Exotic Feathers

Hello, Fireflies!

AIS is still on official hiatus from Sunday challenges at the moment, but that just means another Sunday where I get to show you whatever stamping I want! yeah! Feels so rebellious.  I have three looks to show you today, all revolving around feathers, and I used kinda exotic or HTF polishes as the base colors.

Swatchfest Saturday!

Hello, Fireflies!

Today, I reach back into the vault and pull out some polish swatches!  Some were used for group challenges, some for nail art that didn't survive photographing, some were polishes I just *needed* to wear that moment.

TRI Tuesday - Faux Feathers

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you ever wanted to do a type of nail art, but found yourself lacking in the materials to make it? I wanted to do a feather mani, but didn't have what I wanted.  So, in those ancient words of wisdom, I decided to fake it 'till I made it!

I started off with my nude color, Zoya Jacqueline.  Pretty almond color, lumpy, patchy formula.  Jackie is kind of a b!tch.

I may have found the perfect summer coral color in China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's. Thank goodness the color is amazing, because its punctuation is atrocious.

Completing the colorful faux-feather look is Takko Lacquer Nirvana, a turquoise creme with gold flakies.  These little takkitos are hard to get! She restocks once a month, and the polishes last about 3 seconds.

Doesn't this pattern remind you of feathers? From like a really weird bird? Maybe if you squint and walk away from your monitor a little.

A little more...

Keep going...

I knew you could see it.  You're so creative.  Mr. Rogers was so right about you.

Oh, that coral.  I'm in love.

Bottle shot:  Zoya Jacqueline, China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's, and Takko Lacquer Nirvana.

Do you fake it in your creative endeavors?  Cooking, crafting, performing?

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Sunday Stamping - Fabric Matching

Hello, Fireflies!

I'm in my wheelhouse with today's challenge - stamping to match a fabric.  When I was in high school, I layered my socks to match every color I was wearing.  I had a barrette collection to rival any Valley Girl, because I had to have them in every color.   I like my jewelry to match my outfits, or at least be complimentary. Now, I like to match my polish to my outfits. 

I started with Takko Lacquer Whimsical.  It's in the pink family, but leans purple, especially with that blue shimmer!  I wanted a little more, so I added Lucky 13 Lacquer Fairy Lights, but it didn't really show up over the pastel.

I used plate Mash-46 and Orly In The Navy to make stripes.

The stripe on my thumb is a little trick I like to call, "covering the mistake."  If you, like me, aren't talented enough to get the stamp to go all the way across the nail, then fake it 'till ya make it.  Looks like it's supposed to be there, huh.  I only share these secrets with you, Fireflies.

Out of all the stamps I've tried, I think that stripes have got to be the hardest.  They look simple enough - deceptively so, really.  And, to the casual onlooker, they look pretty good.  But when people are looking at pix of your hands enlarged 2-3 times, and up in their face.. you start to notice things.  

Like that hardly any of the lines are the same thickness all the way across.

Or that they're kinda wavy.

Or maybe that they look like I was drinking and just *thought* they were straight.

But, put them against this shirt, and look from a reasonable distance, and it looks like I am a nail artist GENIUS. 

My stamping brings all the girls to the yard, and my nails, they look better than yours.  That's right, they're better than yours..

...I could teach you, but I'd have to charge.. oh, wait.  I just told you all my secrets for free.  Damn.

Bottle shot: Takko Lacquer Whimsical and Orly In The Navy

What nail polish secrets make your nails look more amazing than they really are?

Moon Candy Nail Art

Hello, Fireflies!

Yesterday, I showed you a couple of looks with the Revlon Moon Candy polishes, and today, I'm incorporating one into some nail art. Fancy!

I started off with Takko Lacquer Blushing Nude.  Nude, with a hot pink flash - crazy! I love this.  And, I'm not afraid to say it.. I miss Takko's old round bottles.  These types are some of my faves.

I took the deep wine color of Revlon Satellite and painted a curved/diagonal French tip on each nail.  These are some of my fave tips to do - no tape, no muss, no fuss.  I do have to do a little cleanup where I go over the edge of the nail, but I'm working on my aim.

I added some scrolls, a la Robin Moses.  I love her work - I don't know how she comes up with so many great nail art ideas.

Chunky, funky gold mylar flakies! Definitely a job swishing the brush around, pulling up a few flakies, and rolling and dabbing them off the brush - and trying not to get them all over the place!  I love the look, though.

Top coat smooths it all out.. and, smudged my wine color, too! Argh.  Luckily, it seemed to blend in with the pink flash from Blushing Nude.  In Real Life, it wasn't noticeable.  I love how a little bit of bling catches the light when you move.  It's subtle, but eye-catching!

Bottle shot:  Takko Lacquer Blushing Nude, and Revlon Moon Candy Satellite.

What do you think about adding a little bling-bling to nail art?  Would you rather keep it simple with just one color and the flakies, like in yesterday's post?

Spicy Takkos

Get that heartburn remedy ready, because I have some spicy Takkitos for you today.

