MMMM... Pie! #ChallengeYourNailArt #FallingForNailArt

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Challenge Your Nail Art prompt is for Fall Food.  Nothing says Fall to me more than baking!  It's too hot here in Florida to do a lot of baking in the summer, anyway, but the really good apples don't get ripe until the Fall.

So when I saw this nail art (original author unknown) for cherry pie, I thought, well, I'd rather have apple.

I started off with Revlon Orient Express, but it was too red, so I put a layer of OPI Glints Of Glinda over it, which gave it a milky, softened look that was more like what I wanted.

I used a short brush to daub Zoya Flynn in a cross-hatch pattern, like a lattice-top pie.  To give it more dimension (and golden-brown deliciousness,) I added little spots of Lacquerhead Polish Ashlyn, a dark brown holo.

Yeah, it still looks like a cherry pie, I guess.  Which is okay.  It's still pie, after all.

Bottle shot:  Revlon Orient Express, OPI Glints of Glinda, Zoya Flynn, and Lacquerhead Polish Ashlyn.

Will you be indulging in a little pie this week?  What's your fave?  It's so hard to decide, but a good peach pie is hard to beat!

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?

Sad Monsters

 Hello, Fireflies!

This month's NCC prompt is books.  I used to read a lot.  All the time.  You know what killed it for me?  College.  I actually read textbooks and articles, and somehow, through 4 years of undergraduate, and some years of graduate work, I no longer read for fun.

So, I was fumbling around for this first mani.  Not sure if I should go back to the many bookshelves we have and find an old book of mine, or one of my husband's many books.

I was wearing this polish, Lacquerhead Polish Ashlyn, a deep brown, bordering on plum holo.  And, I thought to myself, Self, I should do something based on this polish.

And, so I did.  I found this book cover art for Sad Monsters, and decided to give it a try.

First, I stamped with Maybelline Bold Gold and Dashika Big SdP-A, and tried to hi-light with a yellow nail art pen.

Then I drew in the eyes, mouth, and teeth of the sad monster on my ring finger.

He's a sad, sad monster.

Bottle shot:  Lacquerhead Polish Ashlyn, Maybelline Bold Gold, and nail art stripers in black and white. I used a yellow nail art pen, too, but I guess it didn't want to be photographed?  Not sure how I missed that..

When you're looking for inspiration, where do you look first?  Pinterest?  Google? Your workspace? Nature?

An InLinkz Link-up

Trifle - goooood!

Hello, Fireflies!

Whew, what a busy week.  Things just start getting a little crazy in the Fall, don't they?  It's been raining this week to the point of flooding, and while I'd like a little more sunshine, I'm okay with the temperature backing down a little.

Not that it's cool yet here in Florida, but it's got me in the mood for Fall colors - berry, wine, and ... brown.  One of my fave browns right now is this metallic coppery-brown from Butter London - Trifle.

I added a funky French tip with Different Dimension It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin, a brown and red glitter from last year's Halloween collection.  Have you seen her new one for this year?  I need Ghostbusters. 

 And, because you know I like sticking things on my nails, a golden metal stud.

I love that golden marbling in the Trifle bottle.

But, really, who can think of Trifle without thinking of the famous Friends episode?  "What's not to like? Custard - good! Jam - good! Meat - goooood!"

Bottle shot:  Butter London Trifle, and Different Dimension It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin.

This mani - gooooood!

Polish Royalty Meets the King of The Lizards

Hello, Fireflies!

When I started developing this rabid addiction to nail polish, there were some brands I was desperate to try.  KOH was one of them, even though I had to have it shipped internationally to get it.

This lovely brown is KOH Chocolate Brown. I love the subtle shimmer, which is apparently due to the addition of topaz.  It's such a rich polish.

But it's not just the color or shimmer that makes this 'Polish Royalty'.  Check out the packaging:

I've never seen polish come with a leather (or faux leather, I'm not sure) and lined snap case, with a little fan for drying your nails.  LUX.

Yep, I can't wait until the end of the post for the bottle shots.  The fan is too cute, and the embossed polish case is such a nice touch.  I even love the shape of the bottle.

So, when I was thinking about nail art, I immediately thought of T-Rex, the King of the Lizards, for this royal-treatment of a polish.

Little, tiny t-rexes.

These gold foil t-rexes are small, but sharp! they're made of gold-colored foil.  I bought them from The Sparkly Shop. I think they're totes adorbz.  Totes T-rex Adorbz, y'all.

