I'm Russian to Get Gold Claws

Hello, Fireflies!

When Rescue Beauty Lounge had a 50% off sale, I couldn't believe it.  Even at that price, they're not cheap, but I couldn't resist getting a few.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Black Russian is right up my alley - dark, molten blackish-red with a red shimmer.  Vampy, yet glowy.

I'm getting better at free-handing straight or diagonal lines, but I'm not as good with the rounded ones.  For a half-moon mani, I decided to use these tape reinforcers as a guide.  They're just regular hole-reinforcers for punched paper, like you would put in a 3-ring binder.  I've found them in the office supply section of Walmart or Target.

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby has quickly become one of my fave polishes this year! That gold satin finish slays me.

I didn't want to put topcoat over that satin finish, so I had to figure out something else to do to finish this mani.  I dug around in my studs and found these awesome gold teardrops. 

With studs, placement can make all the difference.  With this orientation, and overlapping over into the gold, it make me think of cat's claws.  Rowr!

Bottle shot:  Rescue Beauty Lounge Black Russian, OPI Love.Music.Angel.Baby

Do you like to play with studs?  On your nails, I mean.  With all studs, don't you find that placement makes all the difference?

It's Pretty Black at 4am

Hello, Fireflies!

I love No Doubt, and I think Gwen Stefani is pretty cool, and I'm loving a lot of her new polishes in the OPI collection.

But. BUT. 4 in the Morning for me will always be a Night Ranger song.  They were the first 'favorite' band I ever had, and I lurve them.

Now that I've dated myself, let me show you one of the newest trends in nail polish!  The satin effect in OPI 4 In The Morning is so gorgeous!

It looks like it's going to be a black polish, but it's more of a charcoal, with itty-bitty specks of blue.

I've been a fan of NailNation 3000 for a while - her holos are pretty cool.  When I saw Ol' Black Water was a black holo with a twist, I had to have it.  I put it on the tips as sort of a gradient effect here.

I love how the satin black turns into holo with that green flash.  It's very subtle, but the finishes make it pop.

But, I'm not done messing around with it yet! I couldn't just stop there, oh, no.  Topcoat time! I think I like it even better this way.

That green! It really does look like murky, mysterious swamp water.  Don't you want your nails to look like swamp water?  You know you do if it's holo swamp water.

So, what earworm do you have now?  Gwen's or Night Ranger's 4 In The Morning, or 'ol' black water, keep on rolling.. Mississippi Moon won't you keep on shining on me.."

It's a musical montage on the nail!

Army of Sheep?

Hello, Fireflies!

If you can't have a duochrome, have a polish with a heavy shimmer.  It's almost the same...  well, kinda.  CrowsToes Me and This Army is a greyed-out Army green with a heavy purple shimmer.  I love this combo!

I didn't expect it to be this sheer, though!  This was 3 to 4 coats, and you can still see nail line.  That will never dry on me. If I use it again, I'll try it layered over a grey or dark green.

Ok, I know that yesterday was the end of the tutorial challenge.. but it will never end for me! bwahaha! I used Chalkboard Nails' Sheep Tutorial for this nailart.

It kinda looks like I'm drawing noses when I start out.

Then, I use a dotting tool and Milani White On The Spot to add a big, fluffy ball of cotton candy on top of the two sticks.  Like a weird popsicle.

The same dotting tool goes first into Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and then into the Milani White for the eyes.  Ghost cotton candy!

A little taupe from Nikka K NY112 for the ears, and OPI Pussy Galore for the noses.  I had a little trouble with the noses.  One sheep looks like a fluffy pig.  Another, more like a cat.

A little topcoat to smooth it all out, and the shimmer comes out to play, too. 

Bottle shot:  CrowsToes Me and This Army, Milani White On The Spot, black striper, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Nikka K NY112, and OPI Pussy Galore.

This isn't a fail - it's a multi-purpose tutorial.  You can use it to either make Cotton Candy Ghosts, Fluffy Pigs, or Sheep.  Everyone loves a multi-tasker.

Zig-Zig-Ziggity Zag Lines

Hello, Fireflies!

