Broken Hearts - What Not To Do

I know, I know. I should probably just rename this blog "Nail Art Saturday", but it's been Tuesday so long I wouldn't know what to do with that...

This week has been a bad nail week for me. It all started with a bad break when my hand slipped off a door handle while I was running errands last weekend:

I tell you what - the nerves in the tip of the finger are *not* to be messed with. Seven days later, it still hurts on and off...and naturally I'm still bashing it against random things because I'm used to having a long, protective nail there. It's even sore while typing (because normally my nails are so long I type with them, rather than my fingers). I'd highly *not* recommend this experience! Incidentally, in the "nerves are strange" category, whenever I set the nerves off in my poor pinky finger, my middle and ring fingers on that hand start aching too, from the tips to the first knuckle. Ow!

I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with the foils I wanted to try on that nail, so I'd already decided to just polish that one and use the foils on the others.

They're rather pretty, but I had a bad feeling as soon as I realized that they were full nail stickers, rather than thin foils. I don't typically have good luck with full nail stickers, as it takes a lot of work to get the wrinkles out. And my fingers were already hurting. But I tried one thumb, hoping maybe these would go on easily:

 Like I said, pretty, but wrinkly. I wasn't really in the mood to mess with it, so I took that off, cleaned off the adhesive, and decided to just polish with heart rhinestones instead.

I used my favorite dark gray - OPI's "Brand New Skates" for the basic color, with  Zoya's "Blair", a dark wine red (not shown) for the undersides. I placed a row of heart rhinestones down the center of each nail, but realized my Seche Vite top coat brush was stiff and basically unusable. So I used Sephora by OPI (or the other way around?) top coat, which was my second (third? fifth?) mistake of the day.

The rhinestones didn't even make it twenty-four hours before they started falling off. To add insult to injury, my top coat bubbled. *sigh* So today, my poor nails look like this:

 

So you see why I wasn't exactly feeling the blog post last Tuesday? I really don't have time during the week to do anything with nails, so I was pretty much stuck. At least today my pinky nail is almost grown out enough to cover the raw parts of my finger...so hopefully I'm nearly done with the whole serious pain/sensitivity part. 

I'm not sure what I'll do with 'em tonight, but I'll soak the Seche Vite brush in polish remover so I can at least use a good top coat again. With any luck, I'll have something far nicer to show off next Tuesday...

Until then, happy polishing...and watch out for those slippery door handles!

Black Hearts

 

I know, I missed Tuesday. It's been a busy week! But I thought I'd post these today, because this coming week I have some pretty heart-patterned foils to try and hopefully they'll turn out to show off for Valentine's Day...

I still wasn't really "feeling" the hearts thing last week, so I decided to go a little "Joan Jett" with a black hearts manicure. The base color is Nubar's "Iris Dust" (which I adore), and the hearts were hand drawn (like you couldn't tell, right?) with a black Nubar nail art pen. I actually don't think they turned out too bad for hand drawn art...and the shaky edges kind of fit with the whole "black hearts" thing. ;-)

I used Zoya's "Suvi" underneath the nails, and that seems to have stopped the tip pull issues I've been having lately...

These photos are from today - and while there are lots of cracks and wear showing, I think it's worn pretty well considering this is day seven for this manicure.

Next Tuesday, provided it works as it should, a shiny heart foil manicure provided by OMG Nail Strips. I'll be playing with those tonight!

Until then, happy polishing...

Angora Affair

 

I'm not quite into Valentine's colors yet, so I figured I'd ease my way in with my favorite dark pink. I wasn't quite ready for hearts yet either, but this little heart-leaf stamp pattern caught my eye, and I quite like how it looks stamped on Essie's "Angora Cardi" with Essie's "Secret Affair".

My stamping technique still leaves a lot to be desired, and I really need to remember to wrap my tips (dang it), but I'm loving this manicure. It's calm and subtle.

Next week, I suppose it's time to get my red, white & pink on, eh?

Until then, happy polishing!

Snow Crackle

 

I'm off by a day this week - probably because I had Monday off from the day job. I did another super-easy manicure this week that reflects our current weather: crackling snow. I like it...it looks a bit chaotic and cold, and that's kind of how January is, I think.

Colors Used: 
Zoya "Natty"
Sally Hanson "Snow Blast" Crackle

This is the first time I've opened Natty, and I really like it. It's a medium denim-like blue that goes with pretty much everything. Very nice, and excellent smooth formula as always from Zoya. I really like Snow Blast too - Sally Hansen crackles always perform well, and this white is crisp and shiny. As a point of disclaimer, this bottle was provided to me awhile ago. The original review is around here somewhere...