 What would you pair a T-rex nail charm with?

(not my picture; not sure who to credit, though.  Just a funny picture from the Interwebz.)

Let's Go Camping - Roaring Campfire

Hello, Fireflies!

Two challenges today, and two posts! If you'd like to see my Adventures In Stamping stamping over stripes nailart, click HERE. 

First up, the last of the Challenge Your Nail Art camping challenge - Campfires.

I started with Zoya Jesy, a jelly coral-leaning-orange with lots of glitter. Forgot to get a pix by itself. Eh, there's lots of swatches of it online, though.  The whole Zoya Bubbly collection is pretty cool, but this was the one I *had* to have.  Right away.

Then I stamped this cool fire with Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and the Mash 48 plate.  Times like this, I wish I had longer nail beds, because I had to chop the bottom of the fire off. How cool is that stamp?

I sponged a little Cirque Arcane Fire, because, fire.  Yeah.

I also painted in some 'logs' with Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon, and used a white striper to detail it... and to also make marshmallows.  What other reason is there to build a campfire, if not to roast marshmallows?

I like them burnt.  OMG. Drool.

Bottle shot:  Zoya Jesy, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon, Cirque Arcane Fire, and stripers in silver and white.

What's your favorite reason to have a campfire?

An InLinkz Link-up

Back to the 70's...

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Adventures in Stamping challenge is to do a color combination that we haven't done previously.  I mostly stamp with black, white, silver, and gold, so what color was I going to find?

I consider myself a child of the 80's, but I was born in the early 70's, so I have worn my share of polyester, and grew up in a kitchen adorned with gold and avocado green.

Browns and oranges also remind me of my childhood, and even though OPI Coral Reef is a coral, it's very orange-leaning.  And, it's a little holo. Yay!

I couldn't resist this stamping plate from MoYou London. So much 70's deliciousness.  This one is soooo 70's.

Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon is a rich brown that I thought worked with the orange, and the 70's theme.  It actually stamped really easily, too!

If this post had a soundtrack, it might be the theme from Shaft. 

I loved it so much, I did it twice! Both hands.

Bottle shot:  OPI Coral Reef, and Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon.

When you think of your childhood, what colors do you think of?

GOT white base

Hello, Fireflies!

For today's Golden Oldie challenge, I was supposed to do something over a white base.  I use white all the time.  I have lots of whites.  I didn't feel like any of my whites were unloved enough to choose for this, so I picked an off-white that has been sitting on my desk - unable to put it away, but still doesn't get used all that often;  OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.

When I saw the nail art that Nik@Nails did for Geniabeme, I knew I had to try it - it's so cool.  I did my best, but I picked slightly different colors, and all 'golden oldies' from my stash.

For the tape manicure, I started it with PeriPera P027, a metallic golden-bluish-green.  For the glitter accent, I chose Literary Lacquers An Honest Puck, for the matching green glitters.

On my index and pinky fingers, I did a gradient with the Peripera and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  I love how that turned out!

I finished the striping tape nails with a stripe of Literary Lacquers An Honest Puck, and some of the Wet 'n Wild Black.

I never would have come up with this pattern on my own, but I felt compelled to do a version of it.  It's such a cool melange of colors and patterns.

Bottle shot:  OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, PeriPera P027, Literary Lacquers An Honest Puck, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  

Isn't that Peripera bottle with the cat topper the coolest? I love interesting polish bottles.

Have you ever seen another's art or makeup or fashion look and felt compelled to do your own take on it as an homage?

An InLinkz Link-up

Embracing My Geekness - Old School Gaming Style

 Hello, Fireflies!

I don't do that much gaming myself, but I'm married to a gamer from way back, and when the idea of a video game mani came up, I chose some old-school video game stamps!

I had also just received my order from Mentality's sale, and wanted to try out some of their famous stamping polishes! They did not disappoint!  I've identified which polish and which stamping plate I used for each finger:
Joysticks (what's that? Some kind of weird controller?) and a Game Boy (huh?) and swords and keys (prevalent in the role-playing games my husband loves.)

Ah, poor Mario!

Link with his old-school sword in Legend of Zelda!

When my husband and I were dating, we used to go to the arcade and play our fave games - X-Men..

hahahahahaha X-chickens!

...and Trog!

Bottle shot:  Mentality Betty, Tawakkol, Doublet, and Duality.  Used, but not pictured:  Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and Milani White On The Spot.

Do you have a favorite old-school video game?

An InLinkz Link-up