Swirly Stamped Red Roses

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge was flowers and birds. Floral nail art is probably my fave, second only to geometric nail art.  I've never been able to paint a good rose, though, so I'm happy to break out the stamps!

My Love Kinekt-ion

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's my final post for March's "Inspired By Fashion" NCC theme, and I'm doing chevrons again.. ha! no, just kidding.  I'm actually dedicating this post to my favorite accessories, a ring and necklace my husband gave me that are nerdy and fun, and have my heart.

Anti-Valentines' Day

 Hello, Fireflies!

Even though I think Valentines' Day is a Hallmark Holiday, I'm not really *against* it.  I don't celebrate it, but I'm not a hater if you do.  I've never sent anyone some Haterade Black Roses before, but I thought they might be fun for an anti-Valentines look

Happy Feet #insoles

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I've never been a big fan of feet, I don't know why.  I don't touch others' feet, I don't like pictures of feet.  When my friends ask me to paint their nails, they know I'm not doing any toenail art.

I do love getting a pedicure or a foot massage, so having healthy, pain-free feet is something that is important to me, and why I wanted to try Syono Gel Insoles.

Never Boring Nude NYE Nails

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's AIS challenge is New Years' Nails.  I didn't have much time to prepare these, since I was traveling all day from visiting my family for Christmas, so I started with what I already had on - Azature Diamond Opal. 

Christmas Card Memories

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's prompt for Sunday Stamping is a childhood winter memory.  In my childhood home, the kitchen 'doors' were two shutters - one on either side.  They were never closed, so I don't really think of them as doors; they were more decorative.  Every year, my mom would send and receive so many Christmas cards, and the ones she received were all tucked into a slat on the kitchen shutters.  By the time Christmas arrived, the shutters would be crammed full with greetings of all the people she'd kept in touch with through the years - some of them for decades!

I'm Thankful For..

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's challenge is "I'm Thankful For" Thanksgiving nails!  I needed a base polish that just reminds me of the season, so I picked this unusual matte brown glitter polish from SpaRitual with an even more unusual name - Starry Night.  You would think that would be a black or blue polish, not brown.  It's super pretty, though, and dries down to a matte finish.

I didn't want to do traditional turkey stamping today, so I thought about what I'm really thankful for, and top of my list is the love of my husband.  We met online in what constituted social media in the early 90's, but we started falling in love when he sent me some mix tapes, and a lot of handwritten letters.

So when I saw this stamp on Cici & Sisi 11, I thought it had a lot of the elements that made me think of those early days of our relationship - hearts, envelopes, and music notes!

It should have some $$ too, though, because back in the day, making a long-distance phone call cost a lot of money, and my monthly phone bills would be in the $300 range.  In the 90's.  Turns out it was a good investment, though, since we've been married 19 years.  He doesn't write me letters anymore, but he still finds me music that he thinks I'll like.

I'm thankful also, if you read this far! What are you thankful for this year?

One Fish, Two Fish, White Fish, Three Blues..

 Hello, Fireflies!

I'm picking back up with the 52 Week Pick 'n Mix challenge this week, and combining the 3-blues prompt with the domestic animal prompt.  Let's see.. shall I make a blue dog, a la Blue's Clues?

I start with this really nice, bright, opaque blue from CoverGirl, called Out Of The Blue.  This is ONE coat.  Easy, breezy, beautifu-  wait.  Wow, that's good marketing. You were thinking it, too, weren'tcha.

I started to do a chevron French tip with OPI Keeping Suzi At Bay, a medium blue jelly, but then when I added Sally Hansen Insta Dri Teal-y Fast, I just kept adding stripes.  It's not a fishtail, but along those lines.

I really liked how this turned out.  These colors look good together.  I took a few pictures in case adding the animal part to the mani completely failed!

When I had all the blues picked, I thought of fish! And these cute goldfish from Cici & Sisi 11 fit the bill.  I stamped with Milani White On The Spot.

Up close, you can see all the lines of the blues, but from a reasonable distance, it just looks like light and shadows in the water.

Everybody, now, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!"

