Highlight Your Lips! #HighlightCosmetics

Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Usually the last makeup item I put on before my look is done is my lipstick.  The perfect lippie can take a look a totally transform it - and my mood.  Bold, matte, glossy, nude - whatever the lipstick, if I feel good in it, it can put a smile on my face.  I've been testing out this new lipstick from Highlight, and it has definitely put a smile on my face!

Studly Punk

Hello, Fireflies!

I've gotten a little sidetracked this month, and fell behind on my Punk/Rock & Roll challenge.  I went for the ultimate classic punk nail art first, and now I'm moving on to the next most stereotypic punk accessory - the pointy metal stud.

NYC City Proof Swatches

Hello, Fireflies!

I am obsessed these days with eyeshadow, metallics, and shadow sticks, and these NYC City Proof Waterproof shadows are bringing it! (Well, one I picked up isn't metallic, but it's still pretty.)

Vanilla Glam

Forlan BB Cream is a Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Why does 'vanilla' have to mean boring?  I love vanilla! I have a makeup and nails look today that I wore to a party, and made that vanilla look as glam as I could.

Holiday Metallic Make up Look

Forlan BB Cream and OFRA Blush Stripes are Press Samples.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

As much as I am loving dark, smoky looks for evening these days, I've also discovered that I love a bright, metallic lid, too.  The lightness brings attention to my mobile lid, making it look larger, and it's also easier to pair with a bold lip!

Metallic Love

Hello, Fireflies!

Apparently, as a woman of a certain age, I am supposed to be all about neutral, matte eyeshadows.  I do like matte shadows and neutral colors, for sure, but I also love glitter, shimmer, and my fave of the moment - metallic.  Oh, how I melt for those metallics! I have a few from Colour Pop and some of the Makeup Geek Foiled shadows to show you, and a look I created with some of them!

Sunday Stamping - Blue Glitter and a Bonus!

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is to stamp over a blue glitter.  I had a mani over a blue holo, but decided it wasn't truly glittery enough, so I did another one.. and then decided to include both in today's post!  Bonus mani! Woot!

Flowers of Unusual Colors

Hello Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping Challenge is to create flowers in colors not normally found in nature, or, as I hear it in my head, "Flowers of Unusual Color" said in the same manner as "Rodents of Unusual Size" or RUSses.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to watch one of the best movies EVER, The Princess Bride.

"Art Nouveau" Stamping

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is Art Nouveau.  Guess we're getting fancy all up in here.  I had to Google it. 

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

TRI a little Laser Light Show!

Hello, Fireflies!

Last week, for Tri-Polish Tuesday, I created this look with some metallics:

I'd like to show you how to take this look to a whole different level using black polish and striping tape.  First, take a few pieces of tiny striping tape, and lay them across the nail.  It works better if you try and make sure you're getting different colors with each piece of tape.

EEek! SPIDER!  Oh, wait.  phew.

Cover the whole nail with a generous (thick, but not drippy) coat of black polish.  This technique works best if you paint one coat, wait only a very few seconds, and then pull off the tape, so the more opaque the polish, the better.

If you wait too long to pull off the tape, the polish will dry and pull off in sheets, rather than just where the tape was.

This is when having a a one-coat wonder like Cult Nails Nevermore comes in handy.  I don't have to worry about the colors bleeding through the black, and the polish stays where I put it, rather than pooling under the tape as much as a thinner polish might.

Bottle shot:  Ruffian Rosary, Wet n Wild Chrome I Got A New Com-Pewter, and Wet n Wild Chrome Hog-Quartz School, Cult Nails Nevermore, and a tape dispenser with my striping tape.

So, when your preppy plaid mani starts to show a little wear, put on some striping tape, apply a little black polish, and have yourself a laser light show!

Can you believe the transformation? How do you refresh a manicure you want to make last just a little longer?

An InLinkz Link-up

Tie-spiration Gold and Green

Hello, Fireflies!

Time for another round of Tie-spiration, where hubby picks a tie, and I make a mani!

Those of you who have Nabi polish readily available are lucky.  I had to order mine from eBay! I love all the holos I've tried, even though they are scattered, they are pretty pigmented.  This one is Nabi Gold.

I used some tape to create a checkerboard pattern with Above The Curve Anona, an olive-golden-green.

Maybelline Bold Gold is my fave gold for stamping, and it does pretty well for nail art, too. 

Add a little black for contrast and some topcoat!

Bottle shot: Nabi Gold, Maybelline Bold Gold, Above The Curve Anona, and a black nail art striper.

So, what do you think? Does it look like his tie?  Have you ever taken makeup/fashion/nailart inspiration from your significant other's wardrobe?

Dance Party!

Here we are, Fireflies! The last day of the Celebrate the Occasion with the Challenge Your Nail Art group.  This has been fun for me, and I've definitely had to give some thought to these special occasion nail arts.

For my freestyle mani, I decided to do a Dance Party! So, my dancefloor is Wet 'n Wild Black Creme with a smattering of Sephora by OPI 18k gold topcoat.  Reading '70's excess already!

