February Review

Hey-yo!  What's happening?  Lot of the same around here.

Like I promised last month, here I am with a review of the manis I wore during February.  It's gonna be a long one - hold on tight!

We'll start off the month in review with ChG For Audrey with OPI Pirouette My Whistle.  I lemminged after that glitter for a while - it's perfect for a bit of sparkle on top of pretty much any color.

February is all full of hearts and flowers, and because of that, I went with a couple different pink looks.  This is Zoya Reece.  Gorgeous pink with green-gold flash.  This was one of my first Zoya purchases.  I added the last pic to show how strong the green-gold flash can be.

OPI Black Cherry Chutney - another long-time lemming.  This is such a gorgeous, glowy (in the right light), vampy color.  This mani only lasted one night because...well...it didn't survive a night of pretty rowdy drinking.  And that's all I've got to say about that.

My first Butter London: Lady of the Muck.  Pretty cornflower blue with just a touch of shimmer.  I added pink and white striping for decoration.  The wear on this was decent but it didn't impress me enough to rush out and buy a bottle.

Marble time!  Makeup Zombie hosted a pink and red challenge around Valentine's Day and I knew immediately what I was going to do.  This is Color Club She's So Glam with Zoya Alix.  I topped it all off with ChG Fairy Dust (because you can never have too much sparkle).

Around Christmas when all the good sales were happening, I grabbed a trio of polish from Glitzology.  This one immediately caught my eye: Nebula.  Sheer black jelly with micro holo, hexie holo, AND holo stars?!  SOLD!!  I used two layers over Zoya Noot, a super dark green-grey. 

This was probably my least favorite of the group.  These are Zoya Tiffany (pink-peach) and Crystal (blue).  What I love about both of these is the gold flecks - it really makes the blue gorgeous.

And now, the best two of the month...

AEngland Tristam (royal blue holo) and Dragon (Kelly green holo).  These are gorgeous in person - I could not capture the holo correctly to save my life.  I could see myself wearing these much more frequently if they didn't chip like a biatch...and that's even with using Nfu Oh Aqua Base.  So, so pretty.

Color Club started coming out with some killer holos.  THANK YOU COLOR CLUB!  This is Cloud 9, a gorgeous, super strong pale pink holo.  I've seen the second collection and they're just as pretty as the first.  Want. them. all!!

There ya go...the whole month of February.  Which is your favorite?  Any suggestions/special requests for March?

I Got Purple-itis

Good morning, Kitschies! We tried to take the boys to the snow play area on Sunday but that was a big fail.  The snow area was closed for "unsafe conditions" - I don't exactly know what that means but I'm assuming that meant don't go sledding unless you want to run in to big, hard rocks.  And seeing as I've sledded in to my share of hard, inanimate objects, we chose to sled at another place.  It was cold and windy and we didn't have much fun, but Nate *did* enjoy himself for the little time we were out.

Every week, Polish-aholics Annonymous on FB runs a challenge.  I've been participating in the challenges, but I haven't done a corresponding blog post about any of them...until now.  Today's challenge was ombre/gradient nails.  In case you don't know, ombre means having colors or tones that shade into each other —used especially of fabrics in which the color is graduated from light to dark.  Don't worry...I didn't know the exact meaning, either.  Yay!  We learned something today.  You can go back to bed now. :) 

On to the pics, shall we?

I initially tried a white to black gradient, but it didn't turn out so well.  I had to hand mix two shades and it just didn't work.  So, I went back to my Helmer and dug around a bit - and viola!  Here's my purple gradient nails!

In the previous picture, the index and middle fingers look pretty similar, but IRL and in more natural light, they're not quite as close in color.

You can see here that while they're similar, they are not the same.  IRL, Mira looks to dry a bit darker than what you can see in the bottle.  But in all the pics I took to compare the nail to the bottle, they look identical.  Strange.

This is the first ombre mani I've done and I like it enough.  I just don't care to wear a different color on each nail.  It kinda drives me crazy even though I like the effect.

Here's what I used.  If you click on the pic you can read the color names better.

