Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Gotta Love Chick Flicks

Tons of movies come to mind when the term "Chick Flick" comes up. I had a really hard time deciding what to choose. I finally settled on The Devil Wears Prada. One reason, I just so happened to have watched it this week. Second, it screams FASHION!!! I must admit, the results of my manicure were not exactly what I had pictured. I wanted to do so much more, but I ran out of time. I am a renowned procrastinator that likes to paint her nails late at night, the night before she needs to wake up at 5 am. I do this to myself every week. It's like an addiction. I can't seem to help myself. Well, I kind of gave up on my original idea, and modified it for times sake. I used three coats of Essie Bone Chilling for the white bases. Two coats of Zoya Sookie was used for the red nail and the shoe stamping. Finally, Orly Liquid Vinyl was used for my black pointer finger. I also used Konad polishes in Black Pearl for the Zebra print, and White for the Coco Chanel logo. Everything was stamped except for the Chanel logo. I used Konad plate m57 for the zebra print and Bundle Monster BM 213 for the pumps. I definitely think I could have done better but it is what it is. Oh well. Moving on.

 I think the black background gave the picture more of an edgy feel.

Forgive the poor clean up job. I was a little sleepy.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Inspired by the Runway

This weeks challenge calls for us to be inspired by the runway. So, I hit the internet searching the latest fashion for the "IT" things for the season. I fell in love with the color oxblood. It is a deep red/burgundy that can look almost black. The other trend that caught my eye was all of the uses of leather and reptile prints/embossing. It looks so chic and edgy. Combined, I think I have found the coolest manicure to date. I feel like one bad mam'a jamm'a. I used the beautiful Prey Tell from China Glaze as my base color. I feel dark and mysterious with it on. Next, I used my ManGlaze Matte Is Murder for the matte black, reptile stamping detail. I think this looks too cool. I had two little problems doing this manicure. First, clean up of Prey Tell left evidence. By "evidence," I mean bloody looking cuticles. No matter what I did, they looked red and irritated. The other problem I had was stamping the matte polish quick enough before it dried on the stamper. Matte polishes dry quickly in general. Having such a thin layer for stamping meant I had to move like the Flash. I think the effect I captured was worth the effort.

Ignore my poor index finger. The nail was involved in a small lawnmower starting accident. It will be missed.

Try not to notice the bloody looking cuticle. :(

Looks so dramatic.

One more for the road.

Prey Tell : This was a little tricky to apply. It was fully opaque in two coats, but it was a little "gloopy" in consistency. Even with it being thicker than I prefer, I will definitely wear this color again. Look at that shine!

 

Color Inspiration: Oxblood            Designer: Peter Som 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Texture/Stamp Inspiration : Reptile/Leather        Designer: DKNY 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Delicate and Elegant

Week three of the Girly Girl Challenge asks for delicate and elegant nails. I went with delicate lace. Now, not to toot my own horn, I think this turned out pretty damn sexy! It screams "I'm hot, but not easy." Yes, I know I have problems. Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop come to mind when looking at these. On to business, I used two coats of butter LONDON Knees Up as my base color. I am telling you, butter LONDON seems to do no wrong. Its sexy and easy to apply. The first coat seems to go on a little sheer, but the second takes it all the way to opaque. For the stamping, I used Konad Black Pearl and the Konad plate m57. This was an easy and dressed up manicure I will definitely be using for a date night with the Hubby in the future.

Grrrrrrrr!

Its alluring without the stamping.

My Favorite Things Nail Art Challenge Day 10: Your Favorite Mani!

My favorite manicure. I could go twenty different directions with this last post for My Favorite Things Nail Challenge. I am a huge fan of holographic polishes, I am getting more and more into nail art, but what manicure is my favorite?? Well, I decided to do a "funky french" manicure that I first saw on Chloe's Nails. I was instantly star struck. This manicure exudes sex appeal, elegance, and funk! I bet you didn't realize a simple manicure could do that, did you? My husband even saw it on Pinterest before I ever tried it and thought it looked really cool. So, my favorite manicure isn't something original or outlandish, it is just one that makes me happy! I think that is only fitting. I used OPI DS Extravagance for my base color with two coats and Konad Black Pearl for the tips. Of course, one of my manicures wouldn't be complete without a topping of Seche Vite to bring it all together.

 So pretty!!

China Glaze Magnetix II Press Release

China Glaze has come out with its second round of magnetic polishes. This new collection features six new colors and a new magnet featuring circles, vertical lines, and lattice effects. So if you were a fan of the first set, you will be thrilled with what is coming out next I personally think Con-fused and Positively In Love  looks great.

Here are some bottle shots sent over from China Glaze

Con-Fused?                 Bond-Tastic               Get Charged

 (Lively Green)                (Soft Rust)              (Dark Lavender)

Gold Fusion            Positively In Love           Sparks Will Fly

   (Rich Gold)          (Gorgeous Magenta)       (Chic Cobalt Blue)

Here are the new magnet designs.

      

 Circles            Vertical Lines            Lattice

So, are you excited to see the new Magnetix II Collection that is out now?

Layla Softouch #07 Queen Bordeaux

I must say I am in love with the Softouch Effect nail polish by Layla. This red is stunning!!!! I like the vampy look when it is a suede finish, and the red carpet glitz you get after adding a top coat! This color went on easily in two coats. If I had been more careful, I could have gotten away with one coat. I really don't know what to say, except that it is gorgeous. The closest color comparison I have to this is ManGlaze Fatty's Got More Blood, but that one is more purple toned. Queen Bordeaux is a deep, blood red. I think this might be my go to color for Halloween this year!! Mwahahahaha! I vant to suck your blood!

