Skulltastic

Hiya!!  I didn't post this mani yesterday because I took the day off today so had all night to finish this!  The hubby has dentophobia and has to get put out to have fillings, so he needs someone with him for 6 hours after waking up.  Hence the day off work.

So, things have been a little tough lately in my work life and it's really hard to feel good about going to work. Yesterday I decided on some retail therapy to help with the blues.  I'm in love with neons right now and I've only got little baby bottles, so decided to get more.  My last neon mani, Knee Yawn Pink, I had a hard time with the pink polish being horrible to put on.  I thought it was a bum bottle, but guess what??  I had the same issue with the ones I bought!  Is it a neon thing?  My old neon polishes apply like any normal polishes.  These ones dry almost matte, the same consistency of crackle polish, it's so strange - anyone else notice this??  And I bought a range of polishes from Nina Ultra Pro to dollar store polish and they all have the same formula!  I've decided it's a losing battle on finding normal neon polish formula, so I'll continue to struggle through with what I've got!

My right hand, the one with the wonky finger :)

Left hand with natural light.  The thumb and leopard print is supposed to be a neon pink and it looks orange, can't expect much from a dollar store nail polish!

Both hands :)

My sister, who is my most favoritest person in the WHOLE world, recently went to San Francisco with my aunt, uncle and cousins and I asked her to pick me up some polish that you can't find here.  She's the sweetest thing in the whole world, she's only 15 and has a Green Mowing company, so she doesn't have a whole bunch of cash, but she picked me up two nail art polishes from Sinful - something you definitely can't find here.  She didn't realize they were nail art polishes, but I love them all the same.

Left:  Lagoon, Right:  Me First

While I was waiting for the hubby to finish at the dentist, I went and picked up my sister from downtown and got to hang out with her for a bit.  As I've mentioned, she's super crafty and talented, she bought some henna and gave me a tattoo, so cute, hey?

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder
Pink:  Billie - Fuscha
Bows:  Billie - Purple Haze
White Base:  Barielle - Going to the Chapel
Black Base: Wet n Wild - Black Creme
Neon Yellow - Nina Ultra Pro - Solar Flare
I used acrylic paint to do the skulls.

Holla, N

Geekn' out Munchkin Style

Last week, Nail Narcotics challenged me to create a jelly manicure as my Sunday night homework.  It was a bit of a let down because I don't have "real" jelly as explained in my Purple Jelly post.  BUT, today it was my turn to play teacher and give the homework assignment - a mani based on our favorite board game!  I'm super excited about today's post, I'm a super big nerd and love love love playing board games.  My friend Shawna, who I've mentioned in yesterday's Glamping post, is also a big nerdy gamer.  She introduced me to this game and bought me my very own for my birthday!  So without further ado, here is my Munchkin mani!

Here's shots of each of my fingers and the cards they were based on!

This is such a great game and if I could, I would play it all the time - just not with my Grandpa.  Here's what the box looks like:

This game was created by Steve Jackson, who also's done other nerdy games, more information about Steve Jackson Games can be found here.

Want some information on the game?  Click here for the World of Munchkin.

John Kovalic illustrated the cards and they are fabulous and so random and funny.  For more info about John, click here.

To check out Nail Narcotics fantabulous Sunday Homework, click here!  Apparently she HATES games, which I didn't know until after I gave her the homework, but I think she did a great job on her Candyland mani.  I don't think I've ever played Candyland, but her nails make me want to!!  I hope she goes easy on me next week :)

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Main Color:  Essie - Case Study

Accent Nails:  Joe - Mocha

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

I used acrylic paint to do the nail art.

Holla, N

Glamping?

Hello!  I've been holding onto sharing today's post for a whole week - something I don't normally do.  I'm very impatient and it's been torture having something and not posting it, but I wanted these photos to have their very own special post.

Last weekend, the hubby and I went camping with my friend Shawna, her sister Kelley and Kelley's fiance Jason.  It was an impromptu camping trip, but one I was super excited to go on!  The hubby and I headed up a day early and I brought my entire nail polish stash!  Yes, that's 114 some odd nail polishes that I brought!  Shawna and Kelley are super artistic and crafty and I was super excited to have someone else do my nails for a change.

Kelley did the three little pigs and the big bad wolf on my nails, how cute are these??

The Big Bad Wolf blowing the poor little piggies houses down!