I had so much fun doing tutorials this month.  I'm sad to see the challenge end.. but you know I'm going to keep doing them on my own, because that's how I roll.

I started this one with LynBDesigns Oobleck, a pretty mint with a subtle shimmer.  Probably could have used another coat..

Have you ever wanted to do zig-zag nails, but couldn't figure out how to make the lines all match up?  Or, have you ever wanted to do nail art while drunk?  This technique may be for you! I used the tutorial from Nail Art 101 tutorial for zig-zag nails.

Start by making dots in a grid across and down the nail.  Don't start drinking until after this step, or it'll go wonky.

Or, heck, drink first.  That would make for a pretty interesting nail art, I'm thinking.

If you ever played cheeseboxes as a kid, it's kinda like that, only on the diagonal.

I went towards the tip first, so the next line goes towards the nail bed.  You can go whichever way you want to start.

Ok, not perfect.. but you don't know how much I'd been drinking, either.  This could be a very good nailart, if you look at it like that.

This really needs topcoat for the black to pop!

If you use yellow, you can make Charlie Brown's shirt.

Bottle shot:  LynBDesigns Oobleck, and a black striper.

Do you like making zig-zag lines or chevrons?  Does this make it easier?  It did for me! Now... is it 5 o'clock yet?

What's Black and White and holo and dotted? #NailArtForNubs

Hello, Fireflies!

I am so stoked about today's nail art - it's holo, it's black and white, it's geometric, it has dots, AND it looks great on nubs.  

I may hyperventilate.

If you'd like to see the original that inspired me, check out art by LeVernis.

It all starts with this black holo beauty, Treasures by Tan Blackout.

If you're going to use Scotch (or any clear tape, really) for nail art, I suggest 2 things:  1) make sure your base coat is really, really, super-duper, extra dry.  Anything not firmly adhered to your nail will come away with the tape.  2) put the tape on your hand or arm first.  The tape will pick up some of your body oils and not be quite as sticky. Don't worry, unless you're a dirtybird, it will still be plenty sticky enough.

So, I, not being a dirtybird, and having allowed Blackout to dry thoroughly, I placed my tape on my hand, and then I used the tape to mark off diagonals either for the top or bottom of each nail. Then, I painted Different Dimension Can We Carol On on the exposed nail.

For being such a delicate, white holo, look how wonderfully it covers the black!  Different Dimension makes some of the BEST holos. 

If the white holo was on the bottom, I started with a large black dot.  If the black holo was on the bottom, I started with a large white dot.  Then, the opposing color went on top.

Note that the dots are in plain polish, not holo.  I think if the dots were holo, it wouldn't be as striking, visually.  Your mileage may vary.

Bottle shot: Treasures by Tan Blackout, Different Dimension Can We Carol On, Milani White on the Spot, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

I am in love with this look! Broken down, it's not hard - a diagonal line (which gets dots over it that can cover any mistakes you might make.  I'm not saying I made any.) and a couple of dots.

If you do this, I'd love for you to share on my Facebook wall.  What colors would you use?

By the way, two posts today! If you missed my Make Up Monday post on Beautifying Oils, you can find it HERE.

Make Up Monday - Oiled Up!

Hello, Fireflies!

Two posts today! If you'd like to see my #NailArtForNubs post, click here! It goes live at 9am Eastern.

In the meantime, I want to tell you about a recent obsession of mine - OIL.  Sounds dirty, doesn't it?  Being oiled up, glistening, shiny... soft, glowing, and healthy!

I recently bought a few of the Beautifying Oils from The Body Shop in Moringa, Satsuma, and Sweet Lemon.

They smell amazing! Moringa is lightly nutty.  Satsuma is a strong, sweet clementine/orange scent, and Sweet Lemon is like a fresh-cut lemon.  The oils are all blends, clear in color, and light on the skin.  They all absorb quickly, too.

While they all come in bottles with a stream dispenser, I actually prefer to put them in a spray bottle.  I can mix the scents if I want to, and the oil is easier to spritz all over the body (and, frankly, my walls and floor, so be careful!) I find it goes on and absorbs faster this way.