Is this not a beautiful blood red?  I know it seems a little creepy that I keep referring to "blood red" but that is just the image that comes to mind, sorry. (Be glad I am not posting a reference picture, LOL!)

Isn't this gorgeous with a topcoat? It just takes my breath away. Red carpet, here I come!

In the USA, you can purchase Layla Softouch products at Fabulous Street and Ninja Polish.

* This was sent to me for review.

My Favorite Things Nail Art Challenge Day 9: Flowers

So the challenge is coming towards the end, and I have my flower manicure to show and tell. I miss show and tell. Remember in kindergarten, when it was finally your turn to bring in your most prized possessions, and you just knew you were the coolest ever? I miss those days of play, nap time, and snacks.  I never thought I would reminisce over my elementary school days. Well, lets get back on topic. I thought about hand painting flowers or doing one accent flower on one nail, but I have been wanting to use one of my stamping plates for a while and settled on this one from my Bundle Monster set, plate # BM 221. Once I had it on my nails, it seemed rather reminiscent of a Hawaiian print shirt. All I need is a Mai Tai, a hula skirt, and my husband throwing flaming torches to set the scene. Aloha `oe, aloha `oe,E ke onaona noho i ka lipo,One fond embrace, Until we meet again (do you hear the ukulele playing in the background?) How did I go from kindergarten to a luau? Really need to focus here. So, for the base color, I used butter LONDON Slapper. I just got this during Ulta's buy one get one free sale on Monday, and I am in love. This beauty went on in two breezy coats! I also used Konad White for stamping. I did notice something a little weird after putting Sech Vite top coat on after stamping. The flowers turned a yellowish color and the beautiful teal of Slapper had a yellow/green tinge to it. Hmmmm ... it still looks pretty to me! So, what do you think of my Luau manicure? Are you in Maui with me yet or are you still in the hotel with jet lag? (I think I need a vacation!)

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Gimme That Bling

Week number two of the Girly Girl Challenge calls for some serious bling. I thought and thought about what I should do: just one glitter, stamping, gradient, holographic, glue actual diamonds on to my nails (yeah, right.) I finally decided on a glitter gradient of Milani Purple Gleam and Lavender Fizz. First, let me just say these two colors alone are stunning. I am a big fan of purple and these two hit the jackpot for me. Purple and glitter, how can you go wrong? Clean up of this was quite difficult. I am very glad I taped my fingers before application, like I was doing water marbling. The effect these polishes made were worth the trouble. I used two coats of Gelous and one coat of Seche Vite to smooth out the very rough texture. Well, I hope this is "blingy" enough for the challenge. I know it is definitely one of the most dazzling manicures I have done so far. Plus, my husband was ecstatic that I used the polishes he recommended!! Go Hubby!!

It starts with Lavender Fizz and fades into Purple Gleam toward the tips.

My Favorite Things Nail Art Challenge Day 8: Hearts/Love

Sorry for the posting delay. My little man was really sick yesterday, so I had to wait on doing the manicure. We are now at day 8 of the nail art challenge by Ooh La La Polish. Wow, we are almost done. I must say I am glad I chose this as my first challenge. I have had so much fun doing this, and I am going to hate to see it end. Today's focus is on hearts and/or love. I decided to do a fun and bright combination of the two themes. I am just not in a "pink love" mood right now. I need fun and playful and I think this was just what the doctor ordered! I used China Glaze Lemon Fizz as the base color. It took three careful coats to obtain a streak free and full covered nail.  As much as I love that color, it is a bit of a pain in the arse to apply! For the word and hearts I used my acrylic paints. I topped it with my beloved Seche Vite for a beautiful shine! What do you think?

My Favorite Things Nail Art Challenge Day 7: Glitter

Glitter is the theme of today's nail art challenge by Ooh La La Polish. I have a lot of glitter, so it made my selection a little complicated. I decided to go simple with a glitter "french manicure." I used Piggy Polish Going Places In This Oasis, which is a stunning teal glitter in a teal base. It took two coats for full opacity. As with most blue/green polishes, be careful of staining, use a good base coat. ManGlaze Matte Is Murder was used for the tips. I thought that once the top coat was added, the shimmer would compliment the glitter in the base color of the nail. I topped it off with Gelous top coat. This manicure is really fun, and looked amazing in the sun. It reminded me of those sequined dresses pageant girls wear (I was never one of those girls, no crown for me). So, what is your favorite glitter manicure?

Stunning in the sunlight!

Still shining in the shade.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge : Think Pink

So, I am trying my hand (ha ha) at another nail challenge. This current challenge is being hosted by Lisa at Lisa's Nail Obsession. It is the Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge that was originally started at the Neverland Nail Blog . Week one is "Think Pink". This week, we are to wear our favorite pink nail polishes and favorite nail art. Since I am notorious for being indecisive, I am quite proud to say I easily pick one of my favorite pinks quickly. Overboard by Color Club is a gorgeous fuchsia creme  polish that goes on effortlessly in 1-2 coats, depending on how thickly you put your polish on. This color just makes me smile. Yes, I am sitting here at my computer, smiling like an idiot while writing that sentence. Continuing, I just could not figure out my favorite nail art so I went simple. I did a cute dot frame in the corners with white acrylic paint, and topped it all off with one coat of Out The Door. This is a cute and simple manicure, that anyone can do!

Sweet and simple.

This picture is a better representation of the color.