Clockwise:  Top Left:  Shawna's first mani - Steam Punk!  Right:  Our work space on the picnic table  Bottom Left:  Shawna's final mani using my BM stamping plates.

The hubby in front of our new to us trailer - see the white storage box in the background?  Yes, that's my WHOLE stash - I'd do anything for my friends!!

I realize that camping in a trailer from 1985 is not technically "glamping", but it is to me.  How luxurious is it to camp off the floor and have a bathroom???  Add the nail polish stash and I truly believe we were "glamping"!

Holla, N

Old School Tattoo or Nail Art?

Hiya!  Did you miss me?  Likely not, but hey, it was weird for me not to post last night, I just assumed it would be weird for you too!  This mani took me forever!!  By the time I was done, it was too dark out to take an outside shot, so I waited until today to post.

I'm a HUGE Robin Moses fan, her nail art is amazing!!  Random Me Fact:  I LOVE doing art and crafting.  I come from a long line of crafters.  My grandma is the Queen crafter, you should see her craft nook, and my mom follows close behind.  My sister and I are the princesses of crafting - well more my sister, she's amazing!  So I've had some experience with acrylics, but never to do nail art.  Now that I've started this blog and found Robin Moses, I've found a new love and use for acrylics!  Hope you enjoy!!

I'm posting this from my grandparents house, the hubby is helping my Grandpa-pa insulate and build his outdoor shed so my Grandma invited me for dinner.  SCORE!!  Who can pass up a free dinner and a good home made one at that!  I don't have a list of the polishes I used, but will add that once I'm home.

Back home!!

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder
Thumb:  Nyx - Carnation
Pointer:  Revlon - Sunshine Sparkle
Pinkie:  Sally Hansen - Red Velvet
Accent Fingers:  Barielle - Going to the Chapel
Top Coat:  Seche Vite and ProFX

Holla, N

Knee Yawn Pink

Who loves mad gab??  I do!!

I don't normally review products or provide my opinion on polish formula's, because they all seem the same to me.  But not the neon pink I used today.  This stuff was beyond crap, it went on like a matte/crackle polish, but dried semi glossy - you know the super thick formula that clumps and dries weird, almost like chalkboard paint?  It also has a hint of glitter which I was so excited about - you can hardly tell once on because the formula was so crappy.  I'm wondering if it was a bum bottle/batch, I picked up a package of 5 polishes at Winners and all the others are great.  I tried googling reviews on said product and couldn't find a thing.  Have you ever had a crap bottle of polish that was like pulling teeth to put on?  What did you do??

I generally don't post pictures of my right hand because when I was a kid, my middle finger got slammed in a van door.  The nail nail ended up following off and leaving me with a wonky nail, so I hate the look of my right hand, but I love how the two hands look together, so have added a shot of both hands below.

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Main Color:  Barielle - Pink Fury

Accent Nails:  Wet n Wild - Black Creme, Barielle - Going to the Chaple and Klean Color - Neon Lime

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Stampeedo

Stamping?!  Eeeeks

I've seen so many cute manis using the 2012 Bundle Monster plates I absolutely had to have them.  I probably should have practiced with my Salon Express stamping set a little more before purchasing the new bundle monster plates, but I have no patience!!  I dabbled a little with the SE stamping set as seen in Pinkin' it Up, I had a little issue with streaking and the designs are pretty boring.  My new buddy, Nicole from Polish me Please, who is the QUEEN OF STAMPING suggested the BM plates.  I hummed and hawed about getting them because I'm cheap and I hadn't mastered the SE plates, but Nicole's mani's convinced me - are you still here looking at my blog?!?!  GO there immediately, here's the link again (Polish me Please), she is amazing!!  Back?  Okay, scroll down to see the train wreck or as Nicole calls it the disasticure!

Here's my practice run on yesterday's mani - I was all "this is easy" - HA.  It's so hard to get the design straight, which I'm hoping will come with more practice!

For today's mani I used:

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Base Color:  Nyx - Salsa

Stamped Color:  Sally Hansen Insta Dry - Quick Sand

Top Coat:  Pro FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat

Stamp:  2012 Bundle Monster - BM-314

For the polish I used on yesterday's mani, click here.

Holla, N

Aloha Ha

Juneau Hawaii Filler Bowed Ewe?

