Award Tag!

 I've been tagged for this award by Cindy of Nail'd & Polish'd  
and Sasa of Nihrida's Blog .

  















 

Rules;

List 7 facts about yourself and tag/award 7 other Bloggers. 
1~ My ancestors are from Siberia, a subarctic region. You would think that I would be "wired" to be okay with cold temperatures. I am not- I despise and dread it. Being cold is *painful* to me. It is one of the very few things I cry about.
2~ I have been collecting animal bones that I find in the woods.  I have plans to re-face our fireplace and incorporate the bones in a unique design. My inspiration is The Bone Church.
3~ I have been known as "The Secret Keeper" at every job I've held. Everyone's secret is safe with me...I never tell a soul the secrets I know- not even my husband.
4~ I have also been called "MacGyver" (see show summary) or "The Fixer of All Things" due to my resourcefulness in scabbing in a repair using only what is available on site. I once fixed a hot chocolate machine with rubber-bands and toothpicks- really.
5~ I do not want grandchildren.
6~ I wish I had nails like hers' .
7~ I do not eat meals. I "graze" on little things throughout the day. The irony in this- I'm the manager of a restaurant.
8~ I am a rule-breaker! haha! Really though- I am not always practical- I want Stiletto style nails.


 I tag; Hey! I actually have blogs to tag this time! Not sure if I'm on their rolls though.

Diana from Painted Lady Fingers  
( I just realized that Diana lives only 40 minutes from me! Love Philly!)
Gildedangel from Naive Nails
deez nailz
Any of the girls from Polish or Perish
Happyberrynaiad  
Skye from Nailz In Aus 
Liz from Iceomatic's Nails




 

Strawberry Fields Fauxnadacure- click for big pics

Good afternoon everyone! I'm happy today!... We finally have sunshine after days and days of dreariness and rain. It's supposed to reach the upper 60s by late afternoon. China Glaze Strawberry Fields is a perfectly fitting color for a glorious day like today.

Basecoat- China Glaze Strawberry Fields
Fauxnad plate H20- Stamped portions of this full image
Stamped with China Glaze Twenty-Four K
I used a dotting too to randomly place dots of Orly Shining Star on image
1 coat Seche
Pinky and middle fingers sport a coat of Essie MAY

I absolutely *love* Strawberry Fields! I was at a loss as to what color I should use to stamp the Fauxnad to compliment this color. As you can see, Twenty-Four K was probably not the best choice. It blends in with the gold glass flecks of SF a bit too much.
It's still pretty, though. Applying Essie MAY to a couple of nails brings out the image but ruins the juicy-ness of Strawberry Fields.
Any suggestions for a better stamping color?