This manicure really needs no explanation...just two coats of Natty over one coat of base coat, and then one sort of medium-thin coat of Sally Hanson over the top, starting at the base of the nail and brushing up in different lengths. Easy!

The tip pull this time...I'm not sure. Could be old base coat, could be I didn't get my nail beds clean enough before polishing. I didn't pull the polish up over the tips this time though, so my bad.

Until next week, happy polishing!

Mini Purples

 

This week I decided to delve into some of the miniature Avon polishes I got for Christmas. I've forgotten the names already, but it's okay. As much as I like the colors, I can't say as I'd recommend them, due to the serious tip pull you can see here (the second picture shows it better). And that's after I made sure to pull the polish and top coat over the tips. I don't know whether it's the formula or what, but normally Avon's polish isn't *that* bad for tip pulling...so weird.

Obviously I had some issues with my french tip lines, dang it. I don't use guides because I don't let my polish dry completely before I paint on the tips. But I was pleasantly surprised that the snowflake stamp came out so nicely. Then I just used a dotting tool to finish off the rest, covered with two coats of Seche Vite.

Still, all mishaps aside, they didn't turn out too badly - I just wish I'd used better quality polish. Ce'st la vie.

That's it for this week. Until next time - happy polishing!

Sally Hansen at The Golden Globes

Pics of this week's manicure tonight...but in the meantime, I just received this from the folks at Sally Hansen. I'm not big on awards shows myself, but I do confess to always checking out nails & handbags when I see photos making the rounds online. And this particular Sally Hansen formula seems like a pretty good deal, considering base and top coat aren't necessary - just polish and go for $7.99 a bottle:

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is an all-in-one formula that combines all the 7 benefits of a professional salon manicure—a base coat, a strengthener, a growth treatment, rich color, top coat, gel-like shine and chip resistance —in a single multi-tasking polish ($7.99). 

I think I might take them up on their offer of samples to show here on the blog...I'm not big on sheers/lights, but I'm digging that Copper Penny color (I'll have to go dig up a photo of Adele's nails now...)!

Here's their breakdown of shades & manicure styles:

Naomi Watts

Celebrity nail expert Tracey Sutter created the look for Watts, nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture--Drama. Tracey used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Arm Candy to create a natural effect.

To get the look, Sutter filed down Naomi's nails very short before applying Sally Hansen's Cuticle Instant Remover.  Next, Sutter applied 2 coats of Sally Hansen's new Complete Salon Manicure Nail Color in Arm Candy - giving Watts just the right amount of color she wanted.

Jennifer Lawrence

April Foreman was the expert behind Lawrence's nail look, using Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Sheer Ecstasy for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture--Comedy or Musical nominee.

To get the look, Foreman shaped Lawrence’s nails “sqound” giving both a square and round look.  Keeping her hands hydrated, Foreman applied Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Hand Crème before applying 2 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Sheer Ecstasy.

Adele

Celebrity Manicurist, Kimmie Kyees used on Adele a sheer coat of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in So Much Fawn with two coats of Complete Salon Manicure in Copper Penny layered on top.  Kyees finished off the look with an exclusive topcoat created for tonight that had gold in it to help enhance the color in Copper Penny for the best Original Song, Film nominee.

Any of these strike your fancy? 

OMG Nail Polish Strips - Diamonds

I decided to go ahead and post the tutorial for this, since you can't really make a mess with these handy strips. OMG Nail Strips provided these to me free for review, and I'm very happy they did! 

I was a little apprehensive when I said yes to the review, because the last two nail sticker brands I tried were thick and difficult to deal with. But these look like the earlier Avon polish strips, and while they are slightly thicker than the Sally Hansen strips, they aren't nearly as thick as something like Jamberry stickers, which was a relief. They go on easily, and they work about like any other nail decal. Peel off the transparent cover, find the right size and remove the backing, place the rounded edge at your cuticle and smooth up and over.

Then fold the excess over the edge of the nail and file it off (stroke downward, not across). It doesn't take much pressure, just the friction from the nail file will do.

Once you pull the excess off, you can use an orange stick to gently make sure all the sides are pressed down flat. Extra instructions say you can use a hair dryer to heat the decal if necessary to get wrinkles out, but I just used the pad of a finger and good pressure, and pretty much all of the kinks came out very easily. 

