Dotty McDotterson Dress

Hello, Fireflies!

I've been remiss in the Dots theme of this month's Nail Challenge Collaborative.  To make up for it, my nails today are VERY.LARGE.DOTS.

Color me Fall #ChallengeYourNailArt #FallingForNailArt

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Challenge Your Nail Art prompt is for Fall Colors.  I did this mani for a nail group I'm in, for a Fall Glitter look, and thought it would work for today's challenge, too.  I love the gold and red together, with a stripe of black.

I laid down a base color of Wet 'n Wild Pot of Gold, and then added Candy Lacquer Big MacIntosh to the bottom 2/3rd of the nail. 

Swish of red and black striper, popped on a red rhinestone, and Bob's your uncle, and Fanny's your aunt.

Bottle shot:  Wet 'n Wild Pot of Gold, Candy Lacquer Big Macintosh, and nail art stripers in red and black.

What are your favorite Fall colors?

Leftover Halloween Candy? Or Fall Pumpkins?

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you recovered from the festivities of yesterday?  Whether you indulged in black cocktails, or chocolate candies, there's always a Halloween Hangover.

The best part? Bags of candy go on sale!

One of my fave Halloween candies is the mallowcreme pumpkin.  This mani is an homage to that pumpkin, but it's also a sign of fall in general. The mani I was inspired by was a Fall Pumpkin mani by Plump & Polished.

I used OPI Glints of Glinda for the whole nail, then painted the pumpkin with Urban Decay Bang, and made the stripes with China Glaze Metro Pollin-tin.  The stems are painted with a metallic green striper.

I remember, as a kid, sitting with my brother and emptying out our bags of candy and trading.  Mom would always come in and take the candy she wanted.  Mostly, I didn't mind, because she liked all the coconut ones I didn't like as a kid.  But, she never traded for anything!

Hey, mitts off my candy!

Are you going to buy discounted Halloween candy favorites, or are you happy to put all the sugar aside until Christmastime?

Monsters In Love - Frankenstein's Monster and Bride

Hello, Fireflies!

If you saw yesterday's patchwork mani, and with today's Frankenstein's Monster and Bride mani, you might sense a theme - that Halloween monsters are known for being stitched badly!  Was no one proud of their craftsmanship?

Today's mani is inspired by this Pinterest roundup post - they couldn't identify the original artist, and neither can I, but if you can point me in the right direction, I'll be happy to give credit!

I decided to add the hearts because they are monsters in lurve.  Look how they have goo-goo eyes for each other... You could break out this design for an alternative Valentines' Day mani!

Bottle shot:  Sally Hansen White Tip mixed with Revlon Spirit, Finger Paints Go Van Gogh!, Revlon Cherries In The Snow, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, and stripers in black and white.

Is there a romantic side to your Halloween?  My husband and I like to do couples' costumes!  One year, we were stereotypical tourists, another year we were 'Old and Retired' Han Solo and Princess Leia..

Ghosts In The Mist

Hello, Fireflies! 

Today, I have a boo-tiful no-water-marble-turned swirly ghosts mani to show you!  This is straight up a Robin Moses design.  I just did it in polish instead of acrylic, and with much less talent than she has.

Still, this is the first even remotely successful needle drag marble I've ever done, so let's celebrate!

I painted the nail with OPI Glints of Glinda, and then, while the second coat was still wet, dropped little bits of Revlon Sequin (silver), Sally Hansen Raisin The Bar (metallic pink), and Finger Paints Black Expressionism (black) and Paper Mache (white) on one nail at a time.  I ran a small nail art brush through the drops of polish to create the swirls, then pulled the excess polish off my finger the way Robin Moses taught me to.

Using a little more Paper Mache, thinned a little with polish thinner, I added the ghosties and outlined them with the black striper and added the faces.  Then, I added in some of the pink glitter.

Bottle shot:  OPI Glints of Glinda, Sally Hansen Raisin The Bar, Revlon Sequin, Finger Paints Black Expressionism and Paper Mache, and nail art stripers in pink glitter and black.

I think these may be the prettiest ghost nails I've ever done! Brava to Robin Moses for their conception and great tutorial.  Are you more of a fan of the gory Halloween, or the pretty costumes?

Abstract Triangles

Hello, Fireflies!

Today is the last day of the Geometric mani theme for this challenge! I dug into the vault for this one, for a mani I liked, but just hadn't posted yet.

I started with a gorgeous shimmery teal,  Carpe Noctem South Haven Sunset.

In an unusual move for me, I wore Sunset Haven for a day, and then dressed it up.  You can tell by the sheet marks and scratches! 

I used tape to create some triangles with LA Splash Ocean's Fairy.

And then, I added more triangles with gold glitter and blue shimmer stripers.