Happy Hibiscus Monday!  This was surprisingly easy to do, which I'm super shocked about.  And what's more surprising is that the picture with the flash is more true to the color of the Nyx polish I used - usually it's the other way around.  The only issue with this mani is that on my middle finger, I can see a glaringly obvious little black fuzz in the middle of the flower - poop!  I choose not to do the stamens (is that what you call them? I'm sure my CS will correct me!!) because I didn't think they needed them, plus I was so stoked they turned out well - on the first try - that I didn't want to mess them up!!  Plus, how much do you love the pink???  On sale for $1 - money well spent, eh?  Oh and before you ask, I did my right hand too and it looks good - Happy Monday, indeed!

Super happy fun points if you can figure out the mad gab above!!

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Main Color and Hibiscus Flowers:  Nyx - Dolly Pink

Accent Color:  Barielle - Going to the Chapel

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Purple Jelly

Sunday funday and my attempt at the Jelly Sandwich manicure....

My fellow newbie nail blogger over at Nail Narcotics, gave me some homework - something I haven't had in forever - to attempt a jelly sandwich manicure and post about it.  I was super excited about this mini challenge because I love this technique and I love the idea of not having to come up with an idea, it was given to me - easy peasy!  Now, I really don't think I have any 'real' jelly nail polishes, so I tried a couple before I decided on this one.  I'm also posting a pink one I did a while back but didn't share.  How did I do?

Don't forget to check out Nail Narcotics Jelly Sandwich Manicure - hers is wayyyy better than mine!

Purple Jelly:

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Fake Purple Jelly:  Sally Hansen - Purple Pizzazz

Glitter:  Wet n Wild - Beautiful but Dangerous

Top Coat:  Pro FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat

Pink Jelly:

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Fake Pink Jelly:  Essie - Miami Nice

Glitter:  Wet n Wild - Beautiful but Dangerous

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Mermaid Tail

Do mermaid's have tails?  Or are they considered fins?

I should have named this post Glitter Bomb - as in I totally bombed this mani....It looks pretty but you can't see the side view, which is literally an inch thick with polish.  Why oh why, must glitter polish be so hard to apply?  Am I doing it wrong?  I've searched everywhere for a tutorial on how to apply glitter polish the "right" way, why must it cause me so much grief?  Does anyone else have this issue?  Any tips for applying glitter consistently??

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Main Color:  Color Club - no name - hate that Color Club has no names for their polishes - this one is a super pale pink/purple.

Glitter:  Wet n Wild - Spontaneous Combustion

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Cloudy Days

Nail Mail!!!  I got my Bundle Monster stamping plates and dotting tools in the mail today.  I wish I could show you an amazing mani I did with both, but alas, I will need WAY more practice before I even think of sharing them with anyone.  The stamping wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I didn't choose the right color and the dotting tools, which you would think would be super duper easy, were hard to get the right amount of polish on - all my dots ended up the same size, which is not what I was going for.

I promise I will show some of my skills, once I get to be a pro!!

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Main Color:  China Glaze - Man Hunt

Clouds:  NYC - French White Tip and Wet n Wild - Metallica

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Jersey Bomb

Happy Monday!  I typed that with a scowl on my face, why do Monday's have to suck so bad?

I just finished watching 3 hours of Jerserylicious, oh how I love that show, the drama, the make-up, the clothes, the CHEETAH print!!  So tonight's episodes (which airs on TLN in Canada on Saturday's and Sunday's) was the Season 3 finale and the two hour follow-up special with Vivica A. Fox (totally random by the way).  I love how Gayle fires Tracy and Gigi at the end, I understand she's hurt and all, but how petty.  I can't wait for Season 4 to air in Canada!!  Here's my ode to Jerseylicious, hope you enjoy!

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Base Color:  NYC - Park Ave

Cheetah Dots and Accent:  Sally Hansen - Grey Area and Revlon - Elegant

Black Outline:  Sally Hansen - Black Nail Art Pen

Red:  Sally Hansen - Cherry Red

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Tell me About it, Stud!

My first foray into 3D nail art!  I've been reluctant to get on this bandwagon because the idea of having my hair caught in my nails every five seconds would drive me batty!  One of the things I bought on my birthday gift certificate spending spree at Walmart, as mentioned in my Caribbean Calypso post, was a package of Kiss Nail Artist Metallic Accents.  There's a huge stud trend out in the nail world lately - Sammy of The Nailasaurus does a bunch of really cool designs with studs, I was going to link to a few, but I like way too many of them, so just added a link to her site, search "stud."  I ended up really loving this mani and found myself being extra super careful not to rip the studs off - even the hubby commented on my nails, a very rare occurrence around here!  I haven't managed to get them caught in anything yet, which is amazing, I think the top coat really helps smooth out the edges.