I've been using a homemade blend of oils for my face and cuticles, but these are nice, too.  Now, if you're thinking that you can't use oils because you have oily skin - you'd be wrong! Oil dissolves oil, which actually keeps your skin cleaner and more balanced.  Check out information on oil cleansing methods if you'd like to learn how to clean your face with oil.

You may be surprised to learn all the things you can do with oil - it's great for hair and skin.  Many oils are multi-purpose, too.  Coconut oil is some amazing stuff. 

Forget what you think about oil being greasy and dirty - you may be pleasantly surprised! Have you tried oils for health and beauty?

Sunday Stamping - Holo Purple Gradient Chains

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's stamping challenge was to use three purples.  Well, if 3 are good, more are better, right?  I saw this striped-gradient mani from A Little Polish that I really liked, and thought it might be fun to try.

Word to the wise, though.  If you want a true ombre effect, plan out your colors and paint them on something first.  I went by bottle color, and.. well, as we all know, sometimes what's in the bottle doesn't transfer that way exactly to the nail!

I started in the middle of the nail with Colors by Llarowe Tank Tops and Flip Flops, a really pretty bright purple holo.

Ouch, you can see where my middle nail tore off.  I did that playing with my dog, Banjo.

Next color -  Lacquer Lust Tanzanite.  It looked more purple in the bottle, but next to a red-purple, it turned more blue.  See what I mean about planning ahead?  Not my strong suit.

While Tanzanite dried, I went above middle and used Enchanted Polish Mercy.  This one definitely came out darker on the nail than in the bottle. 

Colors by Llarowe Woman From Tokyo is a blackened purple.  Wow, is it pretty.  It's super holo, too.

I could have painted my nails with a base coat of Lacquer Lust Amethyst and spared y'all the horror of my nearly naked nails.  But what's the fun in that?  Amethyst was the lightest of the bunch, and went at the top.

I wasn't really sure I wanted to stamp over this, I liked it so much! But, I was committed to the challenge.  So, I tried to find a stamp that would allow the gradient to play a part of the stamp.  I chose this chain pattern from DRK-C, and stamped with Essie Nothing Else Metals.

 I couldn't bear to stamp over all of it.  This is definitely a technique I will use again. 

Bottle shot:  Lacquer Lust Amethyst, Enchanted Polish Mercy, Colors by Llarowe Tank Tops and Flip Flops,  Lacquer Lust Tanzanite, Colors by Llarowe Woman From Tokyo.

So, are six purples better than three?  I think so!

Push and Shoved into a Barbed Wire

Hello, Fireflies!

Today, I want to show you a polish that has polarized the polish world! Most people either love or hate this polish - OPI Push and Shove from the Gwen Stefani collection.

It's being billed as a 'mirror' chrome.  If you are looking for a polish you can use to apply your lipstick in, then, sorry, you're out of luck.  It is, however, an incredibly shiny, reflective silver, the likes of which I have not seen before.

Yes, it will show every dent in your nails.  See where the Dremel bit my thumb when I was grinding my dog's nails.  It isn't recommended that you use a ridge filler with this polish; in fact, they only want you to use the special basecoat that comes with it, Lay Down The Base.

Why they only give you a teeny tiny bottle of the base, I have no idea.  I suppose they think we'll be bored with this look before we run out of base?  I've seen evidence that it makes a superb stamping polish, so that's something.

Today, though, I stamped over it, with DRK-B and Cult Nails Nevermore.

I'm so badass with my chrome polish and my black barbed wire.

If you met me on the street, that might not be the first word you'd think to describe me, but you'd be wrong.  I'm so badass.

In fact, I am SUCH a rebel that even though the instructions CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY state not to use topcoat, I threw caution to the wind and used it anyway.

*gasp*

I know.  You both love me and are slightly more afraid of me now.  I understand.

Truth is, I didn't see any change in the polish.  Not right away, and not the next day, either.  Your mileage may vary.

Bottle shot:  OPI Push and Shove, Lay Down the Base, and Cult Nails Nevermore.

Are you a secret badass?