More Aaahs and Zzzs with Aroma Zzar! #AromaZzar

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I've written about my love of essential oils before, and I've always just used them in a little oil warmer that I have.  I thought that was the way to do it.

Oh, have I been missing out.  That way was like the Ford Fiesta way of enjoying aromatherapy.  The Aroma Zzar is the Cadillac way.

That Funky Emily

Hello, Fireflies!

It's a new month, and a new theme for the NCC! This month, we're getting down and funky, with funky French manicures.  I had just received my order of A England's new collection, inspired by Emily Bronte, so my nailart features that gorgeous collection!

I Arva Crazy 'bout Arvazallia #advancedhairrepair

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I am the girl with 15 different bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and more waiting in the wings.  I love trying new haircare.  And, it's great when I find a system that works so well with my thick, curly hair!

Navy and Pearls

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you gotten enough chevrons yet?  I love wearing them on my clothes and my nails, so my third installment of 'fashion' inspired nails includes another way to wear them.

Smelling (Insta)Naturally Good! #essentialoils

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

My little world mostly consists of a small house with four dogs, so it isn't always the best smelling place to be.  InstaNatural Essential oils can help me turn that stank into a delightful smell - and so many other things, too!

Helping Out My Beauty Goddess With Radha Beauty #RadhaBeauty

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Radha (pronounced 'rada') means "Beauty Goddess."  Now, I believe that we are all 'beauty goddesses' already, which is why I address my readers as 'Fireflies' - we are all lit from within, like a firefly.  We all carry our beauty within us, glowing.

Sometimes, I need a little help getting my beauty going on on the outside, though.  So I've been using this trio of skincare products from Radha, for a little help.

Happy Valentines' Day!

Hello, Fireflies!

Today is Valentines' Day, the day all about hearts and love.  I think it's a Hallmark Holiday that only served to make me feel miserable when I was single, and to drive up the price of flowers and chocolate.

But, I like having an excuse to do heart nail art, so here we go!

Monsters In Love - Frankenstein's Monster and Bride

Hello, Fireflies!

If you saw yesterday's patchwork mani, and with today's Frankenstein's Monster and Bride mani, you might sense a theme - that Halloween monsters are known for being stitched badly!  Was no one proud of their craftsmanship?

Today's mani is inspired by this Pinterest roundup post - they couldn't identify the original artist, and neither can I, but if you can point me in the right direction, I'll be happy to give credit!

I decided to add the hearts because they are monsters in lurve.  Look how they have goo-goo eyes for each other... You could break out this design for an alternative Valentines' Day mani!

Bottle shot:  Sally Hansen White Tip mixed with Revlon Spirit, Finger Paints Go Van Gogh!, Revlon Cherries In The Snow, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and stripers in black and white.

Is there a romantic side to your Halloween?  My husband and I like to do couples' costumes!  One year, we were stereotypical tourists, another year we were 'Old and Retired' Han Solo and Princess Leia..

Shattered Glass, 80's Style

Hello, Fireflies!

Ready for today's stamping challenge?  It's full of eye-searing neon goodness, with a dash of 'hey, that wasn't supposed to happen' and a smidge of 'black stamping for the win!'

I didn't know that China Glaze Thistle Do Nicely was a neon when I got it out.  I like neons okay.  They dry quickly, so you have to work quickly.  And, they make me look like I got a tan.

Today's challenge is to do a 'Funky French' so I rifled through my tips plates. 

I *rarely* use these.  I don't have enough 'tip' for these to make much sense, usually.  But I thought this tip from Mash 27 would look good even if it wasn't a whole stamp.  I used China Glaze Cosmic Dust for the stamping.

In my mind, this was going to look like shattered pieces of glass, twinkling on the pink background.  Instead, it's a lot of squinting to see if the stamp transferred.

So, I got out my Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and stamped it again, and then did a little more Cosmic Dust over that.  Gone is the shattered glass effect; now there's an 80's vibe.

 Bottle shot:  China Glaze Thistle Do Nicely, China Glaze Cosmic Dust, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

A lot of my nail art is made up of 'oops' and then, 'I totally meant to do that!'.  No one can tell you that your art isn't right.  Own it.  And then, if you're still not happy, slap some glitter on it!

Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida Black and White Linkup!

Hello, Fireflies!

I have a special place in my heart for black & white manicures.  There's something so clean and striking about them.  So when the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida suggested a Black & White roundup, I was excited.

