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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Great Gatsby

This was my Polish Days entry for the #5, but it was also my "The Great Gatsby" nails that included fancy thumbnails I wanted to show off! I used a dotting tool to draw the $ onto a plastic bag to make my own sticker and I am VERY proud! Too bad the focus was bad.

The movie was FAB! And I'm re-reading the book again, because I am a book nerd, and because this particular story has special meaning for me for several reasons.




Traditional French OCD

I have been trying to do my own 'Traditional French Manicure' for years but found that I could never get it perfect enough for myself. *eye roll* I finally got it just right this weekend! YAY! Using scotch tape and being OK with the straight line instead of a crescent curve. 

However, I couldn't just leave well enough alone, of course. So, I did an accent nail. 

Unfortunately, I kept going, layering color, then SV, then color, then SV. I think I ended up with 9 coats of polish on most nails and the coats of SV kept shrinking the mani further and further away from the tip, completely exposing them! AHHHHH! 

Yesterday I peeled off most of the middle finger, redid it, found it wanting, and redid it again. Finally, I thought I should take a picture before I broke down and ended my suffering, and annihilating another attempt at the perfect french. *sigh*



The run down...
1. 2 coats of OPI Nail Envy
2. Sally Hansen Complete - Sheer Me Now x3 coats
3. SV
4. Taped off with Savina - French White tips
5. SV
6. Another coat of Sally Hansen Complete - Sheer Me Now
7. SV

Hmmmm... I guess that makes 10 coats!

Accent layered on top of all that, taped off with Maybelline Color Show - Mint Mist and Pool Side.

BTW, my nails are bare now, with just 2 coats of OPI Nail Envy and my dream of the perfect french is still shimmering in the mist...


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Polish Days - The Number 5

Though my designs are far from perfection, I am very proud of my accomplishments! So I decided to dive on in to Polish Days! This month the theme is the number 5.

I have been in love with "The Great Gatsby" since High School English class. I have been in Love with Leonardo DiCaprio since Titanic. (side note, he is only 4 days older than me!) I was planning to do a Gatsby themed nail art for the US opening on May 10 and as I was planning it, and thinking of the number 5 I realized Gatsby and Daisy had been apart for 5 years! Good enough for me! 2 birds, one stone! SO I give you, "The Green Light" and the nouveau art deco of 1922.



 1.I always start with OPi Nail Envy.
2. 3 coats of Sally Hansen Pro "Gilty Pleasure" except ring finger, that is 2 coats of Revlon "Reality Star".
3. A coat of Seche Vite 
4. I used taping for all of the black designs using Wet n' Wild  "Black Creme"
5. I placed the 'jewels' then another coat of SV
6. The green starburst was prepped ahead of time by pooling Cover Girl nailslicks "Go Go Green" onto a ziplock baggy and letting it dry overnight. Then I pulled the polish off the plastic and used a starburst shaped hole punch to make the design and placed it on my nail, followed by the 'jewel', followed by another coat of SV. (I wish I had had a green 'jewel', but this works)








More to learn

I really liked the colors and the techniques of this mani. It's nothing new in the nail art world, but using tutorials is a great way to learn. I know I haven't posted any of the colors I'm using, if one really catches your eye, feel free to ask, but part of the fun for me is to use what colors I've got because I only have colors that caught my eye and I had to have, or I bought for a special occasion, and my 16 y/o daughter's small collection. I did get my very own bottle of Seche Vite! I do really love it, though there is a bit of a learning curve with it as well. You'll note some smudging of the colors, that was from the SV. I applied it immediately after the yellow and again immediately after the blocking and I quickly learned to let the wet polish dry for a few minutes first. Another note is, I didn't use the yellow originally. I added it a few days later when I got that little wonder in the mail. The yellow is actually, "Day Glow" by Serum No. 5 and I had so much fun with it my husband was getting a little annoyed with it at bed time, but it seriously GLOWS IN THE DARK in a big way! There is a link to Nail Blog's review of it. A HUGE thank you for turning me on to this AMAZING product.


Monday, April 29, 2013

Try, Try Again

Messy. I may have been doing my own nails for over twenty years, but my presentation of nail art leaves A LOT to be desired. Bleh. Welcome to my first day as a nail blogger, here's to hoping my skills improve! In nail art and photography of said nails.

Here are my glittery princess nails. They look like a sickly sweet trip through candyland! I think they are way too much for woman sliding into 40.




I loved this look, but I snagged it from Pintrest and isn't an original design. They looked much better IRL and I took the pic with my iPhone 3 (Yes, I still have an iPhone 3!).