Boardwalk Waves Tutorial

Hey ya'll!  Happy New Year!  I recreated the beachy waves from yesterday's post and made a video tutorial to go along with it so I hope you check that out.  If you give it a try let me know.  I know the volume levels on the video need work, sorry about that.  Hope you have a great night tonight and stay safe!

You can just visit my YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXoWVitRh1I

Which look to you prefer?

See you all next year!  XOXO

Song of the Day: Van She- Calypso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ2It8_-Jts
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Let's Go to the Beach!

Are things getting a little chilly where you live?  Do you need a reminder of Summer's warmth and comfort? I have some beachy boardwalk waves for you today.  Here's the look:

I started out with China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle with is the neon turquoise you see underneath it all.  Such an amazing color!  then I added white, yellow and pale blue stripes for the boardwalk background.  Next I picked up a blue acrylic paint and outlined where the waves would be, and then they finally come to life when you use your white acrylic paint to detail the foamy breaking waves.  What do you think of this look?  It definitely warms me up during these colder months.  Here is Too Yacht to Handle at two coats on its own:

Do you have any of the neons China Glaze released this Summer?  I think they're all fabulous :)  The creams at least...I didn't try any jellies.  I hope you enjoyed this manicure today and if you give it a try definitely let me know!  Hope you're having a great day and I'll see you back tomorrow!

Song of the Day: Tokyo Police Club- Bambi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqNtBXN5Mc
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Heavenly Bodies

Hello and Happy Sunday!  I picked up this bottle of Orly polish the other day at Sally's big buy one get one free sale and it looked really galactic so I decided it needed some heavenly body nail art to go with it.  Here's what I came up with:

So there you have it.  There's the moon peeking out, a star bursting through the heavens, Saturn, and another little star sneaking around on the pinky.  This is a just-for-fun look that you could even wear for New Year's if you wanna be cute and less formal this year.  Here is the base polish, which is Orly Masked Ceremony at two coats:

Doesn't it look like a great shade for the New Year?  This applies really nicely and I love that they threw in the fuchsia with the charcoal/granite.

Hope you like this look and let me know if you give it a try, or what you're wearin on your nails for New Year's Eve.  See you back tomorrow :)

Song of the Day: Scissor Sisters- Mary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk5VPJ1Wivo
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out.

Saturday Random Swatchfest 12/28/2013

Happy Saturday!  It's nearly 2014 and this has been such a blessed year for me and I'm so grateful for all the people and things I hold dear to my heart.  I'm grateful for my husband and children that keep me smiling every day.  I'm thankful for my family and friends far a wide that are such good examples of happy and humble living.  I'm grateful for my passions and interests that keep me moving along and growing which is something this blog has provided for me this past year and a half.  I'm grateful for you for being a part of my nail art community where we can all share our love of art.  I wish you the best year in 2014!  May you have the courage and will to accomplish all that you dream for yourself.  XOXO!

On to the swatching!

To start things out we have Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Red-io Active from probably my favorite drugstore polish line.  Sally Hansen does have many lines of polish, but this one is almost always spot on.  A little while back they released a small collection of jewel-toned shimmers for Fall and I should have picked them all up when I actually found them still in the display.  Soon they were all swiped and had to be content with the few I purchased initially.  I love the extra dimension the subtle shimmer gives this red.  This is one coat and its just a really great basic with a twist.  A

Color Club Sweet Pea is a dusty rose which is just kinda ok for me.  I don't know why but this shade speaks a little bit grandma to me.  If you're into rose for the nails this one might be just right for you though because I didn't have issues with the formula and as I've stated on my swatchfests before- you can pick up Color Club's collections at Ross or Marshalls from time to time for an outstanding price compared to what they retail for online.  The thing I love about this brand is (this polish aside) they really come out with a great grab bag of shades kind of akin to China Glaze.  I still prefer China Glaze for its inventiveness, but this brand does make a good stab in that direction.  B

Wet n Wild The Clock Strikes Orange is from the often marked down to fifty cents line at the drug store.  I don't find this cheapest brand to offer as nice formulas as their other lines, but it does sometimes have interesting color releases throughout the year, and for such a price, the tween polish fanatic in your life would love this one.  If you are not a tween, but really love orange polishes, well there are better formulas out there to which I'd say you could skip this one.  This is three coats.  B

