Soft Shimmery Stamped Stripes

Hello, Fireflies!

Continuing with the striped theme for this month's challenge, I pulled this mani from the archives.

I don't really think of my nails or photography changing that much, but it's funny to pull a picture from the vault and see the little changes.  Of course, nails break and grow, so it shouldn't surprise me.  I also like looking through my Facebook profile pictures to see my hair change, too.

Maybe it's just a quirk of mine.

Anyhoo, this here is a nice mushroomy-taupe from Nikka K.  It came in one of those subscription boxes, so I'm not sure if it has a name, or if it's NY 112.

Are these just some boring stripes on my Mash-43 plate? no way!

They're now diagonal, like whoa!  Mind. Blown.

This lovely holo I used to stamp is A-England Fonteyn.

I think this would be a great subtle or work-appropriate nail art.  Can't hardly go wrong with taupe, right?

Bottle shot:  Nikka K NY 112 and A-England Fonteyn.

I love the holo stripes - who knew it would stamp so well?  Is this a new way for you to wear a holo?

Kittens Tangled Up In Yarn

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge was to stamp over a purple.  Ok, here's my purple, Nikka K NY113, a soft lilac creme:

I used multiple stamps from plate YH809.  First, the one on the left that looks like flowers made of string, and then the different cat stamps on the right.

White yarn with Revlon Spirit:

Black cats stamped with Cult Nails Nevermore:

Hey, I'm just fulfilling the primary use for the Interwebz: cat pictures.

Aw, they're so cute when they're playing, getting all tangled in the yarn.  Awwwww.

So.Many.Cats.  I'm a craaaazy cat lady!

Bottle shot:  Nikka K NY113, Revlon Spirit, and Cult Nails Nevermore.

Are you a cat person or a dog person, both, or neither?  I grew up with cats, now I have dogs.  Interwebz animals of all kinds are totes adorbz, though, right?

June Subscription Box Bonanza! Wantable, Ipsy, Beauty Box 5, and Birchbox

Hello, Fireflies!

Surely that title is a typo, right? I meant July?

I should, but no.  These are June's boxes.  Sigh.  Thirty lashes with a wet noodle for me for being so late with these.

Beauty Box 5 - April box

Hello, Fireflies!

Ready to check out April's Beauty Box 5?

April's theme was 'Shades of Beauty' - taking time to make yourself look and feel beautiful.

Makes you feel like it should come with meditation instruction and a CD of world music, right?

The closest thing to incense, though, in the box was the Blum cleansing cloths.

I love peppermint oil and peppermint oil-scented things.  I haven't tried these yet.. I'll be honest with you.  I'm a little leery of something that says it's safe to use on babies, and is non-irritating, but also has peppermint oil and to avoid getting it in your eyes. Can I use it to remove eye makeup or not? If anyone has used these and can put my mind at ease, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

One thing I did try was the lippie duo - Bonnie Bell lip pencil in Apple Cider, and Nikka K lipstick in Daring.

These are interesting colors - alllllmost red.  It looks like red to me, but my husband says it's pink.  The lip pencil was okay - I rarely wear lip pencils.  I don't like that dry, tugging sensation on my lips, and this one does that, though it's not hard or rough.  The lipstick was nice and glossy, and it stayed put while I drank a soda without a straw.

The last products in the box I haven't tried.  I received this California Collection from BH Cosmetics in another sub box already, and it bums me out to get the same colors.  I'll probably find a new home for it.  The Jergens Natural Glow is in one of those silly packets, and I rarely use those.  I haven't ruled it out completely, though.  It would be nice to get a little color on my pasty legs.

Have you checked out Beauty Box 5 yet?  If you think you'd like to try Beauty Box 5, and you want to throw a little referral love my way, click HERE for my referral link.

Two posts today! My #NailArtForNubs post goes live at 9am Eastern - check back to see what I do with some Black and White and stamping and rhinestones!

#WeekOfLoveChallenge - Wearing My Heart On My (Striped) Sleeve

Hello, Fireflies!

Is there a Valentines' Eve?  Well, it's not official, but for many, this day is full of anticipation of what tomorrow will bring! So, in honor of the occasion, I have one of my favorite manis of the challenge for today's theme - hearts.

I started with OPI Sleigh Ride For Two.  So romantic! This wine-colored polish has a tiny bit of shimmer in it, but it doesn't catch the light, and you can't see it on the nail.  Like an overpriced sleigh ride through slushy streets, this polish is nice in theory, but a bit of a disappointment in reality.

I was inspired by the mani in this Pinterest Pin (argh, another one with no watermark, and no link!) to break out the striping tape and create some different striping patterns using Nikka K NY112, a lovely mushroom taupe.

When I want my silver glitter to be opaque, but not thick, I layer it over a silver polish.  I used a Sally Hansen nail pen in silver to draw hearts on my thumb and ring finger, and then used silver glitter over it. 

Oooh, shiny!

Reminds me of my fave rugby shirt I used to wear in high school.  Not that I played rugby.  They were fashionable for 5 minutes in the 80's.

On my other hand, I decided to try and create a complimentary look without messing with striping tape or nail art.  I love how it turned out!

Bottle shot:  OPI Sleigh Ride For Two, silver glitter striper, Nikka K NY112, and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen Silver.

When you wear nail art, do you do it on both hands?  I usually do it on one hand if it's just for fun or the blog.  If I'm going out, I try to do it on both hands.  This is the first time I can remember trying to do a complimentary look for the other hand.

An InLinkz Link-up

Army of Sheep?

Hello, Fireflies!

If you can't have a duochrome, have a polish with a heavy shimmer.  It's almost the same...  well, kinda.  CrowsToes Me and This Army is a greyed-out Army green with a heavy purple shimmer.  I love this combo!

I didn't expect it to be this sheer, though!  This was 3 to 4 coats, and you can still see nail line.  That will never dry on me. If I use it again, I'll try it layered over a grey or dark green.

Ok, I know that yesterday was the end of the tutorial challenge.. but it will never end for me! bwahaha! I used Chalkboard Nails' Sheep Tutorial for this nailart.

It kinda looks like I'm drawing noses when I start out.

Then, I use a dotting tool and Milani White On The Spot to add a big, fluffy ball of cotton candy on top of the two sticks.  Like a weird popsicle.

The same dotting tool goes first into Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and then into the Milani White for the eyes.  Ghost cotton candy!

A little taupe from Nikka K NY112 for the ears, and OPI Pussy Galore for the noses.  I had a little trouble with the noses.  One sheep looks like a fluffy pig.  Another, more like a cat.

A little topcoat to smooth it all out, and the shimmer comes out to play, too. 

Bottle shot:  CrowsToes Me and This Army, Milani White On The Spot, black striper, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Nikka K NY112, and OPI Pussy Galore.

This isn't a fail - it's a multi-purpose tutorial.  You can use it to either make Cotton Candy Ghosts, Fluffy Pigs, or Sheep.  Everyone loves a multi-tasker.