Jungle Love

Recently, the hubby and I went on an adventure to a roadside attraction in Christmas, Florida called Jungle Adventures.   It was very like an old-timey roadside attraction with Swampy, the world's largest alligator (he's actually a building that houses their gift shop, among other things) and other animals.  I knew I wanted to do a jungle-themed mani to match my excitement for the adventure!

I started off with 2 coats of Nubar Verde, a dark green that has a gold shimmer in it.  I don't see Nubar in any stores around here; I've bought all mine online.  They are a fantastic brand, though - one of the best, in my humble opinion.

Using a makeup sponge, I dabbed a little bit of Nubar Meadow Sparkle, a light green tiny glitter, on the lower 2/3 of the nail.  It got opaque very quickly, and I'm sure would be opaque on its own in one or two coats.

Then I added a layer of Jordana Funky Gold Town, a clear base packed with medium gold hex glitters.  For only $2, I thought it would be a sparse coat of a few glitters, but it surprised me. 

Right hand.  Later, I did apply Warpaint Matte topcoat over it because it was soooo shiny, but I, uh, forgot to take a pix.  Sorry!

This ball python coordinated with my polish beautifully.

What was the craziest thing you painted your mani to match?

Bulls-eye!

I am a shameless, shameless copycat.  When I saw this design on Polish Crazed, I had to try it for myself.  I have experimented with dotticures before, but I hadn't seen how to do this illusion of having part of the dots disappear.

Well, I'm going to pull back the curtain, and show you the magic.  Shh, don't tell anyone.

I started with polishes that I pilfered, uh, swapped for, at the CFL Beauty Bloggers meeting.  This is 2 coats of Zoya Megan.  It photographed a little blue, but it actually looked grey with a hint of purple on me.  I love the color, but it's a little stark on me.  I'm a sucker for a mini bottle, though.  Too darn cute.

A little nail art will break up that brightness.  First I added dots of Sephora for OPI On Stage, a mauve color.  I'd never used any of the Sephora OPIs before.  It worked very well for this mani, if a little quick-drying, which is usually a plus.

Then, I added dots of another OPI for Sephora, Metro Chic, a purple-leaning taupe. This color had a little looser formula, a little watery.  You can tell that the dots spread farther, and are a little translucent in places.

Next, every dot got re-dotted with the Zoya Megan, and the illusion begins.  It looks like chunks of the dots are missing.  I liked creating crescent moon shapes, but the bullseye comes from getting the second dot right in the middle.

The illusion is completed when you take a smaller dotting tool and dot the original color in the center of the 2nd dot.  When it's all done and topcoated, you can't even tell the difference between the base coat and the 2nd dot. See?  Magic.
 

Right hand:

Do you like this version of a dotticure?  Are you ready to astound your friends and family with a little magic? :)

I got leid!

Here in Daytona Beach there is a tourist trap attraction called the Ohana Luau. It is at a local hotel, and they have a dinner buffet and a stage show.  There are musicians and dancers, and they show different dances from different Polynesian islands, and even a fire knife dance.

Hubby and I went there for a (Groupon) date night, and I decided to do a soft coral look and a tropical mani for the occasion!

I used my Milani cosmetics.  I have to say, I love these eyeshadows.  Katrina here is showing you Gold Dust, Tickled Pink, and White Lie Eyeshadows, and Haute Flash Hot Flash lip gloss.  The eyeshadows have great consistency, and you don't need a lot to get great coverage.  They are pigmented enough if you want to go bold, though.

I will say that I haven't had much luck with Milani's baked, blended eyeshadow palettes, though.  I've tried one that was a bold green/turquoise blend and another that was hot pink, and neither transferred much color, and I couldn't figure out how to get the look I wanted.

The Haute Flash lipglosses have a lot of sparkle in them and are BOLD.  In this look, I basically lined my upper lip and spread that with my finger around the rest of my lips.  And, I got a lot of lips.  You don't need much Haute Flash to get a layer of color.

For my tropical mani, I started with Essie Navigate Her, a pistachio creme. 