I started with a new-to-me Indie, Glitzkrieg War Paint.  This off-white/dove grey with a subtle holo is called Purity. 

I used Cult Nails Ignite to freehand a chevron tip.  This is an interestingly textured polish - the black is very jelly, but is opaque in two coats.  It really allows the tiny silver sparkles to shine through!

Removal wasn't hard, either.  The black polish comes off first, leaving a smattering of silver, but they just wiped off with a little pressure and a felt pad.  No scrubbing required.

A white striper helped clean up the lines and give a little contrast, and then a textured square silver stud finishes the look!

All the points actually help visually elongate my nubbins. Science!

Bottle shot:  Glitzkrieg War Paint Purity, Cult Nails Ignite, and a white striper. 

I love wearing black and white nails and outfits, and want to experiment with black and white makeup looks, too.  How do you like your black and white?

An InLinkz Link-up

Throwback - First Magnetic Mani

Hello, Fireflies!

This month's NCC theme is to go back to our first 4 nail art manis and either recreate them, or use them as inspiration for an updated look.

The first nail art I have a picture of was this gem.  It's a China Glaze magnetic polish, but I don't remember the name.  Oy.  Oy, oy, oy.  Yeah.

I still like magnetics, but I really haven't worn them since then, so even though I've had lots of practice painting my nails, I had zero practice with the magnetic doohicky.  My first recreation got scrapped.  Right away.

Then, I picked this gorgeous copper magnetic from Finger Paints, Cop An Attitude.

Just a beautiful color, both alone and with the magnetic effect.  I really like it.

I emphasized the magnetic wave with a thin chevron black tip using Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

Bottle shot:  Finger Paints Cop An Attitude, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

Do you still rock an old-school magnetic mani?

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday Stamping Stars

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Adventures In Stamping challenge is to commemorate the 4th of July, which is our Independence Day here in the U.S. of A - which means it's time for Red, White, and Blue! Stars and Stripes!

I started with what is becoming my favorite classic, tomato-red, OPI Over And Over A-Gwen.

OPI 7th Inning Strrretch is part of a baseball-inspired collection, and what's more American than baseball?  Why, a baseball-themed polish, of course!

Or not.  I think OPI is a French company... but the French did give us the Statue of Liberty, so it's all good.

Revlon Spirit and Winstonia W110 for a cute star pattern!

Yeah, I know that on the US Flag, the stars are on the blue part, and the stripes are on the red.  Artistic license.

Oh, that Grand Ol' Flag, oh that high-flying Flag, I have butchered your likeness on my nails...

Bottle shot:  OPI Over and Over A-Gwen, OPI 7th Inning Strrretch, and Revlon Spirit.

Are you planning to do, or have you done a patriotic nail art or makeup or fashion look for your country's Independence Day?

Black and White over Kiss everlasting French Manicure French Tips!

Hello, Fireflies!

So, maybe you saw these Everlasting French tip press-on nails from KISS yesterday.  They came in an Influenster voxbox, and after about a day, I couldn't take the plain anymore, so I experimented with some nail art.  

I actually started with a layer of Rica's Glossy Glam, and then painted a smaller French tip in Cult Nails Nevermore. I knew I'd need a thick, one-coat black to cover these white tips.

When in doubt, DOTS! I love these cute dots with Revlon Spirit.  So cute!

I love these so hard.  Don't they look natural with the press-ons, too?  Who says you have to wear what comes in the box?

Bottle shot:  Revlon Spirit, and Cult Nails Nevermore.

Have you worn fake nails and then did embellishments over them?  I have a few more looks I did with these nails before I removed them, so stay tuned!

An InLinkz Link-up

GOT - Something a Little Tropic-holo!

Hello, Fireflies!

It's warming up here in Florida, time to start thinking about summer cocktails, days on the beach, and tropical manis!

I started with some golden sand - Mentality Euphoria.  My camera couldn't even pick up on all the holo glitter, it's very sparkly.

I love Above the Curve polishes, and Prototype Blue felt like the water on a summer's day. 

I added a little white and gold glitter with a couple of nail art stripers, because I felt it should be breezy, and there would be small waves in my imaginary tropical paradise.

You don't see a tropical drink only because I already drank it.  The little umbrella is stuck in my hair behind my ear.

Bottle shot:  Mentality Euphoria, Above the Curve Prototype Blue, and nail art stripers in white and gold glitter.

If you could have anything tropical painted on your nails, what would you get?

An InLinkz Link-up