Then I covered the decal with a coat of Seche Vite, and called it done. A second coat probably would have been a good idea, as I have a few scrapes on a couple fingers and some tip wear three days later, but all in all, these are wearing pretty well. I like them a lot, and have gotten several compliments already! 

Aside from the general ease of use and really nice (sometimes very complex) patterns, another great thing about these is that instead of the $10 a pack Sally Hansen charges, these are only $4.29 a pack, with free shipping. It's pretty rare that I come across a product I love that's inexpensive as well, but I can wholeheartedly recommend these on all points. You can check out the designs at OMG Nail Strips - they have polish strips and foils. I have a set of foils to try out as well, but they're hearts so I'll wait awhile for those. I will definitely be ordering more of these though, just to keep on hand because they're easy and inexpensive.

Thanks to the company for sending me these - excellent product at an excellent price. It doesn't get much better than that.

Until next week, happy polishing...

Clean, File, Buff, Polish

It's been awhile, I know. Too long, really. To be honest, I lost motivation for doing much with this blog when it started to feel more like an obligation than something fun, and I hate that, because I do still do a weekly manicure, and I like sharing what I discover, new things I try (succeed or fail), and new polishes and tools I stumble across.

I also got really tired of all the comments on my tutorial photos - tired of snarky remarks on how messy they are, because that's just how I work, and it all cleans up in the end. But apparently there are some people out there who have no stomach for a less-than-pristine creation process. Which is sad, really. But fighting it just feels like more work, and sharing my process isn't any fun if people are just going to fixate on the mess, and not pay attention to the final result.

I wish I had time to do videos, but I just don't, unfortunately. So I've been thinking about all these things, and whether I should even continue the blog or just let it die a natural death...and I was very close to doing just that. But that just depressed me, really.

So here's what I'm going to do. Every Tuesday, I'll post my weekly manicure after it's all cleaned up, without tutorial pictures. If it's a design that might require a step-by-step, I'll write it out below so you get the gist of it. Occasionally I'll post a swatch manicure - just a plain ol' mani without any artwork on it, because sometimes the polish itself is enough, no need for adornment. 

So starting tomorrow, Nail Art Tuesday is back, with a review of some nail decals that were sent to me by OMG Nail Strips. A pretty favorable review, as a hint - if you like full nail decals, you'll want to check it out.

Until then, Happy Polishing...

Mardi Gras & Comedy of Errors

 

This past weekend wasn't terribly kind to my nails or my schedule, unfortunately. My schedule was off so I didn't have my regular manicure night, and then when I finally did get around to doing my nails, I forgot to take tutorial pics (though as you can see, I just did a super-simple design with a dotting tool). The morning after, I used my thumbnail to open a new makeup container, and chipped the polish right off the end (see below). 

So...yeah. Not a good nail week. Did I mention I very nearly ran out of polish remover before I finished getting last week's polish off (I have more on the way)? 

On a brighter note though, I got a whole set of stamping plates that I'm determined to learn how to use properly. And my polish remover (along with three new Zoya polishes) should be here sometime this week. So next week, we're stampin'. It'll be fun! :-) 

Until then - happy polishing...

Oops!

Sorry nail friends - between the Labor Day holiday and our anniversary today, I plum forgot to schedule this week's post. I'll have it up Thursday...sorry for the delay!

Mottled Darks

I'm sort of getting into "fall" mode...is it too early? I hope not, because even though this manicure didn't turn out exactly as I'd envisioned, I actually really like it for a dark fall look. It's all about layering, right?

 I chose three colors to use - Sinful "All About You", China Glaze "Riveter Rouge" and Misa "When U Say My Name". Good, strong fall colors - AAY is clear polish with gold/green glitter, which I thought would be perfect for blending. I couldn't decide which darker color to use as a base, so I ended up switching colors every other finger. Two coats over Seche Vite base coat.

 My original plan was to do a gradient. So after the base colors were down, I started at the top with the gold. It wasn't really visible enough to make a difference, but it did add a little shine. Then I sponged alternate colors over their counterparts (brown on red, and vice versa.

 That looked...interesting, but it wasn't what I had in mind. So I decided to go ahead and just sponge all three colors on every nail, for a sort of mottled, glittery look. That worked much better. I covered them with two coats of Seche Vite topcoat and did some cleanup.

 My "final" photos were taken nearly a week after the manicure (oops!), but they really don't look too bad considering that's six full days of wear. A little damage/shrinkage at the cuticle is all...very nice, IMO.

