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?

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.

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.

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.