Santa Hat

Hello, Fireflies!

I can't believe December is almost over.  This year is flying by!  Today, I have the last of my Negative Space nails to show you.  I haven't done a lot of holiday nailart this year, but I couldn't resist this one.

Cheshire Leopard

Hello, Fireflies!

I reached back into the vault to bring you a little glitter nailart today! I don't do a lot of leopard print, but I couldn't resist these adorable leopard spot glitters.

Sunday Stamping - All Knotted Up

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge was to use a plate that ended with a letter between A-M.  Luckily, I have an M plate! I do enjoy these more open-ended challenges sometimes - there's so much room for creativity.. though, I just did a plain color and stamp today.

Glitter: Above and Below

 Hello, Fireflies!

Happy Independence Day to my USA readers! Happy Saturday to everyone else..  I actually don't have a patriotic mani for you today, but if you're missing the stars and stripes, check out my Wonder Woman mani I did last month!

Today's manis - yes, TWO - are showcasing two of the many ways I use glitter!

Purplicious Look for Face and Nails

Some press samples; some purchased by me

Hello, Fireflies!

These days, it seems like I am all about the purples!  I've re-discovered some old favorites and incorporated some new loves into this total purple look!

Sunday Stamping - Purple(ish) and Orange (ok, gold)

Hello, Fireflies!

It's time again for Sunday Stamping! Today's challenge is purple and orange.  I was out of town part of the week, and had to reach into the vault.. and had nothing exactly purple and orange.  But I think I got pretty close with this pretty purple duochrome and gold stamping.

Sunday Stamping - I'm Such A Square

Hello, Fireflies!

When I found out that not only is this month's Nail Challenge Collaborative all geometric designs, but today's stamping challenge is, too, I set this mani aside for today.  I have to admit, it's pretty square.

It does start out with a really pretty holo-y/flakie polish from LynBDesigns - Lobster Quadrille.

It's a little bit holo with those gold flakes that just melt into the polish.  So pretty.  Not sure why it's named what it's named, but Indies do what they do.

This square design from Winstonia 201 is so fun.  Wish I did a better job stamping it!

I didn't do a good job with this stamping, but I still liked it.  I love geometric patterns.  I'm attracted to them like a moth to flame.

There is a lot of finesse in stamping that I am still working on - sometimes, a stamping plate isn't engraved deeply enough. 

Sometimes, the plate is fine, but there's an incompatibility between the polish and the plate, or the polish and the stamping head - or even the type of stamping head and the plate. 

Sometimes, you need to use a different scraper, or scrape in a different direction, or with a different angle on the scraper.  Or scrape harder, or lighter, or in short, quick motions.

Sometimes, when you don't feel like working through all that, you get this.  No one notices from normal viewing distance.

Bottle shot:  LynBDesigns Lobster Quadrille and Finger Paints Black Expressionism.

I'd probably be a better blogger if I were more of a perfectionist, but it's just not in my nature.  If your makeup or nails aren't perfect, do you redo them until they are?

TRI it With A Purple Shimmer

Hello, Fireflies!

This polish, Urban Outfitters Pink Holo, is the kind of polish that makes me a little crazy.  As in, how can Urban Outfitters put out such a crazy awesome rainbow-shiny holo for $10, and OPI can't bring back any of their awesome DS holos?  It's so pretty!

I painted Pink-Dipsy-Bulle Water Lily on 2/3 of the nail.  I think this color should count as both my green and my purple.  Look at that crazy awesome purple shimmer!

LynBDesigns It's Mauve And Dangerous is a light mauve purple scattered holo.  It's really a little too sheer to cover Water Lily with a reasonable amount of polish.  It should be worn as the first layer, or over another light purple.

I think the purple is the unifying color in this, as either part of the holo rainbow, or shimmer, or on its own.  Purpleeee!

Bottle shot:  Urban Outfitters Pink Holo, Pink-Dipsy-Bulle Water Lily, and LynBDesigns It's Mauve And Dangerous.

I'm loving these stripes, but I need some new ideas for these TRI-polish challenges.  Any ideas?

An InLinkz Link-up

Memorial Day Skittles

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's post is a combination of two challenges - Celebrating Memorial Day, and skittle nails for the NCC.  So, I give you my Memorial Day Skittle:

I wanted to do a traditional Red, White, and Blue theme (Sinful Colors Embers Only, LynBDesigns Old St. Nick, and Pupa 701) but I also wanted to recognize the somberness of the occasion; hence, the Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

And stars, because I gotta stick something on my nails, right?

Bottle shot:  Sinful Colors Embers Only, LynBDesigns Old St. Nick, and Pupa 701, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and my little dollar store bottle of stars.

If you're celebrating this Monday, please take a moment to remember those who gave all in service to their country.

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Brights'll Poke Your Eye Out

Hello, Fireflies! 

Did you think I was going to show you some cool nail art today? April Fools! Just some regular stuff, like I always show you!