Finally, I finished it off with a black stripe.  Or, another way, 1/3 of a triangle.

Bottle shot:  Carpe Noctem South Haven Sunset, LA Splash Ocean's Fairy, stripers in gold glitter, blush shimmer, and black.

Next month's theme is stripes! Or, 1/3 triangles...or 1/4 squares...

Let's Go Camping - Roaring Campfire

Hello, Fireflies!

Two challenges today, and two posts! If you'd like to see my Adventures In Stamping stamping over stripes nailart, click HERE. 

First up, the last of the Challenge Your Nail Art camping challenge - Campfires.

I started with Zoya Jesy, a jelly coral-leaning-orange with lots of glitter. Forgot to get a pix by itself. Eh, there's lots of swatches of it online, though.  The whole Zoya Bubbly collection is pretty cool, but this was the one I *had* to have.  Right away.

Then I stamped this cool fire with Wet 'n Wild Black Creme and the Mash 48 plate.  Times like this, I wish I had longer nail beds, because I had to chop the bottom of the fire off. How cool is that stamp?

I sponged a little Cirque Arcane Fire, because, fire.  Yeah.

I also painted in some 'logs' with Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon, and used a white striper to detail it... and to also make marshmallows.  What other reason is there to build a campfire, if not to roast marshmallows?

I like them burnt.  OMG. Drool.

Bottle shot:  Zoya Jesy, Wet 'n Wild Black Creme, Sally Hansen Salon Cinnamon, Cirque Arcane Fire, and stripers in silver and white.

What's your favorite reason to have a campfire?

An InLinkz Link-up

Two Old Purples A New Way

Hello, Fireflies!

I took one look at this horizonal gradient framed nailart by @nadeekim and I knew I had to try something like it, too.  I've never tried a horizontal gradient, and I loved the two-toned frame, too.

I started with a purple I knew needed some love - Catrice Dirty Berry.  I lusted after this scattered holo, and scoured the internet for it! Pretty sure I got it from a Bulgarian web site.  I was a little cray-cray, but it was totally worth it.

I put some A-England Lady Of The Lake on the right side of the nails.  Trust me, it looked darker in person.

Framing half the nail with white and the other half in black also made the two sides look lighter and darker because of the optical illusion.  So cool.  I'm a freakin' nail magician, that's what.

Lots of transitions here, so don't forget the topcoat to smooth everything out!

 You can maybe see the transitions clearer in this picture. Or, is it an illusion? A trick of the light?

Bottle shot:  Catrice Dirty Berry, A-England Lady Of The Lake, and stripers in white and black.

Does this make you see these two old polishes in a new light?

An InLinkz Link-up

Swirls in Purple and Gold

Hello, Fireflies!

When I saw this nail art from Les Ongles de Lucie, I loved it immediately, and knew I'd have to try it, even if I couldn't do it justice.

I started with Koco Plum's The Word, an orchid color with a lovely subtle gold shimmer.

A black striping brush, a steady hand, and stopping constantly to check Lucie's original art is what I needed for this step!

I filled in the gaps with a white striper for two reasons:  1) to help clean up some of the black lines, and 2) to make the gold glitter in the next step show up better.  I was not doing all this work and not have the glitter show up.

I do love it at this stage, too.  I could have just put on some topcoat.

Gold glitter and a gold stud complete the look.

I lurve this.  Someone told me that it reminded them of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I totally see that, but of course I had no idea when I was painting it.

Swirls and swirls and swirls!

Bottle shot:  Koco Plum's The Word, and nail art stripers in black, white, and gold glitter.

I'm so grateful for the creative folks out there who inspire my nail art.  Do you take inspiration from what others have created, or do you look at raw colors and materials and get your ideas from that?

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?

Tri, uh, Bi-Beachy Nail Art

Hello, Fireflies!

Ever go beachcombing and happen upon a perfect shell?  I wanted to capture that feeling in my nail art today.  I started with Aly's Dream Polish Unbleached, an oatmeal-ish nude holo.  

Waves lapping up on the beach were painted with Aly's Dream Polish I Dream In Aquamarine, and a glitter striper.  Makes me think of the foamy bubbles made when waves gently break on the beach.

These textured gold studs made me think of sand dollars.  I had a perfect sand dollar shell once that I found on a beach in Mexico when I was young.  I saved it for years and years.

My husband accidentally crushed it with a can of coins.

Bottle shot:  Aly's Dream Polish in Unbleached and I Dream In Aquamarine, and a Stripe Rite turquoise glitter striper.

I live about 20 minutes away from the self-proclaimed, "World's Most Famous Beach" in Daytona, but I don't go as often as I used to.  Maybe it's time for a little beach getaway this summer!  Do you like the beach?

An InLinkz Link-up