Holding onto summer - Coral Look with #AnastasiaBeverlyHills #ColourPop & #MichaelKors

 Hello, Fireflies!

I love Fall makeup and polish colors, but it can sometimes be hard to rock them when it's still 80+ degrees outside and everyone is still wearing shorts.  So, a few days ago, I went all-out and wore a bunch of coral to let everyone know I wasn't quite done with Summer!

A Pop of Coral

Maybelline Super Sizer Mascara, Ageless Derma Foundation, and OFRA Khaki Gel liner are Press Samples.  All others purchased by me.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I love orange/coral makeup... way more than it loves me.  I tend to wear cooler shades better, but I just love golds and oranges, too!  Especially in summer, the bright corals just call to me with their siren song.  I put together a neutral look and accented with pops of coral in my makeup, and on my nails, too!

Love Actions

 Hello, Fireflies!

When I was thinking about today's challenge, Love Letters, I kept coming back to the idea of actions being stronger than words.  The love 'letters' I'm going to show you are the letters I create with nail polish for some of the people I love.

Saturday Swirly Stripes

Hello, Fireflies!

Just a little nail art for you today, based on a cute stripey pattern I saw on Fairly Charming's blog.

I started out with a Julep Joanna, a frosty, icy blue.  I like using these light, fairly unobtrusive colors for the base of a nail art instead of all the bare nails or sheer pinks I see so often.  I have way too many polishes to be going naked for all of these manicures.

These are probably the messiest stripes I've ever published on my blog.  I seem to have a problem replicating the shape of the original nail art.  Time to break out the compass, or something.  What a mess.  But the polish is pretty - a coral from Deborah Lippmann called Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

From coral to radiant orchid with Nails Inc Devonshire Row.  I must have been sorting through my mini bottles - two in a row? Weird.

When you want pseudo jeans, try jeggings.  Or Ginger + Liz Jeggings, which fit me much better.

I like how the other colors are sandwiched between different shades of blue.

Even though these are mostly trendy colors, this look feels somehow dated.  Doesn't it kinda look retro?

Bottle shot:  Julep Joanna, Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Nails Inc Devonshire Row, and Ginger + Liz Jeggings.

Are you more likely to do adventurous nail/makeup/fashion looks on the weekend, or do the opposite and go as nekkid as you possibly can? I'll chill out with a bare face when we're at home, but I love playing with nail art on lazy days.

TRI Tuesday - Faux Feathers

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you ever wanted to do a type of nail art, but found yourself lacking in the materials to make it? I wanted to do a feather mani, but didn't have what I wanted.  So, in those ancient words of wisdom, I decided to fake it 'till I made it!

I started off with my nude color, Zoya Jacqueline.  Pretty almond color, lumpy, patchy formula.  Jackie is kind of a b!tch.

I may have found the perfect summer coral color in China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's. Thank goodness the color is amazing, because its punctuation is atrocious.

Completing the colorful faux-feather look is Takko Lacquer Nirvana, a turquoise creme with gold flakies.  These little takkitos are hard to get! She restocks once a month, and the polishes last about 3 seconds.

Doesn't this pattern remind you of feathers? From like a really weird bird? Maybe if you squint and walk away from your monitor a little.

A little more...

Keep going...

I knew you could see it.  You're so creative.  Mr. Rogers was so right about you.

Oh, that coral.  I'm in love.

Bottle shot:  Zoya Jacqueline, China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's, and Takko Lacquer Nirvana.

Do you fake it in your creative endeavors?  Cooking, crafting, performing?

   

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Simple Saturday - Coral & Glitter, Two Ways

Hello, Fireflies!

Ever find yourself reaching for the same colors or combinations of colors for your makeup or nails?  When going through the vault, I found two sets of coral and glitter nails that I thought might make a nice post together.

I would call Butter London MacBeth a red-leaning coral, I suppose.  Dark pink?

I remember hearing about the fuss OPI I Lily Love You made when it came out, but I could never find a bottle.  I found this one in a blog sale not too long ago.  Now I get it.  It's pretty gorgeous, but I do have a thing for iridescent glitter/flakies.

It's such a squishy, glowy topcoat.

Look, ma! Two hands!

LA Colors Flash Pop in Mad Duo has a completely different kind of coral - almost a neon, orange-leaning one.

The glitter has mylar shards as well as regular glitter, and has a little bit of that glowy effect, but its not as refined as OPI I Lily Love You.  This is a Punk Rock version!

Perfect for summer fun.

Which coral and glitter is more your style?  The soft, romantic pink with iridescent flakies, or the semi-neon orange with shards?

TRI-ing on Talons

 

Hello, Fireflies!

Let's just get this part over with, shall we?  Holy Frijole!

You've seen my nubs, so you know these talons aren't real.  They're KISS Everlasting French press-on nails.  I got them from Influenster, and took them for a spin.  After a day, I got bored with the plain French, and started doing different nail art looks, which I'll be showing you in the coming days and weeks.  They do look pretty good, and with a layer of Rica's Glossy Glam, they actually looked more real.  Fooled a friend of mine that does her own acrylics!

For the nude part of the challenge, well, the nail already has a nude part! I accented it with Ooh La Lacquer Matte-terial Girl, a collection of tiny nude/pink glitters in a matte base.

I was inspired by Robin Moses' Heart Flowers design for this look.  It was kinda fun to have a long nail as a base for this nail art.

After setting the background branches with my black striper, I used Avon Mango Melon (which looks red, but it did seem like coral!) with a little Born Pretty holo #3 to make the heart flowers.