Next week, I go back to summer temporarily...or spring, more like it, with a green & flower manicure. Until then, happy polishing!

Waning Summer

Summer seems to be on it's way out...or I kind of hope it is, anyway. I'm tired of the hot, dry weather, and all the wildfires that have been ripping through our state this year. So I decided to do a simple gradient with bright colors one more time before heading toward the darker end of the spectrum for fall.

Always cheerful, Zoya's "Bekka" and "Tansy" are my go-to colors for summer. I started with three coats of Bekka - I don't know what it is about yellows, but it always seems to take three coats to get them smooth.

Then I sponged a couple coats of Tansy on the tips. They came out a bit darker than I'd have liked, but I was happy with the way it turned out, overall.

Well, except for that spludge on my middle finger there...but it was less visible after top coat.

I decided it needed...something more, so I got out some butterfly & flower decals, and added a few to my thumbs, ring and pinky fingers. Much better!

A couple coats of top coat and some clean up, and voila! The last bright manicure of summer: 

I liked it. And someone admiring them at a restaurant said they looked like candy corn, which they very well could with a white later underneath. Hmm...

Next week, a slightly botched but still sparkly fall sponge job. Until then, happy polishing!

No Post This Week...

I'm taking a break this week, peeps...but it's for a good cause. In order to be able to post more regularly and earlier on Tuesdays, I'm going to schedule this week's post for next Tuesday, and then I'll be a week ahead from now on. Easier for me, and more regular posts for you. Win-win, right? :-)

Next week, a summery orange/yellow gradient to finish off the "hot" season (one can hope!).

Until then, happy polishing!

Matte Copper Magnetic

I was mistaken last week - I don't have a full set of these, but I like these coppery colors, so I decided to experiment a little with mixed results. And then of course, I decided to matte it.

I started with a coat of Kinetic Copper on four nails of each hand, and a coat of Golden Conduct on my ring fingers.

I'd originally thought to combine these in some way, but the results were...less than impressive on my thumb...

So, I decided to experiment with magnet positions instead. Sideways, diagonal, and normal...but it didn't work all that well any way but "normal". I think that's really my only issue with these - I want more versatility as far as the designs go.

Still, I did get a nice, marbled-type effect, so it worked just fine. I'm the only one who really knows it was a mistake (well, all of you do now too...). I put a coat of top coat on, and then used China Glaze Matte Magic to see what it would look like matte. I used my ring and pinky fingers to test:

I love this look - looks just like silk, in my opinion. Gorgeous! So I matted them all.

A little clean up and voila! Silky soft nails for the week. All in all, I have no complaints at all. I just need more design magnets!

Next week, I'm not sure what I'll do. So it will be a surprise for us all. Maybe a nice fall red?

Until then, happy polishing!

Magnetic Silver & Burgundy

Look what I got! The folks at Sally Hansen were kind enough to send me a complimentary set of the new Magnetic polishes, and man, these are cool. I'll show the whole set next week, but this week, I just wanted to get a quick manicure done, and this worked great. Nail art really doesn't get any easier than this...

 For this week's manicure, I used "Red-y-Response" (which is not red, it's more burgundy/fuschia, and the color in the photos below is pretty true to what I see), and "Silver Elements", which is a great silver all on it's own, but when the magnet pulls the sparklies up, it's stunning.

 So the way these work is, there's a larger cap over the normal polish cap. In the top of that outer cap is the magnetic plate, and there's a slight ridge on top to rest on your finger just below your cuticle to put the magnet at the right height above your nail. My picture isn't very good - I'll make sure to get a better one next week.

 I started with two coats of each color on alternating nails over one coat of base coat, just like normal. This formula is easy to control and very nice to work with, but the silver, as with all metallics, gets a bit splotchy if you're not careful.

 To get the magnetic effect, I just brushed on one more thicker coat, and then held the magnet over the nail for 10 seconds. I rotated the cap a bit to get the sides of my nails too, since they're so curvy. Worked great!

I did the silver nails first, and then the burgundy. I did make a few mistakes (accidentally touching the magnet to the polish, which just screwed up the polish like putting anything in it would), but overall it was very quick and easy. I'd like to experiment a little more with moving the magnet around, to see if I can make different designs...

Two coats of top coat, clean up, and voila! Awesome nails in a relatively short order. Perfect for those 2am manicure nights. :-)

Next week, I'll showcase the whole set and see if I can't do something different with the magnetic effects...

Until then, happy polishing!