Recognize the title of this post?  Extra special happy points if you do :)

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Main Color:  Barielle - A Bouquet for Ava

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Hello Purple

I survived glamping!!!  So, my lovely friend pointed out how camping in a trailer is not technically glamping and I have to agree.  While we are protected from the elements in our lovely trailer, we were still missing out on a few essentials.  1.  My lovely comfortable bed, oh how I missed this - we actually bought a new bed the day before we left, but because a standard bed doesn't fit into our trailer we had to have it special ordered, so we were stuck with our crappy foam from the 80's.  2.  Running, hot water.  While we do have the ability to have water in our trailer, it can only hold so much, so we had to be careful of when we flushed and we couldn't use the water to wash dishes etc. etc. 3.  A fridge bigger than a cereal box, then we could actually store more than hot dogs and beer - while this may sound perfect for most of you, for this picky eater, it just doesn't cut it.


All in all it was a great 5 days, I lasted 1.5 days with no nail polish, but during a milk run to Walmart, I couldn't resist temptation and bought the essentials.  I ended up having to give all the girls manis and I promised to post them on my blog!

Clockwise from the top left:  Hubby relaxing on his new 0 gravity chair; Cousin's beautiful mani;  sister's creative photography; Tucker enjoying the outdoors; more sister's creative photography, my first camping mani.

Base Coat:  Orly Bonder

Purple:  Barielle - Grape Escape

Glitter:  Sally Hansen Gem Crush - Big Money

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Mellow Canary

Hiya!  I was so in love with yesterday's mani Pretty in White that I've done a variation of the same thing today, except in yellow - cute, hey?

I'll be incommunicado for a couple of days and will be sporting naked nails (cringe) because we are going GLAMPING!!  Woot Woot!  So excited to get away and enjoy our new to us trailer.  I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to sleep up off the floor, have heat, hot water and a toilet while camping, hence "glamping."

So don't miss me too much, I'll be back to entertain you all later next week - hopefully with the same length of nails - perfect excuse for the hubby to do all the work - excellent!!

Base Coat:  Seche Vite

Pearly Yellow:  Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Quick Canary

Yellow Dots:  Sally Hansen Hard as Nails - Mellow Yellow

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Pretty in White

Hi everybody!!  I should rephrase that - Hi Mom!!

To be honest, I don't think my mom would even know how to use Twitter let alone search Google for my blog.  She's likely the only person in the world that doesn't have a facebook account - even my grandparents have facebook accounts!  And no, my mom is not like 100, she's young, she's vibrant, she's only 52!!  She works with computers all day, could she not open a facebook account?  Noooo, she gets me to look up her old high school friends and buy her products on ebay.  Oh man, don't get me started on her fear of buying things online.  I get it, I really do, but things have changed.  It's not like I'm logging on to my ebay account at Walmart and leaving it open for the world to buy 10 bottles of she who will not be named "limited edition" nail polishes on my dime.  Dumb things happen to dumb people and momma didn't raise no dummy! Mom - get a facebook account, they don't ask for your credit card - I promise :)

Base Coat:  Orly - Bonder
White Primer and Dots:  Barielle - Going to the Chapel
Pearly Top Coat:  Femme Couture - Sand Bisque Frost
Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N

Nudey McNeonPants

I've been seeing a lot of beige or nude with bright neon's and I'm a huge fan of this trend.  Some of my favorites are:

- Tiny Neon Tips  by My Nail Polish Online
- Nude Neon Moon Tips by Nailing Hollywood Nail Artist Madeline Poole
- Bit of Bling by WAH Nails
- Single Dot Manicure by Polished Indulgence (this one wasn't really named, so I made it up, but follow the link and it will take you there!

And my absolute FAVE is.....

- American Apparel - Neon Yellow by pshiiit.com

Enjoy - are you sporting the neon nude polish?  Would you?

Managed to get my nails done to catch some natural light!

Inside with flash.

Base Coat:  Orly - Bonder

Sun Bursts:  Barielle - Gotta Have Fate

Main Color:  Essie - Case Study

Top Coat:  Seche Vite

Holla, N