Mentality Pastille didn't work for the leaves, really, but I did love it for the 'pollen' of the flowers.   Who needs leaves? This turquoise holo is so pretty.

Some more Glossy Glam, and we're done!

Bottle shot:  Ooh La Lacquer Matte-terial Girl, my black striper, Mentality Pastille,  Avon Mango Melon, and Born Pretty Holo #3.

I'm okay with my nubbins, but it was fun to wear talons for a few days.  There was So.Much.Room on my nails! Do you have a preference for looking at nail art on long or short nails?

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Saturday Spam - Holo, Glitter, and Studs

Hello, Fireflies!

Time again to reach back into the vault for a few one-offs that were fun, but for some reason didn't make it into a post of their own.  The little rejected manis that could, as it were. The chorus line manis.  The bench-warmers.

I've really sold them, haven't I?

First up, Glittering Elements Odin, a metallic green with hidden holo hex glitters.

I paired this with two glitter toppers from the LA.Girl Splatter line - Sputter (purple and white glitter in a clear base) and Sparkle (gold and white glitter in a clear base).  Maybe I was going for a Mardi Gras theme?

I went back and double checked the name of this polish, because it confuses me now as much as it did when I first used it.  This is Aly's Dream Polish Dreamy Amethyst.  Personally, I've only ever known Amethysts to be purple.  This is not a failure of my camera - this polish is blue.  Maybe a hint of purple flash. Nonetheless, it's a gorgeous blue!

That cute little crescent moon stud and rhinestone is sitting on top of Colors by Llarowe Best Day Of My Life.  I've been really impressed with the pigmentation and rainbow flame of CbL holos! The formulas do tend to run a little thick, but usually not unwieldy.  This is a really lovely royal purple with blue flash.

And last, but not least, Jade Sunset.  Still one of the best holo values, this little Brazilian brand packs a solid holo punch!  I love this coral.

So, there you have it, folks, the latest installment of 'Spam From The Vault.'  Any favorites?

Coral 'n Acrylic

Hello, Fireflies!

This may be the Pantone year of Radiant Orchid, but this season is all about coral.  I love it in so many different variations - the electric, soft, more peachy, more pink - all of a sudden, I can't get enough.

This is Ulta Professional Cabana Coral, an electric reddish-coral. This is going to be a pedicure fave for me this summer, I'm sure!

I did a gradient with Maybelline Gilded Rose, a rosy gold shimmer with glitter.  Shouldn't that be a gilded lily, as in 'don't gild the lily,' not a rose? People and their mixing of metaphors. Bah.

I'm not a crafty person, but somehow I decided that I wanted to make my own acrylic doodads for my nails.  I bought some acrylic powder, pigments, the monomer, and some molds, and I used some glitter I already had, and mixed up these blue glittery butterflies, and what I hoped looked like a hot air balloon.

Bottle shot: Maybelline Gilded Rose, and Ulta Cabana Coral.

I don't know why, but my latest fascination with nail art is to stick things on my nails.  I can't keep them on, because I pick everything off, but I love it.  I'm finding all kinds of cool 3-D stuff on eBay, and I have a bunch of these molds I'm going to play with. 

What do you think about 3-D nail art?

I GOT Coral and a fan brush, now what?

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Golden Oldie Thursday challenge is Coral.  Well, I'll never forget the excitement I had over getting Butter London Trout Pout.

This polish is a sneaky li'l thing.  How beautiful and cool it looks in pictures, almost serene.  In Real Life, this baby is bright and neon.  I was soo unprepared for that.  I've seen tons of pictures, and no one captures that brightness - it photographs like a Lady, but it's a Freak on the nails.

I was feeling a little 80's vibe, so I got out my fan brush and used Cult Nails Nevermore and Tempest to make some zebra-esque stripes.  Bright and Bold, Baby!

Messy, messy, messy! Nail art does require getting your hands a little dirty.  Down and dirty.  Topcoat makes it all shiny and new!

Bottle Shot:  Butter London Trout Pout, Cult Nails Tempest and Nevermore, and my fan brush.

Sometimes, it's fun to let your hair down and wear something bright and fun... and messy.  What's your favorite messy style? I really love a messy bun.

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Stay tuned!  At 9am, my post collaborating with the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida supporting Autism Awareness goes live!

Nail Challenge Collaborative - Neon 3-D Dots

Hello, Fireflies!

Can you believe this is the last few days of February?  I have 2 more NCC posts to do - one more, after this one.  It's a race to the finish line!

Still not quite feeling like summer, but I do have the A/C on in the house already.  Florida heats up fast! I start this 'summer' mani with a very summery almost-neon coral - the coral side of the Sephora duo Grapefruit.  If this wasn't one coat, it was close.  Great formula on this polish!

I loved the coral, and I loved the gold shimmer, too! This is one coat - I'd bet it could be built to opaque-ness if you really wanted.  The coverage is fantastic.  I suspect that these polishes at one time might have smelled like grapefruit, but if there was any scent, I couldn't really tell.

I bought these neon studs from Winstonia.  Well, I thought they were like flat, metal neon-colored studs.  Boy, was I in for a surprise.  They're practically balls! There's no way I could have worn these for any longer than it took to do the photographs.

These are utterly ridiculous! They're like tops.  I'd probably like them better if they *were* tops, then at least they'd spin.  Well, they're certainly good for a laugh, and for a summery neon vibe.

What do you think of these neon mushrooms? I should have stopped with the gold glitter... lol!

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