NYC Mulberry Street is this champagne, sheer crelly/shimmer that I hadn't picked up from their display because I was afraid it would turn out on the nail just as it had.  However, when this brand also had these bottles knocked down to buy one get one, I said, hey why not.  Well this might be your cup of tea, and if it is that's wonderful because you can pick it up for a buck when you see that sale, but I think I'll find myself rarely, if ever, reaching for this bottle.  This is two coats.  B-

China Glaze came out with an expansive holographic line this year and they had a lot of gray/silvers and blues but this one was a stand-out for me from the collection and I am indeed glad I picked it up(on clearance of course).  Here is the funky and fierce OMG a UFO no flash and below you will find how it shifts with flash

So fun!  I'm not really as gaga for holographics as I am for the textured polish trend, but it is fun to have a couple to pull out from time to time, especially one so unique as this olive green with a blue and gold flash.  This is two coats.  A

Sinful Colors is a great brand because you can get em for just two bucks at drug stores, but often they are down to a dollar.  On top of that they are constantly releasing collections and they're always up on the trends.  This is Sinful Colors Cold Leather from a collection of matte polishes that are meant to look like they have a leather finish.  I thought the concept was good on this, but I can't remember if any of my swatches turned out any better than this one...they're a tad hard to apply evenly.  Fun idea though.  This is two coats. B

Nicole by OPI I Lilac Gumdrops is so gorgeous to me.  My camera had a hard time focusing it appears. There is so much bling and texture in this polish that the eye and the camera has a hard time looking at just one place :)  This is like a silvered-out lilac and I find it to be perfection.  You may be tempted to say, well that's just because it's her favorite color, and well I can't argue with that one- but just look at the bottle shot. See those specs of silver, they go throughout the polish and really liven up this shade.  If you still see it out, snatch it up!  This is two coats.  A

Pure Ice Absolutely Mauvelous is a really great neutral that applied smoothly in two coats.  This is so clean and lovely.  Where rose shades feel like grandma to me, this is a chic and fresh way to rock rose colors- mauve em out.  This is another great bargain brand that you can find for a couple bucks at Walmart.  This brand is hit and miss so take care.  A

Sinful Colors Unwrap Me is my glitter offering for the week.  As you can see this bottle is comprised of hot magenta hexes, then slightly smaller black hexes and then micro black hexes all in a clear base.  I swatched this over white so I could really see what the glitter was on its own without any enhancement but I think this would look great with some other color combinations.  I do really love the hot pink/magenta with the black. It's very lingerie :)  This is two coats.  A

Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire? from the Modern Family collection is my featured polish of the week.  I think it's because I have had one really crazy week (or two or three...) that I really need some calm.  This very grayed-out dusky purple is very soothing to me.  You're looking at two coats and it applied easily.  I think this is a polish I could really wear anywhere and everywhere and go through a bottle like no other. What do you think?  Are you with me?  I give it a great big A+


There you have it- our last Saturday Swatchfest of 2013.  So glad you stopped by today.  What was your favorite polish of the week?  Did you find something you liked from my list or do you have a favorite at home that you want to share with me?  Tell me what it is- I love to hear what you're into!  See you back tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Tired Pony- Pieces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_6Y8bGZ--g
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

NOTD with Color Club Baldwin Blues

Hi Pretties!  Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and you're looking forward to an explosive New Year!  I have just a simple nail of the day for you.  We all know that dotticures(manicures featuring dotted patterns) are great standards to fall back on.  Here's one for you featuring a color combo that I found really soothing during all the hubbub of the Holiday madness :)  Take a look:

When all else fails, get out the old dotting tool, eh?  Just kidding, but it does make for a fast, low-concentration manicure for me.  If you don't have a dotting tool to help you achieve this look you can use a toothpick, or pick some up on Amazon, they're very budget-friendly.  The base polish I used for this manicure is Color Club Baldwin Blues and it's this fabulous nearly cadet blue.  Very soothing and calm-water blue for me.  Then I used a white acrylic and Misa Hot Couture for the design.  Here is Baldwin Blues on its own at two coats:

This picture makes the blue lean a little more green than it does in person.  I hope you enjoyed this design and I'll see you back tomorrow for another Saturday Swatchfest.  Have a great day ya'll!