Check out this groovy stamping plate by Winstonia! Bell-bottoms, big hair, and disco balls! I used W216 and Essie No Place Like Chrome, as well as Maybelline Bold Gold for the stamping.

I couldn't resist pulling some of the holo circle glitters out of OPI I Snow You Love Me for a little extra bling-bling!

It's a Studio 54 Discotheque Glitz and Glam Sparkly, Gold Lame' Dance Party!  All that's missing is the coke!

Bottle shot:  Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Essie No Place Like Chrome, Maybelline Bold Gold,  OPI I Snow You Love Me, and Sephora by OPI 18k gold topcoat.

Do the Hustle!

An InLinkz Link-up

Not Your Typical Graduation Manis

Hello, Fireflies!

When I started preparing for this challenge, I starting thinking about nail art like mortar boards and diplomas.  Then, I realized I had the *perfect* nail art to show you.  A few weeks ago, one of my friends graduated with her Masters' degree, and the day before the big ceremony, she had a little party.  I did a few manis for the graduate and her friends and family, and in return, I got to eat some of the best grilled chicken I'd ever had.

None of the girls had experienced stamped nails before, so most of them were eager to try it! Their reactions were priceless - like I had just done some wand-waving magic over their nails!

The graduate, Chelsea, loves purple, so she chose Sinful Colors Enchanted as her base, and Essie No Place Like Chrome for the stamp. 

Our friend, Carolyn. wanted seahorses over a glittery blue base, so I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue By! with OPI In True Stefani Fashion for most of the nails.

Again, I used Essie No Place Like Chrome for the stamp.  Sea horsies!

The Mother-of-the-Graduate had a gorgeous floral blouse with blues and purples, so I painted her nails with Sally Hansen Salon Trouble Maker, a soft blue-toned violet, and dabbed some L'Oreal The Shift Me, a pink iridescent color-changing topcoat over it.  POP Beauty purple glitter went over everything.  So festive!

Last, but not least, was the Graduate's sister.  She wanted a gradient, but I forgot my sponges, so I did a dabbing gradient of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Jumping Jade (which is really more teal to me, than jade..) over Sinful Colors Nice Stems, a light blue.  I used Milani White On The Spot to stamp some simple flowers.

It felt great to give my friend a very unique and special graduation present! We all had a great time chatting and doing nails, and I'm going to miss her now that she's graduated!

An InLinkz Link-up

GOT Brushed Metal Circle Gradient

Hello, Fireflies!

I 'GOT' a lot of textures in my collection - I really like them.  Some of them look even better with topcoat, some are great with stamping over them, and some, like the ones I have today, have a great metallic vibe.

Enter the Brushed Metals collection from Avon.  You can probably still get these in one of their clearance sales.  I'm always seeing past collections come back in their outlet - and for much cheaper prices!  I loved all of these; though the colors are very subtle, they are all very metallic.

This nail art was inspired by the "Circle Gradient" technique from Polish, Glitter, Rock, and Roll, only I didn't use a sponge because of the texture.  I just dabbed it on.  I started with Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and Avon Textured Topaz, a champagne yellow texture.

Can you see the very subtle purple in Avon Lilac Quartz?  I told you, the colors are subtle.  I was hoping the black undies would amplify them, but they are very thick polishes, and opaque on their own.

Avon Platinum is a soft, baby blue...which is kind of a weird choice for me.  Isn't platinum typically white?  Are there no blue metals? Not like Quartz is a metal, either, but they were okay with that name.  Everyone wants to be OPI with their quirky names.

All together, the colors create a lovely mesh of metallic texture! The blue really stands out for me.

In retrospect, a silver or gold polish might have worked better as undies instead of black.  Next time!

Bottle shot:  Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Avon Brushed Metals in Textured Topaz, Lilac Quartz, and Platinum.

All the other textures I'm familiar with either went with chunky cremes or glitters - these are the only metallics I'm aware of.  Pretty cool, huh?

An InLinkz Link-up

Stamping de Mayo

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is 'Cinco de Mayo.'  Everyone thinks this is the equivalent of the Mexican Independence Day, but it's really just an excuse to drink a lot and wear sombreros. 

To that end, I picked a base polish that looked like a margarita and a party - Cosmiss 3, a lime green glitter bomb I bought from Born Pretty.

I picked this stamp from DRK-B because I thought it looked like confetti, and who doesn't like confetti at a party?  Only the person cleaning it up afterwards, that's who.

Maybe I should have picked a more contrasting color, but I liked the way Maybelline Bold Gold didn't overshadow the glitter too much. 

A little subdued, maybe, for a party nail, but believe you me - if I'm drinking margaritas, I'll be making such a fool of myself, no one is going to be looking at my nails. 

Bottle shot:  Cosmiss 3, and Maybelline Bold Gold.

Are you celebrating with Mexican food and drink tonight? I'm hoping to score some margaritas!