When in doubt, TRI - polish Squiggles

Hello, Fireflies!

I foundered a bit here and there this month with this challenge.  Getting in all three colors caused me a bit of a mental block at times! So, here, at the last, what can I do?

First, start with an absolutely gorgeous bluish-periwinkle holo.  This is Cult Nails Intriguing.

Next, pull out some nail art pens.  I found these Hot Designs pens at Target.  They're kinda cool because they have both a brush, and a squeeze fine tip.  Because of this, they're refillable, too! My only complaint is that I had to squeeze a little hard for some of these, which got uncomfortable after a while.

Not sure what to do with your nail art pens?  Squiggles and scrolls.

Sure, I might have been trying to make something, but you'll never know that it wasn't just squiggles and scrolls.  It's a foolproof plan.

I think this is one of those tools that will give me better results with a little practice!  What was the last thing you tried to do that you wondered if you'd ever get it, and then, it just came together?

An InLinkz Link-up

#WeekOfLoveChallenge - Wearing My Heart On My (Striped) Sleeve

Hello, Fireflies!

Is there a Valentines' Eve?  Well, it's not official, but for many, this day is full of anticipation of what tomorrow will bring! So, in honor of the occasion, I have one of my favorite manis of the challenge for today's theme - hearts.

I started with OPI Sleigh Ride For Two.  So romantic! This wine-colored polish has a tiny bit of shimmer in it, but it doesn't catch the light, and you can't see it on the nail.  Like an overpriced sleigh ride through slushy streets, this polish is nice in theory, but a bit of a disappointment in reality.

I was inspired by the mani in this Pinterest Pin (argh, another one with no watermark, and no link!) to break out the striping tape and create some different striping patterns using Nikka K NY112, a lovely mushroom taupe.

When I want my silver glitter to be opaque, but not thick, I layer it over a silver polish.  I used a Sally Hansen nail pen in silver to draw hearts on my thumb and ring finger, and then used silver glitter over it. 

Oooh, shiny!

Reminds me of my fave rugby shirt I used to wear in high school.  Not that I played rugby.  They were fashionable for 5 minutes in the 80's.

On my other hand, I decided to try and create a complimentary look without messing with striping tape or nail art.  I love how it turned out!

Bottle shot:  OPI Sleigh Ride For Two, silver glitter striper, Nikka K NY112, and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen Silver.

When you wear nail art, do you do it on both hands?  I usually do it on one hand if it's just for fun or the blog.  If I'm going out, I try to do it on both hands.  This is the first time I can remember trying to do a complimentary look for the other hand.

An InLinkz Link-up

#WeekOfLoveChallenge - Candy Heart Sayings

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to the Week of Loooove Challenge!  It's time to get all pink and sappy with hearts and flowers and crap because this week is all about the mush.

Ok, it's really about the nail art.  Actually, it's all about the after Valentines' Day sales when candy is cheap and plentiful! But, we must entertain ourselves until then.

In the meantime, check out this glitter - one of the first I remember coming on the scene after Indies exploded with colored milky bases swimming with glitter - Nails Inc Topping Lane.  Doesn't it just look like candy?

That candy quality is why I chose it, because today's challenge is about being inspired by those ubiquitous candy hearts that taste like sugar on steroids.

In order to have the hearts pop out of the background, I first did an outline of the hearts with a white striper.

I chose pastel scattered holos for the hearts themselves:  Aly's Dream Polish in Bayouberry and Rumpleberry, and Treasures by Tan in Midorita and Amazon Dreams.

In a purple nail art pen, I wrote what I imagined these hearts might say now, in as few letters as possible because I have nubbins!

Topcoat, and done! Very sugary-sweet! Don't eat the polish..

Bottle shot:  Nails Inc Topping Lane, Aly's Dream Polish in Bayouberry and Rumpleberry, and Treasures by Tan in Midorita and Amazon Dreams, white striper and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Purple.

Are you looking forward to any special Valentines' Day candy?

Stay tuned - at 9am Eastern, my #NailArtForNubs post goes live!

Great Green Gatsby = #NailArtForNubs

Hello, Fireflies!

Did you see my review earlier today for Estee Lauder CyberWhite HD? If you're interested, click HERE to open the link!

I'm excited to show you this polish today - The Devil Wears Polish Mint Mocha Masterpiece! 

I think it's a hoot that it really looks like mint chocolate.  Mmm, tasty.

Today's nail art is inspired by this striping tape manicure by The Nailasaurus, found on Divine Caroline. I, obviously, didn't use striping tape.. I was feeling lazy, and, more importantly, I wanted to play with my new Sally Hansen nail art pen.

Making straight lines that went across the 'V' was harder than it looked.  What's up, droopy line on my index finger?  Get tired of holding yourself up?

Bottle shot:  The Devil Wears Polish Mint Mocha Masterpiece, and a Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Green.

Have you found a shortcut to a nail art technique?  I love the way the striping tape mani looks, but this was so much quicker!

Sunday Stamping - Everything's Coming Up Roses..

 Hello, Fireflies!

Today's stamping challenge was our favorite flower.  My fave flower is the yellow rose, preferably with a bit of orange in it.  I even got a tattoo of one for my 40th birthday.

This mani is nowhere near as permanent.. and nowhere near as good, either.  I tried something new, and uh, well.. I had some technical difficulties.

It started off well enough, with Aly's Dream Polish Prussian Purple.  I love this holo.  It's light purple, but not lavender.  It's not pastel, exactly, just lighter.

I used this DRK-A plate, and OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls for the stamp.

On my last trip to Walgreens, they had all the Sally Hansen Nail Art pens marked down on clearance, so I picked up a bunch of colors.  I thought it might be fun to color in the stamp with them.

Yeah, not as easy as it sounds.  So, squint your eyes and use your imagination, and they might look like yellow roses with green leaves.  It's, um, impressionistic, right?  I'm the next Monet.

Bottle shot:  Aly's Dream Polish Prussian Purple, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Sally Hansen nail art pens in coral, green, and yellow.

I think I need some more practice with these pens! They don't work like polish - it's more runny, almost like a watercolor.  I like being able to be more precise with the placement, I just need to work on technique.  Have you used these pens for nail art?  What do you think?