 Then I did one-stroke(ish) flowers with Island Girl Sunset Beach and Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty.

One-stroke technique involves loading one flat brush with 2 colors (one on each side) and then painting so that each stroke lays down and blends both colors.  This doesn't work as well with polish as it does with paint, but I still like the technique.  I had to go over the flower again in some parts, and all the yellow needed a little extra polish.

Right hand.  I thought I was so clever using Island Girl polish for a luau.  What was cool though is that it glowed in the dark!  I wasn't expecting that.

I used Pure Ice Black Rage for the center of the flowers and the dots, and then decided to add a little sparkle with China Glaze Fairy Dust.

Look, I got leid! 

No H8

June is LGBT pride month, and I decided to enter a LGBT contest for nail art on Kyoti's Nails.  My theme was No H8, and on each of the fingers is a silhouette in rainbow colors, with duct tape over the mouth, like the No H8 ads.

The base of the mani was the, I thought, aptly named Decades of Dysfunction by Orly.  The red is Orly Red Flare, the blue is Sally Hansen Thinking of Blue, the green is China Glaze Gaga for Green (snuck in another little homage there) and the purple is Sparitual Shoot for the Stars.  The black is Pure Ice Black Rage, and the silver is Revlon Sequin.

Even though I only submitted the left hand to the contest, I painted the right hand and wore this mani with my 'think before you speak' shirt.  Good advice, on every level... even if I don't always follow it, I try!  really....

Hopefully, it won't be long before we all have equal rights.

The album for the contest entries is on Kyoti's Nails' facebook page if you want to see the other entries.

Happy Pride!

Beauty Blogger Coalition Weekly Roundup 6/16

I'm a new member of the BBC, and trying the Roundup for the first time.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy checking out other blogs as much as I do.