Pinky

Ring

Middle

Index

I didn't get a good bottle/thumb pic, so check out this swatch HERE for a good representation of the color. 

So...there ya go!  What color(s) would you have used if you had done an ombre mani?

Hot Tamale

Meh Monday, Kitschies.  I am just not feeling it today.  I don't know if it's the lack of sleep (didn't get my usual amount last night) or the weather (gloomy but going to be *super* windy this afternoon/evening) or what, but I am just not with it today.  Let's just say I have a lot on my plate right now that's causing this meh-ness.

On to the goods!  A couple weeks back, I participated in Fab Ur Nails "Autumn" challenge.  I so miss Polish Hoarder Disorder's weekly challenges. :(  Anyway, I saw this challenge and I had to do it!  I saw the ChG Vintage Vixen collection at Sally Beauty all over the boards and when I saw the collection in person, I have to say that I wasn't too overly excited about many of the shades.  But, that didn't deter me from picking one of them up (of course).

This is ChG Foxy, a gorgeous deep burnt orange red - perfect for fall!  I was afraid I wasn't going to like this color because it seems a little more brown in the bottle.  But once I applied it, I loved it!  This and the next picture were taken indoors with flash.

This color glows!!  It's not really brown.  Nor is it orange.  And not completely red.  That's why I call it a deep burnt orange red.  Now, this color doesn't exactly scream vintage to me, but it does scream Fall and elegance.

Since this is a Fall challenge, I couldn't just leave it at a pretty color.  I grabbed my gold and green metallic acrylic paint, striping brush and two gold gemstones.  This picture was taken outdoors in direct morning sunlight.

Indoors with flash.  You can really see the gold shimmer in the bottle, but I didn't notice it as much when applied.  I loved this mani and I want to do it again, but I don't want to keep doing the same art over and over again.

A bit closer picture.  You can see the gold rhinestone better here.  *sigh*  I loved this.  I know I just said that, but it's the truth!  And the wear on this was awesome!  If I'm remembering right, this mani lasted at least 3 days without any chipping or visible wear.  I think the only reason why I took it off was because I did my coworker's nails that weekend.

A bonus mani!  This isn't the mani I did for my coworker, but the mani I did for my bestie.  This is Orly Monroe's Red.  This is an awesome bright red with a hint of red shimmer.  You can see a hint of the shimmer in the bottle pic above.  The bestie posted that this color doesn't get enough love and I totally agree.  This is one hot red!  She wanted stamping, so stamping she got!

I used one of my Bundle Monster plates (I'm horrible at writing down the plate number) and Sally Hansen Black Out.  She has narrower nail beds than I do, so this image covered her whole nail nicely.

And now for the typical "salon" pose.  LOL  These looked SO good!!  I'm going to have to borrow her Monroe's Red so I can do this for myself.  We were going to put a little sparkle in the middle of each big star, but we forgot.  Next time!

I hope I get back in the groove today.  I think it's just all that's on my mind lately.  I'll get out of this funk soon enough.  Until tomorrow, my dear, dear readers.

Challenge Accepted - Part 9

It's a lazy Sunday for us.  Mason, the 1-year-old, woke up at 4:45 (!) this morning because he went to bed super early yesterday.  Luckily, all he needed was a bottle and diaper change and he was good to go for a little more crib time.  Nate, the 4-year-old, got up at 6:20.  The hubs had a feeling he'd get up early, so he pre-set the TV so when he turned it on, it would already be set to the Disney Channel.  Good thinking!  The hubs and I rolled out of bed around 7:30.  After we had breakfast (pancakes and bacon - yum!), we headed to the park.  Can I say that I am tired of the summer already?  Today it's supposed to get to 92* and it's already hot.  We have a chance of thunderstorms tonight, so I'm really, really hoping that comes true because it cools the air temp down a little.

Today I bring you my 9th submission to PHD's weekly challenge.  This week's theme: Just Tips.  The instruction for this week is to create a design using just the tips of your nail.  This was *perfect* because late last week I was wanting to do a French-type mani!  The submission deadlines have changed a bit, so she won't be posting the gallery until Monday, but when she does, I'll post a link to the gallery so you can check out all the cool entries.  You can link to the challenge gallery HERE.  On to the pictures, shall we?

