Shiny Stamped Snakeskin

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's AIS challenge is, "Snakeskin and Other Reptiles."  I chose the lesser-known holo-flakie reptile to emulate.  His pattern is more like a fishnet than scales, but we do what we can with what we have.

Fire (Opal) In The Hole!

Hello, Fireflies!

It's a new month, and that means a new theme for the NCC!  This time, we're all doing nail art inspired by jewelry.  I knew right away which piece of jewelry I had to do first - a funky ring, with a bittersweet story behind it.

I Paint Groot

Hello, Fireflies!

Time for another superhero/villain nailart! Today, I, we, are NCC!

Candy Nail Art Challenge - CandyLand!

Hello, Fireflies!

This week, Challenge Your Nail Art is hosting a Candy Nail Art challenge!  I have a flakie, stamped candy-fest on my nails for today's theme: Candyland!

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!

Exposed my Skin for 30 Days

Press Samples. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I showed you my Exposed Skincare unboxing about a month ago, and I'd like to share with you how this facial regimen worked for me.  I have some before and after pix to show you, too.

Some of My Favorite Things - Gold and Black, Dogs and Chevrons

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is to mix animal prints with chevrons.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do at first, but I really like the mix of gold flakies and black chevrons, with my favorite animal print - dog paws!

Super Strong Super Retinol from Aria Starr Beauty #retinol

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Retinoids, a derivative of Vitamin A, can be a big help in smoothing skin by increasing collagen production and diminishing dark spots.  If your skin is starting to look dull, with fine lines, you may want to check out this Super Retinol Serum from Aria Star Beauty.

Safe Organic Skincare Answering the SOS for my Oily Skin

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Spring in Florida has brought temperatures in the 80's, the return of 24-7 A/C, and my oily skin trapping dirt and sweat like a lint roller.  This one-two punch of cleanser and scrub from Safe Organic Skincare has been keeping my face in check!

Sunday Stamping - Frozen Snowflakes

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Adventures in Stamping challenge was to stamp over blue.  One of my fave blue polishes, Lilypad Lacquer Sherbet, has been sitting on my desk waiting for me to use it again, so I decided to use it as a base for some stylized snowflakes and flakies!

Scrolling Wallpaper

Hello, Fireflies!

Short post today - I was going to take the day off, and then I decided to look through the vault to see if I could find a mani that could satisfy this month's NCC challenge - wallpaper.

I think that this scrolling pattern on blue flakie and gold works!

Feelin' Groovy Green

Hello, Fireflies!

This week's challenge was either a 60's theme, or using a matte/texture.  Mine has a little of both, but doesn't do either particularly well.

This is my fave part:  I picked up this sweet green polish at Ulta the other day on clearance - One In A Chameleon.  I don't know if it's a green/gold duochrome, or green with a gold shimmer.  It's a little thin, and needed 3 coats to cover VNL, but I love this effect.

I used this stamp from Dashica Big-B plate, and Cult Nails Nevermore for the pattern.

I thought this stamp looked all groovy and psychedelic.  But it actually read more 'wood-grain' on my nails.  Fail #1.

This bottle of SpaRitual Citrine Luminary Matte Top Effect looks like fireflies in a jar to me.  It just glows!

On this mani, though, it was neither terribly matte nor luminous, though.  Fail #2.

It actually reminded me a lot of the Orly matte flakie polishes.  I think this one would look better over a dark polish, though.

Bottle shot:  Ulta One In A Chameleon, SpaRitual Citrine Luminary Matte Top Effect, and Cult Nails Nevermore.

I was trying for 60's groovy and matte, and ended up with something that reminded me of my mom's 70's avocado green kitchen.  Hey, when's the 70's kitchen mani challenge?

From Orange Holo To Orange Flakie

Hello, Fireflies!

You may remember last week's GOT challenge, where I resurrected an old holo from the Old Forgotten Holos Home - Enchanted Polish Dragon Spit.

Well, after I was done admiring it, I covered it up with another forgotten polish, but a flakie, this time - Nfu-Oh 44, a gorgeous orange base with golden orange flakies.