Song of the Day: Tangerine Dream- Dolphin Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxsq5AJzRz8
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Bitten

Hello Loves!  This design takes its accent finger inspiration from the Tangle design called Bitten by the talented Carole Ohl.  You know by now how much I love tangling on my nails.  This looks a bit like a houndstooth pattern, but you can see the differences here.  Take a look:

That's it- sweet and simple.  The base polish I used for this manicure is Color Club Muse-ical and I thought it would go really well with a neon minty green which I mixed using multiple acrylics.  Here is Muse-ical on its own at two coats:

As you can see, just a perfect, dark gray cream that you can rock any time of year.  Happy Christmas Eve!! Hope Santa makes a visit to your house!

Song of the Day: Bombay Bicycle Club- Lights Out, Words Gone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vglxk3JbHnQ
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out.

For the Sweet Tooth

One of the things ever-present during the Holidays is treats.  Sweets, candy, cookies, cakes and goodies...a special homage must be paid to all the deliciousness that make us double our efforts after the New Year to fit back into our jeans ;)  When I swatched this uber-delicious purple from China Glaze Sunsational Neons I just knew it was the perfect backdrop for my sweet tooth mani.  Here it is:

There you have it: cake, cookies, candy and just plain chocolate- have I missed anything??  I know many indulge on the savory flavors of the season, but not me- I have a major sweet tooth and have to keep it it check big time, but painting the sweets puts them on my fingertips, not my hips, right?  I used China Glaze That's Shore Bright as the base polish and used acrylics for the rest of the art.  What about you- sweet or savory??

Here is That's Shore Bright at two coats on its own and I do not know how I lived without this polish.  It is the color that is me.  They could have called it Phoebe and it is now officially my favorite polish I've ever met- so no need to ask me what my favorite bottle of polish is anymore :)  You know, I almost didn't pick up these 2013 neon creams because I'd read a few reviews saying the formula was horrible, but I have enjoyed each one I've swatched so far.  If I hadn't gone with my gut- I never would have met this little beauty...so scary!  :)

That's it for today.  Hope you enjoyed this look and I'll see you back tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Bastille- Pompeii
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F90Cw4l-8NY&list=RDA76a_LNIYwE
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Rainy Days and Sundays

Hello and happy Sunday! :)  You know when it's rainy and everything outside starts to look a little black and white?  Well it doesn't happen to look like that here today, but I know a lot of places right now it does.  My sister says she has freezing rain and took these really gorgeous pictures of the crazy things rain can do and how beautiful it is at the same time.

Photo courtesy of Stacy Papa

This design's inspiration is two-fold- my sister's pictures and a lovely wallpaper I found when I looked up clouds and rain.  I hope you enjoy:

The base polish I used for this mani is OPI Let Them Eat Rice Cake which is a very pale, delicate pink but can still be mostly opaque in 3 coats.  I kept it at 2 for this design because I wanted it to be rather sheer against the stark black and white.  The clouds are raining hearts, I just love that!  Just like the rain that falls down in our own back yards- it can be dark and dangerous but feeds the earth and creates beauty.  

Here is Let Them Eat Rice Cake at two coats on its own:

So glad you stopped by today!  Hope you're having a fabulous weekend.  See you back tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Of Monsters and Men- Dirty Paws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgn8Eoh9aSY&list=RDA76a_LNIYwE

*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Saturday Random Swatching 12/21/2013

It's Saturday, and you know what that means.  Here's my random swatching for the week.  Let's see if you find a new favorite color in here:

NYC Columbus Circle Crimson is like your basic red, red cream and then deepen it just a bit.  It's a really delicious shade and the formula was spot on per usual for this brand.  You all know by now that I think NYC is a really great bargain brand of polish.  You can lots of times find them at half off which puts them just under a buck and they have a decent rainbow range so they're suitable if you like more traditional shades and then they also have colors for you to mix it up.  This is two coats.  A