• Is your hair and skin dry and damaged? MyStyleBell explains the difference between Argan Oil and Grapeseed Oil and explains which one is better for your hair.
• Are you interested in trying a monthly sample service for beauty products? Emily has tried a few and was happy with the first impression of Sample Society by beautybar.com. See what came in the June Sample Society box!
• Everything has a scent, even cold!  Designer Serge Lutens celebrates it in his avant-garde, new fragrance, l'eau Froide. Alison Blackman of the Advice Sisters checks out the fragrance and gives a report.  Cool yourself all Summer long!
• Miss L from Beauty by Miss L tried L´Oreal Youth Code Luminize Super Serum and now shares her thoughts about it.
• Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom showcases polishes inspired by the movie Snow White and the Huntsman.
• Glitter.Gloss.Garbage has swatches of MAC Casual Colour.
• Brooke from BlushingNoir shows you what is in her first (and second!) Little Black Bag with this open box video!
• BeautyJudy wear-tests, reviews and shares swatches of Dermelect's new ME Anti-Aging Color Nail Lacquers. Do theydeliver on the company's promise of chip-resistance and nail strengthening? Find out!
• BeautyTidbits is giving away a bunch of new NIVEA skincare goodies and a trendy beach tote to get you ready for the beach season!
• Phyrra brings you the best in bright hair from Premiere Beauty Orlando.
• The Pink Sith yammers on about mermaids and cable TV, but she shows you some awesome pictures of Models Own Nail Polish in Indian Ocean while she does it.
• Take the headache out of nail art and try this simple trick from Blushing Basics.
• Are you looking for a great peel for summer-ready glowing skin? Lola from Lola's Secret Beauty Blog is a huge fan of Suki Renewal Bio-Surfacing Facial Peel because it's natural, vegan, and highly effective!
• There are some big-name must-haves out there, but when you shop locally a whole new world can open up for a beauty enthusiast! Follow Bailey around a farmers market and see what local beauty she finds.
• Beauty Info Zone wants to teach you about double cleansing with Dermalogica PreCleanse. They also want one US reader to win the product to see how great it is for themselves.
• Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at some truly odd beauty items with The 8 Strangest Beauty Products.
• Girl Gloss has a MAC Casual Colour Collection Swatch of the Shade Keep it Casual.
• How do you remove your makeup? TheFabZilla tried a gamut of ways but got hooked with Micellar water. Check out her recent faves.
• It is Giveaway time over at Pammy Blogs Beauty! So, head on over to enter to win a Total Beauty Collection sample box!
• Polarbelle spends a little time getting her nautical on with the Mac Hey, Sailor eyeshadows.
• Nails and Noms shows us some pretties from the new indie kid on the block, Cirque Nail Polish with their Dark Horse Collection!
• The Makeup Divas shares swatches and reviews MAC Ditto Shade & Smoke Shadow Liners.
• Have you been searching for a Polish that wears like a Gel? Midnight Manicures presents Dazzle Dry, it's vegan, big 5-Free and dries in 5 minutes!
• Want a tan without the wrinkles? Lipgloss Break reviews Dr. Dennis Gross's New Glow Pad sunless tanning towels.
• Playing Russian Roulette with your Hair? Cosmetically Challenged gives you three tips to help keep you and your hair safe.
• Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful is traveling across the country & shows you the L'Occitane Verbena Sachet & Fragrance/Gloss Duo that are traveling must haves!
• Gia of Bottles and Bottles of Polish wore 3 purple polishes at the same time- check out how amazing they looked together
• Where the party at? Lynn shows you the After Party on her nails over at Oh So Lacquered.
• Always on the search for great makeup, Christina of Curls N Pearls shares a review of the RevitaLash Spotlight Highlighting Pencil. Check out what she thinks!
• Nails Beautiqued has some summertime fun mouthwatering hues for your nails?  Checkout Jessica Gelato Maio Collection.
• Always looking for the best in skin care, Spontaneous Chick posted 4 avocado face masks that work.
• Hello Dollface copies Julianne Hough's natural makeup for a pretty daytime look. Will you see Rock of Ages this weekend?
• Geniabeme has a bright FOTD using Kiss My Sass Cosmetics!
• Do you believe in happy endings? Mina of Fabulous Awesomeness swatches the Fairytale Collection by Cult Nails!
• Katia-Blondycandy went to Beauty Trend Show at Nordstrom in South Coast Plaza and was lucky to get two great makeovers from YSL and Guerlain. Watch her funny photos and read advices from best makeup artists.
• Want a colorful, dramatic, and edgy look? Nancy from The Dark Side of Beauty shows us how to create it with the Sugarpill Burning Heart palette!
• Perilously Pale shows us how to achieve the on trend anti-smokey eye look with the new Maybelline New York Luminous Lights Quads.
• Beauty from Liz shows beauty products that she has purchased in May. Maybe it is interesting to see what you can buy when you live in Estonia?

Blogrollin'

Apparently, there is a virus making the way around the blogs and appears to be connected somehow to Blog Rolls.  For now, I've suspended the Blogrollin' - I wouldn't want anyone to get any malware from me!

If you have a blog, please consider suspending the blog roll to stem the tide of this malware.

If you get a notification of malware from your fave blogs, please let them know to suspend their blogroll!  Hopefully this won't be an issue for long. 

Thanks!

Daisies, take two

I love getting massages.  We have a massage therapist that comes to the house every now and again, and my husband and I treat ourselves to full-body massages.  I like making it a whole experience - I set up the I-pod to play soft music, I light a candle, and this time, I painted my nails in anticipation.

I started with a long-time lemming - Butter London Trout Pout.  It was... a little disappointing.  The application was no where as nice as BL British Racing Green, and the color wasn't so much the soothing salmon I thought it to be, but turned out almost neon-bright.

I decided to try the Robin Moses daisies again, now that I'm *cough* better at nail art *cough, cough*

I drew some lines with China Glaze Gaga for Green, and added in the daisies with Sally Hansen White Tip.  Then I painted in the centers with CQ rustic dream, a beautiful coppery duochrome.
A little black dotted in the centers completes the daisies.  I also used CQ Diamond Envy on the other fingers to tone down the Trout Pout a little.  I just dabbed it on in a similar pattern as the white daisies.  Seche Vite to topcoat, and done.

Right hand:

So, this time, do they actually look like flowers?