Look at that glow. And, isn't the bottle super cute?

I thought these Maybelline Colorshow Nail Tattoos I picked up from the Dollar Tree looked cute with this mani.  Hello, Lucky Cat!

Now that Fall is approaching, are you going looking for some fave fall color nail polishes?

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?

Let's Go Camping - Nature

Hello, Fireflies!

If you saw yesterday's post, I mentioned how much I love nature... well, I love watching it from behind my sliding glass door.  In the A/C. 

Last week, a dragonfly came into the house, and I swear it was 6 inches long.  Dragonflies are so pretty and interesting.. but not in my house.  It was huge, though, so I couldn't kill it and then have to wash bug guts up from all over, so the husband and I spent about 10 minutes shooing outside.  Where it belonged.

Now, you'd think that was a segue to a dragonfly mani, but no.

I've shown you this polish before, the gorgeous emerald creme Ulta Green And Wear It:

I took Sally Hansen Salon Mojito and sponged it over Green and Wear it, and then covered everything with a lovely flakie coat of Sally Hansen Triple Shine Pearly Whites.

I was going for a sunlit-dappled forest canopy look.  Sunlight flashing through the leaves like multi-colored flakies, you know?

Or like the wings of a dragonfly, as seen through a glass door, while seated comfortably on the couch in the A/C, lovely beverage in hand.

Bottle shot:  Ulta Green And Wear It, Sally Hansen Salon Mojito, and Sally Hansen Triple Shine Pearly Whites.

I also get the husband to relocate spiders, ladybugs, and butterflies, too, but any other bug inside is fair game for smushing. What do you do when nature intrudes inside?

An InLinkz Link-up

GOT Black Shine?

Hello, Fireflies!

For today's Golden Oldie challenge, I take an older black and pair it with an older flakie.  And they are better together than they ever were apart.

When I first started getting back into nail polish, I thought OPI was the be-all, best polish.  Surely, they must have the best black polish, right?  OPI Black Onyx is probably the worst black polish I own.  Thin, streaky, and takes more coats than any other polish to get that nice, shiny, black finish.

Even Wet 'n Wild Black Creme is better.  Mind.Blown.

Essie Shine Of The Times is one of a dozen polishes that has this multi-chrome flakie finish.  Pretty on its own, but it takes a dark base to really ply all her secrets. 

Red, orange, gold, and green..

Oh, how it glows.  Lit-from-within, you might say.  Love these types of polishes.  They were my first polish loves, and helped inspire the name of this blog.

Bottle shot:  OPI Black Onyx, and Essie Shine Of The Times.

What's your favorite thing to pair with black?

An InLinkz Link-up

TRI Tropical Flowers

Hello, Fireflies!

It's time for another installment of the TRI-polish challenge, and today, I'm going tropical.  I started with a polish I received in my Memebox Blue, so it's a Korean-style brand named Dearberry that I've not heard of before.  Dearberry 33 is beautiful, though, and it didn't stain.  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

The inspiration for this nail art came from one of those collections where the originator wasn't named.  I've linked it in my Pinterest, and, per usual, if you know the creator, I'd love to credit and link them here.  I stamped the outline of the flower with Revlon Spirit, using Red Angel plate 119.

I wanted the flowers to have a juicy, shiny quality, so I outlined with a red striper, and then filled in with the flakie goodness of Models Own Red Sea.

The nice thing about striper polish, is that it's usually pretty opaque, so even yellow pops.  I also used a white striper to make more dots and redefine the outline of the flower.  Can't even tell it was stamped now, can ya.  I just look like a painting *genius*. Geeeeenius.

Off we go, to a tropical paradise... with a polish that came from Korea, and stripers probably made in China, and Models Own is from the UK. Hmm.

Bottle shot:  Dearberry 33, Revlon Spirit, Models Own Red Sea, and stripers in red, yellow, and white.

If you could go on a tropical vacation, where would you go?

An InLinkz Link-up