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure I Pink I Can is this sweet little peach/pink cream.  It has a fabulous formula that you can come to expect from this line.  It's one of their higher-end offerings(compared to Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear for example) so I usually don't pick this polish up unless it's on clearance.  But just look- this one got tossed on clearance and it polished just beautifully, nothing weird about this bottle.  This is two coats.  Love it.  A

Sinful Colors Skylark is this orange/peach cream and as you can see it is really on the thick side.  I like the concept of the shade but the formula turned out a bit of a mess.  I like thick polishes, but not this thick where you look like you're wearing whipped cream on your fingers :)  I've always said that Sinful Colors is a hit or miss brand but the thing is they have such an expansive range of polishes, and they retail at such a small price that it's worth it to try a few.  C

Barielle Love is a pearl white, irridescent, milky shimmer polish and need I say I am NOT at all in love with this little bottle.  This is three coats and still so sheer, then you add in that it's an iridescent finish and you have a whole bunch of what I don't like.  I have yet to find a use for this polish, but my suggestion to you is pass :) I give it a C.

China Glaze Holly-Day is of course meant to be a Christmas Green, and I'm posting it at this time of year, but don't get me wrong- I mean to get some use out of it during other parts of the year as well.  This is two coats and went on smoothly.  It is a very high shine little lady and you just don't see this color enough.  Love it!  A

Orly Frisky is a really interesting shade because it's this bright sky blue cream, but when I look at it on the nail I see this kind of gray undertone.  It's really unique and maybe its just my imagination, but hey.  This is two coats and it applies with no hassle.  A

Fingerpaints Art of Theft is this deep blurple with hot pink and gold shimmer, which doesn't show up much unless you're in natural lighting- but the bottle shot gives you a pretty good idea.  This is two coats, and it applied nicely, not spectacularly, but it was ok.  B

e.l.f. Misty Haze is a really gorgeous taupe/gray that you can pick up for just pennies and this is two coats but I probably could have gotten away with just one.  You can wear this shade anytime, anywhere.  Perfection.  A

Sinful Colors Holiday Rebel over Sinful Colors Snow White is my glitter pick for the week and doesn't it just scream Christmas?  Not only does this polish feature red and green glitters of multiple sizes, but they threw in some holographic glitters that is only really showing off on the ring finger in this pic- but believe me they're there and lovely.  A

Nicole by OPI Blueberry-Sweet on You is my pick for A+ polish of the week.  This polish is from their gumdrops texture line and I just love the brilliance of the luster in this little ice blurple.  It's so gorgeous, right?  It's so fun for this time of year.  If you haven't tried any of this brand's textured polishes, I think you'll be glad you gave them a try, but try to look for them in clearance bins like I do.  Hey- always the bargain shopper here :)  A+

And there you have it, ten more shades- which did you love, which did you hate?  I hope you're having a stellar weekend.  On my list of things to do is get the stockings up and wrap, wrap, wrap.  At our house we can't put any gifts under the tree til the kids are asleep on Christmas Eve, or they'll all get opened.  However, there's nothin' as bad as bein tired and cranky Christmas morning cuz I stayed up all night wrapping, so I gotta get a jump on it, but still find enough safe places to hide the gifts.  Well I better get to it :)  See you back tomorrow!

Song of the Day: Swedish House Mafia- Don't You Worry Child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6smkh6c-0
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out.

Silver Bells

Happy Friday, you wonderful nail art lover.  Here's a festive look for you today, although I suppose if you really love jingle bells you could wear this whenever :)  But these are my Silver Bells from the traditional Christmas song composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and originally performed by Bob Hope.  Take a look:

This is the base polish China Glaze Scandalous Shenanigans and it is this gorgeous one-coater jewel-toned royal blue.  I knew instantly I wanted to make a silver bell manicure because of how nicely this shade would backdrop for the jingle bells.  This shade is from their Autumn Nights collection and out of the few polishes I've tried from that line, I think this one is my favorite thus far.

That's it from me today.  I hope you're geared up for a great weekend and you're feeling festive!  We'll see you back tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Scissor Sisters- Ooh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=helgVKLBPhA
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out