Is this not a bright, sexy pink?  What else would you expect from a collex named for Gwen Stefani?  OPI Hey Baby is a pink I like wearing, and that's saying something.

I love a little glitter on the tips, so I picked out LynBDesigns Darwin, from the way-back of my untrieds stash.  She hasn't used these bottles in a while, but it's actually one of the things that got me to try her brand.  I think they are cool.  

I actually 'finished' the mani here, and went out to run some errands.  I try to wear the same mani on both hands if I'm going out.  People think I'm weird enough as it is, ya know?

But this is a tri-polish challenge, right?  So, I put on some tape and painted yellow spiky triangles with Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow.  The bright colors! They burns! I'm not ready for summer yet, lol. 

The problem with doing a tape mani with a light color is that you have to put a lot of polish on.  And the more polish there is, the more chance some of it is going to bleed under the tape.  So, some of my spikies are actually more sort of wobblies.

Bottle shot:  OPI Hey Baby,  LynBDesigns Darwin, and Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow.

Do you have strong feelings about polish bottles?  I've heard some say they only buy uniform bottles, some like unique shapes.. do you have a preference?

I'm Generally Ignorant to Color Today

Hello, Fireflies!

I admit it, I'm a little burned out.  Between all these challenges, and all the green, green, green I've been painting, I just wanted something simple.  Something monochromatic.  Something... ignorant?  How about LynBDesigns General Ignorance, a milky grey crelly with black and holo glitter?

I love this.  My only complaint is that the holo gets covered by the crelly and it's hard to see.  There's a large holo circle glitter on my index finger.  Do you see it? Just the shape - no shine.

I added a dark grey French tip with Ulta Total Eclipse

I wanted a little more pop, so I added a thin white line between the glitter and the tip.  Perfect!

Don't forget the topcoat!

Bottle shot:  LynBDesigns General Ignorance, Ulta Total Eclipse, and a white striper.

Do you ever feel like going monochromatic?

An InLinkz Link-up

Shamrocks in Untried Greens

Hello, Fireflies!

Time to get out some untried green polishes, because it's almost St. Paddy's Day! And, because:

I saw this cute shamrock nail art from QTPlace and decided to do a little twist on it for today.  I started with alternating greens in Finger Paints Go Van Gogh! and Pop Jade Metal.

Shamrocks galore!

I probably could have used some judicious editing here.  All kinds of greens, topped with glitter and holo?  Well, it's not like this holiday is known for subtlety, y'all.

Bottle shot:  Finger Paints Go Van Gogh!, Pop Jade Metal, SpaRitual Introspective, Julep Adrianna, LynBDesigns The Credible Hulk, and China Glaze This is Tree-Mendous.

Ever have a moment where you couldn't decide which shade to use, so you just used them all? Yeah.

An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Purple Dotted Abstract Flowers

Hello, Fireflies!

I guess I missed having a purple mani for World Cancer Day, but here's a purple mani for today.  I used two polishes from LynBDesigns:  a scattered lilac holo called Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-Ven-Der, and a royal purple with a heavy green shimmer, called Ragdoll.

I miss doing dotted flowers, and I guess I didn't realize how long it had been, because boy-howdy, am I out of practice.  I thought they looked like flowers until I asked my husband, who guessed sunbursts.

I just alternated colors - putting La-Ven-Der over Ragdoll, and vice-versa.  I got a little dot-happy on my thumb.

 Bottle shot:  LynBDesigns Ragdoll and Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-Ven-Der.

Flowers or sunbursts.. or on my thumb, they kinda look like boobs.  Dots are fun!

Zig-Zig-Ziggity Zag Lines

Hello, Fireflies!

I had so much fun doing tutorials this month.  I'm sad to see the challenge end.. but you know I'm going to keep doing them on my own, because that's how I roll.

I started this one with LynBDesigns Oobleck, a pretty mint with a subtle shimmer.  Probably could have used another coat..

Have you ever wanted to do zig-zag nails, but couldn't figure out how to make the lines all match up?  Or, have you ever wanted to do nail art while drunk?  This technique may be for you! I used the tutorial from Nail Art 101 tutorial for zig-zag nails.

Start by making dots in a grid across and down the nail.  Don't start drinking until after this step, or it'll go wonky.

Or, heck, drink first.  That would make for a pretty interesting nail art, I'm thinking.

If you ever played cheeseboxes as a kid, it's kinda like that, only on the diagonal.

I went towards the tip first, so the next line goes towards the nail bed.  You can go whichever way you want to start.

Ok, not perfect.. but you don't know how much I'd been drinking, either.  This could be a very good nailart, if you look at it like that.

This really needs topcoat for the black to pop!

If you use yellow, you can make Charlie Brown's shirt.

Bottle shot:  LynBDesigns Oobleck, and a black striper.

Do you like making zig-zag lines or chevrons?  Does this make it easier?  It did for me! Now... is it 5 o'clock yet?