Va Va Voom.  This is my fave kind of red, where the polish seems to have a glow from within.  I love the holo sparkles, too.  This would be a great holiday polish, but no need to relegate it to just the holidays. It's for anytime you want to feel a little heat!

For a blingier look, I paired it with Winmax Pedicure, a polish I bought in a grab bag from Singapore.  If it has a name or a number, I can't find it.  It's a basic gold glitter.  Sometimes you get lucky with grab bags... sometimes.

Pucker Up.  Every year, I am on the hunt for that perfect melon shade for the summer.  This is as close as I've come so far!  I love the subtle pink shimmer.  I knew I was going to paint over the tips, so I wasn't worried about the VNL, but a third coat would take care of that.

For the tips, I used Takko Opium, which you'll see again tomorrow.  Then I used a nail art brush and Maybelline Bold Gold for the swirls, and a black striper for low-lights.  I was inspired by this nail art by Saida, (but I couldn't navigate the original site to find the specific page from the Pinterest Pin.)

I really liked the way Pucker Up brought out the shimmer in Opium, and the gold made it so rich and vibrant, like an Oriental Rug.  Well, in my mind, anyway.  

Bottle shot:  Takko Opium & Pucker Up, Maybelline Bold Gold, and the black nail art striper.

If you haven't tried Takko Lacquer, I recommend them!  The formulas are great, and the colors are usually pretty unique.  They are hard to catch, so you have to stalk her Twitter feed and Etsy store.  Unfortunately, she doesn't have a Facebook page at this time.

What's your style?  Red-hot scattered holo, or creamy melon with a rich paint job?  

Autism Speaks - Light it Up Blue

Light it Up Blue is the kickoff for Autism Awareness Month, and it starts today, April 2nd.  This is a world-wide initiative to raise awareness for Autism.  Many landmarks around the world will light up with blue lights today. 

This post is my small homage to Autism Awarness - I'm lighting up my blog with lots of blue manis in different shades and finishes today!

Takko Lacquer Marie Antionette.  Gorgeous baby blue with a pink shimmer.  I did a little nail art on the thumb - it's the lightbulb from the Light It Up Blue campaign!

This polish is a little thick, but still applies pretty well, especially for a pastel.  Thin coats is the way to go with this polish.

Takko Lacquer Kaleidoscope Eyes.  A gorgeous aqua/teal duochrome with a scattered holo.  The formula was perfection.

Elevation Polish Muztagh Ata and Marmolada.  Muztagh Ata is a lovely blue scattered holo.  Lots of great depth in this polish.  On my ring finger is Marmolada on its own, and on my thumb is Marmolada over Muztagh Ata.

I love the round glitters and color combo in Marmolada, but it wasn't as easy to apply as some glitters - the round glitters were heavy, and dripped off the brush back into the bottle, or dragged down to the nail tip.  They require a little dabbing and pushing around to make sure you get them where you want them.  Its also not tinted enough to become opaque on its own - it would be way too thick, so undies are recommended.

Zoya Pixie Dust in Nyx.  I didn't jump on the sandpaper polish bandwagon right away, but I'm glad I picked up some of these Pixie Dusts from Zoya.  The texture isn't annoying, but it is different, and it wears really well.

I couldn't resist adding a little topcoat.  Oh, the shiny...  but be prepared to use Gelous or a few layers of topcoat, because this glitter eats it right up.  Om nom nom.

MAC Rain of Flowers.  In the bottle, this looks like a blue shimmer, but it's more of a blurple with a deep blue flash.  One of those polishes that just glows from within.

I added a little holo accent with Ludurana Supernova Fenomeno.  It really pops over a dark color!  Great linear rainbow, too.

Are you lighting it up blue sometime this month?  What is your fave blue?  pale with a pink shimmer, duochrome, holo, flash, glitter?

For more information about Autism Speaks and Light It Up Blue, please visit their webpage.

Indie January - Takko Lacquer

There used to be a hilarious web cartoon about Tako the Octopus, which is what I think of every time I see this nail polish!  I also heard a great octopus joke on the internet the other day:  How do you make an octopus giggle ten giggles?  you give him ten tickles (tenticles! get it?) *rimshot*

Electric Apple NYC.  This was how Takko lacquer burst into my Indie scene.  Crazy, sexy polish that is electric.  It's sort of grey, it's sort of gold, it's sort of taupe.  It's all and none of them.  I could wear this color for days and never tire of it.  It applies like a dream.

To Infinity and Beyond.  This polish also caught my eye.  I love multichromes, and one with a holo effect is even better.  I can see teal, blue, and purple, and maybe green.  Gorgeous.

A friend convinced me to buy Sephora for OPI Opalescent Blasted, even though I was sooo over the crackle trend.  Or so I thought.  This is such a neat way to add texture and shine without an obvious crackle effect.  I loved it and can't wait to try it over even darker colors, which I think will look fabulous. 

I can't wait to try some more of Takko Lacquer's unique finishes.  You can find her blog HERE, and her Etsy shop HERE.  What's your fave Takko?