Here's what I used: Orly Blue Collar, ChG Spontaneous, Orly Fifty-Four and white acrylic paint with a dotting tool.  I've used Blue Collar before (see the post HERE) and it's a great bright blue creme.  Almost Smurf-like.  I've used ChG Spontaneous before also, but only as a French mani (coincidence?) - there's something about this color that I just don't love.  It's a medium purple creme but it's lacking something that makes me wear it by itself.  Needs a Konad, perhaps?  Orly Fifty-Four is a very subtle pink/purple shimmer top coat.  I used this on top of the finished look to give it just a *hint* of shimmer.  I really wish the shimmer showed up more because it's so pretty in the bottle.

This is my submission photo.  I am really happy the way this one turned out.  I looked through quite a few pics online before I came up with this design.  I had different colors in mind, but when I went digging through my collection, these two colors popped out at me.

Another view.  You see what looks like a gash out of the side of my thumb nail?  That's a little tear that's been hanging out for a couple weeks.  Usually I just cut off the nail once I get a tear, but this one started below the quick so I let it grow out a bit before cutting it off.  I ended up trimming it on Friday - I feel like I'm missing half my thumb!

Another view.  I think you can just *barely* see the shimmer of Fifty-Four on some of those nails (if you click on the image to make it bigger, of course).  My nails are kinda stained, but I don't think it was as noticeable to other people as it is/was to me.  I love doing French-type manis.  I don't like the run-of-the-mill white tips, but I love funky French tips!  I asked the hubs if he liked French manis and he said "What's the point of having all the white just at the tips?  It looks horrible."  He was pretty surprised when I showed him this after I told him it was a "just tips" challenge.

Before I leave you today, I wanted to let you know that my mom started a blog a couple weeks ago and she's already hosting her first giveaway.  You can check it out HERE.  AND...my current giveaway ($40 CSN gift card) is still open.  You have until August 20th to enter.  You can check my giveaway out HERE.  I've reached 100 followers (thank you to everyone who follows me) and I'll be hosting a 100 follower giveaway sometime soon after my current giveaway closes.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, dear Kitschies.  It'll be over before you know it!

Listening to: N8 playing StarWars Legos
Mood: lazy

Challenge Accepted - Part 8

WOO HOO!!  It's Friday!!  And I'm not at work!!  WOO HOO!!  I've done a whole lotta nutin today and I'm okay with that.  I take it back.  I met up with the hubs at a park for a picnic lunch.  But other than that, absolutely nothing.  Now you know what that means, right?  I have a lot of stuff to get done this afternoon before everybody gets home.  Either way, it won't be that because I'm by myself!  *sigh*  What did I ever do before kids?

I don't usually like to do the same topic posted back to back, but I wanted to get this one in there.  Today I bring you PHD's weekly challenge: Nature.  This is a little more unrestricted than usual - the instructions are to pick something, or some things, in nature that inspire you.  I didn't want to do the regular flowers and such, so I mixed it up a bit.

I started with ChG 2nite from their OMG collection.  I got this gorgeous holo from Nailstah's blog sale for a pretty good price.  I can't find this collection in stores around here so I jumped at the chance to pick it up.  I wore this mani for a day before I did anything with it.  I was a little afraid that the wear wouldn't last until the next day without chipping (holos are notorious for bad wear), but I didn't have any problems.  Both photos are indoors with flash.

 The next morning I decided to put a diagonal rainbow on my ring finger on my right hand.  I liked it, but it needed more.  Either way, I wore this all day on Wednesday.  Even with all the work I do with my hands at work (not to mention making dinner and giving both boys a bath), I didn't have any chipping.  I'm pretty impressed at this point. 

And this is more.  I grabbed my acrylic paints and striping brush and applied a line of each color on the other nails.  The end result kinda reminds me of a prism.  OK - so maybe *technically* a prism isn't found in nature, but rainbows definitely are.  I'm anxious to see the other submissions - we'll see how out of sync I was with this one.  The top photo is outdoors with cloudy skies.  The bottom photo is indoors with flash.  Today (Friday) is the third full day of wear for this holo and even though I do have some chipping on my right hand, I have *very* minimal wear on the left with no chips at all.  I'm pretty impressed with the wear of this polish, especially considering the fact it's a holo. 

