Halloween Blood Spatter! I say it's an A+ (bah ha ha ha)

Happy Halloween!!!! I just had a great Halloween with my family. Good food, fun watching my four year old get thrilled every time he got candy just by saying trick-or-treat, and having one of the goriest/creepiest/most awesome manicures I have had yet! I have been seeing the blood spatter manicures going around and I could not help myself. First, since I am a nurse at a hospital, I knew I could freak out a few co-workers with my "bloody nails." Second, It just looks BAD A$$! This was so much fun to do. I see myself using this technique over and over again. A quick tip that I should have followed, but I was hasty last night trying to get it done. Tape around your nails before spattering! It will help with clean up immensely. You can see in the pictures that I still have red all around my nails despite diligent clean up. Oh well, I think it adds to the effect. I used Sally Hansen White Out for my base, and Essie Blood Curdling, Orly Ma Cherie, and China Glaze Prey Tell for the blood. The "spatter effect" was created by using a coffee stirrer "straw" dipped in polish, then blown onto the nail. All of that bloody goodness was topped off with on coat of Out The Door. What do you think of this crime scene of a manicure? Have you tried spattering/splattering yet?

 Oh yeah, the mysteriously absent right hand makes an appearance!

 I was going for a Psycho pose here.

All I can think of is CSI when I look at this.

Ludurana: Maravilhosa and Supremo

Ludurana is a great brand from Brazil that has everything from creme to color changing polish. I have two of their holographic polishes from the Aurora Boreal (Aurora Borealis) collection. Maravilhosa or "Wonderful" and Supremo or "Supreme" are two stunning linear holographic polishes that are slightly perfumed. I couldn't tell you exactly what the scent is, but it definitely isn't the standard stink of polish. It's more like a sweet floral scent that is noticeable while it is drying. Both of the colors dried to a gritty/dull finish. You will need a topcoat if you want a good shine.

Maravilhosa

A pretty rosy pink, holographic polish. This nail polish went on in two thin coats for full coverage. 

 Outside

Outside

 Shade

Artificial Light

Supremo

A lovely light violet, holographic polish. This nail polish went on in three thin coats for full coverage. This polish consistency was a bit runnier than Maravilhosa and also went on a bit sheerer. 

 Outside

Outside

 Shade

Artificial Light

You can purchase these polishes at either Ninja Polish or Llarowe.

A England: Lady of the Lake and Tristam

I have two beautiful polishes to show you from a england's The Mythical's collection. Let me just say I am in love with this brand from the United Kingdom. These colors were stunning and oh so easy to apply. Now, you all know I have a small obsession with holographic polishes. These two polishes are a scattered/subtle type of holo. Still 100% absolutely beautiful. They both had full coverage at two coats, had great shine without a topcoat, and had one of the best formula consistencies that I have had the pleasure of using. It was quite refreshing how easy these colors were to apply and purely enjoy. I have nothing critical to say about either of the colors! How often does that happen?

Lady of the Lake

A beautiful dusky, red toned, purple with holographic shimmer.

Outside

Outside

 Blurred to see holographic shimmer

 Shade

Artificial light

Tristam

A gorgeous dark, night sky, blue with holographic shimmer

Outside

 Outside

Blurred

 Shade

Artificial Light

You can purchase these beauties at either a england, Ninja Polish, or Llarowe.

Zoya Purple Color Block

Hello all. Sorry for the recent decline in posts. Last week was fall break and I wanted to enjoy as much time off with my family as possible. I even did my very first 5K!!! I am so proud of myself. Trust me, if you knew me, you would know that I only run if someone is chasing after me. Back to my delay in posts, I am now sick. I feel miserable, and the last thing I feel like doing is nail art while blowing my nose and coughing. I now feel the need to apologize if you have the sudden desire to Lysol your computer for fear of contracting my cold over the internet. So, I got some really cool metallic striping tape from Born Pretty last week and decided to suck it up and paint. I went with the ever fashionable color block. I used all Zoya polishes for this look. You see, this manicure gave me an excuse to use three colors I have been dying to try: Marley, Dannii, and Yasmeen. Marley is a beautiful pearl lilac that leans on the red toned side. It went on, thicker than I prefer, in two coats. Dannii is a stunning medium purple that also leans on the red side. It has a gorgeous pink and champagne tinted shimmer. I used it over Marley, so I don't know how many coats I would need for full opacity on its own. Finally, Yasmeen is a stunning dark purple with red toned metallic shimmer. I think Out of these three polishes, Yasmeen is my favorite color. Now, on to the nail art. I had a tough time choosing what color striping tape to use for the separation of color. It was a close tie between gold and silver. I decided on silver, and it did not disappoint! The striping tape I used is from the Born Pretty Store. This stuff is awesome. It is very thin, and came in 12 different colors. I also used the tape when painted each different color. I do recommend that you have a good pair of tweezers on hand because, just like with thin scotch tape, it is really hard to find the starting edge when it lays back on the roll. I received a ton of compliments at work and while out shopping. I really think the silver tape gave my manicure a more finished look. Be sure to use a good topcoat over your finished manicure to prevent the tape from peeling back! Well, what do you think?  

The striping tape from Born Pretty Store was sent to me for review. The people there were nice enough to let me share a coupon code with you for 10% off!! Use the code FJL91 when checking out on their website.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

This week's Nail Art Challenge theme is basically everything girly!! So, what is girlier than pink and glitter? NOTHING! I used two coats of OPI Heart Throb as my base color with a glitter gradient tip using Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear in Strobe Light. This manicure sort of looks like I dipped my nails in sugar. Yum! I just better not lick these. Even though the tips are super sparkly, it is still a pretty subdued manicure for me. The color is so delicate and pale, you could wear it almost anywhere. What do you think?

Flash

No Flash.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Who Inspires You?

This weeks Girly Girl Challenge asks who inspires you. I had many options; Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, and J.K. Rowling. I decided to go with someone who inspires me every day, P!nk. I have been listening to her music since high school, and always find myself seeing some deeper meaning in her art. Her music can make you laugh, cry, hurt, or fall in love. She is a very independent woman that exudes confidence and beauty. Basically, she kicks ass! I, of course, had to use her namesake as a base for my manicure. I used OPI Strawberry Margarita for the pink base. This beauty went on in two easy coats that left a stunning shine. I used Color Club Hot Couture, which is a multicolored, opalescent glitter, in a sheer pink base for the glitter accents. Acrylic black paint was used for P!nk's name. Once again, the topcoat dragged on the paint and distorted the lettering, but it still turned out pretty cool looking. So, who inspires you most?