I've never owned any kind of fish before, but I do like watching them sometimes.  Have you ever owned fish before?  What's the attraction?

Stamped Scary Skulls

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Adventures In Stamping challenge is to get ready for Halloween with something spooky or scary!  I saw this stamp from Cisi & Sisi 11 plate, and I knew I had to try it.

I started off with Milani Black Swift, which is quickly becoming a favorite black.  It's one-coat shiny awesomeness.

I love how gold and silver look stamped over black, so I alternated Essie No Place Like Chrome and Maybelline Bold Gold.

I couldn't fit more than one skull per finger, so I tried to get one clear part of the stamp on each finger. That upturned profile skull on the middle finger gave me so much trouble! It must have known, somehow, what finger it was on.

Bottle shot:  Milani Black Swift, Maybelline Bold Gold, and Essie No Place Like Chrome.

Are you getting out the black polish for a Halloween mani?  What's your favorite black?

Sparkly Subtle S..pink Stripes

Hello, Fireflies!

One thing I love about Fall is all the rich jewel-toned goodies that come out this time of year.  I love all the wine and berry lippies, the emerald, rose-gold, and mulberry eye shadows, and the wine and burgundy nail polishes.

Take a gander at this lovely wine crelly polish, Ulta Pauper Etiquette.  It's a divine wine!

I thought it would be cool to put Cuttin' Edge Miss Peregrine over it, hoping for more of that duochrome orange-pink to show, but it really just played up the shimmer.  Reminds me of the new OPI, Thank Glogg It's Friday.

This spiky stripey stamp is from the Cici & Sisi 10 plate.

I thought it might be fun to go over the pinks with a sparkly version in the same color family.  This is a Color Club that came in one of those bundles from Ross, so of course it has no name.  It's a pretty raspberry metallic color.

I liked the effect, but it's pretty subtle.  If you're not in close to see it, the stamp just changes how the polish catches the light.

I like how the Color Club enhances the shimmer from Miss Peregrine.  I like how the stripes aren't super clear, but you can tell there's *something* going on there!

I love a more defined stripe, too, but there's something nice about a subtle nail art that just manipulates the way you see the polish, too. 

Do you have a fave striped mani?  I'd love for you to share it on my FB page!

Mod 70s Baby

Hello, Fireflies!

Yep, today's challenge is yet another reminder of how old I am, a thought incongruous to the inner 12-yr old boy who lives in my brain and laughs at poop jokes.

For a mani from the decade I was born in, I decided to look to the 70's mod look.  I used Cici & Sisi 08 and did a black and white pattern with Cult Nails Nevermore and Sally Hansen White Tip (now mixed with Revlon Spirit because I was running out of the SH but loved the brush better than the Revlon.) 

Sometimes, Nevermore stamps like a dream, and sometimes it thins out and bubbles like this time.  I filled in a few of the patches with a black striper.  I wonder if it's due to age or evaporation because it never used to do that.

I paired it with a black and white striped dress and my funky-chunky black onyx necklace.  Black and White, head to toe... except for my red lipstick.

 Bottle shot: Sally Hansen White Tip and Cult Nails Nevermore.

What age is the person that lives in your head?

Hooray for Bollywood!

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is 'Bollywood.'  The only exposure I've really had to Bollywood is from the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance.  I love their Bollywood numbers, but I'm always out of breath at the end, just from watching!

So, when I think of Bollywood, I think of the costumes in rich jeweled tones and gilded details, and the music and fast-paced dancing. To try and capture that feeling, I started with Cover Girl Wine Stain, a deep, rich, wine.  There's no topcoat in this picture - the shine is all from the polish.  It's gorgeous.

I painted my ring fingernail with Cover Girl Timeless Rubies, and then dabbed it and some more Wine Stain on the other nails. Lookit that sparkle.

I just got my new CiCi & SiSi plates, and thought that this stamp was perfect for this challenge.  Music notes, and swirls make me think of the dancing.

Cover Girl Perfect Penny adds a lightness to the mani, too.

Aren't these so pretty together?  Cover Girl Wine Stain, Timeless Rubies, and Perfect Penny.

Have you seen any Bollywood?