While we're on the topic of nature, we had a beautiful sunset the other night.  This is one of the reasons I love New Mexico.  Click on photos to make them bigger.

This photo was taken looking northwest from our backyard.  I played with the filters a little in Photoshop, so that's why it has that grainy appearance.  I like the filter because it gives it a sort of "old" photo look.

This second photo was taken looking southeast from our backyard.  I didn't adjust the colors or apply any filters with this one.  This was one gorgeous sunset!  Incidentally, we had a pretty good thunderstorm around 12:30 that night.  It was a long one - it lasted about 45 minutes - and I have no idea how Nate and Mason slept through some of the crashes of thunder.

I hope you are all enjoy your Friday night and weekend.  We don't have any exciting plans for the weekend, but I hope to get out to the park at least a couple times to run out some of the boys' energy.  Anything exciting planned for you?

Oh, and before I forget - keep an extra keen eye open at my blog over the next week.  I'll be hosting a giveaway!!

Listening to: Well Thought Out Twinkles by Silversun Pickups (appropriate given the topic of this post)
Mood: relaxed

Challenge Accepted - Part 7

Meh.  It's Thursday.  I've got some wierd anxiety thing going on today.  It's not horrible - just annoying.  And the fact that it's annoying me probably isn't helping.  LOL 

Today I bring you my submission to PHD's weekly challenge: Vampire.  The directions are to create a manicure sutible for a vampire.  Unlike the last challenge (you can link to it HERE), I knew what I wanted to do pretty much right away.  And I didn't have to go out and get anything new for colors (even though I did - but that's a story I'll share in a moment).  I had Monday off, so I got to it that afternoon.

I am still wearing this today and it's Thursday!!  I know I say this about most of my entries, but I really like this one.  Red is my favorite color and I love the way the black came out.  This one actually translated pretty much the same as it was in my head.  And it was pretty easy to do, too.  Just a little time consuming with the clean up because we all know what a PIA black can be! 

Here's what I used.  Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out and Finger Paints Primary Color.  Here's the little story.  My bestie sent me a text Sunday afternoon telling me I *had* to get Black Out because it was the BEST black she's ever used.  Seriously?  And, of course, I needed black for this mani, so while out shopping on my day off, I picked it up.  Previously my go-to black was Pure Ice Black Rage but I wasn't happy at how fast it chipped.  Good thing I listened to my bestie because this is a great black creme.  There's nothing super special about it, but the formula is good and it has that wider brush that all SHs have now.  AND - I haven't had any chipping...with 3 days of wear.  There's a little tip wear, but that's to be expected with all I do with my hands during the day.  Primary Color is an orange-based red.  I usually go for blue-based red but I like this one.  It's bright and well pigmented.  I could've gotten away with one coat if I were careful about application.  It's been kinda hit and miss with FP formula, but this one wasn't too thick nor too thin.  Good stuff.

If you don't know or haven't tried a chevron tip, it's really quite easy.  This is the first time I've tried it and I was surprised it came out so good.  Paint your entire nail with the base color - let dry.  Take your second color and starting about 2/3 to a 1/3 down the nail on the side, drag the brush up in a diagonal line to the top edge of the nail.  Repeat on the other side.  Simple as that!

Just a little close up.  You can see where I needed to do clean up around the black near the skin of the finger.  It took forever to get this all cleaned up and it wasn't until I washed my hands quite a few times that all the black finally came off.  I had black polish on the skin next to the nail and some even bled to under the nail.  Not looking forward to getting it all removed tonight because I'm really wanting to do a lighter look tonight. 

We're having game night with the bestie and her hubs (who just happens to be the bestie to my hubs) on Saturday.  I'm making a new dessert for the occasion.  If it's any good, I'll post it next week.  Cross your fingers!

Listening to: Waking Up by 10 Years
Mood: anxious